Chapter 44 It's ours, no one can take it away

Back in the car, Cheng Wei asked, "Brother, do you have an idea? I also want to go to that old house and take a look."

Duan Anluo smiled and shook his head. "Our current mission is to find our employer's lost soul, and your companion. They are no longer in the old house."

As Duan Anluo spoke, he took out yellow paper and a cinnabar pen from his pocket and began to fold a paper crane.

He sat in the back seat and let Qi You watch him fold. Teaching by example was much faster than forcing the child to learn by force.

He asked good-naturedly, "Are you curious about why I folded this?"

Qi You nodded, "Well, I also want to know why your pockets can hold so many things?"

Duan Anluo smiled and said, "I'll teach you that later. First, look at this. This thing is a guide. As long as it has something on the target, it can lead us there. It can be a paper crane, a frog, or a bug. What matters is your spiritual power, not the appearance. You can adapt to the local conditions and make what you want."

"I remember it." Qi You saw that Duan Anluo's fingers were wrapped in spiritual energy, and he could actually store the spiritual energy into the paper crane while folding it.

Qi You also tore off a piece of paper and folded it like Duan Anluo did, and soon he had folded one.

Then he saw Duan Anluo use a cinnabar pen to dot the eyes of the paper crane. He also dotted cinnabar on the eyes of his own paper crane. Then he saw Duan Anluo lift up the paper crane and blew on it, and the paper crane actually floated up.

Qi You also blew a breath, "Huh!"

The paper crane fluttered and fell down, crashing.

Qi You laughed. This was something he really couldn’t learn.

"I'll teach you how to draw talismans when we get back. First, fold the talisman paper and store your spiritual power in the talisman. When your power grows stronger, you won't need to draw anymore."

Duan Anluo placed the ghost energy inside the paper crane and said, "Take a break. Follow the paper crane to find that uncle at night. If I'm not mistaken, your teammates should be with him."

Cheng Wei asked inquiringly, "You haven't asked Brother Duan which lineage he comes from?" This method was unheard of.

Duan Anluo smiled and said, "Xuanmen has no branches, only one lineage."

"Oh." Cheng Wei was free now and felt that the name Xuanmen sounded familiar, as if he had heard of it before.

Duan Anluo said slowly, "There are only three of us left alive in the sect. Hundreds of people have died."

He patted the backpack on Qi You's back and said, "They are all here. Do you want to see them?"

Cheng Wei: “…No need, hahahaha.”

Cheng Wei laughed awkwardly a few times. It was the first time he saw someone carrying hundreds of tablets with him. He felt that this guy was a little weird.

Duan Anluo lowered his head and asked, "Xiao Qi, how many ghosts have you seen at most?"

"Eleven." Qi You remembered it clearly. He remembered how those eleven ghosts entered his room, how they crouched at the head of his bed, and how they spoke to him. Faintly, his fists stiffened.

"Have you ever seen the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons?"

"No, does it mean 100 ghosts parading together?"

Cheng Wei also had his own way of finding someone. He was just calculating with his head down when he heard Duan Anluo say that and was startled. "A Hundred Demons Parade at Night? What does that mean? Today is not the 15th of July."

Duan Anluo seemed very excited. "Eat a good meal tonight. It's better to bring some gifts. We can watch a big show together tonight."

He didn't want to say more. Something as exciting as watching a play needed to maintain a sense of mystery to be interesting. Those who gave spoilers were not good people, especially when watching suspense dramas. Every time he saw a comment that mentioned the murderer in the first episode, he would report it.

It was just five o'clock now. In summer, the sun would not set until after eight o'clock. Duan Anluo took Qi You out of the car and said, "Master will take you to buy some delicious food."

The main idea is to eat wherever you go, and earn money after you spend it, so spend it first and worry about it later.

This kind of lifestyle is enjoyable for those who can make money. If you can't make money, you will starve to death.

Cheng Wei said, "Then you go first. I'll go back and check on Fatty and come back to pick you up in the evening."

Duan Anluo checked the time and said, "We have to rush to a big road with flowers blooming on both sides and many old houses at twelve o'clock."

Duan Anluo gestured and said, "The road is very wide, and there are many glazed tile buildings."

Cheng Wei heard it and said, "Isn't it Art Avenue? Don't worry, I'm familiar with that place. It only takes 20 minutes to drive there from here."

