Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The next day, it was only until noon did Tina finally wake up from her sleep. At this time, Zhang Lisheng was sitting beside the bed, carrying out his first secret technique cultivation after the transformation.
Now that he had entered the level of Rank-6 Wizard, every time he made a breakthrough in his cultivation of Witchcraft’s Gate of Death, he would have to transform and sacrifice a wizard gu.
A quality wizard gu was not easy to hunt, much less to raise. Without the “transform” spell Zhang Lisheng obtained when he was a Rank-2 Wizard, without enough blood and flesh to support them, it was very difficult for many wizards to even obtain one wizard gu, that possessed omniscient power, in their entire lives. To them, an ancient strange worm was a legend.
Because of this, first, due to the reason a wizard gu could be transformed was scarce, they must be valued.
Second, when a wizard transformed to become a Rank-12 Wizard, he could master the “Witchcraft-Martial Unification” ability. Usually, after the wizard who cultivated the Witchcraft’s Gate of Death underwent his first transformation of the sixth level, both his combat style and cultivation method would undergo a transformation of nearly 180 degrees, from relying on wizard gus to holding his own brute body in high regard. The same went to the secret cultivation technique the young man obtained.
Right now, his cultivation no longer needed to form any internal and external circulation with his wizard gu. He only needed to concentrate and calm his heart down, gushes of smog would naturally float out from his back, forming the sky-devouring Money Toad before dissipating to form the Demon’s image again, as it drew the wizard power in the body as it increased bit by bit.
The girl felt amazed when she saw the changing smog appearing behind Zhang Lisheng, but the young man seemed to have sensed her awakening, as he abruptly opened his eyes.
The smog behind him vanished without warning when Zhang Lisheng turned around. “Morning, Tina.”
“Morning, baby. Your back, your back…” The naked girl sat up and kissed the young man.
“What’s wrong with my back?”
“There was some smog floating around. It turned into a demon with a big head and teeth before turning into a big toad again. That smog disappeared before you turned around.”
“Is that so? So it turns out that the anomaly of the cultivation is this after I’ve made a breakthrough to the Rank-6 Wizard. Still, this is not important. Tina, I want to have a proper talk with you about the transformation. Recently, by relying on Mountoad, my brute body has changed…”
Zhang Lisheng told everything about his transformation to Tina. “The accident that took place in the stadium last night made me realize that this is not good. I don’t want to have all my secrets dug out after the others treated me like a monster.”
“Baby, sorry! It’s all my fault for insisting you to go watch the American wrestling competition last night.”
“No, I don’t blame you, Tina. This thing would eventually happen anyway. After my transformation, it’d be impossible for my powerful brute strength to not be displayed. As long as my power is displayed, it would be noticed by the others. In that case, wouldn’t it be better for it to be discovered earlier? What I want to discuss with you right now is that some people on the Internet has taken the initiative to help me find an excuse by saying it’s this amazing ancient fighting technique called kung fu. Do you think it is feasible for me to use this?”
“Of course, but, since you plan to go along with the flow and use kung fu as your excuse, at the very least, you’ll need to master some kung fu, like at least, you should know how to box, baby.”
“Oh yeah, you’re right! I really should go to a Chinese martial arts school to learn Chinese boxing. By doing that, perhaps it’d be good for me to control my physical strength as soon as possible as well. This could be said as killing two birds with one stone.” The young man’s eyes lit up right away as he recalled Maddie’s suggestion. Nodding his head, he added, “That’s right, Tina. I want to go back to China during this winter holiday. Do you want to go with me?”
“Oh, Lisheng. I originally wanted you to accompany me to Boston after Christmas. This year is my first winter holiday after I entered Harvard, so in order to join in with the sisterhood, Trish, Sheila and I will have to return to the university early to draw lots and carry out tasks.”
“Huh? It seems like the name ‘Douglin’ is not that shining in Boston as it is in New York.”
“However, if my surname was not Douglin, I wouldn’t have been able to join in the sisterhood in my first year at all. Harvard is built before the US so as the saying goes, Harvard comes first before America, some traditions still have to be respected.”
“Oh, I see. In that case, I have no choice but to go back to China by myself. I hope no ‘bookmark’ will appear in Western Sichuan…” As Zhang Lisheng reached this part of his sentence, he continued to discuss with Tina about the supernatural realm that continued to appear every now and then. This time, the girl no longer had any good suggestion as she felt that it was unimaginable to think about it other than living a passive life as usual and coming out with countermeasures when an accident occurred.
Of course, this conclusion would not be able to satisfy the young man. “Hell, in conclusion, my strength is still too weak and I can only wait for an accident to happen…”
“Baby, you only stayed in the US for a year and a half! Now, you’ve already become a billionaire. With your powerful and strong potential, don’t be too harsh on yourself…” Tina comforted Zhang Lisheng before taking the initiative to pull the young man into the bathroom, before using the most direct way to relieve the depressed mood.
After a series of passionate entanglements, both of them walked out of the room. Due to the reason Zhang Lisheng was afraid his mother would take the initiative to go to the Apple Island Health Medical Center to pick him up from his discharge, he went back home after bidding goodbye to Tina, without even eating his lunch.
In the next few days to come, the entire US was immersed in the joyful atmosphere of Christmas. Naturally, it was impossible for Zhang Lisheng to make a joy-killing request of going to China at this time so he could only stay in New York to pass the day.
He did not have high enthusiasm in Western holidays such as Christmas. Other than meeting with Tina, going around his factory, he began to put his idea of learning Chinese martial arts into action.
