Hong Kong films: Starting from Shaolin Temple

This devastating storm also swept through the "Green Snake" film crew in mainland China at lightning speed.

On set, in the makeshift rest shed, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was almost palpable.

Uncle Da, Wen the Stinky, and Xiao Long, these three "treasures" of Oolong Courtyard, rushed over overnight.

They came not only to visit the set, but also to support and encourage their "boss".

Uncle Da, clutching the crumpled magazine, trembled with rage, his white beard bristling. "Bastards! These shit-eating paparazzi! A frame-up! This is an absolute, blatant frame-up! I, Uncle Da, swear on my honor that our boss is a real man! Even if he went to a brothel, he would only be there to help those fallen women find peace! How could he possibly do such a thing!"

The arrogant Wen, looking utterly disappointed, sidled up to Long Yan, who was resting with his eyes closed, and whispered with winks:

"Senior brother... hey, I'm telling you, this is really unfair! Going to a place that sounds like so much fun, and you just sneak off alone? You could at least take me with you, to help you out and keep watch, right?"

Xiao Long looked at the blurry photo in the magazine, seemingly understanding but not quite, and asked innocently, "Senior Brother Long Yan, this sister isn't as pretty as Sister Xian'er. Why are you hugging her?"

Wang Xian'er sat silently in the corner the whole time, not uttering a word. Her face was somewhat pale, and she bit her lower lip tightly. Her once clear and beautiful eyes were now filled with incredibly complex struggle, pain, and a trace of bitterness that she herself did not want to admit.

Rationally, she trusted Long Yan completely.

She knew that the man who would brave a raging flood on his back to save her could not possibly be the kind of person described in the magazine.

However, emotionally, when she looked at the photos of her beloved being so "intimate" with another glamorous stranger over and over again, an uncontrollable bitterness and jealousy, like countless tiny needles, pierced her heart.

Just then, the curtain of the rest tent was lifted, and Zhang Manyu walked in gracefully.

She was holding the same magazine in her hand. She walked up to Long Yan, slammed the magazine on the table with a "thud," and a very complicated, ambiguous smile appeared on her lips.

"Oh, Master Longyan, I never expected... that you like this kind of woman?" Her voice carried undisguised sarcasm, disappointment, and a hint of heartache that she herself didn't even realize.

"It seems that Xian'er and I both misjudged you. If we had known you preferred a more direct approach, why would you have bothered putting on this innocent act with us?"

She took a deep breath, looked at Long Yan, and her eyes suddenly became incredibly serious yet self-deprecating: "Since that's the case, why don't you have a relationship with me? I promise it will be a hundred times more exciting than the one in the magazine. I can give you anything you want."

These words were like the sharpest knife, piercing Wang Xian'er's heart.

Wang Xian'er suddenly stood up and glared angrily at Zhang Manyu: "Zhang Manyu! You're not allowed to talk about him like that!"

Long Yan remained calm throughout, staring at the magazine as if it were a story unrelated to him. He offered no explanation, only uttering a statement that sounded utterly pale and laughable to those present: "This humble monk went to hunt demonic beasts..."

This explanation drew an even louder sneer from Zhang Manyu. "Hunting demonic beasts? Heh, Master Longyan, your excuse is a bit too... outrageous, isn't it? I don't believe it. Are you going to tell us that the dancer you shared a room with was also a blue-faced, fanged demonic beast in disguise?"

As soon as she finished speaking, a firm, clear voice, tinged with a slight tremor, rang out: "I believe you."

It was Wang Xian'er. She stepped forward and resolutely stood beside Long Yan, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.

Meeting Zhang Manyu's astonished gaze and the skeptical eyes of everyone present, she said clearly, word by word, "I believe every single word he said."

There was no reason, no evidence, only the purest and unconditional trust from the depths of the soul.

Looking at the girl beside him, who, despite being abandoned and questioned by the whole world, still stubbornly chose to stand with him like a tenacious little grass, Long Yan's calm heart was deeply touched.

He turned his head and looked deeply into her eyes. Their eyes met, and a thousand words were unspoken.

Just then, the television in the rest area, which was playing a boring program, suddenly changed its screen and broadcast an urgent news report from Hong Kong.

The news headline reads: "Crackdown on Prostitution! Hong Kong Police, in conjunction with Interpol, successfully dismantle a massive transnational human trafficking and cult-related murder ring operating under the guise of the 'Pearl of the Orient' nightclub!"

In the news footage, the Commissioner of Hong Kong Police Force and Kayama, the captain of the Japanese Special Police Unit, dressed in a formal suit, stand side by side, holding a press conference.

