Chapter 23 023 The Ghostly Play: Yes, yes, yes, only you are the beauty...

The two had officially entered the island in the middle of the lake. The dilapidated buildings that had been standing during the day had now been transformed into magnificent new buildings, with flying eaves, carved beams and painted rafters, lanterns hanging high, and colorful ribbons fluttering in the wind.

Amid cheers and the sound of gongs, the soft, melodious voice of a woman singing opera could be heard from inside.

A large number of people, men, women, and children, rushed into the building, jostling to get inside.

The surroundings were filled with eerie ghostly energy, and Yun Tianjiao could barely suppress his true words. When the Ghost-Slaying Blade encountered such dense ghostly energy, it felt like it was about to fly out of its sheath and wreak havoc everywhere.

"Oh dear, it's starting! Hurry up and get in, or there won't be any front-row seats left!"

"Wan Niangzi's performance is absolutely not to be missed!"

"Wan Cai'er has a show today?! Why didn't you say so earlier!"

"Wan Cai'er! Wan Cai'er!!"

Yun Tianjiao and Zhiwei were jostled and pushed around in the crowd. If she hadn't had her experience in the ghost realm, she probably wouldn't have been able to remain calm being surrounded by so many ghosts on such a night.

"Shall we go in?" she mouthed to Zhiwei.

Zhiwei nodded, "Let's go in and take a look first."

So the two followed the ghosts into the theater.

The building was packed with ghosts, every seat filled. All eyes were fixed on the graceful woman on the stage, listening to her mournful tunes and sorrowful lyrics. Every smile and frown was filled with deep affection.

Yun Tianjiao chatted with the ghost beside him, "This Lady Wan's opera is so poignant."

"Oh, how could it not be tragic! Madam Wan was a woman of ill fate. She originally had a young master from a very wealthy family who fell in love with her. He finally persuaded his family, who didn't care about her background, to redeem her from the opera troupe and marry her as his principal wife with all the proper betrothal gifts. But then war broke out, and the young master was summoned to the front and died in battle..."

As an outsider, Yun Tianjiao felt heartbroken and regretful just hearing about this story, let alone how the person involved must have felt, experiencing excruciating pain and despair.

Looking up again at the woman dancing and singing on the stage, every word she uttered was filled with sorrow and lamentation.

"The general dies in a hundred battles, from now on, to whom shall I adorn myself with rouge and powder? My love and affection are mutual, I long for you day and night, I will not abandon you until I see your bones, I will not rest until death. The marriage certificate is still here, but my beloved has not returned, I have nowhere to express my sorrow..."

"I sing the song, with my delicate eyebrows and crimson lips, by this lamplight, year after year, I wait, whether I live or die, until the general returns in triumph, to escort me out of the bridal sedan chair..."

Lovers finally get married, but are separated by death at the last moment. How can this not break one's heart and bring tears to one's eyes?

"Your Highness, Your Highness, wake up!"

Yun Tianjiao was jolted awake by a heavy pat on the shoulder. He tasted blood in his mouth and vomited a mouthful of blood.

The woman's enchanting voice echoed throughout the building, layer upon layer, lingering and disturbing people, making them feel confused and dizzy.

Yun Tianjiao realized that he had fallen into the trick of the ghost, so he drew his True Word and slashed forward. Instantly, he broke free from the airtight despair and emerged from his cocoon.

The illusion shattered, and everything was revealed in its true form.

The brightly lit theater was plunged into darkness in an instant. The carved beams were gone, the music was gone, and the full house of guests was gone. The place where they stood was covered with cobwebs and dust. On the crooked and rotten wooden tables and chairs, there were many skeletons.

Countless people have stumbled into this place, just like she did, becoming engrossed in the play, unable to extricate themselves, exhausting their energy, and unknowingly losing their lives.

Yun Tianjiao felt a wave of fear. If it weren't for Zhiwei, this place would have been her burial ground.

"This ghost actor is really amazing..."

As soon as he finished speaking, rustling sounds filled the entire theater, and countless dark figures pounced on the two of them. They were all blue-faced, fanged, skin and bones, with their mouths wide open.

Yun Tianjiao suddenly had a flash of inspiration, "Could these be hungry ghosts? Those who starved to death?"

