Chapter 253: Long Slope

After dealing with the restless spirits in the first three courtyards, Li Banfeng opened the fourth gate. He had only taken a few steps into the courtyard when the thunder of war drums erupted from all directions, an incessant roar.

Li Banfeng scanned his surroundings. In the vast courtyard, various troops appeared: cavalry, infantry, archers, and musketeers.

Such a massive force?

Li Banfeng genuinely felt a little panicked.

He couldn't tell if these soldiers were real or illusory. The only certainty was that they were not human; they were all restless spirits.

Li Banfeng weaved and dodged amidst a hail of gunfire and arrows. He lightly touched the pendulum.

The pendulum understood. It moved behind Li Banfeng, cut open his suit, pulled out a record from a hidden pocket, and used its tip to evenly scratch the record's grooves.

The principle was that of a phonograph, unrelated to electromagnetism; it relied solely on the friction and vibration between the needle and the record.

The pendulum was now acting as the phonograph needle. This was a tactic Li Banfeng and his wife had devised together.

Li Banfeng could use his 'Deep Manor Technique' to mimic his wife's singing, or he could directly play her records on a phonograph.

However, Li Banfeng's singing skills were far inferior to his wife's. Some enemies couldn't be dealt with by his singing alone.

But sometimes, it was inconvenient for Li Banfeng to pull out a phonograph. In critical moments, using the pendulum as a makeshift player was a passable emergency solution.

"On ancient paths and desolate mountains, bitter struggles ensue; the blood of common folk stains the earth crimson; lamps illuminate the yellow sand, darkening heaven and earth; dust obscures the stars, and ghosts wail."

This was a vocal excerpt from "Changbanpo," sung by Zhao Zilong.

This was a martial role's aria, but it was engraved by his wife. It was common for famous opera performers to play roles of the opposite gender in the opera world, and this excerpt also contained his wife's unique throaty timbre.

The "Changbanpo" aria was incredibly powerful. The thousands of soldiers throughout the courtyard seemed to be momentarily awed.

Li Banfeng glanced around. It would be best if he could find Xiao Yeci. If not, he would have to retreat immediately and not engage in a head-on battle here.

Xiao Yeci was indeed not found. As Li Banfeng turned to leave, he suddenly saw the actor standing before him. The actor's makeup and attire had changed from a female role (Qingyi) to a young male role (Xiaosheng).

"Friend, please wait a moment," the actor said. "Where did that aria just now come from?"

Li Banfeng looked at the actor, pulled out a record from behind him, and said, "It came from here. Have you seen a record before? Shall I play it for you again?"

This was Li Banfeng's usual method: first, tell the truth to gain the enemy's trust, which would make it smoother when using his 'Spoken Truth Technique'.

Just as he was about to use the pendulum to scratch the record, he suddenly heard the actor shout, "Don't use a weapon! Don't scratch the record!"

Li Banfeng paused, surprised, then angrily retorted, "What are you yelling about? Without a phonograph, this is how you play it!"

"I have a phonograph!" the actor's voice trembled slightly. "Let me listen to it again, and I'll return your person!"

After speaking, the actor waved his hand, and several restless spirits brought Xiao Yeci forward.

Xiao Yeci was tied up, gagged, and looked terrified.

Li Banfeng told the actor to send Xiao Yeci back to the first courtyard. The actor complied.

Several ghosts carried a phonograph closer to Li Banfeng. The actor kicked away the ghosts and meticulously wiped the phonograph clean with his sleeve.

The phonograph hadn't been used in years, and it was covered in a thick layer of dust. The actor wiped it very carefully, then retrieved an oil can and oiled the machine.

With everything prepared, the actor looked at Li Banfeng with eager anticipation.

Li Banfeng placed the record on the turntable. The actor carefully turned the crank, and the lyrics from "Changbanpo" emanated from the phonograph.

The opera itself was fierce and powerful. His wife's singing was incredibly captivating. Every time Li Banfeng heard this part, he felt his blood boil.

