Zhong Jiudao had already set up a talisman array outside Luo Huai's door to ensure that he would not be harmed by evil spirits. However, the talisman array could prevent ghosts from entering, but it could not prevent people from voluntarily walking out. In the middle of the night, Luo Huai actually saw this scene. No matter how stupid Luo Huai was, he could not explain it.
Bai Qipao came up behind Zhong Jiudao and said, "What a handsome little brother, why don't I charm him and make him forget what happened today. With such a handsome little brother, I will be gentle with him, at most he will lose ten years of his life, but I will not be willing to let him die if he really does."
She seemed to be whispering, but in fact she did not lower her voice at all, and every word she said clearly entered Luo Huai's ears.
"Burp! Burp! Burp!" Luo Huai was so scared that he couldn't speak and kept burping.
Aunt Yang came to Luo Huai at the right time, carrying the bloody "fresh meat" porridge and said, "Come, drink a bowl of porridge to suppress your hiccups."
"Hiccup!" Luo Huai's face turned pale and he was about to faint.
"Get out of here!" Zhong Jiudao said coldly.
Bai Qipao and Aunt Yang, who were actively offering suggestions, tactfully withdrew. Unexpectedly, Luo Huai also nodded obediently and was about to run out while burping.
Zhong Jiudao hurriedly grabbed Luo Huai and said, "I didn't say you. Sit down. I'll help you."
Luo Huai was pressed by Zhong Jiudao on a chair beside the dining table. Zhong Jiudao's hand gently rested on his wrist and he found that his pulse was weak and disordered, obviously he was frightened.
Zhong Jiudao casually drew a talisman to calm the nerves and soul, and gently patted Luo Huai on the back. The magic power entered his body along with the talisman. Luo Huai only felt a warmth on his body, and his hiccups stopped.
He took a deep breath, tapped his chest with his fist, and said curiously, "How amazing! I don't hiccup anymore! Director Zhong, did you tap the acupuncture points on my back? Are you a Chinese medicine student?"
As Luo Huai was speaking, his eyes accidentally caught sight of Aunt Yang. He quickly jumped up from his chair and said to Aunt Yang, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
Seeing this, Zhong Jiudao thought that even if Luo Huai was naive, he should have guessed that there was something wrong with the crew. Instead of lying to cover it up, it would be better to just confess. He threatened him with the danger of evil spirits and then tempted him with the power of the Heavenly Master. This two-pronged approach would surely make Luo Huai help keep the secret.
Having a human on the crew to help cover up the lie made it easier for other staff members to believe it.
Not to mention that Luo Huai has an honest face. The words coming out of his mouth will be very credible. With his help, we will definitely get twice the result with half the effort.
Zhong Jiudao went over the tactics of coercion and inducement in his mind. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Luo Huai clasped his hands together and said to Aunt Yang: "Aunt Yang, I'm sorry! It turns out that you are also an actor. Your acting is so vivid. Brother Qian and I mistook you for the cooking aunt. I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
Zhong Jiu said: "..."
Aunt Yang wiped the blood off her face with her sleeve and said like a kind auntie, "It's okay. You don't admit your mistakes. Cooking is my hobby. I like to see others eat the food I cook. When I see others eating it with relish, I feel happy from the bottom of my heart."
"This is probably the legendary craftsmanship, the pursuit and persistence of skills." Luo Huai said with emotion.
"Oh, this is the first time I've seen such a simple little brother, and he's so handsome." The lady in white cheongsam raised her hand and touched Luo Huai's face. "Aunt Yang is a craftsman. So little brother, what do you think of me, this charming and seductive ghost?"
Bai Qipao was very charming, with a pair of eyes full of affection, looking at everyone with deep affection. Under her gaze, Luo Huai blushed and tilted her head slightly to avoid Bai Qipao's touch.
Luo Huai was not in a position to praise such a young and beautiful actress, otherwise whatever he said would seem ambiguous.
"Alright," Zhong Jiudao pushed away Aunt Yang and the white cheongsam who were approaching him, "It's so late, everyone should go back and rest. I'll take you there."
