Chapter Five: Learning

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Perhaps because he had just arrived in an unfamiliar place, Xiao Yao woke up before seven in the morning. After getting up, dressing, washing his face, and brushing his teeth, he tidied himself and stepped out of his east wing room.

Once outside, he immediately saw the elderly Mr. Xiao Chengru in the courtyard, dressed in a white silk jacket and trousers with black cloth shoes, practicing morning exercises. Judging by his movements, he seemed to be performing Tai Chi.

Hearing the door open, the old gentleman turned and saw Xiao Yao standing neatly at the doorway. Smiling, he asked, "Ba Yi, you're up so early. How did you sleep last night?" Yet, his hands never stopped moving.

Xiao Yao sat down on a stone bench beside the old man, resting his chin on his clenched fists as he watched him and replied, "Pretty well."

"Are you hungry? Grandpa can take you for breakfast," Xiao Chengru offered.

"Not hungry yet. It's still early, no rush to eat. Grandpa, you take your time practicing. I'll watch you for a bit," Xiao Yao said casually.

"Oh, alright then. Grandpa will finish this round and then take you for breakfast," Xiao Chengru said happily. He practiced Tai Chi almost every day when free. Though he didn’t mind missing a day or two for his grandson, finishing the practice was always better.

However, Xiao Yao seemed restless and after a short while asked, "Grandpa, is this Tai Chi you’re practicing?"

"Yes, why? You know it too?" Xiao Chengru chuckled, surprised. He didn’t believe his grandson could already know Tai Chi.

As expected, Xiao Yao shook his head. "No, I don’t. That’s why I want to learn. Grandpa, will you teach me?"

"You really want to learn?" Xiao Chengru asked.

"Yes," Xiao Yao said earnestly. "Mom said she wants me not only to be smart but also healthy. Isn’t this good for strengthening the body?"

"Good," Xiao Chengru agreed. "But this yard is a bit small. How about we go to the park?" The courtyard wasn’t very large. An old locust tree, stone table and benches, some potted plants, and other miscellaneous items took up much of the space. Even practicing Tai Chi alone was a bit cramped; with Xiao Yao there, it was even tighter. Usually, he went to the park to exercise, but since his grandson was here, he didn’t want to wake him too early or leave him alone after he woke up, so he tolerated practicing in the courtyard today. Now that his grandson wanted to learn, it was better to take him to the park. Having such an intelligent and lively grandson, who had already earned many compliments from neighbors yesterday, Xiao Chengru had long wanted to show him off to his old exercise friends at the park. He had only suppressed this urge because waking the child early just to impress others seemed too harsh. But since the boy had woken up so early and wanted to learn Tai Chi, there was no reason not to show off a little.

Xiao Yao had no objections. For him, it was all the same where to practice; he was not a shy little girl.

The park where Xiao Chengru usually exercised was not far from their home, about a ten-minute walk. It had a small artificial lake, groves, and green spaces, offering a pleasant environment and fresh air—an ideal place for exercise. When the grandfather and grandson arrived at their usual green spot by the lake, several elderly men and women were already there exercising.

Xiao Yao looked around and noticed some were practicing forms, some wielding swords, and others singing operatic tunes in high pitches. However, there was no sign of the ubiquitous square dancing from his previous life, perhaps due to time or place, or maybe it simply wasn’t popular in this world.

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"Old Xiao, you’re late today. Oh, this must be your eldest grandson. Starting to teach the kid now?" Someone called out as Xiao Chengru and Xiao Yao approached the exercise area.

"Yes, you’ve all heard about the trouble my boy got into. He’s still recovering in the hospital, so this old man has to take care of the kid for a while," Xiao Chengru replied.

The regulars all knew about the Xiao family’s recent mishap and had offered their condolences over the past few days. Seeing Xiao Chengru’s current demeanor, they dropped the subject.

"You’re lucky to have your kid with you now. Not like my young couple—once the baby was weaned, they just dumped it on us old folks and went off to enjoy themselves," one familiar elder joked.

"Don’t say that. Maybe your kids worry you’ll get bored in retirement. Having the child around livens things up," another elder chimed in. "My daughter’s child isn’t with us, so when we want to see our grandchild, we have to travel half the city. You’re lucky to have yours close."

The old friends had been practicing for a while and were now resting, chatting among themselves. Xiao Chengru greeted them all with Xiao Yao in tow, and the boy’s sensible demeanor earned his grandfather a round of envious praise.

Feeling his pride satisfied, Xiao Chengru began teaching Xiao Yao Tai Chi.

