Chapter 71 - 60: Showing Off for the Girl

Grabbing his bag, Chen Jue headed to the park. He entered through the main gate as usual and saw that Wu Fang and the old man were already there early. Chen Jue went up with a grin to say hello.

It had been raining for the past few days, so he hadn’t had a chance to see her. Today, Wu Fang was dressed in a snow-white training uniform, her hair tied in a neat and sharp ponytail with a red silk ribbon.

The light sweat on her cheeks from her practice glistened translucently in the morning sun, giving her a vibrant, healthy glow.

’She’s really something,’ Chen Jue marveled at Teacher Wu’s looks and disposition. ’My taste in people is impeccable.’

’A girl who still gets up this early to exercise on a Saturday morning... they’re like a rare species these days!’

...

He didn’t linger, since staying too long might make him unwelcome.

After a quick greeting, Chen Jue headed deeper into the park to find the Tai Chi Class and continue grinding for Attributes.

He hadn’t seen him in a few days, but Teacher Zhao Jianguo was as serene as ever, leading a group of elderly students as they slowly practiced Tai Chi in their usual spot.

As soon as Chen Jue arrived, he dropped his backpack and joined them.

However, as he practiced Tai Chi today, Chen Jue discovered his tailbone felt much more sensitive than usual.

This was especially true when he practiced the thirteen Tai Chi stances. The sensation of contracting and relaxing in coordination with the [Squeezing Valley Dao] technique also worked his tailbone, causing goosebumps to rise rhythmically all over his skin.

It felt as if he’d figured out a trick. He watched as the Proficiency for [Tai Chi Thirteen Stances] shot up rapidly in increments of +5 and +10.

Before long, a notification popped up on the panel!

——————

[DING~]

[Proficiency has reached 100%. Skill Level has increased.]

[Tai Chi Thirteen Stances Lv0→Lv1]

[Frequent practice has deepened your familiarity with the movements of these thirteen health-preserving Pile Skills. You will no longer feel the previous awkwardness when practicing. You are beginning to grasp the knack of Pile Skills practice. Your metabolism has increased, your Constitution has slightly improved, and your stamina is more abundant.]

——————

’The Pile Skills leveled up?’

Chen Jue paused, momentarily stunned, as he came out of that peculiar state of his pores contracting and skin tightening, still savoring the after-feeling.

He realized the secret to the Pile Skills seemed to lie in his tailbone, and it had a remarkably subtle synergy with the [Squeezing Valley Dao] Skill.

Before, when he practiced the stances, he’d have to stand for over an hour just to get goosebumps a few times.

Moreover, the goosebumps only appeared on the backs of his hands and his thighs.

But now, it was a different story. The goosebumps weren’t just spreading to his waist and back, expanding their reach, but they were also occurring much more frequently.

’I’ll look this up online when I get back,’ Chen Jue thought.

He’d been too busy with social obligations to study it last night, but he had all the time in the world this Saturday to do a deep dive.

He practiced with Zhao Jianguo until 8:30, and all three of his Tai Chi Skills reached Lv1.

However, his Constitution Attribute didn’t increase this time. Instead, he gained 0.02 Free Attribute points, which he immediately allocated entirely to Constitution.

His left hand still hadn’t fully healed, so adding these 0.02 attribute points immediately eliminated most of the dull, throbbing pain.

Chen Jue estimated that with one more night of rest, his left hand would be fully functional again.

...

After finishing his Tai Chi practice, he grabbed breakfast from a stall at the park entrance.

Sometime after 9:00 AM, he slipped back into a deeper part of the park, found a deserted corner, and prepared to film the third episode of his special skills videos.

He set up his tripod and was just about to find a good angle when a familiar figure approached from the direction of the lake.

It was Wu Fang, who had changed into casual clothes. She was holding a few thick books and appeared to be looking for a quiet spot in the park to read.

She lived in a high-end apartment complex nearby, so it was an easy trip for her.

Spotting Chen Jue fiddling with some equipment, she walked over curiously.

