ZZZIP...
Wang Jian had thought he would enjoy this, but the process turned out to be so tense it was almost torturous. He moved too abruptly, pulling the zipper up too far...
"Ah..."
A bit of Xu Qian’s skin got caught. She let out a soft cry, its tone strange.
Wang Jian’s hands froze. He didn’t even ask if she was alright. By a tacit understanding, neither of them spoke after that cry, and the "zipper battle" was finally over.
"Okay, I’ll do it myself," Xu Qian spoke up, breaking free from Wang Jian’s imaginary demonic clutches. She worried that if this continued, she really wouldn’t be able to hold back. That sharp sting of pain hadn’t snapped her back to reality; instead, it seed to have fanned the flas of her desire. So, Xu Qian decided to take over.
However, she was wearing a one-piece dress today. Once it was unzipped, it would just fall away.
Gritting her teeth, Xu Qian kept her back to Wang Jian and began to slowly slide the dress down. When it finally pooled around her jade-like feet, she was left in nothing but her intimate apparel. She stepped out of the garnt, turned around, and said with forced composure, "Alright, I’m ready."
If her rigid posture hadn’t betrayed her, Wang Jian might have actually believed it.
"What do I need to do?" Xu Qian asked.
After taking a deep breath, Wang Jian said seriously, "You don’t need to do anything. Just close your eyes, slow your breathing, and carefully focus on the sensations in your body."
"Do I have to close my eyes?" Xu Qian pouted slightly. If I close my eyes, he can do whatever he wants, and I won’t see a thing!
Her pout was adorable. Wang Jian couldn’t help but chuckle as he urged her to hurry up, close her eyes, and relax. Only then did he take a needle of moderate length and thickness from his kit, examine it for a mont, and sterilize it.
"Sister-in-law, from now on, just relax as much as possible. Stand still, and try not to let your mind wander..."
Don’t let my mind wander... Xu Qian really wanted to open her eyes and see if the man saying this had any sha. How could she possibly not let her mind run wild in a situation like this?
Wang Jian, however, continued his instructions. "Just think of as a doctor."
Pfft! Faced with his sister-in-law’s unspoken derision, Wang Jian could only offer a wry smile. He really wasn’t trying to stir up trouble; it was the only way.
He had no choice but to start by wiping the area around her Qi point with an alcohol-soaked cotton ball to sanitize it. The cold touch made Xu Qian inhale sharply. Startled by the sudden contact while her eyes were closed, she snapped, "Could you at least give a warning?"
"Right, right."
With another wry smile, Wang Jian positioned the silver needle. "Get ready, Sister-in-law," he warned. "Focus on the sensation. I’m starting now."
"Mm, go ahead." Xu Qian nodded with her eyes closed, concentrating as he had instructed.
But monts later, the warm edge of his palm rested near the Qi point. It was right at the waistband of her panties, and Xu Qian couldn’t help but tense up uncontrollably.
Feeling this, Wang Jian gently patted her. "Don’t move," he said sternly.
Once she relaxed, he inserted the silver needle into the acupoint.
Xu Qian didn’t feel much, just a faint, fleeting sting where the alcohol had been applied, and then nothing. But soon after Wang Jian removed his hand and flicked the needle, she felt a warmth spread out from the Qi point. One stream flowed down toward her legs, while another shot straight up to her chest.
Xu Qian’s constitution was one that was naturally prone to coldness, leaving her with icy limbs even in the sumr. But now, she felt as if she had just soaked her feet in a hot bath. It was like her blood had co alive, coursing vigorously through her ridians and spreading warmth to every corner of her body.
It was incredibly comfortable.
"Mmm~"
She couldn’t hold it back. With her lips slightly parted, Xu Qian let a soft moan escape.
Wang Jian quickly spoke up. "Are you feeling warm all over?"
Xu Qian nodded. "Yes. What’s next?"
"Next, I need you to recall how that warmth that stimulated your circulation felt as it moved through you." Wang Jian knew he was halfway there; now it was ti for consolidation. "Everyone’s experience is different, so you have to recall it yourself," he guided her gently.
"Mmm..."
The sensation had been too profound for her to forget.
"And that’s about it," Wang Jian continued. "From now on, whenever you practice your forms, you need to visualize that warmth as a stream of Qi. Then, use your imagination to guide it along the sa path you just felt. This is the simple Qi Cultivation thod."
"What form you practice isn’t important, but it works best when combined with Tai Chi."
"That’s it?" Xu Qian’s eyes flew open. "That sounds so simple," she said, surprised. "You didn’t make this up just to look at my body, did you?"
"..."
The sudden accusation nearly made Wang Jian choke on his own spit. Although he felt a little exposed, he certainly hadn’t lied to her. "Sister-in-law, don’t be ridiculous. I’m a decent person. How could I possibly deceive you about sothing like this?"
