176: Chapter 173 What is Correct?

The exterior of Master Wen's residence was distinctly Western-style, resembling a small castle, but to one's surprise, the interior was decorated in a purely Chinese style.

Stepping inside felt like entering a classic Chinese room with elegant and exquisite decor.

For instance, on the sandalwood shelf to the left sat a large official kiln porcelain plate, containing delicate, bright yellow Buddha's hand citrons.

On the lacquered shelf to the right hung a white jade chime, with a small mallet suspended beside it.

In the center stood a large, exquisitely carved round table made of top-grade sandalwood, set with delicate white porcelain jade plates holding dainty and beautiful Chinese pastries.

There was also a refined tea set, with every detail exuding a sense of understated luxury.

Indeed, someone unaware would think this was just ordinary Chinese-style decoration.

But Li Changsheng knew a thing or two, thanks to the tea he had shared with Elder Zhang on the second floor of the Zhirou Martial Arts Hall over the past few days.

"If these items are all authentic, then these decorations are likely worth tens of millions."

Li Changsheng was secretly shocked, but his expression remained unchanged.

He glanced back and noticed that Third Master had not entered, but had been led by a servant to another room.

The two took their seats, and Master Wen was in no rush to speak, instead calmly and leisurely beginning to boil water and clean the tea set.

Seeing this, Li Changsheng did not rush either.

As the saying goes, boxing cultivates Qi, Qi nourishes the spirit, and practicing Qi leads to Soul Transformation.

Originally, this was a Daoist concept, but later it became applicable to all aspects, such as martial arts and drinking tea.

Back in the day, Sun Lutang and Song Shirong discussed similar principles when explaining the difference between internal and external schools.

Those who are good at cultivating Qi belong to the internal school, while those who are not are external.

Practicing boxing is the same as cultivating one's character; in the minds of those two Great Masters, the internal and external schools are not about what style of boxing you learn.

It is about one's Heart-Nature, an attitude toward how one conducts oneself in the world.

A calm temperament, decisive in action but not deliberately bullying others—this is internal.

Conversely, a temperamental and irritable personality, or one that is treacherous, cowardly, or overly indulgent—this is external.

That phrase is very incisive: do not seek trouble, but do not fear it.

Master Wen clearly wanted to grind down his Heart-Nature, hoping to make him exhibit the impatience typical of a young person, so that he could seize the dominant position in their conversation.

It was true that Li Changsheng was young, and his way of conducting himself was still immature.

But he only needed to know one thing: staying calm in the face of events is the true way.

When the second pot of tea was finally brewed and the tea cups had been cleaned, Master Wen poured the tea with his left hand, stopping precisely when the cups were seven-tenths full.

If Li Changsheng hadn't shared tea with Zhang Youdao, he really wouldn't have understood the ins and outs of this.

Master Wen using his left hand to pour tea stems from the saying: "Pour tea with the left hand, pour wine with the right." "Pouring tea with the left hand" is an invitation to taste the tea, showing respect through civility; "pouring wine with the right hand" signifies valuing friendship and loyalty, showing importance through martial spirit.

As for filling the cups, wine should be poured full, while good tea should be more than half full, but not too full—seven or eight-tenths is optimal.

The wine table has its own set of rules, and drinking tea has its own, too.

The culture of the wine table has been ruined in recent years by those who force others to drink, but the etiquette of tea drinking is sometimes indeed quite reasonable.

Especially in Guangdong Province; if you don't understand tea drinking, it's hard to do business there.

Even the local sanitation workers there carry tea sets with them; having a cup during leisure time clears heat, quenches thirst, aids digestion, and is good for weight loss and beauty—isn't that wonderful?

"Brother Li, you are a martial artist, which I deeply admire. To have reached such a level at such a young age makes me feel ashamed of my own inferiority."

"The Elder is usually not so close to people, so the fact that you have earned such high regard from him suggests it's not just because of that."

After pouring the tea, Master Wen spoke slowly.

"Master Wen, you sent Third Master away, so I assume you didn't just want to chat with me about these trivial matters?" Li Changsheng smiled faintly.

Dealing with people like this requires being direct; otherwise, they are like wolves, constantly wearing down your patience until you become completely agitated, creating flaws in your words and mindset.

To be honest, Li Changsheng didn't like this way of chatting; he preferred saying what needs to be said, straightforward and crisp.

It's no wonder that in ancient times, some martial artists disliked scholars, yet were still played like puppets by them.

"Hehe, very well. You and I are not outsiders, so I will speak the truth."

Seeing that Li Changsheng truly disliked this game, Master Wen displayed the demeanor he had when he first started out in the Jianghu.

"You must have noticed that this manor and all these items weren't acquired just by having a few hundred people under my command."

To tell you the truth, I started cleaning up my act long ago. From the early years when I first made my fortune, I began investing in various ways, and now it has been quite effective, earning me some money.

Mixing in the Daquan, I knew this wasn't a permanent path. With the death of the old helmsman, I understood this even more clearly and accelerated the process of cleaning up my act.

But as I'm sure Third Master told you, successfully getting out of this life here isn't that simple."

Speaking of this, Master Wen sighed deeply.

Li Changsheng understood this; the U.S. is xenophobic, especially toward Chinese people.

And to integrate into the U.S., one must first be "Correct"—for example, regarding race, gender, sexual orientation, obesity, animals. If you are also an orphan of the victims of the historical World Trade Center incident, then you are even more "Correct."

If you are also anti-China, then you are doubly "Correct."

There was once a U.S. congressman who had eleven "buffs" stacked on him—meaning his political orientation was "Correct"—and he was directly appointed as a U.S. congressman. If it hadn't been discovered later that all those "Correct" aspects were lies, and that he was a complete fraud...

…I fear that person would have already become president.

After all, those "buffs" were almost fully stacked.

One can only say that the U.S. is a magical country. Here, as long as you are "Correct," you are great, and you are right.

If you are the child of Jewish immigrants, a graduate of a prestigious university, homosexual, an orphan, have adopted dozens of small animals at home, participated in feminist marches, are a member of some anti-racial discrimination association, and have also declared anti-China sentiments...

…then congratulations, you don't need to campaign; you can already put on the crown and ascend to the throne directly.

This is very common in the domestic art scene; some artists who win awards abroad are often just painting things that are very "Correct" for foreigners.

It is precisely because of this "Correctness" that foreigners are very happy to give them awards.

And these artists are often already brainwashed, so it's no surprise to see those strange-styled illustrations appearing in textbooks.

Clearly, this Master Wen is not "Correct," at least not in terms of the "Correctness" here.

"So, my current situation is extremely awkward. Without an entry ticket, the people in power in the U.S. can confiscate our assets at any time using various structures."

"If I didn't still have hundreds of people under my command, it would have already been confiscated."

"Perhaps you think it's immoral that I live so well while they have to live a life of killing and arson."

"But..."