Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 1 Taoist Priest Descends from the Mountain
A string of Five Emperors' coins hangs high on the eaves of the Broken Pavilion, with the characters facing inward and the coins facing upward.

The mottled thin rope seemed unable to bear the heavy weight of the copper coins, just like the Maoshan wild temple that was guarded by only one person.

The walls collapsed, the gates were broken, and the place was desolate.

The side room next to the main hall of Yeguan was pushed open with a creaking sound, and the neglected wooden door made a teeth-grinding sound.

A young Taoist priest in a green robe suddenly stepped out. The wooden hairpin he used to tie his hair was simple and rustic, which made his face look more clear and handsome.

Facing the dim morning light, the young Taoist priest looked up to the sky and sighed, as if he had not yet recovered from the strangeness and shock of his time travel.

Where the hell did this come from?
This boss of a top public relations company in his previous life was still having a fierce battle at the wine table a second ago. While struggling to hold on, a glass of aged wine went down his throat and he felt a splitting headache!
When I opened my eyes again...

His soul has already possessed the body of a young Taoist priest in the wild temple of Maoshan.

He closed his eyes, feeling that the scriptures, prophecies, and gossips in his original body's head were becoming more and more absurd and inexplicable.

Suddenly, a voice came from the gate of the temple, "Master Lu? Can we go now?"

"Wait a moment."

Lu Kuan took a moment to digest the thought, then looked at the stagehand in front of him and realized that this person was here to take him, who had the same name as him, to the crew.

He turned back to the side room to pack up his belongings, the original nature of this mundane matter emerging in his mind.

Zhang Jizhong was filming the Zhou Xun version of The Legend of the Condor Heroes in Wuxi Water Margin City and needed a religious advisor.

The Taoist priests in the play belong to the Quanzhen sect, and all religious attire, language and meaning require special guidance.

But Maoshan is the ancestral home of Shangqing. After searching dozens of Taoist temples, large and small, he finally found his predecessor, a Quanzhen believer who was alone guarding a ruined temple.

Of course, the level of a Quanzhen intermediate wizard represented by the azure Taoist robe is also a benefit to the crew. In any case, they just need to ensure that the religious affairs bureau will not find any mistakes when the TV series is submitted for review.

The popularity of the wild temple was waning, and the young Taoist priest was also penniless. He simply packed up his things, closed the temple door after the road was wide, and followed the staff to the car.

Not far away, under the steps, there was a patch of weeds and a ragged middle-aged man was sitting there. He was looking at the approaching young Taoist priest and muttering to himself.

The former boss of the public relations company ignored him, knowing that he was just a crazy local Taoist priest who used the sky as a blanket and the ground as a mat, eating food from other people's homes to spend the rest of his life.

The crazy Taoist priest stepped forward as usual to beg for food. When he caught a glimpse of the young Taoist priest's clear and focused eyes, he grabbed his arm as if he saw a ghost!
"Who are you?! You're not Lu Kuan!"

The crew member of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" glanced at him in confusion and reached out to drive him away, but was stopped by the little Taoist priest.

"No need! He's just in a bad mood, let him be."

Lu Kuan glanced at him indifferently, but his heart was filled with turbulent waves.

The two men walked forward, and suddenly they heard the crazy Taoist priest's mumbling behind them, accompanied by the Taoist rhyme of the early morning.

"Awaken from the dream of life, refine your heart and don't forget to return home!"

The engine of the Istana from the "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" crew started to roar. Lu Kuan looked out the car window at the lonely figure of the crazy Taoist priest in the mountains, pondering his crazy words and couldn't help but sigh.

Be it a dream of life or the current situation.

Now that I have this life to live again, I must live differently.
-
An Istana with a Su B license plate drove into Wuxi Water Margin City and stopped at the filming location next to "Qingming Shanghe Street" after showing its pass.

The crew of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" started filming the first scene "Mu Nianci rescues Yang Kang" here yesterday, attracting many fans to watch.

The crew member got out of the car with a forced smile, leading a Taoist monk in an indigo-colored Taoist robe, and hurried into the studio in the drizzle.

