The Fifth Chapter

CHAPTER 5

MARTIN

It is 23h00 in Seattle. The street is quiet except for the lone alley cat slowly making its way to the nearest garbage can. All the shops are closed in this particular street and the lights inside the buildings are off, except for one place.

It is at this hour a keen observer would be able to hear the sound of a punching bag being beaten. The sound, one would find, emanated from a karate studio in that very same street. The studio is closed, and the students would only return in the coming afternoon.

The muscular man, now clad in only his white gi trousers, was flinging one destructive attack after another at the bag. The punching bag, hanging by its chain, did not swing around much, but rather got indented with the force of each hand, forearm and foot-strike that had found its mark. The bag was definitely in a better condition to absorb the force of these blows than a human body would be.
Martin knew the effects of each attack very well. Had this been a human being, the unfortunate victim's organs would be shattered beyond repair…

He had just spent a considerable amount of energy on the last set of attacks and was just about to raise his ki again for another set when his cellphone’s ringtone reached his ears.
Martin answered. The voice on the other side sounded vaguely familiar. The proposal it brought sounded better. The money would bring him closer to paying off the pile of bills that lay on his desk in the studio. The fight itself promised to be one worthy of his power…

Three days after Martin had received the telephone call the staff of the Chinese Restaurant were enjoying a leisurely day off in the closed Restaurant. It was New Year’s day after all. Everyone was dressed exceptionally neat for the occasion and Mr Lu handed out red envelopes to each of the waiters, kitchen staff and finally to Wen Hsiu and Ling Hua.

Ling Hua, who was usually very reserved, had decided to lighten up and have a cup of rice wine while joining her students in a game of mah jiang.
Wen Hsiu went to the door to welcome some friends of Mr Lu who had come from Pretoria to join in the celebration. Just as the last guest walked in a terrible sensation took hold of him…
His body began feeling heavy and immobile. He fought off the feeling and immediately looked at his mother. Her expression confirmed it. They have sensed a really powerful chi. It was emanating from far, but still strong enough to be sensed by them both.
Wen Hsiu went to Ling Hua and, after making sure that no one would overhear, asked her what they were to do.

"Leave it." Ling Hua replied. "If it is necessary for us to do anything we will know soon enough."
While everyone was happily eating, a Westerner, wearing a business suit, let himself in for Mr Lu did not deem it necessary to keep the door locked. His entrance was met with a couple of puzzled stares.
Mr Lu greeted the man and kindly pointed out that the Restaurant was closed.
"Oh, I know." the man said in a friendly voice. "I was only sent here by Mr Geldenhuys to invite you to meet him. He feels sorry about the whole mess and wants to apologise to you in person."
"He can come here by himself then." Wen Hsiu said from the table.
The man did not seem affected by this remarked.

"The boss is very busy, but he did ask me to take you to a place nearby where he will meet with you and Wen Hsiu."
Ling Hua and Wen Hsiu immediately understood.
"You don’t need to bother Mr Lu." Wen Hsiu intervened. "I’ll go and apologise on your behalf for your absence."

Wen Hsiu got up and led the man outside. He did not need to understand English very well to know that the man wanted to know what about Mr Lu. He just motioned to the door and said: "We go."
The drive in the man’s car was very brief. When Wen Hsiu saw the soccer stadium drawing near he felt his suspicion confirmed. They were not going to meet at a Restaurant to make peace. This was, in fact going to be the decisive battle in their war.

The great surge of chi was becoming stronger now. Wen Hsiu was convinced that they were approaching the source of the strong energy signal.

When the car stopped the man told Wen Hsiu to get out and wait while he fetched his boss. The knowledge that this was merely a ruse was of little consequence to him. He knew very well that he will soon meet with the most powerful fighter that he had ever encountered in his life. He was able to leave at any moment, but amidst the fear that Wen Hsiu was feeling, he also felt excited and curious. He wanted this battle.

Wen Hsiu walked to the stadium. Judging from his premonitions the mysterious fighter was inside the stadium, most likely standing on the field and- also sensing his presence…
When Wen Hsiu reached the empty stadium he jumped over the rail and walked across the field to a young Caucasian man in the distance. The man’s blonde hair waved restlessly in the wind. He looked on Wen Hsiu with a calm interest. His long track pants and shoes suggested that he was familiar with physical exercise. His white sleeveless shirt revealed two lean, muscular arms. Wen Hsiu realised the wind blowing stronger the closer he got to the man.

