activa-t Chapter 65 A Tiger Crouchs in the Heart, a God Hides in the Play
Chapter 65 A Tiger Crouchs in the Heart, a God Hides in the Play
By the time we left the gate of the Simin Martial Arts Club, it was already getting dark.
Winter nights come early in Beiping. The vendors selling "Xinli Mei" radishes at the alley entrances have already packed up their stalls. Only the old man selling hard-crusted buns is still banging his clapper, the "tap tap tap" sound carrying far in the empty alley.
President Liu and Old Master Hou escorted them all the way to the front gate, their eyes filled with the same reverence they would show to a living Buddha.
This time it's a sure thing. Forget about making it onto the Hidden Dragon Ranking, even making it onto the Martial Master Ranking would be a piece of cake!
Huo Ziping was bent over so much that he looked like a shrimp, and he didn't dare to breathe.
Lu Cheng didn't put on airs; he simply waved his sleeve, and his moon-white robe fluttered in the cold wind.
On his way back to Qianmen Street, Lu Cheng walked very slowly.
With each step he took, the bluestone slab beneath his feet seemed to tremble slightly. If one looked closely, one could see that his cloth shoes with their thousand-layer soles landed silently, a testament to the extreme restraint of his strength.
"call……"
Lu Cheng gently exhaled a breath of white air.
The white mist didn't dissipate; instead, it condensed into a small vortex in front of him, which took a long time to dissipate.
The image of the white tiger carrying a corpse is still etched in his mind.
Although the white leopard was subdued by his "Mind Monkey" with a single blow, and its fist intent merged into his soul, this thing was still a ferocious creature, a condensation of hundreds of years of malevolent energy.
At that moment, Lu Cheng felt a warm sensation in his chest, as if he were holding a small stove.
The two forces, one hard and one soft, were undergoing a wondrous fusion under the command of the "True Intent of the White Tiger."
It's like... water and fire in harmony.
"Hidden strength..."
Lu Cheng raised his hand and looked at his fair and slender palm.
A thought crossed my mind.
"Buzz".
The skin on my palms tightened instantly, the pores like closed city gates, locking in the heat from my body. A faint metallic sheen appeared at the edge of my palms.
If this hand were to strike someone right now, there might be no visible injuries on the outside, but the internal organs inside would be instantly turned into mush.
This is the insidious, hidden power.
It's also a ruthless method of killing.
"But this murderous aura is too strong."
Lu Cheng frowned slightly.
The divine power he had just received carried the wildness of that white leopard, making him want to slap a stray dog to death whenever he saw it by the roadside.
This doesn't work.
People can't be trained by boxing; people have to train boxing.
"We need to find a way to smooth out this ferocity and incorporate it into the play."
As Lu Cheng thought about it, he quickened his pace.
……
When they returned to the Lu residence, it was dusk.
As soon as I entered the backyard, a rich aroma of food wafted over me.
The large copper pot hadn't been removed yet; inside, a pot of simmering bone broth was bubbled and boiling, the milky white liquid meant to be a midnight snack for the martial arts students.
"Hey! Ha!"
On the training ground, several teenagers were still sparring.
Lu Feng, that wolf cub, was still injured and had thick bandages wrapped around his waist, yet he was still standing under the old locust tree whose rope he had broken, practicing his "fixed-step chopping fist".
Once, twice.
Although his movements were slow, his eyes were frighteningly bright.
Shunzi stood by, watching, holding a ruler in his hand, which was to enforce the rules on behalf of his master.
"Master is back."
The sharp-eyed Xiaodouzi was the first to spot Lu Cheng and jumped down from the plum blossom stake like a monkey.
Everyone stopped what they were doing, stood up straight, and shouted:
"Master!"
The voice was loud and clear, full of energy—the confidence that came from being fed large amounts of meat and medicine these past few days.
Looking at these young yet resolute faces, Lu Cheng felt his restless killing intent subside somewhat under the warmth of human interaction.
"Um."
Lu Cheng nodded and walked up to Lu Feng.
The kid was covered in sweat, and the bandages were soaked with blood.
"Who told you to train so ruthlessly?" Lu Cheng said sternly.
"Sir, it doesn't hurt."
Lu Feng grinned, a smile that carried both a touch of naivety and the confidence of someone who had become a "star".
"I feel so energetic today, I can't sleep if I don't go out and work out."
Lu Cheng reached out and put his hand on Lu Feng's shoulder.
【Sharp Eyes】Slight movement.
He saw that the bones inside the boy's body were growing and healing at an astonishing rate. The medicinal power of the [Marrow Cleansing Pill] and [Tiger Bone and Dragon Marrow Soup] had completely seeped into his bone marrow.
This body has finally stabilized.
"You've got too much strength but nowhere to use it, huh?"
Lu Cheng withdrew his hand, a playful smile appearing on his lips.
"Alright, then I'll give you an extra lesson tonight."
"Add extra classes?"
The children's eyes lit up.
Master's lessons are priceless treasures. Although they are tiring, they really teach you a lot!
"Today we're not teaching boxing or guns."
Lu Cheng walked to the weapon rack, but did not take any weapons.
He turned around, looked at the starry sky, and his voice became distant.
"I'll teach you... how to 'nourish your spirit,' and how to practice these moves."
"Refreshing the mind?" Shunzi scratched his head. "Master, what's that? Sleeping?"
"You could say that, but you could also say that."
Lu Cheng pointed to his eyes, his tone becoming serious.
There's a saying in the world of Peking Opera: "The essence of a person's acting lies in their face, and the essence of a person's face lies in their eyes." In martial arts, we emphasize "seeing in all directions," but on the stage, this is called "radiating divine light."
He glanced around at the group of teenagers and then spoke.
"The way you look in your eyes right now is like that of greenhorns, a deadpan gaze. It looks fierce, but it's actually vacant."
"A true star, a true master, must have eyes that are 'like torches' and 'deep pools'."
As Lu Cheng spoke, he slightly lowered his body and assumed a "Qi Ba" stance that was extremely inconspicuous yet demonstrated his exceptional skill.
"Watch closely. This is called 'revealing white,' also known as 'calming the mind.'"
At that moment, Lu Cheng did not shout or yell.
He merely raised his chin slightly, as if he were stroking a non-existent "three black tufts" of beard.
Suddenly, his eyes widened.
It wasn't the kind of loud, wide-eyed stare; rather, the eye sockets were stretched open, but the pupils instantly contracted to pinpoints, and the whites of the eyes shone brightly.
That wasn't just the eyes; it was the "presentation" that accompanied that instantaneous lifting of the head, tucking the groin, tucking the chest, straightening the back, and the entire person's energy and spirit exploding in a flash!
boom!
In the eyes of Shunzi and Lu Feng, their master suddenly disappeared.
Instead, there is a majestic statue of Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, painted in black and white with four flags on his back.
Those eyes held the fierce tiger that would devour its prey.
That sense of oppression wasn't just murderous intent, but also a kind of "atmosphere" that made the audience want to cheer and made the enemy feel terrified.
"Thump."
The most timid little bean sat down on the ground.
The large knife in Lu Feng's hand clattered to the ground, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
One second. Two seconds.
Lu Cheng lowered his eyelids, withdrew his "intentions," and dispelled that terrifying "formalism," reverting to the gentle and refined schoolteacher he once was.