Chapter 43 2/2

Sometimes, she posted a group photo of actors working out together: “Such a curly crew; everyone has abs; I have to work harder!”

Sometimes, she even took a photo of Sheng Quan watching them film from a high place: “Sheng Dong is watching us film with binoculars. She noticed I was taking a picture of her and gave me a thumbs-up.”

Why did Shen Lu change like this? The true love fans had happily discussed several waves of this. The conclusion was that the “Cultivator” crew was purely performance-oriented.

A relatively well-known actor had their collaboration with “Cultivator” interrupted after half a month of shooting. The crew was willing to compensate for the breach of contract and even reshoot scenes related to this actor, but they chose to remove him from the crew.

This actor had subtly claimed on Weibo, “It’s not the crew kicking me; it’s me feeling that this crew is not good, feeling that this movie is not good, so I voluntarily left.”

Then, some “leaked” internal footage from the crew appeared online, showing the actor not being able to keep up with the scenes, shifting blame onto the other actors, and various instances of playing the diva.

Yu Miao felt that this actor was genuinely foolish. What kind of crew was “Cultivator”? It had substantial investments from various sources, reaching several billion yuan. In a crew that spent so much money and could create a large “Immortal Tower” out of thin air for better shooting effects, there were plenty of actors to choose from. How could they tolerate his unprofessional behavior like some small crews do?

Haven’t you seen other equally famous or even more famous actors quietly filming?

However, being foolish had its benefits. At least, with this person gone, there was no chance of her greenie being bullied, especially when she saw the crew celebrating her birthday and buying her a cake.

Shen Lu’s transformation turned fans into fans like Yu Miao, who had unknowingly become fans of the crew, the director, and Sheng Quan.

So, she bought the movie ticket as soon as possible, deciding to show her support with action.

Of course, when leaving a review, she made sure to declare herself as a Shen Lu fan, letting others know that her greenie could also contribute to the box office!

Yu Miao entered the cinema with the thought, “I want to appreciate my greenie well.” A cultivation movie would undoubtedly involve special effects, so she definitely chose the IMAX hall.

At the beginning, Yu Miao was still wondering when Shen Lu would appear. However, when the scene lit up and the beautiful mountains and rivers appeared on the screen, she nodded in approval, thinking that this seemed more beautifully done than other movies.

As the camera moved downstream, an ordinary-looking woman washing clothes suddenly got pulled into the water by a hand with green scales and long nails.

The transition of the camera was just too clever. Yu Miao hadn’t even eaten a single piece of popcorn, unconsciously maintaining this posture as she continued watching.

She thought that the woman must have been eaten by the monster; it seemed to be a traditional monster-slaying setting.

But the next moment, the woman rose from the water with a green-haired young girl. The woman affectionately ruffled the girl’s head: “Water girl, why are you so naughty? I’m busy; I can’t play with you.”

Addressed as the water girl, a beautiful and strange girl with the distinctive appearance of a fish monster blinked and handed over a large fat fish, stumblingly saying, “For you… to eat.”

Seeing this, Yu Miao felt both curious and surprised. What astonished her even more was that later, the woman, accompanied by the green-haired girl and carrying the large, fat fish, returned to the village. On the village road, occasional small monsters would appear.

The tree demon used branches to transport goods, the cat demon took a nap under the sun, and even the stone demon moved forward bit by bit. The villagers seemed accustomed to their presence, and there were even bizarre scenes of monsters gossiping with humans.

The key was that everything felt so real.

Although these monsters had human appearances, the audience could easily see their true forms. For example, the cat demon—every movement she made made Yu Miao feel like she was watching her own cat.

The low houses on the roadside, passing villagers, distant vendors, rising smoke from cooking fires—everything felt as if it were right in front of Yu Miao.

At this moment, even as a layman, she realized that this movie was incredibly detailed.

After that, she didn’t have time to think about these things. She was dragged into the world of “cultivator” by the portrayal of these details.

“Cultivators cultivate from the heart. If you have the heart of a cultivator, then you are a cultivator.”

“I say, can you close your eyes? All several hundred pairs of eyes should close.”

“The celestial palace must be beautiful; otherwise, how can it conform to the expectations of mortals?”

“Infinite Heavenly Sovereign, why can’t mortals also have a heart to protect mortals?”

“What are you looking at? Haven’t seen an elder of the celestial palace spit blood! Do you want me to slap you all so you can spit blood together?”

“Heartlessness is the way of your heartlessness; benevolence for the world is our way.”

“My goodness, the shell of a thousand-year-old turtle can’t hold up; fortunately, I still have a ten-thousand-year-old one. Oh no! Forgot that the ten-thousand-year-old turtle went back to its hometown for a family visit. Daoist, run away!”

“Are all cultivators in the world in love with mortals because of faith? I don’t believe it, so I want to try.”

“I really can’t bear to part with my money. Senior sister, if we die for the sake of the people, they should give us golden bodies, right? I want a solid one.”

“Is exchanging my lifetime cultivation for their lives worth it? Fool, let me ask you, if you were the one standing below, would you want to live?”

“Yes? Then it’s worth it!”

After watching the entire movie, Yu Miao laughed heartily, wiped away tears, and then burst into laughter again. The vast world, the colorful setting, and the unique personalities of each cultivator—she watched their joys and sorrows and the paths they chose.

When the belief finally reappeared, the prayers of mortals gathered into a massive force of belief, diving into the bodies of the cultivators holding up the heavenly pillar. Yu Miao was completely shocked.

The exhilarating music seemed to sing in her heart.

When the movie ended and the lights came on, Yu Miao had only one thought in her mind.

She had to watch it again!

She quickly took out her phone to buy tickets for another screening, only to find that they were sold out. Fortunately, being clever, she searched for other cinemas and managed to find a not-so-bad seat.

On the way to that cinema, Yu Miao couldn’t control the excitement in her heart. Sitting on the subway, she opened various rating platforms and enthusiastically wrote lengthy reviews.

In summary: So amazing! So amazing!!! I never watch cultivation genres! It turns out cultivation is so captivating!

After pouring out a thousand words of passion, Yu Miao was satisfied and exited the page.

Of course, she wasn’t satisfied with just positive reviews.

Yu Miao quickly opened various apps, starting with a WeChat moment: “Cultivator is so amazing! Highly recommended!”

Then, she contacted friends and family: “I just watched ‘Cultivator,’ ahhh, it’s really good. It’s like a feast of aesthetics! I mean all kinds of aesthetics! I’m on my way to watch it again now. You must watch it! If you want to watch it again after, I can accompany you for the third time!”

Finally, she went to different groups to promote.

Promoting to fan groups, the group members enthusiastically expressed that they would definitely watch.

“Really? That’s great! I only got tickets for tomorrow. I’ll go tomorrow! How is it? Is our Greenie stunning in it?”

In her excitement, Yu Miao, who was in reality, looked at her phone, which was now following a long list of people on Weibo.

She even added a special follower to Sheng Quan because many of the people she followed were artists under Sheng Quan’s management.

After a brief mental shutdown, Yu Miao quickly convinced herself that this was not being unfaithful.

It was all-embracing!