deltrittennovels Chapter 12 The Great Way is Simple: A Set of Tai Chi Made Her Question Life!
Chapter 12 The Great Way is Simple: A Set of Tai Chi Made Her Question Life!
Fang Qingxue moved quickly.
Or rather, she didn't have anything to pack at all.
Having traveled around the world for many years, all her belongings consist of only a tactical backpack.
The east wing had been uninhabited for a long time, but fortunately, Lin Fan had done a rough cleaning of it before, so it was still fairly clean.
Fang Qingxue personally wiped every corner of the room until it was spotless, and then took out the brand-new bedding she had brought with her from her backpack and made it up.
After doing all this, she stood in the middle of the room, her heart still pounding.
So... I just moved in like this?
We've moved into the dojo of the strongest being of our time? Someone who has already touched the realm of "immortality" is just a wall away?
She walked to the window, her gaze passing through the window frame and landing on the figure in the courtyard.
The man was lounging in a rocking chair, eyes closed, looking completely at ease.
The scene made her feel disoriented.
In her imagination, the strongest being should reside high in the clouds, exuding an aura of majesty, surrounded by a mysterious halo that mortals cannot approach.
But in reality, Lin Fan lives in a humble alley, wears an ordinary T-shirt, drinks tea that costs only a few yuan per kilogram, and cares about whether the door has been repaired and whether the flowers have been trampled.
This stark contrast between heaven and earth did not disappoint her; instead, it evoked an indescribable sense of closeness.
This is perhaps the true meaning of "returning to simplicity".
When a person's inner world becomes so strong that it forms its own universe, all the superficiality of the outside world can no longer stir up a ripple in their heart.
Fang Qingxue shook her head, clearing her mind of distractions.
She didn't come to contemplate life; she came to seek the Tao.
She walked out of the room and came to Lin Fan's rocking chair. She stood respectfully with her hands at her sides, even her breathing was soft, for fear of disturbing him.
After an unknown amount of time, Lin Fan's eyelids twitched, as if he had just woken up, and he lazily opened his eyes.
"What's up?"
"Sir," Fang Qingxue quickly bowed, "I would like to ask you a question that has troubled me for many years."
"ask."
"What is the purpose of martial arts training?"
Fang Qingxue's voice trembled slightly; this was her biggest inner conflict.
"Is it for greater power? Longer lifespan? Or... something else?"
In her family, everyone is madly pursuing power, resorting to any means necessary. But the stronger they become, the more lost their eyes become, like a pack of beasts driven by power, trapped in an endless cage.
Lin Fan glanced at her and asked, "Why do you want to eat?"
Fang Qingxue was taken aback, and instinctively replied, "Because I'm hungry, I'll die if I don't eat."
"That settles it then." Lin Fan yawned, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather.
"I practice boxing because I want to, and it feels good. It's that simple."
Why think so much? Aren't you tired?
"..."
Fang Qingxue was speechless once again.
This answer was simple, blunt, yet it hit the nail on the head, leaving her with no way to refute it.
Yes.
Eating is simply a basic instinct for survival.
Why must martial arts be forcibly imbued with so many heavy and meaningless meanings?
She felt as if the heavy shackles of "family" in her heart had made a crisp sound.
"But..." she was still unwilling to give up, "If there is no clear goal, won't the path of cultivation lead astray? It's like sailing on the ocean without a lighthouse to guide you; you'll never know where the other shore is."
"Who says there are no lighthouses?"
Lin Fan sat up, stretched out his finger, and tapped his heart.
"Your own heart is the direction."
"Just follow what you want to become and what you want to do."
"Other people's paths are ultimately their own. Your family's path belongs to your family, not you."
"You don't even know what you want. Even if I put the secret to becoming an immortal in front of you and you master it, you'll just be a puppet with great power."
Every word Lin Fan said was like a heavy hammer blow, striking deep into Fang Qingxue's heart!
She froze on the spot, her mind blank.
What...do I want?
Yes, what do I really want?
From childhood to adulthood, she has lived up to the expectations of others.
To become the most dazzling genius, inherit the family's glory, and lead the Fang family to brilliance...
These goals were all paths that others had set for her.
She herself had never truly considered what kind of person she, Fang Qingxue, wanted to become.
She stood there, her eyes vacant, sometimes lost, sometimes struggling.
Lin Fan ignored her and stood in the center of the courtyard, striking a pose.
He was practicing the most basic form of Tai Chi.
Cloud Hands, Grasping the Sparrow's Tail, Single Whip...
The movements were slow and drawn-out, showing no strength whatsoever, much like the elderly men doing their morning exercises in the park.
But in Fang Qingxue's eyes, the whole world had changed.
She saw that as Lin Fan's fist swept across the courtyard, the airflow was no longer chaotic, but was being smoothed out by an invisible hand, flowing gently with his fist.
A few withered yellow leaves, as he brushed them across his palm, defied all logic, silently swirling and dancing, as if they had come to life.
The tea on the stone table, which had long since gone cold, now rippled with tiny waves, the frequency of which was exactly the same as Lin Fan's breathing.
At that moment, he seemed to have vanished.
It was as if he had transformed into the wind in the courtyard, the dust on the ground, the water on the table, and become the world itself.
He wasn't boxing.
He is using his own body to engage in the oldest and most harmonious dialogue with the world.
Fang Qingxue was completely mesmerized.
She had never seen such a wondrous sight.
This has completely transcended the realm of "technique"; it is a manifestation of "the Way"!
He transformed a set of Tai Chi movements that were commonplace outside into a supreme state of harmony between man and nature!
After an unknown amount of time, Lin Fan stood up, his chest and abdomen rising and falling, and he exhaled a long breath of white air.
The white mist condensed and did not dissipate, transforming into a three-foot-long dragon in the cool air. It coiled for a moment before reluctantly and slowly dissipating.
He turned around and saw Fang Qingxue still standing there, but the confusion in her eyes had disappeared, replaced by an unprecedented clarity and brightness.
"Do you understand?"
Fang Qingxue snapped back to her senses, a hint of shame appearing on her beautiful face. She bowed deeply and said, "This student is dull-witted and only understood a little bit of the basics."
Tell me about it.
"Sir's fist, though seemingly in motion, is actually still." Fang Qingxue's voice carried a hint of excitement. "What moves is the form, what remains still is the mind. Only by responding to the ever-changing forms with an unchanging mind can one move heaven and earth and resonate with all things."
Lin Fan's eyebrows twitched slightly.
This woman is indeed quite perceptive.
She had only signed in and was doing her usual stretching when she saw that she could see so much.
"Not bad, not too stupid." Lin Fan nodded, giving an evaluation. "Now that you've figured it out, ask fewer stupid questions in the future. Observe more, think more, and practice more."
"Yes, sir!" Fang Qingxue replied respectfully, her heart overflowing with uncontrollable joy.
This insightful advice was more valuable than her arduous self-cultivation over the past twenty years!
She knew that coming here to work as a gardener was the best decision she had ever made in her life!
"Alright, stop standing there." Lin Fan waved his hand, as if shooing away flies.
"Go and sweep the yard."
"Then go cook for me."
I'm hungry.
"Huh? Cook...cook?" Fang Qingxue's expression froze instantly.
"What?" Lin Fan glanced at her sideways. "Doesn't the gardener cook for the boss?"
"Take...responsibility! Of course I'll take responsibility!" Fang Qingxue nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice.