I'm not mentally ill, I'm a master of a thousand faces!

Chapter 113, The Death of Cao Zhengchun

The plot of the entire series reaches its second climax here.

Iron-Blooded Marquis deliberately feigned weakness, even resorting to a self-inflicted injury ruse, by physically imprisoning himself in the Heavenly Prison.

"Prisoners entering the dungeon must have their headbands and belts removed, and are not allowed to wear any rope-like objects, to prevent them from committing suicide."

When Eunuch Cao spoke, he specifically emphasized the word "prisoner".

Zhu ignored him and remained silent, letting himself be manipulated.

at this time.

Cao Zhengchun's power finally reached its peak, and he finally sat on the position of "Number One in the World".

Except for the emperor.

He is number one.

The day of the Divine Marquis's "funeral".

"We've waited so long for this day, so incredibly long. Sometimes I even regret that I've never truly fought against this Iron-Blooded Marquis."

"Just watch your lover's funeral. The Marquis has gone to great lengths and put in a lot of effort for you."

Su Xin was crying beside him, sobbing with her face covered, while Cao Zhengchun was full of pride. After struggling for most of his life, he had finally reached the pinnacle of his life.

Sending off the God of Marquis on his funeral procession.

This was also to draw out the remnants of the Dragon Guard Manor.

"Looking back on my life, the only person who could be considered my rival was probably Zhu Wushi, the Iron-Blooded Marquis. Now that he's dead, I do feel a little lonely."

At this moment, Cao Zhengchun sighed with emotion at his initial intention.

"If I have the chance, I would like to compete with him to see who is the number one master in the palace. I have practiced the Heavenly Gang Boy Skill for decades, but I don't know what the answer will be now."

All four secret agents, Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow, were lured out by this Iron-Blooded Marquis.

This also includes Iron-Blooded Marquis himself breaking out of his coffin.

Originally, this was Cao Zhengchun's scheme to lure out the four secret agents, but wasn't it also a way for Zhu Wushi to fake his death, luring out Cao Zhengchun's gang and even leading him to the countryside?

The struggles within the palace are subtle and restrained, but when they occur outside the court and among the people, they are a fight to the death.

Just like Cao Zhengchun wanted to kill the four secret agents of the Dragon Guard Manor and eradicate them completely.

The two sides were already in a state of mortal conflict.

Even at the very end, even after the Iron-Blooded Marquis "died," Cao Zhengchun did not underestimate Zhu Wushi and intended to eliminate his last remaining power.

The greatest respect you can show to an opponent is to annihilate him completely.

This is how Cao Zhengchun treats his opponents whom he acknowledges.

Iron-Blooded Marquis successfully deceived Cao Zhengchun, and even Cao Zhengchun's chief clerk was Zhu Wushi's spy.

Cao Zhengchun, who was just moments ago riding high, is now all alone.

Now standing amidst the crowd, Cao Zhengchun, who was already at his limit, showed a range of expressions on his face: astonishment, surprise, helplessness, regret, and finally, relief.

Various emotions change with each breath.

"Close-up." Deng Yancheng immediately ordered his photographers to take photos of his face.

A stray dog ​​suppressed by everyone—that's the stray dog ​​in the story.

But the eunuch Cao in front of them was so good at acting that he overwhelmed everyone.

A person's emotional changes are the source of their acting prowess.

Wang Jing felt that he wasn't the main character in "The World's Number One," but in this particular scene, he was the absolute main character.

Even the Iron-Blooded Marquis, who had the upper hand, was no match for Cao Zhengchun.

"People have always asked whether I or the Divine Marquis is the number one expert in the Imperial Guard. I have the same question, and now I can finally know the answer to this question."

Enraged, Cao Zhengchun struck with tremendous force.

Zhu Wushi unleashed his formidable martial arts skills and engaged Cao Zhengchun in a fierce battle.

This scene was originally supposed to be filmed using special effects, since special effects would allow for more close-up shots from both sides.

However, Wang Jing and Deng Yancheng did not want to waste Cao Zhengchun's pure kung fu skills and send several stunt doubles who used different martial arts styles to fight Cao Zhengchun.

Cao Gonggong's exit also needs to be dignified, not just a special effect. At least that's what Wang Jing thinks.

Different martial arts correspond to the different martial arts that Iron-Blooded Marquis stole, but Cao Zhengchun still used the fierce Heavenly Gang Boy Skill to fight back, and was not at a disadvantage at all.

Even though Eunuch Cao knew he was about to fail, he was no longer the power-hungry eunuch he once was; he had become a pure warrior.

A person who desires victory.

I want to win, I want to triumph.

However, how could Cao Zhengchun be a match for the Iron-Blooded Marquis? Having absorbed the internal energy of nearly 200 people, and now knowing where Cao Zhengchun's weakness was, he also completely absorbed the eunuch Cao's virginity.

As he vomited blood and was on the verge of death, Cao Zhengchun laughed heartily.

"Well done, Zhu Tiedan, today I am truly convinced of your superiority."

"But you should never dream of getting that third Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom."

Iron-Blooded Marquis did all this not only to eliminate his enemies, but also for his woman, Su Xin. Back then, Su Xin was nearly killed by half a palm strike from him, and only three whole Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom pods could cure her.

