Chapter 60: The Shy Little Fawn

Hearing what Xiao Lu said, I leaned back in my chair again and smiled with a confident air. "My physical condition is better than anyone's. There is nothing wrong with me."

Xiao Lu smiled faintly, her voice softening. "I can tell that you must be an expert. The reason you don't believe it is because you are overly confident in your own martial arts skills, and therefore excessively confident in your physical body as well?"

I was slightly taken aback, then nodded. "You could say that."

Xiao Lu smiled, stood up, walked to the open space nearby, and said, "How about we spar a little?"

I blinked in surprise. "Do you practice martial arts?"

"I've practiced a little."

"Alright then!"

Although I was extremely confident in my own combat abilities, I also knew there were many hidden experts among the folk, and this place felt bizarre in every aspect. Who knew if she might be some hidden master living away from the secular world? So, I couldn't help but become interested.

We stood facing each other in the spacious open area. I gave her a head-to-toe scan, then suddenly paused and said, "You should go change your shoes!"

Xiao Lu looked down at her feet, smiled somewhat shyly, and said, "Actually, my practical combat skills aren't that brilliant. I can see that you radiate a vigorous and heroic aura, meaning you must be a formidable expert. I am most likely no match for you, so how about we just try pushing hands instead?"

Pushing hands? That kind of slow-paced, flowing exercise was not my specialty. However, I possessed ample strength, high speed, and quick reflexes; no matter how she played, I had nothing to fear.

"Come on then!"

I took a step forward, standing right in front of her. I extended both hands, palms facing upward.

Xiao Lu also extended her hands, crossing them with mine.

I deliberately intended to let her make the first move, so I remained still for a moment.

Sensing my intention, Xiao Lu smiled slightly and said, "We're starting."

As soon as her voice trailed off, her hands gave a gentle vibration, and her soft limbs suddenly released a powerful, elastic spring force. My reaction was lightning-fast. In an instant, I dipped my hands downwards along with her momentum, then exerted a counter-force to rebound, employing the technique of penetrating power.

Penetrating power was a force-releasing technique I was extremely proficient in. Back during my training days at the Siberian training camp, when I practiced on sandbags, I could easily pulverize the sand inside while making the entire sandbag oscillate more than two hundred times per minute, with the amplitude of each shake never exceeding five degrees. This was the exact opposite of pure brute force attacks that caused sandbags to swing violently back and forth.

Penetrating power emphasized the penetrative nature of force, relying on a foundation of immense strength and extreme speed. However, it was not merely about penetration; once the technique was mastered, proper adjustments to strength and speed could generate a fierce elasticity capable of lightly bouncing away anything it touched.

A flash of surprise crossed Xiao Lu's face. She twisted her wrist, grabbed my arm, and pulled it to the side, following up instantly with a right elbow strike toward my chest.

I smiled faintly, withdrew my power, smoothly reversed my wrist, and grabbed her arm. At that exact moment, an elastic rebound surged from her hands—its force unexpectedly far greater than before.

Due to a momentary lapse in judgment and underestimating my opponent, my hands were actually bounced away by her. However, this was of little consequence to me. Shifting my body slightly to the right, I reached out and grabbed her again.

Her legs were firmly planted on the ground as if driven in like wooden stakes, remaining completely motionless. As my body shifted to the right, her body coiled around mine in follow-up, her elbow still driving toward my chest.

At that very moment, my right hand had already captured her right wrist, while my left hand gently brushed against her left shoulder.

A powerful force rebounded back, and I increased my strength to strike with another vibration.

Unsure of her background, but estimating it to be quite formidable, I poured a fair amount of power into it.

Suddenly, she let out a cry of surprise, and the force on her shoulder abruptly vanished. Her body tilted sideways and fell backward.

Feeling a slight jolt of alarm, I hurriedly grabbed her right hand and pulled with force. Only then did I feel that her body was soft and devoid of resistance; realizing she had lost, she must have instantly withdrawn all her strength.

Because I pulled a bit too hard, her body suddenly sprang back up, carrying a faint, ethereal fragrance, and plunged directly into my arms.

In the blink of an eye, my arms were filled with warmth and softness, her chest pressing tightly against mine, compressed and deformed.

Time seemed to freeze for a fraction of a second. I could clearly see her delicate and sweet face right before my eyes—skin as flawless as it could be broken by a mere breath, and eyes as clear and limpid as autumn water.

The next moment, she let out a gasp, her face flushed with a deep crimson. She hurriedly broke free, lowered her head, and darted away in a rush, fleeing behind the folding screen.

I stood there blankly for a moment. Was that really necessary?