"Young Taoist Priest, please wait a moment. I'll go notify the producer and director."

"it is good."

Lu Kuan stood in the shed, stretching out his hand to block the sparse raindrops.

It was like waking up from a dream and returning to 2001, just like the soft, soft drizzle and the mist rising on the cobblestone streets before my eyes.

Try to think about the past, it is like a dream, full of sorrows and joys, coming together and parting like smoke.

At this moment, in the noisy and complicated crew, against the bustling background, this young Taoist priest with a thin body and a crane cloak standing in the air seemed out of place, just like a Taoist priest who came to the mortal world to refine his mind. He attracted the attention of two waiting actresses.

You stand here and enjoy the scenery, and the people who are enjoying the scenery are also looking at you not far away.

"Little Taoist priest, are you from our crew?"

A soft and tender inquiry made him look back, and what he saw were two beauties in ancient costumes with bright eyes and white teeth.

Zhou Xun has a slim figure, delicate and lively facial features, and her temperament and outline are all very beautiful.

Jiang Qinqin is more delicate and lovely, with dark eyes full of affection and a nose as straight as a peak, which is worthy of the stage name "Shui Ling" given to her by Qiong Yao.

"Hello, my name is Lu Kuan, and I'm the religious advisor your crew invited."

Zhou Xun and Jiang Qinqin looked at each other, then simultaneously raised their heads to look at his face as he turned around.

His face was thin and his eyes were distant, deep and bright.

Although the green Taoist robe was old, it could not hide his tall and handsome figure, but instead added a sense of transcendence.

Jiang Qinqin was a straightforward girl from a mountain town. She looked Lu Kuan up and down and joked, "Your appearance is better than many male celebrities. I guess you can make a living in the entertainment industry."

Lu Kuan was actually in the entertainment industry in his previous life, but he was just the owner of a public relations company.

In his previous life, from Beijing Film Academy to University of Southern California, his dream of becoming a director was shattered time and time again. He had no choice but to take up this job, but he didn't expect that he would actually make a name for himself.

Until he died suddenly at the wine table and traveled back to more than 20 years ago...

Zhang Jizhong and director Ju Jueliang were discussing the script in the makeshift office the crew had built. Hearing the noise outside, they looked over. "Fan Yao, is this the young Taoist priest from Mount Mao? He's a little too young!"

Production Director Meng Fanyao said cunningly, "Director Zhang, we're trying to figure out feng shui on the one hand, but we also have to do the accounting on the other. We definitely have to find something that's good quality and affordable!"

Wow, I've only heard of account-keeping forwards, but I didn't expect there are account-keeping Taoist priests here who are used to take kickbacks.

Any film or TV series involving religion must be approved by the relevant departments. This is a way of stealing money from investors in the name of religious consulting fees.

Ju Jueliang was from Hong Kong and believed in all the weird and supernatural things that happened on the set. He immediately said with a smile, "Old Meng, you can't save this money. We've been in a lot of trouble lately."

Zhang Jixin sighed inwardly, there were more than a lot of problems, the troubles with "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" had never stopped since the day the filming started.

A food poisoning incident occurred when the crew of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" rushed to Saihanba to start filming in August, and then encountered a typhoon after moving to Taohua Island.

After the original director Wang Rui was fired by Zhang Jizhong due to problems with the shooting progress, Ju Jueliang, the director who directed the 92 Hong Kong version of "The Book and the Sword", became the firefighter.

I thought that after these natural disasters and man-made tragedies, all would be smooth sailing, but I didn't expect Li Yapeng to cause trouble again.

Last night, Brother Jing took Rong'er to the Tangcheng Ballroom in Wuxi for entertainment and relaxation. He got into a dispute with a group of merchants from Yancheng and beat them up.

The news was blocked by Zhang Jizhong, but fortunately there were not many self-media in that era, so it had not been spread out.

The rain outside the shed was getting heavier. Lu Kuan went into the temporary office to sign the contract. Zhou Xun and others were also called in to discuss how to clean up the mess.

On one side, people were chatting around the fire with serious expressions, while on the other side, people were flipping through manuscripts in a leisurely manner.

