Chapter 10 - 9: Learning from the Tiger

Chapter 10: Chapter 9: Learning from the Tiger「Yingtai Mall.」 Basking in the warm airflow of the mall’s air conditioning, Jiang Yanyue took a deep breath, feeling rejuvenated as if a fish had just found water. Tossing the pajamas back to Jiang Shu, Jiang Yanyue quickly headed to a buffet-style barbecue restaurant with the lowest average prices. "No drinks, just starch sausages. A little seafood, mainly meat." After Jiang Shu paid, he casually found a seat. Having practiced martial arts for three months, he naturally knew that only fresh meat could substantially replenish and enhance a martial artist’s Qi and blood. The meat at this buffet, much of it frozen for who knows how many years, contained very low levels of Qi and blood energy. It was mostly just good for ordinary people to enjoy the taste. But after all, the person eating was his own little sister. Watching Jiang Yanyue darting around like a busy bee, Jiang Shu sat with closed eyes practicing the Hungry Tiger Breathing Method. He maintained the Hungry Tiger Stance for about ten minutes until his stomach periodically let out low rumbling sounds. When Jiang Yanyue returned and saw Jiang Shu with his eyes closed in his stance, she didn’t say anything. Instead, she scrolled through her phone while placing the grilled meat onto his plate. "Jiang Shu, have you already sensed your Qi and blood?" It wasn’t until Jiang Shu opened his eyes and picked up the first skewer of meat that Jiang Yanyue suddenly asked. Since Xia Country announced the martial arts system, many people had learned through the news and the internet that practicing stances involved three Realms: Qi Blood Sensing, Qi Blood Transport, and the Grand Circulation of Qi and blood throughout the body. However, among ordinary citizens, few knew the specific markers for these three Realms or how to differentiate between them. "How would I know that?" Jiang Shu mumbled, his mouth full after dipping a large piece of meat into the heavenly sauce and taking a bite. "Ah, I suppose it’s not very likely. How could someone achieve small success in the Horse Stance and easily meet the university admission threshold after only three months of practice? If it were that exaggerated, if you’d practiced martial arts and stances since elementary school, you’d have been in university before I even started middle school!" "No, that’s not right; the body isn’t fully developed in elementary school. You’d have to start training from the first or second year of high school. That way, after three years, you’d at least get into a key university, and you might even have a shot at the Academies! How terrifying that would be!" Jiang Yanyue wore an expression like a startled dried fish. In Xia Country, universities were categorized into junior colleges, ordinary universities, key universities, and Academies. Among these, Academies held the highest prestige. In the vast Xia Country, there were only four such Academies: Shengjing Academy, East Sea Academy, Jiangnan Academy, and Tian Shu Academy. Those who could enter the Academies were invariably academic elites. It would be almost embarrassing to apply without having won several provincial-level awards. Even in a second-tier city like Ji City, only forty or fifty students made it into the Academies each year. Fortunately, Jiang Shu wasn’t that kind of martial arts genius. If he really could enter an Academy based on his martial prowess, how was she, his sister, supposed to hire him in the future? Wouldn’t she just end up being utterly suppressed by him! "Stop with the ’how terrifying’ talk. If you’re free this afternoon, come with me to the zoo." Jiang Shu ate meat exceptionally quickly, and soon, the table was littered with empty skewers. "I’m so jealous of you. If only I could eat as much as you do! Eighty yuan for a buffet barbecue, and you can eat at least three or four hundred yuan worth of their food. That’s a clear profit of two or three hundred per meal. If you eat twice a day, that’s basically saving ten thousand a month!" "Right, what did you say just now? Going to the zoo? Do you have money?" "Yes!" "How much?" Jiang Yanyue’s eyes lit up. She had thought that getting a free meal from her brother today was already pretty good; she hadn’t expected an additional windfall. The eight hundred yuan he took from me? He’s going to pay it all back today, with interest! "One hundred." "Great! Transfer it quickly! My WeChat is hungry and thirsty." "Deduct it from my future salary," Jiang Shu said after eating a few skewers of vegetables to cleanse his palate. "Didn’t you, the CEO, say you were hiring me as both a bodyguard and a driver? That salary should be at least ten thousand a month, right? A hundred yuan is nothing. Just deduct it from my wages!" "???" No, wait, are you some kind of dog?! Her fists clenched hard. At that moment, Jiang Yanyue really felt the urge to practice martial arts. So strong. She just wondered, how could an ordinary person improve their martial arts enough in just one minute to suppress a Martial Artist who might have already sensed their Qi and blood? One minute, no more. Any longer, and she would be tired. Ultimately, Jiang Yanyue decided to accompany Jiang Shu to the zoo. It was definitely not because of the milk tea she was holding in her hands. "Jiang Shu, if you buy me a milk tea this delicious every day, I won’t be mad at you anymore." "Fine. You buy it yourself, and the money will come out of my salary." "Repeating a joke too many times will cost you, you know." "Taken out of my salary?" Jiang Yanyue suddenly felt very tired. She vaguely remembered that her brother wasn’t like this in the past. Back then, she had always been the smarter one. Could practicing martial arts not only strengthen your limbs but also boost your intelligence? Jiang Yanyue looked out the window, deciding not to speak to this bodyguard-cum-driver, who could only talk about deducting from his salary, for the rest of the day. So incompetent! 「Fifteen minutes later.」 "Hey, Jiang Shu, look! There are so many people." Jiang Yanyue turned in her seat, rolled down the window, stuck her head out, and craned her neck to look back. Across the street at the zoo, she saw about a dozen people still buying tickets at the booth. Many others were entering one by one, with security guards maintaining order. Even the not-so-small parking lot was already full of cars. It wasn’t that she hadn’t been to the zoo before; she was even a regular visitor as a child. But in recent years, as times changed, she and her classmates usually just went out for good food, played script murder games, or did escape rooms. They rarely visited places like this anymore. She hadn’t expected it to be so crowded today. Hopping out of the car, Jiang Yanyue finished the last sip of her milk tea and threw the cup into a trash can. Crossing the street, she noticed a sign: "Ji City Zoo is Relocating! Last Three Days! Free Admission! Register at the Ticket Office!" "Huh, so it’s relocating. No wonder there are so many people. Jiang Shu, did you see the news about the relocation and decide to come specifically for that?" "Do I look like someone who reads that kind of news?" Jiang Shu glanced at Jiang Yanyue, though he too was puzzled. A zoo is basic city infrastructure. How could it relocate so casually? Besides, such relocations are usually announced in advance on Ji City’s official channels, specifying the new location. But now, when he opened his phone, he couldn’t find a single message about it on Ji City’s official channels. Only by browsing forums and Tieba did he find posts claiming a new directive: zoos in second and third-tier cities were to collectively relocate to their respective provincial capitals soon. Some first-tier cities had even begun capturing stray cats and dogs. This directive was sudden and strange. It was just like three months ago when it was announced that all high school students, regardless of their focus on arts or sciences, could switch to become Martial Arts Students and practice the Horse Stance. After queuing for about twenty minutes at the ticket office, the two finally entered the zoo. Jiang Yanyue decided to retrace her childhood route, revisiting every spot in the zoo and occasionally taking pictures to post in her class group chat. Meanwhile, Jiang Shu pocketed his phone, cleared his mind, and after a word with his sister, headed straight for the tiger enclosure. He stood quietly watching the tigers through the glass. He observed their pacing, their seated postures, their breathing patterns. These three images—the fierce tigers, Old Chou, and himself—replayed and gradually merged in Jiang Shu’s mind.