Chapter 58: Advanced Preview

May Day in 2000 was far from being a hot release window.

In late April, when Lion Camel Ridge was about to have its preview, most theaters were empty, not even a ghostly shadow could be seen.

But at the Huaxing Cinema in Jingcheng, luxury cars gathered and the place was overcrowded.

The creative team, supportive celebrities, the boss, film critics, interviewing reporters, and lucky audience members who bought preview tickets were all present.

The scene was noisy and filled with joy.

In the largest auditorium of the cinema complex, Jiang Heng led Ding Haifeng, Wu Jing, Lin Zhichong, Zang Jinsheng, Zhao Wenzhuo, Hong Jinbao, Zhu Longguang, Tao Huimin, Jiao Yan Jun and other leading actors, who took the stage in order of their characters, gave a brief introduction, and then moved straight into the preview.

After the auditorium lights dimmed, the big screen first showed the dragon logo, the opening animation of Outstanding Rising Film Company, and then the main feature began.

In a sweeping long shot, across an endless wasteland, an ascetic monk walks with a staff in the sunset's afterglow, while in the distance a cavalry dressed in foreign tribal garb howls toward him.

Most people in the auditorium were stunned by this scene, thinking, isn't this a segment from Lion Camel Ridge?

What's happening with the current plot? Did the staff play the wrong film?

Just as everyone was puzzled, a close-up of the monk appeared—it was Ding Haifeng's role, his brows slightly furrowed as he stood by the roadside.

When the horsemen passed, a Hu rider suddenly slashed with his sword, and a head flew off, blood spraying skyward.

The final shot switched back to a wide view at dusk; the gore was greatly toned down, yet it still startled many.

Whoa, what the damn is this plot?

What's going on? If no explanation comes out soon, we'll start cursing!

Fortunately, the scene shifted; among ruined cliffs, Ding Haifeng sprang up, fine beads of sweat forming on his bright forehead.

Lin Zhichong, playing Zhu Bajie, said, "Master, did you have another nightmare?"

Next to him, Wu Jing's Sun Wukong laughed maliciously, "Master attained enlightenment in his tenth life; the previous nine died untimely. Yet he awakened innate wisdom and can savor each death—what a feeling!"

"Senior brother, Master is so frightened, and you're making light of it!" Zang Jinsheng's Sha Seng protested, then added, "What you think by day appears in dreams by night; the karmic ties of previous lives, Master should let go of them early!"

Tang Seng sighed, "My first life was born during the Tai Kang era of the Jin dynasty; after maturing I lived through the Eight Kings' Rebellion, when Hu tribes ravaged the Central Plains and the Han suffered unspeakable misery. I heard that the West has Buddhist teachings that can resolve grudges and liberate the dead, so I set out westward, but I didn't expect to die by a Hu's sword."

Zhu Bajie hummed, "That's because you didn't meet old Zhu. If I had protected Master then, no matter how many bandits, they'd have been wiped out!"

Tang Seng continued, "Later, during the reconstruction, I never wanted to live through endless chaotic eras where the people suffered unbearably, as if trapped in a ghostly maze. I grew ever more eager to go to the Western Heaven to ask the Buddha why, if all beings are equal, the world still has ranks of nobility and lowliness. He says he wishes to save all beings, yet why do people live in such hardship and pain?"

Sun Wukong sneered, "The Great Tang is prosperous and stable; you don't even properly serve as a high monk, blaming past lives for seeking the Dharma? And you drag us into suffering, huh!"

Tang Seng fell silent, and Zhu Bajie tried to smooth things over, "Hey, aren't we all bearing sins? If we meet the Buddha, our sins will be erased and we'll attain true fruit!"

Sun Wukong turned his head to the sky, while Zhu Bajie, laughing, said, "Brother Monkey, when you were the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, you were so imposing. Yet during those five hundred years trapped in the Five Elements Mountain, not a single soul came to see you. If you can't go west, you'll be a despised monster for all your reincarnations!"

Sun Wukong clenched his fist, his expression somewhat fierce, "Being a monster isn't so bad!"

Sha Seng said, "Senior brother, stop speaking rashly; if one can attain true fruit, who would willingly become a demon? Let's stay focused and think about how to hurry, for the nearer we get to the Spirit Mountain, the fiercer the demons we encounter become!"

Tang Seng suddenly said, "Wukong, among us you're the most capable; if we truly face an insurmountable obstacle, go to the Western Heaven and ask a question for me!"

Sun Wukong still stared at the sky, humming, "Ask yourself; I won't pass on any last words!"

Then the camera panned upward, slowly moving to the sky, where three large characters—Lion Camel Ridge—appeared on the screen.

A lyrical, mournful score began, using "Tomorrow" from Great Sage Returns, paired with scenes of Tang Seng and his disciples trekking over mountains and enduring hardships, fitting perfectly.

Everyone in the auditorium thought the music was awesome, though no one knew who composed it.

Most critics focused on the disciples' lines; this change altered the theme entirely, making them even more eager for the upcoming plot.

The four masters and disciples arrived at a city, where the city gates were bustling with noisy crowds, extraordinarily lively.

Sun Wukong sniffed, then suddenly said, "Something smells off!"

Zhu Bajie replied, "Ah, maybe the townsfolk never bathe, you're just being paranoid!"

Riding his horse, Tang Seng suddenly called, "Wukong!"

Sun Wukong's expression turned understanding; he stepped forward, his eyes emitting two faint yellow beams that swept the crowd at the gate, revealing they were ordinary people.

"All clear, Master!"

Tang Seng nodded slightly, and the party queued into the city, where the gate's upper lintel boldly read Lion Camel Kingdom!

"Weren't all the Lion Camel Kingdom's citizens eaten by three monsters?"

"Yeah!"

"How can there still be any citizens?"

"So many adaptations!" the audience in the auditorium kept discussing.

On the screen, the city was filled with Buddha statues, and the people greeted each other with clasped hands.

Riding his horse, Tang Seng couldn't help but say, "I didn't expect it to be a nation flourishing in Buddhism!"

Zhu Bajie beamed, "Great, the people revere Buddhism, they'll surely offer us vegetarian meals!"

As the sunset approached, the four entered an inn within the city.

They entered a room, ordered vegetarian fare, and shortly a waiter brought the food.

Zhu Bajie couldn't wait, lifted his bowl and ate.

Just then, as the sun fully set, the waiter on the stairs suddenly became ethereal.

Inside the room, Wukong wore a shocked expression, sniffed, his brows tightening further.

Looking at the table, the dishes had turned into rotting meat infested with snakes and insects, stinking to the heavens.

"Bad, it's a ghost town!"

Beside him, Zhu Bajie had already thrown his bowl down, leaned against the wall and vomited wildly.

Ding Haifeng's Tang Seng wore a resolute expression, his body still trembling slightly, "How could this be?"

Sun Wukong's brows furrowed, his expression fierce, "It's a high-level Buddhist master who slaughtered an entire city's populace; his Buddhist aura is so strong, and with so many Buddha statues in the city, they suppress resentment by day, even fooling my fiery eyes."

Tang Seng's face was horrified, "How could an entire city's people be like this?"

Sha Seng shouted, "Master, senior brother, stop saying that, the horde of wandering souls is rising!"

He immediately pushed open the window and saw countless semi‑ethereal evil spirits, helmets and armor clanking, wielding cleavers flying toward them, like the chaotic ghosts in the movie 'Kung Fu' playing a distant piano.

In 2000, before Kung Fu was even released, mainland audiences had never seen such a famous scene; they all stared agape.

(End of chapter)