But the actor opposite him wasn't boiling; he was crying.

Li Banfeng hadn't expected a restless spirit to shed tears, and to sob so uncontrollably.

After crying, the actor looked at Li Banfeng and asked, "Can I have this record?"

Li Banfeng waved his hand. "No way! This is my magical artifact for fighting on the battlefield."

The actor sobbed, "How can you call this an artifact? This is a rare treasure! You don't understand..."

Li Banfeng frowned and said, "Why wouldn't I understand? With this record, dealing with restless spirits and ghosts is a piece of cake."

"That's why I say you don't understand! Using this record in battle is a desecration of a heavenly treasure!" The actor cried even more sadly, as if Li Banfeng had defiled something incredibly important.

Before Li Banfeng could speak, the actor sang as he cried, "Heaven and Earth may have an end, but this sorrow is endless. If you won't give it, I'll buy it! Name your price, I beg you, name your price..."

The actor cried more and more sadly, until he could no longer speak.

Li Banfeng put the record away. "Stop crying for a moment," he said. "Let's find somewhere to talk."

Although they had fought for nearly a whole night, Li Banfeng could tell that the actor was quite trustworthy.

The two entered the main house. The actor ordered someone to brew tea.

Ghost servants brought a teapot and teacups. Li Banfeng didn't drink; this aged tea could have been from any era.

The actor simply wanted to buy the record. This matter wasn't entirely unnegotiable.

Li Banfeng named his price: three conditions.

"First, release us."

The actor agreed. "That's easy to arrange."

"I'm not talking about leaving this manor," Li Banfeng clarified, "but leaving this entire region."

The actor pondered for a moment and said, "You want to leave Wuyouping?"

"Wuyouping?" Li Banfeng hadn't known this place had a name.

The actor said, "That's also easy to arrange. Wuyouping connects everywhere. You can go anywhere within Puro State."

"Anywhere?" Li Banfeng was stunned. "Does it border all regions of Puro State?"

The actor nodded. "And you don't need travel permits for any of them."

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment, then asked, "How is this like Bitter Vegetable Village?"

The actor sighed, "There's a mystery here, but I'm unwilling to tell you."

"You won't tell me, then?" Li Banfeng stood up and said, "I'm not selling the record."

"Wait a moment!" the actor stopped Li Banfeng and said, "You've actually hit the nail on the head. Wuyouping was originally the 'Back One-Third Land' of Puro State, but over the years, it's almost become an 'Unknown Land.' What caused this, I can't clearly say."

The 'Back One-Third Land' could transform into an 'Unknown Land'?

This was the first Li Banfeng had heard of such a thing.

The actor continued, "Since you've reached Wuyouping, I'll give you a map shortly. Follow it, and you definitely won't get lost. But you must travel quickly, or you might stumble into the Old Land again."

This confirmed Li Banfeng's suspicion: the manor truly belonged to the Old Land.

Li Banfeng then proposed his second condition: "Without this record, I lose a potent weapon against restless spirits. You must compensate me with a magical artifact."

The actor looked ashamed. "Back then, I indeed had a few such magical artifacts. But times have changed, and I can't produce a true artifact now. I do, however, have a spiritual item."

He had a restless spirit bring a wooden box. When he opened it, the ghosts immediately recoiled and hid far away.

The actor took out a horsewhip from the wooden box and handed it to Li Banfeng. "A restless spirit with no cultivation will be scattered to dust with one whip. A restless spirit with less than three layers of cultivation will be severely wounded by one strike. A restless spirit with less than five layers of cultivation will feel intense pain from a single whip. If the opponent's cultivation is above five layers, this whip can still be used, but it will only act as an ordinary weapon."

Li Banfeng picked up the whip, intending to test it with a swing.

The actor shouted, "What do you intend to do?"

If the whip could indeed harm restless spirits, it was certainly not appropriate to test it there.

Li Banfeng used his 'Insight into Spiritual Sounds Technique' to listen to the whip's sound. The whip was very quiet; there was no sound at all.

