55: Chapter 55 First Encounter: A Tense Meeting in a Coffee Shop

When the wind chime at the corner cafe rang for the third time, Chen Wu's fingertip traced a cyan-gold arc halfway around the rim of his latte cup. A miniature Taiji diagram suddenly surfaced on the milk foam, rotating slowly with his breath—this was the contact signal designated by the Special Incident Response Department. Zhao Yi had said, 'Only those who can make their Qi Energy manifest in coffee are our own people.'

Lin Mo sat in a booth diagonally opposite, his tactical tablet disguised as an ordinary e-book. The data stream flickering on the screen was analyzing the distribution of Qi Energy in the cafe in real-time. As a waitress in a floral dress walked by, the young man tapped his pen lightly on his notebook, pulling up her hidden information: 'Field agent of the Bureau of Abnormal Incident Management, code-named "Milk Tea," skilled in transmitting secret messages through milk foam.'

The vintage wall clock pointed exactly to three in the afternoon. The glass door of the cafe was pushed open, and Zhao Yi entered wearing sunglasses. The cowhide briefcase in his left hand cast a distorted shadow on the floor—Chen Wu's 'Listening Energy' captured three metal objects inside the bag, two of which had Qi Energy frequencies identical to the warrior figurine fragments from the Shanghai Museum.

'Iced Americano.' The moment Zhao Yi took off his sunglasses, all the electronic devices in the cafe emitted a faint hum simultaneously. A flash of cyan-gold light flickered in his iris, resonating with the Taiji diagram in Chen Wu's cup. The Yin and Yang fish formed by the milk foam suddenly rotated in reverse, revealing small words written in caramel at the bottom of the cup: 'The Shadow Beast blood sample is in hand.'

The old lady at the next table suddenly coughed violently. She tremblingly raised a celadon teacup, the rhythm of the lid clashing against the cup matching Morse code perfectly—a backup plan arranged by Grandpa Wang, responsible for outer perimeter security. When Zhao Yi placed his briefcase on the table, the old lady's teacup suddenly shattered, and the scalding tea drew a warning line on the tabletop, perfectly separating the two of them from the other guests.

'She is a survivor of the 1964 Luoyang Incident.' Zhao Yi's finger tapped lightly on the briefcase lock, and a bronze combination wheel popped out, engraved with a simplified Baji Fist manual. 'Back then, she used the "Iron Mountain Lean" to hold up a collapsing tomb door. Now she's retired and still helping us keep watch.'

Chen Wu's Qi Energy spread along the table legs, forming a defensive formation on the concrete floor of the cafe. The cyan-gold energy flow was like a fine spiderweb, bringing every suspicious corner under surveillance—the watch chain on the wrist of the man in the suit was actually a specially made chain, the student wearing headphones was talking via a bone conduction device, and even in the steam from the coffee machine behind the bar, miniature cameras were hidden.

'This one's on me.' The waitress in the floral dress set down a new latte, and the latte art on the foam suddenly turned into a taotie pattern. Chen Wu noticed a Bronze Token protruding halfway from her apron pocket, its pattern complementary to the token Zhao Yi displayed. Combined, they formed the complete characters for 'Tomb Guardian.'

Zhao Yi's movement in opening the briefcase carried a strange rhythm; the force exerted by each finger conformed to the force-dissipating technique of the 'Cross-Strike.' The moment the metal buckle snapped open, the temperature in the cafe dropped by 3 degrees. Chen Wu's Qi Energy sensed a familiar chill—it shared the same source as the genetic serum from the Grey Shadow base, but it was purer, carrying a desire to devour everything.

'The Shadow Beast blood sample.' Zhao Yi used tweezers to pick up a dark green test tube. The liquid gleamed with an oily luster under the sunlight, and the bubbles floating on the surface were all shaped like distorted human faces. 'The Gray Shadow Organization used it to improve the seventh-generation genetic serum. The injector can gain power beyond Brute Force within three minutes, but the price is that their Soul will be gradually devoured.'

As the test tube approached the latte cup, the taotie pattern formed by the milk foam suddenly became ferocious. Chen Wu's Qi Energy condensed into a barrier at the cup's rim. The cyan-gold energy flow collided with the dark green liquid, and the resulting shockwave made the sugar jar on the next table perform a tap dance—this detail caused Zhao Yi's pupils to contract slightly. His watch showed that Chen Wu's Qi Energy purity had jumped to 89% at the moment of contact.

'Your grandfather used this method to purify pollution back then.' Zhao Yi took out a second item—a yellowed notebook with the shield emblem of the Bureau of Abnormal Incident Management printed on the cover. 'In the 1987 Qinling Ancient Tomb, he used his own Qi Energy to envelop the leaking Shadow Beast blood. It took seven full days and nights to completely purify it, and the price was that his right hand lost its strength forever.'

