1978: Female educated youth, don’t want an illiterate husband

"Scholar, those two Hong Kongers have arrived!"

After seeing his aunt off at the airport, Cheng Xuemin went straight back to Yan Film Studio. He was just about to go into the crew and tell everyone that the martial arts director from Hong Kong had arrived and that their Tai Chi crew was about to officially start filming.

Before he could even go there, he ran into Huang Jianzhong, who was just coming out and smoking a cigarette, at the door. Huang grabbed Cheng Xuemin and greeted him.

"What? Old Huang, you're not so optimistic?" The Yuan brothers are quite dedicated, they've already come over, but Huang Jianzhong is sitting outside smoking in silence. Cheng Xuemin saw this and asked him jokingly.

"It's not a matter of whether I'm optimistic or not!"

"You've already met Xuemin, haven't you? Those two Hong Kongers don't seem to have anything special about them, let alone any special abilities. They didn't even dare to accept Leonardo DiCaprio's challenge; they're such cowards. Can they really help us make this action movie a good one?"

Huang Jianzhong took a deep drag on the cigarette in his hand, threw it on the ground, stomped it out, and said with a pessimistic expression.

The production team was initially filled with anticipation and awe for the martial arts instructor from Hong Kong, after all, Cheng Xuemin had spent a lot of money to poach him from Hong Kong. He didn't have to be a superhuman with extraordinary skills, but he had to have characteristics that made him stand out from the crowd at first glance.

Today, they finally saw those two Hong Kongers arrive, but they didn't make a good impression on Huang Jianzhong and his group. They were skinny and didn't have anything particularly remarkable about them.

Just now, under his prompting and encouragement, Li Lianjie challenged those two Hong Kongers to test their strength, but failed. This left Huang Jianzhong and his group truly unsure of the other party's capabilities.

Logically, a martial arts instructor hired at great expense should have a level of skill in martial arts that surpasses that of ordinary people.

After some tentative communication, Huang Jianzhong and his team were truly disappointed.

"A martial arts instructor doesn't necessarily have to know martial arts. They're here to teach us how to fight beautifully, how to fight smoothly, and how to make people's eyes light up!"

"They don't need to personally fight us!"

"You even want Leonardo DiCaprio to challenge them? Why don't you just have everyone gang up on them and give them a beating?"

Cheng Xuemin found it amusing. These people must have wanted to intimidate the other party, but the other party handled it gently and didn't take the bait. It was like hitting cotton, which must have made Huang Jianzhong and the others very unhappy.
"It was just that Little Li and his friends were curious. They're all from Hong Kong and they're really good fighters!" Huang Jianzhong said sullenly, pushing all the blame onto that young upstart, Li Lianjie.

"Alright, Lao Huang, get back to your studies! Their martial arts instructor is definitely a very capable fighter!"

"If we can learn even a fraction of their skills, Lao Huang, you'll be able to dominate the domestic market. And when martial arts films become wildly popular, we won't be able to do without your film direction!"

Cheng Xuemin was very confident in the martial arts instruction level of the Yuan brothers!
The Yuen Clan is known as a jack-of-all-trades; whatever the director needs, whether it's a period martial arts drama, a modern urban action film, or even a Hollywood-level production, they can handle it.

Not only do they work, but they often come up with innovative ideas that will surprise and delight the director. How so? You always manage to come up with something new!

"That's right, that's right, learning by doing, Xuemin, you're right!" Huang Jianzhong smiled awkwardly again and nodded repeatedly.

Then, together with Cheng Xuemin, they went into the film crew and saw that the Yuan brothers had already started working.

Upon seeing Cheng Xuemin approach, Yuan Heping merely nodded, then continued speaking to Li Lianjie: "Young man, you must be the male lead, Yang Yuqian, right?"

"Come on, show us your best skills!"

As soon as the Yuan brothers arrived, they were challenged to a sparring match. They certainly didn't dare to accept, since they weren't professional martial artists.

However, this young man in front of us claims to be the male lead and is jumping around the most enthusiastically, so let's see how skilled the martial arts practitioners from the mainland are.

If he could reach 30% of the level of Hong Kong's Ah Long, he would be considered a good prospect.

"Alright, Master Yuan, keep a close eye on things!"

Li Lianjie always liked to stir up trouble and show off. Now that Cheng Xuemin had come along, she stopped dawdling and went on stage with a few somersaults.

"so beautiful!"

In just that short moment, the Yuan brothers' eyes lit up, and they couldn't help but clap their hands in praise.

Immediately, Li Lianjie unleashed his most skillful palm strike, a set of martial arts moves that were incredibly smooth and powerful, leaving the Yuan brothers dumbfounded.

This...this...this kid doesn't just have 30% of Ah Long's strength, he's practically another Li Xiaolong!
Exquisite treasure!

