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

In the secluded corridor behind the hall, Zhou Fangyuan found Master Liu standing alone by the railing.

The afterglow of the setting sun slanted across the eaves, casting long shadows on the old wooden pillars and brick floor, making the Taoist priest's gaunt figure appear even more solitary.

He heard footsteps and merely turned his head slightly.

Zhou Fangyuan strode forward, stopped, and bowed deeply in greeting.

"Master Dao," he said, his voice not loud, but each word was pronounced clearly and steadily.

"We were abrupt and offensive in the east courtyard just now."

I've come specifically to offer my sincere apologies.

Master Liu slowly turned around this time, his face expressionless, his gaze falling on Zhou Fangyuan's face, as if to weigh the weight of his words.

Zhou Fangyuan did not avoid the gaze and continued earnestly, "It was our fault for disturbing the tranquility of the temple."

The situation was urgent, and the emotions of that scene needed to be conveyed in one take. Although we had planned the route in advance, we repeatedly reminded the actors and staff to avoid the area and not to touch any objects.

However, the on-site coordination was rushed and ultimately lacked thoroughness, resulting in excessive noise.

Zhou Fangyuan paused, and seeing that Master Liu was unmoved, he pulled out a few more pages from his folder.

"This is a record of all the protective measures we took at the time. All movement routes were marked with red lines, and no items unrelated to filming were placed within three meters. Protective measures were also laid on the ground."

The remaining filming plans were also detailed, and we will never dare to have such a collision again.

Please take a look.

As he spoke, he handed over the papers with both hands.

Master Liu lowered his gaze, lingering for a moment on the page filled with dense writing and detailed illustrations.

She glanced again at Zhou Fangyuan's forehead, which was slightly sweaty from running around but full of sincerity. The cold frost on his face finally melted away a little.

He didn't take the proposal; instead, he raised his hand and gently stroked the sparse beard under his chin.

"Never mind..."

The Taoist priest spoke, his voice gentler than before.

"You are not entirely reckless."

Filming is your job, but protecting the tranquility and artifacts of this temple is the old Taoist's duty.

Everyone has their own difficulties, and we should try to understand each other.

Zhou Fangyuan felt relieved and quickly bowed again, saying, "Thank you for your consideration, Daoist Master."

Master Liu pondered for a moment, then looked up at the scattered palaces and flying eaves to the west, and pointed into the distance.

"If you want to find a quiet place to film some scenes, the east courtyard is always crowded with people, which is not a long-term solution."

Heading west from here, past the Sutra Repository, there is a small, secluded courtyard. It was once the quiet retreat of an elderly Taoist priest who preferred a life of seclusion. Few people have visited it in recent years, but the courtyard is still quite tidy and peaceful. If you find it appealing, you might consider using it.

This is undoubtedly a timely help.

Zhou Fangyuan was overjoyed and thanked them repeatedly: "This has really helped us a lot!"

The entire crew will forever remember the Taoist priest's guidance.

We will be very careful and will never let you down.

Master Liu nodded slightly, said no more, turned around and looked at the twilight outside the corridor, resuming his otherworldly and independent demeanor.

Zhou Fangyuan, knowing the situation, bowed again and then stepped back quietly.

Once he stepped out of the corridor, he quickened his pace, almost running back to the east courtyard.

Even from a distance, you could hear the director's voice coming through a paper megaphone; the voice was deliberately lowered but still conveyed tension.

There's also that unique mix of sounds on a film set, the rustling of machines running and people moving slightly.

The atmosphere in the east courtyard was completely different from when the fruit trees had been knocked down.

In the center of the courtyard, Wu Guiling, who plays Zhenyuan Daxian, is dressed in full regalia, with a long beard and an air of otherworldly grace.

But he kept it from everyone.

He was gathering his emotions, and the atmosphere became serious again, but it was a focused seriousness, not the tense one as before.

The entire room fell silent. All cameras were in position, and the lighting was adjusted to be slightly dim, creating an atmosphere of impending doom.

The sound engineer held up the long boom pole, motionless.

"Ready!" Director Yang's voice was short and sharp.

"start!"

Then, Zhenyuan Daxian slowly turned around.

The ethereal aura he had just exuded vanished, replaced by a blank, stunned expression on his face, as if he couldn't comprehend what he was seeing.

The branches and leaves of the "fruit tree" have been carefully crafted to appear withered and destroyed, making it very realistic.

His gaze moved from the tree to the empty courtyard, and then back to the tree.

Then, a profound shock and heartache spread across his face in slow motion.

A slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, a tremor in his pupils, and a slight, involuntary tremor in his long beard without any wind.

He didn't roar immediately, but staggered half a step, reached out his hand, his fingertips hovering above the "broken branches and leaves," wanting to touch them, but then withdrew as if burned by an invisible fire.

Those few deadly seconds were more powerful than any roar.

Finally, he suddenly looked up into the void, as if questioning the heavens. His eyes instantly turned red, filled not with tears, but with the fury of an impending thunderstorm.

An invisible, suffocating aura spread out, and the young actor playing the child next to him subconsciously shrank his neck.

"Okay... hold on..." Director Yang muttered in a breathy voice, staring at the monitor.

Zhou Fangyuan stood on the periphery of the crowd, holding his breath as he watched this scene, and then he recalled the quiet courtyard that Master Liu had pointed out earlier.

On one hand, there is the overwhelming rage of the immortals in the play, and on the other hand, there is the tolerance and guidance of the guardians of the ancient Taoist temple outside the play.

In this ancient temple where twilight was deepening, reality and illusion, noise and tranquility, were so subtly intertwined.

He let out a soft breath, knowing that the upcoming filming finally had a stable foothold.

Zhou Fangyuan didn't disturb them. He saw the prop team members looking worried around the "collapsed" tree trunk model and protective pad.

"Master Han, what's wrong?" he asked as he walked over.

Old Han, the head of the props team, pointed to the ground: "The filming is finished, but these fake tree trunks have to be removed, and these mats have to be taken down as well."

The key is that the special effects dust falling from below must be cleaned up completely, not a single speck can be left, so as not to cause trouble for the palace.

But this thing is so light, it floats away with a single sweep, and I'm afraid it'll make me all dusty and attract attention.

Zhou Fangyuan looked at it and thought for a moment: "We can't sweep it."

"Master Han, do you have a soft cloth? Use a slightly damp soft cloth to gently dab and collect it."

"Yes, yes, then we'll use this method to wrap things up later!" Old Han's eyes lit up, and he immediately ordered someone to fetch it.

With a solution in mind, Zhou Fangyuan finally realized how incredibly thirsty he was.

Zhou Fangyuan walked to the tea barrel, picked up a bowl, tilted his head back, and gulped down the two large bowls of cold tea. Only then was the thirst in his throat slightly quenched.

Turning my head, I saw Teacher Dai Yinglu sitting on a stone bench not far away, writing and drawing on the script in the last rays of the daylight.

He walked over and called out, "Teacher Dai."