Chapter 24 024 The Gravesite: I Can't Act

Remains are of great importance to ghosts and spirits, so how could Wan Cai'er easily let them find the tomb?

The two were led around like they were playing hide-and-seek, wandering around the island without any clue.

Seeing that Yun Tianjiao was somewhat anxious, Zhiwei said, "Your Highness, there is a way."

"What method?"

"Set it on fire. The location of the tomb is protected by magic, so it should be easy to see at a glance."

Yun Tianjiao had actually considered this method, but he was a little worried about Zhiwei. "Wouldn't that consume a lot of your divine power? You fought a tough battle all night yesterday, can you still hold on?"

"You can give it a try."

Zhiwei said to Yun Tianjiao, "Your Highness, I apologize for my rudeness," and before she could react, she grabbed her waist and leaped into the air.

The island in the middle of the lake instantly turned into an endless sea of ​​fire beneath their feet.

Thick smoke billowed and heat waves surged, making it seem more like purgatory than the mortal world.

Yun Tianjiao coughed from the choking smoke, and Zhiwei immediately raised her arm. The wide sleeves of the Heavenly God's Daoist robe still carried the lingering fragrance of peach blossoms, which masked the strong, acrid smell of smoke.

"Your divine power is enough, right? What if we run out of power and fall down?" She glanced down tentatively, unconsciously tightening her grip on Zhiwei's arm.

Zhiwei chuckled softly, and gently lowered her hand that had been shielding Yun Tianjiao from the thick smoke, lightly supporting the back of her head.

At this point, the two were almost embracing.

Zhiwei turned her head, lightly brushing her lips against Yun Tianjiao's hair, and said in a deep voice with a smile, "Your Highness has already built a thousand temples for me, they can't all be useless."

Yun Tianjiao caught a glimpse of the sea of ​​fire below out of the corner of his eye, and then looked at the person in front of him, who was calm and composed. A sense of doubt suddenly arose in his heart.

Despite such a high level of divine power depletion, he showed no signs of strain whatsoever. It didn't seem like the strength of a Venerable One at all. Could it be that the number of his worshippers has increased dramatically recently?

But now is not the time to think about these things. Yun Tianjiao suppressed his doubts and said to Zhiwei:

"Have you been able to pinpoint the location of the tomb?"

Zhiwei glanced down casually. "Hmm, I saw it."

He casually waved his sleeve, and the fire was extinguished in an instant.

The two landed back on the island, where they found themselves on scorched earth.

What appeared before them was a quiet courtyard.

The courtyard was not destroyed by the fire, and an out-of-season bamboo grove still grows inside. There is even a stream flowing through it, with a pond full of koi swimming around.

In the center of the courtyard, surrounded by bamboo groves, stand two graves side by side.

"If we destroy this grave, will we be able to get rid of that ghost?" Yun Tianjiao had already clenched his fist, preparing for a great battle.

Zhiwei replied, "Does Your Highness wish to perform a ritual to appease the spirits of the dead on the island?"

Yun Tianjiao paused in his action of drawing his sword, turning his head to look at Zhiwei: "If we destroy the tombs, will it affect the spirits of the dead on the island?"

Zhiwei nodded: "The Ghost of the Play has occupied the island for many years, and these spirits have long become her vassals, recognizing her as their master. Destroying her remains can certainly get rid of her, but all the spirits will also be scattered along with the Ghost of the Play."

Yun Tianjiao frowned. "Then what should we do? Is there any other way?"

Zhiwei said, "It seems we'll have to wait until tonight to confront the real culprit."

Yun Tianjiao sighed, "I'm afraid it will be like last night, where she uses a play to trick us and brings in a bunch of little devils to waste our time."

Zhiwei seemed to have an idea. She took two steps forward, approached the fence of the small courtyard, and deliberately raised her voice: "How about we make a deal?"

The bamboo grove moves swiftly even without wind, the bamboo leaves rustling as if in response.

“I have a wonderful script here. You’ve been living alone here for years, always performing a solo act. You must be feeling lonely. Why don’t you take a look at this script? If you’re interested, we can perform a play with you, how about that?”

