Chapter 124: Astonishingly Divine, the Seven Fairies Have Claimed Nearly Half

The plot of "Huan Tian Xi Di Qi Xian Nü" is not complicated; it can be summed up in one sentence.

The fairies fall in love, then save the world.

The story is set a million years ago, when the Jade Emperor allied with Wang Mu to defeat the demon king Yin Zhu, who sought to conquer the Three Realms, and sealed him away.

Later, the Jade Emperor and Wang Mu gave birth to seven daughters; as innate deities, though their individual magical power was weak, each inherited a portion of their parents' "goodness," and together, they were naturally capable of suppressing Yin Zhu.

The Jade Emperor, severely wounded in the great battle, eventually passed away, and Wang Mu took control of Heaven.

Yin Zhu had assumed that without the Jade Emperor, he could escape his seal—but found himself still firmly bound.

Until one day, the youngest fairy, Zi Er, fell in love with the mortal Dong Yong; Wang Mu discovered this, stripped her of her immortal bones, and banished her to the mortal realm, causing Yin Zhu to sense his seal weakening.

He then manipulated the unpopular Broom Star, sending him down to interfere with Dong Yong and Zi Er.

Dong Yong and his wife endured hardship; the other sisters could not bear to watch, so they took turns descending to help.

But due to the Broom Star's scheming and a series of coincidences and romantic entanglements, like the Seven Brothers rescuing their grandfather, each one who descended stayed behind—until all seven left Heaven and remained in the mortal world.

Thus, Yin Zhu broke free from his seal, brought chaos to the Three Realms, and even exiled Wang Mu.

Fortunately, the Broom Star defected to the righteous side; Wang Mu and the seven fairies learned Yin Zhu's weakness, joined forces to form the Seven Stars in a Row, and ultimately defeated him.

Wang Mu, changed by the upheaval in the Three Realms and her own experiences on Earth, revised her longstanding prohibition against deities falling in love, amending the Heavenly Laws.

The seven fairies were finally able to live in lasting happiness with their partners—the ending was a grand reunion!

Though the plot is simple, it combines romance and fighting villains, appealing to a broad audience.

Moreover, one main storyline weaves through seven subplots—dispersed yet coherent, with well-placed drama and character conflicts, clear structure and pacing.

The script quality isn't outstanding, but it can still be rated as above average.

At least Seeing Yan Li thought it was better than the original versions of "The Fairy Couple."

Just having Dong Yong and the seven fairies fall in love, suffer mortal oppression, and work together to overcome obstacles grows monotonous.

…

Suzhou Province, Wu City Film City

Besides the usual street scenes and existing buildings at the film city, "Huan Tian Xi Di Qi Xian Nü" specially constructed two new sets here.

Strictly speaking, one was a renovation, the other a new build—these are the two most important and frequently used locations in the entire drama.

Dong Yong's home and Heaven

Put simply, these two places serve as the fairies' two bases—one in Heaven, one on Earth.

After filming began, the crew split into two teams: Meng Ji led one, Chen Yongge led the other, divided by literary and martial scenes, primarily shooting at Dong Yong's home and Heaven.

Huo Siyan became the busiest among the cast.

Sometimes she ran to Dong Yong's home to flirt and cuddle with him; other times she fought celestial soldiers on set or on green screen, or was captured and imprisoned.

Even after wrapping up, she couldn't rest—she had to rehearse dances with Dong Xuan and Li Lin.

The seven fairies have several dance sequences in the drama; even their combat and spellcasting movements incorporate many dance elements, emphasizing beauty and ethereal grace.

After all, they're fairies—close-range brawling would be too crude.

So, except for the second and third sisters, who were given some martial arts moves, the others' fight scenes are nearly identical: graceful, floating with celestial aura, more like dancing.

Using dance as a reference for combat scenes was not only due to plot and setting needs, but also because of the actresses' superior physical conditioning.

The eldest, Li Lin, trained as a sword-and-horse actress; the third, Dong Xuan, studied dance before entering the Beijing Film Academy; the seventh, Huo Siyan, once attended the Beijing Dance Academy.

Shuang Bing isn't a dance graduate, but as a child she was a cultural backbone, skilled in singing and dancing, with a solid foundation; moreover, she has many scenes and considerable combat experience.

Only the fourth, Jiang Xin, and the sixth, Yang Xue, don't dance well.

