I never would've guessed he really had his heart set on martial arts and didn't care about anything else.
Every day at eight sharp, he came to the hotel to teach me the Horse Stance.
If I felt like practicing, I joined him. If I didn't, he stood by himself.
Apart from meals and brief breaks in between, he spent eight hours a day in the Horse Stance. He didn't even so much as glance to the side!
The past couple of days, I'd wondered if I'd been struggling to adjust to the climate since coming to Ji City, and if my complexion had gotten worse.
But I checked in the mirror, and there was nothing wrong!
There was nothing wrong with me.
That meant the problem had to be with Jiang Shu.
He was already in his senior year of high school. Surely he hadn't just failed to awaken yet?
Unable to resist, Ye Zhenzhen glanced over Jiang Shu from head to toe, thinking to herself. Then she couldn't help asking, "College is just around the corner. Jiang Shu, have you thought about finding a girlfriend?"
"No."
Jiang Shu held the Horse Stance. Feeling the Horse Stance proficiency on his panel tick upward, he was filled with an indescribable joy.
What could compare to growing stronger?
It was just a shame that after he mastered the Horse Stance, martial arts on Mystic Star had temporarily reached their limit.
He needed to learn the Guiding Technique to comprehend Clear Force.
He wondered how Clear Force differed from the force in Roaring Tiger Mountain Strength.
Were the martial arts of the Two Worlds different paths to the same destination, or two entirely separate roads?
Perhaps he would learn a thing or two once he entered the basics of Roaring Tiger Mountain Strength and the Guiding Technique.
Jiang Shu mused to himself as the Horse Stance grew steadier and steadier.
At this point, it didn't matter to him where he practiced martial arts.
He had come to teach Ye Zhenzhen the Horse Stance. She could practice if she wanted; all she needed was to get into the basic posture. After all, the martial arts promotional video was just for publicity.
No one would take it seriously.
Jiang Shu answered casually.
But Ye Zhenzhen's question had been anything but casual.
Could he... be gay?
Looking at Jiang Shu, whose hair was already noticeably longer than that of other boys his age, Ye Zhenzhen tilted her head and thought for a moment before continuing, "Jiang Shu, I once heard some Taoist say that people with cultivation could gather qi. Since it's still early today, want to go up the mountain and take a look?"
"Sure."
Jiang Shu had already been feeling a little cooped up in the hotel suite, so he readily agreed.
Xishan Kaiyuan Hotel.
It sat at the foot of the Ji City mountain range.
Secluded, with fresh air.
Ye Zhenzhen had chosen to stay there precisely because of that.
Before long, the two of them left the hotel and followed the stone steps up the mountain.
Bamboo grew thickly, and birdsong echoed through the tranquil hills.
The fresh scent of earth drifted into Jiang Shu's nose on the breeze.
Jiang Shu drew in a light breath and stopped in an open space. "This should do. The view is wide open here, making it ideal for practicing martial arts. I told you on the first day: the Horse Stance is about keeping the crown of your head lifted as if suspended in midair, while opening up both body and spirit. Come on, stand here."
"We came all the way up the mountain just to practice martial arts... Good grief!"
She thought it to herself but didn't dare say it aloud.
Ye Zhenzhen looked utterly defeated. By now, she was about ninety percent certain Jiang Shu was gay. When a normal guy met a big star like her, wouldn't he at least make some small talk and try to get closer?
At the hotel, he'd always said his manager might drop in from time to time, so he couldn't talk much.
But now it was just the two of them, in the middle of such a remote mountain.
This kind of terrain.
This kind of atmosphere.
And the first thing he said was to tell her to practice martial arts?
She was impressed.
Ye Zhenzhen was truly impressed. She steadied her breathing and took up the Horse Stance beside Jiang Shu.
But just as she had settled into it, a rustling sound suddenly came from the bushes nearby.
She instinctively looked down.
In the sparse grass, a viper as thick as an arm, its body grayish brown, was coiled up with its triangular head held high, flicking its tongue at her!
If she hadn't just settled into the Horse Stance and managed to keep some semblance of posture, that one glance would have been enough to leave her sprawled on the ground, limbs weak.
"J-Jiang Shu... Th-there's a snake..."
Ye Zhenzhen stammered. Her voice was faint, and she didn't dare move a muscle, afraid of attracting the viper's attention.
"Don't move."
Beside her, Jiang Shu shifted in an instant from the Horse Stance into the Hungry Tiger Sitting Cave Stance.
His Hungry Tiger Sitting Cave Stance was at the great mastery stage, as was his Hungry Tiger Breathing Method.
In the span of a single breath, Jiang Shu gathered his aura, ready to unleash the three Tiger Form Styles of great mastery at any moment!
His eyes stayed fixed on the viper in the grass.
"Good. Now, move toward me, bit by bit."
Jiang Shu's voice carried a calm that was hard to describe.
But no matter how calm he sounded, she was still facing a venomous viper!
Ye Zhenzhen squeezed her eyes shut and gritted her teeth. All she could do now was trust Jiang Shu.
Fine, fine. She'd take the risk!
If she got bitten, the worst that could happen was spending a few months in the hospital!
She steeled herself and took one step toward Jiang Shu.
But the moment she did, the viper in the grass shot out like it had a spring in its body.
Its tongue flicked out, and a rank, fishy stench seemed to rush toward her!
Ye Zhenzhen froze in place.
For a moment, she had no idea what to do.
Then she heard the wind of a fist behind her.
Tiger Form Three Styles.
Pounce!
Jiang Shu lunged forward and punched, striking the viper in midair.
Then he spun and kicked.
Shear!
His foot whipped out and caught the viper, sending it straight into the nearest tree!
Bang!
Countless leaves came raining down.
In an instant.
The viper, as thick as an arm, was snapped in half by Jiang Shu's tremendous strength!
Its two halves writhed and twitched on the ground.
Jiang Shu grabbed the still-dazed Ye Zhenzhen and pulled her behind him. Then he stepped forward and planted his foot on the viper's head as it tried to attack again.
He ground down hard. Blood streamed everywhere.
He didn't turn around. His voice was soft.
"It's all right now."
Jiang Shu lifted his foot and stood steadily.
He didn't know that in Ye Zhenzhen's eyes, every movement and stillness of his made him seem nothing like an ordinary high school boy. He looked like a ferocious tiger, ready to pounce and devour its prey at any moment!
How could a boy like that be gay?
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