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1.
His master said: "Sunfei, those large burn scars on your back will cause much inconvenience in daily life. You must take good care of them."
Suo Hayato had once faced a life-threatening crisis. Flames bared their claws, surging from behind, licking across his skin, the heat boring into bone marrow... He did not wish to recall the experience in detail. In the end, fortunately, he did not die of shock. The surgery went smoothly. But inevitably, large patches of hypertrophic scar tissue remained.
Whenever he raised his arm, wanting to throw a punch as he once had, or even merely to reach for something on a high shelf, he would feel a pulling pain. Still, this was much better than the burning of fresh wounds, or the tearing of adhesions and blisters during dressing changes.
Such limitations somewhat hindered Suo Hayato's movements. His master said: from now on, focus on leg techniques. Use kicks, not fists. Thus his hand combat shifted to systems that kept their forms compact—Tai Chi, Jeet Kune Do, styles with minimal movement.
Changing fighting styles was no great difficulty for him. Only, in the height of summer or the depths of winter, his back always felt a numb dullness. Occasionally, before he noticed, sunburn or frostbite would set in. So his master ordered him to wear clothing sufficient to cover his skin even in summer, and to drink as much water as possible to regulate his body temperature. Before winter arrived, he would already be bundled in thick layers.
Sometimes, those scars would erupt in the deep of night with stabbing, unbearable itch, making him want to dig until they bled. But his master said: "No."
Poverty, hunger, pain—without strength enough to oppose them, one could only endure first.
Steady the heart, temper the nature.
His master said: "Sunfei, you must learn endurance. Endurance is your strength. Play to it well."
2.
His master said: "Sunfei, your stamina is now far inferior to others. In battle, do not give your opponent the chance to entangle you."
Suo thought, indignant—his stamina had once been excellent. Working from dawn till dusk, even in sweltering summers, he had never complained of exhaustion.
Only after the incident did he realize that burns were not finished with the surgeries that half-killed him. The aftereffects ran far deeper than he had imagined.
In the most stifling summer heat, he barely sweated at all. The burns had destroyed the skin on his back. He tried to train in the sun as he once had, but before long his vision darkened, and he collapsed, gasping—yet his back remained dry.
His master later wiped his body with a cool towel, warning him: the inability to sweat seemed convenient, but it was entirely unsuited to sustained combat.
"If a machine cannot dissipate heat, high temperatures will burn out its system."
So, his master said, you must remember your weakness. In battle, do not engage in close grappling. Avoid when you can; use four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds, never wrestle directly. If you must fight, end it swiftly.
The children of Bankoku-Gai were all sensible, Suo Hayato thought with satisfaction after one training session. They listened carefully to his guidance. In winter, when the changing seasons made his wounds crack and ache, he would rarely demonstrate techniques in person. Instead he played to his remaining strength: his still-sharp eyesight, pointing out each junior's problems one by one. For one-on-one practice, his considerate two senior disciples would voluntarily take over, letting him rest more.
His master said: "The children all like you. That is your strength. Be a good elder brother. Let them look up to you."
3.
His master said: "Sunfei, your right eye's field of vision is limited. Remember—only let those you trust walk on your right side."
Suo Hayato had initially thought losing one eye was no great matter; he hadn't gone completely blind, after all. But life clearly disagreed.
After the third time he missed his footing at the same spot and nearly fell down the stairs, he was too furious to speak.
His master called him over and gave him an eyepatch—the kind that covered both eyes completely.
"From today, your training adds a new subject. Wear this eyepatch. Walk every path here. Then draw a map of Bankoku-Gai.
"Until you can move through it with your eyes closed."
Thus he learned to observe not merely with his remaining eye, but with his entire body. Wind, sound, scent—all gave him far more information than both eyes ever had.
After that, he stopped stumbling.
Later, he even played table tennis. Through sound and touch: push, pull, sidespin, chop. Impact, rotation—these had much in common with combat too. He played better than his senior brothers.
"Sunfei, using your senses to process information—this is your strength. Play to it well."
And in a summer still farther off, when classmates chased and roughhoused, he heard the furtive sound of someone approaching from behind. Before the cold soda bottle could touch his nape, he ducked nimbly.
Bacchus and Rakta were good companions. When young Suo Hayato had first been brought by his master to meet these two seniors, he had felt intimidated by their towering stature. Later, when they let him sit on their shoulders, the child's wariness quickly vanished.
Suo Hayato said he liked high places. The view from above was beautiful, and he could hear the wind's voice.
His seniors asked: What sound is in the wind?
Suo Hayato said: Master taught that there is a mythical bird that rides the wind upward. Like his name*. Of course birds love wind. He felt the breeze brush his cheeks, delighted.
"Bacchus, Rakta—what do your names mean?" Suo Hayato asked.
His seniors patiently explained the etymology of words symbolizing red in different countries, teaching him foreign tongues.
He was clever, picking up daily speech with astonishing speed. He could even do simple translation for residents of different ethnicities within Bankoku-Gai.
His master said: "Sunfei, your mind is excellent. Since that is so, learn more knowledge necessary for a leader. Intelligence is your strength. Play to it well."
4.
His master said: "Sunfei, in truth, these are not what you should hold closest. If you have the chance, go outside.
"Find those who know all your weaknesses yet do not use them against you—only then have you truly avoided your weaknesses."
Suo looked at his master's gaunt, sickly face: "Didn't you say not to rely on others in all things?"
His master said: "Play to your strengths, avoid your weaknesses—who can truly do this alone? Sunfei, you need not do everything yourself to the utmost. When you have the chance, let others fill in your gaps. And your strengths, in turn, will become strengths for more people."
"There is a school in the Town nearby. Go there. Live like an ordinary child. See how your peers live."
Suo Hayato remembered all his master's teachings forever.
So he said: "I will."