Under the bright moonlight, Jiuzhaigou’s Pearl Beach Waterfall resembled a silver ribbon. Wire-work steel cables stretched through the damp fir treetops, and a fine mist condensed in the air.
Li Xiang and Luo Feifei were being all lovey-dovey by the waterfall, while on the other side, a few actors were getting chewed out by the director. The stunt double, in particular, was having an off day for some reason and kept messing up.
The director sighed. ’If only everyone were like Luo Feifei,’ he thought. ’She does her own stunts and still performs this well.’
Aside from Luo Feifei, the other actors in the scene—whether they performed themselves or used a stunt double—looked like a complete mess.
No matter how they shot it, they couldn’t achieve the effect the director wanted.
"Director, could it be that your standards are too high?" one of the actors couldn’t help but mutter. In truth, they were trying hard and felt their performance was decent. It was just that acting opposite Luo Feifei today, they were completely overshadowed by her presence, which was why they seemed so "inadequate."
Just then, Luo Feifei walked over with Li Xiang in tow. "Director," she called out, "why not let Li Xiang give it a try? He can be the stunt double."
The director sized Li Xiang up and took a sharp, quiet breath. ’How could I have forgotten about him?’ he thought.
’This guy’s fight scenes are top-notch. Right, even if he isn’t a proper celebrity, just an influencer who sells things on livestreams.’
Of course, the director knew of Li Xiang. Last year’s *The Return of the Condor Heroes Movie Version* had been a massive hit and a box office smash. The investors had supposedly raked in a fortune. Li Xiang’s portrayal of Yin Zhiping was hailed as the most handsome in history, and the martial arts skills he displayed were exceptional. He was a perfect match for Luo Feifei. Otherwise, people online wouldn’t be shipping the "Xiang Ru Feifei" couple.
"I’d welcome you with open arms! It’s just... the pay..." The director was in a bind, unsure how much to offer. Li Xiang wasn’t in the entertainment industry, but he was quite famous.
Offer too little, and he feared Li Xiang would refuse. Offer too much, and the production would lose out, since it was just a small stunt double role.
Luo Feifei looked at Li Xiang.
Li Xiang waved his hand with a smile. "Consider it a friendly cameo. I’ll do it for free. Just don’t blame me if I’m no good." Having scoured the globe and acquired massive amounts of resources, his personal wealth was immense; he couldn’t be bothered with the peanuts a small role like this would offer.
"No blame, of course not! How could we blame you? Thank you so much!" The director stepped forward and shook Li Xiang’s hand enthusiastically.
He then explained the scene to Li Xiang and called over the fight choreographer, asking the renowned industry expert to walk him through the action sequence.
After just one run-through, Li Xiang nodded. "Got it. Why don’t we start right away?" It was getting late, after all. Once this scene was done, everyone could get some rest. Besides, he and Luo Feifei still had ’activities’ planned.
Everyone present watched with bated breath. Some were hoping for a disaster, thinking, ’Does he really think he’s some martial arts superstar? The director wasn’t satisfied after more than a dozen takes. You think you can nail it in one go? You’ll be crying soon enough.’
Li Xiang went to change into his costume. The props department handed him an outfit, but Li Xiang was tall and well-built, and it was a little too small.
"Do you have a spare? Preferably one that looks a bit cooler," Li Xiang said.
The props master thought for a moment. "There’s one that looks especially cool, but it’s a bit heavy. I’m afraid you’ll have a hard time moving in it."
"No problem, bring it over," Li Xiang said, waving his hand nonchalantly.
The props master thought, ’You asked for it. If you get tired wearing it and can’t perform well, don’t you go blaming me.’
Soon, a burly crew member came over, HUFFING AND PUFFING, carrying a set of soft armor. Judging by his struggle, it had to weigh at least fifty or sixty pounds.
Li Xiang took it as if it weighed nothing and quickly put it on. Then, he was fitted with the wire-work harness.
There was no choice; he had to wear the harness. Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain.
At the director’s call of "Action!" Li Xiang moved. Stomping on the wild rhododendrons at the cliff’s edge, he launched himself into the air. The wire-work cables GROANED within the waterfall’s mist as his handsome figure soared into the sky, as lithe as a roaming dragon. He let out a sharp cry, like a thunderclap that made everyone jump. In the same instant, the long saber in his hand flashed like a bolt of white lightning in the moonlight, slashing down at Luo Feifei.
Luo Feifei’s pretty face was a mask of ice, for in this moment, she was the righteous heroine, and the one hunting her was the main villain, the greatest martial artist in the world. They were mortal enemies; there could be no flirtatious glances.
They had to be professional while filming; flirting was to be saved for their private time.
Facing Li Xiang’s furious, storm-like assault, Luo Feifei flicked her Long Sword, sending a shower of colorful petals into the air as she thrust swiftly toward Li Xiang’s throat...
In an instant, there was a flash of saber light and sword shadows. Their movements were impossibly swift, leaving a flurry of afterimages. Everyone watched, completely stunned.
"Holy crap! I feel like I’ve been transported! This isn’t a film set, it’s a real wuxia world!" someone exclaimed in shock.
Everyone deeply agreed. This was just... too damn awesome to watch, wasn’t it?
If you weren’t there in person, you could never experience the thrilling, heart-pounding excitement of the moment.
The director quickly snapped out of his stupor, his face alight with glee as he gestured wildly. "This is the effect I wanted! This is exactly it!"
He couldn’t help but turn to the original stunt double and say, "Why can’t you bring out this kind of intensity? Your moves are limp and sloppy. The difference between you two is like night and day."
The stunt double: "..."
Soon, the fight choreographer’s face darkened. Li Xiang and Luo Feifei weren’t following the designed choreography at all; they were improvising and had changed many of the moves. But just as quickly, the choreographer’s expression turned into a wide grin. The moves Li Xiang and Luo Feifei had improvised were even more stunning, and the resulting fight scene was at least two or three times better than what they had planned.