Chapter 301

Chapter 301

Chen Fuying smiled the whole time she spoke, as though she were telling a story that had nothing to do with her.

“What began as her signature arias eventually became decadent entertainment. My great-grandmother was under so much pressure that she finally collapsed on the Opera Stage. She lost the baby, too.”

This was the first time I had heard someone speak about Chen Ping as a person.

I had known about him for a long time, but all I knew was that he was very good at leading troops into battle, and that he had committed countless atrocities to win.

This was my first glimpse into the details of his everyday life.

And it was a tragedy.

I ventured cautiously, “What happened afterward? As far as I know, Chen Ping was very ambitious. He was always leading his troops out to conquer more territory. Surely your great-grandparents had some room to breathe?”

“Yes. It was during one of those brief respites that they had my grandmother,” Chen Fuying continued. “My grandmother followed in her mother’s footsteps. She could perform onstage at three, and by six she could carry the entire troupe. Over those six years, Chen Ping went from one victory to another. When he returned, though, he took the lives of the whole troupe.”

I couldn’t understand it. “They had six years. Why didn’t your great-grandparents run away?”

“Where could they have gone?” Chen Fuying asked. “Chen Ping was obsessed with my great-grandmother. Even when he was away, he never loosened his grip on the Teahouse or the troupe. My great-grandfather knew they would die sooner or later, so he made arrangements elsewhere well in advance. When disaster struck, those arrangements allowed him to get my grandmother out.”

So that was what had happened.

I asked, “Wufu Town is in turmoil. Your family had already put down roots elsewhere, so why did you take over the Teahouse and entangle yourself in the town’s karma again?”

Chen Fuying loved to smile, but this time her smile was bitter. “Xiao Jiu, you said it yourself. It’s karma. Once I’m bound up in it, how can I escape?”

Her words brought me to my senses.

She was right. If leaving town could sever a person’s karmic ties to Wufu Town, there would probably be no one living here anymore.

The subject was too heavy, and pressing her further would serve little purpose.

So I changed the subject. “I heard you put up an Opera Stage in the open space outside the Teahouse a couple of days ago. The performances only take place at night, and they’re quite lively. Is that right?”

Chen Fuying nodded. “That’s right.”

“But I heard the opera on that stage isn’t performed for people. It’s for…”

“Since you want to know what’s really happening, Xiao Jiu, why not come and see for yourself tonight?” Chen Fuying interrupted. “You’re always welcome here.”

Clearly, she had no intention of discussing the Ghost Opera Stage with me in detail.

But she had invited me, so I replied, “All right. I’ll come tonight.”

“The Opera Stage opens at eleven at night and closes at three in the morning,” she reminded me. “Be on time, Xiao Jiu.”

I finished my tea and ate a few pastries before leaving the Teahouse.

On the way back, I went over our conversation carefully.

As I had expected, there was a reason Gu Yan had transferred the Teahouse to Chen Fuying.

And Chen Fuying knew more about its secrets than anyone currently living in Wufu Town.

Her return might have an enormous impact on the town in the future.

I had to see tonight’s ghost opera!

When I reached the Pawnshop, Li Qingying still hadn’t returned.

I went to the West Room to offer incense.

As I did, I noticed that the Copper-Coin Figure had faded considerably again.

Its golden Copper Coin head had turned pale yellow, and parts of the gold-painted talismanic script on the soles of its feet had disappeared.

Was the Seal breaking down this quickly?
Then wouldn’t things be changing just as quickly for Liu Junyan?

While my thoughts were running wild, someone arrived out front. I hastily composed myself and went out.

In the Rear-facing Room, Li Qingying was pouring tea for Uncle Huo. With his medical case on his back, he looked up at the sound of my footsteps.

He studied my face for quite a while. As I sat down, he nodded. “You look much better than I expected.”

“Uncle Huo, what brings you here all of a sudden?” I asked.

“Jingmo asked me to help him work on a prescription. I heard you were back, so I came to see you,” Uncle Huo said. “You went through a major battle in Chang City. I thought your body might not have held up, but it seems your mother’s Inner Core is integrating with your body very well.”

I could feel it myself.

In the past, I would have passed out who knew how many times during fighting as intense as that battle in Chang City.

And on the several occasions when I had successfully used Witchcraft, it had been the power of my mother’s Inner Core that sustained me.

“That’s both good and bad,” Uncle Huo said with some concern. “The better your mother’s Inner Core integrates with you, the harder it will be to separate her Essence Spirit from your body later. We need to arrange that separation as soon as possible.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose, troubled. “Of course I want to do it soon, so my mother’s Essence Spirit and Fragmented Soul can merge with my aunt’s as quickly as possible. But…”

Both Soul Piercing and a physician capable of performing the procedure were hard to find.

Being anxious wouldn’t make either of them appear.

After a brief silence, I changed the subject. “Uncle Huo, what prescription is Bai Jingmo working on? A new medicine for the Bai Family Medical Hall?”

“It’s a prescription to treat his family’s Immortal Lady’s face,” Uncle Huo said. “Jingmo wasn’t certain about one ingredient used to activate the medicine, so he asked me to check it.”

Li Qingying asked curiously, “Their Immortal Lady isn’t mad anymore?”

Uncle Huo sighed. “I don’t know about that. But if she’s willing to take medicine, I suppose her condition must have improved.”

Li Qingying instinctively raised her eyebrows at me.

It seemed Bai Songlan had taken in some of the things I had shouted at her earlier.

If her condition could stabilize, it would save me a great deal of trouble.

Uncle Huo stayed a little longer before leaving. Before he went, he reminded me again to arrange the separation of the Fragmented Soul and Essence Spirit as soon as possible.

Who would have thought that just as I was at my wits’ end, I would receive a call from Jin Wuya?

Over the phone, he told me excitedly that, through a friend’s connections in Lingnan, he had found a small bottle of Soul Piercing. He had already left Lingnan for Jiangcheng and would be able to hand it over to me soon.

It was a wonderful surprise.

With Soul Piercing in hand, we would be halfway to separating the Fragmented Soul and Essence Spirit.

At last, a little light broke through the gloom weighing on my heart.

That night, Li Qingying and I tended the Pawnshop until eleven as usual.

As soon as the clock finished striking eleven, I pulled on a coat and went out.

The street was silent and completely deserted.

But as I approached the Teahouse, I began to hear faint opera singing and scattered cheers.

Chen Fuying was leaning in the doorway, gazing steadily toward the Opera Stage.

I walked over and stood beside her. Following her gaze, I saw that there were indeed performers singing on the stage.

Three people stood on the Opera Stage, with several others around it playing gongs and drums.

Without exception, they were all translucent beneath the stage lights.

It wasn’t the complete transparency of Souls. It was more like light shining through the covering of a lantern.

In other words, the ghost performers on the Opera Stage were all human skins…