Teng Qingshan sat cross-legged in the courtyard. The night had passed, and as the first ray of dawn illuminated Yangzhou City, Teng Qingshan opened his eyes at that very moment, his heart tranquil as water, his spirit inwardly contained. He stood up, faced the rising sun, took a deep breath, his expression serene, and immediately began practicing the Twelve Forms of Xing Yi.
The Twelve Forms of Xing Yi were divided into twelve styles: Dragon, Tiger, Eagle, Monkey, Horse, Swallow, Goshawk, Chicken, Bear, Coiling Platform, Alligator, and Snake.
Each form held its own profound mystery.
When Teng Qingshan executed the Dragon Form, he moved like a flood dragon emerging from the water, weaving through towering waves. His speed was lightning-fast, relying on spiral motion for form and rolling strength for power. With every turn and thrust of his fist, a sharp whistle pierced the air, like a high-speed drill boring through the atmosphere. The Dragon Form merged almost perfectly with the 'Drilling Fist' of the Xing Yi Five Elements Fists.
When performing the Tiger Form, his body undulating with such rapid speed it appeared as a fleeting illusion. He then braced himself on his hands and feet before suddenly pouncing forward, like a fierce tiger descending a mountain, even letting out a low roar. His left fist curled and twisted near his brow, while his right fist shot out like a cannonball, creating a sharp, percussive blast in the empty air. The left and right fists alternated, the left fist hammering out again… front and back alternating, mimicking a fierce tiger descending the mountain, claws constantly tearing, intent on shredding its prey to pieces.
……
By the time one full set of forms was completed, the sun had fully cleared the horizon.
Facing the morning sun, he concluded the sequence!
The gaze Teng Qingshan fixed upon the rising sun was resolute, unshakable as a boulder. Since his wife's death, Teng Qingshan had pursued only one goal: the Martial Way. His conviction was pushed to the extreme, which in turn continuously elevated his comprehension of Xing Yi Quan. Each elevation brought him a deeper sense of the vastness and depth of Xing Yi Quan.
"It’s already been three days, and I still haven't seen Qinghe!" Teng Qingshan frowned slightly, then smiled, "But the 'Hand of Darkness' is really slow; they only discovered my trace late yesterday evening."
Teng Qingshan had initially expected that, given the one hundred kilometers distance between Yangzhou City and An'yi County, the Hand of Darkness should have found him within a day. But unexpectedly, they only tracked his whereabouts by the third day’s dusk. Still, it wasn't entirely strange; the Hand of Darkness organization had assumed... that after his movements were exposed, Teng Qingshan would immediately flee far away, so their search efforts were focused elsewhere.
Who would have thought Teng Qingshan was unafraid of death and would actually linger in Yangzhou City.
"Qinghe hasn't come home for three consecutive days. As a member of a special government department now, perhaps he's delayed by something important." Teng Qingshan, as usual, left his lodging, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for the Willow Tea House in the old city district.
Under normal circumstances, Teng Qingshan would spend the morning at the Willow Tea House and the afternoon at the Baiyun Coffee Shop not far away. From the Baiyun Coffee Shop, he could also see his younger brother Qinghe's home.
Yangzhou City, Old District, Willow Tea House.
"Sir, you've arrived. Please come in quickly." The waiter familiarized himself with Teng Qingshan and led him to the window seat on the second floor. "Sir, the usual—soy milk and xiaolongbao?" Having sat in the same spot, ordering the same food, and staying for the entire morning for three consecutive days, the staff were naturally very familiar with what Teng Qingshan would order.
Teng Qingshan nodded slightly, "Yes, thank you." He then turned to look out the window toward the direction of his brother Qinghe's home.
"Hmm, Qinghe hasn't been home these past few days. What's going on?" Teng Qingshan’s brow furrowed. This was his fourth day of observation. After several days of watching, Teng Qingshan was very familiar with many aspects of his brother’s house; with just one glance, he could easily discern if the door had been opened, if the windows had been opened, or if the curtains had been drawn.
No change!
It appeared from his observations over these days that Qinghe’s house had been uninhabited.
"In a few days, 'Sharpshooter' Sun Ze and 'Body Crusher' Dolgotrov will arrive. I hope to see my brother before this confrontation," Teng Qingshan mused silently.
"Sir, here is your soy milk and xiaolongbao."
The waiter brought a basket of xiaolongbao and a large cup of soy milk. Teng Qingshan began to eat his breakfast while quietly waiting...
……
A light breeze swept by as a Range Rover SUV drove down the streets of Yangzhou's old district. This vehicle, brimming with assertive masculinity, was driven by a delicate-looking beauty with short hair. The sight of a woman driving such a car held a unique appeal, causing many people on the street to turn their heads in admiration.
