Astonishingly, he was an old man with gray hair and a kind face, his hands behind his back!
He looked to be about sixty or seventy years old.
The clothes on her body are very simple in style, but of excellent quality. He should be well maintained, his body is considered to be very good for an old man of his age, and his whole person has an elegant temperament.
I immediately had a judgment in my mind.
"This old man should be an ordinary person, and he should also be an intellectual with a high social status?"
Before I spoke, he spoke with a smile.
"Young man, were you practicing martial arts just now? There are not many people practicing martial arts these days. Especially young people."
Seeing that he was a kind and gentle old man with a good attitude, I smiled and said.
"You are right, old man. After all, practicing martial arts is hard work. Moreover, in modern civilized society, in peaceful times, and with a prosperous economy, martial arts is no longer of great use, so naturally there will be fewer people practicing it."
He nodded.
"Young people have quite a lot of ideas. I often watch martial arts performances, but what you do seems different from what you do on TV and at parties?"
oh?
Seeing what he said, I also found it interesting and asked.
"What's the difference?"
The old man frowned and thought for a while, then tried to say...
"When I was young, my family was poor and I grew up in the countryside. The description may be a bit vulgar, but it seems that these are the only suitable descriptions. Look at you young man, you just practiced martial arts and boxing. At one moment, you seemed to be fishing, and at the next moment, you seemed to be grinding. It’s like catching shrimps. It reminds me of the fun I had when I was a kid.”
"But there is a rhythm and comfortable feeling in your movements that I can't describe. It's very smooth. It's like there is wind surrounding you. It's really interesting."
As soon as the old man said this, I was slightly startled and extremely surprised.
It's not vulgar as he described it, but it's too accurate!
These words are even exactly the same as those explained by Shang Yunxiang, a great master of martial arts in the late Qing Dynasty.
Shang Yunxiang said that boxing theory and classics are just for the sake of looking good, and they should not engage in those vain things. But in fact, the real essence comes from daily life.
He once said a joke: Tai Chi is like catching fish, Bagua is like grinding mills, Xingyi is like catching shrimps!
Tai Chi is like fishing, you need to move slowly like your hand is reaching into the water. Just as you need to use your hands to "listen" to the energy like fishing, when practicing boxing, you also need to have the energy to fish in the water. With such a little intention, you can practice Kung Fu.
Bagua is like grinding. In addition to pushing forward, there is also a grinding force that presses downward. As soon as Baguazhang takes a step, it must have two energies, one forward and one forward, which can be transformed at any time. If you understand the principles of these two forces, you can understand why the tricks of Baguazhang are ever-changing.
The training method of Xingyiquan is like catching shrimps. When you take action, you should be very light and fast. When you stop, you should catch it with "something" in your hand. Therefore, these four words "lightly release and retract" are one of the mantras of Xingyiquan training.
These things are the essence that can only be understood by those who are truly proficient in internal martial arts and have extremely high martial arts skills - I only understood it through the personal guidance of a fairy-like master.
But the old man in front of him has sparse bones and muscles, and cannot be surrounded by the energy of magic... Unless he is some kind of master who pretends to be a pig and eats the tiger, otherwise he is obviously a real ordinary person!
I was surprised that I could see the essence of the three major internal martial arts training methods at a glance.
I sighed.
"The old man is amazing! You can see through the essence at a glance. You are right. The essence of the boxing and kicking skills I just practiced is what you said about fishing, grinding, and catching shrimps. However, I see that you are not a martial artist, how can you be discerning? So powerful?"
Hahaha!
He stroked his beard and laughed happily.
"It seems that my eyes, old man, are still good enough. Cao Xueqin said that understanding everything in the world is knowledge, and practicing human relations is an article. I know a friend who is very good at martial arts. He also said that in martial arts and boxing, there is a way to treat others. The truth. Then conversely, people with rich experience can also see the truth of some martial arts. Isn't this strange? "
I gave him a thumbs up.
"High, indeed high!"
My master actually said these words, but they are a little different.
