Confirming that Gu Tingshen still couldn’t absorb the spiritual energy on the island, Jing Li flew back with him to their hotel room.
He then sent a message to Wang Xiaoning, instructing him to contact the Dark Forest’s leader under the pretext of “Jing Li being dissatisfied with the cooperation terms,” and tell the other party to come over for a face-to-face meeting to negotiate. This was meant to be both a proactive response to the partnership and a test of the leader’s attitude.
Of course, merely probing like this wouldn’t be enough to fully grasp the other party’s information. Ideally, they needed to uncover more secrets about Dark Forest, especially its exact location.
So when instructing Wang Xiaoning, Jing Li also asked him to find a way to investigate Dark Forest’s precise location and the leader’s condition.
Wang Xiaoning, having already understood Jing Li’s intentions when he first approached him, wasn’t surprised by these requests. He immediately agreed and relayed the message to Dark Forest’s leader.
However, upon receiving the message, Dark Forest’s leader refused Jing Li’s demands. Furious at Jing Li’s repeated opposition, he lost his temper in front of Wang Xiaoning and even wanted to kill Jing Li.
However, he still had to consider Gu Tingshen, and given his own unhealed injuries, it wasn’t suitable for him to appear in person. But letting Jing Li go unchecked was also impossible for him, he instructed Wang Xiaoning to stall Jing Li until his condition improved and he could make other plans.
Wang Xiaoning obediently agreed on the surface. He then used the excuse of concern for the leader’s injuries to observe him closely, only stopping when the other party impatiently cut off communication.
The leader’s refusal was actually within Jing Li’s expectations, so he didn’t appear particularly surprised.
Moreover, judging from the other party’s attitude, it seemed his injuries were indeed severe, and his wariness of Gu Tingshen had reached an extreme level.
Jing Li pondered for a moment, then asked Wang Xiaoning to continue gathering information. He then temporarily set aside the Dark Forest matter and focused on continuing the film shoot.
The production schedule for a movie was relatively shorter compared to a TV series. With Director Wen being an experienced filmmaker, the entire shooting process progressed smoothly.
However, with less than two months left until the New Year, time was tight if they wanted to meet the holiday release schedule.
As a result, the entire filming schedule was arranged more tightly, and filming late into the night became a common occurrence.
Meanwhile, Jing Li’s previous Republican-era TV drama began airing amidst much fanfare. It immediately captivated audiences, with countless netizens swooning over Jing Li’s Republican-era costume. Heated discussions erupted online.
“Ahhh! Jing Shao’s Republican-era look is absolutely stunning!!!”
“My commander has stepped out of the novel and come to life!!! Cheering wildly for Jing Shao!!!”
“As expected of my idol, each work refreshes my perception of him!”
“No wonder he is my idol, each of his works always manages to surpass my expectations!”
“My mom asked why I was crying while watching the drama!! Sorry, Jing Shao is just too amazing!”
…
Comments like these were almost everywhere. Many skilled editors even compiled Jing Li’s various uniform looks from the TV series into short video clips, set to electrifying background music, stirring viewers’ blood.
In no time, Jing Li’s Republican-era costume look swept across the entire internet, gaining endless popularity.
Eventually, it was pushed to the top of trending topics, maintaining its high position for several days.
As the TV series gained popularity, Jing Li’s fame exploded once again. His Weibo followers increased at a frenzied pace, his recognition soared, and countless new fans flocked to express their adoration in his latest Weibo post’s comment section.
Every day, endless streams of faith power poured into Jing Li, instantly replenishing his previously depleted spiritual energy and then some.
Grateful for his fans’ love, Jing Li dedicated himself even more to filming during the day. In the evenings, he spent his free time practicing meditation, only stopping after fully absorbing the day’s faith power.
This process often lasted the entire night. However, as a cultivator, Jing Li differed from ordinary people. Even without sleep, his energy remained abundant, appearing even more vibrant than other actors. This led to playful teasing from his familiar co-stars, asking if he had some secret rejuvenation technique.
