Chapter 37: Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber

In Mr. Jin's *The Smiling, Proud Wanderer*, he once wrote: "Wherever there are people, there is the Jianghu."

So, what if there are many people and many interests involved?

Then, it becomes a storm of blood and wind!

Currently, the unfilmed production of *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber* is exactly like that.

This version of *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber* is led and invested by Beijing Huanya Film & TV, aiming to produce a martial arts story of its own for the mainland.

But in the end, it was simply following the pattern set by Zhang Dahuo's *The Smiling, Proud Wanderer*, which achieved a massive 17.8% viewership rating. They wanted to ride this wave of martial arts remakes to make a quick profit.

Huanya was quick to act, managing to snatch up the rights to *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*, while Zhang Dahuo managed to scoop up the remaining rights to works like *The Return of the Condor Heroes*, *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*, and *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils*.

This also meant that Zhang Dahuo didn't manage to film his own version of *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber* until 2009.

By then, the martial arts craze had already receded.

To be fair, Huanya really did follow his lead perfectly.

*The Smiling, Proud Wanderer* utilized a dual-director system: one for drama and one for action. The drama director was Huang Jianzhong, who later directed *At the Palace of Eternal Life*. The action director was Yuan Bin, one of the "Seven Little Fortunes."

That was why both the dramatic and action sequences were so brilliant.

Huanya adopted the same configuration: Yang Tao for drama, and Lai Shuiqing for action.

In truth, choosing these two was perfectly logical, especially Lai Shuiqing!

*Hibiscus Town*, *New Dragon Gate Inn*, the Ren Xianqi versions of *The Return of the Condor Heroes* and *The Smiling, Proud Wanderer*, and the Jiao Enjun version of *Green Snake* were all masterpieces by this veteran director.

More importantly, the 1993 version of *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*—the classic version starring Ma Jingtao, Zhou Haimei, and Ye Tong—was also his masterpiece.

That version of *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber* even gave the world the beloved hit song "Sword Like a Dream."

Lai Shuiqing was fully qualified to "play the accordion" and declare, "No one understands *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber* better than me!"

But Huanya forgot one thing: besides the two directors, there was another key figure in *The Smiling, Proud Wanderer*—Zhang Dahuo!

He was the one who held the final decision-making power in the crew!

It was like *The Story of a Noble Family*; although there were two directors, Director Li and Director Liu, using a "dual leadership" structure, Liu Guoquan was the true holder of the "dragon staff."

But with *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*, it was a disaster. Without a core figure to maintain balance, the two directors refused to yield to one another.

From the script, screenwriting, cinematography, and props to the stage management and casting, they were in a constant struggle for power.

However, Huanya clearly trusted Lai Shuiqing more, given his expertise in martial arts scenes and the fact that he had filmed the old version.

Lai Shuiqing's philosophy was simple: martial arts is martial arts; first comes the "martial," then comes the "heroism." Therefore, the action scenes should come first, and the drama could be pushed to the back.

But this drove Yang Tao crazy. "Isn't this squeezing my survival space!"

In his desperation, Li Dawei helped him remember that there was still a person named Zhang Yuan.

Yang Tao's purpose in seeking him out was simple: find a way to use the script to convince the investors to increase Yang Tao's authority and the proportion of dramatic scenes.

After listening, Zhang Yuan pondered for a long time. This task was far more difficult than simply rewriting a script.

"Well, Zhang Yuan, do you have a plan?"

"Give me some time to think. I have a few ideas."

"You... you really do!" Yang Tao said in disbelief.

Although Li Dawei had been praising him profusely, Yang Tao only believed about half of it. He had come here today with a "desperate times call for desperate measures" mentality.

But seeing the calm, thoughtful expression on the young man's face, it didn't seem like he was joking.

"No rush, take your time. Let me know when you have a result."

While Yang Tao said there was no rush, his constantly shaking legs and restless posture clearly betrayed his excitement.

*Creak...*

As the two were sitting in the courtyard, the gate was pushed open from the outside.

"I keep asking without end... when will you go with me..." Qian Ge, who had gone out for a few drinks with friends earlier, walked in humming a song.

"Oh, Zhang Yuan, you have a guest."

Qian Ge stumbled into the courtyard, clearly having had quite a bit to drink.

Zhang Yuan, sitting at the stone table, was facing the gate, while Yang Tao, sitting opposite him, had his back to the incoming Yu Qian.

Hearing the voice, Yang Tao stood up and turned around, intending to greet Zhang Yuan's roommate.

As Qian Ge walked, he habitually pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He pulled one out and was about to light it when he froze upon seeing the "guest," his hand stopping mid-air.

