Chapter 35: The Eternal Taoist Master of Vampires (Please Keep Following)

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For some reason, Chen Mo felt a pang of sympathy for the heiress.

No wonder she was so happy just wandering around without any particular destination.

After returning to the set, Chen Mo went to find Director Lin Zichong.

“Director Chen, hello! Hello! Welcome to the set. The fruit was delicious. Thank you, thank you!” Fatty Lin said with a broad smile.

“Director Lin, actually, I came here not only to visit the set. There is also something I would like to ask for your help with,” Chen Mo said.

“Oh? Go ahead, Director Chen. If there is anything I can do, I certainly will.” Lin Zichong looked somewhat surprised that Chen Mo wanted his help.

After all, the two of them had never had any dealings before.

“It’s like this. I have a new film in the works, and I want to cast an actor from Hong Kong. However, I’m not familiar with the people there. Since you’re from Hong Kong, Director Lin, I was wondering if you know Lam Ching-ying?” Chen Mo explained the reason for his visit.

“You want Uncle Ying to act in your film?” Lin Zichong asked in surprise.

“Yes. Of course, for now it’s only a possibility. We’ll have to see how Uncle Ying is doing first.”

Chen Mo could tell from Lin Zichong’s reaction that he knew the man.

“I know him, of course I do. Not only do I know him, we’re quite close. We’ve worked together several times. I just don’t know whether he’s currently filming anything,” Lin Zichong said hurriedly.

“Here, I’ll call Uncle Ying right now,” he added.

“Then I’ll trouble you, Director Lin.”

“Not at all, not at all.”

Lin Zichong immediately took out his phone, found Uncle Ying’s number, and called him.

“Uncle Ying, it’s me, Chucky... Yes, there’s a major director here who wants you to act in his film... He really is a major director. He directed Let’s Watch the Meteor Shower Together, the highest-rated television drama in the country.”

“That’s right, he wants you. Don’t believe me? He’s standing right beside me. I’ll hand him the phone, and you can talk to him yourself.”

Lin Zichong finished speaking and passed the phone to Chen Mo.

Chen Mo took it. “Uncle Ying?”

“Director Chen? You flatter me. Just call me Ying. Chucky says you want me to act in your film?”

“That’s right. I have a film in mind, and I’d like you to play the lead. But I hope you won’t mind me asking—there are some fight scenes involved. I don’t know whether you...” Chen Mo hesitated.

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After all, Uncle Ying was no longer young. He was already in his fifties, and Chen Mo had no idea whether he could still handle the action scenes. In Chen Mo’s heart, Uncle Ying would forever be the one true embodiment of the Taoist vampire hunter, but practical considerations still had to be taken into account.

Although the fights in Mr. Vampire were not conventional and were hardly as intense as those in most action films, there were still quite a number of combat scenes.

“Hahaha, Director Chen, you should know that I started out as a martial arts stuntman. I’m not as young as I used to be, of course, but as long as the fighting isn’t especially dangerous or intense, I can handle it without any problem,” Uncle Ying said with a hearty laugh.

“But Director Chen, are you sure? You want an old man like me to play the lead?” he asked, sounding puzzled.

In this world, Uncle Ying had not never played leading roles, but that had been a long time ago, and none of those performances had made much of an impression.

Most of the time, he worked as a supporting member of a stunt team, or made occasional appearances as a martial arts choreographer.

Now Chen Mo had suddenly told him that he wanted him to play the male lead. It was difficult for him to believe.

“How about this? Would it be convenient for you to come to the mainland? Or I could go to Hong Kong, and we could discuss it in person. This film is rather unusual. It’s difficult to explain in just a few words, so we really need to talk face-to-face,” Chen Mo said after considering the matter.

“There’s no need for you to come to Hong Kong, Director Chen. I’m working at Hengcheng Film City right now, and I’m nearly finished. I’ll come to you instead,” Uncle Ying said with a smile.

“Great! I’ll send you the address shortly. Give me a call when you arrive,” Chen Mo agreed.

After obtaining Uncle Ying’s contact information from Lin Zichong, Chen Mo sent him the address of his company.

Then he went to find the heiress. She was clearly reluctant to see him leave so soon.