It added a touch of joy to the otherwise monotonous filming routine.
In this cheerful atmosphere, the production gradually approached its conclusion.
Today marked the final scene.
It depicted the second male lead, a mole planted by the antagonist in the police force, ultimately unable to betray his conscience, comrades, and country. Instead, he revealed the villain’s hideout and layout to the police, assisting them in completely dismantling the criminal organization.
In the end, he sacrificed himself to save the male lead from the antagonist’s gun, forever lying in a pool of blood.
This was the most intense gunfight scene and the most crucial one in the entire film.
Everyone on set stood ready at their positions. At Director Wen’s “Action!”, they sprang into action.
Jing Li, playing the male lead, held a gun and solemnly followed the team into the villain’s hideout. Guided by Hu Li, who played the undercover agent, they infiltrated step by step, silently taking down any guards they encountered along the way, finally reaching the antagonist’s villa entrance.
“Teams One and Two, left. Teams Three and Four, right. The rest, breakthrough with me in the center.” The commander assigned tasks to the team members with hand gestures, then led a group to advance.
As the captain of the third team, Jing Li led his men to flank from the right. Midway, they encountered the main antagonist and the undercover agent Hu Li, who had just come out.
According to the script, Hu Li should only feign slight surprise upon seeing Jing Li’s team arrive, while the other henchmen display shock and panic. Hu Li would then pretend to protect the antagonist and mobilize nearby subordinates to confront the police, actually restricting the villain’s movements to facilitate the police’s capture.
Wang Xiaoning, playing one of the antagonist’s assassins, was among them.
However, upon meeting Jing Li’s gaze, Jing Li clearly saw not just shock on his face, but his pupils constricting slightly, his entire body freezing for a moment.
Though he tried to control it, Jing Li still caught his reaction.
This behavior was clearly unusual, and Jing Li suspected it might be related to the situation with Dark Forest.
However, as they were still filming, Jing Li temporarily suppressed his suspicions. He instead put on a stern expression, raised his gun first to take out a henchman reaching behind his back near the antagonist, then charged towards the villain.
A gunfight erupted instantly, with both sides becoming fiercely engaged.
Inevitably, the antagonist raised his gun at Jing Li. Hu Li intervened, successfully using his body to save Jing Li, sacrificing his own life and sealing the villain’s tragic end.
“Ah Dian!!!”
Jing Li’s eyes widened in shock, staring at Hu Li’s chest as blood poured out. His eyes immediately turned red.
While shooting the antagonist in the chest, he rushed towards Hu Li. His expression was a mix of anguish and desperation, perfectly portraying a policeman facing the loss of a close comrade.
As the battle ended, he cradled his lifeless comrade’s body, weeping in grief.
The surrounding police officers, who had rushed to the scene, were also teary-eyed, removing their hats in remembrance.
The atmosphere on set was incredibly heavy. Almost everyone held their breath, with only Jing Li’s heartfelt, desperate cries audible in the air.
The observing crew members were also affected by Jing Li’s emotions. Their eyes reddened, but fearing to disturb the scene, they silently wiped away their tears.
In this heart-wrenching moment,
“Cut!”
Director Wen’s shout from off-set froze the scene.
With that, the entire film was officially wrapped.
Perhaps due to the intense tragedy of the final scene, instead of erupting in celebratory cheers, everyone present had tears in their eyes, as if unable to shake off the atmosphere.
On the contrary, Hu Li, who had played the dying character, recovered the quickest. He moved among the crowd, lightening the mood and managing to make the atmosphere a bit more lively.
After work, as customary, there was a wrap party. As people slowly recovered, they began helping the crew pack up.
While everyone was busy, Jing Li pulled Wang Xiaoning aside, asking if his earlier strange behavior was due to some development with Dark Forest.
