Related thematic articles: Untitled Document. The second floor of the quiet teahouse. The soft music sounds like a gentle stream, flowing through people's hearts. There were not many guests on the second floor of the teahouse, only about a dozen or so, in small groups, all talking quietly about their own topics. Suddenly, footsteps were heard from the stairs, causing many guests to involuntarily glance over. A pure young girl with a ponytail wearing jeans and a white polo shirt and a tall woman with short hair wearing purple casual wear walked up together. Many people in the teahouse lit up with excitement!
"Look, two beauties! Especially the one in purple casual wear, tsk tsk, I spent four years at university in Suzhou, just came back, didn't expect to see such a great beauty in our Anyi county. Truly a mature woman, the other one is younger but also pure and beautiful."
"Monkey, no matter how good the beauty is, she's someone else's, stop dreaming."
"Hei, buddy, don't discourage me. By the way, who's that tall one with short hair? I've lived more than twenty years, absolutely one of the top three women I've ever seen. That face, that temperament... really stunning."
"Monkey, let me tell you, that beauty's name is 'Lin Qing', she's an important person, with deep background. The Land Rover worth two million yuan we saw the other day is hers. Just in Anyi county, she owns a hotel, two teahouses. And these are just a small part of her assets."
"So impressive?" That young man nicknamed 'Monkey' was stunned. Anyi county is just an ordinary county in Jiangsu province, a two-million-yuan Land Rover is indeed quite eye-catching in a small county.
"Miss Lin, your room is ready, please follow me." The server on the second floor of the teahouse immediately went forward. Under the guidance of the server, these two beauties entered the private room under the gaze of many people, then the door of the private room closed.
******
In the private room.
After casually ordering a pot of tea, they dismissed the server.
"Sister Lin, you've been coming here every day recently, and always to this private room. Ha ha, your intentions are as clear as daylight."
The ponytail girl smiled and glanced out of the window. Opposite the window was a children's welfare home. On the empty ground of the children's welfare home, there were some staff members playing with the orphans.
"Hey, little miss."
Lin Qing couldn't help but laugh and scolded, but Lin Qing still occasionally looked through the window towards the welfare home below. After searching for a moment, it seemed she didn't find her target and felt a bit regretful.
"Strange, I can't find Teng Qingshan's figure on the welfare home's empty ground. Why isn't he here today? Doesn't he know Sister Lin is waiting for him here?"
"That naughty girl deliberately sighed.
"Well, Amin, stop being sarcastic."
Lin Qing laughed lightly. The ponytail girl 'Xiao Min' nodded, then asked curiously: "Sister Lin, I always feel this Teng Qingshan is very mysterious. When we went on a self-guided tour to the Greater Khingan Range, Sister Lin encountered danger that time, Teng Qingshan carried you, a live person, nearly twenty miles on mountain roads! That's a mountain road! Teng Qingshan's physical strength is really terrifying."
"He is very mysterious." Lin Qing also nodded. Lin Qing still clearly remembered the first time she met Teng Qingshan. That time, Lin Qing and a group of like-minded friends went to Northeast China to explore and travel in the Greater Khingan Range. As experienced hikers, Lin Qing and her group naturally wouldn't follow the safe routes provided by the tourist area. At the time, they hired local villagers as guides to explore areas not open to the public.
Who would have thought... the rarely visited forest was too enchanting. Lin Qing was attracted by a rare bird and, in order to photograph it, inadvertently separated from the main group. When Lin Qing realized it, she couldn't find the group anymore. In the desolate forest, her mobile phone had no signal, making it impossible to contact the group. In this situation, calling heaven or earth for help was futile. Lin Qing could only grit her teeth and walk back alone. But who would have expected to encounter poachers along the way? These poachers, seeing Lin Qing's attire, guessed her situation. In the remote mountains, Lin Qing was so beautiful. Seeing Lin Qing, these men, who hadn't seen a woman for a while, saw a significant increase in testosterone levels. Without much hesitation, they immediately took action. Lin Qing, with a fiery personality, resisted fiercely. But how could a woman fight against five big men? Naturally, Lin Qing was injured, and it seemed she was about to be disgraced. Lin Qing was almost desperate when 'Teng Qingshan', who was wandering alone in the Greater Khingan Range, appeared.
Teng Qingshan acted swiftly, and before Lin Qing could even see clearly, those five big men were already lying unconscious on the ground.
"Hmph..."
Recalling the incident, Lin Qing couldn't help but hum softly, a smile appearing on her face.
"At that time, Teng Qingshan actually wanted me to go back alone, fortunately, he wasn't too cruel. He ended up carrying me back."
