I raise furry animals and fly them to my motherland.

Chapter 218 Embarrassed

After filming wrapped, Xu Ying sat in Jiang Mo's van and relayed the exciting news Cai Feng had told him that day to Jiang Mo.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mo gripped the car seat armrest tightly: "I don't know what I did to offend him that he would do this to me."

If it weren't for Station Master Xu's help today, his career might very well be ruined tomorrow.

Xu Ying gave him a boost of confidence: "Don't panic tomorrow, I'll be here. I'll take your money and do my job, I'll make sure you're safe!"

Jiang Mo smiled and said, "Isn't this the line I said on set today? Station Chief Xu has a good memory."

"I will reward you handsomely once the matter is settled."

Xu Ying stroked his chin, already having a plan in mind: "Why don't you have the prop master prepare a string of Buddhist beads similar to the one Zhang Chenyi is holding?"

The two began to plot in hushed tones.

The next morning.

As dawn broke, the set of "The Desert Swordsman" was already bustling with activity.

Xu Ying stood at the edge of the field, looking up at the center of the riding arena. Zhang Chenyi had already changed into his costume and was riding the horse named "Chengfeng". The dark red Buddhist beads on his wrist gleamed eerily in the sunlight.

Jiang Mo, dressed in a black outfit with long, bushy eyebrows, sat on Zhuiyun's back.

Xu Ying prepared a medicine to reduce internal heat for Zhuiyun last night.

Zhuiyun seems to be in much better shape today.

"All departments, prepare! Scene 18, Initial Exploration—Action!"

The director's voice was amplified throughout the set.

Zhang Chenyi's lips curled slightly as he gently flicked a black sandalwood bead on the Buddhist prayer beads with his thumb, the bead making a soft "click" sound.

Xu Ying narrowed her eyes; she had already guessed Zhang Chenyi's intention in doing this—he was preparing to drug her.

Xu Ying looked towards the horizon.

at this time--

"Whoosh!"

A dark shadow pierced the air like an arrow. The peregrine falcon swooped down with lightning speed, its sharp talons precisely gripping the Buddhist prayer beads on Zhang Chenyi's wrist, and yanked them off sharply!
"Ah!" Zhang Chenyi was caught off guard, and the prayer beads slipped from his hand and were carried into the sky by lightning.

The whole place was in an uproar.

"what happened?!"

"Didn't Lightning have no scenes to film today? Why is she on set?"

The director suddenly stood up, the crew members looked at each other in surprise, and several paparazzi and reporters also raised their cameras to capture this unexpected incident.

Zhang Chenyi's expression changed drastically, and he subconsciously wanted to dismount and chase after her, but at this moment, Jiang Mo had already spurred his horse closer, holding a string of brand-new Buddhist beads in his hand, and gently handed them over: "Teacher Zhang, please use the spare ones."

Jiang Mo said to the director, "Director, Lightning might be acting today. It's okay. I saw that Teacher Zhang had some nice Buddhist prayer beads, so I had my assistant buy a string of the same ones. I didn't expect it to come in handy so soon."

The director breathed a sigh of relief and praised, "Thanks to Teacher Jiang, otherwise the filming schedule would definitely have been delayed."

Zhang Chenyi froze, his gaze lingering for a moment on Jiang Mo's calm face before quickly searching for the peregrine falcon that was the animal actor.

That guy has already disappeared somewhere.

“…Thank you.” Zhang Chenyi forced a smile, took the prayer beads, his knuckles turning slightly white.

The director waved his hand: "Alright, let's continue filming!"

The clapperboard snapped shut, and the camera returned to the two of them.

A shadow crossed Zhang Chenyi's eyes as he subtly ran his fingers along his cuff—where a fine embroidery needle, its tip gleaming coldly, was hidden.

He pulled this from the costume designer's toolbox.

The opening scene is a fight between the two on horseback.

Two fine horses clashed in the dust, while Jiang Mo, dressed in black, slashed through the air with his long sword, leaving a sharp, cold glint in his eyes.

Zhang Chenyi's white robes fluttered as he parried with his longsword, the clanging sound of metal clashing echoing along the cliff edge.

According to the script, Jiang Mo's strike should have been blocked by Zhang Chenyi, allowing the two to simultaneously spur their horses and create distance. However, just as the blades were about to touch, Zhang Chenyi subtly shifted his wrist—

"Keng!"

Jiang Mo's blade grazed Zhang Chenyi's sword and slashed straight at Chengfeng's neck!
In a flash, Jiang Mo abruptly pulled back his strength, the blade stopping abruptly just inches from the horse's neck. Fortunately, the prop sword wasn't sharpened, but in that instant—

A cold glint flashed from Zhang Chenyi's sleeve.

