Under the icy blue glow, Su Qingying had beco Ling Xi.
She stood motionless, yet beca the only eye of the storm on the entire film set.
Everyone's attention was silently devoured by her black priestess robe.
Jiang Ci's eyes were tightly shut, his body pinned to the Divine Tree by a prop arrow.
Yet his perception was unnervingly clear.
He could feel the body of the stunt double girl holding his waist trembling uncontrollably.
She was being intimidated by the "Ling Xi" that Su Qingying had now beco, by that oppressive aura of a superior being emanating from the depths of her soul.
In Jiang Ci's mind, the emotional blocking skill was operating efficiently.
The near-death scene just now had been imnsely draining, yet strangely, he now felt the excitent unique to an actor.
He knew Su Qingying was in character.
And she had entered a state far more profound and unfathomable than "A Li."
Behind the monitor, Zhang Mouyi rubbed his hands together excitedly.
This was exactly what he wanted!
The sa actress, the sa face, presenting two completely opposite, even mortal enemy-like auras within just over ten minutes.
This intense sense of rupture was the cruelest manifestation of the word "Destiny."
Jiang Ci's body had to remain rigid while subtly conveying the pain of unconsciousness.
He mobilized his muscle mory, making his body exhibit slight spasms triggered by excruciating pain.
This was a technical skill.
Too much movent would seem fake, breaking the near-death setting.
Too little, and the cara wouldn't capture it.
Finally.
Within the icy blue light and shadow, Su Qingying moved.
She slowly raised her hand, palm facing up, a fragnt of spirit jade that would be added in post-production seemingly suspended in her grasp.
She spoke.
"Take it, return to your present world through the Moon-Patterned Bronze Mirror."
The sentence held no inflection, ethereal, clear and cold, devoid of human emotion.
Yet it sent an inexplicable chill down the spines of everyone present who heard it.
The words carried an invisible force, causing the stunt double holding Jiang Ci to stiffen and turn her head back in shock.
"Cut! Good!"
Zhang Mouyi's voice ca through the walkie-talkie.
"Stunt double, step down. Qingying, get ready. We're shooting your point-of-view shot."
The stunt double girl retreated from Jiang Ci as if granted amnesty.
Now, only Jiang Ci, pinned to the tree, and Su Qingying in the distance remained on set.
The cara moved behind her, preparing to shoot an over-the-shoulder shot.
This ant that next, she would have to act against empty air.
Act out that intense confrontation with "A Li."
Everyone held their breath for her.
This tested an actor's belief in their character to the extre.
Yet Su Qingying seed completely unaware.
She slowly extended her hand towards that void.
Her gaze landed precisely on a spot where, in her mind, a tear-streaked A Li who refused to let go of Ye Chen truly stood.
In the script, A Li shook her head, crying and refusing.
Su Qingying's reaction was flawlessly precise.
She slightly narrowed those eyes made up to appear long and sharp.
It was the most instinctual jealousy of an "ex," seeing a newcor occupy the nest.
This jealousy completely erupted in the next line.
"The one who hurt him, is you."
Her delivery of this line was nothing short of masterful.
The first six words remained flat and narrative, carrying indifference.
But the final word, "you," was suddenly emphasized.
Heart-piercing.
The most vicious of heart-piercing words.
It was also a reminder to that girl from the present world: You are the culprit, you have no right to play the role of a devoted, regretless Guardian here.
Though his eyes were closed, the words clearly reached Jiang Ci's ears as he was pinned to the tree.
Ruthless.
So ruthless.
Truly worthy of the woman who could seal Ye Chen away for a thousand years.
Killing the person, and also piercing their heart.
This knife was thrust accurately and deeply.
[Ding! Heartbreak Value 13 (Source: Clapper Loader Xiao Zhou)]
[Ding! Heartbreak Value 15 (Source: Lighting Assistant Xiao Xue)]
Even the observing crew mbers were starting to contribute to the KPI.
A thought suddenly flashed through Jiang Ci's mind.
Not enough.
The sense of tragedy in this scene could be even stronger.
Ling Xi's motivation was jealousy, but if it was rely jealousy, the character would be too shallow.
She needed a deeper stimulus.
An improvisation not in the script, belonging only to him, Jiang Ci, and Su Qingying at this mont.
And so.
In the silence where everyone on set was stunned by that line.
Jiang Ci's right hand, which hung limply at his side, covered in "bloodstains," suddenly twitched its fingers ever so slightly.
Just once.
Very lightly.
An action from the subconscious, wanting to protect sothing.
Refuting Ling Xi's heart-piercing words.
Behind the monitor.
Zhang Mouyi, who had been sitting steadily, leaned forward.
He stared at the extre close-up of Jiang Ci's hand on the screen, his mouth falling open soundlessly.
This detail wasn't in the script at all!
This was Jiang Ci's own addition!
He was actually using the subconscious of a near-death character to protect the lover who had hurt him!
At this mont, Zhang Mouyi even wanted to rush over and give Jiang Ci a hug.
Su Qingying, of course, saw it too.
As if their hearts were linked, she picked up on Jiang Ci's impromptu addition.
She was facing Jiang Ci's direction.
That twitching detail, without warning, pierced through the icy shell she had constructed for "Ling Xi."
Her body stiffened.
That layer of indifference maintained for a thousand years cracked.
What leaked from the cracks was the imnse grievance and resentnt of a woman, suppressed for a millennium.
Why?
I scattered my soul to seal the demon army, guarding this damned tree for a thousand years.
You've only appeared for three years.
Why is it that you hurt him, yet he still protects you?
This surging emotion made her subsequent performance completely transcend the realm of technique.
She was no longer that detached wandering soul.
She beca a resentful, furious "ex-girlfriend."
Su Qingying's gaze frantically shifted back and forth between the non-existent "A Li" in the void and "Ye Chen" pinned to the tree.
The lighting technician seed divinely inspired.
The main light source was adjusted again. A clear, moon-white beam of light shone down from the side above, precisely splitting Su Qingying's face in two.
One half, shrouded in the massive shadow of the Divine Tree, was the gloom and venom of a wandering soul.
The other half, illuminated by moonlight, still faintly revealed the holy outline of that legendary witch from a thousand years ago.
Two completely opposite emotions appeared simultaneously on her face.
When looking at "Ye Chen," it was the love wanting to rescue him from pain.
And when looking at "A Li," that love instantly transford into a killing intent wanting to utterly destroy this newcor.
The two emotions jumped, intertwined, and tore at each other repeatedly on her face.
Behind the monitor, Zhang Mouyi also couldn't sit still anymore.
He knew one of the most brilliant parts of the entire series was about to arrive.
Su Qingying, facing the empty air, suddenly made her voice icy and urgent.
"After Chi Jie devoured his father's demonic power, he is now absorbing the spiritual energy of the entire Shangdu, even both realms. He will grow stronger and stronger."
"If you don't leave now, once his power reaches its peak, even if you want to return to the present world, you won't be able to."
This was advice.
And also a threat.
But the "A Li" in her imagination still stubbornly shook her head.
That foolish mortal persistence completely ignited the last shred of Ling Xi's rationality.
The jealousy and killing intent in her eyes completely erupted.
She wasted no more words.
Slowly raising her right hand, fingers spread, witch power gathered in her palm.
An action that would be enhanced with dazzling light in post-production.
Behind the monitor, Zhang Mouyi gripped the walkie-talkie tightly.
He squeezed two words from his throat:
"It's coming..."
Su Qingying's hand, aid at the direction of "A Li" in the void, swung down rcilessly and decisively.
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