Chapter 6

### Chapter 6: The Intersection of Past and Future

After dealing with the emotional entanglements of a sixteen-year-old, Wen Liang threw himself into physical training with great enthusiasm. In his previous life, although he had encountered a master of internal martial arts, it was only when he was around twenty-five or twenty-six, after graduating from university. By then, his bone structure and physique were already set, and despite a year of hard training with his master, he saw almost no results. Although he had exchanged the master's teachings for a few roasted chickens and a few hearty meals, the cost-effectiveness was still shockingly low. The master had once said regretfully that if he had started training at fifteen or sixteen, he would have made some progress after ten years. Now, he could only treat it as a form of entertainment... These words made Wen Liang shed tears.

Now that he had the opportunity, Wen Liang was naturally unwilling to miss it. He had no dreams of becoming a martial arts master and knew that fists couldn't solve problems, but if he could avoid being humiliated again, why not?

Wen Liang followed the teachings of his master from his previous life and created a detailed schedule. He would wake up at five every morning, run for an hour, stand in a horse stance for half an hour, then stretch and split, and practice boxing for another hour. Since internal martial arts took too long to show results, he also practiced taekwondo every afternoon. Although it looked like a show of fancy moves, it was enough to deal with ordinary people.

Wen Liang was already very proficient in these skills from his previous life, but his current physical condition was too poor, and he couldn't perform many of the movements. Therefore, he had to gradually build up his strength and familiarity. With this intensity, Wen Liang estimated that within two months of the summer vacation, he should be able to initially shed his scrawny appearance. Although he wouldn't be as muscular as Mu Shan, at least he wouldn't look so frail and weak in front of Gu Wenyuan.

This might help to bridge the gap between them, right?

Thinking about this, Wen Liang was suddenly startled. He realized that the shadow Gu Wenyuan had left on him, even after crossing two timelines and experiencing over a decade, was still deeply imprinted in his heart, unerased and unweakened.

Wen Liang lived in the No. 7 residential building of the Municipal Committee. The apartment was average in both layout and location, but its only advantage was a small sports field on the west side of the compound. It had a small running track, a basketball court, parallel bars, and a rectangular sand pit, which was officially said to have been dug at the request of a leader who enjoyed the triple jump. There were many leaders who enjoyed sports, but one who liked such an obscure sport was hard to believe, even for a sixteen-year-old Wen Liang. A more reliable rumor was that a leader had consulted a feng shui master, who said that jumping regularly would lead to a promotion of three ranks. However, the leader was soon removed from office and placed under double regulation, and the place became a playground for the children in the compound.

Wen Liang found six bamboo poles and inserted them at the six corners of the sand pit to form a circle. He then bought six bells and hung them on the poles. Standing in the center, he practiced front kicks, back kicks, side kicks, back leg kicks, and double kicks, aiming to be precise and avoid ringing the bells. This was to improve his body's agility, coordination, and control. For strength and intensity, he had the internal martial arts techniques, so he didn't need to kick boards.

On the first day, Wen Liang collapsed after running for an hour and could barely stand in a horse stance after resting for a long time. In the afternoon, he couldn't even perform the movements, and his kicks were done with one hand holding on. The coordination and control were a joke, and the bells rang continuously, making him look quite disheveled.

When he returned home that evening, Ding Mei, who usually didn't pay much attention to Wen Liang and was rather carefree, surprisingly pulled her son, patted his head, and asked about his temperature and well-being. After a while, she worriedly asked, "Is everything okay, son? Several neighbors told me that our Liang seems to have something on his mind. He's usually such a well-behaved child, but today he was kicking and jumping on the small sports field. I hope nothing's wrong..."

Wen Liang rolled his eyes, waved his hand, and collapsed on the bed, saying weakly, "Mom, add an egg to my breakfast tomorrow. My nutrition isn't keeping up, and no matter how good the movements are, they won't work..."

Ding Mei was speechless, not knowing what to say.

After a month, Wen Liang persisted through rain and shine, with extraordinary determination. His originally sallow face turned dark and healthy, and his gentle and compliant features gained a touch of steadiness and firmness. From the side, he no longer looked like a child. His black eyes were deep, reflecting the world, seeming profound and mysterious. His body had grown slightly taller, and although he didn't have bulging muscles, his broad shoulders and long legs made his figure appear tall and well-proportioned.

Wen Liang was still the same teenager from over a decade ago, but he had become more steady and calm. He was still the same man from over a decade later, but he had gained a bit of youthful exuberance and recklessness. At this moment, he seemed to have merged his past and future selves, inseparable.

One noon, under the scorching sun, Wen Liang still insisted on practicing kicks in the sand pit. The bells on the bamboo poles had been replaced with inch-thick wooden boards. The boards were only attached to one side of the poles and could not withstand force. When his skills were advanced, he could kick them into two pieces. Wen Liang couldn't yet master the timing of the instant force, often only kicking the boards high into the air without breaking them.

