Translator: GodBrandy Editor: Kurisu
Under Venerable White's control, Song Shuhang—who was playing Senior Brother Gao Sheng's role—got closer to Ling Ye step after step, using another basic saber technique with the treasured saber Broken Tyrant in his hand.
Each of his attacks was overbearing and incredibly fierce!
At this time, Senior White, who was playing the role of the main character Ling Ye, was more and more at a disadvantage. There were a lot of holes in his daoist robe already.
The shooting was progressing without a hitch. Now, they just had to go on like this for a while and have Senior Brother Gao Sheng severely injure Ling Ye. At that time, Senior Sister Murong Hua would step forward and gently comfort Ling Ye, putting an end to the first act of the movie!
However, Song Shuhang had started to panic right now.
It's bad, very bad!
There wasn't any problem with Venerable White's acting. Even if he was controlling two characters at the same time, the martial arts contest on the stage was proceeding without any problem.
But along with the increasing number of holes in Venerable White's daoist robe, the bad premonition that Song Shuhang was having was also getting stronger and stronger.
He felt that there were a lot of people staring daggers at him. If these daggers were real, Song Shuhang would have already become an honorary (dead) member of the brave sea urchin warrior race.
Amongst the people that were staring daggers at him were the fairy maidens of the Nine Provinces Number One Group, all the members of the movie crew, and even creatures such as True Monarch White Crane.
Fairy maidens, elder sisters, this is just an act, an act!
Song Shuhang felt that his back was covered with sweat. The stares were making him feel a lot of pressure. He knew that if things kept going on like this, the number of the stares would just get higher and higher.
Aside from the pressure he was feeling from these people staring daggers at him, Song Shuhang was under pressure for another reason as well.
The number of holes in Senior White's daoist robe was getting higher and higher as time passed by, with more and more skin getting exposed. Senior White's charm was quite scary under these circumstances.
This amount of charm was second only to the one Senior White released when Song Shuhang sought death in front of him. Back then, Senior White smiled brightly and the entire world lost its colors, with the charming Senior White being the only creature in the world to retain his colors.
Song Shuhang was trembling in fear. He felt that people would start to hunt him down for real after this movie was screened.
Was it time to call for a break?
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Just as though he had heard Song Shuhang's inward cry...
Director Jacob shouted at this time, "Cut!"
Immediately thereafter, the make-up artists and members of the stage props team got into action.
"What happened?" Venerable White looked at Director Jacob in puzzlement. He felt that his current state was good enough to allow him to finish the shooting of this scene in one go!
Director Jacob laughed and said, "We have to temporarily stop the shooting since we have to apply some make-up to the two of you. For example, we need to splash some fake blood on Mister Song Bai's body, and according to the script, the final scene consists in Senior Brother Gao Sheng's hitting Ling Ye until making him spit out blood. Such being the case, Mister Song Bai, which type of flavor would you like for your blood bag?"
Venerable White nodded his head. So that was how it was.
Thereupon, the members of the stage props team and the various make-up artists entered action, applying the necessary make-up to Senior White.
They mainly applied some fake blood where Senior White's daoist robe had been slashed open and in some other parts of his body, making it look as though he had been wounded.
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Under normal circumstances, one had to take several breaks while shooting fighting scenes, shooting one scene at a time.
For example, the scene of the main character getting on stage would have to be shot again if the posture of the actor wasn't correct.
Sometimes, one had to shoot scenes in which strong wind was blowing up and dust was covering the sky. Therefore, it was impossible to delay such scenes, and they had to be shot on the spot.
All the movements that one had to perform during a fight were planned ahead of time. The posture one had to assume was also decided before the shooting of the scene. After the shooting started, one had to follow the rhythm set in advance. If they didn't, the scene would have to be shot again.
However, Director Jacob was well aware that the movie he was shooting at this time was somewhat special.
When the person that funded the movie, Mister Ling Die, contacted him and offered him that large sum of money for this task, he also told him that the actors of his movie didn't want to shoot one scene at a time as others did.
If they had to proceed as people in normal shootings did, where each scene was usually shot several times, the members of the group would go crazy.
Therefore, this movie had to be shot in one go as each scene unfolded.
Mister Jacob had already prepared for the worst when he'd accepted to shoot this movie, to the point that he reached an agreement with Mister Ling Die about not adding his name as the director in the credits of the movie if the final result wasn't satisfying enough.
Mister Ling Die happily agreed to this request... after all, little friend Song Shuhang only needed a good director and movie crew to help him shoot the movie. As for who the director or the members of the movie crew were, no one really cared about that in the Nine Provinces Number One Group.
Anyway, thanks to this condition, even if the movie turned out to be terrible, it wouldn't leave a stain on his career as a director. That large sum of money he was offered, coupled with his strange state back then, made Mister Jacob accept the task to shoot this movie.
But now, it seemed that the movie was going to be much better than what he had initially expected.
In addition, there was no need to follow that set of movements they had agreed upon before the shooting... because the fighting scene was super exciting the way it was!
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Venerable White didn't dislike the fact that they were applying make-up for him. Actually, he was quite interested in the process. It was rather refreshing seeing the make-up artist drawing bruises and adding wounds on his body.
On the other hand, the three girls in charge of applying make-up for Venerable White were blushing and exuded feelings of love from their eyes.
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Song Shuhang didn't need much make-up. They just had to straighten out his daoist robe and fix his hair a bit.
