351: Chapter 351: Three Moves 351: Chapter 351: Three Moves Half an hour later, the old general suddenly burst into a hearty laugh, looking fondly at Tangyu, “Well done, well done!
Truly a Go prodigy, the only young person who could defeat this old man.
Since ancient times, heroes have emerged from the young.
To possess such high Go attainment at your age is indeed rare and admirable.
Fang Lao, you’ve raised a wonderful granddaughter, indeed picking up a treasure.
Alas, my own two haven’t had such good fortune.”
General Zhang had played Go with Tangyu for half an hour, but in the end, he lost.
“Hehe, then I’ll take the general’s auspicious words to heart.
Tangyu is indeed a rare and fine young man,” Fang Lao said, smiling happily in response.
Hearing the elders’ conversation, Tangyu felt somewhat embarrassed—they were already placing him in the position of Fang Yishui’s boyfriend.
Tangyu wondered if he should be happy or…
happy.
Fang Yishui’s face also turned a rare shade of red, “Grandfather Zhang, what are you two talking about?
Tangyu is my master, we’re not like what you’re thinking.”
“Hehe, what about a master?
Nowadays, at most he’s called a teacher,” said Fang Lao with a squint and a smile, finding Tangyu more and more to his liking.
Those who love Go believe in the saying that the quality of one’s Go game reflects one’s character.
A good game signals a good character.
Having previously praised Tangyu, and now with General Zhang singing his praises, Fang Lao was naturally more satisfied and admiring.
If Tangyu and Fang Yishui were willing, Fang Lao would probably gladly approve their marriage on the spot.
“Grandfather Fang, may I ask why you invited me over today?” Tangyu shifted the topic, as he didn’t enjoy discussing such embarrassing matters—if there were matters to discuss, they should be talked over slowly in the room.
“What’s the matter?
Can’t I invite you over for a meal without reason?
Didn’t I tell you last time to come over for a meal when you have time?
Since you didn’t visit, this old man had to muster the courage to personally extend an invitation,” said Fang Lao with a teasing smile.
Tangyu quickly responded, “It’s my oversight, I’ve been too busy these past days and didn’t have the chance to visit you, Grandfather Fang.
I came in a hurry today and wasn’t well-prepared.”
“Hehe, it’s fine, you can always visit next time.
The Fang Family’s door is always open for you.
Ah yes, it’s open at night too,” Fang Lao said with a nod.
“…”
“Grandfather!” Fang Yishui stomped her foot in embarrassment, yet she felt a strange happiness in her heart—she even had some small expectation for Tangyu to visit at night.
No, during the day.
“Alright, alright, you young people these days think this old man is too naggy.
Well, I’ll no longer interfere with your affairs,” Fang Lao said.
The last sentence was imbued with ambiguity, treating Tangyu almost as if he were a grandson-in-law.
Tangyu had already experienced Fang Lao’s enthusiasm during a previous visit, and it seemed even more pronounced this time.
The old saying goes, ‘Having an elder at home is like having a treasure’, which indeed proved to be true.
At that moment, Fang Yishui’s face was shy and flushed like a ripe peach, a woman’s bashful look always so attractive, inciting the urge to show some affection.
“Grandpa, I’ve come back to see you!
We have a guest at home today, oh, it’s Grandfather Zhang.
Hello, Grandfather Zhang,” a resonant voice called out, followed by a tall and sturdy figure walking in.
He stood at about 185 centimeters, robust and well-built.
He appeared to be in his early twenties, not rough but rather handsome.
With a distinct and chiseled face, he clearly had been through hardships.
He carried an extraordinary demeanor and a hint of pride about him, striding in with a crisp military uniform and a commanding presence.
“Mm,” General Zhang acknowledged the newcomer with a simple nod of the head.
Fang Zhendong’s gaze quickly landed on Tangyu, a flash of imperceptible light in his eyes, “Yishui, is this your boyfriend you’ve brought home?”
“Ptui!
You’re the one who brought home a boyfriend!
This is my master,” Fang Yishui said.
“Master?” Fang Zhendong asked, puzzled as he looked at Fang Yishui, “You call your teacher ‘master’?”
“Of course not, he is my master, and he teaches me the Tai Chi Mysteries,” Fang Yishui explained.
“Haha, Tai Chi, right.
That does seem rather suitable for you girls to practice,” Fang Zhendong said with a smile, his tone containing a hint of disdain.
Fang Zhendong had been exposed to military life since childhood, participating in various modern military trainings, learning the most practical combat techniques.
To be honest, he had never been fond of Tai Chi.
Not that he looked down upon it—due to his grandfather, he also started practicing Tai Chi from a young age, but once he encountered the Military Fist, he felt Tai Chi was too impractical, so despite any punishment from Fang Lao, he stopped practicing Tai Chi.
“Fang Zhendong, what do you mean by that?” Fang Yishui said, a bit angrily.
Fang Zhendong laughed, “Cousin, don’t be angry, I was just saying,” and after saying that, he walked up to Tangyu and stretched out his hand with a refined smile, “Hello, Fang Zhendong.” Although he appeared elegant and pleasant, inwardly he was seething with determination to make Tangyu look foolish.
How could someone of the Fang Family casually acknowledge another as their master?
And to learn such impractical Tai Chi at that?
If word were to get out, wouldn’t it be a joke?
What he didn’t know was why Fang Yishui brought Tangyu home, and it seemed even Grandfather didn’t object.
