Chapter 5 : Believe it or Not!

Beige, along with his mother and sister, left the hospital. By this time, it was already dark outside, and the lanterns were just starting to light up. There were no more cars going back to the village, so they had to find a hotel to stay for the night and return in the morning. After having a casual dinner, they arrived at an old hotel called "Laojiu" and paid fifty yuan to get two rooms. According to Beige's intention, he wanted to stay in a hotel since he had enough money now. But Jiang Hui insisted on not going to the hotel, saying that it would be a waste. "Xiaoqing, isn't today Wednesday? Why didn't you go to school?" Beige asked as he put down his luggage and turned to Beiqing. Beiqing was in her second year of high school and was an excellent student, loved by her teachers. Beiqing helped her mother to sit on the bed and sighed, "Mom is so sick, how can I go to school? I took a week off." "Brother, what are we going to do now that you've brought Mom out of the hospital?" She looked worried. Beige smiled and said, "Don't worry about that, I can cure Mom's illness. I'll give it a try later." After saying that, he took out the bank card that Li Chao and the others had given him and handed it to Jiang Hui, saying, "Mom, there's two hundred thousand yuan in this card. You can use it for now, and if it's not enough, let me know." "Two hundred thousand yuan?" Jiang Hui looked at Beige's bank card in astonishment and said, "Where did you get this money? You didn't..." Beige knew what she was worried about and said, "Don't worry, Mom. I earned this money by helping people with their illnesses. It's all clean money." Hearing this, Jiang Hui felt relieved and took the bank card, handing it to Beiqing, saying, "Xiaotou, take this card and withdraw the money to pay your tuition. You've owed the school for a year." Beiqing happily took the bank card and said, "Finally, I can pay the tuition. Otherwise, my name is always on the list of students with outstanding fees." Next, Beige used acupuncture techniques to stabilize his mother's condition. Lung cancer used to be a terminal illness, but now he could cure it. However, he had to be careful and not rush, as impatience could do more harm than good. As the silver needle entered her body, Jiang Hui's pale face gradually regained color, and her severe coughing stopped. She fell into a deep sleep. After finishing his work, Beige glanced at his sister, who was sitting next to him in a daze. He had an idea and smiled, "Xiaoqing, I learned a massage technique in prison that can make people smarter. Do you want to try it?" Beiqing widened her eyes and said, "How is that possible?" Beige laughed and said, "Why not? Don't you believe me?" Beiqing tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said, "Brother, you're not using me as a guinea pig, are you? I'm already smart. I always rank in the top ten in my class." "I won't use you as a guinea pig." Beiqing firmly refused. However, in the end, she couldn't escape from Beige's clutches and obediently cooperated with him. Beige used his ten fingers to massage her head in a rhythmic manner. He was not randomly massaging; this was a technique he learned in ancient martial arts. With the help of his cultivation of the "Tian Di Wan Xiang Jue" and the insight of the "Tian Dao Yan," he opened up Beiqing's mind and cleared her brain's meridians. After some time, Beige took his hands off Beiqing's head and let out a sigh of relief. He asked, "Xiaoqing, how do you feel?" Beiqing opened her eyes, took off her glasses, wiped her eyes, and exclaimed, "Oh my god! Brother, you actually cured my nearsightedness!" "Wow, I feel so clear-headed and awake. Brother, how did you do this? It's amazing!" Looking at his astonished sister, Beige affectionately rubbed her head and said, "This is our little secret. You have to keep it to yourself, otherwise, you know the saying 'a guilty conscience needs no accuser.'" Beiqing understood what he meant and nodded vigorously, saying, "Brother, don't worry, I won't tell anyone." "Then get some rest and take care of Mom. I'll be in the next room. Let me know if you need anything." "Okay." Beiqing nodded in agreement. In his own room, Beige casually freshened up and sat cross-legged on the bed to practice the "Tian Di Wan Xiang Jue." This had been his routine for the past three years. The "Tian Di Wan Xiang Jue" was an ancient top-level cultivation technique, divided into three realms: Heaven, Earth, and Human. Each realm was further divided into three smaller realms, known as the Upper, Middle, and Lower realms. Beige had just entered the Dao three years ago and was currently at the peak of the Lower realm, the Qi Refinement realm. He was only one step away from stepping into the second realm of the Lower realm, the Divine Refinement realm. As his mind circulated the technique, Beige's dantian filled with true qi, which spread throughout his body, quickly putting him in a state of tranquility, free from thoughts and desires. Time flew by, and it was already late at night, past two o'clock. Beige suddenly opened his eyes and confirmed that his mother and sister were asleep before getting out of bed and leaving the room silently. The hotel's main entrance was already locked, so he had to climb over the wall to get out and headed towards the park behind the hotel. Arriving at the park, the streetlights were dim, and it was quiet everywhere, with only occasional sounds of insects. There was a large open space in the center, usually used for square dancing by the elderly. At this time, there was no one there, making it a perfect place for Beige to practice. Beige set up a training dummy and began practicing a set of martial arts called "Descending Dragon and Subduing Tiger Fist." The "Descending Dragon and Subduing Tiger Fist" was powerful and emitted the sound of dragons and tigers. When Beige practiced it in prison, no one dared to disturb him. But now that he had returned to society, he had to be mindful of the impact. Otherwise, if someone reported him for disturbing the peace, he would have to explain himself at the police station. With the full moon hanging high in the sky, Beige's body moved like a dragon, and his punches were as fierce as a tiger. It felt as if the whole world revolved around him, and everything became still. He performed nine sets of the "Descending Dragon and Subduing Tiger Fist" in a row until his clothes were soaked in sweat. This was one of his daily mandatory exercises during his time in prison. As time passed, it was already early morning, and the sky was turning pale. Some early-rising elderly people had come to the park for their morning exercises. Beige immediately stopped and collected himself. His body made a series of cracking sounds, refreshing his spirit. Suddenly, he threw a punch forward, and a powerful force hit a tree in front of him, causing a muffled sound. The large tree, which could only be hugged by an adult, trembled violently, and leaves fell like rain. On the trunk, there was a clear fist mark several inches deep, showing the power of his punch. At that moment, a grandfather and granddaughter heard the sound and came over, just in time to see Beige retracting his fist. "Great fist technique!" The old man couldn't help but exclaim. Beige turned his head and saw an old man with gray hair, wearing a dark red Tang suit, and a young woman standing not far away, looking at him. The old man was probably in his sixties, wearing cloth shoes, and had a youthful spirit despite his age. Beside him was a young girl in her early twenties, exceptionally beautiful with long legs, willow-leaf eyebrows, and star-like eyes. The girl looked at the fallen leaves on the ground and then focused on the deep fist mark on the tree trunk, her face filled with astonishment. Beige smiled and said, "You're too kind, sir." After speaking, he looked at the girl and hesitated for a moment before speaking up, "There's something wrong with the cultivation technique you're practicing. It's better not to continue in the future, or else it could be life-threatening." The girl's face turned angry and she retorted, "What are you talking about? It's your cultivation technique that has problems." Beige smiled indifferently and said, "Believe it or not, it's up to you." With that, he turned and left.