activa-t Chapter 54 It's easy to paint the skin and bones, but difficult to paint the soul.
Chapter 54 It's easy to paint the skin and bones, but difficult to paint the soul.
The theater was eerily quiet.
The leader stood at the boundary between light and darkness, watching Zhou Xing step in, and thought to himself, "As expected."
Sure enough it was him.
Baihualou, the club, the Tzu Chi Center, the Ghost Market... repeatedly ruined his own affairs.
Last time, when I invited Zhou Xing to my home to "reminisce," he actually performed a play with me, and I realized I had misjudged him.
Liu Yishou is also useless; he can't even stop a young man.
Very well. Now that everyone's here, let's stir things up completely on this stage today.
He suddenly raised his hand and wiped his face hard with his sleeve, turning his snot and tears into a messy, oily mess.
He pointed at Zhou Xing, his finger trembling even more violently this time. This time it wasn't an act; he was genuinely angry and anxious.
"Zhou Xing! How dare you show your face here!"
His voice was hoarse, filled with immense disappointment and heartache.
"I thought... you were exceptionally gifted! A blessing to the nation's martial arts! But you and your master used those shady, evil arts to deceive the world and harm my wife!"
Do you think you're worthy of the high regard that Master Gong held for you?
He turned sharply to Wang Yun, his voice softening, tinged with tears:
"Yunniang...Yunniang! I know, I know you're not that kind of person! They must have used some tricks to bewitch you!"
"Is that right? Tell me, did they force you? Tell me, and I... I won't blame you at all! Let's go home, okay? Let's go home!"
These words were sincere and heartfelt, but he had already slandered the person beforehand, thus creating a preconceived notion.
Was it Ip Man and his disciple Zhou Xing who were despicable, using evil magic to harm people? Or was Guo Zhen replaced and framed? Or was Wang Yun unfaithful and committing adultery?
It's become a Rashomon-like situation, with everyone telling their own story.
A sudden "boom" erupted in the theater. Spit flew everywhere.
Some people cursed Zhou Xing as a "foreign lackey," some sighed at Guo Zhen as "pitifully devoted," and others stared at Wang Yun with strange looks.
Some of the more clear-headed people are carefully examining the current situation.
Zhao Debiao jumped the highest:
"Evil magic! It must be evil magic! Seven days to develop internal strength, what else could it be but evil magic? There's definitely something strange about this kid! His eyes don't look like those of a good person!"
Chen Heming shook his head: "It's the police station, after all, the easiest for them to get in touch with those Southeast Asian sorcerers and Japanese devils."
It's not impossible to use shady medicines or methods of tonifying the body to cultivate a "seven-day bright strength." However, the foundation is likely very weak, easily shattered.
That's enough.
On the second floor, Gong Baotian softly uttered two words.
The building fell silent instantly.
Everyone looked up.
Grandpa Gong slowly twirled the walnuts in his hand, his eyelids drooping as he looked down at the audience.
"Making such a racket, what kind of behavior is this?"
He lifted his eyelids, and the light in his eyes darkened.
"Let's stand still and confront each other. If you have something to say, say it face to face. Can't the people of Tianjin even tolerate a few unspoken words?"
Zhang Zhankui coughed at this moment and pushed the now-cold teacup aside:
"Old Master Gong is right. Let's clarify right and wrong. This arguing is unbecoming."
With the two bigwigs speaking, those below, no matter how dissatisfied, had to swallow their words. Only heavy breathing and countless flickering gazes remained.
Zhou Xing stood in the center, his face expressionless. His mind was perfectly clear.
He heard it clearly from outside the door. The chief was indeed shrewd and cunning, instantly weaving an even more vicious and irrefutable Rashomon-like narrative.
Even if Madam Guo were to give her testimony now, it would be misinterpreted by the other party.
Once a preconceived notion is formed, simply pointing it out is not enough.
"it is good."
Zhou Xing spoke, his voice steady, looking at Guo Zhen.
"Since we're going to have a confrontation, then let's have one. Let's leave everything else aside for now; I'll just ask you about a few old matters."
"Last year on the Double Ninth Festival, you hosted a banquet for Master Chen of the Cangzhou Pi Gua Quan at Dengyinglou Restaurant. During the banquet, Master Chen praised your Xingyi Quan as 'hard-hitting and unrestrained.' How did you respond at the time?"
The leader frowned, then said with feigned indignation:
"Old stories? Why bring up those old stories! I naturally said a few humble words back then! Zhou Xing, stop rambling!"
Downstairs in the crowd, a dark-skinned man frowned but didn't say anything.
Zhou Xing ignored him and immediately asked the second question:
"The winter of the year before last, when it snowed heavily in Tianjin, you, Master Zhang of Tongbei Quan, and Battalion Commander Wang of Fengtian Army drank together in the warm pavilion in the backyard of your house."