The dojo he went to was the one mentioned by Maddie, of which it belonged to Dr. Song who had straightened his bones before, who would teach kung fu every Saturday and Sunday for the sake of his unemployed son.
Zhang Lisheng remembered this short yet fat American Chinese old man with glasses and thinning hair very well. Not only that, he admired his intensive and effective orthopedic techniques from the heart too. In China, medical skills, health care, and martial arts had been inseparable since ancient times. The Chinese medicine practitioners who often had a profound knowledge of human venation, vital energy and blood were martial artists as well. For this reason, he made his choice in such a manner.
When Maddie, who had just finished her final exam in New York University, once again took Zhang Lisheng to the Spicy Chicken Restaurant in Chinatown, it just so happened to be a Saturday afternoon.
When they pushed open the door into the quaint Chinese style restaurant, the people they saw was not the short and fat Dr. Song, but scarce diners and a tall and thin elegant middle-aged woman wearing a cheongsam instead.
When the woman saw Maddie, she froze for a moment before greeting her with a smile, “Maddie, you’re here! Just order whatever you want to eat. It’s on me! I heard you’re working in a big company now, and not only that, you’re even the secretary of the big boss! Even your salary is more than 100,000 dollars every year! Tsk tsk… When will you recommend your Big Brother Dayong and get a good job for him too so that he can have a steady flow of income…”
“I’m not here for food, Auntie Connie. I’m here to bring a friend to Dr. Song to learn kung fu.”
“Oh? Learn kung fu? Just bring your friend upstairs. Your Uncle Song is teaching right now so if your friends really want to learn, I can ask him to give you a discount,” Connie said with the friendliness and shrewdness unique to a Chinese town woman.
“Thank you. We’ll head upstairs first,” Maddie said before pulling Zhang Lisheng straight up to the second floor through the stairs.
The restaurant’s second and first floor did not differ much in size, but there was no partition in between. It was apparent this used to be a large utility room but now, it had been cleaned up and covered with thick tatami to become the hall of the dojo.
As the two of them walked up the stairs, ten people of different ages, from teenagers who were in their teens to grown-ups who were in their thirties were standing as they listened to a short and fat old man yelling loudly, “What I’m going to teach you next is the orthodox Shape-Will Fist. You’ll learn the real thing and I will not let all of you spend your money in vain. I’ve said it before, I’m the first batch of junior college students of the Southwest Medical University in the Science of Chinese Massage. I studied under Mr. Song Jinfa and he studied under Mr. Huang Bonian., who is the seventh generation of the orthodox Shape-Will Fist family. I’ve said before, this Shape-Will Fist is created by Master Ji Jike in the early Qing Dynasty with the mind of Shaolin by combining the Six Harmonies spear style and Yue Wumu’s martial art system before transforming them from a spear technique to fist technique…”
“Sir, what are you talking about?” Some children among the students asked out loud in English, causing laughter to burst out.
If it was a US professional dojo, no students would have dared to act so rampantly. However, in such a village-style dojo that was opened on top of a restaurant, it was natural that the students would be much more courageous.
Dr. Song’s face turned red right away. However, as he thought of his grandson who needed money all the time, he forced himself to endure it. “I’ve also said before that the Shape-Will Fist has five elements of Chop, Drill, Crush, Explode and Cross; ten animal shapes of the dragon, tiger… goshawk and swallow; four fists with eight combinations of head punches… Hand movements are the basic fighting styles and in order to have a good base, the most important thing is your standing posture…”
“But this ‘Santi Shi’ standing posture of whatsoever is too tiring! We can’t do it at all.”
“Inclined head, lowered neck, incorrect posture… unbalanced center of gravity, slow footwork, these are the ten top mistakes in practicing Chinese boxing,” After Dr. Song said multiple words of pity, he could not help but roar, “If you continue to stand like that in your relaxed standing posture, you’d still remain a melon head even if you stand till the destruction of the earth!”
Upon hearing this, an older student who understood that the word ‘melon head’ was a derogating term, immediately flew into a rage out of humiliation. “Mr. Song! It’s not right for you to say that! No wonder you can’t get any long-term student every time you teach martial arts! What a rude and backward education manner…”
“It’s indeed true I can’t get any long-term student but tell me, which student who listened to me properly could not fight, or even soar, at all after practicing for two to three months? It’s their losses for not having the perseverance to continue practicing, and if I was really useless, none of you would have come to pay to attend my class anyway…”
When Zhang Lisheng, who was standing behind the old man, heard him becoming so enraged he even used the word “or even soar”, he could not help but burst into laughter.
“Who is laughing? Who is laughing? Who is laughing?” Upon hearing the laughter from behind, Dr. Song, who was struggling with humiliation, turned around and roared.
“It’s me, Uncle! Do you still remember me? Your fellow townsman who has come to see you before to straighten my bone last year at this time,” Zhang Lisheng answered in Mandarin.
“Oh, it’s you, little boy.” Dr. Song could also remember this fellow townsman Maddie had brought him to see himself in the middle of the night. Colors began to fill his face once again. “What are you doing here?”
“I want to learn kung fu.”
“Oh? You don’t look like have muscle at all, boy. You should indeed practice some martial arts, but let me tell you bluntly, practicing martial arts is very hard…”
“Don’t worry, Uncle. I can endure hardness.”
“What class do you want to join? Long term or…”
“I don’t want to join any class. I want to have one-on-one teaching and I hope you can teach me some true kung fu wholeheartedly. Right now, I only have four to five days available and I’ll pay you 10,000 dollars a day.”
