Chapter 55: Wu De Si Red Dragon Guard (Please Follow and Read)

"The fist is power—how could it be lightly passed on!"

"What circulates inside the palace and outside is not the true Taizu Long Fist at all."

"Taizu never transmitted the fist to the army. The thirty-two postures of Long Fist in the military and among the people were all later disseminated by Taizong in the name of Taizu's posthumous edict!"

"Transmitted by Taizong?" Zhao Ti raised his brows.

"Taizong passed down the fist's frame and forms, but not the marrow and intent of the fist. The Dao is not lightly spoken, the method is not lightly transmitted—how could such a divine fist be allowed to scatter casually through the world!" Gao Taotao said coolly.

"If that's the case, then why transmit it at all? Better not to pass it down." Zhao Ti asked, puzzled.

"No one knows what Taizong was thinking back then." Gao Taotao's expression grew complicated.

Zhao Ti drew a deep breath: "Then why are there only thirty-two postures?"

"Because Taizong himself only learned thirty-two postures. Before Taizu could pass on the thirty-third form to Taizong, he… passed away."

"Then who today knows this true Taizu Long Fist?" Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes, a guess already forming in his mind.

Gao Taotao looked at him and said: "Only each generation's Emperor is qualified to learn the true Taizu Long Fist, only each generation's Emperor is qualified to practice the true Taizu Long Fist—passed down solely through the imperial bloodline!"

Zhao Ti pondered briefly and said: "Grandmother, if it is so… wouldn't it easily be lost?"

He recalled that Zhao Xu had died suddenly. Though the man's health had never been great, the final onset was extremely abrupt—he couldn't even speak, couldn't hold a brush, hadn't even named a successor before he passed.

If that was the case… didn't it mean the fist might not have been transmitted at all?

"Let it be lost if it must." Gao Taotao said coldly: "Though it is a divine fist, it is missing one form after all. A golden vessel flawed, the realm incomplete—transmitting it brings no benefit."

Zhao Ti was stunned. Gao Taotao's words carried hidden meaning, her tone exceedingly grave.

What did she mean by a golden vessel flawed, the realm incomplete? What did she mean by no benefit in transmitting it?

He deliberated: "Grandmother, did Emperor Zhenzong, Emperor Renzong, and Emperor Yingzong all practice this fist?"

Gao Taotao said every Emperor had practiced it, but consider Emperor Renzong's burning of the martial arsenal—if he had truly trained in martial arts, why would he burn down the arsenal?

"Naturally they practiced it." Gao Taotao said slowly.

"Truly all of them?" Zhao Ti asked, doubtful.

"Every Emperor of the Great Song practiced this fist!" Gao Taotao nodded.

"Grandmother…" Zhao Ti's doubt deepened.

"If Emperor Renzong had not practiced this fist, how could he have burned the martial arsenal in a fit of rage? He even entertained the thought of destroying this fist itself."

"Why was that?" Zhao Ti's heart stirred.

"Why?" Gao Taotao's tone was icy, as if boundless grief and fury churned within her chest: "Emperor Zhenzong had only one heir, Emperor Renzong had no heirs, Emperor Yingzong died young, Emperor Shenzong died young! Tell me—why was that?"

"Mm?" Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes.

"The present Emperor has had no heirs all along, and his health doesn't look particularly good—likely also from practicing this fist!"

"Grandmother, but Emperor Zhenzong and Emperor Renzong both did have children at one point, they just died young…"

"If they had not practiced this fist, how could it have caused their offspring to be congenitally weak, their bloodline thin—born only to die, or growing up without thriving?"

"Then Emperor Taizong…"

"Emperor Taizong? Emperor Taizong was reverent and cautious. Though he had many theories about this Taizu Long Fist, he would never dare act rashly or do anything reckless."

"Grandmother, what do you mean by that?"

"The other Emperors all tried to deduce the lost thirty-third form from the first thirty-two postures of this Fist Technique, yet not one succeeded. Testing it on their own bodies, they damaged their meridians and channels, depleted their vital energy, drained their qi and blood—every attempt ended in failure!"

"What?" Zhao Ti's heart surged with waves.

"The present Emperor should be the same." Gao Taotao's voice was somewhat pallid.

