Chapter 960

Taiji?

Yang Shu?

Her reply startled Zhang Ye!

Other than him, there was someone else who practiced Taiji Fist in this world? From the reaction of the Chinese martial arts world, Zhang Ye and the rest of the martial arts community had always thought that Taiji Fist was lost since over a hundred years ago! It was impossible that a successor of Taiji would appear ever again. Therefore, when Zhang Ye used his Taiji Fist at the Martial Arts Conference, everyone looked like they had seen a ghost and were shocked beyond imagination as no one could believe that it had really happened!

Yet now, another successor had appeared?

Another person who practiced Taiji Fist?

And even a young woman at that?

And her surname was Yang?

This lineage made Zhang Ye’s heart skip a beat. He knew that in his previous world, Taiji Fist had originated from the Chen lineage. However, the Yang and Chen lineages’ Taiji were basically inseparable. As for the Zhang lineage’s Comrade Sanfeng, he was just a legendary figure used mainly for television and film purposes. Although he really existed, there was no physical evidence that linked Taiji Fist and him together. As luck would have it, perhaps by chance, the Taiji grandmaster of this world who had swept aside the martial arts community over a hundred years ago also had the surname Yang!

Zhang Ye said in surprise, “You know Taiji?”

“Of course.” Yang Shu looked at him.

Zhang Ye immediately asked, “Who is your master?”

Yang Shu answered, “I’m not telling.”

Zhang Ye looked at her in disbelief. “Are you lying or something?”

These days, many scammers were going around.

When Yang Shu heard this, her eyes turned even colder. “A charlatan like you dares to accuse me of lying?”

“Damn, when did I become a charlatan?” Zhang Ye was bewildered.

Yang Shu reprimanded, “You lied to everyone at the National Martial Arts Conference and made them believe that you practiced Taiji Fist, so doesn’t that make you a charlatan? How can you possibly know Taiji!”

Zhang Ye felt helpless.

It’s just that you didn’t know, since the people of this world had very little understanding of Taiji Fist. If we were back in my previous world, you could grab any old person off the street, and they’d all fucking know how to demonstrate a few modified moves of Taiji Fist for health exercises. You would definitely be fucking shocked if you saw that!

Zhang Ye could only ask, “Then what’s your purpose in finding me today?”

Yang Shu smoothed her ponytail and said clearly, “Zhang Ye, your actions have insulted the reputation of Taiji Fist. I now formally issue a challenge to you!”

Zhang Ye was taken aback. “A challenge?”

“Do you have the courage to accept?” Yang Shu asked.

Zhang Ye spread his hands. “Why must we settle this with a fight?”

Yang Shu said with righteous conviction, “Because I want to expose your lies!”

Zhang Ye did not know what to say to this. Actually, he was very curious about the background of this woman sitting before him. Could it be that she really knew Taiji Fist?

Yang Shu added, “Ever since you shot that movie, I’ve wanted to find you. With just a few moves of Taiji that you recreated from hearsay, how dare you use it to shoot a movie? How dare you claim that it was Taiji Fist? What a joke! You have blackened Taiji Fist’s reputation!”

After thinking about it for a while, Zhang Ye finally said, “Alright, there’s no problem with exchanging a few blows, but not here. This is where I work, so it wouldn’t be good if we fought here. Besides, we couldn’t contain the noise to this room anyway. So how about this, I’ll take you somewhere where there aren’t as many people.”

Yang Shu said coolly, “Lead the way.”

“Let’s go.” Zhang Ye pulled the door open and stepped outside. “Get in my car.”

As he didn’t know if he could make it back in time in the afternoon, Zhang Ye called Yan Tianfei to inform him and applied for time off in advance. Only then did he drive his BMW off onto the road.

In the car.

Yang Shu inspected the interior. “Are you very rich?”

Zhang Ye sighed, “Enough to eat and live comfortably.”

Yang Shu made a noise in acknowledgment, then closed her eyes, as though she were conserving her strength for later.

Zhang Ye glanced at her through the rearview mirror and couldn’t help thinking that she was a kind of rash person and felt that she didn’t often interact with people. As such, Zhang Ye was becoming more and more suspicious of her. It was a big “if” whether she even knew martial arts, let alone Taiji Fist.