The last sentence was said to Luo Huai. Luo Huai found a reason to explain himself, so there was no need for Zhong Jiudao to coerce or bribe him. However, he still had to revise the script and audition, so it would be better for Luo Huai to stay in his room.
When going upstairs, Luo Huai carefully glanced at Zhong Jiudao, who had a serious expression, and finally plucked up the courage to say when he opened the door: "Director Zhong, thank you for your guidance, I have confidence in this play!"
Zhong Jiu said: "..."
He took out the script, pointed to a passage on it and said, "The script asked me to act terrified, wanting to escape but with weak legs and unable to move. I practiced in my room for a long time during the day, but couldn't figure out how to act. Tonight, when I saw Aunt Yang's performance, I suddenly had an idea and knew how to act!"
Zhong Jiu said: "... You should have a good rest tonight, you may get more frights in the future."
"Well, I will definitely try my best to be scared!" Luo Huai said with high morale.
After closing the door, Zhong Jiudao wiped his sweat. The family's obstruction did not make him retreat, the poor crew did not make him worried, and the evil spirits in the room did not scare him. Instead, he was frightened by Luo Huai, a young actor who was not experienced in the world. He still had to plan well and not let these ghosts show their true colors.
Zhong Jiudao stopped in front of Luo Huai's door for a moment, and after listening to the breathing in the room gradually becoming even, he quietly sent in a calming talisman, ensuring that Luo Huai would sleep till dawn tonight and would not wake up even if struck by lightning. Only then did he go to the audition room with peace of mind.
The ghosts were already waiting for Zhong Jiudao in the theater on the third floor. Zhong Jiudao ordered everyone to stand still and count. Including housekeeper Lin, there were a total of thirty-three evil ghosts in the house. They had been ghosts for at least a hundred years. They were all ghosts from troubled times. They were extremely miserable before their death and absorbed a lot of resentment from the world after their death. If they were alive now, they would all be overlords in their respective regions. However, because of the flesh and blood of Heavenly Master, they were trapped here for decades.
The magic power of the Heavenly Master is the best nourishment for evil spirits. Although they are trapped here, their strength should not be underestimated. Each of them has practiced to the point where they can appear during the day, and they can walk sideways when they meet an ordinary Heavenly Master.
Today, when the Heavenly Master and his party are gradually declining, if other members of the Zhong family come to this haunted house, they will lose half their lives if they don't die.
It happened that the person who came to the haunted house was the gifted Zhong Jiudao. It was unlucky for these evil spirits, so they could only serve as backup power sources and actors.
Since there were a lot of free actors and actresses who came with their own special effects and makeup and hair, Zhong Jiudao simply added ghost characters and reduced the number of human characters when he modified the script.
So the whole script became a story about four college students who came to a haunted house, but there were ten evil ghosts living in the house. The college students looked more like uninvited guests who broke into a ghost park.
As the role of the ghost becomes more important, the protagonist becomes a ghost rather than a human. Zhong Jiudao already has a cheap actor, Luo Huai, so he can just hire three ordinary actors. The expense should not be too high.
The shooting cost was reduced by Zhong Jiudao to a few hundred thousand, leaving more money for post-production. For a horror movie, editing and soundtrack are crucial. The money for the actors can be saved, but this part must not be saved.
Aunt Yang had already been chosen as the actress, and the remaining 32 ghosts were competing for 9 roles. For a moment, the ghosts were indignant and glared at Aunt Yang who broke the rules and took the initiative to bribe the director Tianshi by cleaning the villa and cooking.
In front of the group of ghosts, Aunt Yang no longer had to hide. She held a broom in one hand and a machete in the other. Half of her neck was broken off and blood was flowing. If any ghost dared to question her taking the back door, she would definitely swing the machete at him.
It’s not that the other ghosts can’t beat it, but there are still 9 characters, so there is no need to fight to the death at the beginning.
"Before, there were only four roles given to you, but now there are a lot more. You can choose one." Zhong Jiudao burned a character list.
