Chapter 15: Understanding

On October 30, 2018, Jin Daxia passed away.

Many people had a wuxia dream since childhood—full of heroic spirit, sword in hand, wandering the world, determined to become figures like Linghu Chong, Yang Guo, or Zhang Wuji.

But in the end, many ended up living as Yue Buqun.

Jin Daxia's death made many say:

One man took an entire martial world with him.

Cheng Chen had lived through that Time, and had also felt sorrow at Jin Daxia's passing.

Now Jin Daxia stood right before him, and Cheng Chen couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion—if he hadn't been reborn, he would never have seen Jin Daxia even once.

"Hello, Jin Lao."

"Jin Lao, please stay in the Mainland a while longer."

"Welcome, Jin Lao."

The crew greeted Jin Daxia with joy; many of them had once been his readers.

Not rushing at him like obsessive fans in later years was already restraint from these film industry professionals, yet they still couldn't hide their excitement.

Even Yang Tao dropped his stern expression and smiled warmly as he stepped forward:

"Welcome, Jin Lao, to the set of The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber to guide our work. You've traveled far—tonight, please join us for a simple meal."

Jin Daxia smiled and greeted everyone, then said to Yang Tao:

"Thank you for the invitation, Yang Dao, but I'm flying to Gang Sheng tonight. Let's make plans when you come to Gang Sheng—ha ha! Don't let me delay your work. I'm just here to take a look; carry on."

Jin Daxia's Mandarin was far better than that of some people.

"Understood. Jin Lao, please make yourself at home. I'll get back to work—we'll chat later. I'm your fan, after all."

"No problem, no problem."

Yang Tao walked over to the monitor, put on his headset, and continued directing.

"All right, all cameras ready—action…"

This panicked Gao Yuanyuan, who had hoped Lai Dao's appearance might help Cheng Chen.

After all, Lai Dao was much closer to Cheng Chen than ordinary actors, but now it seemed Lai Dao was only busy chatting with Jin Daxia.

And Cheng Chen? He stood aside, passive and resigned, making Gao Yuanyuan stamp her foot in frustration.

Was Cheng Chen really going to be replaced?

No, Cheng Chen must be kept.

Just as Gao Yuanyuan was about to speak again to plead for Cheng Chen, a voice interrupted:

"Excuse me, Yang Dao, may I venture to say a few words?"

"Huh? Cut! Of course, of course! Welcome, Jin Lao, to offer your suggestions for our The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber crew—ha ha!"

Yang Tao paused, then suddenly realized and laughed warmly.

Jin Daxia smiled and nodded, saying:

"I'll take a bit of your time—please bear with me. I've come all the way to the Mainland; if I don't say something, it feels like I never came."

Hearing Jin Daxia's witty words, everyone laughed and welcomed him warmly.

Jin Lao slowly paced the set, then stopped before Cheng Chen and smiled:

"You're the actor playing Song Qingshu, right? Could you share your understanding of Song Qingshu?"

Looking at Jin Lao's kind face, Cheng Chen, though deeply moved, quickly calmed himself—he had lived two lives—and said:

"Hello, Jin Daxia. This scene focuses on Song Qingshu's relationship with family and love…"

Jin Daxia frowned and said: "No, I mean your overall understanding of the character Song Qingshu—not just this scene."

Cheng Chen adjusted himself and offered an apologetic smile:

"Song Qingshu can be summarized simply: obsessed with a goddess, commits acts that shatter moral boundaries, and ultimately kills his master to become a traitor to his sect.

'Obsessed with a goddess' is the initial subjective trigger in this chain.

Such obsession is normal—Zhang Wuji, as a child, was also obsessed with Zhu Jiuzhen and nearly betrayed Xie Xun.

In Chapter Sixteen of your original The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, you also explained that this behavior is common among 'youth':

Among young men and women in the world,

most have once gone through such a confused, foolish first love, spending day and night for one person, willing to die for them.

But this passion comes quickly and fades quickly; later, when their minds clear, they often laugh silently at their past obsession.

Your words here are the best commentary on Song Qingshu—this character carries a strong sense of tragedy…"

In the vast set, only Cheng Chen's voice spoke, while before him stood the author of the drama, the grandmaster of wuxia novels.

Most people would be too nervous to speak under such pressure, but Cheng Chen was different—he spoke as if he had social confidence beyond measure, explaining his character.

And his memory was extraordinary—he could recite Jin Daxia's exact words from the original text without error.

What did this prove? It proved he had memorized the entire The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, or at the very least, every passage describing Song Qingshu.

Dedicated!

Such courage and memory were truly awe-inspiring.

Jin Daxia listened quietly, occasionally nodding with a smile of approval, occasionally falling into thought.

"That is my full understanding of the character Song Qingshu. If I've made any mistakes, please correct me, Jin Daxia."

Finally, Cheng Chen bowed with a fist salute—completely immersed in the role.

"No problem, no problem. Young hero, excellent oratory."

Jin Daxia laughed heartily and returned the bow with a fist salute.

The old man and the young man's actions and words instantly filled the set with laughter.

Someone glanced at the set decorations and the actors' costumes, and suddenly felt as if they had stepped into the martial world Jin Daxia had so vividly painted.

"Obsessed with a goddess and doing things that break moral boundaries—huh, your wording is quite novel. I heard you were picked up from the bottom as a background extra by Lai Dao? Impressive!"

Jin Daxia glanced around, pausing briefly on Su Youpeng, Jia Jingwen, and Gao Yuanyuan, then said to Lai Shuiqing: "The actors you chose also match my vision."

With that, Jin Daxia threw back his head and laughed heartily, walking toward the exit, muttering under his breath just loud enough for others to hear:

"Looks like I'll have to revise 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber' again when I get back."

Revise 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'?

What did he mean? The crowd was puzzled, but they understood this revision must be connected to Cheng Chen.

Some with quicker minds had already figured it out.

To revise meant it wasn't that nothing could be changed at all.

If 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'—published and best-selling for years—could be revised, why couldn't their current filming of 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber' be altered?

Jin Lao is using his own way to support Cheng Chen.

Yang Tao, as the instructor, naturally understood this too—he stood frozen before the monitor, his face ashen.

Cheng Chen did not bask in pride over Jin Daxia's support; he gazed thoughtfully at Lai Shuiqing, who was seeing Jin Daxia off the set.