Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 801 Are you scared?

Looking at the confident crowd, Kuang Mingyi wiped away a cold sweat.

He paused for two seconds, then quickly added, "I know you're all very capable, and I've seen your morning exercises, but it's better to be safe than sorry, right? We'd better be cautious. Um,"

He turned to Chen Fan and said, "Director Chen, I haven't asked how the action scenes are filmed before. I heard that there are special 'action directors' in Hong Kong who design action sequences. Who designed the action sequences for our movie?"

Chen Fan picked up his teacup, took a sip, grinned, and glanced at Yang Zhenlong.

Yang Zhenlong brandished his sword and said expressionlessly, "What's the point of martial arts moves? Just get to work."

Zhao Lingdong also twirled his sword a couple of times, nodded and said, "Let's make it clear beforehand who wins and who loses, how long it takes for them to fall, whether it's an arm or a leg injury, and when the next person goes up. We'll arrange everything to ensure there are no delays."

Kuang Mingyi blinked, his eyes almost popping out. This is a martial arts scene, how can it be so casual?
Chen Fan laughed and was about to put down his teacup when he suddenly remembered something and said to Kuang Mingyi, "Double up the shooting speed later."

Kuang Mingyi's eyes widened instantly. "The rotation speed is doubled? Then it will be released in slow motion?"

Chen Fan glanced at Yang Zhenlong and the others who were eager to try, and sighed, "I'm afraid I won't be able to capture their movements clearly."

After saying that, he patted his arm and said, "Do as I say and get ready."

Tonight's filming is for an action scene.

The general plot is that after the Chaoyang Temple visitors descended the mountain, all they saw and heard was devastation, and their grief and indignation grew stronger day by day.

Along the way, they rescued the wounded and healed the dying, while secretly finding a few traitors to help them. Apart from keeping rations, they distributed all the looted supplies.

After about ten days, as dusk fell, they went to a small village to stay overnight.

Unexpectedly, the small village had been razed to the ground, all the houses were burned down, and all the villagers had perished.

The scene before them caused the pent-up grief and anger of the past ten days to erupt. Just then, a group of bandits happened to be in the village, and the two groups ran into each other.

Without much hesitation, Di Yunzi and the others concluded that it was the bandits behind the scenes, and so, without any suspense, the two sides started fighting.

After briefly recounting the story, Chen Fan picked up a megaphone and shouted, "All units, get ready! Actors, take your positions! Three-second countdown! 3, 2, 1, begin!"

Unlike his dramatic performance, Yang Zhenlong instantly got into character. He brandished his longsword, drawing it from its sheath in a flash. He took seven quick steps, closing the distance from three zhang to four chi. Only then did he let out a furious roar accompanied by the sword's hum, "You villain, prepare to die!"

Zhao Lingdong, who was playing a bandit for a cameo role, reacted quickly. One second the knife was on his back, and the next second it was in his hand. He used the move "Heavenly River Upside Down" to block the longsword.

The two then engaged in a fierce fight.

Seeing this, Chen Fan couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly.

Yang Zhenlong, that old comrade, is not kind. He actually held back when he was sparring with me. Does he look down on me or something?
Although he had his own tricks up his sleeve, such as the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top Palm which he had never used, and the Heavenly Dipper Style which he had also kept hidden, he was still a young man. Isn't it normal for young people to respect the elderly and care for the young?
Why should an old man like him hold back?
I must have a good talk with him another day.

Furthermore, this old guy's most formidable skill is definitely not his fist technique, but the Tai Chi sword technique that he only revealed today.

At this moment, a steel sword was in his hand, and he wielded it with the force of thunder and lightning, and the calm light of the ocean. The thunderous sword technique did not lose the essence of Tai Chi sword: "continuous, upright and rounded".

Most importantly, Yang Zhenlong's swordplay is filled with "killing intent," meaning he has definitely taken more than one life!

The martial arts community in the capital considers Guan Baorui to be the best swordsman in the city, a fact that Chen Fan has already verified. Guan Baorui's swordsmanship is indeed unparalleled, and even if Chen Fan had a hidden skill called "Green Snake in the Sleeve," he wouldn't dare say he surpassed Guan Baorui by much.

If we're talking about a friendly competition, Guan Baorui is indeed slightly better than Yang Zhenlong.

But when it comes to actual combat, Chen Fan would bet with the ancestral Pure Yang Sword of Chaoyang Temple that Guan Baorui would definitely not last more than an incense stick's time under Yang Zhenlong's sword.

Yang Zhenlong was like this, and Zhao Lingdong, who was fighting him at this moment, was not much different.

Tongbei Quan's reputation among the people is far less than that of the three major internal martial arts: Tai Chi, Xingyi, and Bagua, and it is also not as famous as Bajiquan, which silenced the capital with a single punch. However, this does not mean that Tongbei Quan is weak.

Not only was it not weak, but it was even once known in the martial arts world as "a fist that meets Tongbei is dead".

