nownovels Chapter 80: The fledgling eagle tests its wings, not in a dramatic way.
Chapter 80: The fledgling eagle tests its wings, not in a dramatic way.
Chapter 81: The fledgling eagle tests its wings, not in a dramatic way.
By March, Beiping City had come alive.
The willows along the moat have sprouted tender buds, as tender as a young woman's fingers that have just been stained with balsam juice, swaying gently in the wind.
On Qianmen Street, the shouts of vendors selling "Xinli Mei" radishes had just faded when vendors selling "little goldfish" strolled over, their cries of "Buy goldfish of all sizes—" carrying a hint of springtime languor.
But the backyard of the Lu residence presented a completely different, desolate scene.
"Bang, bang, bang."
The dull thud, accompanied by the boy's low growl, shook the old locust tree so much that its bark began to peel off.
Lu Cheng sat on a grand chair in the corridor, holding a purple clay teapot in his hands. He took a sip from the spout, looking relaxed, but his eyes were like two rulers, measuring every movement in the room.
In the center of the field, Shunzi, Xiaodouzi, and Lu Feng, the three "personal disciples," along with Qinglian and Hongyu, the two maids brought by Feng Sanniang, were struggling against the plum blossom stakes.
The two maids, the elder named Qinglian and the younger named Hongyu, were originally learning female roles from Feng Sanniang. Their voices were still developing, but their bodies were extremely supple.
Seeing the tenacity in their bones, Lu Cheng had them practice the Three-Body Stance for a while. Unexpectedly, these two girls actually touched the threshold of "whole strength".
"stop."
Lu Cheng put down the teapot, and the movement in the room instantly froze.
Lu Feng, that wolf cub, was steaming hot, like a freshly steamed bun. The fierce glint in his eyes hadn't faded as he stared intently at Lu Cheng.
The energy he exuded was no longer just brute force, but rather a kind of "skillful technique," a product of the fusion of martial arts and theatrical movements.
"Sir, I'm not tired, I can still do two hundred more!"
Lu Feng was panting heavily, his chest heaving, his spine straight as a javelin.
"Who asked you if you were tired?"
Lu Cheng stood up, straightened his moon-white robe, walked up to Lu Feng, and reached out to pat him on the shoulder.
Hard. As hard as a rock.
This is because the "Tiger Bone and Dragon Marrow Soup" has nourished the bones, and with the relentless beatings day and night, this body is so tough that ordinary sticks can only make a sound when they hit it.
"Practicing without talking is foolish, and talking without practicing is fake."
Lu Cheng's gaze swept over the five teenagers.
"Your kung fu has reached a basic level. With full power and coordinated movement, you could easily become a skilled镖师 (bodyguard/escort) in a镖局 (security escort agency). But what are we for?"
"A Peking Opera performer!"
Little Bean answered quickly, then did a somersault and landed silently—a display of agility honed from practicing "Ghostly Shadow Steps."
"Yes, they sing opera."
Lu Cheng smiled slightly.
"To perform opera, you need an audience, you need seats." Our Qingyun Troupe is now quite famous, but it's impossible for me to carry the whole thing on my own.
"You eat my food, drink my drinks, and use my medicinal herbs worth thousands of dollars. It's time to take you out for a walk."
Upon hearing this, Shunzi's eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together sheepishly. "Master, you want us to go on stage? What are we going to sing?"
"Is it the little monkey from 'Havoc in Heaven'? I can do somersaults really well."
"No."
Lu Cheng shook his head.
"Playing the monkey is being a supporting role, an extra. I want you to be the leading ladies, the stars."
"This time, we won't sing literary operas, nor will we sing those melodious Erhuang Daoban and Manban tunes."
"Let's put on a show—a full-blown brawl!"
Lu Cheng turned around, drew a sharpened single-edged sword from the weapon rack, and with a casual flick of his wrist, the blade flashed like snow, exuding a chilling aura.
"I've already thought of the play."
"Yandang Mountain!"
Upon hearing this, even Ah Bing, who was playing the violin over there, trembled slightly, and the bow drew a piercing scream from the string.
"My goodness, what did you say? 'Yandang Mountain'?!"
Before the apprentices could react, Zhou Daikui, the troupe leader who had been watching from the side, dropped his large pipe bowl to the ground with a "thud".
