Chapter 298: Grave Robbery 1: The Manor Officials Tricked the Ghost
Sometimes, what attracts people the most is often the hazy mood of gazing at the moon through a curtain. The ambiguity and temptation that seems to have some feelings but is never made clear can always make people feel warm.
Knowing the importance of lighting in movies, Su Yun deliberately tried many times in this section before finally choosing the semi-darkness that imitated the scattered light of a flashlight. In the close-up on the big screen, the two people leaning close together suddenly looked like silhouettes, highlighting their extremely excellent profile lines, but when looking closely, one can also glimpse the expression between their faces through such seemingly weak light.
The round and gentle lines belonging to women lowered their heads slightly, adjusting a strand of hair that was tangled on the buttons of their shirts; the deep and cold lines belonging to men leaned against the wall behind them quietly without moving, but it seemed that they would explode in silence in the next second...
The two people above went to other places to find a way to break the trap. For a while, the only sound in the cave was the breathing of the two people. It was almost a "good" time to do something bad.
Under the expectant gaze of the audience, the figure who was fixing her hair suddenly moved closer to the figure who had fallen here and embraced her to protect her.
Are we going to kiss?! Are we going to kiss?! It's impossible not to kiss in this atmosphere, right?!
The audience was immediately excited, except for Er Dongxing, who had a certain understanding of Su Yun's narrative techniques and past standards. Looking at Zhang Wanyu who was almost patting him on the shoulder excitedly, he sighed silently: Su Yun's style has always been subtle, and it seems that many people will be disappointed...
As expected, the reason why Lin Susu lowered her head on the screen was just to bite off the hair that was too tight and too tangled, and to untie the ties between the two of them.
In Er Dongxing's understanding eyes and amidst the sighs of most of the audience including Zhang Wanyu, suddenly, there was a little movement in Zhuang Chen's profile - the hand that he had clasped around Lin Susu's waist to support her suddenly tightened.
This subtle body language completely and forbearingly revealed his involuntary heartbeat at the moment. Compared to the expected straightforward and straightforward intimate gesture, it made people feel more nostalgic.
Unfortunately, just as everyone was looking forward to the next development of the two people on the screen, Lin Jiu and Zhuang Ni, who had walked away to find a solution, had already walked back quickly.
In the following days, the four of them followed the plan. In the morning they quietly entered the tomb to check and sort out the changes inside, and in the afternoon they went to the nearby villages to look for objects that had come to light due to changes in the earth's crust or human factors.
The provinces and cities in these regions of China were all famous cities in ancient times, and there are countless historical sites and artifacts left behind, especially in beautiful mountain villages, where the original intention was to open up wasteland and cultivate the land, and after a few hoes were used, one or a pile of old things might emerge.
However, due to the limited knowledge of people at that time and the certain gap between the economic development level and that of world-class cities, many times the "broken copper, iron and porcelain" dug out are troublesome things that cannot be eaten or drunk, take up space, and easily cause trouble.
Because of various reasons like these, many foreigners would use the name of tourism and sweet talk to steal these precious antiques from unsuspecting villagers at extremely low prices.
After repeated investigations and verifications, the four people were able to confirm one thing: a lot of information in Keith's hands was deciphered from these antiques purchased at low prices.
As a "master", Lin Jiu's influence in the nearby villages was not small. He found the big boss who had asked him to look at Feng Shui and blew the loudspeaker in the field to tell the story. The people in the village were immediately shocked: It turned out that those foreign devils were not stupid as pigs, without any knowledge at all, and regarded broken copper and rotten iron as treasures, but were coveting the things of their ancestors? !
As a result, the news of the foreigners' "evil deeds" gradually spread to the nearby villages, causing many "deals" that had been agreed upon to be cancelled. Some people with hot tempers even picked up their farm tools and sternly said that if these foreigners who coveted their ancestors' things dared to come again, they would let them return to the glorious days when the Chinese used farm tools to conquer the world...
