The following day, after all of the preparations were completed, the intensive filming officially began. The first ten episodes of “Jian Jue Tianxia” did not begin with the male lead entering the sect, but instead gradually revealed each character’s identity and background as the plot progressed.
In the first scene, the four apprentices sat in a lecture hall, listening to their master explain the fundamentals of magic techniques. The temperament of the apprentices would be shown in this key first scene. The eldest apprentice was honest and rigorous, the second was sunny and studious, the third was soft and sensitive, and the fourth was vivacious and naughty. They surrounded the master, who was played by An Ruifeng, like stars around the moon.
Ling Xi was unconcerned about this crucial scene…because he had nothing to do with it.
Yes, you guessed it. The little ancestor was supposed to act out this scene.
Ling Xi stood with his arms folded next to the crew, watching everyone’s performance in the scenario with keen curiosity. Ling Xi knew nothing about acting and had only taken acting classes in a hurried manner up until that moment. Despite his inexperience as an actor, he could tell that An Ruifeng was completely deserving of being the focal point of the scene.
Obviously, Bao Hui was the male lead in the drama, but the camera was trained on An Ruifeng. An Ruifeng was also unfazed by this type of treatment. His position was exact, and his lines flowed smoothly and with precise momentum, creating a tense performance. Although there was no challenge in this scene, the actors were unfamiliar with each other and had to break in. After three retakes, the director passed the scene.
When the director played the recording, Ling Xi stepped behind him to gaze at the monitor screen, a virtuous expression on his face. The other performers faded into virtual shadows in one of the shots that centered on An Ruifeng’s profile. Only his angular profile took up half of the screen, and his attractiveness made Ling Xi thirsty.
He had acute hearing and picked up on the director and assistant director’s whispered conversation.
“I’ve worked with An Ruifeng before,” said the director. “His acting ability has improved.”
“I have a friend who knows Wang Li Li,” stated the assistant director. “He’s also an actor of the “Heroic Thief Saga” cast. According to Wang Li Li, An Ruifeng was quite eager to learn while filming.”
Director: “Yeah. This is characteristic of the more attractive you are, the more you try hard.”
When Ling Xi heard them praising An Ruifeng, he was as thrilled as if he had been commended. He had previously gone to the “Heroic Thief Sage” crew to visit the set (he also participated in a silly cameo of a murdered character), and heard An Ruifeng discuss certain problems he had met in the crew. Fortunately, An Ruifeng had not been defeated and had gained a great deal.
Ling Xi was afraid that if he stayed to listen, he would burst out laughing, so he took a quick step back, overflowing with excitement. He feigned to go through the plot of his appearance in the screenplay, but his mind was elsewhere. His gaze kept returning to An Ruifeng, who was co-starring with Bao Hui on the set. Every time he noticed it, he regained his composure with a hushed “Oh!”
The male lead was clearly the second apprentice, performed by Bao Hui. Surprisingly, throughout the first ten episodes of the screenplay, the camera always spun around the master, capturing the perfection of this immortal capable master from all sides in all scenes between the second apprentice and the master. Those who were not aware would undoubtedly believe that the master was the protagonist.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Xu Zhiqiang was not kept in the dark about An Ruifeng and Ling Xi’s relationship. From a professional standpoint, Xu Zhiqiang did not want his artist to be involved in a same-sex relationship. If it was revealed, it would have a significant impact on An Ruifeng’s celebrity path. However, the raw rice had now been cooked into red eggs. He could only perform as a nameless pawn obediently since he lacked the skill to separate these mandarin ducks.
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This partnership was mutually advantageous and regarded favorably. An Ruifeng’s role was very positive, which may raise his renown even more, and the series itself needed popular performers to draw viewers.
Xu Zhiqiang went on to explain: “An Ruifeng and Bao Hui are both members of the same agency. The director has already spoken with us and plans to “expose” the ‘Coworkers turn against one another for a role’ black material in a few days. When it garners enough attention, the agency will arrange for them to attend a joint event. An Ruifeng will remark at that point that he voluntarily gave Bao Hui the lead part. They are brothers, and he hopes that viewers will pay greater attention to the series in which they co-starred… The rumors about their falling out will be dispelled in this manner.”
