Huayu97: Starting with Wu Song Fighting the Tiger

As dusk settled, the dormitory area of ​​the film set at Chengde Mountain Resort gradually quieted down, with only a few streetlights casting a dim yellow glow in the evening breeze. Inside Liu Xiang's dormitory, however, there was a lively atmosphere. Zhou Jie, Su Youpeng, and Fan Binbin were sitting around his bed, chatting about all sorts of things.

Fan Binbin clutched a bag of sunflower seeds, cracking them open with a loud "crunch," his bright eyes glancing at Liu Xiang every now and then, muttering, "Brother Liu Xiang, your martial arts skills were amazing when you played Wu Song last time! Did you get hurt?"

Zhou Jie leaned against the doorframe, and upon hearing this, he laughed and replied, "Need I say more about his skills? Our Brother Liu Xiang is a genuine martial arts school graduate! Last time the 'Water Margin' crew held an exchange event, his long fist routine was so good that even the martial arts director in the audience applauded!"

Alec Su nodded and added gently, "That's right! I was there at the time. Liu Xiang's movements were clean and crisp, and every move was full of power, completely different from those fancy moves."

Hearing the three people praising him, Liu Xiang scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly: "I've only practiced for a few years since I was a child, it's nothing to brag about. Compared to those seniors, I'm still far behind."

"Don't be modest!" Zhou Jie waved his hand, his tone full of admiration. "With your physique—1.85 meters tall, plus that martial arts skill—playing the imperial bodyguard Saiwei is practically tailor-made for you! Director Sun's eye for talent is truly sharp!"

Fan Binbin nodded along, his little head bobbing like a rattle drum: "Yes, yes, yes! Brother Liu Xiang will definitely be incredibly handsome playing a guard! I'll definitely be on set every day to watch you film!"

As the group was chatting animatedly, footsteps suddenly came from outside the window, followed by Old Yang, the production assistant, whose loud voice pierced through the window and rang out in the quiet dormitory area: "Everyone! Little Swallow and Ziwei are back on set!"

Upon hearing this, the three in the dorm instantly perked up. Zhou Jie's eyes lit up, and he abruptly stood up straight: "Hey! These two rascals are finally back! I felt like something was missing on set after not hearing Zhao Wei's loud voice for a day!"

Alec Su also said with a smile, "We'll be filming the famous scene of Rong Momo pricking Ziwei tomorrow night. Hsin-ju's acting has always been very solid, so this scene will definitely be outstanding."

Fan Binbin jumped up excitedly: "Little Swallow is back! I'm bringing her to see Brother Liu Xiang!"

Liu Xiang said to her, "It's a bit late today, we can meet again tomorrow!"

As it grew later, Zhou Jie and Su Youpeng got up to say goodbye, and Fan Binbin was urged by his assistant to return to his dormitory. The dormitory returned to tranquility. Liu Xiang lay on her bed, looking at the moonlight outside the window, secretly planning that she must get to the Kunning Palace filming location early the next day to observe the crew and learn as much as possible.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Liu Xiang got up. He quickly washed up, changed into some comfortable clothes, and headed towards the filming location at Kunning Palace.

The film set was already bustling with activity.

The props crew was pulling a truck full of props, hurrying towards the Kunning Palace site, while the art crew carried ladders, paints, and various tools, their steps hurried. Liu Xiang quickened her pace and soon arrived at her destination.

The Kunning Palace is located deep within the Summer Palace, converted from a large courtyard that had been abandoned for many years. From a distance, one can see green tiles and gray walls, with withered yellow weeds growing on the eaves, large areas of the vermilion paint peeling off the wooden doors to reveal the dark wood grain underneath, and the stone pillars at the entrance weathered beyond recognition, exuding a desolate and bleak atmosphere.

As soon as Liu Xiang reached the door, she saw the props team busy unloading the truck. One by one, antique candlesticks, tables, chairs, and screens were carefully moved down, and some items that looked like torture instruments instantly piqued Liu Xiang's curiosity.

He leaned closer for a look. Although somewhat worn, the craftsmanship was still evident. The tables and chairs were also made of solid wood, heavy to the touch, exuding a sense of age.

The art department was already busy. They were carefully painting the wooden doors and window frames with brushes and paint, striving to recreate the gloomy and oppressive atmosphere of the drama. Several others were climbing ladders, clearing weeds from the eaves and touching up the paint on the tiles. Watching their skilled movements, Liu Xiang sighed, realizing how much effort a single drama required from so many people.

Soon after, the clothing team arrived, bringing several boxes of clothes. The most eye-catching item was the prison uniform specially prepared for Lin Xinru. Liu Xiang went over to take a look and saw that the prison uniform was made of rough gray linen with several holes sewn into it, making it look like it had really been worn for a long time.

The costume team told Liu Xiang that in order to make the prison uniform more realistic, they soaked it in tea for several days and then exposed it to the sun to create this worn effect.

Liu Xiang watched with great interest as the props team polished the "silver needles." Those so-called "silver needles" were actually made of thin wooden sticks. The staff first polished the sticks until they were smooth and round, then wrapped them in silver foil, and finally added a dot of red paint to the tip. From a distance during filming, they looked just like real silver needles, piercing the skin and drawing blood!

For the rest of the day, Liu Xiang stayed at the Kunning Palace site, helping the staff.

In the evening, Liu Xiang made a special detour to the back gate of the house. At the back gate was a narrow open space, beyond which lay a continuous mountain range. At this time, the mountain range was covered with dense trees and weeds, and some jagged stone tablets could be vaguely seen, standing crookedly among the weeds.

As Liu Xiang approached, she discovered that the stone tablets were actually tombstones with some blurry, illegible handwriting on their surfaces.

When the cold wind blows, the wild grass rustles and the leaves rustle, which makes one feel a chill involuntarily.

At this moment, Zhou Jie and Su Youpeng also arrived at the back door, and they were both surprised to see Liu Xiang.

"Liu Xiang, you're really something! You've been on set all day, that's really hard work!" Zhou Jie said, patting Liu Xiang on the shoulder.

Alec Su nodded in agreement: "It's really rare to be able to settle down and learn something."

Liu Xiang smiled and said, "It's rare to have such a good opportunity to learn, so of course I should learn as much as possible."

Zhou Jie's face instantly turned serious: "Liu Xiang, you don't know, this back mountain is a Qing Dynasty tomb complex!"

Alec Su added, "According to the locals, this place is very old and has a heavy yin energy. At night, you can often hear strange noises. Director Sun specifically chose this place to film the scene where Rong Momo tortures Ziwei because he was drawn to this natural eerie atmosphere. Without any extra sets, he could create that oppressive feeling."