Chapter 6

At this moment, in the hospital room, a middle-aged couple was sitting. The woman, who looked to be in her thirties or forties, still had a certain charm. She was holding a juicer and squeezing apples. Yun Zhenzhen had Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a type of limb-onset disease. Initially, her limbs gradually became weak and atrophied, and then the condition spread to her trunk and head. Since the end of last year, her facial muscles had completely atrophied. Although she could still speak indistinctly, she was no longer able to chew food.

Yun Zhenzhen loved apples the most, but now she could only drink apple juice. As Zhang Hongjuan squeezed the juice, she looked at her daughter's disfigured face, feeling a pain like a knife in her heart.

"Mom, I want to look in the mirror," Yun Zhenzhen said indistinctly.

"Don't look. Your complexion is fine, there's nothing to see," Zhang Hongjuan replied.

"Oh," Yun Zhenzhen responded obediently, a bit disappointed, but she didn't say anything more.

"Let her look. Zhenzhen is a brave child; she has the right to know what she looks like now."

A man in a police uniform, with two bars and four stars on his shoulders, spoke. He was Yun Lao's only son, Yun Zhenzhen's father, and the commander of the Tangshui City Police Force, Yun Haiyong.

"You... sigh!" Zhang Hongjuan wanted to say something but ultimately didn't. She put down the juicer and got a mirror for her daughter.

Yun Zhenzhen used to be a very beautiful girl, but now, with a large amount of facial muscle atrophy, her cheeks had completely caved in, making her face look twisted and terrifying.

"Ugh, I'm getting uglier... Mom, I'm afraid I might scare you one day!" Yun Zhenzhen said softly.

"That won't happen. You are my daughter; how could you scare me!" Zhang Hongjuan's eyes instantly moistened.

"Don't cry, Mom. I'm fine now. You were just joking earlier!" Yun Zhenzhen saw Zhang Hongjuan's expression and became anxious.

"I won't cry... sniff, sniff, why doesn't heaven open its eyes!" Zhang Hongjuan burst into tears.

"Ah!" Yun Haiyong sighed deeply and turned his head away.

"Mom and Dad, you don't need to come see me all the time. You are both very busy, and my condition is stable. There's no need to worry," Yun Zhenzhen said in a low voice.

"We are not busy at all!" Yun Haiyong shook his head quickly.

He felt very guilty. If he had paid more attention to his daughter back then, perhaps she wouldn't have gotten sick.

Zhenzhen was such a good child, obedient, well-behaved, and considerate. Why did she have to get this disease? Could even heaven be jealous of her?

Yun Zhenzhen tried to force a smile to comfort her parents, but her paralyzed facial muscles wouldn't obey, and she couldn't manage to smile.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door.

The VIP ward was a suite, and the guard, Qian Hu, was in the outer room. He was the one knocking.

"Qian Hu, what's the matter?" Yun Haiyong asked.

"Commander, someone wants to see Miss," Qian Hu replied.

"Who is it? Is it one of Zhenzhen's friends?" Yun Haiyong asked.

Since his daughter had this disease, he had forbidden all casual visitors. Only two of Yun Zhenzhen's close classmates were allowed to visit.

"It's not... He said he can treat Miss's illness," Qian Hu stammered.

Zhang Hongjuan was surprised. "We didn't invite any experts for a consultation today, and besides..."

She wanted to say that her daughter's illness had been diagnosed as incurable, but the words stuck in her throat.

"Who is it?" Yun Haiyong asked.

"He doesn't seem to be a doctor, but he said he can treat the illness."

Yun Haiyong's brow furrowed.

Qian Hu was a rare talent in the police force, not only skilled but also reliable. Yun Haiyong had kept him close to groom him. However, today, Qian Hu had clearly mishandled the situation, not even identifying the person outside before reporting.

"Send him away. This is not a place for quacks to swindle money, and Zhenzhen doesn't need to be disturbed by outsiders!"

Yun Haiyong almost lost his patience, but Qian Hu's next words shocked him.

"I can't send him away. I... can't beat him!"

"What?" Yun Haiyong's voice sharpened. "Little Hu, you are the three-time champion of our unit. Who can you not beat? How strong is he?"

"Very strong. He disarmed me with just one move..."

"You were disarmed of your gun?" Yun Haiyong was almost jumping in shock.

For a police officer, a gun is like life. If your gun is taken, it means your life is in danger!

