Chapter 029: A Blaze

The third game was called "Seeking Immortality: 60 Seconds Without an NG." The rules were simple: the male partner of each team had to complete a few scripted segments, then dash over to his female teammate, lift her up, and carry her over a horizontal bar one meter high to the finish line. The pair that finished in the shortest time would be the winner.

As usual, their group went first.

The moment the game started, Zhou Fan charged ahead with all his might. The mini-games and scripted bits were no trouble for him at all; he breezed through them effortlessly.

But when it came to carrying Song Wan over the bar, the trouble began.

Zhou Fan's flexibility left much to be desired; with Song Wan in his arms, he couldn't even bend down. He tried four or five times, but each attempt ended with both of them tumbling to the ground—a scene so pitiful it was almost comical.

The other two teams were roaring with laughter at their misfortune.

Zhou Fan accepted his fate; there was no way he could complete this challenge. "Song Wan, maybe we should give up?"

Though he phrased it as a question, Zhou Fan was certain of the outcome: giving up was their only option. It wasn't as if Song Wan could carry him, after all.

He set Song Wan down in resignation, only to be met with a fleeting, weightless glance from her.

As Zhou Fan puzzled over her look, Song Wan bent down and, without warning, lifted him up.

She picked him up.

Zhou Fan cried out in disbelief, "Song Wan, are you even a woman? I weigh over eighty kilos!"

Song Wan glared at him. "Shut up, you're so noisy!"

Zhou Fan fell silent, his mind reeling. What was this? Was Song Wan giving a masterclass in what it meant to be a true strongwoman?

He could already imagine, without even trying, that when the episode aired, the editors would slap a huge "Strongwoman" label across the screen.

Weren’t they supposed to be each other's angels, and she, an adorable goddess? Where did she get the strength to carry him off in a princess lift?

Though Zhou Fan was overwhelmed, he hadn't reached full shock—after all, he could carry a burly man himself. His only problem was flexibility... That was his excuse, anyway.

But Song Wan gave him a reality check he couldn't refute.

Carrying Zhou Fan in her arms, she strode right under the horizontal bar!

She used a few clever tricks, and admittedly, after crossing the bar, she dropped Zhou Fan to the ground because she ran out of strength. But the fact remained: she had carried him over the bar.

Everyone was left dumbfounded, staring at Song Wan as if she were some kind of deity.

It defied all reason.

Zhou Fan’s reaction was the most dramatic. The moment they made it through, his expression was thunderstruck, and not even the crash to the ground could shake it loose.

As Song Wan picked herself up, Zhou Fan wrapped himself around her leg and shouted, "Song Wan, I give up—you win! Should I just call you Grandpa?"

Song Wan looked down at him, lifted her chin proudly, and said, as if bestowing a royal favor, "Call me Master Song!"

The others immediately joined Zhou Fan, shouting in unison, "Master Song is awesome!"

Afterwards, everyone burst into laughter.

The following two teams had their own funny moments, but none could compare to Song Wan’s group.

Although Song Wan’s team didn’t win the episode, it was clear that once the show was edited and aired, their group—so open and full of laughs—would be the biggest winner in terms of audience reaction.

And that’s exactly what happened. When this episode of "Happy Family" aired two weeks later, it caused a sensation online, and the show’s ratings unexpectedly soared to a five-year high.

Song Wan was once again the talk of the town, with fans everywhere clamoring for her social media handle.

But that wasn’t what mattered most to her. Compared to the new fans brought in by the variety show, Song Wan cared far more about the reception of "Immortal Amidst the Clouds," which was set to premiere that evening.

As the drama aired in the weekly primetime slot, fans who had waited months for "Immortal Amidst the Clouds" were glued to their screens.

As soon as "Happy Family" ended, Gu Yi whipped out her phone and poured her overflowing affection for Song Wan into the group chat, using every embarrassing word she could muster. Just typing it out made her blush with shame, but she felt no regret. Instead, she tagged everyone in the group so they could all gush about Song Wan’s performance on "Happy Family" together.

Miao Yu the Self-Shipping Queen: Master Song was just too badass, I swear I could feel my phantom limbs tense up—I want to pounce and beg to sleep with her!!!
Miao Yu the Self-Shipping Queen: Where is everyone? Come out now!!!
Miao Yu the Self-Shipping Queen: I’m so excited, I just keep loving Master Song more and more!
Love Miao Yu, Live Forever: Yes, yes, yes! Song Wan was amazing on "Happy Family," nothing like a newbie—she was so uninhibited.
Miao Yu Begs to Sleep: This episode was so funny, especially Song Wan and Zhou Fan, though Miao Yu was the funniest, of course.
Miao Yu Begs to Sleep: You guys have no idea, I was eating dinner and literally spit rice everywhere from laughing. My dad pinned me down and nearly beat me to death.

The excitement in the chat escalated, and the message count quickly surpassed ninety-nine. Many who opened the group late had no idea what was going on and frantically asked, only to be told to "scroll up and read the chat history" by those still on a high, before being entirely ignored.

