Chapter 36: Internal Force

Wu Qingya was stunned for a moment, then her pretty face flushed slightly.

"Pah! In your dreams. Take this!"

Wu Qingya lunged forward, her fist clenched tight as she struck toward Jiang Jin’s face. Jiang Jin gasped in alarm, "Whoa, come on! You don't hit a man in the face!"

"Pah! So what if I do? Your skin is as thick as a city wall!"

With a soft, embarrassed snort, Wu Qingya kicked toward Jiang Jin’s lower abdomen. She had thrown this kick based on their previous spar; if Jiang Jin’s strength had remained at its former level, this blow would have certainly landed.

Fearing she might actually hurt him, she had intentionally held back her strength. Unfortunately for her, Jiang Jin was no longer the man he used to be. With lightning reflexes, he caught her ankle with a sharp "slap."

"How are your reflexes so fast?" Wu Qingya was startled and immediately tried to pull her foot back. To her surprise, Jiang Jin’s strength far exceeded her expectations; despite her efforts, she couldn't break free.

Jiang Jin let out a soft exclamation, his eyes glinting with amusement. "Oh? You can't pull it back? Did you practice the splits before?"

A flicker of confusion crossed Wu Qingya’s brow. "What do you mean?"

"You were too cold to me earlier, so I wanted to see you perform a split." Jiang Jin chuckled, then, holding the beautiful bodyguard’s ankle, he stepped backward.

"Ah!" Wu Qingya cried out, forced into a split position.

A split second later, the sound of fabric tearing echoed through the room. Wu Qingya looked down—goodness, her black pencil skirt had a small tear in it!

"Jiang Jin, you jerk!" The beautiful bodyguard’s face turned bright red with shame. At the same time, she was filled with immense curiosity. It had only been a few days; how had Jiang Jin’s strength and speed improved so drastically?

Jiang Jin, not expecting this, quickly nudged her back and released her ankle. Once she regained her balance, Wu Qingya threw another kick.

"Whoa, I let you off the hook once—you’re still going?" Jiang Jin let out a strange cry, moved with lightning speed, and caught her ankle again!

Wu Qingya’s expression changed drastically. What?! She had put her full strength into this kick, and it was more than twice as fast as the previous one. And yet, Jiang Jin had blocked it? No… speed wasn't the key; it was strength! She had barely touched the threshold of internal energy; a kick like this could snap a sapling as thick as a fist. Yet Jiang Jin had caught her ankle at the critical moment without the slightest tremor in his body.

This meant Jiang Jin’s strength was far superior to her own!

Wu Qingya asked in a breathless voice, "Have you cultivated internal energy?"

"Oh, so that energy I developed using the consciousness training method is called internal energy?" Jiang Jin said, looking suddenly enlightened.

Wu Qingya muttered to herself, *No way. Does he mean he really developed internal energy using a consciousness training method? That's not scientific!*

"Forget it, whatever it's called, as long as I can beat you, that’s all that matters," Jiang Jin said, looking as if he couldn't be bothered to overthink it.

Embarrassed and annoyed, Wu Qingya pouted, "Fine, you’re strong. You… you let me go first."

Jiang Jin’s lips curled into a smirk as he stared at her, saying slowly, "You have to admit you’ve been defeated by me first, then I’ll let you go."

"Fine, I admit it! You beat me, you win, happy now?" Wu Qingya was not the type to dwell on things, so she conceded readily.

"That’s more like it." Jiang Jin shook his head with a laugh and released her ankle. Wu Qingya rolled her eyes at him, then turned her head away, acting sulky.

Jiang Jin laughed helplessly. "Hey, come on, I only did this so I’d be qualified to pursue you."

"Pfft, who asked you to pursue me?" Her words were indifferent, but her heart felt as sweet as honey.

Given his experience, how could Jiang Jin not see that she was saying one thing while meaning another? He grinned, picked up the Patek Philippe box, and said with an air of dominance, "Here, a gift for you. No refusing this time."

Wu Qingya replied, "I'll take it, I'll take it! Why are you being so bossy?"

Seeing this, Jiang Jin knew he wasn't far from winning the beautiful bodyguard over. To tame a strong-willed woman, you have to be even stronger. Wu Qingya was the heiress to a multi-billion dollar conglomerate, accustomed to flattery and adoration. Jiang Jin, however, didn't coddle her at all—he was fierce when he needed to be, tough when necessary, and incredibly assertive.

This gave Wu Qingya an experience she had never had before. Plus, Jiang Jin was truly exceptional: handsome, skilled in combat, a great driver, and a pillar of the nation. Among all the men she knew, Jiang Jin was a one-of-a-kind presence. With all these factors combined, it was only a matter of time before she was tamed.

Just as Wu Qingya opened the box and took out the watch to try it on, Jiang Jin leaned over to pick up her high heels. Wu Qingya was startled by his sudden movement. "Ah! What are you doing? Put those down!"

Jiang Jin looked at her with an innocent expression. "Huh?"

He was just helping her with her shoes; why was the beautiful bodyguard overreacting so much?

"I… I can do it myself!" Wu Qingya’s face reddened as she reached to take the shoes from his hands. Jiang Jin raised an eyebrow and moved the shoes behind his back.

"There wouldn't happen to be anything hidden in your heels, would there?"

Wu Qingya: "Huh?"

"Don't tell me I actually guessed right?" Jiang Jin’s expression shifted slightly as he turned to inspect the shoes. Wu Qingya was part of the security department; it was possible she’d hidden a bug or something similar in her heels. If that were the case, his "ship of friendship" with her would surely capsize.

"What are you thinking? I was just worried that you… forget it, go ahead and check! Let’s see what you find!" Wu Qingya said, looking somewhat angry.

Jiang Jin checked for a moment and found nothing hidden inside, then turned back and asked, "So, what were you so nervous about just now?"

"What do you think?" Wu Qingya shot him a glare.

Jiang Jin nodded as if he suddenly understood. "Oh… I get it! You weren't worried I’d think your feet smelled, were you?"

He had done the same when helping Liu Sisi with her shoes; did all beautiful women have this concern? Then again, Wu Qingya’s feet were just like Liu Sisi’s—fragrant. Was he just showing favoritism, or was there something wrong with his sense of smell?

"If you know, why say it!" Wu Qingya stomped her foot, turned, and sat down on the sofa, nursing her annoyance alone.

"Alright, alright, I misunderstood you. To apologize, let me put your shoes on for you, okay?" Jiang Jin walked over to her, and without waiting for a response, crouched down.

The moment he touched her feet, the beautiful bodyguard recoiled as if shocked by electricity. "No… no need, I’ll do it myself."

They weren't even officially a couple yet—what would it look like to have him putting her shoes on? Jiang Jin didn't press the issue; he knew that if he did, it would look like he had ulterior motives.

Wu Qingya asked softly, "Jiang Jin, did you really develop internal energy using the consciousness training method?"

Jiang Jin nodded blankly and scratched his head. "Yeah. By the way, what exactly is internal energy?"

Wu Qingya had practiced for years and had only just touched the threshold. Jiang Jin, on the other hand, had not only developed it in a few days but didn't even know what it was. It was so infuriating!

"You can think of internal energy as the 'true qi' in martial arts novels. Once you develop it, your combat ability increases significantly. A martial artist who has developed internal energy is called a Grandmaster. It’s very powerful."

Despite her annoyance, Wu Qingya patiently explained. Jiang Jin listened thoughtfully, then suddenly asked with curiosity, "So, have you developed internal energy?"

Wu Qingya bit her lip and replied with a hint of reluctance, "I’m still one step away."