Chapter 10: Friendship Regardless of Age

  Luo Lin was deeply moved. At this age, young people have a momentum, passion, as long as they recognize someone, they will firmly believe and be willing to entrust their backs to trustworthy brothers. This kind of bond had already become a thing of the past in Luo Lin's heart. The big dye vat of society had long ground down the edges of his soul. But at this moment, Liangzi and Xiaochuan's behavior inadvertently ignited his icy passion that had been frozen for a long time.

  "Ryo, Ogawa, don't you want to be the boss of Ichikou High School?"

  The two were stunned by the question and immediately nodded heavily.

  "Don't believe me."

  Believe it!

  "Alright, once Liangzi's arm injury is almost healed, listen to my plan!"

  …………

  It takes a hundred days to recover from a sprain, so Lao Lin's plan is to have Liangzi stay in the hospital for a week first. Coincidentally, it's also National Day on October 1st, so he won't miss school. Since Liu Wanchuan and Wang Liang are close friends, let him accompany him. As for getting back at Chi Shi, Lao Lin has that all figured out - Liangzi's elbow injury is definitely going to be repaid in double! However, this will have to wait until Liangzi gets discharged from the hospital and can take care of it himself. Lao Lin just needs to pave the way and create the perfect opportunity.

  On Saturday morning, Lorraine got up at five o'clock and ran to the park near the back of Jingxiang Garden.

  At this time the sky was already bright, and many middle-aged or elderly people were doing various morning exercises. Looking around, only Lorin was a young man.

  To talk about Lorraine's past life, it is impossible to have no gains at all. After experiencing so many hardships, he has a lot of transcendent enlightenment that many people can't reach in terms of thought. As for physical training or health preservation, he also has many skills. In his previous life, although he didn't have much money, the place where he lived was still a comfortable big courtyard, and there was an old man who was nearly 90 years old and had practiced Tai Chi for almost 80 years.

  Luo Lin learned many life epiphanies from that old man, and Tai Chi emphasizes the harmony of yin and yang in nature, with every move embodying the natural world, making it an excellent choice for self-cultivation. The Tai Chi practices passed down in the secular world are incomplete or distorted, but the old man who practiced Tai Chi in his previous life was a solitary figure who came down from the mountains in middle age and spent the rest of his life alone. Luo Lin knew that the old man's Tai Chi was authentic as soon as he started practicing it.

  In order to be able to relearn Tai Chi, Lorraine specially conducted a month of physical training. Although Tai Chi belongs to the internal family fist, having a strong physique is still very helpful for learning.

  "With feet apart, arms forward, knees bent and palms pressed...". Lorin silently recited the boxing moves in her mind and made a starting pose.

  Tai Chi emphasizes internal cultivation, and although Luo Lin is only seventeen or eighteen years old now, relying on the understanding of Tai Chi in his previous life, every move he makes is full of spirituality and has a lot of momentum. The gentle morning breeze blows through Luo Lin's loose sportswear, and his short black hair is messy in the wind, with an indescribable charm.

  When swift, then swift; when slow, then slow. Lorraine has performed the essence of these eight characters to perfection, blending into and transcending her surroundings. When slow, one can even feel the gentle breeze transforming into a meandering river, flowing softly. When swift, almost every move can be heard with a loud whoosh!

  Next to them, several middle-aged and elderly people couldn't help but glance sideways at Lorrine's elegant movements as she fully immersed herself in the Tai Chi routine. Some of the older practitioners of Tai Chi also couldn't help but gasp in surprise, their eyes immediately picking out the differences between each other's techniques and understanding of Tai Chi. What was even more astonishing was that this master who interpreted Tai Chi with such flair was actually just a young student!

  A middle-aged man in a white sports suit noticed the crowd, stopped his movements, and turned to look at Lorrine with a gaze that was both astonished and disbelieving. The man had a robust build, clear facial features, and slightly narrowed eyes as he silently admired Lorrine's Tai Chi moves.

  After a long time, Luo Lin finally completed the first set of fist styles and slowly let out a breath, making a gesture to conclude.

  Lorin, who had been fully immersed in the ocean of boxing, noticed the crowd gathering around him with his keen sense of the natural aura floating around. Lorin turned around and smiled at the elderly gentlemen, nodding his head in a friendly manner, earning their approving gazes. Some of the older men even praised Lorin as a young man with a very high level of attainment, which was rare to find.

  The crowd gradually dispersed, and everyone continued their morning exercise. Lorraine made a gesture again, preparing to warm up for the second set of punches.

  At this time, a middle-aged man in white clothes walked up to Lorrin and handed him a bottle of water: "Little brother, don't be in such a hurry to continue, take a drink and rest for a bit."

  Lorraine had been noticing the robust and stern-looking middle-aged man since earlier, so when he spoke up, she smiled politely and paused her fist-clenching, but refused the bottle of purified water in his hand: "I'm not thirsty, thank you."

  This middle-aged man was taken aback, not knowing how many people had tried to curry favor with him in the past but couldn't even find a way in. Yet, when he took the initiative to be friendly for the first time, he was rejected. However, after some thought, he felt relieved. In Zhenzhou City, there should be very few people who know him. Putting himself in others' shoes, if someone he didn't know offered him water, he wouldn't dare accept it rashly either. After all, there are too many people with ulterior motives in this world.

