The sequel to The Legendary Bloodspear Detective was an even bigger hit, outperforming the first in sales.

Lu Yuanhai grew restless and brought it up with Lu Yuanshan. "Brother, are we still pulling out? We have already made a fortune from this!"

Lu Yuanshan pondered for a long while before shaking his head. "We still have to back out from this. Money isn't the main concern. Dirty work is still dirty work, and we can't get too deeply involved."

Lu Yuanhai was unwilling to let it go. "How about we discuss it with Uncle Qiu?"

"No need to discuss it. You know Uncle Qiu's temperament. He would definitely tell us to stop as soon as possible. It's fine to watch whatever that Ma Wu produces once or twice. However, it becomes cringy and boring when you see too much of it. This isn't a long-term solution. We can't drag our family's reputation into this."

This was actually something they should discuss with Qiu Zhiheng as Qiu Zhiheng would understand the situation better than anyone else.

Lu Yuanshan and Lu Yuanhai had grown up swimming in wealth. They had seen everything, tasted everything, and poked their noses into more amusements than most people could dream of. At first, the films had been a delight. New, bold, a little shocking. But after a while, the movie began to feel ... boring.

It was different for the ordinary folk. They had never seen anything like it. The things in those films were dazzling, almost unbelievable, the kind of sights people whispered about and secretly longed for. How could they possibly grow tired of it?

If the brothers had ever visited the Outer Provinces, they would have known better. People there could sit through hundreds of such films, eyes wide the whole time, never once thinking of leaving.

Unfortunately, Qiu Zhiheng had been far too busy with other business lately. The film scene? He hadn't spared it a single glance.

Ma Wu had gone and released two Legendary Bloodspear Detective films in a row. He was clearly pushing far past what audiences in Puluo Province were used to.

Surely someone would step in? Surely someone would stop him?

Well... yes. Plenty of people wanted to.

The newspapers were full of it. Famous columnists sharpened their pens and went at Ma Wu day after day, filling entire pages with scathing criticism. If words alone could stop a man, Ma Wu would have been buried ten times over.

But talking was easy. Doing something about it was another matter entirely and none of them did anything. After all, it involved the Lu Family... and the Three Heroes Sect.

Ordinary people didn't dare make a move against Ma Wu, and those who did dare had no interest in stepping into such a muddy mess.

Ma Wu, for his part, had already made peace with it. If the newspapers wanted to criticize him, he would let them. The louder they barked, the more famous he became.

As for the Lu Family, if they wanted to pull out, so be it. Old Qi was right. This was their path now, and they would make their name through it. If the Lu Family didn't want a share, then it only meant they lacked vision.

At Ninth Goat Tower, Li Banfeng and Ma Wu played host and invited Qin Tianjiu for mutton hotpot.

Ma Wu knew that Chubby Qin was a Gourmandism Cultivator, so the moment they stepped into the private room, he told the clerk to slice up five kilograms of meat.

Hearing this, Qin Tianjiu set down his chopsticks

Ma Wu blinked in surprise. "Brother Qin, what's wrong? Don't like this place? We can go somewhere else."

Qin Tianjiu shook his head. "Mutton hotpot is awesome. I really enjoy it. But Young Master Wu, if you are only ordering five kilograms of meat, we might as well just sit and chat. That would only be for show."

Ma Wu was puzzled.

Li Banfeng smiled. "Brother, is it not enough?"

Qin Tianjiu let out a soft chuckle. "To be honest, Big Brother Qi, ever since I ate that worm, anything less than seven and a half kilograms in a meal doesn't even come close to filling me up.

"Even when I do eat my fill, I will be hungry again in less than three hours. I wake up starving, even in my sleep.

"All the money the gang gives me goes straight into food. I don't save a single coin, and still... I'm like this. Always hungry.

"Right now, I already feel anxious just sitting here chatting with you and Young Master Wu. If we keep talking, I will need to go find somewhere else and find something to eat again."

Ma Wu didn't hesitate for a second. He immediately called the clerk over and added another ten kilograms of mutton. "Whatever happens, we are not letting you leave hungry today."

As the three men ate and talked, the conversation eventually turned to the Three Heroes Sect.