Here, Su Yun also used the visits of the four protagonists to quickly display all kinds of life. Amidst laughter and scolding, he planted an idea in many viewers: even if the things left by the ancestors are worthless, they are heirlooms that embody the imprint of history. As the saying goes, money is easy to come by, but benevolence and righteousness are worth a thousand gold. As the descendants of a great country, they cannot let their heirlooms be cheated away for a little profit.
However, although Keith, who had escaped death, was still recuperating in the hospital, his lackeys had already found him.
As luck would have it, this Feng Shui master was of the same nature as Lin Jiu, and Lin Jiu and Lin Susu had met him before: because this Feng Shui master was more evil and profit-driven, the Lin's Taoist Hall and this evil Feng Shui master had always been at odds with each other when they were in Hong Kong.
As for the actor of this evil Feng Shui master, Su Yun also carefully selected He Jiaqiu, who is known as the leader of the four villains in Hong Kong films, to play the role. Together with Li Shaoji, who previously played the big boss "Ji Ge", Cheng Kuikang, who played the big boss's bodyguard "Da Sha", and Huang Jiangliang, who played the village chief, all of them are gathered in one play - except He Jiaqiu, who is a screenwriter and director, and Li Shaoji, who has already retired from the gang, the other two are currently still employees doing manual labor in Zhao's Film Studio... In a word, the four of them are all "very easy to invite".
To be able to star in the international blockbuster production that Zhao had high hopes for in 1983, many people were willing to pay to take advantage of the fame, not to mention the job invitations that paid a normal supporting actor salary.
He Jiaju was born to play a villain. As soon as he appeared on the scene, he perfectly captured the taste of the evil Feng Shui master who was a money-hungry lackey. In addition, he was also capable of acting in martial arts scenes, so the fight scene between him and the master and apprentice Lin Jiu and Lin Susu was so exciting that the audience was thrilled.
A fight ended in a draw, but the evil Feng Shui master wanted to take advantage of the situation and harm others. He was immediately picked up by the crowd who seemed to know nothing and rushed out of the village. Even the poisonous sting hidden in his cloth shoes was pulled out, leaving him with only a Taoist robe - everyone thought the robe was too eye-catching, so at least he kept it to cover up his shame...
Compared with "outside ghosts", people who have experienced the Anti-Japanese War and the difficult years have always hated "internal ghosts" more.
The evil Feng Shui master went back to report to Keith in shame. Keith was so angry that he clenched the photo frame in his hand. After a long pause, he started talking to the black and white photo in the frame again with tears in his eyes: "Don't worry, Sophie, when I get the elixir of immortality and the 'divine power', I will resurrect you..."
It looked like an old man missing his younger generation and seeing his younger son die, but the evil Feng Shui master who knew the inside story sneered at Keith's behavior: Sophie, the granddaughter, was originally raised by Keith as a sacrifice, but later he found Lin Susu, who was more suitable, so he changed his target and did not make his own granddaughter a living sacrifice.
However, Sophie's character had been twisted into that of a stubborn person after years of "cultivation". She obeyed and never said a word to her grandfather Chris, who had ruined her life, and even protected him with her life. As a result, in the end, she could only shed a few hypocritical tears. It was really pitiful and sad.
The plot is coming to an end. Keith, who has regained his mobility, returns with the evil Feng Shui master and a group of bodyguards. At this time, Lin Jiu also performs a ritual and uses the full moon night to protect Lin Susu and the other two who are about to go to the tomb.
Without a doubt, the evil Feng Shui master also set up an altar and sent Keith and his dozen or so bodyguards inside.
The mysterious tomb passage was created by the prop masters and scene designers of the older generation of the Zhao family. Compared with the fresh and natural mountain village scenery, the tomb passage scenes filled with runes and mechanisms have a strong classical traditional color in the eyes of both Easterners and Westerners.
The huge yellow cloth is covered with red spells, the delicate and mysterious mortise and tenon structure, and the formation of inconspicuous small objects...all of them are part of the life-and-death struggle between the two sides to fight for the way forward.