"I’m glad to say I’m pleasantly surprised!" the man boomed across the field.
"I never thought I would ever meet anyone like you. This fight is going to be interesting, but don’t be mistaken- you are not strong enough to beat me!"

"Never lost a fight before, huh?" Wen Hsiu asked and pulled his fists to his hips. He charged up his chi and with one powerful surge he released a powerful shockwave against the wind that seemed to blow in all directions from where the man was standing. The blonde man’s smile faded. The chi that he had sensed earlier was not this man’s full power. As he got ready for combat he sensed the rise in power. A powerful storm blew around them as they quietly looked at each other. Soon the time will arrive when a victor will be decided…

"I must warn you." Wen Hsiu said as they stood looking at each other. "If you go through with this you may be killed. I cannot allow your boss to hurt my friends. You can walk away from this now."
The man stared at him in silence.

Wen Hsiu suddenly got jolted into action as the man shot towards him in a powerful leap from were he had been standing. Martin went straight for his face with a flying knee strike. Wen Hsiu immediately bent over backwards, arching his back as Martin flew over him. As soon as Martin’s feet hit the ground Wen Hsiu had to side-step a lunge punch that was meant for his back. By the time his kick was on his way to Martin’s ribs Martin had already pulled back his fist, putting his elbow in the way. Wen Hsiu pulled his foot back after it had collided with Martin’s forearm and launched a new attack.

This time it was a roundhouse kick aimed at Martin’s head. Martin went straight into the arc of the kick and stopped it with his forearm while shooting a fist into Wen Hsiu’s ribs. Wen Hsiu’s body was able to absorb the impact without any serious damage, but the punch had knocked him off balance. Before he could fall over Martin grabbed hold of his kicking leg and swung him around like an athlete during the hammer throw.

Wen Hsiu was flung head first towards the stands. During his brief flight, however, he managed to flip himself over in mid-air and struck the back of a plastic chair feet first. The chair’s back snapped on impact. Wen Hsiu was able to land on his feet, though, and leapt over the rows of seats back onto the field.

Martin saw Wen Hsiu speeding towards him, preparing to shoot his heel into his chest in a flying sidekick. He timed the kick and, in a violent spinning motion swung his heel towards the approaching body. Both kicks had hit. Martin’s spinning kick struck Wen hsiu’s back while Wen hsiu’s heel struck Martin in the face.

Martin was sent rolling across the field while Wen Hsiu landed on all-fours.
The two fighters immediately got up and flew at each other…

Ling Hua’s concern was visible by now. Mr Lu had noticed her standing alone by the restaurant’s window. He got up from the table and went to his friend.
"I’m sure Wen Hsiu is fine." he said as he tried to get Ling Hua’s attention.
"One rule remains the same for all fighters." Ling Hua said, staring into the distance without showing any emotion. "There is always somebody stronger…"
Mr Lu’s expression became serious.
"It might be, but I haven’t met anyone like Wen Hsiu before." he offered.
"I’m sure he has met that person today." Ling Hua replied.

The two fighters were trading punches at machine gun rate now. Wen Hsiu was able to avoid a large number of punches by twisting his body and ducking as quickly as the attacks came. Many of his counter attacks were also deflected by Martin’s blocking and evaded by his ducking.

Both fighters broke away to give themselves space for kicking attacks. Two powerful front kicks struck their targets simultaneously, instantaneously winding both combatants.

Martin seemed quicker to recover and sped towards Wen Hsiu. By the time Wen Hsiu was able to react Martin had already seized a handful of his hair in a vice-like grip. Martin pushed down with all his might, driving Wen Hsiu’s head to the ground. Wen Hsiu’s hands reached the ground just in time to prevent his face from being driven into the ground. Cursing, Martin pulled him up again. Wen Hsiu lashed out with a desperate backhand strike as he came up. Martin caught his arm, though and pushed his head down again, immobilising his arm behind his back. Wen Hsiu stopped his fall with his one free hand and immediately rolled over. Being only able to turn his body around halfway, Wen Hsiu swung his leg around. It struck Martin in the midriff. Wen Hsiu’s fingers found the bicep of the arm that was holding his in place and dug into the muscle like a tiger sinking its fangs into its prey. Martin felt his arm go numb. He immediately let go of Wen Hsiu’s hair.

