Chapter 229: A Night of Laughter and Reflection

However,

the viewers and several film professionals in attendance each had completely different thoughts.

“Can the audience really sit through a three-hour runtime?”

Cai An, seated in his chair, glanced at the packed crowd and mused.

“I wonder if this mythological drama will have the same quality as Longmen Inn?”

Middle Section

Some young college students thought to themselves.

They came purely for the film itself. Haofang Culture’s previous projects – whether ancient costume comedy or xianxia drama – had completely won them over.

Seated in the theater purely for the movie, they declared, “I want to know exactly where Haofang Culture achieved its effects in this mythological drama. If it isn’t set in the Xianxia Zone, then where is it?”

Back Rows

Some viewers held an entirely different perspective.

They were simply curious whether Mingsha City could deliver any impressive scenery – the film itself was secondary.

As everyone exchanged whispered opinions with their companions, the screen gradually began the epic tale of Journey to the West.

Onscreen, a vast desert filled the view! High above, a serene Guanyin sat in meditation on a lotus throne, suspended in midair.

Guanyin addressed the monkey below, “Sun Wukong, you beast! You promised the Buddha you would escort your master, Tang Sanzang, on his quest for the scriptures, yet you conspired with the Bull Demon King to devour him. Do you realize the gravity of your sin?”

The monkey immediately retorted, “Spare me the lecture! After chasing you for three days and nights, just because you’re a woman, I won’t kill you. Don’t think I’m afraid of you!”

At that moment, Tang Sanzang, clad in his monk’s robes, urgently admonished, “Wukong, how can you speak to Sister Guanyin like that?”

Heh heh heh! Immediately, laughter burst out in the theater.

The mention of “Sister Guanyin” hit the funny bone of many.

Though the opening lines were few, they revealed plenty – it was clear this film diverged from the traditional Journey to the West. Yet most viewers weren’t fazed.

In recent years, people have grown accustomed to radical remakes. There’s no rule that mythological dramas must follow a fixed formula – sameness would be boring.

However, the viewers in the back still hadn’t gleaned any useful information from the first scene. Mingsha City appeared as nothing but a sprawling desert, leaving them unsure whether the film was shot deep in the desert or near the Xianxia Zone.

Still, as time went on, the back-row viewers gradually forgot why they originally came to see the film.

Especially after Tang Sanzang exclaimed, “I haven’t finished speaking! You tossed the stick again! The Moonlight Treasure Box is a prized artifact; throwing it away pollutes the environment. Sigh, what if it hits a child? And even if it doesn’t, damaging the plants is unforgivable!”

They then joined the middle-row audience in laughter.

And once the laughter started, it just wouldn’t stop.

As Guanyin began the cycle of reincarnation for Sun Wukong and Tang Sanzang, the comic moments piled up. When the scene showed Supreme Treasure leading the Deputy and others in a coordinated attack on Chun Sannishiniang and Bai Jingjing, followed by the mischief of the second demon igniting Little Ding’s place, and then the Axe Gang rushing in to douse the flames, the entire theater erupted in hilarity.

Even front-row Cai An and the Channel Director couldn’t help but smile.

Minute by minute, time slipped away.

Before long, over an hour had passed, and nearly every viewer had become completely immersed in the story, forgetting the passage of time.

Everyone anxiously wondered if Supreme Treasure could harness the Moonlight Treasure Box to travel back in time and rescue Bai Jingjing.

Scene Change

Just as a woman riding a donkey appeared on screen, casually altering the inscription on a mountain cave to ‘Pansi Cave’ and claiming her name was Pansi Immortal, the shot slowly pulled back.

The entire original appearance of Pansi Ling and Pansi Cave unfolded on the giant screen.

“Is this for real?”

Only then did the back-row viewers suddenly snap out of the plot, with some gaping in disbelief.

Onscreen, seven colossal, pillar-like stones stood tall in the desert, each crowned with a massive spider figure whose mouth spouted strands of spider silk.

These strands wove together to form one enormous web!

That gigantic web supported the entirety of Pansi Ling, suspending it in the sky, while Pansi Cave clung midway up the mountain.

The scene was both fantastical and awe-inspiring.

And this was still a daylight scene!

Imagine if, at night, dramatic lighting accentuated the scene – those seven stone pillars holding up Pansi Ling would look even more otherworldly, like the lair of demons in a xianxia drama.

“How on earth did they pull this off? No special effects at all?”

Reality Check

The back-row viewers were now brimming with more questions.

That Pansi Ling was exponentially larger than any ordinary rock formation – even if the web was sturdy, could it really support such a massive mountain?