Chubby Qin had indeed dug up some information. "The Ling Family approached our gang to arrange this, and our second boss agreed to it. I have already taken things this far, and the second boss didn't say anything, so that counts as tacit approval.

"Big Bro Qi, just keep filming your movie. I can't speak for other matters, but I can assure you that no one from the Three Heroes Sect will dare come here to cause trouble."

*** 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

At the Ling Family's film studio, Zhou Changhong's expression darkened. "I said we wouldn't nitpick the extent, but after everything the Three Heroes Sect did, this is all they managed?"

Ling Miaoying sighed. "I told their second boss the same thing, but he said the job was already done properly."

"What do they mean when they say that the job was done properly?"

"They did send people over, and they went every day. Ma Wu's filming was indeed delayed. Previously, they could release the film before us, but this time they didn't. They were a full half month behind us..."

Ling Miaoying's voice shrank and shrank, like a balloon slowly losing air.

Even with a whole half-month head start, they had still lost. For the first time, Ling Miaoying began to wonder if he was quite as capable as he had always believed.

Zhou Changhong shook his head. "They fell behind because they actually tried this time. Proper effort. Real work. That film of theirs? It's nothing like the first movie they made before. So we can't rely on the Three Heroes Sect. What about the other gangs?"

Ling Miaoying didn't dare promise anything. "I can have them give it a go, but they might end up no better than the Three Heroes Sect."

"No need," Zhou Changhong said. "I have heard their third film is already halfway done. Fine. This time, I will deal with it myself. I will use their own tricks against them. I will burn their film reels."

Ling Miaoying didn't even hesitate. "That won't work. Ma Wu's not a fool. He's kept plenty of backup negatives. There's more than one copy."

"Then I'll burn every last one," Zhou Changhong said. "Have the spies around Ma Wu find out exactly how many there are and burn the entire set along with them."

***

That very night, Ma Wu's film set went up in flames and the reels became nothing but blackened scraps.

Ma Wu told himself he was lucky. He had been clever enough to keep more than one copy.

Then the very next night, Freewind Wharf caught fire. Another copy was gone.

Ma Wu panicked and had Zuo Wugang and the others focus on guarding the film company.

Two days later, the film company caught fire again, and that batch of reels was burned as well.

Who could be this ruthless? Not only ruthless, but also so precise with their information?

Now there was only one copy left. What would they do if it got burned too?

***

Inside the Pocket Dwelling, Li Banfeng sat with his wifey, watching a film.

"Heyaaaaaa~ Husband dear!" she cried. "This is far too shameless! Where on earth did you get such a thing? This little wifey can't watch this!"

"Why not? This is the unedited version. Others wouldn't even get the chance to see it."

"Th-this... what kind of positions are these? Could my dear husband even do something like this? Aren't you afraid of breaking it?"

Hong Ying shouted angrily, "How exactly is it done? At least explain it to me!"

The Gramophone burst into gleeful laughter. "Hahaha! You wretch, you can't even see it, can you? Good! Let it drive you mad!"

And so, the final copy of the film sat safely tucked away inside the Pocket Dwelling, somewhere that Zhou Changhong would never find.

However, the filming was not over. Ma Wu simply moved to a new set and carried on with the filming.

After just two days, another fire broke out. The cameras, props, and set pieces were all burned.

Losing equipment wasn't the problem. Those could always be bought again. But if the fire resulted in the casualties, then things would truly escalate.

Ma Wu had Zuo Wugang tighten security until it was nearly suffocating.

By nightfall, Zuo Wugang didn't even dare close his eyes. He doubled the guards, then doubled them again, until the entire set was locked down so tightly a fly might struggle to get in.

Despite doing so much, it was useless. At three in the morning, the new set caught fire.

By four o'clock, the flames were finally put out.

The arsonist left nothing behind. No footprints. No clues. Not even the faintest hint of how they came... or how they left.

Zuo Wugang searched until his head spun, but in the end, he found absolutely nothing.

Before long, the papers were full of it, screaming headlines like: Ma Wu Lacks Shame, Defies Moral Decency. Chivalrous Heroes Strike Back, Forcing Him into a Dead End.

The newspapers could be ignored. Ma Wu didn't blame Old Zuo either.