By the time the latecomers caught up, the topic had already shifted to anticipation for that night’s "Immortal Amidst the Clouds."

Thanks to the popularity of the original novel, this production spared no expense. Unlike the cheap special effects in other dramas, even the tiniest moth or mosquito in this series was rendered with stunning realism, not to mention the dazzling fight scenes teased in the trailers.

Before Song Wan’s character photos had been released, none of these effects mattered to the group chat. But once they approved of Miao Yu’s casting, those expensive effects became a bonus, raising everyone’s expectations for the show’s quality.

Five minutes before the premiere, Gu Yi sent a message—"‘Immortal Amidst the Clouds’ is about to start"—and then tossed her phone aside, eyes glued to the TV, afraid to miss a single frame.

As the commercials ended, Gu Yi’s heart soared, her hands clutching the remote.

Suddenly, the screen went black, and her heart skipped a beat.

Don’t tell me the power’s out—could I be that unlucky?

Then, the clear, melodious sound of wind chimes rose, growing louder and sharper.

She exhaled in relief—it was just the opening.

Just as she relaxed, the theme song thundered to life, taking her completely by surprise.

Gu Yi’s eyes flew open wide as a gleaming, icy sword slashed through the darkness, hurtling toward her with a cold, murderous aura, the blade’s tip aimed straight between her brows, as if to pierce her on the spot.

Ah—

Gu Yi froze, staring as the sword drew nearer, her breath caught, mind blank.

Clang—

A second jet-black sword swept in from the left, slashing horizontally at the silver blade, the clash ringing out with metallic resonance.

Both swords shattered into powder, which instantly coalesced into the majestic title: "Immortal Amidst the Clouds."

Before Gu Yi could make out the small characters below, a torrential downpour erupted onscreen.

Through the misty rain, a blood-clad maiden appeared beyond the curtain of water. Her long hair fell to her waist, she held a dark red paper umbrella, and her crimson gown flowed behind her as she glided forward.

The red umbrella hid her face, but her alluring figure left much to the imagination.

Gu Yi held her breath, a suspicion forming about the maiden’s identity. She watched intently as the girl approached, unhurried, her every step echoing on the stone path.

Drawing near, the maiden stopped directly before the screen. The red umbrella filled the frame, lending the scene a strange, eerie atmosphere.

Gu Yi clenched her fists.

In the next instant, the umbrella slipped to the ground, and the girl’s enchanting visage burst onto the screen.

"Mom—!" Gu Yi leapt from the sofa, "Why is this so scary? What is this, a horror flick or a fantasy drama? Mom, save me!"

The whole sequence was a rollercoaster, but in fact, only three or four seconds had passed.

Once she had caught her breath and looked back, the girl’s terrifying face had vanished, replaced by a breathtaking, radiant smile.

The woman lowered her gaze and smiled softly, making Gu Yi’s heart itch.

The scene shifted abruptly, and a youth dressed as a boy—Chen Yi—appeared...

Even as the opening credits finished, Gu Yi was still lost in the shock of those two scenes, murmuring, "My Miao Yu is so scary... and so beautiful."

The first episode told how Immortal Yuntian, passing by the Mirror of the Mortal World, fell instantly in love with the heroine he saw reflected, his heart stirred to mortal longing. The threads of love tugged at Heaven’s defenses, drawing the attention of the Heavenly Emperor.

Yet, out of respect for Yuntian’s past merits, the Emperor took no action—at first.

But when disaster struck the heroine in the mortal world, Yuntian defied the boundaries of Heaven and Earth, reversing time on his own to save her.

The Emperor decreed that Immortal Yuntian had violated the laws of Heaven, stripped him of his immortal bones and sinews, sealed his memory and powers, and cast him down to the mortal world.

The second episode focused on the first encounter between the two leads, and introduced their backgrounds.

Miao Yu did not appear.

Yet Gu Yi, to her own surprise, felt no disappointment. Instead, she ran to the show’s official social media and left a long, enthusiastic review, brimming with excitement.

Ahem, though it was all about Miao Yu.

"Although my Miao Yu hasn’t appeared yet, I have to say, Chen Yi’s face is pretty decent—barely worth fangirling over; and as for Zhao Meng...her personality may not be great, but among the new generation of actresses, her acting is top notch. She played the heroine very well. The first two episodes have been a pretty faithful adaptation so far—let’s hope the quality holds and nothing falls apart."

Her words echoed the feelings of most viewers, and within minutes, her comment had thousands of likes, quickly rising to the top of the trending page.

Online discussion of "Immortal Amidst the Clouds" exploded, with the number of posts surpassing a hundred million in less than half an hour and still climbing.

The entire production crew was stunned.

But the real shock came when Zhou Qi received the ratings data for the premiere.

"It’s broken through! The ratings have broken through!"

"How high?"

"Over two! Tell the whole crew—we’re having a celebration banquet tomorrow night!"