Chapter 71

After about an hour, Zhang Chengyuan, drenched in sweat, finished his practice, feeling that cleansing the body of a modern person and expanding their meridians was no easy task. Although he had done something similar for his four sisters before, that was just laying the most basic foundation, unlike this time when he forcibly generated a certain amount of internal energy within Moon Geun-young's body and made her internal energy flow automatically along a predetermined path, which was several levels more difficult, leaving him no choice but to feel exhausted.

Moon Geun-young's meridians were forcibly widened by Zhang Chengyuan's true qi. She should have felt extreme pain, but because Zhang Chengyuan temporarily blocked her pain nerves while expanding her meridians, she only felt a bit numb, as if her blood circulation was poor from sitting for too long. After expanding her meridians, Zhang Chengyuan spent a lot of true qi to repair and nourish the newly widened meridians. Therefore, when he released her pain nerves, she didn't feel much discomfort. Instead, the automatic circulation of internal energy in her body made her feel pleasantly numb and very comfortable. She was so immersed in this feeling that she forgot everything else.

Zhang Chengyuan adjusted his breathing for a while, and after recovering somewhat, he got up and released the acupoints he had sealed on Moon Geun-young, then woke her up. He then taught her the method of breathing and adjusting her internal energy, and instructed her on the precautions to take when practicing qigong. After doing all this, he had Moon Geun-young sit cross-legged on the bed to better experience the sensation of breathing and circulating energy, while he went to the bathroom to shower. At this point, his body was covered in sweat, and he couldn't stand it if he didn't clean up.

Fifteen minutes later, after he finished showering and changing, Moon Geun-young was still immersed in the strange feeling of the internal energy flow in her body, feeling very comfortable and light. After a while, she opened her eyes and looked at Zhang Chengyuan, exclaiming in surprise, "It's really amazing! Brother Chengyuan, what you taught me is like the internal kung fu in martial arts novels? Oh, no, it's called qigong, right?"

Influenced by Hong Kong and Taiwan's martial arts culture, especially the once extremely popular Hong Kong kung fu movies, people in East and South Asia more or less knew some Chinese qigong terms, and even had their own martial arts culture. South Korea was no exception. In 2000, Zhang Chengyuan even played a minor role in a South Korean kung fu movie called "Volcano High School."

"Internal kung fu? Qigong? They're about the same." These terms only appeared in modern times. In Zhang Chengyuan's previous life, they were more often called breathing, adjusting, and guiding techniques, but they were essentially the same, just with different names. Zhang Chengyuan didn't bother to explain everything clearly to Moon Geun-young.

Moon Geun-young continued to ask, "Brother Chengyuan, will practicing this really help me improve my flexibility faster?" She wasn't doubting Zhang Chengyuan; it just seemed too incredible.

Zhang Chengyuan said, "Practice for a few more days, and you'll see the benefits. Remember to practice once or twice a day for the next two months, neither too much nor too little. I'll check on you when I have the chance. Now, go take a shower. The few sets of underwear in the bathroom are for you." Because a large amount of impurities had been expelled from her body, Moon Geun-young now smelled quite bad. Fortunately, she had already taken off her outer clothes, otherwise, suddenly changing into new clothes and going home would have caused unnecessary speculation from her family.

Moon Geun-young sniffed herself and immediately frowned, scolding, "It's all your fault, Brother Chengyuan." Without waiting for Zhang Chengyuan to respond, she hurriedly rushed into the bathroom, closed the door, and the sound of running water soon followed.

Zhang Chengyuan shook his head, thinking, "This little girl is too innocent, doesn't she fear I'm a wolf in sheep's clothing?"

About half an hour later, the bathroom door opened a bit, and Moon Geun-young poked her head out, looking at Zhang Chengyuan timidly and saying, "Brother Chengyuan, can you pass me my outer clothes?"

Zhang Chengyuan asked curiously, "Can't you come out and get them yourself?"