"Come, Ba Yi, watch me. This is the opening, then 'Wild Horse Parts the Mane,' left side, right side, next is 'White Crane Spreads Wings'..." Xiao Chengru and Xiao Yao faced each other, slowly starting the Tai Chi forms with commentary.

Seeing Xiao Chengru teaching his barely three-year-old grandson Tai Chi, several resting elders gathered around curiously.

"Old Xiao’s actually teaching his grandson Tai Chi? That kid’s too young. Old Xiao must be joking," one said.

"Hey, actually, the kid’s moves look quite decent. Sharp little fellow..." another remarked.

Though Xiao Chengru appeared to ignore their remarks and focused on teaching, inside he was delighted. "Hmph, the Xiao family’s kids may be young, but their cleverness—no grandchild of yours can compare."

After completing a round, Xiao Chengru nodded in satisfaction and asked Xiao Yao, "Remember it all? Let’s do it again."

Recalling briefly, Xiao Yao confidently answered, "I think I remembered everything." He was surprised himself. The routine had twenty-four forms and over thirty movements. Even in his previous life at thirty years old, he might not have remembered every move perfectly in one go. But now, it seemed he had memorized it all. Having read many sci-fi novels, Xiao Yao knew something about unlocking the brain’s potential. His soul had entered this body—his thoughts merged with this child’s brain. Could it be that by merging with the child’s brain, a portion of this brain’s capacity had been forcibly unlocked? This body’s original memories remained intact, so combining two sets of memories required extra mental space. And since this body’s brain was still developing physiologically, wouldn’t that mean he could become even stronger as the brain matured? This thought excited Xiao Yao.

"Alright, show me once," Xiao Chengru said, surprised and skeptical.

"Okay, watch this," Xiao Yao said enthusiastically, still brimming with excitement.

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Opening stance, Wild Horse Parts the Mane, White Crane Spreads Wings... Xiao Yao performed the moves with confidence. Because he remembered clearly, his movements were smooth and continuous. However, unfamiliar with Tai Chi’s deeper essence, he moved faster than Xiao Chengru usually did during his exercises. To demonstrate he remembered every move, Xiao Yao added a subtle force at the end of each move to briefly stabilize the posture. Watching from the side, one might think his Tai Chi resembled that in films—combining strength with aesthetic and visual impact.

"Wow, Old Xiao, is this really your first time teaching your grandson Tai Chi? Your eldest grandson’s amazing," someone exclaimed.

"Exactly, Old Xiao must have been secretly teaching him at home, waiting for today to show off," another said.

Xiao Chengru laughed off their comments. "Nonsense, who has time to fool around with you all? Besides, can your three-year-old kid conspire with you to deceive others? Even if they could, would it look this convincing?"

Just then, an elderly man with half-white hair, dressed in a silk training suit, stepped out from the group and approached Xiao Yao.

"Kid, this soft, gentle fist won’t get you far. How about Grandpa teaches you a set of hard-hitting moves?" he suggested.

At this, Xiao Chengru’s expression changed. He quickly interrupted, "Come on, Old Liu, your Bajiquan is too fierce. My grandson’s just a little kid; he can’t learn such aggressive moves now. If you want him to keep leaning his shoulder against trees every day, I won’t agree."

"Bajiquan?" Xiao Yao’s eyes lit up. This was a famous martial art, often praised in novels. Having read plenty of stories about legendary fighters, he had long admired it. Though Tai Chi was well-known, it was an internal style, and he wasn’t sure if internal energy could be cultivated in modern practice—it was mostly for health and meditation rather than combat. Bajiquan, however, was an external style, a hard martial art used in real fighting—a truly practical self-defense skill. If given the chance, Xiao Yao would be eager to learn it.

Unfortunately, before Xiao Yao could respond, Old Liu rolled his eyes and said to Xiao Chengru, "What are you thinking? Who said I’m going to teach your grandson Bajiquan? My Bajiquan isn’t something to be passed around casually. Besides, all of you know the kid’s too young for Bajiquan; do you think I don’t? Now, kid, I’ll teach you a set of Shaolin Long Fist. Interested?"

"Hey, Old Liu, I just taught my grandson Tai Chi, and now you want to teach him Shaolin? Are Shaolin and Wudang always at odds?" Xiao Chengru grumbled. Sometimes, these old men acted like children.

"Bah, what Wudang nonsense? I might barely be connected to Shaolin, but you? Don’t you think your few moves came from some online tutorial?" Old Liu retorted, rolling his eyes again.

"You..." Xiao Chengru wanted to reply but was interrupted by Xiao Yao’s innocent yet resolute voice.

"I want to learn!"