piratefiction Chapter 3: Bears clash and tigers pounce, head-on collision!
Chapter 3: Bears clash and tigers pounce, head-on collision!
The next day, it was dawn.
The sound of pigeons whistling in Beiping woke Lu Cheng.
The smell of medicine in the room had faded considerably.
After drinking the good medicine last night, Old Lady Wang didn't cough much in the latter half of the night and slept soundly.
Lu Laogen left home early in the morning.
Before leaving, the old man specially put on the blue cloth gown that he usually couldn't bear to wear, and his back was straighter than usual.
Although those few dollars remained untouched, they provided the foundation for our confidence.
When you have confidence, you have energy and spirit.
Lu Cheng tidied himself up and went to a breakfast stall at the entrance of the alley. He spent four coins to drink a bowl of hot douzhi (fermented mung bean juice) and have two jiaoquan (fried dough rings) with it.
This is the "fate" of the old Beijingers.
A bowl of hot soup soothes the body and makes everything feel comfortable.
After eating and drinking his fill, Lu Cheng strode toward the overpass.
The wind wasn't as strong as it was yesterday, but the atmosphere at the entrance of Deyun Tea Garden was even colder than yesterday.
As soon as I arrived at the backstage entrance, I saw several well-dressed men surrounding the troupe leader, Zhou Daikui, gesturing and pointing at him.
"Master Zhou, don't push your luck."
"Our boss, Shengyun, said that out of consideration for our past relationship, if your Qingyun Troupe can't hold on any longer, our Qinghe Troupe will take over your costumes and belongings."
"One price, thirty silver dollars."
The speaker was a middle-aged man with a pointed mouth and monkey-like face. He was the manager of the Qinghe Opera Troupe, surnamed Liu, and was known as "Liu the Skinflint".
Thirty yuan?
That box of gold-embroidered costumes alone is worth at least two hundred yuan.
This isn't an acquisition, this is outright robbery.
They're going to chew up the Qingyun Class, bones and all, and swallow them whole!
Zhou Daikui was so angry that he trembled all over.
"You're dreaming, you surnamed Liu."
"Yesterday, Chengzi saved the day, and Master Jin did us the honor of being here. Our Qingyun Troupe is back on track!"
"Mako?"
Manager Liu sneered, his triangular eyes filled with contempt.
"That idiot who's been practicing for over ten years and is still a blockhead? Zhou Daikui, that's just a last burst of energy before death!"
"It was just luck that he ran into you once. You really expect him to be able to shoulder any responsibility?"
As he spoke, a burly man stepped out from behind Manager Liu.
The man was dressed in shorts, his muscles bulging out of his clothes, and his temples were prominently bulging; he was clearly a trained fighter.
"This is the new bodyguard our Qinghe Troupe has hired. He's a master of Tongbei Quan, Master Ma."
Manager Liu was beaming with pride.
"Master Ma heard that you've produced a great actor, and he's itching to lend a hand. Let's discuss it."
This is what "challenging someone" means!
In the world of Peking Opera, there are literary contests in singing and martial arts contests in martial arts.
If they lose, the troupe's reputation will be torn down and trampled underfoot.
The guys backstage were so scared they shrank back.
This Master Ma has a fierce face and doesn't look like someone to be trifled with.
"What? Nobody dares to answer?"
Master Ma clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking.
"Then don't blame me for being impolite. I'll take this sign down for you today..."
"Try picking one."
A voice came from the doorway.
Everyone turned around.
Lu Cheng lifted the curtain and walked in unhurriedly.
He was wearing a faded old cotton-padded jacket, looking rather rustic, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.
"Hey, isn't that that silly Zhuzi?"
Manager Liu was being sarcastic and unpleasant.
"What, after playing Lin Chong, you really think you're the instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards?"
Lu Cheng ignored him and walked straight to Zhou Da Kui's side, gently patting the troupe leader on the shoulder.
"Master, you can rest. You don't need to worry about these guard dogs."
"Who are you calling a dog?!"
Master Ma was furious.