When the ferocious Lin Susu and the three Zhuang brothers finally arrived at the entrance to the main tomb chamber, Keith in another passage was left with only half the number of bodyguards as when he first entered.
However, the previous life-and-death struggle and deep hatred seemed to be forgotten for a moment in the shock of standing in front of the main tomb chamber, which had fully revealed its true appearance.
Countless luminous pearls above formed the starry sky, and under the reflection of this "starlight", the altar at the highest point glowed with colorful divine light. The terracotta warriors and horses that stretched as far as the eye could see seemed to come alive again at this moment, looking up at the altar with solemn expressions, as if expecting something.
"The 'Goddess' is about to wake up!" After Keith came to his senses, he laughed crazily, "As long as the 'Goddess' wakes up, all the mutant soldiers here will evolve and finally be resurrected...hahaha!"
"The elixir of life and power beyond human limits - they will be mine!"
Unlike this overly excited villain, Lin Susu and the Zhuang brothers, when they came to their senses, rushed to the highest altar at the fastest speed!
"Stop them!" Keith became anxious when he saw it, and ran with his bodyguards.
As if they sensed someone approaching the altar, the terracotta warriors below suddenly went crazy, dancing their stiff bodies and rushing over.
The mutant soldiers with stiff stone bodies were much easier to deal with than the previous physical shadows, and in this case they could no longer care about the original intention of protecting the antiquities. Lin Susu and the other two ran forward while pushing the Terracotta Warriors that were chasing them from all directions down the ladder leading to the altar. With a bang, the colorful Terracotta Warriors fell back into its group, stirring up a flurry of colorful debris.
In this scene, when the close-up and the long-distance shot switch, the audience can see the brilliant colors gradually blending together, as if turning the entire main tomb chamber into a color palette filled with pigments. In addition, because the terracotta warriors and horses kept falling from above, the turbulent debris produced a Tyndall effect under the starlight, emitting beams of indescribable dreamy colorful light.
The colorful lights blended and mixed, just like the ever-changing colorful clouds illuminated by the divine light before the miracle happened.
The entire main tomb chamber suddenly began to shake slightly. Soon, the shaking became stronger and stronger, and dirt and tiny star-shaped beads were falling in front of the eyes like rain.
Clouds come from the dragon, wind comes from the tiger, when a sage takes action, all things see!
When Zhuang Chen thought of this ancient saying, he stopped in shock.
Then he decisively reached out and grabbed Zhuang Ni, who was closest to him, and was about to reach out to grab Lin Susu, who was running in the front under their protection.
At the same moment he grabbed the two people, the ladder in front of him suddenly collapsed, and the light above the altar became brighter and slowly rose.
However, at this moment, Lin Susu used a clever method to break free from Zhuang Chen's grasp, and then, under the complicated gazes of everyone, she struggled to leap towards the altar that was not far away!
When she stood firmly on the edge of the altar and looked back, the previous capable and sharp look of a modern woman had completely disappeared, replaced by a kind of divine sadness and peace, as if the statue of the goddess had come alive at this moment.
The ladder where the Zhuang brothers were standing gradually collapsed towards the cave entrance from which they came, and was getting farther and farther away from the altar that was still floating in the air due to an unknown force.
On the contrary, Keith, who no longer had any bodyguards around him, took out a set of colorful goddess costumes from the backpack he was carrying and threw it hard on Lin Susu. Then he stared upwards with an almost fanatical expression and climbed up quickly as if he was in the last moments of his life.
The collapse of the main tomb chamber became more and more serious. At the same time, after years of dust falling, a mural that had been buried by time and dust for a long time finally appeared.
In this mural, the goddess on the altar lowers her eyebrows and looks down at the people climbing the ladder to heaven below, subtly revealing a sense that humans overestimate their own abilities and fight against heaven, and finally end up with a tragic end, while the gods high above are moved by this and show a hint of sympathy.
Unfortunately, the goddess that Keith had been dreaming of was not the one he imagined.
