Chapter 51

Everything happened too quickly. From the start of the chaos to its end, it had only been eight days, and the mayor of City J was already replaced with a new person. The people speculated that the previous mayor, Cheng, was removed by higher-ups due to corruption and bribery. They had a good impression of the new mayor, as he quickly brought order to City J.

That’s how people are—they only look at the results, not the process. Mayor Cheng had also had glorious moments when he first took office, but now no one remembered them.

Sanyan was released unharmed, the mayor was once again under his control, and he remained the absolute boss of City J’s underworld. Xie Wendong was on his way to school, enjoying the fresh air and in a good mood. Ying Zheng was in the hospital, and without his presence around, Xie Wendong felt a bit uncomfortable. To get from the Northern Hotel to No. 1 Middle School, one had to pass through a small park where many people exercised in the mornings. The one who caught Xie Wendong’s attention the most was an elderly man with white hair. Even when not passing by the park, he could see the old man practicing Tai Chi.

Today, in a good mood, Xie Wendong stepped forward and said, “Grandpa, can the Tai Chi you practice hurt people?”

The old man looked at Xie Wendong, seeing that he was a handsome young man around sixteen or seventeen, and smiled, saying, “Young man, practicing Tai Chi isn’t for fighting!”

Xie Wendong replied, “Hehe! Tai Chi looks impressive only in TV shows or movies. In reality, there’s nothing it can’t handle. Such slow movements would be useless in a fight. Most people practice it just for fitness, but there are many ways to stay fit. Why do I always see you practicing Tai Chi?”

The old man said seriously, “Young man, don’t underestimate Tai Chi. It’s not without reason that it has been passed down for hundreds of years!”

Seeing Xie Wendong’s skeptical look, the old man said, “Well then, if you don’t believe it, try hitting me with a punch!”

Hit him? If I really did, there’s a good chance you’d end up in the hospital. Seeing that the old man was at least seventy years old, Xie Wendong didn’t dare hit him and shook his head.

“Go ahead, I’m fine. Didn’t you say Tai Chi isn’t useful in fights? Let me show you. Come on, young man!” The old man smiled at Xie Wendong.

Seeing that the old man was serious and full of confidence, Xie Wendong also wanted to see if Tai Chi was really as amazing as the old man said. With a laugh, he said loudly, “Well… then I’ll really hit you!”

“Hey! Go ahead and hit me!”

“Okay!” Xie Wendong used all his strength to punch the old man in the chest. The old man shook his head, opened his palm, and easily caught Xie Wendong’s fist. “Young man, you haven’t eaten in the morning. Do you need to use that much strength?”

Xie Wendong’s face turned red as he retracted his fist and said, “Elder, I’ll be more careful this time. I really will use all my strength!” With that, he threw a punch at the old man using his eighth layer of strength. The old man remained calm, tilting his body slightly and gently pushing back Xie Wendong’s arm, causing his punch to miss. At the same time, he quickly stepped forward with his foot.

Seeing his punch miss and the old man easily push back his fist, Xie Wendong was surprised. He thought to himself that the old man was amazing and looked up at him. The old man was reaching toward his chest. Xie Wendong looked down and his face turned red. There was a complete shoe print on his chest, and he couldn’t figure out how he had been hit.

The old man laughed and said, “Young man, how about that? Now you know how powerful Tai Chi is, right?! Haha!”

The old man’s words stirred up Xie Wendong’s rebellious spirit as a youth. He thought he had been too careless and that the old man had held back. He shouted, “Elder, may I try too?”

“Sure! Go ahead!” The old man stood still, ready.

This time, Xie Wendong didn’t dare to be careless. He gathered all his strength, shouted loudly, and threw a fierce punch at the old man. The punch was extremely fast. From several previous fights, Xie Wendong had concluded that strength determined speed, and speed determined everything. The old man also showed surprise at Xie Wendong’s punch, not expecting such explosive power from a seemingly frail young man. Not daring to take chances, he turned and dodged to the side, gently pushing back Xie Wendong’s incoming punch to change its direction.

Xie Wendong couldn’t control his momentum and rushed past the old man, taking several steps forward. After finally stopping and stabilizing himself, he quickly turned around. The old man was smiling at him. Xie Wendong was sweating profusely. If this had happened in a real fight, his entire back would have been exposed to the opponent’s attacks, with unimaginable consequences. Now, Xie Wendong truly respected the old man and said respectfully, “Elder, I’m convinced now! I apologize for what I said earlier. Tai Chi is truly amazing!”

The old man nodded and said, “Young man, practicing Tai Chi is not only for physical fitness and self-defense; its main purpose is to cultivate one’s character and help one understand the principles of life. Do you understand that?”

Xie Wendong shook his head and looked at the old man intently. The old man continued, “Tai Chi, like life, emphasizes flexibility. It uses softness to overcome hardness, stillness to control movement. When facing the strong, one retreats and avoids their strength, attacking their weak points; when facing the weak, one becomes stronger and presses forward without giving them a chance to recover! Remaining calm under pressure, using minimal effort to overcome great force! If one can reach such a state in life, they can conquer the world! Haha!”

