Chapter 50

Chapter 50

The footage on this tape lasted roughly two minutes, with no clear beginning or end to the story. Director Wang was highly dissatisfied and criticized it harshly.

The following clip was slightly more substantial. At least the setting was more complex than the first, transitioning from barren land to a lush, forested area. A black, ghostly head appeared on screen, swaying wildly as it ran frenziedly. This time, there was dialogue as well – it let out a shrill roar while running forward.

The director commented, "Is he just running by himself? What's the reason? It makes no sense!"

With the third tape, a semblance of logic emerged. A girl fell into the water, only to have her ankle entangled by a water ghost's long hair, pulling her relentlessly downward.

The director remained dissatisfied, expressing deep concern: "Ah! With such a simplistic plot, horror films also require abundant content, just like commercial films. A main storyline, subplots, and romantic relationships – all are indispensable. This kind of dull content won't appeal to the audience."

Sure enough, the subsequent footage on the disc revealed additional elements—the pitch-black ghost head unexpectedly embarks on a romance! There were even kissing scenes!

As the director watched the two ghostly figures on the screen kissing with an intoxicating passion, he slammed his fist on the table and yelled, "This is disgustingly ugly! What kind of trash are we filming?!"

The crowd, who had more or less grasped the issue at hand, fell silent: "..."

Wei Xi might be the only one enjoying the scene with rapt attention, but even his view was suddenly blocked. He brushed away his second disciple's hand covering his face. Before he could return to the movie plot, an intolerant Taoist priest stood up and said to Qiu Guokai, "Mr. Qiu, would you mind taking your film crew out for a moment? My fellow Taoist friends and I have some matters to discuss."

Qiu Guokai also found the films terrible, but upon hearing this, he cooperatively led the head director and the rest of the crew out of the meeting room. The moment the door closed, the expressions of those inside instantly turned grave.

At the same time, the projection on the screen froze. The male ghost in the frame released his grip, and the female lead, who had just been passionately kissing him, vanished without a trace. He turned his head, his face devoid of emotion as he stared at everything beyond the projection screen.

The scene was eerily surreal, making Lu Wenqing tremble with fear. The Taoist apprentice, Unity Yi, who was pressed against him, also felt uneasy. "M-Master... It's like it can see us..."

His master was still absorbed in replaying the previous scene in his mind and didn't respond. Instead, his junior apprentice spoke up solemnly, "You're not mistaken."

Unity Yi: "W-What?!"

There was actually a ghost in the movie? Holy moly, watching a horror film could actually reveal a real ghost – this was like a contemporary urban legend!

As soon as he finished speaking, the other Taoists in the meeting room had exchanged glances and, in unison, prepared to form a battle formation. They affixed eye-opening charms to themselves and raised their magical artifacts, facing the screen.

Given that the ghost could manifest physically, it was clear that it wouldn't be an easy opponent to deal with.

With the battle formation set, the ghost in the scene seemed to understand their intentions. A sudden burst of chilling wind swept through the room, and it let out a shrill cry of rage, "Mind your own business!"

It then lunged out of the screen to engage the Taoist masters in combat.

It possessed immense strength, an ethereal form, and a terrifying resentment, making it a formidable opponent. The Daoist masters immediately gathered in defense, brandishing their peach wood swords, Seven Treasure Swords, and exorcism swords to showcase their supernatural powers. Only the Taicang Sect stood idle with empty hands. Unity Righteousness looked around, feeling out of place, so he fished out a few wooden swords from his backpack and handed them to his master and junior apprentice brother.

Unity Righteousness: "Master, should we charge as well?"

Wei Xi held the sword with little enthusiasm. He could tell this wasn't an evil spirit but a troubled soul. With a sudden surge of compassion, he said, "No need. It seems to have made a decent film. I'll let it go."

Unity Righteousness: "?"

Shuo Zong: "..."

The old Daoist master from Zhi Mi Guan nearby: "???"

It was unclear whether the question marks were for sparing the soul or the commendation of the film.

The ghost, despite its bravery, was outnumbered and eventually found itself lacking in strength. It clawed at the old Daoist master's shoulder from Zhi Mi Guan, realizing that these Daoists wouldn't be easy to deal with. Fearing defeat, it caught sight of the isolated Taicang Sect in a corner and turned to attack them.

Wei Xi remained motionless, even appearing delighted. "Hey? It came to us? Apprentices! Dinner is served!"

