The Hong Kong branch of the Celestial Master Association was located in the city's old district, an area where East and West had historically converged. It was a mix of old and new architecture, a place where traditional Hong Kong folk customs, ancient temples, and Feng Shui halls clustered together. After the government stepped in to manage it, the Celestial Master Association was established on one of the streets here.
From the outside, Xiao He thought it was an antique shop selling old artifacts. It was only after stepping inside that he realized the interior design leaned more toward a civil servant style, with the overall feel of a formal government office. However, most of the furnishings were still New Chinese style, including the indoor plaques featuring ancient-style calligraphy on classical wood. Even the reception counter up front was a reddish-brown wooden desk paired with leather chairs, giving it a sense of being both old and new at the same time.
What made it hardest to keep a straight face was that on the freshly painted white walls on both sides, there were not only emblems symbolizing the Party and the people, but also a bright red notice board that clearly displayed slogans like "Discard Feudal Superstitions, Establish Scientific Concepts" and "Eradicate the Dross of Old Customs, Standardize the Inheritance of Folk Traditions"...
Seeing these on the wall, Xiao He instantly felt as if he were enveloped in a halo, his surroundings filled with the power of the "red" spirit.
The other two actors, who had been following Xiao He with some trepidation in their hearts, also felt their tension ease slightly at this sight.
It couldn't be helped; humans naturally fear the unknown.
However, when they saw such familiar emblems and slogans, the complex emotions resulting from the clash between "metaphysics" and
Thus, everyone was better able to observe their surroundings.
Among the three actors who came this time, besides Xiao He, the other two were artists under Zhuang Hongyi's banner.
One was a slightly chubby middle-aged man named Lü Dun, and the other was an actress named Cheng Jingyu, who had participated in the phantom thief alliance series.
Xiao He wasn't very familiar with Lü Dun and hadn't worked with him before, but he had heard from Liu Rulan that the man's reputation in the industry was quite good. Currently in his thirties, he was a specialist in guest-starring as slightly chubby characters and had a cheerful personality.
For his role, Zhuang Hongyi had gone through several people, but they all got stuck at the "Master" part. It wasn't until Lü Dun was chosen that this final role was finally settled.
As for Cheng Jingyu, she had played a glamorous female thief in the phantom thief alliance and was a master thief character in that universe. However, she only showed her face for a few minutes in the second movie. Her backstory hadn't been developed yet, and it was unclear if Director Zhuang had plans for expansion in that area.
Xiao He had brief contact with her, but they weren't particularly close.
However, he did notice that although Cheng Jingyu often played glamorous women with open personalities in the phantom thief alliance and other works, she was actually a very socially anxious person. From boarding the plane in Beijing to arriving in Hong Kong and up until now, she hadn't said more than five sentences to Xiao He.
The same was true for her interactions with others.
Xiao He was actually quite curious why someone with her personality would enter the entertainment industry, especially since the characters she portrayed were so different from her true self.
Moreover, it was said that the role was originally intended for Yuan Sitong, the one who loved gossip and was always late.
As it turned out, Yuan Sitong was actually a bit afraid of ghosts and didn't want to develop her career in this direction, so her Agent ultimately declined the job.
Xiao He:...I strongly suspect Yuan Sitong just didn't want to study.
Fortunately, Xiao He was now capable of carrying the box office on his own. Therefore, the lead cast of "Long" was not the usual "veteran actors leading young idols" model that Zhuang Hongyi preferred; instead, he let Xiao He take the lead alone.
Nowadays, only Director Zhuang would dare to have such confidence in a "traffic star."
And at the very least, Xiao He wasn't a pure "traffic star."
...
Soon, under the guidance of the front desk, Xiao He and the others met the person in charge of the association, who was also the main Chairman of the Hong Kong Celestial Master Association's headquarters.
The Chairman's surname was Mao, a somewhat rare surname. He looked to be in his fifties or sixties, with very sparse hair and a round physique. However, his body wasn't the kind of fat built from overindulgence; at first glance, he didn't look like a Taoist priest but rather like a worldly Maitreya Buddha. He had a naturally friendly smile, and his Mandarin had a hint of a Cantonese accent, making one feel as if they had instantly returned to the era of last century's Hong Kong films.
It was also at this time that everyone learned the association had actually prepared a simple exam for them.
Although Director Zhuang had mentioned before coming that the association would have some more or less rigid assessments, Xiao He hadn't expected their "hardcore" nature to literally be a screening of hardcore knowledge points.
Among the three "Celestial Master" actors, while Xiao He remained fairly calm, the other two turned a few shades paler.
After all, they might be okay with professional acting knowledge, but being tested right off the bat on the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, the Eight Trigrams, and the I Ching—who could handle that?!
Only Xiao He rolled up his sleeves, eager to try, feeling that he had finally arrived on his home turf.
Wasn't this the exact moment his extracted cheat was meant for?
If it couldn't be used, then its existence would be meaningless!
Thus, Lü Dun and Cheng Jingyu stood by, dumbfounded, as they watched Xiao He answer Chairman Mao's questions with ease and fluency.
From the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, the essence of Yin and Yang, the imagery of the Eight Trigrams, the Five Elements' interactions, the Three Souls and Seven Po, to the Four Symbols and Six Realms...
Then to the core of Feng Shui, the I Ching, the principles of change, date selection, Qi regulation, and landforms...
Whether it was basic or advanced, as long as it was written knowledge related to the subject, Xiao He could basically answer it without even blinking. His recited explanations and original texts were almost word-for-word perfect.
The smile that had been on Chairman Mao's face gradually faded. His eyes sharpened as he sized up the young man before him. His casual attitude became increasingly serious, as if he had transformed in an instant from an elder testing a youngster for fun into a formal chief examiner sitting in a high position.
Consequently, what was supposed to be a simple diagnostic test turned into a formal Taoist assessment of the association. As for the other two actors who were almost there just for decoration, how much knowledge they possessed no longer seemed important.
They simply stood there with their mouths slightly agape, watching in shock as Chairman Mao and Xiao He went back and forth in a question-and-answer session, the atmosphere gradually becoming quiet and solemn.
After an unknown amount of time, Chairman Mao finally stopped.
Silence returned to the room.
His gaze remained fixed on Xiao He, and the relaxed smile from earlier was gone. Only his hand, which had been fumbling for the water cup on the desk for a long time without finding it, revealed his inner lack of composure.
Based on this young man's current depth of knowledge and demonstrated ability, Chairman Mao had a momentary urge to issue him a certificate on the spot.
—Unfortunately, there were thresholds for certificates; even the association couldn't just issue them willy-nilly.
But with such ability and such a breadth of knowledge... if this young man could reach such heights just after starting out, then he was a complete and utter genius suited for studying Taoist arts!
Thinking this, Chairman Mao's hand trembled slightly. He finally grabbed the water cup on the desk and took a forced sip to suppress his "shock."
Only the two actors in the corner huddled together, shivering.
Um, did we walk onto the wrong movie set?
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