Just as he finished a set of movements, he suddenly heard a pleasant voice from the side, "What are you practicing? Martial arts?"

Wen Liang turned his head and saw a girl in a white dress standing not far away. Her long black hair was tied into a ponytail, and her bright eyes seemed to be covered by a layer of mist. With a slight blink, they shimmered with a clear light. Her skin was very fair, her nose straight, and her oval face, though not extremely beautiful, had a touch of grace and spirit.

It was the hottest part of the day, but the place where the girl stood seemed to bring a cool breeze with the wind.

"Oh, this isn't actually martial arts, it's dance!"

The girl in the white dress let out a light laugh, her eyes clearly showing disdain, "Really? You don't plan to use this dance to save a damsel in distress, do you?"

Huh?

Wen Liang was startled by the girl's directness. In this era, it was rare for a girl to approach someone and immediately delve into such a topic. Truly, one cannot judge a person by their appearance, and one must measure the cup size by hand...

But strangely, why did this sentence sound so familiar?

Wen Liang put his hand on his forehead and carefully looked at the girl. He seemed to have seen her somewhere before, but he couldn't recall where. After a moment of hesitation, he gave up. Maybe in every man's heart, beautiful women should all look like this?

You don't plan to use this dance to save a damsel in distress, do you?

Why did this sentence sound so familiar?

Seeing Wen Liang staring at her dumbly, the girl didn't get angry. She took a few steps forward, and her tone was tinged with sarcasm, "I know, boys your age all have a martial arts dream, hoping to one day wield a sword and sing, to be a righteous hero, and maybe even have a beautiful companion. I don't mean to hurt your boyish dreams, but..." She lifted her skirt and jumped down, her white, tender legs flashing in front of him, making the summer air even more stifling, "Is it really that simple to plant a few bamboo poles, hang a few wooden boards, and jump around like a frog to become a master of martial arts?"

The girl extended her slender fingers and lightly swung the wooden board. Her expression was very serious, as if she were talking about something sacred, but her tone was full of mockery, sarcasm, and disdain. If Wen Liang were really a sixteen-year-old boy, he would have been driven mad by her beautiful face and the faint smile on it.

"Um, what you said makes a lot of sense. I also think it's pretty silly. But wouldn't it be even sillier to jump off a cliff like in TV shows and novels?" Wen Liang had a blank look on his face, and if a little saliva had dripped from his mouth, he would have looked like a legendary idiotic master.

The girl stared at Wen Liang for a while, then suddenly raised her hand and lightly slapped her forehead, rolling her eyes in exasperation. The high-minded demeanor she had been trying to maintain instantly collapsed, making her look incredibly cute. She muttered, "I was wrong. I should have realized that in such scorching heat, only a determined person or an idiot would be jumping around so happily..."

Wen Liang almost burst out laughing, and the familiar feeling in his heart grew stronger. He tentatively asked, "From your tone, you seem to know martial arts and are quite skilled?"

The girl immediately perked up, raising her head with a proud look, "I wouldn't call myself a master, but to deal with someone like you," she raised one finger and wiggled it, "one finger is enough!"

Wen Liang was deeply impressed. His adult, somewhat perverted nature took over, and he sneakily glanced at the girl's skirt. If this beauty were to do a back kick, the view... He immediately bowed and said, "Then let's have a match? The loser buys the winner an ice cream..."

The girl pouted and muttered, "Immature," then said in a very clear voice, "Ten ice creams!"

"Deal!"

The sun overhead grew even hotter, just like their youthful innocence.

The two stood on either side of the sand pit. The girl emphasized the rules one last time: whoever falls first loses. Wen Liang nodded indifferently, basically ignoring the rule. After all, who pushes who, it's still pushing, right? No need to be so particular about it.

Wen Liang raised his hand, shifted his steps, and shifted his center of gravity forward, his eyes locked on his opponent.

The girl lifted her left foot, her toes touching the ground, her right foot stepping back three inches, her waist exerting force, her right hand forming a fist and raising it to her chest, her left hand behind her, palm extended, fingers curved, and then...

She secretly grabbed her butt!

A flash of lightning crossed Wen Liang's mind, and the fragmented memories that had disappeared suddenly pieced together. Before his rebirth in Beijing, in the taekwondo gym, that kick, that turn, that face of anger and displeasure, after so many light-years, reappeared before his eyes, at this moment.

"Xu Yao?"

The girl was startled, and the look of surprise on her face told Wen Liang the answer.

Xu Yao, this was Xu Yao from high school.

Your habit of grabbing your butt before a fight, it turns out, you've had it since childhood! Wen Liang stood there woodenly, feeling a thousand emotions.

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**End of Chapter 6**