At the sight of this...
Zeng Shen suddenly remembered how familiar it seemed, almost like what had happened a few days earlier. He just hadn't thought much of it at the time...
About forty minutes later.
Li Yuqing and Liu Tongtong appeared outside the Spirit Gathering Building.
One still wore that gold-threaded hanfu with a red dudou underneath and a hairpin in her hair. With a wooden sword in hand, she looked as ethereal as a gold-robed sword immortal descending from the mountains.
The other wore a pink dress with nine snowy-white fox tails hanging behind her, dressed as Su Daji. The seductive look on her rosy face was impossible to hide, making her especially alluring.
Holding hands, they walked up to his RV, opened the door, and climbed inside.
Li Yuqing sat in the passenger seat and buckled her seat belt. "Let's go, honey. Tongtong and I didn't sleep well. Once we're done filming, we'll come back and catch up on sleep."
Didn't sleep well? More like you got up early and played until you wore yourselves out.
Zeng Shen grumbled inwardly, then drove toward the park plaza, farming some survival points along the sidewalks and shopping street on the way.
Before long.
Outside the park entrance.
Zeng Shen parked and got out with Li Yuqing and Liu Tongtong, heading toward the park gates. Along the way, they drew plenty of attention and people taking photos.
"How are you planning to film this?"
"Honey, we want to start with a short video of the Gold-Robed Fairy chasing Su Daji to test the waters. If it gets a good response, we'll make another one where Su Daji captures the Gold-Robed Fairy instead and takes her to that abandoned hospital, intending to drain the Violet Mist Fairy."
"That sounds good."
"Hehe, honey, for our first shot, I'm thinking of using the middle of the park plaza as the backdrop."
"The middle of the park plaza?" Thinking of Master Ma, Zeng Shen said, "I think there's a group practicing tai chi there every day."
"Exactly. That's the backdrop I want. Every day, there's a master in a tai chi uniform teaching a bunch of elderly ladies there. We'll use them as the background, and I'll chase Liu Tongtong past them with my wooden sword," Li Yuqing said.
Liu Tongtong added, "Shen, could you edit them into a group of Taoist priests in robes afterward, and make them look startled by our sudden appearance?"
"I'll give it a try."
Zeng Shen couldn't promise anything. He led the two women through the plaza entrance.
It was the weekend, and at nine thirty, there were more people doing their morning exercises in the park plaza than usual.
In the middle of the plaza, Master Ma was still dutifully leading his group through tai chi.
His eyes occasionally flicked toward the entrance. When he saw Zeng Shen walking toward him, he calmly addressed the elderly men and women in front of him, with a practiced ease that was almost pitiful:
"That's all for today. Something's come up at my Martial Arts Hall. You're dismissed."
"Honey, look, it's that old man. They're doing tai chi. Let's hurry over."
Even as Li Yuqing spoke, she saw the old man glance their way, lower his fists, and apparently say a few words to the elderly ladies in front of him. He dismissed the group, then turned and hurried toward the park plaza entrance.
For a moment, she froze.
"Why did they suddenly break up?"
"Yuqing, I feel like he dismissed them right after he saw us," Liu Tongtong said with a slight frown.
The moment Master Ma turned and fled, Zeng Shen knew exactly why. He was afraid Zeng Shen would challenge him to a spar and embarrass him in front of the elderly ladies, so he was making a quick getaway.
"Wait here. I know Master Ma. I'll go ask him to help. It should be fine."
Li Yuqing snapped out of her daze and immediately said, "Hurry, honey."
Zeng Shen nodded and cast an agility enhancement spell, doubling his speed. Under the two women's astonished gazes, he quickly ran ahead of Master Ma.
"Master Ma, why do you run every time you see me?" Zeng Shen asked with a smile.
Master Ma stammered, "Who-who said I was running? I'm just heading back to clean the Martial Arts Hall."
"But you've kept putting off our last spar, and we still haven't started. Why don't we have a round now?"
"Spar? Another day, another day." Master Ma waved his hands and shook his head.
Chuckling inwardly, Zeng Shen said, "Fine, another day it is. I actually need your help with something today."
