Descriptions from the script immediately surfaced in Qian Cangyi's mind.
While being touched by Black Shadow wouldn't be fatal, it would significantly hinder his movements.
He couldn't let Black Shadow touch him!
Qian Cangyi twisted his body. He braced the table with his hands and pivoted his feet further back before pulling his hands back.
Black Shadow skimmed past Qian Cangyi's palms.
Even though his hands hadn't been touched by the Black Shadow, Qian Cangyi could still feel a chilling breath. He backed up, stabilizing himself, and suddenly felt a wave of fear.
Having failed to land a sneak attack, the Black Shadow, just like described in the script, slid towards the window and left through the crack.
A shadow swept in front of Qian Cangyi. It was Hawkeye, and his heavy footstep sounds echoed in the living room before being heard outside.
So fast!
Qian Cangyi looked in the direction of the living room, and then followed.
At the entrance to the living room, Hawkeye was standing still, scanning the surroundings.
"How's it?" Qian Cangyi asked.
"It's gone, absolutely nowhere to be found," Hawkeye frowned.
Qian Cangyi walked outside the house, looking around, but couldn't find any traces of Black Shadow.
The down-sliding sun shone on the two, elongating their shadows.
"Earlier, I hadn't had the chance to warn you..." Qian Cangyi remembered how Hawkeye had dodged Black Shadow.
"From your expression and eyes, I figured it out. Having quick reactions is quite crucial for an actor," Hawkeye said. After finishing his sentence, he slapped the dust off his pants and walked towards the bedroom.
A few seconds later, Hawkeye came out holding Li Ling's diary. After reading it, he closed the diary:
"Death Sacrifice…"
"The village chief of Yu Xi Village must know what Death Sacrifice truly is."
"You've already seen the Black Shadow, and I suspect there are more."
"Time waits for no one, we need to speed up."
Having said that, Hawkeye looked towards the heart of Yu Xi Village and continued onwards.
Every few steps, Qian Cangyi couldn't help but look behind him. The feeling of being observed wouldn't leave him, as if Black Shadow had been following him all along since its appearance in Li Ling's house.
"Hawkeye, what do you think that Black Shadow was just now? Have the villagers in Yu Xi Village just gone missing or are they dead?" Qian Cangyi inhaled deeply and clenched his hands only to loosen them again.
Hawkeye turned his head to look at Qian Cangyi and said:
"I don't know either. The previous movie and the one that follows usually have no connection, they are separate, and so are their worldviews."
"Those ghosts aren't related to this 'Death Sacrifice' at all. But we can be sure about one thing, if you're afraid of Black Shadow, then indeed Black Shadow is dangerous."
"For an actor, intuition is often more accurate than experience acquired over time."
The sky began to darken as clouds gradually clustered together. The entire Yu Xi Village was covered in shadows.
Hearing Hawkeye's explanation, Qian Cangyi realized something he had neglected earlier.
For an actor, each movie is a fresh start, implying that the actors always have to adjust to new movies.
Though real-world actors would also do the same, they wouldn't be facing life-threatening dangers, and could choose not to act.
A couple of minor differences resulted in a stark contrast during the actual performance.
"Experience is less accurate than intuition?" Qian Cangyi found it quite unbelievable.
Intuition, by definition, means direct perception, usually referring to a viewpoint that hasn't been analyzed or reasoned.
If described in one word, it would be guessing.
However, there is another explanation for intuition.
The so-called intuition is a special way of thinking formed based on human occupations, experiences, knowledge, and instincts,
It sounds mysterious, and indeed...it is quite mysterious.
Qian Cangyi believes that the innate intuition which Hawkeye spoke of, leans more towards an instinct etched in one's genes.
A classic example: Many people have never seen a snake, but the first time they see one, they feel extremely afraid, even if they have never been bitten by a snake, as if it was an inborn reaction.
As for more dangerous animals, like lions and tigers, they don't invoke as much fear as snakes do. Some people even think they are adorable.
Of course, even if this is true, it cannot explain what Hawkeye had said.
Because in the real world, at least in the more than twenty years that Qian Cangyi has lived, he has never seen a ghost or any other supernatural creature.
Hawkeye nods, but does not stop his footstep. He turns his head to look ahead and says:
"A person's experience only holds meaning in a relatively stable environment."
"I haven't yet experienced a situation where two movies are exactly the same unless it's a movie sequel."
"That is to say, every movie requires readjustment."
"Hell's Movie does not tell you in advance which movie world is similar and how the ghosts will kill."
"Of course, some special 'experiences' are still meaningful, such as physical improvement, a change in thinking, etc."
"You can think that you are more suited to this lifestyle, if it can be called a lifestyle."
"So, if you encounter danger and don't know how to react, you might as well trust your intuition, after all, your soul definitely wants to survive."
At this point, a red lightning bolt twists its body across the sky above Yu Xi Village.
Two seconds later, the rumble of thunder comes.
"Soul? Does it really exist?" Qian Cangyi widens his eyes.
If it was before entering Hell's Movie, although he wouldn't entirely oppose this claim, he would lean more towards disbelief.
The most famous statement related to the soul is the 21-gram theory.
No matter if you are scared or not, it will eventually come at the end, at that moment, your body is 21 grams lighter.
At the beginning of the 20th century, a doctor made terminally ill patients lie on a special scale, measuring their weight, observing the change in a person's weight before and after death, and found that some people's weight had decreased by 21 grams.
The doctor believed that the 21-gram weight loss was the weight of the soul.
Of course, both the experiment itself and the process of the experiment are not rigorous and lack credibility.
At this moment, Hawkeye, bringing up the concept of the soul, truly surprises Qian Cangyi.
"Does it really exist?" Hawkeye repeats the question.
"Yeah, if the soul exists, does it mean reincarnation also exists? In other words, it doesn't matter if you die?" Qian Cangyi asks eagerly, hoping to get an answer from Hawkeye.
"I don't know, maybe." Hawkeye replies calmly, not caring in the slightest.
"Ah?" Qian Cangyi is somewhat surprised.
Logically speaking, the questions derived from the existence of the soul should bring great excitement, but Hawkeye on the other hand, seems to express no feeling.
Even if he already knew this news, he should still be touched, after all, just the existence of the soul alone could cause a shock to the whole world.
Hawkeye explained:
"I don't know what your perspective on the soul is, but in the movie world, when your body dies, it means you are dead. Only in very special circumstances will your soul exist independently of your body."
"As for reincarnation, I'm not sure. I haven't died yet, so I say maybe."
With this, Hawkeye raises his head to look at the sky, his eyes filled with concern, and continues to move forward:
"We need to speed up, if you don't want to reincarnate..."
Qian Cangyi follows Hawkeye's pace.