The Secrets of Radiant Font

Mei picked herself off the ground again, but it was no use. She was no match for Lien.

There was a certain way her opponent moved; so confident, so graceful. And there was a mystery there too, an understanding that was beyond Mei, in her swagger, her flushed cheeks, and impish smirk. Something that said "I know, and you do not."

Mei felt like a blundering novice by comparison. Her rage, which she had always surrendered to, would carry her through to victory every time, but it now felt like the tantrum of a child who could not get what she wants. Now that her anger was subsiding, it was like a veil had been drawn back, revealing her pain and fear.

Lien was waiting, breathing softly, composed.

Mei's breaths came raggedly, her cracked ribs and burning lungs complaining bitterly. She forced a lock of blood-and-sweat-matted hair from her eyes and commanded her battered muscles to obey her once more. Summoning the very last of her strength, she launched into the short charge that would take her to her opponent, then lashed out with a spinning kick aimed at Lien's head.

Mei was too slow. Lien reached forward and grabbed her leg in mid-flight, throwing Mei wildly off balance. It was all Mei could do to twist her head around and throw the other fighter a baleful glare before she was again flung to the dirt, painfully landing on her shoulder, and knocking the last of the wind from her sails.

As Mei lay there, gasping for air, she was senseless to the sound of Lien's footsteps as she approached her battered body. Mei flinched as a hand touched her cheek and tenderly brushed aside another tangle of grimy hair.

"I had expected great things from the darling of the Golden Sun Sect," said Lien softly. "The talk of the town would have anyone believe that therein stalked a mighty fighter. A young girl, barely a woman, yet with mastery of the eighteen kicks of the Gold Unicorn.

Instead I find Mei, who gets tangled up in her own legs. Frankly, if you are the best your sect can produce, then I had best look for challenges in another province."

Between frantic gulps of air, Mei spat back her reply, "You stole our most treasured manual, the Radiant Font style! Someone had to make you pay for that! In a few years I..."

"-You will not be much stronger than you are now, girl," interrupted Lien. "You will still not have access to the manuals which are solely in my possession. In any case, none of your sect are prepared to practice them because they are afraid of their requirements. Instead they locked them away in a dusty old cellar and forbade their instruction. What did they tell you about the manuals girl?"

"They will drive you mad!" Mei shouted, "If your body is not already shattered from the energies the style calls upon. The manual was locked away for everyone's safety."

Lien laughed. "Yes, that's what I had heard too. But honestly, there could be no harm in simply reading it I thought to myself. Oh if only you knew, Mei. You might see your sect in a less flattering light."

With Lien's body in close proximity, and her senses returning gradually to her, Mei became aware of a strange scent emanating from the other fighter. It was intoxicating, like a perfume, but natural, and musky. It only added to the power that Lien had over her.

"I don't need the manual," said Mei. "I can take my own style further."

"Oh I'm sure you will Mei, but it will bring you not one step closer to the plateaux I share with the other true masters."

Emptied of her rage, some clarity returned to Mei. Young as she was, she had already mastered the most demanding style of her clan, and if events continued on their course, she would remain within those walls indefinitely, improving, yes, but probably never attaining the heights she had always aspired to. Her ambition was already re-igniting the flame within her. A dangerous thought leapt into the forethoughts of her mind.

"Teach me then." She said, painfully turning her head to meet Lien's gaze. Lien's eyebrows arched in surprise.

"Is that the measure of your loyalty to your clan is it?" she said. "That's rich, given the threats on their behalf you just gave me."

But Lien was looking at Mei in a new way, appraising. After a few moments of consideration, she reached a decision.

"Very well girl. If you are prepared to leave your sect immediately, I can take you as a student. I will give you the precepts of Radiant Font. We will see if you are as prepared as you think yourself. And you will see why the old men of Golden Sun kept it hidden."

---

Though Lien spent much time travelling, she had a cabin in the hills, where she would practice her martial arts in secret. It is here that Mei recuperated while practicing a new breathing technique, which Lien insisted was essential to mastering the precepts of Radiant Font.