Jiaomen East.

At Rao Aimin’s apartment.

This was where Zhang Ye had been renting an apartment ever since he graduated from college. Counting the days, it had already been quite a while since he came back here. In the six months that Old Rao had gone away, he had always stayed at his parents’ house.

They took the elevator and went upstairs.

Yang Shu asked, “Is this your place?”

Zhang Ye said, “Not really, it’s just a rented apartment.”

Yang Shu nodded. Then, she suddenly asked, “Do you have anything to eat here?”

“Ha?” Zhang Ye did not know how to react. “Something to eat?”

Yang Shu said, “I just got off the train this morning and haven’t had anything to eat yet.”

Zhang Ye listened carefully and realized that a rumbling noise was coming from Yang Shu’s stomach. Actually, Zhang Ye was also hungry as he didn’t have time to eat lunch. “Alright, let me see what I can find.”

When the elevator reached their floor, Zhang Ye brought her straight to Old Rao’s door.

Bang bang bang.

“Big Sis Rao!”

After a moment, the door opened.

“Big Sis Rao, do you have anything to eat?” Zhang Ye immediately asked.

When Rao Aimin saw that it was Zhang Ye standing at the door, she smacked her lips and said, “You rascal, did you follow the smell here?”

A delicious aroma drifted out from the house. She had clearly just finished making lunch.

Chenchen also came to the door. “Zhang Ye, you’re here?”

Zhang Ye smiled and said, “Yo, you’re not at school today?”

Chenchen acknowledged, “There’s no classes in the afternoon.”

Then the two of them suddenly realized that there was a woman standing behind Zhang Ye.

Rao Aimin raised an eyebrow and asked, “Your nectar?”

As Yang Shu was not from Beijing, she didn’t understand that term.

This was Beijing slang and meant something similar to: Your girlfriend?

Zhang Ye quickly said, “Oh, what are you saying! Can we have something to eat first? I will tell you in a little while. There’s no way to make this long story short.” Then he turned his head to Yang Shu and said, “Come on in.”

Yang Shu just nodded and walked into the house, making herself at home.

Zhang Ye gave a casual introduction. “This is my agent.”

Yang Shu looked at Rao Aimin and nodded slightly at her. “Hello.” She looked around the two-story penthouse apartment curiously and then said to Zhang Ye, “Is your agent very rich?”

Zhang Ye: “…”

Why do you keep asking this question?

And why do you think that everyone you encounter is rich?

Chenchen wondered, “Zhang Ye, who is she?”

Rao Aimin pulled him to the side at this moment, leaving Yang Shu by herself to look around. “Who is she? Why did you bring her here? Do you seriously consider me a cook?”

Chenchen followed them.

Zhang Ye smiled wryly. “She says her name is Yang Shu and that she is the successor of Taiji Fist.”

“The successor of Taiji?” Rao Aimin narrowed her eyes in great interest.

Zhang Ye shrugged. “She keeps insisting that I’m a fraud and wants to duel me. I think she mentioned that she only just arrived in Beijing this morning and hasn’t had anything to eat yet, so I brought her here to eat something first.”

Rao Aimin asked, “Is she really from your Taiji branch of martial arts?”

“I don’t know, but it doesn’t look like it,” Zhang Ye replied.

“Interesting.” Rao Aimin snapped her fingers. “Alright, let’s go and eat. I’ll whip up another dish or two, so don’t forget to pay up before you leave. Don’t come here thinking that you can freeload.”

“Why must you be so stingy?”

Before long, the food was ready.

The four of them sat down at the table and started eating.

The moment they picked up their chopsticks, the atmosphere changed!

Zhang Ye, Rao Aimin, and Chenchen just ate as they usually would, but when they looked at Yang Shu, they were rather taken aback.

Yang Shu ate very quickly, but it was not hurried. Her eating habits were very difficult to describe in words. Her chopsticks grabbed food several times, and in the blink of an eye, her bowl full of rice was emptied. It seemed like she ate more rice than the food itself.

She polished off a bowl of rice just like that.

Yang Shu put down her chopsticks on the empty bowl and did not move.

Zhang Ye said dumbfounded, “Do you want another bowl of rice?”

Yang Shu nodded. “Yes.”