"What is it?"
"My girlfriend wants to film a video. We'd like you to lead those elderly lady fans of yours through some more tai chi so you can be our backdrop."
"I'm busy." Master Ma waved him off.
"Busy? Then let's spar now. I'd like to see how the fighting skills I've been practicing at the Martial Arts Hall measure up." Zeng Shen clenched both fists and took a few steps toward Master Ma.
"Ah, don't! Don't come any closer! With that speed of yours, how could my amateur moves possibly beat you?" Master Ma jumped in fright. His old legs trembled, and he fell to the ground.
[The host displayed unparalleled valor, overcoming a stronger opponent and subduing a tier-three fire deity. Survival points +100.]
Hearing the notification, Zeng Shen was delighted. He kept pretending he was determined to spar. "How do you know you can't beat me if you don't try?"
"Don't! I-I'll help, all right?"
"Why didn't you just say so in the first place, Master Ma?"
A smile curled Zeng Shen's lips. He reached down and hauled the sweating Master Ma off the ground, then led him toward the center of the park plaza.
Li Yuqing and Liu Tongtong were standing in the middle of the plaza, surrounded by the elderly ladies who had been dismissed but hadn't left yet.
"Girls, those hanfu outfits look lovely. Are you making a movie?"
"A short video, right?" one elderly lady guessed.
"Oh, short videos. Those are really popular on Douyin."
"Hehe."
Li Yuqing and Liu Tongtong gave perfunctory responses to the crowd of elderly ladies.
"Oh, Master Ma, why are you back? Hm, that young man's here too. Are you going to start sparring?"
An elderly lady spoke up the moment she saw Master Ma and Zeng Shen approaching.
At the mention of sparring, Master Ma immediately called out from a distance, "We'll spar another day, another day. There's something we need your help with today."
"What is it, Master Ma?" An elderly lady approached with several others.
Just then, Li Yuqing and Liu Tongtong turned and saw Zeng Shen approaching with Master Ma.
The two women stepped forward.
"This is Master Ma. He's agreed to help us," Zeng Shen introduced him.
Li Yuqing said to Master Ma, "Sorry for the trouble, Master Ma."
"Mm." Master Ma answered somewhat reluctantly, then told the elderly ladies beside him, "This young man and his girlfriend want to shoot a short video, using our morning tai chi practice as the backdrop. They're hoping we can help."
"Oh, we're going to be the backdrop? Doesn't that mean we'll get famous too?"
"Exactly."
The elderly ladies all began chattering at once, but under Master Ma's direction, they soon lined up and assumed their tai chi stances.
Li Yuqing and Liu Tongtong quickly got started as well, running past the group from a short distance away at a measured pace, one chasing and the other fleeing.
Zeng Shen picked up his camera and began recording.
They went back and forth, filming three videos in succession.
Only then did Zeng Shen call it a wrap. He walked over to Master Ma, pulled him aside, and whispered, "Master Ma, I've been thinking. Why don't we spar after all? That way, I won't have to come looking for you every day."
"Huh? Didn't you say we weren't sparring today?"
"Well, it looks like you don't need to go back to the Martial Arts Hall anymore."
"Who-who said that? I-I'm going back right now." Master Ma stammered, then turned and fled toward the park's rear exit.
[Congratulations to the host for overcoming a stronger opponent and driving off a tier-three fire deity. Survival points +100.]
Hearing the notification, Zeng Shen smiled in satisfaction and left the park plaza with the two utterly exhausted women.
At the foot of the Spirit Gathering Building.
"I have something to do in the north of the city this afternoon, so I won't come upstairs," Zeng Shen said.
Li Yuqing yawned, wrapping both arms around Liu Tongtong and leaning against her. "All right, honey. We'll leave the video editing to you. Tongtong and I are going upstairs to catch up on sleep."
"Sure. I'll send it to you in a few days once it's done." As Zeng Shen spoke, he suddenly remembered Xiao Ai, the mechanical domestic maid proficient in professional skills, and immediately changed his tune:
"Maybe I can show it to you tonight."