Filling The Gaps In Life

After returning home on his bicycle, Wang An took a short break and then began his nightly brick walking practice. By now, he had arranged the bricks into a hexagonal pattern.

After some exercise, he worked up a bit of sweat, took a short rest, and then enjoyed a hot shower. It left him feeling refreshed.

While brushing his teeth, he unexpectedly discovered that three of his teeth were loose. Two of them had fillings due to cavities and had been repaired a couple of years ago, while the other one occasionally caused him some toothaches, which he had ignored.

"Are these teeth going to fall out? These are permanent teeth. They won't grow back!"

The next morning, when he woke up and brushed his teeth, he was surprised to find that two of his teeth had fallen out.

Wang An opened his mouth and examined the location where his teeth had been. He only saw two milky-white bumps where the teeth had been.

"Are these new teeth? Can permanent teeth grow back?" Wang An was taken aback. "Can permanent teeth grow back after falling out again?"

He searched about it on the internet on his phone and found that permanent teeth do not grow back once they fall out. Dental implants were usually considered in such cases. This was the information from a specialist at a top-tier hospital.

'So… what's happening with me? Is it regrowth? Regardless, this seems like a good thing.'

After a moment of thought, Wang An started his new day.

He performed the Five Animals Forms, practiced Tai Chi in the water, and in the afternoon, he returned to the zoo.

He observed the tigers for a while and then moved on to the brown bears.

Perhaps it was the time of year when the brown bears would be hibernating, as they remained inside their enclosures and refused to come out. Wang An could not see them from the outside.

Feeling helpless, he decided to visit other animals.

The monkeys in their enclosure were still quite active. They were jumping around inside their cage with great agility. As primates, humans were far less agile than monkeys. Humans could not jump from tree to tree like monkeys with such rapid reflexes.

Watching the monkeys in their enclosure, Wang An recalled the Five Animals Forms and began to imitate their movements.

As he observed the monkeys, they also watched him. Several of them even jumped closer to observe him closely.

[You observed the monkeys and were inspired.]

[Five Animals Forms experience +20.]

Following that, Wang An went to see various birds and deer in the park.

For several days in a row, Wang An visited the zoo. He observed the tigers, monkeys, birds, and deer and paid attention to their postures and movements. He compared these observations with the movements from the Five Animals Forms and continued to learn and imitate.

On a cold day, when there were not many visitors in the zoo, Wang An's presence did not escape the attention of the zookeepers.

They recognized this young man who came to the zoo every day just to observe the tigers or monkeys.

"What do you think that young man is doing? It's so cold, so does he come to the zoo every day just to watch tigers or monkeys?" one zookeeper asked.

"Maybe he's doing some research?" another said.

"What kind of research involves imitating animals? Could he be a nutcase who escaped from a mental hospital?" a third zookeeper joked.

"He seems quite spirited for a lunatic. Besides, which mental patient spends money to come to the zoo to watch animals?" the second zookeeper argued.

"Hey, that's not fair! There are plenty of strange people these days," the third zookeeper said.

After observing for several days, Wang An did gain some insights but also noticed a problem. Most of the animals in captivity appeared lethargic and lacked the spirit and energy they would have in the wild.

In that setting, they did not have to struggle for survival or evade predators. People came to feed them regularly, and they lived comfortably.

This comfort had changed them.

'Perhaps I should observe animals in their natural habitats for better insights. There's no need to come here for now.'

Over the past few days, the places on his gums where he had lost a few teeth had regrown new ones. Wang An smiled and licked the newly grown teeth. They were as smooth as shells.

'I'm almost twenty-seven.' Wang An smiled.

He suddenly thought of a line from a movie. "To make up for the deficiency, regenerate the good fortune."

"I must have made up for the deficiency. How?"

He thought for a moment. "Tai Chi or swimming probably isn't the reason. Could it be the Five Animals Forms? Ever since I started practicing it, my appetite and strength have increased significantly. All this food I'm consuming must be having some effect."

Wang An recalled a phrase described in the Five Animals Forms: "Pu Xingzhi, at the age of over ninety, has sharp eyes and ears and strong teeth."

It appeared to enhance one's physical condition and delay aging.

"My progress seems significantly different from this. It almost feels like a rebirth, or perhaps the combination of Tai Chi and the Five Animals Forms creates a synergistic effect. Nonetheless, it's a good thing."

When he arrived at the Intention Fist Dojo, he saw Li Xinzhu practicing Intention Fists with iron chains wrapped around him. He was drenched with sweat.

These past few days, Li Xinzhu had been practicing Intention Fists this way.

Wang An watched for a while from the sidelines. "You're done."

Li Xinzhu stopped, took off the heavy iron chains from his body, wiped off sweat with a towel, and let out a long breath.

"Training like this could lead to problems," Wang An said after a moment of silence.

"Problems? What problems?" Li Xinzhu asked.

"Training should progress gradually, and it should involve a balance between exertion and rest. You need to maintain a pace. If you pull a bowstring too tightly, it might snap. Right now, you need to take a break."

"A break?"

"Yes, take a good rest today. You shouldn't train like this for the next few days either. You tried to do too much in one go. You should develop a more reasonable exercise plan."

Wang An crouched down to test the weight of the iron chains that Li Xinzhu had carried on his back. They were quite heavy. They weighed at least a dozen pounds.

Continuing with this kind of training might indeed lead to significant improvements in punching speed and power in the short term, but it would also pose risks to the body.

"Alright, you're right. How about you treat me to a king crab lunch today?" Li Xinzhu suggested.

"What? Your thought process is as fast as your punches." Wang An chuckled.

"You treat me to a meal, and in the afternoon, I'll treat you to a hot spring soak and a massage. I know a technician, and she's not only skilled but also quite beautiful."

"I have something to do in the afternoon."

"What's that? Going back to the zoo? Are those monkeys that fascinating?"

"No, I won't be going back there."

As they were talking, someone called out to Li Xinzhu.

"I'll go for now. Don't be in a rush to leave," Li Xinzhu said to Wang An.

Wang An looked around. At this time, there were not many people in the dojo. The three individuals sparred for a while before sitting together to chat.