On Saturday morning, the film studio was as bustling as ever.
Last night, Xu Qian had dinner with Zhao Wenkang and didn't stay at the hotel. This morning, before dawn, he rushed to the set of "Mirage Tower". There's not much time left before the wrap-up day. The actors in the Zhao Kingdom segment all seemed a bit anxious. They wanted to finish each job as soon as possible so they could collect their final payment. Then they would have new jobs to do, and so on.
Meanwhile, the variety show that Xu Qian had previously participated in also aired last night. It was divided into two parts, and the episode of Sanjiang aired last night was the first part. Judging from the comments and popularity after the broadcast, the audience was obviously satisfied with him, and his Weibo followers also exceeded ten million.
This time, it's not just the increased exposure that's gained us more casual fans.
Xu Qian seems to be a jack-of-all-trades, and his cooking skills alone surpass many men. Moreover, his entry into the entertainment industry was more 'unintentional' (and sophisticated) than the average person's, involving roles like hand double, pen double, and even stunt double. These skills, which demand exceptional physical attributes, can't be achieved simply by talking about a persona, instantly attracting many casual fans. Add to that his gentle and harmless appearance, and while his personality is somewhat serious (and a bit laid-back), it creates a strangely endearing contrast with his face. This combination of physical attributes and personal charm makes it only a matter of time before casual fans become devoted followers.
Anyone with eyes can see that Xu Qian has the potential to become famous. As long as he plays it safe and keeps a clean record with no dark history, he can easily become a well-known third-tier actor in the industry. To become a second-tier actor, he would need some resources and strength, and between the second and first tiers, he would need luck, the most mysterious kind of luck.
In short, this is a gradual and cyclical process.
However, for Xu Qian, higher popularity means more scripts and jobs, and he can earn more money. No one would dislike money earned by himself.
Moreover, the benefits of high popularity are obvious, the most direct being Yan Lang's expression, his mouth was almost stretched into a grin.
"Is he really that happy?" Xu Qian wondered. How could a role as one of the two male leads make him so happy?
"Of course I'm happy! This is the lead role!" Yan Lang turned around, his eyes shining.
"As long as you're happy." Xu Qian chuckled. His assistant cared more about his career than he did, which made him quite lucky.
“Brother Xu, you can’t say that. This is the beginning of your career. Who knows, there might even be movies in the future…” Yan Lang started another day of incessant chatter, but Xu Qian didn’t stop him. Sometimes it’s good to listen to young people talk, so as not to get bored.
After spending three consecutive days on set, the actors of the Zhao Kingdom episode officially announced the end of filming. The main actors received flowers from the crew and took some group photos as behind-the-scenes content.
We had a simple celebration banquet, which was really just a meal, and then everyone went their separate ways until the next film crew. Hey, we might bump into each other again.
Having temporarily finished his work, Xu Qian returned to his apartment. Meng Ziqiu had been studying those place names at home for a long time. Seeing Xu Qian return home, he quickly asked him if he knew these places.
Xu Qian glanced at him and asked, "Didn't you say you were going to see a friend? What's this?"
“This…” Meng Ziqiu’s eyes darted around quickly, and he gave an awkward chuckle. “Isn’t it because I’m worried about not getting any results?”
Xu Qian shook his head, not exposing his clumsy lie. He picked up the photos on the table, looked at them one by one, and then said, "Do you have a map? A Chinese one will do."
Meng Ziqiu typed a few words quickly on his notebook, then turned the notebook around, revealing a map of China.
While looking at the map, Xu Qian asked him curiously, "Apart from Yanwen becoming a forest, the rest is probably around here."
Meng Ziqiu wrote down the location he had just mentioned and even took a picture of it with his phone.
"But is there anything special about these places?" Xu Qian asked curiously. He had been to all four places and they didn't seem to have anything special about them. Why would his thirteenth senior brother have these four place names recorded for posterity? Could it be that something happened that he didn't know about?
Meng Ziqiu stared at him blankly, "You...don't know either?"
Xu Qian shook his head gently, "My thirteenth senior brother never mentioned these four places to me."
Meng Ziqiu thought to himself, "This is bad. How could I not know? Could it be that it has nothing to do with him?"
Seeing that he didn't look well, Xu Qian didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he continued to flip through the photos. He saw the bluestone slabs and exclaimed, "Huh?"
Meng Ziqiu looked at him hurriedly, "Did you find something?"
“This is Mirror Lake,” Xu Qian said, picking up the photograph. “And where did you find this photo?”
Meng Ziqiu didn't hide anything and said directly that he found it on the bluestone slabs paving his family's ancestral hall. The sixteen bluestone slabs were pieced together to form a picture. He then showed him a picture of the completed picture that he had taken a picture of on his phone.
“That’s right, it’s Mirror Lake.” Xu Qian recognized the place at a glance.
Meng Ziqiu seemed to remember something and continued searching through the photos on the table. He had already printed out an enlarged image of the reflection in the lake. "Take a look at this," he said, "it's the reflection in the lake."