  A middle-aged man smiled warmly: "Young brother, to be honest with you, I'm also a martial arts enthusiast. I was very interested in your Tai Chi skills just now. Can we take a step aside and talk?"

  Lorraine smiled and nodded: "Uncle wants to discuss Tai Chi with me? Alright, let's walk and talk."

  The middle-aged man nodded and then walked slowly forward along the green trees with Lorraine.

  All along, the middle-aged man expressed his views on Tai Chi and praised Lorraine's practice of Tai Chi earlier, until finally, he got to the point: "I don't know... in actual combat, which is more formidable, Tai Chi or Bajiquan?"

  At this time Lorraine smiled slightly: "It seems that Uncle is practicing the 'Eight Extremes Fist' which is famous for its fierce and powerful style?"

  The middle-aged man stopped in his tracks and laughed: "How can you be sure?"

  Luo Lin also stopped, smiled and said: "Uncle's temples are slightly protruding, it can be seen that the cultivation of fist has reached a certain level. Looking at Uncle's robust physique, his breath is also quite extraordinary. So I guess what Uncle practices should be the 'Eight Extremes Fist' which cultivates both internal and external skills. And most importantly..."

  Before Loring could continue, the middle-aged man's eyes had already lit up, and his gaze was filled with admiration for Loring.

  Lorraine smiled and said, "The Bajiquan emphasizes toughness and ferocity, with the body's center as the axis, exerting force in all eight directions. Just by looking at Uncle's movements, you can tell that his actions are precise and well-timed."

  "Alright! Alright! Alright!"

  Middle-aged people clapped their hands and praised: "It's been a long time since I've seen such a young man with a good foundation! Rare, rare!"

  Lorraine calmly waved her hand: "Uncle is overpraising, I just have some knowledge of boxing, can't talk about depth."

  "Come on, it's getting late, if you don't think I'm a bad guy, let's go have some breakfast together! I still have many questions to ask you!"

  Lorin didn't refuse, nodded and followed the middle-aged man to a breakfast restaurant outside the park gate. He could tell that this middle-aged man was a dignified person who didn't bother with trivial matters, had grand manners, and was also a senior obsessed with various martial arts, a pretty good middle-aged man, Lorin also had a good impression of him.

  Two people sat at an outdoor breakfast stall and ordered two baskets of steamed buns and two bowls of plain congee.

  "Little brother, don't call me uncle anymore, I'm Han Zhennan, just call me Big Brother Han!"

  "Alright, then I'll just call out loudly for Brother Han!"

  Middle-aged people laughed and chatted with Lorraine, from astronomy to geography. No matter what questions Han Zhen Nan asked, Lorraine always had his own unique views and brief introductions, which made Han Zhen Nan more and more appreciative of him. After a round of exchanges, the two became more and more familiar.

  "Little brother, judging from your appearance, you seem to be a student? Which school are you attending?"

  Luo Lin said: "I am a third-year high school student and I'm currently studying at Zhenzhou No. 1 High School."

  "Huh?" Han Zhen Nan raised an eyebrow, half-jokingly saying, "Municipal No. 1 High? There are many beautiful girls there, little brother you have a unique temperament, surely many girls must have a crush on you?"

  If someone else in their 40s said this, it might sound a bit off-color, but coming from Han Zhen Nan's mouth, there's not a hint of vulgarity to be detected - instead, it has a somewhat American-style humor to it.

  Luo Lin smiled and said: "Hàn old brother is joking."

  Pausing for a moment, Lorraine seemed nonchalant as she said: "By the way, Old Han, judging from your demeanor and speech, you should be an important figure, right?"

  "Haha, what a big shot? I'm just a small-time nouveau riche. When I was young, I went into business and got lucky with some speculative deals, that's all."

  When Han Zhennan said this, fortunately there was no one around who recognized him. If someone had heard the famous "Han Caishen" say that he was a small-time speculator who relied on luck, it's likely that those other people who called themselves "entrepreneurs" would have been so depressed they'd vomit blood.

  Luo Lin nodded silently, but in his heart, he was even more certain that Han Zhen Nan's identity was not ordinary. However, these things had nothing to do with Luo Lin, and getting along with Han Zhen Nan was purely because the two of them hit it off. Han Zhen Nan didn't want to reveal his own identity, and Luo Lin didn't need to ask either.

  "Caught the thief!"

  Suddenly, an old man's shout came from the park.

  Lorraine and Han Zhenan turned around at the same time, only to see a young man rushing out of the park in a flurry, clutching a wallet tightly in his hand.

  These thieves are really taking advantage of every opportunity, they actually targeted elderly people, such a vulnerable group, early in the morning.

  "Halt!"

  Han Zhenan didn't say another word, his face changed immediately, and he jumped up to chase the thief. Luo Lin didn't hesitate either, with one hand supporting the wooden table, he flipped over and landed on the ground, his speed not decreasing at all, and he chased after the thief in a swift and agile manner.