101: Chapter 98 Discussing Hidden Strength (Part 1)

East of the village, beside Gao Qiang's lakeside villa, the lake water was bright as a mirror. A gentle breeze brushed across the azure surface, stirring up slight ripples, as the wind carried tiny waves across the water.

One old man and one young man sat leisurely on the grass, holding fishing rods, fishing for river fish rather than fame, pouring wine into a clay pot as the mountains turned blue at dusk.

Wearing a bamboo hat and enduring the scorching heat—it was now summer vacation, the peak of the sweltering heat—yet he had to accompany an old geezer to fish for some nonsense.

Sigh!

The fishing rod was his, the bait was his, the bamboo hat was his; only the person himself was his own.

Li Changsheng couldn't help but find it amusing; it felt like this old man had come fully prepared. It was clear that this old gentleman was quite the angler.

"Daoist Priest Zhong, let's stop playing riddles. This fish pond belongs to my brother. I'm paying, so you can fish as you please, but let's speak plainly."

Li Changsheng felt he couldn't continue accompanying the old gentleman like this. If they kept going, he would be fine, but he was worried the old man might suffer from heatstroke.

"You know my name?"

The old man didn't turn his head, continuing to gaze at his fishing rod with a faint smile.

"I'm not stupid. You and your Disciple are exactly the same."

Both asked me about the same person, with the exact same tone and demeanor; if I couldn't recognize that, it would be a miracle.

Today, Daoist Priest Zhong wasn't wearing his Daoist robes, but rather casual clothes. They were a bit cheap, but it was the standard low-end gear for an angler.

"Hehe, I haven't come to cause you trouble, so don't be afraid." Daoist Priest Zhong smiled and pointed to the distant float, saying:

"I didn't use to like fishing. Around the age of forty, I felt fishing was a decent activity. Actually, life is like fishing; it begins with dreams of a bright future, but doesn't necessarily yield the expected harvest. Regardless of the outcome, one must maintain a calm heart. My Disciple just couldn't settle his mind, which is why he offended you, little brother."

Hearing this, Li Changsheng glanced at the float. Watching it bob up and down, he realized it was indeed like life—full of ups and downs, with no one knowing what would happen next. One must stay calm and take it one step at a time to achieve anything.

This old man actually understood philosophy.

"Hey, hey, little brother, your fish is biting! What are you standing there for?"

Suddenly, Daoist Priest Zhong's loud voice startled Li Changsheng. After a flurry of frantic activity, he finally pulled the fish up.

Looking closely, he saw it was hooked deep because the fish had taken the bait too aggressively.

But it was still a pretty good catch—a grass carp, nearly twelve jin.

Li Changsheng didn't know much about this, but seeing the old Daoist's happy expression, he knew a fish of this size was quite a good catch.

"Hehe, little brother, to have such a catch on your first time fishing—not bad, not bad. I thought you were going to go home empty-handed."

The old gentleman deftly helped Li Changsheng put the grass carp into the fish basket.

Gao Qiang's fish pond didn't usually host anglers, but since they were brothers, Li Changsheng decided to give Qiang Zi a few hundred yuan later as a fishing fee.

Reseating himself, Li Changsheng pondered how to continue the conversation. Daoist Priest Zhong found a comfortable position, leaned back on the grass, and said leisurely, "I will compensate for what my Disciple Shixing did wrong. You must want to ask about Hidden Power, right? The way you have practiced Visible Power to the point of 'issuing without intention,' it must have been a few years, right?"

Hearing this, although the old Daoist wasn't entirely correct, Li Changsheng still nodded.

Daoist Priest Zhong looked at the bait with a faint smile and said, "He is like a fish in this water, always wanting to seize the opportunity to soar into the sky, but he doesn't know if that opportunity is poisonous or not. Over the years, he has gained both fame and fortune. I thought he would settle down for a while, but he got a bit lost. However, it isn't over yet. Little brother, you woke him up this time. How about this: I have been practicing martial arts for decades—I won't claim to be incredibly powerful, but I do know some Hidden Power techniques. You ask, and I will answer. I will answer three questions for you as a token of my gratitude. How about it?"

