Cangmang Asks the Way 1: Guardian of the Lamp

The brilliance of the Jixian Middle School sports meet did not fade away with the dust settling on the field. Instead, like a boulder thrown into a still lake, the ripples continued to spread, pushing Cang Tianci to the center of unprecedented attention.

During breaks, curious classmates often gathered around his seat. Besides asking him about difficult problems, many more looked on with inquisitive eyes.

"Tianci, your boxing routine is so cool! Can you teach us a couple of moves for self-defense?" A male classmate patted Cang Tianci on the shoulder with a grin.

"Brother Tianci, I've been feeling dizzy and listless these past couple of days. Could you take a look at me?" a woman asked with a sweet laugh.

……

At first, Cang Tianci accepted almost everyone who came to him. He patiently explained things to those who wanted to learn academics; he smiled and said that martial arts required systematic training, but he would teach some simple self-defense moves to those who wanted to learn during physical education class; and he massaged and relieved the physical discomfort of students using the "Ling Shu Zhi Xuan Shou" technique.

Once, Li Qiang, a classmate, sprained his ankle during PE class, and the school doctor happened to be out. With Ms. Yang's permission, Cang Tianci squatted down and gently touched the area around the injury to carefully feel it.

"The bones are fine, it's just a sprained tendon, slightly dislocated." As he spoke, he swiftly pulled and shifted the tendon, and with a very slight "click," Li Qiang's tightly furrowed brows immediately relaxed, and he exclaimed, "Hey? I think I can move! It doesn't hurt as much anymore!"

"It's just that it's been repositioned; the meridians still need rest. Remember to apply ice for the next 24 hours, and don't exert any force or rub it," Cang Tianci carefully instructed.

This calm and professional bone-setting and muscle-relaxing technique quickly earned him the nickname "Little Miracle Doctor".

The admiring glances and praises from his classmates pleased Cang Tianci greatly. He felt a slight stirring in the warm, dormant dragon energy within his dantian, a faint yet real warmth spreading outwards. It was a fulfilling feeling of being recognized and needed. He subconsciously straightened his back, and his voice seemed to become smoother when answering questions. That night, while meditating in the storage room, he discovered that his usually calm and still aura had developed a barely perceptible "floating," as if gently supported by the lingering warmth of the praise he had received during the day, preventing it from fully settling into the deepest part of his dantian. He frowned, circulating his inner energy to suppress it, but inwardly he was surprised: This reputation could actually disturb his inner energy?

One day, Ms. Xu, the homeroom teacher, approached Cang Tianci to discuss the possibility of implementing a "physical fitness plan" in the class.

Cang Tianci fell silent. His first feeling wasn't the joy of being trusted, but a heavy pressure. He knew clearly that his schedule was on the verge of collapse, his mind was constantly disturbed, and taking on this responsibility...

However, the profound expectations in Teacher Xu's words and his idea of ​​"guiding rather than isolating" resonated subtly with his own sense of responsibility to "contribute if he has the ability." The words of refusal swirled in his throat a few times, but he finally nodded and said, "Teacher Xu, I'll give it a try."

So, during a class meeting, Xu Wenyuan said, "Classmates, our junior class's sports performance was relatively weak in this sports meet. Moreover, through observation over this period, I've found that the overall physical fitness of our students is weaker than that of students in other classes. Health is the foundation of everything. We must not only study well, but also be healthy. Just like Cang Tianci, exercising every day not only didn't affect our academic performance, but actually helped improve it."

He paused, then raised his voice: "Only with a strong physique can one support lofty ideals. Therefore, I have decided that, starting today, students will use their spare time between classes for physical exercise every day. The specifics will be handled by the sports committee member, Cang Tianci."

After receiving this task, Cang Tianci spent several late nights repeatedly pondering and experimenting. He kept in mind his master's teachings of "the great way is simple" and "universal safety," combining the most basic "concentrating the mind and nourishing the qi" concept from the "Hibernating Dragon Breathing Technique" with a few simple movements to stretch the muscles and improve blood circulation. He repeatedly simplified it until it became a routine that took only three to five minutes and was easy to remember and practice, naming it "Embracing the Yuan and Guarding the One." When leading everyone in practice, he emphasized the key points of coordinating movements and breathing, stressing "feeling the body's feedback, rather than pursuing form."

At first, the students were just curious, but after several days, many found that their afternoon drowsiness lessened and the stiffness from sitting for long periods was relieved. In particular, the moments of meditation guided by Tianci helped to calm their chaotic thoughts. Everyone's enthusiasm immediately soared.

Seeing this, Xu Wenyuan quietly joined in. After a few weeks, the soreness in his shoulders and neck caused by years of sitting at a desk improved significantly, and his concentration while grading assignments also increased. He was amazed by the miraculous effect of this method and even more gratified by the change in the students' mental state.

