31 You're Far Worse Than A Pig

Going too fast in cultivation may leave hidden dangers or even deviation in energy.

Unknowingly, New Year's Day had passed, and the weather became colder.

On this day, the sky was overcast, and the weather forecast predicted light snow.

Wang An bid farewell to his two grandparents. He was preparing to return to Hu An City. The two old people were reluctant to see him leave, but they did not say anything aloud.

"Go back and work hard. Don't worry too much about me and your grandmother."

"Be careful on the road. Take care of yourself over there, and call us when you arrive..."

His grandparents kept reminding him to call them.

In the cold, they stood on the main road in the village and watched Wang An leave.

"You can go back now!" Wang An shouted and waved at them. "I will be back soon."

Wang An turned and walked toward the outside of the village. At that moment, tears welled up in his eyes.

The bus took him far away. It was cold inside the bus in the winter, and there were not many passengers.

When he arrived in town, he waited in the waiting room for over half an hour before boarding the train to Hu An City.

The train sped all the way, and the scenery outside the window kept receding. He saw bare trees, desolate mountains, and occasionally, a village.

Everything looked bleak.

After a few hours, the train arrived in Hu An City.

Entering the city made of reinforced concrete, the immediate surroundings became lively. The streets were busy even in the cold winterm, and the place was bustling with people. Everything felt familiar.

Wang An had once aspired to be a part of this city and put down roots here. But he had changed his mind since then.

He would rather stay in that small mountain village, even though there was no convenient transportation, no dazzling lights and colors, and life was not as rich and colorful as here. But there, he had people who cared for and loved him.

Home is where the heart is.

When he returned to his residence in Hu An City, the courtyard was just the same as before.

The bricks were still standing, and the water basin was still there.

He put down his backpack, cleaned the room, and came to the courtyard. With a light jump, his feet landed on two bricks.

During the time he spent fighting wild boars in his hometown, his progress had been significant, even if he had spent only ten days there.

Because he was constantly in crisis, the training maximized his potential.

During his time in Hu An City, although he practiced brick-walking every day and made progress, it was a slow improvement. The ten days in his hometown were a rapid leap forward.

Now, walking on the bricks again, he felt that it was much easier than before because he had better control over his physical strength and had also improved his overall coordination.

After practicing for a while, he went out to buy some groceries and cooked.

Later, he called Li Xinzhu and arranged to meet at the dojo tomorrow.

Li Xinzhu insisted on meeting him and invited him to Red Romance once again. He also asked about the Pulse-Seizing Fist on the phone.

Wang An agreed to discuss it in detail when they met the next day.

The next day, after breakfast and after practicing the Five Animal Forms in the courtyard, he rode his bike to the Intention Fist Dojo.

Li Xinzhu had been waiting there for a while and hurried to his side as soon as he saw Wang An.

"You're finally here. Why did you go back to your hometown?"

"I went back to see my grandparents. I might be going back soon."

"Tell me about the Pulse-Seizing Fist."

"I heard about it by chance. It is said to be a kind of martial arts technique that can sever the meridians in the human body. I heard people mention it online, and there have been cases of people dying from Pulse-Seizing Fist in other cities too. The cause of death is similar to a heart attack, and the autopsy results cannot detect it. There's only soft tissue damage near the heart."

Wang An did not hide anything from Li Xinzhu. There was no need for it.

"I thought you would know more. My master found out about this martial art technique only by using his connections. It has never been mentioned before. It's somewhat similar to acupuncture techniques, but more vicious and lethal."

"Have you found out who the person is? How did your senior provoke him?"

"I haven't found out yet." Li Xinzhu shook his head. 

"However, this matter won't end like this. We will continue to investigate, and sooner or later, we will find that guy!" Li Xinzhu's eyes were fierce.

"Come, let's spar." Li Xinzhu threw a punch.

Wang An moved away slightly and beckoned him.

"Come!"

"Watch out for my fist!"

The floor shook as Li Xinzhu charged forward with the Crushing Fist. He aimed directly at the center. He was fast, accurate, and fierce.

Wang An did not engage. He effortlessly evaded his friend with Tai Chi steps.

Li Xinzhu missed, twisted his body, and struck again.

Wang An dodged again.

Li Xinzhu chased, and Wang An dodged him yet again.

"Stop! What are you only dodging? Are we fighting or not?" Li Xinzhu stopped and looked at Wang An.

"Your speed is too slow."

"Slow? No way! My friends said that my speed has improved compared to before," Li Xinzhu said.

"You are even slower than a pig."

"What do you mean?!" Li Xinzhu was furious at the statement. "You can say that my Kung Fu is not great, but you can't make a comparison like that!"

"You've misunderstood me."

"I'm going to hit you!" Li Xinzhu shouted and charged at Wang An, who effortlessly evaded him again.

He had told the truth earlier. Li Xinzhu's speed was indeed not comparable to the wild boars in the forest.

Even if he had the strength of a thousand pounds and hands that could split rocks, it was futile if he could not hit his opponent.

Li Xinzhu could not even brush past Wang An's clothes, no matter how much strength and effort he put into his techniques.

"I'm done with this!" Li Xinzhu suddenly stopped and shook his hand.

"How did you become so agile in just a few days?" Li Xinzhu stared at Wang An.

"In the last few days, I've been sparring with pigs."

"Are you mocking me again?" Li Xinzhu jumped up.

"Keep your voice down… Don't get so worked up. In some aspects, you really are worse than a pig. You will never be better than them when it comes to your sense of smell, hearing, and sprinting speed. But you shouldn't be too concerned about it."

Li Xinzhu took a few deep breaths and struggled to suppress the urge to hit someone.

"We're all friends here. Don't be angry. If we fight, you might not win."

"Wait… you're telling the truth? Did you really spar with pigs?" Li Xinzhu looked at Wang An's serious face and suddenly realized that he might be telling the truth.

After all, he used to go to the zoo almost every day to observe the animals to train himself.

"Of course! Why would I lie to you?"

"What kind of pig was it? The ones in the pigsty?"

"Of course not! They were wild boars. The ones you can see in the mountains."

"Wild boars?!" Li Xinzhu was stunned. "You sparred with wild boars?!"