Chapter 036

With the help of the Sleep-Aid Talisman, everyone enjoyed a good night’s rest.

The next morning, while the sky was barely beginning to lighten and Qiao Man was still deep in sleep, someone dug him out from under the covers. Rubbing his eyes and yawning widely, he leaned against Lu Jianxing in the car on the way to the Film and Television Base, his little head bobbing drowsily.

Once they arrived at the Film and Television Base, Lu Jianxing left him in the car with Maomao to keep watch and went off to get into costume and makeup.

The car window was left open for ventilation, and the noisy clamor from outside drifted in. Qiao Man sprawled across the car seat, slapped on a Sleep-Aid Talisman, and paid no mind to the chaos raging outside, sleeping soundly until he was fully rested. By the time he woke up full of energy, even the opening ceremony¹ had already ended.

He sat there in a daze for a while, and it was only after hearing the lively commotion outside that he finally snapped out of his groggy state.

“Xingxing?”

“Maomao?”

Qiao Man lifted the little blanket covering his belly and climbed down from the car on his own. The moment he hopped to the ground, Maomao came back carrying a bag of fragrant, steaming breakfast.

“Baby, you’re awake.” Maomao ushered him right back into the car. “Perfect timing. I just went out to buy breakfast. It’s still piping hot.”

He’d arrived a few days early and hadn’t been idle, building good rapport with the staff from other production teams and digging up the names of all the best restaurants near the Film and Television Base. The production team provided meals, sure, but boxed lunches weren’t exactly delicious. They’d be stuck here for a long time, so why not treat themselves whenever they could?

Take this fried meat pie, for example. It was the best fried meat pie in the entire Film and Television Base, fried to a perfect golden crisp, stuffed with steaming hot meat filling. One bite and the savory juices burst forth, the aroma hitting your nose. This kind of enjoyment was reserved only for people like them who never appeared on screen. The actors all had to watch their figures and couldn’t eat this even if they wanted to.

Qiao Man ate the fragrant fried meat pie, drank a carton of breakfast milk, and polished off a tea egg² braised until it was thoroughly infused with flavor. Once he’d eaten and drunk his fill and wiped his greasy little hands clean, he couldn’t wait to grab Maomao’s hand and go find Lu Jianxing.

On set, the first scene was already being filmed.

Lu Jianxing was appearing in a historical drama, a major IP with a huge production budget, adapted from a work by the web novel great Xingqiao Huoshu. It told the story of a young scholar newly arrived in the capital who, through a sudden and unexpected calamity, became a key figure in an earth-shattering case and was dragged into the treacherous and unpredictable storms of Capital. Of course, Lu Jianxing wasn’t playing the male lead, but rather a supporting character the male lead met in the capital, who later became one of his allies.

When Qiao Man arrived, they were filming a group scene.

Several of the drama’s key male actors were all present, every one of them a popular young heartthrob in the industry. The stylists had carefully crafted looks for each of them, tailoring the styling to fit the characters’ roles and the actors’ own features. The male actors wore splendid brocade robes, some dashing, some strikingly handsome, some radiating noble elegance. Every one of them had long legs and a slender waist, an absolute feast for the eyes.

Qiao Man spotted Lu Jianxing at a glance among this array of varied and handsome male actors. With his tall, straight figure and outstanding, superior looks, he didn’t lose out to anyone even standing among a group of popular young stars. The custom-tailored ornate historical costume on him made him look like an incomparably dashing and elegant young gentleman, as if he’d just stepped straight out of a television screen. Qiao man couldn’t tear his eyes away.

Th-this… this was his family’s kid!

Qiao Man proudly puffed out his little chest and swept his gaze around, feeling very pleased with himself.

No matter how he looked at it, his Xingxing was still the best-looking.

Maomao leaned in close to his ear and whispered a reminder, “Baby, no talking, or you’ll disturb the filming.”

Qiao Man covered his mouth with both little hands and nodded with a very serious expression.

The night before, Maomao had told him a whole list of rules for being on set, and not disturbing the actors during filming was one of them. He’d tried so hard to memorize everything that night, which was why he hadn’t been able to wake up that morning.

After standing at the edge and admiring Xingxing at work for a while, Qiao Man obediently gave up his spot to other staff members and went to sit in the resting area reserved for actors not far away, watching Lu Jianxing in the distance.