But the fires? Those couldn't be ignored. If they didn't find another solution, the film would never continue.

"Old Qi, we have changed sets again and again. We have searched all over Greenwater City, and not a single place can allow us to film for three days. It was obvious that Greenwater City was no longer an option for filming.

Li Banfeng, however, had already made up his mind. "If we can't film at Greenwater City, we will go somewhere else."

Ma Wu blinked. "Where can we go? Our manpower and equipment are all in Greenwater City. We can't get out."

"Why can't we get out? Didn't the Ling Family move their set to Kinless Township to avoid us from messing with their filming? If they could do it, why can't we do the same?"

Ma Wu fell silent for a long moment before speaking. "Didn't you figure out what they were really up to back then? Kinless Township is their turf. If they film there, they will have people backing them up."

"What are you talking about? Don't we have our own turf?"

Ma Wu froze. "You want to film in Blue Poplar Village?"

"It can't be Blue Poplar Village. We will go to Properfolk Village! Bring in Swallowie, Qin, all of them. I refuse to believe we can't keep the set safe!"

Ma Wu was stunned. "You want to film in the New Land?"

Li Banfeng smiled. "You have never tried that, right?"

Ma Wu shook his head. "No one's ever tried this before! What kind of place is the New Land? How do we prepare anything there? Where do we even get equipment? And more importantly, what actor or actress would be willing to go to a place like that?"

Li Banfeng smacked his lips. "Isn't this all for the sake of art? I went to the cinema yesterday. Don't assume that just because your movie sold well, the audience won't start picking at flaws.

"Some viewers said you have too many indoor scenes and too few outdoor ones, and the outdoor scenes aren't grand enough!

"If we film in Properfolk Village, what kind of setting wouldn't we have? Forests, wastelands, deserts, lakes, and all kinds of rare and exotic beasts. How grand would that look?

"If you're willing, let Swallowie and the others make an appearance. You and Swallowie can even do a cameo together. Wouldn't that be great?"

Ma Wu shook his head. "There's no point discussing this. The actors would never agree to film in the New Land, and the crew wouldn't either. In the end, it would just be the two of us. What exactly do you expect us to film?"

"That's exactly why I say you lack sincerity. Go get Zuo Wugang. I will talk to him myself. Tomorrow night, we will invite the entire crew to Properfolk Village."

Ma Wu never cut corners on manpower. To keep production moving fast, he had assembled a crew of over three hundred people.

The next evening, Ma Wu gathered everyone and laid out the plan to film in the New Land. Just as he had expected, neither the crew nor the actors were willing to go.

The New Land wasn't a place just anyone could enter.

For those without cultivation or experience, going there was no different from courting death!

Ma Wu's words went nowhere. Not even a ripple. Then, it was time for Zuo Wugang to speak.

Zuo Wugang stepped forward, cleared his throat, and said, "Now then! Let's talk about this film. It's good. Very good. Extremely good. As for why it's so good... well... No idea. I am just a rough fellow. Anyway... Old Cao, put the knife down."

Old Cao did no such thing. Instead, he thunked his short saber straight into the table. Then he looked around at the actors and crew, and said to Zuo Wugang, "Chief Zuo, don't mind me. Just say what you need to say."

Zuo Wugang continued, "Our Master Qi says filmmaking is art. Now, I don't really understand what art is, but I do understand loyalty. If there's no loyalty... then where does art come from?

"So! We are asking you all to head to the New Land. I, Old Zuo, personally guarantee your safety. With us brothers watching over you, nothing can possibly go wrong. Absolutely nothing. I am telling you...

He stopped abruptly and frowned. "Zhen Jincheng! What are you doing? We are in the middle of a proper talk. Why are you pulling out your knife again?"

Zhen Jincheng calmly slid the blade back into its sheath. "Nothing, Chief Zuo. Please continue."

"Good, good." Zuo Wugang continued. "As I was saying, everyone here is loyal. The carriages are ready. We leave now. "And if anyone here isn't loyal... and doesn't wish to go... you can stay. We will just have a little private chat."

In the end, the crew proved remarkably loyal. One by one, they followed Cao Zhigang and Zhen Jincheng onto the carriages.

Little Chuan and Little Gen had prepared more than twenty carriages in advance. By nightfall, they had already transported the entire crew to Properfolk Village.