"Hello, you're Zhang Yuan's friend, right? I am..."

Before Yang Tao could finish, Yu Qian took a few quick steps forward and proactively shook his hand.

"You are Director Yang Tao!"

"You know me?"

"I know you very well! Not just know you, I've even acted in your films!" Yu Qian was extremely excited. "In the 1991 *Little Dragon Man*, there was an episode where the children traveled back to the Tang Dynasty, and I played a Tang Dynasty scholar."

"Oh..." Yang Tao nodded slightly, but he actually didn't remember at all.

Not only had too much time passed, but the role of the scholar was too small and insignificant to be noticed.

But this small role in Yang Tao's mind meant everything to Qian Ge!

Because that Tang Dynasty scholar was the first television role he had officially played after his debut. Back then, he had even notified his parents and friends to watch his maiden performance together.

Even though there were only a few shots, the first time is always special.

At the same time, Yang Tao, as the director at the time, had left a deep impression on Yu Qian; he was a big figure in the film and television industry in his eyes.

"Director Yang, it's getting late. Why don't you have a bite to eat before you go?" Qian Ge pulled at him excitedly, his thoughts drifting back more than ten years.

Thinking that he had to wait for Zhang Yuan, Yang Tao nodded and agreed.

"Director Yang, is your stomach alright?" Zhang Yuan suddenly asked for no apparent reason. Yang Tao didn't understand what he meant.

"That's fine. I happen to have a few specialty dishes ready in a moment." Qian Ge was in high spirits at the chance to show off his skills.

"Alright, how about I help you out? That way Zhang Yuan can think in peace without being disturbed," Director Yang said, glancing at Zhang Yuan.

"That would be wonderful if you're willing to help!"

Yu Qian led Yang Tao to the kitchen. After taking out the vegetables, wine, and meat, he suddenly froze.

"Eh!"

"This Great Director Yang is Zhang Yuan's friend..."

Perhaps because he had drunk too much, it only just occurred to him.

This kid was so young, yet he knew a great director!

And he was coming to help him out because he didn't want to disturb Zhang Yuan's thinking.

Qian Ge was a smart man. After a moment of thought, recalling the expression on Yang Tao's face while talking to Zhang Yuan, it was obvious that this great director had a request for his little brother.

What kind of background does this kid have... Qian Ge looked out the window.

He had originally thought that being able to land a supporting role in a major production at such a young age was impressive enough, but he hadn't expected him to be capable of making a director ask for his help.

Qian Ge felt a mix of emotions.

He felt lucky to have made such a capable friend.

He felt unlucky that despite being so much older, his development in the film industry was far inferior to the other's.

Thinking of this, the usually cheerful Qian Ge's smile faded.

Looking back, he had many friends, but at most, they were screenwriters, cinematographers, or lighting technicians.

This person, with a single move, was a great director.

Comparing the two, Yu Qian felt that he and those friends were nothing more than a "rabble."

"Who knows, maybe one day I'll need his help too." Qian Ge quickly adjusted his mood and began humming again.

Just as Qian Ge said, a few specialty dishes were quickly prepared.

It was nearly July, and the weather was getting hot. They opened a few bottles of ice-cold beer and chatted while eating and drinking.

After the meal, Zhang Yuan told Yang Tao his general idea.

"How did I not think of that..." After listening, Yang Tao's eyes darted around. It took him a long time to clear his thoughts.

"Do you have time tomorrow? Accompany me to the company."

"Sure, but..."

"Don't worry, you won't lose out."

Both Zhang Yuan and Yang Tao laughed.

But as they were laughing, Yang Tao couldn't laugh anymore. He clutched his stomach, his face turning pale.

"Um... where is the restroom here?"

*I asked you if your stomach was alright, and look at you...* Zhang Yuan quickly pointed him in the right direction.

He had become accustomed to this over the past few days, but for an ordinary person, eating Qian Ge's "easy" and "convenient" cold appetizers would definitely lead to an "easy" and "convenient" trip to the bathroom...

An hour later, having "relieved" himself three times, Yang Tao bid Zhang Yuan a weak farewell, his legs trembling.

"Director Yang, come back for dinner again sometime!" The enthusiastic Qian Ge was still calling out.

Director Yang's face darkened, and he turned and ran, disappearing into the alleys of Pitiao Hutong while clutching his trousers.

Why was he clutching his trousers?

He had lost so much weight from the diarrhea that if he didn't hold them up, they would fall down.

The next morning, Zhang Yuan arrived at the Huanya Film & TV office building as agreed...