But one has experience from "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," and the other was cast early, so both took classes and practiced privately—they shouldn't fall behind.

Therefore, after casting was finalized, Seeing Yan Li consulted with Chen Yongge, in charge of martial choreography.

Don't waste this advantage—fight more, and fight beautifully.

This led to the female actors undergoing extra private training and practice after joining the set.

Fortunately, most weren't well-known actors; this role offered a good opportunity, so they were all serious.

Especially Huo Siyan, the lead actress—she never stopped complaining about being tired, but whenever she had time, she rarely missed rehearsal.

It wasn't that Huo Siyan was particularly hardworking or professional; Seeing Yan Li had threatened her: if she didn't perform well, she'd be replaced.

So, if filming progressed too far, replacing her would cost too much—she wouldn't dare slack off.

Now that filming had just begun, replacing her cost almost nothing; terrified of being replaced, she naturally had to perform her best.

Huo Siyan feared being replaced; Dong Xuan viewed the set as her own business—Seeing Yan Li trusted her, so she naturally couldn't let him down, and her attitude was even more positive than Huo Siyan's.

Their enthusiasm forced Li Lin to train along with them.

Otherwise, she'd seem out of touch, risk displeasing Seeing Yan Li and the director, and if rumors spread about her being unprofessional or acting spoiled, it would severely damage her career.

The female actors' diligence also spurred the male actors, especially Seeing Yan Li and Zhou Yi.

Among the male leads, they had the most combat scenes.

The others, except for Wu Jian's Food God, Dong Yong's partner, who swung a few weapons, had no fight scenes at all.

And somewhat darkly humorous: Wu Yue, who played the inventor, is a genuine Wuying-level martial artist, trained since childhood—his skill far surpasses Seeing Yan Li's, who only attended martial arts school for a few years.

Yet in the drama, he has no fight scenes—he plays a helpless inventor.

This wasn't because Seeing Yan Li and the team misjudged him; Wu Yue's appearance really was… ordinary.

Whether as Jin Zha, the Heaven's warrior played by Seeing Yan Li, or as Hei Ying, the cold-faced Constable played by Zhou Yi, he didn't fit either role's image.

But among the male roles without martial action, Wu Yue's inventor, Yu Ri, was the most striking—even slightly outshining the male lead, Dong Yong.

Witty and amusing, his bizarre inventions kept appearing—he was the drama's comic relief, with substantial screen time, second only to Dong Yong among the male leads; calling him "male second lead" isn't inaccurate.

Even if Wu Yue could choose himself, he'd likely pick Yu Ri over Hei Ying, which has fighting but limited scenes.

Though Wu Yue had no fight scenes, Seeing Yan Li didn't waste his talent—he brought him on as martial arts coach and sparring partner for himself and Zhou Yi.

A Wuying-level athlete, far stronger than Seeing Yan Li's old martial arts school teacher—and crucially, free.

One investment, multiple uses — Wu Yue's money was well spent this time.

Wu Yue didn't mind either; he was free anyway, and he wanted to get on good terms with Seeing Yan Li — who knew, maybe Seeing Yan Li would think of him for a project later.

Among the leads of "Huan Tian Xi Di," he didn't envy Pan Yueming, who played the male lead; he envied Zhou Yi.

He'd heard that this guy was Seeing Yan Li's roommate.

Every drama Seeing Yan Li invested in, he brought Zhou Yi along — less than two years after graduation and already a lead. What a great big brother.

If only Wu Yue had a roommate or brother like that, he wouldn't have to scamper around networking and sucking up everywhere.

…

After practicing for the better part of an hour, Seeing Yan Li was fine, but Zhou Yi was getting worn out.

"Bro, why do I feel like your body's better than before?"

Two years together at university, they knew each other pretty well — usually playing soccer, running, working on their physiques, all together.

They were all guys in their twenties; although Seeing Yan Li had trained in martial arts and had a sturdy build, with every aspect of his fitness a bit stronger than theirs, the lead wasn't all that big.

But now he always felt Seeing Yan Li's physical fitness was way better than in college — even his muscles had become more solid and robust.

Take abs, for instance — in college Seeing Yan Li barely had a hint of them, but now the outlines and lines were clear, his shoulders seemed broader and sturdier, his stamina, endurance, and explosive power were all better; Zhou Yi even half-suspected Seeing Yan Li had grown a bit taller.