"Master Chen, you’re still here?"

"Are you... planning to film a video?" Wu Fang asked, her curious eyes darting around.

"Yeah, just shooting some videos for a little side hustle."

Chen Jue explained openly, taking the opportunity to size her up.

’Teacher Wu is even more beautiful in casual clothes than she was during her morning workout!’

Her ponytail was now in a bun, and a pair of non-prescription glasses sat on her nose. She was wearing a light-pink, long-sleeved sweatshirt with form-fitting jeans. The style was a bit of a mashup, but it perfectly outlined her graceful figure.

You had to admit, Wu Fang’s looks and charisma were maybe an 8 out of 10, not top-tier, but with the jeans and glasses? It was like she’d activated some kind of "professional woman" aura buff, enough to capture the gaze of every degenerate.

’As expected of a teacher!’

’Teachers are the best!’ Chen Jue exclaimed internally.

Meanwhile, Wu Fang had become intrigued by the video-making side hustle Chen Jue had mentioned.

Seeing the pile of props he’d brought for filming, she started asking all sorts of questions.

’This is my chance to shine!’ Chen Jue thought.

He didn’t hold back, pulling up his Brother of Special Skills account and showing Wu Fang his two previous videos.

The long-range Darts video wasn’t much of a shock, since Wu Fang had already seen him take down a dog with one, giving her a firm first impression of his ability.

The first video, on Stone Skimming, however, brought a huge smile to her face.

Stone Skimming is such a niche activity that most people, having never seen it done like that, had no idea you could pull off so many tricks!

"So what are you planning to film this time?" Wu Fang asked curiously, pulling out her phone and following his account on Bilibili and Douyin right then and there.

She was a young person, after all, and often browsed short-form video apps.

Discovering that Chen Jue’s secret identity was a video creator made Wu Fang even more curious about him.

"This time, I’m planning to shoot a video that combines Darts and Flying Cards."

"It’s an idea I just came up with, and it would’ve been a hassle to film by myself. Since you’re here, could I trouble you to man the camera, Teacher Wu?" Chen Jue said with a slight smile, handing the tripod with the phone attached over to Wu Fang.

Driven by curiosity, Wu Fang agreed to be his assistant.

Filming a video, what’s the big deal!

It wasn’t a difficult task. As a PE teacher, she often had to record videos for her students during competitions and sports meets.

Besides, in this visual media era, women’s photo and video skills were often miles ahead of men’s.

She glanced at the settings on Chen Jue’s phone camera—they hadn’t even been touched. No wonder his first two videos looked so amateurish.

Kind soul that she was, Wu Fang tapped the screen a few times, giving the camera feed a much more cinematic, filtered look.

Chen Jue, standing a short distance away, gave her an OK sign to start recording, then donned the ancient-style Face Armor of the Brother of Special Skills.

He pulled out a used deck of cards, left over from yesterday’s practice. He gave them two quick accordion shuffles—WHOOSH, WHOOSH—showing off a trick he had just learned.

’What’s he trying to do?’

’Perform a gambling trick?’

Wu Fang paused, slightly taken aback. The sight of Chen Jue expertly handling the cards reminded her of the old Hong Kong movies she watched as a kid.

The favorite flourish of all the Gambling Gods, Gambling Knights, and Gambling Saints in those movies was always a fancy card shuffle.

But to her surprise, after showing off his shuffling skills, Chen Jue tossed the entire deck high into the air.

The colorful cards fluttered down from the sky like a goddess scattering blossoms.

The next moment, with a flick of his wrist, Chen Jue threw two Short Sword Darts in rapid succession. THWACK! THWACK! Two of the falling cards were pinned to a nearby tree trunk.

Chen Jue waved at the camera. Wu Fang, still stunned by his unbelievably fast-succession dart throws, quickly picked up the tripod and moved in for a close-up.

But when she got a closer look, Wu Fang was floored!

The two Short Sword Darts were planted close together, and the cards they had pinned were none other than the red and black Jokers!