Chapter 185: The Chen Clan’s Martial Arts Show! Cloud Mist And Flute Sound!
Chu Ping and Chen Kai talked and finally came to a conclusion: whether this cloud barrier technique was a spell or not, they had to go to the Chen Clan in the afternoon to take a look.
So when it was about time in the afternoon, Chu Ping also called Chen Kai, and they went to the Chen Clan together.
After leaving the county and entering the road section toward the Chen Clan, they quickly found that one side of the road was blocked off, with a construction team working.
This was the road construction funded and donated by that Mr. Wang to help the Chen Clan; the project was already underway.
It was impossible to repair the entire road in one stretch, as that would cause serious traffic problems. Normally, different sections are worked on in staggered phases.
On this section under construction, there were guards stationed on both sides to stop the cars.
Because one side of the road was blocked, only the other side could be used. Without this control, cars from both directions would move forward at the same time and end up stuck in the middle, truly unable to advance or retreat.
So they could only alternate passage: once one side went through, the other side was allowed.
This was also why roadworks required alternating traffic sections.
When the two arrived at the Chen Clan, they could clearly see that this afternoon was unusually lively, far beyond the previous two days.
Even though people could not get inside, the number of people from Linhe County coming to join the fun had greatly increased.
Around the cultivation market, there were more people setting up stalls. Temporary stalls for selling immortal grass jelly, fresh juice, and all kinds of snacks had also increased.
…
Chen Clan.
Chen Han suddenly received a game prompt:
【Congratulations, you have found the demonic path remnant from Ci Yun Temple lurking in the Chen Clan and dealt with them. However, the two demon girls discovered earlier are still wandering in the vicinity of the Chen Clan. Please promptly drive that Lobster Demon and Crooked Mouth Flood Dragon Spirit… or rather the Crooked Mouth Loach Spirit back to the Thousand Illusions Marsh.】
This was indeed good news.
Now all that was left was to trick the two girls into playing on the muddy road.
The next moment, a call came in from Huang Xin.
He more or less guessed what it was about.
After answering, he indeed heard the other party’s excited voice: “Chen Family Head, do you know who we caught yesterday? A big fish. His identity was confirmed overnight.”
“This guy is involved with a huge amount of stolen money. With this case, the county will at least be able to keep a big sum, and everyone’s bonus will increase a lot. And you definitely won’t guess his identity.”
Hearing him acting mysterious, Chen Han cooperated and asked with curiosity, “Is his identity not simple?”
Huang Xin laughed and hinted, “He is the illegitimate son of a certain very famous internet celebrity who has been popular online recently, and he is related to a temple.”
“Got it.” Chen Han instantly understood and did not say more. After all, matters on the Buddhist sect’s side had nothing to do with their Daoist sect.
So he added, “All of this started from the clues discovered by that Ming Di.”
“We will send him a brocade banner then,” Huang Xin said with a laugh. He naturally knew about this internet celebrity called Ming Di; he was an interesting guy.
That man was also investing in Shangyuan Village now, and they had met several times before.
After hanging up, he headed to the performance stage.
Today was also the most exciting day of performances. There would be his junior sister’s sword dance, and the two family heavenly prodigies, Chen Dalong and Chen Jun, would be cooperating with her performance.
Junior sister had said that today’s performance would also bring everyone a surprise.
In addition, his uncle, Uncle Dagou, and Uncle Shuisheng, these three family experts, would lead some people from the Chen Clan Demon Subjugation Hall in performing Chen Clan martial arts.
And also their chest crushing stone.
It was a display of the Chen Clan’s true kung fu.
Because Chen Dalong and Chen Jun also had to cooperate in the martial arts performance, the two of them were a bit busy in the afternoon.
There was also his cloud barrier technique performance.
This was what fans and netizens were most focused on, especially those who had previously filmed cloud barrier technique special effects videos.
So when the third day’s program performance was about to start, tourists had already gathered there early.
When the program performance began, all the tourists converged at the stage.
Today’s opening performance was still a catwalk by a few national style girls.