Various scenes from that time flashed through Lin Qing's mind. On Teng Qingshan's back, it was like a floating boat returning to the harbor. No matter how rugged the mountain road was, Lin Qing felt peace in her heart. It was a full twenty miles of rugged mountain road, and Teng Qingshan managed to carry Lin Qing all the way to the destination. An average person would be exhausted after walking twenty miles, let alone carrying another person. Moreover, this was in the uninhabited area of the Greater Khingan Range. Even an excellent special forces soldier might not be able to endure it. The mysterious youth 'Teng Qingshan' parted ways with Lin Qing in the Greater Khingan Range after that. Lin Qing thought she would never meet Teng Qingshan again, but unexpectedly, they met again in Anyi County.
"Teng Qingshan..."
Lin Qing was lost in her memories.
"Hey, Sister Lin, look, Teng Qingshan has appeared!"
The voice of the pony-tailed girl 'Xiao Min' woke Lin Qing up. She turned her head and looked down through the window. Opposite the window was a welfare home, fully named 'Huaxin Children's Welfare Home'. Lin Qing and Xiao Min could clearly see the playground of the welfare home through the window. At this moment, a short-haired young man dressed in ordinary casual clothes and wearing glasses was carrying a large basin full of apples to the playground.
"Wow, apples!"
"Eating apples."
"Quickly line up to eat apples."
"Don't mess around, stay behind me. Line up properly."
The originally playing children immediately gathered around and formed two small queues voluntarily. Huaxin Children's Welfare Home gives each orphan a cup of milk in the morning and a fruit in the afternoon. These orphans usually don't have any snacks, so the fruits in the afternoon are particularly attractive to them.
"Thank you Uncle Teng."
These adorable children, upon receiving the red apples, all politely called out. The short-haired young man's face showed a smile as he continued distributing the fruits...
In the teahouse private room, Lin Qing and Xiao Min were watching the short-haired young man distribute the fruits through the window.
"Sister Lin, look how happy Teng Qingshan looks. It seems he really likes children," Xiao Min sighed and said.
"He really likes children; otherwise, he wouldn't come to the welfare home as a free volunteer," Lin Qing said, her eyes completely focused on the short-haired young man 'Teng Qingshan' below. Teng Qingshan's sincere smile towards the orphans completely captivated her. "Xiaomin, I suddenly want to do something."
"Do what?"
Xiaomin's eyes lit up. Lin Qing sighed: "Grandma Huaxin has maintained this welfare home for nearly thirty years all by herself, which is very admirable... I plan to donate one million yuan. So, you go and make contact with the people at the welfare home."
Grandma Huaxin, who is now over eighty years old, is the principal of the Huaxin Children's Welfare Home.
"This is a good deed."
Xiaomin was very pleased...
At this moment, the short-haired young man 'Teng Qingshan' was continuously distributing apples. Most of the children had received theirs and had already started eating.
"So small..."
A slightly curly-haired child looked at his apple and then compared it with others', realizing his was smaller.
The welfare home couldn't possibly buy apples of the same size. Therefore, the fruits the children held were not all the same size. But children love to compare! It seemed... if it was slightly smaller, it felt like they were at a disadvantage.
"Brother, my fruit is the smallest. Yours is much bigger, almost twice as big as mine."
The curly-haired child said to another, stronger-looking child standing beside him.
"Um, my stomach doesn't feel well today. I can't eat such a big one, let's exchange."
The strong-looking child smiled and said.
"Really?"
The curly-haired child's bright eyes lit up, although his eyes were fixed on the big apple in his brother's hand.
"Is there any doubt?"
The strong-looking child smiled, took the apple from his younger brother, and handed over the big apple.
At this moment, Teng Qingshan had finished distributing the apples and just happened to witness this scene.
"These two brothers..."
Teng Qingshan's eyes became distant as a long-ago scene flashed through his mind —— it was a New Year's Eve many years ago. Snowflakes were flying outside, firecrackers were exploding continuously, and in an empty house, a group of children were cheering around an elderly grandmother who looked to be around sixty years old.
"Everyone gets one, one by one."
This gray-haired old grandmother kindly looked at the group of children and gave each child three pieces of White Rabbit milk candy. In that distant era, the era of poverty, having White Rabbit milk candy during the New Year was considered pretty good.
"Thank you grandma."
The group of children cheered happily, excitedly taking the milk candies. They hadn't tasted milk candy for half a year or a year, and at this moment, they couldn't resist and started eating joyfully.
"Brother."
A child wearing a patched-up old cotton-padded jacket pressed his lips together and looked at his older brother.
"What's wrong? Qinghe?"
Beside him, a slightly taller child dressed equally frugally looked at him curiously.
"I... I've eaten my milk candy already. It was so delicious... in just a little while, I've finished it."
As he spoke, this child named 'Qinghe' watched other children slowly eating and drooled with envy.
