Chapter 7

Yue Qingsnow and Tie Yong have both left. Old Cangtou isn’t afraid of Gao Zhengyang. With this excuse, he certainly couldn’t let it go.

Gao Zhengyang casually put down the large bowl, slowly wiped his hands on his worn leather vest, and asked indifferently, "What did you say?"

"Don’t pretend to be stupid. You have to at least give me twenty pounds of meat!"

Old Cangtou’s cloudy old eyes stared at Gao Zhengyang, his face full of ferocity.

Before he finished speaking, he saw Gao Zhengyang’s hand on the hilt of his sword. Old Cangtou couldn’t help but panic, "Could this little brat be thinking of drawing his sword to cut me?"

Realizing the danger, Old Cangtou wanted to step back a few paces to create some distance.

At that moment, Gao Zhengyang had already drawn his sword.

The sharp blade sliced through the air, shining with a blinding light under the midday sun.

Old Cangtou’s breath tightened. Under the fierce blade, he felt as if he had been cut in two.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to dodge, but he was old and frail. His mind wanted to dodge, but his body couldn’t keep up.

After a moment of shock, Old Cangtou felt a burning sensation on his scalp. He reached up to touch it and found his messy hair had been cut off, leaving a warm, sticky sensation. The pain was unbearable.

"Ahh..." A惨叫, Old Cangtou clutched his head and ran away.

"Sorry, my hand shook a little..."

Gao Zhengyang sighed lightly, saying it insincerely.

Old Cangtou had already run far away and naturally didn’t hear Gao Zhengyang’s words.

Gao Zhengyang picked up the scabbard and sheathed the sword. He secretly rejoiced, fortunate that his opponent was an old man with slow reactions, so his sword strike didn’t miss.

This sword draw was originally a Japanese sword technique, which could use the curvature of the blade to burst with force upon drawing, making it extremely lethal.

The saber he used was a straight-backed, thin-bladed long sword without any curvature. Moreover, Gao Zhengyang’s body was weak.

When he drew the sword, he didn’t generate any force, lacked speed, and his aim was off.

He had intended to cut off the old man’s hair, but his strike was a bit low, shaving off a layer of the old man’s scalp.

If it had been any lower, the old man would have died. Fortunately, his luck was good, and the old man’s luck was good too.

By evening, Old Cangtou sneaked back.

The sun had set, and the courtyard was dim. Old Cangtou stood at the door, looking around, and finally saw Gao Zhengyang lying next to a large pot. He said with a grievous look, "Why haven’t you left yet? Do you want to take over my home too?"

"The meat isn’t finished yet, of course I won’t leave," Gao Zhengyang said, lying there without even looking at Old Cangtou.

Old Cangtou was both angry and afraid, pacing at the door. "Considering your father, I won’t hold today’s incident against you. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Gao Zhengyang said with a light laugh. "I’ll stay a few days, and once the meat is finished, I’ll leave."

Old Cangtou’s thick skin turned red from Gao Zhengyang’s laughter. The good news was that Gao Zhengyang didn’t seem to want to hold a grudge.

Old Cangtou mustered the courage to enter his yard, avoiding Gao Zhengyang and slipping into the house.

Unexpectedly, Gao Zhengyang followed him in.

"What do you want?" The old man was startled, his voice trembling.

The sword strike at noon had left a deep impression on him. Most importantly, the calm and composed look on Gao Zhengyang’s face when he wielded the sword.

Such a person wouldn’t pretend to be fierce but would kill without hesitation.

Old Cangtou thought about it all afternoon but ultimately didn’t have the courage to provoke Gao Zhengyang, swallowing his anger.

"It’s too cold outside, I’m coming in to sleep," Gao Zhengyang said matter-of-factly.

It was already autumn. Sleeping outside wouldn’t freeze him to death, but it would consume a lot of body heat. Gao Zhengyang certainly wouldn’t stay outside.

"Alright," Old Cangtou reluctantly agreed, not daring to object.

The room wasn’t large, with only one bed.

Gao Zhengyang brought in a lot of dry grass from outside, piled it up in a corner, and lay down on it.

It was warm and clean, without the stench or the grunting of black pigs nearby.

Compared to the pigsty, Gao Zhengyang was very satisfied with this place. He stretched comfortably, and his sore muscles relaxed completely.

Old Cangtou lay on his wooden bed, covered in a thick fur coat, secretly watching Gao Zhengyang.

In the darkness, Gao Zhengyang’s steady breathing soon became audible.

Old Cangtou hesitated, wondering if he should take the opportunity to retaliate. But thinking of Gao Zhengyang’s calm and composed eyes when he wielded the sword, he was afraid.

As a hunter for many years, Old Cangtou could sense the dangerous aura emanating from Gao Zhengyang.

But giving up on retaliation made Old Cangtou feel very frustrated.

After much hesitation, Old Cangtou fell into a daze and eventually fell asleep.

When Old Cangtou opened his eyes again, it was already morning. He was startled and looked over to find Gao Zhengyang gone.

Old Cangtou hurriedly got up and, as soon as he pushed open the door, saw Gao Zhengyang practicing boxing in the courtyard.

His movements were slow and graceful, fluid and elegant, like a ritual dance.

Old Cangtou became interested. He had never seen such a boxing style before. Could it be a secret technique passed down by Gao Xiang to his son?

Gao Zhengyang knew Old Cangtou was watching but didn’t mind. Tai Chi isn’t something you can learn just by watching.

Back then, he had a master teacher and practiced day and night for ten years before he could enter the realm of Tai Chi.

In this world, no one could understand the secrets of Tai Chi.

Gao Zhengyang was practicing the most classic Tai Chi form: Grasping the Sparrow’s Tail, Pushing the Window to See the Moon, Lazy Tying of the Coat, and Single Whip. His Tai Chi was a synthesis of various schools, emphasizing combat and fighting.

