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"Are you a descendant of Guan Yu?" I asked, a bit surprised. Guan Er Ye, the Martial Saint! A legend! Guan Yuanzhi shyly nodded, and even Old Tang couldn't sit still anymore. "Is that true?" Guan shrugged and raised his hands, "What do you want me to prove?"
An idea struck me. I said to him, "Go get a shovel, and let's head outside." Guan complied and went to fetch one. Old Tang asked, "What do you want him to do with a shovel?" I chuckled, "A shovel can be used like a Great Sword. When an expert shows their skills, you'll know if they have it! Whether he's really a descendant of Guan Yu doesn't matter; what's important is that I'll know if he has real Kung Fu after a few moves."
Old Tang laughed and scolded, "You really think of everything."
As we laughed, we made our way to the open area in front of the building. Guan returned with a shovel, holding it in the middle with his right hand, planting it on the ground with the head pointing up, standing with his feet slightly apart in front of us. I told Guan he could start. He smiled slightly and gently flicked the lower part of the shovel with his right foot, causing it to spin in his hand. With his left hand, he grabbed the end of the shovel and swung it around in the air before bending down as if to chop at the ground.
Just as it seemed he was about to strike the cement floor, he straightened up again. The shovel suddenly stopped at a point on the ground, and with a reverse motion, it spun over his head and chopped down in the opposite direction. The movements were fluid and controlled perfectly; he executed them effortlessly without any hesitation.
To an outsider watching someone dance around with a shovel might seem ridiculous, but to me, that shovel looked like a Great Sword in Guan's hands—powerful and majestic. Watching him made me feel a bit eager myself. I turned to Old Tang and said, "Alright, we've decided on the second act. Let's have them perform together—first solo acts followed by duels. As for weapons, the Unit will fund their purchases. It’ll definitely be an exciting show!"
Old Tang nodded in agreement. I turned to Xu Changsheng and shouted, "Do you have any special requirements for your Tai Chi Sword?" Xu grinned and replied, "Company Commander, my Tai Chi Sword consists of twin short swords; I've already brought them to the Unit—they're in my room."
Upon hearing that the Unit would fund their weapons, Guan Yuanzhi hurried over and said eagerly, "I need a thirty-pound Great Sword; that's the weight I'm comfortable with!" I frowned slightly; I wasn't sure if we could find something that heavy outside. For performances, most weapons would only weigh around ten to twenty pounds at most.
Seeing my expression, Guan stuck out his tongue as Xu Changsheng pulled him away. Although I was worried about finding suitable equipment for the performance, at least we had finalized the second act. What about the third act?
Old Tang seemed troubled too. He suddenly said, "It would be great if we could check out what other Units are preparing; at least we'd get some inspiration or avoid duplication—consider it reconnaissance on military affairs!"
I didn't respond immediately because I remembered that last time I wanted to check on agriculture but ended up seeing nothing. Should I take this opportunity to see what other Units were preparing? It had been four days since we assigned tasks; I couldn't believe other Units hadn't made any progress—they must be busy organizing something.
With this thought in mind, I said to Old Tang, "Old Tang, let's do as you suggested. I'll visit two other Units to see how they're doing. You think about how we can present the other two acts."
Let's get going! After exchanging a few words with Old Tang, I headed toward Second Company. Before I even reached their building's entrance, I heard a flurry of drums and gongs coming from inside. What on earth was going on? I pretended to pass by as I walked along the path in front of their building.
What I saw was a group rehearsing with drums; each person had red cloth tied around their heads and waist drums strapped around them. There were also several large drums surrounded by them—Second Company seemed to have invested quite a bit into this! These guys must have spent quite some money!
I watched for a while from outside; it looked somewhat chaotic since they hadn't formed yet—dozens of people practicing together could look impressive if they managed to coordinate well. Wu Yan really knew how to put on a show! Just as I was about to keep watching, I noticed Wu Yan walking towards me through the crowd; he must have spotted me. Not wanting to engage him in conversation, I quickly turned around and continued toward Three Teams.
Before reaching Three Teams, I saw a guard glance at me before sprinting into their building. Confused, I wondered what was going on—was I really that intimidating? Besides, not many people from Three Teams recognized me; why would they run away when they saw me?
This is ridiculous! I muttered under my breath but didn't dwell on it as I continued toward Three Teams' Company Headquarters. Upon arriving at their entrance, I noticed that guard was nowhere to be seen now. Unsure about entering Company Headquarters uninvited, I hesitated for a moment at the bottom of the stairs.
