"What other activities do you want? Shall I find some beautiful women for you to serve?" Gao Meng asked, tilting her head.
Song Qiao felt a bit dejected. "Nonsense! Have you forgotten something?"
"Have I? I don't recall."
Song Qiao slapped his forehead. "Don't tell me you've returned to your childhood, and your mind has regressed to that of a child?"
"Ah?" Gao Meng was still a bit bewildered.
"What 'ah'? This is your home, Shanghai is your territory. We haven't eaten anything since we got off the plane!"
"That's true, but didn't we already eat on the plane!" Gao Meng blinked, then said.
Seeing that Gao Meng was trying to argue, Song Qiao didn't indulge her.
"Was the airplane food that good? Besides, you didn't eat much. If you want to train in martial arts, your nutrition needs to be up to par. Moreover, you've been away from Modu for so long, don't you have any cravings for the local food?"
Song Qiao was truly exasperated. This girl, still so incapable of taking care of herself...
"Alright then, Master, allow me to play the host." Gao Meng stuck out her tongue and said.
The two of them went down to the underground parking lot.
There were over a dozen luxury cars parked there.
She casually drove out a Rolls-Royce.
Half an hour later, the two arrived at "Xintiandi."
This was a bustling district, brimming with countless domestic and international delicacies.
"In the past, my parents often brought me here to eat." Gao Meng drove the car to the entrance of a restaurant with an ancient and elegant decor, parked, and then led Song Qiao inside.
"After all these years, it seems like this place hasn't changed at all."
Looking at the familiar scene before her, Gao Meng fell into memories, a faint sadness appearing on her face.
Song Qiao, seeing her like this, also felt a pang of sympathy. Speaking of which, this girl truly had a difficult fate, and she was still in danger.
The Gao family was truly something.
For such a small amount of money, they treated a widowed mother and her child like this.
Sometimes, one had to admit that money was indeed a terrible thing.
Gao Meng forced a smile and shook her head, as if to cast away some unpleasant memories. "Master, you've seen my embarrassing side..."
"I'm fine. It's you, you don't need to worry so much. I'm here this time, and I'll help you resolve most of your issues! Don't worry!"
"Mm, thank you, Master!" Gao Meng nodded heavily.
Crystal tears welled up in her beautiful eyes, showing her deep gratitude.
Indeed, with Song Qiao backing her now, she felt much more at ease.
Speaking of which, ever since she met Song Qiao and he taught her martial arts, her fate had been gradually improving.
Women needed to be powerful too; it was the foundation for her courage to stand up to those people in the Gao family.
She was determined to make those ill-intentioned individuals pay!
Before long, numerous delicacies were served.
Most of them were Modu specialties, with desserts making up a significant portion.
They were exquisitely prepared, featuring items like crab roe buns, wontons, drunken crabs, and more, all of which looked incredibly appetizing.
In reality, both Song Qiao and Gao Meng were people with high caloric expenditure. Eating these dishes posed no risk of them gaining weight; a few rounds of sparring would burn off all the ingested nutrients.
"Eat more sweets; they can make you feel better!" Song Qiao advised.
Under Song Qiao's gentle encouragement, Gao Meng indeed ate a substantial amount.
Her mood also seemed to have improved considerably.
After a satisfying meal, the two of them went back together.
This time, she brought Song Qiao into her boudoir.
The soft bed and the familiar scent of her hair made them both feel a bit dazed.
However, after a period of intimacy, Gao Meng regained her composure and ushered Song Qiao out, making him sleep in the guest room.
"It's not that I'm afraid you can't control yourself, but I'm afraid I can't. But it's not time for us yet. Once I've accomplished one important thing, I'll give myself to you, okay?" Gao Meng looked at Song Qiao with reluctance, her words conveying a sense of resolve.
"Alright!" Faced with Gao Meng's gentle plea, what else could Song Qiao say?
Before dawn the next day, Gao Meng knocked on the door to wake Song Qiao for martial arts practice.
After the recent events, Gao Meng increasingly felt that only by practicing martial arts and employing other external and internal means to strengthen herself could she better protect herself.
This was why she was so enthusiastic about her training.
Song Qiao, after a night of good sleep, was once again full of vigor. After a quick wash, he felt incredibly refreshed.