“Of course, their private ‘disagreement’ cannot be mended,” he sighed as he glanced at Ling Xi.
“… A moment ago, you must have been thinking: Ling Xi is truly a femme fatale,” remarked Ling Xi.
“You? Hehe, at best, you might be accused of deceiving people with lies.”
The series’ filming moved at a furious pace. Ling Xi’s first formal filming began in the afternoon. He got a line this time, unlike his earlier appearance on the set of “Heroic Thief Saga,” where he portrayed a role that perished within two seconds of his debut!
Zhu Linlin was another singer who had “crossed the border” and entered the acting world. During morning filming, the director chastised her for “not having one strong point” in front of the entire crew. Her smudged eyeliner reached her chin as the little queen couldn’t stop crying. Ling Xi, who was standing nearby, was filled with dread. He thought his acting abilities were inferior to Zhu Linlin’s. He figured he wouldn’t be able to avoid being yelled at while filming that afternoon.
The drama’s first scene featuring Ling Xi was set in the master’s study. This sequence would inform the audience that the fourth apprentice could turn from a dog to a human.
The assistant director yelled, “Action!” and the camera zoomed in from afar, focused on An Ruifeng, who was sitting in the middle of the study, holding a scroll and reading it intently. He was engrossed in his research, his brows slightly creased and often furrowed in thinking. He occasionally took up an inkbrush to write on the scroll. The door to the room was pushed open with a “creak” as he was reading…
…only to show a yellow-furred small dog dressed in tailor-made sect attire and carrying a huge tray on top of its head containing an exquisite teapot and teacups. His four paws moved quickly and silently. The man behind the table didn’t seem to notice its presence at all.
When the small dog approached the table, it sat quietly, bowed its head, and let the tray effortlessly slide from its head to the floor. It stood up and cleverly spun around two times. It emitted a burst of green smoke, quickly covering it in layers of smoke. The small dog had vanished when the smoke cleared. A young man with dog ears on his head and a long tail behind him with blushing cheeks stood smartly where the dog was meant to be.
“Shifu… ” Ling Xi paused for two seconds before calling in shame, “Woof?”
“Cut!” The director yelled: “What’s the matter with you, Ling Xi? How did you manage to make woof seem like a question? Can’t you say your lines correctly?! Dang! Remove the question mark and repeat!”
Ling Xi was chastised as soon as he appeared on the scene. His meager self-confidence had been blown to smithereens. When he adjusted and restarted, he was even more powerless than before. His tail drooped behind him because he was nervous, and his hair was stiff as well, but thankfully, his character was full of awe for his master, so his nervousness was warranted.
Ling Xi squatted down (he stepped on his tail the first time, leading in another NG) and picked up the tray off the floor before slowly walking to An Ruifeng’s side. He carefully placed the teapot and teacup next to An Ruifeng. The magnificent tea set was made of white porcelain. The teapot was round and lovely. Ling Xi grasped the pot’s handle, and the tea slowly trickled from the spout, creating a graceful arc in the air.
“Woof! Shifu, drink tea.” He said this while holding the cup in both hands, currying favor.
“Hmm, leave it.”
Ling Xi didn’t let go and repeated: “Woof! Shifu, drink tea.”
An Ruifeng glanced at him helplessly before taking the tea cup from his grasp. Their fingers accidentally touched, and Ling Xi quickly withdrew his arm and held it behind him. An Ruifeng didn’t seem to notice his unusual behavior. He took a sip of tea and nonchalantly placed it on the table. The camera shifted away from his fingers and back to Ling Xi. Ling Xi was solicitously persuasive at the time: “Woof! Take another sip, Shifu. I steeped it with my own paws…”
“Cut!” The director roared once more: “Take a good look at the script, Ling Xi! We’re filming an apprentice pouring tea for the master, not a huakui attempting to get the client to drink!! What’s the deal with your blushing?”
“…because I’m in the pink of health?”
The director was so enraged that he spewed smoke from the seven orifices. Thinking about how to chastise him would just cause him to lose his hair. “Take another shot, take another shot!” he yelled.
Bao Hui, who was on the sidelines, sneered openly and turned to gossip with his agent: “I say, if you’re a singer, it’s proper to sing honestly. What is this “evolve to drama”? Being in the same crew as these people has made me feel like my class has been dragged down.”