Ju Jueliang was a little impatient and quietly suggested, "Director Zhang, the crew has been in trouble recently."

"How about... we ask this young Taoist priest to show us a way?"

Zhang Jizhong turned his head to look at the young Taoist priest who looked all show and no substance, and didn't hold out much hope.

But since Ju Jueliang had mentioned it, it would be awkward to offend him.

"It's raining heavily outside. We can't shoot for the time being, so let's just give it a try."

Ju Jueliang was respectful to the young man, stood up and chatted with him for a few words, and then invited him to come over and continue chatting.

Zhang Jizhong looked at the overly young Lu Kuan and asked curiously, "How old are you, young Taoist priest? What's your Taoist name?"

His words were polite, but his expression didn't show he took him seriously.

As a Taoist priest who does accounting, cheap things are not good, so how much respect can he have for that?

Lu Kuan said seriously, "Director Zhang, I'm nineteen."

As for the Dao name...

"You can just call me Changfeng."

Although I am not going to meet the old Heavenly Master today, I will temporarily steal the title of Wudang Wang Ye.

A Taoist name is either a gift from a master or a posthumous title from a disciple.

This young Taoist priest originally inherited the mantle of his deceased master and personally inherited the Taoist tradition. Although the incense offerings to the temple have almost ceased, he can be said to have blossomed in the cracks of the stone.

With the help of his green Taoist robe and his eloquent tongue, he does some fortune-telling and tricks people into making a living.

Now that he has been possessed by an extraterritorial demon, and he's also a cunning public relations boss, it's probably going to be even harder to tell the real from the fake from now on.

Everyone in the room pondered over this unusual Taoist name, which was completely different from Chunyangzi and Changchunzi. Combined with his extraordinary temperament, a sense of religious mystery arose spontaneously.

Meng Fanyao turned around and closed the door. "Master Lu, the crew has been busy lately. Do you think you could adjust the feng shui layout for us?"

Lu Kuan was indifferent for a moment, then stood tall, looking at the hazy drizzle outside. He shook his head and said, "This is against the rules. I am only responsible for disciplining the crew's religious affairs. I will not interfere with other matters."

Zhang Jizhong remained calm, and Hong Kong director Ju Jueliang stepped forward with an apologetic smile, "Young Taoist Priest, please feel free to give me some pointers."

Lu Kuan nodded slightly and took out his hands.

Actually, I was just trying to keep warm. The winter in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai is really not a place for humans to live. The cold magic attack is as famous as it is said to be.

Jiang Taigong was fishing, and those willing to take the bait.

Since the fish is eager to try, why not give it some advice?
The young Taoist priest looked solemn as he measured the ground horizontally and vertically with his steps leisurely, sometimes stopping to observe the layout, sometimes concentrating to sense the energy.

He pointed his halberd in a certain direction: "The northeastern Gen position is a mountain, which represents peace and stability, but the energy here is a little chaotic."

"Also, this corner, diagonally opposite the main camera position, is a sharp corner. The evil energy rushing straight at it could easily cause an accident, so be careful!"

Lu Kuan glanced through the window lintel at the stacked boxes of props. "These weapons and props should be placed in the Qian position to demonstrate masculine righteousness and ward off evil. But now they're in such disarray, causing confusion and distraction."

Everyone in the room was extremely surprised when they heard this. Zhou Xun and Jiang Qinqin's eyes lit up, while everyone in the crew, from Zhang Jizhong on down, was half-believing and half-doubting.

The young Taoist priest with an ethereal demeanor sighed, "There are almost mistakes everywhere."

He stood still and said, "This is the center of the house, called the Tai Chi point. The position of the main door relative to the Tai Chi point is the upper hexagram, and the position where Director Zhang sits is the lower hexagram. This is used to determine the fortune of wealth and officialdom."

"The west is Dui, the north is Kan, Dui on top and Kan on bottom is Kun."

Ju Jueliang was the most superstitious person. His face turned pale and he was already getting impatient: "Why?"

"Big evil!"

(End of this chapter)