[Professional, you win, you’ve won big!]
[This guy’s clearly read too many xianxia novels, spouting lines like that.]
[So, if I can sell copper in a xianxia world, wouldn’t I be the richest cultivator?]
Lu Zheng handed the copper ring to He Feixiang, instructing him to hold both arms out, a foot apart, with the ring in his right palm.
“My cultivation’s not high yet, so I can’t perform any grand immortal techniques. I’ll just show you a simple transportation technique.”
He Feixiang: ???
The onlookers focused, the livestream comments slowed, and Lin Wan’s eyes sparkled, fixed on Lu Zheng without blinking.
Lu Zheng began forming hand seals, cycling through twelve patterns, chanting, “Supreme Infinity, Reverse Heaven and Earth, Sun and Moon Spin, Yin and Yang Invert, Mountains and Rivers Turn…”
[Is this a transportation technique? Sounds like a world-destroying forbidden spell!]
[This guy’s definitely reading novels where one punch annihilates a star, one kick destroys a cosmos.]
[I just want to know what this transportation technique does. Move Earth into the Sun?]
Lu Zheng finished chanting, left hand supporting his right, right hand forming a sword gesture, pointing at the copper ring in He Feixiang’s right hand, then tracing an arc to his left.
“Swift!”
The ring leapt instantly from He Feixiang’s right hand to his left.
“Wow—”
The crowd gasped. They could see He Feixiang’s arms and hands hadn’t moved, showing no sign of effort.
Lin Wan’s eyes gleamed with awe and admiration for Lu Zheng.
Livestream comments:
[Wow! So cool!]
[Hello, I’m Magneto. I see potential in you and want you as my disciple.]
[Big bro, I’m a wallet collector. Interested in joining? DM me.]
[Meh, with that chant, I thought he’d end the world. Just this?]
[Definitely Feixiang helping out, confirmed!]
[Yeah, yeah, a magician can’t handle a bit of force? Do it on the ground, then I’ll believe it.]
…
“What the heck?” He Feixiang was dumbfounded.
Among everyone present, he was the most shocked.
He knew the ins and outs of magic tricks—speed, technique, clever mechanisms, and special props. His earlier trick relied on two ropes, one long, one short, plus his skill and performance. But this copper ring was his, just an ordinary ring.
No special props.
And whether he used force? Others might not know, but he did.
So, staring at the ring now in his left hand, He Feixiang was stunned. A master! How’d he do it?
Seeing Lu Zheng lower his arms, exhaling as if finishing a task, He Feixiang gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to ask.
It’s the code: if you see through it, that’s your skill; if not, it’s their skill.
Catching the livestream comments, He Feixiang quickly clarified, “Viewers, I swear, this is my first time meeting this guy. No coordination! And I don’t have that kind of skill. If I did, why stream or perform magic? I’d be showcasing superpowers, headlining the Spring Festival Gala in no time!”
[I don’t buy it!]
[I won’t believe it unless he puts the ring on the ground and does it again!]
[Can he cast that spell on my twin peaks? Then I’ll believe him.]
…
Lu Zheng was just having fun and wasn’t about to perform again for the livestream’s skeptics. He added He Feixiang’s contact, got the double-ticket code, waved to the crowd, and left with his arm around Lin Wan.
A few girls seemed to want to follow, but after glancing at Lin Wan, they stopped.
…
“Heehee, men’s mouths, full of lies. Cultivating immortality, White Cloud Temple, lay practitioner? Why not say you’re the last disciple of Yunzhongzi from Zhongnan Mountain?” Lin Wan teased softly.
Lu Zheng spread his hands. “I’m really not…”
“So what was that? Dragon-Capturing Hand? Crane-Controlling Skill?”
“Whoa, little lady knows her stuff,” Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow. “Been bingeing martial arts novels lately? *Dragon-Capturing Hand* is Qiao Feng’s skill from *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*, but there’s no *Crane-Controlling Skill*.”
Lin Wan smiled faintly. “You didn’t study hard. *Dragon-Capturing Hand* is Qiao Feng’s, and *Crane-Controlling Skill* is Xie Yanke’s from *The Oath of the Gallant*, though it’s only mentioned once.”
Lu Zheng sucked in a breath, meeting Lin Wan’s smug gaze. “You’ve been slacking at work, reading novels?”
Lin Wan: (°ー°〃)
“Go die!” Embarrassed and annoyed, she swung a fist at Lu Zheng.
“Hahaha—”
…
Lu Zheng and Lin Wan chased and dodged through the crowd, weaving without bumping anyone.