Shuo Zong: "..."

The injured Daoist Priest Zhi Mi from the Zhi Mi Temple held his wounded shoulder, witnessing this scene. He thought that the Tai Cang Sect members had been stunned by fear. Recalling Wei Xi's earlier suggestion to let the ghosts go, he couldn't help frowning and inwardly scolding, "What business does such a tiny temple have here?"

While in the hall earlier, he had overheard some details about the Tai Cang Sect and found them unreliable. Now, as he took a closer look, he was even more frustrated. He had practiced in the Zhi Mi Temple for decades, inheriting a blessed sword passed down through generations. With it, he could slay demons and spirits, hence daring to roam the world. But these people from the small temple carried unblessed wooden swords!

What was the difference between an unblessed wooden sword and a child's plaything? ! Did they treat exorcism rituals like a game?

Fuming, he didn't know what to say. At the same time, Kuang Zhiming and Daoist Priest Feng from Feng Nian Temple also noticed the change in battle dynamics. Turning their heads, they saw the ghost already rushing at Wei Xi, causing them to rush forward in alarm, "Daoist Priest Wei!"

Just as they cried out, they saw a delighted expression on Wei Xi's face. Without using his sword, he casually extended one hand—

Grabbing the charging ghost by the neck and ruthlessly slamming it into the ground!

The ghost let out a chicken-like scream of agony before Wei Xi caught its ankle and began violently thrashing it against the ground and walls like a jump rope.

Wei Xi heard their shouting too. As he struck, he turned his head, "What's wrong?"

In his grasp, the ghost repeatedly dissipated under the blows. It was also being blindly stabbed by Unity Yi, who was waving the peach wood sword around. The ghost could only raise its hands helplessly on the ground. Kuang Zhiming and Daoist Priest Feng silently stopped in their tracks. Feng was dumbfounded, while Kuang felt a sense of familiarity watching this scene...

Daoist Priest Zhi Mi from the Zhi Mi Temple was utterly bewildered by this absurdity.

Wei Xi leaped onto the dazed ghost, immediately starting to tug at its head while calling out to his disciples, "Come and eat!"

Shuo Zong glanced at the silent crowd nearby and hurriedly reached out to stop him. The ghost, having heard Wei Xi's words, felt its neck being pulled and was terrified to the point of almost losing its wits, "No, no, no!"

Wei Xi was ravenously hungry and, knowing that it wasn't a malevolent ghost, racked his brains for an excuse, "You harbored evil intentions, transformed into an apparition, disturbed the film director, and attempted to harm people. Even though the movie turned out well, it still goes against the natural order!"

Anything that goes against the natural order can be eaten!

"I didn't do it!!!" The ghost was practically weeping, "I, I, I, how could I have such audacity to harm people? I only saw that they were filming a ghost movie here and wanted to try out for a role!!!"

The crowd: ".................."

******

As its head was being pulled longer and longer, the ghost's fighting spirit dwindled. Wei Xi, fearing more excuses, was eager to devour it, almost slipping past Shuo Zong's grasp, causing the situation to become chaotic.

Just as he was about to bite down, the jade pendant that he always wore around his chest suddenly started to heat up, restoring his sense of reason and freeing him from the grip of hunger.

When he regained his composure, he found that everyone in the room, including his disciples, had rather complicated expressions on their faces.

After a while, he could only reluctantly let go and sit aside, silently rubbing the jade pendant in his clothes.

Wei Dedao...

His mood shifted quickly, appearing much more subdued than usual, bordering on gloominess.

Shuo Zong, watching his expression from the side, also furrowed his brows slightly.

The other Taoist masters present didn't know what to say. They could only ignore the group from Taicang Sect and take the menacing ghost aside for questioning, since they had just fought with each other.

The ghost sounded aggrieved as it was questioned, "Why are you asking me why I attacked you? You were the ones who interrupted my audition and then set up an array to fight me. How can the villain be the one to complain first?!"

"An... audition," the Taoist masters replied. "You were relentlessly pursuing Director Wang, sticking by his side. Were you really not trying to harm him?"

"How could I! He's my idol!" the ghost said. "I don't have time to hurt him; I'm busy protecting him! Hiding in that CD was so I could showcase my acting skills during the audition and move him!"

Everyone was instantly defeated by its line of reasoning. "What could you possibly be auditioning for..."

