Chapter 65: Longchang Theater Garden

"It happened at midnight!"

In the room, Sha Lifei looked distressed, "I heard a noise, and after waking up, I found the Daoist had fallen off the kang. No matter how I called him, he wouldn’t wake. I thought he had a sudden illness and quickly took people to find the doctor in the village."

"The doctor was also clueless, but it was an old carpenter from the Wan Family who noticed something was wrong and quickly sent someone to the city to invite Elder Wan. Only then did we know it was a scheme..."

Listening to Sha Lifei’s account, Li Yan wore a cold expression.

On the bed opposite, Wang Daoxuan clenched his teeth and fists, his whole body tense. Around him, twelve oil lamps were lit in a circle, representing the twelve earthly branches.

Manager Wan held a solemn face, a half-bowl of clear water in his left hand and three chopsticks in his right, continuously chanting incantations.

Then, he picked up a chopstick and tapped Wang Daoxuan’s forehead three times before dipping it in the clear water and planting it in the bowl’s center.

Thud!

The chopstick didn’t stand and fell to the ground.

Manager Wan squinted slightly and continued to use this method.

Li Yan knew this technique was called "Tomb Measurement," colloquially known as standing chopsticks, a widely circulated folk witchcraft.

Wang Daoxuan had told him about this method, which was considered a form of divination.

Thud! Thud!

As the remaining two chopsticks fell, Manager Wan finally sighed and shook his head, "There’s no response. The life soul has been seized."

Saying this, he looked at Wang Daoxuan on the bed, "Fortunately, Master Wang is clever and, sensing the danger, used the Soul Locking technique before the Divine Soul departed, thus avoiding being possessed by something else."

Li Yan asked in a deep voice, "Does the elder know who acted?"

"This, I do know."

Manager Wan snorted coldly, "The culprit is Chen Fagui, a disciple of the Nine Elements Sect at Li Mountain. I don’t know when he sneaked into Xianyang City and colluded with the White Ape Gang, and it’s him who used the evil technique to break through barriers!"

"I arrived at the City God Temple yesterday. The temple priest Qingyangzi was very angry, but to find the mastermind behind the scenes, it wasn’t made public. Instead, we ambushed in Menggu Village."

"Sure enough, someone came at midnight. After capturing and questioning them, we found out it was a lackey from the White Ape Gang. Following the clues, we discovered that Zhou Peide from the Zhou Family and Yuan Qu had partnered to work for Chen Fagui."

"That night, the government sent troops to encircle the White Ape Gang. Daoist Qingyangzi personally set up an altar, summoned soldiers for a night patrol, but couldn’t find any trace of them."

"Zhou Peide has been imprisoned. According to his confession, Chen Fagui performed the ritual to lure Brother Li out of the village for an ambush."

Sha Lifei exclaimed angrily, "That Zhou Family, really despicable in their actions!"

"The Zhou Family is finished."

Manager Wan shook his head, "Using evil techniques to seize opportunity and attack directly violates the Mystical Sect’s taboo. The Nine Elements Sect’s Magic Veins will send people to cleanse the sect, and the Law Enforcement Hall of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect will also take action. Chen Fagui is doomed."

"And as for the Zhou Family, faced with such matters, their later backer, Deputy Minister Lu, will only quickly dissociate himself. While Zhou Monkey didn’t participate in this matter, without support, they’ll be scattered sooner or later..."

"The Zhou Family will be dealt with later!"

Li Yan said sternly, "The urgent matter now is to save Master Wang. Does the elder have a way?"

Manager Wan shook his head, "To imprison a life soul, one must use a Wandering Soul Vase or similar magic artifact. First, find this thing; if Chen Fagui destroyed the Wandering Soul Vase, Master Wang’s soul would also dissipate."

Hearing this, Sha Lifei panicked, "The Wandering Soul Vase is with Chen Fagui, but who knows where that brat is hiding, even the City God Temple can’t find him. What do we do?"

"Don’t worry, there’s another way."

Manager Wan said, "In Xianyang City, there are quite a few extraordinary people. The Longsheng Opera Troupe has a martial clown named Wu Lao Si. Though he’s unremarkable in the troupe, he’s actually a magician of the Mystical Sect, with an opened perceptual root and skilled in the Yin Skill."

"When he was young, he had an incident and lost interest in helping people with Yin matters, hiding his identity in the troupe. But he owes me a favor."

"I’ll write him a letter to ask for his assistance. Though he can’t summon back Master Wang’s life soul, he can roughly determine its location, and by relying on your Divine Skills, Brother Li, you should be able to find it."

"Remember, when dealing with the Nine Elements Sect disciples, do not act at night."

"And one more thing, I will use a Secret Technique to protect Mr. Wang’s physical body, but within seven days, the life soul must be retrieved, or all will be lost..."

...

