Returning to the 82 Mountain Village: An Encounter with the Journey to the West Film Crew at the Beg

Lin Zhiqian smiled helplessly and shook his head when he saw this.

"Alright, I knew it. Your movements are quite large, and these old clothes are worn out over time, so the patched areas are under uneven stress."

Go change and mend it quickly. Who's good at sewing?

Everyone's eyes instinctively looked around for the costume team members, and they happened to see Zhou Fangyuan under the corridor.

Zhou Fangyuan had helped modify the Taoist robe before, and many people saw it, including Lin Zhiqian.

"Fang Yuan!" Lin Zhiqian shouted loudly, scratching his head and laughing.

"Can you do me a favor? I haven't even cultivated any immortal energy yet, and I've already torn my clothes."

Zhou Fangyuan smiled and quickly walked over: "It's alright, Brother Lin, give it to me."

Comrade Zhihan should still have some needles and thread; I'll get them right away.

He took the Taoist robe and looked at the stitching, which was right under his armpit.

It wasn't particularly noticeable, but it required sturdy mending.

He found a stone stool to sit on, asked Liu Zhihan for a needle and thread, skillfully threaded the needle, and re-sewed it up with a tighter stitch, following the original stitch pattern.

He sewed very carefully, making sure it was secure while keeping the patch as inconspicuous as possible.

Several young martial arts team members gathered around to watch, and were somewhat surprised to see his steady technique.

"Well done, Comrade Zhou. Who taught you this skill? It's much better than the way we sew our own clothes when they get torn."

"On a film set, you have to know a little bit of everything," Zhou Fangyuan said while sewing.

"Your movements are really beautiful, but these costumes aren't practice clothes after all. You need to be a little more careful in some places, especially when turning around and raising your arms. Pay attention to the fabric under your armpits and on your shoulders."

That's a very true statement, based on experience, after all, he was also a martial arts performer.

Lin Zhiqian nodded in agreement and said to his teammates with a look of approval, "Did you hear that? Fang Yuan is right."

When we're rehearsing a play, we need to be familiar with the costumes we're wearing.

The movements also need to be slightly adjusted according to the characteristics of the costumes, especially group movements, since everyone's stance is different. The camera needs to capture them all together, balancing aesthetics and practicality!

The team members readily agreed.

While Zhou Fangyuan was mending his clothes, the team members took a break, drank water, and chatted with him out of curiosity.

They learned that Zhou Fangyuan was a "jack-of-all-trades" in the crew, knowledgeable despite his young age, and humble in attitude, so they quickly became familiar with each other.

The team member whose clothes were torn was named Zhang Zheng, and he practiced Tongbei Quan (a style of Chinese martial arts).

He was straightforward and asked, "Brother Zhou, do you think our practice just now really resembled that of a disciple of the Bodhi Patriarch?"

I always felt it still had a bit of a martial arts arena feel to it, lacking that... that ethereal, otherworldly quality.

Zhou Fangyuan had just finished sewing the last stitch, bit off the thread, handed the robe back to him, and after a moment's thought, said:

"I think Brother Lin's emphasis on 'meaning' and 'elegance' is particularly accurate."

A fairy-like aura doesn't necessarily mean slowness; rather, the movements must be rhythmic and beautifully executed. Moreover, it's not just about beauty; it's about being ruthless where necessary.

You can imagine following the flow of the clouds, letting your gaze and thoughts drift out first, then following with your physical movements; the feeling might be different. I'm just guessing, what do you think, Brother Lin?

Lin Zhiqian stroked his chin thoughtfully: "Mind leads... eyes follow first... Hmm, that makes sense! This can help get rid of the stiffness of simply practicing routines."

"Come on, Zhang Zheng, you guys, let's try going through that part again, just like this!"

The team members took their positions again and tried as instructed.

Sure enough, when their attention shifted from completing the action itself to a certain ethereal atmosphere, the entire team's demeanor underwent a subtle change.

The movements were still powerful, but with a more fluid and natural rhythm, and less deliberate.

"Good! This is getting interesting! Keep it up and get a feel for it!" Lin Zhiqian looked at Zhou Fangyuan with a happy expression.

"Fang Yuan, your outsider perspective is quite insightful; your idea is very useful!"

Zhang Zheng put on the mended Taoist robe, stretched his arms, and grinned, "Thanks, Brother Zhou! Now the clothes are sturdier, and I feel much more confident!"

Zhou Fangyuan quickly waved his hand: "Your skills are solid, you grasp it immediately."

Sunlight streamed into the side courtyard, and shouts and discussions rose again, this time with a greater focus and tacit understanding than before.

Zhou Fangyuan did not leave; he stayed there, sometimes helping to pass a prop, and sometimes relying on his visual memories from his previous life.

When Lin Chih-chien asked about camera presence, he offered some simple ideas about positioning and composition.

Comrade Lin listened and nodded frequently, increasingly feeling that the young man in front of him was the kind of person who could be a mentor.

Zhou Fangyuan gradually integrated into the group that was making a final push for the afternoon's filming, and continued to contribute his own strength to the creation of this work in a practical and low-key manner.

In the afternoon, filming officially began at "Wudongtian".

The fog machine slowly emitted a milky white mist, which drifted and swirled among the rocks in the forest, perfectly creating the ethereal and mysterious atmosphere outside the Xieyue Sanxing Cave on Lingtai Fangcun Mountain.

Zhang Jinlai, who plays Sun Wukong, has shed his pilgrim attire and is now only wearing a simple leaf-covered veil.

He squeaked and scratched his head, peeking out from outside the cave entrance.

Wanting to go in but not daring to knock abruptly, it could only leap lightly among the rocks and vines, its monkey eyes darting around, full of barely suppressed curiosity.

Because it was a filming segment, the patriarch did not appear; instead, a young boy quietly walked to the cave entrance and gently pushed open the tightly closed antique-style stone door.

Outside the door, Sun Wukong was squatting on the ground, intently watching the ants in the cracks of the rocks.

Hearing the door open suddenly, he was startled and jumped back a long distance.

Upon realizing it was a young Taoist boy, he rolled his eyes, a mischievous thought arose, and he casually picked up a small stone and threw it at the boy, hitting him squarely on the head.

"Ouch!" the boy cried out in pain, frowning slightly as he scolded, "Who dares to make such a disturbance here?"

Sun Wukong then jumped out with a grin, clasped his hands haphazardly, but his eyes remained alert and quick, glancing around erratically.

"Don't be offended! I didn't come here to cause trouble, I came specifically to learn from you!"

The boy looked him up and down, then feigned seriousness: "So you're just a wild monkey."

Sun Wukong immediately straightened his thin chest, and his tone revealed a rare seriousness.

"I'm not a wild monkey! I'm a stone monkey—I've come to pay homage to my ancestral master!"

A hint of a smile flashed in the boy's eyes as he stepped aside to clear the doorway: "In that case, please come in and pay your respects to the patriarch."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong was so happy that he scratched his head. His previous mischievousness and playfulness instantly subsided, and he tried his best to behave properly.

Following behind the child, I carefully stepped over the stone threshold.

This step marks the beginning of a new chapter in one's destiny.

"Good! That take is done!" Director Yang's satisfied and clear voice came from behind the monitor.