He was a well-known thug in the Tianqiao area, and he had never been treated like this before.
"court death!"
With a loud shout, Master Ma pushed off with his feet and leaped forward like a giant ape.
Tongbei Quan emphasizes striking from a distance, with the arm swinging out like a whip.
call!
The slap carried a strong wind and was aimed straight at Lu Cheng's face. If it landed, all of Lu Cheng's teeth would fly out.
Zhou Daikui closed his eyes in fright: "Chengzi, hide quickly!"
hide?
Lu Cheng didn't move at all.
As he watched the slap hurtling towards him, only his master's words from years ago remained in his mind.
"As long as the roots are deep, no matter how strong the opponent is, the breeze will still caress the mountain."
Do not dodge, do not flinch, do not retreat.
He simply took half a step forward, slightly turned his body to the side, and naturally pushed his shoulder forward.
Xingyi (形意), bear shape.
Bear shank!
There's nothing fancy about it, just one word.
Collide!
The movement looked incredibly clumsy, like a slow-reacting old black bear slowly bumping into a nimble monkey.
Only Master Ma himself knew how terrifying that collision was.
In the instant of contact, he felt as if he had not crashed into a person, but into an out-of-control train.
boom! !
A muffled thud, like a drum being struck by a heavy hammer.
Everyone felt a blur before their eyes.
The once aggressive Master Ma was sent flying backwards.
It flew three or four meters away and crashed hard into the prop box backstage, cracking the solid wood box.
"puff--"
Master Ma spat out a mouthful of acidic water, clutched his chest, and his face turned purple with pain. He couldn't get up for a long time.
one move.
No, it's not even half a move.
It's just a simple "damn".
"this……"
Manager Liu's mouth dropped open, his jaw almost falling to the ground.
His triangular eyes widened as he stared at Lu Cheng, as if he had seen a ghost.
"How is this possible?"
Master Ma is a skilled martial artist who has practiced for over ten years!
He was crippled by just a light bump from this kid?
Lu Cheng stopped his attack and stood still, without even taking a deep breath.
He looked at his shoulders and felt confident in his "ten years of hard work".
It's bear-shaped, a bit clumsy, but really useful.
Is anyone else here?
Lu Cheng raised his head and glanced at Steward Liu.
When Manager Liu was swept by that gaze, he felt a chill run down his spine and his calves cramp.
"N-nothing..."
"Get out if you're done."
"Go back and tell Shengyun that the Qingyun Troupe isn't completely wiped out yet. Let's settle this on the stage."
"Yes, yes, yes..."
Manager Liu didn't dare to say another word. He told two of his men to lift up the half-dead Master Ma and run away in a panic.
It wasn't until they had run far away that things went up in chaos backstage.
"My goodness, Chengzi-ge, you're amazing!"
"I thought there was an earthquake after that collision."
"That felt so good, so damn satisfying!"
Zhou Daikui was so excited that his face turned red, and he rushed up and grabbed Lu Cheng's hand.
"Chengzi, this is... integrated strength, you've mastered integrated strength?"
As a seasoned veteran, Zhou Daikui naturally knew his stuff.
Lu Cheng didn't answer immediately, but simply nodded slightly.
Upon seeing Lu Cheng nod, a collective gasp of astonishment rippled through the crowd.
The stuntmen, stunt doubles, and martial arts instructors backstage are all people who make a living through martial arts. Even if they haven't practiced it themselves, they've heard of it and seen it.
What is whole-body strength?
That was the first major hurdle for kung fu to truly master!
This means to concentrate the scattered energy of the whole body into one force, originating from the feet, controlled by the waist, generated from the spine, and flowing through the limbs, with each punch and kick carrying the weight of the whole body.
If you can't develop integrated strength, you'll only ever be a show-off, no matter how hard you practice.
Not to mention the obvious and hidden strength below.
"That's really impressive!"
An older martial arts master murmured.
"I was completely stunned by what happened just now. That big guy must have weighed at least 200 pounds. Chengzi, you look so thin, how come you looked like you'd been hit by a car..."
