29: Shouldn't he be a thin dog?

Tian Gangwu bowed slightly to the camera, revealing a nervous smile. "Hello everyone. First, let me introduce today's task. I believe many of you have seen corpse driving in various films and TV shows. The scene of a row of hopping zombies in those works is adapted from the Corpse Lifting Method."

"Actually, there are generally three methods of corpse driving: Corpse Carrying, Corpse Medicine, and Corpse Lifting."

"The first method is Corpse Carrying. The corpse driving first treats the corpse with preservatives, then uses a corpse carrying frame and straps to secure the body to his back. He would also put a large, loose black robe on him to avoid causing panic among others and to prevent the intrusion of negative energy. It was usually carried in turns by a master and his apprentice. This was to transport the corpse back to his hometown for burial, allowing him to return to his roots."

Speaking of this, Tian Gangwu paused and looked at the four guests.

Zhao Jin showed a look of sudden realization. "I see. Teacher Tian, may I ask until when was this method practiced?"

"It was still around in the 90s, but after roads were built, our profession gradually faded away."

Pan Pengpeng echoed, "Although it's becoming rarer, its cultural significance and historical value are very much worth noting."

Tian Gangwu smiled and continued, "The second method is the Corpse Medicine Method. This involves first using medicine to preserve and deodorize the corpse, and then adding a special kind of medicinal fluid. According to our predecessors, this medicinal fluid could allow the corpse to retain some limb movement. However, we cannot confirm today whether this medicine is an exaggerated legend or if it truly existed but has been lost. Nevertheless, we can see that the core of this method is a form of psychological comfort. It's for those who died far from home and wish to return to their roots, and for the deceased's family who hope their loved one's soul can return to his homeland."

Hearing Tian Gangwu's explanation, netizens who had come to the live stream for the celebrities also expressed their admiration.

"So that's how it is. I thought it was scary, but now I'm a little moved."

"I heard that corpse driving originally allowed soldiers who died far from home to return to their hometowns for burial."

"It's science, it's emotion, not magic."

"Last night's was also very touching. Last night they went to the cemetery and also lamented that those were loved ones others wished they could see but couldn't."

"Wuwu, I really want to watch last night's replay. Please release the edited version soon, okay?"

As netizens discussed animatedly, in front of the camera, Tian Gangwu continued to introduce:

"The third method is the Corpse Lifting Method. The corpse driving uses two long bamboo poles, passing them through the corpse's armpits and fixing the corpse's arms to the poles."

"One person stands at each end of the bamboo poles, lifting and carrying the corpse forward. Due to the flexibility of the bamboo poles, during transport, the deceased would sway up and down, and from a distance, it would look as if he was hopping forward."

"This method is suitable for transporting multiple corpses at once. The rows of hopping zombies you see in films and TV shows are actually adapted from the Corpse Lifting Method."

Zhao Jin showed a look of sudden realization and played along, "I see. Teacher Tian, what are we doing today then?"

Tian Gangwu nodded at Zhao Jin and smiled at the camera:

"From my introduction just now, you should be able to see that for a corpse driving, physical strength is very important, so strength is tested when taking on apprentices. Today, we will experience two things."

"First, using bamboo poles to lift heavy objects and move forward, making turns. This is to let everyone experience traveling using the Corpse Lifting Method. Second, please carry heavy objects up the mountain."

"These two tasks test the functional level of different parts of the body."

Saying this, Tian Gangwu walked to the center of the platform.

Chen Fang and the other three followed him.

The production crew staff moved the bamboo poles and jars to the center of the area, dividing them into four sets.

Four young people of varying heights walked over and stood behind the four sets of bamboo poles, from shortest to tallest.

Tian Gangwu introduced, "These four are young people from our village, and they will cooperate with the four of you to lift the jars."

He walked to the yellow-green jar, squatted down and patted it. "These large jars each weigh 40 jin. We'll start with 120 jin, and if you can bear more weight, we'll continue to increase it."

In the live stream, the audience quickly discussed the four sets of equipment.

"120 jin, 60 jin per person should be okay, right?"

"No problem for people who do physical labor. But for someone like Little Zhao, it would be very difficult, wouldn't it? Her shoulders seem very thin, with very little deltoid and trapezius muscle. Two bamboo poles pressing down would directly compress her shoulder bones, right?"

"Pan Pengpeng should be fine since he's chubby."

"Xie Yunxuan definitely has no problem. He dances and works out, so he has great stamina."

"Chen Fang also looks very thin. A singer who stays at home, it would be difficult for him to handle, right?"

"Definitely not. Yao Ting even said he's very weak."

On site, Tian Gangwu stood up and pointed at Chen Fang and Xie Yunxuan.

"You two teachers, take off your jackets. You'll get warm once you start moving."

"Okay."

Chen Fang took off his jacket and placed it aside. His shoulders were broad and solid, and the loose neckline revealed his firm shoulder muscles. Under his rolled-up sleeves, his arms were smooth and firm, with slightly bulging biceps and triceps, as if hiding a power that could erupt at any moment.

Xie Yunxuan took off his jacket and was pulling at the fabric on his shoulders, preparing to "casually" show off his muscles to the camera, when he turned his head and saw Chen Fang's arms, instantly stunned.

When they arrived this morning, Zhao Jin was sitting between the two of them, so he hadn't paid attention to Chen Fang.

Now that he looked... huh? What's with these muscles? Chen Fang is so much of a homebody and never posts exercise photos or videos, so he should rarely exercise, right?

Should he be a 'skinny dog'?

Xie Yunxuan quietly put down the fabric on his shoulders, pretending nothing happened, and walked back to Tian Gangwu's side.

He needed to pretend, but the audience in the live stream didn't have to hold back.

"Huh? Didn't they say Chen Fang was a 'skinny dog' and had poor stamina?"

"Looks thin in clothes, but has muscles when he takes them off."

"Ah ah ah, why can't I touch him? Isn't my phone a touchscreen?"

"Did he use 'technology'?"

"What's 'technology'? Protein powder?"

"No, no. Eating protein powder and supplements is considered natural fitness. Using hormones and injections is 'technology' fitness."

"Most people in the entertainment industry use 'technology,' but that's fine, right? Some even wear muscle suits. As long as they're not stealing or robbing, working hard to train is already good enough."

"[Qin Ba Ba] It's highly probable that he didn't use 'technology'. Firstly, his skin doesn't have acne, and his stomach isn't big, which means his internal organs haven't enlarged. Secondly, his arm body fat percentage isn't low, and his deltoids are quite flat, so he should be training naturally. 'Technology' users have very large deltoids, though large deltoids can also be a talent. If they're relatively flat, it's highly likely he trained naturally. However, I can only say 'highly likely'; looking with the eyes isn't always accurate."

"Holy moly, Qin Ba Ba is here too!"

"It's really Qin Ba Ba. He's up so early?"

Qin Ba Ba is a fitness blogger with over five million followers on a short video platform. He has very impressive muscles and last year admitted to his fans that he had used 'technology'.

"[Qin Ba Ba] Hahaha, I have to get up early to run. By the way, he really seems to have trained naturally, which is rare in the entertainment industry."

"Qin Ba Ba, are you taking dirty money?"

"It's awesome if he didn't use 'technology', and it's fine if he did, as long as he's willing to put in the effort to please me, hehehe."