359: Chapter 359 Brand New Version

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What kind of ban? What are they banning? What is this ban anyway?

Once Zeng Jie dropped the bomb about "the official CCTV drama with Erlang Shen as the male lead," Lin Chuyan's mind couldn't stop racing.

Could it be 'The lotus lantern Prequel'? Probably not. After all, this world doesn't have 'lotus lantern', so there's no way to talk about a prequel.

Since he had nothing better to do, Lin Chuyan immediately wanted to meet the director.

The director had already taken the initiative to reach out, so they hit it off right away.

However, Zeng Jie told Lin Chuyan not to bother moving, saying the director would just come to the studio to find him.

"Brother, is that appropriate? Should I go over instead?"

"You really don't put on airs at all, do you?"

"...Stop making fun of me. Don't you see I'm about to be blacklisted?"

"Hahaha, alright, wait for my news. But be prepared, the pay definitely won't be as high as your previous dramas. Oh, by the way, the director shares your surname, Lin Yusheng. He's directed many dramas for CCTV."

Half an hour later, Lin Chuyan met Director Lin.

Director Lin wore glasses and kept his hair quite long; he looked rather artistic. However, he had quite a bit of gray hair and wrinkles on his face, so he looked to be around 55 years old.

Zeng Jie hadn't told him that Director Lin was this old. He felt really bad for making an elder travel all this way.

"Director Lin, you can just call me Xiao Yan. I really should have been the one to come find you."

"No matter, no matter. Work is important. I'm just glad you're willing to chat."

Director Lin looked artistic, but he spoke with a resonant voice and had more energy than some young people... Is 55 really the age for striving hard?

Lin Chuyan welcomed him into the office. Director Lin didn't bother with small talk and held a stack of printed and bound A4 papers: "I brought the script. Xiao Yan, you can take a look at it later. Let me first explain to you what kind of show this is."

Lin Chuyan took it and looked. Good heavens, the first page had the title written on it, and it really was 'lotus lantern'! [Note: Let's just call it that. It sounds good, is easy to remember, symbolizes light and hope, and saves me a few words. No need to overthink it.]

Since they said Erlang Shen was the male lead, the content probably isn't the same, right?

As Director Lin explained, Lin Chuyan gradually understood what kind of story this was.

Director Lin's 'lotus lantern' was a bit like a fusion of the previous world's 'lotus lantern' and 'The lotus lantern Prequel'.

In the previous world, there was 'lotus lantern' first, with Chenxiang as the male lead. Because the 'Jiao Beauty' played Erlang Shen so well and so brilliantly, that led to 'The lotus lantern Prequel' with Yang Jian as the male lead.

But in Director Lin's 'lotus lantern', it wasn't as if Chenxiang had nothing to do. On the contrary, this part was still an important plot point, but all the storylines were actually designed to showcase the character of Erlang Shen.

His care and protection for Chenxiang, as well as their confrontation, made both his divinity and humanity shine. His big-picture view, choosing to endure humiliation because he wasn't understood by everyone while trying to change everything...

It was interesting.

In this way, Yang Jian's determination to change the heavenly laws after splitting the mountain to save his mother twice became even more logical.

Also, this effectively turned the story into a story for adults.

In his view, 'lotus lantern' told the inspirational growth story of a child; 'The lotus lantern Prequel' told the story of an adult's family, life, and understanding of the world. Looking at it from this angle, 'The lotus lantern Prequel' was much more substantial than 'lotus lantern'.

"Xiao Yan, I've seen the footage of your audition for 'Investiture of the Gods', and of course, I've also seen your character model in 'black myth: wukong'. Honestly, this role was tailor-made for you."

"Xiao Yan, you'll know once you read the script. CCTV doesn't make shoddy dramas. Although 'lotus lantern' is a mythological story, it's a completely different thing from those xianxia dramas on the market right now. We will definitely craft the character of Yang Jian to be emotional, righteous, and flesh-and-blood."

"Xiao Yan, I know you are a good actor with great acting skills, but there is a type of role in this world that is rare to come by—where the role perfectly matches the actor themselves."

"Xiao Yan, there are some romantic scenes, but it's just a failed, barely-maintained marriage. And, well, they're immortals, so there are no intimate scenes. You can rest assured on that point."

Director Lin really wanted Lin Chuyan to play the role; otherwise, he wouldn't have even brought up the "no intimate scenes" part...

It wasn't that he didn't have other candidates, but after much thought, he felt they were all far inferior to Lin Chuyan...

Appearance? From 'drama' and the model in 'black myth: wukong', it was clear that Lin Chuyan looked good in ancient costumes and had a great temperament.

Acting skills? He had naturally seen Lin Chuyan's works; his acting crushed other young idols by a wide margin.

Martial arts? Although he hadn't filmed martial arts movies, Lin Chuyan actually knew boxing and swordsmanship, which was completely unexpected.

Moreover, Lin Chuyan's age was just right. With makeup to look older, he could be the Judicial God; with makeup to look younger, he could be the young Yang Jian learning his craft.

With all these factors combined, it resulted in Director Lin later staring at the script and automatically substituting Lin Chuyan's face for every scene involving Erlang Shen. He couldn't change it even if he wanted to.

However, Lin Chuyan didn't agree easily. Although Erlang Shen was a role he really wanted to play, he still wanted to read the script first.

After seeing Director Lin off, he started reading the script alone.

The framework of this script could be roughly divided into seven acts.

Act 1 is Yang Jian's childhood suffering.

