Fencing

Lu Ye spoke enthusiastically about the joys and charms of fencing, and in his excitement, invited Murong Feng to try it. Murong Feng, having plenty of free time recently and genuine interest in fencing, readily agreed.

Sometimes friendships work like this: when both parties reach similar levels, they naturally grow closer. We've all heard stories about princes befriending beggars, but those are rare.

When Lu Ye discovered that Murong Feng was top-notch in both demeanor and financial standing, it was only natural to include him in his circle. If Murong Feng had just been an ordinary editor struggling to make ends meet, inviting him into such circles would likely have only caused him embarrassment. This is reality, and it can't be ignored.

Friendships can be formed out of loyalty and brotherhood or out of shared interests. Being able to enjoy activities together naturally forms a bond.

Lu Ye's fencing venue was an elite fencing club in the outskirts of Beijing, in Changping, called "Heavenly Sword Fencing Hall." This was a members-only club catering to the city's affluent class. According to Lu Ye, 30% of its members were celebrities and models from the entertainment industry, 30% were wealthy heirs, another 40% were embassy personnel or corporate executives, and the remaining 10% were returnees who had studied abroad and fallen in love with fencing.

Unlike clubs that promote fencing as a widespread sport, "Heavenly Sword" hired top-notch coaches—world champion fencers and accomplished coaches from abroad, some of whom had even been personal fencing instructors for European royals and nobility.

Therefore, in "Heavenly Sword," members not only honed their fencing skills but also valued the unique and elegant qualities of fencing as passed down from European medieval traditions, along with the customs of fencing among European royals and nobility. This tradition was something China's emerging affluent class deeply valued.

When Murong Feng headed to the suburbs, such as when visiting Reignwood Pine Valley Golf Club to play golf, he usually drove his Mercedes G55 AMG. He loved the thrill of speeding on the highway! This AMG-modified G55, equipped with a powerful V8, 5.5-liter engine, gave him a sense of freedom like flying.

When he arrived at the club, Lu Ye greeted him at the entrance. "Hey, Murong, that G55 is quite something! I remember during the filming of 'Burning Years,' the crew borrowed our boss Wang Lei's G55, and after driving it, I loved it. But I couldn't afford it back then... Looks like you're doing pretty well now." Murong Feng smiled; over time, he had gotten used to people's surprise and no longer felt the need to explain.

Fencing is considered a noble sport, not because of its cost, but because of its origins among European nobility and its continued traditions. Thanks to Lu Ye's introduction, after paying the 20,000 RMB membership fee, there were no other eligibility checks, and Murong Feng became a member of this elite fencing club.

Since it was his first visit, Murong Feng hadn't prepared a fencing outfit, so Lu Ye took him on a tour of the club while explaining, "This club boasts 30 of the world's finest fencing pistes, along with a large theater that houses recordings of all fencing matches from the 1936 Berlin Olympics to present-day Olympic and World Championship matches. The club often invites renowned fencers to demonstrate or comment on exciting matches. There are also many smaller halls with one or two pistes." He then smiled mysteriously and whispered, "Many wealthy kids come here to duel for fun, haha."

Mentioning fencing naturally brings to mind Alain Delon as the swashbuckling "Zorro" with his exquisite swordsmanship, agile movements, and chivalrous deeds that are hard to forget.

In medieval Europe, duels were common. Before a duel, both parties selected assistants and witnesses to form an arbitration panel, which then agreed on the time, place, and weapons for the duel and handled the aftermath. If swords were used, both parties would salute each other by raising their swords to their brows, signaling readiness and beginning the duel with the honor of knights, even in life-and-death struggles. These rituals have been preserved to this day.

These affluent young people particularly valued such traditions, seeking to experience the feelings of knights and nobles. They seemed to want to prove that they were the new aristocrats, the new knights of this era.

Murong Feng nodded, understanding but indifferent. Adding so many extra layers to a sport that should be about the beauty of dueling and swordsmanship felt dull and took away from the essence of fencing.

