Huayu97: Starting with Wu Song Fighting the Tiger

"Don't move!" Li Ruotong glared at him, but it wasn't very intimidating; instead, it carried a hint of coquettishness.

Liu Xiang dared not move and obediently let her do as she pleased.

The iodine solution stung a little when applied to the wound, but mostly it felt warm and comforting. As she applied it, Li Ruotong reminded her, "Be careful when you fight next time. The stone slabs are so hard; it hurts so much if you scrape your skin. This iodine is better than that mercurochrome; it disinfects much better."

Liu Xiang hummed in agreement, and when she secretly looked up, she saw Li Ruotong squatting in front of her.

Her profile was soft, with a small, upturned nose. Her lips were pursed, and she wore a serious expression. Her long eyelashes drooped as she focused intently on treating his wound. A gentle breeze blew in from the window, brushing against a stray strand of hair at her temple. The hair swayed gently, making Liu Xiang's heart flutter as well.

He reached out as if possessed, wanting to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. His fingers were only halfway up, an inch away from her hair, when he saw Li Ruotong suddenly realize what was happening, abruptly pulling back. His heart pounded, and he quickly looked down, pretending to look at his wound, his ears burning red.

Fortunately, Li Ruotong didn't say anything. After wiping the wound with iodine, she took out a tube of ointment, dipped a cotton swab in it, and carefully applied it to the wound, her movements as gentle as if she were petting a rabbit.

"I asked someone to bring this ointment from Hong Kong. It's very effective at removing scars, so you won't have any scars later," Li Ruotong said softly as she applied the ointment. "Stunt work is tough, but you still have to take good care of your body. Health is the most important thing."

Liu Xiang's heart felt as if it had been struck by something. Their eyes met, and the air seemed to freeze instantly. Li Ruotong's eyes were as clear as a spring, reflecting Liu Xiang's image with a faint smile.

Looking into her eyes, Liu Xiang was momentarily speechless, even her breathing became cautious.

Li Ruotong was also stunned for a moment, then reacted, her cheeks flushing slightly. She looked away, picked up the gauze, and began to bandage Liu Xiang's wound. Her fingers were very skillful; the gauze flew through her hands, and she quickly finished wrapping the wound, even tying a pretty bow at the ankle.

"All done." Li Ruotong stood up, dusted off her hands, and looked at her "work" with satisfaction. "Don't get it wet, and don't do any strenuous exercise. It should scab over by tomorrow."

Liu Xiang then came to her senses, quickly stood up, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Thank you, Sister Ruotong... I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"What's the trouble?" Li Ruotong smiled, her smile as warm and bright as the spring sunshine. "You're a lucky charm for our crew."

Her voice was soft and gentle, like a feather brushing against Liu Xiang's heart as he looked at her handsome face.

Just then, a production assistant's voice came from outside the window: "Sister Ruotong! Director Li wants you to come over and reshoot a scene!"

Li Ruotong then remembered her business. She smiled at Liu Xiang and said, "I'm going to film now. You rest well and don't wander off."

"Yes, I'll be more careful from now on!" Liu Xiang nodded vigorously.

She turned and walked out of the infirmary, her plain-colored skirt fluttering in the wind like a blooming white lotus.

Liu Xiang stood there, watching her figure disappear through the doorway, the gauze on her ankle wound still warm from Li Ruotong's hand.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye, and the filming of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" progressed steadily. Liu Xiangwu was becoming more and more adept at his work, and the progress bar for "effective beatings" in the system had quietly climbed to 250/400.

As soon as dawn broke, Old Wang, the production assistant, shouted at the top of his lungs at the crew's quarters: "Everyone up! Everyone up! Director Li has said we're taking a day off today. Everyone's going to enjoy spring outings at the foot of Cangshan Mountain! We'll pick mushrooms, stew pheasant, and relax!"

The moment these words were spoken, the quiet camp erupted in chaos. You see, the crew's meals were, to put it nicely, just ordinary home-cooked food; to be honest, it was just gruel from a large pot, enough to fill your stomach, with radishes and greens with rice every meal. Any meat they occasionally got was a must-have. Now, the mere mention of mushroom and pheasant stew made everyone, from the lead actors to the extras, green with envy.

Liu Xiang was woken up by Chen Haomin's humming from the next room. The boy was fixing his hair in front of the mirror, muttering to himself, "I have to dress smartly today. There might be some pretty wildflowers on the mountain. I'll stick them in my hair, and it'll be a perfect match!"

Liu Xiang leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching the scene unfold: "Brother Chen, if you keep combing your hair, it'll just look like a bird's nest in the wind!" Chen Haomin turned and glared at him, the comb in his hand almost flying at him: "What do you know? This is called style! By the way, Liu Xiang, do you know how to catch pheasants? I heard the pheasants from Cangshan have firm meat, and they're so fragrant when stewed!"

Liu Xiang raised an eyebrow instantly, a mysterious smile playing on his lips: "Guess?" He wasn't bragging. Back in martial arts school, he and his friends used to run all over the mountains and fields, catching chickens and fish was a basic skill. Not to mention clumsy wild pheasants, he could even catch two bamboo partridges with his bare hands, just by seizing the opportunity.

Soon, the group headed towards the forest at the foot of Cangshan Mountain.

Director Lee Tim-shing walked at the front with his hands behind his back, clutching a cloth bag, saying he was going to personally collect some "mountain delicacies"; Ching Siu-tung struggled to carry a camera, looking like a geological surveyor going into the mountains, muttering, "Let's find an open space, maybe we can have a chance to shoot some footage of mountain scenes."

Li Ruotong wore a light pink tracksuit, her hair tied in a neat ponytail, and white sneakers. She lost some of Wang Yuyan's ethereal beauty, but gained more of a charming and delicate girl next door. Carrying a small bamboo basket, she skipped and hopped along at the back of the group like a happy little deer.

Just as they reached the edge of the woods, they heard someone shout, "Look! There are pheasants over there!" Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw several colorful pheasants leisurely pecking at the grass. The feathers on their tails were shimmering and dazzling in the morning light, making people's mouths water.

The crew erupted in excitement, yelling and charging forward. And what happened? The pheasant flapped its wings and flew faster than a rabbit, leaving the group standing there eating dust. Chen Haoming, who had charged the furthest, slipped and nearly fell flat on his face. He clutched his knee and groaned, "That damn chicken, it's too fast!"

Cheng Xiaodong, laughing heartily, shouted through his binoculars, "You city kids, how can you be so reckless when catching pheasants? You have to use some skill!"

Just then, Liu Xiang rolled up his sleeves, crouched low, and disappeared into the bushes. He moved with lightning speed, like a nimble cat, his paws crunching through the thick layer of fallen leaves without making a sound, his eyes fixed on a plump wild pheasant in the distance. The pheasant was busy pecking at grass seeds, its neck darting back and forth, completely unaware of the impending danger.

Liu Xiang held his breath and slowly circled behind the pheasant. When he was about three steps away, he suddenly leaped forward, his right hand flashing out like lightning, accurately grabbing both of the pheasant's legs! The pheasant flapped its wings and squawked, sending grass clippings flying all over Liu Xiang's face. He, however, held firmly onto the pheasant's legs, refusing to let go no matter how much the pheasant struggled, and even proudly waved it at the crowd: "Look, I caught it!"