The reason why the three major internal martial arts and Bajiquan are the most famous is because they are associated with the powerful and wealthy. Taijiquan goes without saying; Yang Luchan created Yang-style Taijiquan, and the sons of the powerful and wealthy in Beijing all vied to become his disciples. The successors of Baguazhang even went so far as to join the imperial palace, and it almost became a required skill for the imperial guards of the Qing Dynasty.

Xingyiquan is no less impressive. Li Cunyi joined the Boxer Rebellion in his early years. "Single-handed Li" terrified foreigners, and from then on, Xingyiquan became famous in the north, and was listed as one of the three major internal martial arts along with Taijiquan and Baguaquan.

Needless to say, Bajiquan was a formidable opponent. Except for one friendly match, Li Shuwen, the sharpshooter, never lost. His disciple Huo Diange served as Puyi's bodyguard, but was later dismissed for frequently bullying Xiaobenzi. His disciple Liu Yunqiao served as a guard officer and martial arts instructor for Lao Chang. His disciple Li Jianwu served as Mr. Li's bodyguard.

These four martial arts styles became famous worldwide because of their close ties with the government.

However, other northern boxing styles, such as Tongbei Quan, Fanzi Chuojiao, Tan Tui, Sanhuang Paochui, and Meihua Quan, are no weaker than the four major boxing styles.

For example, Plum Blossom Fist was once the signature martial art of a martial arts champion during the Qianlong era.

At this moment, Zhao Lingdong, who was fighting against Yang Zhenlong, was almost at a superb level in Tongbei Quan.

Those who practice Tongbei Quan will generally also practice Piguazhang. Both of these styles of boxing emphasize striking from a distance. After mastering them, they can then practice Bajiquan, which is known for its "close-range, extremely fierce and powerful" fighting style. Once they have mastered it, they can be considered invincible in close combat.

Zhao Lingdong used his sword as a fist, his ring-pommel sword sometimes powerful and heavy, sometimes elusive and unpredictable, and sometimes close-range and sometimes hidden, blocking all of Yang Zhenlong's attacks, and for a while, they were evenly matched.

However, an evenly matched contest is not enough; otherwise, how can the old Taoist's superb swordsmanship be demonstrated?
Chen Fan picked up the megaphone and shouted, "Master Zhao, you'd better be a little embarrassed!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lingdong immediately slowed his sword strike. Yang Zhenlong's eyes lit up instantly, and his longsword moved with lightning speed, tearing several holes in Zhao Lingdong's clothes in a few swift strokes.

The blood pack attached to his body immediately oozed blood, staining his clothes red.

Chen Fan shouted through a megaphone, "Okay, that's it. Next, Master Zhao will roll around. At this time, Master Han, pay attention: the tip of your spear must hit the tip of Master Yang's sword. If you miss, switch to a stunt double."

Han Qingshan, who was about to go on stage, was taken aback by the question and turned to ask, "Director, who is the stunt double?"

Chen Fan answered without hesitation, "Besides me, who here has better marksmanship than you?"

Han Qingshan was furious upon hearing this, "Although you are the director, I have something to say..."

Chen Fan was too lazy to listen to his nonsense, and pointed to the fight in the arena, saying, "Hurry up and seize the opportunity, okay, Master Zhao goes down... Master Han goes up."

Despite his anger, Han Qingshan acted decisively, thrusting his twelve-foot-long red spear forward with a flick of his wrist.

The image of a spear tip piercing a sword tip was depicted in the movie "Flirting Scholar," which was very entertaining for audiences. However, most people believed it was staged and that such a master could not exist in real life. But martial arts is about turning the impossible into the possible.

Those interested can watch Bruce Lee's demonstration of striking match heads with nunchucks. He would attach a piece of red phosphorus to the top of the nunchucks, which was torn from the side of a matchbox. Someone would throw a match at him, and he would strike the match head with the nunchucks. The red phosphorus would ignite from the friction with the match head, and he almost never missed.

In fact, this is an essential training subject in actual combat martial arts training. The main training objectives are twofold: accuracy and distance control.

A true master must have a very clear understanding of himself, his opponent, and even the surrounding space. He must know how far away he is from his opponent, how long his sword is, where he can reach with a single strike, whether the enemy is advancing or retreating, and so on. These are all very important practical combat skills.

If you can't pierce a fly on a window with a spear, killing the fly without tearing the paper, then you haven't even met the requirements for graduation, let alone venturing into the martial world.

So when Director Chen doubted that Han Qingshan could hit the sword tip and even planned to be his stunt double, Han Qingshan instantly became furious and thrust his spear forward like a dragon, hitting the tip of Yang Zhenlong's longsword.

Pause for one second at this point to allow the camera to capture a clearer shot.

Immediately afterwards, Yang Zhenlong used the trembling sword to perform the "Entangling" technique of Tai Chi sword, entangling the spear.

This move is the same one that Sword Immortal Li Jinglin used to defeat Divine Spear Li Shuwen.

Although it was a friendly match, Li Jinglin would need to have real skill to defeat Li Shuwen even slightly.

