Chapter 40: Chapter 39: "The Saintess Falls in Love, Myriad Gu Devour the Body," Episode 2

"Are they just messing around?"

"So extravagant, just throwing away ten thousand yuan like that? What if it all goes down the drain?"

Many of the older folks just shook their heads.

"That’s a full ten thousand yuan! You could buy so much with that, and he’s spending it all in just a day or two."

"What a spendthrift!"

But since Granny Li Xiang hadn’t said a word, they couldn’t very well meddle.

It wasn’t even their money, yet they felt the sting. If their own kid were acting so recklessly, wouldn’t they have broken his legs by now?

Li Xiang had actually always been quite low-key. Although he’d made some money selling mountain delicacies, he did it quietly and never made a big deal out of it.

Everyone knew he filmed short videos and seemed to be gaining traction. They’d heard he had tens of thousands of followers.

But he’d only been at it for a few days. It’s not like they’d seen any real returns yet.

’Honestly, Li Xiang wasn’t sure about this either. In his whole life, it was the first time he’d ever spent so much money. In fact, it was his first time in two lifetimes trying his hand at social media. He had no idea if there would be any payoff.’

’In his previous life, his career had never taken off, so he’d always been frugal. After the Apocalypse came, paper money became worthless. No one used it. Gold became hard currency again, and after that, it was all about bartering.’

’But during the Apocalypse, he had been constantly fighting to save humanity. With such a lofty ideal, he’d long since come to see money as worthless, so he never had much of it on hand.’

But once an arrow is loosed, there’s no calling it back. Li Xiang was never one to back down.

He began preparing enthusiastically, joining the group chat for Jiang Cai’Er’s short film to discuss the plot with everyone.

He had to admit, these high school students, in the prime of their youth, were full of ideas. All sorts of wild and wonderful concepts emerged one after another. Many of their suggestions were incredibly creative, covering everything from major elements like the plot and set design, down to the smallest details like costumes, makeup, and acting. They had even designed the fight choreography and the special effects to go with it.

Of course, if they were really going to add special effects, they would be of the fifty-cent variety. One student bravely volunteered, claiming to have dabbled in it and offered to add them for free.

This group of students was practically free labor.

’Li Xiang felt that the 100-yuan stipend he was giving them was an incredible bargain.’

’No wonder those university ’bosses’ love using their master’s and PhD students for side projects.’

’Beasts of burden. Cheap beasts of burden. It all starts when you’re a student!’

On the third day of the holiday, filming for the second episode of *The Saintess’s Heart is Moved, Ten Thousand Gu Devour the Body* officially began with great fanfare.

The plot of the second episode involved the swordsman, Li Luo (played by Li Xiang), attending a grand Martial Arts tournament in the Central Plains. Dressed in tattered, patched-up clothes and wielding a laughably crude Chopping Knife, he defeats various masters and handsome prodigies to seize the title of Martial Arts Alliance Leader, winning the affection of numerous Sect Saintesses in the process.

The venue for the martial arts tournament was the Mountain God Temple on the summit of the front mountain. The plaza in front of the Temple was reasonably spacious, and being on a high mountain peak, the scenery was stunning. Aside from a few wind turbines to the Southwest, there were almost no signs of the modern world.

They just had to make sure the camera avoided pointing toward the wind turbines.

During the performance, it was mainly Li Xiang doing the fighting. The sheer force of his presence made even the others who couldn’t fight look incredibly formidable.

No post-production was needed. Even on set, everyone was secretly in awe. ’He’s truly amazing.’

"Classmate Jiangjiang’s older brother from her village has some real skills."

How could they know that Li Xiang was a genuine Extraordinary Being, and that the Body Techniques he displayed were far more profound and mysterious than they could ever imagine.

One move in particular stood out. Li Xiang leaped down from the eaves of the Mountain God Temple, his gleaming Chopping Knife whistling through the air with a flash of cold light. With a single slash, he sent the Saint Heir from Qingcheng Mountain ’flying.’ The force of the blade stirred up a powerful gust of wind that left everyone breathless. It was simply incredible. The girls all screamed.

Many of them thought it was just a coincidence—that a strong gust of wind had happened to blow by at that exact moment.

