118 Chapter 118
Although Mr. Pig Demon looked a little sad for some reason, he nodded and transformed into a black wild boar head. Even Ning Shu, who was mentally prepared, was frightened by the terrifying appearance and took a few steps back. She finally understood those passers-by who were scared out of their wits in Journey to the West.
This is completely different from the cute domestic pig head in the TV series in my previous life. It has sharp porcupine quills on the back of its head, a pair of sharp fangs in its mouth that reveal its ferocity, and coupled with its physique as strong as a hill, it looks really oppressive.
"Okay, that's fine, it's good. You should keep this image when filming in the future." Ning Shu stroked her chest and accepted the pig demon.
There is no other way. In this world of cultivation, there seems to be no American white pig breed, so we have to use local wild boars to restore the original Zhu Bajie.
The only one left was a big rooster demon cultivator who looked energetic and very masculine. After taking a quick look at his prototype and crowing, and confirming that he was capable of playing the role of the Lord of the Morning Star, this rooster brother was also successfully hired. Ning Shu finally set his sights on the monkey demon.
He hadn't grown up yet, and looked about the same height as Ning Shu. His golden hair almost glowed in the sun, and his eyes, like black grapes, rolled around. He looked more like the golden monkey species that is unique to China.
I have to admit that he is cute, and his cleverness is also very pleasing to the eye. However, cleverness alone is not enough to play the role of Sun Wukong. Although the ruthless Mr. Tang and the Queen of the Kingdom of Women are the protagonists of this drama, the supporting role of Monkey King is responsible for 99% of the fighting scenes in the whole drama, so the actor must also have some basic skills.
"Are you good at fighting? What weapons do you usually use?" Ning Shu asked while unable to resist touching Mr. Monkey Demon's soft golden hair, and it really felt very good.
"I'm not very good at fighting, and I don't have the money to buy weapons..." The monkey demon's young face was depressed for a moment, but then he immediately cheered up: "But I can learn! I learn things the fastest among all the monkey demons! So even fighting can't be a problem for me!"
Ning Shu touched his chin and thought for a while before deciding to give him a chance. After all, this was a film about the Kingdom of Women, not Havoc in Heaven. Sun Wukong was not the protagonist, so it didn't matter if his acting was a little immature. Besides, his golden fur was really handsome. If it were any other monkey, they might not be as popular as this one.
"Okay, during this time I will arrange for you to have a martial arts master and a staff master, you must learn from them well!"
"Yes! I will study hard! Thank you, sister, you are so beautiful!" The golden monkey demon immediately danced with joy.
Ning Shu touched his golden hair for the last time before taking these three newly minted demon cultivator actors to meet the director Zi Xiao. In this way, the actors needed for the entire movie were finally gathered, and Zi Xiao and Ning Shu also had to temporarily separate.
After discussion, everyone agreed that the Hehuan Sect, located on the shore of Acacia Lake, had the best scenery, and the environment where only female cultivators lived was also suitable for filming the Kingdom of Women. In addition, many guest disciples were there, so after comprehensive consideration, the filming location of the movie was finally decided to be in the sect.
"Sister Zixiao, don't forget to say hello to Mom for me! Also, I put a lot of Chaoyin City specialties in the package. Those small packets of flour-like substance are the coconut powder I recently developed. Just soak it in hot water like making tea and you can drink the authentic Chaoyin City coconut milk. Remember to make it for Mom!"
A few days before their departure, Ning Shu came with a large package and reluctantly said goodbye to Zi Xiao: "Don't worry about me too much, I will be fine here alone."
"How could I leave you here alone? You are the young master of the Hehuan Sect. There are so many people out there who want to kill you!" Zi Xiao pinched Ning Shu's face and sighed, then he helplessly warned:
"After I leave, Elder Youlan will come to protect you. Remember to get along well with her."
"Eh? It's Sister Youlan?" Ning Shu was a little surprised: "I thought mother would send Sister Baixuan over."
Ning Shu has been more familiar with the three elders Bai Xuan, Zi Xiao and Yun Zhi since childhood, but Elder Yun Zhi is used to being free and often goes to all kinds of strange places to collect folk songs. Now that Zi Xiao has to go back for something, it would be most appropriate to send Bai Xuan over.
"The Sect Master probably sent Youlan here because he was fed up with her stubborn yet docile nature!" Zixiao sighed softly and pulled Ning Shu to sit down. He began to warn her worriedly:
"Youlan is different from me. She has been in the Hehuan Sect for a thousand years and has the highest seniority among all the elders, so she may be a bit stubborn.
Young Sect Master, you have new ideas in your head every day, so it's understandable that she can't keep up for a while. You must not make things too awkward with her, otherwise it will be difficult for the Sect Master to be caught in the middle."
"It's just a generation gap, not a deep hatred. How can I get too upset with her?" The more Ning Shu listened to Zi Xiao's words, the more confused she became. "And since she and I don't get along so well, shouldn't I have sent her here?"
"Alas, actually the Sect Master has never wanted to tell you what's going on here, but now that things have come to this, it's better to tell you the truth in advance, so that you won't be overwhelmed when the time comes." Zi Xiao sighed helplessly, and finally told Ning Shu about the open and secret struggles in the sect over the past few days.