The embroidery needle pierced deeply into Chengfeng's jugular vein!

"Hiss—!" Chengfeng suddenly reared up and neighed, its eyes bloodshot, its front hooves kicking wildly in the air.

While making the gestures, Zhang Chenyi deliberately shouted loudly, "Jiang Mo, what are you doing!"

"Oh my god! Jiang Mo has slashed Teacher Zhang's horse!" A crew member's scream pierced the film set.

Another stagehand next to her was secretly using her phone, and the camera precisely captured the misaligned image—Jiang Mo's blade appeared to have struck the horse's neck deeply, but in reality, it had only lightly grazed it.

This signal was like a starting gun, instantly igniting the paparazzi lurking outside the film set. Dozens of professional cameras simultaneously lit up their red lights, their telephoto lenses pointing densely at the set like gun barrels.

"Was Jiang Mo doing this on purpose?" a female paparazzi with a ponytail shouted as she filmed, "It's just filming, why is he so rough!"

The male stand-in wearing a baseball cap next to her immediately chimed in, "I heard that Ms. Zhang's old injury in her right hand has flared up again, and a stunt double was originally supposed to be used for this scene!" He deliberately raised his voice, "Could it be that someone took advantage of the situation?"

The sound of camera shutters clicking filled the air. A reporter from an entertainment media outlet had already started a live broadcast: "Breaking! Violent incident reported on the set of 'The Desert Swordsman'; rising star Jiang Mo suspected of intentionally harming a co-star!"

Another male stagehand seized the opportunity to push to the front of the crowd, pointing at Jiang Mo and shouting, "Director! He didn't hold back at all! I saw the blade strike the horse's neck hard with my own eyes!"

This performance had an immediate effect.

Several of Zhang Chenyi's fans immediately teared up, one of them saying in a trembling voice, "Jiang Mo clearly knows that Brother Chenyi's arm, which he injured while suspended by wires last month, hasn't healed yet."

The set immediately descended into chaos, and everyone screamed in terror at the same time.

The moment Zhang Chenyi's embroidery needle pierced Chengfeng's neck, the chestnut horse let out a shrill neigh, its eyes bloodshot, and its front hooves reared up, almost throwing the person on its back off.

[You bastard! You pricked me with a needle, it hurts!]

Xu Ying suddenly looked up, her pupils contracting sharply—she understood Cheng Feng's cry.

"not good!"

She ripped off her sun protection mask, her black hair flying in the wind and sand, and grabbed the lasso she had prepared just in case.

"Hey, assistant, what are you doing! It's dangerous!"

The stagehand shouted.

Xu Ying ignored him, flicked his hand, and the lasso drew a sharp arc in the air, precisely looping around Chengfeng's neck.

"Phew—calm down!"

She gripped the rope tightly, her feet leaving two deep marks on the sand.

She struggled wildly, the horse's hooves almost grazing the hem of her clothes, but she didn't back down an inch, her other hand already on the horse's neck.

[It's alright, it's alright...] she whispered to herself, her fingers gently pressing around the needle hole.

Chengfeng was panting heavily, but gradually calmed down under her comforting words, and finally obediently knelt down and buried his head in her arms.

The audience was silent.

Zhang Chenyi remained frozen on horseback, his face deathly pale.

His plan was perfect—he would charge madly towards the haystack, "accidentally" fall, and his blood pack would rupture, creating the illusion of serious injury.

But now, Xu Ying not only stopped the horse, but also made Chengfeng lie down...

He couldn't even fall!
To make matters worse, Xu Ying took off her hat and mask, revealing her familiar face to the camera.

"It's Station Master Xu!" a stagehand exclaimed.

"Xu Ying from the desert animal rescue station? The one who can talk to animals?"

Whispers spread like wildfire. Zhang Chenyi's costume was soaked with cold sweat as he stared wide-eyed at Xu Ying's face.

He knew better than anyone else that Xu Ying was a beast language communicator.

If she had heard what Chengfeng said...

Xu Ying released Chengfeng, turned around and walked towards Zhang Chenyi, a "concerned" expression on her face: "Teacher Zhang, are you alright?"

Her hand "inadvertently" landed on his waist—

"Stab!"

The blood pack ruptured, and the fake blood instantly stained his white clothes red.

"Oh dear! Why are you bleeding?" Xu Ying feigned panic. "I know first aid!"

Before Zhang Chenyi could react, she ripped open his shirt.

"Clap!"

Two unbroken prop blood packs lay on the sand, their crimson color glaringly bright.