The slightly taller child looked down at the two remaining pieces of White Rabbit milk candy in his hand.
"Alright, Qinghe, take them."
The slightly taller child said.
"Brother, aren't you going to eat?"
Qinghe hesitated.
"My tooth hurts."
The slightly taller child laughed, "I ate one already, and it hurt so much. Here, take it. Oh, remember... don't crush the candy, like you did earlier. If you chew it up like that, others will finish one piece while you'll have finished three."
"Okay, I know, Brother. You're the best."
Qinghe grinned, "But, these two pieces, let's share them, one each."
The slightly taller child looked down, obviously tempted by the milk candy, and finally nodded, "Alright, one each."
...
"One each."
Teng Qingshan muttered softly, "Qinghe, it's been twenty-two years, already twenty-two years."
Just then, footsteps were heard, and Teng Qingshan turned to look. An old grandma with silver hair was walking over accompanied by a woman.
"Principal Grandma!"
"Principal Grandma, hello!"
A group of orphans immediately shouted excitedly, and this silver-haired old grandma seemed to be smiling widely.
"Principal Grandma."
Teng Qingshan was startled. This Principal Grandma seemed to merge with the old grandma who used to take care of him and his brother in his memory. "It's been twenty-two years, Grandma should be eighty-three years old this year."
Teng Qingshan's body trembled slightly with excitement. But in an instant, he reined in his emotions and returned to calmness.
"Principal, this young man is called Teng Qingshan. He voluntarily came to us as a free volunteer and has been here for six days. He's very hardworking and a very smart young man."
The woman smiled and said.
"Oh, Teng Qingshan?"
The old grandma, over eighty years old with silver hair, smiled gently at Teng Qingshan.
"Qingshan, please take care of the principal. I'll go prepare dinner for the children in the canteen."
The woman smiled.
"Rest assured, Aunt Liu."
Teng Qingshan smiled.
"Principal, I'll leave first."
The woman bid farewell to the principal, and Teng Qingshan naturally stepped forward to assist the principal grandma. This old lady looked at Teng Qingshan and kindly smiled, "Qingshan, you're twenty-three this year, right? I've seen your resume."
"Yes, I've just graduated from university."
Teng Qingshan nodded.
"Looking at your fine skin, it's obvious you haven't done heavy work. Haven't you suffered these past few days?"
The principal grandma smiled and said.
"Not at all, I'm very happy doing it."
Teng Qingshan smiled as he supported the principal. The principal grandma sighed, "To be honest, Qingshan, seeing you makes me feel very close. I can't help but think of an orphan from a long time ago in this orphanage. It was the early 1980s, when the conditions in the orphanage were very poor, and only me and my eldest daughter were taking care of the children. Among the orphans back then, there was a pair of real-life brothers, one named Qingshan and the other Qinghe. Those names were given by me. You're also named Qingshan... it's truly fate."
Teng Qingshan's heart trembled, but he nodded, "Yes, it's fate."
"However, Qingshan was adopted by someone and left the orphanage twenty-two years ago. Today, he should be twenty-nine, much older than you. Maybe he's already married and has children. Who knows how that very obedient child is doing now. My health is getting worse and worse. If I could see Qingshan one more time, that would be great."
Hearing this, Teng Qingshan's heart trembled: "Believe that Principal Grandma will surely get your wish."
Qingshan and Qinghe, that pair of brothers, were abandoned at the doorstep of the orphanage shortly after birth. Back then, the principal 'Huaxin' had just opened the orphanage. Qingshan and Qinghe were among the earliest batch of orphans. Moreover, Principal 'Huaxin Grandma' worked hard to raise these two brothers, developing a deep bond...
Lin Qing and Xiao Min watched Teng Qingshan in the welfare home. First, Teng Qingshan accompanied the principal grandma, then later played with the children. Throughout, there wasn't a trace of impatience. The children obviously liked this 'Uncle Teng' very much.
Subsequently, Teng Qingshan escorted the children to the cafeteria for dinner.
"Sister Lin, he's coming out."
Xiao Min immediately said. Teng Qingshan walked out from the orphanage gate, and Lin Qing immediately called out through the window, "Teng Qingshan!"
Teng Qingshan looked up.
"Come up and sit for a while."
Lin Qing smiled and said. She knew very well that Teng Qingshan must have already eaten dinner in the cafeteria because... she had invited Teng Qingshan several times in the past few days, and Teng Qingshan had only come to chat with her twice.
Shaking his head with a smile, Teng Qingshan said, "No, I have things to do today. We can catch up another time."
"That's fine too."
Lin Qing was somewhat disappointed but still smiled and said. Lin Qing and Xiao Min watched Teng Qingshan leave.
