You Still Claim You Don't Know Martial Arts

Chapter 31: Still Claiming You Don't Know Martial Arts

In this sparsely populated, undeveloped mountainous area, there was no noisy urban clamor, no lingering chaotic odors, and no obstructions from steel, concrete, or high-rise buildings.

Xiang Kun felt that his ability to lock onto and distinguish scents, as well as his auditory perception, had improved significantly; even his eyesight seemed to have sharpened to a certain degree.

It was easy to imagine that if it were nighttime, his abilities would likely see a further boost.

Could it be...

That the place truly suited for him was out in the wild, deep within the mountains?

"Looks like you rarely come to the mountains, right? Don't get too intoxicated, let's go! The air is even better further up!" Tang Baona saw Xiang Kun standing there with his eyes closed, breathing in the fresh air, and urged him with a smile.

The spot where they stood looked like the foot of the mountain, but in reality, there was still quite a long way to go before they actually began the climb.

Furthermore, according to their planned route, they weren't taking the paved paths but were sticking to various narrow trails. The terrain was terrible, so naturally, their pace couldn't be very fast.

However, they weren't trying to rack up mileage anyway; they were walking quite leisurely. If anyone got tired, they would stop to rest, or if they saw a nice view, they would stop to take photos.

On the way, Tang Baona and Yang Zhen'er had learned from the others in the group that the Sanda coach had said Xiang Kun was a better fighter than him.

Consequently, the two girls crowded in on either side of Xiang Kun.

Tang Baona suddenly said, "Chang Wei! And you still claim you don't know martial arts!"

On the other side, Yang Zhen'er added, "Speak! Are you actually a warrior monk from the Shaolin Temple?"

After they finished, they didn't even wait for Xiang Kun to respond before they doubled over with laughter.

Xiang Kun was speechless and simply accelerated to move ahead. The two girls naturally wouldn't let him off the hook and followed closely behind.

They were now climbing the mountain on a very narrow, potholed dirt path that was difficult to navigate. They had been walking for over two hours, and it was the hottest part of the afternoon. Both Tang Baona and Yang Zhen'er had expended a lot of energy and were drenched in sweat. Even though Xiang Kun didn't seem to be walking fast, they just couldn't catch up to him.

"Hey! Do you think he practices some kind of internal energy? How is it that in such hot weather, he doesn't even seem to be sweating?" Yang Zhen'er whispered to her friend.

Tang Baona rolled her eyes at her. "Your imagination is getting wilder and wilder. Do you really think he's a Shaolin monk or some hidden master?" However, prompted by Yang Zhen'er, she also noticed that Xiang Kun looked a bit too relaxed. Even if his physical fitness was excellent, after walking on rugged mountain paths for over two hours in such heat, he shouldn't look like he hadn't even broken a sweat.

Just as she was thinking this, Tang Baona's foot suddenly slipped into empty space, and she let out a cry as she tumbled to the side.

The side wasn't a bottomless abyss, of course, just a small hole about twenty centimeters deep, but it was still enough for Tang Baona to sprain her ankle.

Xiang Kun, who was in front, turned his head the moment Tang Baona missed her step, but the distance was a bit too far for him to catch her in time.

By then, everyone had gathered around. The yoga instructor took off Tang Baona's shoe and sock, revealing that her ankle had already begun to swell. She asked her to try moving it, but Tang Baona let out a low cry, unable to bear the pain.

"Nana, does it hurt a lot? Can you stand up?" Yang Zhen'er was frantic.

Tang Baona clutched her ankle and shook her head, unable to speak.

The yoga instructor frowned and said, "She can't walk." Then she looked up at the men. "We have to head back. Which one of you can carry Nana?" In this area, cars basically couldn't get in, so they had to walk back.

If it were before, this group of guys would have been scrambling to show off, but this time, everyone's first reaction was to look at Xiang Kun.

Xiang Kun knew he couldn't shirk the responsibility, and seeing Tang Baona's ankle, it did look like a serious sprain. He walked over and crouched down, letting the yoga instructor and Yang Zhen'er help Tang Baona onto his back.

After a while, Tang Baona wanted the others to continue with their original plan, suggesting that Yang Zhen'er and Xiang Kun could just take her back.

But everyone disagreed, and they also felt that Xiang Kun couldn't get Tang Baona to the parking area by himself; the journey there had taken over two hours.

Coach Shen came over and said, "We'll take turns carrying her when you get tired."

Xiang Kun didn't say much, but once they started heading back, the others realized that even with an extra person on his back, they were struggling to keep up with his pace.

The journey that had taken over two hours on the way there was cut in half with Xiang Kun carrying someone. While part of this was due to the lack of stops for resting and photos, his speed was undeniably much faster.

Coach Shen and the others, who were chasing behind Xiang Kun the whole way, naturally couldn't find an opening to offer to take a turn—he seemed to be moving with more ease than anyone else.

The pain in Tang Baona's ankle had subsided quite a bit. Originally, she had been worried that it would be exhausting for Xiang Kun to carry her on such a difficult path, and she had intended to have him stop and rest after a while.

But she soon discovered that even with her weight of over ninety jin, Xiang Kun walked very steadily, without any sense of heaviness or strain.

His breathing was very stable, one could even say gentle, and she couldn't feel much sweat on him at all.

What was even stranger was that after walking for over two hours on the way there and carrying her for so long now, Xiang Kun's body was actually ice-cold. Tang Baona felt as if she were leaning against an ice pack, which was incredibly comfortable.

"Why are you so cold? Don't tell me you really do practice some kind of internal energy like Zhen'er said?" Tang Baona couldn't help but ask curiously in Xiang Kun's ear.

Feeling the fragrant breeze against his ear, Xiang Kun subconsciously shrank his neck.

This was arguably the closest contact he had had with a member of the opposite sex in years. But unlike before, his sensory abilities were now extremely sharp.

Not only could he hear the sound of Tang Baona's breathing and heartbeat on his back, but he could also clearly smell the various scents on her—the perfume, the fragrance of her clothes, and the scent of hormones in her sweat—all of which entered his brain clearly through his nose.

To be honest, he thought the scent secreted by Tang Baona was better than the smell of perfume.

"Maybe my constitution is just a bit strange. I'm afraid of the cold but not the heat; I don't mind the summer, and I don't sweat much. Plus, I don't have hair, so I dissipate heat well," Xiang Kun bluffed casually.

However, Tang Baona's words caught his attention. Could his body temperature really be lower than an ordinary person's?

Upon returning to the parking area, he carefully placed Tang Baona in the back seat and bid farewell to the panting group that had finally caught up.

Yang Zhen'er wiped her sweat with a tissue from the car, turned the air conditioning to the max, and hurried back.

After taking Tang Baona to the hospital, getting X-rays, receiving treatment, and having her ankle bandaged, Xiang Kun and Yang Zhen'er took her home—they were lucky; it was only a ligament injury, not a fracture.

Declining Yang Zhen'er's suggestion to stay for dinner, Xiang Kun bought a digital thermometer on his way home.

Once home, Xiang Kun immediately measured his body temperature. He picked it up and looked, and as expected:

28℃.