Master of Chinese Martial Arts: I Can Steal the Skills of a Grandmaster from the Republic of China E

Chapter 5 1. Primordial Qi, 3. Daily Transformation of Qi at the Sect

But as the group was talking, Zhou Xing suddenly felt a jolt.

The fleeting warmth in his dantian suddenly condensed, collapsed, and then exploded!

The heat surged like a flood bursting its banks, rushing past the coccyx, surging wildly up the spine, through the spine, through the occipital bone, and straight to the Baihui point on the top of the head!

"laugh--"

He involuntarily forced out a breathy sound from his throat.

It looks like water has boiled.

Zhou Xing opened his mouth, and a condensed white arrow of energy shot out, stretching three feet long in the cool morning air, lingering for a long time.

"puff!"

Gong Ruomei, who was drinking tea, spat it out, splashing it onto her chest, which was covered by a moon-white cheongsam, and spreading a dark stain.

She was completely unaware, staring intently at the wisp of white vapor gradually dissipating from Zhou Xing's mouth and nose.

The courtyard was deathly silent.

Ah Liang opened his mouth, the words he wanted to say stuck in his throat, his eyes wide open.

Ip Man's fingers curled slightly behind his back.

Zhou Xing slowly stopped his movement and opened his eyes.

His eyes were so clear they looked as if they had just been washed with water, almost frighteningly so.

He raised his right hand, his fingers loosely clenched, then relaxed. His pores felt slightly warm, and he could hear the rushing sound of blood and qi flowing beneath his skin.

The chill at the Jianjing point was still there, but it had been temporarily relieved by a new, scalding hot current.

"Master Ye,"

Zhou Xing spoke, his voice much steadyer than before, "This... is this the feeling of Qi?"

Ip Man remained silent for several breaths before slowly nodding.

"Yes."

He paused, then added two words, "It's done."

Ah Liang suddenly came to his senses, his face flushed red, he wanted to say something, his lips trembled a few times, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Gong Ruomei put down her teacup, took out a handkerchief, and slowly wiped her mouth.

Her movements remained elegant, but there was a slight, almost imperceptible tremor in her fingertips.

"Master Ye,"

She raised her eyes, her gaze lingering on Zhou Xing's face for a moment before turning to Ip Man. "What did you just say 'three'? You didn't mean 'three breaths,' did you?"

"cough."

Ip Man cleared his throat. "I mean, if you don't practice for three days, everyone will know. Ah Leung, you can't slack off on your boxing practice, go practice!"

Ah Liang was taken aback when he heard this. He wanted to say that he had already finished his morning practice, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. He silently walked to a corner and started to stand in a horse stance.

"One breath of primordial Qi, three days to transform the energy at the gate."

Ip Man sighed, "Seven days to develop Ming Jin, it seems, is not impossible."

Upon hearing this, Gong Ruomei exclaimed in surprise, "Seven days to achieve Ming Jin? I've never heard of such a thing."

"The Ghost Immortal Rope." Ip Man pointed to Zhou Xing's wrist.

Gong Ruomei seemed lost in thought.

Hearing this conversation, Zhou Xing realized that even Ip Man wasn't confident. Despite the lack of reward, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to teaching, truly befitting a grandmaster.

Gong Ruomei took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.

She stood up and walked up to Zhou Xing. When they got close, Zhou Xing could smell a very faint scent of cold plum blossoms on her.

"Officer Zhou,"

She lowered her voice, "If I may ask, have you truly never practiced internal martial arts before?"

"no."

Zhou Xing answered decisively, "I've never even practiced horse stance."

Gong Ruomei stared at him for a long time.

"Good. Very good."

She said, "Although you have developed internal energy today, your body has exhausted its previous reserves. I will come again tomorrow and bring you some gifts to help you recover."

She paused, then continued, "This item is also helpful in combating evil magic from the martial arts world."

Zhou Xing's heart stirred. This gift must be incredibly valuable; it could repair one's foundation and even counteract evil magic.

The two had only just met, and for Gong Er to give such an expensive gift, she must have something else in mind. But since she was acquainted with Ip Man, she probably wouldn't try to take advantage of him.

He took a step back and bowed to Gong Ruomei:

"In that case, thank you for your kindness, Miss Gong. I will do my best to assist you in the future, without hesitation."

Gong Ruomei suddenly smiled. It was a very faint smile, like a plum blossom blooming in the snow.

"But you have to live to see that day."

She turned to Ip Man and curtsied: "Master Ip, the invitation has been delivered, so I won't bother you any longer. I look forward to your presence at the meeting in two weeks."

He then looked at Zhou Xing and nodded slightly: "Officer Zhou, take care."

After saying that, she picked up the empty food container, turned around, and left the hospital.

