Chapter 38 3/4

In essence, this is similar to how Chinese people would be curious to watch something like ‘Certain Country Discovers Real Witches and Unicorns.’ Then, they were also astonished by the grand scenes shown in the video.

The awe-inspiring and magnificent scenes are not limited by nationality. Even if they don’t understand Chinese culture, they can feel the exciting and thrilling sensation that stirs the blood.”

【Are those people Daoists from China?】

【Such a huge turtle, is it real?】

【Why is there a boat parked in the sky? How is it done?】

【I asked my friends from China, and they told me that this is an ancient legend in China. These people are understood by their countrymen as cultivators, a system that can gain immense power through practice, somewhat similar to the magical legends in our country.】

【Is that a Chinese dragon? It looks different from ours, but it’s very impressive. Does China really have such huge creatures?】

【This looks more shocking than a movie.】

The entry of foreign friends added another layer of excitement to the already intense discussion.

The credibility of the video was doubted mainly in terms of whether special effects were used; nobody questioned whether these were artificially created props. Even with just a fleeting glance, even a child would know how difficult it is to achieve such an effect in reality.

Although reluctant to admit it, in the minds of many, foreign special effects are generally considered superior. Since foreign netizens couldn’t find any loopholes, it undoubtedly elevated the authenticity of this event.

【Is the passage between two worlds real? Can we all cultivate together in the future?!】

【I’m from Shanghai. I arrived at the decoding location an hour ago, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find the passage at all. Some people brought drones and wanted to fly them, but they were disturbed and forced to land as soon as they took off.】

【Even drones are being interfered with. If there’s nothing inside, who would believe it?】

【Upstairs, not necessarily. In our country, many large events and private places can apply for drone interference.】

【Upstairs, this is such a large area, and it’s a private location. Doesn’t that make it even more mysterious?】

It’s worth mentioning that, under the almost entire attention of the entire internet, the program group “Having a Laugh” did not disappear. Instead, they posted a blog post five hours later:

【We have already contacted Ou Zheng, and the situation is not as everyone imagines. We are currently negotiating, and the specifics will be announced after the negotiation.】

Is this a denial?

This is clearly adding fuel to the fire that was already burning!

They almost admitted that this was not a gimmick created by the program group. They need to contact Ou Zheng first, then negotiate with an unknown third party, and only after the negotiation can they disclose the truth.

Netizens were excited!

Netizens were scratching their heads!

Netizens wished time could skip to the end of the negotiation immediately!

When the program group appeared, everyone already understood that they wouldn’t get answers like “our world and the cultivation world are connected.” After all, there were prophets who confidently said:

【If it’s fake, it will definitely be denied. If it’s real, it will also definitely be denied. It’s just a matter of whether the reasons for denial are convincing.】

Netizens speculated on various things, mainly leaning towards advertising and program group marketing. Some even cleverly speculated that this was definitely an advertisement by a special effects company.

Then the denial came.

The program group said that Ou Zheng mistakenly entered the shooting scene of a drama crew, and all those dragons and phoenixes were props. As for the giant palace he saw, it was constructed for the convenience of the filming crew.

The hundreds of people practicing swordsmanship? They were all extras, rehearsing.

Why couldn’t anyone find the identity of the person in the last shot of the live broadcast across the entire internet? Because that person is not an artist but a director working behind the scenes.

The vast majority of netizens: “…”

They accepted it smoothly and suddenly realized that it was like that.

How could that be?

The first reaction from everyone was, “Do you think we’re three-year-old children? How can you use such obviously fake excuses to deceive us?”

And set construction? Did they think people have never seen how TV shows are filmed? Who uses real materials for set construction nowadays? Even the green screen is fake; who has such elaborate set construction?

Moreover, a director? Since when do directors look so handsome?

【6. This excuse is so perfunctory that I can’t even try to believe it.】

【That dragon almost came alive from the screen, and you tell me it’s a prop?】

【Laughing so hard. Rehearsing with hundreds of extras is also hard to believe.】

【I’ve grown up, and I’ve never seen any drama crew filming with a built palace.】

【If you tell me he traveled to another world, I would believe that faster than believing in the set construction.】

【Set construction? I don’t believe it unless I can see it with my own eyes.】

So, after the program group’s denial, the official account quickly collapsed, with some foreign users mixed in, expressing their anger with similar intensity and using a mix of unfamiliar foreign languages and Chinese:

【Do you think we haven’t seen others filming before? Those were clearly real! They were alive!】

At this moment, even the bystanders eating melons felt that this excuse was so fake that it was laughable.

Perhaps sensing the unfavorable situation, the program group quickly released Ou Zheng.

Ou Zheng, in his Weibo account that gained several times more followers in a single day, posted a video.

In the video, he had a ruddy complexion and greeted everyone with a smile.

“Hello, audience friends, I am Ou Zheng. I did indeed mistakenly enter the shooting scene of someone else’s movie. It’s also my fault. They set up a maze, obviously not wanting people to enter, but I came in unknowingly.”

“The two cameramen were actually stopped outside. Come on, say hello to them.”

Behind him were two cameramen, also smiling and waving at the camera.

Ou Zheng brought the focus back to himself: “I have been taken back to the hotel by the program group. I haven’t appeared because filming needs to be kept confidential.

I broke in, and not only that, but I also live-streamed part of their set. Fortunately, when the program group came to rescue me, they saw that we were from the same industry, and it was relatively easy to talk. We negotiated for a long time before reaching an agreement.”

This matter is really not what everyone thinks it is, like cultivation or time travel. It’s really just about them setting up a scene for filming, and that’s it; the scene looks a bit better now.”

The video was posted, and when netizens saw the lively Ouzheng, did they believe him?

Not really.

On the contrary, they felt that something was fishy.

Speculation party: [Azhen, when you speak, are there soldiers around you? ]

Evidence-based speculation party: [He’s smiling throughout; this smile is too abnormal; he must be conveying some signal to us].

Imagination party: [The smiles of the two cameramen are so stiff; don’t tell me they are not used to showing themselves in front of the camera; I don’t believe it.]

Detail-oriented but gossipy party: [Why is Azhen’s video not recorded where you usually livestream?] Why are you in a hotel instead of at home? Why does the set look so real? I haven’t seen movie sets with such grand scenes; explain this (gossip).

Meme party: [Stop guessing; he already said it’s for filming by the crew.] With the current technology, using machines to create such effects is possible, right? What time travel cultivation nonsense? There must be some explanation; this world is not that fantastical (one five cents, information in parentheses not to be shared).

Faced with these overflowing comments, Ouzheng replied promptly.

[No, I’m alone in the hotel; it really is just the set for filming; it cost a lot of money, and I even had a box lunch on set.]

I naturally have a smiling face! Didn’t I always smile in my previous videos? ]

The cameramen really are not comfortable in front of the camera; I’m not lying to you! ]

Movie sets need to keep their scenery secret before the release; I already leaked a part of it by livestreaming, and I continued to record videos on their territory. Wouldn’t I be foolish if I went back to the hotel instead of home? because I have to continue filming variety shows tomorrow! ]

Unfortunately, the more diligently and sincerely Ouzheng replied, the less people believed him.