No other sport, like fencing, exudes elegant artistry amid life-and-death combat. It combines dance and combat, artistry and lethality. It's a ballet of the battlefield, a blend of skill, art, courage, wisdom, heroism, and elegance.

Lu Ye led Murong Feng to the sword room to choose a weapon.

Fencing has three disciplines: foil, épée, and sabre. Lu Ye practiced with the foil and wanted to introduce Murong Feng to it. However, after a brief explanation of the history and rules of foil, épée, and sabre, and seeing the real swords, Murong Feng immediately took a liking to the sabre.

The sabre is 105 cm long, with an 88 cm blade, weighing 500 grams. Its cross-section is trapezoidal, and it has a crescent-shaped guard. Unlike foil and épée, the sabre is both a thrusting and cutting weapon.

Historically, the foil was initially used for training, the épée evolved from the dueling sword, and the sabre originated from cavalry sabres, developed by Hungarians in the late 18th century by combining elements of early curved short swords used by Persian, Arab, and Turkish cavalry with their own combat characteristics. The sword used by Zorro in movies is a sabre.

With a crescent-shaped guard, Murong Feng felt a natural affinity when he held the sabre. He couldn't help but wonder if he had wielded such a sword in a past life.

Running his fingers along the blade, Murong Feng quoted, "To be or not to be, that is the question." In Shakespeare's *Hamlet*, the final duel sets the stage for the play's climax, deciding everyone's fate. "This is fencing!" Lu Ye shook his head, amused, "Murong, you're truly a theater buff, even here you can't forget drama."

Murong Feng smiled, making a cutting motion with the sabre, "I like this sword. The foil is only for thrusting, but I prefer the sabre's slashing and thrusting."

Lu Ye laughed, "It doesn't matter what sword you choose, as long as you enjoy fencing." He then explained, "Murong, do you know why we love fencing? In today's competitive society, everyone wants to succeed, to be strong and control their destiny. To be truly strong, you need confidence, courage, a good attitude, and the ability to seize opportunities.

"Fencing teaches you to be calm, have clear thoughts, and develop accurate predictive and judgment skills. It brings out the best in valor and intellect."

Murong Feng smiled, "You've made me eager to start."

With the help of club staff, Murong Feng ordered an Italian Sann FIE blade, a top-tier fencing equipment manufacturer, and a German Allstar fencing outfit, helmet, and Adidas fencing shoes.

After reserving his equipment, Murong Feng watched a real match between Lu Ye and another club member.

The foil match was exceptionally thrilling, with blades flashing like lightning. Ultimately, Lu Ye won with a single-point advantage, 15 to 14, and said something that left a deep impression on Murong Feng:

"When I lower my mask, I forget all the distractions of the world."

Murong Feng's fencing equipment and gear were expected to arrive in Beijing within about half a month. On this day, he just explored the club, learning more about fencing and the club's operations. His real training would begin once his equipment was ready.

The next day, Murong Feng and Lu Ye met with Director Wang Yishai to discuss the script.

Struggling Youth was a youth idol drama that tells the story of several young people who, within a few years after graduation, come to understand human and societal interactions through their careers and to experience the essence of dreams versus reality, responsibility, and friendship through love. They endure the ups and downs of life and love, feeling lost and in pain at times, but they strive hard and leave their most sincere smiles in their youthful years.

Lu Ye played the male lead, Fang Zhanpeng, while Wang Yishai wanted Murong Feng to play the role of Huazi, Fang Zhanpeng's best friend. Huazi is a genuine man who, though youthful and spirited in college, faces continuous challenges and setbacks in society. He experiences significant failures but eventually finds success. Kind, sincere, straightforward, loyal, and passionate, he demonstrates resilience and strength after being hurt. After reading the script, Murong Feng had to admit that he really liked the character Huazi, who felt very real and relatable. He agreed to take on the role but requested not to participate in any publicity, preferring to focus on his performance.

Wang Yishai was thrilled with his acceptance and agreed to his terms.