Immediately afterward, the same thought popped into the minds of the Yuan brothers: if they could poach them from Hong Kong, their Peace Film Company would be set for life!
What a pleasant surprise! What was supposed to be a reluctant trip north turned out to be such a gem, a natural-born martial arts star!
No, they have the potential to become martial arts superstars in no way inferior to Bruce Lee. If the brothers are trained well, they might be able to catch up with Bruce Lee's level and become Hollywood martial arts superstars.

Cheng Xuemin observed the Yuan brothers' reaction and saw exactly the result he wanted.

We have to make them envious!
Previously, it was only Cheng Xuemin's script that slightly caught people's attention, but Li Lianjie, a promising talent with the potential to become a martial arts superstar, will surely be the Yuan brothers' favorite.

Didn't you see the Yuan brothers' eyes popping out of their sockets when they looked at Little Li?

It's definitely love!
Unfortunately, you've run into Cheng Xuemin this time, so you can't poach this promising talent!

Why did Li Lianjie choose to retire early and go to Hong Kong, even at the cost of self-harm?
That's because after Li Lianjie's "Shaolin Temple" was released in Hong Kong, filmmakers all over Hong Kong took notice of Li Lianjie, a potential martial arts superstar who was in no way inferior to Cheng Long.

So everyone was vying to spend a lot of money, openly and secretly trying to poach Li Lianjie to develop in Hong Kong. This made Li Lianjie, who was still a young man at the time, envious and eager to make big money in Hong Kong.
You should know that back then, people from Hong Kong offered a high salary of 1.5 million per year!
One and a half million, that's an annual salary!

Anyone would have been unable to withstand such a test, so not long after, Leonardo DiCaprio suddenly fell from the training field and broke his leg, thus retiring from the military as he had hoped.

Not long after, he went to Hong Kong to treat his leg. That same year, his new movie was released in Hong Kong, and it was a box office success, which did not disappoint the people of Hong Kong. His film career thereafter was smooth sailing.

Its appeal even overseas once surpassed that of Cheng Long, making it the most bankable blockbuster in Hong Kong.

Which filmmaker wouldn't love such a promising talent?
"Could you do it again? Just your best move, could you do it again?"

Yuan Heping was dumbfounded for a long time, swallowed hard, and then spoke directly to Li Lianjie.

"Yes you can!"

Li Lianjie enjoys the process the most and understands what people want to see. Moreover, he practices performance-oriented martial arts routines, and his fancy moves alone can attract attention. In addition, Li Lianjie actually has some real skills.

Then they went around in circles again. This time, in addition to his best skill of flipping his palm, he also showed off several other signature moves, which really caught the Yuan brothers' attention.

"How about it, Master Yuan?" Li Lianjie asked, not too confidently.

"Good, good, good, Ah Jie, you're absolutely top-notch, Hong Kong..." Old Six Yuan Changren clapped his hands repeatedly, almost saying that Hong Kong needed someone like him the most.

Yuan Heping was quick to react and grabbed Lao Liu, saying, "Why are you saying such things in front of so many people?"

Even if you really want to, you still have to secretly make contact with them privately first.

Otherwise, if they poach people so openly, they might be mistaken for spies and arrested.

"It is indeed very beautiful!"

“Ah Jie, take a rest first. We already know your situation! Let the next person try first, so we can see!” Then Ji Chunhua couldn’t hold back and stepped forward as the second one. After performing a set of martial arts, he truly gave the Yuan brothers another big surprise.

With his looks and martial arts skills, he's definitely a perfect match for Li Lianjie—a golden duo of villains and big bad guys!
It's truly astonishing. Where did the casting staff of their Tai Chi drama crew find such an odd pair of actors?

If only we could take them all together and dig them up and send them to Hong Kong...

Forget it, I can't think about it anymore. The more I think about it, the craving gets stronger. Let's wait until I've finished making this movie in peace before worrying about this.

Otherwise, it would be too unethical to poach someone's people right away.

"One at a time, Wang Qun, you go first!"

After Ji Chunhua finished his performance, the atmosphere immediately became more lively. Everyone stopped being shy and refusing to participate and eagerly took turns performing. Cheng Xuemin couldn't stand it anymore, so he stepped forward and gave the order for his senior brother, Wang Qun, to go first.

"Hu Jianqiang!"

"Xiong Xinxin!"

"Yu Rongguang!"

"Ge Chunyan!"

……

Following that, under Cheng Xuemin's call of names one by one, the martial arts actors took turns performing on stage, creating quite a lively scene.

"This is a two-handed sword?!"

When the veteran sword master Yu Chenghui performed with both hands, he greatly surprised the Yuan brothers.

Because this is a two-handed sword!

How come the lost martial arts techniques that Jin Yong's novels have reappeared in mainland China?
As expected, the mainland is truly a place where hidden talents abound. Even martial arts techniques that have been lost for hundreds of years can appear in this small Tai Chi production team, which shows just how profound their martial arts foundation is.