It was precisely because of the news about Tianxiang Doukou that Cao Zhengchun was able to keep the Iron-Blooded Marquis in check.

At this moment, Cao Zhengchun smiled with satisfaction.

"Because even I don't know where the third Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom is, hahahaha."

"you"

Zhu Wushi wanted to kill Cao Zhengchun as soon as possible, but at this moment, Cao Zhengchun attacked him first.

You'll never be able to kill me.

The once-powerful warlord Cao Zhengchun ended his own life in this way.

Everyone thought the scene was over.

However, when Cao Zhengchun knelt down, he seemed to be gazing into the distance, reflected in his pupils.

What is it?

Yes, it's in the direction of the palace.

A eunuch died kneeling before his death, but his face was turned toward the palace.

Everyone silently watched Eunuch Cao standing in the snow.

Is he a bad person?

Undoubtedly, the charges of persecuting loyal officials and forming cliques could all be pinned on Cao Zhengchun.

It was only when everyone knew that Zhu Wushi was the main villain.

The loyal and capable individuals he identified through his intelligence agency.

Is it merely a part of the party and government?

do not know.

Cao Zhengchun, who only knew how to kneel before the palace before his death.

His appearance no longer seemed so sinister.

Filming has wrapped.

At this moment, Deng Yancheng breathed a sigh of relief. When Cao Zhengchun's scenes were finished, it meant that the plot of the entire series had entered its second half.

He felt a little empty when the character was about to leave.

Some places are still empty.

His exit seemed uneventful, but his final kneeling gesture left a deep impression.

Cao Zhengchun was a villain.

He was ruthless from the very beginning.

But who says a villain can't be a loyal minister?

These two things do not seem to be mutually exclusive.

"Preserve the final touch." Wang Jing pondered for a moment, "I have a feeling that that last moment will make him a classic character."

There aren't many actors who can convey so much emotion through their eyes.

Those who can withstand close-up shots directly in the face are even rarer.

Li Yun did just that.

Finally, a scene was left behind.

A villain.

A loyal subject.

"You all performed very well." At this moment, Deng Yancheng praised the actors around him. Although the focus of this scene was the confrontation between Zhu Wushi and Cao Zhengchun, Wan Sanqian, Shangguan Haitang, and Su Xin, as supporting actors, also performed quite well.

They witnessed the life-or-death battle between Cao Zhengchun and Zhu Wushi.

This enemy, with whom they had fought for most of their lives, has finally met its end.

"Go and get some rest, Eunuch Cao." At this moment, Deng Yancheng glanced at Li Yun again, feeling somewhat emotional. After spending this time together, he couldn't quite tell whether the person he was working with was the actor named Li Yun or this Eunuch Cao Zhengchun who seemed to have stepped out of the history books of the Ming Dynasty.

He didn't know, he couldn't tell, all he could do was tell Li Yun to get some rest.

For actors who are deeply immersed in their roles, each time they get into and out of character, it's a huge drain on their energy. I wonder how long it will take this eunuch, Cao Gonggong, to get out of character and move on from this role?

It truly evokes a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, deep emotion/reflection).

Deng Yancheng and Wang Jing discussed this issue. For actors who are immersed in their roles, it takes a very long time to break free from the character. Some people may spend most of their lives without ever getting out of a role, while others take a very long time to do so. This was the case with Stephen Chow back then. In "King of Comedy," he portrayed half of his life, but it was a reflection of his younger self.

It's so difficult to get out.

Given Li Yun's level of immersion, he is probably just as immersive as Li Yun.

Wang Jing even felt that as an actor in his crew, Li Yun had a duty to hire a good psychiatrist to examine him. After all, having worked in this industry for so many years, Wang Jing knew some people, including some psychiatrists who specialized in treating actors in this situation.

However, at this moment...

Li Yun raised his head and said with a clear expression.

"Thank you, Director Deng."

"ah"

For an instant.

It happened in almost an instant.

Everyone could see that Eunuch Cao was no longer there; the person in front of them was an actor named Li Yun.

The contrast in feeling is just too strong.

Anyone in the crew could tell that the person in front of them had 'changed,' even though they hadn't removed their makeup. But the feeling was definitely different.

What happened to the saying that immersive actors have difficulty getting into and out of character?

Wang Jing felt a sharp pain in his face after being slapped.

"You're Xiao Li?"

"hold head high."

"I'll treat you to a farewell dinner tonight."

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Wang." Li Yun smiled slightly. "Then I'll go remove my makeup and rest."

"Um"

At this moment, Wang Jing watched helplessly as Li Yun went to remove her makeup.

"Damn, this show goes way too fast."

Wang Jing's lips twitched.

Having been completely immersed in "The World's Finest" for most of the show, it's now incredibly easy to step out of the immersive experience.

This is very unscientific!

At this moment.

Someone sat nearby, muttering to themselves—their expression was neither sad nor painful.

"Cao Zhengchun is dead, and my rival is gone too."

This Iron-Blooded Marquis was left with only emptiness; the opponent he had fought for most of his life was gone. Even Gu Santong hadn't fought him for that long.

Ok.

A referral letter from a psychiatrist—some people can still use it.

(End of this chapter)