Original Text
Li Chao, styled Kuiwu, was a native of the western outskirts of Zichuan, a man of generous disposition who delighted in almsgiving. One day, by chance, a Buddhist monk came begging alms with his bowl, and Li Chao fed him to the full. The monk, deeply grateful, said, "I am from the Shaolin Monastery. I know some martial arts; allow me to teach you." Li Chao, pleased at heart, invited him to lodge in the guest quarters, provided him with ample sustenance, and studied the martial arts with him from morning till night. After three months, Li Chao's skills had become quite refined, and he was greatly pleased with himself. The monk asked, "Have you made progress?" Li Chao replied, "I have. Whatever you know, I now know completely." The monk merely smiled and bade Li Chao demonstrate his skills. So Li Chao stripped off his coat, spat into his palms, and then, moving like an ape leaping and a bird alighting, he bounded left and right through a series of maneuvers, after which he stood aside, proud and complacent. The monk smiled again and said, "Enough. Since you have learned all my skills, let us now match our strengths." Li Chao gladly agreed, and the two crossed their arms, assuming their stances. Then they engaged in combat, parrying and blocking each other's moves. Li Chao constantly sought an opening in the monk's defense, but suddenly the monk launched a flying kick, and Li Chao was sent sprawling backward over ten feet away. The monk clapped his hands and said, "You have not yet fully mastered my art!" Li Chao, supporting himself on his palms, felt ashamed and dejected, and humbly begged for further instruction. After a few more days, the monk took his leave and departed.
Li Chao thereafter became renowned for his extraordinary martial arts skills, traveling north and south without encountering any rival. Once, by chance, he went to Lixia and saw a young nun performing martial arts in an arena, with spectators packed so tightly they could hardly move. The nun said to the crowd, "It is too dull to perform alone. If any of you delight in martial arts, you may step into the arena and spar with me for a bout." She repeated this three times, but the onlookers only exchanged glances, none daring to respond. Li Chao, feeling his skill itch within him, strode spiritedly into the arena. The nun smiled, pressed her palms together in salute. As soon as they engaged, she called for a halt, saying, "Your martial arts are of the Shaolin school." She then asked, "Who is your master?" Li Chao was reluctant to say at first, but after her repeated inquiries, he told her it was the monk. The nun clasped her hands before her chest and said, "Is the Honest Monk your teacher? If so, there is no need to compete in boxing and kicking; I willingly concede defeat." Li Chao repeatedly begged for a match, but she refused. Only after much urging from the crowd did she relent, saying, "Since you are a disciple of Master Honest, and we both understand this art, let us have a friendly bout, but only so that each may comprehend the other's skill." Li Chao agreed. Seeing her delicate and frail, he felt contempt, and being young and eager for glory, he wished to defeat her to win renown. As they sparred, the nun suddenly stopped. Li Chao asked why, but she only smiled and said nothing. Thinking she was afraid, he insisted on continuing, so she rose and resumed. Soon, Li Chao kicked out at her, but she brought her five fingers together and struck downward on his leg; he felt as if struck by a knife or axe below the knee, fell to the ground, and could not rise. The nun smiled and apologized, saying, "I have been rash and offended you; please do not blame me!" Li Chao was carried home and did not recover for over a month.
After more than a year had passed, the monk came again to Li Chao's home, and Li Chao recounted this past incident to him. The monk exclaimed in astonishment, "You were far too reckless! Why did you provoke her? Fortunately, you first mentioned my name to her, or else your legs would have been broken!"
Commentary
In expressing the idea that learning has no end and one should not be satisfied with superficial knowledge, and that in martial arts there is always a higher skill beyond one's own and a stronger among the strong, this tale shares a similar spirit with "The Glutton," both depicting a skilled and arrogant person defeated by an unassuming opponent. Yet the two stories each have their distinct features. For instance, "The Glutton" involves a complex web of monetary relations, while "Martial Arts" is more straightforward, focusing solely on learning and competing in combat; "The Glutton" pits a renowned "hero of the greenwood," proud of his skill, against an old man and a youth, whereas in "Martial Arts," Li Chao, who gained fame through martial arts after learning from a Shaolin monk, is defeated by the fists and feet of a young nun, also a disciple of Shaolin.
The dialogue in the tale of "Martial Arts" exhibits a clear vernacular tendency, and the techniques displayed during the sparring match between Li Chao and the simple-minded Shaolin monk evoke echoes of the contest between Wang Jin and the Nine-Dragoned Shi Jin in the second chapter of "Water Margin," where "Instructor Wang secretly departs for Yanan Prefecture, and the Nine-Dragoned raises havoc in Shi Family Village."