Chapter 289: Shadow Play Building

Duan Shaohong sat in the Lu family mansion, wailing loudly, "Sister, have pity on me. Please let me take Huaiyi away, or I'll have no way to live."

Lu Maoxian had dealt a cruel blow to the Zhang family. Zhang Bochu, Huaiyi's nominal father, had been beaten half to death.

Duan Shaohong had been very firm, telling Lu Maoxian's subordinates that they could beat them however they pleased; her family would absolutely not give in.

However, she hadn't expected Lu Maoxian's men to beat her as well.

She didn't feel sorry about Zhang Bochu being beaten.

But being beaten herself was genuinely painful, terribly so.

Not only were the couple beaten, but their house was also burned down, all their family property was confiscated, and even her father, Old Master Duan, was implicated.

Preoccupied with the Lu family's assets, Duan Shaohong hadn't considered how ruthless the Lu family could be.

Lu Maoxian sent people to order their family of three to leave that very day. Duan Shaohong dared not disobey, so she rushed to the Lu residence to plead with Duan Shaoxia.

It had been easy to bring someone over, but taking them back would be difficult. The current "Zhang Huaiyi" was no longer Zhang Huaiyi.

Duan Shaoxia consoled her, "Sister, precisely at a time like this, we must not bow our heads. We need to display the integrity of our Duan family!"

"My integrity can't be displayed; several of my bones are broken," Duan Shaohong shook her head. "Sister, please have pity on me. Let's just pretend I never brought this up and move past it. What do you say?"

Duan Shaoxia slapped the table. "I can't swallow this humiliation. When the first day of the month comes, we still have to hold a banquet and get this matter settled."

"No, we can't... we can't!" Duan Shaohong hugged Duan Shaoxia tightly. "If we really go through with it, you'll be waiting to collect the bodies of my family!"

Duan Shaoxia frowned. "This won't do. What's been decided cannot be changed. Xiao Qiu, how are the banquet preparations coming along?"

Qiu Zhiheng looked troubled. "The Old Master gathered the entire clan, young and old, and announced the matter publicly. Now, no one in the clan, high or low, is willing to accept invitations."

Duan Shaoxia fell silent, somewhat displeased with Qiu Zhiheng.

Duan Shaohong quickly chimed in. "Sister, you must listen to Butler Qiu. We can't go against the entire Lu family on this. If no one in the Lu family recognizes it, holding a banquet will be useless.

Sister, please let me take Huaiyi away. I'm begging you, okay?"

Duan Shaoxia sighed. "We can delay the banquet, but Huaiyi is already my son and must live in the Lu residence from now on."

"Then, then, what about me?"

"Why don't you go home first?"

Duan Shaohong bristled. "Where can I go back to? My house was burned down! Sister, are you truly not giving me a way to live? At least let me stay with you for now!"

Duan Shaoxia reluctantly allowed Duan Shaohong to stay temporarily at the Lu residence.

That night, Duan Shaohong wanted to see her son.

Zhang Huaiyi claimed he was unwell and did not go to see her.

Lu Maoxian sat in the main hall, smashing several teacups.

The matter at the theater had escalated.

The ten-minute film had been released, and everyone knew that Lu Maoxian was still vigorous and courageous despite his age.

This was secondary.

Crucially, many people now knew about Lu Maoxian's particular癖好: he liked to film the process.

Lu Maoxian was an elder of the Qingzhou Society, studying the wisdom of sages and embodying great virtue, yet he actually enjoyed filming things and showing them to everyone afterward.

Could this possibly be the profound secret technique of a sage?

This wasn't mere speculation; it was reported in the newspapers.

The Ling family's newspaper stated that a sage's ultimate skill lay in honesty.

"Night Fragrance," a rising star in the newspaper industry, also reported that the essence of a sage lay in straightforwardness.

Was this film truly shot by Lu Maoxian?

Of course not.

Lu Maoxian liked women, but not films. The events in the film did occur, but he hadn't filmed them.

Ling Miaoying had witnessed them using her Peering Cultivation Technique and then created the film using a magical artifact.

Lu Maoxian was furious. That evening, he summoned over twenty trusted subordinates, instructing them to closely monitor Ling Miaoying's movements and, at the first opportunity, to act immediately and take her life.

Furthermore, Ling Miaoying's film company was not to be spared. Everyone, from actors to production staff, was to be dealt with one by one, ensuring that no one would dare to work for Ling Miaoying in the future.

They would also deal ruthlessly with cinemas. Anyone who dared to screen "The Blood Blade Detective" again would have their venue burned down.

He had long wanted to do this. It was originally the sage's instruction, and if anything went wrong, the sage would back them up.

Now that they had completely fallen out with the Ling family, rather than engaging in further negotiations, it would be better for him to strike first before the Ling family acted ruthlessly.

Around ten o'clock that night, Lu Maoxian received news that Ling Miaoying and the popular film empress Tu Yinghong were at the company, studying a script.

Lu Maoxian immediately took his men to the film company. Knowing that Ling Miaoying was a high-level Peering Cultivator and that a blatant attack would surely be anticipated, he first had Xu Huairong, a seventh-level poison cultivator, release poison near the building.

Xu Huairong had killed many Peering Cultivators and was familiar with their techniques and habits. Dozens of meters from the building, he placed a bamboo basket on the ground and sat by the roadside, smoking his pipe.

To ordinary people, he looked like an old man resting. Dealing with Peering Cultivators couldn't rely entirely on sneak attacks; the slightest movement would be detected. One had to appear openly but act covertly.

From his bamboo basket, a colorless, invisible snake spirit silently approached the building.

The snake spirit opened its mouth and released poison. The eyes of several guards on duty around the building suddenly became dull.

They were poisoned, but their movements showed no obvious change; they continued to patrol around the building.

