Chapter 177: The Famous Family

```

Li Jingang arrived.

As a special forces member who had participated in the mission, Li Jingang already knew that something had happened to Gao Yuan after his return, but he didn't know the specifics of what had happened.

"King Kong, this is Doctor Sun. If Doctor Sun has any questions, you answer honestly,"

"Yes."

When he looked at Doctor Sun, Li Jingang felt somewhat apprehensive, but Sun Yunxiang smiled kindly and said, "You seem a bit nervous; it's just a few simple questions. And it's not related to treatment, so there's no need to be nervous."

"Yes, Doctor Sun, I'm just a little worried about Gao Yuan."

Sun Yunxiang sized up Li Jingang from head to toe, and then he suddenly said, "You practice Xingyi Quan."

"Yes."

"For how many years?"

"I've practiced since I was a child, for over twenty years, I guess."

"Your name is Li Jingang. Where are you from?"

"I'm from Xingzhou, Hebei Province."

"Hmm, okay. We'll talk about you later. Let's talk about Gao Yuan first. Have you ever taught him Xingyi Quan?"

Li Jingang immediately shook his head, "I haven't taught him. He doesn't need to learn, and I don't have the time to teach."

"Not even a little bit? Even if you've only spoken a few words or taught him the essence of the technique, it counts."

"No, not a single word."

Sun Yunxiang frowned and shook his head, "Then... we'll have to wait until he wakes up to ask. I'm really curious. According to Gao Yuan's condition, how could he possibly have exploded to that extent if he hadn't trained to a certain degree?"

After he finished speaking, Sun Yunxiang looked at General Luo and said, "Do you know that ordinary people, even if they want to explode, can only reach a very rudimentary level? If they usually exert a force of a hundred pounds, the most they can do when exploding is two hundred pounds, which is considered pretty good. But a master of internal martial arts, who usually hits with two hundred pounds, can deliver a thousand pounds with a single explosive punch. That's the difference between a trained person and an ordinary person."

General Luo nodded, and Sun Yunxiang continued, "So does Gao Yuan practice any other form of martial arts? Otherwise, this is inexplicable."

Shi Lei looked at General Luo, who said in a low voice, "Mr. Sun, there are some things you may not be aware of. Well, let me put it this way. Gao Yuan is not an ordinary person; he is... he's a superhuman."

"Superhuman? General Luo, you must be joking."

General Luo said in a low voice, "I'm not joking. He was infected with a zombie virus, and also infected with another virus from an alien monster. Then, erm... extraterrestrial friends saved him with a gene weapon. So Gao Yuan mutated, becoming immensely strong and incredibly fast. Oh, and now our vaccines and such are being developed from his blood."

Doctor Sun was stunned for a moment and said, "That's a bit too... science fiction!"

General Luo smiled and said, "That's why he's different, because he truly is different. Do you see why he's important now? He's a treasure trove."

Doctor Sun took a deep breath, then nodded repeatedly without speaking. After a moment, he suddenly said, "And here I was wondering what kind of martial arts he had been practicing, when it turns out the man is... is... What does this make him?"

General Luo scratched his head and said, "It's hard for anyone to say. Let's just say... he evolved."

Doctor Sun gave a wry smile and said, "I'm trying to fit traditional martial arts onto an evolved person; that doesn't match up. What is this, science fiction meeting tradition?"

"Yes, that's exactly it."

Doctor Sun fell silent, then spoke softly, "Do you think, with Gao Yuan's excellent physical foundation, if he really dedicated himself to practicing martial arts, what would he be like?"

General Luo smiled and said, "I couldn't say, I'm not knowledgeable about such things."

After a long silence, Doctor Sun nodded and said, "We'll have to wait for Gao Yuan to wake up before we can ask. Hmm, King Kong, since you are from Xingzhou, do you know a person named Li Shitang?"

Li Jingang was startled for a moment, then said, "Yes, that's my grandfather. Do you know him?"

Doctor Sun smiled and said, "I thought so. From Xingzhou, Hebei Province, it can only be Li Shitang's branch. So your ancestor is the renowned Mr. Li Luoneng, and you practice Li-style Xingyi, right?"

```

Li Jingang was quite startled for a moment, then he shook his head and said, "Li Luoneng? No, my great-grandfather was named Li Xiaodian; that was the name. Now the clan genealogy is lost, and we only know that our great-grandfather's generation all had 'Dian' in their names. I've heard that this caused quite a few jokes."

"Jokes? That's the Midas touch! Your ancestor, Mr. Luoneng, he had the Midas touch. Otherwise, why would they use 'Dian' in the generation names?"

"Is that so? My grandfather was Li Shitang, my father Li Chengguo, and our generation takes the 'Jin' character, so it should be 'Dian Shi Cheng Jin,' right? Did you know my grandfather?"

"How is your grandfather doing?"

"He passed away a few years ago."

Sun Yunxiang let out a gentle sigh and said, "I did indeed know your grandfather, but it was only a brief meeting. It's only your branch of the Li family that still practices Xingyi Quan; the others have all lost it. The real martial arts have been lost. When I was young, I had a chance to spar with your grandfather and knew he was a descendant of Mr. Luoneng, with authentic Li style Xingyi. We weren't close, but I had a lot of respect for your grandfather's martial arts."

