After confirming the shoot had ended, Xiao He and Pu Rong walked back to their temporarily rented makeup room while chatting and laughing.
"Pu Rong!"
A vigorous male voice called out to Pu Rong.
Pu Rong jumped slightly and turned to see his grandmaster uncle.
"Grandmaster Uncle, you must be tired after today's work."
Pu Rong immediately put on an ingratiating smile.
"Greetings, Senior Ma."
Xiao He also offered his respects.
The newcomer was an elderly man with graying hair, appearing to be in his seventies. He wore a simple undershirt and martial arts pants, looking no different from any elderly man taking a stroll in the park—except for his remarkably vigorous spirit that showed no signs of aging.
Ma Hongwu had played the role of "elderly thief catcher" in the scene, but he wasn't actually an actor. He was a genuine martial arts master who ran his own martial arts school in China. By seniority, he was Pu Rong's grandmaster uncle.
Xiao He had heard from Pu Rong that this Senior Ma enjoyed considerable prestige in martial arts circles. He had served as a committee member of the China Sports Federation and chairman of the Chinese Martial Arts Association, having taught in numerous places with students spread across over twenty provinces. Even internationally, he was a highly respected senior figure in the field.
About ten years ago, however, the old master gradually retired, only managing his own martial arts school on ordinary days and rarely participating in martial arts competitions or events anymore.
Even Pu Rong himself rarely had contact with the old master.
But no one knew what had gotten into the old man this time, as he suddenly volunteered to play a minor role in their small production crew.
When this news came out, not only was the entire crew shocked, but even other members of Pu Rong's martial arts school were stunned.
This was a living national treasure of martial arts! Why would he stoop to playing a supporting role for his junior? It sounded like something out of a ghost story!
Yet it had truly happened.
Right before everyone's eyes.
Pu Rong had no idea what his grandmaster uncle was thinking, but he didn't dare ask. Every time he met Ma Hongwu, he would greet him with trembling caution, terrified that the old man might take offense and report him to his master later.
That would mean certain death for Pu Rong!
Yet no matter how Pu Rong behaved, Ma Hongwu never seemed satisfied. This time, the old man glared at Pu Rong with undisguised disappointment, making the confused young man shrink his neck: "G-grandmaster Uncle?"
What had he done wrong this time?
"Hmph—"
Ma Hongwu snorted coldly before turning to Xiao He: "Young friend Xiao, your Bone-Cleaving Knife Technique is truly remarkable. Are you really unwilling to tell this old man about your master?"
Xiao He sighed helplessly: "I'm truly sorry, Senior Ma, but I really can't say."
With his instant mastery system, where would he find a master to name?
This old man had been pestering him about this every day recently, becoming quite the headache.
Fortunately, the old master would be leaving after today's final scene—no more meetings after this.
"Grandmaster Uncle, don't press Xiao He like this," Pu Rong interceded. "Isn't it normal to keep the origins of such a rare knife technique secret? It's not like you actually want to learn it yourself—why dig so deep?"
Ma Hongwu: "..."
He glared sideways at the young man before snorting angrily: "The younger generation of martial artists nowadays keeps getting worse."
To not even recognize this lethal knife technique—what a waste of all those years of training!
What neither Xiao He nor Pu Rong knew was that Ma Hongwu had indeed come to the production crew specifically because of Xiao He.
When Pu Rong had returned to the martial arts school to recruit actors, Ma Hongwu happened to be there and accidentally witnessed Xiao He's swift Bone-Cleaving Knife Technique—which left him utterly shocked.
As a top expert in martial arts circles, his judgment couldn't be wrong. This Bone-Cleaving Knife Technique wasn't just for show—it was a genuinely lethal technique that could only be mastered through actual practice!
Judging by Xiao He's current level of skill, this technique couldn't have been mastered without dozens of lives taken.
Which meant this Xiao He fellow... was almost certainly a major problem!
Thinking about how such scum had appeared in martial arts circles in this new era, Ma Hongwu couldn't sit still. He immediately accompanied Pu Rong to join this small production crew as a minor character.
However, after observing for so long in the crew, Ma Hongwu hadn't found anything problematic about Xiao He.
On the contrary, he'd heard that Xiao He had recently performed a heroic act by saving a young girl, with the police even preparing to award him a certificate...
This left the previously certain Old Master Ma somewhat confused.
This guy... how had he managed it?
Could he truly be a martial arts prodigy who could master techniques just by watching?
Ma Hongwu fell into prolonged silence once more.
Seeing the old man staring at him without speaking, Xiao He glanced questioningly at Pu Rong.
Pu Rong winked at Xiao He: "You should go first."
Xiao He: "Wouldn't that be rude?"
"It's fine."
Just then, Xiao He received a call from Officer Li.
His certificate for heroic conduct had been approved, and Officer Li was asking him to come collect it.
Hanging up, Xiao He now had a legitimate excuse: "My apologies, but I should get going now—I need to pick up my certificate at the police station."
"You'd better hurry," Pu Rong quickly added.
Only after Xiao He left did Pu Rong continue trying to persuade the old man: "Grandmaster Uncle, I really don't understand why you keep pressing Xiao He about his master. He already agreed to teach you the technique himself, yet you keep asking about his teacher."
Ma Hongwu angrily thumped Pu Rong on the head: "Don't call me grandmaster uncle! I can't bear the shame!"
Pu Rong: ┭┮﹏┭┮
...
Having moved to a new filming location quite far from the police station near the film base, Xiao He decided not to inconvenience himself and simply took a taxi.
It was around 4 PM—not quite rush hour yet—but the road to the film base was already severely congested.
Xiao He leaned out the window to look at the stagnant traffic ahead and clicked his tongue: "Why's this stretch so jammed?"
The driver, clearly familiar with the situation, explained: "Seems several celebrities are filming at the base recently, so their fans have all swarmed here."
"That's ridiculous..." Xiao He remarked.
"Tell me about it."
The driver clearly harbored long-standing grievances against these fans and took the opportunity to complain: "That's why we drivers hate taking jobs around here. The pay isn't great, and it's pure torture. You're lucky I even took your fare today—I usually avoid this area..."
As the conversation veered toward the hardships of being a driver, Xiao He wisely chose to remain silent.
Only the driver's muttering filled the car.
Twenty minutes passed without the car moving an inch.
The driver was genuinely irritated now and called to check road conditions ahead.
Taxi drivers had their own messaging groups where traffic updates spread quickly, and soon the driver got the latest report.
"What? Fans fighting up ahead? The whole road's paralyzed?"
The driver asked in disbelief.
Xiao He couldn't help but listen closely.
Whose fans could be this crazy...
Before the driver could confirm further, the distant sound of police sirens reached them. Then Xiao He saw several police motorcycles zoom past toward the film base.
Xiao He blinked.
"You heard it, young man—we're not getting through up ahead," the driver turned with an apologetic look. "How about... walking the rest?"
Xiao He: ...Fine then.
Might as well walk over and see what all the fuss is about!