036 The filming has finally wrapped.

"Beautiful!"

The war sequence he had been longing for was finally completed perfectly. Qian Lang raised his arms in excitement. If it weren't for the fact that they had to shoot the third scene in this very same location, he would have loved to follow Pei Duoduo's lead and hand out red envelopes to everyone on set. However, to avoid disrupting the battlefield layout strewn with corpses, Qian Lang restrained himself.

"Little Big Soldier, Scene 3, Take 1! Action!"

Blood stained the yellow sand, and the hills and plains were littered with the bodies of fallen soldiers. A vulture flew over the sea of corpses, seemingly overwhelmed by the abundance of choices. It circled in the air, trying to pick a relatively delicious meal. Finally, it found its target.

As its cheerful little feet landed on a corpse and it prepared to lower its head for a feast, it was suddenly grabbed by a large hand. To everyone's surprise, a Liang soldier had popped up from the pile of dead bodies! He had clearly been struck in the heart by an arrow, yet he was completely unharmed. The Liang soldier, played by Fang Long, possessed a passive skill: feigning death. He kept various props on his person to fake his demise and confuse the enemy, which allowed him to survive countless battles, large and small. For instance, in the Battle of Phoenix Mountain, while everyone else was wiped out, he had emerged perfectly fine.

"Sanlang!"

The Liang soldier was busy scavenging among the corpses when he happened to see two generals dueling. When gods fight, mortals must steer clear. The Liang soldier quickly hid. In the end, the Wei general won, but he fell into the hands of the Liang soldier. Capturing a Wei general meant that upon meeting the King of Liang, he would receive five acres of fertile land and be discharged to return home.

"A wide road leads to my home! My home lies beneath the Liang Mountains! Beneath the mountains, the soil is rich, five acres of land! Five acres of fertile fields, what shall I plant..."

The Liang soldier sang happily, driving his horse-drawn carriage along the broad path back to the State of Liang. "This is great!" he thought, feeling wonderful inside. The road back to Liang was long and arduous, but as long as there was something to look forward to, the path beneath his feet would remain smooth, no matter how rugged.

The captured Wei general kept trying to seek death, but the Liang soldier wasn't the type to stand idly by while someone died. He had had a dream: a dead Wei general would bring him disaster, but a living one might actually be traded for those five acres of land. Oh, what should he plant when he gets there? The Liang soldier lived in his grand daydream, unaware that Wei pursuers were closing in from behind.

"My dad told me, if you're itchy, scratch; if you're unlucky, just smile!"

A pile of rocks blocked the road ahead. The Liang soldier stepped off the carriage, and suddenly, an assassin leaped out. The two engaged in a desperate struggle, but the Liang soldier, who only knew how to fake things, was no match for the assassin. He was struck down by a single sword stroke. After finishing off the soldier, the assassin knelt on one knee and addressed the Wei general as "General."

But the Wei general was not grateful; instead, he asked the assassin where he had been when the two armies were clashing. The assassin hurried to explain, but in the next second, the Wei general plunged his blade into his chest. Just like that, the assassin died.

The Wei general looked out over the desolate mountains. His heart was heavy; he had set out for the State of Liang only to quell the war, but he had been captured before he could even achieve his goal. Now, in this vast, empty expanse, he was the only one left. Just as he was sinking into sorrow, the Liang soldier, who had clearly been dead a moment ago, suddenly stood up.

...

The plot flowed onto the screen like water. Having conquered the hardest part, the subsequent filming proceeded without any major hitches. However, period dramas are time-consuming when it comes to makeup and wardrobe, so while the filming was smooth, the progress wasn't exceptionally fast. Time flew like an arrow, and two months passed in the blink of an eye.

