Chapter 102: Then Let’s Begin with Horseback Riding (Please Subscribe)

The next day.

Su Mu woke up at six o’clock.

It wasn’t because he had slept poorly; on the contrary, he had gone to bed earlier than usual last night, which was why he rose at this hour.

Since he was here, he naturally wanted to immerse himself in the role as soon as possible.

Otherwise, arriving early would be pointless.

In truth, Su Mu was eager to explore new experiences.

This would undoubtedly benefit his future acting career.

Moreover, it would allow him to develop new areas of proficiency.

After breakfast at the hotel, Yuan Shuang soon arrived in a business van to pick up Su Mu and the others.

Once inside the vehicle, Su Mu asked Driver Zhu to sit in the passenger seat.

This was so Zhu could familiarize himself with the route.

That way, later on, they could rent a car and drive themselves.

It would be more convenient.

Plus, they could chat freely in the car whenever they wished.

For now, though, since outsiders were present, Su Mu felt a bit shy and preferred to maintain a good image.

He certainly didn’t want to blurt out anything about his heart condition and then have to spend money on medical insurance—it just wasn’t worthwhile.

The car drove steadily toward an area even more remote than the suburbs.

They traveled for over an hour.

Su Mu felt as if they were passing through wild jungles.

But upon arriving at the filming location, he was truly awestruck.

Rows upon rows of military tents, fortified watchtowers, and an array of weapons and props surrounded the place.

A massive temporary soundstage was covered with green screens.

Many stunt performers were suspended by wires, meticulously checking every detail to ensure proper installation.

Around the site, cranes and bulldozers were stationed—a passerby might have thought it was an active construction project.

At that moment,

Chen Anzhi was inside discussing matters with the crew.

Seeing Su Mu arrive, he put aside his work and greeted him warmly with a smile.

“Director Chen,” Su Mu greeted.

“How are you, Su Mu? Is the accommodation comfortable?” Chen Anzhi asked.

“Yeah, it’s quite good,” Su Mu replied.

“That’s good to hear. For the next few months, you’ll stay over there. Although, you might find yourself running back and forth every day. I’ll arrange someone to pick you up and drop you off,” Chen said.

“No need, Director Chen. Just lend me a car—I came with a driver,” Su Mu answered.

“Driver?” Chen Anzhi was momentarily taken aback. Young people these days really had a flair—bringing a driver along when going out. “No problem, you can use the business van driven by Yuan Shuang for now.”

“Thank you, Director Chen.”

“But I should warn you, Yuan Zheng is actually quite easy to get along with, but he’s very particular about fight scenes.

Learning from him won’t be impossible, but it will be tough. He tends to be strict, so you’d better be mentally prepared.”

Su Mu smiled lightly, not taking it to heart.

After all, Zheng Quan had increased his pay.

Since he was being paid, he naturally intended to do his best.

Seventy million for portraying Xin Qiji was a different matter from sixty-five million.

If he couldn’t put in the effort at that price, it would be disrespectful to the money.

Su Mu was no one to take money without delivering; he was a professional.

After a brief chat and a tour around the site,

Chen Anzhi led Su Mu to meet Yuan Zheng.

This was a separate soundstage.

Inside were rows of props—rows of swords, spears, halberds, piles of soldier armor, saddles, reins, and costumes for various characters.

At this moment,

Yuan Zheng’s stunt doubles, all dressed in costumes and wielding props, were practicing challenging fight sequences with each other.

This wasn’t mere training.

They were testing the fluidity and extension of the choreography.

Many action scenes didn’t succeed on the first attempt.

Only by performing them could one judge whether the design was reasonable.

This required the stunt actors to demonstrate the moves themselves.

Then the choreography would be refined until perfected.

Inside, at a large desk,

Yuan Zheng was sketching character movements with a pen.

Only when Su Mu and Chen Anzhi approached did he look up.

Chen Anzhi introduced, “Old Yuan, this is Su Mu.”

“Nice to meet you, Senior Yuan,” Su Mu said.

Yuan Zheng’s features were somewhat rougher than Chen Anzhi’s.

He put down his work and stood to face Su Mu.

“Hello, Su Mu. You can just call me Director Yuan—no need for formalities.

To be honest, I was a bit surprised you came. Over the years, I’ve worked on many projects, but most young actors at your stage can’t quite accept our methods anymore—the times have changed.

At first, I thought portraying Xin Qiji without martial arts training would be lacking.

But since you’ve come early, willing to try and change, I respect that attitude.