Hearing this, Li Changsheng's heart trembled, and his hand holding the fishing rod even shook slightly.

"Is that for real?"

Being able to ask a Hidden Power expert about the subject in person was naturally something he had been longing for.

Hearing this, Daoist Priest Zhong stroked his beard and smiled, "Rest assured, a man of the cloth does not tell lies."

"Daoist Priest, that's what monks say."

"Ahem, it doesn't matter. I practice both Buddhism and Daoism. I studied at the Shaolin Temple for a few years. If you don't believe me, check your phone and you'll see."

He had expected the old Daoist to be embarrassed, but when Li Changsheng checked, it was actually true.

He had first learned Yue family and Yang family boxing, then went to Shaolin, where he learned Shaolin Kung Fu for about a year. Then, having heard that the birthplace of Internal Martial Arts was Wudang, he went to Wudang.

He then worked his way up to the position of the Sect Head's head Disciple.

So he really hadn't been wrong; he practiced both Buddhism and Daoism, and his learning was quite eclectic.

"Then, Senior, may I ask what this Hidden Power actually is? What defines Hidden Power?"

Li Changsheng thought for a moment and asked his first question.

The current scenery and the feeling of their conversation felt remarkably similar to the three questions and three answers in Xin Qiji's poetry.

"You are the same as my Disciple, but your foundation in Internal Martial Arts is far deeper than his. Actually, even if I didn't say anything, with your Aptitude, you would surely enter the Hidden Power Realm in five to ten years."

Daoist Priest Zhong stroked his beard slightly and continued, "As for the so-called Hidden Power, I won't repeat what those martial arts masters have already mentioned. Let me tell you something practical. In one sentence: rigidity and softness open and close; the spirit merges with intention, intention merges with Qi, and Qi merges with strength. Hidden Power is vigorous, and the explosive force is like a needle—that is Hidden Power."

"The Internal Three Harmonies?"

Hearing this, Li Changsheng was stunned. He had speculated about this over the past few days, but he hadn't expected it to actually be the case. However, how could one achieve such vigorous Hidden Power, with explosive force like a needle?

"Then, in your opinion, Senior, how can I correctly train to achieve Hidden Power?" Li Changsheng asked the crucial question.

Hearing this, Daoist Priest Zhong looked Li Changsheng up and down, then immediately frowned and said, "You have already touched that threshold, but there is something strange. Your Internal Martial Arts is even slightly better than mine; why... why does it always feel like something is blocked? Have you had any issues with your internal organs before?"

As he spoke, the old Daoist reached out to take his pulse, stroking his beard while closing his eyes in contemplation.

"Strange, strange! Little brother, your brow bone is relaxed, and you don't look like a depressed person, so what is this liver Qi stagnation about? As the saying goes, the liver governs the regulation of Qi, prefers a free flow, and liver-wood thrives on smoothness and fears stagnation most of all. Cheerful people are not easily affected by liver ailments, so I suspect you must have ruined your health in the past."

Hearing this, Li Changsheng nodded. He finally realized that most people who had practiced Internal Martial Arts to a certain level knew some Traditional Chinese Medicine and had a certain understanding of the body, human meridians, and internal organs.

"Yes, this Junior did indeed have some liver problems in the past due to issues with lifestyle and rest. Does achieving Hidden Power require the liver to be completely healed?" Li Changsheng asked.

"Hmm, that's not necessarily the case, but it isn't a big problem since you haven't mastered Hidden Power yet. Once you master Hidden Power, under the pressure of such vigorous force, your internal organs would be the first to give out. However, it is not a major issue; Hidden Power is a level of ability—you just need to make sure not to use your full strength."