At three in the afternoon, filming resumed.
On the set, the backyard of the hostage prince's residence had been built.
The ground was covered with dry, yellow leaves brought in from outside. Although the wind machines weren't on yet, the leaves were already rustling under the staff's feet.
Today's shoot was a scene of Chu Yan performing a solo sword dance.
This scene had no lines, but it was an external expression of the internal fracture within Chu Yan's character.
Mad and drunk in front of others, yet behind their backs, ten years of hard work had never been neglected.
Behind the monitor.
Xu Pingqiu sat in his chair, frowning.
He glanced at Jiang Yue, who was having his makeup touched up, and then looked at the assistant director beside him, Zhao Gang.
“How confident are you in this scene?”
Zhao Gang lowered his voice and spoke honestly.
“Director Xu, I think it's a long shot.”
“Jiang Yue isn't a trained actor after all. His dramatic acting is fine, but when it comes to action... I just asked, and he's never even touched a sword before.”
Zhao Gang paused.
“Why don't we have the action choreographer set up a few moves and use a stunt double?”
“We can cut to wide shots more and add a few close-ups of his hands. That should cover it up.”
This was standard practice for film crews.
In period dramas, actors who could handle both dramatic and action scenes were too rare.
Most of the time, it was a combination of stunt doubles, editing, and camera work.
The audience gets a smooth sequence, and the crew stays safe.
Everyone saves trouble.
Xu Pingqiu didn't speak immediately.
When he chose Jiang Yue, he had been drawn to Jiang Yue's unique aura.
His dramatic acting was explosive enough, and his understanding of the character was deep enough.
As for the action scenes, they weren't heavily emphasized in the script to begin with.
If they really wanted to fudge it, they could.
But Xu Pingqiu was a perfectionist. This scene was a crucial part of Chu Yan's foundation; using a stunt double just felt like it was lacking something.
“Old Hong!”
Xu Pingqiu picked up the megaphone and shouted.
“Where's Old Hong?”
Not far away, a burly man who was stretching his wrists immediately trotted over.
This was the action choreographer the crew had spent a fortune to hire. Everyone in the crew called him Brother Hong.
“Director Xu, you looking for me?”
Old Hong leaned close to the monitor.
Xu Pingqiu pointed at Jiang Yue.
“Teach him a few basic moves first and see how he does.”
“If it really doesn't work out, we'll use a stunt double.”
“Sure thing.”
Old Hong nodded and readily agreed.
But in his heart, he didn't hold out much hope.
He had been in the industry for so many years and had trained too many young actors who relied solely on their looks.
Some didn't even know they were holding the sword backward, let alone performing a sword dance. If they could tell the blade from the spine of the sword, he'd thank his lucky stars.
Beside them, Assistant Director Zhao Gang was already sighing, his mind frantically brainstorming how to cut close-ups and use slow motion and camera language to hide Jiang Yue's lack of skill.
After all, for the role of Chu Yan, Director Xu had interviewed no fewer than twenty people.
They were either too greasy to watch or as stiff as wooden posts.
In such a vast domestic entertainment industry, there were bound to be suitable actors, but those who could play the part didn't lack resources. After asking around, everyone said they had no availability.
Thus, the role had been delayed for a long time without being cast.
Finding Jiang Yue to play the part was already choosing the best out of a mediocre bunch, the optimal choice.
In the center of the set.
Jiang Yue stood in place, calling out in his mind, “System.”
A light blue light screen popped open.
“Detection: Host is facing a physical performance challenge on set.”
“The prize pool has been refreshed. The weight of related traits has been increased.”
Without even blinking, Jiang Yue threw down his money: “High-Tier Ten-Pull.”
“Prestige points -10,000. Drawing...”
The light screen flashed frantically, and rows of traits emerged.
“White-Tier Trait: Unforgettable Hearing”, “Green-Tier Trait: Physical Boost”, “Green-Tier Trait: Intimidating Gaze”...
Until the light solidified.
Jiang Yue's gaze locked onto the last two cards glowing with extraordinary colors.
“Photographic Memory - Motion (Green-Tier): Dynamic visual capture ability is greatly enhanced. Can perfectly replicate any physical movement within sight.”
“Grandmaster's Charm (Purple-Tier): Once equipped, the body will gain an instinctive comprehension of 'presence'. Every gesture naturally exudes a grandmaster's air, maximizing both aesthetic appeal and lethal intent.”
He was set.
“Equip [Photographic Memory - Motion].”
“Equip [Grandmaster's Charm].”