The tranquillity of the hills hastened Mei's recovery, but as the days passed, her doubts increased; she had seen little of Lien since her arrival here, and had cut herself off from her sect, where she would have trouble returning to with a clear conscience. Still, Lien was not the villain the sect's leaders had had her believe. Although she had committed the crime of theft against the clan, she was reasonable in person, and had treated Mei well, at least following her punishing defeat. Mei's reasoning was overruled by her desire to learn the banned techniques though. Would she also gain the same subtle, yet powerful glow that accompanied Lien? And there was that scent...

Then one day, Lien recited the first of the precepts of the Radiant Font style to Mei.

"All practitioners of martial arts must master their chi in order to compose themselves. Masters have discovered many ways to draw in power, to circulate, centralize, and release this power. Radiant Font teaches one to store chi in the Yin centres of the body. It can only be mastered by women."

Mei knew then why the style had been banned. The masters of the clan were all men. Sharing knowledge of Radiant Font would place power in the hands of the few women who trained there, and the men's authority would be in peril.

"Ah!" said Mei, wide-eyed with excitement, "where then are the Yin centres?"

Lien smiled, and pointed first to each of her breasts, then her groin. Mei was confused. Power could be stored in the abdomen, but the breasts could not circulate chi, surely?

Lien saw Mei's look of doubt, then put down the manual.

"Take off your trousers Mei," she said.

Mei was confounded, but knew better than to question the master. She stood up and untied the drawstring, letting her trousers slip to the floor. She stepped out of them.

"Good, now your underwear," said Lien.

This time Mei hesitated, but only for a second. A moment later and she was naked from the waist down.

Mei felt uncomfortable with the way Lien was looking at her. It was the same look she had given her just prior to her defeat, and this time she Lien's gaze travelled up and down Mei's body. She had been comfortable when naked in the company of other girls at the sect, but this time she felt embarrassed, exposed.

Lien directed Mei to sit down again, and to begin the breathing she had practiced. Mei had developed her chi before, welling it in her diaphragm, but this time, she was instructed to move it lower in her body. But she found resistance.

"I'm not sure how, sifu" said Mei. "I can't find the channels... they're blocked, or something."

"There's only one way to unblock your "bi." Bring your hand down like this..."

Lien demonstrated by moving her hand down to her crotch, where her fingers made a stroking motion.

Mei felt her cheeks and forehead burn. This had to be some kind of trick or joke! Girls in the sect were strictly forbidden to give themselves relief. Not only was it unseemly, but it was said to let precious chi escape from the body. With her legs crossed in the lotus position and exposing her vagina to Lien, she felt vulnerable enough. She was now hesitant to accede to the latest instruction.

Lien gently scolded her, promised that it was no kind of trick, that it was the key to unlocking the secret of Radiant Font, and repeated her instruction.

With great reluctance, Mei turned her head away from Lien, closed her eyes, and let her hand slip down to her crotch.

She had rarely touched herself there before, other than when she was bathing herself, and now she felt she was feeling her labia for the first time.

"That's better," said Lien, "now find the top of your vagina. There's a ridge, and a soft bead. You need to give this a gentle rub. Concentrate on your breathing. Let the chi in, and marry it with the chi you have circulating in your belly."

Mei followed the directions, and found what she was looking for. She had only been dimly aware of even having a clitoris, and had no idea of its function. As her index finger rubbed at it, a new sensation began to well inside her.

Often, chi exercises could be painful, as nebulous power circulated through the body, but this time Mei was experiencing pleasure unlike any she had known. She realized the tips of her index and forefingers were becoming wet and slippery, but gave little thought to how it had happened. As her fingers dampened, it only increased the pleasure between her legs.

"Good, Mei" said Lien, "but don't lose your focus. Concentrate on your breathing. Feel your energy centres and the flow of chi."

Heavily distracted by the pleasure, Mei willed herself to breath steadily, and felt for the chi. There was something there, but very faint; an energy and warmth. But it was soon eclipsed by the pleasure of her masturbation and she gave into it. Lien offered further instructions but these faded from her consciousness. She heard herself moan...

