Interesting Stories from Reservoir 020

Watching as the few vehicles turned onto the mountain road, Chen Jue followed behind at a leisurely pace.

It was not long after dinner, and he couldn’t move too vigorously just yet. Though he’d already walked around at home to aid his digestion, the idea of running up the mountain was still a bit much. Ambling along for about ten minutes, he arrived at the temple by the reservoir entrance and saw the SUVs parked side by side in the temple’s courtyard.

A group of middle-aged men and women, all in their forties and fifties, got out of the cars. Only two young women, about Chen Jue’s age, darted around excitedly, snapping photos and taking selfies, clearly thrilled by the prospect of spending a night on the mountain.

“Sweetheart! Stop taking pictures and help me carry these boxes,” called out the man who had asked for directions earlier.

The girl replied, “Alright, Dad!” and hurried over to help.

The rest of the group busied themselves unloading tents, fishing rods, camping stoves, food, water—everything needed for a comfortable night outdoors. They were clearly seasoned campers, thoroughly prepared.

As Chen Jue walked past the temple, he watched them with curiosity before turning onto the path leading to the dam. He had barely gone a few steps when the group, struggling with their heavy loads, called out, “Hey, young man! Give us a hand, will you?”

Chen Jue paused and glanced back at the piles of gear they carried. There was indeed a lot. Wanting to make a good impression, he went over and picked up two of the heavier boxes, then pointed out a suitable camping spot. “There’s an open area just below the dam where you can set up camp. You can fish and make a fire there. I’ll help you carry these over first.”

“Great! Thanks, buddy! I’ll send you some money later as a thank-you,” the man with the gold watch said, smiling.

“No need, really. It’s just a short walk, not worth paying for.”

With that, Chen Jue strode off briskly, disappearing down the path in no time at all, leaving the fishermen still wrestling with their carts and bags staring after him in disbelief.

“That young man’s got some strength! Carrying so much and still moving that fast!”

“He must be a local, probably works out a lot. Definitely better than us old-timers,” the middle-aged men chattered among themselves.

Little did they know, Chen Jue was also carrying an extra sixteen pounds of sandbags strapped to his body.

Of course, his remarkable speed was not just due to his familiarity with the reservoir, but also the significant boost to his physical attributes. With a constitution of 1.57, he could easily outclass these well-off city folk.

After delivering the boxes to the campsite, Chen Jue returned for another trip, guiding the entire group of over a dozen people to the spot. Despite their extensive gear and ample camping experience, it was clear they were unaccustomed to physical exertion. Even with carts, just a few hundred meters left them all out of breath.

Even if they exercised occasionally, none of them could compare to someone like Chen Jue.

The two young women, in particular, complained nonstop, clearly unused to the wild, overgrown countryside.

In contrast, Chen Jue, after hauling several large boxes, came back to assist again—ample proof of his extraordinary stamina.

It took over twenty minutes to settle everyone at the darkened campsite. Chen Jue watched as they set up lanterns, pitched tents, erected awnings, and built a fire, then took his leave and headed up the dam.

Helping others was satisfying, but he couldn’t neglect his own priorities.

“Fishing and barbecuing are nothing compared to the joy of practicing martial arts,” he thought.

Standing in the middle of the dam, enjoying the cool breeze, Chen Jue shed his weights and began practicing a series of boxing forms, oblivious to the world.

The dam was about three hundred meters from the campsite, and illuminated by strip lights along the walkway. Anyone with sharp eyes could see Chen Jue going through his martial routines, but the campers were busy with their own affairs and hardly looked his way.

After half an hour, when the tents and awnings were up and the campfire lit, Chen Jue sensed a subtle feeling of being watched.

“Is it my imagination?” he wondered.

But it was no illusion. From the campsite, a middle-aged man had raised a pair of binoculars, watching Chen Jue intently. “Well, would you look at that! The young man knows martial arts!”

“What? Martial arts?” someone exclaimed.

“Who practices that nowadays?”

“How rare! Let me have a look!” The group passed the binoculars around, taking turns to observe Chen Jue’s forms on the dam.

“He really is practicing martial arts!”

“I didn’t expect to find a young man like that out here in the countryside!”

“No wonder he was so strong, helping us carry all that stuff—he’s a martial artist,” they said, amused and intrigued.

Their curiosity, though, was short-lived. To them, martial arts were no different from fitness training—just another way to stay healthy. A few of them occasionally practiced Taiji for exercise, but none had ever achieved anything remarkable.

After watching for a while, the novelty wore off and they returned to their fishing, fire-building, and midnight snacks.

But the two young women in their group couldn’t sit still. After playing around the camp for a bit, they climbed up the dam to take in the view.

Seeing Chen Jue absorbed in his practice, they kept their distance, finding the scene amusing. They took a short video of him and sent it to their friends’ group chat.

“Check it out! There’s a handsome country boy here who knows martial arts!”

“Anyone interested? I’ll get his number for you!”

The chat erupted, with jokes and encouragement, some saying the young man looked spirited, though none called him handsome.

After all, Chen Jue was still carrying extra weight, his belly rounded and his face broad. His attributes had improved, but he was far from regaining his youthful, handsome looks.

Noticing he was being filmed, Chen Jue promptly ended his routine, glanced at the two fresh-faced girls, offered a slight smile, then turned and made his way down the stairs by the sluice gate, finally leaping onto a small boat right before their eyes.

Tonight, he intended to test his skills—practicing the Eight Immortals postures in the dim moonlight at the center of the reservoir.