Chapter 89: Chapter 88: White Crane Fist: Misunderstood by the Red-crowned Crane

After finding a few spots in Puhua Valley, Jiang Shishi and Xiao Ya changed outfits twice and tried out various instruments. Gu Zhao also performed his Swordsmanship many times, gathering enough footage for their first project.

Then, they went to Lengren Temple.

Lengren Temple was much more crowded with tourists, so they had to find small openings to film. Gu Zhao didn’t show off too much, just performing a few moves that resembled those of a parkour master.

For example, he vaulted down from a stone platform the height of two men and used his Lightweight Skill to scale a wall by stepping on stones—all things that remained within the realm of what an ordinary person could comprehend.

But this was still enough to elicit gasps of admiration from the onlooking tourists, many of whom took out their phones to record the moment.

"How’s it looking?"

"If we separate all the different backgrounds and music tracks, we have enough to edit four or five pretty amazing videos."

"And if we go for the absolute best quality?"

"Two." Li Hui looked down at the footage. "One for ’Ambush from All Sides,’ one for ’High Mountains and Flowing Water.’ If we mix the background music with a modern rhythm, the effect will be absolutely explosive!"

"Then we’ll go for the best quality, of course."

Before Jiang Shishi or Xiao Ya could even speak, Zhang Hang readily chimed in and made the decision. "One viral video is worth a thousand mediocre ones. On my profile, it’s the four pinned videos that bring in all the traffic."

Zhang Hang glanced sideways at Gu Zhao. "And they all mention my Daoist friend."

The group laughed, and Zhang Hang laughed along with them. "But Gu Zhao is my ace in the hole. I can’t play that card every time, or people will get tired of it."

"Come on, let’s eat first, then we’ll head to the Great Aviary," Gu Zhao said with a wave.

...

The Great Aviary was another attraction on White Cloud Mountain. It covered an area of 50,000 square meters, all enclosed by a massive rope net. Inside, mountain springs flowed and trees and flowers grew, creating a habitat that didn’t interfere with the birds’ way of life.

There were well over a hundred species of birds here. Not to mention the smaller ones, the larger birds included swans, Red-crowned Cranes, peacocks, parrots, and golden pheasants.

Perhaps long accustomed to people, they weren’t exactly friendly, but they weren’t afraid either. Peacocks, parrots, and pheasants, in particular, would often approach humans, looking for handouts.

When the group entered the Great Aviary, they found they had less room to work with than at the previous locations. Plus, using a sword was out of the question, as the area was filled with birds and small children.

"The main theme here is the harmonious coexistence of humans and birds," Li Hui said. "We’ll primarily use the Dongxiao, dizi, and xun. That way, we don’t have to wait for the birds to come to us; we can go to them."

Li Hui looked at Gu Zhao. "Brother Gu, you could perform a softer Fist Technique, like Tai Chi Fist or something similar."

Gu Zhao looked around. "Since we’re in the Great Aviary, why don’t I perform a set of White Crane Fist?"

"That works too." Li Hui had no objections. He didn’t know anything about Martial Arts; as long as Gu Zhao didn’t use a weapon, he was fine.

Naturally, they couldn’t film on the main wooden walkways. So they ventured deeper into the aviary and found a spot with a rockery and a flowing spring, where there were fewer birds and tourists.

Xiao Ya played the Dongxiao and Jiang Shishi played the xun. The elegant music drifted out, attracting the attention of many tourists.

With so many social media creators these days, and no shortage of people livestreaming on the street, the tourists were used to it. Seeing the group filming a video without taking up too much space or blocking the path, no one came forward to stop them.

On the contrary, having someone play music while they watched the birds—especially such soft, gentle music—was a kind of treat.

A few peacocks and silver pheasants strolled leisurely over, and Li Hui, manning the camera, framed them perfectly, capturing them all in the shot.

