Could this unexpected Big Beauty be a trap set by someone else? Recalling the mysterious shadow on the windowsill that night, Lin Feng felt a chill down his spine, as if at this moment, a pair of malicious eyes were penetrating barriers, watching him with a sinister grin. Lin Feng shivered and quickly dismissed these negative thoughts: “Grandpa, did you really… see me sleepwalking? What was I like at the time? Was I really going to… steal… women’s underwear?”
“Lin Lin, Grandpa doesn’t want to deceive you. If it weren’t for Grandpa stopping you, you really intended to take someone else’s clothes.” The old man phrased it delicately, changing ‘steal’ to ‘take.’
“Ah…” With his worst fear confirmed, Lin Feng was stunned. How could this happen? How could he steal women’s underwear? Such a despicable and vile act, could he really do something like that? Feeling guilty, he looked up to see the old man giving him a half-smile. Seeing this expression, Lin Feng became even more uncertain about what the old man was thinking and what he intended to do next—report to the authorities or take justice into his own hands?
However, since the old man hadn’t taken action while he was unconscious last night, things evidently hadn’t reached that point yet. Maybe because he was the disciple of the old man’s junior brother, the old man decided to give him a chance? Lin Feng quickly dismissed his chaotic thoughts and made a solemn promise: “Grandpa, but, but I really don’t have such a fetish, I really, really don’t have those disgusting thoughts, I am one hundred percent a normal man, Grandpa, you have to believe me!”
“Good child! How could Grandpa not believe you! Otherwise, Grandpa wouldn’t have said all this. Grandpa wants you to understand, don’t let your subconscious evil desires control you! When you sleepwalk, every action your body takes is precisely what your deepest, most primal desires crave. Everyone’s soul harbors various primal desires or instincts. These most basic instincts can be positive or dark, just or evil, and together they form the unique character of each individual. The key is, each person must learn to distinguish these primal desires, learn how to balance and control them, rather than ultimately being enslaved by them, becoming a person who lives by instinct alone!”
“Grandpa, I, actually, I’m not…” Lin Feng felt a lump in his throat. No one had ever talked to him this intimately, and he felt an urge to confess the biggest secret inside him. Mr. Wang was a trustworthy old man; revealing his secret might be a good start to being open and honest.
“Good child, don’t rush to deny anything. Primal desires aren’t a crime, as long as you can learn to control them, they can be your closest companions throughout your life!”
“Grandpa, are you saying… my… habit can be changed…”
“Ho ho ho ho, young man, you have good insight, truly comparable to my wise junior brother!” The old man stroked his beard and laughed, “The qigong manual I gave you this morning, have you looked at it?”
“Grandpa, you must be joking. How could Laozi’s ‘Tao Te Ching’ be a qigong manual?”
“Ho ho ho ho, so, in your opinion, what is qigong, what is a manual?”
“Grandpa, you really like to jest. Qigong isn’t about harmonizing yin and yang, absorbing the spiritual energy of the universe for personal use, expanding one’s mental strength? It certainly can’t be Laozi’s ‘Tao Te Ching’!”
“Just watch me!” The old man didn’t speak further, locking eyes with Lin Feng as he approached. At that moment, Lin Feng suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure, a tremor emanating from the depths of his soul. The old man’s figure suddenly seemed as majestic as a mountain, his presence filling the entire world. With a roar that shook the heavens and earth, a deep, resonant voice echoed in Lin Feng’s mind: “The Dao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Dao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth; the named is the mother of all things. Thus, from constant non-being, we seek to observe its wonders; from constant being, we seek to observe its boundaries. These two come from the same source but differ in name; together they are called the mystery. Mystery within mystery, the gateway to all wonders.” This was unmistakively the opening lines of Laozi’s “Tao Te Ching.”
Lin Feng, who had unexpectedly found himself in a precarious situation, akin to a small monkey being eyed by a hungry tiger, knew that any moment could see a swift attack from any direction. The poor monkey, despite its cleverness, was no match for the tiger. Its only escape was to find an opportunity to climb a tree… Lin Feng understood this as well, so he made his choice. As he passed a street corner, taking advantage of the dim light ahead, he suddenly employed the Gale Step, rushing headlong into the alley, darting forward haphazardly. He dove into any alley mouth he saw, turned at every corner, and after a frantic run, the unsettling feeling finally dissipated. However, he found himself in an alley lined with pink-lit signs, the ambiance suggestive of seedy barber shops.
“Hey handsome, want a haircut?”
“Hey handsome, would you like a relaxing massage? My hands are very skilled!”
“Little handsome, come in and sit down…”
Obscene invitations assaulted him, and some provocatively dressed women even approached him, their flirtatious advances unmistakable. Lin Feng thought to himself that he had stumbled into the wrong place. This street was notorious in Yushan City as the hub for underground entertainment, especially at night, turning into a den of vice with prostitutes. He had only heard from some local thugs about the services offered here, how the girls were skilled, beautiful, and affordable, making it a veritable paradise on earth. Tempted by such descriptions, Lin Feng had been tempted to visit several times before but never found anyone to approach him until tonight, when he accidentally wandered in, and nearly every shop seemed to beckon him inside…
If this had been in the past, perhaps he might have succumbed to temptation, but today, seeing these provocatively dressed women, especially the overwhelming scent of their perfume that made him nauseous, Lin Feng felt a wave of revulsion and quickly sidestepped. Turning back would mean a longer detour, and he feared being spotted again by that mysterious observer lurking somewhere, so he gritted his teeth and charged forward.
Just a few steps ahead, he heard a commotion; it sounded like someone was shouting and cursing. Glancing over, he saw several men, likely drunk, beating a woman, their fists and feet flying. The woman, curled up on the ground, was whimpering, too frightened even to cry loudly, her voice stifled in her throat, making for a spine-chilling scene. It was probably a client abusing a prostitute. Lin Feng didn’t want to get involved, but seeing several men ganging up on a single woman, he thought to himself that even prostitutes were human beings, and these scoundrels, having nothing better to do, why beat a defenseless woman? Unable to ignore the injustice, he coughed loudly to draw attention, hoping they would moderate their behavior.
Drunkards are rarely of good temperament, and there’s an old saying about alcohol giving courage to the cowardly. One of the men, catching Lin Feng’s intent, immediately cursed, “Cough, cough your mother, looking for a beating?” He reached out to grab Lin Feng.
Lin Feng, repulsed by the stench of alcohol, dodged aside, not wanting to engage with a drunk. However, the drunk, overly intoxicated, missed his grab, stumbled, and fell to the ground with a thud, immediately howling for help, claiming he was being beaten.