Bai Qipao took the lead and stepped forward, saying to Zhong Jiudao: "Master Tianshi, I have long chosen the role of the mistress of this house. A woman like me who is dignified, virtuous, gentle and considerate should be the mistress of a family."
"Bah!" The Western-dressed ghost spat, "Why don't you look at yourself in the mirror? You look like a vixen. Which mistress would choose a vixen like you? The mistress of the new era should be an advanced young man like me who is modern, fashionable, and accepts the ideas of the new era!"
The female ghost in western dress is the third concubine, and the one in white cheongsam is the fifth concubine. However, these two were not concubines of the same family when they were alive, and they are still fighting when they get together.
Zhong Jiudao shook his head and said, "The mistress of this house has a 20-year-old daughter who is already in her 40s or 50s. Neither of you looks suitable."
But in this case, except for Aunt Yang, all the female ghosts in the house are young and fierce ghosts, and none of them fit the character setting at all.
Bai Qipao suddenly had an idea: "Sir, it's not impossible for me to become a little older, and don't you think that if a character becomes older and younger at the same time, the acting skills will be more exquisite?"
After saying this, it raised its head slightly, and its young and delicate face gradually showed traces of time, turning into a well-maintained person in his forties.
Seeing its changes, Zhong Jiudao had a new understanding of the role. He simply wrote down words such as "longing to regain youth", "chasing young flesh and blood", "changing between old age and youth", "playing both mother and daughter" on the notebook, and a wonderful image of a female ghost gradually took shape in Zhong Jiudao's mind.
Seeing that Zhong Jiudao was already bewitched by the white cheongsam, the ghost in western-style clothes screamed, "I have skills. I can make clothes!"
When he heard the word "clothes", Zhong Jiudao became interested and shifted his gaze from the notebook to the female ghost in dress.
The ghost in the dress said, "Before I was taken into the mansion by that old man, I was a designer in a clothing shop. In addition to making traditional clothes, I also took classes in the church and learned to make dresses. The dress I'm wearing was sewn by myself before I died! I saw the clothes you brought today. Not only are the materials torn, but they're all ugly. Give me the fabric and three days, and I promise to make clothes that are a hundred times more beautiful than those!"
Zhong Jiudao's eyes lit up. In fact, he also disliked the clothes that Qian Duoqun rented. If he returned them now and used the rent to buy some fabrics of high-quality materials and have the ghost girl in the dress make them herself, the quality of the entire film would be greatly improved.
Even so, Zhong Jiudao still said: "Your thinking is old-fashioned, and the clothes you make are more traditional and may not conform to modern aesthetics."
The ghost in the dress said angrily, "Who said that! I have a quick learning ability, and I secretly watched a lot of movies last night. I can make all the clothes in the movies, and I can still improve!"
The white cheongsam, which was in competition with it, immediately took the opportunity to say, "After I released you last night, the villa was using normal power, right? Why did you secretly use the electricity? Oh my God! Master Tianshi, if such an unthrifty evil spirit had used it, I don't know how much of your fabric would have been wasted!"
"Qi Wanlian, you evil ghost who stirs up trouble, I'm going to eat you!" The clothes on the female ghost in Western dress entangled the body in white cheongsam, strangling it tightly, and the candle in her palm flickered.
Judging from the fighting power alone, the ghost in white cheongsam, that is, Qi Wanlian, cannot beat the ghost in western dress. However, Qi Wanlian is a rather sinister ghost with deep scheming, so the ghost in western dress is no match for her.
"Stop fighting," Zhong Jiudao said, "If you can't be the mistress, isn't there a daughter role? If you can make enough clothes for this movie within three days, the daughter role will be given to you."
"Thank you, Master Tianshi!" After getting the role, the female ghost in Western dress didn't want to get entangled with Qi Wanlian anymore, so she immediately slapped it hard, and the ghost was thrown to the ceiling and couldn't move for a long time.
"Don't call me Master Tianshi anymore, just call me Director Zhong." Zhong Jiudao corrected everyone's address, "Show us all your skills, there are 7 roles left, the best ones will be selected."