Naturally, the content of the catwalk had changed again. Today it was in the style of basket fairies; each person held a small basket with some bouquets of flowers and fruits placed on it.
When interacting with tourists, they would give these bouquets of flowers and fruits to the visitors.
Soon it was time for Xiao Yu’s swordplay performance.
When Xiao Mi made the announcement with the microphone, she said with a bright smile, “Now let us invite our junior sister Xiao Yu to perform a sword dance for everyone.”
As her words fell, some people carried out two poles and set them up on the stage, with a clasp-like device at the base.
Once the poles were erected, they were fixed to the performance stage.
Moreover, there were protruding spots on the poles that could be stepped on.
Watching this from a spot backstage, Chen Han was a little curious. Why did junior sister bring out this thing for a sword dance?
However, junior sister’s performance soon began. She drew the sword in her hand with a fierce motion, giving it a powerful shake, and a sword hum actually rang out.
This sword hum was different from what was described in those novels. It was an effect produced by drawing and swinging the sword, at that instant when the force acted on the blade.
A Daoist priest from Wudang had also demonstrated this kind of sword hum before, but that Daoist priest’s sword was relatively soft, making it easier to achieve. More importantly, when that Wudang Daoist priest promoted it, he insisted it was the effect of inner energy acting on the sword, which caused a lot of ridicule.
In fact, it was simply a matter of metal vibration.
As long as the power was strong enough, drawing or swinging the sword in a precise instant could make the body of the sword tremble. When the curvature reached a certain degree, it could instantly produce the sword hum.
It was essentially a sound of vibration and resonance.
It could be completely explained by scientific principles. That Daoist priest’s explanation about energy acting on the sword naturally drew criticism.
However, one thing was certain: not everyone could produce a sword hum. At the very least, your wrist strength had to be sufficient, and it was not just about brute force. It required skillful strength, coordinated with the sword’s movement.
So, in the past, if someone practicing swordplay could perform this sword hum, it at least proved they had strength.
Next, Chen Han saw junior sister begin to unleash fierce sword moves.
With one glance he could tell it was a Daoist sect sword technique that emphasized ferocity, the 《Tai Ke sword technique》. Crucially, using such moves for performance also made it more ornamental.
At this moment, Chen Dalong and Chen Jun joined in to cooperate with junior sister in a set of moves.
Generally, choreographed fight performances had one major flaw: they obviously looked staged, the traces were too heavy, and the movements were weak and soft.
After all, unlike in movie shoots, they could not have professional stunt performers dedicated to taking hits, wearing protective props.
But junior sister’s performance was clearly different because she truly had power, and her control of that power was excellent. This showed a very strong physique and skilled sword technique, executed with ease.
Most importantly, while the physical fitness of Chen Dalong and Chen Jun could not compare to his uncle and the others, junior sister had been refining Body Tempering Pills for them.
On top of that, whenever they returned to the Chen Clan they trained under Chen Dagou every day. Their physiques were better than ordinary people’s, so they coordinated with junior sister very well, with plenty of strength, without looking as fake as countless other choreographed routines.
Even the tourists around them could see it and were drawn in by the martial arts performance before their eyes:
“This is a real martial arts performance. It’s nothing like those weak, soft routines from other places!”
“Of course. The Chen Clan has true kung fu. That ‘Xiao Yu Za’ took down a member of a thief gang with two sword strikes before.”
“With the Throat Slitting and Groin Striking Sword. The key point is she settled them without even sharpening the blade. If it had been sharpened, that thief would really have lost his eggs with one stroke.”
“…”
Xiao Yu continued to strike fiercely, the sword in her hand constantly attacking Chen Dalong and Chen Jun, driving them back step by step. The two also cooperated very well, leaving no trace of acting.
Finally, Xiao Yu kicked the two of them flying in succession, sending them rolling on the ground.
At the same time, Xiao Yu quickly rushed toward the two poles. She suddenly leaped up and landed on one of the protruding footholds, then stepped and pushed off to jump to another protruding spot.
The height of her jump was astonishing. An average person could not possibly jump that high; even a young man specializing in sports, jumping with all his strength, might not manage it.
