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

Xiao He still didn’t know that at home, a ”Xiao He Pain Room” exclusively for him was about to be set up.

After another grueling day of work on the ”Imperial Enterprise” production team, Xiao He finally got to see the trailer for ”Thief Catcher 2.”

But this trailer really carried a bit of Director Lin’s mischievous streak, leaving Xiao He both amused and exasperated after watching it.

—

In the frame, a young thief catcher galloped on horseback through the darkness.

He wore a bamboo hat, weaving through the moonlight, his face obscured from view. But soon, as the wind lifted the hem of his robe, a string of copper coins flashed at his waist, revealing his identity.

The moment he appeared, the entire barrage of bullet comments erupted with excitement.

【Hell yeah! It’s Jiang Rushu! I’ve been saying, if you live long enough, you’re bound to see ”Thief Catcher 2”! And sure enough! Finally, it’s here, I’m so happy!】

【Congratulations to ”Thief Catcher 2” for smoothly hitting the theater chains!】

【Our thief catcher really made it big! We can watch it in the cinema now!】【Last time I asked Brother Xiao and Brother Pu when we’d see ”Thief Catcher 2,” and who’d have thought it’d drop so fast—click, and it’s online! Does this count as a wish come true?】

【Jiang Rushu’s look instantly takes me back to that summer when I first watched ”Thief Catcher” — so nostalgic!】

The bullet comments chattered cheerfully, and many netizens, after just seeing the opening, couldn’t wait to spread the word, forwarding the trailer, eager for everyone to watch. But then, no one expected the night riding scene to cut to a roaring blaze—

It was an inn tower familiar to many, but one they dared not be certain of.

A towering fire surged from within the building, thick smoke rolling straight into the clouds, sparks scattering with the wind. Everything that was once familiar and warm was now nothing but a sea of flames.

Amid the crackling explosions, the eaves collapsed in the inferno. The faint outline of the inn that was still visible moments ago now completely crumbled, swallowed whole by the fiery sea.

Jiang Rushu scrambled off his horse, stumbling, staring blankly at the sea of fire before him, his eyes dazed. They reflected the towering flames and the fury igniting in his heart—

And the equally furious netizens.

【???】

【Don’t tell me this is Penglai Inn? The one where Shen Jue stays?】

【Huh? You’re saying Penglai Inn is gone?】

【Damn, we get hit with something this big right off the bat? The first part’s Penglai Inn, and in the second, it’s gone? What about my Shen Jue then?】

【This pisses me off, pisses me off! Who burned it down?】

【Oh no, I’ve suddenly got a bad feeling about this.】

【Same here, something feels seriously off. It’s giving me that ominous sense of impending heartbreak.】

【Don’t tell me they’re going to do Shen Jue dirty? I really love Brother Xiao’s Bone-Cleaving Knife! That was my gateway character back then! Please don’t write him off!】

【No way, no way! Even though Jiang Rushu is the protagonist of ”Thief Catcher 2,” I don’t want to see Shen Jue leave the stage either!】

The screen gradually darkened, and in the background, a faint Western Regions flute melody began to play.

Soon, a magnificent scene of solitary smoke over a vast desert unfolded before everyone’s eyes. That feeling of vastness and lonely desolation only deepened the audience’s unease. Even the expansive sand sea and the long camel caravan couldn’t lift their spirits.

But quickly, the original, high-octane fight scenes of ”Thief Catcher 2” completely captivated everyone before the screen. It wasn’t until the familiar old friend, Shen Jue, made his official entrance, wielding his fierce Bone-Cleaving Knife Technique with the same chilling, blood-soaked intensity as before, that everyone finally forgot their earlier worries. The bullet comments instantly erupted in excited screams and cheers.

The mysterious landlady from the first part of ”Thief Catcher” finally made her formal appearance in the second part.

When Qu Qiuyan, draped in a red gauze robe, lifted her veil, everyone couldn’t help but gasp.

【Oh my god, it’s the real Qu Qiuyan! The goddess of my dad’s youth! The production team really outdid themselves—they actually managed to invite Goddess Qu to perform!】

【It really is Qu Qiuyan! Holy crap, what does she use to preserve herself? Decades have passed, and her face hasn’t changed a bit! She looks exactly the same as before!】

【Who’s Qu Qiuyan?】

【Didn’t people say Qu Qiuyan had passed away? And back then, wasn’t her face disfigured? Is this really the same person?】

【Huh? What rumor? Goddess Qu has always been alive! She even posted on Weibo before, speaking up for an artist from a show, publicly calling for the director of that program team to be severely punished!】

【I can’t take it, I’ve got to call my dad over to see this. It’s like his white moonlight has returned! Dad!】

Back in the first part, some had already analyzed that the landlady of Penglai Inn likely had a hidden foreshadowing, and the sequel might focus on her and give her a proper reveal. But no one expected the second part to actually unveil that hint, and to invite Qu Qiuyan to play the landlady. This thrilled many veteran viewers of the first part.

It gave them that long-awaited satisfaction of a truth finally being uncovered.

But soon, things took a turn—

In the desert, Shen Jue charged through the wind and sand, swinging his blade straight at Jiang Rushu!

【??? Wait, why are they fighting each other?】

【No, stop, you two, stop fighting!】

”Clang—”

The clash of weapons seemed to tremble in the viewers’ hearts. Even though it was just a fleeting image, it still gave off a foreboding feeling. Sure enough, the next moment, a trail of blood stretched across the sand sea.

It was the landlady’s fluttering red silk, and also the trail of blood left by an ally.

In the blink of an eye, the sand buried everything again, including those two bloodstained Bone-Cleaving Knives, and the scattered corpses strewn across the desert—

Everything would ultimately be engulfed by the golden sands, along with the scheming and intrigues of the upper echelons, and the decades of hardships endured by soldiers guarding the border.

All that remained was an ancient city wall eroded and piled high by the wind and sand.

At that perfect moment, Jiang Rushu’s voice-over was added.

”From Jiangnan to the frontier, I’ve finally realized that the path I’ve walked is still far from enough.”

”Along this journey, the imperial court does nothing, the people on the roadside live in misery, the country and family are in turmoil. Yet I am just a thief catcher, capturing criminals for rewards.”

”I can’t help the people of Jiangnan, nor can I help the people here.”

As the plot fragments gradually slowed down, the final shot of the trailer landed in the vast yellow sands.

In the background, only one city stood out prominently.

Unfortunately, the wind and sand in the frame grew fiercer, kicking up clouds of yellow dust, making that lone exception flicker in and out of sight, as if it were merely a mirage.

In an instant, the city vanished completely.

A blood-red brush-written character slowly emerged amid the sand and dust, even the wind carrying a tangible scent of bloodshed—

【Thief Catcher 2】

【May 1st, The Storm Is Coming!】