"Just work out more and you'll be fine."

Seeing Yan Li patted Zhou Yi's somewhat lean shoulders: "Doing things requires a good body. Your bro here sweats day and night — how could my physique not be good?"

This wasn't all that unfair for Seeing Yan Li to say.

After graduation, with all the girls he'd gotten to know, his daily exercise volume was indeed much greater than in college.

Of course, his self-discipline in martial arts training and fitness was also much stronger than in college.

Still, Seeing Yan Li suspected… was even certain the system had played no small part in it.

Even the best software needs hardware to run on!

The system's intelligence-gathering ability was beyond reality, so it probably could easily help improve his physical fitness along the way.

Seeing Yan Li had even gone to the hospital for a checkup just for this — all indicators normal.

Since that was the case, he accepted it calmly; even if the system ignored him, he "couldn't resist."

As for his usual self-disciplined training, Seeing Yan Li felt he couldn't rely entirely on the system for his body — a safety play.

It was also cover; otherwise, eating and sleeping his fill every day would be one thing, but having such solid, sleek muscles on top of it would be a bit unscientific.

Besides, with a good body comes abundant energy — if he didn't burn some off himself, he couldn't sleep well at night.

"I'll give you some good training methods later; give them a try."

Seeing Yan Li's body had grown stronger — he couldn't be certain whether the system had contributed, but it had triggered and provided some training methods that were indeed more efficient and effective.

He was also thinking, when he had time, to organize things and open a gym or something — might do good business.

Seeing Yan Li could actually keep training, but Zhou Yi couldn't, so they packed up and prepared to leave.

Wu Yue volunteered — he'd filmed here before and knew a restaurant inside the studio town that specialized in chicken soup and dumplings and was pretty good.

It was cold, and they'd just had a fair bit of exercise; a late-night snack to fill their bellies would also warm them up.

"Sounds good."

Seeing Yan Li was a foodie, agreed in one breath, and the three of them headed out. Just as they reached the door, a call came in, and Seeing Yan Li stepped aside to take it.

Wu Yue and Zhou Yi waited at the door, and ran into Dong Xuan and the others, who had just finished rehearsing too.

Being in the same group, and all beauties at that, Wu Yue warmly invited the girls to join.

"Never mind, we're too tired today."

"We're not that hungry."

"You guys go ahead, we're heading back."

Huo Siyan had too much going on and was exhausted — she just wanted to go back to her room and sleep, didn't want the hassle; Li Lin was watching her figure and rarely ate late-night snacks; Dong Xuan didn't want too much contact with other men.

Zhou Yi glanced at Dong Xuan, about to give a heads-up, when Seeing Yan Li came back from his call, saw Dong Xuan and the others there, and casually asked.

"You guys done? We're going for a late-night snack — you coming?"

Dong Xuan said crisply: "Going."

Huo Siyan put on a sweet smile: "Sure, I'm actually hungry."

Li Lin glanced at the two of them and said: "If you two are going, me going back alone is pointless too."

Wu Yue: "……"

Even if I'm not as handsome as Seeing Yan Li, and not a producer, you can't be that snobbish………

…

The restaurant wasn't far — a leisurely few minutes' walk and they were there.

No private rooms, so they just ate in the main hall. The studio town had countless crews; celebrities were old hat, and neither the owner nor the other customers were fazed.

"Waiter, we'd like to order."

Wu Yue asked about any dietary restrictions, then called the waiter over to order.

Seeing Yan Li asked for hot water to scald and rinse the tableware. Huo Siyan, wanting to show off, took the tableware from Seeing Yan Li's hands.

"President Yan, let me handle it."

"Sure… I guess."

Seeing Yan Li handed his tableware to Huo Siyan. Zhou Yi shot a glance at Dong Xuan — she said nothing, as if she hadn't noticed.

Once the tableware was done, the food arrived too. This place specialized in chicken soup and dumplings; the chicken soup was ready-made. Huo Siyan stood up again to ladle soup for Seeing Yan Li.

"It's a bit hot, blow on it before you drink."

Huo Siyan considerately handed the soup bowl to Seeing Yan Li. Wu Yue, sitting between the two of them, was very ill at ease and really wanted to swap seats with one of them.