Still, she did not try to stop him. Chen Mo, however, smiled and said, “I’m planning to make a rather interesting film. Once you finish this one, don’t accept any other projects. Come and act in mine.”

“Really?” The heiress asked, her face lighting up with delight.

“Of course. Though the role isn’t particularly showy. It is the female lead, but the film is still centered mainly around the male protagonist.”

“As long as it’s your film, that’s all that matters. By the way, do you have enough money? If not, I still have plenty,” the heiress suddenly added.

Chen Mo slapped his forehead. He had nearly forgotten.

He took out the bank card she had given him and held it out to her.

“I almost forgot. The money from Let’s Watch the Meteor Shower Together has come in, and I made quite a lot. I’m returning this to you. No interest included,” Chen Mo said with a smile.

The heiress did not take it. Instead, she said, “I have enough money to spend. You’ll need a lot of funds for your new film, so keep it for now. I’m not in a hurry.”

Seeing the earnest determination on her face, Chen Mo simply withdrew the bank card.

Sure enough, the heiress immediately broke into a radiant smile.

“Then I’ll be going. I’ll contact you later,” Chen Mo said.

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“All right. Drive carefully,” the heiress said with a nod.

After leaving Zhuozhou Film City, Chen Mo returned to the capital and began working on the script for Mr. Vampire. At the same time, he started preparing the director’s shot breakdowns.

He was treating this film far more seriously than Let’s Watch the Meteor Shower Together. There was no helping it. In his previous life, he had seen far too many cheap knockoffs of this kind of film. Now that he finally had the chance to make an authentic version, he was genuinely excited.

If he had made Let’s Watch the Meteor Shower Together purely to avenge the original owner and make some money along the way, then Mr. Vampire was something he truly regarded as his own career.

It might be an online film, but being the pioneer and following in someone else’s footsteps were two entirely different things.

More importantly, Chen Mo had far more confidence in Mr. Vampire than in Let’s Watch the Meteor Shower Together, and he was far more passionate about it as well.

Although Mr. Vampire would most likely be less profitable than Let’s Watch the Meteor Shower Together, Chen Mo would still much rather make Mr. Vampire than personally direct another sequel to the latter.

There were zombie films in this world, but they were completely different from Mr. Vampire. In that sense, the film could once again be considered groundbreaking.

As for the role of the Ren family’s young mistress, it was an experiment on Chen Mo’s part. Judging from the character’s background, she was actually quite well suited to the heiress.

Meanwhile, Uncle Ying was working as the action choreographer for a production at Hengcheng Film City.

What Chen Mo did not know was that although Uncle Ying’s career had not developed as well as it had in his previous life, he still had a team of his own.

They were not as famous as the Jackie Chan Stunt Team or the Yuen Clan, but neither were they unknown. They were not among the very best in the industry, yet they were still a fairly well-known stunt team.

Unfortunately, they had always been confined to working behind the scenes. Uncle Ying had also tried to push some of his people into the spotlight, but none of those efforts had succeeded.

Now that Hong Kong cinema had declined while the mainland film and television market had risen, he had brought his team to the mainland in search of work. Although they were never short of jobs, there was always something lacking in a stunt team that worked exclusively behind the scenes.

He had never expected that, in his old age, someone would actually come looking for him to play the male lead.

Chen Mo had only directed one production so far, but that single work had achieved the highest ratings in the country and even set a trend. During this period, Let’s Watch the Meteor Shower Together had become the one subject the entertainment industry could not avoid.

Postscript:

I have always been a fan of zombie films. No matter how many remakes are made, Uncle Ying will forever be the Taoist vampire hunter in my heart. No matter how well anyone else performs the role, it always feels as though something is missing. That is why I had already planned this alternate-world storyline before beginning this novel.

I know some readers dislike alternate histories. From this point onward, I will try to follow the real-world timeline as much as possible and will not create any more major departures from reality.

Here, I would like to pay tribute to Uncle Ying, the Taoist vampire hunter. May his spirit endure forever, and may righteousness remain eternal.

Half a bowl of clear water reflects the universe; one sacred talisman commands ghosts and spirits. Red cords and glutinous rice still remain today, but the Taoist priest Lin of those years is gone.

In memory of and tribute to Uncle Ying.