"So…" Wen Hsiu spat. He was now more furious than he had ever known himself to become.
"You like to pull hair?!"

Wen Hsiu dashed towards him with arms waving wildly. Martin kept his guard up, prepared to block any blow that might come.

He should actually have watched Wen Hsiu’s feet, though, as a powerful front kick had soon struck him on the chin, knocking his head upwards. Martin slightly lifted off the ground from the impact as Wen Hsiu’s fingers now clenched around his windpipe. He instinctively squeezed down with his chin to prevent his larynx being crushed. He kept both hands around Wen Hsiu’s wrist as he tripped over Wen Hsiu’s leg that had snuck up behind his and he felt himself being driven into the ground. Martin quickly planted his foot into Wen Hsiu’s stomach, and while holding onto his wrist, used the momentum of his fall to execute an improvised sacrifice throw, sending Wen Hsiu flying over him.

Wen Hsiu was completely surprised by this attack and landed hard on his back. He rolled away just in time to let Martin’s fist smash into the ground where his face had been.

Wen Hsiu was now standing a couple of paces away from his adversary. He had now realised that his anger had left him careless earlier. Calming himself, he sunk his chi to his abdomen. He put his weight on one leg and slightly extended the other. His hands floated forward to complete the posture known as "playing the lute". He was pretty much beaten up, but this state of calm had him ready for the next assault. Fists and feet did not seem to have much effect on his foe. They were barely evenly matched in strength. Wen Hsiu was sure that a change in tactics was necessary.
"I can tell that you are tired." Martin said as he calmly lowered himself into a fighting stance that closely resembled a boxing crouch. " This is going to be over soon."

He flashed a sadistic smile and threw a couple of feint jabs in Wen Hsiu’s direction. Wen Hsiu stood motionless, keeping the posture that he had adopted.
Martin charged with full force. He lashed out with a kick towards Wen Hsiu’s stomach. He knew that this would cause Wen Hsiu to lower his hands, opening up his face. Wen Hsiu’s one hand did go downwards and in an arc scooped Martin’s leg up as he twisted his body to let the kick pass harmlessly. Martin was caught off guard by this tactic and Wen Hsiu’s palm thrust to his chest sent him falling on his back.

He got up once again. Wen Hsiu remained motionless, keeping the lute playing posture. Martin flew at him again, this time attempting to break his guard with a powerful side kick. Wen Hsiu now effortlessly sidestepped the kick and hit Martin in the back with a side kick of his own. Martin spun around to face Wen Hsiu, who, once again did not follow through with any further attacks.
Wen Hsiu faced him again, holding the same posture. Martin attacked with another side kick. Wen Hsiu pivoted on his leading foot, knocking the kick aside with his forearm and countered with a spinning back kick. The kick struck Martin on the shoulder, causing him to fall over.

Martin was now seriously annoyed with this pattern of attack and defence. He got up and raised his fists. Charging towards Wen Hsiu he grabbed hold of Wen Hsiu’s leading hand, pulling it down while he punched towards his face. Wen Hsiu simply rotated his wrist in a full circle, shaking off the grip while he side-stepped the punch. Martin quickly spun away from Wen Hsiu to prevent being caught by another counterattack. Having obtained a position of safety he shot towards Wen Hsiu with a quick jab to his head. Since it was too far for the jab to make any contact Wen Hsiu did not respond. The second punch, though, was a real threat to his solar plexus and warranted a downward parry with the lead hand as he retreated. That got followed by another high punch. Wen Hsiu immediately registered the vital spot opening up and, sweeping the punch upward with one arm, exploded into Martin’s exposed lower ribs with a one-knuckle fist. This punch, using the middle joint of the index finger as a weapon, focussed a lot of force into a small area and could easily penetrate any protective layer of muscle the opponent’s torso may have had.

The crack of a rib giving in and Martin’s doubling up preceded Wen Hsiu’s vertical back fist strike with the same hand to Martin’s nose. The blow stunned him long enough for Wen Hsiu to lift his arm up again to open up his ribs to an elbow strike.
As the wind left his lungs Martin became aware of his feet leaving the ground as Wen Hsiu executed a perfect hip throw, sending him plummeting to the ground.
Martin got up and, without any thought, flew towards Wen Hsiu, wildly swinging a series of punches. Wen Hsiu caught hold of one of his arms and twisted it so that the arm straightened.
Wen Hsiu’s knife hand strike on the extended arm came suddenly. Martin howled in pain as the bone snapped.