But the form was for cultivating strength. The most refined forms were the most effective.

Gao Zhengyang’s body was only fifteen years old. He had practiced martial arts before, but in recent years, he hadn’t had enough food or warmth, leaving his body very weak.

Now, when he practiced, his intention preceded his movements, and his strength came from his heart.

The strength of human muscles is limited, but Tai Chi focuses on tapping into the body’s internal strength.

This includes tendons, bones, internal organs, and even the more subtle mental intent.

Mental intent may sound abstract, but it’s about unifying the body and mind.

When the mental intent moves, every part of the body, from the limbs to the internal organs and muscles, responds. This is the power of mental intent.

In theory, if all the muscles in the body were activated, a person could lift ten tons.

Of course, this is just theoretical strength.

No one can use all their muscle strength. Even if they could, the bones and flesh couldn’t withstand that force.

The human body has its limits.

In his previous life, Gao Zhengyang participated in the military’s Immortal Warrior Project, where super-alloy titanium was injected into his bones, solving this problem and making him a superhuman.

The time travel destroyed his body but didn’t destroy his soul or the titanium alloy.

The titanium alloy came with him through the time travel and fused with this body.

Perhaps due to the time travel, Gao Zhengyang’s consciousness could clearly sense the titanium alloy and control it to a limited extent.

Fortunately, the titanium alloy remained in its original state, simply attached to the bones without fully integrating.

As Gao Zhengyang continuously adjusted his movements, the subtle force stimulated the titanium alloy in his body, deepening the integration.

This integration occurred at the metal particle level.

Due to the special connection, Gao Zhengyang could clearly visualize the integration of the titanium alloy and his bones in his mind.

It was like a color ultrasound, showing the silver metal particles seeping into the bones.

From this perspective, the bones were full of large holes. The titanium alloy attached to the bones and spread, coating them with a fine layer of silver light.

This layer of silver light could increase bone strength by a hundred times while not affecting the bone’s normal function.

Of course, this process consumed a lot of energy.

Gao Zhengyang deliberately slowed down the process to reduce the burden on his body.

Sudden intense exercise inevitably caused pain and soreness, but for Gao Zhengyang, whose will was stronger than steel, this pain only made him more focused.

If everything went smoothly, the initial integration would be completed in about five days. Then, the second stage of integration would begin.

If his body wasn’t strong enough by then, he would be doomed.

After finishing a set of boxing, Gao Zhengyang adjusted his breathing, opened his pores, and the sweat trapped in his body gushed out.

In the cold autumn morning, the steam rising from his body was clearly visible in the dawn light.

Old Cangtou’s mouth was wide open. He couldn’t believe that Gao Zhengyang’s slow boxing practice could consume so much energy.

Finally, Gao Zhengyang ended his form, holding his hands in front of his chest and slowly exhaling a white mist.

The white mist shot out like an arrow, dispersing only after reaching three feet.

"Is it really a secret technique!"

Old Cangtou’s eyes widened in excitement. He tried to remember Gao Zhengyang’s movements, but the more he tried, the more confused he became. All the movements seemed familiar, yet he couldn’t recall them clearly.

"Do you want to learn?"

Gao Zhengyang’s words snapped Old Cangtou out of his daze. Seeing Gao Zhengyang’s nonchalant expression, he felt a bit braver.

"Yes, yes," Old Cangtou quickly responded.

"If you want to learn, I can teach you," Gao Zhengyang said calmly. "Just cook for me for a few days."

"Sure, no problem," Old Cangtou agreed happily.

Cooking was his specialty. Cooking for a few days to learn a boxing technique, possibly a secret technique, was a great deal.

Even if it wasn’t a secret technique, there was no loss.

Gao Zhengyang didn’t care. Tai Chi looks easy, but it’s hard to master. He wouldn’t teach the true methods of combat and strength cultivation.

If Old Cangtou learned seriously, he could learn a good method for maintaining his health.

The air in this world was purer and seemed to contain some mysterious energy.

After practicing a set of boxing, through his breathing and movements, Gao Zhengyang felt his muscles and bones relax, and the impurities in his body seemed to be washed away.

His body felt warm and full of energy, making him feel incredibly comfortable.

Gao Zhengyang regretted that this body had practiced martial arts before. But the memory of the qi cultivation methods was incomplete, and he didn’t dare to practice them recklessly.

Gao Zhengyang was very curious about the martial arts in this world.

In his previous life, he had reached the peak of the world. But from the inherited memories, the powerful beings here could control the elements and had unimaginable strength.

Gao Zhengyang hadn’t seen it with his own eyes and found it hard to believe such power existed.

Looking at the busy Old Cangtou, his eyes lit up. The old man had lived for so long; even if he hadn’t seen it, he must have heard about it.

The fragrant wheat cakes, large pieces of braised meat, red chili peppers, and fragrant millet porridge made for a sumptuous breakfast, which Gao Zhengyang enjoyed immensely.

"Old Cangtou, I’ve heard that high-level martial artists can fly and move through the earth. Have you seen it?"

After eating and drinking, Gao Zhengyang, holding a grass stick to clean his teeth, chatted leisurely with Old Cangtou.

"For the strong, flying and moving through the earth isn’t difficult. Some barbarian tribes can fly naturally. I once saw a beautiful woman from the Crane Tribe, flapping her white wings in the sky. It was... beautiful beyond words!"

Old Cangtou thought for a moment but couldn’t find the right words to describe it, so he used his hands to gesture, his face showing exaggerated expressions, as if he couldn’t express the woman’s beauty any other way.

"Crane Tribe, beautiful woman?"

Gao Zhengyang was taken aback, thinking, "What the hell is that?"