“Director He,”
Jiang Yue withdrew his gaze. “I'd like to do a test run of the complete route first. Let's see which shots I can handle myself and which ones we have to leave to the stunt double.”
He Chuan did not agree immediately.
“Fighting on horseback is not the same as just riding. If the horse gets spooked, your center of gravity will be completely thrown off. The safety wires can't fully protect you either.”
“I understand.”
Jiang Yue replied quickly, though he wasn't taking this lightly in his heart.
Falling off a horse wasn't the kind of thing where he could just dust himself off and keep filming.
If that happened, never mind the continuity of the shots—Jiang Kaiwen would never let him hear the end of it.
He pushed these thoughts aside, simply making his intentions clear.
“The core of the action choreography is redirecting force. Brother Hong has already broken down the route very thoroughly. If it doesn't look right, we'll go with the plan you just mentioned.”
He Chuan reminded him, “First, confirm if you and the horse can coordinate. Only then will we talk about the subsequent shots.”
“I know.”
Jiang Yue looked at Old Pal, who had already been led to the side of the field.
The equestrian instructor was checking its harness, while the action choreography team was practicing swinging prop daggers not far away.
The blades were made of soft rubber, slightly lighter than ordinary props, but they still required precise angle control when swung.
He Chuan stared at him for a few seconds.
Over this period, he had come to understand Jiang Yue's temperament. He seemed easygoing but actually had a mind of his own, and Jiang Yue's words just now weren't simply him trying to show off.
Besides, if an actor could perform everything themselves, what director would refuse?
He finally spoke. “After the test, Old Hong, the equestrian team, and I will make the call together. If it doesn't work, we use the stunt double. There is no room for negotiation on this.”
“Deal,” Jiang Yue nodded, his tone decisive. “We'll do a simple run-through of the speed and movements, then decide based on the results.”
He paused, then looked toward Jiang Kaiwen.
“I don't want the first-aid kit to see any action today either.”
Jiang Kaiwen's gaze darted back and forth between the horse and Jiang Yue, the worry in his eyes practically written all over his face.
“So you do know it's a first-aid kit, not some everyday prop?”
“That's why we're testing first.”
“That's what you said last time too, and then you went right ahead with the official filming.”
Jiang Yue choked on his words. He really couldn't refute that.
After a brief thought, he could only say, “This time, we'll listen to Director He.”
Jiang Kaiwen immediately looked at He Chuan. “Director He, please hold him to those exact words.”
He Chuan also felt that the risks of this scene were quite high.
Before the cameras started rolling, he had indeed said he would listen to Jiang Yue's input regarding the action scenes, but listening to input didn't mean lowering the safety standards.
How far they would actually go depended entirely on the test results.
“Stop crowding around. Let's do the safety checks first.”
Old Hong walked over to the dirt road and inspected it once more.
He had the equestrian instructor lead the horse along the entire route to ensure there were no issues. Then, he had the stuntmen simulate a pursuit with the soft daggers nearby to observe the horse's reaction to the swinging weapons.
“Let's do a run-through first.”
Still seemingly uneasy, Old Hong added, “Don't force yourself to complete it just for the sake of finishing the whole sequence.”
“Got it.”
Jiang Yue acknowledged the advice and looked down to tighten his wrist guards again.
Of course he wanted to pull off the shots himself, but he had no intention of recklessly fighting against a horse's movements.
A human could push through with sheer willpower, but if a horse got spooked, no amount of willpower could override the laws of physics.
He Chuan watched as the safety officers reconfirmed the position of the safety lines, then instructed the rigging team, “Add a backup safety line. Make sure the main line and the backup line don't share the same anchor point. The equestrian safety officer will follow the horse, and the stunt double will stand by.”
“Understood.”
Standing nearby, Jiang Kaiwen's heart leaped into his throat, and his hands clenched even tighter.
During the first test, Jiang Yue only held the soft dagger and did not perform any full attacks.
First, he familiarized himself with the horse's gait, then completed the leaning, turning back, and sheathing movements according to the points marked by Old Hong.
At first, Old Pal seemed a bit bothered by the soft dagger swinging near its side, its ears twitching backward, but the equestrian instructor lowered his voice to soothe it.
Jiang Yue did not rush to add more movements. He held the reins steady first, waiting for the horse to regain its rhythm before continuing forward.
For the second test, he added a movement where he swung the dagger to the side, leveraging the rise and fall of the horse's back.
The range of motion wasn't large, but his body and the horse's rhythm synchronized smoothly, and the extras in the distance were able to complete the pursuit according to their pre-planned positions.
