The Edge of Katana and the Flying Kick with an Eye of the Tiger

Chapter 42

Yin.

Yin, 1985.

Taiji, my father. Our family had left father’s clan seeking peace, settling in Ley Lay village where he became a farmer. Uncle Tao always visits me, taking me on adventures through the village and beyond.

I was just five years old when Master Tao and I began our journey.

“Really Uncle?” I reply excitedly.

“If you want there is a way, Yin.” an approval from Master Tao, I want to learn karate especially at a well-known school in another town Wushi Zhi Dao.

Wushi Zhi Dao. It is led by Sensei Eikou. I know, Uncle Tao’s good too but Sensei Eikou is different.

As I watch, the dojo is hummed with discipline and reverence. Sensei Eikou moved with a smooth movement that mesmerized me.

His every technique, swift and move. I watched in awe as his hands cut through the air, demonstrating blocks and strikes with fast movement.

I see my seniors mirrored Sensei’s movements with disciplined focus, their synchronicity by their training.

Despite our efforts to find peace, conflict still found me.

My mother, hate our clan including Uncle Tao. Her punishments were harsh, slaps and humiliating tasks like balancing bowls on outstretched arms.

My father defended me always, their conflict growing more frequent until they eventually separated. Mother took my sister, Yang with her—she was two years old. 1989.

I thought our family would come back... that hope shattered one fateful day. Mother’s head was sent to us.

The pain isn’t finished yet.

After visiting Sensei Eikou’s school, I found devastation. In our village, peace my father sought was shattered—his body and head lay separated, a brutal act attributed to the dreaded Headless Dragon. 1990.

Yan-liu.

Yan-liu, 1989.

Growing up in uncle’s village. My father, Pingheng, is a policeman in the city, and because I was a bit too unruly... he decided I should spend some time with his cousin—Tao to learn.

“Yan Liu,” he began, his voice steady, “Do you have any idea what you’ve done today?”

I tried to look down, avoiding his gaze. “I was just—” “Just what?” he interrupted, frustration evident in his tone.

“Just what were you thinking, gambling away your allowance?”

Uncle Tao, who we all call Master Tao, is a legend in martial arts. I’ve learned so much from him.

“Yan-liu,” he said, his voice calm but commanding. “Now I know why your father sent you here.”

“Uncle Tao, I—” “Enough,” he interrupted, his tone leaving no room for argument. “I’ve heard enough excuses. It’s time to focus.”

He paced a few steps away, then stopped and turned to face me again. “Give me the stance of the horse!” he commanded.

I straightened my posture and assumed the horse stance, my legs spreading wide apart and my knees bending slightly.

My other uncle, Taiji. Yeah, Tao, Taiji, and Pingheng are cousins. Their father are brothers.

...and yes, he chose a different path. Unlike Uncle Tao, Taiji wasn’t interested in our clan’s legacy. He was a humble farmer who valued peace. His legacy, though different from Tao’s, is just as feels in shaping our family’s values.

Though he’s no longer with us, Uncle Taiji’s absence is felt deeply, but his children, Yin and Yang (left), carry forward his moral.

They live with a calm reflecting their father’s philosophy of balance and peace.