No domestic company would dare to attempt such a design.

Just as the back-row viewers tried to scrutinize further, the shot flashed by – the panoramic view of Pansi Ling vanished, and the film segued into the tale of the Great Sage’s Wedding.

And so, without overthinking, the back-row viewers were swept back into the narrative. While the Moonlight Treasure Box segments were mostly humorous, the Great Sage’s Wedding introduced layers of thought-provoking moments.

“Once, I had a genuine love before me that I failed to cherish. Only when it was gone did I deeply regret it. There’s no greater sorrow than this. If fate granted me one more chance, I’d simply say: I love you. And if that love must have an expiration, I’d choose ten thousand years.”

At these words, many young women instinctively glanced at their boyfriends.

And when, at last, Zi Xia, dying in Sun Wukong’s arms, whispered, “My ideal man is a legendary hero. I knew that one day he would appear amid adoration, clad in golden armor and holy robes, treading on seven-colored clouds to claim me. I might have guessed the beginning, but never this ending,” many female viewers quietly wiped away tears.

At that moment, no one knew whether this was a nonsensical comedy or a bittersweet romance.

Time continued to pass.

In the blink of an eye, over three hours had elapsed, and before they knew it, the ending was near.

On the city walls, the Sunset Warrior and a woman strikingly similar to Zi Xia embraced on the battlements as they watched Supreme Treasure, now the Great Sage, turn and leave, remarking, “That guy looks just like a dog.”

It was that single remark that instantly plunged the entire theater into a profound silence.

Instead of laughter, a deep melancholy took over, especially among those who once had to part from their loved ones against all odds.

At that moment, the film’s dubbing resumed.

“Love and hate churn in the bitter sea; fate is inescapable. Even arranged meetings seem out of reach – or perhaps it’s simply destiny.”

A single spark ignited the viewers’ emotions.

Already heartbroken, as the song played, many could no longer hold back their tears, and soon they were openly weeping.

The night of July 15th was destined to leave many sleepless, lost in deep thought.

At three in the morning, apart from the audience in the theater, across Ningshi City,

Han Xiaoping was still awake, continuously calling Bai Ming.

“So? Did anyone leave midway?”

Ding Xiaoping asked urgently.

To ensure the film festival ran smoothly, he had arranged for Bai Ming to buy a ticket and attend to assess the movie’s condition.

“President, not a single person left midway!”

After a brief pause,

Bai Ming’s deep voice came through.

“What? Not a single person? None at all?”

Ding Xiaoping’s tone suddenly grew louder.

Theoretically, that was impossible.

A three-hour runtime, especially at midnight, should have seen some viewers leave midway.

“President, truly no one left midway, and I have a feeling we might be doomed by those CEOs from Mingsha City this time!”

After a pause, Bai Ming’s voice returned, laden with mixed emotions.

“Doomed by them? What do you mean? This film is of high quality, isn’t it? How could Xu Hao, with only Fang Hou on his side, produce a film of such caliber without external support?”

Ding Xiaoping’s heart skipped a beat.

“Phew! President, you should check the reviews on the trending drama forum. By now, professional critics have probably given their verdict.”

Bai Ming exhaled deeply.

“Reviews?”

Ding Xiaoping immediately sat at his computer and started typing furiously.

Whoosh! As the webpage refreshed, Ding Xiaoping was completely stunned by the trending drama forum.

At that moment,

the forum had been overrun with reviews and comments about Journey to the West – nearly every post mentioned it.

“Thank you, Haofang Culture!”

“Laughter at the front and tears at the back.”

“In our youth, we chased love with the passion of Zi Xia; as we grew older, we all became burdened like Supreme Treasure, unable to escape fate. Haofang Culture, you truly understand us youngsters!”

“Joy in life, sorrow in death. All farewells are but a fleeting dream in Water Curtain Cave. Once you don the golden hoop, your fate is sealed – even the Great Sage cannot escape; imagine what awaits the rest of us.”

“If I had to rate this film, I’d give it a full 10 – though I’d dock 0.5 only because Pansi Cave received just one panoramic shot! It’s got me planning another trip to Mingsha City soon. I’d go mad if I didn’t.”

“Speaking of scenery, I was all set for the visuals, but ended up so engrossed by the plot I never even learned where Haofang Culture actually shot this film.”

“I have a feeling this movie is going to be legendary!”

In front of the screen, Ding Xiaoping’s expression grew increasingly grim.

Especially when he noticed that the comment ‘This movie is going to be legendary’ had already received over twenty thousand likes – no words could express his feelings at that moment.