Chapter 162: First Taste of Taiji

After eating my fill,
I actually felt a rare urge to go out for a walk.

To replenish my blood and qi,
I had forced down a huge amount of meat.
The good news was that my blood and qi really did feel somewhat restored.
The bad news was that I had overeaten—
my stomach felt bloated and a little indigested.

Since it was still early,
and nothing too terrifying should happen in the neighborhood at night yet,
I stepped outside for a stroll.
In an open area,
I saw a group of residents practicing Taiji Quan.

Thanks to official promotion of health exercises and qigong,
quite a few people practiced Taiji.
They weren’t all elderly—
there were also plenty of middle-aged and even younger adults,
both men and women.

Thinking of how Yi Zhiqiu had taught me Taiji Quan,
I couldn’t help but stop and watch.
I observed their movements carefully.
Most of those who produced a visible aura
were the elderly—or at least people who had been practicing for many years.

Unlike Yi Zhiqiu,
whose form had immediately transformed into a rotating Taiji symbol in my eyes,
I could clearly see every detail of their fist paths.
Because many were older,
their movements were very slow,
making it easy for me to follow.

Before I knew it,
I started moving along with them.
Feet stepping apart,
hands extending smoothly—
it felt not much different from doing morning radio calisthenics.

After following along for two full sets,
I had roughly memorized the movements.
Then I combined them with the breathing and qi circulation method Yi Zhiqiu had taught me
and practiced together with the elders.

I could feel the food in my stomach beginning to digest.
And by watching the flow and changes in the auras around the elders,
it seemed I could simulate the path of true qi circulation in my own body.

Unfortunately, I still failed.
Every time I felt an aura start to form and move,
the qi would gather for a moment before immediately dissipating.
I couldn’t truly control the flow.

Just as Mo Qingyan had said—
the breathing and qi circulation method Yi Zhiqiu taught me
was incomplete.
It still couldn’t achieve real control over true qi.

If I practiced diligently every evening down here in the neighborhood,
in a year or two I would probably naturally develop an aura like these elders.
But I couldn’t wait that long.
Right now, my top priority was to find Yi Zhiqiu again
and learn the complete breathing and qi circulation method.

At that moment,
one of the elders noticed me following along and called out:

“Little girl, do you like practicing Taiji Quan too?”

“Ah?
I wasn’t trying to peek on purpose.”

I hurriedly waved my hands.
Secretly copying someone’s practice seemed a bit rude.

“No problem at all.
We’re just exercising for fun—
no need to sign up or anything.
Anyone who wants to join can come practice together.”

Another middle-aged woman smiled warmly.

“Oh… then thank you.”

I walked over and blended into the group.
To be honest, I still felt a little embarrassed.
I was the only minor here—
the youngest person besides me was a guy in his twenties.

But once the music started
and a calm female voice began reciting the fist scripture—
“First posture: Grasp the Sparrow’s Tail”—
everyone assumed their stances,
and I moved with them.
Once I merged into the collective,
the awkwardness faded away.

Moreover, being among them
allowed me to feel the flow and changes of their auras even more clearly.
The most skilled elders were leading the qi field,
and although the others probably couldn’t sense it,
they were unconsciously absorbing and harmonizing with it—
which should make it easier for them to condense their own true qi.

I began to wonder:
If a group of people regularly practiced the same martial art together,
could their auras eventually fuse completely,
becoming indistinguishable?
Perhaps they could even form a large qi formation—
like the monks performing a ritual the other day.

I started sweating,
and the food in my stomach had been completely digested.
Even though the movements were slow,
this session had genuinely exercised my body.

“Phew! That’s enough for today, everyone.
Good work. See you tomorrow night.”

The leading elder said,
turning off the recorder.
The others said their goodbyes—
some who knew each other left together.

I walked back toward Building 4,
still mentally reviewing the movements.
But as soon as I reached the base of the building,
something felt wrong.
It was as if someone was following me.

I released the Golden Bee Gu.
Looking back,
there really was someone trailing behind me at a leisurely pace.
Strangely, from his position,
he shouldn’t have been able to see me—
yet I had the distinct feeling of being watched.

Sure enough,
when I entered Building 4,
he followed.
But there was still some distance.
I rushed into the elevator and frantically pressed “close door.”
As the doors slowly slid shut,
I caught sight of his crazed face.

I quickly pressed the button for the 12th floor.
The elevator began to rise.
But then something even more terrifying happened—
the man dashed into the stairwell
and charged upward at an impossible speed.

What kind of monstrous speed was this?
He was climbing stairs faster than the elevator.
If this continued,
by the time the elevator reached the 12th floor,
he would already be waiting at the door—
I’d be trapped with nowhere to run.

In a flash of inspiration,
I pressed the 10th floor button.
The elevator stopped immediately.
At that moment,
he had already reached the 12th floor
and was crouched right outside the elevator doors.
He really was targeting me—
did he already know I lived on the 12th floor?

When the doors opened on the 10th floor,
he must have heard the sound.
He immediately turned and charged back down.
His speed was terrifying.
I had just run into the stairwell
when I saw him already rushing down from above,
a gleaming sharp knife in his hand.

His face was twisted with madness,
eyes bloodshot.
The moment he saw me,
he lunged without a word—
the knife stabbing straight toward me.

I had never seen this man before—
why was he trying to kill me on sight?!

There was no time to think.
On pure instinct,
I dropped into a low stance,
both feet rooted,
hands rising to meet him.
I blocked the arm holding the knife.

The instant we made contact,
an inhuman surge of power slammed into me from his arm.
Since becoming a ghost-possessor,
my strength had increased dramatically—
I could probably compete in lightweight weightlifting now.
But even so,
I couldn’t withstand this ferocious, lightning-fast thrust.
My arms felt like they were about to snap.
The knife continued hurtling toward my face.

At the very last moment,
my body moved on its own—
following the Taiji Quan I had just practiced.
My right arm led,
my left arm pushed,
redirecting his downward smashing force to the side.
The knife grazed past my cheek by a hair’s breadth
and stabbed into the floor.

He lost balance and stumbled,
falling to the ground.
But after rolling once,
he climbed back up,
a twisted grin on his face as he advanced toward me again.

With his speed,
escape was impossible.
I could only back away into the 10th-floor hallway,
facing him.
The iron wire Gu hidden in my left sleeve
had already extended,
poised and ready.

He was still human.
No matter how fast or strong,
he was still flesh and blood.
One strike from the iron wire Gu would kill him.

But I didn’t want to kill anyone.
Even if it was legitimate self-defense,
the aftermath would be an enormous hassle.
And with all the things hidden in my house…

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