Qigong Master

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

The old man's name was He Zhiming. His family should be quite wealthy, though An Yang hadn't asked for details and wasn't interested anyway.

Pushing open the door, clinking sounds came from the kitchen. Thinking it was Ji Weiwei, he took a closer look only to find Nie Xiaoqian.

An Yang paused for a moment, walked over and put his arms around her waist, looked at a chicken on the cutting board, and asked, "Where did you get these groceries?"

Nie Xiaoqian turned her head with a smile and said, "At around four o'clock this morning, I went out and bought them to build up your health."

An Yang was stunned once more: "You even know what a little after four in the morning is? It seems you've made a lot of progress. But... did you pay for the groceries?"

Nie Xiaoqian smiled sheepishly: "I forgot to bring any."

A series of black lines streaked across An Yang's forehead: "Alright, the cash is in the drawer of the bedside table, and there's some in the bank card too. I'll teach you how to withdraw money tonight. Remember to bring money in the future; other people have it pretty tough too."

Nie Xiaoqian nodded: "Mm, I'll remember. I know about this bank; it's just like the money shops from before."

An Yang said approvingly, "That's right, Xiaoqian is so smart."

When he returned to his room, he discovered that a pile of clothes had been washed thoroughly clean, only they hadn't been dared to be taken out to dry because of the sunlight outside the window. He smiled warmly, then closed the bedroom door again and took the clothes to hang them on the windowsill of the bedroom.

This kind of life seemed pretty good too.

The next day, when he arrived at the park, he found that Old Man He was already waiting at one end of the path through the woods. Beside him was another glowing-complexioned old man whose attire and grooming were quite exquisite. With a kindly expression, he looked a great deal more proper than Old Man He.

The two of them had set up a chessboard on a stone table and were sitting nearby with small stools each. He could hear Old Man He's voice from far away.

"He's here, he's here, that's the young man."

The other old man glanced at him and dropped the go stone in his hand.

"Old He, I think you're getting more and more improper. What Tibetan Esoteric Sect? Let me tell you, there are quite a few Living Buddhas truly recognized by Buddhism, but how many of them go around taking on disciples everywhere? You, oh you, you really are regressing the older you get."

An Yang walked closer and glanced casually at the board, not expecting the two of them to be playing Go. This air of sophistication was much higher than the Chinese chess played by ordinary old men.

Old Man He greeted him, and he replied, though his complexion was somewhat pale and he lacked the strength to entangle himself with these two. He walked over to a chair on his own, sat down in the lotus position, and began to breathe and absorb in the manner depicted by the Kunlun Art.

Half a day passed, and Old Man He didn't come to bother him again, while the other old man also looked at him in a new light.

"How is it, Old Qin? Feels a bit off, doesn't it!"

"Mm, when this young man first arrived, his complexion looked pale, but his expression and steps weren't floaty at all. He doesn't look like someone who indulges in lust too much, nor does he look like someone who stays up late too often. But now his complexion has completely returned to a rosy glow, and his whole person looks a lot more vigorous. I'm afraid there really is something to him!"

Old Man He was stunned, not expecting this old fellow to observe things with such microscopic detail, but he didn't want to lose ground either, so he said, "That's not even all. Have you ever seen a few people who can sit here motionless for several hours? Especially a young man!"

The other old man nodded calmly: "That's true as well, but I still don't quite believe what you said about the Tibetan Esoteric Sect."

An Yang, not far away, opened his eyes and gazed at the two bored old men, unable to help letting out a sigh. Right at that moment, a young couple happened to walk along the path through the woods, and the young man cast a surprised look at his way.

"Bro, practicing the Sunflower Manual?"

An Yang glanced at him and didn't speak.

The young woman beside the young man pulled at him and said, "Don't poke your nose into other people's business, mind your own way. For all you know, he might be a Qigong Master. You have to realize that the people around here are all wealthy and influential."

The young man laughed with sudden realization: "Haha, you're the smart one. Fool one while you can, right?"

The two of them walked away laughing.

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

However, the old man beside Old Man He called out to stop him: "Hey, hey, young man, don't leave. My surname is Qin; you can just call me Old Qin."

An Yang paused, then asked immediately, "Do you need something?"

Old Qin waved his hand, carrying a bearing of someone in a high position and an unhurried ease that ordinary people lacked: "It's nothing much, just that I find you quite interesting. Consider us acquainted now."

At a single glance, An Yang could tell that this old man must be a retired cadre or something of the sort. His official airs were very heavy, and he spoke with an unquestionable tone, but that kind of thing was useless on him.

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

"Hello to you too, young man."

After he left, Old Qin looked toward Old Man He, played a piece, and said with certainty, "This young man has a very unique disposition."

"Haha, we'll play our chess right here again tomorrow!"

"Where don't we play!"

And so, for several days in a row, An Yang saw the two old men. Their attitude toward him also grew more and more subtle, as if they really regarded him as some kind of eccentric person of unusual skills. Until one morning, Old Qin actually came out to interrupt his quiet cultivation.

"An Yang?"

An Yang frowned, feeling somewhat displeased: "So it's Old Qin. Do you need something?"

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

He truly was a bored retired old man!

An Yang looked at him with resignation and simply admitted, "You could say that."