His agent had not yet spoken when Xu Zhiqiang, who was standing next to him, interjected directly: “Bao Hui, considering we work for the same company, I advise you to be cautious. There are a lot of people here, not just from Upstart Entertainment, but also from other agencies and actors. If you judge other actors in this manner, it would appear to others that our Upstart Entertainment bullies small artists because of our large brand.” He took a step nearer and spoke softly: “Of course, you’re a master at exploiting the Upstart Entertainment brand to intimidate small artists, aren’t you? Don’t tell me you’re still pissed off about not being able to steal the song?”
Despite the fact that Xu Zhiqiang was only an agent, he had been with Upstart Entertainment for a long time. He’d nurtured more than a few celebrities. On Weibo, he had more followers than some small artists. Xu Zhiqiang was rumored to be promoted to VP of the Artist Management Department as soon as An Ruifeng became the film emperor. When he chastised Bao Hui, he did not dare to refute. He sat there for a time, his face pitch-black, before hurrying away on the pretense of feeling ill.
Zhu Linlin, who was standing nearby, was memorizing the script. She overheard their entire argument and was unable to keep her opinions to herself, expressing boldly: “I thought you despised Ling Xi, Xu-ge. I didn’t expect you to stand up for him.”
“…. ” Xu Zhiqiang shifted his gaze, stating stiffly, “It’s one thing to despise him, and another thing to support him.”
※※※
Ling Xi was exhausted and trembling by the time the first scene was over. His tail was tucked between his legs, and a close inspection revealed that even the tip of his tail was quivering. Formally playing a role was not as straightforward as his last cameo as a slain figure. All of the eyes, gestures, movements, and language had to be perfect. Ling Xi’s acting ability was terrible, resembling a foolish bear waving around a stick. If he paid attention to one thing, he overlooked another.
An Ruifeng was aware of his nervousness and did not put any pressure on him. Instead, he patiently guided him with his acting skills. He finally brought Ling Xi into the play after multiple NGs. Ling Xi looked at him with puppy eyes filled with naïve admiration. His eyes appeared to be full of sparkling stars, with his master shining brightest among them.
An Ruifeng would love to kiss the tip of his furry ears if it weren’t for the fact that they were still filming.
Ling Xi was his most treasured apprentice in the play, and he was his most precious person outside of it.
An Ruifeng didn’t have time to talk to Ling Xi after his scene ended since he needed to start preparing for the following scene with his eldest apprentice. Ling Xi crawled out of the set alone, dragged himself along the corridor pillars in the Taoist temple's hallway, and slowly sank to the ground, resembling a dying stray dog.
He leaned against the pillars for a few moments, waiting for his HP meter to recover to 60% before rising up and moving his stiff body. He was surprised to hear twittering and giggling coming from behind him. When he turned around, he saw a few tiny monk boys hanging on the low wall, watching them film.
The small Taoist children were unwilling to practice because of the crew’s presence. The old Taoist priest instructed them to stay in the room and not go, but every time Ling Xi turned around, he saw the little children outside the courtyard wall/on the roof/among the trees, their hair combed into small buns.
When they realized someone had noticed them, the Taoist children hurriedly leaped from the low wall and scattered like a fistful of marbles falling on the ground. Ling Xi purposefully pretended to be a monster and pursued them. The slowest Taoist lad among them was so short that he couldn’t even reach Ling Xi’s buttocks. Ling Xi covered his three running steps in one stride.
The little Taoist boy ran and ran. Somehow, his left foot stepped on his right foot, causing him to fall to the ground with a thunk.
Ling Xi was concerned that he was badly hurt, so he rushed over to assist him. But when the small kid watched Ling Xi approaching closer and closer, and the shadow of his body enveloping him, he shouted out “wa!” in terror and incessantly swung his limbs in confusion.
“Go away…go away!” wailed the little boy, hiccupping: “Shishu, a dog demon is going to eat me!”
thank you for the chapter !!! ❤
thanks for the chapter ♡
I have to say, Zhu Linlin has a talent to witness all the scenes lol
Hahaha, yeah,yeah, evil dog demon is going to eat you xDDD
Thx for the ch ٩(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )و
Thanks for the chapter <3
Kids😂😂😂
Poor little monk !!