Yuanwu

Yuanwu maintains a simple daily routine. Every day in the early morning, he opens up his gym and proceeds to clean the pieces of training equipment one by one. Then he boils a pot of tea and greets customers while savoring it.

For those seeking to learn martial arts, Yuanwu assesses their physique and current condition before suggesting a suitable style. The intensity of training can be tailored to individual preferences, whether for physical fitness or making a name in the martial arts world. Every customer is heard attentively, with Yuanwu patiently crafting a personalized practice plan for their goals. Even those who enter without a clear purpose are welcomed with warm hospitality and offered guidance in exploring their interests.

As soon as a client steps through the gym's front door, Yuanwu's kind eyes immediately meet theirs.

"Leave your worries behind and lift your spirits in our gym. Let's start with some easy punches to unwind."

From just a few moves and punches, Yuanwu can tell the guest's current physical condition and recommend a suitable training plan.

"Your posture is slouched, and your walk lacks stability... The lower back muscles appear strained. Try this set of moves: three slow punches followed by one fast. This should provide relief."

After practicing as per his instructions, the customer should feel a significant sense of relaxation, both mentally and physically. Before leaving, Yuanwu would say goodbye with just the right amount of genuine concern, almost like an old friend.

"Feeling better now? That's good. And don't forget to ease up on those usual tense days. Take this pack of tea with you, it'll help you unwind."

Among the numerous boxing gyms of various sizes in Jinzhou, only Yuanwu's gym enjoys such sustained popularity.

It is said that Yuanwu Boxing Gym's owner is willing to help his customers with any kind of trouble, even those not related to working out.

One day, Mahe, a customer usually focused and devoted during workouts, was suddenly off his game. Yuanwu picked up on that and asked him if something was wrong. Mahe's demeanor was somber as he led Yuanwu to the gym's locker, where he pulled out a delicate dinner plate from his belongings.

The plate had a circle of small red flowers on the edge. Yuanwu recognized it as an enamel craft from overseas. The flowers were perfect, except for a small missing piece of the gold rim. The entire plate appeared incomplete without it.

It was a gift Mahe prepared for Panhua. A few years ago, when Panhua Restaurant opened, Mahe promised that he would find the world's most beautiful dinner plate to serve the world's most flavorful meals. Even though the two of them later parted ways due to differences in ideals, Mahe still remembered his promise.

He stuck to his ideals, but couldn't let go of his affection for her.

For years, he searched for the perfect dinner plate, one that wasn't too flashy or tacky. Finally, his eyes landed on this simple yet elegant piece - white with red flowers. It was just right.

The plate was expensive, and he had a hard time securing the funds to buy it. His anxiety mounted as he debated whether to give the gift. Would it be appropriate? Should he send it anyway? During his hesitation, a section of the filigree gold rim that adorned the plates went inexplicably missing. He asked all the vendors in Jinzhou, but they either weren't familiar with imported porcelain or didn't dare to attempt fixing such valuable items. Mahe was left in a predicament.

Having listened to Mahe's situation, Yuanwu gently picked up the dinner plate, telling Mahe to come pick it up a week later.

When Mahe came back, the flowers were perfectly arranged in a circle, with no signs of repair.

In return, Yuanwu only asked Mahe to bring him and the repaired plate to Panhua Restaurant for a meal.

Served on the beautiful plate adorned with enameled flowers, the spicy, fragrant dishes looked even more enticing. Panhua's smile looked peculiarly charming that day, and the usually reticent Mahe managed to put a smile on his face too. It was truly an enjoyable dinner.

No matter how popular the gym was as a business, to charge so little for work like this seemed like a bad bargain to many.

Yuanwu, however, simply shrugged it off with a smile, as if money was the least important thing to him.

Located on the frontier, Jinzhou boasts a robust martial arts culture, featuring numerous gyms of varying sizes. In this relatively tranquil era, the once stringent and harsh customs governing duels gradually waned, making way for more "amicable" consultations and exchanges between gyms.

Where people gather, politics inevitably follows. Despite the activities being cloaked under the banner of exchanges, behind the scenes, individuals engaged in secret competitions, employing every means to emerge victorious. After all, this provides a rare opportunity for publicity. A simple statement from the winner about their affiliated gym brings about a surge in attention and lucrative business contracts.

As the event gains more influence, an increasing number of gyms decide to participate. Surprisingly, even Yuanwu, known for his indifference to fame and fortune, threw his hat into the ring.

Yuanwu's gym was already a flourishing and enviable business. His participation immediately stirred up trouble among some vested interests, with the most perturbed being the previous top-ranker, Wenxi. Wenxi, a businessman, treated both his gym and participation in the event as mere publicity tools for his weapon workshop, emphasizing commercial benefits. Notably, his top rank was purchased, not earned.

Understanding Yuanwu's capabilities and recognizing that his gym was not overly corporate, Wenxi personally visited and extended a tempting offer to buy out Yuanwu. However, Yuanwu rejected the proposal without a second thought.

