Chapter 31
“Master!” Chen Huai'an turned and bowed, tears glistening in his fierce eyes. “Thank you for correcting my movements!”
Li Laotou was taken aback, but a wave of exhilaration surged through him.
Master, huh!?
Sometimes, the old folks would jokingly call him that, but it was mostly in jest.
As an elder, he longed for the recognition of the younger generation more than that of his peers.
Just as young people seek the approval of their elders, this desire is mutual.
No young person had ever called him a master before; this lad was the first.
Upon closer inspection, the young man was quite handsome, though it was puzzling why he had shaved his head, and his complexion didn’t look too healthy. He had some medical knowledge, but unfortunately, a healer cannot heal himself. After all these years, he had just been getting by… Regardless, after correcting his movements, he would check the boy’s pulse to see what was wrong.
What a fine young man! He must stay healthy.
“Kid, I just helped you correct your movements; no need to be so emotional. I’m not really a master—just someone who practiced classical martial arts for a few years as a child.” Li Laotou chuckled, continuing to point out Chen Huai'an's other mistakes. “From your movements, it seems you’re imitating a form of classical martial arts, somewhat like Tai Chi, but with a bit more sharpness and defiance, which doesn’t align with the principles of Tai Chi. Regardless of the martial art, the first step is to train your lower body. Before ensuring your hand movements are correct, you must stabilize your foundation—your legs.”
As he spoke, he glanced at Chen Huai'an’s trembling right leg and frowned. “Hmm, kid, something’s not right with your leg…”
Li Laotou reached out and felt the layer of plaster. His mind went blank.
Wait, this kid is limping and still comes to practice in the morning?
He felt again, and his frown deepened as he touched a lump on Chen Huai'an's leg.
“What… what is this? Kid, let me check your pulse!”
As he spoke, his hand was already on Chen Huai'an's wrist, but as he felt, Li Laotou’s expression grew increasingly grim.
Ten dead, no life!
The entire pulse was screaming one word—death!
Beads of sweat began to form on Li Laotou’s forehead. He looked up at Chen Huai'an, hesitating to say anything, but saw the calmness on the young man’s face.
“Old man, you’re amazing! Not only do you have great martial skills, but you can also check pulses?” Chen Huai'an knew the elder had figured something out.
As the saying goes, “When a traditional Chinese medicine doctor frowns, life and death are uncertain. When he sighs, the King of Hell has marked you.” The old man was both frowning and sighing, which perfectly matched Chen Huai'an’s current situation. He had already been registered by the King of Hell and could be summoned at any moment.
“Old man, I’m in the late stages of cancer. I don’t have much time left; I know my situation well. I can only say you’re very accurate in your pulse diagnosis.”
“Late-stage cancer? And you still have the energy to smile?” Li Laotou looked at Chen Huai'an’s pale face, feeling a pang of sorrow.
What a fine young man! Why is he burdened with such a tough illness?
“Since it’s already a foregone conclusion, I’ll face it calmly,” Chen Huai'an said nonchalantly. “In this last stretch of time, I just want to live happily and fully. For me, experiencing life is worth it, even if my journey is shorter than many others. From another perspective, with how hard it is for college students to find jobs these days, everyone is struggling. I guess I’m just lying flat a bit earlier.”
Li Laotou opened his mouth.
He wanted to refute Chen Huai'an’s words, but as he searched for a counterargument, he realized that the young man’s attitude was indeed the best response.
In Chen Huai'an’s eyes, he saw a sense of ease and openness.
Many elders lack such a mindset, yet here was a young person who understood it so well…
Is he naturally this mature?
Li Laotou felt a heaviness in his heart.
No one is born this mature and steady; growth inevitably comes with a price.
For a young man in his early twenties to be so enlightened, it could only mean he had endured too much suffering, leading him to let go of many things. What would be unbearable pain for others seemed trivial to him.
“Is there really no chance for a cure?”
