Four Circles

After a busy afternoon, Ye Feng finally saw Luo Ming and Amy off. Originally, Luo Ming didn’t want to leave—he hoped to relax at Ye Feng’s place for a few days—but a call from his father summoned him home, which happened to suit Ye Feng perfectly. Tonight, he didn’t want anyone disturbing him.

Before going to sleep, Ye Feng called Ye Tianhua and learned that he had already purchased a villa and an estate in the suburbs. Ye Feng instructed him to first excavate a massive underground chamber beneath the estate, and said he would come over in a few days.

Lying in bed, Ye Feng tossed and turned restlessly, unable to fall asleep. Left with no other option, he asked, “Bad Bad, what should I do if I can’t sleep?”

“I was waiting for you to ask that,” Bad Bad replied with a mischievous chuckle. Instantly, Ye Feng felt as if his whole body had been struck by lightning, and then he lost consciousness.

Ye Feng next found himself in a classroom. The scene looked strangely familiar—indeed, it was a university lecture hall. Bad Bad, dressed as a teacher, stood at the podium, making Ye Feng feel awkward and out of place.

“How did you just bring me here?” Ye Feng was still a little shaken; the sensation of being electrocuted was far from pleasant.

“It’s the same trick I used to knock out Sang Biao and his gang last time. The bioelectricity was weaker this time, so you’ll be fine.”

“Can’t you use another method? This is dangerous!” Ye Feng roared in frustration—this was no joke with his life at stake.

“Pah, don’t be ungrateful. With your body, even if I increased the current tenfold, it wouldn’t hurt you. This is simply the fastest way,” Bad Bad scoffed.

“You—”

“Enough nonsense. Tell me, what do you want to learn?” As Bad Bad spoke, he gestured toward the blackboard. Something remarkable occurred: the blackboard filled with countless subjects—astronomy, geography, musical instruments, combat techniques, driving skills—a dizzying array that overwhelmed Ye Feng.

“What are all these? Am I supposed to learn them all? I couldn’t finish in a lifetime,” Ye Feng said, bewildered.

“Of course you couldn’t, not on your own. But with my help, you could master them in a month—provided you give me enough energy.”

“Does it require a lot of energy? How do I provide it? By practicing internal energy cultivation?” Ye Feng fired off a string of questions.

“Of course it requires a lot! Otherwise, how could you learn in a month what would take others several lifetimes? Practicing internal energy benefits both of us.”

“But the things you gave me, I hardly understand—acupoints, meridians, and such.”

“That’s what I’m about to teach you. Why are you in such a hurry? Remember, we’re in a deep dream, and there’s plenty of time before morning.”

“Oh. Then let’s start,” Ye Feng said, growing weary of Bad Bad’s rambling.

Seeing Ye Feng’s impatience, Bad Bad laughed and waved his hand. Suddenly, a strange human-shaped diagram appeared on the blackboard before Ye Feng. Pointing to a bright red line that shimmered and flowed along the figure’s upper body, Bad Bad explained, “See this? This is the route for the internal energy cultivation I’m teaching you. This point is the starting position—three centimeters below your navel—the dantian, just like in martial arts novels. When you wake up, focus your mind there and you’ll feel a kind of energy flow—that’s your internal force. Your task is to drive it along this path every day!”

“If you can circulate it according to this route daily, it will absorb enough energy particles from the environment to meet my needs. You won’t have to stuff yourself with food anymore! Do you understand?” Bad Bad grinned at Ye Feng.

“If, after some time, you can complete nine cycles in a row, you’ll have achieved the first level of internal energy. Then I’ll unlock new functions for you!”

“Meridian map? The Ren and Du meridians?” Ye Feng’s excitement grew at the promise of further benefits. But as he looked at the diagram, he was stunned. After a moment’s thought, he realized it resembled the meridian diagrams he’d seen in martial arts dramas—the path merging at the center front and back of the body, just like the so-called Ren and Du meridians. Yet, it didn’t seem exactly the same.

Puzzled, Ye Feng asked, “Why is this different from what’s shown on television?”

“Pah, what’s on TV is all made up. If it were real, anyone could cultivate internal energy. Besides, ancient methods are no longer suitable for the modern world—the environment has changed too much. In the future, the military simplified and improved it,” Bad Bad replied, frowning as he considered.

Ye Feng only half understood—clearly, he would need to combine practice and theory to truly grasp it.

“All right, I know you’re still confused. Study it after you wake up. For now, while I still have energy, let’s teach you something else. What do you want to learn?”

“Uh…” Ye Feng stared at the blackboard, overwhelmed by choices. After a while, he spotted something he needed the most. “I want to learn tracking and counter-tracking.”

“Oh? Good choice. With my current energy, I can just manage that. After this, I’ll probably have to go dormant for a while.” With that, Bad Bad tapped Ye Feng lightly on the head, and Ye Feng instantly fainted.

The next morning, Ye Feng opened his eyes and gazed at the ceiling in the darkness, confirming once again that it hadn’t been a dream. Reflecting on his mind, he found a trove of new knowledge. It took two hours to sort through everything Bad Bad had given him—detailed skills comparable to those of an experienced agent, and even basic disguise techniques. The training was incredibly comprehensive.

By the time Ye Feng had finished organizing the information in his mind, it was already seven in the morning. After breakfast, he eagerly set out to try cultivating internal energy.

Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Ye Feng closed his eyes and focused on the area three centimeters below his navel—the dantian.

He knew that, according to traditional Chinese medicine, that spot was called the dantian, often described in martial arts films as the reservoir of internal energy. But Ye Feng had never naively tried to see if it was truly the key point for cultivating internal force.

Now, after a period of quiet concentration, he could clearly sense the location of his dantian, where a strange flow of energy was hidden. When he guided it, it slowly began to move—this must be the internal force Bad Bad had described.

Recalling the meridian diagram Bad Bad had shown him the night before, Ye Feng began to cautiously guide the flow along the so-called Ren and Du meridians, slowly advancing it forward.