As soon as he spoke,
a fine, dense warm current surged along his spine and spread outward.
Jiang Yue blinked, and when he opened his eyes again, the world in front of him seemed to have been forced into 0.5x slow motion.
A stagehand bending to pick up leaves, the lighting technician adjusting equipment, a prop master wiping the sword rack in the distance...
The beginning, transition, and end of every movement, and the source of muscle exertion, were all broken down into slow motion in his eyes.
He took a deep breath, clearly sensing that his control over every muscle in his body had been refined to a freakish degree.
This was an almost overbearing instinct, carving the foundations of a top-tier martial arts master directly into his body.
At that moment, Brother Hong walked over carrying a prop sword.
His face wore a businesslike, polite smile. “Teacher Jiang, time is tight. I'll teach you three of the most basic opening stances first.”
“Just get a rough idea of the movements. If it really doesn't work, we'll just do close-ups of your face.”
With that, Brother Hong flicked his wrist, neatly executing a beautiful sword flourish, followed immediately by a sharp downward slash.
The blade tore through the air, producing a sharp, brief whoosh.
“Did you see that? Your wrist must be steady, and your core must be tight to generate power...”
Brother Hong turned his head, but before he could finish his sentence, the rest of it got stuck in his throat.
Because at some point, Jiang Yue had already casually drawn a longsword from the nearby rack.
Jiang Yue didn't reply.
In the next second,
his wrist dropped, and the longsword slashed down in a fluid motion.
The exact same downward slash.
The exact same angle.
The exact same rhythm.
Even the sound of the blade slicing through the air was fucking copy-pasted!
No, that wasn't right.
Brother Hong's eyes widened. He could see that Jiang Yue's movements were even cleaner and more precise.
Jiang Yue's posture was exceptionally upright. The moment the sword fell, his shoulders and back opened naturally, and his entire being exuded an indescribable ease.
Watching this scene, four words suddenly flashed through Brother Hong's mind:
One with the sword.
How was this someone who had just started learning today?
With this posture, anyone would believe it if you said he had been practicing pure yang swordplay on a mountain for twenty years since childhood.
The smile on Brother Hong's face froze instantly.
He stared at the sword in Jiang Yue's hand, utterly stunned for a full five seconds.
“Have you... practiced before?”
Jiang Yue shook his head slightly.
“No.”
Brother Hong: “...”
You call this “no”?!
(Like hell I believe you.jpg)
Brother Hong's competitive spirit was thoroughly aroused now. He didn't rush to a conclusion.
“Teacher Jiang, watch closely.”
He demonstrated two more moves in succession.
A spin-around block, and a sideways thrust.
The movements were several levels more complex than before, interspersed with footwork to shift positions.
This time, he deliberately dialed up the speed significantly.
It wasn't out of malice; he just wanted to see if this young man had actually lucked into it or if he truly had the skills.
Jiang Yue stood quietly the entire time, without even twitching an eyebrow.
Once Brother Hong sheathed his sword,
Jiang Yue moved.
Spin, block, sidestep, thrust.
The entire sequence was fluid and seamless, so fast it left only an afterimage.
There wasn't a single trace of awkward stiffness, as if this swordplay had already been engraved into his very bones.
He had even added extremely subtle transitions between Brother Hong's original moves.
With a gentle flick of his wrist, the tip of the blade traced a highly aesthetic arc in the air.
It wasn't flashy, but it was incredibly pleasing to the eye.
Brother Hong was completely rendered speechless this time.
He stood there dazed, holding his sword, his mouth half-open.
His expression was exactly like a max-level, fully geared player entering the starter village only to witness a Level 1 newbie defeat the final boss with a wooden stick.
Behind the monitor.
Assistant Director Zhao Gang sucked in a breath of cold air.
“Holy shit...”
After struggling for a long time, he couldn't find any other words.
What was this?
Talk about being spoon-fed by the heavens.
This was a fucking superstar descended from the heavens!
Xu Pingqiu, who had been sitting in his chair, had stood up at some point.
He stared at Jiang Yue holding the sword in the center of the set, his eyes terrifyingly bright.
That look was like an old hunter who had been starving for three days suddenly spotting a rare prey, terrified it would vanish if he blinked.
“Stunt double?”
Xu Pingqiu grabbed the set walkie-talkie.
“Pay the stunt double and let him go!”
“Adjust the lighting immediately! Turn all the wind machines to the max!”
“All cameras, on my mark, focus on Jiang Yue!”
His voice was tight with suppressed excitement.
“Today, I'm going to shoot a god!”
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