Not far from the two women, Gu Zhao glanced at a Red-crowned Crane peacefully stalking fish by the spring at the bottom of a stone slope. He extended his arms and began to demonstrate his Fist Technique.

WHOOSH—

The music played, and the wind rose.

Gu Zhao wasn’t following the standard forms of White Crane Fist to the letter.

He had already reached a high level of mastery. His spirit dictated his movements, his form merely the outward expression. His feet danced across the surrounding rockery, and his hands took the shape of wings and a beak. His every motion was a flap or a peck, as if he were truly a white crane battling a foe.

"Whoa! That’s Crane Fist, right? So cool!"

In terms of pure form, Celestial Xia Martial Arts were already the most beautiful in the world. With Gu Zhao being as light as a swallow and deliberately adding a performative flair—all while dressed in historical costume—the effect was simply incredible.

"This guy is definitely a pro. His form is beautiful!"

GURR-OHH— GURR-OHH—

Just then, a series of crane calls suddenly rang out. Everyone turned to see the few Red-crowned Cranes that had been strolling idly in the stream below now all craning their necks to cry out.

The next moment, the flock of Red-crowned Cranes spread their wings and took to the air, circling once before landing one by one not far from the crowd.

The largest of the Red-crowned Cranes stepped forward. While crying out with its head raised, it spread its wings and slowly advanced on Gu Zhao, who was standing nearby.

The tourists were all dumbfounded.

Even Gu Zhao was a little baffled, subconsciously striking a defensive pose—Spreading Wings, Crane’s Peck.

The pose seemed to provoke the Red-crowned Crane. It spread its wings even wider, fixing its gaze on Gu Zhao, and began to slowly close the distance again, all while letting out a threatening cry.

Li Hui’s eyes lit up as he aimed the camera to capture both Gu Zhao and the Red-crowned Crane. "Brother Gu, don’t stop! Don’t stop!"

Everyone was speechless.

Gu Zhao realized what was happening. ’This is hilarious,’ he thought, unable to suppress a wave of smugness.

’Even though I didn’t manifest a White Crane Dharma Aspect, the intent and realistic posture of my White Crane Fist actually made a real Red-crowned Crane think an enemy of its own kind had invaded its territory and was performing a provocative dance. It’s come to drive me away!’

At that thought, Gu Zhao’s gaze burned as he stared at the Red-crowned Crane. He leaped down from the rockery, his steps light like a crane’s walk, his hands slightly open like a crane spreading its wings, and slowly approached the bird.

GURR-OHH— GURR-OHH—

Man and crane slowly drew near, each spreading their "wings" in a display of dominance, testing each other with "beaks," looking as if a fight could break out at any moment.

The onlookers watched without blinking. Those holding up their phones to record held their breath, afraid that even a single exhale might cause them to miss the most incredible part.

The commotion had also alerted the staff of the Great Aviary. A few of them came over, and upon seeing the scene, they couldn’t help but click their tongues in amazement. Although they wanted to keep watching, they were still worried about the safety of the tourist and the Red-crowned Crane.

"Sir, please stop, stop! Just relax, don’t confront it," a staff member urged anxiously.

"Don’t worry, we’re not going to fight." Seeing he was getting closer and closer to the Red-crowned Crane, Gu Zhao couldn’t help but smile. His gaze instantly turned sharp as a knife. He then lunged forward one step, flapping his hands to create a loud sound. Immediately after, his right hand formed a beak and pecked at the air repeatedly, creating a whistling wind.

GURR-OHH— GURR-OHH—

The Red-crowned Crane seemed to sense an immense threat. It crouched low and retreated several steps.

After backing away a fair distance, it tilted its head and looked at Gu Zhao a few more times. Seeing that Gu Zhao had no intention of pressing the attack, it finally folded its wings and lowered its head again in an apparent show of submission.

The next moment, the other Red-crowned Cranes behind it also lowered their heads, as if acknowledging a new alpha of their territory.

The onlookers were completely and utterly stunned.