boyutpedia Chapter 72, "The Ghostly Shadow's Steps"!
Chapter 72, "The Ghostly Shadow's Steps"!
Old Suo's body trembled, and he raised his head in disbelief, his cloudy eyes glistening with tears.
"Teach...instruct?"
"Me? A wandering swordsman? To be an instructor in your grandmaster's mansion?"
"What? You think the temple is too small?"
Lu Cheng smiled.
"In this courtyard, there are no lowlifes, only men who earn their living through their own abilities."
"Your lung disease still needs to be treated. Those wolf cubs still need to be trained."
"Old Suo, it's windy outside, and the water in the martial world is cold."
"Here you'll find a heated kang bed, pear syrup, and a group of children who call you 'Master'."
"Don't let this amazing skill rot in the mud."
Old Suo looked into Lu Cheng's sincere eyes, and then looked at the steaming courtyard.
Suddenly, his lips trembled, and he knelt down with a thud.
This time, it wasn't about money, nor was it out of fear.
He threw the tattered bundle hard on the ground, as if he were throwing away all the humiliation and shame of the first half of his life.
"Master Lu..."
Old Suotou burst into tears, like a wronged child.
"I, Suo Qi, have lived my whole life like a dog, but in the end, I hope you will treat me like a human being."
"This wretched body will belong to the Qingyun Class from now on. I'll teach those kids, even if it costs me my heart!"
Lu Cheng bent down and helped the sobbing old man up.
"Alright, stop crying."
"Shunzi! Clean up the east wing for Master Suo. From now on, that's Master Suo's room, and no one is allowed to disturb him!"
"Alright!"
Shunzi responded from a short distance away, ran over, and happily picked up the bundle from the ground.
Watching Old Suotou wipe away his tears as Shunzi helped him away, Lu Cheng let out a soft sigh.
Ten years of lamplight in the rainy nights of the Jianghu.
In this world, providing a safe haven for these highly skilled but homeless elderly artists is also a form of spiritual practice.
……
The following night, at Deyun Tea Garden.
Today, the garden is packed with people; even the windowsills are full of people.
Not only were there opera enthusiasts, but also many men in plain clothes with sharp eyes; they were spies sent by various forces.
Zhang's men were also there, sitting in a corner, sneering at the stage, waiting to see how Lu Cheng would embarrass himself.
Backstage.
Lu Cheng had already put on a mask.
It was no longer the imposing red and white face paint, but instead a "date pit face," which is the face paint of a clown.
But this clown's face revealed a shrewdness and a sinister air.
He wasn't wearing platform boots, but rather a pair of thin-soled "Ground Tiger" speed boots. He was dressed in a tight-fitting black night outfit and carried a treasure bag on his back.
"Master, will this... will this work?"
Shunzi still felt a little uncomfortable looking at Lu Cheng's outfit.
Normally, Master is as steady as a mountain, but today he looks... a bit shifty-eyed?
"That's what drama is all about."
Lu Cheng moved his hands and feet, and his joints did not make any popping sounds. Instead, they became silent, as if all his joints had been soaked in oil.
He is making adjustments.
Using the "Eagle Eyes" to introspect, forcibly adjust the major tendons and muscles of the whole body from a "fierce" state to the ultimate state of "relaxed, flexible, and bouncy".
He transformed his tough exterior into a supple and flexible one.
"Go on stage!"
……
"Do! Do! Do!"
There were no deafening gongs and drums, only the clear sound of the night watchman's clapper, a signal that the night was deep.
The curtain rises.
The stage was pitch black except for a single, pale beam of light shining on a horizontal beam, no thicker than a bowl, suspended in mid-air.
"Whoosh!"
A dark shadow, like a real giant raccoon, suddenly darted out from the side of the screen without warning.
It wasn't placed on the ground; it went straight onto the beam.
The movement was so fast that it was like a blur.
Lu Cheng squatted on the crossbeam, his body curled up into a ball.
That tall man, who was over 1.8 meters tall, looked like a child at that moment.
This is "bone-shrinking kung fu"!
It involves using extreme control over muscles and bones to forcibly compress the body's volume.
A gasp of surprise erupted from the audience.
"Amazing! Absolutely amazing!"
"Is this Boss Lu? He's clearly a cunning monkey!"