The key was her speed, which was extremely fast. She immediately reached the third protruding spot.
Chen Han understood. Parkour.
This movement was similar to the common wall-stepping move in parkour.
Many people had seen parkour practitioners use opposite walls, jumping back and forth between them to reach an upper level.
What junior sister was doing now followed the same principle, except her body was lighter, her speed faster than most parkour practitioners, and her movements higher.
Within this short time, junior sister used parkour-like movements to reach the top of the two poles, where she stood with her sword in hand, truly looking like a heroic female swordswoman.
However, while it looked like parkour in his eyes, how did it look to the tourists?
“‘Xiao Yu Za’ actually knows lightness skill. Isn’t this better than parkour?”
“And better than the lightness skill of that Wudang Daoist priest Chen Daoist Priest!”
“She knows lightness skill and can slice throats and strike groins with a sword. If that’s not a swordswoman from a novel, then what is?”
“…”
When the performance ended, applause instantly broke out around them.
Xiao Yu did not head back to backstage. Instead, she took the microphone, bowed to the tourists, and said, “Thank you all for liking my program. Thank you.”
“And for the next program, I think you will also like it. Everyone knows our Chen Clan has three experts who love wearing white vests. Next, these three experts will perform for everyone!”
As she finished speaking, Chen Lin, Chen Dagou, and Chen Shuisheng, wearing their iconic white vests, walked onto the performance stage. Behind them followed Chen Dalong, Chen Jun, and some people from the Chen Clan Demon Subjugation Hall.
These people usually trained under Chen Dagou and also received some Body Tempering Pills from Xiao Yu. On top of that, they were all robust and had a background in hard labor. Each of them truly looked like a martial man.
As they came up, Chen Lin and the other two led the people from the Chen Clan Demon Subjugation Hall in performing a set of 《Taiyi Long Fist》. This time, their execution of the fist techniques was very neat and very imposing.
It was no longer like the previous time when the three had each done their own thing in a mess, forcing reporters to use their imagination to explain that there were differences in their strength, so their speeds differed.
After all, it was reasonable to say that the stronger one struck faster.
This explanation had gained a lot of support and approval online.
But now that they were synchronized and different from before, many tourists were briefly puzzled, then quickly began to make up justifications:
“This time they are very synchronized, different from last time. So, an expert’s moves can be faster and also both firm and gentle, freely controlled.”
“Right. Last time they were unprepared and went all out, so the stronger ones naturally struck faster. Now they are prepared, and everyone is holding back their strength.”
“Indeed, these three from the Chen Clan are clearly holding back for the sake of the others, yet it is still very imposing.”
“Look at the others from the Chen Clan; their performance is more powerful than many people who practice martial arts…”
“…”
So how does that saying go?
Once a person becomes successful, great scholars naturally appear to interpret the classics on their behalf. In modern society, it should be that the masses interpret the classics for you.
Of course, the premise is that you are famous and have convincing strength. As it happened, Chen Lin and the other two were recognized by netizens as experts, with verifiable battle records.
If anyone claimed the three were just frauds, people would quickly invite them to go challenge the Chen Clan.
After Chen Lin and the others finished the fist routine with the Demon Subjugation Hall members, they stopped and bowed to the tourists, thanking everyone for watching.
This drew warm applause from the visitors. In China, people all had a martial arts complex and were particularly fond of such martial arts performances.
Seeing this, Chen Lin and the others were also very excited.
After all, they knew what the Chen Clan used to be like, and now the Chen Clan was so lively.
In the past, this was what reputation meant.
To be recognized by everyone was truly something to be very happy about.
At this moment, Chen Lin took the microphone from Xiao Yu and said to everyone, “Just now we showed you the Daoist sect’s 《Taiyi Long Fist》, but that is only a routine. Next we will present our trump card: chest crushing stone.”
These words immediately stirred up a commotion among the tourists around.
The term “chest crushing stone” was very familiar. It appeared in all kinds of movies and television, and many modern acrobats performed it.