When Zhuang Chen and Zhuang Ni supported each other and jumped from the ladder to the cave entrance to stand firm, light spots fell like raindrops. The "goddess" high above still lowered her head and looked down calmly, while the people below who tried to climb the ladder to reach the realm of gods fell into the pile of terracotta warriors and horses like colorful clouds along with the collapsed ladder, adding an indelible touch of bright red.
When all the stars fell, a very faint blue moonlight fell from the top.
The already dazzling light on the altar shone even brighter. The moment the Zhuang brothers closed their eyes subconsciously, the altar fell into the colorful light like clouds and could no longer be found.
The next moment, the colorful terracotta warriors and horses in the main tomb chamber that were exposed to the air outside began to show signs of rapid change. The various brilliant colors faded at an extremely fast speed that was difficult to capture. Soon, the colorful lights and clouds that were once brilliant and dreamy in front of my eyes had completely turned into a dead silence and grayness...
Looking at Zhuang Chen who was half-kneeling at the edge of the cave entrance and looking down, Zhuang Ni was just about to comfort him and persuade him to quickly leave the main tomb chamber that was about to collapse. At this time, a voice from afar called out, and they both looked up immediately.
Lin Susu seemed to have seized the moment of gravity change and floated towards them in mid-air: "Catch me!"
Zhuang Chen stood up and consciously stretched out his hands to catch this "goddess" without the goddess costume - the goddess in his heart...
"No time to explain, run!" As soon as Lin Susu landed, she quickly told the two to run away.
As the three people ran hand in hand into the tomb passage and their backs faded away, the screen gradually darkened and then lit up again. The three people had already left the dangerous tomb and were now on a quiet country road.
"Yes, we are members of the Special Operations Team of the Royal Hong Kong Police. The reason we are here is because my master and I received news that we were assigned to solve a case of cultural relic theft." After Lin Susu explained that both of them were members of the Special Operations Team of the police and that they used some technological means to float in the air and move in the air, she looked at Johnny impatiently, "Come to think of it, your brother has also kept it a secret from you. Why did he only target me?"
"I'm afraid of my brother, not you!" Zhuangni replied with his neck stiff.
"Really? Then I hope you can really do it next time we meet." Lin Susu shook her head with some sigh, "I really can't believe that the 'general' of the Zhuang family who specially set up the trap among the 'Eight Generals of a Thousand Gates' can really hide his identity so well, causing my plan to almost fail..."
"We just don't owe each other anything." Zhuang Chen smiled: he had received news from the motherland before, asking him to help investigate this cultural relic theft case, but he didn't expect that the motherland would also contact the Hong Kong police. Then, without any exchange of information, the two parties, who were supposed to be in a cooperative relationship, kept the secrets from each other and made a lot of mistakes.
After finally making it clear that everyone was just pretending to be a god and deceiving the "ghost", Lin Jiu looked at Lin Susu with concern: "What's wrong? Are you tired? If you are tired, take a rest quickly. The sun is very strong now, so you won't get sunburned."
"I'm really a little tired, Master. Let's go back to Hong Kong to report on our work first. After the Zhuang brothers go to the capital, we can meet and exchange information... The sun is really too strong today. I need to take a rest..."
Seeing Zhuang Chenyao looking at the two masters and apprentices of the Lin Clan Taoist Hall going away, Zhuang Ni decisively bumped him with his shoulder: "If you can't bear to let them go, just chase after them... huh?!"
The original interjection suddenly rose to an exclamation with exclamation. Zhuang Chen, who was disturbed, looked at his stupid brother who was always startled in a strange way, but saw him pointing at the ground in front of him, and his tone and fingers were shaking in the same way: "Shadow..."
Zhuang Chen looked towards the ground in the direction he pointed, and saw a shadow that was clearly a male figure on the ground in front of him. The hem of the Taoist robe was fluttering with his movements, and it was very obvious who the owner was...
"Well, you can think of them as a kind of life form that exists in a special form."
"The 'ghosts' in the legend don't have shadows—"
Recalling what Lin Susu had said before, and looking at the strange phenomenon that there was only one shadow of the two people walking in the sun ahead, the two brothers looked at each other in bewilderment.