Yu Xifeng firmly refused and explained clearly together with Zhang Qiu.

So it turned out that the water was sent by Zhang Qiu.

Yu Xifeng gave Zhang Qiu a puzzled glance.

Old man Cai couldn’t tell if he was sighing with relief or disappointment. He rummaged through the cabinet and found an old-fashioned smoking pipe.

“Where’s my tobacco?” Old man Cai turned the box upside down, searching everywhere.

Zhang Qiu sat still and said, “Old man, what are you thinking? When have we ever brought that thing? It just takes up space.”

Old man Cai pointed at Zhang Qiu, “You threw away my tobacco! You damn brat!”

Yu Xifeng also had some tobacco, collected from the business district.

Not much, but not too little either.

Yu Xifeng glanced at Old man Cai, catching the hint, and pretended not to see anything.

Old man Cai tapped the smoking pipe on the table with a loud bang bang.

Yu Xifeng pulled out a mint candy from her pocket and tossed it to Old man Cai.

“Forget it.” Old man Cai reluctantly licked the candy, then fixed his gaze on Yu Xifeng. “Your body is weak, your strength is abundant, but your foundation is insufficient.”

Old man Cai thought for a while and said, “Alright, come learn boxing with me tomorrow morning.”

Yu Xifeng wasn’t moved.

It wasn’t that she had never seen Old man Cai box before.

Old grandpas in the park holding watermelons, cutting it evenly with a single slice, no power at all.

This kind of slow, dragging style could have gotten dozens of people killed.

Yu Xifeng sat quietly without speaking.

Old man Cai tilted his head and looked at her, “Hey, girl, don’t be ungrateful. Come on, let’s spar.”

Upon hearing that, Yu Xifeng jumped up, her face full of eagerness.

She had long wanted to spar with Old man Cai.

In her past life, she was skinny to the bone, conserving energy, conserving food, so she didn’t practice much.

This time was different.

Zhang Qiu got up too, “Stop when it’s enough, stop when it’s enough.”

There wasn’t much space at home. Zhang Qiu asked a neighbor to watch the house and carried a small stool to the place.

Once at the training spot, Yu Xifeng was not polite with Old man Cai. She struck first, both fists clenched, aiming straight at his face.

“The wind power is strong, really fierce,” Zhang Qiu muttered.

Old man Cai leaned back and dodged, the punch’s wind blowing apart the silver strands near his face.

He stepped back, made a standard starting pose, feinted once, then executed a neat sweeping leg kick.

Zhang Qiu said, “This old man isn’t an easy guy either.”

The two exchanged a dozen or so moves.

Yu Xifeng’s breathing began to fluctuate.

She was getting anxious.

She always knew her endurance was weak; when close to someone, she sought quick fights and quick finishes.

Unfortunately, this move didn’t work on Old man Cai.

Her attacks felt like they were sinking into a swamp, caught in an airtight net.

Instead, she was being drawn into Old man Cai’s rhythm.

His offense was as light as his steps. To an outsider, it looked random, like pure luck.

But to Yu Xifeng’s eyes, Old man Cai’s every move was both a flaw and a trap.

He moved fluidly and perfectly as a whole.

Yu Xifeng’s eyes caught his throat, eyes, heart, and joints.

She analyzed carefully and gradually forgot that this was just a spar.

Right now—

Old man Cai grabbed Yu Xifeng’s palm, and she took the chance to elbow outward, striking straight at his temple.

Old man Cai quickly released his grip and took two steps back.

That strike was risky — Yu Xifeng’s hand could have dislocated.

But she used it without hesitation.

Zhang Qiu sat cross-legged on the stool, mask on.

He was just about to clap and cheer.

Old man Cai sighed, “Old now, no good anymore.”

Yu Xifeng felt embarrassed. It was just a sparring match, and since she struck first, this result was already her defeat.

“Girl, in a life-or-death fight, I can’t beat you. Are you still willing to learn from me?”

This time Yu Xifeng didn’t hesitate and agreed decisively.

Old man Cai’s kung fu was formidable, soft yet strong.

She had just suffered a lot.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been forced to use a method that harms the enemy a thousand but injures oneself eight hundred.

The next day, Yu Xifeng brought two pounds of meat and a basket of sweet potatoes and potatoes as a formal gift for taking the master.

Old man Cai looked at the meat, then at Yu Xifeng.

He said in a low voice, “Teaching you is not without purpose.”

Zhang Qiu crossed his arms and stood aside, “Have you really thought it through? Hanging with the old man? He’s never had it easy.”

Old man Cai glared at Zhang Qiu who was trying to undermine him. Whether to say more or not was uncertain.

“Scram, scram, scram.” Old man Cai waved his hand, “Today is past the deadline. Come at six tomorrow morning.”

Yu Xifeng roughly guessed what Old man Cai wanted to say.

At his age, his greatest worry was none other than his only grandson, Zhang Qiu.

Even if Old man Cai didn’t mention it, she wouldn’t just leave Zhang Qiu unattended.

Yu Xifeng vaguely suspected the calamity that befell Zhang Qiu in her previous life.

Old man Cai had medicine.

Zhang Qiu didn’t die of an allergy, but might have died from that batch of medicine.

Old man Cai’s downfall last life, aside from the trauma caused by Zhang Qiu’s death,

was also because he was truly poor.

Logically, after Zhang Qiu’s death, that medicine should have lost its effect.

If that medicine was still around, Old man Cai shouldn’t have ended up in such a state.

Yu Xifeng remembered once Old man Cai had a fever and lay in bed for three days.

During that time, no medicine was used.

She didn’t have medicine, and neither did Old man Cai.

So the question was: after Zhang Qiu died, where did that medicine go?

Yu Xifeng went on time the next day.

Old man Cai had her practice horse stance.

“You’re older, started late. Practice for half an hour today, then you can leave.”

Old man Cai’s words often showed an old-fashioned rigor.

At first, Yu Xifeng didn’t hear clearly, but she gritted her teeth and endured half an hour, thinking the ordeal was over.

Old man Cai reclined in his chair, eating the rice cake Yu Xifeng brought: “Not bad, halfway done.”

Still half an hour to go.

Help!

Zhang Qiu was preparing the meat Yu Xifeng brought yesterday.

“That’s your luck. If this were outside, early in the morning, he’d take you up the mountain first, saying it’s to absorb the essence of nature, but actually he just wouldn’t let you go unless you were cooked dry.”

“What did you put in the meat? Smells so good,” Yu Xifeng sniffed her neck.

It smelled like braised flavor with a woody aroma, quite pleasant.

Old man Cai looked back as if he had eyes on his back.

Yu Xifeng hurriedly sat properly.

“Grassroots, fragrant sand, and some other stuff to aid digestion and dispel dampness. Such good meat can’t be wasted.”

The smell drifted out.

Many people glanced toward Old man Cai’s direction.

But all they saw was a young, pretty girl squatting nearby, sweating profusely.

Yu Xifeng sniffed and felt the time dragging even harder.

She roughly estimated time using the hourglass in her space.

A pot of meat was almost done, placed on the fire bucket to keep warm.

Old man Cai glanced disdainfully, “Who eats such greasy stuff so early?”

Zhang Qiu smiled and set the bowls but didn’t get chopsticks.

The grandfather and grandson stared at each other.