What my master said is: practicing cultivation also requires cultivating the mind. Magical powers and human sophistication actually have something in common.
It can be seen that this old man’s friend must also be a powerful person!
he continued.
"By the way, young man, do you live nearby? Are you getting up so early to exercise?"
The management of Yucheng No. 1 Middle School is relatively relaxed. Like many universities, outsiders can actually come in to exercise - mainly relying on the vision of a large number of powerful guards and security guards to identify whether they are bad guys in society.
I didn't think much and blurted it out subconsciously.
"I am a resident student in No. 1 Middle School."
The old man suddenly frowned slightly.
"But if I remember correctly. At this time, the dormitory is not open yet, right? Or maybe you just... stayed up last night? Which grade and class are you in?"
Holy shit!
As soon as I heard this, I immediately felt bad.
Next to Yucheng No. 1 Middle School, there is a family courtyard assigned to some school teachers and leaders. There is a small gate connected to the school. Could it be a school teacher who gets up early for morning exercises?
I, who had been talking eloquently just now, suddenly felt a little panicked.
Seeing my embarrassed look, the old man laughed again.
"Don't be nervous. It's true that I used to be a teacher in No. 1 Middle School. However, I have been retired for many years. I am no longer qualified to manage students. And I don't think you behave like a bad student. You don't come home at night. Sleeping, I guess you have your own difficulties, right?"
I nodded vigorously.
"Yes, sir, you are right."
Then he said cautiously.
"Well...you won't report it to the current school leaders, will you?"
What a pity!
I'm a great practitioner with a decent amount of magic power, and I'm not even afraid of zombies, demons and the like! But being afraid of the accused teacher is also weird.
The old man smiled again.
"I don't have that free time! But since you are still a dormitory student in No. 1 Middle School on weekends, don't stay up all night from now on."
"I know, old man, I won't do it anymore."
Of course, I can only accept this kind of thing verbally - I'm not really an ordinary high school student, there are some things I can't help.
At this time, I saw a middle-aged man running hurriedly from a distance.
His steps were steady, and judging from the detailed movements of his limbs, it was obvious that he had some basic skills.
But it should be mainly about grappling and fighting, supplemented by some superficial Tai Chi skills.
Soon, he ran to the old man.
"Old Director, why did you come out alone? Let me find you easily."
The old man waved his hand.
"Xiao Li, I'm not too old to walk. Isn't it normal for me to wander around the school alone? Don't pay too much attention. Also, I don't like the title of old director..."
"Oh, good old principal!"
The middle-aged man quickly changed his tune.
I frowned and thought in my mind.
"Old principal? Listen to this...Has this old man been the principal of Yucheng No. 1 Middle School before? And this man also calls him the old director. Judging from the old gentleman's temperament, he is most likely to be from the Education Bureau, right?"
I recalled some relevant information I had searched online.
"Okay, young man. It's time for me to go. It's fun to watch you practice and box. See you again in the future."
"Okay, old gentleman."
"Is it convenient for me to know your name? Oh, don't worry, I'm definitely not here to complain to your teacher."
As he said that, he winked at me.
I didn’t hide it, so I answered openly.
"My name is Wu Zhong. Old sir, your surname is Zhang?"
He was stunned for a moment, then laughed.
"You are very smart! It seems that you have guessed my identity? Children who can get into No. 1 Middle School really have something."
I nodded.
"I heard this person call you both the old director and the old principal... I recalled and made a guess. I once served as the principal of Yucheng No. 1 Middle School, and later transferred to the Municipal Education Bureau as the director for two terms. It should be... Mr. Zhang Qingyuan, you are the only one."
That's right!
No. 1 Middle School has been established for nearly a hundred years, and information about the previous principals can probably be found on the school’s official website.
After knowing this man's identity, recall the relevant information... He should be eighty-three years old!
But he looks to be in his early seventies. As expected, people with high social status take good care of themselves. This middle-aged man is probably the security guard assigned to him by the superiors?
