In the second episode, the camera slowly panned and focused on Duan Yu, the Crown Prince of Zhennan in Dali.
And the actor who played Duan Yu truly brought a pleasant surprise to the audience!
Many viewers instantly exclaimed, "Isn't this 'Zhang Wuji'?" It turned out that in this version of demi-gods and semi-devils, the role of Duan Yu was played by Yang Yi.
Duan Yu was naturally disinclined to martial arts, yet fate played tricks on him, and by a series of coincidences, he was drawn into the fierce struggle between the Boundless Sword Sect and the Shennong Gang.
Unfortunately, after being captured, Zhong Ling timely released her Lightning Mink, saving him, but Zhong Ling was unfortunately captured in return.
Zuo Zimu gave Duan Yu the Seven-Day Intestine Severing Poison, forcing him to go to Myriad Vengeance Valley to ask Zhong Ling's father for the antidote.
On his way to Myriad Vengeance Valley, Duan Yu accidentally fell off a cliff, but unexpectedly, this misfortune turned into a blessing as he stumbled into the cave of the Immortal Sister.
Here, he coincidentally obtained two precious martial arts manuals: the "North Profound Divine Art" and "Vajra Steps."
At the same time, Beggar Clan's Deputy Chief Ma Dayuan and several other elders rushed over, just in time to witness the important moment when Wang Jiantong passed the Dog Beating Staff, symbolizing the Beggar Clan's highest authority, to Qiao Feng.
Everyone held high expectations for Qiao Feng, deeply believing that he would be able to lead the Beggar Clan to repel foreign enemies and restore its former glory.
On the other side, Wang Yuyan sat alone in front of the mirror, her heart filled with thoughts of her cousin Murong Fu.
A Zhu and A Bi went to welcome Murong Fu, and from this, they learned that he had lost to Qiao Feng.
After Duan Yu sincerely kowtowed a thousand times in the cave, he unexpectedly discovered a silk package hidden beneath a futon, thus learning of the rare opportunity to cultivate the martial arts of the Carefree Sect.
He carefully tucked the manual away, walked out of the cave, and resolutely headed to Myriad Tribulations Valley, determined to rescue Zhong Ling.
Outside Myriad Tribulations Valley, a striking warning sign read, "Those surnamed Duan who enter this valley shall be killed without mercy," which was awe-inspiring.
Duan Yu, however, did not flinch in the slightest and resolutely walked into the valley.
Upon meeting Lady Zhong, he frankly introduced himself, which immediately caused a stir.
The story abruptly ended there, leaving a huge cliffhanger that left the audience full of anticipation and itching to know how the plot would unfold.
In the first two episodes, many characters made their debut, and many new actors emerged.
Characters like Murong Fu, Zhong Ling, and Wang Yuyan were all new talents carefully scouted by Liu Xialai from the film academy.
As a big shot in the TV drama industry, Liu Xialai has indeed been keen on nurturing new talents recently.
After all, new talents not only have lower hiring costs but also strong plasticity and are more obedient in the crew.
Coupled with a group drama like demi-gods and semi-devils, which requires a large number of actors, Tianxing Entertainment Film and Television Department's existing actors simply could not meet the demand.
So, Liu Xialai, with a wave of his hand, signed a batch of pure new actors for the company.
Nurturing new talents to stardom, for him, was a familiar path.
After demi-gods and semi-devils is broadcast, these new talents will also become familiar faces to the audience.
When filming "xiao ao jianghu" later, if they are given some important roles, it is believed that even new talents who were originally unknown will be successfully propelled to stardom.
After these two episodes finished airing tonight, the drama's first-day viewership ratings and scores were freshly released.
The first-day viewership ratings of both Jinling and Modu Satellite TVs both exceeded 3, showing a kingly posture that overlooked all others.
The drama's score was even as high as 9.1 points, a result that directly shattered the psychological defenses of many people in the television industry.
It must be said that Tianxing Entertainment continues its glorious record of every production becoming a hit and a sensation, and its dominance is truly astonishing.
On the morning of the 26th, Liu Xialai and Yuan Da found Su Yu in the Music Department.
As soon as Liu Xialai met him, he eagerly said, "Mr. Su, "xiao ao jianghu" can start filming!"
This workaholic's style of doing things was indeed as always, getting straight to the point and demanding to start a new project.
The imperial martial arts director Yuan Da also nodded frequently beside him, his face full of eagerness and readiness, as if he was already prepared to go all out.
"Aren't you two working too hard? Don't you need to rest? Actually, there's no need to be so rushed." Su Yu helplessly rubbed his forehead; he felt that these two were almost obsessed.
Filming one after another, didn't they feel tired?
"This time, demi-gods and semi-devils signed a lot of new talents. If we don't start new projects, we won't be able to make them famous and create value for the company! And Mr. Su, we really don't feel tired! Now we are already very skilled at filming wuxia dramas, whether it's quality or sales, there's a full guarantee! If it weren't for our constant pursuit of quality, we could film a fifty-episode drama within two months!"
Liu Xialai's face was flushed and his complexion was excellent, clearly indicating that he enjoyed filming and was not just enduring it.
"That's right, Mr. Su, I've even designed the martial arts routines for "xiao ao jianghu" during this time. My design for "Sunflower Manual" will definitely make the audience and netizens' eyes light up! "Nine Swords of Dugu" and "Evil-Warding Sword Manual" also have their unique aspects. How about I perform a set for you now? It's super cool!"
Yuan Da also quickly chimed in.
Su Yu listened, his face full of black lines, thinking: You want to perform swordplay on the spot?! By the way, the "Sunflower Manual" and "Evil-Warding Sword Manual" you practice, aren't they the legendary "self-castration" versions?
"Alright! You two first make the budget. This time, I plan to introduce some external capital to participate together."
Su Yu thought it over repeatedly and finally agreed, but his words made Liu Xialai and Yuan Da a bit confused.
"Mr. Su, this is a sure-profit project. Why should we share it with those outside capitalists? They will only cause trouble and provide no substantial help at all!"
Liu Xialai immediately became anxious upon hearing this.
He knew too well the working style of external capital; after investing, they often liked to dictate and always wanted to insert people into the crew, ultimately making the entire drama a mess.
"As long as they want to continue cooperating with us, they won't dare to mess around! Don't worry, this time not only will the production costs be more sufficient, but the range of actors available will also expand greatly. Actors from the mainland and Hong Kong can both be considered. When making the budget, remember to include fees for film and television adaptation rights, music, songs, and also calculate more for your directing fees! We will also appropriately increase the per-episode remuneration for Tianxing Entertainment actors."
Su Yu already had a plan in mind, and his reply left Liu Xialai and Yuan Da quite surprised.
Their directing fees for a single drama were already not low, and they also received a share after the drama was sold.
Now they were even going to increase it?!
However, upon closer thought, since external capital was being introduced this time, there was indeed no need to be polite.
In the past, their own company fully invested, so Liu Xialai and the others were extra cautious when spending money, striving to achieve the best results with the least cost.
Even Tianxing Special Effects provided almost the lowest cost price.
Other film and television companies, even if they spent the same amount, simply couldn't produce dramas of the same quality!
This was also the proudest point of Liu Xialai's team.
Now the situation was different...