He Wanqing

Chapter 45: He Wanqing

Mingchan Courtyard occupied a vast area. Besides several functional main halls, it also had numerous practice rooms, training grounds, and even dormitories.

However, these dormitories were generally not occupied by team members. It wasn't due to poor conditions, but rather that anyone who could hold their own in the Martial Arts Team likely had some income.

They all had their own places to live outside.

After listening to Senior Brother Wang Zhe explain numerous precautions, Zhao Rui obediently walked to a practice room not occupied by any senior brothers or sisters and opened the WeChat-transferred files.

"The essence of Prajna Palm lies in emptiness as its body and compassion as its function. When circulating energy, one must observe the five aggregates as dew or lightning. When the palm strikes, all forms are formless; when the palm retracts, all laws return to one."

"...Circulate energy from the tanzhong and qihai acupoints, drawing the water from the Kidney meridian of the foot's lesser yin upwards, passing through the yuzhen acupoint to the baihui acupoint, transforming pure yang into sweet dew, flowing through the Lung meridian of the hand's lesser yin into the laogong acupoint in the palm."

"...The palm should be held as if empty, with fingers slightly curved, like holding a flower branch or embracing a full moon, to achieve the marvel of 'unresiding strength'."

After reading this, Zhao Rui was stunned. It actually involved circulating energy through the Lung meridian, which overlapped with the energy circulation route of Cloud Hand Plucks Stars.

His heart immediately rejoiced. He had already opened up a vital acupoint; practicing Prajna Palm would surely be twice as effective with half the effort.

He decided to practice immediately. Zhao Rui quickly followed the instructions in the martial arts manual, circulating his energy and practicing the movements.

This martial art consisted of nine forms, implying the concept of nine-grade lotus platforms. The postures were easy to learn; one just needed to follow along.

The difficult part was the meridian circulation.

Why did martial arts in his previous life also have forms but no power? It wasn't the forms that were the problem, but the Internal Energy circulation through the meridians.

The martial arts practiced by people in his previous life didn't involve Internal Energy circulation at all; how could they generate extraordinary power?

It was like the difference between taking Viagra before sex and not taking it. Although the act was the same, the internal blood flow and hormone levels were different, naturally leading to vastly different results.

This martial art was imbued with Buddhist principles, emphasizing the Zen concept of emptiness being non-emptiness and non-emptiness being emptiness, requiring a high degree of comprehension.

Even with the same meridian circulation, the transformation between emptiness and fullness during energy circulation, and the derivative changes between forms, would differ based on comprehension.

Zhao Rui was inherently stubborn. Since he had chosen the path of the Martial Way, patience was an absolute necessity.

Practicing once was still practicing; practicing ten times was also practicing.

He would practice whether he had insight or not; at worst, the System panel was there to back him up.

He practiced for the entire morning.

When Zhao Rui pushed open the door, it was already 12:30 PM.

However, he wasn't the last person to stay at Mingchan Courtyard. Passing by the main hall, he estimated there were at least seven or eight senior brothers and sisters still lingering.

Some were meditating, some were practicing martial arts, and some were even watching videos on their phones.

No one bothered anyone else!

Seeing that Wang Zhe and the others were gone, Zhao Rui quietly picked up his backpack and left the courtyard.

On the bluestone path outside the courtyard, a few sparrows occasionally rested, hopping and playing or pecking at the ground, appearing quite leisurely.

Under the large ancient trees on both sides, two young senior sisters were half-lying, talking intimately with their heads close together, their postures languid.

This atmosphere was truly wonderful!

Zhao Rui felt cheerful, and his steps involuntarily slowed as he admired the lush green "world."

By the time he left the Martial Arts Academy grounds and arrived at the nearest cafeteria, the Eighth Cafeteria, to eat, it was almost 1 PM.

"One bowl of beef noodles, with two eggs and one grilled sausage, the thick kind."

He heard this combination was good for health.

A few minutes later, Zhao Rui, carrying a large bowl of steaming beef noodles from the cafeteria window, walked to an empty table and sat down.

Then, he began to eat heartily with loud slurps.

"Luo Min, you won't believe how funny this is. Today, a guy from another department actually gave me a love letter. I almost died laughing."

While he was eating, a girl's voice from not far away drifted into his ears.

"Luo Min?"

Zhao Rui was startled and looked up slightly in the direction of the voice.

The speaker was a round-faced girl with long hair. Her features were quite pretty, though her skin was a bit dark, and she had a strange tattoo on her arm.

However, this wasn't Zhao Rui's main focus. He was looking at the girl next to her.

That was a girl with exceptional features and figure.

Zhao Rui's gaze naturally drew the other girl's attention. As their eyes met, the girl paused slightly, then returned a smile.