After the Jade Emperor learned that Yaoji had privately married a mortal, he sent heavenly soldiers to capture her. As a result, his father and brother were tragically killed, and Yang Jian fled everywhere with the young Yang Chan. This act mainly shows Yang Jian having to shoulder the heavy responsibility of protecting his sister at a young age, demonstrating his strength and sense of responsibility.

His father and brother were glossed over, with not much ink spent on them.

Act 2 is learning his craft.

After enduring hardships, Yang Jian brought Yang Chan to Golden Glow Cave on Mt. Yuquan to become an apprentice to Master Yuding, where he learned high-level magic such as the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts. This was a very important part of his personal growth.

Act 3 is splitting the mountain to save his mother and becoming a saint.

After mastering his craft, Yang Jian went to Mt. Tao to save his mother, engaged in fierce battles with the heavenly soldiers, and finally split open Mt. Tao to see Yaoji, who was locked up by iron chains. But to punish this behavior, the Jade Emperor sent ten suns to burn Yaoji to death. Yang Jian was filled with grief and indignation, killing nine of the suns in his rage. His powerful strength shocked the Heavenly Court. With no other choice, the Jade Emperor conferred the title of 'True Lord Erlang of Manifested Holiness' upon Yang Jian, attempting to incorporate him into the Heavenly Court system to control his power and actions.

Although Yang Jian was unwilling, he chose to accept the title in order to change the Heavenly Court from within and protect his sister and the common people.

This plot further intensified the conflict between Yang Jian and the Heavenly Court, becoming one of the key factors driving the story's development and laying the groundwork for Yang Jian's subsequent revenge, growth, and a series of story twists.

Act 4 is the love and tragedy of the Three Holy Mother.

Time passed, and Yang Chan fell in love with the mortal Liu Yanchang and gave birth to Chenxiang. When the Heavenly Court learned of this, the Jade Emperor was furious and wanted to severely punish Yang Chan. Yang Jian was in great pain; he knew that if he didn't enforce the heavenly laws, his sister would face even harsher punishment. In the end, he suppressed Yang Chan under Mt. Hua and took Chenxiang away.

Chenxiang grew up in the human world knowing nothing about his background. Yang Jian secretly watched over Chenxiang's growth while also looking for the right opportunity to let Chenxiang know the truth and complete the mission of saving his mother.

After that, relying on his own strength, prestige, and familiarity with the Heavenly Court's rules, Yang Jian gradually became the Judicial God, attempting to change some of the unreasonable situations in the Heavenly Court from within.

But all of this made his sense of powerlessness grow stronger. He began to look for ways to change the heavenly laws.

Act 5 is Chenxiang's growth and rebellion.

As Chenxiang grew up, he learned of his background and decided to save his mother, starting a long and difficult path of cultivation. During this process, he received help and guidance from the Monkey King, Zhu Bajie, and others, learning many skills.

Meanwhile, Yang Jian continued to play the role of the cold Judicial God on the surface, while secretly helping Chenxiang many times, creating opportunities and conditions for his cultivation, and also trying to maneuver, attempting to buy more time and space for Chenxiang.

Unfortunately, none of his friends understood him; they all thought that he, as the Judicial God, was aiding the tyrant. Yang Jian was in pain, but he had to continue playing this role.

During this process, Yang Jian became increasingly firm in his determination to reform the heavenly laws, and also realized that only by paying a huge price could he truly shake these corrupt heavenly laws. The idea of using his own sacrifice to push for reform gradually sprouted in his heart, but he didn't reveal it to anyone.

Lin Chuyan saw this and began to realize something was wrong: "Huh?"

He continued reading.

Act 6 is the final battle.

With the help of everyone, Chenxiang, holding the lotus lantern and the divine axe, engaged in a thrilling final battle with Yang Jian at the peak of Mt. Hua. In the battle, the former gradually realized the power of family affection and justice, and finally defeated Yang Jian with his tenacious will and powerful strength.

But Yang Jian's final look—filled with nothing but relief, devoid of hatred—made Chenxiang feel that something was wrong.

Yes, Yang Jian's death was also a key link in the plan. Only through his sacrifice could Chenxiang and everyone else's determination to reform the heavenly laws be thoroughly ignited, and could this unreasonable order be truly broken.

As Chenxiang used the lotus lantern and the divine axe to split Mt. Hua and save his mother, Yang Chan, he also realized his uncle's good intentions.

This is the climax of the show.

Act 7 is the obsession turning into a flower.

Yang Jian's death shocked everyone. Together with Chenxiang, they pressured the Heavenly Court, using Yang Jian's death to arouse the Three Realms' call for heavenly law reform.

In the end, Chenxiang, with the help of everyone, successfully overthrew the old heavenly laws and established a new order.

But he would always think of his uncle, Yang Jian. That sacrificed figure became the eternal pain in his heart. While celebrating, everyone also forever remembered the painful price Yang Jian paid for the greater good.

And the Jade Emperor, in order to completely quell the turmoil in the Three Realms, took Yang Jian's body and soul to the Conferred God Platform, offering them as a sacrifice to wash away the sins of all living beings.

Yang Jian's body dissipated, turning into specks of light, with only a trace of obsession remaining, finally turning into a peach blossom that drifted away with the wind.

From then on, Yang Jian completely disappeared from the Three Realms, but his spirit remained forever in everyone's hearts, becoming a tragic and immortal legend.

Lin Chuyan was shocked: Holy crap, he really became the eternal Second Master...

[PS: I thought about this for a long time. Anyway, since it's all fused, I think a tragic ending is better and more shocking.]