Chapter 58: What a Fine Legacy of the Hollow Young Master

No one knew who Stephen Chow was thinking of at that very moment.

Perhaps it was the actress who played the Fairy Zixia, or perhaps it was the first love he owed the most.

In any case, he, who was always deadpan and humorless while filming, was so moved by two lines of dialogue that his eyes reddened with tears.

In front of the camera, Wen Zhang showed a look of utter astonishment when he heard Shu Qi change her lines.

This instinctive expression happened to be pitch-perfect for the scene.

Being a truly skilled actor, he instantly slipped into the emotional state, hugging Shu Qi tightly with closed eyes and shedding tears.

"Cut."

Stephen Chow's voice rang out, tinged with a slight sob.

Yet he quickly gathered his emotions, a trace of a smile appearing at the corners of his eyes. "That take is a wrap. Excellent work."

"Clap, clap, clap!" A burst of applause instantly erupted on set.

This was in appreciation of the wonderful performances by Wen Zhang and Shu Qi, as well as a tribute to Zhang Yang's "masterstroke" of a suggestion.

Everyone on set knew all too well how "impossible to handle" Stephen Chow could be when his inspiration dried up, and Zhang Yang was truly their savior.

"Some people didn't understand why I gave Yang Zai the credit of a screenwriter. Do you know now?" Stephen Chow stood up, holding a megaphone.

The looks directed at Zhang Yang by everyone present were filled with utter approval.

Back when *Kung Fu Hustle* was being filmed, it initially started as a powerhouse collaboration between Stephen Chow and Sammo Hung, but because the latter failed to keep up with the former's train of thought, the two eventually parted ways on bad terms and almost became enemies.

The fact that Zhang Yang could keep up with Stephen Chow's wildly imaginative train of thought and offer effective, viable suggestions was something worthy of admiration in its own right.

"Ah-Yang, you are truly amazing."

Huang Bo walked over to Zhang Yang, his bald and pale appearance looking rather startling.

Yet even more startling was the demonic Monkey King standing beside him, played by actor Ge Xingyu, who perfectly embodied the image of the Monkey King from the original novel.

"I just happened to have some inspiration, and I got lucky," Zhang Yang replied with a modest smile.

Being reborn was his own capability, and he gladly accepted any and all praise.

Yet he knew very well that he hadn't truly relied on his own ingenuity for this idea, and he refused to let himself become arrogant.

"Luck is a form of capability, too," Stephen Chow spoke up. "Yang Zai, come over here and help me revise this script."

"I don't have the skill to revise it; I merely offered a suggestion," Zhang Yang smiled as he stepped forward, showing no intention of refusing.

The screenwriter title Stephen Chow had given him was not just an empty honorific used on set; it would also be credited on the big screen right at the very beginning of the film, carrying immense weight.

Naturally, he would conduct himself in a manner worthy of that status.

"Director, I think we can do it this way..."

Zhang Yang took the script, read through it carefully, and offered several suggestions after comparing it with the contents of the film stored in his mind.

He didn't spill everything all at once. Appearing too monstrously clever would easily leave traces behind and was detrimental to the sustainable development of his network connections.

After briefly laying out his thoughts on the script, he naturally stayed by Stephen Chow's side to learn directing techniques.

In his past life, although he had also been a director, he was entirely incomparable to Stephen Chow.

By evening, Stephen Chow, thrilled that today's shooting progress had exceeded expectations, treated Zhang Yang and several main creators to drinks and late-night snacks.

When he finally returned to his hotel, took a shower, and climbed into bed, Zhang Yang noticed it was already close to midnight.

After sending good-night messages to Liu Yifei, Reba, and Liu Shishi, he consumed an opportunity point and chanted inwardly in his mind, "I want to enter a dream."

"Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons, Prince Important!"

A wave of drowsiness washed over him. Re-experiencing the sensation he had once felt before, Zhang Yang only felt the world spin around him as his consciousness descended into a new realm.

"Hiss."

Beneath the blazing sun, Zhang Yang struggled to wipe the sweat from his forehead, only to find wounds on his hands and his clothes completely tattered.

As certain memories recovered, he realized his current situation: he was sixteen years old, on his way to the provincial capital for the imperial district examinations, when he encountered a tiger demon halfway through.

