Chapter 484

The line "Add more money" triggered an discordant burst of laughter in the theater.

The previously serious, even heavy atmosphere gained a touch of levity—this character had become far more vivid thanks to Zhou Yiwei's masterful performance.

It also added numerous highlights to the film!

This scene is a classic example of humorous satire: speaking of deep brotherly bonds while simultaneously demanding extra payment—a quintessential contrast.

The film's success and its status as a classic stem from how ordinary people can never escape their faint yet inescapable fate—they remain pawns of the powerful.

Just like in real life, some people are always plagued by misfortune.

Zhou Yiwei was watching this film too; he never expected that his improvised line would become a source of audience laughter.

As long as it stirs emotion, the character he portrayed is a success.

He just didn't know he would become a sensation because of that single line.

The big screen continued to play the film.

The three brothers sensed danger and decided to flee the city separately the next day, heading for Jiangnan.

Shen Lian also planned to take Zhou Miaotong with him, but she remained fixated on her lover and demanded he rescue him from Zhaoyu.

That was the very man Shen Lian had sent inside.

This scene made some viewers grit their teeth—still so much trouble even as death looms, cursing Shen Lian as a fool; with such power, how could he not find any other woman? Yet Shen Lian still went—and found the lover already broken by torture; unable to save him, Shen Lian gave him a merciful death.

When Zhou Miaotong heard the news, her heart turned to ashes.

At that moment, assassins from Jiaofangsi ambushed them; Shen Lian's fury erupted, his Xiu Chun Dao slashing with overwhelming force toward their openings.

In an instant, blood sprayed everywhere, corpses littered the ground.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Jingzhong appeared silently, spear in hand.

Standing with spear raised, he declared coldly: "Why didn't you kill Wei Zhongxian?"

"To survive," Shen Lian said.

"I think you're seeking death," Zhao Jingzhong snarled.

"Eunuch, you've revealed yourself," Shen Lian said.

"So what? As long as I kill all three of you, tomorrow morning I'll still be the Director of the Eastern Depot," Zhao Jingzhong said, expressionless.

Hearing this, Shen Lian lunged forward—but after the prior battle, he was now at his last strength.

Zhao Jingzhong's spear moved like a coiling dragon, his skill formidable; within mere strikes, he drove Shen Lian into desperate peril.

They stabbed at each other through windows and doors, but Zhao Jingzhong, cunning and treacherous, realizing he could never reach Shen Lian, suddenly thrust his spear at Zhou Miaotong.

In the critical moment, Shen Lian threw his body in front of Zhou Miaotong, taking the spear through his shoulder—blood gushed out!

"Ah!"

A female audience member gasped, then clapped her hand over her mouth—this scene was too thrilling and intense.

More viewers fixed their eyes on the big screen, utterly absorbed, because the film was nearing its end—the most gripping part.

On the big screen, Shen Lian, enduring excruciating pain, slammed Zhao Jingzhong down the stairs, knocking him unconscious.

Seizing the moment, he picked up Zhou Miaotong and fled.

On a snowy night, in a narrow alley, Shen Lian was drenched in blood, his back bearing Zhou Miaotong, clad in red.

Black armor, red robes, white snow—this image was beautiful and romantic, yet left viewers heavy with silent sorrow, unable to speak.

Their relationship was a cursed bond: because Shen Lian had once arrested Zhou Miaotong's father, she harbored hatred.

She believed him to be her father's killer, but Shen Lian had merely followed orders, powerless to refuse.

On the other side, the eldest brother Lu Jianxing donned his captain's uniform; unwilling to let his brothers live as fugitives, he chose to take all blame and surrender himself.

At the same time, the youngest brother Jin Yichuan was locked in combat with Ding Xiu.

Ding Xiu appeared holding a girl, revealing his bare leg, and tossed her into Jin Yichuan's arms.

"You've got good taste—this girl is smooth!"

This was another of Ding Xiu's famous lines, but this time the audience didn't laugh—they felt heartbroken.

They felt Ding Xiu was cruel, harming such a good girl.

On the big screen, Jin Yichuan, consumed by rage, launched a sudden attack on Ding Xiu despite knowing he was outmatched, striking without pause—leaving Ding Xiu stunned.

This was another exhilarating fight scene.

Finally, Ding Xiu spun and unleashed a powerful strike; Jin Yichuan's twin blades were knocked from his hands, and he collapsed to the ground, barely breathing, eyes filled with despair.

Ding Xiu looked down at his brother and admitted he hadn't killed the girl—she was still pure.

This eased the audience's breath—they realized he wasn't entirely evil; viewers felt both love and hatred toward him.

On the big screen, Ding Xiu pressed his blade against his brother's chest, ready to end it all—but he looked up at the night sky, letting snowflakes land on his face, and hesitated.

"If I truly kill you, I'll be the only one left in this world."

Unable to bring himself to kill, he finally lowered his blade.

At that moment, two musketeers ambushed from afar; seeing this, Jin Yichuan shoved Ding Xiu aside and took two bullets for his brother, dying instantly.

How to explain this? It feels awkward—earlier he fought desperately to kill his brother, now he saves him.

It's a movie—it can't be perfect. It must serve the plot. As long as the final story achieves its goal, that's enough. Anyway, the film is deeply oppressive to watch, but the fight scenes are exhilarating.

On the big screen, Zhao Jingzhong, realizing his plot had been exposed, killed Wei Zhongxian and prepared to defect to the Jin.

