Chapter 130: Media Visit

After just one short week, the excitement of starting work had quickly faded for everyone in the production team.

It was already May.

In the north, the weather might still be relatively cool.

But in the south,

summer had arrived early.

The production team consumed several barrels of freshly brewed herbal tea every day; even if actors from other regions weren't used to the taste, they had to force themselves to gulp it down. They had no choice—several people had already suffered from heatstroke during this period.

Because of this, the actors would take a few sips every day before starting work.

"Swish—"

Wu Yu lifted the tent flap and walked into the makeup area. Compared to the stifling heat outside, the feeling inside, with fans blowing, was immediately much more comfortable.

"Brother Luo, the herbal tea is back."

Arriving at a makeup station, she placed a large pot of tea on the table.

She then fixed her gaze on her boss.

At this moment, Li Luo wasn't wearing armor; instead, he had changed into a jade-green patterned robe, looking just like a young master. His entire makeup and styling were basically finished.

"Thanks."

Blowing on the steaming pot, he drank a mouthful of herbal tea without changing his expression.

There is a piece of trivia that isn't exactly "cool."

Cantonese herbal tea.

Actually, it is hot.

"I'm starting to suspect you were raised on medicine."

Tong Lei drank a mouthful of the medicinal soup with a miserable expression, quickly picking up a few pieces of dried tangerine peel to put in her mouth. "With herbal tea this bitter, how can you take a sip every now and then as if you're drinking a beverage?"

Her makeup was very interesting.

A filthy white robe, hair extremely disheveled.

Her face was also made up in a mess, with quite a few faint bruises, giving her a pitiful, delicate beauty after being humiliated.

"You'll get used to it. It's actually about the same as an espresso."

Li Luo put down the pot and looked to the side. "Right, Sixth Junior Brother?"

"That's right."

At the adjacent makeup station, Lin Zhicong smiled with his eyes narrowed.

The fat on his face trembled along with him.

Fatty Cong, the Sixth Junior Brother from *Shaolin Soccer*, had also officially joined the cast these past two days. He played Cheng Yaojin in the show and had quite a few scenes opposite Li Luo.

Shooting outdoor scenes in this weather, this guy had it the hardest.

That body of fat was no joke.

"You should drink more." Li Luo carried his golden maces over to Tong Lei's side and patted her shoulder lightly. "You're likely in for a rough time today. Be careful, and make sure you don't get heatstroke!"

It had only been a week since filming started.

The scenes they were about to shoot were actually quite late in the story.

Li Rongrong fails to assassinate Yang Guang, is miserably humiliated by Yuwen Chengdu, and is then sentenced to be beheaded at the execution ground.

Qin Shubao receives the news.

He brings several brothers from Wagang Fortress to raid the execution ground.

The group successfully rescues Li Rongrong.

During this period, there were very few dialogue-heavy scenes; every day was just fighting, and this state of constant fighting would continue for a while.

For today's scene,

Tong Lei needed to be exposed to the scorching sun.

She thought for a moment, then braced herself and gulped down a few more mouthfuls of herbal tea.

"Li Luo." The tent flap was lifted again, and the producer beckoned to him. "Reporters from the entertainment section of the *Southern Metropolis Daily* have come to visit the set. They've already arrived; hurry out and receive them."

It sounded like a chore.

But in reality, it wasn't.

The other actors in the tent cast envious glances at Li Luo.

The reason was simple.

If you're accompanying the reporters, could they possibly write about someone else when they publish their news piece? Unless there was some deep-seated hatred, no one would do something so hateful.

There was a reason why Li Luo was asked to receive them.

The production team couldn't hold a launch ceremony.

They were already at a disadvantage in terms of publicity and had to win back the buzz through set visits.

Who else in the cast had more buzz than him right now?

Li Luo had no objections; as the lead actor, he had this obligation, and he and this show were tied together—if it prospered, he prospered; if it suffered, he suffered.

He hurried out of the tent.

He ran into a few guys carrying interview equipment and shouldering cameras.

The man was carrying a small camera, his identity self-evident. In front were two women; judging by their positioning, the one with short hair should be the main reporter, and the other was an assistant of some sort.

"Hello."

The female reporter's eyes lit up, and she smiled and extended her hand. "Hello, Li Luo, I'm Sun Qian, a reporter from *Southern Metropolis*."

"Hello to you all, hello Reporter Sun." Li Luo held his two golden maces in his left hand and shook her hand lightly with his right. "Welcome to the *Legend of the Sui and Tang Heroes* set. Thank you for your hard work today!"

The other two didn't lag behind, and they all shook hands and exchanged greetings.

