"You don't even bow when meeting elders, what a lack of manners."
Jiang Ling's words were delivered with a decidedly old-fashioned tone.
However, coming from the mouth of a girl who appeared to be eight or nine years old, it was rather comical and eerie.
And Tianshan Tonglao was precisely such a complex, multifaceted character – both ancient and childlike, crippled yet stubborn, even to the point of being mad and perverted.
"Little aunt, you..."
Jiang Ling sternly interrupted him, "What 'big girl,' 'little girl'! I am your grandmother!"
The camera focused on a close-up.
Unlike the earlier sobbing and feigned terror, a chilling coldness emanated from her eyes.
At this moment, Jiang Ling's face held not only the majesty of the Spiritual Ascension Palace Mistress, who wielded the power of life and death, but also the thinly veiled anger of an elder admonishing a junior.
The immense contrast between a girl of eight or nine and the haughty, overbearing Tianshan Tonglao was truly shocking.
This was precisely the difficulty in portraying the role of Tonglao.
Choosing a young actress meant her acting would be immature, her life experience insufficient, making it hard to convey the authority of a ninety-year-old woman.
Conversely, selecting an older actress would provide the necessary experience and acting prowess, but her appearance would not match Tonglao's child-like image.
One couldn't have both cake and eat it too; it was incredibly difficult to perfectly recreate the character from the original novel, no matter how it was played.
But now, they had truly seen the Tonglao from the novel.
The appearance and physique of a young girl, coupled with the inner soul of a nearly hundred-year-old demon, appeared in the same person without a single flaw. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Everyone present widened their eyes, their hearts filled with extreme shock.
Most of them were veterans who had been in this industry for many years, and they knew just how difficult it was to portray characters with such stark contrasts in their personalities.
To possess such formidable acting skills at such a young age was truly terrifying.
Facing such a powerhouse, Gao Biao felt immense pressure. His breathing became rapid, and under Jiang Ling's stimulus, his acting skills erupted layer by layer.
Later, when Jiang Ling saw the Seven Treasures Ring on his hand, her expression suddenly changed. Her clear, bright eyes filled with tears, and she sternly demanded, "Where did you steal this Seven Treasures Ring from? Speak quickly!"
Gao Biao clasped his hands together, "Monks strictly observe precepts, how could I steal? This ring was given to this humble monk by someone else, how can you call it stolen?"
Jiang Ling berated him, "Nonsense! You are a Shaolin disciple, how could he give you the ring? If you don't confess, I'll flay your skin and tear out your tendons, making you wish you were dead but unable to die!"
Afterward, Gao Biao offered an explanation about the origin of the ring.
Jiang Ling's expression shifted repeatedly. Every glance and micro-expression was perfectly aligned with Tonglao's character, fitting seamlessly.
Upon learning that Wu Yazi, the junior disciple she had been in love with for years, had died, Jiang Ling was first shocked, then enraged, and finally filled with sorrow.
Later, upon seeing the painting left by Wu Yazi and recognizing the person in the portrait, she mistakenly believed it to be Li Qiushui. Enraged, she overturned a jar of sour vinegar, cursing, "He... he actually wants that bitch to pass on your martial arts... He's dying, yet he still can't forget that bitch, painting her so beautifully!"
Angered, she threw the painting to the ground and raised her foot, intending to stomp it into pieces.
Gao Biao cried out in surprise and quickly intervened, snatching the painting away.
The filming of this scene concluded with a freeze-frame of Jiang Ling's young, delicate, and extremely angry face, radiating resentment.
"Cut!"
The director, a bearded man, called out, and thunderous applause erupted from the set.
Applause was the greatest affirmation of an actor's performance.