Wen Hsiu broke away and lowered his hands.
"It’s over now. Go and leave us alone." Wen Hsiu said as he turned to walk away.
"You think it’s that easy?!" Martin roared. His wild rage seemed to act as a painkiller. With an ear-shattering yell he lunged towards Wen Hsiu. Wen Hsiu turned around and raised his guard to meet the attack. He saw Martin’s one leg moving to pass the other and immediately took a lightning quick step to Martin’s’ side. By the time Martin’s leg had straightened into a powerful, but misdirected roundhouse kick Wen Hsiu’s heel already struck the knee on which Martin was standing. The sudden dislocation of his knee left Martin dropping to the ground like a sack of bricks.
Screaming with pain and helpless rage, Martin desperately tried to get himself up, but two of his limbs now refused to obey him and his ribcage made each effort burn like a fire inside him.

Wen Hsiu quietly looked at him. Martin grimaced from the pain. He decided to give in and lay still.
"Finish me." He sighed. "You won…"
"You are finished." Wen Hsiu replied. "I hope, when you heal, you will not choose to hurt people."
"Your people will be okay." Martin said, managing to smile through the pain and exhaustion. "I never cared for what Geldenhuys wanted with them. I only wanted to fight a worthy opponent- and there was the money..."

"Looks like you’re not getting paid." Wen Hsiu laughed sympathetically.
"You think?" Martin quipped.

Wen Hsiu walked back to the spot where he had first found Martin upon his arrival. Martin’s sports bag was still lying there. He picked it up and brought it back to where Martin was lying.
Wen Hsiu’s chi was flowing calmly through his battered body, filling him with a sense of calm and compassion that he had known ever since Ling Hua took him in as her own.

"You have a phone in here?" Wen Hsiu asked as he put the bag down.
"Yeah." Martin replied. He was now seeming distracted, looking at the sky.
The phone, held by Wen Hsiu, came into view. Wen Hsiu looked at him, slightly embarrassed.
"I think you must phone for an ambulance. I don’t know the number…"
Martin smiled, slowly and painfully taking the phone.
"Thanks." He said and dialled the number…

Ling Hua, Sujen and Mr Lu had become too anxious to enjoy the party in the meantime and had decided to go and look for Wen Hsiu. A quick stop at Geldenhuys’ office to ask where Wen Hsiu was got them a reply that Geldenhuys did not know what they were talking about, which earned Geldenhuys a flight out of his third floor office window to a certain death, which in turn earned them very polite directions from his bodyguard to the soccer stadium couple with an even politer request not to break his fingers.

Wen Hsiu was quietly listening to Martin’s story while he waited for the ambulance. Martin offered to phone him a taxi, which he declined. He rather asked that Martin phone the Restaurant. When Martin obliged Dennis answered. He told Martin that Wen Hsiu’s mother already went looking for him. Upon hearing this Wen Hsiu assured him that his mother will find him. All this having been done left the two martial artists with an evening long enough for them to get to know each other.
Martin, it turned out, was originally from South Africa. Having moved to America to work for a one year contract period at a hotel had been worth it for him. The position of cook paid well by South African standards. In his spare time he studied Karate. He actually did well enough at that to open his own school. The problem, however, was that he did not get that many students and the bills began piling up…

"So- what are you gonna do now?" Wen Hsiu asked.
"Dunno…" Martin said. "Maybe take a job as a mercenary- or look for the next tournament for prize money…"

He gave Wen Hsiu a curious look. "What do you want to do?"
"Be a farmer." Wen Hsiu abruptly answered.
Martin kept quiet for a while. This guy was something else…

The ambulance eventually came and, as Wen Hsiu said goodbye to Martin as he got lifted into the ambulance, Mr Lu suddenly appeared. Wen Hsiu wanted to introduce Martin, but the ambulance door had already been shut and Martin got taken away.
Ling Hua and Sujen followed at Mr Lu’s heels. The two women simultaneously went on about how worried they have been and fussed about the bruises Wen Hsiu was now sporting.
Wen Hsiu sighed. It had been a long night. He desperately needed some sleep…