Captain Kayama spoke righteously and highly to the camera about a mysterious citizen, who wished to remain anonymous, saying that the crucial intelligence he provided at a critical moment enabled the police to dismantle this long-standing scourge of Hong Kong.

At the same time, he changed his tone and strongly condemned the despicable act of a certain unscrupulous weekly magazine in Hong Kong that fabricated facts, distorted the truth, and wantonly slandered this unsung hero for the sake of sales, and said that the police would reserve the right to pursue its legal responsibility.

The authorities personally stepped in to refute the rumors, and it was a top-level, internationally coordinated effort.

The entire rest area fell silent instantly. The sarcasm on Zhang Manyu's face froze completely, turning pale and then flushed in a spectacular display.

The arrogant Wen opened his mouth wide and muttered to himself, "Holy crap... Senior brother... you... you're not going to a brothel, you're going undercover to investigate a case!"

Wang Xian'er's face broke into a radiant smile, a smile that seemed to come through her tears, a smile of relief.

She knew then that she hadn't trusted the wrong person.

Chapter 186 Official Clarification! This boastful article is just flattery; Senior Brother has great love for his country!

On television, the joint press conference held by the Hong Kong police and the Monster Special Police Team was like a bombshell, shattering the gloom that had been hanging over Long Yan's head.

The reversal came as swiftly as a tornado.

Inside the rest area, the atmosphere shifted from oppressive and heavy to extremely awkward in an instant.

Zhang Manyu, in particular, stood there, her pretty face flushed red, wishing there was a crack in the ground she could disappear into.

She had just confidently mocked Long Yan's excuse as "outrageous," only to be ruthlessly refuted by the most authoritative official press conference the next second. That feeling was even more stinging than being slapped across the face.

"I... um... I..." She stammered for a long time, wanting to apologize but unable to save face as a movie queen.

In the end, she could only glare fiercely at Long Yan, who remained calm throughout, before fleeing the rest shed as if in a panic.

Uncle Da watched her disheveled figure and spat gloatingly into the air: "Serves you right! Serves you right for not trusting our boss! Now you've been proven wrong, haven't you? You deserve it!"

The arrogant Wen rushed to Long Yan's side with stars in his eyes, hugged his leg, and said with admiration, "Senior brother! You are so handsome! My God! You are simply an idol for all of us young people today! You frequent places of pleasure, but you do it to save the world! What is that called? That is called being in the mud but having your heart turned towards the light! True heroes live in the city, and love knows no bounds!"

His flowery flattery gave everyone present goosebumps.

Long Yan ignored all of this.

His gaze remained tenderly fixed on Wang Xian'er beside him.

He reached out and gently wiped away the tear of joy from the corner of her eye with his slightly rough fingertips.

"Why?" he asked softly.

"Hmm?" Wang Xian'er was a little puzzled.

"Why did you believe me when no one else believed me?" Long Yan's voice carried a hint of curiosity and emotion that he himself was unaware of.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xian'er lowered her head and smiled somewhat shyly.

“I don’t know either,” she said softly. “Maybe it’s just intuition. I always feel that someone like you is like the sun in the sky. Although sometimes it may be obscured by dark clouds, the sun itself will never be polluted.”

“And…” She raised her head, mustered her courage to look Long Yan directly into his eyes, her gaze clear and unwavering, “Even if everyone in the world says you’re wrong, it doesn’t matter. I’ll stay with you and be wrong together.”

This textbook-perfect, heartfelt confession delivered a soul-crushing blow to all the single people present. Uncle Da and Wen, being quite shrewd, covered their eyes and peeked through their fingers.

Long Yan's heart was deeply moved. Looking at the petite yet incredibly brave girl before him, his Buddhist heart, hardened by witnessing too much ugliness in the world, was completely melted at that moment.

Unable to contain his emotions any longer, he stretched out his arms and, amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, gently yet forcefully embraced Wang Xian'er.

"Thank you," he said softly, resting his chin on the top of her head.

This time, there was no acting, no misunderstanding, only two sincere hearts tightly bound together.

This scandal, sparked by a rumor, ended in a highly dramatic way.

Long Yan, however, benefited from this misfortune. After this battle, his image as a "holy monk" was not damaged; on the contrary, with the blessing of "official certification," he became even more lofty, mysterious, and legendary.

Countless fans are going crazy for him, and even the "Green Snake" crew is riding the wave of popularity, already securing its place as the most talked-about film of the year before its release.

But the calming of the storm does not mean the end of the danger.

While everyone was immersed in the joy brought by this "reversal drama," no one knew that in a dark and damp underground laboratory hundreds of kilometers away from the film studio, a middle-aged man wearing a white coat and gold-rimmed glasses, who looked refined and elegant, was looking at the data on dozens of screens in front of him with a smile.

