Jin Kai and Zhang Yongsheng got off the car at the entrance of the temple. He asked the driver to wait at the door, and then walked into the temple with Zhang Yongsheng. This temple is called Jinling Temple and it is said to be hundreds of years old. Although it had been repaired in the past few years, it still looked dilapidated.
Zhang Yongsheng has been here countless times. Almost every New Year, he comes here with his parents to burn incense and pray for blessings. Zhang Yongsheng's parents drove large trucks and took safety very seriously. Every time I come here, I will ask for some talismans to go back and stick them on the car to wish for a safe journey in the coming year.
Jin Kai took Zhang Yongsheng around the temple for a while and came to a side room next to the lotus pond in the backyard. The side room is not big, only about 20 square meters, and the furnishings inside are very simple. A table, two chairs, a single bed, and a small wooden wardrobe, that's all.
The room was unlocked and the two of them entered directly. An old man with gray hair was painting at the table. The window in front of the table is wide open, facing the lotus pond. It was dusk at this time, and the setting sun on the horizon shone on the lotus pond, reflecting a unique and gorgeous scene.
The old man is wearing a gray cloth gown, which looks very ancient. In this modern society, there are very few people who dress like this. The last time Zhang Yongsheng saw someone dressed like this, it was Ma Jinbao, president of the Renhe Chamber of Commerce. This old man is about the same age as Ma Jinbao, about seventy years old.
Jin Kai walked to the old man's side, cupped his hands and said, "Senior, Zhang Yongsheng is here. If you have anything to say, just ask him directly."
The old man put down the pen in his hand, turned around, and said with a smile: "Akai, you came very early. I thought you would have to wait at least half an hour, but I didn't expect it to be earlier."
Jin Kai smiled and explained: "I have a car, so it's convenient to come and go. Today is Saturday, and school ends early in the afternoon, so I came over earlier and called Zhang Yongsheng along."
Zhang Yongsheng looked at the old man, secretly thinking about the reason why he invited him here. The old man was short in stature, with a straight head, an angular face, and a pair of thick eyebrows and big, sharp eyes. He stood so casually, but it gave people the feeling of a sharp sword being drawn out of its sheath, showing power without being angry.
The old man was also observing Zhang Yongsheng. There was silence in the room for a moment. The old man cupped his hands and said: "I heard from the bad disciples that my little friend is good at using softness to overcome strength. He also defeated the King of Strength in Jiangyuan. His martial arts is very powerful. I didn't believe it before, but today I can't believe it." Meeting the real person is really different.”
Zhang Yongsheng returned the gift with his hand and said with a smile: "The old man is ridiculous. I know a little about farming. At best, I am just trying to protect myself. I dare not claim to be a real person."
The old man nodded and introduced himself: "I, Chen Daqiu, know a little bit about Buddhism. I would like to compete with my little friend today. Is that okay?"
Zhang Yongsheng was stunned for a moment, frowned and said: "Is it right here? This room is too small. It's not very pleasant to fight with hands and feet tied up. Can you move to another place?"
Chen Daqiu nodded and said with a smile: "There is a flat land in the back mountain, which is used for religious rituals in the temple. It is rarely visited on weekdays. After dinner, we can go there to discuss things without being disturbed."
Zhang Yongsheng nodded and said: "Since the old man has invited me, I would rather just accept my invitation."
Chen Daqiu was very happy and told Jin Kai: "Akai, go tell Yuan Zhen and ask him to prepare a table of good vegetarian dishes. I want to treat Zhang Xiaoyou to dinner. You and Yuan Zhen will come to the competition tonight and let's take a look. It will also give you a greater understanding of what real martial arts is like."
Jin Kai readily agreed: "Yes, senior, I will go and inform Senior Brother Yuan Zhen right away. He has been waiting for this day for a long time, and he will definitely be dancing with joy when he hears it."
At the invitation of Chen Daqiu, Zhang Yongsheng sat in a chair at the table, and the two chatted about the rumors in the world. Zhang Yongsheng knew very little about modern Jianghu. He mostly read about modern Jianghu from the ancient books left by his grandfather. This time he had the opportunity to ask for advice from the masters of modern Jianghu.
Zhang Yongsheng's ignorance of the world surprised Chen Daqiu. In his opinion, the person who could defeat King Li was definitely not a minor player in the world. He has watched King Li's game. Although he is much inferior to him, it is definitely not something that ordinary people in the world can deal with.
Chen Daqiu's apprentice Yuan Zhen has always been high-minded and unconvinced by King Li's winning streak. If Chen Daqiu hadn't forced him to keep a low profile, Yuan Zhen would have signed up to meet King Li. Later, he took Jin Kai to Jiangyuan to watch the game, and happened to see Zhang Yongsheng defeating King Li, and he couldn't sit still.
Yuan Zhen wanted Jin Kai to help him make a date with Zhang Yongsheng, but was stopped by Chen Daqiu. After listening to their oral accounts of the fight between Zhang Yongsheng and King Li, Chen Daqiu firmly believed that Yuan Zhen was not Zhang Yongsheng's opponent, and Zhang Yongsheng did not use all his strength in this battle, which was much higher than Yuan Zhen.
Chen Daqiu narrated this past event and explained: "I have watched several matches of King of Power. Although his moves are ordinary, he is powerful and heavy, which cannot be competed by ordinary people. Although the martial arts of the apprentice is acceptable, his internal strength is far away." It's better to be behind the opponent and not be the opponent if you go head-to-head."
Zhang Yongsheng nodded and asked: "Why do you think that I didn't give my best in the competition with King Li? King Li is good at martial arts. He uses one force to defeat all wisdom. The masters of this method are in Buddhism. There are quite a lot of them, and it’s not easy to win them by leveraging your own strength.”
Chen Daqiu smiled and said: "It is not easy for others, but it is not difficult for you. I thought Yuan Zhen and Jin Kai were bragging. As soon as you came in, I felt that you were not easy."
"Oh? How do you say this?" Zhang Yongsheng asked curiously.
Chen Daqiu pointed to the door and then to the place where he was standing just now, smiling without saying a word. Zhang Yongsheng looked in the direction he pointed, his heart moved, and he suddenly realized something. These two seemingly identical floors actually have mysteries hidden underneath.
This room is an old-fashioned Zen room, and the floor of the room is also old-fashioned. This kind of floor will have larger gaps as it ages, which will not affect people's walking, but will cause some movement when people walk by. When Chen Daqiu walked from the painting position to the chair, the reaction on the floor was obvious.
Zhang Yongsheng walked from the door of the room to the table and chairs, not only silently, but the floor did not react at all. In fact, Chen Daqiu only heard Jin Kai's footsteps when Zhang Yongsheng entered the house, which surprised him very much. Being able to use Qinggong to hide the sound of footsteps so perfectly is rare in the martial arts world.
Observing Zhang Yongsheng's gait, he did not deliberately use Qing Gong postures, which shows that his Qing Gong has been completely integrated with his daily behavior. There are no more than ten such masters in the martial arts world, and Chen Daqiu knows all of them. Zhang Yongsheng had such accomplishments when he was less than twenty years old, which shocked Chen Daqiu.
Zhang Yongsheng shook his head and said with a wry smile: "Old man, you have such good eyesight that I didn't even notice it, but you saw it right away. I'm used to practicing martial arts, so I thought no one would pay attention, but I didn't expect that I still don't have enough skills. I heard that masters who have returned to their original nature can do it in one fell swoop. My movements are no different from those of ordinary people, so I need to study harder."