The moment Chen Wu flipped open the notebook, his cyan-gold Qi Energy suddenly erupted. A faint energy flow was hidden within his grandfather's handwriting, resonating perfectly with his own Qi Energy. A page recording the 'Tomb-Guarding Beast Taming Method' suddenly floated up, and golden liquid seeping from between the words dripped onto the table, automatically forming a section of the Baji Fist manual.

'This is the true Legacy of the Tomb Guardian.' The hand on Zhao Yi's watch began to turn counter-clockwise. 'It's not about guarding bronze fragments; it's about learning to coexist with the Tomb-Guarding Beast. When your grandfather extracted its heart back then, it wasn't to Seal it, but to allow it to exist in a gentler way—just like now, its power is reviving through your Qi Energy.'

The man in the suit suddenly smashed his coffee cup. Within the sound of the ceramic shattering was a hidden message: 'Gray Shadow's people are here.' Out of the corner of his eye, Chen Wu saw three figures in black trench coats appear at the street corner. The leader's tie clip was a bronze scale, belonging to the same set as the fragments inside the warrior figurines at the Shanghai Museum.

'The third item.' Zhao Yi's movements quickened as he pulled a leather map from the bottom of the briefcase. Once unfolded, the ink on it suddenly came to life, and the mountains and rivers turned into swimming dragon shapes. 'The latest topographical map of the Qinling Ancient Tomb. The Gray Shadow Organization has established eighteen genetic laboratories there, using the corpses of tomb raiders to cultivate Shadow Beast larvae.'

A certain point on the map was flashing red, resonating with the heart fragment in Chen Wu's red sandalwood box. He suddenly remembered the words in his grandfather's diary: 'The nest of the Tomb-Guarding Beast is at the intersection of Dragon Veins, where the Qi Energy can purify all darkness.' The red light's position on the map right now was exactly where the 'Heart of the Dragon Vein' was marked.

When the men in black trench coats pushed open the door, the sound of the wind chimes became sharp and piercing. Chen Wu's 'Listening Energy' captured the disordered Qi Energy inside them—a typical side effect of the genetic serum. They were powerful yet uncontrollable, like three iron barrels filled with explosives.

'Lapdogs of the Special Incident Response Department.' The leader tore off his tie clip, and the bronze scale emitted a blood-red light in his palm. 'Hand over the Tomb-Guarding Beast fragments, or this place will become your grave.' His arm suddenly swelled three times its size, veins bulging under the skin, taking on the same dark green hue as the Shadow Beast blood.

The old lady's celadon teacup shattered again. This time, the scalding tea condensed into ice arrows in the air, accurately shooting toward the joints of the men in black—the 1964 cave-in had taught her that to deal with out-of-control power, one must attack the most vulnerable nodes. The moment the ice arrows touched the dark green skin, they made a sizzling burning sound.

Zhao Yi's briefcase suddenly snapped shut, and the chains automatically coiled into a defensive posture. His movements seemed slow, yet every step landed on the nodes of the Baji Fist's 'Nine Palace Steps,' leading the three men in black into a blind spot in the cafe. When the waitress in the floral dress overturned the bar, Chen Wu discovered that the floor had long been engraved with the patterns of a 'Qi-Locking Array.'

'Brute Force—Crushing Fist!' Chen Wu's fist collided with the man in black rushing at the front. The cyan-gold Qi Energy spread along the opponent's arm like a live snake burrowing into his Meridians. The muscles fueled by the genetic serum instantly withered, and dark green blood seeped from his pores, forming a miniature silhouette of a Shadow Beast on the floor, which was then completely purified by Chen Wu's Qi Energy.

The man in the suit suddenly tore off his disguise, revealing the Taiji Shield emblem on his epaulets. His briefcase unfolded into a shield, and the bronze pieces embedded in its edges resonated with Zhao Yi's token. The resulting sonic wave made the remaining men in black sluggish in their movements—this was the 'Soul-Settling Sound' of the Special Incident Response Department, specifically designed for targets contaminated by Shadow Beasts.

The most thrilling moment occurred behind the bar. The last man in black broke free from the sonic restraint, grabbed the steam pipe of the coffee machine, and swung it at Chen Wu. Within the scalding steam, the face of a Shadow Beast suddenly emerged. Chen Wu's Qi Energy condensed into a Taiji diagram in front of him. The moment the steam touched the cyan-gold barrier, it actually flowed backward, scalding the man in black himself until he screamed.

