“Mr. Chen, let’s have dinner together when you have time!” It was Old Ma. “Are you still in Beijing?” “Oh, I haven’t left.” “Hehehe, I have a flight this afternoon.” “Sigh, who has the mood for a meal now? We’re all on the brink of bankruptcy, about to live off the northwest wind. I really can’t find the mood.” “Don’t be like that, Mr. Chen. I’ve invited Old Shi, Old Chi, Old Lei, Old Wang, and Old Liu. We can’t do without you, our backbone.” “Absolutely, I have good news for everyone!” “What good news? Old Ma, don’t tell me what you said before you left yesterday was true? You really… hehehe, let’s talk when we meet!”
While Lin Feng silently slipped out of the hotel to wander around, a super-luxurious restaurant in the capital welcomed a group of business tycoons. An unexpected turn of events was brewing, and these once-glorious business magnates would unknowingly become the final force in triggering this change. Meanwhile, the extremely bored President Lin, kicking pebbles along the road, walked on aimlessly. In his hurry, he didn’t even bring a map, and to shake off the surveillance and paparazzi, he randomly hopped onto a truck after leaving the hotel, then changed vehicles several times. Although he successfully lost his tails, he embarrassingly realized he was lost. However, upon realizing he was lost, he didn’t panic but instead felt a rare sense of relaxation.
Not far ahead, amidst lush greenery, the sound of birds and the fragrance of flowers, ancient-style walls appeared, exuding an imposing aura as if belonging to a grand mansion from ancient times. Peeking through the walls, the interior was serene and elegant, though unfortunately blocked by high walls. “This place looks nice; it must be a park. Since I’m out to relax, why not go in and sit for a while? Walking aimlessly like this is too boring.” With that thought, Lin Feng quickened his pace, but after walking quite a distance along the wall, he still couldn’t find the park’s entrance. He then quietly turned on his camera to search for the entrance.
Wow! As soon as the camera was activated, Lin Feng was stunned by the grandeur of the park. Inside, pavilions were uniquely styled, corridors twisted and turned, and large swathes of rippling water surrounded clusters of ancient architecture. Zooming the camera higher, he saw that within the lake, there were three uniquely shaped rock islands. Under the morning light, the park was a scene of water and pagoda shadows, with pine trees, cypresses, flowers, and plants, all contributing to a scene of unparalleled beauty, like a fairyland on earth.
Lin Feng was captivated, standing there in a daze. “The capital is indeed majestic!” A park in the bustling city center was astonishingly breathtaking. What surprised him even more was not just the park’s elegance but its vastness. Typically, a park in the city center would be impressive if it covered over a hundred acres, but this garden seemed endless. With the range his camera could cover, which was over ten kilometers, he still couldn’t see the whole park. “Truly the feet of the emperor!” he thought. “Could I have accidentally wandered into an ancient imperial garden?” With curiosity piqued, Lin Feng decided to explore this mysterious place. He no longer bothered looking for the entrance; the two-meter-high wall was nothing to him now. He grabbed the top of the wall, leaped, and was inside. Initially cautious not to be caught as an intruder, he walked for nearly ten minutes without seeing a single person. Despite the park’s layout, there were no other visitors in sight. However, the air was refreshingly clear, and without realizing it, he found himself enchanted by the place. After walking a bit further, the scene around him suddenly transformed. The serene landscape of lake and mountains vanished in an instant, replaced by a vast, endless expanse of flat grasslands stretching as far as the eye could see. At the horizon of this grassland, there appeared a mirage-like array of magnificent palaces, reminiscent of the legendary Shu Mountain fairyland. Beneath these palaces were numerous strange, conical peaks suspended in the sky. “How bizarre!” Lin Feng instinctively took a few steps back, and the space before him twisted again, as if an immense, swirling curtain of light suddenly stretched across the heavens and earth. He heard a crisp “pop” in his ears, and his body felt suddenly lighter, like a fish leaping from the water. Unable to cope with the sudden change in pressure, he staggered and almost sat down on the ground.
When he regained his senses and looked around, the vast grassland was gone. He was still in the garden-like paradise with its shimmering lake and pavilions, now seated on a lush lawn. Astonished, he quickly stood up and cautiously stepped forward again. Nothing unusual happened. He tried the same motion as before, stepping in the same direction, but there was no sign of the vast grasslands. Just a few steps ahead lay the rippling lake, with no possibility of a boundless prairie appearing.
“Am I hallucinating?” Lin Feng wondered. “I clearly saw the grasslands, the fairy mountains, the pavilions, and even the scent from the grasslands lingered in my nose. How could all these wonders disappear in the blink of an eye?” Unwilling to give up, he continued to experiment by moving forward, even closing his eyes to capture the subtle feeling from before. One step, two steps, three steps, and he was about to step into the lake.
“Hey!” A sharp shout suddenly erupted nearby, startling Lin Feng. He couldn’t stop in time and nearly stepped into the water. Stabilizing himself with effort, he turned to see an alert old man not far away, waving at him anxiously. “Young man, what’s troubling you at such a young age? Come back quickly!”
Lin Feng grinned sheepishly. “Does the old man think I’m trying to commit suicide by jumping into the lake?” Indeed, he had just sensed the ethereal barrier between heaven and earth, but the shout from the old man broke his concentration. However, it was a close call; he noticed his foot was already hanging over the lake’s edge. Had he stepped forward, he would have undoubtedly fallen in. Although Lin Feng grew up in the south, he had always been extremely afraid of water, still unable to swim to this day. The thought of falling into the water, considering the old man’s physique, left him uncertain if he could be saved.
Realizing he had narrowly escaped disaster, Lin Feng awkwardly smiled and moved away from the lake. “Cough, sir, are you here alone?” The old man looked at Lin Feng with suspicion, unable to continue with his earlier thought about suicide, as Lin Feng’s demeanor was far from someone who had lost all attachment to worldly life.
“Heh, I was practicing boxing just now!” Lin Feng lied offhand. At this, the old man’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Boxing? Are you practicing internal or external martial arts? But your stance, while stable, seemed somewhat insubstantial, not following any traditional method.” Suddenly interested, the old man, like a chatterbox, held onto Lin Feng.
After a few exchanges, the old man suggested, “Since fate has brought us together, let’s spar!” Without waiting for Lin Feng’s response, he threw a punch at his face. The move was swift and fierce, a basic move from the Taizu Long Fist. Lin Feng, not in the mood to spar, especially considering his strength could easily harm the old man, feigned fear, stumbled back, and cleverly dodged the attack. “Sir, I don’t know how to fight; please spare me!” he called out as he stumbled away.
The old man, puzzled and disappointed, ceased his attack and took a closer look at Lin Feng. “If you’re not practicing boxing, why come here?” Lin Feng, not daring to admit he had trespassed, laughed it off. “I admire the true martial arts here and was just practicing on my own!”