Unfazed, Wenxi resorted to paying substantial sums to some of Yuanwu's regulars to divulge every detail of Yuanwu's boxing techniques. He then went on to bribe the referees and staff overseeing the finals, ensuring they turned a blind eye to the tampering he did with the fighters' suits.

On the day of the finals, a surprising surge of thunder filled the air, only to dissipate in an instant. Between the flash and the sudden calm, both suits were struck open. The scorching thunder precisely hit the costumes, avoiding unprotected skin; a little further, and the fighters' joints would have been burned. The exposed inner workings of the broken suits revealed all the clandestine schemes, causing an uproar among the spectators and thus leading to the suspension of the match.

Following an investigation, the horrifying thunder during the match was attributed to accidents caused by the concealed devices within the suits. Simultaneously, Wenxi's weapon workshop, responsible for manufacturing such devices, came under scrutiny.

Before long, the workshop mysteriously vanished, fading into oblivion along with the rigged fighting events.

After the storm had settled, Yuanwu Boxing Gym returned to its usual lively state, a small haven bustling with patrons. For the sharp-eyed customers, a subtle difference might be observed–a few familiar faces were absent from the crowd coming in and out of the premises.

The standout feature that sets Yuanwu Boxing Gym apart from others is the emphasis on comfort.

Under Boss Yuanwu's guidance, practitioners go through their routines, ending each session by wiping away the sweat and indulging in a pot of tea. The comfort! Whether practicing the nimble Xianfengquan, the powerful Leihuangquan, or the flexible Sanfuquan, Yuanwu has paired each style of boxing with a specific tea boasting complementary benefits. Practitioners, sipping the hot brew after their workouts, relax their muscles, invigorate circulation, and dispel fatigue.

Yuanwu personally tested these tea formulas before handing them over to the neighboring teahouse, which thrives with a booming business. Requests for tea bookings are usually made months in advance, and while occasional delays occur, they never affect Yuanwu's orders to be delivered as scheduled. Speculations arise about Yuanwu not being the ordinary, idle gym boss he appears to be, but rather a big shot overseeing multiple enterprises. Could this highly sought-after tea be just another facet of his business?

When confronted with inquiries, Yuanwu merely smiles and hands over a cup of tea, saying, "Stop chasing shadows. Have some tea and refresh. Sweat more, conjecture less." After a practice session and a cup of tea, with the nose filled with the fresh aroma, doubts and anxieties disperse with the droplets of sweat. Questions about Yuanwu's wealth and how he accumulates it become irrelevant. A profound sense of relaxation envelops the whole body, momentarily dispelling worldly plots and pursuits.

In this world, most things demand pace and balance. When tired, take a break and enjoy some tea. It's a moment to pause, refresh, and then continue.

Yuanwu Boxing Gym was once renowned as the gym for Leihuangquan successors. The gym boasted countless honors, and each of its masters achieved fame across Huanglong.

Leihuangquan's reputation rests on its aggressive style, but such intensity often comes at a cost. Unfortunately, the last three masters met rather unfortunate fates, with the most recent one experiencing a particularly tragic downfall. Rumor has it that he, in the heat of competition, punched through the boxing equipment, violating the rules and leading to his expulsion. Seeking solace from the blow to his career, he embarked on a ship tour, only to encounter a fatal thunderstorm. Coincidentally, he possessed a skill for manipulating thunder, and in a twist of cruel irony, he succumbed to the very force he once controlled. It seems that karma refuses to let anyone go.

As the property agent finished his introduction of the gym's history, he paused to gauge the middle-aged man's reaction. "This property isn't really auspicious. Do you still want to buy?" The man simply smiled and nodded, undeterred.

"Well, I've said everything I have to," the agent sighed, cautioning, "If you still want to buy it, go on, but just don't turn it into a martial arts gym again. It's unlucky."

Yuanwu pushed open the creaky wooden door, allowing sunlight to spill into the space. Dormant dust danced in the hard-earned sunlight's warmth, settling on familiar yet weathered furnishings—the worn wooden stakes, the boxing ring with a worn floor, the quiet display case, and dusty medals of honor.

Yuanwu delicately wiped down these objects from the past, along with memories obscured by dust. The wooden stakes bore the marks of his late fellow apprentices' intense practice. The medals in the display case were hard-earned victories, and as for the floor, it was indeed broken by himself.

Back in the match, he knew no fear and no restraint. A single punch shattered the delicate balance maintained by masters over the years, breaking the floor and throwing him into the storm of reality. The storm, which was also called reality, tore apart the young martial artist who knew nothing but fight. Perhaps, as the rumors suggested, he was truly buried at the bottom of the sea.

As the gym reopened under new ownership, a middle-aged owner with a warm smile welcomed customers coming and going. "Welcome to Yuanwu Boxing Gym."