The ghost felt disrespected. "Isn't he making a ghost movie? I have a life and experiences. I can even write scripts. My acting is way better than those lousy actors in the crew. That female lead flubbed her lines ten times and still blamed others melodramatically. If she can do it, why can't I? I wouldn't even need wires – I'd get it right in one take. Why shouldn't I fight for a chance?"

Upon hearing this, it actually sounded quite reasonable.

But Unity Yi found it suspicious. "If all you wanted was a chance, then why disrupt the daily filming of the crew?"

The ghost denied, "I didn't, I didn't! Don't put the blame on me!"

Unity Yi pressed, "Didn't you chase away the extras? And what about the torn costumes?"

The ghost protested, "Am I crazy? Why would I tear their clothes? They're such nice clothes; I treasure them dearly. I even tried them on secretly when we were at the film studio."

He blushed as he continued, "They fit so well, especially the male lead's costume—it seemed tailor-made for me. Speaking of which, I even took a group photo with them for the official announcement on Weibo. I was practically part of the crew."

Everyone was speechless and surprised. This explained the strange incidents that the directors had mentioned during the filming at the film studio. However, if these paranormal rumors that eventually blew up weren't related to the ghost, then who was responsible?

The ghost seemed to sense that everyone had no intention of fighting him anymore. He actually apologized to Daoist Master Zhi Mi, whose arm he had injured. "Master, my apologies just now. Director Wang rarely has time to teach me, but your arrival disrupted our session. I was really angry then, and seeing your swords and sabers, I thought you meant to harm me, so I fought back."

The old Daoist master was surprised to see such clarity in a ghost's thoughts. Although his wound still throbbed, his anger had somewhat subsided.

His expression had barely softened when the ghost noticed and, with astonishing audacity, seized the opportunity: "Master, if you're not angry with me anymore, could you please speak kindly of me to Director Wang and get me a role? I don't ask for much, just a line will do! I'm very capable of learning. Every time he critiques my acting, I take it to heart and diligently work on improving!"

The old Taoist's face turned even more ashen: "Scram!"

The ghost slunk away, but not before earnestly pleading, "Masters, please, don't tell Director Wang about this. He'll have a bad impression of me."

*********

Shuo Zong was lost in thought, staring at Wei Xi, when a glimpse from the corner of his eye made him look up to see the ghost who had been chased away by the Taoists approaching them.

His brows furrowed deeper. Despite being beaten by Wei Xi, that ghost dared to come back?

"What do you want?"

The ghost ignored him, instead cautiously looking at Wei Xi: "M-Master?"

Wei Xi was in a terrible mood. Snapped out of his thoughts, his dark gaze swept coldly over the ghost without a word.

Of course, the ghost was afraid, quivering under that stare. But an unknown courage bolstered him, making him stand his ground instead of fleeing. Trembling, he spoke again: "Y-You... You just said that the movie I was in was good, right?"

Wei Xi: "?"

Shuo Zong: "?"

Wei Xi recalled for a moment, then nodded with a grim expression.

The ghost, upon receiving his response, burst into tears, weeping even more fiercely than when it was being punished, but this time, out of overwhelming joy. It was so overjoyed that it completely forgot its fear of Wei Xi and simply knelt down at his feet, bawling loudly—

"Thank youuuu!!! You're the first person in this world to appreciate my acting!!!"

Wei Xi: "?"

Shuo Zong: "...”

*********

There was no need for the ghost to lie. After some investigation, everyone realized that it indeed spent its days hiding inside the DVD, waiting for Director Wang to call it for an audition – a boring routine.

Despite the farce they had just witnessed, the culprit behind the supernatural incidents on set remained elusive, leaving all present feeling helpless. Of course, none were as disheartened as the members of Taicang Sect...

Shuo Zong turned around to find Wei Xi gone and asked Tuan Jieyi, "Where's your master?"

"What do you mean my master? Isn't your master my master too?" Tuan Jieyi corrected his junior brother's terminology seriously before answering, "He just left with Fang Xiaojie."

Fang Xiaojie was the name of that ghost. According to him, he had been a struggling extra in various film studios before his death and had never gained fame. He had probably died as a pauper due to his deep desire for success. As a result, after his death, his strength was unusually powerful, even unlocking the ability to possess DVDs...

It was indeed an amusing skill.