Master Zhang, drunk, brought up old stories of the Boxer Rebellion and smashed his wine glass. How did you try to calm him down? What did Battalion Commander Wang say?
The leader's facial muscles twitched.
Nighttime drinking...Battalion Commander...Specific dialogue?
Liu Yishou never mentioned such details!
He could only mumble angrily, "What exactly do you mean by asking about such trivial matters!"
Zhou Xing stepped forward, his voice suddenly rising, as sharp as a knife cleaving bamboo:
On the Double Ninth Festival, you and Lei Wanting, the chief镖头 (bodyguard) of the "Yongsheng镖局" (Eternal Victory Escort Agency), were having drinks at the "Wanghailou" (Viewing the Sea Pavilion) at the Haihe Wharf.
Master Lei mentioned the trouble his son-in-law was facing in Baoding Prefecture. How did you advise him, and to whom did you write a letter of introduction on the spot?
Three questions, three Tianjin boxing masters, time, place, people, details, all clearly stated.
These were the key points that Zhou Xing pieced together and verified from the fragmented words of Wang Yun and those disciples.
The true story of Guo Zhen's life is truly lived in these details.
The boxers Zhou Xing mentioned, or their juniors and friends, all stared wide-eyed at "Guo Zhen".
Gong Baotian quietly stopped spinning the walnut in his hand and held it in his palm.
Before the commotion subsided, Zhou Xing turned his gaze to the few grief-stricken Guo family disciples:
"You! Your master treated you like his own children. Do you know his habits and his past?"
The leading disciple knelt down with a thud, kowtowed twice towards the second floor, and when he looked up, his face was full of tears, and he cried out in a hoarse voice:
"Master Gong! Master Zhang! All the seniors! I, your disciple, can testify! Master Zhou's words... are all true! How could this counterfeiter know these details!"
He doesn't even know whether his master puts the tea leaves in first or pours in the water first when brewing tea!
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhankui tapped his knuckles on the table with a "thud" and said in a deep voice:
"What are you crying for! Wipe your tears and explain yourself!"
The situation was completely out of control.
"Guo Zhen's apprentices are all honest kids..."
"If it weren't for a tremendous injustice, how could I dare to act like this?"
These days, in a martial arts school, if a disciple accuses his master, it's considered a grave offense of betraying one's master and ancestors.
Doubt, shock, and shame of being deceived surged towards "Guo Zhen" on the stage like a tidal wave.
The leader stood on the stage, his face frozen with grief and indignation.
He knew the play had come to an end.
He was still one step behind, but he couldn't understand why Zhou Xing, who wasn't familiar with Guo Zhen, was so sure that Guo Zhen's soul had been switched.
"Okay, okay, okay."
He said "good" three times, nodded, his gaze swept over Zhou Xing, then over Ip Man, and finally looked into the void, a deep weariness in his eyes.
"You guys... have such meticulous minds! You even dug up these old, rotten things and made them into elaborate schemes! I, Guo Zhen, am a rough man; I can't handle these kinds of tricks."
He abruptly wiped his face, straightened his back, but his posture revealed a desolate sense of despair at the end of his rope:
"Martial arts matters should be resolved within the martial arts world! If things can't be explained clearly, then let's follow the rules!"
He whirled around, his blood-red eyes glaring at Ip Man, and let out a low growl:
"Ip Man! Zhou Xing! You want my life? Come on! I, Guo Zhen, will use my flesh and blood to seek justice today!"
Before the words were even finished!
He pushed off with his feet and lunged forward! The blue bricks cracked with a sharp "crack".
He lunged towards Ip Man on the second floor.
"Junior Brother Guo! What are you doing!" Li Xingjie shouted as he stood up.
Almost at the same time the meeting leader changed his expression, Zhou Xing's eyelids twitched.
wrong!
This fake, even at this point, still has to die at Ip Man's hands, confirming that "Ip Man killed him to silence him," hoping to leave no one to prove it!
Zhou Xing stepped on the brick, causing it to crack slightly, and then shot out.
In the blink of an eye, the figure that had pounced into the air twisted its waist without warning, like a monstrous python!
The momentum of its forward charge abruptly changed direction, crashing head-on into Zhou Xing, who was chasing after it!
His face was devoid of any grief or indignation, only a chilling murderous intent remained!
He had calculated the route Zhou Xing would take in pursuit.
This sudden turn of events was his real target!
If you can't kill Ip Man, then kill Zhou Xing, who has repeatedly ruined his plans!
He intended to sacrifice Guo Zhen's physical energy instantly through magic, and even a master of internal strength would surely die if he unleashed it all at once!
A strong wind blew in my face.
The distance was too close, the momentum too strong, and Zhou Xing's pupils suddenly contracted.
Inside the theater, everyone's gasps of surprise were stuck in their throats.