Zhao Rui also smiled and nodded, then lowered his head to continue eating his noodles, clearly not intending to go over and chat.

Zhao Rui was very familiar with this girl; she was Luo Min, a classmate from his high school Martial Arts class and also a student at Dongqi University's Martial Arts Academy.

However, they hadn't been close during school, and even after graduation, knowing they both got into Dongqi University, they hadn't kept in touch.

They had only bumped into each other once during military training and exchanged greetings.

A while later, Zhao Rui finished his noodles and, grabbing his backpack, headed straight out of the dining hall.

"Who was it?"

After Zhao Rui left, the girl beside Luo Min glanced at his retreating figure and asked with some curiosity.

"High school classmate!"

Luo Min smiled, her gaze flickered towards Zhao Rui, and she said casually.

"High school classmate? You have classmates from our Martial Arts Academy in high school?"

The girl was surprised because she hadn't seen this guy during military training.

"He used to be in the martial arts class, but he chose a general admission for university and is now in the accounting department."

Luo Min explained. She actually wanted to go chat with Zhao Rui. For one, they were former classmates, and they were in the same university. For another, she was very curious why he would give up the Martial Way.

Last time during military training, there were too many people, so she didn't feel comfortable asking too much.

Unfortunately, after he nodded, he just continued eating his noodles.

This made her give up the idea of going over for a casual chat.

Students from high school martial arts classes usually aimed to get into universities with martial arts majors. If they couldn't get in, they would choose vocational colleges.

If they couldn't even get into vocational colleges, it just meant their future in the Martial Way was bleak and they weren't suited for it.

Most students would then give up the Martial Way.

But Zhao Rui was different. His grades weren't bad. It was understandable that he couldn't get into the martial arts academy of Dongqi University, a top provincial university.

For regular undergraduate or even first-tier universities with martial arts programs, it should have been a sure thing for him.

But he gave it up and chose general admission, meaning he chose a non-martial arts major.

What was the difference between that and giving up the Martial Way?

Luo Min really wanted to talk to him about this.

"Ha, so he realized he didn't have talent and completely gave up!"

The girl beside Luo Min immediately sneered upon hearing this, and then continued, "But he's quite self-aware, not coming over to bother you! Usually, if a guy sees you greet him, he'd be all over you."

"What are you talking about!"

Luo Min rolled her eyes at her, then murmured with doubt, "But it is strange, he usually seems unwilling to talk to me, he's never initiated a conversation."

"Ha, there really are guys like that, could he be gay?"

"Don't talk nonsense, he's my classmate."

"Haha, I'll remember him."

The girl laughed even more unrestrainedly.

With a cultivation technique and an organization, Zhao Rui's life finally returned to his previous state of being immersed in the Martial Way. He also moved out of the dormitory and directly into a rented apartment.

He had mentioned this to his counselor, Liu Jie. Liu Jie, considering Zhao Rui's unique situation, readily agreed.

As he was leaving, the other three people in the dormitory had complex feelings. On one hand, they were reluctant for Zhao Rui to leave.

After all, with Zhao Rui as their backer, who would dare bully them?

On the other hand, they also wanted Zhao Rui to leave. To accompany a ruler is like accompanying a tiger; who knew what Zhao Rui's temper and personality were like?

They had only known each other for a little over half a month, and they didn't fully understand each other's true nature yet. What if they offended Zhao Rui somewhere in the future? Wouldn't that be terrible?

Zhao Rui understood this too. With a simple wave, he bid farewell to the brief collective dormitory life at university.

Back in the rented apartment, Zhao Rui felt completely relaxed. He couldn't help but lie down on the bed, sprawl out, and shake his head.

Freedom felt so good.

Others might not know, but he certainly didn't want to sleep in a collective dormitory.

Of course, unless it was filled with pretty girls.

After lying on the bed for a while, Zhao Rui rolled over, got up, and went to the kitchen, preparing to cook some good dishes to reward himself.

Having been single for so many years in his previous life, his cooking skills, though not comparable to a master chef, were sufficient to satisfy his own palate.

"Sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried pork with chili, deep-fried shrimp, scrambled eggs with tomatoes!"

Yes, four dishes would be good.

He washed his hands and was about to start cooking when his phone rang.

Zhao Rui walked to the living room, glanced at his phone, and answered it.

"Zhao Rui, you're not living at school anymore?"

The voice was soft and sweet, definitely a girl's.

"Yeah, I rented a place outside."

"Oh, that's good. Can I come visit?"

"Uh..."

"I'll bring my roommates with me, okay? Consider it a housewarming for you!"

"Fine!"

Zhao Rui shrugged. Since the girls had put it that way, not inviting them over would be rather inhospitable.

"Alright, we'll head over in a bit. Send me your address."