When the battle ended, the wall clock struck exactly three-thirty. The tables and chairs in the cafe returned to their original positions, and the broken cups and plates were restored by Qi Energy. Only the residual dark green marks on the floor testified to the fierce battle just now. The waitress in the floral dress wiped the floor with a special cleaner. Where the liquid flowed, the character for 'Martial' emerged, identical to the one in the training hall.

As the bodies of the Grey Shadow members were taken away by a Special Incident Response Department vehicle, the old lady was brewing tea again. Her hands shook violently, yet she insisted on pouring a full cup for Chen Wu. The tea stains on the rim of the celadon cup formed a line of small words: 'Your grandfather said the greatest test for a Tomb Guardian is not combat, but choice.'

Zhao Yi closed the notebook with a look of regret: 'The "Duel of the Two Beasts" predicted by your grandfather is coming true. When the Tomb-Guarding Beast fully awakens, the Shadow Beast will also break its Seal. At that time, someone will need to make a sacrifice—either use the power of the Tomb-Guarding Beast to purify the world, or perish together with the Shadow Beast.'

Chen Wu's fingertip traced the words 'Tomb-Guarding' on the milk foam. The cyan-gold Qi Energy suddenly resonated with the bronze fragments in the briefcase. Outside the cafe's glass windows, countless cyan-gold points of light were gathering, circling over the city like an Awakening Dragon—in the points mall of the Global Martial Arts System, the donation entry for 'Guarding the Dragon Vein' was increasing at a rate of millions per second.

'Li Meng's peace lock can sense Shadow Beasts.' Chen Wu suddenly remembered the video the boy had sent. 'This shows that those modified by genes can also become guardians, right?' His Qi Energy spread along the phone signal, and the peace lock in the hospital room suddenly shot out golden light, creating a cross-city resonance with the bronze statue in the training hall.

For the first time, Zhao Yi's watch malfunctioned. The hand spun wildly, finally stopping at the '99%' position, and the Taiji diagram on the dial turned into a complete gold: 'You have found a solution. What your grandfather failed to do, you might be able to accomplish—letting the light of the Tomb-Guarding Beast and the darkness of the Shadow Beast reach a balance, just like in your Qi Energy, which possesses both the purity of cyan-gold and the resilience to deal with darkness.'

The waitress in the floral dress brought over the packaged coffee, the latte art on the foam showing a complete Tomb-Guarding Beast pattern. A note peeked out from her apron pocket with Lin Mo's handwriting: 'The defense System of the Grey Shadow headquarters uses the principle of the Baji Fist's "Iron Mountain Lean." Find the point of force dissipation, and you can break through.'

When he left the cafe, Chen Wu's briefcase felt heavy. Inside were the Shadow Beast blood sample, his grandfather's notebook, the map of the Qinling Ancient Tomb, and the Bronze Token Zhao Yi had given him—now, he was officially an external consultant for the Special Incident Response Department, code-named 'Tomb Guardian.'

The wind chime at the corner rang again, this time with the rhythm of the Baji Fist. Chen Wu looked back, and on the glass curtain wall of the cafe, countless cyan-gold points of light were forming the silhouette of the Tomb-Guarding Beast, echoing the giant Dragon in the sky. He knew that this seemingly peaceful afternoon had quietly changed the trajectory of the world.

Lin Mo's tactical tablet suddenly popped up a global Qi Energy monitoring map. The cyan-gold light points within China were converging toward Qinling, while the shadow energy at the African pyramids suddenly weakened—Li Meng's peace lock emitted a strong light in the hospital room, as the boy used his own Qi Energy to temporarily suppress the disturbance there.

'He is also a guardian.' Chen Wu gripped the briefcase, cyan-gold Qi Energy flowing in his palm. 'Everyone can be.'

As the black sedan drove away from the corner, the old lady put away her celadon teacup. The tea stains at the bottom of the cup revealed the next meeting place: 'Mangshan Ancient Tomb, tomorrow night at the hour of the Rat.' The man in the suit was using special ink to rewrite the map, circling the eighteen Gray Shadow laboratory locations with a red pen, each circle containing a small Taiji diagram.

The lights in the cafe gradually dimmed, with only the latte on the bar still emitting a faint glow. The taotie pattern formed by the milk foam slowly dissipated, revealing the 'Martial' character latte art underneath, like an inextinguishable spark in the night, illuminating the path forward for countless guardians.

Chen Wu watched the street scenery fly by outside the window, the bronze fragments in his briefcase growing hotter and hotter. He knew the decisive battle at the Qinling Ancient Tomb was only the beginning. True guardianship was allowing every ordinary person to practice martial arts under the sun, ensuring the words 'traditional martial arts' appeared not just on trending searches, but were engraved in the Bloodline of every Chinese person.

Just like the Qi Energy flowing in his palm at this moment—gentle, yet resolute.