My Wandering Swordsman

"I!"

"I'll do it!"

The crowd's enthusiasm was immediately aroused.

I chuckled, randomly selected one, and continued...

For the next ten minutes or so, the ground at that spot on the set was tamped down completely, and every single person who came up there was knocked to the ground by me.

These extras had absolutely no martial arts background. They couldn't even last three moves against me, who had systematically studied martial arts.

Once the smoke and dust cleared and the open space fell silent again, the extras looked at each other, their steps faltering, and none of them dared to step forward.

My aunt watched from the side, her eyes shining, a glint of insight in them, as if she were deep in thought.

I hadn't noticed that, and was just thinking about how to further provoke these extras when, a rough voice boomed from behind the crowd:

"A bunch of useless trash, I'll take over!"

I looked up and saw a burly man stride out, with a scar on his face and sharp eyes.

The man walked into the arena, clasped his hands in a fist salute to me, and said, "I am Zhao Tiezhu, a martial arts practitioner. Please enlighten me, Master Ji."

I nodded to myself.

Finally, someone who knew the rules arrived, and this guy was also the first stuntman to come up. His appearance was a bit lacking, but his muscular physique was quite intimidating.

I composed myself a bit and extended a hand: "Master Zhao, please."

"good!"

Without wasting words, Zhao Tiezhu shifted his feet and assumed a standard Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) stance.

A gentle breeze swept by, and Zhao Tiezhu struck first, unleashing a powerful, sweeping whip kick. I didn't take it head-on; instead, I dodged to the side, simultaneously feinting a jab to test his reaction.

Zhao Tiezhu reacted well, raising his arm to block and retaliate, delivering a hook punch straight to my ribs.

I ducked to avoid his fist and then swept my leg. Zhao Tiezhu jumped to dodge, but I didn't expect my move to be a feint. As he jumped, I suddenly lunged forward, shoving him in the chest with my shoulder, sending him staggering back five or six steps.

Zhao Tiezhu steadied himself and wanted to go up again.

But I had already rushed in front of him, placed my hand on his shoulder, and gently pushed him.

"Thump!"

Zhao Tiezhu fell to the ground with a thud.

"Thank you for the favor." I smiled and extended my hand.

Zhao Tiezhu was stunned for a moment, then grabbed my hand and stood up: "Impressive skill, I'm impressed."

"You're not bad either." I patted his arm. "I'll give you a supporting role later."

Zhao Tiezhu's eyes lit up, and he retreated with a beaming smile.

The crowd parted to make way for Master Zhao, and the extras all kept quiet, causing the atmosphere to become tense again.

If even the stuntmen aren't good enough, how could these extras possibly win?

I was so angry watching this, you're backing down already? Is this all the passion you have for making movies?

After a pause, I frowned, stepped forward, and shouted, "Since no one dares to come up, I'll change the rules. You can form groups of two or three, each holding a wooden stick, and attack together. If you can even touch me once, you win. How about it?"

Upon hearing this, the room fell silent.

Everyone stared at me wide-eyed, as if I were crazy. Some quick-witted ones gritted their teeth in hatred.

Two or three people in a group, holding wooden sticks, and you win by touching them? This is utterly humiliating! Everyone here is a seven-foot-tall man, who can stand this?

I watched the crowd's reaction and a slight smile appeared on my lips.

Yes, that's the look on your face. You hate me, don't you? Then come on up here!

My aunt doesn't understand men's thoughts, let alone my "reverse psychology." She rushed at me and grabbed my sleeve.

"No, Xiao Ji!"

"Are you crazy? What nonsense are you spouting? Are you addicted to getting beaten up?"

"Are you Little M?"

My face darkened. If I remember correctly, this was the second time a woman had said this to me.

I rolled my eyes at my aunt, then looked at the extras and shouted, "How about it? Go for it! Still not scared? Don't let Ji look down on you!"

next moment.

"You brat, how dare you talk so big."

A loud, powerful voice erupted from the back of the crowd.

I looked in the direction of the sound and saw the crowd part automatically to make way for an old man who slowly walked out.

The old man was about sixty years old, thin, wearing a traditional Chinese jacket with buttons down the front, and walked with a steady gait, each step firm and solid.

My lips twitched, and my heart skipped a beat.

This old man is going to sleep with the male lead? Are you kidding me?

Seeing my strange expression, my aunt whispered, "Xiao Ji, don't be careless. This is Chen Qiaosheng, the martial arts director of our film crew."

I raised an eyebrow and turned to my aunt: "A martial arts choreographer? Our lousy film crew even has a martial arts director?"

My aunt rolled her eyes at me and said in a low voice:

"Previously, the eldest prince was completely disobedient, so Master Chen's visit was pointless; he basically just stayed on set drinking tea. But don't underestimate him; he's a seasoned martial arts choreographer who worked with the Yuen Clan in Hong Kong, designing stunts and choreographing action sequences for many classic action films. He's incredibly skilled and has quite a reputation in the industry."

After hearing this, I felt a slight chill run down my spine.

From the Yuan Clan?

That stuff actually has some real substance.

Among the extras, some experienced actors recognized Chen Qiaosheng. They whispered a few words to the people next to them, and after the whispers subsided, many people began to murmur among themselves, and some even shouted encouragement for him.

"Master Chen, teach him a lesson, let Brother Ji broaden his horizons!"

"Yes! Let him know what it means to be outmatched."

I smiled, calmly pushed away my aunt's hand that was tugging at my sleeve, bowed slightly to the old man, and said loudly:

"Master Chen, please. Beat me, and the lead role is yours."

Chen Qiaosheng snorted, put his hands behind his back, and said with a disdainful look, "I don't want any leading role. Let whoever wants it be it. I just want to teach you a lesson, you arrogant brat."

I couldn't help but chuckle.

Well, the provocation went too far and brought out the real Buddha statue.

I suppressed my smile, straightened my posture, and clasped my hands in a fist and palm salute: "Then this junior will respectfully accept your invitation and humbly request Master Chen's guidance."

Without wasting words, Chen Qiaosheng slowly rolled up his sleeves to his forearms, stood with his feet neither too far apart, raised his left hand slightly, and lowered his right elbow.

The standard Santishi stance in Xingyi Quan.

My eyes narrowed.

As expected of the older generation, their first move was a genuine display of traditional Chinese martial arts.

"Kid, take this!"

Chen Qiaosheng let out a low shout, pushed off with his foot, and thrust his right fist straight at me. The wind from the punch was howling, and the move was simple and direct.

I sidestepped his fist, and at the same time, I flipped my left hand and chopped at his wrist, trying to deflect his force.

However, as if he had anticipated this, he flicked his wrist, turning his fist into a claw, and grabbed my wrist with his other hand.

What a quick change of tactics!

I secretly praised him, then took two steps back to create distance.

The experienced master is different from the naive youngster. He didn't blindly chase after the opponent, but instead stood firmly in a horse stance, stabilizing his center of gravity before throwing a punch.

I saw that he had no flaws and no room to attack.

He could only resort to hit-and-run tactics to deal with Chen Qiaosheng, probing his methods while searching for weaknesses.

For a time, we were exchanging blows, punches and kicks, fighting back and forth.

The onlookers were stunned, not daring to breathe, only hearing the whistling of fists and the occasional muffled thuds of fists colliding.

My aunt was clearly taken aback that I could stay with Master Chen for so long; she was completely stunned, her beautiful eyes sparkling.