Longsheng Opera Troupe was the most prominent troupe in Xianyang City.

Unlike those temporary and makeshift wild troupes that travel through villages, Longsheng Opera Troupe has a history of over a hundred years and performs year-round at Longsheng Garden near the Confucius Temple in Xianyang City.

The people of Guanzhong loved listening to opera, and tickets for the troupe were often sold out.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Though the show hadn’t started today, the theater entrance had a servant striking a gong.

Good-natured people looked at the sign at the entrance, seeing it blank, curiously asked, "Hey, what play is being performed today?"

"Yeah, why isn’t there even a name?"

Xianyang City had its share of wealthy idlers, and the entrance was already crowded.

The servant replied loudly, "Today, Master Luo is in a good mood, performing ’The Drunken Fight with the Demon Monkey’ for three days straight, and he’s not charging, letting everyone watch for free!"

With this announcement, the crowd became dissatisfied.

A plump young gentleman shook his head, "Forget it. Who doesn’t know that ’The Drunken Fight with the Demon Monkey’ is a play made by Master Luo himself. During past performances, it was even blocked by the White Ape Gang and wasn’t enjoyable."

"What’s this, seeing the Zhou Family’s misfortune and preparing to perform again?"

"Let Master Luo vent a bit. What we want to see are plays like ’Stealing Immortal Grass’ and ’Resentment in the Deep Palace.’ Miss Lu just became famous, and to become a star, she needs our support..."

"Exactly, we don’t want to watch a monkey fight!"

The servant cupped his hands and smiled, "Ladies and gentlemen, please forgive us. You all know Master Luo’s temper. If he’s unhappy, he might close the theater."

With this, everyone grumbled about their bad luck.

When it came to Xianyang City’s biggest opera fanatic, it was none other than this Master Luo, Luo Shihai.

His ancestors were once prominent ministers in court. After retiring to the countryside, they became wealthy and influential individuals, owning several streets in Xianyang City and vast lands that their descendants could hardly spend even if they tried.

As for Luo Shihai himself, he was outstanding in his youth, earning the title of Scholar, but had no interest in the officialdom, preferring martial arts and even becoming the Sect Leader of the Trigram Sect in Xianyang.

Born to enjoy life, he lacked nothing.

Except for one thing, his passion for opera.

Others enjoyed listening to opera and might spend every day in the theater.

But he went a step further and bought an entire opera troupe to become its master.

As for the origin of ’The Drunken Fight with the Demon Monkey,’ many people were also aware.

Master Luo had cultivated a talented lead actress, aiming to gain fame in Chang’an and compete with those theaters. However, she tragically hanged herself due to a scuffle with a Zhou Family member.

The matter was quite a sensation back then.

Master Luo, who was otherwise indifferent to Jianghu matters, nearly went on a rampage. Only through mediation did he settle with Zhou Pan in a martial contest.

Though Master Luo was talented, even serving as the Sect Leader of the Trigram Sect, he was still no match for someone like Zhou Pan, who risked his life for advancement.

After losing, he was indignant and created ’The Drunken Fight with the Demon Monkey.’

The entire show was filled with insults and fights, purely as an outlet for his anger.

They were unwilling to watch it.

But seeing the servant’s firm stance, the crowd had no choice but to disperse.

These wealthy gentlemen had many ways to spend their time and didn’t care about the free tickets, but for the poor, such a free show was a rare treat, and they came from all directions as soon as they heard about it.

Among the crowd, Li Yan and Sha Lifei also squeezed in.

Li Yan, of course, wasn’t there to watch opera. He approached the servant, cupping his hands and asking in a deep voice, "May I ask if your troupe’s martial clown, Elder Wu Lao Si, is present?"

"Oh?"

The servant glanced at the Guan Mountain Blade at Li Yan’s waist, then looked at his face, suddenly recalling something. With a serious expression, he made a peculiar gesture with his hands, "So it’s Brother Li. Are you here to ’pass the note’ (pay a visit) or ’sneak around’ (just passing by)?"

It turned out this servant was also a Jianghu person from Liumen.

Li Yan said in a deep voice, "Don’t be nervous, brother. I received a note from an elder to ask Elder Wu for a favor."

Saying this, he handed over the invitation card.

Wu Lao Si?

The martial clown in the troupe was known for being unresponsive and taciturn daily. How could he be connected with a bladesman like Li Yan?

"Brother Li, please wait a moment."

Though puzzled, the servant took the invitation card and ran inside. Not long afterward, he returned quickly, saying, "Brother Li, you may come in. The show is about to start. Wu Lao Si said he would find you after it ends."

"Very well, thank you."

Li Yan nodded and entered the theater with Sha Lifei.

Behind them, the servant watched them enter, frowning and muttering, "No way, this fellow brings trouble wherever he goes. I must inform Master Luo so nothing messes up."

After saying this, he hurriedly turned and left...