Eight Fists Compete for Victory

In boxing, there is a style known as Eight Fists, one of the signature techniques of the Yangtze School. Its key principles are the eight words: rise, pause, swallow, spit, sink, prop, divide, and close. It was founded by Yan Yongfu of Hunan. Yan Yongfu once married the daughter of Zheng Yuangong of Songshan. Hated by a local bully, he was attacked and driven away by the martial artist Wang Dajun, whom the bully had incited. Zheng Yuangong and his daughter died with resentment in their hearts. Overcome with grief and rage, Yan Yongfu later took inspiration from the form of the white crane and created a fist style of his own, consisting of eight movements, which he called Eight Fists. He passed the style on to his beloved disciple, Luo Dahe, and urged him earnestly: even if he had to travel to the ends of the earth, he must one day avenge him upon Wang Dajun. Luo Dahe went on to shake the martial world, forcing Wang Dajun to seek out secret techniques by every means possible to fight back. To learn what happens next, read the story.