NOVPUB
Chapter 215: Chapter 180: Forced to Become Stronger_2
[You have comprehended a new method of practicing the Breathing Technique, Qigong Experience +20]
[Qigong Level 1 (154/250)]
As the sweat evaporated from his body, Fang Cheng finished his practice and stood up, stretching his limbs.
He glanced at the clock.
1:36.
This session of fully-devoted Qigong practice lasted for over an hour and a half, setting a new record.
Self-assessment wise, other than feeling a bit uncoordinated and heavy, all the other strange sensations had nearly disappeared.
A thought occurred to Fang Cheng, and he immediately checked his Dantian.
He noticed that the True Qi stored within hadn’t significantly decreased.
It seemed that the body’s rapid return to normalcy was mainly due to the Skills themselves being at work.
The Breathing Technique can actually be divided into the firm and the gentle, the yin and the yang, each flowing like water and wind, with their own marvelous effects.
For chronic ailments caused by internal factors, using this gentler method to regulate the body functions turned out to be more effective.
He reflected quietly for a moment.
Fang Cheng then walked back to the bedroom in the buff, preparing to put on clothes.
However.
Given his now bulked up, more imposing physique, his usual size of clothes clearly wouldn’t fit.
Fang Cheng picked and chose, trying on clothes repeatedly, only to find that not a single piece was wearable.
Even a pair of jeans had its seams burst apart when he forcefully tried to pull them on.
Fortunately, the fabric of his underwear had more elasticity, so it was still somewhat wearable.
Feeling the tight innerwear accentuating his muscles, Fang Cheng’s face showed a helpless expression.
In the morning, Ma Donghe had called to talk about selling antiques.
He said he found a wealthy buyer and had arranged a meeting to authenticate the goods.
But obviously, in his current state, Fang Cheng couldn’t leave the house to handle business.
It would have to wait for another day.
Fang Cheng thus called Ma Donghe back, making up an excuse to cancel the meeting.
Then he spent his time aimlessly sitting in the living room, watching TV series to pass the time.
Staying at home like this wasn’t a solution.
But with his mother busy working at the hospital, he couldn’t possibly bother her with his problems.
After some thought, an image of a certain lady suddenly surfaced in Fang Cheng’s mind.
He then picked up his phone, trying to dial a number.
Doo... Doo... Doo...
After several intermittent rings, the call finally got through.
A soft female voice laced with surprise came through the receiver.
"Hello, Brother Cheng, is there something you need?"
Hearing this familiar voice, Fang Cheng’s slightly anxious mood instantly stabilized, and he immediately said:
"Xiu Mei, here’s the thing..."
.........
The winter dusk with the setting sun being pushed behind the heavy clouds by the cold wind.
As the chill deepened along with the nightfall, the streets became even more bustling and lively.
The sounds of car horns and electric bike bells rang chaotically, drifting through the window from below.
Fang Cheng, wearing thermal underwear, stood in the living room, leisurely practicing a 24-form Tai Chi Boxing routine.
Wild Horse Splitting, White Crane Showing Wings, Left Cradling Sparrow Tail, Right Cradling Sparrow Tail...
Lifting hands and sweeping palms, raising knees and stepping forward—every move flowed seamlessly, like clouds traversing the sky.
Although his frame was on the larger side, his demeanor was still effortlessly graceful.
Thump, thump.
Just then, a faint knock at the door suddenly sounded.
Hearing the noise, Fang Cheng’s eyes flickered, and he checked his panel information.
[Tai Chi Boxing Experience +10]
He nodded in satisfaction, then ceased practicing and quickly walked toward the entrance.
Creak—
As the door opened, a rosy-cheeked cute face came into view.
Zhou Xiumei, wearing a white down jacket with a blue cloth headband and a knitted scarf wrapped around her neck, was fully bundled up, breathing out puffs of white air—clearly indicating a low temperature outside.
Seeing Fang Cheng come out in his thermal underwear, she first paused, her eyes widening as though identifying something.
Then her cheeks turned even rosier, and she hurriedly passed over two bags of clothing she was holding.
"Here are some clothes and pants I bought; I don’t know if they’ll fit or not."
"And this is a windbreaker that my father’s company gave out; he has several, and nobody wears them at home."
"If the new clothes don’t fit, you can wear this one, it’s quite loose—my father is actually around the same height as you..."
Zhou Xiumei babbled on, her voice growing softer and her gaze started to wander.
It seemed Fang Cheng’s muscular hunk appearance was a bit overwhelming for her psyche.
But Fang Cheng had no choice, he could only earnestly offer his continuous thanks.