Old Qin followed up immediately: "Where did you learn this qigong?"

An Yang spun a random tale: "It's passed down from my ancestors."

"Oh... is that so? I see you practice quite earnestly. What use does this qigong have?"

"Prolonging life, strengthening the body, beautifying the face, and it can even nourish Yin and invigorate Yang. It's just as good as the Vajra of Great Strength!"

Old Qin was stunned for a moment, then asked, "Can it cure people's illnesses?"

An Yang froze, and with a speechless expression, said, "Are you going to ask me to perform an empty-bowl-turns-into-snakes trick next?"

Old Qin looked somewhat disappointed: "Oh well, if it can't, then so be it."

Old Man He walked over and said, "An Yang, it's like this: someone in Old Qin's family is critically ill, and the best doctors in Jinguan City have said there's no hope. If you know how, don't keep it hidden away. As long as you cure Old Qin's family member, whatever you want to do in Jinguan City from now on will be easy to arrange!"

Hearing this, Old Qin's influence seemed to be very formidable, but he truly had no way, nor did he need to seek development by curing people's illnesses.

Old Qin looked at An Yang with hopeful eyes. He was originally an unadulterated materialist, but by now he was turning to any doctor in his desperation and refused to let go of a shred of hope. However, seeing An Yang shake his head, he could only pull back his gaze in disappointment.

"Sigh, so be it, so be it. Life and death are up to fate."

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 was not easy, and he didn't care whether anyone saw him anyway. After all, not many people believed in this sort of thing these days, and he had assumed people would at most take him for a scammer or a lunatic. He hadn't expected to run into two bored old men who stubbornly hooked him up with Tibetan Esoteric Sect Living Buddhas and Qigong Masters.

Were all old people this superstitious, or was it only the two of them?

The next day, Old Qin still refused to give up, continuing to press him on whether there were any elders in his family who could treat illnesses, or if he knew any eccentric people with extraordinary skills who could heal.

He originally came from an official background and was the best at reading people, but the more time passed, the more he could perceive that transcendent and refined disposition from An Yang. Especially the fact that An Yang had refused to treat his illness only further proved that he was no wandering charlatan.

On the third day, two young people followed behind Old Qin—a man and a woman, accompanied by two bodyguards. The man was slightly more mature, while the woman was in the prime of her youth.

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

The man spoke first, followed by the woman.

"My name is Qin Gang, the grandson of the Old Qin you mentioned."

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

An Yang glanced at the two of them and frowned as he said, "My name is An Yang."

Their lofty disposition and condescending gazes made him very unhappy, especially the move of bringing bodyguards along, which gave off a sense of oppression.

Qin Gang asked, "You're the Qigong Master my grandfather mentioned?"

"No."

An Yang's reply was very crisp.

Qin Gang was momentarily stunned, his gaze sinking as he asked again, "Are you sitting here to cultivate qigong?"

"No."

Qin Gang's expression turned somewhat ugly: "Then what are you doing here?"

An Yang swept a glance at him, a trace of mockery hanging on his face.

"Acting cool."

Qin Gang took a deep breath, gazed intently at him, and said, "No matter what your identity is, and no matter what you're doing here, I only want to warn you of one thing: not everyone is so easy to fool. My grandmother is currently lying here seriously ill, and I don't want anyone using all sorts of messy jianghu tricks on her for the sake of money. Do you understand?"

An Yang met his gaze calmly, feeling as though he was looking at two young people filled with righteous indignation at seeing their family elder being swindled, and also at a pair of brother and sister whose concern had made them impulsive. He said, "Your grandfather actually wanted me to go over, but unfortunately, I have no such intentions."

Qin Gang said, "That's for the best. Also, you'd better stay away from my grandfather; he isn't someone who's so easily fooled."

An Yang let out a sneer: "Heh, I'm sitting here perfectly fine, and you two came to disturb me. From start to finish, I haven't done a single thing, yet not only do you come over to interrogate me, but you also speak with high-sounding righteousness about me being a fraud. Don't you think you're bullying people a bit too much?"

Qin Gang narrowed his eyes: "I don't care about any bullying or not. If I see you again next time, I'll let you have a taste of what's good for you!"

A flash of cold light crossed An Yang's eyes. He had killed people before!

"What if I don't leave?"

Qin Gang let out a cold laugh: "Then I wouldn't mind seeing what your qigong is good for."

An Yang's gaze grew even colder: "It's not of much use, but it can kill people!"

Sensing something was amiss, the two bodyguards stepped forward to shield the brother and sister behind them.

Qin Gang swept his gaze across and said, "Brother Hao, you've come at just the right time. Let me witness this Qigong Master's skill at killing people!"

"You got it!"

One bodyguard stepped forward and grabbed at An Yang's shoulder with one hand.

An Yang was one meter eighty tall, taller than many ordinary people, but that didn't amount to much to him, and his physical build fell far short. To say nothing of the fact that the other man was a veteran from the military; even without training, he could beat several of the likes of An Yang.

PS: Quite a few friends have been complaining lately about the slow update speed. In reality, it's because my old book is currently wrapping up and will finish this month, at which point the updates will pick up. Everyone don't fret; those who really can't wait can save it in their libraries first. In addition, those who like this book, please feel free to throw tips and votes at me, crush me to death...