Duan Anluo had a good idea. The master and apprentice ate and drank, then found a nearby hotel and slept for four hours. Having the ID card was convenient.

When they met again in the evening, Cheng Wei saw that Qi You's belly had bulged. He was holding snacks in one hand and a sack of gold ingots and gold bars made of paper, as well as several sticks of incense in the other.

Each sect has its own style of doing things, so Cheng Wei didn't ask any more questions and drove to Art Avenue. By this time, there were few pedestrians on the road, and he could vaguely feel the rising yin energy.

Cheng Wei found a place with the heaviest Yin energy, parked the car on the side of the road, and took out a special device to do the test. Qi You curiously leaned over to take a look, and Duan Anluo took a bag of Cheetos and said, "Just wait here, it will be soon."

Not long after, white fog suddenly rose on the road.

Cheng Wei became nervous - fog in summer seemed abnormal no matter how you looked at it.

Then, a distant horn blared, like the dull blast of a cow horn in a movie, piercing the stillness of the night. I didn't know when, but the wide road was completely deserted, and the streetlights vanished along with it.

Out of the thick fog, two little ghosts emerged, carrying banners. Fragments of white paper money swirled down like fluttering butterflies. As they got closer, a few flakes even landed on the car windows.

Then came the dull sound of drums: boom! boom! boom! Each beat seemed to strike at the heart, making one hold their breath involuntarily.

Human figures began to appear in the fog.

They all wore ferocious masks and colorful clothes. Some had glaring eyes and long fangs exposed, looking majestic and overbearing.

Some of them had green faces and fangs, held axes in their hands, and jumped forward to the dull beat of drums.

Some have long tongues hanging down to their chests, some laugh and cry at the same time, and some have eyes on their foreheads... This team is solemn, arrogant and ferocious. Every member moves boldly and wildly, jumping and marching forward.

In the center of the team was a hunchbacked old man with a green face and a copper-red head and ox horns. The old mask was already moldy and his mouth was cracked from the corners of his mouth to his forehead.

Duan Anluo recognized him at a glance. This was exactly the mask he saw in the ghost aura.

In his hand, the old man held a thick straw rope, tied with bells of various sizes. As he stumbled, the bells jingled against each other, making a chaotic "ding-dong" sound. Several ghosts in the procession who had fallen behind the parade sped up when they heard the bells.

Among them was a short, chubby figure, whom Cheng Wei recognized immediately—it was his teammate, Fatty. He was about to speak, but then realized the timing was wrong and swallowed his words back. He clutched a dagger tightly in his hand, ready to find an opportunity to snatch back his teammate's soul.

The white mist was filled with surging evil spirits, making it difficult to distinguish between the marchers and ghosts. Urged on by the sound of drums and bells, they slowly moved forward.

After all the marchers had passed, among the three people in the car, only Duan Anluo, who was still eating snacks, looked calm. The other two were so scared that they dared not even breathe.

Duan Anluo patted the food residue on his hands and said, "Let's go, let's follow them."

Cheng Wei took a deep breath and got out of the car swiftly. The scene just now was really shocking, and Duan Anluo had already anticipated this scene in the afternoon. This seemingly frail colleague had quite some skills.

Looking at him again, he found that he had put on a backpack full of knives. Duan Anluo took a look and almost laughed out loud.

Kitchen knives, broad-backed knives, long knives, narrow knives, sickles, boning knives... There are even flying knives with ropes at the back. When others say he sells kitchen knives, he doesn't agree. This is what a kitchen knife seller is!

They followed at the end of the team. Qi You followed Duan Anluo closely, with a tense face, not daring to breathe.

Duan Anluo looked down at him: "Xiao Qi, are you scared?"

"I'm not afraid as long as you are here." Although the child said he was not afraid, his voice was a little hoarse and his face was pale.

Duan Anluo put his hand on Qi You's head. It was the first time he followed them out and encountered such a scene. He didn't cry or run away. He had already performed very well.

"Don't be afraid. These are all illusions, scenes from people's minds. If a person's obsession is too deep, a ghost realm will form around them after death. We are all within the range of his mind power."

Qi You blinked in surprise. Is this all fake?

Duan Anluo asked Cheng Wei, "Is there an exhibition hall nearby? Something related to opera?"

"Yes, there's a theater exhibition hall right in front. This road is called Art Avenue because all the buildings are full of artistic atmosphere. There are many art exhibition halls on both sides."