All this confusion made Fang Zhendong feel displeased with Tangyu.
Tangyu returned the smile and, without drawing attention, shook Fang Zhendong’s hand, “Tangyu.”
Fang Zhendong was waiting to see the agonized contortion of muscle on Tangyu’s face, but his own expression quickly changed as he was surprised again and again.
As soon as he grasped Tangyu’s hand, intending to apply force, he didn’t expect a powerful surge of Dark Force to burst forth, pinning down on his own palm.
Had he not reacted quickly enough to counter with his own strength, he might have been at a disadvantage.
What surprised him even more was that the force actually made his hand ache.
“Hmm, not as weak as I thought,” Fang Zhendong’s brows furrowed slightly, and after the grip Tangyu withdrew his hand.
Fang Zhendong, without further comment, also pulled back his hand, and the two had only engaged in a brief exchange.
“Grandfather, I’ve won against the vice-captain of the Black Panther Commando, Chai Jun.
Next time, my target is their captain, heh heh.” Fang Zhendong turned his attention away from Tangyu and started boasting to the elder Fang.
However, the elder Fang just gave him a cold glance and reprimanded him with a hint of anger: “All you ever do is fight with people.
You lack military discipline in the army and are still so frivolous even at this age.
Not at all mature, utterly disgraceful.
Flaunting such minor achievements before me, do you want to turn yourself into a laughingstock in front of your Granduncle Zhang?”
Fang Zhendong was taken aback by the elder Fang’s scolding.
He thought that this time his accomplishment would earn him a word of praise from his grandfather, but instead, he ended up being lectured.
“Exactly, it’s just the vice-captain of some special ops team, not some formidable character.
Not to mention you— even I could beat him now,” Fang Yishui chimed in.
“You?” Fang Zhendong looked at Fang Yishui skeptically, well aware of her abilities.
Now full of confidence, Fang Yishui stood proudly and retorted, “What, don’t believe me?
Just the other day, I defeated He Ye.
He’s the president of our university’s combat sports club, the brother of He Ming.
You should know him.”
“Huh, you defeated He Ye?
How is that possible, Yishui?
Even if you want to praise yourself, there’s no need to tell such lies.
Grandfather is right here,” Fang Zhendong said with a sneer, then he promptly shook his head.
Fang Zhendong knew He Ye too, having interacted with him a few times.
Although they’d never truly sparred, he was aware that He Ye was no simple fellow, possessing quite impressive strength.
Fang Zhendong was more familiar with and even respected He Ming’s abilities.
The brothers were known as the young talents of the He Family, formidable in strength, and had gained some renown in the upper echelons of Donglin City society.
One established the Sanda club at Donglin University and was rumored to be the university’s top fighter, while his older brother He Ming was even more formidable, owning a dance hall and having competed in many international competitions.
“Pfft, I’m not as narcissistic as you.
Do I need to boast about myself that way?
Grandfather knows about this, so why would I need to lie?
Besides, we Fang family members never lie.
Have you forgotten that too?” Fang Yishui countered.
Fang Zhendong was startled and glanced at the elder Fang, only to receive another stern look.
This series of setbacks made him extremely uncomfortable.
After all, he was the only son of the Fang family, yet from a young age, he rarely received his grandfather’s approval or praise.
The less he got, the harder he worked to secure a word of praise from his grandfather.
To see an outsider effortlessly receive such admiration only made him more uncomfortable.
“Yishui, are you saying that after learning Tai Chi from him, you defeated He Ye?” Fang Zhendong asked, knitting his brows.
“Yes, exactly.
But it wasn’t Tai Chi, it was the Tai Chi Mysteries.
You wouldn’t understand even if I explained,” Fang Yishui replied.
Fang Zhentian’s lips curled into a smile as he turned to Tangyu and said, “I’d like to experience your Tai Chi Mysteries, honestly.
I’ve always been skeptical about Tai Chi’s practicality as a combat technique, so I’ve never quite taken to it.
To put it plainly, I just don’t believe in it.”
Tangyu gave a faint smile; Fang Zhentian was being straightforward, directly challenging him without the usual pleasantries.
A direct approach was the most useful to Tangyu, as beating around the bush would only cause him to feel antipathy.
“Elder Fang, haven’t you been praising Tangyu as a young hero with a grandmaster’s demeanor?
I’ve studied a bit of Tai Chi myself, and I’m quite interested in the Tai Chi Mysteries you spoke of,” said General Zhang, being rather tactful.
He didn’t outright suggest Tangyu to accept Fang Zhentian’s challenge but brought up their morning conversation, which was one of the reasons Elder Fang invited Tangyu for lunch.
The elder Fang smiled and said, “Yes, General Zhang, I’ve seen it with my own eyes, and I was truly stunned.
Tangyu, General Zhang seldom shows such interest, so why don’t you give some pointers to my unworthy grandson?
He’s become a bit too arrogant lately.
Without a setback, he’ll never understand that there are always people better than oneself.”
Fang Zhentian, hearing the elders talk this way, was extremely dismayed.
Where else in the world would a grandfather go so far to favor someone else over his own grandchild?
Listening to their overflowing words of praise for Tangyu only left Fang Zhentian with feelings of envy and resentment.
The more this happened, the more his fighting spirit was kindled.
“Fine, three moves.
If I can’t knock you down in three moves, I’ll consider it my loss.
How about that?” Tangyu looked calmly at Fang Zhentian.
“What?”
With Tangyu’s words, everyone’s gaze turned to him.