Chapter 195: Drama

After a lengthy explanation from Li Huowang, and with the help of others, Jin Shanzhao finally calmed down. As for the fabricated reasons Li Huowang gave, whether Jin Shanzhao believed them was known only to him.

"Sir," Li Huowang said, "since we're heading in the same direction, how about we travel together? That way, if we encounter any trouble on the road, we can look out for each other, right?"

After hearing Li Huowang's words and recalling the bandit corpses from earlier, Jin Shanzhao hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.

"Alright," he replied. "I'm an old man traveling alone, and I truly fear being snatched by a wild beast one day. It's safer to travel with more people."

"However, Master," he continued, "as the saying goes, 'respect our own elders, and extend that respect to the elders of others.' I am, after all, past the age of forty. If you hit me a few more times, I'll be in my coffin."

"Of course not," Li Huowang quickly replied. "I was indeed reckless just now."

Seeing the other party finally agree, Li Huowang immediately breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't that he intentionally wanted to stick with this strange old man; rather, he feared the old man might have recognized him and could expose him to others if questioned on their journey. As long as the old man stayed by his side, Li Huowang could keep an eye on everything.

The town was bustling with people coming and going. As they walked through, their painted faces immediately drew the attention of others. Many people stopped and curiously pointed at Li Huowang and his group.

"They couldn't have recognized us as people from Siqi, could they?"

As soon as this thought occurred to Li Huowang, it quickly faded. Lu Zhuangyuan and his troupe weren't originally from Siqi, nor did they perform Siqi opera, so there was no way anyone would suspect that. However, these people also reminded Li Huowang of something. Rather than being suspected as Siqi soldiers, an opera troupe that didn't perform would actually arouse more suspicion.

After pondering for a moment, Li Huowang immediately thought of a countermeasure. "Troupe Leader Lu," he said, "since we're an opera troupe, let's set up a stage and start performing. Look, all these people are waiting."

Of course, if they were putting on a show, they had to go all out. Hearing Li Huowang's words, the hunchbacked Lu Zhuangyuan nodded repeatedly.

"Quick, quick, quick!" he exclaimed, walking towards the rest of the Lu family troupe. "Didn't you hear the Young Daoist Master? Find a spot and set up the stage!"

"Ah... Dad, I'm exhausted," one of them groaned. "We just came out of that bandit's den. Didn't we sing enough in there? Let's rest a bit before singing again..."

Lu Zhuangyuan secretly glanced at Li Huowang, who was not far away, then picked up his pipe stem and forcefully knocked his son on the head. "If I tell you to sing, you sing!" he snapped. "What's with all the nonsense! You can say that when you're my dad!"

There were no trees or bamboo poles here, so they couldn't set up a proper stage. They found a broken wall and draped a large red stage curtain over it; that would have to do. The carriage was pulled behind the broken wall to serve as the backstage.

Although crude, fortunately, the townsfolk weren't picky. Seeing a performance, they quickly gathered around. Of course, Li Huowang couldn't just stand by. "Everyone go help," he instructed. "Remember our identity; we are an opera troupe now."

"After the performance, we can go to the inn and get some good rest."

Li Huowang's words got everyone, except Jin Shanzhao, moving. While the laypeople couldn't genuinely help with playing instruments or singing, they could assist, and even that greatly eased the burden on Lu Zhuangyuan and his troupe.

As soon as Lu Juren, dressed in black and holding a knife, appeared on stage, the buzzing crowd gradually quieted down. The others didn't applaud, but their eyes were full of curiosity. Although beach opera was popular in Later Shu, it was clear from this that they didn't seem to reject other forms of opera.

"Dong qiang dong qiang qiang!"

Accompanied by the Lu family troupe's music, Lu Juren began to sing.

"Today, by order, I descend the mountain, dong qiang! To draw my blade and fight against injustice!"

Li Huowang continuously scanned the audience, using his keen senses to search for potential risks. Fortunately, after searching for a while, he found nothing noteworthy apart from a thief pickpocketing in the crowd. He also saw Jin Shanzhao watching with them, completely engrossed in the performance.

"Senior Brother Li," a hesitant voice came from behind him, "it wasn't that I didn't want to give you that bamboo scroll earlier. It's just that..."

The hesitant voice came from behind him; it was Chun Xiaoman's. Li Huowang interrupted her with a gesture.

"I know that because your family sold you, you always feel that nothing is as secure as what you hold yourself," Li Huowang said. "But 'The Great Millennium Record' is different; that thing is very sinister."

"If you don't use it well, you'll pay with your life."

"But Senior Brother Li, how can you use it?" she asked.

"I..." Li Huowang's hand stroked the smooth surface of 'The Great Millennium Record', and a wry smile appeared on his face. "I'm used to it."

"My words were a bit harsh earlier, don't blame me," he added. "I just have this foul temper, please bear with me."

Li Huowang reached out, took out the Dao bell, and handed it to Chun Xiaoman.

"You can take this and use it," he said. "Although each use requires some lifespan, it's at least safer than 'The Great Millennium Record'."

Chun Xiaoman reached out and took the bell, then looked at the Dao bell in her hand, and back at Li Huowang with a surprised expression. Having been together for so long, she naturally understood the power of this Dao bell, and couldn't believe he would give it to her. Any lingering displeasure in her heart immediately vanished without a trace. She wanted to say something, but it ultimately condensed into a single sentence: "Thank you, Senior Brother Li."

Li Huowang sighed. In truth, he didn't want to give any of these items away. It wasn't out of selfishness, but because these items were each more dangerous than the last. In this maddening world, if you want to gain something, you always have to pay a price.

Just as Li Huowang was teaching Chun Xiaoman how to use the Dao bell, something unexpected happened outside. It wasn't that an enemy had arrived, but that Lu Juren's emotional state on stage was off. Judging by his excited appearance, he had clearly gotten deeply into character. Even though Li Huowang didn't know much about opera, he could tell that the lyrics coming from Lu Juren's mouth were clearly wrong.

"Rouge and powder are like enchanting drugs!""A face like a lotus is a fatal charm!""Tiny golden lotuses are like wicked sprites!""A willow waist is like a tripping rope for a horse!""Flirty eyes force me to wear a cuckold's cap!""A pair of jade wrists, a pillow for a thousand men!""A hint of red lips, chewed by ten thousand guests!""Who cares about Zhang, Wang, Li, or Zhao!""On a mandarin duck pillow, call out 'my darling'!"

After singing the last verse, Luo Juanhua, Lu Juren's wife who was banging the gong, raised the copper gong in her hand in sorrow and indignation, forcefully smashed it onto the stage, then rushed backstage in tears.

With a "clang," both the stage and the audience fell silent for a moment. After a moment of stunned silence, the audience burst into an uproar; applause and cheers filled the air.

"Excellent! This is truly excellent!""Another verse, another verse!""This is much more exciting than a traditional 'heroic' opera! Where is this opera from?""Let that young lady who just banged the gong come up on stage; I, this young master, will give a generous reward!"

All sorts of copper coins, broken silver pieces, and some food items gradually covered the ground. This was the most rewards the Lu family troupe had received in all their years of performing.