Shen Lian arrived at the clinic, saw the body of his youngest brother Jin Yichuan, and knelt beside it, weeping: "Second brother was wrong. Second brother regrets it."

If he had killed Wei Zhongxian back then, none of this would have happened.

The eldest brother took the blame and was beheaded; the youngest brother was shot dead—everything was for nothing.

There's a profound sense of helplessness here—there's nothing to be done. This is the tragedy of ordinary people: no matter how hard they strive, they can never escape that vast net of fate.

With most of Wei Zhongxian's followers purged and no further disturbances, Chongzhen decided to downplay the matter.

Shen Lian survived and could finally go to Jiangnan for a better life—but could he ever find peace? Certainly not.

So he decided to team up with Ding Xiu to ambush Zhao Jingzhong, intercepting him at the grassland border.

"Ding Xiu feels so complicated, don't you think? If you say he's good, he's actually terrible—he keeps hounding his junior for money, like a greedy little man, and now he's joining Shen Lian to kill Zhao Jingzhong. I just don't get this guy." Liu Tianxian couldn't help voicing this question, whispering to Fang Hong.

"Actually, he has feelings for his junior. Think carefully—every time Ding Xiu faces off against his junior, he never strikes to kill."

"But when Zhao Jingzhong found him, and heard the man intended to kill his junior, his first reaction was shock, and only afterward did he demand more money."

Fang Hong tilted his head and whispered again: "Think about it—even if Ding Xiu didn't take this job, wouldn't Zhao Jingzhong just hire another assassin? And with his junior's tubercular body and weak martial skill, could he possibly survive any other assassin? Wouldn't he just die at another's hands? So by taking this job, Ding Xiu can play around with his junior while keeping him alive—but Ding Xiu never expected Zhao Jingzhong had a backup plan, and he never imagined his junior would sacrifice himself to save Ding Xiu's life."

"When someone you love—your closest kin, your brother—is killed, how could Ding Xiu ever let Zhao Jingzhong live?"

Hearing this analysis, Liu Tianxian felt it made sense—this film needed careful reflection; she'd watch it again later.

"The Principal is right. That's exactly how I interpreted it at the time," Zhou Yiwei said suddenly, leaning forward from his seat behind them.

Liu Tianxian startled, turning to look at him: "Were you eavesdropping on us?"

"Hehehe." Zhou Yiwei scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

He'd overheard the Principal analyzing his character and couldn't help listening a few moments—he thought the interpretation was profoundly clear.

"Then tell me," Liu Tianxian asked him, "why do you keep hounding your junior for money?"

"Because he's lonely. This character is terribly lonely—he has only his junior as family. If he doesn't cling to him, he has nowhere else to go," Zhou Yiwei replied.

Hearing this, Liu Tianxian fell into thought.

"There's another interpretation: protecting his junior, forcing him to leave the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The Embroidered Uniform Guard is an organization full of scheming and power struggles—staying in it is extremely dangerous. So he uses constant blackmail as protection—even if his secrets are exposed, he avoids punishment." Zhou Yiwei added again.

Liu Tianxian said nothing, but carefully considered his interpretation of the character—it also made sense for Ding Xiu's psychology.

Because he was lonely, he clung to his junior; because he wanted to protect him, he played the villain. His true feelings were reserved for his junior—this was real affection.

Thinking of this, Liu Tianxian shivered with unease!

Fang Hong remained silent beside her. The actor himself revealing his insights helped her understand the complex character.

The big screen still played on—this fight scene was the sixth most spectacular in the entire film, and also the final one.

In the end, Shen Lian drove a Xiu Chun Dao deep into Zhao Jingzhong's body.

It's a bit melodramatic, but there's no help—it was the director's choice.

After killing all enemies, the sun set behind the horizon; a flock of geese flew across the sky, and two horses with two riders appeared in the frame.

"Head south through the pass, go to Suzhou. Once inside Suzhou city, find Qijia Lane. The second courtyard at the lane's entrance—your Zhou Miaotong and that girl surnamed Zhang are both there."

The film ends.

Even now, the audience in the theater remained silent, unable to calm down—this film had been so intensely gripping, their hearts pounding, their breath held throughout.

Fortunately, the ending was relatively perfect.

It just made Shen Lian look too good—one man with two women.

As the credits rolled, Fang Hong turned to Liu Tianxian: "Was it good?"

"It was amazing—absolutely amazing. After the old-school kung fu stars faded, to see a martial arts film with this much sincerity is truly surprising," Liu Tianxian sighed, returning from her thoughts.

Such a film hadn't been seen in many years since Jet Li partially retired.

The fights were clean, sharp, and free of unnecessary fluff; the characters were rich, each with distinct personalities and goals, and their motivations all made sense—it was rare indeed.

After all, trash films dominate now! "Clap! Clap! Clap!"

The theater erupted in enthusiastic applause. Though the plot had minor flaws, it was undeniably a rare gem of a film.

Simply because no such martial arts film in years had shown such sincerity in costume, makeup, and set design.

Worth every ticket. Not a waste of time.

The creators—Lu Yang, Xie Miao, Zhou Yiwei, Nazha, Wang Qianyuan, and others—walked to the front, bowing to the audience in gratitude, their faces glowing with joy.

Clearly, their film had succeeded.

Many actors hadn't shown up—for instance, Jin Shijie, who played Wei Zhongxian, wasn't there.

This man, so old, still active on screen, appearing in so many films and TV dramas, simply because he needed money.

Someone once asked him: "Would you kneel for two million?"

He answered: "Not just two million—even two hundred yuan would do."

(End of Chapter)