The older sister wearing red and holding a pair of golden scissors?

Hearing the little girl's description, my heart skipped a beat.

Doesn't that sound a lot like Bai Su?

"Is the woman in the red dress still with Uncle?"

I looked around warily, but it was completely silent; there wasn't a soul in sight.

"Grandma chased her away."

The little girl lowered her head, her voice growing softer and softer as she sobbed gently.

"I used to play alone in the dark little room. Grandma would only come to play with me once in a long, long time. Yesterday, Grandma had time to play with me... It's all your fault!"

They left yesterday?

Why do I only come to visit her once in a long while?

I suddenly remembered Yunwei's words.

She said that Lingmei goes into the mountains to look for the white fox every three years. Could it be that Lingmei is the little girl's grandmother?

I asked in surprise, "Is your grandmother Lingmei?"

"How could you..."

The little girl realized she had said the wrong thing after only three words and quickly covered her mouth.

Thank goodness, we finally found the right person this time.

I wanted to ask more, but the little girl puffed out her cheeks and glared at me angrily, her dark, grape-like eyes brimming with tears that were about to spill over.

"It's all your fault, you bad uncle! Now Grandma can't be with me anymore. I hate you!"

After saying that, she pouted and turned around, then ran off towards the City God Temple.

Halfway through the run, she seemed to suddenly remember something and stopped abruptly.

Then she turned around, spread her arms wide, and tried to make a big circle, shouting, "You're so bad now... no!"

As she spoke, she stretched her arms out even wider, almost falling backward from the force.

"You're so bad, so bad!! I hate you!"

Seeing the little girl run away in anger, I quickly chased after her.

Upon entering the City God Temple, a simple stage was prominently erected in the center, where the play "Mulian Saves His Mother" was being performed.

The story tells of how Mulian's mother, Lady Qingti, was greedy and wicked by nature, and after her death, she fell into the Avici Hell.

Mulian cultivated himself day and night in order to save his mother from suffering.

Finally, relying on his supernatural powers, he ventured deep into hell, endured countless hardships, and ultimately succeeded in rescuing his mother from hell.

At this moment, the leading 'dan' (female role) actress, Lady Qingti, is performing a scene depicting her falling into the deepest hell.

The actor's face was painted deathly pale, but his cheeks were smeared with exaggerated crimson rouge, as if he had just been pulled from a pool of blood.

Her eyes were depicted as long and narrow with slightly upturned corners, exuding an indescribable eeriness. Her water sleeves danced lightly, yet her movements were stiff and slow, each gesture conveying an inexplicable sense of oppression.

Especially the unique Cantonese opera singing style, which is poignant and sharp.

How can I describe it?

The sound was like a sharp blade piercing straight into one's eardrum, scraping back and forth on the nerves.

The melodious tune echoed freely in the empty City God Temple, sometimes high, sometimes low, sometimes intermittent.

Below the stage, a large number of villagers dressed in black sat densely packed together.

People from Northeast China actually listen to Cantonese opera?

Do they understand what they are singing?

What's the difference between this and listening to gibberish?

Shouldn't we be listening to Errenzhuan, or Jilin Opera and Longjiang Opera like "The Absurd Jade"?

Among the densely packed crowd below the stage, I spotted Xiaomi, Jia Qiye, and Yunwei.

They sat quietly among the villagers, as if frozen in place, their eyes fixed on the stage.

"Millet……"

"Yunwei, Seventh Master!"

I lowered my voice and called their names softly.

But the sound seemed to be swallowed up by the darkness, causing no ripples whatsoever.

I didn't give up and raised my voice, but they remained engrossed in their own world and ignored my calls.

Just as I was about to continue shouting, a blue-faced, fanged 'actor' on stage suddenly turned his head and looked in my direction. I dared not shout any louder, so I tiptoed over to them and gently patted Xiaomi's face.

Xiao Mi didn't react at all; her expression was exactly the same as that of the surrounding villagers.

They were as lifeless as statues without souls, their eyes vacant and devoid of any vitality.

I patted Master Jia and Yunwei again, but received no response.

They neither cheered, nor spoke, nor even breathed; it was as if the whole world had frozen.

I reluctantly retreated to the little girl's side and asked her, "Could you wake them up?"

The little girl shook her head: "No, you bad uncle. Grandpa Qin said that this is a rule left by our ancestors, and it can't be broken."

I asked her what the rules were.

The little girl explained earnestly, "Once the gong and the singing begin, you can't stop halfway through. Once the opera starts, people from all directions come to listen. One side is a human, three sides are ghosts, and four sides are gods. Even if there's no one in the audience, you still have to finish the opera."

"Everyone can only move after the play is over."

Do I have to wait until after watching the play?

The little girl blinked and blurted out, "Bad uncle, you don't need to wake them up anymore, because they'll die after the opera."

"Dead?"

I stared at her with wide eyes.

The little girl nodded innocently, "That's right, this play isn't meant for living people."

As soon as he finished speaking, the stage lights suddenly turned a deep, eerie green.

Thick black smoke rose from all sides of the stage, quickly spreading and enveloping the entire stage.

Amidst the black smoke, a terrifying scene of mountains of knives and seas of fire could be vaguely discerned.

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