Chapter 26 – Mutual Massacre of Each Other’s Clans

Shen Fubai felt liberated, never expecting to drag Jiang Heng into the situation. Seeing this, he immediately got up, “I think time is pressing, it’s better to practice early. The three-meter stilts are quite challenging, I’m the kind of person who loves to take on high difficulty… should I continue practicing?”

He couldn’t let Heng Heng suffer on his account, his conscience wouldn’t allow it.

Shen Fubai acted on his words, climbing the ladder to bind the three-meter stilts.

Jiang Heng hurriedly said, “I do need some guidance, let’s get started quickly.” He looked at Fubai, “You rest for a while.”

He could understand Fubai’s kindness, but he was willing to go through fire and water for Fubai.

Shen Fubai refused, “No, I’ll go first.”

Heng Heng still had a back injury, today he must rest.

Jiang Heng disagreed, “You’ve already practiced all morning, it’s my turn.”

If Fubai continued practicing, his legs might be rendered useless; he would not allow that.

In Shen Fubai and Jiang Heng’s eyes, their conversation was a sign of consideration for each other. To outsiders, however, it appeared as though they were at odds with each other.

Mu Yao leaned her large saber on the ground, glancing left and right. Recently, online rumors had been swirling about these two men killing each other’s fathers, suggesting that their relationship was severely strained.

It wasn’t unheard of for actors and idols to become rivals in the industry, but such occurrences were rare. These two were typical examples, and their rivalry was at its peak.

Mu Yao had never believed the online rumors that were based on hearsay, but seeing them in person, she was starting to believe that there was indeed tension between the two. Normally, in such situations, celebrities would politely yield to each other, saying things like “you go first, please proceed.” However, these two were vying for the lead, showing no signs of yielding.

Despite appearing peaceful during the entire morning, they couldn’t help but expose their issues now.

Mu Yao didn’t feel obligated to mediate conflicts between actors. But since they were both under her tutelage now, she had to put an end to this situation.

Mu Yao adhered to fairness, “Little Shen, sit down. Mr. Jiang, please step forward.”

She had already instructed Shen Fubai, and now it was mainly her responsibility to focus on Jiang Heng. It was fair.

Shen Fubai was very worried and sincerely warned, “Be careful not to strain your waist.”

He was still concerned about Jiang Heng’s back injury.

Mu Yao: “? ? ?” Was the enmity so deep? How could someone curse another person to their face like that?

Jiang Heng also expressed concern, “I’m afraid you might sprain your ankle.”

Shen Fubai had fallen quite a few times yesterday.

Mu Yao fell into deep thought.

Two public figures couldn’t resist openly mocking each other, engaging in a battle of wits and curses in front of an outsider. How great was their hatred?

This wasn’t just a matter of patricide.

This was about mutually slaughtering each other’s entire clans and digging up the graves of their ancestors for eighteen generations.

Lu Yunqian always felt like he could smell the scent of dog food.

This must be an illusion.

Mu Yao was career-focused, adept at human relations, and capable, except when it came to matters of the heart, where she remained inexperienced. She didn’t fully grasp the concept of love, let alone the idea of mutual secret affection, which was completely foreign to her.

Even Mu Yao, who had encountered many people, couldn’t believe that such extraordinary events could occur in the world.

Although Lu Yunqian was also inexperienced, he had at least heard many love stories like “Snow White” and “Sleeping Beauty”… Did fairy tale romances not count as real romance?

Those who enjoyed fairy tales might sometimes be naive and innocent, but they tended to view the world in a positive light. Or perhaps, despite knowing the world wasn’t perfect, they still held onto dreams and aspirations for something beautiful.

Compared to Mu Yao’s habit of assuming the worst, Lu Yunqian believed that Jiang Heng and Shen Fubai were genuinely concerned about each other.

Shen Fubai couldn’t dissuade Jiang Heng, so he sat on the tall ladder, nervously watching Jiang Heng.

Lu Yunqian was greatly impressed by Shen Fubai’s lack of fear of heights.

Mu Yao carried her large saber and pointed to a row of weapons, “Pick one that suits you.”

Of course, the props used for filming couldn’t possibly be real knives or guns; they weren’t even blunt swords without edges. The tops were made of plastic or foam to resemble swords, axes, and halberds, and the sticks themselves were hollow, weighing little in the hand.