Moon Geun-young was taken aback for a moment, then said angrily, "It's because the few sets of underwear you bought are too... too revealing, I don't dare to come out wearing them. Pass me my clothes quickly." The three sets of underwear in the bathroom were bought by the hotel's female attendant at Zhang Chengyuan's request. Because he didn't specify clearly, the attendant bought adult-style, sexy underwear instead of the T-shirt-like styles for young girls. Moon Geun-young reluctantly chose the one with the most fabric, but it still left a lot exposed. She didn't dare to come out wearing it for Zhang Chengyuan to see. She was also a bit annoyed, not thinking Zhang Chengyuan had ill intentions, but blaming him for not considering things carefully, which left her in an awkward situation.

Zhang Chengyuan was puzzled but still passed Moon Geun-young's outer clothes to her. Her hand quickly reached out, grabbed the clothes, and immediately pulled back, closing the door and putting them on. In that brief moment, Zhang Chengyuan, with his sharp eyes, saw that the underwear Moon Geun-young was wearing was similar to what Lee Hyori wore. He immediately understood why the usually well-behaved Moon Geun-young had suddenly become angry.

Zhang Chengyuan thought, "Perhaps the attendant assumed I was bringing someone to a hotel room, so she prepared mature women's underwear. Sigh, I should have checked beforehand."

Although Zhang Chengyuan appeared calm, he felt a bit awkward inside and suggested they go to a Western restaurant for a big meal as an apology. However, the frugal Moon Geun-young disagreed, saying she would take Zhang Chengyuan to a local restaurant they often visited to try the Gwangju specialties. Of course, Zhang Chengyuan would pay for the meal.

Since the purpose of his trip to Gwangju had been achieved, Zhang Chengyuan didn't plan to stay overnight. He tidied up, checked out of the hotel, and then drove, following Moon Geun-young's directions, to a Korean restaurant that looked quite quiet.

Upon entering, they found the restaurant was actually quite spacious and popular. At this time, with the sky still tinged with the evening glow, the restaurant was already filled with people, some eating happily, others chatting and waiting for their food, everyone greeting each other warmly, creating a very harmonious atmosphere.

When Moon Geun-young entered, everyone noticed her and waved to greet her, but no one came over to disturb her. Moon Geun-young also responded warmly, calling out to uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters. It was clear that the customers here were familiar with Moon Geun-young and didn't treat her like a big star, but rather as a well-behaved, sensible, diligent, and accomplished junior. This might be because they had watched her grow up and were very familiar with her, so they didn't have the urge to chase after her.

When Zhang Chengyuan entered with Moon Geun-young, people's gazes immediately turned to him. There was no way to avoid it; his tall stature, handsome face, and outstanding demeanor would attract attention wherever he went, especially since he entered with Moon Geun-young. How could people not be curious?

Almost instantly, some young women recognized Zhang Chengyuan and whispered to their companions, "It's Zhang Chengyuan, am I dreaming?" "He's even more handsome in person!" "He's so tall, with such a good figure!"... Although there were many whispers, perhaps out of respect for Moon Geun-young, no one came over to disturb them.

The men, on the other hand, were more concerned about the national sweetheart, Moon Geun-young, and their conversations revolved around her.

"Is this handsome guy Geun-young's boyfriend? He seems to match her well."

"How can you judge by appearance alone? Character is more important. Who knows what he's really like?"

"Indeed, indeed. Geun-young is still young and doesn't need to rush into a relationship. We need to be careful and vet him. You guys, go online and check his background, see what kind of person he is."

...

Zhang Chengyuan and Moon Geun-young's dinner ended in this strange atmosphere. Fortunately, Zhang Chengyuan had no ulterior motives towards Moon Geun-young, otherwise, he would have faced a group attack. The national sweetheart's charm was truly extraordinary! To avoid unnecessary trouble, Zhang Chengyuan didn't dare to say any affectionate words or make any intimate gestures during the meal. Moon Geun-young, however, continued to chat and laugh, maintaining her innocent and adorable nature.