Chapter 51: Instantly Transforming into a Mercenary for Hire

Liu Yifei did not appreciate hearing Zhang Yang say that.

Did she need to resort to getting injured just to fit the character?

However, on the surface, she did not directly retort or question Zhang Yang on the spot; she simply listened quietly.

In front of Gordon Chan and Ku Guanzhao, she had no intention of undermining Zhang Yang.

"What are your thoughts?" Ku Guanzhao was very good at listening to other people's inspirations, especially from those he thought highly of.

"In the original novel, Emotionless possesses two supreme skills: hidden weapons handled with manual dexterity and peerless lightness kung fu. The version of Emotionless that Director Chan envisions uses mind-reading and telekinesis, excelling at solving cases and using hidden weapons, and I think..." Zhang Yang generously expressed his insights.

Although he knew how future audiences would generally evaluate this film, he was of humble status and did not want to say too much.

In the original movie version, Emotionless's peerless lightness kung fu was basically never showcased. A telepathy ability was inexplicably added to enhance her expressiveness, but it ended up weakening her aptitude for deduction and crime-solving, and the use of hidden weapons was replaced by telekinesis and post-production special effects, completely stripping away the exquisite technique and visual impact.

In this film, Liu Yifei essentially just sold her face, took beatings, and had a romance.

Since Gordon Chan and Ku Guanzhao asked him, he didn't point out what was wrong; he merely offered suggestions.

"Emotionless sits in a wheelchair, so the wheelchair is her feet. If we want to reflect her martial arts prowess, it has to rely on her hand techniques and the wheelchair."

"We can add some hidden weapons to the wheelchair for combat and evasive lightness kung fu maneuvers. As for manual techniques, Brother Di is the professional here and can design them casually. For instance, we could add a scene where someone ambushes Sister Yifei, and she uses her hand techniques to easily defend herself and remain unscathed."

Ku Guanzhao listened patiently, pondered for a moment, and then looked at Gordon Chan: "Director Chan, see how you'd like to arrange it. I have no problem with this."

By implication, he felt Zhang Yang's idea was good, and he could well execute the portion he was responsible for.

Gordon Chan also felt that Zhang Yang's words made a lot of sense, and he nodded in approval: "I'll have the prop team modify the wheelchair and test the shooting effect. Brother Di, design a set of action choreography for Yifei."

Mid-sentence, Gordon Chan looked at Zhang Yang: "Add a scene where Cen Chong, after being transformed into a divine warrior, ambushes Emotionless and is beaten back, with Emotionless remaining seated in her wheelchair the entire time."

Zhang Yang: "..."

Liu Yifei: "..."

She hadn't expected her role to be expanded, which came as quite a surprise.

"No problem at all," Ku Guanzhao accepted, calling Zhang Yang to leave with him: "Young Yang, let's go design the action choreography together."

"Aunt Liu, Sister Yifei, I'll be heading out first," Zhang Yang greeted them.

Gordon Chan exchanged a few polite pleasantries and then departed.

Liu Yifei said with surprise, "I didn't expect Ah Yang to help me get extra scenes."

Normally, she wouldn't care about added scenes; under the same remuneration, filming more was just working overtime. But scenes that enriched a character's persona were always beneficial to actors and stars alike.

Elsewhere, Zhang Yang followed Ku Guanzhao to an open space.

"The action scenes between you and Yifei will be designed in a few days," Ku Guanzhao said solemnly. "The crucial thing right now is tonight's scene—how to make Emotionless's fight look dazzling."

"I don't think we need to worry about that," Zhang Yang said calmly. "Tonight's scene is the ultimate showdown. According to logic, Emotionless will definitely control hidden weapons to cast her ultimate move, and that's a job for post-production special effects."

At this point, Zhang Yang jokingly added, "If Brother Di wants a sense of participation, you could design a complex set of hand gestures for Sister Yifei so that anyone looking at her would think she's casting an ultimate move."

Hearing this, Ku Guanzhao nodded thoughtfully: "Then you can take charge of designing that set of movements."

Zhang Yang's smile froze: "..."

Did he just find himself a chore?

"I'm just a martial arts stunt double, not an action director," Zhang Yang attempted to struggle out of it.

"You can be a martial arts assistant coach," Ku Guanzhao said, placing a hand on Zhang Yang's shoulder.

