Li Xinzhu ate a piece of salmon and took a sip of wine.
"Did you really go to the zoo? What were you doing there?" Li Xinzhu asked curiously.
"I went to watch the tigers," Wang An said.
"Tigers? What's so interesting about tigers? Haven't you seen them before?" Li Xinzhu asked.
"I've seen them before, but I didn't pay much attention to them. Today, I watched them very closely," Wang An said as he took a bite of beef.
"What did you gain from watching them?" Li Xinzhu asked as he put down his fork and looked at Wang An.
"Tigers are powerful and majestic," Wang An said thoughtfully.
"Well, that's obvious. Tigers are the kings of the jungle. They're supposed to be powerful," Li Xinzhu said.
"Do you think a human can develop the strength of a tiger?"
"The strength of a tiger? How powerful are tigers?" Li Xinzhu couldn't help but ask.
"I remember a tiger's paw strength is around one ton, and the full power of a strike of a brown bear can exceed one and a half tons. I've heard of people being able to generate eight hundred kilograms of force. Is that possible?" Wang An asked.
"Nonsense! Generally, ordinary people haven't received professional training and don't understand the techniques of force. So, the force of a full-force strike won't exceed their own body weight. Even professional boxers, after extensive training, can generate a force in their punches that is only two times their body weight. The average yellow bull weighs just over a thousand kilograms. So, generating a force greater than that in a single punch would make someone a superhuman," Li Xinzhu said as she took a sip of wine.
"I'm skeptical too, because the human body's bones and muscle tissue probably can't withstand such immense strength. A tiger has bone density of three to five times than that of a human and muscle density twice that of a human. Besides, their body weight is more than three times that of an average adult, which is why they can harness such incredible strength," Wang An said.
"No… Wait a minute, why did we come here? To unveil the secrets of animals and to write a tiger's encyclopedia? I came here for seafood, steak, and wine!" Li Xinzhu ate a piece of beef.
"Medium rare… Not bad. Try this," Wang An said as he changed the topic.
The two of them chatted and ate. In no time, Wang An's food disappeared from his plate. He got up and fetched some more food. He got a combination of meat, vegetables, fruits, and some snacks once again.
"Do you eat this too?" Li Xinzhu asked in surprise.
"Try it. It's not bad," Wang An picked up a small grain snack and handed it to Li Xinzhu.
"I dare not. I need to save room for more seafood. Try this mantis shrimp. It's tender and delicious. Be careful, it's hot." Li Xinzhu handed a mantis shrimp to Wang An.
Wang An smiled and accepted. He tore off the claws and cracked open the shell to reveal the succulent meat.
"The taste is quite decent, but the portion is a bit small," he said.
"Small portion? Next time, you can treat me to a king crab. It has more meat," Li Xinzhu said as he savored the crab claw.
"Sure," Wang An said.
While they were eating, Li Xinzhu's phone rang.
"Hello? Yes, go ahead. Really? Okay, got it." He hung up and wiped his hands.
"Something serious came up. Yang Zhang is looking for you," he said.
"Looking for me? Is he still hung up on that issue from last time? Is he spying on us in the Tai Chi Dojo?" Wang An asked.
"Spying? That sounds harsh. It's called having friends. More friends mean more connections. It's easier to navigate everything with more friends. To be honest, I didn't expect Yang Zhang to be so petty," Li Xinzhu said.
"Maybe it's not him." Wang An suddenly thought of the Tai Chi Dojo's director.
"Not him? Then who? Yang Xianhua, isn't it? Did you offend him?" Li Xinzhu asked.
"I had a sparring match with him at the Tai Chi Mountain Resort," Wang An said.
"Yeah, you mentioned that. Wait, did you win against him in public?" Li Xinzhu asked.
"It was a draw. The result probably didn't sit well with him," Wang An said.
"No wonder! You should be careful. Yang Xianhua has connections with the underground forces in Hu An City," Li Xinzhu said in warning.
"Underground forces?" Wang An asked in surprise.
"Yes. The kind that can't be openly mentioned." Li Xinzhu nodded.
Just then, a man walked past them, carrying a basket with several bottles of white wine and several plates of dipping sauces.
Suddenly, a plate slipped and was about to fall onto Wang An. He raised his hand and gently lifted it along the path of its fall. All the spilled sauces in midair fell back onto the plate.
"Thank you," the person carrying the plate said as he walked away.
"Tai Chi Cloud Hands… Marvelous!" Li Xinzhu exclaimed. "Have you ever formally studied it, I mean, really studied it?"
"No." Wang An shook his head.
"I can introduce you to my master. If you become his disciple, you won't have to deal with those troubles anymore," Li Xinzhu said.
"Thank you for your kind offer. I'll consider it," Wang An said.
For more than twenty minutes, Li Xinzhu stared in amazement at Wang An.
During this time, Wang An had gotten up four times to get more food. He had eaten at least three kilograms of beef, a lot of vegetables, a small amount of seafood, and a significant amount of rice.
"Your eating habits make me a little scared. We came here to eat, not to risk our lives. It's not worth it for just 300 yuan," Li Xinzhu said.
"It's still worth it. Don't worry about me. I have a big appetite. I just ate a bit more beef today," Wang An said in assurance.
"A bit more? If everyone ate like you, this place would have to close down!" Li Xinzhu remarked.
An hour later, when they left the buffet restaurant, two waitresses looked at Wang An as if he were a monster.
They had witnessed his astonishing appetite.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Li Xinzhu asked again after leaving the restaurant.
"No problem at all. I'm fine." Wang An smiled.
"Fine? You ate more in one evening than I do in a whole day. Can your stomach handle it?" Li Xinzhu asked." Anyway, you treated me to dinner. I'll treat you to a lively night out. How about we go to the club and listen to some music?"
"The club? Seriously?"
"Haha, yes!" Li Xinzhu smirked.
"I'd rather not," Wang An said.
"Oh, why are you going home so early? You don't have a girlfriend." Li Xinzhu asked teasingly.
"I'm going home to practice," Wang An said.
"Practice..." Li Xinzhu looked at Wang An's serious face. "Are you serious?"
"Of course," Wang An said.
"What else do you do every day besides practicing?" Li Xinzhu asked.
"Eat, sleep, read, watch videos, and reflect on my experiences. It's quite fulfilling," Wang An said.
Li Xinzhu stood there. He was stunned for a while, before finally looking at Wang An as if he were a strange creature. He was starting to understand why Wang An had advanced so quickly in Tai Chi in such a short time.
"It's getting dark, and the wind is cold. Be careful on the way home. Goodbye," Wang An said. With that, he pedaled his bicycle away and disappeared into the night.
Li Xinzhu stood there for a long time.
"Tonight, I'll have to practice extra hard when I get back!"