The Spiritual Boxer (1975) on Netflix

Plot summary

In the last years of the Qing Dynasty, spiritual boxers are said to draw their martial arts powers from Taoist blessings. Hsiao Chien, a vagabond con man, survives by staging fake possessions. Too drunk for a customer demonstration, Master Chi Keung hands the act to Chien, who imitates one god after another and their fighting styles; when he leaps into a canal, a sudden rainstorm leaves many villagers convinced his powers are real. Orphan girl Jin Lian learns his tricks and helps him aid poor locals preyed on by gangs, though she dislikes using trickery for money. When loanshark Liu Deruei presses the poor with predatory loans, Chien drills the villagers in kung fu.