Fighting with these props meant making a few symbolic gestures, as they would break upon impact, lacking any real force.

However, acting wasn’t about actual fighting, so there was nothing to complain about.

Jiang Heng glanced over the row of fake weapons made of plastic and foam, then walked to the bottom of Shen Fubai’s ladder, slightly tilting his head to look up.

Shen Fubai sat atop the three-meter ladder, with only a short distance separating his head from the ceiling. Even from this upward angle, the young man’s facial features were exquisitely perfect, his fair skin, good looks, and long legs captivating. He was stunning without being overly flamboyant, seductive without vulgarity, gentle without weakness, and flawless in every way.

Sitting high above, Shen Fubai met Jiang Heng’s gaze, and both were momentarily stunned.

Jiang Heng quickly averted his eyes, taking away the stilts beneath Shen Fubai’s feet.

Holding a three-meter stilt, Jiang Heng returned to Mu Yao, “Please guide me.”

This was a confrontation between genuine three-meter stilts and fake three-meter sabers.

Mu Yao: This was too unfair.

Facing the solid wooden stick on the opposite side, her paper-like saber would be utterly destroyed in seconds.

“Young man, you have courage,” Mu Yao praised. She hadn’t encountered such a bold youngster in a long time, and she was somewhat excited, “Wait a moment.” She also walked to the bottom of Shen Fubai’s ladder and lifted the other stilt with one hand.

Lu Yunqian hurriedly climbed to another ladder, sitting shoulder to shoulder with Shen Fubai on the high ladder. At this moment, he didn’t care about his fear of heights; he was afraid that the two people below would actually start fighting.

“Brother Shen.” Lu Yunqian was worried, “Are they going to fight for real? Nothing bad will happen, right?”

The stilts were made of solid wood, unlike those hollow weapons. If they hit someone, it would hurt quite a bit.

“I don’t know either.” Shen Fubai was more nervous than Lu Yunqian, worrying more about Jiang Heng’s safety than anyone else, “The tyrant seems really powerful. Should we call the police first? And maybe book an ambulance too.”

Because Mu Yao posed a potential threat to Jiang Heng, Shen Fubai’s address to her had changed from “Your Majesty” to “Tyrant.” The kind from a rival country.

After all, the king he truly recognized and was loyal to was only one, and he had stated that he was a faithful subject.

Knight Shen: Vow to protect the safety of my king until death!

King Jiang: Not necessary, my princess.

Three-meter-long stilts sounded imposing, but in reality, they were long and cumbersome, making combat highly inconvenient.

However, in the hands of gods, they could still unleash the power of divine weapons.

Shen Fubai and Jiang Heng witnessed such a divine battle.

Their expressions gradually shifted from surprise to shock, then to numbness, finally settling on clapping and shouting “666.”

They were simply too strong.

Mu Yao, who looked like a bewitching rose, was actually a man-eating queen of carnivorous flowers. She could easily crush the three-meter stilt with her high heels, breaking it into a length suitable for attack.

Jiang Heng was even more impressive, breaking it bare-handed.

The ease with which they snapped the sticks raised doubts about how such thin poles could support the weight of a human body.

These two wielded the broken stilts to create the illusion of flashing blades, one agile, the other robust, demonstrating a high-level martial arts competition.

Lu Yunqian was dumbfounded, “Wow, amazing.”

Shen Fubai had a unique point of view, “Why didn’t they just start with one-meter stilts? Breaking them is so troublesome.”

Lu Yunqian answered honestly, “But that wouldn’t have the same cool effect.”

Shen Fubai: “There’s no need to pretend; they’re really that awesome.”

Lu Yunqian agreed.

Mu Yao could serve as a martial arts instructor, so her prowess wasn’t too surprising. But Jiang Heng was primarily an actor, not a martial arts coach.

He wasn’t even a professional action actor.

His skills were rather astounding.

Although it had been rumored before that Jiang Heng performed all his own stunts, people still assumed that a stunt double was used for particularly difficult scenes—after all, an ordinary person couldn’t achieve that level.

This man was extraordinary.

Seeing Jiang Heng and Mu Yao evenly matched, Shen Fubai silently noted another unknown aspect of Jiang Heng.

Heng Heng was skilled, a fact unknown to others.