“Almost none,” Chen Huai'an shook his head. “Even with insurance, it’s just prolonging life. The cancer cells have already invaded my bone marrow; it’s beyond saving. Besides, I don’t even have insurance. Sometimes I think about whether it’s worth spending money on prolonging my life, and for now, I still believe it’s more important to enjoy each day. I want to seize the time to do things I’ve always wanted to do but never dared to… It’s not like I’ve completely given up on treatment. If I can enjoy life and still have money for treatment, I’d be willing to prolong my life, ha ha ha!”
He laughed with a sense of ease and openness, but Li Laotou could hear the underlying sadness and helplessness.
“Kid, I can’t help you with this illness, but your mindset is indeed very important. I’ve heard of late-stage cancer patients who practiced Tai Chi every day, maintaining a good attitude, and their tumors gradually shrank and eventually disappeared… If you can hold on, you can come here every morning. I can help you correct some of your movements. The foundational aspects of classical martial arts are generally interconnected, so you don’t have to worry about going off track.”
Chen Huai'an had heard of the miraculous stories Li Laotou mentioned.
He knew the elder saw him as one of those terminally ill patients willing to try anything.
However, he didn’t intend to deny it, as he was indeed very interested in mastering the Qinglian Sword Classic.
“Wouldn’t that be too much trouble for you?”
“Not at all,” Li Laotou waved his hand with a smile. “Interacting with a young person like you is a delightful experience for me.”
His diabetes had always been a heavy burden, like a sword hanging over his neck, making it hard for him to eat well or sleep soundly.
But after chatting with Chen Huai'an for a while, he felt the accumulated frustration in his heart dissipate.
It was as if the young man’s vitality had invigorated him.
…
The morning passed quickly.
Chen Huai'an had already progressed to 80% of the first chapter of the Qinglian Sword Classic. After that, no matter how he practiced, he couldn’t move anymore.
According to Li Laotou, he had practiced too much, causing muscle fatigue, and his movements had become distorted. Continuing to practice today would be pointless. So, Chen Huai'an had to return to the hotel to rest. Li Laotou wanted to invite him to dinner, but he had to plan for his next live stream in the afternoon, so he didn’t want to impose.
“Something still feels off.”
On the way back, Chen Huai'an rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
Last night, he could only manage half an hour of the first chapter’s movements before his hands and feet went weak.
This morning, he hadn’t eaten, yet he managed to practice for five or six hours. Even Li Laotou said that if he didn’t have cancer, he would be a martial arts prodigy.
Thinking of this, Chen Huai'an instinctively rubbed the glass bracelet on his wrist,
Not noticing that one of the beads had dimmed slightly.
Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his head: “I get it!”
He tightened his grip on the bead, a smile creeping onto his lips:
“So that’s it! I really am a genius!”
He had previously been uncertain about whether his genetic potential had truly been activated.
Now he was completely sure.
Some things ordinary people can’t learn, but geniuses can grasp effortlessly.
Though cancer had shortened his life, it had also awakened his genes.
In that case…
Chen Huai'an opened his phone, his gaze landing on the upgrade chart for the Jin Zhen Shi Xue (Golden Needle Acupuncture).
Currently, the Fengchun Needle was at lv1, and the next level, the Kai Mai Needle, was at lv2, requiring a thousand applications of the Fengchun Needle.
He had only completed three applications so far; he wasn’t sure how the calculations worked, but he knew it would take ages to reach a thousand.
As a player who had invested money and a potential ‘Trisolaran’ with a short lifespan, what he lacked most was time.
“Just 998.” Chen Huai'an grinned at the balance in his bank account.
Money can be earned back, but missing the golden opportunity to activate his potential would be a heavy loss!
“Charge it!”
As the 998 disappeared from his bank account, the game interface lit up, and the Fengchun Needle method sparkled,
The light continued to flow down until it illuminated the Kai Mai Needle method beneath it:
【Your skill ‘Jin Zhen Shi Xue’ has advanced to lv2, unlocking a new technique: Kai Mai Needle Method.】
“Awesome, awesome, awesome! This is the power of spending money!”
At that moment, he had returned to the hotel, quickly closing the doors and windows, sitting on the sofa with shining eyes as he gazed at the Kai Mai Needle.
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