Read Novel Full Chapter 1078: "The Dragon" Finale Bonus: A name with hidden prophecy, fortune and misfortune are unpredictable, and nothing is up to us.
Chapter 1078: "The Dragon" Finale Bonus: A name with hidden prophecy, fortune and misfortune are unpredictable, and nothing is up to us.
"You're finally back."
Zhuang Hongyi finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Xiao He return.
The movie is about to end, and it would be a real problem if the lead actor wasn't there.
"Yes, it's nothing."
Xiao He didn't offer any further explanation, and Zhuang Hongyi didn't press for more details.
Because at this point, the last bit of the plot of "Mang" was basically over.
Those who entered the research institute ahead of time either died or were crippled.
Perhaps no one expected that the cheerful and funny atmosphere at the beginning of "Long" would suddenly create such a strong contrast that almost everyone who entered the story couldn't get out of it by the end.
Without exception, they chose to fight to the very end here, as if they could finally fight against those people from the past across the vast torrent of time, thwart their plans, and contribute their own strength in a history that countless Chinese people cannot let go of.
At that moment, they didn't look like Taoist priests; they looked more like warriors.
They weren't fighting ghosts or monsters, but people.
It's hard to imagine that a story that starts with the supernatural would end with a grand patriotic narrative structure, yet still avoid falling into clichés, even enriching the story's background and moving beyond mere individual heroism.
When Chu Xin met the group of people who came to support her as the first rays of dawn shone from outside the research institute, the story essentially came to an end.
Unfortunately, the light fell, but it seemed to leave nothing behind. Darkness enveloped her, and she could no longer see those old friends.
“Chu Xin...&%￥...”
Someone helped her up and led her outside, but all she could hear was noise.
Chu Xin turned her head back, as if looking at the darkness, or as if waiting for those people, but in the end, tears welled up before she could speak.
...
The final scene shows towering mountains and a Taoist temple nestled among them.
In the background, there is the distant sound of bells.
However, in this scene, the sound of the bell seemed particularly lonely.
Sunlight streamed into a certain temple.
Before the prayer cushion, an old Taoist priest sat silently before the offering table, his eyes closed, motionless.
On the high platform were the burnt-out lampstands, which were neatly arranged in layers, densely packed together, but all of them were now devoid of light, like small tombstones, silently watched over by the ancestral statue enshrined at the front.
Even though it was already bright outside, those lights would never turn on again.
The old ancestor's face remained calm, but as the camera zoomed in, a hint of sorrow and regret was revealed on that divine face, as if he already knew about the children in the distance.
Only the three lamps at the very front flickered in the wind, their eerie light drifting erratically, as if they might disappear at any moment.
After sitting there for an unknown amount of time, the old Taoist finally opened his eyes wearily and gazed sadly at the extinguished lampstands.
He stood up hunched over, and at that moment he looked as if he had aged ten years out of thin air.
However, even the healthiest person would find it difficult to calm down when faced with such a deathly silence on stage.
But the old Taoist knew that these children had all gone out voluntarily.
His gaze finally fell on the lamp at the very front, which was also the most eerie lamp.
Compared to the two weak beams of fire beside it, the color of that lamp had turned a ghostly blue, almost transparent, which looked rather eerie.
But the old Taoist priest was not afraid; instead, he looked sad.
That was his youngest apprentice, and also the one he worried about the most.
Although he's done all sorts of nonsense since he went to Hong Kong, he's still... his youngest apprentice.
The old Taoist priest walked shakily to the three lamps that were still lit, and carefully raised his hand, trying to build a protective wall for these last three lamps so that the faint light would not be blown out by the wind.
He then turned to the side to grab the oil can next to him, preparing to refill the lamp with oil that was about to go out.
Just as he turned around, a black cat appeared out of nowhere and silently leaped onto the incense table.
It tilted its head back and gazed silently at the ancestor on the high platform. Its dark golden eyes did not blink, as if it were simply curious. It sat upright in front of the incense table and swayed its tail slightly.
Finally, the black cat seemed a little disheartened. It yawned lazily, turned around, and jumped off the table, sweeping its tail across the lamp on the table as it did so.
The old Taoist priest was shocked by the commotion and immediately turned around to help, but he still couldn't catch him.
The next moment, the central lamp fell to the ground, spilling all the oil inside. Strangely, the oil on the ground, upon contact with the flame, showed no sign of igniting, and the entire lamp went out, fading into complete darkness.
"Meow--"
The black cat meowed and was chased out of the house by the old Taoist priest, leaving only a mess inside.
The old Taoist priest stared blankly at the lamp on the ground, remained silent for a long time, and then sighed deeply.
"A name can contain a prophecy; fortune or misfortune is unpredictable, and it has absolutely nothing to do with one's own destiny—"
-
With this, the final post-credits scene of "The Dragon" came to a complete end.
When the lights in the movie theater came on, many people hadn't even realized what was happening.
However, the quiet scene gradually became noisier. The audience, who had been watching for nearly two hours, took the opportunity to stretch their stiff bodies and chat with those around them about the plot.
Xiao He finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Director Zhuang, was this plot point intentional or unintentional?"
They keep saying they don't want things to end badly, but in reality, they end up completely ruined.
Zhuang Hongyi raised an eyebrow and glanced at Xiao He, then said disdainfully, "You didn't even understand your own work, go back and watch some film and television commentary! They know more than you—oh right, I almost forgot you didn't watch the whole version, you went out halfway through, so I suggest you go back and watch it."
Xiao He: "...Yes, yes."
Their conversation was very brief, as the film had already finished its screening, and what followed was the crucial promotional segment involving discussions with other distributors.
However, Xiao He could clearly sense that some publishers hesitated after seeing the finished product.
And it was these people who were the first to make a sound in the theater.
Some people's faces no longer showed any ease, but instead appeared extremely solemn.
Xiao He listened intently to the comments of some people and quickly grasped the key information—cultural differences and understanding of the plot.
There's nothing wrong with *The Dragon* in any aspect, from the pacing of the plot and the transitions between scenes to the intense action sequences and the atmosphere of monster chases... but viewers also noticed some obvious problems during their viewing.
“The cultural differences are too obvious. Some viewers who are not familiar with traditional Chinese culture or cannot understand some of the metaphors in the movie will not be able to understand the plot. I think the threshold for watching the movie has been automatically raised, which is very detrimental to the box office.”
"Yes, there are some parts that I didn't understand either, but visually speaking, it's definitely up to standard."
"I think I understand it pretty well, but its market risk is undoubtedly quite high."
The distributors weren't stupid either. Although the trailer for "Long" made a strong debut and dominated the trending topics on foreign websites, most of them hesitated after seeing the finished product.
After their initial joy at meeting Xiao He subsided, they began to formally examine the work "Long".
Is a purely Chinese film, a work full of Chinese metaphysics and traditional cultural metaphors, worth buying?
Would other global movie fan audiences be willing to pay for this?