Accepting media visits,

Li Luo already had a certain amount of experience.

After a few moments of small talk, he took them around the set, introducing the status of various stage sets.

Dealing with the media is a skill.

Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.

Some actors, after becoming famous, put on a foul temper.

They act self-righteous.

They think the media is just trying to mooch off them.

They put on all sorts of airs.

Once such a person shows a flaw, the news media they've offended will be like a pack of wolves smelling blood, tearing into them crazily.

After the introductions,

Sun Qian, having collected a large amount of material, was very satisfied.

The group also found a spot to sit down by the side of the set and began a simple exclusive interview.

"Li Luo."

Sun Qian looked at the small notebook in her hand and asked quite directly, "The viewership for *Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre* is very ideal; congratulations on that. Did you anticipate this situation at the time?"

"Yes, and no."

Adjusting the microphone clipped to his collar, Li Luo's expression was serious. "As an actor, I naturally hope the shows I film are loved by the audience."

"But most of the time,"

"how should I put it?"

"I can only focus on the work at hand and strive to film every shot as well as possible."

"Get the job done first, then talk about other things."

"Well said."

Sun Qian agreed with his statement very much and asked again, "You played Zhang Wuji at the time, and now you've switched to Qin Shubao. There's a huge shift in identity; how do you grasp this point?"

After pondering for a moment, Li Luo gave his answer.

The two chatted about the currently airing *Heavenly Sword and Dragon Slaying Sabre* and the *Legend of the Sui and Tang Heroes* currently being filmed.

Those who come to visit the set

never have any very tricky questions.

It's nothing more than talking about their understanding of the characters, asking about the filming situation, or whether they are accustomed to the local climate and diet.

As they chatted, Li Luo also mentioned *Ping Zong Xia Ying* once or twice.

Secretly helping to promote it a bit.

A dozen minutes later, the assistant director's shouting rang out, and the interview came to an end.

"Sorry, sorry."

Li Luo stood up with his golden maces, not forgetting to greet them. "Filming is about to start. Reporter Sun, you all should rest here for a while; try our production team's boxed lunch at noon and see how it is."

"Let me tell you a little inside scoop."

His expression was mysterious, and his eyes blinked rapidly. "I heard there's roast goose leg to eat later."

First curious about what the news was, upon hearing it was roast goose leg, the reporters couldn't help but burst into laughter, nodding repeatedly and saying they definitely had to try it.

Their laughter echoed across the set.

Hearing this commotion, the producer and Li Sipin, who were observing from the side, both showed satisfied expressions.

Being able to coax reporters into being happy is a skill.

Some big-name actors even need to be coaxed into accepting interviews; someone like Li Luo was extremely worry-free.

Not far away, however,

Nie Yuan gripped the silver spear in his hand and poked the ground secretly.

It was true that everyone appeared to be on good terms on the surface.

But it was impossible to say there wasn't a shred of competition in their hearts. In terms of age, he was four years older than Li Luo; in terms of experience, the movies and TV shows he had participated in completely crushed Li Luo, and not just in terms of quantity.

He had even starred in a massive hit like *Wrong Carriage, Right Groom*.

So, with this "back wave" crashing in, Nie Yuan felt a bit unconvinced.

Watching the other's back as he walked toward the set,

he narrowed his eyes.

There hadn't been many scenes together the past few days; today, he wanted to see how this guy performed!

"Director Hu, Martial Arts Director Ma."

Arriving in the middle of the set, Li Luo stopped.

In the center of this red-soil-covered set, square wooden boards were laid out. Li Rongrong would wait here to be beheaded, red and white curtains were pulled up all around, and flags were fluttering.

It looked quite decent.

It was just that there were too few extras.

Adding them all up, there were only twenty or thirty people; there was no helping it.

It wasn't that the production team wanted to save money; they simply couldn't hire extras right now, which led to some large scenes looking very shabby.

"It's like this."

The director pointed to the sky and said to him, "While the temperature hasn't risen yet, I plan to film your fight with Yuwen Chengdu first, and then film the scene where the extras are shot by Wang Bodang in the afternoon."

For the extras, this was very unfair.

But how to put it.

Everyone felt this arrangement was only natural.

"No problem."

Li Luo had no objections.

The three discussed the scenes to be filmed shortly; the next part was mainly fighting, which had to be based on Ma Yucheng's ideas. After listening to his explanation, Li Luo understood what effect the other wanted to achieve.

"Let the stunt doubles rest."

Seeing the martial arts performers not far away wearing clothes similar to his own, Li Luo rejected their good intentions.

Since *Xiao Ao Jianghu*,

as long as the movements weren't too dangerous, he performed them himself.