Simply put, as Ning Shu's innovative cultivation methods achieved better and better results and had a greater influence outside, the contradictions between the conservatives and reformists within the sect had become increasingly acute.
More and more disciples have seen the huge profits that actors and stars make after becoming famous overnight. They have begun to give up their previous ways of practicing romance and dual cultivation and have devoted themselves to entering the entertainment industry. However, there are only a few stars who can eventually become famous, so most disciples are stuck there and their cultivation has stagnated.
"And that's not the worst of it. The most difficult thing to deal with is that conflicts are starting to arise between the celebrities you've made famous and the ordinary disciples. The celebrities have taken up too much of people's attention, and by comparison, those conservative disciples who rely on romance for cultivation have been more or less affected..."
Ning Shu was baffled: "There's no conflict between being a star and falling in love. How could an ordinary disciple be affected?"
"How could there not be a conflict? Take the Never-Sleeping City for example. Most of the cultivators who came here to visit before did so with the hope of encountering a romantic relationship with the female cultivators of the Hehuan Sect. Meanwhile, the sisters in the sect who wanted to fall in love would also go to the Never-Sleeping City to pick a man they liked as their lover. The two sides would immediately hit it off, and this was one of the most convenient ways for everyone to find a lover. But now..."
When Zi Xiao thought about the news she had heard from Bai Xuan before, she felt a headache. She raised her hand and rubbed her solar plexus:
"Now, the City That Never Sleeps has become a popular destination for idols. It's also the origin and base camp of the Nichang girl group. Although the number of tourists has increased several times compared to before, looking around, all of them are here to watch the Nichang girl group's concert and buy merchandise and take photos. Those people, both men and women, only have eyes for their favorite idols and are mostly dismissive of the advances of other female cultivators."
Ning Shu: ...
This was truly an unexpected development. Could a cultivator be so focused on chasing stars? They even stopped dating?
"Wait, so this conflict has been simmering for a long time?" Ning Shu suddenly remembered something and took a deep breath. "I saw a disciple on the forum a while ago saying that Sister Bai Xuan and Sister Hong Qiao had a big fight. Could that also be..."
"Yes, it was also caused by this incident." Zixiao nodded with a sad face: "I heard that one of Hongqiao's disciples finally found a very satisfactory lover, but after a few days she found out that the man was not sincere at all, and he just treated her as a substitute for Liu Pianpian."
Ning Shu: ...
"Although it sounds like shirking responsibility, I think this matter is mainly due to the man's fault." She hesitated for a moment but still insisted on defending herself: "Liu Pianpian is innocent."
"No one blamed Liu Pianpian for this. That scumbag was caught and severely beaten up by the disciple's friends." Zi Xiao sighed for the umpteenth time:
"The dispute between Hongqiao and Baixuan stems from Hongqiao's feeling that the Nichang Girls Group has turned the entire Never-Sleeping City into their exclusive backyard through concerts and group variety shows. She hopes that the Nichang Girls Group will suspend its activities and return Never-Sleeping City to all the disciples.
But the popularity of the Nichang girl group is on the rise, and Bai Xuan's other disciples can also benefit from it and gain more fans. How could Bai Xuan agree to stop now? So this is how the argument started..."
Seeing that Ning Shu's brows were furrowed more and more as she listened, Zi Xiao didn't describe the dispute in too much detail. Instead, he reached out and hugged the bewildered girl in front of him:
"Young Sect Master, the previous quarrel has been suppressed by the Sect Master, and it did not hurt the harmony between the sisters. It's just that..." The conflict has not been resolved, it has only been suppressed temporarily, and it is only a matter of time before it breaks out.
"So, is this also why Mother sent Sister Youlan here?" Ning Shu's original idea was simply to develop the entertainment industry, strengthen the sect, and feed the sacred tree. She had never expected it to turn out like this. Her eyes welled up a little: "Have the conflicts within the sect reached a point where we need to find a way to balance them?"
Zixiao closed his eyes and nodded. "The stars you've trained have grown too quickly with the expansion of the spiritual network. More and more disciples are worried about you continuing to mess around in Chaoyin City without any scruples. They sent Elder Youlan, the leader of the conservative faction, here. Only with her watching over them will the disciples be convinced."
How could this happen? Clearly, in my previous life, Earth hadn't experienced such problems due to the entertainment industry. Ning Shu's mood grew a little depressed. "So, Mother, do you want me to pause this and not continue this development?"
"Of course not. There are many disciples who stand on your side, and they are all very talented and good-looking disciples. If you stop, they will not agree.
Besides, since your reforms, not only has the sect's income increased significantly, but even the sacred tree has grown much faster. It would be a shame to stop now." Zi Xiao patted Ning Shu's shoulder encouragingly:
"The Sect Master means that you should hold on for a while and wait for her to find an opportunity to transfer Elder Youlan back. She will find a way to deal with those troublesome matters. You won't feel anything, and it will be the same as before."
But if this happens, the pressure on my mother will only increase, right? Ning Shu's heart is still heavy, and she is determined to help her mother solve this problem completely.
【Author’s words】
Ning Shu: Don’t you just want to fall in love? I have a way [OK]
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