So Zhang Ye went to refill her bowl and brought it back to her. “Here.”

“Thank you.” Yang Shu picked up her chopsticks again and her bowl of rice was rapidly emptied again.

Zhang Ye was stunned. “Do you still want more?”

Yang Shu nodded. “…Sure.”

She ate a total of four bowls of rice. Although the bowl was small, every serving was heaped to the brim. Yang Shu alone had eaten more rice than Zhang Ye, Rao Aimin, and Chenchen combined!

Damn!

Just how many days haven’t you eaten for?

Zhang Ye said in a polite manner, “Why don’t you eat some of the food?”

Yang Shu well and truly helped herself. “Sure.” She attacked a dish with her chopsticks.

There wasn’t much food left on the table by this point.

Chenchen tried to snatch the remaining food from her. “This piece of meat is mine!”

But Yang Shu had already gripped the piece of meat between her chopsticks.

Chenchen’s chopsticks bashed into Yang Shu’s chopsticks.

Yang Shu reflexively avoided it.

Chenchen flicked her wrist and fended that move upwards in the opposite direction using her chopsticks.

Yang Shu was momentarily startled. “Eight Trigrams?”

Chenchen had been practicing the Eight Trigrams Palm with Rao Aimin since she was young. Although she wasn’t old enough to actually practice the martial arts for real, the stance and moves were still evident. She had been trained and influenced by Rao Aimin over the years!

It was a surprise that Yang Shu could recognize it this quickly!

Zhang Ye and Rao Aimin gave each other a look.

She really was a martial artist?

Her observation skills were definitely there!

Zhang Ye’s interest was piqued and he shot out his chopsticks to join in as well. “This is the last piece of pork belly, and I haven’t had some in a long time, so why not leave it for me instead?”

With him joining in, Yang Shu could feel a gentle force coming through the chopsticks and nearly lost her grip on them!

Yang Shu’s expression changed slightly. “I think we should leave it for the child instead!”

Yang Shu loosened her grip on the chopsticks, then immediately followed with a raising motion and tried to push Zhang Ye’s chopsticks away!

Zhang Ye smiled and said, “The child shouldn’t eat too much as she might get indigestion, so let me have it instead.”

Yang Shu discovered that she wasn’t able to push him away!

Zhang Ye’s chopsticks were seemingly stuck to hers, clinging to her movements!

“The child is growing!” Yang Shu gripped the piece of pork belly and applied some slight downward pressure while suddenly turning the chopsticks toward Zhang Ye’s hand!

“I’ve been working the entire morning, so I’m quite hungry.” Zhang Ye struck out in an arc in the opposite direction as he adjusted his chopsticks into a vertical position just in time to block the tip of Yang Shu’s chopsticks!

The forces collided!

The pork belly tumbled through midair!

Yang Shu went after it with her chopsticks!

Zhang Ye pushed away her chopsticks!

Yang Shu blocked!

Zhang Ye channeled some neutralizing power against her block!

But Yang Shu also channeled a stream of neutralizing power through her chopsticks at the same moment!

The chopsticks crashed into each other!

Pah!

A shockwave passed through Zhang Ye’s hand and it trembled, but he did not drop his chopsticks!

Meanwhile, Yang Shu’s chopsticks instantaneously flew out of her hands and hit the wall behind her before falling onto the ground!

With a quick motion, Zhang Ye grabbed the falling piece of pork belly.

Yang Shu sat there stunned!

But at the next second, Rao Aimin’s chopsticks suddenly joined in as well. “I’ve always wondered how a rascal like you could have practiced your martial arts to such a level. Since today’s occasion feels rather suitable, let’s spar.”

Zhang Ye gave a wry smile. “Oh, I’m not gonna spar with you.”

Rao Aimin said, “My injuries are not recovered yet, so you won’t be at a disadvantage.”

Zhang Ye said in a speechless manner, “Even with your injuries, I’m not going to be a match for you.”

“Just try.”

“—Fine!”

Lineages – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tai_chi#T%E2%80%98ai-chi_ch%E2%80%98%C3%BCan_lineage_treeZhang Sanfeng – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhang_Sanfeng#In_folktales,_fiction_and_medianectar, like honey or dear