Chapter 92: Internal Coordination (Part I)

Liu Zichen’s task was to have an in-depth conversation with Guna, in hopes of uncovering some clues, given that Guna was a veteran employee of Universe Media. Furthermore, since Guna had saved Liu Zichen’s life, their bond had grown much closer.

Liu Zichen and Guna had a good chance of crossing paths. The reason they hadn’t met earlier was mainly because Liu Zichen had no idea Guna worked there, and additionally, Guna had temporarily taken on the role of a production caterer, keeping her busy with other matters.

However, Liu Zichen’s production had already wrapped up, the film had been released, and the cast was busy traveling for promotions. Consequently, Guna no longer needed to deliver meals to them and had to manage other crews.

Since the box office performance was quite mediocre, Liu Zichen had plenty of free time and decided to seize the opportunity to look for Guna. After inquiring about which crew Guna was assigned to, she hurried over.

To her surprise, Guna was nowhere to be found, and they eventually bumped into each other in the restroom. This left Liu Zichen amused, and Guna was somewhat taken aback.

"Sister Zichen, are you looking for me?" Despite looking somewhat mature, Guna was actually much younger than Liu Zichen.

Seeing Guna casually dressed in a dirty work uniform, Liu Zichen covered her mouth and chuckled.

Guna awkwardly untied her apron and wiped her hands.

Liu Zichen asked curiously, "I remember the first time I saw you in Lijiang, I almost thought you were some sort of queen-like figure. The contrast now is just a bit too stark."

"When you go out to work, image and temperament are important. It’s all about putting up a front," Guna replied bluntly, maintaining her tomboyish demeanor. "People don’t care about your actual situation; they judge everything by appearances."

Liu Zichen asked, "Have you been working here for many years?"

Guna nodded. "About two or three years, I suppose. Mostly because back when things were prosperous, I had a pretty good relationship with a few company executives."

"Then how did they end up assigning you to do this... logistical work?" Liu Zichen asked, somewhat puzzled.

Guna smiled without a trace of self-pity. "In our industry, missing your prime means missing out for a lifetime. Once you're past your youth, who's going to rely on you heavily anymore? But I don't mind at all. These logistical tasks now are relaxing and free, and the income is actually not too bad."

Liu Zichen nodded. "You certainly have a much better mindset. I never truly understood it before, but after acting in this film, I’ve finally come to realize how difficult the acting profession really is."

Guna laughed. "You even nearly risked your life—you certainly played your part with everything you had."

"Speaking of which, I haven't thanked you properly yet," Liu Zichen said sincerely. "A debt of life cannot be repaid with mere words."

Guna shook her head, clearly not taking the matter to heart. "You guys helped me out too, so we're even. Besides, I spent years mastering martial arts and was just fretting over having no place to use them. You actually let me scratch that itch. Now they know our lightness skills aren't just empty boasts, right?"

The two chatted and laughed as they walked out, looking just like a pair of sisters. They were close in age, with only a few years between them, and with Guna’s slightly weathered look, they easily passed for contemporaries.

Liu Zichen asked curiously, "Who did you learn these lightness skills from? I witnessed it once up at the theater stage in Lijiang. At the time, I thought you were just hiding in some corner, never imagining that lightness skills actually existed."

"Lightness skills aren't that mysterious once you break them down; it all comes down to natural talent," Guna seemed quite talkative. "Martial arts stunt performers in film crews pick up a bit of it, and some special forces or police officers know it too. Places like the Shaolin Temple, Wudang Mountain, and Mount Emei all have practitioners who can walk on water or scale walls."

Liu Zichen asked in amazement, "Then what level would you say your skills are at?"

"Me? Intermediate, I suppose. My master was quite formidable; he was the grandmaster of Wudang Mountain. Meeting him was pure serendipity. Do you know a movie called *Tai Chi Master*?" Guna smiled.

Liu Zichen nodded. "That's a very famous film."

Guna said, "I played a little maid in it, but my master played the elderly Zhang Sanfeng."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. Back then, when I saw him display genuine real-life martial arts, I was completely in awe of him. Every day, I pestered him to teach me some self-defense techniques. I was young back then and reasonably quick-witted, so I suppose my master grew quite fond of me and taught me some of Wudang's internal mental cultivation methods, along with a few secrets of lightness skills."

Guna sighed. "What a pity though—after the filming wrapped up, my master returned to the immortal mountains, and I had to figure everything out on my own."

Liu Zichen said in surprise, "With lightness skills as good as yours, you're practically self-taught?"

"Not quite." Guna revealed a flash of childlike pride. "Later on, when my training stalled, I sneaked over to the Taoist temple where my master lived and knelt outside the gates for a day and a night. My master said, 'Hey, you could have just come straight to me; why bother copying those television tropes?'"

At this, Guna burst into hearty laughter, and Liu Zichen found it quite delightful.

"So that means you actually underwent specialized training on Wudang Mountain?" Liu Zichen deduced.

Guna nodded. "I stayed there for about half a year, acting as a Taoist nun for over six months, haha. My master said I had good talent, and although he only gave me a superficial introduction back then, I managed to cross the threshold on my own."

Liu Zichen remarked, "That must have been many years ago."

"Yeah." Guna’s tone suddenly dipped slightly. "Many years ago. My master passed away to the immortals many years ago as well."

"I'm sorry."

Guna quickly returned to her usual demeanor and waved her hand. "It's fine, really."

"My master has attained immortality and ascended; we should be happy for him. It's just that thinking of that bond suddenly makes me a bit sentimental. Actually, had my master not passed away so early, I might have reached an even higher level, but some things cannot be forced."

Liu Zichen said from the bottom of her heart, "Actually, your martial prowess already surpasses everyone else's."

Guna made no attempt to conceal it. "To be honest with you, ever since I ran into some unpleasant events, I pretty much stopped practicing these skills. Coupled with the decline of martial arts dramas, I almost forgot I even knew lightness skills."

"Hehe, if you hadn't suddenly found yourself in mortal danger, I really wouldn't have known my skills had improved."

Liu Zichen joked, "Does that mean you should thank me for helping you break through your bottleneck and catching up to your master?"

Guna laughed and nodded. "True, true! Aren't people's potentials always forced out of them?"

A thought stirred in Liu Zichen’s heart. "Do you plan on working here for the rest of your life?"

Guna curled her lips. "Just taking things as they come, I suppose. Things are already like this; it's not like I can fly up to the heavens." She paused for a moment. "If you guys hadn't locked Zhuo Hu up in the police station, at least I would have had one more source of amusement."

Thinking of this, Guna chuckled inexplicably. Her mind really was remarkably broad; she was nothing like the self-pitying, fragile girls like Xiaoxue, Liu Zichen thought to herself with a silent sigh.

"Would you be willing to help us do something?" Liu Zichen suddenly asked.