The calendar turned to December. The filming of *Little Big Soldier* was finally nearing its end. While there were no major ups and downs during this period, there were a few minor incidents. Regarding the two extras who had snuck into the crew to cause trouble, the police had discovered that they were acting under the instructions of Cheng Jie. This time, Qian Lang didn't let it slide; he took the matter to the big boss of Xingyao, Jiang Yan. Cheng Jie was promptly kicked to the curb.

Everything went surprisingly smoothly. Qian Lang had initially expected some complications—perhaps Jiang Yan would protect Cheng Jie, or perhaps Cheng Jie would cling to Xingyao—but neither happened. It was strange, certainly, but Qian Lang wasn't the type to gossip. His current priority was to finish filming the movie as quickly as possible. After all, it was already December, and with the Spring Festival release scheduled for February, there was only about a month left. He had to pick up the pace.

Today was the final day of filming. After enduring the wind and sun, the men on set had become rugged, and the women had tanned, but the fire in everyone's hearts had never extinguished.

"Little Big Soldier, Scene 79, Take 1! Action!"

The Liang soldier and the Wei general, covered in the dust of their travels, hurried toward the State of Liang. Between the horse-drawn carriage and the boat, they had finally arrived at the Liang Mountains.

"Do you know? Once we round this bend, we'll be in our State of Wei!"

The Liang soldier was very excited. He had done it; he had finally brought the Wei general back to the State of Liang alive. A beautiful life might be beckoning him, but throughout this journey, he and the Wei general had lived and died together. The Liang soldier had learned of the general's ideals, and the general had come to know the soldier's life. They were not of the same path, but they had walked a stretch of the road together.

"If the State of Wei and the State of Liang could be friends... perhaps my younger brother was right. If the King of Liang doesn't kill me, perhaps I could talk to him about an alliance."

The Wei general, who had previously been obsessed with seeking death, had seemingly regained a thirst for life after witnessing his own brother's death. His words made it clear: he didn't want to die. The atmosphere became subtle.

"Perhaps, perhaps... perhaps it's too late!"

Fang Long performed this line with great depth. While he said it was too late, in his heart, he surely didn't want to force the Wei general to his death.

They arrived at the pier. The Liang soldier sat on the stone steps by the water. "Our State of Liang is always so lively!" He heard the commotion behind the pier and assumed it was the local people, but he did not know that the State of Liang had already been conquered by the State of Qin.

"Your secret?" The Wei general saw the Liang soldier pull out a bundle containing the Liang military flag. The soldier tied it to his body with great solemnity.

"I underestimated you. I never thought you'd actually be able to drag me to the State of Liang! Am I your captive or your enemy now?" The Wei general admitted defeat. But the Liang soldier drew his sword and cut the ropes on his hands.

"Neither. Go!"

The Wei general was bewildered. Would this soldier, who only knew how to scheme for small gains, really pass up a chance to get rich?

"Go quickly! Before I change my mind!" The Liang soldier pushed the small boat away.

"Why?" The Wei general did not understand. If it were him, would he have released his captive or enemy at the very last moment?

"Between the two of you brothers, one must live!"

When this line was spoken, many on set were moved to tears. In the Liang soldier's heart, there were no grand schemes or lofty ideals. He only held a simple belief. Life is precious, and the Wei general's brother was dead. Their family line must not be broken! This was the highest form of reverence for life.

Of course, he did not know what they would both face after parting ways. Whether it was the State of Wei or the State of Liang, they would both be destroyed by the State of Qin. The general, who had wanted to die on the battlefield, would end up surrendering without a fight, while he, the deserter who had spent the whole journey faking his death, would die on the battlefield back home! He would die right at the doorstep of his home!

"I didn't disgrace the State of Liang, did I?"

The Liang soldier was struck by several arrows and slowly collapsed. This time, when he fell, he would never stand up again.

For a long time, there was silence on set.

"Cut!"

Qian Lang wiped the corner of his eye. It was a wrap! The film was finally finished. But what kind of sensation *Little Big Soldier* would cause, Qian Lang did not know. He would leave everything to the market and the audience.