A few days later, Xiao He, having finished reshoots for born to kill, officially joined the production of the thief catcher.

the thief catcher was recommended to Xiao He by the veteran Zhuo Jianhua. The director and screenwriter were the same person. Xiao He had met him once when he received the script; he was a young man named Lin Yipeng, who looked to be around his age.

Lin Yipeng had just graduated from Dongxi last year and currently had no notable works to his name. In the industry, he was practically unknown.

For a normal actor, there was a high probability they wouldn't take on this role. After all, wuxia films were on the decline, with very little market, and even if one gritted their teeth and finished filming, it could only be released on online streaming platforms. A director like Lin Yipeng was considered a major risk.

However, Xiao He was not a normal actor—for him, being able to “kill people” was enough. When the two of them were together, neither could afford to look down on the other.

Besides, from a reader’s perspective, the thief catcher was indeed a pretty good work.

The story takes place during the Xuanhe era of the Song Dynasty. At that time, the emperor was obsessed with art, neglected state affairs, corrupt officials ran rampant, and the economy was on the verge of collapse due to war and corruption. Taxes were heavy on the common people, who lived in dire straits.

The protagonist was a wandering the thief catcher, earning a living by “catching thieves for rewards”—what is now commonly known as a bounty hunter.

During one such pursuit, the protagonist was inadvertently embroiled in a salt smuggling case, becoming the central figure pursued by multiple factions. However, the protagonist himself had no clue about this; he didn't even know why he was being hunted by so many people.

Thus, the protagonist could only constantly maneuver and escape among these factions, using his connections in the martial arts world to investigate, search for, and expose the true mastermind behind the salt smuggling case.

The plot was rather clichéd, still revolving around the core idea of “a great hero serves the country and its people,” but the protagonist’s character was not a traditional righteous hero. Instead, he was a money-grubbing “miser,” and the later plot had many twists, which ultimately made it refreshing.

If Xiao He hadn't been aware that he currently had no foundation in martial arts or fight scenes, he would have truly wanted to shamelessly ask Lin Yipeng to audition for the role of the protagonist, Jiang Rushuai.

The character Jiang Rushuai indeed possessed great personal charm: highly skilled in martial arts, with both high emotional and intellectual intelligence, he still lived a carefree life while navigating multiple factions, truly embodying the saying, “When the deed is done, he brushes his sleeves and leaves, his merits deeply hidden.”

Of course, Jiang Rushuai killed a lot of people—those who pursued him in the story were basically all killed by him. Xiao He could imagine how happy he would be if he could “kill” so many people.

However, he was merely a cook.

Xiao He, in his costume and makeup, sighed deeply and sat at the entrance of the dilapidated inn, watching Director Lin direct the crew to move things.

Director Lin Lin Yipeng was a thin young man with pale skin, looking somewhat frail, but when directing on set, his aura was very strong, commanding respect from the rest of the crew. Based on their brief conversation during their first meeting, Xiao He knew he was a person with strong convictions, whose ideas were not easily changed by others.

Alas, a cook it is.

The character Xiao He was currently playing was named “Shen Jue,” a cook at Penglai Inn, and also a martial arts master who had lived in anonymity for many years. In his younger days, he was renowned in the martial arts world for his terrifying De-boning Knife Technique, but later chose to become an ordinary cook at Penglai Inn, helping the proprietress with chores and occasionally dealing with troublesome guests—

Don't misunderstand, their inn doesn't make human flesh buns; it's just for growing flowers, planting trees, and cultivating one's temperament.

And Jiang Rushuai was a good friend Shen Jue had met while traveling the martial arts world. Whenever Jiang Rushuai was passing by Shen Jue's place on a bounty hunt, he would shamelessly come in to sponge off him for food and drinks, and even borrow money from Shen Jue—the kind that was never repaid. It could be said that Shen Jue didn't chop Jiang Rushuai up to fertilize flowers because he truly considered him his best friend.

In the story, Jiang Rushuai was pursued by multiple factions, and neither the righteous nor the unrighteous dared to take him in. Only Shen Jue's place could provide Jiang Rushuai with a hiding spot, giving him a chance to catch his breath.