He Chuan watched the playback twice, but he did not agree immediately.
“One more time, and slow down a bit when entering the turn. Jiang Yue, your right shoulder was raised a bit too high just now. During a real fight, that will easily throw off your balance.”
“Okay.”
After the third test, Jiang Yue dismounted and walked over to the monitor to watch the playback with He Chuan.
On screen, his movements weren't particularly practiced, and the trajectory of his weapon wasn't as clean as a professional stuntman's, but it fit Lu Ji's current desperate state of fleeing for his life.
Most importantly, there was no obvious discontinuity between the wide and close-up shots.
Looking at the screen, Jiang Yue let out a quiet sigh of relief.
At least this proved that his idea wasn't just some impulsive whim. He would handle as much of the action as he could, and leave the rest to the stunt double and editing. This was the most practical approach for the crew.
He Chuan paused the video.
“We can shoot this. Keep the range of motion at the standard we just saw.”
“Got it.”
“Also, if any issue arises, stop immediately.”
“I know.”
Returning to the rest area while waiting for the camera setups to be adjusted, Jiang Yue sat down and closed his eyes.
Doing his own stunts was, of course, not out of blind confidence.
A while ago, when exploring the system's functions, he discovered that he could turn off the notification sounds. To avoid interruptions in his daily life, he had kept the system notifications muted recently.
Over the past few days, he had been so immersed in filming that aside from occasionally checking his Prestige points, he had barely activated the system, almost forgetting about his cheat code.
Now that he wanted to pursue better action quality and higher safety, it was time to borrow some help.
In his mind, Jiang Yue called forth the system.
At that moment, the interface surfaced.
【Current Prestige points: 5,420,100】
Over five million?
Jiang Yue almost thought he had misread an extra zero.
He opened his eyes, closed them again, and confirmed that the number in his mind hadn't changed. The first thought that popped into his head was actually: If this stuff could be directly cashed out, Kaiwen would probably plan my retirement life on the spot.
Of course, the system was clearly not that considerate.
On second thought, having this many Prestige points made sense.
With 《The Grand Game》 and 《The Hidden Sentry》 becoming consecutive massive hits, the two characters Chu Yan and Zhou Jinnan had generated immense discussion across the entire internet. The long-tail effect of the dramas, combined with the daily fan edits, discussions, and video clips, had continuously converted into a steady stream of Prestige points.
A warm feeling surged in Jiang Yue's chest, and he couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth lift slightly.
The joy of a corporate slave was sometimes just that simple.
Whether it was a bank account balance or a system balance, as long as it looked good, it could put a person in a great mood.
He scanned further down and noticed a small gold button in the bottom-right corner of the interface that he had never seen before.
【System Upgrade】
【Description: Consume 1,000,000 Prestige points to perform a core upgrade on the "Trait System."】
Jiang Yue stared at those words for a couple of seconds.
One million Prestige points.
Hesitating for only a second, he selected the upgrade.
Leaving the Prestige points sitting there did no good; it was better to convert them into tangible benefits.
If the system remained nothing more than a quiet decoration at this point, it would be a bit of a letdown for its role as a cheat code.
【System upgrading... Consuming 1,000,000 Prestige points...】
【Upgrade Complete】
The interface expanded once more. The original functions remained unchanged, but two new system descriptions appeared at the bottom.
【1. Increased Draw Rates. The probability of obtaining rare Purple-Tier Traits and legendary Gold-Tier Traits has been permanently increased, while draw costs remain unchanged.】
【2. Load Reduction. The mental and physical strain caused by the host equipping traits is significantly reduced. In the current state, a single Gold-Tier Trait or lower can be continuously equipped for 24 hours with almost no impact on bodily functions. Multiple low-tier traits can be equipped simultaneously, with the specific number depending on the trait tiers and ability effects.】
Jiang Yue's eyes lit up visibly.
This upgrade had come at the perfect time.
He used to worry that using high-tier traits for too long would take a toll on his body, but now that concern was greatly alleviated.
This meant he could maintain a much better state throughout an entire day of filming.
Jiang Yue quickly suppressed his excitement.
A cheat code was just a cheat code; if he fell, he was still the one who would feel the pain.
His gaze fell on the 【Start Draw】 button.
Fighting on horseback required core strength, balance, and weapon control. It would be best to get a trait that could enhance his dynamic balance and body coordination.
Jiang Yue silently drew in a breath of luck from his surroundings.
“System, High-Tier Draw, ten times.”
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