---

Disoriented, and shivering slightly from a thin sweat, Mei straightened up. She felt drained, but at the same time there was a new kernel of strength deep insider her.

As she finally withdrew her hand from between her legs, she felt how sopping wet her cunt was, and had to look to make sure she wasn't bleeding. But it was not blood.

Curious, she lifted her fingers to her face and the aroma that was there in the background, leapt to the fore. It was almost the same as the scent she had first detected on Lien. It wasn't the crisp, chemical smell of perfume, but it was more intoxicating in its earthiness.

She knew then why Lien called her "girl" despite the teacher being at most two or three years older than Mei, and she was now certain that the power she had so envied in Lien was available to her too. She would nourish it and grow it until it bloomed in magnificent radiance.

---

Lien finished her dawn drills and made her way back to her cabin, as the first glimpse of the sun appeared over the silhouetted hills.

Sure enough, she found that Mei was already up, seated in the lotus position, her hand a blur between her legs.

Any doubts that Lien had harboured about Mei's aptitude as a student had eroded over the past two months. Mei had taken to pleasuring herself with wild enthusiasm, bordering on obsession.

But she was gathering new power too, at a rate that exceeded Lien's when she had begun her own training. This would speed the learning process, and if the girl's power looked like it might exceed her own, Lien could simply deny Mei the advanced lessons.

It would not pay to have the student eclipse the master. Especially given that much of Mei's ambition was hidden. Well, certainly Mei did not make a secret of her desire to become the greatest martial artist in the land, but whether she would betray Lien to her clan was something Lien had to keep an eye on. Radiant Font had made Lien a fighter to be feared, but she had accrued enemies she could not always keep in check. Lien would mould Mei into a faithful disciple who would protect her back.

Mei was panting softly now, and Lien knew that she was in a reverie where her pleasure and the flow of chi met in the middle. She was certain of this because over the past week, Mei's loins had begun to glow, very faintly, with a golden light. Mei had yet to notice this herself.

She was a vision as this light was joined by the first rays of the morning now pouring past Lien through the door. Mei's long hair, usually bound in a clasp, was loose, and rippled against her slender back in blue and black waves with her gentle rocking motion.

Mei was comfortable practicing the first precepts in the presence of Lien now, and would often barely notice her teacher's presence.

Mei was a beauty. Her fierce green eyes were always defiant, and always looking to her ambitious future. And then at times like this, her long lashes dipped, and her lids would close and she would look so at peace.

Her full lips were slightly parted and Lien wondered what they would be like to kiss. She would surely taste sweeter than a man... Why was she even having these thoughts? Was it the scent of Mei's hair, skin, and most potently her cunt, which had gradually saturated the small cabin?

Lien shook the unseemly thoughts away. Her studies in Radiant Font had led her to some depraved deeds but she did not want to add bedding another woman to her list just yet.

"Alright, that's enough Mei," said Lien sharply. This was the first time she had interrupted Mei during her practice.

Mei was startled, but even so, it took her a few moments to return from her reverie. She turned to Lien questioningly.

"You've done well to develop your new spring of inner power," said Lien, "but you've spent too much time indoors. You need to practice your katas."

Lien marched across the small room and flung open the windows. The morning air was cool, banishing the stale air of the cabin.

---

Mei was stiff after having spent so long in the cabin, so it was good to stretch her legs, strolling up the hill a hundred yards or so to a practice area Lien had cleared of trees with a military axe. She was so strong! Examining the tree stumps, it looked like some had been felled with less than a dozen swings.

Lien had given Mei one of her loose shirts and this was now all Mei wore. It had been explained to her that a simpler, briefer form of the first precepts needed to be practiced even as she drilled her eighteen kicks style, thus she must keep her legs free.

"How is that possible?" Mei had inquired, reasoning that an opponent might not be inclined to wait for her to finish masturbating before or during a fight.

"As I said, Mei, simpler and briefer," said Lien, "Your new chi will not flow until you have rubbed yourself at least a couple of times. Once stimulated, you only have to... hold desire in your mind as you perform your drills. Do this as often as you need to keep the flow going. Perhaps once a minute."