Instantly, the relationship between Li Jingang and Sun Yunxiang changed. Li Jingang became somewhat excited and asked, "So you practice martial arts too? May I know what fist technique you practice?"

Sun Yunxiang nodded and replied, "My ancestor was Sun Lutang; I practice Tai Chi, Xingyi, and Bagua Palm. Speaking of which, the Xingyi Quan we pass down actually originated from Mr. Luoneng. So our two families could be considered sworn allies."

Li Jingang bowed respectfully and greeted with a fist in the palm, "Nice to meet you, honored elder."

Sun Yunxiang accepted Li Jingang's bow, then smiled at him and said, "Jingang, I heard earlier that you've practiced Xingyi Quan well and have real skill. Shall we have a light spar?"

"A light spar? Sure, please instruct me, Elder."

Li Jingang had absolute confidence in his martial arts, a quality necessary for becoming a master. As for Sun Yunxiang, although he appeared to be very elderly, this was an elder testing and guiding the younger generation in martial arts tradition. Despite being young and vigorous, Li Jingang highly valued the opportunity to spar.

The two of them moved to the side and began to spar, moving slowly, with their forearms touching and pushing each other gently. After a moment, Sun Yunxiang's arms shook, sending Li Jingang back two steps.

Li Jingang was quite shocked, while Sun Yunxiang raised his arms again and said, "Don't be afraid of my old age, come on."

This time, Li Jingang was cautious but dared to use more strength.

Xingyi Quan and Tai Chi both feature sparring, but the way they generate power is different. The two were using Xingyi Quan techniques, and this sparring was not just a test of physical strength; it involved experience and the subtleties of finer points.

After a while, Sun Yunxiang pushed Li Jingang forward. Li Jingang stumbled past Sun Yunxiang and took a couple of unsteady steps.

"Wow, Elder, you are impressive!"

Li Jingang was completely convinced, but Sun Yunxiang simply smiled and said, "Actually, I'm a generation older than your grandfather. By calling me 'Elder,' you've skipped a generation. You should have asked more clearly, kid."

"Ah, you're a generation above my grandfather? But you should still be called 'Elder.' Back where I come from, there's someone who practices Plum Blossom Fist who's older in generation than my grandfather. My grandfather told me to call him 'Elder.' So, what should I call you?"

Sun Yunxiang waved his hand and said, "You should call me 'Old Ancestor,' but nevermind that. Whatever you call me isn't important; 'Elder' sounds close and affectionate. I wanted to ask you, besides Xingyi, do you practice anything else?"

"Nothing else, just Xingyi."

Sun Yunxiang pondered for a moment then nodded, "Hmm, I can't let you call me 'Elder' for nothing. How about this, when you have time, I will teach you Bagua Palm and the Tai Chi frame. Ultimately, to fully master the three internal martial arts, you must touch upon all three and integrate them to achieve greatness."

Li Jingang replied enthusiastically, "I know, Master Bao Lutang from Tigerhead Clan was proficient in Xingyi, Tai Chi, and Bagua Palm."

Sun Yunxiang smiled and said, "Let's spar again. Hmm, it's been twenty years, and you are the best young person I've seen. You've achieved a very good level for the younger generation. I dare say, looking across the whole country, you are the number one in Xingyi Quan. But don't get arrogant just because I'm praising you."

Li Jingang suddenly paused, not approaching Sun Yunxiang for a spar, then he said somewhat unnaturally, "Well... I wouldn't dare claim to be the best. Um, my brother is stronger than I am, much stronger..."

Sun Yunxiang was once again surprised and asked with a look of disbelief, "Stronger than you? Who's your brother? I haven't heard of him."

Li Jingang faltered and said, "My brother is Li Jinfang. He's not in the country; he's abroad. According to my uncle, my brother has now achieved Inner and Outer Connection, um, much stronger than me..."

Sun Yunxiang was again shocked, lowering his arms and asking, "Inner and Outer Connection? And he's your brother? How did he train? Have you tested each other's skills?"

Li Jingang rubbed his chin and looked towards General Luo, who said, "Go on, is there anything you can't talk about?"

Li Jingang cleared his throat twice and said, "It's a bit complicated, and I got dragged into it too, almost forced to retire from the army because, well, my brother is a... um, mercenary overseas. But he has made contributions to the country, and now his honor has been restored in his original unit. The key point is that his martial arts skills were honed in actual combat. He's stronger than me because he fights; I just practice. I practice on my own while he fights to survive. So, now he's really mastered his skills."

Sun Yunxiang said in amazement, "He honed his skills through actual combat? No wonder. But what's with your brother? What's this about restoring honor and being a mercenary?"

General Luo also looked puzzled, while Shi Lei simply gave a wry smile. Li Jingang said helplessly, "Actually, I'm not very clear about the specifics. Jinfang was a soldier too, but later... he got into trouble, then he ran away. I don't know what happened after that, only that he went overseas and seemed to be working as a mercenary. At the time, my military career was nearly ended early due to this overseas connection, but somehow it just went away. Later, when I went home on leave, my uncle told me some of the situation. Now my uncle's family has also gone abroad, so I don't know what's happened since then."