Qigong Master

After chatting with the old man for a bit, it was getting late, so An Yang headed back.

This old man was called He Zhiming, and his family was probably quite wealthy. An Yang hadn't asked about the specifics and wasn't interested anyway.

Pushing open the door, he heard clattering sounds coming from the kitchen. He thought it was Ji Weiwei, but when he looked closer, he realized it was Nie Xiaoqian.

An Yang paused, then walked over and wrapped his arms around her waist. Looking at the chicken on the chopping board, he asked, "Where did you get the ingredients?"

Nie Xiaoqian turned her head and smiled. "I went out to buy them around four in the morning today, to nourish your body."

An Yang was taken aback again. "You even know about four in the morning—looks like you've made quite some progress. But... did you pay for the groceries?"

Nie Xiaoqian smiled sheepishly. "I forgot to bring money."

A line of black marks appeared on An Yang's forehead. "Alright, the cash is in the bedside drawer, and there's money in the bank card too. I'll teach you how to withdraw money tonight. Remember to bring cash next time—they work hard for a living too."

Nie Xiaoqian nodded. "Mm, I'll remember. I know what a bank is—it's just like the old money houses."

An Yang praised her. "That's right, Xiaoqian is clever."

When he returned to the room, he found that a pile of clothes had already been washed clean. But since the sunlight outside was too strong, she hadn't dared to hang them out. He smiled warmly, closed the bedroom door, and hung the clothes on the windowsill in the bedroom.

This kind of life seemed pretty good too.

The next day, he arrived at the park and found Old Man He already waiting at one end of the forest path. Beside him was another old man with a radiant complexion, dressed meticulously, with a kind face, looking much more proper than He.

The two had set up a chessboard on a stone table, each sitting on a small stool beside it. From a distance, An Yang could already hear Old Man He's voice.

"Here he comes, here he comes—that young man right there."

The other old man glanced at him and made his move.

"Old He, I think you're getting more and more unreliable. What Tibetan Esoteric Sect? I tell you, there are plenty of Living Buddhas recognized by true Buddhism, but how many of them go around taking disciples? You, ah, you're regressing with age."

An Yang approached and casually glanced at the board. To his surprise, they were playing Go—much more highbrow than the checkers ordinary old men usually played.

Old Man He greeted him, and An Yang returned the greeting. But his face was pale, and he had no energy to deal with these two. He walked over to a chair, sat down cross-legged, and began breathing and meditating according to the method described in the Kunlun Art.

Half a day passed. Old Man He didn't bother him again, and the other old man started to look at him with newfound respect.

"Well, Old Qin, something's off, isn't it?"

"Mm, when this young man first arrived, his face was pale, but his demeanor and steps weren't unsteady. It didn't look like he'd overindulged or stayed up too much. But now his complexion has fully recovered, and he looks much more vigorous. There might really be something to it!"

Old Man He was startled—he hadn't expected this old man to observe so keenly. But he didn't back down. "That's not all. How many people have you seen sit still for hours on end? Especially a young man!"

The other old man nodded calmly. "That's true. But I still don't quite believe your talk about the Tibetan Esoteric Sect."

Not far away, An Yang opened his eyes and looked at the two bored old men, letting out a sigh. Just then, a young couple walked along the forest path. The man glanced at him in surprise.

"Bro, practicing the Sunflower Manual?"

An Yang glanced at him but said nothing.

The woman beside the man tugged at him. "Mind your own business. Keep walking. Maybe he's a Qigong Master. You know, this area is full of rich and powerful people."

The man laughed knowingly. "Haha, you're sharp. Fool one, fool them all, right?"

The two walked off laughing.

An Yang's expression turned cold, and he prepared to leave.

But the old man beside Old Man He called out to him. "Hey, hey, young man, don't go. My surname is Qin. Just call me Old Qin."

An Yang paused, then asked, "Is there something you need?"

Old Qin waved his hand, exuding an air of authority and a calmness uncommon in ordinary people. "Nothing much. I just find you interesting. Let's consider ourselves acquainted."

An Yang could tell at a glance that this old man was probably a retired official or something—heavy with bureaucratic speech, speaking as if his words were law. But that didn't work on him.

"Hello, Old Qin. My name is An Yang."

"Hello, young man."

After he left, Old Qin looked at Old Man He, made a move, and said with certainty, "This young man has a very unique aura."

"Haha, let's play chess here again tomorrow!"

"Wherever we play is fine!"

And so, for several days in a row, An Yang saw the two old men. Their attitude toward him grew more and more subtle, as if they truly regarded him as some kind of extraordinary person. Until one morning, Old Qin actually came out and interrupted his meditation.

"An Yang?"

An Yang frowned, a little annoyed. "It's Old Qin. Is there something you need?"

Old Qin waved his hand. "Nothing much. I just wanted to ask what you were doing just now. Were you practicing qigong?"

Just another bored retired old man!

An Yang looked at him helplessly and decided to just go along. "You could say that."

Old Qin pressed on. "Where did you learn this qigong?"

