Chapter 138: Chapter 138: Cousin Gu Chi
For Tuanzi, whether it’s a provincial or national examination makes no difference; the prepared content is still the same.
Soon, the judges and staff all got into position.
Gu Peihai’s brothers got two audience seats and stood behind some staff to watch.
Many cameras were pointed at Tuanzi.
The two were somewhat nervous, even more than their first acting/gig performance.
The examination content is vast, covering cultural projects, etiquette, basic skills, specialized physical fitness, martial arts techniques, and theoretical knowledge.
The few fair and just judges look at everything, but martial arts techniques account for only a quarter of the score.
The two old gentlemen, however, focus on martial arts techniques and are more eager to see personal skills.
In other projects, as long as candidates wish to learn and practice, they could easily earn full marks, but martial arts techniques are not something everyone can achieve.
Many who have earned their rank can only be considered proficient, not masters. Even some competitions are highly formalized with many requirements detrimental to martial arts development.
The two old gentlemen hope to change this situation.
Even if they can’t change the rules, at least they’ll gather some promising talents. Perhaps when they’re gone, these talents might bring a different future to martial arts.
When participating in the program, Tuanzi seized every opportunity to learn about project culture and theoretical knowledge; there were no issues in these two aspects.
Etiquette, no problem.
Basic skills, even more standard than the officially published teaching process.
Specialized physical fitness—such as movement response, center of gravity control, motion coordination, unarmed strength—no problem at all. Being short doesn’t mean a lack of physical fitness.
As for martial arts techniques, Tuanzi performed the standard three forms according to the requirements, and afterward, came the main show.
Under the exceptional examination requirements and to quell future criticisms, she showcased nine types of personal skills in one go.
Xingyi Boxing’s Five Elements Fist, Tongbei Fist, Eight Trigrams Palm, Qimei Stick Technique, Shaolin Three-section Staff, Emei Stabbing, Taiyi Cloud Sword.
The last two she reserved for her Master’s Secret Skills, knife and sword techniques not currently recorded.
One is the fast, precise, fierce Listening Wave Swordsmanship, the other is the grand and sweeping Sea Viewing Saber Technique.
The judges had never seen these two knife and sword techniques before. According to Tuanzi, they were taught to her by a master in seclusion in the mountains.
Everyone hesitated a little.
Ye Danxin stroked his beard, "Without discussing whether to include them in the records, just speaking of your impressions after viewing them, how was it?"
One of the judges candidly said, "Shocking, countless words condensed into two: shocking."
They had already realized Tuanzi had learned Inner Strength. Maybe it was related to Inner Strength, or maybe it was the prowess of these two knife and sword techniques.
In any case, witnessing these techniques made them feel as if they truly stood in the treacherous and bloody Jianghu, each move carried elegance and lethal force.
As insiders, they could only say they’d prefer not to provoke Gu Miaomiao in the future. At least, her skills far surpassed theirs.
Ye Danxin chuckled, "Today, I will apply to the higher-ups to include these two knife and sword techniques in the martial arts records."
He kindly looked towards the little girl in the center of the stage.
The girl had already sheathed her sword, large eyes glistened with an unstoppable momentum and deep hostility, like a tiger freshly descended from the mountain.
At this moment, everyone couldn’t see her soft and cute exterior; their hearts held only one thought: this is a true Jianghu hero.
"Whether you choose to teach it to others is up to you. However, I wish for the lost knife and sword techniques to return to their rightful place, is that okay?"
Tuanzi seriously considered and nodded.
The final result was undoubtedly that Tuanzi successfully obtained a ninth rank.
After leaving the Provincial Martial Arts Association, Tan Sheng praised them greatly before bidding farewell.
Tuanzi got in the car, took a few deep breaths before finally relaxing her solemn expression.
She smiled at her brothers who scarcely dared to breathe, "Miaomiao is so hungry, where should we go to eat?"
Gu Peihai and the others let out a sigh of relief.
Earlier, they were all frightened.
It felt like their sister had changed into another person; her exterior remained soft and cute, yet she resembled a beast eyeing its prey. She seemed to have gone through many battles, holding a vibe incompatible with a peaceful era.
Fortunately, when she smiled, she returned to being the adorable little cutie, the Little Glutton.
The trio went to a restaurant and ordered a table full of meat dishes.
Tuanzi was starving, holding a chicken leg in one hand, a duck leg in the other.
"Awoo! This is delicious too!"
Gu Wangchao hardly ate, only focused on feeding her and prevented her from choking.
After the meal, the three of them went to a private cinema to watch a movie together.
The main reason for coming to the private cinema was to avoid fans.
Gu Peihai’s fame was indeed overwhelming.
The youngest triple-crowned Film Emperor, this title practically elevated him to a shrine.
Wanting him to fall from grace would be quite simple. Several were lurking in the shadows, waiting for his downfall to carve up his resources.
A private cinema allows choosing films freely.
Gu Peihai picked something, looked up, and saw Tuanzi snacking on hawthorn balls while Gu Wangchao was messaging someone.
He grinned secretly, sneakily choosing another film.
The movie began playing.
Tuanzi abandoned the hawthorn balls, cradling the popcorn, staring intently at the screen.
Soon enough, a familiar figure appeared on screen.
It was their big cousin wearing a uniform, sprinting down the street, pursuing a suspect.
Tuanzi froze.
She looked from the screen to her big cousin sitting beside her, then back at the screen, then her big cousin again.
"Two big cousins?"
Gu Peihai proudly said, "This is the film I recently won an award for, oh, there are a lot of fight scenes, so cool."
Tuanzi turned back to watch the screen.
Due to the makeup effects, the film version of Gu Peihai wasn’t as handsome, somewhat dark, with scars on his face, but with a determined gaze; whether chasing suspects or exuding icy intensity during interrogations, he possessed a unique charm.
Different from the real big cousin.
But both were so captivating.
Tuanzi had merely come with the intention of watching a movie and eating popcorn, but she got so absorbed in watching that she didn’t even finish her popcorn.
At the film’s end, discovering the protagonist’s demise, she unexpectedly wailed aloud.
"Wah, Pei Hai brother, don’t die! Wah!"
Gu Peihai felt a tingle on his scalp.
"I didn’t die, it’s the character that had an accident."
Tuanzi, completely engrossed, cried like a tearful mess.
"Wah, Pei Hai brother!"
Gu Wangchao cast a sidelong glance at Han, who switched to an animated movie.
The cheerful music played, easing Tuanzi’s sorrow.
As the wolf began chasing the sheep but failed to catch them, she erupted in laughter.
Under his brother’s warning, Gu Peihai dared not boast anymore.
In several award-winning films, the characters he played either sacrificed themselves or became disabled, better not to terrorize his sister.
They had dinner outside before finally heading home.
Upon entering, they saw a square package in the living room, resembling a painting.
Mu Xue noticed their return, pointed towards the package, "Shipped by Gu Chi, a painting sent to Miaomiao, just delivered by your third uncle."
Gu Chi, the painter, is the second son of their third uncle Gu Zheng.