At that moment, a soldier rushed out of the restroom, panting heavily. "Report, Leader, is there something you need?" I glanced at him; he had an ordinary face that I didn't recognize. I asked, "Are you on duty?"
"Report Leader, yes! I just went to the restroom!"
"Well, go find your Company Commander. I need to speak with him."
"Yes!" Buddy responded quickly and dashed off to the back of the building. Third Company Commander was probably still training; it would be a bit rude not to greet him first.
I patiently stood in place, waiting. After a while, the new recruit returned and stood at attention. "Leader, Company Commander will be here shortly. Would you like me to take you to Company Headquarters to wait?"
I replied with an "Oh," suddenly feeling something was off. "I haven't told you who I am yet; how do you know to report?"
"I know you are One Continuous Long!"
"Huh? How do you know me?"
"Well, heh heh, who doesn't know One Continuous Long? Hehe."
It felt a bit forced. I hadn't reached the point where everyone, especially new recruits, recognized me. The fact that this guy had seen me from afar and then ran away made me suspicious. I stared into his eyes and asked, "Why did you run when you saw me earlier?"
"Ah, no, I didn't!" The soldier clearly seemed nervous, avoiding my gaze.
"Hey, why do I feel like I've seen you somewhere before?" I studied his face; I was sure I had seen it before but couldn't quite place it. The more I looked, the more familiar it seemed.
Just then, a voice chimed in from the side. "Oh, it's a Company Commander! Are you here to check on things or gather intel? Hahaha!"
I turned around awkwardly; it was Third Company Commander, standing next to Nong, who he must have brought along. I chuckled and said, "With so many talents in your Three Teams, why would I need to gather intel? By the way, Nong, how did your check-up go last time?"
I pulled Nong by the shoulder and walked aside. My concern about Nong was that he might not keep his mouth shut and could easily stir up trouble within the unit—seriously undermining morale.
Nong followed me and whispered, "Company Commander, don't worry; I'm doing well here. There's nothing unusual going on; I won't cause any trouble. Just last time at the hospital, they found some issues with my eyes—sensitivity to light and fear of bright lights. I need surgery. I'm planning to go for treatment after the Spring Festival; I'll recover quickly."
I replied softly, "That's for the best; it might save you some trouble."
Nong smiled. "I've come to terms with it. If it's meant to happen, I won't resist it. If I can't avoid it for life, then I'll just face it!"
I nodded in satisfaction. It seemed that Nong's life over the past month had been enlightening and helpful for him. With this mindset, I felt reassured. A heavy weight lifted off my chest as I turned back to Three Teams Company Commander. "Thank you for your support; I've brought back a soldier and caused you some trouble."
Third Company Commander smiled back. "If it were a Town Soldier, I wouldn't help you at all; you'd have to solve your own problems. But since Nong comes from a poor family in the countryside, I understand and will try my best to help him out."
I gratefully shook his hand and casually asked, "How's your program coming along? Do you have anything special to share? Give me some inspiration!"
"Hahaha, you asked the right person! I'm not afraid to let you steal some ideas. We're preparing an amazing show: Face Changing!"
Face changing? Is that the same as the Sichuan opera face changing? I looked at the Third Company Commander in confusion, but he clearly had no intention of revealing the mystery. Just as I was about to turn and leave, the Third Company Commander glanced at the guard beside him. "Hey, who are you? I don't think I've seen you before. Are you from our Unit? Lao Wang, is this your soldier?"
I stared at the Third Company Commander in shock. "What the hell! Isn't this your sentry? He came over when he saw me! He seems to know me! Wait, wasn't he the one who called you to say I had arrived?"
The Third Company Commander looked just as puzzled. "No, it was Liu Zhi who called me over. This sentry is Liu Zhi, but this soldier isn't Liu Zhi! Where the hell did Liu Zhi go?!"
What the hell! I was a bit dazed. What kind of situation is this?! We all stared at the sentry, and unexpectedly, under our gaze, this guy actually changed.
First, he seemed to grow a bit taller. Then he rubbed his face vigorously for a while. When he finally lowered his hands, he had completely transformed. No way! Isn't this the same sentry from before?? Could it be Liu Zhi?! The most shocking part was that even his voice changed. "I am Liu Zhi. Sorry, Company Commander Wang!" His voice shifted from a higher pitch to a mid-low tone!
Face changing—was it really face changing?!
(The story of "Face Changing" has come to an end. Stay tuned for the next chapter: "Reunion"! Love Like the Wind, The Work of Chasing the Wind will be even more exciting tomorrow!)
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