Chapter 721: This Role Suits You
The Heavenly Lord stood inside the Flower World Star Agency in Puzhou City, with Lao Nanfeng respectfully attending him.
"Heavenly Lord, what brings you to your servant's talent agency today?" Lao Nanfeng leaned in close to Li Daoxuan's ear with a sudden motion, whispering, "Have you taken a liking to any of our actresses? Would you like one to serve you tea and water, make your bed? If the Heavenly Lord so wishes, they would all be delighted to oblige."
Li Daoxuan shot back impatiently, "Hey, what on earth are you thinking? Am I that kind of person?"
Lao Nanfeng immediately said, "Ah, your servant misspoke. Of course, the Heavenly Lord would never be such a person."
He then thought to himself: *The Heavenly Lord isn't human, he's a god. So, my earlier comment wasn't exactly flattery, was it?*
Li Daoxuan said, "I've come today to select twelve actresses."
Lao Nanfeng's jaw dropped. "What?"
He thought inwardly: *My ambitions were far too small! The Heavenly Lord doesn't want just one actress; he wants twelve! Heavens above! A god's taste is truly beyond us mortals, and a god's stamina is surely beyond that of any mortal.*
One look at Lao Nanfeng's expression, and Li Daoxuan knew the man had the wrong idea. He retorted with exasperation, "Lao Nanfeng, you're good in every other way, but you're stuck in those old, corrupt ways of indulgence in wine, women, wealth, and power."
Li Daoxuan sighed. "But never mind. It's these very indulgences that make one seem real. Truly, those morally perfect sages are nothing but awkwardly glorified myths anyway."
He pulled a set of comic books, *The Legend of Mu Guiying* and *Twelve Widows Conquer the West*, from his pocket and handed them to Lao Nanfeng. "Select twelve actresses, and find some supporting actors, to turn the story from these comic books into a movie. Afterwards, I intend to show it to everyone."
"What?" Lao Nanfeng looked bewildered. "What is a movie?"
"A movie is simply telling a story with moving pictures," Li Daoxuan explained with a smile. "Do you remember those celestial maiden dances I showed you from the Immortal Realm?"
Lao Nanfeng replied, "Of course, I remember! The Heavenly Lord used the Immortal Realm to store the celestial maiden dances in a mirror and bestowed them upon your servant, so I could watch them repeatedly."
As he spoke, a realization suddenly dawned on Lao Nanfeng. "Your servant understands! The Heavenly Lord means to stage a play, then record it with the divine mirror, and show it repeatedly to everyone!"
"Precisely! That's exactly what I mean," Li Daoxuan said, smiling. "However, traditional opera is too theatrical, not realistic enough, and lacks sufficient impact and engagement for the audience. That's why I want to make a movie. Filmed as realistically as possible, it will have a greater impact on the audience and better convey the message I wish to impart."
Lao Nanfeng was no fool. Connecting this to recent events, he immediately understood. "The conscription issue?"
Li Daoxuan patted his shoulder. "Clever, aren't you?"
The issue of conscription had become a major problem in the territories occupied by Gao Family Village. If they didn't quickly correct the misconception that "good men don't become soldiers, just as good iron isn't used for nails," things would go poorly.
"Stories of heroic figures like Mu Guiying should be properly performed by real people," Li Daoxuan instructed. "The Twelve Widows Conquer the West, defending home and country, is deeply moving. Let's uplift the image of soldiers."
Lao Nanfeng declared, "Your servant understands! Heavenly Lord, rest assured, this matter is in my hands!"
"Go and prepare, rehearse. When it's time for the official shoot, I will come and record it with the divine mirror," Li Daoxuan said. "Remember, this isn't opera. So, the makeup shouldn't be theatrical; it should be like that of real border guards. The battle scenes aren't dances on a stage; they must be fought as if on a real battlefield. Every shot must convey genuine emotion to the audience."
Lao Nanfeng saluted. "Your servant understands!"
Having given his instructions, Li Daoxuan found a corner and sat down, refraining from interrupting as he watched Lao Nanfeng make his arrangements.
Lao Nanfeng immediately sprang into action, bustling about the Flower World Star Agency.
Before long, he genuinely found twelve actresses, scrutinizing them from every angle, carefully selecting his favorites. His most beloved actress, Cai Lin, was naturally chosen to portray Mu Guiying.
"Ladies, this is the play you are to perform." Lao Nanfeng swept the comic books *Mu Guiying* and *Twelve Widows Conquer the West* towards them. "Read through them carefully and commit the plot firmly to memory."
The actresses glanced at the comic books and immediately laughed. "We don't need to read the plot in these books, we already know them by heart!"
"But we don't know how to sing opera."
"Yes! The singing style for opera is completely different from what we learned in the pleasure houses."
"Exactly, two different styles entirely."
Lao Nanfeng explained, "You're not singing opera; you're acting. We aim for realism, not the exaggerated performances of opera. Therefore, for the next few days, you ladies will follow me and learn some martial arts and spearmanship."
The actresses gasped, "Ah?"
They were truly startled!
Learn martial arts and spearmanship?
The actresses were utterly dumbfounded.
Cai Lin, chosen to play Mu Guiying, felt an immense weight of pressure. "I... do we really need to become as skilled in combat as Mu Guiying? This humble one cannot achieve that."
Li Daoxuan watched from the side with great amusement. "Hahaha, you don't need to be truly skilled in combat. Just learning some fancy, stylized moves will suffice. If it's really too difficult, we can always hire female stunt doubles."
Hearing him speak, the young women finally noticed that the Heavenly Lord was sitting right there.
Now they understood: this was a task assigned by the Heavenly Lord.
Their spirits instantly lifted. "We humbly obey your decree."
A group of actresses began practicing superficial martial arts.
Just then, Chen Baihu walked in from outside.
Since Lao Nanfeng had been promoted to Puzhou garrison commander, Chen Baihu had also been promoted to Chen Qianhu, gaining a rank in the imperial court. But who truly cared? A court position was worthless; no matter how high your rank, they still owed you military pay. A position in Gao Family Village was far more useful.
Humming a tune, he entered the talent agency. "Brother Nanfeng..."
He was about to invite Lao Nanfeng to go get something good to eat.
Suddenly, he saw Lao Nanfeng standing on the stage, practicing martial arts with a dozen actresses.
Lao Nanfeng demonstrated, "See, this punch should be thrown like this. Hup!"
The actresses softly followed suit, "Yah!"
Chen Qianhu sucked in a sharp breath. "What... what is this? Brother Nanfeng, you aren't... you haven't gone mad, have you? Why are you teaching them to fight?"
Lao Nanfeng's eyes lit up with delight, and he burst out laughing. "Old Chen, you're here! Just in time, hahahaha! I suddenly have a glorious yet arduous task to entrust to you."
A bad feeling welled up in Chen Qianhu's heart.
Lao Nanfeng continued, "General Xiao Tianzuo of the Liao Kingdom... that role suits you perfectly."
Chen Qianhu stammered, "Huh? Wh-what?"
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