During the filming of movies and television dramas, usually only one action director was hired. Because the action director had important responsibilities such as coordinating martial arts scene filming and ensuring the accuracy and aesthetic appeal of action sequences, they would often cultivate or hire a team to assist them.

A martial arts assistant was part of that team.

"What are the benefits for a martial arts assistant coach?" Zhang Yang's gaze shifted slightly.

Ku Guanzhao was stunned for a moment, then rubbed his fingers together: "I'll pay you a daily rate."

Zhang Yang frowned: "Brother Di, I'm playing a supporting role, I'm acting as a stunt double for Brother Chao, I might also have to double for Brother Ji, and now being your martial arts assistant might be too much to handle."

Ku Guanzhao thought about it and realized it made sense, sighing, "So you're turning it down?"

"No," Zhang Yang shook his head and rubbed his fingers together: "You've got to pay more."

Ku Guanzhao: "..."

What a remarkably unpretentious young man.

Ku Guanzhao agreed to Zhang Yang's demand, promising a martial arts assistant subsidy of five hundred per day.

"Boss, what do you think of this?" Zhang Yang immediately acted out a set of movements.

Ku Guanzhao felt a wave of inner surprise, thinking to himself: are young people's minds really this active?

"Alright, let's use this set."

Zhang Yang was not surprised by Ku Guanzhao's decision.

This set of movements was not his original creation; rather, he had copied it from a female character in a future 3D animated series.

"Then I'll go teach Sister Yifei." Zhang Yang returned to Liu Yifei's side.

"Why are you back again?" Liu Yifei asked.

"To teach you the movements you'll need to do later."

"You designed them so quickly?" Liu Yifei asked dubiously.

"The world of a genius is something you cannot understand."

"Will you die if you don't brag? Show me what you've got." Liu Yifei wore a disdainful expression, though she was inwardly curious.

Zhang Yang immediately demonstrated a set of movements—the hand seals for the Little Medical Fairy dispelling the Calamity Poison Body.

Liu Yifei looked at those flashy hand seals and fell into deep thought.

"Could it be that you can't learn them?" Zhang Yang asked.

Liu Yifei: "How is that possible?!"

Half an hour later, Zhang Yang said disparagingly, "You really are clumsy; you definitely didn't inherit Aunt Liu's talent."

Liu Yifei: "..."

She was locked in mortal combat with this set of movements.

Soon, Gordon Chan announced the start of filming.

The night scenes utilized the flying cat camera rig, specially prepared for this "Super Catchers" action film. First came a major fight sequence featuring a group of martial artists battling the God of Wealth, allowing Ku Guanzhao to push the title of "Wire King" to its absolute limit.

The shooting scene coordinated a total of fifteen crane arms for lighting and wire work.

Among them, the most difficult shot involved flying across from one side of the lake, charging onto a decorated archway, and then descending.

The combination of the flying cat and wires was extremely difficult, and Deng Chao tried only once before choosing to give up.

Zhang Yang also tried only once, nailed it in a single take once filming officially began, and even added a few extra moves.

"Hmph, just showing off," Liu Yifei muttered softly. Only Liu Xiaoli heard it and smiled gently.

The night scenes were filmed exceptionally smoothly.

Not just tonight, but over the next few days, whenever it was Deng Chao's turn for action scenes, Zhang Yang almost always completed them in a single take, occasionally shooting a few extra takes to check the effect when he and Ku Guanzhao came up with new inspirations.

Zhang Yang's own character, Cen Chong, was brought vividly to life by his performance, with both his action and dramatic scenes shining brilliantly.

Zheng Chongji watched with envy and once again proposed that Zhang Yang simultaneously double as his stuntman: "I won't compete with Deng Chao; just let Young Yang step in whenever it's Zhuiming's scenes~"

Gordon Chan now deeply appreciated and valued Zhang Yang, so he asked for his opinion.

"Young Yang usually doesn't agree, but you can pay him more!" Ku Guanzhao suddenly chimed in.

Zhang Yang knew he was just teasing him.

However, he wasn't that shallow.

Agreeing to be Ku Guanzhao's martial arts assistant and getting paid was merely the most superficial benefit.

He truly had no interest in being a stunt double for Zheng Chongji; after all, he was a serious actor.

"Compensation will definitely be paid, of course," Zheng Chongji immediately said. "I can also introduce Ah Yang to audition for Stephen Chow's *Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons*."

Zhang Yang: "I accept!"