The first and last scene had nothing to do with Qin Guan. They were just meant to show the indifference and cruelty of that depopulated area. Lu Chuan wanted to film a real traditional celestial burial, which was something that was about to become extinct in Tibet.
A celestial burial was the traditional funeral of Tibetan and Mongolian people. They believed in the reincarnation and immortality of the spirit, so in their minds, death was only the spirit's departure from a dying body.
They fed the vultures with human bodies as an offer of worship.
The cameras were set up fast. It was very difficult for the cameramen to work on the plateau. Even the strongest men were panting heavily as they carried the cameras.
Qin Guan was no better. He admired the people living on the plateau. They were all thin but capable, with an honest expression in their eyes.
Before he could pull any funny faces for some curious Tibetan children, Lu Chan began filming the celestial burial.
The vultures were lingering in the sky in an imposing manner while the monks around the corpse were murmuring words Qin Guan didn't recognize. The big birds descended suddenly to cover the body.
Qin Guan had never experienced anything like this before. The hungry guy all of a sudden lost his appetite.
"See you later. I don't feel well..."
The scene was too realistic to watch. Cruelty and indifference were common elements in Japanese movies. Lu Chuan looked like a gentle guy, but he was berserk inside.
Qin Guan shivered. Suddenly, he saw actress Zhao Xueying stare at a big mosquito on her arm.
"What are you doing? Just kill it!"
"Tibetan people say that everything has a spirit. We should cherish all spirits. I can't harm it."
Qin Guan was speechless. The girl was both smart and beautiful.
He returned to the camp in low spirits. Soon, he recovered and had a local snack.
Milk tea was made of yak milk. It was best to have it at the place where it was produced.
When he finished it, some flushed girls presented him with a gift.
"Is that for me?"
A brave girl nodded before she escaped as fast as she could. Some Tibetan young men shot a few supercilious looks at him. They had never seen such an attractive man before.
The gift was a plain straw-weaved tray with some milk skin on it. The skin looked yellowish. That was precious food for Tibetan people. Four kilos of fresh milk could be refined to one kilo of milk skin. It was a specialty reserved only for distinguished guests.
Qin Guan looked around before he returned to his room. He put the sweet milk skin into his bag. It would be a good refreshment to have during the break.
Qin Guan chuckled to himself, when he suddenly heard Sister Xue shout outside, "Qin Guan! Lu Chuan is looking for you! I have to accept his offer! I'm out of breath! I need some rest... Qin Guan!"
Liar! You are just afraid of hardship. No one needs you in this unpopulated area.
The film reflected the severe consequences of poaching. Tibetan people protected animals instinctively, but anyone could come across any possible danger in the wilderness. Maybe they would even encounter some real poachers.
"Stop crying, Sister Xue! Lu Chuan would never bring a burden along. We have to go into battle with a light backpack. There's no reason for you to worry!"
"I'm not a burden!"
When Qin Guan came out of the camp, they set out on their trip.
The team included five jeeps and several trunks full of supplies. There were no trees on the Gobi Desert, only the horizon and some winding mountain roads.
There were still pits, slops and quicksand waiting ahead. That area was very dangerous for travellers.
When they got there, they started filming the first scene.
"The characters are smuggling Tibetan antelope wool in this scene… Get ready to shoot!"