Now was no exception.

Cutting wildly in front of the camera and only switching to a stunt double when it was time to pose—in his view, that was a bit fake. If he couldn't do those movements, that would be one thing, but he clearly had the ability.

He couldn't accept cutting corners.

"Are you sure?"

Ma Yucheng pointed to the sponge mats on the side. "They look thick, but it hurts just as much if you fall a few times."

He didn't mind.

These movements weren't too dangerous.

If the lead actor was willing to do it himself, the final effect would indeed look better.

"Pain is the point." Li Luo revealed his white teeth and shouldered his golden maces. "If it doesn't hurt, how can it look spirited? Don't worry, Brother Ma, I have absolutely no complaints."

With those words from him,

the two directors, one civil and one martial, said nothing more.

Ma Yucheng thought of the upcoming shot and ran over to ask Zhang Yong, who was hiding in the shade, if he wanted to try it.

The actors on the side were watching.

How could Zhang Yong be embarrassed to say he couldn't do it?

After adjustments,

today's strongest background board began to appear. Tong Lei, wearing a white robe, came to the execution platform and knelt on both knees. The staff used hemp rope to bind her haphazardly to the wooden stake behind her.

As long as there were shots of her today,

she could only stay in this spot to cooperate with the filming, either kneeling or squatting.

Depending on the shot.

"Whew—"

Li Luo snapped his fingers at the prop staff who were about to leave after binding the rope, and pointed to Tong Lei, who was kneeling on the side. "Two prop brothers, please help find some small cushions for her to kneel on."

"Kneeling on the hard wooden board like this is just too uncomfortable."

"Okay."

"Got it, Brother Luo."

The prop men looked at each other and ran hurriedly toward the tent on the side.

Don't look at Tong Lei as barely qualifying as the female lead.

She could also be considered a newcomer and couldn't easily make suggestions. There were plenty of male actors with more scenes than her; if it weren't for Li Luo's words, she would have had to kneel there hard.

"Thank you."

Tong Lei's furrowed brows relaxed, and a smile bloomed on her face.

"What are you thanking me for?"

Li Luo squatted beside her, leaning on his golden maces, and didn't forget to instruct, "If you really can't stand the heat, just say it. Boldly ask for a break; don't feel embarrassed. I've got your back."

"Okay!"

Hearing this, Tong Lei felt a wave of emotion. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

Her role as a background board wasn't easy at all; the execution ground raid scene would likely take a whole day to film.

This meant she would be exposed to the sun for half a day.

The hardship was evident.

But Tong Lei didn't want to call for a break easily. She had the same thought as Li Luo: as long as she performed herself, there would be close-up shots, which were very important for her, as she was about to graduate.

The area was cleared, and filming was soon ready to begin.

Zhang Yong, wearing armor, climbed up the ladder and swallowed hard as he looked at the trampoline below.

He needed to jump from here, land on the trampoline to bounce up, and perform a pouncing move toward Tong Lei, who was bound to the stake in front.

It wasn't high, just a height of two meters or so.

But what if he bounced off-center?

Thinking of this, Zhang Yong gripped the wooden ladder tightly.

It was true that he was the second-greatest hero of Sui and Tang in the show, but outside the show, he was just an ordinary person. Fear was fear, but he had already agreed to it; he couldn't back out in front of everyone.

His subtle expression was caught by Li Luo.

"Actors ready."

"Wait."

This shout made Zhang Yong sway on the ladder, nearly scaring him into a cold sweat.

He looked at Li Luo in confusion.

"Martial Arts Director Ma."

Li Luo pulled Ma Yucheng aside and lowered his voice. "Brother Ma, I have martial arts training, so I'm not afraid, but Zhang Yong is not doing well like this. It's easy for something to go wrong. Let's have him use a stunt double!"

"But he clearly said just now..."

Ma Yucheng turned back to look at Zhang Yong standing on the ladder, his voice trailing off.

Oh well~

He understood what Li Luo meant.

This Yuvencheng is visibly nervous.

Jumping down like this,

let alone completing the move, who knows what kind of situation might arise.

He didn't ask for Zhang Yong's opinion anymore and immediately waved for the stunt double on the side to come over, cleanly and efficiently swapping the person out.

The two whispered to each other and made the decision to change people.

Zhang Yong didn't need to think to know whose idea it was. After climbing down the ladder, he came to Li Luo's side and whispered "Brother Luo." His expression was quite embarrassed, but his eyes were full of gratitude.

"Pat, pat—"

Li Luo didn't speak, but patted the armor on the guy's body hard.

Everyone has a moment of fear. ===== CHAPTER 131 =====