"Xiu Mei, you’ve really helped me out a lot. I’ll treat you to a meal another day."
Zhou Xiu Mei was recently doing an internship at a pastry shop in Jiangdong District.
When Fang Cheng had contacted her over the phone previously, he didn’t explain much, just entrusted her to buy a set of clothes.
Zhou Xiu Mei didn’t ask any further questions; after getting off work early, she ran to the mall to purchase the clothes and then hurried home.
At this moment, her long eyelashes drooped down.
Seeing Fang Cheng take the clothing bag, she seemed to hesitate for a moment, then said:
"Brother Cheng, there’s something else I want to give you."
As she spoke, she fished a sachet-like object from her pocket and carefully handed it over.
Fang Cheng fixed his gaze on it.
The sachet was crafted from red fabric, delicate and elegant in appearance.
The front was transparent, revealing a small piece of yellow talisman paper with the words "peace" written on it in seal script.
Amidst Fang Cheng’s puzzled look, Zhou Xiu Mei explained:
"This peace charm was sought from Gufeng Temple by my grandmother; it’s very efficacious. You should always wear it and never take it off..."
Seeing Zhou Xiu Mei nagging like a mother, Fang Cheng couldn’t help feeling somewhat astonished:
"Why on earth would you give me a peace charm out of the blue?"
Zhou Xiu Mei stood in the dimly lit corridor, looking around nervously for a moment.
Then, biting her lip, she said softly:
"Brother Cheng, haven’t you heard from anyone? A ghost haunts our building now..."
Fang Cheng’s gaze sharpened as he listened to her detailed account and finally understood what had happened.
Turns out, during the time Fang Cheng went on a meditation trip to Yong’an Island, a tragedy occurred in a family living on the 8th floor.
The man, He Yao, known to be a down-to-earth worker, suddenly went mad, as if he had seen a ghost, talking to himself all day, uttering nonsense.
His wife then called a Taoist priest to exorcise evil spirits, but He Yao grabbed a kitchen knife and severely wounded both his wife and the priest.
Later, when the police arrived, he seemed to have seen something terrifying and jumped directly out of the 8th-floor window, choosing to end his life by suicide.
Moreover, the most bizarre part was that when people went down to search that night, the body disappeared.
Counting the days, tonight is the seventh day since the death, the night when the spirit returns.
Neighbors all say that He Yao encountered evil forces, was bewitched by a ghost, and taken away to be possessed.
Therefore, after his death, he would become even fiercer and lose all humanity.
After hearing this, Fang Cheng gave a wry smile:
"Even if there really are ghosts, they have nothing to do with us."
Zhou Xiu Mei was still a bit terrified and murmured:
"It doesn’t hurt to be a little cautious."
Fang Cheng nodded slightly and took the peace charm.
After all, it was a kind gesture from someone.
He then said:
"Xiu Mei, come in and sit for a while. I’ll go get some money for you."
Turning around with the clothing bag, he prepared to go to the bedroom to get his wallet.
But he heard Zhou Xiu Mei call out: "No need, I’ve got something else to do, I’ll be off now."
Immediately after, her footsteps sounded brisk, and in an instant, she was gone without a trace.
When Fang Cheng stepped back out to call after her,
Zhou Xiu Mei had already returned home and with a "clang," closed the door.
Seeing this, Fang Cheng shook his head helplessly.
Oh well, it could be considered a gift from Zhou Xiu Mei to him.
He’d return the favor with a New Year’s gift to make it up to her when the time came.
Clang.
He also closed his own door and turned on the light.
Fang Cheng then opened the clothing bag and took out the newly bought clothes.
A jacket and a pair of jeans.
He tried them on, and the size was correct.
Fang Cheng breathed a sigh of relief; finally free from the embarrassment of being inadequately dressed.
To be honest, he liked to train his body without clothes not because he had an exhibitionist streak,
but purely out of necessity to become stronger.
Dressed, he looked in the mirror to adjust his appearance, feeling like he had once again become neat and tidy.
Next, he wolfed down his tenth takeaway meal of the day.
After enjoying dinner, he did a bit of cleaning and washing up.
By this time, it was already completely dark outside.
Fang Cheng walked to the balcony and prepared to close the window.
A casual glance downward revealed a faint glow of fire and drifting smoke.
In the dark, a few middle-aged women were squatting by the roadside, arranging offerings and burning joss paper.
Their mouths were softly murmuring, apparently chanting mantras or incantations.
Fang Cheng’s gaze grew sharp as he was reminded once again of what Zhou Xiu Mei had mentioned.
