Just then, Mr. Cai called. "Mr. Sanhe, you seemed a little unwell yesterday. Are you still going to practice tonight?"
"Yes!" I answered without hesitation.
Just standing there had been enough for me to sense something. This practice really was remarkable, and I wanted to go back and see for myself.
Du Le was still working part-time. He had to go wash dishes in a little while.
After taking Li Xuan home, I went to the neighborhood center with Mr. Cai.
When we arrived, Master Wu was chatting with several longtime students. A row of glasses filled with water stood on the table.
"Perfect timing," Master Wu greeted us. "I'm testing everyone's sensitivity to qi. You two should give it a try too. See if you can feel any differences between these glasses of water."
"What differences could there be?" Mr. Cai asked, puzzled.
Apparently, Master Wu had come up with this on a whim. Mr. Cai had never seen it before either.
"Mm." Master Wu nodded and held his hand above one of the glasses. "Like this. Point the Laogong acupoint in your palm toward the water and feel it."
Copying Master Wu, Mr. Cai held his hand above the glasses and passed it over each one in turn.
After one pass, he frowned in confusion and tried them all again.
He pointed uncertainly at one glass. "This one... seems a little different."
Watching from the side, I was both curious and impatient. Just how did it feel different?
While I was turning that question over in my mind, Master Wu looked at me. "You give it a try too."
"Sure!" I was as delighted as if I'd stumbled upon a treasure. It was only my second day here, and I was already being given this honor.
I cleared my mind, relaxed my whole body, and held my open palm above each glass in turn, paying close attention to what I felt.
When I reached the glass Mr. Cai had pointed out, it really did feel different. It was as if a ball of qi floated above the rim, and the sensation was unmistakably real.
When I gently pressed my hand downward, I could even feel some give to it. It was soft and warm.
Unable to make sense of it, I touched the outside of each glass in turn. They were all the same: room-temperature water, not warm.
I held my hand above them again. That glass definitely produced a distinct soft, warm sensation, and somehow it felt familiar.
How could this be so fascinating?
I kept comparing it with the other glasses, trying to identify that familiar sensation I could almost name but couldn't quite put into words.
As I compared them over and over, I noticed that the glass at the very end also felt a little different.
A faint warmth floated above that one too, but it was extremely weak and elusive, easy to miss unless I paid close attention.
Pointing at the two glasses that felt different, I looked at Master Wu. "I think these two both feel a little different."
Master Wu nodded. "How so?"
"They both feel warm, but the one in the middle is more noticeable. The warmth is stronger. The one at the end feels fainter."
Master Wu clapped his hands in approval.
The others joined in with a scattering of applause, their faces full of disbelief.
They looked from me to the water and back again, repeatedly holding out their hands to feel and compare the glasses, still unable to believe it.
The senior female student beside Master Wu smiled. "Master infused the one in the middle with qi. I infused the one at the end."
"This is the projection of internal qi that we practice. It can act directly on an object, or be stored in something outside the body," Master Wu explained. "All right, everyone, practice hard. Let's begin the lesson!"
After warming up, we moved on to half squats, holding an imaginary ball, sensing qi, sword fingers...
It was still the same few simple movements.
Near the end of class, Master Wu told us to open our left hands, form sword fingers with our right hands, and point them at our left palms to feel the qi we projected.
I did as instructed, though I didn't hold out much hope.
Strangely enough, however, I seemed to sense a faint difference.
The sensation was so slight that I almost doubted whether it was real.
Master Wu came over and demonstrated. "Do it like this."
He pointed his sword fingers at my palm without touching it and traced gentle circles. A warm, swelling sensation moved through my palm in the same direction, like a kitten's tail brushing back and forth.
At that moment, I suddenly remembered where I'd felt that familiar sensation before!
When the Old Taoist opened my heavenly eye, it had begun with exactly this kind of soft warmth.
Did all methods share the same root?!
I copied Master Wu and traced circles with my sword fingers. The warmth grew clearer and more distinct, until there was no way to ignore it.
This was incredible!
Altogether, even counting the warm-ups, I'd only practiced for three or four hours, yet I could already sense qi this clearly!
Seeing the excitement in everyone's eyes, I knew I wasn't an exception.
To varying degrees, everyone could project qi that could be felt.
As I looked at the unassuming Master Wu, admiration rose within me.
He possessed extraordinary skills, yet remained modest and down-to-earth, quietly serving the community in this worldly landscape of towering buildings.
It was precisely because of people like him, whose virtue brought lasting light to others, that the world was filled with hope and warmth.
Before you continue