The snake spirit entered the building and continued to release poison. Xu Huairong sat on the ground, sweating profusely. It took him over ten minutes to fully release the snake spirit's poisonous mist, and his own strength was completely depleted.

Inside the film company, everyone's gaze became dull, but their work did not stop.

The accountant was still tallying accounts, his fingers randomly fiddling with the abacus beads.

The screenwriter was still revising the script, his pen scribbling aimlessly on the notebook.

Stagehands were repairing the scenery, hammers aimlessly clanging.

Ling Miaoying was still discussing the plot with the film empress. There were fewer plot changes, but the depth was well-maintained.

Poison Cultivator Xu Huairong nodded slightly to Lu Maoxian, signaling that he had succeeded.

Lu Maoxian pressed his palm down, indicating for him to withdraw the poisonous mist.

Xu Huairong tapped his pipe, sat silently for a moment, then picked up his bamboo basket and left the building.

He retracted the snake spirit, and the poisonous mist was also withdrawn.

To be safe, Lu Maoxian waited a few more minutes before sending his subordinates upstairs.

He himself would not enter the building, as it was hard to say what mechanisms might be inside. Lu Maoxian would not take unnecessary risks.

Lin Zhixiao, a sixth-level martial cultivator, entered the film company with over a dozen men. Ignoring everyone else, they went directly to the top floor of the building.

Pushing open Ling Miaoying's bedroom door, they saw film empress Tu Yinghong in front and Ling Miaoying behind her. Both had dull expressions, but their communication remained frequent.

Lin Zhixiao drew his short knife, suddenly stepped forward, and severed Ling Miaoying's head with a single strike.

Ling Miaoying's body froze, and blood gushed from the severed neck like a fountain, splattering all over Tu Yinghong.

Tu Yinghong seemed not to notice, her body still swaying back and forth.

Lin Zhixiao chuckled, "Old Xu's poison is truly formidable!"

As he finished speaking, Lin Zhixiao swung his knife, killing Tu Yinghong, and ordered his subordinates, "Leave no one alive in the building. Kill them all."

Each holding their weapons, the men went from floor to floor, killing anyone they saw.

Lin Zhixiao killed the accounting clerk and discovered a hidden door in the room.

Pushed open the hidden door, he saw several more people inside, their eyes dull, counting money.

It turned out to be a vault.

After killing these money counters, Lin Zhixiao found another hidden door within the vault.

This film company building certainly had many rooms.

Downstairs, Lu Maoxian waited quietly for news from inside the building.

"Old Master, it seems there's some commotion," a guard reported, having heard faint sounds of killing.

Lu Maoxian was startled; he heard it too.

Lin Zhixiao was a renowned assassin and, by rights, shouldn't have made such a large disturbance.

Lu Maoxian looked around. Although it was late and there were few pedestrians on the road, if anyone noticed, it could easily ruin things.

A rickshaw puller passed by, seemingly hearing nothing.

A beggar was searching for food in a pile of garbage, also seemingly hearing nothing.

Lu Maoxian frowned, simply waiting for Lin Zhixiao to finish quickly.

How many people could possibly be in this entire building?

Everyone was poisoned, and he was a sixth-level martial cultivator with so many men. Why was it taking so long?

"What is that boy doing?" Lu Maoxian muttered, looking around.

A guard said, "He's on the third floor. I see him."

He sees him?

Lu Maoxian looked towards the film company building, and he also saw Lin Zhixiao.

He was on the third floor, dealing with several stage workers.

The film company building had become transparent!

The building was fake?

Not good, he had fallen into a trap!

Lu Maoxian took a step to leave when he suddenly heard Ling Miaoying's voice in his ear, "Old Master, where are you going? You're leaving before the film is even over?"

Ling Miaoying's figure suddenly appeared before Lu Maoxian, with film empress Tu Yinghong standing beside her.

Lu Maoxian nodded, praising, "Boss Ling, what incredible skill! You can even create a fake building as large as this!"

Ling Miaoying shook her head. "This isn't fake; it's real. Your men are killing people inside the building, and there are an endless number of people in this building. Ask Lin Zhixiao if the people in this building are real.

These people can talk, walk, their skin can be cut, they can bleed, and they show symptoms after being poisoned. Do you dare say they aren't real people?"

Lu Maoxian was speechless.

He had lived for so long and had never encountered such a technique.

Ling Miaoying patted Tu Yinghong's rear, then pointed at the "Ling Miaoying" and "Tu Yinghong" inside the building. "Look, they're alive again. Their severed heads have grown back. See, they're starting again. They're so deeply immersed in their roles, doesn't that make them seem real?"

Tu Yinghong shook her head. "I don't think it's real; they're not immersed enough. In a moment, I'll show you what true immersion means."

Ling Miaoying pinched Tu Yinghong's cheek. Lu Maoxian seized the opportunity to suddenly speak and attempt a technique, but an arrow shot through his left cheek and out the right.

Lu Maoxian spat out a mouthful of blood and pulled a brush from his robes, preparing to write.

A short knife descended from above, severing Lu Maoxian's forearm at the elbow.

Lu Maoxian endured the severe pain and staggered back a few steps. Several guards around him either protected him or charged forward, desperately attacking Ling Miaoying.

The guards who rushed close to Ling Miaoying couldn't touch her or Tu Yinghong; they were merely illusions.

Ling Miaoying calmly watched Lu Maoxian and slowly said, "Ever since the company caught fire and my film stock was burned, I've invested heavily and made thorough preparations. Old Master Lu, let me ask you: were you the one who came here to set the fire before?"

Lu Maoxian shook his head.

"You're not admitting it, are you?" Ling Miaoying sneered. "I'm about to film a new production, but I'm afraid you won't live to see it."

Dear readers, this is the guaranteed update.