He didn't bother to pick them up; he rushed over in a few steps, his face pale.
The look in his eyes was as if he were looking at a group of children who were about to be sent to their deaths.
"Chengzi, you—you're insane! You're sending them to their deaths?!"
Zhou Daikui was so anxious that he kept stamping his feet, and his hand was trembling as he pointed at the group of teenagers.
"This 'Yandang Mountain' is a 'gateway to hell' in Peking Opera martial arts plays, what's known in the trade as a 'mute play.' The entire play has no lyrics, and even spoken dialogue is extremely limited; it's all kept going by sheer breath!"
"This involves both night battles and naval battles; what's the point? It's about the coordination of a large group."
"Dozens of people were on stage, with swords, spears, and halberds flying everywhere; that was a 'fighting' scene."
"If anyone is even a fraction of a second slower, or if anyone slips, those flying knives and spears have no eyes; at best they'll be disfigured, at worst they'll be killed."
Zhou Daikui was truly terrified.
This play requires decades of experience; the core members of the production team must be strong, and it has undergone countless revisions before they dare to start.
Why send these kids who've only been practicing kung fu for a few months?
Isn't this like an egg hitting a rock?
"Master, don't worry."
Lu Cheng remained calm and reached out to support the swaying Zhou Daikui.
"In the past, opera troupes dared not perform because they practiced superficial skills and mere showmanship. They looked lively on stage, but their foundation was weak and they would fall over at the slightest touch."
Lu Cheng turned around and looked at his disciples, whose eyes showed not fear but eagerness. His voice was steady and powerful.
"But these kids are different."
"They eat tiger bones, practice Xingyi, and stand in the San Ti stance."
"This play, *Yandang Mountain*, emphasizes night battles and naval pursuits. It demands precision in 'hand combat' and swiftness in 'rolling maneuvers.'"
"Furthermore, it's about portraying the brutality of a massive army and the suffocating feeling of close combat!"
"Ordinary opera troupes can't portray that kind of murderous aura; that's just acting."
"But they—"
Lu Cheng slashed fiercely with his single-edged sword, causing the air to explode.
"They can turn this stage into a real battlefield."
Zhou Daikui opened his mouth, looked at Lu Cheng's determined eyes, then at Lu Feng's wolf-like gaze, and finally sighed, swallowing back the words of dissuasion that were on the tip of his tongue.
"Alright, alright—you're the star performer, so you call the shots. But this is a job where you're risking your life, so you have to be extra careful."
Lu Cheng nodded, then looked at the two female disciples.
"Blue Lotus, Red Jade."
"Master."
The two girls quickly bowed. Although they were young, they had grown taller and more spirited due to the good food they had eaten in the past few months.
"You two, you'll play the dual-wielding heroines. Don't use those flimsy rattan spears; that's for fooling laymen. I've had the blacksmith forge them for you. The spearheads aren't sharpened, but they're still pointed. Each spear weighs three pounds. Can you handle them?"
"To make move".
Qinglian gritted her teeth, "The medicine Master gave me wasn't for nothing. This amount is nothing."
"good!"
Lu Cheng unfolded his folding fan, and it made a crisp "snap" sound.
"Shunzi, you have a large frame and a stable foundation. When you play Meng Haigong, you need to portray the composure of a commander."
"Lu Feng, your eyes are fierce and your movements are fast. Play He Tianlong. He is a fierce general. You need to bring out that murderous aura of 'Those who stand in my way will die.'"
"As for Little Bean—"
Lu Cheng looked at this most clever little monkey and pointed to the roof beam.
"You'll play the bugler who scales the city wall and steals the command token." According to tradition, that city wall needs to be three tables high, a full three zhang (approximately 10 meters) long.
"No wires, no protection, it's all up to your agility. If you can't flip over, you'll be crippled. Dare you?"
Little Bean swallowed hard, glanced at the high roof beam, rolled his eyes, chuckled, and patted his bottom.
"Master, just you wait and see! If I fall, I'll never eat meat dumplings again; I'll become a vegetarian!"
"OK."
Lu Cheng looked at these young upstarts.
"This time, we won't be using someone else's stage."
"Right here in our own theater, the Qingyun Troupe's own theater."
"I want to show the whole of Beiping that our Qingyun Troupe doesn't produce actors."
"They're a pack of wolves!"
>