Chapter 146: Come at Me Together

Magic tricks involving walking through walls or solid objects have a long history. As early as the 1980s, David Copperfield visited China and performed the astonishing feat of walking through the Great Wall. Since then, numerous magicians have paid homage to and refined the act; for instance, Criss Angel’s streamlined teleportation was accomplished using only two pieces of cloth.

However, these illusions have always shared common characteristics: they either take place at night, using lighting effects to create the illusion of passage, or they rely on elaborate props, turning what could be a few seconds of action into a drawn-out affair lasting several minutes. The "Masked Magician" once exposed Copperfield’s Great Wall stunt, revealing that the performer was hidden within a staircase prop and moved to the other side by staff. Consequently, audiences have developed a wealth of knowledge and a certain immunity to "wall-walking" tricks.

But today, Li Lekang has elevated the art of wall-walking to a new level. It is not nighttime, there are no complex props, just two black cloths, and no staff involvement. The entire process takes only four or five seconds, with the performer instantly appearing on the other side. Furthermore, there are no body doubles or actors in makeup; the signature on his arm is unique, and even for a master of deception, it would be impossible to forge such a detail in such a short amount of time.

Li Lekang has essentially stopped "acting" like a typical magician. This has made life miserable for the skeptics and the trolls. Just recently, they exposed his marketing tactics, and now he pulls off a move that looks like genuine magic. If you admit it’s magic, you’re slapping yourself in the face; if you claim it isn't, there’s no rational explanation that wouldn't be more far-fetched than magic itself.

The impact on the live audience was electrifying. On the domestic streaming platform Bilibili, the concurrent viewership reached two million—a figure based on verified IP addresses. This isn't like those other platforms that inflate a thousand viewers into ten million; these are genuine, hard numbers, and the comment stream was moving too fast to read. And this was only because the reach of online streaming is still limited; had this been broadcast on television in the United States, Li Lekang would have had at least twenty million viewers. This baseline was reflected on YouTube, where his viewership stabilized at five million, with foreign audiences watching with fascination despite the language barrier.

Following this stunning display, Li Lekang’s brand of "magic" has once again become the center of a storm. But it wasn't over yet. To prepare for so long only to finish in a few seconds? That isn't Li Lekang’s style.

"I’m thinking that joy is best when shared," he announced. "So, I intend to randomly select six lucky audience members from the crowd today and let them experience the charm of walking through a wall themselves!"

The murmurs in the venue rose to a roar. Li Lekang was once again shattering the ceiling of stage magic. In almost all performances of this type, the audience is never involved, and even if they are, they are usually shills—planted assistants.

But Li Lekang’s blindfolded, random selection process made the possibility of shills incredibly unlikely. You couldn't possibly plant two thousand people! Fans familiar with him felt this was precisely where his unique charm lay; if he weren't this daring, he wouldn't be himself. The live chat was flooded with proud comments from fans who, in their eyes, viewed Li Lekang as a king of magic, if not a god.

Li Lekang remained blindfolded, turning his back to the crowd and tossing red balls behind him, one by one. The audience went wild, scrambling like commuters during rush hour. In the end, the male contingent dominated, with five men and one woman—who had only managed to snag one because a fan let her have it—selected.

Removing his blindfold, Li Lekang turned to the six lucky participants and smiled. "Congratulations on stepping onto my magical stage! You are fortunate, for today, you don't need to learn sorcery to walk through a wall!"

They were excited and expectant, their expressions a mix of emotions. The only woman among them couldn't help but shout, "I’m your fan! I believe in you! Wow, I’m so excited!"

"Hahaha... come here for a hug!" As a star who dotes on his fans, Li Lekang gave her a big hug, feeling her heart racing and her body trembling. He patted her back. "Relax, you're so tense you might end up with a bump on your head later!"

The crowd laughed. These quips eased the tension as the six lucky winners listened to his instructions. "Because you are the participants, to overcome your fear, you need to wear blindfolds! And to ensure your safety, you must wear helmets!"

"Of course, I know that by doing this, some will say these are shills or that body doubles were already in place. So, I will select more audience members. Each will hold a playing card, sign it, and—without me seeing—seal it with black tape. We will place it in the pocket of the person walking through the wall, and once they emerge on the other side, we will open it to verify!"

Li Lekang was recklessly raising the difficulty. The audience was convinced! Fans in the live chat were hyping him up: "Did you see that? What other magician in the world dares to play like this?" "Even if this is a trick of skill, you can't find a single flaw!" "A recognized world-class master—missing this is your loss!"

The fans continued to worship him and deify his actions, while the trolls continued their futile efforts to pick him apart, driven by a contrarian nature that defied logic.

While both sides clashed fiercely on keyboards across the internet, the six lucky audience members were ready. The first participant, a middle-aged man, was led to the starting position by Li Lekang. He emphasized, "The wall is five meters in front of you. Remember one thing: we practitioners of the Laoshan school do not hesitate. Be confident and be fast!"

"Lower your head and charge, and there will be no wall! If you hesitate, you'll end up with a bump! That would make everyone laugh at me and say, 'Li Lekang is a big fraud,' so brother, trust me!"

"Got it, boss!" the man said, his nerves causing him to blurt out the title.

Li Lekang laughed even harder. "No, no, you are the boss, you are!"

The six-foot-tall man laughed heartily. Li Lekang placed a hand on his shoulder. "I’ll count to three. Three... two... one, go!"

The man, clearly intent on following the magician's instructions to the letter, lowered his head and charged the moment the command was given. He was terrified, expecting to hear guidance from the staff on which secret passage to take, but there was nothing. He simply charged forward. He braced himself for the impact of hitting the wall, but to his surprise, he didn't encounter any obstacles—he was suddenly grabbed by someone!

Although he was blindfolded and couldn't see, he could hear the thunderous cheers of the audience. Had he made it through? It wasn't until he removed his helmet and blindfold and turned around that he realized he was indeed in the courtyard on the other side.

The man stood there, utterly stunned, his expression one of having seen a ghost. Li Lekang appeared, holding a microphone. "Now, take out the playing card and let everyone inspect it!"

The man numbly took out the signed card, tore off the tape, and revealed it. The camera zoomed in—it was the exact signature from before. In truth, the signature was barely needed; the man’s face and physique were memorable enough. The signature was merely to prevent the use of identical twins.

But now, Li Lekang had shredded that last line of defense, leaving his peers with no room to hide. He was showing the audience with reckless abandon that his wall-walking was just that audacious.