Such a good thing shouldn't be kept to oneself; it should be reported to the leadership to see if it can be promoted throughout the school. However, this would inevitably subject Tianci to more attention… Oh well, jade needs to be carved to become a gem; this is a necessary trial for him. If the 'burden' of one person can be exchanged for the 'benefit' of many students, perhaps it's worth it. With this thought, he turned and walked towards the principal's office.

Therefore, at a school-wide meeting of homeroom teachers, Xu Wenyuan shared the case of how his class had improved students' classroom concentration and mental outlook after implementing "mini-exercises during breaks".

Subsequently, the principal, the two vice principals in charge of moral education and academic affairs, and several teachers from the physical education group personally visited the gifted youth class to observe and experience it, and they couldn't help but praise it highly.

After several discussions between the physical education department and the academic affairs office, the school finally decided to invite Cang Tianci to give a five-minute demonstration of "Tips for Restoring Energy During Breaks" to all teachers and students after the flag-raising ceremony, and to include "Baoyuan Shouyi" as an optional content in the training of physical education representatives of each class.

So, on a Monday morning, Cang Tianci stood on the platform, facing thousands of eyes, and clearly explained and demonstrated the "Embracing the Yuan and Guarding the One" posture to all the teachers and students through the microphone. This time, his words were only slightly hesitant. This pleased Lin Wanqing, Wang Xiuzhu, and others who knew and cared about him. At the same time, it made Zheng Tao and others even more resentful of Cang Tianci.

From then on, the name "Cang Tianci" resounded throughout the campus. Teachers from other classes would bring their students to "learn from and observe" during breaks; the physical education department would approach him to discuss whether he could help compile a more detailed instruction manual; and even female students who were just passing by would ask him for his autograph...

Praise and curiosity flooded in from all directions. He had to spend more time dealing with them. The initial warmth of being needed was gradually replaced by exhaustion and anxiety.

His time was fragmented, like a spinning top whipped by an invisible lash, frantically turning in the gaps between every class break and every time school ended, struggling to cope with the pleas for help and attention pouring in from all directions.

Finally, the negative consequences gradually became apparent.

In a math quiz, he got stuck on a simple calculation problem, only realizing after repeated checks that he had copied a number incorrectly—a careless mistake he rarely made. In a math competition tutoring session, Mr. Xu gave him a complex geometry proof problem. Normally, he could quickly immerse himself in the problem, meticulously unraveling the complexities to find the key auxiliary lines. But that day, the various distracting voices of the day echoed in his mind, his concentration feeling as if pulled by countless threads, making it difficult to focus.

Another time, Tianci was surrounded by several enthusiastic classmates asking him questions and lost track of time. When he rushed into the hall, panting, Zhou Zhenhua's face was ashen. His gaze swept across Tianci's slightly agitated brows like a knife, and he said sternly, "Have you warmed up your provincial gold medal yet? Do you think you can relax just because you have some fame? Let me tell you, fame is a mirror. It reflects your ability, but it also reflects your arrogance. Once your arrogance is gone, your foundation weakens, and your punches fall flat. Today, for these thirty sets of sprint kicks, think carefully about why you're even standing here!"

That evening in the storage room, as he faced a math competition mock exam, that feeling of mental distraction returned.

He suddenly realized that the distractions brought by fame were eroding his most fundamental things—the extreme focus required for martial arts advancement and the quiet time necessary for academic progress. It wasn't just that his time was being taken away; it was that his character was being invisibly eroded.

Changes must be made.

Having made up his mind, he first went to Teacher Xu Wenyuan and frankly told him about his predicament.

After listening, Teacher Xu adjusted her glasses and said seriously, "Tianci, it's good that you're aware of this problem. The word 'fame' carries immense weight, and it's the hardest thing for young people to control. The fact that you took the initiative to talk about it shows that you haven't been blinded by praise. But you need to know that setting boundaries is necessary, but the method requires wisdom. If you're too hasty, it can easily hurt others. So, I'll emphasize this in class."

Then, Tianci explained the situation to Zhou Zhenhua. Coach Zhou patted him heavily on the shoulder: "I should have said that a long time ago. Kid, remember, a true strong person not only needs to practice their fists, but also needs to learn how to manage the disturbances around them."

However, despite Ms. Xu's explanation during the class meeting, those who had been readily helped but were now being politely refused for various reasons still felt a sense of disappointment and unhappiness.

Once, a classmate caught a cold and had a fever, but didn't want to spend money to go to the hospital. So he reluctantly went to Cang Tianci, hoping that he could help him get treatment.

Cang Tianci was in a dilemma. If he didn't treat him, it would undoubtedly hurt the classmate's pride; but if he did treat him, the wasted time and energy would be secondary, the worse thing would be that it would break the rules that Teacher Xu had specially set for him in the class meeting.

After thinking about it, he ultimately chose to politely decline.

The student was stunned for a moment, then looked embarrassed and left awkwardly.