What kind of person could disarm Qian Hu?

"I'll go see."

Yun Haiyong informed his wife and quickly walked out of the ward.

Outside the ward, Yun Haiyong was even more surprised. It was a young man, younger than Qian Hu, though he was quite muscular, he was no match for a police officer. Could this student-like young man have disarmed Qian Hu?

Yun Haiyong immediately extended his hand flat, making a gesture of invitation. This was a gesture used by martial artists for sparring and seeking guidance, which he hadn't used for many years.

Yun Haiyong, the commander of the police force, had not obtained his position through his father's connections but through genuine skill.

In his youth, he had traveled across the country and learned internal martial arts from a high monk. With these skills and rigorous training, his combat techniques were unmatched, and he had even won a national championship.

In terms of free-fighting skills, he was the best in the entire police force. However, as the commander, he couldn't easily show his skills, so the championship had been taken by Qian Hu.

China has a long history of five thousand years, and there are many talented individuals. The high monk he met in his youth was one of them. Yun Haiyong believed that this young man, who could disarm Qian Hu, must be a descendant of a hidden martial arts family. For such people, he should use the proper etiquette, so he extended his hand in a gesture of challenge.

However, Li Yi did not recognize the gesture and simply asked, "What's the matter?"

Yun Haiyong's brow furrowed. I am older than you, and I am humbly seeking your guidance. You don't even return the gesture, and you act so arrogantly!

Yun Haiyong decided to teach this young man a lesson, to humble him and show him that there are always greater talents in the world.

"I heard you disarmed Qian Hu. I want to learn from you!" Yun Haiyong said, trying to keep his patience.

"Oh, no need. You are not my match," Li Yi waved his hand, his tone casual.

Yun Haiyong's anger intensified. You are just a young boy. Even if you started training from birth, how strong could you be? I am the commander of the police force, a colonel, and I am giving you the respect of seeking your guidance, yet you not only lack humility but also claim I am not your match?

Didn't your parents teach you how to behave?

"Ha ha, young brother, I am the type who gets itchy hands when I meet a skilled opponent. I apologize in advance!"

As he spoke, Yun Haiyong gathered his energy and pushed forward with both palms.

This palm technique was called the Mountain-Parting Palm. It was said that when mastered, it could move mountains and seas. Yun Haiyong, of course, couldn't move mountains and seas, but once, during a mission in southern Sichuan, a massive rock blocked the road during a flood. The situation was critical, and Yun Haiyong used this palm to shatter the rock, saving everyone. The story was still widely told.

Of course, the Mountain-Parting Palm had a drawback: it required gathering energy before use, which took a few minutes. Yun Haiyong was betting on Li Yi's pride, thinking he wouldn't make the first move.

Li Yi did not move. Seeing Yun Haiyong gather his energy, he smiled and shook his head, as he detected the fluctuation of spiritual energy.

Spiritual energy is a form of energy between nuclear and annihilation energy. It is very peculiar, as it can be manipulated by mental power and can combine well with carbohydrates. In some planes rich in spiritual energy, many people specialize in absorbing it to become powerful, a practice known as "cultivation."

Spiritual energy can indeed make the body stronger, but it is only a mid-level energy. Accumulating too much of it in the body can distort the plane's rules and harm the energy carrier.

However, the ignorant carriers did not know this. They believed the distortion of the rules was a manifestation of their own power and called the extreme state of distortion "Great Perfection." They also called the visible distortion of the rules "Heavenly Tribulation," and some even claimed that passing the Heavenly Tribulation would make one a god and transcend the plane, unaware that they would be torn apart by the plane's rules.

There seemed to be traces of a large amount of spiritual energy on Earth, but it was now scarce. The abilities of these spiritual energy absorbers were limited and posed no threat to Li Yi.

Seeing Li Yi's expression, Yun Haiyong's anger intensified. He originally thought the Mountain-Parting Palm was too powerful to use at full strength, but now he couldn't resist using it at full force.

In an instant, the air in the corridor was drawn by the spiritual energy, swirling around Yun Haiyong's hands, forming a hurricane. Yun Haiyong's clothes billowed in the wind, making him look like a celestial being.

Qian Hu, witnessing this incredible scene, stared with wide eyes.

He had long heard that the commander possessed extraordinary skills, capable of breaking rocks and mountains. Now it was clear that the stories were true!

This time, a true master had met another master!