The news spread through Greenwater City at a most alarming speed.

"Did you hear?"

"Ma Wu sent over three hundred people into the New Land in one night!"

"What's he trying to do?"

"Make a film!"

"A film?! In the New Land?!"

"Has he lost his mind? What kind of film would that even turn into?"

Sending the people over wasn't enough. There was also the equipment.

And not just a little bit of equipment, either. There were lights and props and bits and bobs of every imaginable sort, all of which had to be hauled across by Little Chuan and Little Gen, who went back and forth so many times they must have felt like overworked donkeys.

But even that wasn't the end of it. Three hundred people don't simply sit around and nibble on air. They needed food. They needed places to sleep. They needed all sorts of basic necessities, and every single one of them had to be hauled into the New Land.

And then came the filming itself. Outdoor sets. Indoor sets. Big ones. Complicated ones. The kind that required hammering and sawing and shouting and an awful lot of running about. It was, in short, a tremendous undertaking. It required a lot of manpower.

Fortunately, manpower wasn't lacking. Hunters who usually roamed the New Land gathered in Properfolk Village, and before long, they were all hard at work, busily helping the crew.

The pay didn't matter in the slightest. These hunters all had the same wish. They wanted to appear in the film, even if only for a fleeting moment.

In Puluo Province, films were still something rare and wondrous. Many of them had never even had their photograph taken in their entire lives. To be in a film? That was basically a great honor!

More and more hunters arrived, and the project kept expanding.

Before long, Properfolk Village was buzzing with life. The surrounding lands, too, began to stir, as if the excitement had leaked into the very soil.

By the lakeside, a group of crew members bustled about, setting up a scene. Zhou Changhong had slipped in among them, helping to arrange camera positions and lighting.

He had disguised himself as a hunter so convincingly that not a single person gave him a second glance.

Swallowie stood watch over the entire set, flanked by three Madam Bagworm Moths. Qin patrolled with a group of her sisters, moving back and forth like vigilant sentries.

Even so, none of them noticed Zhou Changhong!

Once the set was constructed, Zhou Changhong turned his attention to the cameras.

All of them had been bought from Greenwater City. If they were smashed, replacements would have to be brought in from there again. The back-and-forth delay might be more than Ma Wu could afford.

Zhou Changhong had already made up his mind. He was just about to act when someone called out from beside him.

"Hey, young man! Could you give me a hand with this lighting frame?"

He turned and saw a gaunt old man standing there, waving him over.

Zhou Changhong walked up and glanced at him. "At your age, you are still working here?"

The old man smiled, as though the question amused him. "I am not working. I just came to see something new. Never seen a film being made in my entire life."

The lighting frame was heavy. The two of them carried it together, step by careful step, before finally setting it down.

The old man straightened slowly, then looked Zhou Changhong up and down. "You have got quite a bit of strength for someone your age. Your cultivation can't be low, right?"

Zhou Changhong smiled. "I am a level-two Martial Cultivator."

The old man's eyes widened in surprise. "Level two already, at your age? I only just reached it myself, and look how old I am."

"May I ask how I should address you, sir?"

"My surname is Shui. Folks around here call me Old Shui."

Old gestured to the side and continued, "That old fellow over there is surnamed Qiu. We call him Old Qiu."

As he spoke, a large, stout old man with an honest, almost simple-looking smile walked up behind Zhou Changhong.

With one in front and one behind, Zhou Changhong found himself sandwiched between them.

He glanced at the two of them and asked, "Seniors, what exactly is the meaning of this?"

The gaunt old man smacked his lips and said. "Young man, I could tell at a glance that you are no ordinary person. That's why I came to have a word with you.

"We two old fellows like lively places. Trouble is, this place used to be quiet. Now that it's finally lively, we would like to keep it that way. Do you understand what I mean?"

Zhou Changhong remained silent.

The stout old man frowned. "Old Shui, you always talk in circles. No wonder he doesn't get it. Young man, I will put it simply, can you get the hell out of here?"

Author's Note:

PS: Properfolk Village sits at the boundary between Shui Yongquan and Qiu Luoye's territories. With enough activity and people, the New Land could then get a chance to become a Proper Land.