WIIAD? ### Chapter 40: The Show Begins


Fully awake, Qi Lin quickly got up and helped the person dressed as the pig.


"Oh dear, I’m really sorry! It was a reflex. Are you alright, sir? How about we go to the hospital for a check-up?"


The person dressed as Zhu Bajie rubbed his neck and tried moving around. Seeing that he wasn’t seriously hurt, he waved his hand.


"Uh, no need."


Qi Lin felt a bit awkward, scratching his head, "Really sorry about that. I've been practicing martial arts since I was a kid, so I guess my alertness is a bit high."


The staff standing nearby were stunned, thinking, "Is this just high alertness? This is beyond ridiculous!" If they hadn’t stopped him earlier, Qi Lin's kick could have seriously injured the guy in the pig costume!


"Wow! Your kung fu is amazing!"


"Whoa, what a cool move!"


The regular guests outside couldn’t help but marvel. Qi Lin smiled sheepishly. Since he was the last to wake up, he saw the other guests had already changed their clothes, so he went to change his outfit as well. 


He then joined the production team to start the show officially. Once they were on the bus, the other guests couldn't help but ask Qi Lin questions.


"Qi Lin, do you really know kung fu?"


"Yeah, that flip was awesome! Where did you learn it?"


"Is your martial arts family-taught or did you learn it at a martial arts school?"


Hearing their barrage of questions, Qi Lin quickly gave a brief introduction about himself, but he didn’t mention any of his achievements. When they learned that Qi Lin graduated from Beijing Sport University, they all looked enlightened.


As soon as they arrived at the ancestral temple, Qi Lin was the first to be dropped off. Before leaving, the staff left him with one sentence: "In 'This is Life,' there are no rules. Good luck!"


With that, they sped off, leaving Qi Lin and his cameraman bewildered in the wind.


"Uh..."


Qi Lin looked around helplessly and decided to head toward the distant lights, thinking he should at least start moving. 


Fortunately, the ancestral temple wasn't very large. Not long after, Qi Lin discovered a gatehouse with two cameras set up outside. Knowing this had to be something, he ran over and pushed open the door, finding an old man inside.


The old man wore a gray robe, had a beard, and looked quite spirited, giving off an air of otherworldliness.


"Young hero, what brings you here at this hour?"


Qi Lin quickly clasped his hands and said, "Sir, I’ve come to learn martial arts!"


"Ah, young hero, you seem to have some skill already, but to stand out in the martial arts world, you need to practice diligently. I happen to have a secret manual here; I will give it to you."


Qi Lin picked up the manual, only to find it was a task card.


'There are seven martial arts manuals scattered throughout Lingnan Tian Di and Hu Hong Lane. Obtain one to learn a martial art.'


'Some martial arts are stronger than others, but none are the strongest. Each martial art can only have three manuals at most.'


Just as he walked out with the task card, Qi Lin saw Zhu Bishi walking over unsteadily.


"Hey, hey, did you get anything in there?"


Qi Lin honestly shook his head and showed the task card, "There’s only a task card inside."


Zhu Bishi was skeptical, given the show's usual scheming nature. But after taking a look, he saw it was indeed just a task card. Before he could say anything, they heard a series of noises nearby. They looked over and saw two people practicing with wooden dummies in a nearby alley.


No doubt, it was a task!


The two of them walked over and indeed found a camera outside. It was a martial arts hall. Inside, an elderly master in white training clothes was diligently practicing on a wooden dummy.


Seeing the master's moves, Qi Lin knew it was Wing Chun. Zhu Bishi quickly spoke up, "Hello, hello, we’re here to learn kung fu!"


The master heard the voices, stopped, and walked over.


"Hello, both of you. We can teach you Wing Chun and some secret techniques as well. You can choose to learn from me or one of my disciples."


The master’s Mandarin wasn’t perfect, so he spoke slowly for them to understand.


"However, not everyone can learn the secret techniques here. I only teach those with talent!"


He then demonstrated Wing Chun on the wooden dummy, saying, "I will show you some basic moves. Those who can learn more moves can learn the secret techniques."


Qi Lin smiled to himself, thinking this was his forte. His greatest strength was mimicking movements! The master's Wing Chun was more of a performance, aesthetically pleasing but somewhat superficial.


Not to belittle him, but most kung fu seen nowadays is like this—99% are just performances. This was why Hong Tai was genuinely impressed when he saw Qi Lin.


Zhu Bishi was amazed, "Wow! Who could manage that?"


The master’s demonstration made the wooden dummy rattle. Zhu Bishi quickly bowed and said, "Thank you, thank you. Sorry to bother you."


But Qi Lin had already moved to another wooden dummy, perfectly replicating the master's moves. The master was surprised and looked at Qi Lin with a peculiar expression.


"You’ve learned martial arts before?"


Qi Lin clasped his hands again, "I’ve practiced a bit. Just showing off."


The master smiled, "Then you can stay, young brother. Mr. Zhu, don’t worry. You can learn from my disciple and also get a manual."


Zhu Bishi was taken away, and Qi Lin was led inside. His challenge was to face the "Electric Wooden Dummy"! If he could avoid the wooden dummy's attacks, he would receive the martial arts manual for the "Golden Bell Shield."


Outside, Zhu Bishi was struggling to pedal a bicycle. It was a generator bike, and he had to pedal fast to light up four lamps on the wall to get the "Powerful Vajra Legs" manual!


With his solid martial arts foundation, Qi Lin easily obtained the manual and was given a huge rainbow hoop as a secret weapon! But when he walked out, he saw Zhu Bishi sweating profusely, panting like a bellows, with his makeup almost ruined.


"Great, Powerful Vajra Legs."


He pointed to his calf, looking half-dead, which amused Qi Lin greatly.


The two continued searching for other locations, hoping to learn more martial arts for self-defense. During this time, Qi Lin found the show quite manageable and relatively easy for him.


But it didn’t take long for Qi Lin to realize just how low the show's standards could go. Little did he know, he and Mr. Bai were about to become trending topics...


NEXT

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