After hearing the old man’s words, Xie Wendong vaguely thought of something he had never considered before, though he couldn’t quite figure out what it was. Xie Wendong bowed to the old man and said, “Elder! I hope to practice Tai Chi with you in the future. Could you teach me?”
The old man laughed heartily and said, “Sure. I really like young people like you. Come here every day at four o’clock to practice with me. It’s getting late now; I need to go back. Since you’re still a student, go to class quickly!” With that, the old man walked away leisurely.
Watching the old man’s relaxed figure, Xie Wendong finally understood what true mastery meant. He shouted, “Elder, I’ll come to see you tomorrow. You must be here!”
The old man didn’t say anything, only his chuckling laughter could be heard. Xie Wendong shook his head, thinking to himself, What a strange old man!
From then on, regardless of whether he went to school or not, Xie Wendong would arrive at the park at four o’clock every morning on time. He never asked about the old man’s identity, as if both of them were avoiding the question.
Every morning, the old man would lead Xie Wendong in meditation from four o’clock to five o’clock, practicing breathing exercises. The old man said that at this time, when the sun had just risen, the spiritual energy between heaven and earth was at its strongest, making it the best time for cultivation. Although Xie Wendong couldn’t develop internal strength like those in martial arts novels, he believed the old man’s words. After each meditation session, he felt an indescribable sense of comfort, his mind becoming calm, and even his irritability gradually fading away. Xie Wendong loved this feeling, and he kept this habit.
From five o’clock to seven o’clock, Xie Wendong learned Tai Chi from the old man. There weren’t many moves—just a few dozen repetitions of the same techniques. But as the old man taught him Tai Chi, he also shared principles and experiences about life. To be precise, Xie Wendong learned far more useful principles from the old man than martial arts moves.
In the blink of an eye, two months passed. During this time, Xie Wendong practiced Tai Chi with the old man every morning. In the mornings, he was busy with Wen Dong; in the afternoons, with the Qing Gang; and in the evenings, with Gao Hui Mei and Gao Hui Yu. His life was busy yet fulfilling.
Xie Wendong often went to the hospital to see Gao Zhen and Ying. Gao Zhen recovered quickly and was almost fully healed. Although Ying wasn’t completely recovered, she could move freely. The only issue was her eyes—her central nervous system had been compressed by a small blood clot, causing blindness. Though it wasn’t permanent blindness as the doctors said, recovery would take a long time, and more surgery would be needed.

Gao Zhen didn’t care about these things. He spent his days by Ying’s side, talking to her or helping her go for walks. Ying gradually accepted Gao Zhen, but she wasn’t good at expressing her feelings. She could only be silently moved by the tenderness he showed her.

One day, Gao Zhen and Ying were discharged from the hospital. Xie Wendong brought the key members of the Wendong Gang and the Qingbang to pick them up. With so many people, Xie Wendong told everyone to wait outside the hospital and only took Sanyan, Jiang Sen, and Li Shuang inside. When they arrived at Gao Zhen’s ward, they saw him busy packing up his belongings, sweating profusely. He said with a smile, “Welcome back, Brother Gao! From now on, I’ll finally have it much easier!” Then he said to Sanyan and the others, “You go help Ying pack her things; I’ll be fine here.” Sanyan and the others nodded and left.

Gao Zhen smiled. “Brother, don’t say that yet. I have a plan I’ll tell you in a moment!”

“Oh!” Xie Wendong helped Gao Zhen pack, his face expressionless. He asked casually, “Brother Gao, I wonder what plan you have to tell me?”

“Hehe, Wendong, don’t rush. You’ll know in a bit!”

Xie Wendong felt something stir in his heart. Tentatively, he took the necklace around his neck and handed it to Gao Zhen. “Brother Gao, now that you’re discharged, this should be returned to you!” It was the Qingbang leader’s token that Gao Zhen had given to Xie Wendong during his hospital stay.

Gao Zhen shook his head, wearing a happy smile. Sitting on the bed, he said to Xie Wendong, “Wendong, keep this necklace! Although it’s a family heirloom, you’re not an outsider. Besides, I don’t plan to be the leader of the Qingbang anymore!”

Xie Wendong was overjoyed but looked puzzled. He asked, “Brother Gao, why would you say that? The Qingbang belongs to you. I have no intention of taking it over.”

Seeing that Xie Wendong had misunderstood his meaning, Gao Zhen hurriedly said, “Wendong, I didn’t say you need to take over the Qingbang! It’s just that during my time in the hospital, I thought a lot. I realize, as Li Shiming said, I’m not suited to be the leader. If the Qingbang is still led by me, it has no future!”

“Brother Gao, why would you say that? You did a great job before!”

“You’re wrong. Actually, before forming an alliance with you, all matters of the Qingbang were handled by Li Shiming. To be honest, Li Shiming is indeed talented, but he’s too arrogant and doesn’t even consider me. After forming an alliance with you, we accomplished many great things and achieved some success, but I really didn’t do much—your ideas were the ones that brought it all about.”

Xie Wendong could see that Gao Zhen was sincere, and he felt delighted. From now on, the Qing Bang would rightfully belong to him, meaning the entire underworld of City J would be under his control—making him the absolute underground emperor! Though he thought this way, he still had to maintain appearances. Xie Wendong tried to persuade Gao Zhen, “Brother Gao, since Li Shiming is dead now, no one will interfere with you anymore. You can make whatever decisions you want in the Qing Bang.”

“Wendong! You still don’t understand. I’m not cut out to be a gang boss, nor do I like it. I’ve long yearned for a peaceful life, but I can’t. Because the Qing Bang is my responsibility—a responsibility left by the previous generation, and even the one before that. I have no choice. Wendong, do you know? What I desire is a life as an ordinary person—no fame or fortune, no constant scheming. Just being able to live in peace is enough. It was only during my time in the hospital that I realized what fulfillment and happiness really are—just living quietly with Ying…” Gao Zhen was somewhat emotional, but his eyes shone with longing.