Li Banfeng frowned and asked, "Does this item have any spiritual essence?"

The actor replied, "This is a spiritual item forged from 'emptiness.' It cannot be advanced nor can it recognize a master, so naturally, it cannot compare to a true artifact. But its spiritual essence is sufficient."

Li Banfeng put the whip away. He then presented his third condition: "Since I'm selling the record to you, I need to know its origin. Who exactly sang the aria on this record?"

Li Banfeng, of course, knew who sang it. The main purpose of asking this question was to test the actor.

The actor sighed deeply and said, "The mystery within this is truly inconvenient to reveal..."

Li Banfeng took out the horsewhip. "I'm not selling the record anymore," he declared.

The actor stopped Li Banfeng and said, "This aria comes from General Zhao Xiaowan of the Cavalry. She was a famous general of the Great Huan Dynasty."

"Which dynasty was the Great Huan Dynasty?"

"The previous dynasty."

"How long ago was the previous dynasty?"

"I can't recall, I truly can't recall."

The actor was speaking the truth. As a restless spirit living in a place like the Old Land, he had no concept of time.

Li Banfeng asked, "What kind of person was Zhao Xiaowan?"

"A famous general, and also a famous opera performer."

A famous general, Li Banfeng could imagine that.

A famous opera performer, Li Banfeng could also imagine that.

But these two identities clearly conflicted.

"How did a famous general become an opera performer?"

The actor chuckled. "You've got it backward. You should ask, how did an opera performer become a famous general? Zhao Xiaowan was originally an opera performer. She debuted at seven and became famous at ten. When she was twelve, her troupe leader was imprisoned for colluding with the Demonic Land, and Zhao Xiaowan was implicated and banished to serve in the army. At seventeen, Zhao Xiaowan earned military merits on the border, was absolved of her crimes, and was promoted to commandant. By twenty-three, due to accumulated military achievements, she returned to the capital to be enfeoffed and became General of the Cavalry."

Li Banfeng was very curious. "She was originally an opera performer, banished to serve in the army, where she would at most be a menial laborer. How did she become a commandant?"

The actor's face showed admiration. "Because of her extraordinary talent, her comrades in the army all said that Xiaowan was a born military leader. She once held off over a hundred enemy soldiers for a whole day with just thirty or so civilians. Such a remarkable woman is truly one of a kind in this world."

"Have you seen her?"

"Yes!" the actor said with a hint of pride. "I've seen her fight in battles, and I've heard her perform opera. Even now, the memories are vivid."

"What did she look like?"

"Beautiful, the most beautiful woman in the world!" The actor's expression was utterly infatuated. "And it wasn't just me who said it; many in the court back then called her a peerless beauty."

Li Banfeng had no doubt about this.

My wife is exactly that beautiful!

Just one glance at that dignified and beautiful grand horn would make Li Banfeng's soul ripple!

The actor sighed. "It was said back then that when General of the Cavalry appeared on the battlefield, half of the enemy army would be captivated by her and lose all desire to fight."

Li Banfeng asked, "What about the other half?"

According to the description in his thoughts, the other half would have been directly intimidated by Zhao Xiaowan's imposing aura.

The actor's description differed. "The other half of the enemy army was terrified out of their wits by her deputy general, Hong Ying."

Hong Ying was his wife's deputy general?

"What did she look like to scare enemies like that?"

The actor recalled for a moment and said, "Beautiful, she was beautiful too! Slightly less captivating than Xiaowan, but still a peerless beauty on Earth. Come to think of it, Hong Ying and I were supposed to have a destined connection. But later, both she and Zhao Xiaowan suffered imprisonment, and that connection came to nothing."

"Why were they imprisoned?"

"I can't say," the actor suddenly looked terrified, shaking his head repeatedly. "It's a grave offense of disrespect; I absolutely cannot say!"

Li Banfeng pulled down the brim of his hat, stood up, and said, "You won't tell me? Then I'm not selling you the record!"