"Sister Lin, this Teng Qingshan really doesn't give you face. You, such a beautiful woman, personally invited him, and he didn't accept."
Xiao Min laughed.
"Well, let's go. Come to my place for dinner."
Lin Qing stood up and left the teahouse with Xiao Min.
*******
In a rural courtyard on the outskirts of Anyi County.
In the spacious yard, Teng Qingshan, bare-chested and without glasses (wearing glasses made him appear mild and humble, but without them, he looked steady and resolute), was practicing the Xingyi San Ti Shi stance. With a sunken chest and raised back, his hands formed tiger claw shapes, and his feet moved as if walking on mud. Standing there, Teng Qingshan gave the impression of a towering mountain, unshakable whether advancing, sidestepping, or striking punches.
"Huff!"
"Huff!"
The sound of air currents filled the air. Once poised, he remained as tranquil as a bronze bell. His left foot moved like an iron plow turning soil, while his right foot thrust powerfully forward, and his right fist shot out accordingly. He was like a bow stretched to its limit, with the right fist acting as the arrow released with explosive force.
"Pfft!"
An audible explosion occurred, and a gust of wind arose within the courtyard. Transforming from the Xingyi San Ti Shi into the Wuxing Quan's 'Beng Quan', it flowed as smoothly as clouds and water, exerting immense power that generated the sound of an air burst. If martial artists from society saw this, they would be astonished beyond measure.
Teng Qingshan began moving swiftly around the courtyard, transitioning from the Xingyi San Ti Shi to the Wuxing Quan. Clearly, Teng Qingshan had achieved the highest level in the 'Pao Quan' of the Wuxing Quan.
"Huff!"
He shifted his form, reverting to the preparatory stance of the Xingyi San Ti Shi, exhaling slowly.
His mind was as calm as water, akin to a lake undisturbed by ripples, naturally sensing the condition of every part of his body, from the internal organs to the smallest muscles, skin, and hair. However, he was still far from achieving the legendary 'internal vision.'
"Though it's only the final step, this step is like a chasm, difficult to cross. If I can reach the Master level within my lifetime, I would die content."
Teng Qingshan couldn't help but sigh. Achieving enlightenment in the morning, dying in the evening would be worthwhile! Xingyi Quan, as one of the three major internal martial arts, has historically produced some Masters. However, in modern society, reaching the Master level is extremely rare.
"The ground isn't sturdy enough; I can't unleash my full potential."
Teng Qingshan observed the ground. The cement surface already had some cracks. This was despite him not using his full strength, merely practicing. If he were to battle a powerful opponent, the cement ground would likely shatter entirely.
Subsequently, Teng Qingshan sat cross-legged, focusing inward, his breathing faint and barely perceptible, his mind as tranquil as still water. His spirit relaxed infinitely.
"Swish swish~"
The faint sound of blood flowing through his veins and the heartbeat were distinctly audible. Time passed slowly, and soon it was deep into the night. Teng Qingshan remained seated cross-legged in the courtyard, while outside on the country road, a lean man in black stealthily whispered into his collar:
"Gray Eagle, I've reached the suspected location of the target."
Then, the lean man calmed himself slightly before quietly approaching, stepping lightly without making a sound. He silently grabbed the wall of the courtyard, his ten fingers applying slight force, leaping inside like a cat, landing soundlessly on both hands and feet. The black-clad man immediately looked around and suddenly spotted a vague silhouette sitting cross-legged in the center of the courtyard, startling him.
"You've come after me again."
The cross-legged silhouette suddenly opened his eyes.
"Escape!"
The black-clad man's expression changed, and without hesitation, he bolted backward, flipping over to leap out of the courtyard.
"Boom!"
In the black-clad man's sight, the cross-legged silhouette suddenly surged forward, causing the entire cement ground to violently shake and crack. The shadow moved like an enraged tiger, covering a distance of seven or eight meters in an instant, rushing toward him. Before the terrified black-clad man could even retrieve his weapon,
"Pfft!"
The black-clad man felt an intense pain in his throat.
"Ho~ ho~"
The black-clad man tried to speak but couldn't utter a word, then his head fell limp, and he was already dead.
Teng Qingshan tore off a piece of the black-clad man's sleeve and smeared blood on his arm, revealing a complex code resembling a tattoo. Despite only a sliver of moonlight, Teng Qingshan's sharp eyesight allowed him to see clearly, causing his expression to change slightly: "For me, they've gone to great lengths, hiring someone from the 'Dark Hand' organization to track my whereabouts."
"My whereabouts have been exposed; I can't stay in this Anyi County anymore."
Teng Qingshan immediately returned indoors, changed clothes, shouldered his backpack, and quietly departed from Anyi County under the cover of darkness.
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