Suddenly, Lu Yunqian exclaimed. It turned out that Mu Yao’s stick was about to strike Jiang Heng’s back.

Shen Fubai was also startled and instinctively lunged forward to protect him, forgetting that he was sitting on a three-meter ladder—

At the critical moment, Jiang Heng deftly dodged Mu Yao’s attack, evading with ease.

However, as he straightened up, he saw Shen Fubai jump directly from the three-meter ladder—the height from which a person could break their leg.

All his calm and composure vanished, and Jiang Heng was terrified, throwing away the stilt in his hand without thinking and rushing over to catch Shen Fubai.

In mid-air, Shen Fubai had already begun to consider how to switch positions to reduce the force on his legs and avoid breaking them on impact.

To his surprise, someone reacted faster than him.

He didn’t land on the cold, hard ground but fell into a chest filled with masculine scent. Shen Fubai was slightly taken aback, his hand resting on Jiang Heng’s neck, accidentally meeting his clear gaze.

Shen Fubai was caught in Jiang Heng’s embrace.

Their eyes met, and they simultaneously looked away.

They maintained this position for three seconds. One reluctant to let go, the other unwilling to come down.

After three seconds, Jiang Heng set Shen Fubai down, and Shen Fubai coughed lightly, feeling embarrassed.

Mu Yao approached, carrying the stilt, “Are you alright? You can balance on stilts, how could you fall from a ladder?”

Shen Fubai: In truth, my sense of balance is pretty good; it just automatically fails whenever I encounter Heng Heng.

Mu Yao asked a few more questions, confirming that Shen Fubai was fine, then patted Jiang Heng’s shoulder, “Not bad, brother. Your level doesn’t require my guidance anymore. That sparring session was enjoyable. Old Xu really must be trying to humiliate me by asking me to teach you.”

Mu Yao now addressed Jiang Heng in a more casual manner, referring to him as a brother instead of the formal “Mr. Jiang.”

Jiang Heng explained, “When I worked with Director Xu before, there weren’t many action scenes.”

That’s why even Director Xu was unaware of Jiang Heng’s high combat skills.

“It’s possible, you’re quite composed, not even telling him about this. If you were a kung fu star, you’d eventually make it to Hollywood.” After saying this, Mu Yao thought for a moment and added, “But this current state is also good. Your acting range is broad, and you’re sufficiently excellent. You won’t limit yourself domestically in the future.”

Currently, Jiang Heng had won three Best Actor awards domestically. He had only been in the industry for two years, his seniority was shallow, and he had just established a reputation as a talented actor. His popularity among the general public was high, but he hadn’t yet made a splash internationally.

However, given his talent, it was only a matter of time before he gained recognition abroad.

At this time, Lu Yunqian also climbed down from the ladder. With the other three on the ground, he couldn’t remain sitting high and lonely.

“Mistress Mu,” Lu Yunqian gathered his courage, “Thank you for your guidance, I’ve learned a lot.”

Compared to the other two, he indeed needed courage to speak.

Mu Yao was very… benevolent. Using this word to describe a beautiful woman might not be entirely appropriate, but her gaze towards Lu Yunqian was indeed like that. “You’re welcome, it has nothing to do with me. Mainly, it’s due to your diligent learning.”

Lu Yunqian was delighted to receive affirmation,

Shen Fubai’s eyes flickered, “Sister, you were specially invited by Director Xu as a consultant, are you friends?”

Mu Yao possessed extensive knowledge. Whether it was opera performance or martial arts instruction, she dabbled and excelled in both, with a broad perspective, accurate judgment of people, and a stunning appearance. She didn’t seem like an ordinary coach.

“Yes, my mother and his mother are close friends across generations.” Mu Yao joked, “By seniority, he’s technically my godson. I only have this one godson, so when he asked me for help, how could I not come over?”

Lu Yunqian blurted out, “What a coincidence, I have one too.”

Dead silence.

Jiang Heng and Shen Fubai silently sighed at this foolish child. How could bedroom titles be casually revealed?

But unexpectedly, Muran Jinhuan liked to play the role of a son, which was quite impressive.

Mu Yao wore an odd expression, “You mean you also have a godson?”

Lu Yunqian hastily corrected, “No, what I meant is that I also have a mother.”

Mu Yao: “…Well, that’s quite a coincidence, isn’t it?”