Wang An was learning Tai Chi at the dojo.
In the director's office, Yang Xianhua sat expressionless on the sofa, with Yang Zhang standing beside him. He felt uneasy.
'What's going on? Could it be that he found out about my private matters with the female students? It was all consensual! Or did he discover the kickbacks I've been receiving?'
"Find out about someone for me. His name is Wang An. Here's his phone number.
'This guy made a fool of them at the Tai Chi Villa in Qingyang Mountain and overheard my conversation with my wife.'
The more Yang Xianhua thought about it, the angrier he became. He needed to find a way to invite him for a little "chat".
"Wang An?" Yang Zhang was taken aback. He took the piece of paper with the written contact information. He looked at it carefully.
"Uncle, did he offend you? This person learned Tai Chi at our dojo."
"What?!" Yang Xianhua abruptly stood up from his chair.
His face changed. 'He learned martial arts here? It was no wonder he looked familiar! He was almost defeated by a student from his own dojo!'
"Since he is in our dojo, it should be easy then. Do you know where he lives?"
"I do, the dojo has a record of it."
"Arrange a meeting with him."
Hearing Yang Xianhua's tone and seeing his face, Yang Zhang had a good idea of what was going on.
"Uncle, when would be a suitable time for you?"
"The sooner, the better."
"Alright, leave this to me. Don't worry." Yang Zhang patted his chest.
On the road, in the cold wind, Wang An was in a good mood. He hummed a tune and thought about what to eat for lunch.
Ding! Ding!
The phone in his pocket rang. He stopped and looked at the unknown number. He hung up. After walking a short distance, the phone rang again. It was the same number.
Wang An thought for a moment and answered the phone.
"Hello, may I help you?"
"Hello, is this Wang An? I'm Lin Shan. Do you remember me? We used to practice Tai Chi together."
"Is something the matter?"
Wang An recalled a student by that name, but he did not have much contact with him.
"I want to invite a few of us who practiced Tai Chi together to a get-together. Are you free?"
"Thank you, but I'm sorry. I'm a bit busy." Wang An hung up.
They were not familiar with each other. Getting an invitation suddenly could only mean they had some ulterior motive.
Even if it was someone Wang An knew about a little, he would have declined.
"Hello? Hello?" The person on the other end of the phone heard the beep. "He hung up," he said to Yang Zhang beside him.
Yang Zhang's face darkened.
"Let's go to where he lives. We can catch him."
On the other side, Wang An slowly cycled to a restaurant. He ordered four dishes with a mix of meat and vegetables. The rice at this restaurant was free.
"It's great that the rice is free," Wang An said.
There were not many people in the restaurant. Besides Wang An, there were less than ten customers at two tables.
"Hey, why is the rice gone? There was still a lot of rice left in the pot just now. Boss, the rice is gone," a customer called out.
"What?" The owner came out of the kitchen. He was stunned to hear that. "Impossible! There aren't many people today. This pot of rice should have been enough."
The owner looked at the pot. Only a few grains of rice were left. He fell into deep thought.
"Where's the rice?" He glanced at the few customers. "They don't look like they can eat that much!"
"Boss, that person ate eight bowls of rice by himself. I counted it." A waiter walked over to the owner and pointed at Wang An, who was still eating.
"Eight bowls?"
"Yeah!" The waiter nodded.
Later, Wang An, under the astonished gaze of the restaurant owner, carried his bowl over for more rice.
"It seems we've run out of rice." Wang An looked at the rice pot.
"Huh?" The owner was taken aback.
"Don't just stand there. Hurry up and cook more."
"Oh." The owner of the restaurant nodded stiffly.
"Never mind. It's enough for today. I'm about 80% full. It's just right." Wang An patted his stomach.
After paying the bill, he hummed a tune and left the restaurant.
"I've seen people with big appetites, but I've never seen someone eat this much and still be only 80% full! Is he a glutton incarnate?" The owner stared at Wang An's departing figure and muttered to himself.
After lunch, Wang An cycled back to his residence.
In the afternoon, he did not go to the city but instead practiced the Five Animal Forms and brick-walking in the courtyard.
In the following days, he spent a long time at the swimming pool. He immersed himself in the water to learn more about Tai Chi Force.
Even on cold days, he would head straight to the swimming pool and practice Tai Chi in the water. Many times, he would find himself alone in the vast swimming pool.
Qi Dahe ignored him. He put on a coat, sat in a corner, and played his game. He even took a nap sometimes.
Most of the time, there was only one person in the swimming pool.
'Being in the water every day… Isn't he afraid of getting all wrinkled and bloated?'
In the pool, Wang An pushed, pressed, and patted. Wherever his palms hit, whirlpools formed in the water.
After practicing, he became increasingly familiar with the technique of the Tai Chi Force.
[After practicing Tai Chi in the water for a while, your whole body has been trained. The strength of your legs has increased significantly. You have gained insights into the techniques of the Tai Chi Force.]
[Tai Chi experience +50.]
After leaving the swimming pool, Wang An did not go back home. He had dinner, and then, he went to the Intention Fist Dojo.
Practicing with someone else was better than practicing alone.
"I don't think Li Xinzhu has much to do right now. I'll go and train with him."
Half an hour later, at the Intention Fist Dojo, Li Xinzhu's face was as long as Changbai Mountain, and his hands were trembling.
Not far in front of him was Wang An with a smile on his face.
"Indeed, hitting the water and hitting a person is different."
Li Xinzhu rolled up his sleeves. Both of his arms were swollen. Each hand had several bruised imprints which were turning purplish.
"Tai Chi Force?"
"Sorry. I couldn't hold back. Did I hurt you?" Wang An smiled awkwardly.
In the afternoon, when he came to the dojo, it was quite a struggle to get Li Xinzhu to spar with him.
Li Xinzhu was very reluctant. In the beginning, it was bearable. He endured that sickening Tai Chi Force.
When he tried to attack, one moment, it felt like hitting cotton, and then, it felt like hitting a spinning ball that slipped to the side in an instant.
The Tai Chi Cloud Hands of his opponent were not just evasive, but it was also less aggressive than the Intention Fist. However, when Wang An's palm landed on his arm, a strange force would immediately surge and instantly interrupt all his moves.
This force felt as if it would tear his arm apart.