"That's right, I heard a 'bang,' like a drumbeat, and the person flew away."
Hearing this, Lu Cheng smiled again before speaking.
"The early bird catches the worm; after practicing this clumsy skill for so many years, I've finally made a difference."
"Good! Good! Good!"
Zhou Daikui said "good" three times in a row, his eyes slightly red, "Our ancestral master has shown us the power! Our Qingyun Troupe is saved!"
"Chengzi, what are we performing tomorrow?"
The old man in charge of the locker came over and asked with an expectant look on his face.
In the past, when rehearsing plays, the troupe leader made all the decisions, and Lu Cheng could only obey orders.
But now, everyone is looking at Lu Cheng, as if he is the one making the decisions.
Lu Cheng pondered for a moment.
Yesterday, Lin Chong was filled with grief and indignation, repression, and the feeling of being driven to the brink of despair.
We've built up momentum today, so we must press on and make this fire burn even brighter!
He looked down at his hands; his fingers were slightly spread, and his knuckles were large.
That bear-shaped strike just now was exhilarating.
But the true essence of the "tiger form" that he had just acquired had nowhere to be released yet.
Lu Cheng raised his head, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.
"Get out that costume and outfit; tomorrow we're performing... 'Wu Song Fights the Tiger'!"
"Okay!"
The old man in charge of the lockers slapped his thigh excitedly.
"The movie 'Wu Song Fights the Tiger' is quite a lively scene. I'll go get you Wu Song's short-sleeved outfit and find you a sturdy staff."
The surrounding men cheered.
"With Chengzi's current skills, he would definitely be awe-inspiring when he plays Wu Song."
"Wait a minute."
Lu Cheng suddenly spoke, interrupting everyone's busy work.
"Who said I was going to play Wu Song?"
The backstage area fell silent instantly.
Zhou Daikui was stunned.
"Not playing Wu Song? Besides Wu Song, what else is left in this play..."
Everyone's eyes instinctively turned to the dusty, colorful tiger skin in the corner, a skin usually worn only by extras.
Lu Cheng pointed to the tiger skin and smiled.
"Let Shunzi play Wu Song."
"Tomorrow, I'll play the tiger."
"ah???"
That shout nearly made everyone backstage drop their jaws in shock.
The young stuntman named Shunzi was so frightened that he waved his hands repeatedly.
"Brother Chengzi, you must be joking. You're the top star now, a true legend! What star would stoop to such a pretentious act?"
"That's 'drilling through a tube,' a job only the lowest of the low do. If I dared to ride on you and hit you, the troupe leader would skin me alive."
Zhou Daikui was so anxious that he kept stamping his feet.
"Yeah, Chengzi, you're lowering yourself. How can you give up playing a hero to play a beast?"
In the world of Peking Opera, the leading actor is everything.
If we let our star performer play a beast that gets beaten to death, the Qingyun Troupe will become a laughing stock.
Lu Cheng shook his head.
He took a step forward, his spine suddenly exploded, and a stench and murderous aura rose out of nowhere.
In that instant, it seemed as if everyone saw not Lu Cheng, but a huge, white-browed tiger with piercing eyes that had just come down the mountain and was ready to devour its prey!
Even without wearing a tiger skin, that imposing aura made Zhou Daikui's legs go weak, and he swallowed back the words he wanted to say.
"Master, is the actor more important, or the play?"
Lu Cheng looked at Zhou Daikui.
Zhou Daikui thought for a moment.
"The lead actor is the soul of the play, and the play is the root of the lead actor."
"Without good actors, a play can hardly be brilliant. But without the stage, even good actors can't amount to anything."
"But if we're talking about which is greater? The play is undoubtedly greater than anything else!"
Lu Cheng nodded in agreement.
"Even the most beautiful flower needs green leaves to complement it. If the tiger were just a sick cat, Wu Song would kill it without ever showing his face, and the audience would get sleepy watching it."
"Besides, it's not surprising that someone can act well."
"To bring this nameless, faceless beast with no lines to life, that's real skill."