Only two people remained at the stone table.

Ip Man shook his head and looked at Zhou Xing:

"Once you have a sense of Qi, you have entered the door. Internal martial arts place the most importance on the foundation. Today, you will only practice standing meditation. Tomorrow, I will teach you the fist techniques."

Zhou Xing nodded, his mind once again sinking into his dantian.

Slow down your breathing, inhale and exhale, long, fine and even.

The courtyard quieted down, with only the rustling of the morning breeze through the old locust tree.

Zhou Xing spent the day practicing standing meditation, and had his lunch delivered directly from the inn. While refining his essence into qi, his appetite was greatly stimulated, and he ate the equivalent of two days' worth of meals.

Time flies, and by the time Ip Man said "That's enough," the sun was already setting in the west.

"Master Ye,"

Zhou Xing glanced at the sky and asked Ye Wen, "I would like to ask for six days off to focus on practicing my boxing."

Ip Man looked at him: "What about your job at the police station?"

"The case needs to be investigated, but lives are more important."

Zhou Xing smirked. "Besides, the case I'm investigating and the people who want my life are probably the same group."

Ip Man remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

"There are empty rooms behind Yuelai Inn; they're cheap and quiet."

He said, "If you want to come, I will wait for you in this courtyard every day at dawn."

"Thank you, Master Ye."

Zhou Xing stood up and solemnly clasped his hands in greeting.

……

Even as evening approached, Tianjin remained bustling. Shouts, calls for passengers, and the clanging of trams filled the air.

After leaving Yuelai Inn, Zhou Xing didn't go back to his residence, but went straight to the police station.

The warm energy in his dantian had grown considerably, like a small stove inside him.

The chill at the Jianjing acupoint was temporarily suppressed, but it would occasionally sting, reminding him that his days were numbered.

At the entrance of the French Concession police station, Sun Youfu was squatting on the steps smoking. When he saw Zhou Xing, he hurriedly stood up, his expression somewhat strange.

"Old Zhou..."

"How's the case going?"

Sun Youfu leaned closer and whispered, "It's settled. It was settled this morning."

"How so?"

"The Tianjin Chinese and Foreign Charity Association arrested three managers, interrogated them all night, and the case was closed this morning."

Sun Youfu stammered, "He said something like... he misused people and misused evil magic, and in the end, he sacrificed several people. He then donated 50,000 silver dollars to do good deeds to settle the matter."

Zhou Xing laughed: "So many people died, and you're just going to feed a few cannon fodder and settle things with 50,000 silver dollars?"

"A murder case..."

Sun Youfu's voice lowered even further, "They've all pinned the blame on that dead middle-aged man. They say it was his personal act and has nothing to do with the charity."

It also helped to resolve several long-standing unsolved cases:

In 1924, Wang Youcai, the owner of a cotton mill, died suddenly from heart palpitations.

Fifteen years later, antique dealer Li "accidentally fell into the sea";

Last month, Zhao Tietou, the head of the dock gang, suffered a stroke, and the blame was all placed on him.

Zhou Xing listened, and his mind became clear.

This is a case of sacrificing a pawn to save the king. Pushing out a dead man, providing some supplies, and settling all the subsequent troubles.

If the police station performs a great service and solves a few more long-standing cold cases, they will receive silver dollars and will not pursue the matter further.

It's a win-win situation, killing many birds with one stone.

The people behind that charity have immense influence and connections.

"Where is Detective Ruan?"

"He's so proud of himself."

Sun Youfu scoffed, "The foreigners praised him for his swift case-solving and his merit in clearing up backlogged cases. I heard... I heard he might be promoted to deputy chief detective."

Zhou Xing nodded:

"And what about me?"

Sun Youfu's face flushed red, and he stammered for a long time:

"Old Zhou, I'm sorry. The higher-ups said that you acted on your own initiative. Although you have made some contributions, the mistakes do not outweigh the contributions."

This time, the reward money... isn't for you. I... I got fifty dollars, and I even got promoted half a rank...

He was about to take out money from his pocket when Zhou Xing stopped him.

"You deserve it."

Zhou Xing patted him on the shoulder, "If you really feel bad about it, do me a favor."

"you say!"

"Keep an eye on Nguyen Van Trung."

Zhou Xing lowered his voice, "Especially in the next few days, where he went and who he met. Every day at seven o'clock, under the third locust tree in the back alley of Yuelai Inn, he would tell me."

Sun Youfu nodded emphatically:

"Leave it to me!"

Zhou Xing turned and went into the police station.

I walked through the noisy lobby and went up to the second floor.

Detective Nguyen Van Trung's office was at the end of the corridor, the door ajar.

Zhou Xing didn't knock; he just pushed the door open.