“I’ve found Dark Forest’s base,” Wang Xiaoning revealed, startling Jing Li.
Though Wang Xiaoning had mentioned planting a tracking spell on the leader when he was off guard, Jing Li hadn’t expected results so soon.
“It’s underground in the southwest, at the source of one of China’s dragon veins. It’s one of the few blessed places rich in spiritual energy, surrounded by defensive formations. Easy to defend, hard to attack. It’s an ideal place for recuperation.”
Ignoring Jing Li’s shock, Wang Xiaoning continued, “However, this also increases the difficulty of an assault.”
“Even with its severe injuries and weakened power, breaking through those defensive formations would be extremely challenging.”
“Moreover, its injuries have almost fully healed,” Wang Xiaoning furrowed his brow, then looked gravely at Jing Li. “And there’s more bad news.”
“It just sent me orders to obtain your exact location.”
“I suspect it’s lost patience after months of stalemate and plans to confront you personally.”
“So you need to be very careful in the coming days.”
As Wang Xiaoning finished speaking, he noticed Jing Li’s assistant approaching. He patted Jing Li’s shoulder and walked away.
Jing Li refocused his attention on his assistant. “What is it?”
“Mr. Gu called while you were filming. He said he’s coming to pick you up and asked you to wait for him.”
Jing Li was momentarily stunned, then felt a twinge of worry.
Wang Xiaoning’s warning was still fresh in his mind. If the leader was planning to come, it would be too dangerous for Gu Tingshen to be near him.
Especially since Gu Tingshen currently had no powers.
With this in mind, Jing Li asked his assistant for his phone, intending to call Gu Tingshen and tell him to go home instead.
However, when he called, he was told that Gu Tingshen was already on his way and would arrive at the hotel entrance in just a few minutes.
Surprised by Gu Tingshen’s quick response, Jing Li realized it was too late to change plans. Asking him to leave now would only worry him more. So Jing Li hastily ended the call, informed Director Wen, and hurried towards the hotel to meet Gu Tingshen.
Night fell early in winter. The sky was already completely dark, with dim streetlights casting a yellow glow that blurred the surrounding scenery.
As most of the crew were still on the set, the path was deserted.
Perhaps influenced by Wang Xiaoning’s words, Jing Li felt an eerie stillness in the air as he walked.
This atmosphere heightened his concerns, causing him to quicken his pace as he hurried to the hotel entrance.
In the distance, he spotted a familiar black sedan approaching on the road.
Jing Li’s heart eased slightly, but his steps quickened further. In a few strides, he descended the hotel steps, waiting for the car to approach.
Suddenly, he sensed a disturbance in the air beside him, followed by an immediate surge of killing intent.
Jing Li’s expression turned serious. He quickly gathered his spiritual energy to erect an invisible defense and simultaneously created a barrier around himself.
The next moment, he felt a powerful force strike his defense, deflecting a dark shadow backward.
Undeterred, the attacker immediately launched another assault, even stronger than the first.
Jing Li remained vigilant, continuously gathering his spiritual power to resist the attacks.
In an instant, the two figures became locked in intense combat.
In the car, Gu Tingshen’s expression changed as he saw the situation outside. He quickly stopped the car, got out, and hurried towards Jing Li.
Just then, the dark shadow launched another attack, seemingly more powerful than before.
As the attack was about to land on Jing Li, Gu Tingshen, throwing caution to the wind, dashed forward. He unexpectedly broke through Jing Li’s barrier, embracing him to evade the attack while raising his own hand to deflect it.
However, unlike the previous encounters, this time the shadow’s attack wasn’t neutralized upon contact with Gu Tingshen. Instead, it surged forward, leaving a deep gash on Gu Tingshen’s arm. Blood immediately soaked through his sleeve.
Since we’re down to the less than 10 chapters before KMCF is completed, please help me decide what series to work on next. You can check the poll posted on my kofi page. It is open for everyone, and will be open until July 3.
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