Chapter Ninety-Five: Battle Horse versus Battle Spirit

Who was behind the rumors online?

Liu Guoqiang said, "My mortal enemy!"

Jiang Yun frowned. "Your mortal enemy is...?"

"Ai Hehua!"

"So it was him!" Jiang Yun said in sudden realization. "Isn't he the director of Soul Battle Continent?"

"Exactly him!"

"That figures. So that's how it is."

"Now you understand, then."

Jiang Yun nodded. "Yes, I do."

"All right, enough said. There'll be results soon."

"Okay."

After hanging up, Jiang Yun waited in silence.

Wang Yan was a paparazzo, a gossip reporter. Today, someone from the cast of Clash of the Horsey Sky suddenly came looking for him and sold him a set of materials: on-site footage from the set.

Without a second thought, Wang Yan agreed.

He spent twenty thousand yuan to buy the material.

A life of easy money was just around the corner, Wang Yan fantasized happily.

He opened Weibo on his computer, logged into his account, turned the material into an MP4 file, and sent it out.

He clicked send. "Send!"

Ding! Congratulations, you have successfully posted a new update!

Wang Yan did not even look at the contents before eagerly posting it.

Leaning back in his chair, he hummed a little tune, his expression bright with pleasure.

Ring, ring, ring!

Wang Yan answered the phone and saw it was the editor-in-chief.

With a reckless air, he said, "What's up, Chief?"

"Wang Yan!" came the editor-in-chief's furious roar.

Wang Yan frowned and moved the phone away from his ear.

He turned on speakerphone. "What is it, Chief?"

The editor-in-chief's bellow blasted from the phone. "Wang Yan, what the hell did you post? Delete it right now!"

Thinking of the insider material he had gotten by pure luck, Wang Yan instantly found his backbone again. "What's wrong with what I posted? You won't even give me a raise, and now you want me to delete it? Delete my ass!"

"Wang Yan, you..." The editor-in-chief was so angry he could not speak. "Huff, huff... Wang Yan, I'm formally telling you now: you're fired!"

"Fine, fire me then. I'll fire you too!"

"You!"

Without a second thought, Wang Yan hung up.

"That boat I wait for never comes, the one I wait for never understands..." Wang Yan lay in his chair, cheerfully humming to himself.

Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

Ring, ring, ring!

Wang Yan was roused by his alarm. Groggily, he opened his eyes. "What time is it?"

He picked up his phone. "Damn, it's already two in the afternoon? Let's see how the traffic is!"

He opened his computer. "Ha ha, it's trending!"

Wang Yan began reading the top comments one by one.

"Damn, incredible! Is Jiang Yun Superman? He jumped two meters high!"

"Jiang Yun, please accept my knees!"

"Such fluid movement, and he didn't even need a stunt double!"

"I'm studying martial arts, and I can prove it: Jiang Yun's skills are the real deal!"

"Who said Jiang Yun can't act? I think he's great. His fists are fierce and overbearing, and he smashed the guy's cheek right up!"

"The way Wang Kang was clutching his cheek is so funny!"

"I'm just an uneducated fool, so I'll use one exclamation and travel the world with it!"

"The fight scenes are so intense, they got me fired up!"

"+1"

"+10086"

The farther down the comments Wang Yan read, the tighter his brow became. "Something's wrong. Why is the direction of this all wrong?"

He clicked on the video.

Boom!

Onscreen, Jiang Yun drove a punch forward, his fist fierce and domineering.

His sparring partner, Ye Xiaohe, also had solid martial arts skill.

Ye Xiaohe kicked out, and their fists and feet met in exchange.

Without wires, Jiang Yun lifted into the air and threw a flying kick.

Ye Xiaohe raised an arm to block.

Boom!

Ye Xiaohe was sent flying.

The scene changed to Jiang Yun acting opposite Wang Kang. The two went back and forth, exchanging moves over and over. In the end, one mistake led Jiang Yun to strike Wang Kang directly in the face.

In the camera's close-up, Wang Kang's cheek immediately swelled into a lump.

...

How could this be?

Wang Yan stared at the video, completely dumbfounded.

"Ah! How could this happen?" He wailed, nearly in tears.

Desperate, he quickly took out his phone and called the editor-in-chief. "Hello, Chief. It's like this, let me explain."

"You don't need to explain. Come to the company."

"Really?" Wang Yan's face lit up with wild joy.

The editor-in-chief said flatly, "Yes. Come to the company and take your things with you."

"Chief, listen..."

Beep... beep...

Wang Yan clutched his phone, on the verge of tears. "So I ended up helping them publicize it? This is too miserable..."

...

Cut!

Okay, pass!

It's time for lunch. Everyone take a break.

Jiang Yun went to the rest area and lined up for his boxed meal.

"Teacher Jiang, stand here in my place!"

Jiang Yun shook his head, indicating no need.

He stood quietly in line.

Seeing Jiang Yun, a production staff member simply took two lunch boxes and handed them to him, skipping over everyone else.

"Isn't that a bit inappropriate? Everyone's waiting in line..."

"Teacher Jiang Yun, take them. The others won't mind."

Jiang Yun smiled, hands on hips. "How do you know they don't mind?"

The staff member looked toward the others in line. "If I give Mr. Jiang Yun the lunch boxes first, does anyone object?"

Everyone answered in unison, "No objection!"

"You see, Teacher Jiang Yun, they don't mind!"

"Well... all right then." Jiang Yun stopped refusing, accepted the lunch boxes, and said, "Thank you."

"Teacher Jiang Yun, you're too polite."

Jiang Yun carried the lunch boxes to the side, found an empty spot, stood there, and began eating.

"Why not find a place to sit and eat?"

Jiang Yun looked up. "Director Liu! What's up?"

"The results are out online!"

"Let me see!" Jiang Yun set down his lunch box and pulled out his phone.

He opened Weibo and was instantly stunned. The internet was full of positive comments.

"The Xiao Yan played by Jiang Yun is just like the Xiao Yan in my heart!"

"The Xiao Yan Jiang Yun plays is so handsome, all in black, with a huge sword!"

"Jiang Yun's fight scenes are amazing. Even without special effects, they're this good!"

"Exactly. It gets you all fired up just watching!"

"Jiang Yun's acting may have its flaws, but the action scenes are especially brilliant!"

"Enough said. Just for Jiang Yun's fight scenes alone, I'll watch Soul Battle Sky!"

"+1"

"+10086"

"Heh." Jiang Yun laughed. "Director Liu, that was a brilliant move. It can hype the film and neutralize the negative comments."

"Haha!" Liu Guoqiang patted Jiang Yun on the shoulder. "I learned that from you."

"From me?" Jiang Yun asked, puzzled.

"You forgot? The time you and Li Mengya were trending!"

"What's wrong with that?" Jiang Yun asked.

"You and Li Mengya trended because someone on the crew sold materials to the paparazzi. That's when I came up with this plan: sell the material to the paparazzi and let them promote us for free!"

"Haha!" Jiang Yun laughed. "But this time, Soul Battle Continent is going to lose big. They tried to steal a chicken and ended up losing the rice as well."

Liu Guoqiang said, "Too bad for them."

"Mm."

Liu Guoqiang patted Jiang Yun on the shoulder. "All right, keep eating. I'm going to eat too."

"Okay."

Liu Guoqiang turned and left. Jiang Yun continued standing there with his lunch box, eating quietly.

Thanks to Ninth Nether and Soul Devourer for the one monthly vote and eight recommendation votes.

Thanks to Jinchuan for the one monthly vote.