When Song Qiao arrived in the courtyard, it was still barely light, and Gao Meng was already waiting for him.
Seeing Gao Meng's eagerness, he felt she was pushing herself too hard and couldn't help but grumble, "It's too early, isn't it? The sky hasn't even brightened yet."
"Winter training in the coldest days, summer training in the hottest days! Master, isn't this the best time? While others are still sleeping, I'm already striving! The early bird catches the worm!" Gao Meng exclaimed energetically. "Besides, my talent isn't great, so I have to practice even harder!"
"Heh heh, you're just making excuses. You're too impatient; I'm actually worried you're training too fast!"
Gao Meng pouted. "Master, teach me some more... I've already mastered what you've taught me. Or are you seeing me as a tiger and yourself as a cat, still holding something back?"
Song Qiao was helpless, but he said, "Yes, I'm a cat, and you're a tiger, a female one at that..."
"Hmph, Master, you're too naughty. Then prepare to face my pounce!"
Saying this, she leaped towards Song Qiao.
After a bit of playful roughhousing, Song Qiao began to teach her the essence of Xing Yi Quan.
"I'll demonstrate it first, watch carefully."
With that, Song Qiao stood in the courtyard and performed a set of Xing Yi Quan with flowing movements.
Gao Meng watched intently, her eyes shining with admiration, her hands occasionally mimicking the movements.
During Song Qiao's demonstration, he would occasionally offer explanations.
"In fact, when martial arts reach a high level, many theories are interconnected. Take Xing Yi Quan, for instance; at its peak, it's about the integration of hardness and softness, using softness to overcome hardness, which is remarkably similar to Tai Chi. You need to pay close attention to this in the future and gradually understand it."
Gao Meng nodded, indicating she had taken note.
After Song Qiao finished the routine, he had her practice.
He would offer pointers from time to time, highlighting the crucial points.
Gao Meng practiced over and over again.
Sweat streamed down her face and arms, dripping from her body, yet she showed no signs of slackening.
When dawn broke, she was still practicing.
The sun rose, and its first rays fell upon her, making her silhouette appear even more agile.
"Good, you're doing very well now. You can rest a bit," Song Qiao said.
Only then did Gao Meng stop.
"Master, am I really practicing well?"
"Of course, you can find a target to try it out!" Song Qiao suggested.
Gao Meng looked around and approached the edge of the courtyard, where many trees were planted.
She stood before a pomegranate tree with a trunk as thick as an arm and delivered a punch to a large branch, deliberately employing the force-generating method of Xing Yi Quan.
Bang!
Her fist shattered the air, emitting a loud boom.
Subsequently, a branch as thick as an egg was directly broken and sent flying.
The broken branch struck other branches, sending leaves and twigs flying, and continued for a considerable distance before hitting the wall.
Gao Meng was greatly astonished. She hadn't expected to reach such a level so soon after learning the essence of Xing Yi Quan.
She looked at Song Qiao with surprise, her face seeking praise.
"Mm, not bad!" Song Qiao said, pleased.
"Master, why don't you demonstrate? Let me see what level you've reached, so I have a goal."
"Actually, my training isn't particularly profound. I can only say I've just scratched the surface, but I can break a tree." Song Qiao said calmly.
Then, he assumed a stance and began to unleash his punches and kicks.
He also employed the force-generating method of Xing Yi Quan. As his fists and feet moved, they produced resonant sounds.
Boom!
The wind from his punches whistled.
He struck the trunk of the pomegranate tree, as thick as an arm, in front of him.
Crack!
Abruptly, the trunk snapped in the middle.
The entire canopy of the tree flew off.
Rustle.
The branches and leaves of the pomegranate tree fell to the ground.
Bang!
The branches hit the wall, also producing a loud noise.
Looking at the wall, countless fine lines and cracks appeared.
Gao Meng was dumbfounded.
The power of a single punch could be so immense!
After a long moment, she recovered and gave Song Qiao a thumbs-up. "Master, you're truly incredible."
"Practice hard, and you can reach this level too!"
"Mm!" Gao Meng nodded heavily.
She made up her mind to use Song Qiao as her role model and goal, to reach this level as well.
After their practice session, they each took a shower, had breakfast, and then set off together for the cemetery to pay respects to Gao Meng's father.