Song Zhe was extremely perceptive. Following Xiao He's gaze to look down at his own right arm, he let out a hearty laugh, all the gloom and seriousness on his face dissipating, replaced instead by a somewhat simple and honest expression: "Ah, although I use left-handed sword techniques, don't worry, it won't affect anything at all. I can still teach you perfectly well. If you're uncomfortable with it, you can always request a different instructor—"
"Ah, no, no, I'm not uncomfortable at all. I actually came here planning to learn both left and right-handed sword techniques anyway," Xiao He quickly waved his hands in reassurance. "To be completely honest, I'm only learning swordsmanship for an audition next month."
So he wasn't pursuing combat effectiveness—what he wanted was how dashing he looked while performing sword movements.
"I see..." Song Zhe looked Xiao He up and down before asking, "Do you have any prior foundation in this area?"
"Not re—"
Just as Xiao He was about to say he had none, Ma Hongwu beside him already slapped him on the back, declaring with inexplicable pride: "Young friend Xiao is exceptionally talented! He's studied the Bone-Cleaving Knife Technique, so his foundation must be rock solid. Just teach him a few quick moves for rapid improvement—he'll definitely manage it."
Xiao He broke out in a cold sweat: "..."
No, I can't do it!
Who gave you this misunderstanding!
Senior Ma, wake up! Stop boasting for me!
I'm literally dying of embarrassment here!
Fortunately, Song Zhe was quite responsible and didn't get swayed by Ma Hongwu's words. After Ma Hongwu left, he still very seriously asked Xiao He to demonstrate his basic skills.
Xiao He truly hadn't undergone any systematic training before this. He'd only learned some basic footwork and hand techniques briefly from Pu Rong during his time at the "Thief Catcher" production crew. Although he'd seen Pu Rong demonstrate some sword techniques, Xiao He himself didn't know how to perform them.
He could only imitate Pu Rong's sword techniques based on the movements he remembered.
Unexpectedly, however, Xiao He executed this complete set of sword techniques with remarkable fluency. The movements of his hands came out almost without conscious thought, and his sword flourishes were particularly dashing and smooth.
After the demonstration, even Song Zhe couldn't help but nod in approval: "You're quite impressive. Your basic techniques are excellent—it's just that your footwork is somewhat messy and your posture needs some correction."
Xiao He was dumbfounded.
Huh? When did he actually become a martial arts prodigy?
He was just thinking about it earlier—he never actually expected to replicate Pu Rong's sword techniques!
Suddenly, Xiao He opened his system panel, his gaze falling on "Magic Hands," and his expression finally shifted with understanding.
This "Magic Hands" name is really misleading! You should have told me earlier you could be used like this!
Doesn't this mean he can learn things much faster now?
This is getting interesting...
Then, the first thought that popped into Xiao He's mind was—
Does this mean when he learns cooking later, he can finally accurately replicate that "a pinch of salt" from tutorials?
"Student Xiao?"
Song Zhe's call brought Xiao He back from his wandering thoughts.
Xiao He immediately snapped back to attention, instinctively standing straight as a rod: "Here!"
Song Zhe was amused by his reaction, pressing his lips together to suppress a smile: "I'm going to adjust your posture now. Please perform the movements from earlier again."
"Oh, oh, okay."
Thus began Xiao He's days of learning swordsmanship under Song Zhe's guidance.
Teacher Song's skills were unquestionable—his sword swings could even create afterimages, exactly like those described in wuxia novels: sword light shimmering brilliantly, sword tip blazing like a torch. Every time Xiao He watched, he felt deeply awestruck.
What Xiao He didn't know, however, was that Song Zhe also felt a sense of awe every time he watched Xiao He practice.
Xiao He's hand movements improved at an astonishing rate. Though his footwork and posture still left something to be desired, to Song Zhe who had been teaching for three years, this already qualified as genius among geniuses.
If Xiao He weren't an actor, Song Zhe would genuinely want to encourage him to try national competitions. Such a martial arts prodigy shouldn't be buried in the entertainment industry!
Ah, what a true pity...
And so, without Xiao He's knowledge, Song Zhe found himself sharing the same frustration as Ma Hongwu.
...
After several days of interaction, the two gradually became more familiar with each other. It was only then that Xiao He learned from Song Zhe that his arm injury resulted from a mission several years ago. After recovering from his injuries, unwilling to accept a transfer to a comfortable position to spend his remaining years in peace, he chose to retire and become a swordsmanship instructor here.
Song Zhe had actually won the national youth martial arts championship in swordsmanship before joining the military, where he had to set aside this passion. Now returning to teach here was in a way pursuing the dreams of his youth.
It had to be admitted that Xiao He admired people like this the most.
They could step forward to protect home and country, then step back to pursue personal dreams. They never let losses make them give up on life, maintaining a positive and optimistic attitude from beginning to end, as if no difficulty could ever defeat them.
Xiao He's respect for Song Zhe grew steadily.
After one training session, Xiao He even encountered Song Zhe's wife and daughter.
She was a beautiful woman with gentle features, dressed in a simple blue silk blouse and white high-waisted wide-leg pants, her every movement carrying a calm and scholarly elegance. The little girl she held wore a beautiful princess dress, adorable as a small fairy, skipping happily to Song Zhe and sweetly raising her arms for a hug.
Song Zhe smiled as he bent down, lifting his daughter with just one arm.
The family's atmosphere was harmonious and warm. Xiao He took one more glance before tactfully gathering his things and leaving without disturbing them.
-
While Xiao He was training seriously, news about Director Feng's upcoming new movie casting finally began spreading widely, with numerous marketing accounts and media outlets successively posting related information.
The somewhat calm domestic entertainment industry finally experienced another major earthquake.
After all, this was Director Feng we're talking about. In the early Hong Kong action films, his movies stood out as the most excellent. Although his Feng Family Troupe disbanded after his retirement from the industry, most members remained active in various production crews, many having achieved success and formed their own teams.
His comedy-action film "Flight Navigation" was the first domestic Chinese film in history to break the one billion yuan box office barrier, ushering in the golden age of comedy-action movies.
Even now, the first thing many people think upon hearing about his new film is wanting to go to the cinema to make up for past box office regrets—in that era of rampant Hong Kong film piracy, they owed Director Feng a movie ticket.
This was Director Feng, Feng Zhengyang—a legendary director whose mere presence could attract countless attention.
Just as people online were nostalgically recalling Director Feng's classic films, various entertainment companies sprang into action. Those with connections and resources, much like Xiao He, managed to obtain the script for Director Feng's upcoming film through various channels.
However, unlike Xiao He's calm approach, they didn't hesitate at all because of the subject matter Director Feng had chosen. Almost immediately, they gathered their respective team's brain trusts to rationally analyze various roles in the script, then estimate their artists' chances of success in auditions and identify potential competitors—
Thus, by late May, just days before June, the domestic entertainment industry became lively again.
There were black stories about this celebrity, gossip about that one, minor characters thrown out as sacrificial pawns, or internet celebrities livestreaming for clout. Whether plausible or implausible, true or false, even abstract celebrity scandals filled the air—a single marketing account could produce over fifty videos in one day, while other netizens jumped around excitedly consuming the drama.
Some fans noticed that their favorite idol had become unusually low-key recently, with scarce public appearances and almost no work announcements for the coming months.
This phenomenon wasn't limited to just one or two celebrities.
It was as if the entertainment industry, which typically avoided serious study, had suddenly begun intense internal competition, with everyone caught up in the tense atmosphere of pre-exam preparation...