After speaking, the girl hung up the phone.

This girl was Zhao Rui's classmate, the same one who had fainted during military training. Her name was He Wanqing, taken from the Tang Dynasty poet Li Shangyin's line, "Heaven pities the humble grass, the world cherishes the late clear sky!"

Her name was beautiful, and she was also quite good-looking, otherwise Zhao Rui wouldn't have carried her for over ten li.

Since the girls were coming over later, Zhao Rui naturally couldn't just make four dishes.

He rummaged through the vegetables he'd bought today, finding quite a few left. He picked out a few, making a total of eight dishes, and then started cooking.

It was Saturday today, and there were no classes. He Wanqing and the other three arrived at Zhao Rui's place about half an hour later.

They had specifically gone to the supermarket before coming and bought some fruit and cooked food.

"Ta-da! Look, we even brought duck wings, duck necks, grilled sausages..."

As soon as the door opened, He Wanqing giggled and held up the cooked food she was carrying.

"You didn't have to bring anything, but since you did, it's a bit too formal!"

Zhao Rui chuckled as he took the plastic bag from the girl.

"Of course! Wow, Zhao Rui, you can actually cook!"

As soon as He Wanqing and the others stepped inside, a fragrant aroma wafted towards them.

When they saw the ribs simmering in the pot in the kitchen and the appetizing dishes tumbling in the wok, they were pleasantly surprised.

"I just made a few things casually. We won't eat out."

Zhao Rui said with a smile.

"No way, I'm trying first."

"Me too! Oh, it's so hot..."

The girls picked up their chopsticks one after another and started tasting the crispy fried shrimp Zhao Rui had made.

"This is delicious!"

"Zhao Rui, you should just go with our Wanqing. That way, we can come over for free meals in the future."

One of the girls said casually.

He Wanqing's pretty face instantly flushed pink. She playfully chided, "What nonsense are you talking! Can't you shut your mouth even while eating?"

"Oh, Wanqing's shy. Hehe! Ah, stop tickling me! It tickles!"

The two girls immediately started playfully wrestling.

After a bit of commotion, the four girls began helping Zhao Rui with the work.

They stripped vegetables, chopped vegetables, washed fruit, and set the table. The division of labor was quite clear.

With their help, the cooking speed significantly increased. In just under an hour, all the dishes were ready.

Zhao Rui and the girls sat down at the table, raised their glasses for a small beer to celebrate the housewarming, and then began to eat.

"Zhao Rui, do you know any other guys who are good at martial arts, cooking, and taking care of people like you?"

One of the girls, slightly flushed from the beer, mumbled with her lips pouted.

"If you put it that way, then I can't find any!"

Zhao Rui replied with a smile.

"Then what should we do?"

"We'll just have to improvise!"

"No way! Wanqing, you should just give Zhao Rui to me!"

"If you say that again, I'm not talking to you!"

He Wanqing suddenly felt a bit embarrassed, her tone clearly laced with annoyance. After all, while such jokes were fine once, too many of them started to change their meaning.

"I was just kidding, is it that serious!"

The girl pouted, seemingly not understanding why He Wanqing was angry.

"Let's eat, let's eat! Eat more ribs. You can't get this many spare ribs at school."

Zhao Rui smiled and quickly interrupted the girls' conversation.

The girl who had spoken earlier pouted even more.

Zhao Rui couldn't help but glance at He Wanqing, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Seeing his gaze, He Wanqing helplessly puffed out her cheeks slightly and sighed playfully.

Although there was a small interlude, it didn't affect the dinner party. The girls quickly made up after a few words.

After dinner, they rested briefly. Zhao Rui didn't let them stay long and personally escorted them back to school.

Since he'd had a bit to drink, Zhao Rui wasn't entirely at ease.

Under the warm autumn sun, a gentle breeze brushed past his slightly tipsy cheeks, bringing a touch of color to them.

The four girls walked arm-in-arm behind Zhao Rui, chatting and laughing.

They'd exchange a few words now and then, eliciting bursts of clear, tinkling laughter.

After escorting the girls back to their dorm, Zhao Rui turned and headed straight back to his rented room.

Before he even got home, a message arrived on WeChat from He Wanqing: "I won't bring them with me anymore."

"Mm!"

Zhao Rui's reply was simple and to the point.

For the following week, Zhao Rui dedicated himself to diligently practicing the Prajna Palm martial art, and had now achieved a basic level of proficiency.

One day, as he was asking Wang Zhe about a variation of a Prajna Palm move, Zhang Kui hurried over from the direction of the main hall.

From a distance, he called out to Zhao Rui, "Teacher Wang wants to see you!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Rui quickly said goodbye to Wang Zhe and then hurried over, walking alongside Zhang Kui as they made their way to the main hall.