Chapter Four,

...

The weekend had arrived, and naturally, all the students went off to enjoy their leisure time, but Qin Fang headed to the downtown area, delivering two jade pieces to Bizarre Stone Archway for jewelry crafting before heading to Xingyi Martial Arts Hall.

Owing to the National Day holiday, Qin Fang hadn't visited for half a month. When he arrived at Xingyi Martial Arts Hall, he saw Cai Pingyuan looking as if he was about to leave.

However, the moment Master Cai Pingyuan saw Qin Fang, his still-rosy face immediately lit up with a radiant smile. He forgot all about leaving and, aside from denying Cai Qing any opportunity to show off her power, took Qin Fang straight to the backyard to practice.

First, they went through the entire set of Xingyi Fist together, and then they practiced it again. Only after this did Cai Pingyuan nod his head in great satisfaction.

"Your form is very skilled, and your Inner Breath already has a strong foundation, good! Very good!"

Cai Pingyuan was exceptionally pleased with his disciple, Qin Fang. Not only did Qin Fang learn quickly, but his comprehension was also incredibly high. In just half a month, Qin Fang's form had become very proficient. Now, what he lacked was simply combat experience.

"Come, let's exchange moves, attack me as much as you like..."

Cai Pingyuan invited Qin Fang with a warm smile, and without any hesitation, Qin Fang immediately showed his mettle, attacking Cai Pingyuan with a flurry of punches and kicks.

As a martial artist at least at Level 6 and a grandmaster-level expert, Cai Pingyuan was far stronger than Qin Fang, so even when completely on the defensive, it was very difficult for Qin Fang to gain even a slight advantage.

Cai Pingyuan had immersed himself in Xingyi Fist for decades, and neither his form nor his Inner Breath were something the young Qin Fang could contend with.

Bang bang bang~~~

Qin Fang attacked with remarkable speed and vigor, and his angles were as tricky as possible. Yet every move by Cai Pingyuan seemed leisurely and slow, yet for some reason, Qin Fang always felt as if he was sending his punches and kicks straight into Cai Pingyuan's hands, being easily repelled time and again.

After at least a hundred such exchanges, Qin Fang had expended a substantial amount of physical strength, but he had baozi for replenishment at any time, so he still looked vigorously spirited.

However, Cai Pingyuan was somewhat older, and even though he conserved as much energy as possible with each move, a hundred exchanges still left the elderly man huffing and puffing.

"No more, no more, I'm old, so old... Compared to you young folks, I can't help but feel my age!"

When they paused, Cai Pingyuan kept shaking his head and lamenting his age, somewhat overwhelmed by Qin Fang's monstrous stamina.

"Master, you're not old. If we were seriously fighting, it probably wouldn't take more than three or five moves for you to knock me down..."

Qin Fang's words were not flattery but a genuine acknowledgment of Cai Pingyuan's prowess. Qin Fang, having advanced to Level 3, could easily fight to a draw with Fang Dacheng. However, facing an expert like Cai Pingyuan, it wasn't just the vast difference in levels that mattered; the pressure Cai Pingyuan exerted with each move was enough to keep Qin Fang fully occupied.

The essential purpose of their exchange of moves was to refine Qin Fang's familiarization with the techniques. If they were really fighting, Qin Fang would indeed be laid out by Cai Pingyuan within three to five moves.

"You don't need to be so modest. Your martial arts are now quite solid. Ordinary people would find it difficult to get close to you, and your ability to dissect techniques is becoming passable. It seems your classmate's skills are quite remarkable too!"

Cai Pingyuan, shrewd as he was, could instantly discern Qin Fang's skill level. He had heard of Fang Dacheng from Qin Fang and could readily make these assessments.

Qin Fang nodded, acknowledging Cai Pingyuan's judgments.

He had thought that advancing to Level 3 would allow him to easily dominate Fang Dacheng, but only after a real attempt did he realize that Fang Dacheng's application of techniques far surpassed his own, the result of more than a decade of practice. No matter how fast Qin Fang's progress was, he couldn't catch up to him in such a short time.

Thus, their warm-up session that morning turned lively, each bout fought so closely that it only ended when one of them ran out of stamina, with no clear victor in the end.

"It seems like you have already learned almost everything I could teach you. You must practice diligently. With your intelligence, I believe it won't take long for you to surpass me, your teacher..."

Cai Pingyuan said with heartfelt gratification. He had intended to pass his mantle on to Qin Fang and never expected Qin Fang's talent to make even him envious. In just half a month, Qin Fang had achieved quite a bit with Xingyi Fist, while many of his other disciples were barely beginning.

"This is also the result of your hard work and cultivation, Master!"

