Chapter 12: Filming Begins

Her gaze was somewhat hazy and unfocused, indistinct like flowers in a mirror or the moon in water, but the next moment, a cold light shot from her eyes.

Jiang Xiaobai moved. Her left hand held the vibrant flower with apparent gentleness, while her right hand slowly caressed the petals. Just as one might expect the woman to stroke it softly, her hand paused, and she ruthlessly tore off several petals.

Two of them fell into the air, spinning as they drifted downward. The photographer had been ready the moment she moved; he immediately pressed the shutter, capturing her expression and movements in that instant.

The clothes were white, the flower was red, and the woman was beautiful, yet her movements were filled with a sense of slaughter. The coldness in her eyes also revealed that she was by no means as pure and ethereal as she appeared on the surface.

"Good! Excellent!"

These words didn't come from the director, but from the photographer, who had spoken out in his excitement.

Director Niu viewed things from the perspective of "performance," but the photographer viewed them from the perspective of "camera presence." At this moment, he only wanted to say that this actress named Jiang Xiaobai was incredibly intuitive. Every move she made was perfect when captured on lens; the angle of her cheek, and even the direction in which the petals drifted, were flawless in the frame.

It could be said that even a painter, at best, could only capture such a perfect angle!

"Not bad."

Director Niu was also somewhat surprised. He paused for a moment, then beamed with delight. "Jiang Xiaobai, how did you get into character so quickly?"

"Director Niu, I thought of a scene from the script and subconsciously put myself in her shoes."

Jiang Xiaobai let out a soft breath. Posing was exhausting, and with so many people staring at her, it would be strange if she felt at ease. She was just glad it was over so quickly.

"Oh? Which scene?"

Director Niu became interested.

"The scene where Liu Ruyan sees her master secretly giving Wanran a magical artifact. She goes to find Wanran, but Wanran denies it outright, and afterward, she goes to the back mountain alone."

Director Niu clapped his hands and laughed. "You mean the deer-killing scene? Yes, yes, the deer-killing and the flower-destroying—those two scenes are indeed identical in nature!"

Director Niu was also excited, feeling that this "vase" (pretty face) was much more pleasing to the eye now.

The deer-killing scene was a turning point in *The Legend of the Nine Heavens*; to be precise, it was the fuse for Liu Ruyan’s descent into darkness.

Although Liu Ruyan was known as the Fairy of the Bright Moon and seemed high and mighty, she was actually an abandoned child of the mortal world. Her parents despised her for being a girl, and the year she turned six, they finally gave birth to a son and dumped her in a mountain ravine, tricking her by saying they would come back for her before dark and telling her not to wander off.

Young Liu Ruyan sat in the deep mountains, listening to the roars of beasts, watching the sky turn pitch black while her family never returned. She already had a bad premonition in her heart. Just before she was to be eaten by a wild beast, an immortal descended from the sky. It was Senior Sister Fang from the sect, who was returning from a mission. Sensing the immortal roots in the girl, she brought her back to the sect.

Being abandoned at an age when she could remember things became Liu Ruyan’s deepest pain, buried at the bottom of her heart. She had been in the sect for many years, and apart from that Senior Sister Fang, she had never trusted anyone—not even her master, from whom she always kept a distance.

But when Wanran became her junior sister, she used her liveliness and enthusiasm to open the door to Liu Ruyan’s heart. Liu Ruyan treated her like a biological sister, giving to her without reservation, never stingy with pills or cultivation techniques, and guiding her training from time to time.

Yet, at this very moment, she saw her master give the "Immortal-Binding Rope," which had been promised to her, to Wanran!

Her thoughts were in chaos, but she clung to a sliver of hope, thinking she might have seen wrong, or that there was some misunderstanding. So, she went to ask Wanran, but Wanran denied it resolutely.

Though the denial was thorough, how could the panic and guilt in her eyes escape Liu Ruyan?

The Immortal-Binding Rope was a powerful artifact. With it, she would surely achieve a good ranking in the sect’s grand competition, and then she would be able to train in the "Void Realm"! This was something her master had promised her long ago!

Yet now, her master had given it to Wanran!

This incident completely destroyed Liu Ruyan’s trust in Wanran. She felt betrayed by the person she trusted most. The darkness in her heart surged up all at once, and she wandered to the back mountain, lost and soul-broken.

At that moment, a spirit deer from the back mountain ran over, nuzzling against her and letting out occasional bleats.

She used to come to the back mountain to practice swordsmanship with Wanran, so she was familiar with these little deer, which was why it was so affectionate toward her.

In the past, she would have reached out to stroke them, but this time, she changed.

She reached out her hand, first stroking the deer’s back with a gentle motion, then slowly moved her hand to the spirit deer’s head.

The spirit deer moved its watery eyes, nuzzling toward her hand, but just then, it let out a sharp, shrill cry.

Liu Ruyan withdrew her blood-stained hand, her gaze indifferent and faintly unfocused, remaining unmoved even as she watched the spirit deer collapse with a shattered skull.

At that time, she was still beautiful, standing in the bright moonlight of the back mountain in her white robes—one side like a fairy, the other like a demon.

It was precisely because Jiang Xiaobai thought of this image that she infused her emotions into the shoot, and sure enough, she passed on the first try.

Killing intent is difficult for ordinary people to grasp, especially for girls, but Jiang Xiaobai came from another world. Her hands had been stained with blood, and she was no stranger to killing intent, making it easier for her to get into character.

"Yes, she was conflicted at that moment. I feel it fits perfectly with the current scene, and it should be able to interpret the effect you want, Director."

"Mm, very good. Keep this up when we film in the future!"

Director Niu praised her and let the next person come forward.

This scene was seen by the other actors; some had deep looks in their eyes, while others were dismissive.

"Sister Xiaobai, you were amazing!"

Mingzhu came over excitedly, handing her some water.

Jiang Xiaobai thanked her and took a small sip of the water.

Having joined the crew, she would be living here from now on and could not leave without permission unless there was an urgent matter.

After the opening ceremony was completed, the news made headlines that very day.

"The highly anticipated Xianxia drama—*The Legend of the Nine Heavens*—begins filming today. The leads are gathered, and the cast is luxurious!"

"The collaboration between young star Li Biying and the popular heartthrob Shu Jie, *The Legend of the Nine Heavens* is highly anticipated!"

The news naturally announced the cast. Everyone already knew who the male and female leads were, but the others hadn't been revealed yet, so the news drew everyone's attention. When they saw the lineup, people’s reactions varied.

"I actually recognize all the supporting actors! It really is a big production; even the supporting roles are so famous... and there’s even Senior Rong Juan!"

"There are veteran actors! I’m a bit excited!"

"Ahhh, is Ghost Sword actually being played by Qiao Yan? I’m so excited, he is the Ghost Sword in my heart!"

"No, wait, am I the only one who noticed that the actress playing Liu Ruyan is actually that Jiang Xiaobai?"