Zhou Yi was even more ill at ease than Wu Yue — he could clearly feel the smile on Dong Xuan's face steadily fading; just during the soup-ladling, she'd already squinted a glance at Huo Siyan three times.

Seeing Yan Li remained calm, sipped the chicken soup, and nodded to Wu Yue: "This soup really is delicious."

"Right? You should try their dumplings later—they're quite distinctive too."

Seeing Yan Li felt eager; he loved wheat-based foods, and buns and dumplings were among his favorite dishes.

But after actually tasting the restaurant's dumplings, he was slightly disappointed—they weren't bad, but didn't suit his palate.

Huo Siyan smiled warmly and chimed in: "Northern dumplings are more authentic. If you like them, one day I'll borrow a stove and make some for you to try."

Seeing Yan Li was surprised: "You can cook?"

Dong Xuan's cooking was mediocre; Qin Lan and Huang Shengyi couldn't cook at all, and Wang Ou had never been heard to cook either. Now, hearing a young actress could cook was quite novel.

"... It's okay."

Huo Siyan felt uneasy—she wasn't really good at cooking either. She'd made dumplings before, but only shaped them; the filling and dough were always prepared by her family.

Her earlier words were just an attempt to flatter Seeing Yan Li, to show off her domestic virtue.

Seeing Yan Li sensed her insincerity, smiled, and didn't press further—but Dong Xuan suddenly took over the conversation.

"Since Siyan's skills are good, we must find a chance to taste them—let's feast our palates."

Huo Siyan: "..."

She didn't dare respond, mumbled a few vague replies, then picked up a dish with her chopsticks and placed it in Li Lin's bowl.

"This dish is tasty, Lin-jie, try some."

Li Lin didn't want late-night snacks, but couldn't refuse her face, so she took a bite and nodded: "Nice."

Huo Siyan, as if granted approval, urged the others to try it, then added two more portions to Seeing Yan Li's bowl.

"Director Yan, please eat more."

This time, Dong Xuan's smile didn't just fade—it had turned distinctly dark. Zhou Yi didn't dare lift his chopsticks, and Seeing Yan Li faintly sensed a chill of hostility.

Yet he calmly ate the dish Huo Siyan had served, nodded in approval—just as Dong Xuan's expression flickered.

Seeing Yan Li reached out with his own chopsticks, picked up a bit of food, and directly held it to Dong Xuan's lips.

"Try this."

Dong Xuan's eyes flickered, glanced at him, opened her mouth, and ate it: "Yes, it's delicious."

Seeing Yan Li continued eating as if nothing had happened. Everyone else, except Zhou Yi—who knew their relationship—stared in shock.

"Huan Tian Xi Di" had only just started filming; Seeing Yan Li was busy with work and reluctant to reveal his private life, so his interactions with Dong Xuan were limited, and he rarely showed affection publicly.

Dong Xuan didn't want to be seen as a favor recipient—even though she was one—and with rumors swirling about Seeing Yan Li, she kept things low-key.

As a result, very few on set knew of their relationship; many who learned they were both from Beidian's 2000 cohort assumed they were just classmates, like Zhou Yi.

Li Lin, though young, had married her university professor shortly after graduation; newlywed and still happily in love.

No matter how handsome or wealthy Seeing Yan Li was, she had no other thoughts—on set, she simply focused on acting.

So even upon learning of Seeing Yan Li and Dong Xuan's close ties, she felt only simple curiosity and surprise.

Huo Siyan, however, felt deeply awkward.

She had always assumed Seeing Yan Li and Li Bingbing were involved, thinking that with Li Bingbing away, she could sneak in—only to discover Dong Xuan was already there.

If you two were together, just say so! I'd have kept my distance. Now I've walked straight into the trap—failed to dig up the dirt, and now Dong Xuan's watching me.

Wu Yue, meanwhile, was awestruck by Seeing Yan Li. Dude was truly incredible.

One moment he's seen returning home with Li Bingbing, the next he's clearly close to Dong Xuan, and now Huo Siyan is fawning over him too.

He's nearly secured half of the Seven Fairies already.

Worse—he's not just juggling multiple women, he's gathering them all into one drama and making them play sisters.

Wu Yue admired Seeing Yan Li utterly, thinking Jin Zha's original role as a mere celestial general was wasted—he should've been rewritten as a love god, entangled in a polyamorous romance with several fairies...