Lin Qing drove the Land Rover silently forward.
She was long accustomed to the gazes of the streets; her face held only a faint sense of melancholy.
"I thought I would continue living in this daze, but then I met him... Teng Qingshan. He arrived suddenly, like a gust of wind, filling my world with color again, but then just as quickly, he departed without a trace, like that same wind." Lin Qing's gaze was cool. Her eyes suddenly fell upon a tea house by the side of the street—the Willow Tea House.
The Willow Tea House was far less famous in Yangzhou City than the Fuchun Tea House, but it possessed an equally deep historical heritage, and its prices were much lower than the Fuchun Tea House.
Turning out of habit, Lin Qing parked the Range Rover in the open space before the tea house entrance and stepped inside the Willow Tea House.
"Miss Lin." Upon seeing Lin Qing, the waiter rushed over enthusiastically. "Welcome back, Miss Lin. It's been a while."
"I went traveling for a trip," Lin Qing replied with a faint smile, then proceeded straight up the stairs.
……
Teng Qingshan had finished his breakfast and was sipping tea while keeping an eye on his brother Qinghe’s house.
"Teng Qingshan!" A voice, slightly trembling, rang out.
Teng Qingshan started. Few people in Yangzhou City recognized him. He turned his head in confusion to see a woman with short, ear-length hair, wearing black women's trousers and a white women's shirt standing at the top of the stairs—Lin Qing! Seeing Lin Qing’s eyes, Teng Qingshan’s normally calm heart jolted violently.
Lin Qing’s gaze was a mixture of anger and anxiety, tinged with a hint of joy yet also marked by annoyance. What kind of eyes were those, containing so many emotions?
"Little Cat..."
Teng Qingshan remembered that year when he was twenty, while on assignment with his wife, 'Little Cat,' in Lebanon, the Middle East. Because Little Cat had been shot, he had stripped her clothes in an emergency to remove the bullet. At that moment, the look Little Cat gave him was just like this...
Angry and anxious, possessing both happiness and vexation...
The exact same look!
It was after that incident that Little Cat and he had taken the crucial step to become lovers.
"Teng Qingshan, didn't you say you had an urgent matter and had to return to your hometown? And that your home was in the mountains, which I didn't know about? Why are you still in Yangzhou?" Lin Qing sharply asked, dropping into the seat opposite Teng Qingshan. But she noticed Teng Qingshan wasn't speaking; he was just staring at her.
Staring into her eyes!
Making direct eye contact with a woman was considered very impolite behavior.
"What are you looking at?" Lin Qing couldn't help but ask, although deep down, a strange pleasure bloomed, thinking that this dense man had finally noticed her allure.
"Your eyes look very much like my wife's," Teng Qingshan sighed softly, withdrawing his gaze and taking a sip of tea.
Lin Qing trembled.
"Your wife?" Lin Qing, who had been full of indignation moments before, ready to demand why he had deceived her, was completely stunned upon hearing the word 'wife.' "You, didn't you just graduate from university? How can you already have a wife?"
"University?"
Teng Qingshan shook his head. "I never went to university." In fact, even those glasses were fake, just a simple disguise.
"You, you..." Lin Qing's mind was in complete disarray.
"I apologize for deceiving you all this time. Saying my home was in the mountains was a lie, and saying I just graduated from college was also a lie," Teng Qingshan said with a faint smile. "Lin Qing, I truly have important matters you shouldn't get involved in. That’s why I’ve been deceiving you. Many things are complicated to explain; the best approach is for you to act as if you've never met me."
Lin Qing had already found Teng Qingshan mysterious because of the astonishing strength and terrifying physical prowess he displayed in the Greater Khingan Range in Northeast China. Now, Lin Qing found him even more enigmatic.
"Act as if I haven't met you?" Lin Qing stared at Teng Qingshan.
Teng Qingshan nodded.
Lin Qing sensed the coldness hidden deep within Teng Qingshan, a sort of resistance to others getting close or understanding him!
"You've been deceiving me all this time; don't you plan to compensate me somehow?" Lin Qing retorted.
"Compensate?" Teng Qingshan frowned.
"Are you busy today?" Lin Qing asked immediately.
Teng Qingshan nodded slightly. "I need to spend the afternoon at the coffee shop next door."
"Very good," Lin Qing nodded with a smile. "My request isn't high. You sit here and drink tea, and I'll stay nearby. In the afternoon, you go to the coffee shop, and I'll go too, staying beside you. If you need to meet guests, I won't interfere. I just want to spend the day with you. How about that?"
Teng Qingshan was slightly puzzled—just to spend a day with him?
If the other party insisted on staying nearby, he couldn't stop her anyway.
"Alright," Teng Qingshan nodded, and Lin Qing revealed a subtle smile.