Shuo Zong didn't have a good impression of that ghost who had clung onto Wei Xi's leg and cried. "What are they doing?"

Tuan Jieyi replied, "I'm not sure, but I heard Fang Xiaojie mention that he privately recorded quite a number of scenes. Perhaps he wanted to show them to Master?"

*****

After Fang Xiaojie found out that Wei Xi admired the kissing scene in the movie, he insisted on performing it again. Nervously, he asked, "Did you like it?"

Wei Xi nodded. "Very much."

This time, he finally understood what those two entwined heads outside the abandoned building were doing. Fang Xiaojie had put in a lot of effort into his performance, passionately kissing the female ghost that he had conjured up without any reserve. Recalling the tightly suctioned mouths, Wei Xi couldn't help but nod. "You portrayed it very meticulously."

Fang Xiaojie was both touched and embarrassed by the appreciation of his patron, oblivious to the underlying meaning in his words. He took it as a compliment on his uninhibited acting, and blushed as he said, "How should I put it... Director Wang commented that my performance lacked romantic essence, and initially, I was too shy to embody that. But then, during an interview I attended with him, I overheard him tell a journalist that a great actor must devote themselves entirely to their art, without prejudice towards physical expression or showcasing one's body. It was like a sudden enlightenment for me—I realized that to be a good actor, I must be capable of performing any role!"

Wei Xi nodded with a hint of confusion, "…Reveal… one's body?"

It could've been an illusion, but as he repeated those words, a faint flush seemed to subtly bloom across the ethereal face of Fang Xiaojie. "Yes, I took some later on. Would you like to see them?"

As an accomplished translator of both Chinese and English novels, specializing in the realm of danmei fantasy, I immerse myself in weaving together tales that brim with elements unique to this genre. The passage you've requested to be translated elegantly and appropriately into English follows:

Wei Xi returned to his room to find his second disciple already inside. Upon opening the door, the young man's expression was grave as he asked, "What did you go and do with Fang Xiaojie?"

Wei Xi placed the DVD he had obtained from Fang Xiaojie on the table. "It gave me its latest film, claiming it has made significant progress in its performance."

Shuo Zong: "…?"

Wei Xi asked, "Do you want to watch it together?"

After the door closed, leaving them alone in the room, Shuo Zong felt a bit uneasy.

He met Wei Xi's gaze, then looked away after a moment. "Give it to me."

As he inserted the disc into the player, he glanced at it and, as expected, it was another homemade DVD without any artwork on its surface; it probably didn't look appealing.

Wei Xi climbed onto the bed, showing no immediate intention of sleeping. Upon seeing him finish loading the disc, he patted the space beside him. "Apprentice, come over here."

After hesitating for a moment on the edge of the bed, Shuo Zong followed his instructions and sat down.

The room in the mountains was slightly damp. With the air conditioner turned on, the dampness transformed into a stifling humidity. The air's moisture tangled messily, adhering to their bodies and every inch of skin that touched.

It seemed like the air conditioning was set a bit too high.

Shuo Zong caught a faint, pleasant scent wafting near his nose, reminiscent of a delicious fruit or the chocolate bars and cola that Wei Xi had packed with him. A few fluffy, curly strands of hair brushed against his jaw, tickling him. Lowering his head, he noticed Wei Xi's sharp nose slightly tilted upward under the dim light, his eyelashes casting shadows on his cheeks, like two small fans, subtly intensifying the warmth in the air.

They were leaning against an intimate double bed, their backs supported by fluffy pillows. Shuo Zong shifted his gaze away, focusing on the TV screen as it loaded, his heart restless. Suddenly, he felt that it wouldn't be bad to break the tranquil atmosphere with an unappealing movie.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, a muffled moan suddenly came from the TV speakers.

Shuo Zong: "???"

Suddenly, he had a premonition that something was amiss.

In the next second, he knew where this feeling was coming from.

On the large screen on the wall ahead, a wild, undulating figure appeared. Fang Xiaojie, with his shameless expression, was passionately embracing the female ghost that had materialized in his arms, as if he was on the verge of ascending to heaven.

Wei Xi watched for a while, only to see Fang Xiaojie continually thrusting and shouting on the TV screen. He couldn't quite grasp what was happening and turned to his disciple, confused, "Is this the breakthrough he was talking about?"

Shuo Zong: ".................................."

What kind of karma have I brought upon myself!