Brother Dao Took the Entertainment Industry by Storm, Fans Beg Me Not to Kill Anymore

Chapter 776: The Formal Assessment of the Tianshi Association

The Tianshi Association of Hong Kong was located in the old city district, an area that had historically been the junction between East and West. With a mix of old and new buildings, it was naturally a place where Hong Kong’s traditional folk customs, ancient temples, and feng shui shops clustered together. Later, after official management was introduced, the Tianshi Association was established on one of the streets here.

From the outside, Xiao He thought it looked like an antique shop selling old trinkets. But once he stepped inside, he realized the decor leaned more toward a civil service style, with the overall feel being that of a proper institutional setup. However, most of the furnishings still favored a modern Chinese aesthetic, including the plaques inside, which were done in classical calligraphy on dark wood. Even the reception counter was a red-brown wooden table paired with leather seats, giving off a strange mix of old and new.

What really caught him off guard, though, were the freshly whitewashed walls on either side. Not only were they adorned with emblems symbolizing the Party and the people, but on the large red bulletin board next to them, bold slogans read: "Eliminate feudal superstitions, establish scientific thinking," and "Cast away outdated customs, standardize the inheritance of folk traditions"...

Seeing these on the wall, Xiao He instantly felt enveloped by an aura, surrounded by a red force.

As for the two other actors who had been feeling a bit nervous beside Xiao He, the tension on their faces also eased somewhat.

There was no helping it—people were naturally afraid of the unknown.

But seeing such familiar emblems and slogans, the complex emotional collision between "metaphysics" and "societal norms" directly canceled out their original anxiety.

As a result, everyone could now better observe their surroundings.

Of the three actors who had come this time, besides Xiao He, the other two were artists under Zhuang Hongyi's banner.

One was a slightly chubby middle-aged man named Lyu Dun, and the other was an actress named Cheng Jingyu, who had been part of the *Phantom Thief Alliance* series.

Xiao He wasn't very familiar with Lyu Dun and had never worked with him before. However, from what Liu Rulan had told him, Lyu had a pretty good reputation in the industry. Now in his thirties, he was a cameo specialist who often played slightly chubby roles, and he had a cheerful personality.

For Lyu's character, Zhuang Hongyi had gone through several people in one go, only to have them all get stuck with the "master" part. In the end, it was only after locking in Lyu Dun that they finally settled on this last role.

As for Cheng Jingyu, she had played a seductive female thief in *Phantom Thief Alliance*, a master thief within that world's lore. However, in *Phantom Thief 2*, she only appeared for a few minutes, and her backstory had yet to be developed. It was unclear if Director Zhuang had plans to expand on her character later.

Xiao He had briefly interacted with her but wasn't particularly close.

Still, he had noticed that although Cheng Jingyu often played bold, seductive female roles in *Phantom Thief Alliance* and other works, she herself was an extremely introverted person. From boarding the plane in Beijing to arriving in Hong Kong and now, she had spoken no more than five sentences to Xiao He.

It was the same with everyone else.

Xiao He was actually quite curious about how someone with her personality had ended up in the entertainment industry, especially since the characters she played were so different from her real self.

Plus, he had heard that the role had originally been intended for Yuan Sitong—the one who was super into gossip and always late.

But no one had expected that Yuan Sitong herself was actually a bit afraid of ghosts and didn't want to pursue this direction for her future career, so her agent had ultimately declined the job.

Xiao He: ...He seriously suspected Yuan Sitong just didn't want to study.

Fortunately, Xiao He was now fully capable of carrying the box office on his own. So for the main cast of *Dragon*, it was rare that it wasn't the "veteran actors leading fresh-faced idols" model that Zhuang Hongyi usually preferred. Instead, it was directly Xiao He taking the lead alone.

These days, the only person who still had confidence in "traffic stars" was Director Zhuang.

And at least Xiao He wasn't just a pure "traffic star."

...

Soon, under the reception desk's guidance, Xiao He and the others met the person in charge of the association—also the head president of the Hong Kong Tianshi Association's main district.

The president's surname was Mao, a rather uncommon one. He looked to be around fifty or sixty years old, with very sparse hair and a round, pudgy figure. However, his bulk wasn't the kind built up by feasting on meat and alcohol. At first glance, he didn't seem like a Taoist priest; rather, he looked more like an experienced Buddha-like figure. His smile carried a natural friendliness, and his Mandarin had a Cantonese flavor to it, instantly making one feel as if they had been transported back to the era of classic Hong Kong cinema.

It was also at this moment that everyone learned the association had actually prepared a simple exam for them.

Although Director Zhuang had mentioned before they arrived that the association would have some degree of rigid testing, Xiao He hadn't expected their "hardcore" approach to be precisely a hardcore knowledge screening.

Of the three "celestial master" actors, aside from Xiao He, who remained relatively calm, the other two had faces that had gone a few shades paler.

After all, when it came to professional acting knowledge, they might still be fine. But being asked about the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, the Eight Trigrams, and the I Ching right off the bat—who could handle that?!

Only Xiao He rolled up his sleeves, eager to give it a try, feeling like he had finally arrived at his home turf.

Wasn't the golden finger he had drawn precisely for this moment?

If he couldn't use it, then its existence was meaningless!

So, in the next moments, Lyu Dun and Cheng Jingyu could only watch in stunned silence as Xiao He effortlessly answered President Mao's questions.

Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, the Root of Yin and Yang, the Manifestations of the Eight Trigrams, the Interactions of the Five Elements, the Three Souls and Seven Spirits, the Four Symbols and Six Paths...

And then onto the core of Feng Shui, the I Ching, its principles, auspicious day selection, li qi (the patterns of qi), xing luan (the shapes of terrain)...

Basic and advanced, as long as it was related to written knowledge, Xiao He could basically answer it all, without even blinking. The lines and original texts he recited were almost verbatim perfect.

President Mao, who had initially worn a constant smile, gradually let it fade. His eyes sharpened as he scrutinized the young man before him, his somewhat casual attitude growing increasingly serious. It was as if, in an instant, he had transformed from a senior testing a youngster's abilities into a formal chief examiner seated in a high position.

Thus, what was supposed to be a simple preliminary assessment turned into an orthodox Taoist priest examination for the association. As for the two actors who were practically just fillers, how much knowledge they had at this point seemed irrelevant.

They stood there with their mouths slightly agape, watching in awe as President Mao and Xiao He exchanged questions and answers. The atmosphere gradually grew still.

No one knew how much time had passed before President Mao finally stopped.

Silence settled back over the room.

His gaze remained fixed on Xiao He, and the casual smile had vanished from his face. The only sign of his inner turmoil was his hand, which groped around for the water glass on the table for a long while before finally finding it.

Based on the depth of knowledge and the ability this young man had shown, President Mao had a momentary urge to issue a certificate to him on the spot.

—Unfortunately, certificates came with thresholds. Even the association itself couldn't casually hand out relevant certifications.

But such ability, such breadth of knowledge... If this young man could already reach this height as a beginner, then he was an absolute genius suited for learning Taoist methods!

Lost in such thoughts, President Mao's hands trembled slightly. He finally managed to grab the water glass on the table and took a hasty sip to calm his "shock."

In the corner, only the two actors huddled together, trembling.

Uh, excuse us, did we walk onto the wrong set?