So Mei tried this as instructed. She reached under her shirt and felt her cunt, still slippery from earlier that morning, and gave her clitoris a couple of rubs with her index finger. Her desire to continue immediately welled within her, but she forced herself to halt, and held onto the thought while she launched into the first form of her kicking style.

As her foot lashed out at an imagined foe, Mei nearly tripped herself up with the discovery of her new speed. Chi from her loins was spreading all throughout her body. She felt electric, powerful. It was the power of Radiant Font.

Even as she completed her third movement, the power ebbed. She was only ten seconds into her routine and already she could feel the wellspring inside her begin to close. She masturbated again, faster and a little longer this time. Again the chi flowed but once again it crawled to a halt after a few more kicks.

Like a javelin-thrower needs a big run-up, Mei composed herself, squatted, then plunged her fore and index-fingers into her cunt. She fingered herself as fast as she could, the muscles in her vagina meeting the thrusting digits. She curved her fingers so their base was rubbing her clitoris, and in about twenty seconds, she felt herself close to orgasm.

She tried to stop, but lust overcame her and before she knew it, she was sprawled on the grass, chest heaving, ejaculate spread over her hands and the grass.

This was going to be tougher that she had first imagined.

---

But after many long hours of drilling, she seemed to have found the knack. Practice was tiring, but exhilarating, and she had improved her kicks tremendously. Mei could keep her chi flowing for over a minute between masturbation.

Mei was so focused on this practice that she barely noticed the increasing harshness of Lien's tone with her. When she pressed Lien on when she could expect to learn the next tier of Radiant Font, Lien replied "Not yet."

"When will I be ready? My inner power isn't growing much any more. I can feel another barrier."

Lien told her to go and practice further.

A fortnight had passed since Lien's answer, and Mei was boiling over with impatience.

One night, during one of Lien's stays at the cabin, Mei resolved to risk a peek at the secret texts. She knew she might irrevocably lose Lien's trust if found out, but as a Golden Sun sect member, Mei was more entitled to the manuscript than she. If push came to shove, Mei fancied her chances of outpacing Lien, and returning it to her sect. She felt a pang of guilt, but her ambition flared within her.

Practice of her katas with her new energy had lightened Mei's step. When she thought Lien long asleep, Mei crept stealthily to the wicker box her sifu kept beside her bed, and found the manuscript she knew to be the next chapter to study.

Moonlight illuminated the pages as she spirited the book outside and pulled back the first leaf.

The first thing she saw was an anatomical sketch of a man. That was strange. Lien had said that only women could practice Radiant Font. How could men possibly store energy without a uterus to store it?

As she read the accompanying text, it explained how the chi can be drawn out of others and blended with the practitioner's. This type of "chi vampirism" was only possible when bodies were pressed together. In fact, part of the opponent's body must actually be inside the practitioner's for the osmosis to function.

Still puzzled, Mei turned to the next page. Mei was naïve when it came to sex, but there was only one thing the diagrams could be illustrating. They portrayed couples locked in passionate, explicit embraces. They were like the wrestling holds Mei had seen in other manuscripts but in these the tangled couples had their genitals exposed, and the man had his penis inside the woman. Most of the pictures showed variations of vaginal penetration, but others depicted the woman's mouth enclosed around his member. There was even one where - turning the page sidewise to make sure she wasn't mistaken -- the man's penis was sticking into the anus of the woman.

Each illustration came with detailed instructions on how the woman could use Radiant Font to draw chi out of the man without arousing his suspicions. The book endorsed the use of as many positions as possible so as to draw chi out from every part of the man's body. The consequence of this chi theft would be a more powerful woman, and a man whose chi would not recover for several weeks.

As the scientifically precise, yet lurid depictions began to blur before her, Mei realized her hands were shaking.

Girls of her sect took a mandatory vow of celibacy, just as soon as they were old enough to understand what it meant, the reasons for it remaining the sole privilege of the elders. Mei had never thought to question it in any case, and only since learning the first precepts of Radiant Font had she begun to notice the inconsistencies between the rules and regulations of the sect with the practices advocated in its most treasured martial arts manuscript.