"Yes, yes, you’re decent," Xu Qian said with a soft laugh. "So, can I put my clothes on now?"
"...Um..."
Technically, she could. But Wang Jian suddenly hesitated. Only now did he have the leisure to appreciate the view, and he instantly regretted having been too focused earlier, barely paying her any attention. How was he any different from the Monkey in a garden full of immortal peaches? Overco with regret, Wang Jian flatly denied her request. "No. I still have to teach you the forms. Don’t get dressed yet."
He didn’t even notice how hesitant his own voice sounded.
Xu Qian shot him a look and muttered, "I think I can get dressed. You’re just deliberately stopping ."
Wang Jian drew in a sharp breath, expecting her to get angry. But to his surprise, Xu Qian simply moved to a more open area of the room. "Well? Aren’t you going to teach the forms hands-on? Co over here."
Overjoyed, Wang Jian quickly hurried over.
He was teaching her Tai Chi, but not the fighting forms—he was teaching her standing ditation.
Standing ditation is the foundation of internal strength training in traditional martial arts. In this practice, practitioners use their conscious awareness to enter a state of relative stillness, which allows them to achieve the body’s Yin Yang balance, open the ridians, harmonize Qi and blood, and replenish their vital energy. This ultimately nurtures their core and consolidates their essence. Only through this training can one learn to control the flow of True Qi within the body. Applying the proper ntal thod is the key to entering a state of deep tranquility and reaching the realm of unity between heaven, earth, and man.
It was perfectly suited for Xu Qian and would fully serve the purpose of improving her health.
While it sounded mystical, its goal was similar to ditation, though the path was different.
Guiding Xu Qian’s hands, Wang Jian constantly adjusted her arms and elbows to correct her posture. By the ti he was done, he had pretty much touched her all over.
Wang Jian himself was completely unfazed, but poor Xu Qian was mortified. The standing ditation postures were not exactly elegant, and she was naturally shy.
When she finally heard Wang Jian say she was done, she felt an imnse sense of relief, as if she’d been liberated. She quickly pushed him away.
"Ah... I’m a bit tired. I’m all sweaty from practicing this tiring stance. I’m going to take a shower. You can keep practicing on your own."
With her heart pounding, Xu Qian fled, not forgetting to snatch her dress off the floor on her way out.
When she reached the master bedroom, she opened the door again and peeked her head out. She called out to Wang Jian. "Thank you," she said. "I’ll be sure to practice."
With that, she closed the door.
Wang Jian wasn’t faring much better. He went straight to the kitchen and took a quick, cold shower, but his mind still wouldn’t quiet down. He had to run through his Tai Chi forms several more tis, the varying speeds of the movents gradually helping him to calm his thoughts.
While he was practicing his forms, Xu Qian was growing anxious.
She had genuinely been happy about her ti with Wang Jian today. But after showering and calming down, her thoughts began to run wild.
Will Xiao Jian think I’m a loose woman? Will he think of as that kind of person, just like his older brother does?
Once the thought surfaced, it refused to go away. No matter what, she couldn’t bear to be misunderstood by him. She had done all this simply because she liked him.
Lying on the bed, Xu Qian took out her phone and sent Wang Jian a ssage on WeChat.
In the courtyard, Wang Jian was still practicing, his phone sitting on a stool nearby. The screen lit up with a notification from the contact he’d saved as ’Sister-in-law’: "Xiao Jian, are you there?"
After waiting for two minutes with no reply, Xu Qian decided to send another ssage.
"If you’re there, send a ssage back. Your sister-in-law..."
After typing out the self-referential term "your sister-in-law," Xu Qian frowned. She tapped the screen, deleted it, and changed the ssage to: "I want to talk to you."
Ten minutes later, Wang Jian still hadn’t finished his practice. Xu Qian’s heart grew more and more unsettled, and she couldn’t stop herself from texting again.
"I’m not that kind of person, you know..."
Another ten minutes passed.
"You probably don’t know this, but I’ve already decided to divorce your older brother."
"Your older brother, he..."
When even that confession didn’t get a response, a wave of sadness washed over her. The ache in her chest felt like sothing trying to burst out of her heart, but it couldn’t. Instead, it found another route, escaping through her eyes.
Feeling the wetness on her cheeks, Xu Qian couldn’t take it anymore.
"Forget it. Get so rest. I’m going to sleep."
After sending the ssage, she tossed her phone aside and let the tears fall freely.
Her gaze fell on the wedding photo on her bedside table. She stood up, completely naked, took down the fra, and removed the picture from inside...
By the ti Wang Jian finished his practice and saw his phone, an hour had passed. It was now twenty minutes after Xu Qian’s last ssage.
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