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The Story of Chen Jia gou 7-8

And with a pointed finger, he broke the rabbit’s leg and threw the rabbit to the ground. Then, with a triumphant posture, he looked at Wangting. Wangting, witnessing this situation, was also greatly surprised. He thought to himself that it’s no wonder Li Jiyu entrusted this person with the responsibility of patrolling the mountain. He stared at Jiang Fa for a moment and asked, “That day, when I went up the mountain, was it you?” Jiang Fa replied, “Indeed, it was me.”

Wangting looked into Jiang Fa’s eyes and already understood the intention behind his actions. He also saw Jiang Fa’s profound skills and outstanding talent, making him a rare talent. Impressed and in need of talented individuals, he secretly decided to recruit this person. At that moment, three large eagles descended from the sky, grabbing the rabbit and flying high into the air, more than ten meters above the ground. Chen Wangting, without hesitation, concentrated his mind and energy, leaped into the air, and snatched the rabbit back. Jiang Fa was astonished and asked with amazement, “What kind of skill is this?” Wangting smiled faintly and said, “It’s just lightness skill.”

Jiang Fa admired Wangting greatly and wanted to test him further. He invited Wangting to accompany him on the journey, walking and talking together, seemingly getting along well. When they arrived at an open space in front of a house, Jiang Fa proposed to learn from Wangting. Wangting was secretly delighted as this was a perfect opportunity to win Jiang Fa over. Jiang Fa launched a strong attack as soon as they started, with rapid and swift moves. Wangting remained calm, countering every move intentionally, allowing Jiang Fa to display his full abilities. After a while, Jiang Fa had executed over fifty moves, but Wangting dodged and resolved each one. At this point, Jiang Fa’s sharpness had diminished significantly. Within a few dozen moves, Wangting used his Tai Chi boxing skills to stick and control Jiang Fa, who became increasingly uneasy and covered in cold sweat. On the other hand, Wangting remained composed, with a rosy complexion.

In the back and forth, Jiang Fa made a slight mistake and was caught by Wangting’s wrist. With a burst of power from Wangting’s Tai Chi, Jiang Fa was sent flying more than ten meters away. Wangting followed closely, bringing Jiang Fa back repeatedly. Jiang Fa became frustrated and used all his strength, refusing to admit defeat and wanting to continue the fight with Wangting. Seeing this, Wangting knew it was time to end the contest. He leaped more than ten meters away, leaned against the wall, and displayed the highest skill of Tai Chi sticking to the wall. He opened his arms and said, “Come on!” Seeing this, Jiang Fa couldn’t help but admire and respect Wangting. He knelt down and said, “Our skills are far apart, you are the true master I’ve been looking for.”

Wangting was overjoyed, jumped down, and helped Jiang Fa up, saying, “From now on, if you have anything, come to Chenjiagou and find me. I will treat you as a dear friend.”

At that time, there were various uprisings led by Li Chuangwang, Zhang Xianzhong, and other rebel leaders against the Ming Dynasty. Even the Manchu leader Nurhaci occasionally invaded the borders, causing turmoil and instability in the Ming Dynasty. The corrupt officials and villains were also living in fear, and as a result, the “turtle killing” case was left unresolved.

After some time, Chen Wangting, feeling homesick, bid farewell to Li Jiyu and returned to Chenjiagou. Before parting, they made a mutual agreement: once Chen Wangting was back in Chenjiagou, he would secretly contact the villagers and prepare for the uprising. When the time was ripe, they would assist Li Jiyu in crossing the Yellow River and marching towards Beijing. To avoid involving innocent villagers, the residents of Wen County could mark their boundaries with red flags, and Li Jiyu’s troops were not allowed to violate the territories within the red-flagged boundaries.

Chen Wangting followed through with the plan when he returned home, awaiting Li Jiyu’s command. However, from 1640 to 1643, the Ming Dynasty mobilized three major armies from Kaifeng, Luoyang, and Xiangyang to besiege Li Jiyu. He suffered a defeat and was killed. Jiang Fa escaped and found himself wandering in Chenjiagou, seeking refuge with Chen Wangting. Chen Wangting took him in and treated him as a servant in his residence. In the current portraits of Chen Wangting, the person standing behind him with a large knife is Jiang Fa.

As time passed, Jiang Fa’s relationship with Chen Wangting grew stronger, and they became both teacher and friend to each other. Jiang Fa took care of all matters for Chen Wangting, serving him diligently and earning his appreciation. Especially for the big yellow male ox he raised, it was well-fed and robust, with a majestic presence and glossy yellow fur. It worked hard without complaints, pulling the heavy plow as if it was nothing, and its contribution in cultivating the land and reclaiming fields won the love of the whole family.

Grandmaster Cheng JIncai and Grandmaster Chen Zhao kui

One morning, before the family had awakened, Jiang Fa rushed to Chen Wangting’s window and shouted, “The ox has been stolen, the ox has been stolen!” Chen Wangting hastily got up and dressed, walked outside, and reprimanded Jiang Fa, saying, “Why are you shouting loudly like this? Show some decorum!” Jiang Fa replied, “The ox has been stolen!” Chen Wangting said, “Let’s look for it first; maybe it just wandered off on its own.” Jiang Fa insisted, “No, it has been stolen; there’s even a note pasted on the wall.” Chen Wangting asked, “What does the note say?” Jiang Fa replied, “The note is disrespectful, it says, ‘A visitor from Shandong’s Mumen village borrowed the ox to visit a friend. Who among you heroes can come for a while to satisfy my admiration?’.” Chen Wangting said, “If Liu Bei could let go of Jingzhou during the Three Kingdoms period, then losing one ox doesn’t matter much to me.” Jiang Fa anxiously continued, “I haven’t finished yet; there’s something more offensive in the note!” Chen Wangting asked, “What’s more offensive?” Jiang Fa continued reading, “‘Those who come are true gentlemen, those who don’t are lowly people’.” Chen Wangting still maintained his composure and said, “If he calls someone a lowly person, then he is the lowly person.” Jiang Fa, now frustrated, said, “One ox might not be significant, but insulting and humiliating others too much is unbearable!”

Note: The text appears to be part of a larger story or historical account involving Chen Wangting, Li Jiyu, and Jiang Fa. The translation provides a faithful rendering of the original text, but without additional context, some details may not be fully clear.

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