Qin Fang immediately made a formal disciple's bow, speaking with the utmost respect. His reverence for his master, Cai Pingyuan, was profound.

"What you lack now is application of techniques; you can practice more with your classmate. Also, Ning Yumo is quite skilled; she is your sister, so you can practice with her too. She practices Sanshou fighting, which can give you more combat experience, which is very beneficial!"

Cai Pingyuan reminded himself once again, how could he not recognize Ning Yumo, given that he was Cai Qing's grandfather?

"Yes, Master, I understand!"

Qin Fang nodded, he had genuinely forgotten about Ning Yumo. It was only now that he remembered Ning Yumo was also Level 4, and moreover, not particularly strong within that level. Although she could still dominate Qin Fang in a fight, Qin Fang wasn't necessarily without the power to fight back. She would indeed make for a very suitable opponent.

"Since there isn't much happening today, you can accompany me to see an old friend. He is an elder professor at Ninghai Medical University, a man of considerable medical skills. Although his fame doesn't seem very prominent, he has even treated central leaders' illnesses before. If he could give you a tip or two, it would be very useful for us martial artists…" Cai Pingyuan finally remembered what he had planned for the day and, being very satisfied with Qin Fang, spoke cheerfully.

"I'll go with you, Master!"

Of course, Qin Fang wouldn't refuse; meeting such a renowned doctor was definitely a good thing. Even though Qin Fang didn't have to worry about getting sick himself… Who didn't have friends and family? It was always possible they might need medical attention at some point.

"Is this your car?"

When Cai Pingyuan saw Qin Fang's BMW, he couldn't help but frown. Being an elder, he belonged to the more traditional sort, and was not very fond of some of the things popular among young people.

"Master, do you think a poor student like me could afford a sports car worth several hundred thousand? It's a friend's car, he wasn't using it, so I borrowed it to drive!" Qin Fang explained with a smile, speaking the truth. While he had indeed been considering buying a car, considering that his business had no "shadow" yet, he wasn't willing to spend the money.

"You kid and your mouth! Don't forget how we met. How many people involved in gambling on stones are of low net worth?" Cai Pingyuan said with a laugh. He didn't really care about what kind of car Qin Fang drove, but he just felt it might not be quite appropriate to visit his old friend in such a car.

"No, Master, you got it wrong! I really don't have much money, it's just that I've been quite lucky with gambling on stones a few times, and only then did I make some money..." Qin Fang joined in the laughter, seeing that Cai Pingyuan wasn't upset.

"Your eye is indeed not bad…" Cai Pingyuan remembered that the piece of jade he had cut out was spotted by Qin Fang, who had then paid for it and cut out a very nice piece of jade from it.

And it wasn't just a one-time occurrence; he knew that Qin Fang had once gambled and won more than a million in jade, showing that Qin Fang indeed had some ability in this area.

Although he didn't want his disciple to become addicted to gambling, coming from a martial arts family with roots in the old society—where they were considered people of the green forest—he wasn't too concerned about these unconventional pursuits. Much like he sometimes gambled on stones himself, and as Qin Fang had some skill in this area, he naturally wouldn't forbid it.

The saying "the literati are poor, the warriors are rich" still holds true to this day. If Qin Fang didn't have an economic foundation, he would have to spend more time making money, which would leave him little time to focus on martial arts.

"I, an old man, will be fashionable for once and take your car…" Amidst their banter, Cai Pingyuan said this while opening the car door and taking a seat in Qin Fang's sports car.

Qin Fang also hastily got into the car, took the address from Cai Pingyuan, and immediately drove off.

…

Cai Pingyuan's old friend, surnamed Ma, had been his friend for decades.

The Ma Family of Ninghai was also quite famous as a family of doctors and had a significant reputation in the field of traditional Chinese medicine, with ancestors who had served as court physicians. Although they had experienced decades of turmoil, losing many medical classics and some skills, they still passed down a considerable amount of their medical art.

Just like the National Art Circle, the field of traditional Chinese medicine valued family heritage greatly. With the prevalence of Western medicine and the slow effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine becoming apparent, it had faced severe suppression in the medical community.

Of course, these families had still passed down many extremely profound unique skills, and although they were under great pressure, their living environment was much better than that of ordinary traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.

Elder Ma was a prominent figure in the world of traditional Chinese medicine. He didn't put too much emphasis on school lineage, so he started teaching. His students included many well-known practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine who were either his disciples or had received his guidance, thus he had a very high reputation.

Moreover, more than a decade ago, when the old leader was still alive, he had invited Elder Ma to treat his ailments, and for this, he was specially kept in the compound for a full three years. This honor was indeed very weighty and further cemented his status as a medical authority.(To be continued. If you wish to know the future developments, please visit www.qidian.com. There are more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)

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