Although it was slightly ambiguous, it was purely accidental, and the physical contact wasn't even that intimate! Did she really have to blush and hide away like that? Perhaps she was naturally shy by nature, or maybe she rarely interacted with young men!

However, seeing her react this way made me feel somewhat embarrassed as well. I apologized, "Miss Xiao Lu, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that."

Xiao Lu did not make a sound.

Finding it awkward to just walk over there, I simply sat back down in my chair.

After a short while, Xiao Lu's voice drifted out from behind the screen, carrying a hint of lingering shyness. "When I practiced pushing hands with you, it was to let you feel the difference in our types of force. Did you notice anything?"

I was slightly stunned. After pondering for a moment, I said, "There was a bit of a difference, but I didn't pay too much attention."

That was the absolute truth. I really hadn't paid much attention earlier; I had simply been curious as to how such a soft body could conceal such formidable strength, nothing more.

Xiao Lu fell silent again. After a pause, her shy voice drifted over once more. "Your strength is immense, and your technique for releasing force is also brilliant. I was no match for you. But your strength is purely physical strength, which presumably was acquired through overload-intensity training over a short period of time, wasn't it?"

"That's right. Is there a problem with that?" I asked with some confusion.

"When I said earlier that there is something wrong with your physical body, this is what I meant. Although your physique has been trained to an extraordinary degree, long-term over-load training has already left hidden perils within your body. The older you get, the faster you will age. That is why I said your life will not be long."

I sat in a daze for a long while, unsure whether to believe her or not. Still, sensing that she must have some real expertise to make such remarks, I asked, "According to you, what should be done then?"

"I wouldn't dare speak recklessly, but I know the difference between us. What you train is the physical body, and the intensity is far too high, which goes against the principles of nurturing life. What I cultivate is *qi*, which aligns with the principles of preserving health. If you wish to recuperate your body, wait until my grandfather returns and let him decide whether to impart the Dao of Qi Cultivation to you."

"Qi Cultivation?" I blinked in surprise and smiled. "You don't mean the genuine internal energy from martial arts novels, do you?"

A hint of a smile colored Xiao Lu's voice as she replied, "It's not as exaggerated as that. It's simply qigong, which many people outside practice. However, qigong is also divided into different levels—that's something my grandfather will have to explain to you when he returns."

I sat blankly for a while longer, still unconvinced whether what she said was true, though the underlying logic seemed sound. Pausing for a moment, I asked, "You said my life won't be long—if I hadn't come to find you people, how much longer could I live?"

"Based on your current constitution, you could live to at least a hundred. But if the aging process accelerates, at most you won't exceed seventy years." Xiao Lu's voice had returned to normal, sounding very soft and gentle.

"Ah, well, that's not too bad then! You had me thinking I was going to kick the bucket in the next couple of days."

Xiao Lu let out a light chuckle. "It's only short relative to the lifespan you were originally capable of achieving. Who said anything about dying in the next couple of days?"

Hearing this, I completely set my mind at ease. After all, even the worst-case scenario wasn't terribly grim! Letting out a long breath of relief, I smiled and said, "Xiao Lu, why are you still hiding in there? Come on out!"

Xiao Lu remained silent. After a brief pause, the sound of tiny, shuffling footsteps echoed, and Xiao Lu's figure emerged from behind the folding screen.

I turned my head to look. She kept her head down, cast a hasty glance at me, and lowered her gaze once more. A faint blush still lingered on her cheeks, but overall, she looked as though she had recovered her composure.

After the previous episode, our relationship had grown much more familiar. Seeing her like this, I couldn't help finding it amusing and asked, "Xiao Lu, why are you so shy?"

Xiao Lu smiled bashfully. Instead of coming over to the table, she sat down on the bed, lowered her head, and said, "I rarely interact with people. Now that I've explained the situation to you, you should head back first and come back this afternoon."

Watching her bashful appearance, I found her utterly adorable and smiled, "What about the ten million?"

Xiao Lu let out a soft laugh, raised her head, and said, "My grandfather loves money, so you'd better have it ready!"

"Well, fortunately I can still scrape that amount of money together." I couldn't help but chuckle. I hadn't expected that old man, who looked somewhat senile, to have such a penchant for money.

Xiao Lu smiled faintly and said warmly, "Then you should head back now!"

"Alright then, I'll come over in the afternoon." I stood up and walked to the door, then suddenly turned back. "By the way, my name is Chu Fan. What is your real name?"

Xiao Lu hesitated for a moment. "Let's wait until my grandfather returns to talk about that!"

I smiled. "We should be considered friends by now, right? Can't even tell me your name?"

With her head lowered, Xiao Lu hesitated for quite a while before finally lifting her head with a smile. "My name is Su Xiaolu."