“This…” Xu Qian’s expression became even stranger, “It is Wuqi Mountain.”
After saying that, Xu Qian pressed on, "But why did your Meng family leave these behind?"
"..." Meng Ziqiu took a deep breath. "I'd also like to know the answer to that question!"
Xu Qian looked at his miserable face, and then thought about the mystery surrounding himself. He sighed heavily. "We're both in the same boat—this is too much!"
However, looking at these photos, Meng Ziqiu actually had an idea. "I heard from my grandfather that our Qi Sanzhi is the guardian of the mountain spirit. Could there be other members of the Meng family? They also have different missions, such as..." Meng Ziqiu looked at the four place names. Perhaps they were looking for someone, or perhaps they were looking for something.
Xu Qian stroked his chin, thinking it made some sense. "Although I have only seen your Qi San branch in person, the possibility is quite high. At that time, the Meng family was a major immortal sect with countless disciples, but in terms of direct lineage, there were only your Qi San branch and another sect—Yue Jiutang."
"Yue... Jiutang?"
Xu Qian nodded and continued, "At that time, the thirteenth senior brother was already the young sect leader of the Meng family. The Qi San branch was in charge of internal affairs of the immortal sect, while Yue Jiutang was in charge of external affairs. As for whether he later became the sect leader, I am not sure."
Meng Ziqiu fell into deep thought, and Xu Qian followed suit.
At this moment, Xu Qian thought of the grandfather that Meng Ziqiu had just mentioned, "You said your grandfather lives in Sansui now, right?"
"You mean...?"
Xu Qian nodded. He probably needed to find Meng Ziqiu's grandfather now, someone who might know something.
Although much has changed, there are still some things he wants to understand clearly, otherwise he always feels uneasy.
What exactly happened behind the scenes, and what were their reasons for concealing their actions?
...
But just as he was about to leave, Meng Ziqiu hesitated for a moment, as if he was worried about something. Xu Qian asked him about it on the spot.
"Well..." Meng Ziqiu wasn't sure if what he was doing was right or wrong. "Never mind, let's take it one step at a time."
After saying that, he slung his bag over his shoulder and left the apartment.
Sansui Town is an inconspicuous small town in Weicheng, with a moderate population and average education level. It's the kind of place you can just look at and forget about.
Xu Qian went out today disguised as Daoist Qi Chun; this is the real "Jingwei Mountain Man." All the others are his disguises. However, before the spiritual energy dissipated, Xu Qian could really disguise himself. Now... well, you know.
However, Xu Qian didn't have high hopes for finding Meng Ziqiu's grandfather. After all, so many years had passed, and even if the information had been passed down from their ancestors, they probably wouldn't know much.
The two arrived in Sansui in the afternoon.
Xu Qian got out of the car and looked in the direction Meng Ziqiu pointed.
Grandpa Meng sat under that big tree, seemingly gazing into the distance or lost in thought. A group of elderly men of similar age were playing chess nearby. A gentle breeze stirred the fallen leaves beneath the tree, and the faint chirping of cicadas could be heard.
“Grandpa—” Meng Ziqiu stepped forward first.
Grandpa Meng's eyes twitched, but he didn't turn around until Meng Ziqiu squatted down and appeared in front of him. Only then did his expression change, and his hand subconsciously reached into his pocket, wanting to grab some dumplings again.
Xu Qian had listened to Meng Ziqiu's explanation before coming and knew about his family's situation, so he wasn't surprised to see this scene. He walked straight over and squatted down like Meng Ziqiu.
"Hello..." Before Xu Qian could finish speaking, Grandpa Meng seemed to want to get up, his movements were very excited, but unfortunately his legs were indeed too weak.
"Grandpa!" Meng Ziqiu panicked and quickly pressed down on the wheelchair. He had thought about how Grandpa Meng would react differently to Xu Qian's existence, but he didn't expect the reaction to come so quickly.
Xu Qian placed his hand on the other person's hand, and in that instant, Grandpa Meng calmed down.
"...Are you alright?" Grandpa Meng looked into his eyes and felt as if he saw his own reflection in the other's eyes.
Xu Qian was stunned by those words. Through that face, he seemed to see his thirteenth senior brother, the one who was usually carefree and jovial but who cared for and looked after him the most in private.
"Yes, I'm fine."
After saying this, Xu Qian felt that his reply might have been a bit too simple, but judging from the other person's expression, it seemed that this was the best answer.
"Okay, that's good..." Grandpa Meng looked at him, then slowly lowered his head again, as if he had completed some mission.
"Were you waiting for me?" Xu Qian asked him.
Grandpa Meng didn't respond again, but instead buried his head and fell asleep; it was his nap time.
Xu Qian and Meng Ziqiu exchanged a glance and both shook their heads.
Author's Note: The next chapter will be chapter 100!
I'll randomly select a few lucky readers from every 100 chapters to send out red envelopes. First come, first served, starting tomorrow!
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