As we were talking, we noticed that the parade had stopped. In front of us was the opera exhibition hall. There were many facial masks and their introductions hanging on the wall. There were the common Peking Opera, Yue Opera, Sichuan Opera, Henan Opera, and Huangmei Opera, as well as the local Wu Opera, Fujian Opera, Gaojia Opera, and Gezai Opera, as well as the special shadow play, puppet show, Nuo Opera... There was even an area solemnly introducing the endangered opera genres that were about to be lost.

The usually deserted exhibition hall is now bustling with activity. A large stage has been set up in the empty parking lot.

These ghosts who had returned from the parade all began to perform on stage. To be more precise, they were driven up to perform by the masked old man with a stick.

Cheng Wei locked his eyes on the fat man struggling inside. Although he really wanted to rescue him, this scene still... made him want to laugh!

Cheng Wei's first reaction was to take a picture with his mobile phone, but unfortunately, the camera was not specific and could not take the picture. Cheng Wei held back his laughter and stamped his feet in regret. It was such a pity.

At this time, the paper crane folded by Duan Anluo flew over and stopped above a man. The man was wearing a mask and his face could not be seen, but from his figure, he was Ms. Wang's husband.

There are also many unfamiliar people. They have human forms, but neither the aura of life nor the aura of ghosts. They must be the imagination of the old man.

The old man raised a small wooden stick and beat them repeatedly: "Sing! Dance! No one is allowed to stop, learn well! If you can't learn, I will beat you to death!"

They didn't know how long they had been dancing, and some of them stopped secretly when they couldn't move anymore. The fat man in particular was so exhausted that he held his waist and gasped.

The old man's eyesight was so sharp that he noticed the fat man slacking off. He ran over with a stick in hand and hit the fat man's butt several times, cursing fiercely as he did so: "Why did you stop? Jump! If you don't learn well, how can we pass it on? This is our culture! The culture passed down from our ancestors! Don't throw it away!"

The fat man was so angry after being beaten that he hid and ran away. "I have been dancing for eighteen hours. Even animals need some grass. You are so unreasonable, old man!"

"You dare to talk back?" The old man, who had been speaking normally, was suddenly stimulated, and the ghost energy on his body instantly doubled. His body became more than three meters tall, and the small wooden stick in his hand turned into a mace, which smashed towards the fat man's head.

The fat man was so scared that he turned around and ran away. Although he was fat, he was quite flexible. After dodging the stick, he jumped all over the stage.

When he made such a commotion, it was possible to tell which ones were alive, because everyone else was performing on the stage and was not affected at all. Those who were caught all wanted to run away, but they were hooked by an invisible string after only a few steps and pulled back like puppets, forced to perform all kinds of difficult movements and scream continuously.

Only this fat man can not only jump, but also cut the silk strings that bind him. Unfortunately, the stage is controlled by the old man's telekinesis, and he can't get off the stage and can only run on the stage.

When he ran to the edge of the stage, he saw Cheng Wei hiding behind the billboard. The fat man suddenly saw his savior, "You are finally here! Save me!"

The old man paused and looked over. As he did so, all the actors turned their gazes towards the three of them. Hundreds of strange, terrifying faces, their eyes wide open, combined with the ghostly aura emanating from the old man, created a chilling, eerie scene that made one's scalp tingle.

Especially the old man, who is now big and ferocious, and looks like a demon with a mask on.

Cheng Wei subconsciously clenched the knife in his hand and could only snatch the fat man and his employer's husband back.

At this moment, Duan Anluo suddenly clapped his hands. The crisp sound of applause reached everyone's ears. Duan Anluo praised, "You sang so well, why don't you sing anymore?"

The old man was stunned, and the evil spirit in his body was actually suppressed a lot by these words.

"It's beautiful, I love watching it, sing more! My friends are coming soon, what are you going to sing next?" While Duan Anluo was speaking, Qi You had already listened to his master's words, drew a circle on the ground, and set his sack of gold ingots on fire.

Duan Anluo casually threw handfuls of burnt gold ingots and large gold bars onto the stage, "Old sir, please finish your performance and then we can talk."

The old man was stunned by these gold ingots. It was the first time he saw an audience so generous.

Cheng Wei understood the current situation and felt his body. He didn't have anything with him. He couldn't throw a kitchen knife onto the stage.