This middle-aged man was standing aside and listening to Mr. Zhang and I chatting. But when I heard him say that I was "practicing martial arts and boxing," I suddenly became interested.
He stared at me and said.
"Old principal, this classmate also studies martial arts? It's very rare these days."
The elder laughed twice.
"Xiao Li, are you excited about hunting? Are your hands itchy? But let me tell you, this classmate Wu might be a little better than you."
What? !
The middle-aged man was startled, and then seemed a little dissatisfied, but he couldn't express it clearly.
"Old principal, after all, I am a security guard assigned to you by the higher ups. Before I was discharged from the army, I also won the first place in the martial arts competition in the regiment camp. If I can't even defeat a high school student, then I will probably have to write a letter of apology. "
I smiled and took the initiative to speak.
"Brother, I guess you are majoring in modern combat grappling. But I see that when you walk, your body center of gravity changes slightly, and your feet are weak and strong. You should have some Tai Chi skills. Inside. In that case, let’s help.”
oh?
This middle-aged man, whom the elders called "Xiao Li," became even more interested and stared at me with interest.
"You really know something about it?"
I just slowly stretched out my right hand.
"Then please advise."
He also slowly extended his right hand, and then we slowly approached each other...
The so-called hand-matching of Tai Chi is actually a skill competition of "listening to strength".
The so-called "listening" to Jin'er is to touch the other party with your own skin, and use the sensitivity of the skin to judge the contact location, direction, strength and other information of the other person's Jin'er!
Then, quickly and vigorously counterattack.
finally!
Our hands were put together, and I felt the touch transmitted from the vellus hairs to the skin. His arm muscles contracted suddenly.
boom!
A sound.
Xiao Li's entire arm seemed to be bounced sideways by a huge force. He staggered back several steps because of the force, and retreated more than two meters away. His body swayed from side to side a few times before he managed to stand still without falling down.
I have to say, this guy does have some skills.
Although I had already held back my hand just now, most strong men would be shot like this. The wrist may also be dislocated directly, or even fall to the ground.
He was shaken back by me, but it didn't have much impact.
When Mr. Zhang next to him saw this scene, a look of surprise flashed across his face.
As for the middle-aged man, Xiao Li, he looked at me as if I had seen a ghost and stuttered when he spoke.
"You, you... this, this... seems closed, seems hard and soft, is this the shocking power of the legendary Tai Chi? How is it possible! Wasn't this thing lost fifty years ago? And you just He’s a high school student.”
I laughed.
"It can't be said that it has been lost. The more stable the society is, the more peaceful it is, and the more prosperous it is. Things like martial arts are less useful. There are fewer people practicing it, and naturally there are not many people who understand it."
In fact, the same is true for magic.
Of course, when dealing with ordinary people, I would naturally only talk about martial arts, and certainly not magic.
"Mr. Zhang, the student dormitory should have been opened. If there's nothing else, I'll go back quickly. I probably have to explain to the dormitory manager, it's over..."
I grimaced.
Zhang Qingyuan was stunned and laughed.
"Go back quickly. Again, no matter what your abilities are, since you are a student, you must abide by the school's rules and regulations. Don't do this again! If you find out again, you really have to tell your teacher and grade leader."
"Okay! No more."
I agreed, but actually what I was thinking was that I would definitely not be discovered by you next time.
Then, he ran towards the boys' dormitory.
Just as I guessed, the dormitory manager was in trouble. I made all kinds of excuses and tried to persuade him not to report the matter to the school, but only to tell my class teacher.
That's okay, anyway, according to the head teacher... As long as my grades are good, other things can probably be tolerated.
…
Time passes day by day like a white horse passing by and the gurgling water.
The heat of summer is over, and so is autumn.
When I followed everyone else's pretense and put on a down jacket, it was almost New Year's Day.
For schools in big cities, the New Year's Day theatrical performance is a very important event!
The students were very happy because they had time to go out and find a place to rehearse the art show during the self-study class.
But what I never expected was that it would cause another particularly troublesome thing for me!