The nearby True Monarch Ancient Lake Temple said with a smile, "Little friend Song, I feel that the eyebrowless you is very suited to play Senior Brother Gao Sheng's role. Did you shave your eyebrows just for this occasion?"
"..." Song Shuhang.
F*ck! Have I been performing without eyebrows all along?
"We'll start shooting the next scene after a short break," Director Jacob said.
He'd decided to use this time to watch the recording of the first act they had shot just now.
During the shooting of the movie, it was normal for the director and members of the movie crew to replay the scene they had just shot to see if there was any problem.
If there was no problem, it was a good thing. But if the director wasn't satisfied, they would have to shoot it again.
Sometimes, if there was too much mist or sand blowing up, the scene had to be shot again even if the performance of actors was perfect.
At times, an actor had to perform the same scene tens of times before obtaining a satisfying result.
One minute on stage was sometimes equivalent to tens of years of efforts off stage.
Nevertheless, this shooting was different from the others.
"Everything's fine." Director Jacob nodded his head, satisfied.
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Since Venerable White's make-up was going to require some more time, Song Shuhang headed toward the crowd of the seniors of the Nine Provinces Number One Group.
Song Shuhang arrived in front of Northern River's Loose Cultivator and asked, "Senior Northern River, I saw that you guys were knotting something into a circle earlier. What was it?"
If he wasn't mistaken, what he saw was a... floral wreath?
Northern River's Loose Cultivator laughed and said, "It's a secret."
"Senior, please don't make the situation worse. Anyway, I came here because I need you to give me advice," Song Shuhang said.
"What kind of advice do you need? Hasn't Senior White decided to take complete control of the fight? What is worrying you at this time?" Northern River's Loose Cultivator asked.
"I feel that it will be over for me if things keep going on like this," Song Shuhang said earnestly. "Earlier during the fight, when Venerable White controlled my body and my saber slashed open his daoist robe, all the members of the movie crew looked at me with a murderous look in their eyes."
In the next scene... he would have to injure Venerable White and keep fighting him until he was severely injured.
That was bad, very bad!
Northern River's Loose Cultivator said, "Therefore, what do you want me to do?"
"Don't you have a body double to give me?" Song Shuhang asked.
At first, he was thinking of having the western monk go on stage and take his place. But now, it turned out that Senior White's lethality was off the charts. Therefore, it wasn't good to casually implicate an innocent person.
"Little friend Shuhang, regardless of the fellow daoist, as long as they are willing, you can have them take your place on the stage!" Northern River's Loose Cultivator said with a smile.
"But where can I find such a fellow daoist!" Song Shuhang exclaimed.
"In that case, you should give up on this idea. But you don't have to worry, your funeral will be very solemn," Northern River's Loose Cultivator said.
"I was being serious, Senior Northern River!" Song Shuhang said. "Actually, I devised several plans."
"Several plans?" Northern River's Loose Cultivator asked.
"I'm pretty sure that everyone in the Nine Provinces Number One Group has a 'clone technique' they use to flood the group. Senior Northern River, teach me this magical technique! I'll use my clone to shoot the next scene with Senior White!" Song Shuhang felt that his plan was excellent.
"A 'clone technique' used to flood the group? How come I know nothing about this magical technique?" Northern River's Loose Cultivator was astonished.
"..." Song Shuhang.
It seemed there was no other way. He had to resort to his final plan!
"Senior Northern River, take a look at this." Song Shuhang took out that puppet he'd found in the smelted cave with the blood pond from his size-reducing purse.
It was precisely that puppet that kept gobbling up his spirit stones secretly.
When Song Shuhang took the puppet out, he inadvertently took out something else as well.
One of the items was the puppet he'd found in the smelted cave with that blood pond, the other a small, broken wooden figurine.
What was the origin of this small broken wooden figurine?
Song Shuhang pondered for a while and remembered where it had come from. It was when he'd first experienced Venerable White's illusory reality... when the desert disappeared, he discovered that there was this broken wooden figurine next to his foot.
He casually picked it up back then and kept it with him up until now.
"Senior Northern River, don't you have the means to sent this puppet-like thing on the stage in my stead?" Song Shuhang asked.
"Where did you find this thing? It's a product of the ancient Jet-Black Sect. However, it's impossible to set this gadget in motion right at this time," Northern River's Loose Cultivator said with a smile.
A bitter expression appeared on Song Shuhang's face.
"However, the other one is also rather interesting. I can repair that wooden figurine for you if you want. Hmm... a spirit stone of the Fourth Stage will be needed so that it can act as its core. Do you want me to repair it?" Northern River's Loose Cultivator said.
"Can this thing replace me and go on stage in my stead?" Song Shuhang asked out of curiosity.
"Yes," Northern River's Loose Cultivator said. "Do you want me to repair it?"
"Yes!" Song Shuhang resolutely took out a spirit stone and left the wooden figurine to Northern River's Loose Cultivator.
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The wooden figurine was a type of scouting puppet.
Back then, Young Master Hai induced Branch Leader Jing Mo to go the Jiangnan area and kill Song Shuhang.
After arriving at the building Medicine Master had bought, Branch Leader Jing Mo decided to use the wooden figurine to explore the house.
But right after entering the house, the wooden figurine ended up in Venerable White's desert. Not only it failed to obtain any info, it was also destroyed by the young man in green clothes riding the white horse.