Later, he even wielded a De-boning Knife to help Jiang Rushuai break through the encirclement, allowing Jiang Rushuai to successfully escape with crucial {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} evidence.

It could be said that Shen Jue didn't appear often, but each appearance was at a critical juncture, making him one of the more important characters.

Xiao He was still very easily satisfied.

“You must be ‘Shen Jue’!”

A voice came from beside him.

Xiao He looked up and saw a young man dressed in a dashing Knight-style outfit.

The man's face had clear, sharp features, and beneath his sword-like eyebrows were piercing, bright eyes. Just looking at him exuded the heroic spirit of a chivalrous person from the martial arts world.

—Pu Rong, the male lead of this play.

According to Xiao He's online search, this person seemed to have been a child star before, then retired to study, gradually fading from public view. From paparazzi reports, Pu Rong's academic performance wasn't particularly good. He later pursued a sports major, studying martial arts. Taking on this role now was likely to regain attention through his strengths and return to the public eye, re-entering the acting industry.

Xiao He just didn't understand how Lin Yipeng convinced Pu Rong to participate in his play. After all, Pu Rong was once a child star with high national recognition; there was no need for him to join this brand-new production.

“Hello, Teacher Pu! I'm Xiao He.” Xiao He stood up to greet him.

“I've seen your knife-wielding videos!” Compared to Xiao He's reservedness, Pu Rong appeared much more at ease, even a little excited. “How do you do that? Do you really know the De-boning Knife Technique? How many years does that take to practice? Who's your master? Does he still take apprentices? It looks so amazing!”

Xiao He: “...”

Confirmed, this martial arts student definitely had some martial arts dreams.

“That's too much. I just played around casually. I didn't find a master, and I haven't studied for very long. Thank you for the compliment.”

Xiao He could only reply one by one.

Pu Rong’s enthusiasm didn’t wane: “Is that so? Then can you teach me later? I can teach you martial arts, or do you know how to use a wire harness? I can teach you hand-in-hand later.”

Xiao He was pleasantly surprised: “Yes, you can!”

the thief catcher has a lot of action scenes. Although the character “Shen Jue” mostly showcases knife skills and doesn't involve wall-climbing, wire work is definitely unavoidable. Pu Rong's help could greatly solve his future difficulties.

With that topic, the two chatted casually for a while longer, and only then did Xiao He realize that Pu Rong was not as glorious as he had imagined.

“Sigh, what’s a child star worth? I’ve long lost any fame.” Pu Rong waved his hand. “Now, new talents in the industry change quickly, and there are many handsome guys. What advantage do I have? At most, I can go out and earn some nostalgia points, and there are still a lot of comments saying I’ve grown ugly.”

When they were young, as long as their features were somewhat regular, they looked cute no matter what, but growing up was different. After Pu Rong lost his baby fat, his facial features became more defined, and he gained a lot of tough-guy charisma, completely different from the well-behaved child he once was. Plus, he wasn't an exceptionally handsome guy, which led many people to feel their “impression shattered,” making it even harder for him to re-enter the industry than for a complete unknown.

“Don’t laugh at me, but I’ve already flopped in several productions. Luckily, not many people are watching me now, so very few know about it.” Pu Rong gave a bitter laugh. “This is the last male lead role I could fight for. If it still doesn’t work out, I guess I’ll prepare to retire from the industry and go open a martial arts school.”

Xiao He listened and offered comfort, feeling a sense of melancholy in his heart.

People's circumstances are truly so different. Some strive their whole lives and may not last long, while others casually stir up trouble and can have a smooth ride... The entertainment industry truly is an interesting place.

“Shen Jue, Jiang Rushuai, come over here—”

Director Lin called out their character names from over there.

Xiao He and Pu Rong quickly walked over. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Because the crew was simple, most of the funds were spent on props and locations, so Director Lin didn't hold any grand opening ceremony. A few core crew members stood in the rented inn lobby, bowed to the Guan Gong portrait hanging in the center of the hall, and that was considered done.

Then they began preparing for the first scene after filming commenced.