The old man froze completely.
His weathered face was agape, his eyes vacant, staring blankly at Qinglin. Anyone who didn't know better might have thought he had Alzheimer's.
The old man's reaction, however, startled Qinglin.
"Grandpa?"
No response. He remained standing there, dazed.
"Grandpa, are you alright?"
The old man suddenly snapped out of it. With a flustered expression, he hurried over to Qinglin and reached out to touch her forehead.
"Are you alright, my dear granddaughter? Why are you saying such nonsensical things today?"
...
Qinglin immediately rolled her eyes.
Pushing his hand away, Qinglin said earnestly, "Grandpa, I'm telling the truth."
The old man's expression turned stern.
"Xiao Qing, don't you know your grandfather is the founder of Shangjing Wushu Tai Chi! I won't boast about other aspects, but in Tai Chi, is there anyone who can do it better than your grandpa?"
The old man spoke in a proper, serious manner, his words brimming with pride.
And he had every reason to be proud. Not just in Shangjing, but across the entire country, even worldwide! In this era, when it came to Tai Chi, no one who had achieved the highest honors could compare to him!
Qing Tai Chi, that was the old man's given name.
His name had been linked to Tai Chi since birth, and he had been exposed to it from the tender age of three. He practiced it at least once every day, and he was now over seventy years old. His life, it could be said, had been intertwined with these two words.
The honors he had received were countless.
Why shouldn't he be proud?
Qinglin shook her head again, but she understood that no amount of words would convince him now. She could only ask him to perform for her again.
"So you mean to say you're going to critique your grandpa's Tai Chi today?"
The old man looked at Qinglin with a peculiar gaze. If he recalled correctly, his precious granddaughter had never been interested in Tai Chi. Although she had grasped its essence, she had never practiced it much.
And now, with her current skill level, she dared to say something like this?
The thought amused him, and he readily agreed to Qinglin's request.
"Then watch closely. I'm eager to see what wonders you can show me."
The old man chuckled and stepped aside. However, he didn't begin immediately. Instead, he stood still like a pine tree, slowly regulating his breathing.
Qinglin watched her grandfather, who had closed his eyes. Suddenly, she felt as though the person standing there wasn't just a man, but a truly ancient, towering tree!
A sense of ancient, profound stillness washed over her. Even though she had witnessed it countless times, Qinglin was still awestruck.
"Grandpa's aura, it's truly the strongest I've ever seen."
Qinglin murmured softly, a look of admiration on her face. Regardless of his combat prowess, judging solely by his presence, the aura emanating from Qing Tai Chi at that moment was, in her experience, the most breathtaking and unique.
After about half a minute, the old man suddenly opened his eyes. A sharp glint, as if materialized, shot from his eyes. The ancient, profound aura around him suddenly became surging, like a boundless tide!
If the old man had been like a thousand-year-old tree rooted in place just moments ago, he was now like a giant wave in a storm, inspiring awe and fear just by looking at him!
It was about to begin.
Knowing her grandfather well, Qinglin wasn't the least bit intimidated. Instead, she began to focus intently on his movements.
The next moment, the old man finally began to perform his Tai Chi. As soon as his starting posture moved, his aura surged like the rolling, thousand-layered waves. As his palms swept, it seemed even the surrounding wind was at his command, gently fanning a refreshing breeze.
If he had been performing normally, such an effect would have been impossible. The old man was clearly motivated by his granddaughter's challenge!
This was no longer just a simple demonstration of Tai Chi!
However, he hadn't expected Qinglin to remain unfazed. Instead, she watched his every move with intense focus. When he reached a certain move, Qinglin suddenly spoke.
"Grandpa, stop!"
The old man's movement froze instantly, and he looked at her with confusion.
Qinglin walked forward, her mind replaying Li Chonglou's movements. She then directly took the old man's hand and guided it through the motion based on her memory.
"Grandpa, at this move, try it like this."
This time, the old man was genuinely displeased. When practicing Tai Chi, the most annoying thing was being interrupted. It was because there was a buildup of momentum within the movements, and the momentum grew stronger as it progressed. An interruption midway would naturally disrupt that effect.
However, since his precious granddaughter was standing before him, the old man could only sigh helplessly.
"Alright, alright, Grandpa will do as you say."
Everything began anew.
But this time, the old man no longer exuded that powerful aura. He looked like an ordinary old man practicing Tai Chi. The only difference was that his movements appeared more stable, standard, and aesthetically pleasing.
Each move flowed quickly. When he reached the same posture that Qinglin had called out to stop earlier, the old man's movements suddenly stiffened, and a look of confusion appeared on his face.
"Wait, my dear granddaughter, what did you say just now?"
Now it was Qinglin's turn to be bewildered. In her impression, her grandfather was not someone suffering from senility. On the contrary, she often felt that many young people today didn't have as strong a learning ability as her grandfather.
But how could he have forgotten so quickly?
With a look of confusion, Qinglin stepped forward again to guide him.
"Oh, oh, I remember. Grandpa might have been spacing out just now."
The old man coughed awkwardly and quickly asked Qinglin to step aside again. He adjusted his breathing.
Then, he started once more.
The starting posture, the connecting movements, the actions quickly arrived at the point Qinglin had 'guided' him to. However, the old man reverted to his own set of movements.
"That's not right!"
The old man's movement faltered. This time, Qinglin didn't need to correct him. He stopped immediately, adjusted himself, and began again!
The third attempt still failed.
The fourth attempt was the same...
...
When he missed the move for the fifth time, both of them froze.
After a long moment.
"Xiao Qing, what were those moves you taught me? Why can't I perform them every time?"
The old man looked at Qinglin with a baffled expression. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation.
"I don't know either. I just saw someone perform it like that, and when they did it, their body was even emitting smoke."
As Qinglin spoke, she recalled Li Chonglou's movements.