An Yang made something up on the spot. "It's a family tradition."

"Oh... I see. You seem to practice quite seriously. What's this qigong good for?"

"Prolonging life, strengthening the body, beautifying the skin, and even tonifying yin and yang—it's like the Vajra of Great Strength pill!"

Old Qin was taken aback, then asked again, "Can you treat illnesses?"

An Yang was stunned, looking speechless as he said, "Are you going to ask me to perform a trick like turning an empty basin into a snake next?"

Old Qin looked a bit disappointed. "Oh well, if you can't, then forget it."

Old Man He walked over and said, "An Yang, here's the thing—someone in Old Qin's family is critically ill. The best doctors in Jinguan City have all said there's no hope. If you have the skill, don't hold back. If you can cure Old Qin's family member, you'll be able to do whatever you want in Jinguan City from now on!"

From this, it seemed Old Qin had considerable influence, but he truly had no other option, and An Yang didn't need to rely on treating people to get ahead.

Old Qin looked at An Yang with hopeful eyes. He was a staunch materialist by nature, but now he was grasping at straws, unwilling to let go of any glimmer of hope. Yet when he saw An Yang shake his head, he could only withdraw his gaze in disappointment.

"Ah, forget it, forget it. Life and death are fated."

Old Man He also sat down in silence and set up the chessboard.

An Yang was the most helpless of all.

Finding a place to cultivate in the city wasn't easy, and he didn't really care if anyone saw him anymore. After all, not many people believed in this sort of thing these days. He thought at most someone would take him for a con man or a lunatic, but he never expected to run into two bored old men who insisted on linking him to a Living Buddha of the Tantric sect or a Qigong Master.

Were all elderly people this superstitious, or just these two?

The next day, Old Qin still wouldn't give up. He kept pressing An Yang about whether any elders in his family could heal people, or if he knew any extraordinary healers.

Old Qin came from an official background and was the best judge of character, but the more time passed, the more he could sense that transcendent, otherworldly aura from An Yang. Especially since An Yang had refused to treat him, which proved he wasn't some street-corner swindler.

On the third day, two young people followed Old Qin—a man and a woman—along with two bodyguards. The man was a bit older, while the woman was in the prime of her youth.

Old Qin and Old Man He greeted An Yang and sat down to play chess. At first, the two young people stood behind Old Qin, but later they brought the two bodyguards over to An Yang.

The man spoke first, followed by the woman.

"My name is Qin Gang. I'm the grandson of the Old Qin you mentioned."

"My name is Qin Zhu. Old Qin is my grandfather."

An Yang glanced at the two of them and frowned. "My name is An Yang."

Their lofty demeanor and condescending gazes rubbed him the wrong way, especially the move of bringing bodyguards along, which felt like intimidation.

Qin Gang asked, "Are you the Qigong Master my grandfather talked about?"

"No."

An Yang answered bluntly.

Qin Gang paused, his eyes darkening. "Are you sitting here practicing qigong?"

"No."

Qin Gang's expression turned sour. "Then what are you doing here?"

An Yang swept his gaze over him, a hint of mockery on his face.

"Showing off."

Qin Gang took a deep breath, staring at him. "I don't care who you are or what you're doing here. I just want to warn you—not everyone is easy to fool. My grandmother is bedridden with a serious illness, and I don't want anyone using some shady street tricks on her for money. Do you understand?"

An Yang met his gaze calmly, as if seeing two young people indignant over an elder being scammed, and also a pair of siblings acting rashly out of concern. He said, "Your grandfather wanted me to go, but unfortunately, I have no such plans."

Qin Gang said, "Good. And you'd better stay away from my grandfather. He's not that easy to fool."

An Yang let out a scornful laugh. "Ha. I was sitting here minding my own business, and you came to bother me. From start to finish, I've done nothing. Yet you come to interrogate me and self-righteously call me a con man. Don't you think you're going too far?"

Qin Gang narrowed his eyes. "I don't care about going too far. If I see you again, I'll make you regret it!"

A cold glint flashed in An Yang's eyes. He had killed before!

"And if I don't leave?"

Qin Gang sneered. "Then I wouldn't mind seeing what your qigong can do."

An Yang's gaze turned even colder. "Not much. Just enough to kill."

The two bodyguards sensed something was off and stepped forward to shield the siblings.

Qin Gang glanced over and said, "Brother Hao, perfect timing. Let's see this Qigong Master's skill at killing!"

"You got it!"

One of the bodyguards stepped forward and reached for An Yang's shoulder.

An Yang was 1.8 meters tall, taller than most people, but that meant nothing to him. His build was even more lacking. Forget being a veteran from the military—even without training, he could take on several guys like An Yang.

PS: Lately, a lot of friends have been complaining about the slow updates. Actually, my old book is wrapping up, and it'll be finished this month. After that, the update pace will pick up. Don't worry, everyone. If you really can't wait, you can bookmark it and let it pile up. Also, if you like this book, feel free to tip and vote—throw it all at me!