Chapter 32: Hu Family Ancestral Hall

Families who could afford to hire performers to sing for ghosts were never ordinary. The Hu family was a prominent surname in Wuligang, with roughly one-third of the village sharing the name.

Li Huowang had learned from Lü Zhuangyuan that the one funding the performance was Hu Qinghe, the wealthiest landlord and the most senior person in Wuligang.

At that moment, he was accompanying Lü Zhuangyuan and his group, making their way to the Hu family ancestral hall.

"Old Master Hu said there's nothing serious. He's hired other opera troupes to perform ghost operas in previous years, and nothing has ever happened."

Li Huowang glanced at him, uncertain whom he was trying to comfort.

Pressing the bell at his waist, Li Huowang felt a slight calm. Even if something went wrong, he felt much more secure with that object.

Of course, it was best if nothing happened, considering summoning Master You Dao cost three months of one's lifespan.

Walking along the village path, they soon arrived at the Hu family ancestral hall, which was adorned with many red lanterns.

The place was bustling, and Li Huowang and his companions struggled to get through. Peering over the layers of heads, he saw many people lighting incense and bowing before black ancestral tablets.

"That's Old Master Hu. He also mentioned that after the performance, we shouldn't leave right away; he wants to treat us to a meal."

Lü Zhuangyuan pointed to the old man dressed in silk at the very front of the bowing crowd.

As he spoke, the people who had been bowing rose and respectfully took down the black ancestral tablets, placing them on the altar tables that had already been set up.

There were numerous tablets and tables, filling the spacious, three-section ancestral hall.

The tables before the tablets were not empty; they were laden with a wide variety of delicious dishes.

Red candles, incense, paper gold ingots, and yellow paper were neatly arranged on serving plates, prepared for the ancestors' enjoyment.

As if fearing inadequate care, a dozen paper figures, designed to serve tea and water, stood along the ancestral hall walls, presumably to be placed beside the tables later.

"Ah, Old Master Hu is truly generous, personally paying for an opera troupe to perform for his ancestors."

"Yes, it's no wonder the various branches of Old Master Hu's family have been free of illness and misfortune; this is all due to the ancestors' good blessings."

"Sigh, I wonder if I'll be so fortunate after I die."

"Then may your descendants also make a lot of money, just like Old Master Hu, because hiring people to sing for ghosts costs a considerable sum."

Listening to the Hu family members' comments and observing the solemn scene, Li Huowang felt somewhat relieved. This situation didn't seem likely to lead to trouble.

He leaned slightly towards Lü Zhuangyuan. "Bandmaster Lü, you've traveled extensively for so many years; have you encountered more ghosts or more of those 'begging for conferment' entities?"

"Huh?! What do you mean? Aren't they the same thing?" Lü Zhuangyuan's eyes widened in surprise.

"How can they be the same? One is what a person becomes after death, and the other is..." Li Huowang trailed off, unsure how to explain.

But Li Huowang was certain that neither the Great Auntie Danyangzi used for alchemy, nor Master You, nor even the small-footed woman from that night, were truly ghosts — at least not in the way he understood them.

Just then, with the Hu family tablets arranged, Hu Qinghe and a large group of Hu family members approached Lü Zhuangyuan.

"Bandmaster Lü, thank you for your hard work. Jiaoliang, please bring others to help Bandmaster Lü set up the stage."

"Oh my, this is truly too kind of you, Old Master Hu."

"Bandmaster Lü, you know the rules of opera performances. Once the ancestors come out to watch, the descendants who invited the play must leave and remain indoors at home. Please take good care of the ancestral hall here," Old Master Hu instructed with a kindly expression.

"Of course, of course. Don't worry, Old Master Hu, with me here, the ancestral hall will be perfectly safe," Lü Zhuangyuan declared, patting his chest.

Although no one seemed to be watching, Lü Zhuangyuan genuinely dared not make any mistakes. If anything went wrong at the ancestral hall, the Hu family could bury the entire Lü family troupe alive.

"Also, once the performance begins, living people must not speak to the performers, so as not to disturb the ancestors."

"As for the play, just choose something cheerful. The ancestors conveyed in a dream that the underworld is too desolate and they wish to see something more festive."

"You don't need to perform all night. After the fifth watch, my son will come to take the ancestral tablets home, and then you can rest."

Lü Zhuangyuan nodded vigorously, like a chick pecking rice. "Yes, yes, Old Master Hu, rest assured, we will absolutely not break the rules."

With the Hu family's help, the stage was quickly set up in the ancestral hall. Only five people were performing that night; Luo Juanhua was absent because women were not permitted in the ancestral hall.

Immediately afterward, at Hu Qinghe's command, the dense crowd of onlookers dispersed and headed home.

"Clang-clang-clang-raise!" As the Lü family members began their performance on stage, Li Huowang waited backstage.

Time passed, and the entire Wuligang grew quiet. The sizable village was plunged into darkness, with only the ancestral hall illuminated.

Live performers singing for the dead was a first for Li Huowang. He pulled aside the backstage curtain and peered out.

It was quite eerie, to say the least. The stage was lively, yet the audience area was utterly silent. There was no applause, only rows of black ancestral tablets inscribed with names, and the precious candles and yellow paper placed between them.

Having experienced events at Qingfeng Temple, these scenes didn't frighten him. The Lü family troupe, however, was clearly affected. Within a short time, Lü Juren, the performer, forgot his lines several times, causing Lü Zhuangyuan, who was playing the gong, to grow anxious.

However, as time passed, they began to get into their rhythm and their performance became smoother.

In the silent deep night, the sound of the opera carried far. Accompanied by this sound, Li Huowang, his sword on his back, sat backstage, resting with his eyes closed.

As he listened, a somewhat bored Li Huowang, to his surprise, began to find a certain charm in the music, and his head started to sway with the warbling melody.

In this atmosphere, the second watch imperceptibly passed, leading to the third watch.

Li Huowang now understood the watches: the third watch was from 11 PM to 1 AM, the fourth watch from 1 AM to 3 AM, and the fifth watch from 3 AM to 5 AM. Usually, after 5 AM, the village roosters would crow.

He yawned. For some reason, he always felt sleepier here than others.

Since he was being paid for this, he couldn't actually fall asleep. So, Li Huowang simply took out the Celestial Book and began to study it to alleviate his drowsiness.

Lately, he would also take it out and study it during his night watches, but aside from confirming that it was a scripture encouraging good deeds, he had gained no other insights.

As he continued to observe, the second watch passed, and the third watch began. Everything in the ancestral hall remained normal; nothing out of the ordinary occurred.

Li Huowang looked up at Lü Zhuangyuan, who was changing his makeup in front of a bronze mirror, and mused, "Bandmaster Lü must be heartbroken right now, having lost six taels of silver for no reason."

It made sense; nothing should happen. This was the Hu family ancestral hall, and juniors were inviting their elders to watch a play, so the elders certainly wouldn't cause trouble.

Just as Li Huowang thought the night would pass without incident, something unexpected occurred: the melodious sounds of the opera outside abruptly ceased without warning.