Since the female cast had not yet been finalized, the whole crew planned to start shooting in about a month and a half. Wang Yishai hoped Murong Feng would familiarize himself with the script and character beforehand so he could join the crew seamlessly when the time came.

Murong Feng's main responsibilities currently included his editorial work at the magazine, his thesis and research work for the research group, and now, acting in the drama. He had to figure out how to manage his time effectively. The magazine's layout needed to be finalized every Monday for the weekend publication, the research group met every Wednesday, and the filming was set to start in a month and a half and was expected to last for six months. Murong Feng decided to discuss with Wang Yishai the possibility of avoiding scenes on Mondays and Wednesdays to accommodate his other commitments.

However, his leisurely time playing golf and practicing fencing would likely be limited once filming began.

Half a month later, Murong Feng's fencing equipment arrived, and he returned to the fencing club.

Lu Ye wasn't there that day, so the club assigned him a personal coach named Wang Jun, a refined middle-aged man. Wang Jun would be responsible for all of Murong Feng's activities at the club, from training to organizing practice matches, until Murong Feng's fencing skills reached the club's D level. This meant he had to achieve a 100-point victory rate through internal club matches or rank in the top eight in amateur competitions in Beijing. Only then would he be trained by the elite coaches who had previously taught fencing to European nobility.

Of course, Murong Feng could also pay extra to receive training from foreign instructors directly, but given his poor English, he decided against it. Besides, he was still unfamiliar with the basic movements and rules and preferred to start with a domestic coach. According to Wang Jun's introduction, he was a national athlete, making him more than qualified to coach a beginner like Murong Feng.

Wang Jun was very talkative and aware that the club's members were either wealthy or influential. He treated Murong Feng with great courtesy. Through Wang Jun's explanations, Murong Feng gained a deeper understanding of fencing.

Fencing is a sport that originated from the European nobility and knightly classes. The Latin term for fencing is "defendere," meaning to guard and protect. Indeed, fencing itself embodies the concept of "stopping the spear to use the weapon." When illegal duels claimed the lives of too many gentlemen, fencing with blunt swords became popular. While retaining the ritualistic elements of duels, fencing emphasized ceremony and the chivalrous spirit of honesty and kindness.

Additionally, fencing requires independence and on-the-spot strategy. It is a solo sport where victory in any match or confrontation depends solely on one's reactions and judgments, without the assistance of teammates. In this regard, fencing is similar to golf—both involve repetitive practice of specific movements, whether thrusting or swinging, and necessitate solving problems independently. People engaged in these sports often have independent opinions and decisive judgment.

Murong Feng, already familiar with golf, understood and appreciated these insights.

With over a month left before the shooting of Struggling Youth began, Murong Feng fully dedicated himself to fencing training.

The initial training was tedious, focusing on fundamentals like grip, head strikes, stance, forward lunges, backward jumps, and feints. Fortunately, Murong Feng, despite his laid-back and casual nature, had the admirable trait of persistence. Over the next month, he made rapid progress. In practice matches, he occasionally won points by capitalizing on his opponents' underestimations or minor mistakes. His strengths included a calm mind, quick speed, and agile footwork, making his offensive transitions and occasional defensive counters quite impressive despite his technical inexperience.

After a month of training, Murong Feng accumulated some points in practice matches. His rapid improvement and distinctive fencing style led to occasional invitations for internal matches from other members.

One day, upon arriving at the club, Wang Jun informed him that another member had invited him to a match. She was an intermediate member who had been with the club for over a year, personally coached by former French World Champion Annelise Touya. Her skills were high, making her one of the most likely to advance to the senior level.

Knowing that senior-level members were eligible to compete in formal tournaments in Beijing and even nationwide, Murong Feng wondered why such an expert would invite a novice like him for an internal match.

It wasn't until he arrived at the piste and saw the stunning woman in a pristine white fencing outfit, with a high ponytail and holding a mask, that he realized why. With a headache, he exclaimed, "Tang Qing! It's you!"