The filming process wasn’t as fun as watching a television drama. Group scenes were especially tricky, since they had to make sure every actor in the frame was perfect. If anything went wrong, they had to shoot it again, so a single segment might be filmed over and over many times to capture the most flawless shot. Even the most interesting content could become dull and boring after watching it repeatedly, but Qiao Man rested his chin in his hands and watched with the utmost seriousness.

He was so focused that he didn’t even notice when someone sat down beside him. The person next to him was the one who couldn’t hold back first, holding up a pink pig plushie in front of his eyes and waving it back and forth.

Qiao Man turned his head and saw it was someone familiar.

The person sitting beside him said with a smile, “Master Xiao Man, you finally noticed me.”

It was none other than Pei Xiwang, the one who’d bought him a toy car!

It had been a while since they last met. That cool silver hair of his was gone, replaced by a wig, and he was dressed in a long historical robe similar to what the other actors wore.

“If I hadn’t asked Maomao, I never would’ve known you came to the set, Master Xiao Man,” Pei Xiwang said. “If I hadn’t arrived so late last night, I would’ve wanted to come say hello.”

Maomao, seated on Qiao Man’s other side, puffed out his chest, quietly claiming the credit.

Qiao Man stared at him in surprise. “Why are you dressed like that?”

“I’m here to film too.” Pei Xiwang stuffed the pig plushie into his arms, stood up, and spread his arms to turn in a circle in front of him. “Well? This look isn’t bad, is it?”

“You’re filming too?”

Pei Xiwang: “That’s right. I’m in the same production as Lu Jianxing. Didn’t Lu Jianxing tell you?”

Qiao Man shook his head.

He hadn’t heard a single word about it.

Pei Xiwang, expression unchanged, shot a glare toward the center of the filming area, then turned back, pulled his chair even closer to Qiao Man, and said, “I’m playing a small role in it. I’ll be done and gone in a few days.”

Maomao chimed in, “That fast?”

“I don’t have many scenes, just a few lines total. I’ve got other work lined up after this.” Pei Xiwang heaved a regretful, heavy sigh. “If I’d known Master Xiao Man was visiting the set, I would’ve fought for a role with a few more lines no matter what, just so I could stick around a few more days.”

Qiao Man stared at him with his dark, bright eyes for a long moment before saying, “It’s a bit hard.”

Pei Xiwang: “What?”

Qiao Man sighed. “Getting a role with more lines—it’s a bit hard for you.”

Pei Xiwang: “…”

Pei Xiwang opened his mouth, then closed it again. “…”

Still, he knew his own limitations. Landing even a small role in a big production like this was already a challenge. This minor part, with only a few days of screen time, was something he had fought tooth and nail to get.

This was a major production. Young actors scrambled to audition, while older roles were mostly filled by seasoned veterans. Even Film Queen Shao Jingqiu had joined the cast. Before filming even began, expectations from the outside world were sky-high. His character might only have a handful of lines, but during the audition, dozens of people had been vying for it!

Pei Xiwang changed the subject. “Master Xiao Man, do you have any more of those Insect Repellent Talismans?”

He rolled up his sleeve, revealing several red welts from bug bites along his slender arm. They stood out starkly against his fair skin. Pei Xiwang said, “The bugs here are vicious. That kind of Insect Repellent Talisman you gave Zhan Yue before—can you sell me a few?”

“I’m all out.” Qiao Man shook his head. “Sold them all to Zhan Yue.”

That’s right, Xiao Man’s talisman-selling business was officially open!

Ever since he’d let Zhan Yue try out the Insect Repellent Talisman on Wilderness Challenge, she had placed a huge order with him after the show ended. The weather was still hot and the bugs were relentless. The talisman worked so well that Zhan Yue not only used it herself but also recommended it to the rest of her team. As a result, she burned through them fast and had already restocked from Qiao Man several times.

The price per talisman wasn’t high, but the sheer quantity she ordered added up. Thanks to his talisman sales, Qiao Man had secretly treated himself to quite a few extra ice cream cones behind Lu Jianxing’s back.

Pei Xiwang’s face crumpled. “Huh? Not a single one left?”

Qiao Man glanced at his arm sympathetically. “I can draw some for you right now.”

He immediately set to work, turning to rummage through his ever-present Little Yellow Duck Backpack. Everything he needed was already inside.

He pulled out his calligraphy brush, cinnabar, and blank talisman paper. Dipping the brush tip in the cinnabar, he lifted it and completed the strokes in one fluid motion. All sorts of things happened on a film set, but someone drawing talismans was a first, drawing quite a few curious glances from a young woman not far away.