Passing a stall selling trinkets, Lu Zheng nimbly circled it, letting Lin Wan catch up and give him a playful tap.
“Don’t be mad, don’t be mad. I’ll do another magic trick—no, cast another spell.”
“Keep joking!” Lin Wan shot him a look, then asked curiously, “What is it?”
“Look at my hands. Empty, right?” Lu Zheng held out both hands, bare.
“Wait! Let me check!” Lin Wan grabbed his hands, inspecting them, then checked his pockets and sleeves thoroughly.
Lu Zheng: “…”
After a moment, Lin Wan nodded, satisfied. “Alright, what’s next?”
Tch, a normal magician would be out of moves by now… good thing I’m not normal.
“Watch closely!” Lu Zheng clapped his hands, swayed left, then right, and gave a shake in front.
“Here!”
He reached toward Lin Wan’s ears, then pulled back, revealing a Minnie headband.
Lu Zheng waved it in front of her, then slipped it onto her head.
“Huh?” Lin Wan was surprised. “How’d you do that?”
Lu Zheng didn’t answer, just grinned and pulled her to the shop window. “I took this headband from the shop. How much?”
The clerk stared at the headband on Lin Wan’s head, then at Lu Zheng. “Fifty… wait, when did you take it?”
“When you weren’t looking,” Lu Zheng replied with a smile, paid with his phone, and led Lin Wan away.
…
They watched two more shows, visited two indoor attractions, played a less crowded ride, and joined the grand parade, wrapping up the day.
“One day, and we’ve barely seen half,” Lu Zheng said, looking at the map. “Good thing we’ve got that double ticket. We’ll come back on a long weekend.”
Then they spotted He Feixiang, done with his stream, packing up with his cameraman and assistant to leave.
“Master! Legend!” He Feixiang waved, running over enthusiastically.
Lu Zheng smacked his lips. The title felt familiar yet distant, like he’d been called it before, but not in a while.
“Master, we meet again. What a coincidence!” He Feixiang extended a hand. “Proper introduction: He Feixiang, street magician. This is my assistant and girlfriend, Zhang Fei, and our cameraman, Big Hammer.”
“Hi, Lu Zheng, unemployed.” Lu Zheng shook his hand but didn’t introduce Lin Wan.
“Master, is your magic self-taught or from a mentor? Too good!” He Feixiang was excited. “That trick earlier, I saw nothing. Amazing! You could compete at the World Magic Convention!”
Though a street magician, he’d studied magic formally, not some amateur tutorial. Trained in technique, sleight of hand, and performance, he knew the basics of most tricks. A trick he couldn’t see through up close was exceptional.
Magic isn’t about scale or flash. If peers can see through it, it’s nothing special. The real value is a trick that baffles even experts, a magician’s core worth.
Historically, famous magicians had unique tricks others couldn’t replicate.
So, He Feixiang believed Lu Zheng could at least hit the International Magicians Society’s threshold.
An expert’s move reveals their skill.
Like a failed writer spotting a bestseller’s potential, or Li Changyang believing Lu Zheng could dominate UFC, He Feixiang saw Lu Zheng’s magic as top-tier, though he couldn’t gauge how high.
“Too kind, just a hobby to pass the time, have fun with my girlfriend. Competitions and conventions? Not for me,” Lu Zheng said, shaking his head with a smile.
He Feixiang blinked, stunned. “Brother Lu, you’re not in the China Magicians Association?”
Lu Zheng blinked back, equally confused. “China Magicians Association?”
“Holy crap!” He Feixiang shouted, drawing stares, then got a sharp poke from his girlfriend.
Lowering his voice, he said, “Brother, you’re a hidden master. Insane!”
Then he got excited again. “Brother Lu, let me recommend you to the Magicians Association. With your skill, joining IMS and hitting the FISM stage is just a matter of time.”
He Feixiang was likely older, but in their trade, skill trumped age, so calling Lu Zheng “Brother Lu” came naturally.
Lu Zheng waved him off. “No thanks, I’m good.”
…
Since Lu Zheng wasn’t interested, He Feixiang could only let it go, though he felt it was a pity. “Brother Lu, magic’s dominated by the West. If you packaged your magic with Chinese xianxia flair, you’d blow up and promote our culture.”
Lu Zheng smiled, exchanging a glance with Lin Wan.
Both recalled last year’s talk with Lü Tieling and Li Changyang about using kung fu in UFC to revive Chinese martial arts.
Lu Zheng had declined, and after a few visits, the topic didn’t come up again. Later, Lin Wan got injured, and they hadn’t returned.
Now a magician was pitching a similar idea. What next?
Lu Zheng was kind of looking forward to it…