In reality, that wasn’t the case. Meanwhile, back at Li Xiang’s home, two neighborhood aunties and Granny Li Xiang began preparing a lavish spread of food. One of the aunties had even been a professional cook in her youth and was an excellent chef.

Whenever there was a major event in the village, be it a wedding or a funeral, she was always the one invited to be the head chef.

「The front mountain summit.」

The final battle was a showdown between Li Luo and Su Ruru, the Saintess of the Mount Emei Sect.

Surprisingly, Su Ruru and Li Luo were old acquaintances.

It turned out that when Su Ruru was a child, she used to work the ferry on the Han River with her father. Li Luo, traveling with his grandmaster, had once taken their boat to cross the river and had even helped them fight off river pirates. That was how they had met.

Su Ruru’s eyes glinted, and she took the initiative to bring up their past connection.

"’So it’s Su Xiaomei!’ Li Luo exclaimed, surprised. ’It’s true what they say about how much a girl can change. Su Ruru is far more beautiful than she was as a child.’"

Su Ruru’s gaze was tender and her demeanor gentle and charming, but her eyes were firm. "Brother Li, even though we’re old acquaintances, the reputation of my Mount Emei Sect is on the line. I won’t be holding back!"

Li Luo nodded slightly. "Then make your move, Su Xiaomei."

With that, the two began to fight.

They went back and forth, a flurry of motion, and in the blink of an eye, thirty moves had been exchanged.

But Li Luo, that player, couldn’t help but go easy on her for old times’ sake.

His holding back unexpectedly caused Su Ruru’s fame to skyrocket.

After all, based on her actual skills, Su Ruru only ranked twenty-seventh or twenty-eighth among the candidates for Alliance Leader. But because he held back, she seemed to have the upper hand, cutting a radiant figure. Although she still lost in the end, her reputation—and that of the long-declining Mount Emei Sect—was greatly enhanced.

She was, after all, the only one who had lasted more than thirty moves against a monster like Li Luo. He had finished off every other opponent in three moves or less.

Most notably, during their match, Su Ruru had even managed to slash Li Luo’s clothing with her sword, nearly injuring him.

With a flash of cold light from the Autumn Water Sword, the cloth over Li Luo’s abdomen was torn away, revealing his tan eight-pack abs. The girls in the crowd screamed.

Even the ’old class monitor’ from Jiang Cai’Er’s class—a quiet, well-behaved girl who was always so composed—couldn’t help but curse, "Holy shit!"

Jiang Cai’Er was utterly speechless and couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

’It’s just part of the script, why are you all acting so realistically? This looks more like your true colors showing, not acting! Hmph, there weren’t this many lines in the script we discussed. And now we’ve got a "Holy shit!"? That’s so out of character.’

’You bunch of love-crazed girls! I invited you for a cameo, not to actually hit on my brother!’

’Watching so many "Saintesses" fangirling over her brother made Jiang Cai’Er grind her teeth in frustration. The sight of it was infuriating. ’If only I really had a Unity Gu,’ she thought. A sudden idea popped into her head: ’When I get home tonight, I’ll ask Mom if our Miao Village really has Gu Techniques.’’

’If we do, I want to learn them.’

But Jiang Cai’Er was a true professional. Even while sulking, she remained as busy as a bee, running back and forth, adjusting the camera to capture every amazing shot.

At the end of the shoot, they left a hook for the audience: the Mount Emei Sect’s Saintess, Su Ruru, had secretly developed feelings for the male lead. After the tournament, she takes the initiative to invite him for a drink at a small tavern.

But the scene ends before revealing whether Li Luo accepts her invitation.

The scene then cuts to a Miao Village.

For this location, Jiang Cai’Er had specifically brought Li Xiang to her maternal grandmother’s home.

Her mother and grandmother were both bona fide members of the Miao Race, and their village still had traditional Miao architecture. Filming in the attic of one of those old houses was absolutely perfect.

The scene opens inside a stilt house, where Yi Pu Xian’er, the Saintess of Miaojiang (played by Jiang Cai’Er), is leaning against a window, softly reciting a line of poetry Li Luo taught her before he left:

"’Where delicate clouds weave their patterns, and shooting stars carry silent sorrows... If our love is meant to last for an eternity, must we be together from dusk till dawn?’ Brother Li Luo, have you been thinking of me?"