On the stage, Lu Cheng began his performance.
He walked on the crossbeams as if on flat ground.
Sometimes he would hang upside down, hooking his toes on the roof beams, swinging his body like a swing, to listen to what was happening below.
Sometimes she would "roll up the pearl curtain," her whole body arching backwards like a fully drawn bow.
The most amazing part is the "eating fire" segment.
To demonstrate Shi Qian's resourcefulness during the theft, he has to swallow a burning firecracker.
This is not just about skill, but also about courage.
Lu Cheng held a tinderbox in his hand, the flames flickering.
He suddenly opened his mouth.
"Gulp."
The tinderbox went out, and a wisp of smoke rose from his nostrils.
This is not magic.
This is because he possesses a powerful "Toad-Catching Strength," which allows him to exhale a breath of energy from his dantian, instantly cutting off oxygen, extinguishing the fire, and protecting his esophagus.
But this is not the point.
The key point is his movement technique.
That kind of movement technique, where one can shift and move within a small space without making a sound.
Lu Cheng is acting, and he is also gaining insight.
He imagined himself as the flea on the drum that stalks the night.
Breathe lightly, as lightly as a feather.
Your heartbeat should be slow, as slow as a hibernating snake.
Your footsteps should be light, as light as if you were stepping on cotton.
As the plot unfolds, Shi Qian successfully steals the armor and is pursued by government troops.
The pace on stage suddenly quickened.
A dozen or so stuntmen dressed as government officials and soldiers, wielding broadswords and spears, surrounded and intercepted them from below.
Lu Cheng was running on it.
He didn't take a straight line, but rather a very strange route.
Sometimes left, sometimes right; sometimes forward, sometimes backward.
It can even change direction in mid-air!
That is……
A sudden inspiration struck Lu Cheng.
That's the trail of the wind!
Go with the wind and use its force against it.
He felt as if his body had become lighter, no longer bound by gravity, but rather becoming a part of the night.
"Grab him! Don't let him get away!"
The shouts of the "officers and soldiers" below were deafening.
Lu Cheng, however, performed an extremely beautiful "cloud somersault" at the end of the crossbeam.
She did three somersaults in the air, clearing everyone's heads and landing steadily on the very edge of the stage, the one that symbolizes the "wall".
He turned around.
A mocking smile appeared on that face painted with a date-shaped face.
That was a mockery of those in the audience who wanted to see him make a fool of himself.
It was also a mockery of Commander Zhang's threat.
"Trying to capture Grandpa?"
"Maybe in the next life!"
Lu Cheng's figure flickered, like a drop of ink merging into the darkness, and he instantly disappeared behind the curtain.
"good!!!!"
The entire audience erupted in cheers.
This performance of "Shi Qian Steals the Armor" not only brought the bandit king to life, but also portrayed his nonchalant attitude of treating an army as nothing.
Backstage.
Lu Cheng had just landed and hadn't even had time to remove his makeup.
The familiar golden lettering before my eyes, carrying an ethereal and graceful aura, emerged.
[Current Performance: Shi Qian Steals the Armor]
[Character: Shi Qian]
[Commentary: "Light as a swallow, leaving no trace on the snow. A master of disguise, unfathomable even to ghosts and gods. This play perfectly portrays the danger and wonder of a thief, and reveals the true essence of the wind."]
Overall Rating: Grade A (Skill reaching the pinnacle, surpassing all others)
[Reward: Ghostly Shadows!]
【Ghostly Shadow Steps: Includes Bone Contraction, Gecko Wall Climbing, and Snow-Treading Without a Trace. Mastering these techniques allows you to weave through a hail of bullets without a trace!】
boom!
A cool breeze instantly flowed into Lu Cheng's legs and spine.
The muscles in his legs began to undergo subtle reorganization, becoming longer and more explosive.
The spine became more flexible, like a nimble snake.
In my mind, there were countless methods for using leverage, deflecting force, and changing direction in mid-air.
Become!
Lu Cheng clenched his fist tightly, his eyes gleaming with golden light.
With this "Ghostly Trails" guide, plus the "Eagle Eyes" for navigation.
Even if that commander's mansion was a den of dragons and tigers, it was nothing more than his own backyard to him!