Inside the dark theater, the film opened with a chaotic battle.
In the Xia Nation version, Su Yan had set the background of 'Rurouni Kenshin' in a turbulent period from one or two centuries ago in Yingdao.
Settings like this were easy to adapt—throughout Xia Nation's history, most dynasties experienced long periods of peace followed by chaos, with traitors and patriots emerging alike.
Lines of text slowly appeared on the screen, explaining the story's background.
Qin Yishan wasn't very familiar with Yingdao's historical turmoil, but it wasn't hard to understand.
Just like in Su Yan's previous life—when empires were strong, everything was unified; when they declined, warlords rose and ignored central authority.
If even the Xia Nation mainland followed this pattern, Yingdao—far removed—would be no different.
Those who had watched the drama version immediately recognized this opening battle—it corresponded to the period after Yukishiro Tomoe's death, when Kenshin's faction ultimately took control of Yingdao amidst the chaos.
Kenshin had fulfilled the promise he made when leaving the mountains to his master, Hiko Seijuro.
To end the age of war and save Yingdao.
The sequence was interspersed with newly shot scenes from 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal'.
For example, the moment Kenshin killed Tomoe's fiancé, Kiyosato.
His meeting with Tomoe, their growing love, and finally the origin of the cross-shaped scar on his face.
Within just two to three minutes, the opening neatly established the entire background.
But—
The melancholic background music, combined with Kenshin's brief action shots during the montage, already made Qin Yishan widen her eyes slightly.
Could it be this cool?
Action scenes were simple—either they worked, or they didn't.
The same moves, even choreographed ones, would look completely different depending on height, weight, speed, and strength.
Just like in Su Yan's previous life, a certain "Kung Fu Emperor's" disciple had once filmed action scenes that became a joke online—compared to his master, the difference in level was obvious at a glance.
Qin Yishan had seen many action films in the Xia Nation, but even so, the first three minutes of this movie had already pulled her in. She unconsciously straightened her posture.
In a snowy forest, Saito Hajime—one of the top swordsmen in 'Rurouni Kenshin'—spoke to Kenshin, who wished to retire after the war:
"We are born by the sword, and we die by the sword. There is no other choice!"
Kenshin, however, simply planted his blood-soaked sword into the ground, his expression sorrowful, and turned away.
Then—
among the piles of corpses, a swordsman defeated by Kenshin regained consciousness.
He picked up Kenshin's abandoned blade.
His expression twisted instantly.
In martial arts films like this, exaggerated elements such as killing intent or sword aura weren't unusual. Kenshin's blade, having taken countless lives, turning into a "demon sword" after being abandoned—and a skilled swordsman like Udou Jin-e sensing its murderous aura and gaining enlightenment—was still within acceptable storytelling logic.
This also gave motivation to Jin-e's later actions—his desire to force Kenshin back into becoming the ruthless killer he once was.
For now, though, Qin Yishan felt slightly confused.
But soon, her attention shifted to the actor playing Udou Jin-e.
Hou Zhigao—a well-known villain actor in Xia Nation action films.
A true "professional antagonist."
After the opening, the main storyline began.
Ten years later.
When those words appeared, many viewers who had seen the drama couldn't help but react slightly.
Kenshin had been around fifteen or sixteen when Tomoe died—so in the film, he was now about twenty-five or twenty-six.
A soft chanting soundtrack played as Kenshin arrived in the city by boat.
The streets were now bustling with merchants—gone were the scenes from the drama-filled with criminals, vagrants, assassins, and swordsmen.
The film quickly introduced three factions: Kenshin, the government, and the antagonist.
The villain—Takeda Kanryu, a businessman secretly dealing in drugs.
The plot itself wasn't complicated. Within Kanryu's organization, a woman named Takani Megumi had defected and intended to expose his crimes. To capture her, Kanryu sent the swordsman Udou Jin-e, who had appeared earlier and was now working for him.
During the pursuit, Jin-e killed numerous police officers with his sword.
This incident was witnessed by the female lead, Kamiya Kaoru.
Then, Kenshin made his entrance and saved her.
The story progressed steadily, without too many surprises.
But—
The real highlight of this film was its action scenes.
As Kaoru was about to be killed by Jin-e, Kenshin leapt down from a bridge, slashing from behind—
Jin-e blocked with a reverse strike, counterattacked,
Kenshin twisted midair to evade, landed, rolled, and pulled Kaoru into safety—
a seamless exchange of attacks and counters.
No excessive cuts. No chaotic editing.
Jin-e's movements were already impressive, but Kenshin's sequence—attacking, dodging, twisting, and rescuing—all happened in under two seconds.
And throughout it all, both actors maintained intense eye contact, the tension nearly bursting out of the screen.
Qin Yishan's mouth fell slightly open.
One word surfaced in her mind—
Beautiful.
Long-take action scenes were simply more satisfying. With her basic understanding of filmmaking, she couldn't even imagine how many failed attempts it must have taken for Su Yan to achieve that shot.
And such high leaps were dangerous—even with wires, one mistake could easily cause injury.
And yet—
This kind of sequence appeared right at the beginning of the film?
What she didn't know was that Su Yan avoided using stunt assistance whenever possible. This shot had only taken five attempts—not because of his own mistakes, but because Hou Zhigao couldn't keep up with his speed, forcing Su Yan to slow down multiple times to match him.
At this point, Qin Yishan felt a tingling sensation on her scalp.
Whether a story was good required thought and personal taste.
But action didn't.
When something looked amazing, everyone could feel it.
If a critic claimed the scene wasn't impressive, then they should try performing it themselves. If they could, their opinion might hold weight.
But the reality was—
Qin Yishan couldn't think of any actor who could replicate what Kenshin had just done.
The story continued.
After saving Kaoru, Kenshin formally met the beautiful young woman.
At the same time, his identity as the infamous killer swordsman Himura Kenshin began to spread.
Kaoru, who despised those who had committed violence during the previous era, now felt conflicted—even toward the man who had saved her life.
But the next day, when thugs under Takeda Kanryu harassed her family's dojo, trying to force her to sell it for their criminal operations—
Kenshin stepped in once again.
At this point, Qin Yishan stopped overthinking entirely.
Because action films like this didn't need overly complex plots or intricate twists.
The real appeal was always the action.