Chapter 143: The Premise of Unequal Strength

Ye Weixing rushed over shortly after, his tone full of delight: "Shan, thank you! You gave us such a spectacular performance! Of course, Ah Yao also deserves great credit; his expressions and movements were spot-on, and it is even more commendable that he was able to persevere!"

He turned around and found a middle-aged man who looked like a local thug. "Ah Ji, go tell Uncle Kei to approve a bonus of 100,000 for Ah Lok."

Immediately afterward, he whispered in Liu Qingshan's ear, "I haven't forgotten yours, but it needs to be done gradually."

Liu Qingshan hadn't cared about the money in the first place, especially since he knew the producers had initially been skeptical of him. For them to offer him a reward now would be akin to them admitting their own mistake, which might cause them to lose face.

He simply patted Ye Weixing on the back a few times to show he understood.

By now, a crowd had gathered around Zhang Zhiyao. Finding himself pushed to the back, Liu Qingshan decided to walk over to his own small team.

Including Kunal, there were seven of them, all of Indian descent, handling miscellaneous tasks like stunt doubling on set.

Because they had Bollywood backgrounds and could take care of their own room and board without requiring extra pay, they were seemingly more popular than Liu Qingshan; at least they didn't have to deal with harassment from the investors.

Moreover, after Jackie Chan and Liu Qingshan had personally asked for them to be looked after, the actors—both big and small—treated them with kindness. Donnie Yen, in particular, would take time between takes to coach them on various techniques.

These men were here to learn and had come prepared. Without Jackie or Liu Qingshan around, they had worked diligently at all the odd jobs on set.

Now that Liu Qingshan had arrived, they seemed to have found their backbone, and they felt emboldened to express themselves regarding the action choreography.

"Master, did you use Longquan techniques from start to finish? Uncle Sammo said he never expected you to incorporate ordinary Longquan into swordplay so ingeniously. It will give your fighting style throughout the film a very distinct character!"

In action films, having a signature style is crucial. It is like Jackie Chan's nimble comedy, Sammo Hung's robust yet agile movements, or Donnie Yen's fusion of martial arts with modern combat; these form their distinct trademarks.

Liu Qingshan, however, had his own perspective.

"The tradition of distinct action styles comes from old-school martial arts films. In modern society, we need more advanced, multi-layered action effects to stand out in an increasingly crowded field of similar films. That's not to say having a unique style is outdated, but before you have truly made a name for yourself, it is better to have a relatively fixed design for your screen persona."

"So, should we only consider changing our style after achieving a certain level of fame?"

"That's just my personal opinion. Perhaps only a very few people are capable of displaying a different style in every film!"

Kunal, despite being Indian, could grasp the subtext of the conversation.

Few people possessed skills like Liu Qingshan's. His mastery had reached a point where he didn't need to choreograph moves in advance; he could simply let his opponent perform freely while ensuring the fight scene reached perfection.

It was easy to say, but only an insider could feel how incredible it was.

Just like in his previous fight scenes, although he was playing the aggressor, he could ensure the scene was thrilling while keeping his opponent safe—all of which required a massive disparity in skill as a prerequisite.

"Does that mean with our current level of skill, we are nowhere near being able to act as freely as you do?"

It was Samir who spoke, as even he could understand the hidden meaning in Liu Qingshan's words.

Liu Qingshan nodded. "Only when you can throw a punch with such force that it shatters a piece of paper held between your fist and a person without causing the slightest harm to the person behind it, can you even think about acting 'as you please'!"

Seeing that they all looked bewildered, Liu Qingshan didn't waste any more words. He tossed his luggage ticket high into the air.

As the paper drifted down in front of Kunal, Liu Qingshan suddenly threw a punch. An invisible force shattered the ticket into pieces.

Yet, the force that should have punched through the paper merely brushed past Kunal’s fluffy hair by his ears, leaving him feeling no pain at all.

A stunned Kunal stood dazed for a long time before saying, "You scared me to death! I felt a gust of wind coming at me, but the moment the paper shattered, it split into two and flew past my ears!"

What he described was clear to everyone else, and the rest of them drew a sharp breath, finally understanding what Liu Qingshan had meant.

"That is what I meant by needing a disparity in strength as a prerequisite. If your opponent's martial arts level is similar to yours, I advise you not to show off—unless they offer no resistance."

Everyone laughed; Liu Qingshan was using a simple logic to lighten the mood.

"In any case, you should all work twice as hard from now on. The top priority is to learn the experience of making action films. Once you've fulfilled your duties, feel free to learn more practical martial arts moves from Kunal!"

Kunal asked, "I want to learn that move you just did, Master. It was so cool, like a magic trick!"

"I will teach you everything I know in the future, but you can't learn that punch just yet. It requires years of internal and external cultivation, and it is powered by the internal energy within the body."

The difference between internal strength and internal energy (Qi) had been discussed between Liu Qingshan and Kunal before, so the latter was not confused.

The others were different; they felt like they were listening to a fairy tale.

Liu Qingshan didn't explain further; he just turned and waved at Donnie Yen, who was walking toward them.

"I saw that punch you threw just now. Brother Sammo even said that he must not secretly use his own techniques when sparring with you in the future."

Donnie Yen said with a chuckle. Beside him, Sammo Hung cupped his fists toward Liu Qingshan. "Sometimes rumors shouldn't be taken at face value, but you truly are exceptionally skilled, Shan!"

This gesture was clearly the style of the martial arts world, and Liu Qingshan immediately understood the underlying meaning.

He returned the salute. "Jokes are three parts true, so it’s no wonder rumors are seven parts false. Jianghu rumors are even less reliable—how could there be so many mysterious, supernatural things in this world?"

He said this because Jaycee Chan had previously told him about the rumors circulating in the Hong Kong martial arts circles regarding him.

They were nothing more than nonsensical myths about how Liu Qingshan had been trained by a mysterious wandering Taoist since childhood and had been gifted fifty years of internal energy through a divine initiation.

Liu Qingshan had laughed heartily at the time, saying that once he reached Hong Kong, he wouldn't have to worry about being bullied.

Who would have thought that the producers or investors of *SPL: Sha Po Lang* would have tried to replace him several times?

Sammo Hung understood Liu Qingshan's state of mind and pulled him aside to say, "After tonight's shoot, I think some people are starting to get nervous. Your superior strength is beyond doubt. Besides, considering your close relationship with Boss Yeung and your contract for *SPL*, they really can't blame you for anything."

Liu Qingshan understood what he was referring to and smiled faintly. "It doesn't matter. After being criticized for no reason this time, I’ve become even more determined to work with Boss Yeung in the future! Brother Sammo, please pass on a message for me: these people shouldn't even think about doing business with the Snow Region ever again."