The choreography sessions lasted for over a month. Wong Kar-wai seemed to be intentionally waiting for the rainy season in Chikan; he loved the rain and knew how to use it. While others filmed the rain, he filmed the world in its wake.
Chen Ming had still underestimated the "sunglasses-wearing director." He had assumed the stories from Tony Leung and the others about filming *Ashes of Time*—that there was no script and they didn't even know who they were playing—were merely promotional gimmicks. But now, having been on set for a month, he hadn't even received a character profile, let alone a script.
All he had was a name: Ma San.
And three lines of dialogue:
"To enter the temple and worship the Buddha, you must first pass through the mountain gate. To pass through the gate, you must first get past me, Ma San."
"Because the true essence of the blade lies not in killing, but in concealment."
"My sheath is you, Master."
Nothing else.
Chapter 24