Chapter 00083: The Sword Saint
# The Sword Saint
Chapter 83
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 83: The Sword Saint
Chen Qi spent his first Spring Festival after transmigrating, and it was a rather dull one.
His parents' workplace had handed out a lot of goodies, including the usual trio of a calendar, beltfish, and apples.
The calendar was a thick one, with rough paper that could be nailed to the wall, tearing off a page each day.
He, on the other hand, received no such benefits.
At the Beijing Film Studio, he was on loan and not a formal employee, and at the cooperative, he hadn't worked long enough to even draw a salary.
To the uninformed, he was just a loafer!
But he did receive 800 yuan, the fee for his script "Tai Chi," hehe!
In those days, there was no Spring Festival Gala; the first one wasn't until 1983. However, in 1979 and 1982, CCTV had broadcast two variety shows, precursors to the Gala.
Now, every provincial administrative region had its own TV station, and in a couple of years, even cities and counties would be allowed to set up their own.
Domestic TV dramas were about to enter a rapid development phase, and Chen Qi kept that in mind, planning to write several TV drama scripts, aiming for success in both film and television, with actresses from both fields...
After the Spring Festival, he went back to work and immediately rushed off to Ningxia with Li Wenhua to visit China's last Sword Saint.
…………
At the Ningxia Martial Arts Team's office, Yu Chenghui sat on a stool.
In his early forties, of medium build, with a slim waist and broad shoulders, large hands, and a thick beard, he had a receding hairline at the front but long hair at the back, dressed in a worn sheepskin coat.
His eyes gleamed sharply, his eyebrows raised like an eagle observing its prey, scrutinizing Chen Qi and his companion.
With such an image and aura, if placed in a martial arts novel, it would be described as "the temples bulging high, clearly a master!"
Li Wenhua felt a bit intimidated, not daring to meet his gaze, but at the same time, he felt like he had found a rare treasure.
This guy absolutely had to be brought into the crew! Otherwise, it would be a waste of talent!
"Yu Hai wrote to me, saying you're making a martial arts film and looking for martial artists nationwide?"
"Exactly, Coach Yu recommended you, so we've come all this way. Seeing you today, I won't beat around the bush; your image fits one of our roles perfectly. Would you be interested in acting?"
"I'm very grateful for your visit, but..."
Yu Chenghui's voice was steady and powerful, and he was straightforward: "I have no plans to act in movies, so I must apologize."
"Don't rush to refuse, let me tell you about the script, okay?"
Having come from afar, Yu Chenghui had to give them some face.
Immediately, Li Wenhua started rambling about the script, how important "Tai Chi" was, how much the studio valued it, how it would serve the people and add glory to the arts...
Not a single point hit the mark.
Yu Chenghui listened politely but was unimpressed.
He was a few years older than Yu Hai, had studied martial arts at a sports school, and was selected for the Shandong Martial Arts Team.
In the 1960s, he injured his leg and went to work at a machinery factory but didn't give up martial arts.
Later, he quit his job, traveled around to visit practical martial arts masters, studied ancient texts, and compiled his own set of two-handed sword techniques, named the Mantis Piercing Forest Sword.
The so-called two-handed sword wasn't holding a sword in each hand but wielding a large sword with both hands.
Now teaching martial arts at the Ningxia team, he felt the world was too small, eager to participate in national competitions to promote his two-handed sword techniques.
His views differed from Yu Hai's; he didn't value movies much.
After Li Wenhua rambled on for a while, Yu Chenghui still shook his head: "I'm really sorry, Director Li, but I'm not interested in your movie."
"Please, consider it..."
Li Wenhua was anxious but didn't know how to persuade him.
Chen Qi waited until he was out of words before speaking up: "Coach Yu, I heard you've created your own set of two-handed sword techniques?"
"That's right."
"We promise you can showcase your two-handed sword techniques in the movie."
Yu Chenghui's eyes lit up instantly.
But that wasn't all.
Chen Qi added, "We've gathered top martial artists from across the country. We've set up a tower with seven masters, each showcasing leg techniques, wrestling, staff techniques, hard qigong, fist techniques, and ninjutsu—though you can take the ninjutsu as a joke, it's for the movie! Then the male lead comes to challenge, fighting his way up each level. You, are the final boss!"
What's hitting the mark?
This is hitting the mark!
In literature, there's no first place, but in martial arts, there's no second.
Who bows to whom?
Chen Qi made it clear: we've found so many top martial artists, and you're the final boss.
That sounded incredibly satisfying.
Even Yu Chenghui couldn't help but feel a surge of pride and a bit of vanity.
After some hesitation, he said, "If you really let me showcase my two-handed sword techniques, then why not agree!"
"Great, it's a deal!"
Securing Yu Chenghui, Chen Qi also breathed a sigh of relief.
Running around was exhausting, but now everything was set.
…………
"Old Director, wishing you a belated happy New Year, good health, and all the best!"
"You too, you too, why bring gifts? Too formal!"
"It's the holiday season, it's only right!"
In the director's office, Zhang Xinyan, who had spent the Spring Festival in Hong Kong, leisurely returned to Beijing, bringing some gifts for Wang Yang.
Sitting on the sofa, legs crossed, not a hint of urgency, he smiled:
"The preparations for 'Shaolin Temple' are going smoothly! Comrade Fu Qi went to see Liao Gong, who then approached the National Sports Commission, finally getting the martial arts team to agree to lend me Li Lianjie."
"Oh? Congratulations, that's half the battle won."
"You could say that. I've already sent people to martial arts teams across the country to cast, looking for those with real skills, the promising talents, the champion-level members, all to be found. I want to make 'Shaolin Temple' a true martial arts blockbuster!"
Zhang Xinyan was full of ambition and fervor.
Wang Yang's facial features twitched, holding back discomfort, thinking that kid was full of mischief!
Chen Qi had once shared a viewpoint with him, believing that the current domestic film production speed was too slow.
While there were reasons like being responsible, pursuing artistic quality, and hardware limitations, subjectively, there were also factors of human procrastination and laziness.
Why?
Because making films was like going to work, with a daily subsidy of fifty cents.
No matter how good the film, there were no bonuses, and no matter how high the box office, it had nothing to do with the creators, lacking material incentives.
Zhang Xinyan coming to the mainland to make films also had this vibe, slow and unhurried, but Chen Qi had already started to hustle!
"Alright, I must be going, I'll be bothering your studio for a while longer."
"Stay as long as you like, as long as you don't mind."
"The Beijing Film Studio is full of great artists, I'm always eager to learn from them, and that young friend Chen Qi, I often chat with him, it's quite enjoyable... Oh, by the way, why haven't I seen him this time?"
"He's on a business trip, he'll be back in a few days..."
Wang Yang's expression grew increasingly odd, seeing him off to the staircase, waving his hand: "Xinyan, I wish you all the best, may success come swiftly!"
"Thank you for your kind words, old director, I will, I will!"
Zhang Xinyan, full of momentum and enthusiasm, laughed heartily as he swayed down the stairs.
(The end...)