The training ahead will be tough; I hope you can persevere and not give up.”

Yuan Zheng spoke frankly but without any rejection.

His tone was simply matter-of-fact.

Su Mu nodded.

He deployed his sincere “killer move.”

His expression and gaze conveyed his emotions clearly and earnestly.

“Director Yuan, I’ve thought about this before coming.

But as an actor, the role is paramount; a little hardship is nothing.

Besides, Xin Qiji’s character demands a fearless integrity.

If I’m afraid to try, I’ll never portray such roles well.

In any case, I promised Director Zheng Quan I’d do well in next year’s Kiwi project, and I intend to keep that promise.”

[Expression Proficiency +1]

[Emotion Proficiency +1]

[Oratory Proficiency +1]

[Skill Points +0.01…]

Su Mu’s words instantly lifted the atmosphere.

Chen Anzhi gave him a look of approval.

But Yuan Zheng, coming from a stunt background,

valued loyalty above all when he was young.

From this, it was clear Su Mu was truly loyal to Zheng Quan.

Yuan Zheng smiled and nodded.

“That’s good. Let’s not waste time—I’ll briefly explain the action requirements for this role.”

He pulled out his notebook.

Then began his detailed explanation.

Following the script, he had designed and outlined all potential action scenes.

For example, the battlefield scenes.

Su Mu needed to ride a horse—at least to the extent of holding a spear while galloping and performing simple fight moves on horseback.

This wasn’t just high standards from Yuan Zheng.

It was essential to depict the imagery of ‘a horse that flies as fast as the Lu.’

It would help the audience grasp the poetic meaning of ‘Eight hundred miles under his command, the scorching heat; fifty strings echo beyond the frontier.’

Moreover, the story opens with a fierce battle.

Background: Xin Qiji’s hometown was brutally attacked by Jin soldiers; he leads a bloody fight and ultimately duels a Jin commander over a local woman.

This fight scene required Su Mu to handle a longsword proficiently.

He didn’t need to master authentic martial arts swordsmanship, but he had to wield it skillfully.

Much like an actor playing Sun Wukong in Journey to the West doesn’t necessarily know staff techniques but handles the staff with fluid grace.

That’s enough for acting standards.

Therefore, Yuan Zheng expected Su Mu to become familiar with swords, spears, and staves during this period.

And while mastering these, he must also train basic skills with the stunt performers.

Otherwise, the complex choreography would be difficult to execute.

Soon,

Su Mu left Yuan Zheng’s prop warehouse.

He greeted Chen Anzhi,

then led Qian Jida, Fan Xiaoju, and Driver Zhu straight to the neighboring horse ranch.

Qian Jida asked, “Where to?”

“Horse riding!” Su Mu replied.

…

At that moment,

the stunt actors nearby stopped what they were doing and gathered, watching Su Mu.

“That must be Su Mu. He really came early. Quite handsome too—no wonder the junior sister likes him.”

“Hah, handsome doesn’t mean he can take a hit. Wait till he gets on a horse—he’s in for a world of pain. My opinion? Not as good as the senior brother.”

“Well, that’s obvious. How could he compare? Our senior brother is a kung fu star now. Though not as popular as those idol drama actors, he’s got real weight in action scenes.”

“True. When his scenes wrap up in a few days, he’ll come over so these idol drama guys can see what a real man looks like.”

“Wanna bet? I bet Su Mu won’t last until senior brother arrives.”

“Same here. Early horse riding training is brutal—I nearly tore my backside, and my waist was about to break. The pain was unbearable.”

“That’s nothing—I crushed one of my testicles.”

“What???”

“Damn!!!”

…

At the horse ranch,

Qian Jida handled the payment.

Then they entered the grounds with the staff.

Dozens of horses were tied in the stables.

After a brief introduction, Su Mu selected one recommended by the staff.

At first, he naturally avoided any fiery horses.

Though they ran fast, were strong, and could carry riders over jumps,

such horses were beyond a beginner’s control.

Better to start with a gentle horse and gradually try the others once he mastered riding skills.

Su Mu changed into his gear and followed the staff into the training area.

After a simple explanation of the essentials,

Su Mu placed his foot in the stirrup and swung his leg over the horse.

Settling into the saddle,

he felt the uneven rise and fall beneath him.

He gripped the reins tightly and squeezed his legs to stabilize himself.

Suddenly, his mind flashed a prompt:

[Horse Riding Proficiency LV1: 1/50 (Novice Rider)]

(End of chapter)