Coincidentally, Li Jinglin not only studied under Song Weiyi of Wudang Danjian, but also learned the secret skills of Yang-style Tai Chi. He integrated the two Tai Chi sword techniques into one, and the move that won against Li Shuwen came from Yang-style Tai Chi sword.

Now that Yang Zhenlong is using it here, it unconsciously recreates the splendor of the clash between the two masters back then.

Chen Fan shouted "Good!" and then excitedly raised the megaphone and yelled, "Master Zhao, minor injuries don't keep you off the front line, go!"

Zhao Lingdong's lips twitched slightly. "Director, my blood pack just popped open. I'm not injured, okay?"

While talking, he didn't hesitate, grabbing his knife and rushing forward to join Han Qingshan in attacking Yang Zhenlong.

Outside the arena, Kuang Mingyi was intently operating the machine as it spun rapidly.

At the same time, he was secretly surprised. No wonder Director Chen asked to double the speed. It was already hard to see clearly. If it were at the normal speed, he was afraid that he really wouldn't be able to see what it was.

Now he's even a little worried that with all those knives, swords, and guns swirling around, making it impossible to see any specific image, what if when the photos are taken, all they're left are a blur?

This fight scene lasted for five or six minutes. Chen Fan thought it was about time and then shouted for it to stop.

As soon as he finished speaking, the three who had been fighting each other jumped apart.

Yang Zhenlong stretched his arms, put the longsword behind his back, and said casually, "Not bad, just a good warm-up."

Zhao Lingdong twisted his waist, "It was fine when we were fighting, but I almost twisted my waist when I rolled over just now."

Han Qingshan examined the spearhead, then turned to Yang Zhenlong, "Old Yang, is your sword tip alright? This spearhead is made of alloy steel, a high-grade product that our eighth-grade worker Lao Yi got from the steel rolling mill. Don't damage your sword."

Yang Zhenlong snorted twice and said arrogantly, "The quality of my sword is indeed not as good as your spearhead, but it cannot be damaged under the protection of my Tai Chi soft energy."

Han Qingshan said, "You should take a look; the sooner you check, the sooner it can be repaired."

Yang Zhenlong: "I won't look. It's definitely not broken."

Chen Fan watched the three men pretending to be nonchalant and couldn't help but shake his head. He muttered to himself, "They're all so old, yet their hearts are pounding like drums after just a few minutes of this. And they don't even bother to catch their breath after they're done. What are they trying to prove?"

There was nothing he could do; the old folks were just like children, and while they were fooling around, Chen Fan had to keep an eye on them.

After all, we're counting on them to continue filming the next few movies.

So he asked someone to bring them chairs to sit on, and then beckoned Kuang Mingyi over and asked, "This one is pretty good, did you take pictures of it all?"

Kuang Mingyi scratched his head and said with a bitter face, "I did take the pictures according to your request, but whether they were actually taken or not, I don't know."

He glanced at Yang Zhenlong and the others, and couldn't help but click his tongue, whispering, "My God, Director Chen, where did you find these people? They're absolutely terrifying."

"When I watch them exercise in the morning, it's never this exaggerated. Today, when they started, wow, my eyes couldn't keep up with their movements! Now I understand why you insisted on casting them; this is a natural performance! I think they could go to the National Games and win a gold medal!"

Yang Zhenlong and the others who were resting nearby couldn't help but smile when they heard what he said.

Hmph, now you're scared, aren't you!
Chen Fan noticed their expressions and couldn't help but twitch his lips.

I was wondering why they were putting on such a passionate performance earlier; it turns out they were just trying to prove themselves.

That makes things easier.

Chen Fan walked straight over, coughed lightly, and said, "Masters, you fought very well just now. You fully demonstrated the characteristics of your respective schools' techniques. Very powerful, excellent. But..."

Yang Zhenlong and the others were enjoying the conversation when Director Chen suddenly said "but," and their hearts skipped a beat. They all turned their heads and looked at Chen Fan expectantly.

Chen Fan said seriously, "However, there are still a few minor flaws."

Yang Zhenlong immediately objected, stood up, and asked, "What minor flaw?"

Chen Fan gestured and said, "Look, your sword speed was too fast just now. Although it fully demonstrated the characteristics of Yang-style Tai Chi sword, which is as nimble as a swimming dragon, it lost the characteristics of softness, winding, smoothness, and slowness."

Especially what state were you in just now? You were suddenly witnessing a tragic scene and filled with grief and indignation. At that moment, the Tai Chi sword should have reflected the characteristic of 'heaviness,' but you were only focused on speed..."

Before Chen Fan could finish speaking, Yang Zhenlong waved his hand and said, "That was just a rehearsal. Now we're doing it for real. Director, let's do it again!"

Chen Fan: "Okay."

Then everyone took their positions.

Chen Fan walked to the director's seat and sat down, saying to Kuang Mingyi, "I told them to slow down this time, and you can turn up the speed a bit. This time we should be able to get a clear shot."

Kuang Mingyi smiled and nodded happily, "Okay."

(End of this chapter)