Both his study page and his bodyguard had died protecting him, and during his escape, he had tumbled down a hillside, falling into a narrow crevice between two boulders.

Exhaling a breath, Zhang Yang crawled out from between the rocks and found himself in a strange basin.

Guided by fate, he discovered a cave containing a corpse, with a box placed right in front of it.

Upon opening the box, nine swords suddenly flew out, and the radiating sword Qi began cleansing Zhang Yang's physique. Simultaneously, cultivation methods and the Void Sword Technique appeared within his mind.

From then on, he abandoned his scholarly path, changed professions to become a demon hunter, and made his name known across the realm with the Void Sword Technique.

Yet he was far too eager for quick success. Having suffered injuries to his foundation from several chases after the tiger demon, his body grew incomparably frail.

To conserve his strength, and partly to put on airs, he hired four "maidservants" to carry him around.

It wasn't until the scripture seeker appeared and he learned of the pig demon's arrival that he made a "grand" entrance.

Ultimately, he fought a battle against the demonic monkey that had escaped from beneath the Five Fingers Mountain.

Nine swords вышел together, suppressing the demonic monkey.

Nine swords merging into one could suppress the Ruyi Jingu Bang.

Yet in truth, the demonic monkey was merely playing with him.

When it grew serious, a mere demon hunter was nothing more than a joke.

In the end, Prince Important, hailed as the number one demon hunter in the world, was reduced to ashes amidst the roars of the monkey.

"Good grief."

Lying in his large bed, Zhang Yang jolted awake, his entire body soaked in sweat.

After a long while, upon hearing the sound of his phone alarm, he fully returned to his senses, overcome by an urge to curse aloud.

This dream-entry was far too realistic; he felt as though he had personally lived through the entire life of Prince Important, including his ultimate death at the hands of the demonic monkey.

This truly had been an exceptionally vivid nightmare.

"Good thing I didn't wet the bed, or it would've been too humiliating."

Lifting the blanket to take a glance, Zhang Yang got out of bed and walked into the bathroom while stripping off his clothes.

As the warm water cascaded over his body, he directed his focus toward the Opportunity Manual.

[Entered the dream of Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons as Prince Important. Character compatibility: eighty percent.]

[Scholarly Aura (Acquired through tireless reading, ultimately forming an elegant temperament and demeanor; an external manifestation of fine quality that can be freely controlled at will).]

[Void Sword Technique (The peerless swordsmanship practiced by Prince Important, weakened by ninety-nine point nine percent... consisting of eighty-one lethal sword forms).]

[A Breath of Kidney Qi (Nourishes kidney essence and can actively promote the secretion of adrenaline when necessary).]

Zhang Yang: "..."

The three inherited traits left him speechless.

Environment shapes disposition and upbringing transforms the physique; temperament and aura sounded metaphysical, but in reality, they were entirely tangible things. In the entertainment industry, there was even the saying that "redness nourishes a person's aura."

The scholarly aura would provide a bonus for his future portrayals of intellectual characters, and whenever needed, he could effortlessly pull off the refined scoundrel persona.

As for the Void Sword Technique, it was not the celestial swordsmanship of Prince Important, but rather eighty-one lethal sword forms practiced by ordinary mortals. If he were to become an ancient martial arts hero, he would definitely leave his name in history, akin to Jing Ke or Wang Yue.

As for that breath of kidney qi...

Zhang Yang lowered his gaze to take a look. "No wonder I feel more energetic than usual."

The bad news: the daydream of acquiring supernatural powers through the Opportunity Manual was shattered.

The good news: the rewards made it very easy for him to reach the pinnacle in certain areas accessible to ordinary mortals.

After showering, Zhang Yang joined his small team for a buffet breakfast and then headed to the set.

Putting on Prince Important's costume, he didn't rush to get his makeup done. Instead, he first asked a floor manager for a prop long sword, walked over to an open space, and began practicing wholeheartedly, not stopping until he had thoroughly drilled through all eighty-one sword forms.

Only then did he notice that at some point, the surrounding area had become packed with crew members, several of whom were even holding up their phones to record.

Stephen Chow stepped forward, clapping his hands with undisguised admiration in his eyes: "Yang Zai, your swordplay is truly magnificent."

"Watching you made me want to add more scenes for you."

Zhang Yang: "..."

I'm practically going to become a professional at getting extra scenes added.