As the saying goes, those with money support the show with money, and those without money support the show with their presence. Cheng Wei clapped his hands vigorously, "Yes, finish this play! That fat man! Dance for me!"

Fatty: "...I'm not fucking Japanese! You can't do this to me!"

The ghost energy on the old man dissipated a lot and gradually returned to its normal size. He took off the hideous mask on his face with both hands, revealing his true face: a skinny old man with white hair and a kind look.

He smiled gratefully, "It's rare that someone still likes to watch. Let's continue singing!"

Duan Anluo found a good spot, lit some incense, and asked all the ghosts passing by to stop and watch the show.

As the audience gathered, the old man excitedly directed the axe-wielder, "First, let's perform a mountain-opening dance!"

The situation finally stabilized, and Cheng Wei suggested: "You hold on here, I'll get the person back."

Duan Anluo stuffed a bucket of popcorn into his hand with a smile on his face, but his tone was unbearable to refute: "Come back after you finish watching. This is the old man's last performance."

Cheng Wei thought of the old man's expression just now and couldn't bear it, "Okay, let's show our support for the old man."

Looking behind me, I saw ghosts everywhere.

Cheng Wei's scalp tingled, and he couldn't help but complain, "When they jumped, I felt like I was tied to a rack, and my whole body was numb."

Duan Anluo said seriously: "Nuo opera is originally a play for sacrificial offerings and prayers. Maybe you are the sacrifice."

Nuo opera, also known as Gang Bodhisattva and Nuotang opera, can communicate with ghosts and gods and pray for blessings and eliminate disasters.

Cheng Wei fell silent. Didn't ancient rituals require sacrifices? Could he really be a sacrifice? The more he listened, the colder he felt.

The people on the stage sang for more than two hours. At the end, Duan Anluo threw gold ingots and gold bars on stage. Many ghosts below applauded. The show was over, but the old man still couldn't come back to his senses for a long time.

Duan Anluo's incense burned out, and the passing ghosts also left. As the old man's resentment dissipated, the people on the stage slowly disappeared one by one, leaving only the few lonely souls captured by the old man.

The old man sat on the stage and suddenly burst into tears. He cried so hard that his voice was hoarse, revealing despair and sadness.

Duan Anluo slowly walked to his side, squatted down and patted the old man's shoulder, "Let's chat."

The old man raised his head, carefully examined Duan Anluo's face and figure, and suddenly asked, "Do you want to learn Nuo dance from me?"

Duan Anluo shook his head regretfully, "I can't. I'm not in good health and can't jump."

The old man, who had been normal, suddenly turned mad again, his evil spirit surging. He said viciously, "You don't want to learn! He doesn't want to learn! You all don't want to learn! How can we pass it on?!"

"Why don't you want to stay? I've accepted apprentice after apprentice, and they all left! They've all left!"

"I can't pass it on! I really can't pass it on!"

The old man's figure grew larger again, and the hideous mask reappeared on his face. He spoke faster and faster, his emotions becoming more and more agitated: "This is clearly passed down by our ancestors. 3,000 years of history, and yet they say it belongs to others! Just because they can steal, rob, and imitate? They learned a little bit and they say it's theirs. Those shameless thieves! Damn it! Damn it!"

Seeing the old man being controlled by anger again, Duan Anluo raised his hand, shattering the resentment in the old man. He said seriously: "It can be passed on. Nowadays, many young people like to watch opera. Nuo opera is already a national heritage. It is ours, and no one can take it away."

Duan Anluo found the information he had searched in the hotel and took screenshots of it all, just to show the old man, "Look at how handsome it is now, and how good the stage effect is. Those who like it are all people who like to watch Nuo opera."

The old man looked at the magnificent scene in shock. His resentment subsided a lot, but his anger increased several times. "But many people say that Nuo opera was invented by the Japanese!"

Duan Anluo suggested seriously, "I'll send you over there. I'll put you in a courier and send you over. The more people you kill, the stronger you'll become. Once you become stronger, you can continue killing people and recruit new followers. Together, we can grow bigger and stronger. There are few people on that island, so we'll eventually kill them all."

Cheng Wei quickly stopped Duan Anluo: "Brother, calm down. Although we all agree with you doing this, we have a rule. It's not the right time yet. You need to remain restrained."

The author has something to say:

Nuo opera is from China!