Qiao Man focused entirely on his work, finishing a whole dozen talismans in one go.

Pei Xiwang accepted them like precious treasures and said gratefully, “Thank you, Master Xiao Man.”

“You’re welcome.” Qiao Man tucked the freshly earned bills into his backpack, two sweet dimples appearing on his cheeks. “Thanks for your patronage!”

His wallet plump again, Qiao Man magnanimously pulled out a few bills. “Maomao, I’m treating you to ice cream.”

“Alright!”

Having witnessed the entire talisman-selling process, Maomao didn’t stand on ceremony at all. He took the money, ran to the nearest shop, and came back with three ice cream bars.

By the time the current scene wrapped and Lu Jianxing came over, he found the three of them sitting in a row, shoulder to shoulder. In the center, Qiao Man was holding Maomao’s phone, playing a Match-3 game. His short little fingers swiped earnestly across the screen while the two beside him offered strategic advice.

“There.” Pei Xiwang pointed urgently at the middle. “Clear this spot.”

Maomao: “Baobao³, over here too.”

“On it,” Qiao Man said methodically, swiping over. The screen flickered constantly with block-clearing effects.

Lu Jianxing: “…”

Lu Jianxing quietly went to find himself some water.

When the game’s energy finally ran out, the three of them sighed in relief and only then noticed the extra person beside them.

“Xingxing!”

Qiao Man handed the phone back to Maomao and hopped off his chair happily. Instead of throwing himself into Lu Jianxing’s arms like usual, he circled around him several times, taking him in from every angle, not missing a single detail.

To protect privacy, no photos were allowed during filming, so Qiao Man could only use his own eyes to memorize how he looked.

Up close, Xingxing seemed even more handsome than before!

Pei Xiwang said sourly, “Master Xiao Man, don’t just stare at Lu Jianxing. I’m not bad either, am I?” Why hadn’t the kid circled around to look at him earlier?

How could it be the same?

Pei Xiwang belonged to someone else’s family. But Xingxing was his kid!

Qiao Man beamed with delight. His sense of responsibility as a good dad kicked in, and he ran off to fetch water for Lu Jianxing. Once he saw him drink, he asked with concern, “Xingxing, are you tired? Hungry? Hot?”

Lu Jianxing scooped the child up and settled him on his lap, then placed the script on the child’s legs. Qiao Man instantly went still, as if under a sealing spell, not daring to move a muscle. His eyes widened at the densely packed text before him.

As an important supporting male character, Lu Jianxing had far more lines than Pei Xiwang. In the script, all his scenes were marked with colored highlighters. On the open page, over half the content bore the marks of those highlighters.

During the break, he reviewed the script for the next scene, refreshed the lines he’d already memorized, and contemplated the character’s psychology and emotions. Before long, he was called back again.

The next scene began filming.

They shot busily through the morning. By noon, with the sun high overhead, the bustling crew finally stopped to rest.

Maomao went to stand in line and brought back boxed lunches. The crew’s food was pretty good. None of the three were picky eaters, and aside from Lu Jianxing, who had to watch his weight, the other two polished off their meals completely.

Maomao declared with certainty, “Our crew’s boxed lunches are way better than the ones next door.”

He’d helped out on the neighboring production a few days ago and had mooched several meals there, so he had authority on the matter.

“Is that so?” A voice came from behind. “Our crew’s food is that bad?”

Maomao turned his head to find Director Liu standing right behind him, smiling insincerely.

Maomao: “…”

Maomao clutched his boxed lunch and quietly shuffled off to the side.

The Long-braided Ghost, who had come over with Director Liu, spoke in a mournful tone. “Still better than being dead and unable to eat anything at all…”

Qiao Man tilted his head up to look at him. “No one makes offerings to you?”

The Long-braided Ghost said, “Before I passed, I never married or took a wife. The descendants of my siblings died out who knows how many generations ago. After all these centuries, I’ve long become a lonely, wandering ghost. Fortunately, being a ghost means you can’t starve to death.”

Qiao Man said sympathetically, “Then I’ll burn something⁴ for you next time.”

“Really?” The Long-braided Ghost was overjoyed. “Little Master, you’re a truly kind soul!”

Lu Jianxing: “Xiao Man, who are you talking to?”

“Yesterday’s ghost.” Qiao Man pointed to where the Long-braided Ghost stood, looking innocently at the others. “He’s right here.”

Everyone else: “…”

Maomao, holding his boxed lunch, silently moved further away.