The screens displayed the various energy spectra and data fluctuations recorded when the liquid monster was purified by Long Yan's Buddhist light.

“The Buddha’s light shines everywhere… Interesting, very interesting.” The middle-aged man adjusted his glasses, his eyes flashing with a crazy and fervent light. “This is a high-dimensional energy that completely transcends our existing cognitive system. It is pure, domineering, and has a very strong ‘conceptual erasure’ attribute.”

"Dragon Flame... A human Arhat... Ha, what a perfect experimental subject."

He turned around and looked at the several huge glass jars filled with green culture medium in the center of the laboratory.

The jar contained several biological weapons of various shapes, all exuding an extremely terrifying aura.

"No need to rush." ​​The man stroked the cold glass jar with an almost obsessive gaze, muttering to himself.

"The data isn't enough. Let those useless members of the Beast Special Police Team test your limits for me first. Once we've collected all your combat data and analyzed the source of your power..."

"I will personally present you with a wonderful gift that you will absolutely love. An ultimate gift that will allow us to witness the birth of 'God' together."

He was the one listed as the highest threat level in the files of the Monster Special Police Team.

Chapter 187 Too Immersed in the Role! The Movie Queen Falls in Love

The easing of the scandal allowed the filming of "Green Snake" to continue smoothly.

After going through this ordeal together, Long Yan and Wang Xian'er finally broke through the final barrier in their relationship. Although they still haven't explicitly said "I love you," their natural intimacy and unspoken understanding have forced the entire crew to "eat their fill of dog food" (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection).

For example, during breaks in filming, Wang Xian'er would naturally lean on Long Yan's shoulder for a short rest, and Long Yan would take off his monk's robe and gently cover her with it, his eyes full of tenderness.

Sometimes, the two would even have "disagreements" over a certain plot point in the script.

“I don’t think Green Snake should cry here,” Wang Xian’er said seriously, holding the script. “Although she has feelings for Xu Xian, she is even more jealous of her sister’s ability to have a ‘love’ that she doesn’t understand. So, her feelings at this moment should be resentment and confusion.”

“No.” Long Yan shook his head. “She will cry, but not for Xu Xian, nor for her sister.”

"She was crying for that naive version of herself who didn't know how to love."

"It's a sadness stemming from self-denial."

The two continued their discussion, exchanging words back and forth. The feeling of being evenly matched and understanding each other made director Tsui Hark, who was standing to the side, extremely envious.

"Genius! These two are acting geniuses!" he couldn't help but exclaim. "They have completely lived into the soul of their characters!"

However, while some are happy, others are sad. Zhang Manyu is the one who is most "sorrowful".

Since the "scandal reversal" incident, she has become somewhat taciturn on set. She no longer flirts with Long Yan openly or subtly as before, nor does she "confront" Wang Xian'er. She simply stays quietly in a corner, reading the script or staring blankly out the window. Her lonely and desolate appearance evokes sympathy from those who see her.

Everyone assumed that the proud actress had been hurt in that embarrassing incident, but only she knew that she was truly heartbroken. She belatedly realized that she seemed to have fallen in love with the monk she shouldn't have.

On this day, the crew was filming a scene depicting the inner turmoil of the White Snake and Fahai confronting each other at Jinshan Temple. This scene had no fighting, no special effects, only long philosophical dialogues between the two about "emotion" and "law".

"Fahai, do you really not understand love?" Zhang Manyu (White Snake) looked at Long Yan (Fahai) with a sorrowful yet persistent gaze, dressed in a plain white dress.

"All things in the world arise from the mind. Love is also a law." Long Yan (Fahai) sat cross-legged, his appearance solemn. "However, all things have their limits. Excessive love is attachment. Attachment is a demonic obstacle. It will harm both oneself and others."

"But without love, what difference is there between living for thousands of years and being a withered tree or a stubborn rock?" Zhang Manyu's eyes welled up with tears. "Fahai, do you dare to look me in the eye and tell me, has your heart truly never been moved even a little bit by anyone?"

This line was added by Zhang Manyu herself. She wasn't asking Fahai, but Long Yan. At that moment, it seemed she poured all her grievances, resentment, and the pain of unrequited love into this line.

Her acting skills exploded at that moment; her broken, desperate yet moth-to-a-flame-like courage in her eyes moved everyone present. Even Long Yan felt a slight tremor when he met her gaze, and almost blurted out something.

However, he ultimately restrained himself. He closed his eyes, clasped his hands together, and recited a line that was already in the script:

“Amitabha. Benefactor, you are attached to appearances.”