Ultimately, it's because they've exhausted their own territory in Hong Kong; they're just narrow-minded and like frogs in a well.

“Master Yuan, this is because Master Yu visited famous and prestigious schools across the land, mastered all the martial arts in the world, and attained enlightenment at the summit of Kunlun. He then passed on this unique double-handed sword technique. When I first learned it from him, I was also amazed!”

A little exaggeration and boasting at the right time can lighten the mood. Besides, Cheng Xuemin wasn't really boasting too much. This Twin Swords technique was indeed something Yu Chenghui created himself after enlightenment!

When Yu Chenghui mastered the Twin Swords technique to perfection, he reached the level of the only Sword Saint in the world!

"Original creation?"

Upon hearing Cheng Xuemin's words, Yuan Heping and his brother exchanged bewildered glances, utterly astonished. They immediately chased after him, eager to have a proper exchange with this master of two-handed swords.

That way, when they return to Hong Kong, they'll have something to boast about.

"Incredible! The mainland is indeed full of hidden talents and extraordinary abilities. This trip north with my brother and I has truly broadened our horizons!" After chatting with Sword Saint Yu Chenghui, Yuan Heping returned and exclaimed to Cheng Xuemin.

Cheng Xuemin nodded in agreement and led the Yuan brothers to the office for a detailed discussion, saying as he did so, "Is it alright, Master Yuan?"

"Actually, everyone should work together to make this movie well. So they all showed their best skills to Master Yuan so that you could understand them and help them design outstanding martial arts routines!"

"Therefore, they are also full of curiosity and anticipation towards Master Yuan and you!"

"Of course, of course! Teacher Cheng, we brothers understand everything you're saying!" Yuan Heping nodded repeatedly, knowing what the other man meant, and immediately said, "Since we brothers have accepted the invitation to go north, we will definitely do our job conscientiously and bring out our best martial arts instruction, hoping to be of help to you!"

Since the other party has shown their best and most skilled side, the two brothers cannot fall behind. However, martial arts instruction is not a unique skill that can be demonstrated. We can only say that we should wait and see how they perform.

"That will definitely be a great help. We've heard that Master Yuan is known as the number one action choreographer in all of Hong Kong. His reputation is well-known, and I believe in your skills!" Cheng Xuemin praised him, which immediately pleased Yuan Heping, who waved his hands humbly and said:

"Those who can't be the top action choreographer are just empty titles, not worth mentioning!"

From their brief conversation, the Yuan brothers could tell that the key person in charge of the Tai Chi production team was the screenwriter named Cheng Xuemin, not the director Huang Jianzhong who was accompanying them.

It's really strange that a screenwriter becomes the person in charge of a film crew; this would be something that would never happen in Hong Kong.

Directors are all-powerful, while screenwriters are relegated to the sidelines. In Hong Kong, screenwriters have virtually no say and are basically at the mercy of the directors.

Their Tai Chi production team did the opposite.

"Master Yuan, you are too modest!" After leading them and Huang Jianzhong into the office and pouring them welcome tea, Cheng Xuemin spoke frankly, "However, regarding the design of the martial arts routines, I hope that you two Master Yuans will not be so modest and will offer your best guidance!"

"Teacher Cheng, please tell us your instructions. We will write them down and do our best!" Yuan Heping immediately put down his teacup on the table, sat up straight, and listened to the requirements of the person in charge of the film crew for their martial arts instruction.

"I wouldn't presume to give instructions, but I do have two requests!" Cheng Xuemin nodded. He certainly had his own requirements; otherwise, he could have simply let director Huang Jianzhong deal with and coordinate with these two.

"Please speak!" Yuan Heping nodded and said.
"Is such that!"

"My first requirement for this martial arts film is that it has to be fast!"

"All our martial arts moves must be fast!"

Cheng Xuemin repeatedly emphasized his first requirement: speed!
Having grown accustomed to the fast-paced action films of later eras, Cheng Xuemin couldn't bring himself to compliment the slow-paced action sequences in the so-called martial arts films of this time.

What were the martial arts moves like in this era?
Every move was a rigid and unnatural exchange of blows, accompanied by a series of "heh heh" sounds. To Cheng Xuemin, the movements looked incredibly stiff and fake!

Even in "Shaolin Temple," the martial arts moves are very rigid and slow.

Therefore, Cheng Xuemin's first martial arts film was to overturn the prevailing slow-paced fighting style in Hong Kong and to present a fast-paced action film on the big screen, giving audiences who were used to slow-paced action a refreshing experience.

"Hurry up?"

"How fast?"

Yuan Heping was somewhat surprised by this first requirement. It's not that it's wrong to film a quick knockdown, but how quick is "quickly"? Is there a standard?

"I want the actors' action sequences to be as fast as the cameraman's camera speed!"

……

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