Director Liu shuddered. “Why is he here?”

The graverobber who dug up the tomb hadn’t been caught yet, and other burial goods were scattered across the world. The Long-braided Ghost said he wouldn’t reincarnate until he saw the graverobber brought to justice. Yesterday, after they left the police station, they parted ways. Qiao Man placed a binding spell on the ghost to keep him from harming people, and no one knew where he’d gone.

The Long-braided Ghost answered honestly, “I had nowhere to go. I’ve been staying where I was before.”

Qiao Man looked at Director Liu and reported, “He says he’s been following your film crew.”

Director Liu: “…”

Director Liu’s face cycled through shades of green and white.

Lu Jianxing pulled over a chair. “Director Liu, have a seat.”

Director Liu sat down, pressing close to Qiao Man.

Director Liu had taken time out of his busy shooting schedule specifically for an important matter.

He took a check from his pocket, originally meant as yesterday’s payment for Master Ding. But Master Ding had failed to subdue the ghost and left without asking for money. He hesitated as he held it out. “We didn’t discuss it beforehand. I don’t know what Master Xiao Man requires for his services…”

Qiao Man was very agreeable. “Just money is fine.”

Relieved, Director Liu handed over the check.

Qiao Man counted the zeroes on it, pleasantly surprised. “So much?”

“Heh, too much?” Director Liu’s plump face creased into triple chins as he laughed. “With Master Xiao Man’s skills, even better than Master Ding, I was worried I was offering too little.”

Qiao Man: “No, no, I used to only charge ten yuan.”

Director Liu’s smile froze, and his triple chins lost a layer. “Ten…”

Qiao Man: “Ten.”

Director Liu: “…”

Lu Jianxing promptly handed him an unopened bottle of water. “Director Liu, drink some water.”

Director Liu took it and gulped down more than half in one fierce swig.

After drinking, he clutched the bottle, glanced at the spot where the Long-braided Ghost had been, and said with lingering fear, “After I went back yesterday, I couldn’t sleep a wink. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that ghost harming people. I had one nightmare after another. It wasn’t just me – today almost everyone on the crew was the same. During the morning shoot, everyone was listless.”

He looked at Qiao Man, then at Lu Jianxing. The two of them had slept soundly with the help of the Sleep-Aid Talismans, not looking the least bit affected by the ghost. He couldn’t help but feel envious.

“Good thing we only got scared that one time. A few more times like that and I’d develop a disorder,” Director Liu said.

In truth, the Long-braided Ghost was standing right in front of him at that moment, making faces. But Director Liu couldn’t see him, so Qiao Man didn’t mention it.

Director Liu mused, “Master Xiao Man, our film set had a ghost. Shouldn’t we purify the place? A place where a ghost lingered… wouldn’t it have stronger yin energy? Wouldn’t it attract more ghosts? Should we hold a ritual?”

Qiao Man shook his head. “Not necessary.”

“Really? All of us having nightmares together… isn’t that some kind of omen?” After the earlier haunting experience, Director Liu was a bit jumpy. “We’re not going to have another Ming dynasty ghost⁵ pop up, are we?”

Qiao Man: “No. You’re all just a bit timid, that’s all.”

Director Liu: “…”

Noticing the very obvious dark circles under his eyes—half from lack of sleep due to ghost fright, half from the heavy filming workload—Qiao Man thought for a moment. “Do you want a Sleep-Aid Talisman?”

“Sleep-Aid Talisman?” Director Liu was taken aback. “What’s that?”

“A talisman that lets you sleep well.” Qiao Man rummaged through his bag and pulled out a few. “Stick it on, and you won’t have nightmares.”

“Really? It’s that good?” Director Liu was delighted. “Quick, give me a few more!”

…

Not far away, two people had taken in the entire scene.

Director Yang, with something to discuss and carrying his boxed lunch, had gone to find Shao the Film Queen. When Director Liu arrived, he’d assumed Liu was looking for him. He’d just stood up when he saw Liu head straight for Qiao Man, so he sat back down with his lunch.

Director Liu was a well-known director in the industry, with several hugely popular shows under his belt. Though Shao Jingqiu had never worked with him, seeing him bowing and scraping to someone was still a strange sight.

Even more curious, the person he was fawning over was a kid.

“You got here late yesterday, so you didn’t see. That kid’s a little master,” Director Yang said. “Yesterday, he showed off some impressive skills and helped Director Liu out with a big problem. Liu probably came specially to thank him.”

