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

This stage play is called ”Root of Calamity,” set in a fictional Western medieval world.

The general plot is: from a certain day onward, the mortal world is engulfed by catastrophic disasters—endless wars, relentless plagues, and extreme climate shifts become the new normal. Famine and looting spread everywhere, people cannot make a living, and the lower classes wail and begin to resist, aiming to overthrow those in power.

The rulers naturally grow extremely anxious, yet they cannot locate the true source of these calamities. In the end, they simply blame everything on ”divine punishment,” concluding that an ”evil god” who wields the seven deadly sins is manipulating events and toying with humanity.

So they select from among representatives of the lower classes the bravest and most righteous champion, bestowing upon him the mission of ”saving the world and slaying the evil god,” telling him that if he kills the evil god and eliminates the root of the calamity, all suffering will cease.

The brave and benevolent champion naturally accepts the task and sets off on this path of ”killing a god”—and the story’s main stage slowly unfolds from that moment.

What the champion does not expect is that when he first meets the ”evil god,” the deity who appears lofty and could easily kill him with a casual gesture, does not attack. Instead, the god gives him a gift—

a seed called ”Pride,” quietly planted in the champion’s heart.

Thus, when the champion first meets the god and returns intact, all the people on earth cheer and rejoice, and even the normally haughty rulers cast grateful and hopeful gazes at the champion.

Amidst the flowers and applause from the lower classes, and the praise and rewards from the upper class,

the ”Pride” seed lodged in the champion’s heart begins to take root and sprout…As the story progresses, the champion continues interacting with the god and is gradually sown with the seven vices of human nature, ultimately walking a road of no return.

From the title alone, the stage play ”Root of Calamity” reveals itself as a story full of allegory and satire.

Throughout the play, the rulers search for the root of calamity, but in reality they are fully aware of what is happening and where the disaster originates. They simply refuse to admit it, so they brazenly fabricate a contrived opposing ”divinity” and elevate the most prominent champion among the lower classes as a ”scapegoat,” sending him to ”kill the god.”

The idea of mortals slaying a god with their flesh-and-blood bodies is inherently absurd.

The champion, cheered on by the lower classes and reluctantly embraced by the upper class, experiences the breadth and glory of the elite world, is ”tapped” by the god, and awakens the seven vices of humanity. After slaughtering the rulers, he becomes the new master, replacing the old regime and continuing to exploit the lower classes.

So the entire stage discusses calamity, but the exploration is not limited to ”root of calamity” alone. Is human suffering rooted in divine retribution, or in the workings of human nature?

This is a tale of rebels becoming puppets, of dragon slayers becoming dragons, a fictional satire of human nature that aims its blade at war and lies—

A rehearsal performance wrapped up successfully.

Qu Chengcheng watched Xiao He and Yang Heng’s final training for a while, unable to help applauding enthusiastically.

”Good! Very good.”

The god’s arrogance and the champion’s tenacity were displayed vividly in this segment.

And once the other scenes are layered in afterward, the overall effect will definitely be excellent.

Sunken deep in the drama, Yang Heng and Xiao He finally looked over and greeted Qu Chengcheng.

”Thank you both for your hard work.”

Qu Chengcheng then walked over to them.

”During this period I mainly want to thank Yang Heng for cooperating with my direction.”

Xiao He said with a smile.

Yang Heng immediately shook his head helplessly, ”That can’t be counted as my merit.”

After training with Xiao He for such a long stretch, Yang Heng gained a deeper appreciation for him.

Though not classically trained and still very young, Xiao He’s talent and work ethic far exceeded most people in the industry.

Just the fact that Xiao He, besides training here, still has the leisure to sneak into adjacent classrooms to audit other lessons made Yang Heng feel inferior.

To have taken the country’s two highest-prestige awards and still remain humble and studious, treating himself as a student who needs to improve—many cannot compare.

In fact, before inviting Xiao He, Yang Heng had tried the role himself.

But compared to Xiao He, who can pick up the script and quickly embody the character, Yang Heng’s skills were negligible.

Xiao He’s understanding and portrayal of the god were far above Yang Heng’s.

So during this period, Yang Heng truly respected Xiao He.

The scary thing about a genius is not the unreachable gap between you and them, but the shame you feel at your own laziness after witnessing a genius’s effort firsthand.

”Sometimes I really suspect Xiao He doesn’t sleep at all and has no downtime,” Yang Heng couldn’t help roasting.

”How can you be that disciplined? The more I interact with you, the more I feel you’re not human.”

Xiao He took a sip of water, his expression a little complex. He didn’t explain, only smiled at Yang Heng.

—To be honest, I’m on cheat mode, bro.

The System Golden Finger had indeed helped Xiao He a lot, especially with rest. It essentially gave him seven or eight extra hours compared to others.

Xiao He could use that extra time to do whatever he wanted.

Oh, but of course, when it was time to sleep, Xiao He still allowed himself proper rest so his energy stayed replenished and his busy life had enough breathing room.

Seeing Xiao He remain silent, Yang Heng assumed he was truly one of those ultra-disciplined high-energy warriors and sighed with mixed feelings.

”Actually, I’m very curious about the final presentation of your production.”

Xiao He smoothly shifted the topic.

This stage play contains many elements—singing, dancing, and dramatic acting—but unfortunately only the two of them were available for this rehearsal, so Xiao He couldn’t yet see most of the ensemble choreography.

Judging by the script, though, he felt it would be stunning.

”With personnel incomplete, you probably can’t see it yet,” Yang Heng admitted honestly. ”Aren’t you going to Hong Kong to shoot in a while? You can only see it at the final dress rehearsal.”

”That’s fine, I’ll be there anyway. Keeping a bit of mystery is actually pretty good.”

Xiao He nodded with interest.

At that moment Qu Chengcheng asked, ”I think Xiao Xiao’s part here is nearly finished. Are you planning to head to Hong Kong in the next few days?”

”More like July,” Xiao He replied. ”I have an event to attend in Shanghai, so I need to go back first. Once that’s done, I’ll go to Hong Kong.”

”What kind of project is it this time?”

Yang Heng asked curiously, and Qu Chengcheng looked at Xiao He with interest in his eyes.

”Uh—”

Xiao He faltered for a second.

”If it’s inconvenient to say, that’s fine.”

Yang Heng thought Xiao He was being coy and reluctant to disclose.

But the truth was…

Xiao He scratched his head, smiled awkwardly, and didn’t beat around the bush; he told the truth: ”It’s a ghost film.”

”Ah?”

The two of them were shocked at the same time.

Then Xiao He received a look from Qu Chengcheng that mixed sorrow and regret.

Kid, why on earth are you going to film a ghost movie?!