My Wandering Swordsman

The next morning, the filming grounds for Qing Dynasty dramas at the film studio were already bustling with activity.

After a long wait in line, getting my makeup done, waiting in line again, and trying on clothes, it was almost nine in the morning by the time everything was finally settled.

Hua Hailong, Ma Xiaoliu, and I each had a small braid, wore blue prison uniforms, and had melon-shaped hats on our heads. At first glance, we looked like little eunuchs.

Once the makeup and costume were complete, the production assistant led us through a maze of turns to the outdoor shooting location.

This is an open grassland, with several tents pitched in the distance and a few tall horses tethered there, their purpose unknown.

I have sharp eyes, and I noticed that the person behind the camera had changed today. It was a middle-aged man wearing a baseball cap, and his vest had three large characters printed on the back:

Assistant director.

Well, it seems we're really getting to the main event; the assistant director is personally overseeing the production.

Before I could look around any longer, the assistant came running over with a script folder in hand.

"Ahem—Quiet!"

"Fellow extras, Assistant Director Wang has asked me to give you some pointers on the scene."

This is the important matter. We all quieted down and waited for him to continue.

The assistant cleared her throat:

"Today's play isn't complicated; it's just one scene. The eldest prince, who is also the male lead of this play, leads a hunting expedition outside the palace. The purpose is to highlight His Highness's wise and mighty image. There are quite a few people involved, so everyone should keep their spirits up and try to get it right in one take..."

The assistant gave a long, rambling account of the entire scene.

I'll translate it simply into plain language—

He was just a dog to the eldest prince.

The attire we wore had a specific name in the Qing Dynasty: "Haha Zhuzi," which is a Manchu word meaning attendant.

Our role today is simply to follow the eldest prince's horse, wait for him to successfully hunt, and then retrieve the prey and present it to the prince.

Its functions are exactly the same as a Belgian Malinois...

The assistant had just finished giving instructions and left when an older extra suddenly sighed:

"What bad luck."

I turned my head in confusion and found that several extras around me had expressions on their faces as if they had eaten shit.

I raised an eyebrow, thinking to myself, "Why would an extra be picky about roles? We're asking you to be a dog, not to actually play a dog. What's there to complain about?"

The monk Hua was straightforward, and he leaned closer, asking in a deep voice, "Brother, what's wrong? Is this scene difficult to film?"

The veteran extra looked around and said, "It's not that the filming is difficult, it's just that we have to be extra careful when filming with that prince."

"Be cautious?" The Flower Monk was taken aback.

"This guy, he got the role by paying his way into the production; he bought the lead role. He's incredibly arrogant, acts like a diva, and takes advantage of his martial arts skills to treat us extras..."

Before the words were even finished, Assistant Director Wang was already shouting through a megaphone, "On your marks! Actors, come on stage! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

The veteran extra quickly shut up and jogged towards the center of the field.

The three of us exchanged a glance and quickly followed.

The assistants arranged seats for us one by one, and after waiting for nearly twenty minutes, the so-called male lead, the eldest prince, finally arrived late.

The man was dressed in a bright yellow riding and archery outfit, with a bow and arrow quiver hanging from his waist and deerskin boots on his feet. Judging from his appearance alone, he did indeed have the air of a prince.

Unfortunately, the moment this kid opened his mouth, his aura completely dissipated.

"Wow, so many people are waiting? Sorry, I had a few drinks with some producers last night and overslept."

He said he was sorry, but there was no trace of apology on his face.

He gestured with his lip towards Assistant Director Wang from a distance: "Shall we begin?"

Assistant Director Wang, naturally not daring to neglect his benefactor, proactively stepped forward: "Your Highness, for the first scene, we'll follow the script. For the scene leaving the palace, you'll ride ahead on horseback and say a few lines. Do you remember your lines?"

"I remember, I remember, stop with the nonsense."

"Okay!" Assistant Director Wang stepped back behind the monitor, picked up the walkie-talkie, and said, "Camera ready, script supervisor, tap the clapperboard."

"Scene 5, Shot 1 of 'The Great Qing Dynasty': Action!"

The blower roared and fluttered the flag.

The eldest prince rode his horse leisurely at the head of the procession, while his attendant eunuch shouted in a shrill voice, "The eldest prince is leaving the palace; all other visitors, please give way!"

The prince then reined in his horse, turned to face the camera, and gave a forced smile.

"Today the autumn air is crisp and clear, perfect for riding horses and hunting. You all follow me and watch carefully..."

"Click!"

Assistant Director Wang personally went over to him and patiently explained the scene: "Your Highness, you want to express a sense of high spirits. You can speak a little slower, and your eyes should convey that feeling of looking down on the world. Shall we do it again?"

The eldest prince grew impatient: "I know, I know, hurry up."

It happened again, and it was still the same awful sight.

Assistant Director Wang was a little embarrassed, but out of consideration for the interests of the investors, he gritted his teeth and made the decision: "Okay, that's enough, let's move on to the next shot."

I sighed inwardly.

Is this what they call filming? My grandma reads the newspaper with more emotion than he does.

The next shot shows the hunting process.

The eldest prince was followed by five or six mounted guards, while we "haha beads" followed on our own two legs to the left and right.

At first, things went smoothly. The horse team trotted slowly along the planned route, while the cameraman followed on a motorcycle to film from the side.

After running two laps, the eldest prince probably felt it wasn't enough, so he suddenly squeezed the horse's belly, and the horse, in pain, lurched forward.

He had a blast, but the whole team's rhythm was completely thrown off.

If the camera positions are not good enough, the fill light will not be sufficient.

The ones who suffered the most were us extras. Two legs can't outrun four legs to begin with, and with all this commotion, the horse was running wildly in all directions.

Haha, the beads were so frightened that they scattered in all directions, angry but unable to speak out.

I was also a bit flustered, not only having to watch the road and cooperate with the camera, but also constantly being wary of his horse, for fear of being trampled by its hooves if I wasn't careful.

Oh shit!

I think I understand what the old extra meant earlier. This bastard probably thinks he's some rich and acts like a local tyrant at the theater, not treating us extras like human beings at all.

I glanced at Monk Hua and Liu Zi; both of them had fire burning in their eyes.

The eighteen yuan salary kept us filming.

The next event will be the climax of the hunt.

The eldest prince loosened the reins, casually drew his bow across the grass ahead, moved it left and right twice, and then fired an arrow.

The arrow flew off at an angle and landed in a clump of withered grass a dozen meters away.

Yeah, I understand. The wild rabbits were all added later.

As soon as the arrow was fired, the henchmen, as if possessed, shouted at the top of their lungs, "It hit! It hit! Your Highness's divine arrow, hitting the bullseye every time!"

The eldest prince proudly raised his chin and waved his hand:

"Guards! Step forward and retrieve the prey so that this prince may have a good look at it."

"Yes, sir!"

Several "Haha Beads" darted out happily.

The three of us saw that there really were people willing to be slaves, so we didn't do anything and were happy to have some peace and quiet.

But the eldest prince probably found waiting too boring and his acting urges kicked in again...