Chapter 37

Regarding the farce that occurred at Liu Zhenhai's doorstep in the middle of the night, Xiao Fei no longer paid attention. The trap was set, and the prey was already in the net; the subsequent developments would take their natural course.

However, even though he did not go to check, the events at Liu Zhenhai's doorstep soon reached his ears.

That night, he still slept on the roadside with his brother.

He heard a few neighbors who had been watching the commotion at the Liu family's doorstep return, excitedly discussing the events. From their discussions, Xiao Fei learned that Old Liu had acknowledged Xiao Dacheng.

To avoid causing trouble for his son Liu Zhenhai's family, Old Liu took Xiao Dacheng to live in their old house. They moved out in the middle of the night, making quite a commotion.

Xiao Dacheng was very pleased to have Old Liu as his father.

This scoundrel went to Xiao Jianxiong's house to collect his belongings and boasted to Xiao Jianxiong, "Old baldy, I won't have to suffer with you anymore. I've found my real father, and I'm moving out to enjoy a better life. You can stay here and rot."

Xiao Jianxiong only recited a Buddhist chant and did not say much more.

At this point, Xiao Fei's goal of helping Xiao Jianxiong get rid of Xiao Dacheng had been achieved.

Xiao Fei slept very restlessly that night, waking up several times. Fortunately, he had bought a digital watch during his last trip to the county, so he could check the time and avoid being completely in the dark.

When he woke up for the third time, it was already 3:20 AM. Xiao Fei got up in one swift motion, feeling dizzy and disoriented.

He was exhausted.

Extremely exhausted, almost to the point of wanting to give up.

He shook his head, thinking that if he couldn't endure this much hardship and overcome these difficulties, how could he ever achieve great success?

Xiao Fei quietly got up and walked toward Xiao Jianxiong's house.

Xiao Jianxiong's house had no fence gate, so he went straight in and turned to the backyard. In the thick of the night, he saw a figure practicing boxing, with a nimble and fluid form, his punches and kicks creating a breeze.

It was Xiao Jianxiong.

Xiao Fei stood silently to the side, watching intently.

In his mind, he recalled the scenes of Master Dejian practicing the Xinyi Quan he had seen on TV in his previous life, and his heart began to race uncontrollably.

He never thought he would have the opportunity to observe the secrets of Shaolin martial arts so closely.

When Xiao Fei turned to the backyard, Xiao Jianxiong had already noticed him but did not stop. He continued to complete the entire set of Xinyi Quan.

"Amitabha, you're here," Xiao Jianxiong nodded at Xiao Fei.

"Uncle Xiong, good morning. I didn't expect you to be up so early," Xiao Fei greeted him hurriedly.

"Years of habit," Xiao Jianxiong said quietly, his expression somewhat gloomy. It seemed that Xiao Dacheng's departure had still affected him negatively.

Even a stray cat or dog, after being raised for so many years, would develop some affection.

Although Xiao Dacheng was no good, he was still a bit sad.

Xiao Jianxiong always felt responsible for how Xiao Dacheng turned out.

As a monk who ate vegetarian and farmed, he was truly unable to properly raise a child, allowing Xiao Dacheng to grow up like a weed.

This was the source of his guilt.

However, he did not know that human nature is a complex thing, and there is a tendency toward evil in human nature. A person's character is closely related to their genetic makeup.

"Uncle, what kind of boxing were you practicing just now? It looked really good," Xiao Fei asked, not trying to comfort him, as there was no way to do so.

As Xiao Fei had expected, Xiao Jianxiong said, "I can't tell you that. It's not suitable for you to practice yet. I'll teach you some basic skills, and you can practice them every day."

As a Shaolin secret technique, the transmission of Xinyi Quan is always very strict, with potential disciples being carefully tested and selected to avoid passing it to the wrong person.

Xiao Jianxiong's response was normal.

Next, Xiao Jianxiong taught Xiao Fei Shaolin桩功 (Zhuang Gong, a form of standing meditation), the basics of hitting a sandbag, and demonstrated a set of Luohan Quan (Arhat Fist).

Luohan Quan is a basic Shaolin boxing technique. Xiao Fei had learned it as a child. After Xiao Jianxiong demonstrated it, Xiao Fei also went down to practice, performing it quite well. When he finished, Xiao Jianxiong stroked his beard and nodded, "You have the form. Practice more at home until it becomes second nature."

Xiao Jianxiong told him that the process of practicing martial arts is always tedious. If one cannot persist, it is impossible to make any progress.

After practicing for over an hour, Xiao Fei was drenched in sweat but felt very refreshed.

By then, it was already around 5:00 AM, and the sky was beginning to brighten. The faint sounds of people could be heard on the street, and the villagers were starting to head to work.

"Amitabha, Xiao Fei, I have a question for you," Xiao Jianxiong said at this point.

When he spoke, his old face showed a hint of embarrassment.

"Uncle Xiong, what is it?" Xiao Fei had already guessed what he wanted to ask.

Xiao Jianxiong recited a Buddhist chant before saying, "Why did Dacheng suddenly recognize Old Liu as his father? He is clearly my son with Aunt Cao. What's going on?"

His face was full of confusion, as if he had been thinking hard but could not figure it out.

Xiao Fei smiled. He hadn't figured it out either.

According to village rumors, Xiao Jianxiong and the woman surnamed Cao had been very close, and they must have had a relationship. If they did, and Old Liu also had a relationship with her, it was unclear who Xiao Dacheng's real father was.

If Xiao Jianxiong and the woman surnamed Cao had a pure relationship without any physical intimacy, why would Xiao Jianxiong be confused?

Why would he say, "Dacheng is clearly my son with Aunt Cao"?

The situation was complex and delicate!

"Uncle, did you and Aunt Cao ever... you know?" Xiao Fei asked tactfully.

"Ever what?" Xiao Jianxiong seemed a bit puzzled.

Xiao Fei was more direct, "Did you ever sleep together?"

Actually, men and women don't necessarily have to be in bed to do it, especially in cases of adultery, where any place can become a battlefield.

"Amitabha, sin, sin! No! How could I do such a thing?" Xiao Jianxiong seemed to understand what Xiao Fei was saying and quickly denied it, looking very righteous.

"If you never slept together, then Xiao Dacheng definitely isn't your son!" Xiao Fei said.

"But, Cao once held my hand and placed it on her chest. Could that make her pregnant?" Xiao Jianxiong's expression was very serious.

What the heck! No way!

Xiao Fei looked at Xiao Jianxiong as if he were an alien.

This old man, who was at least 80 years old, had lived so long and didn't understand the basics of men and women?

Was he pretending?

Even if he hadn't experienced it himself, he must have seen it happen, right?

Having lived in such a remote village for so many years, hadn't he heard the coarse jokes of the village women or seen adulterous couples in the fields?

Was he that isolated?

Xiao Fei was almost defeated by this adorable old man.

From this, it seemed that the woman surnamed Cao might have had intentions to seduce Xiao Jianxiong, but Xiao Jianxiong, with his firm Buddhist heart, had firmly rejected her.

"Uncle, if that could make someone pregnant, it would be terrifying. Women walking down the street could be molested by any man and end up pregnant. The world would be in chaos," Xiao Fei explained, unable to hold back a laugh.

"Amitabha, so Dacheng really isn't my son?" Xiao Jianxiong sighed in relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

"Absolutely not your son. You've been raising someone else's child for so many years. What a waste," Xiao Fei said with a smile.

"Amitabha, I can rest easy now," Xiao Jianxiong was finally at ease.