Zhiwei was still in the mood to smile at a time like this, "Your Highness is wise."

"These hungry ghosts don't look as pleasing to the eye as the lustful ghosts..."

Yun Tianjiao leaped up, first kicking the nearest one away, then wielding his Ghost-Slaying Blade, severing the heads of several hungry ghosts as easily as chopping melons and vegetables.

"Your Highness shows no mercy to these hungry ghosts as you do to lustful ghosts... You truly judge ghosts by their appearance." Zhiwei put two fingers together, chanted a spell, and burned one ghost after another, burning two ghosts after two.

Yun Tianjiao wanted to roll his eyes. "Look at them, where is the fragrance or the jade? In comparison, every one of the lust ghosts is a beauty, at least they're pleasing to the eye."

“Those things don’t even deserve to be called beauties?” Zhiwei said, dissatisfied.

"Yes, yes, you are the only beauty."

After one wave of hungry ghosts was wiped out, other types of ghosts quickly pounced on them, a motley crew of all kinds.

Among them, the appearance of the wronged ghosts was the most inconsistent. Some had ropes around their necks, clearly having been hanged, some had knives stabbed in the chest, and some were crushed into meat patties... Yun Tianjiao's eyes were opened, and he killed wave after wave of them, making countless ghosts disappear overnight.

As dawn broke and the faint morning light began to filter in, a short, thin, big-headed ghost suddenly appeared before her, clutching a tiger-headed doll in its hand. Its large, empty eyes stared at her, and Yun Tianjiao's heart skipped a beat.

"Zhiwei, why do you think there are so many ghosts on this island..."

Zhiwei pondered for a moment, and then thought of the same thing as Yun Tianjiao: "They were the people of Huaicheng a hundred years ago."

Suddenly, the Demon-Slaying Blade became much harder to use. Fortunately, it was already broad daylight, and the few remaining ghosts vanished as soon as they saw the sunlight.

Yun Tianjiao was exhausted and collapsed on the spot, not caring about the dirt.

“These people are innocent. They were harmed by the evil spirits. After they died, their souls were trapped here and had to help the evil spirits do evil. When they encountered us, their souls were scattered.”

"Does Your Highness mean you wish to perform a ritual to help them pass on to the afterlife?"

Yun Tianjiao: "You have a solution?"

Zhiwei said, "I'm afraid we still need to find the real culprit first."

Yun Tianjiao recalled the lyrics sung by the ghost last night and roughly figured out her background.

"This opera ghost was originally the top performer in this theater. She was engaged to a young master from a wealthy family, but he later joined the army and died in battle, never to be seen again. This opera ghost must have been waiting here in vain, fantasizing that her beloved would return to marry her. She sang operas day and night to keep watch, but her wish was never fulfilled until her death, which is why she became a vengeful spirit..."

There was just one thing she couldn't understand.

"If that's the case, it seems that the people of Huaicheng have no grudge against this top Peking Opera performer. I wonder why the entire city was slaughtered."

Zhiwei used magic to clean the surroundings, then summoned a washing utensils and personally washed and wiped Yun Tianjiao's handkerchief.

He always managed to take good care of her, no matter where they were.

"Since this ghost has such strong control over everything on this island, her remains must still be on the island. I will go out to find her grave when it is fully light. Your Highness, please rest here."

Yun Tianjiao disagreed, saying, "I want to go with you."

"Your Highness..." Zhiwei wanted to persuade him further.

Yun Tianjiao pressed his index finger against his lips.

Zhiwei froze completely, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

Yun Tianjiao immediately stopped, realizing that his actions were inappropriate. To cover up his embarrassment, he lowered his eyes and avoided looking at Zhiwei.

"I'm not comfortable being here alone. You witnessed my strength last night, and I can still help you in a critical moment."

Although the tone was one of discussion, it was clear that a decision had already been made.

Zhiwei pursed her lips slightly, as if savoring the fleeting sensation from just now, while still holding a damp handkerchief in her hand.

Yun Tianjiao simply took the handkerchief, wiped the dirt off his face, and then stood up. "Let's go. Tomorrow is the deadline, so we need to hurry."