Many people had already exposed that those acrobatic chest crushing stone acts used specially made stone material and special protection on the performer.
But if the Chen Clan experts were going to perform chest crushing stone, it could not possibly be like that. It should be solid, hard-bridge hard-horse, a demonstration of real kung fu.
In no time, the people from the Demon Subjugation Hall brought up a special chair, along with a prepared stone slab.
At this point, Chen Dagou lay down on the chair, and Chen Lin and Chen Shuisheng placed the stone slab on his chest.
Holding the microphone, Chen Lin said to the tourists around, “To prove the quality of this stone, I will now invite several people from the tourists to verify it. Preferably those with strong builds and great strength, so no one can say our Chen Clan is using special stone for this performance.”
As soon as he finished, several people raised their hands. Each had a terrifying physique.
Chen Lin selected them to come up onto the performance stage.
Then he said with a smile, “All of you are in excellent shape. Your strength looks impressive. Now please make a fist and pound this stone slab hard to see if it is solid.”
These words stunned the people who had come up.
Use their fists?
Someone asked in confusion, “Not a hammer?”
Chen Lin said with a smile, “For our Chen Clan chest crushing stone, fists are enough to break it.”
These words immediately shocked all the tourists.
Their impression of chest crushing stone had always involved being struck with a hammer.
Now the Chen Clan was saying chest crushing stone could be done with fists?
Right. In the movies and television shows they had seen before, it was all directors and screenwriters making things up. What did they know about martial arts? As for those modern chest crushing stone acts, their strength was too weak.
If your strength was sufficient, who said you could not use fists for chest crushing stone and had to use a hammer?
The tourists who had come on stage stopped hesitating. Someone was already clenching his fist, itching to try.
Finally, the first person stepped forward and swung a heavy punch down on the stone slab, using so much force that he himself sucked in a breath of cold air.
But Chen Dagou felt nothing, and the slab did not feel like much either.
That punch was like giving the stone slab a massage.
Seeing this, the second person stepped up and also slammed down a heavy punch, again only massaging the slab. One by one they tried, all with the same result.
This proved one thing: the stone slab was genuine. At least these robust tourists, whose strength clearly was not small, could do nothing to it.
After all of them had tried, Chen Lin took the microphone again and said with a smile, “Everyone has tested it, so this proves there is no problem with the stone slab.”
As he spoke, he turned sideways, raised his fist, and slammed it down onto the stone slab.
Bang!~
With a dull sound, the stone slab instantly shattered.
Everyone was stunned; it was so fast they had no time to react.
And the punch from this Crafting Hall Master of the Chen Clan was truly impactful.
The tourists who had come up were dumbfounded.
They had tested it themselves and knew the quality of that stone. Under his fist, it just shattered like that?
Watching his uncle’s performance from backstage, Chen Han could not help but smile. His uncle had really shown off beautifully.
Chen Dagou pushed away the shattered pieces on his chest and stood up, patting off the dust and debris without the slightest sign of injury.
Then another stone slab was brought up, and he lay down again. After all, one slab would not be enough for the audience.
Chen Lin then said to the tourists who had come up to test it, “Please, try again.”
At this, the tourists looked bewildered. Again?
They had not known better earlier and had used full force. Their hands already hurt.
But since they were already on stage…
Chen Lin and the other two performed chest crushing stone three times in a row before stopping. Then they ended the show, bowed in unison to the audience, and went back into backstage together.
The performance really left the audience wanting more, but it also made them even more eager for the next program.
After all, next was the cloud barrier technique performance by the Chen Family Head.
At this time, Xiao Yu once again walked to the center of the performance stage with a bright smile and said to the tourists around, “It seems everyone is really looking forward to the next performance. Very well, next is my senior brother, the Chen Family Head’s cloud barrier technique performance…”
As Xiao Yu finished speaking, everyone fixed their eyes on the backstage direction, full of anticipation, waiting to see the Chen Family Head come out.
But instead of seeing the Chen Family Head, everyone was suddenly shocked to see a layer of smoke appear in an instant, covering the backstage entrance.
Then a melodious flute sound rose.