Full and satisfied, Wu Yue stubbornly wrested the bill from Seeing Yan Li's hands, and everyone headed home.

"Huan Tian Xi Di" had reserved two floors of a hotel in the film studio for principal actors and key crew members.

Rooms came in two types: single rooms and twin rooms. Twin rooms, shared by two people, were larger and slightly better equipped; single rooms were quieter but smaller and less well-appointed.

Of course, better options existed—king-size beds and suites—but only senior crew and famous actors could stay in them.

Huo Siyan chose a single room. Back in her room, she felt restless.

She had offended Dong Xuan today and feared Dong Xuan would whisper poison in Seeing Yan Li's ear, getting her replaced.

Only two paths remained!

First: quickly apologize to Dong Xuan, show sincerity, beg for mercy.

Second: go all in—go straight to Seeing Yan Li. Dong Xuan only had power because she leaned on him; if she clung to Seeing Yan Li instead, she'd no longer fear her.

Huo Siyan hesitated little, then decisively chose the second path.

Afraid Seeing Yan Li might already be asleep, she didn't delay—reapplied her makeup, then went straight to his room and rang the doorbell.

As investor and producer of "Huan Tian Xi Di," Seeing Yan Li had spared no expense on himself—he stayed in a top-tier business suite.

After pressing the bell, he waited about one or two minutes before the door opened. Huo Siyan opened her mouth to speak—only to find Dong Xuan standing there.

The latter wore a silk robe, expressionless: "What do you want?"

"..."

Huo Siyan paused for over ten seconds, then forced a sweet, innocent smile: "Sister Xuan, I just went to your room looking for you, but you weren't there, so I dared to disturb you..."

A few minutes later, Seeing Yan Li emerged from the bathroom, towel-drying his hair, and saw Dong Xuan sitting on the sofa reading a magazine.

"What did she say?"

"Hmph. What could she say? She just wilted the moment she saw me."

Dong Xuan still ground her teeth thinking about it. Thank goodness she'd gotten jealous today and came over to Seeing Yan Li's room—otherwise, if she'd stayed away as usual to avoid suspicion, that fox might've stolen his heart.

Thinking of it, she pulled Seeing Yan Li onto the sofa and straddled him to interrogate him.

"If you were alone, would you let her in?"

"Look at you."

Seeing Yan Li hugged Dong Xuan's waist: "She served me food, so I fed you to show my stance; she came to the door, so I told you to open it—I'm more virtuous than Liu Xia Hui, yet you still doubt me, it hurts my heart."

Seeing Yan Li had no intention of messing around in Huan Tian Xi Di.

Rabbits don't eat the grass by their own burrows; he produced projects to make money, not to chase women.

Especially with Dong Xuan on set this time, Seeing Yan Li would never act recklessly.

Though he was lustful, he still had Dong Xuan in his heart—he had to protect her dignity and emotions.

Hearing Seeing Yan Li's words and recalling his earlier behavior, Dong Xuan's anxiety eased slightly; a faint sweetness stirred in her heart. She lowered her head and gently kissed Seeing Yan Li, soft and coquettish.

"So many women are eyeing you—I'm scared."

Watching Hu Siyan, a somewhat famous actress, go to great lengths to please Seeing Yan Li—even knocking on his door at midnight—had deeply unsettled Dong Xuan.

"What's there to fear?"

Seeing Yan Li saw Dong Xuan's unease and smiled to soothe her: "I know why they're after me—my money, my resources, my looks."

"You're different—you only want my looks."

"Pfft."

Dong Xuan couldn't help spitting at him, but then she understood Seeing Yan Li's implication.

Other women wanted too much from him; Dong Xuan, who had been with him since campus, was fundamentally different—he saw that clearly and treated her specially.

Emotions surging inside her, Dong Xuan pressed her face against Seeing Yan Li's chest. He held her close, savoring the warmth and sweetness of the moment.

But soon, the mood began to be ruined.

As his pajama pants were tossed aside, Dong Xuan glared at him with angry eyes—every time they were tender and intimate, Seeing Yan Li soon started stripping her clothes.

Such a mood-killer!

Seeing Yan Li, though unjustified, was defiant: "You chased away a good opportunity—don't you owe me compensation?"

Saying this, he stripped Dong Xuan bare as a little lamb, threw her onto the bed, then transformed into a ravenous wolf, slowly devouring her whole…

————

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(End of Chapter)