Ming Dynasty and New Rome and Infinite Magic Machine

Chapter 1583 Wang Lingguan and the Flying Yaksha
"So, that's the situation. This time, it's just a matter of a few female characters appearing as usual." Shang Luo recounted the brief plot summary to Elder Wen.

At first, he just frowned. Later, his expression became increasingly strange.

"Does Grand Secretary Wen think this is a bit too commercialized?"

"I'm wondering, what exactly is the Celestial Master's intention in writing this kind of plot?"

This storyline goes beyond just falling in love with fairies.

Like other films about Wang Lingguan, this movie, "Wang Lingguan vs. Flying Yaksha," focuses on a specific point in the story and presents it as a theatrical film.

In the context of a long-running serialized work, the parts adapted into films can also be considered part of the "main plot," such as the story of "Wang Lingguan vs. Yan Putuo," which Shangluo was given to see. This is because, based on the serialized comics, the plot of "Wang Lingguan vs. Yan Putuo" is scattered across several volumes, resulting in a very fragmented story structure. The film simply merges these disparate plot points and intersperses transitional chapters to stretch the film's length, such as the need to find the three demonic energies or three spiritual entities.

There's a reason for this. To create a commercially successful film suitable for all ages, the depth of the plot must be carefully considered. A film can't simply delve deeper into the main storyline from beginning to end, as that would lead to drastic changes in the protagonist, causing mental fatigue for the audience. Just as the human brain, like a sponge, can absorb too much information in a short time, it eventually becomes saturated. Therefore, some elements common in commercial films are needed to provide respite for the audience.

Wen Ge Lao could certainly understand the logic behind this commercial film. After all, he wasn't some kind of "artist" or "literary scholar"; his personal research leaned towards "quantitative research on social conditions." In other words, he was one of those "people-gatherers" mentioned in "The Snake Catcher's Tale."

Movies are essentially a form of undisputed "survey" because they have box office revenue. Box office revenue is bought with real money; every viewer makes a choice with their ticket. Movie box office revenue is a true "gathering of public opinion." Even if someone manipulates box office figures to go against the grain and promote their viewpoint, that's still a form of "public opinion," and Wen Ge Lao observed it all.

And this movie.
This film about Wang Lingguan is particularly special because it was produced by Master Sa. Therefore, it actually reflects Master Sa's own beliefs.

But the plot is really...
It wasn't just about falling in love with monsters; he fell in love with several. And they were all beautiful female monsters, each as beautiful as Yanqiu.

"Hmm," Shangluo thought for a moment, "I think this is what Master Sa wants."

"Did Master Sa enjoy watching Wang Lingguan fall in love with female demons?"

"What I mean is that Master Sa believes that what everyone likes is the best, and he will make movies that cater to the public's psychology. He will set a benchmark for commercial films. And if you take away those commercial film elements, the plot seems to have a lot of depth."

This time, "Wang Lingguan vs. Flying Yaksha" is different from the past because it is not based on the ongoing "Invincible Wang Lingguan" comic, but is a transition between the old and new Wang Lingguan.

Because the two generations of Wang Lingguan were written by two different authors, there was no transition between them, and the two authors did not discuss this with each other. Therefore, this "Wang Lingguan vs. Flying Yaksha" is a completely original work and will be counted in the official history of the Wang Lingguan series.

The basic goal of this film is to complete the death and split of the original Wang Lingguan in this part of the story, to separate Wang Shan and Wang E, and then film the events before the two meet again.

Because at the beginning of "Invincible King Lingguan," Wang Shan was already a criminal police officer, while Wang E had been "doing good" for many years and had killed many people. Therefore, this theatrical version actually mainly focuses on Wang E.

Wang E is the embodiment of Wang Lingguan's cultivation and obsession. In his previous life, in order to save his life, he chose to dissolve his body under the guidance of "Master Sa". Although his primordial spirit went to reincarnation, his obsession and all his cultivation did not dissipate - this is Wang E.

Unlike Wang Lingguan, who had completely lost his social awareness and become a pure machine for enforcing justice, he was swift, decisive, and flawless in his justice. He would not wrongly kill an innocent person, nor would he let a guilty person go free, even if it meant resorting to any means necessary, even the most horrific vigilante justice, to warn other evildoers.

This balance is actually very difficult to grasp. Because Wang E is like a god of death, although he never kills the wrong person, he kills all those who deserve to die. Not all of the people he has killed meet the standards for the death penalty under the law, but each of them basically has a "way to die".

He is extremely pure, yet extremely complex. While his actions are pure, the impact he has on the audience is complex. How to gauge the audience's level of acceptance is the real challenge.

"So, that's what Master Sa is thinking?" Elder Wen asked. "I always feel like Master Sa is trying to say something."

"Actually, I also have this feeling that he seems to be talking about someone."

"You?"

Shangluo hesitated for a moment, but then nodded: "I think the Wang E he described might be another side of 'me'—a person who acts without any constraints, solely based on his own sense of justice. Although I want to uphold justice, I won't overstep my bounds; I'll only arrest people and hand them over to the authorities. Unless it's within my jurisdiction, I won't judge whether someone is guilty or not. Because I feel my understanding of the facts isn't sufficient, and my sentencing might be biased. Wang E is different; he killed so decisively. But then again..."

He thought for a moment and said, "The key to this whole movie is not actually Wang Lingguan's moral choices—Master Sa is very good at commercial films. Wang E's actions are just his internal motivations. The main storyline is actually with the Flying Yaksha."

"So, what is the Flying Yaksha?" This is a myth that doesn't exist in the East.

"The Flying Yaksha is a flying demon who will kill anyone who calls his name. He's a Roman, or more accurately, a wizard. He wants to break down the veil of Rome and allow wizards to truly emerge from the shadow of the empire and rule the world. At the beginning of the story, he had some positive interactions with Wang E, because the Flying Yaksha believed that Wang E was also a powerful and pure wizard. However, as the story progresses, the Flying Yaksha reveals his true nature—a purely evil person. His purity makes Wang E's righteous judgment unquestionable. Because when someone is sentenced to death and deserves it, everyone just wants to see justice arrive as soon as possible."

(End of this chapter)