Matters of ghosts and monsters—if you haven’t seen them with your own eyes, most people wouldn’t believe. But Director Yang had personally witnessed it yesterday, so he didn’t dare speak too plainly now. What if a passing ghost on set overheard and paid a visit? There’d be no time for tears.

He spoke vaguely. Shao Jingqiu, listening, didn’t overthink it, just found it strange. “This kid?”

“Yep.”

“What kind of help could he give?” As Shao Jingqiu spoke, she watched from afar as the kid pulled out a few pieces of something from his bag, and Director Liu accepted them with profuse thanks. Puzzled, she asked, “What’s that?”

They were too far to see clearly, but Director Yang knew at a glance. “Talismans.”

“Talismans?”

“That’s right.”

Shao Jingqiu clicked her tongue. “That kind of thing actually works?”

Of course it did. Thanks to the Sleep-Aid Talisman, he’d slept well last night.

Before, he would never have imagined that a yellow paper talisman could be so effective. But yesterday had been eye-opening in every way.

With that thought, Director Yang looked at his old friend sitting across from him.

Shao Jingqiu had debuted early and spent a long time in the industry. She was no longer young; though she maintained herself well, time had still left subtle marks on her face. Compared to the fine lines not hidden by makeup, the melancholy in her brow and eyes was far more noticeable.

Director Yang saw it at a glance. “Haven’t been resting well lately?”

Shao Jingqiu shook her head slightly.

Not just lately. She’d been struggling with sleep for a long time now.

“Why don’t you ask that kid for a Sleep-Aid Talisman?” Director Yang suggested. “I’ve already tried one. It works wonders. Eyes shut, and you’re out. I can see you haven’t had a proper night’s sleep in ages. Want to give it a shot?”

Shao Jingqiu remained noncommittal.

But it was clear she wasn’t the least bit interested in his suggestion.

“Don’t be so skeptical. Let me tell you, this kid is the real deal, full of genuine skill.” Director Yang gave her an example. “Haven’t you watched Wilderness Challenge?”

“Wilderness Challenge?”

“Xiao Man was on that show recently.” The material was all right there, and Director Yang immediately launched into an introduction.

Catching snakes barehanded, climbing trees to snatch bird eggs, all of that was child’s play. The most incredible thing was that he could start a fire with Talisman Paper, navigate with a Luo Pan, and even broke right into the director team’s territory!

Anyone who’d seen it with their own eyes had to admit the kid had some genuine ability.

Wilderness Challenge was the hottest variety show right now, but Shao Jingqiu genuinely hadn’t seen it. Listening to Director Yang ramble on, she didn’t take any of it seriously. Variety shows, you know, they’re all scripted. To grab attention, the production team will come up with anything.

Not only did she not take it seriously, she found it a little funny. Variety shows had gotten so ridiculous, now they were manufacturing personas for children?

If an adult were doing these things, maybe she could believe it a bit, imagine some master had descended from the mountains. But this was just a child.

Sure, the kid looked fair and delicate, well-behaved and cute, every bit as good-looking as a child star. But no matter how you looked at him, he was still a tiny little thing, probably still in kindergarten, couldn’t even read all the characters. What could he possibly know about Daoist arts and metaphysics?

“I’ve seen it.” Shao Jingqiu’s assistant spoke up quietly. “This morning, I saw him drawing talismans.”

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Translator’s Notes

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1. opening ceremony: Refers to the ‘kaiji’ (开机) ceremony, a traditional Chinese film industry ritual held before production begins. It often involves burning incense and offering sacrifices to ensure a smooth, auspicious shoot and good box office results. ↩
2. tea egg: A common Chinese snack consisting of a pre-boiled egg cracked slightly and then boiled again in tea, sauce, and spices. The marbling on the egg white and the savory flavor are hallmarks of this street food staple. ↩
3. Baobao: A term of endearment meaning ‘baby’ or ‘treasure.’ While often used for infants, it is also a common nickname for children or a pet name between close friends and couples to show affection. ↩
4. burn something: A reference to the traditional practice of burning joss paper, spirit money, or paper effigies of goods as offerings to the deceased. It is believed that these items are transferred to the spirit world for the ghost’s use. ↩
5. Ming dynasty ghost: The Ming dynasty (1368–1644) is a common historical setting in Chinese ghost stories and supernatural fiction. Referring to a ghost by its era of origin implies it is an ‘old’ and potentially more powerful or entrenched spirit compared to a recently deceased one. ↩