"Grandmother, then why not switch to another Cultivation Technique to practice? Since this fist cannot be leaked, and no outsiders can be brought in to help deduce it, if one still wishes to train in martial arts, wouldn't switching to Other Martial Arts work?"

"In truth, as long as one doesn't recklessly deduce the thirty-third form, nothing happens. But whatever words Taizong left behind, generation after generation became as if possessed, deducing and practicing it, scorning all Other Martial Arts."

Zhao Ti thought silently—could this Taizu Long Fist have something special about it? Otherwise why couldn't each Emperor resist deducing it? But to derive the thirty-third form from the first thirty-two… it might not be impossible.

"Grandmother…"

"Emperor Renzong took out his anger on the martial arsenal's martial arts, but he did not dare destroy the Taizu Long Fist—he could only follow Taizong's decree and continue passing it down. Emperor Yingzong was obsessed with it, but given the precedents of Emperor Zhenzong and Emperor Renzong, he studied the Heavenly Palace's treasures, hoping to gain enlightenment from the Daoist ideals of purity and non-action, yet he could not change the final outcome."

At this point Zhao Ti was already certain in his heart—if Zhao Ji were to succeed in the future, then most likely he had not learned this fist. Zhao Xu died so suddenly that he hadn't even named a successor; naturally the fist was not transmitted. Otherwise Zhao Ji would not be so weak he couldn't even tie up a chicken. The true Taizu Long Fist, after Zhao Xu, was already lost.

And Zhao Ji reigned for twenty-seven years, free of illness and pain, his descendants flourishing, his health incomparably good—completely unlike the previous Emperors. This should be precisely because he had not learned this fist. But… in the end he lost the Jiangshan!

"Your grandson understands." Zhao Ti said: "Thank you, Grandmother, for telling me this and resolving the doubts in my heart."

Gao Taotao looked at him, silent for a long while. Finally her expression settled into calm: "Though I am a Zhao by marriage, I have no right to interfere with the Zhao family's Wu Gong. Emperor Yingzong treated me well, which is how I came to know of this. Remember—you must not spread it abroad."

Zhao Ti nodded, then picked up the wine pot and refilled his grandmother's cup: "Grandmother, did you ever see Emperor Yingzong practice the fist?"

Gao Taotao frowned: "Why do you ask?"

Zhao Ti said: "Your grandson has no other intention, merely curious."

Gao Taotao said: "Never once. This fist can only be learned by the imperial bloodline. No matter how close Emperor Yingzong's feelings for me were, how could he possibly reveal it?"

Zhao Ti said: "Your grandson understands." He recalled that night when he had seen Zhao Xu—every part of this sixth brother's body radiated a sense of contradiction, his body and intent estranged, his qi and spirit at odds. Could it be from deducing this Taizu Long Fist?

"Within the Great Song imperial household there is also a unit called the Red Dragon Guard, personally overseen by the imperial bloodline." Gao Taotao said: "If you did not study martial arts, I would not have told you. Since you now practice martial arts, to prevent any future misunderstandings should you encounter them, I shall tell you all at once."

"Red Dragon Guard…" Zhao Ti's expression showed attentive listening.

"The Wu De Si Red Dragon Guard was originally in the open. Back then Taizong ordered it changed to the Imperial City Bureau, but in truth this was merely to deceive outside ears and eyes, hiding the true Wu De Si in the shadows."

Zhao Ti nodded. Whether it was the true Taizu Long Fist or the Wu De Si, after Taizong took the throne, all were concealed and changed to be passed down solely through the imperial bloodline. What was this guarding against? Could it be that the rumors of the candle shadow and the axe were not mere legend, but actually true?

So Taizong layered protection upon protection around the imperial bloodline, guarding against the clan with utmost vigilance, not even letting the imperial relatives know of such things as a secret guard?

But if this continued, literary pursuits would flourish within the clan while martial ways were neglected—utterly unlike the imperial households of Liao, Xia, and other nations. Wouldn't this make them grow ever weaker?

He frowned slightly, gazing out the window.

At this moment the bright moon outside the window rose ever higher, shining over the nine provinces of the land, the Sahā world. The full moon's radiance illuminates the nine provinces—some households in joy, some in sorrow.

An hour later, Zhao Ti returned to the Wang Fu. No sooner had he stepped through the gate than a young eunuch came to report that the Prince of Shen had come, waited for a while without seeing him return, and had already departed.