After a long silence, the barrier that seemed to be heavily enchanted suddenly opened a gap.

Yun Tianjiao was somewhat incredulous. "This is letting us in? She just lets us in like this?"

This is her stronghold, a real dead end, yet she opened her doors wide and let them get close just because of the seduction of a play script.

"He lingers at the opera house, singing and chanting every night; he must be a true opera fanatic." Zhiwei didn't offer much comment and went into the courtyard first.

The two stood before the two tombs. Yun Tianjiao looked closely and saw that they were inscribed with "My wife's tomb, Wan Cai'er" and "My husband's tomb, Liang Yue".

It turns out that the young general who died on the battlefield was named Liang Yue.

Generally speaking, the inscriptions on tombstones are written in the voice of the person who erected them. It is reasonable for Wan Cai'er to erect a tombstone for her deceased husband. However, it is certainly not erected by her long-deceased fiancé. The inscription "Tomb of my wife, Wan Cai'er" is a bit strange.

Unless Wan Cai'er imitates her beloved's tone and erects a monument for herself after her death.

From this perspective, she is indeed deeply in love.

Zhiwei opened her right palm, and a faint silver light rose from it. The light slowly flew towards Wan Cai'er's grave and quickly disappeared.

"What is this?" Yun Tianjiao asked.

Zhiwei replied, "A play script."

Yun Tianjiao never expected that Zhiwei actually had a script; she thought he was just trying to trick Wan Cai'er.

Zhiwei seemed to guess what Yun Tianjiao was thinking and winked at her: "The gods do not speak in jest."

When mortals worship gods, they naturally have something to ask for, and what gods value most in making promises is their credibility. This statement will likely bring him a surge in worshippers.

Yun Tianjiao felt both relieved and nervous, staring intently at Wan Cai'er's grave, even his breathing became soft.

A moment later—

“Alright, she agreed,” Zhiwei suddenly said.

"Hmm? What did you promise?"

“She likes the script, and if we are willing to act out the play with her tonight, she is willing to come out and show herself in person.”

Yun Tianjiao was overjoyed, "If I can meet her in her true form, perhaps I can resolve the resentment on her body, and then the other dead spirits on this island can also be freed."

Zhiwei nodded, "This is the best outcome."

Having reached an agreement, it was not appropriate to disturb their peace any longer, so the two of them came out of the small courtyard.

Looking at the devastated island, Yun Tianjiao was a little worried. "This fire has burned down even the last remaining remnants of the opera house. Where will we go to accompany her to sing opera tonight?"

Zhiwei said, "What we burned were only things from the mortal realm; it did not affect her property in the underworld. Your Highness need not worry about that."

Only after his reminder did Yun Tianjiao realize that her biggest worry right now wasn't having nowhere to perform, but that she was actually going to perform tonight!

She has been wealthy and noble for generations, always sitting in the audience watching the show; how could she possibly go on stage to perform?

"What kind of script did you have that made her willing to negotiate with you? And am I really going to pick a role to play?"

Zhiwei countered, "Your Highness is unwilling?"

"No, not really..." Yun Tianjiao actually found it somewhat novel, "It's just that I can't act."

"It's alright, Your Highness, I can teach you."

Unlike the clear blue sky of yesterday, today was rather overcast, so it got dark earlier than yesterday.

As darkness fell, the once desolate island came alive again. The magnificent opera house rose from the ground, still brightly lit, as clear as day. But unlike the day before, it was quiet today, with no noisy guests.

Zhiwei took Yun Tianjiao's hand and led her into the empty theater, but instead of going to the audience seats in front of the stage, she went around to the back of the stage.

Behind the stage is a secluded corridor that connects one room after another, filled with a dazzling array of costumes and props, all bright, shiny, and spotless, just as the theater looked at its peak.

Zhiwei found a room where weapons were kept, rummaged through it, and finally picked one out.

Yun Tianjiao had never seen such a weapon before. It was about the length of an adult's forearm, made entirely of golden metal, with larger ends that were hollowed out like a lantern, and a thinner middle that looked just right for holding in one's hand.

She looked at it curiously for a moment, then asked Zhiwei, "What is this?"

“The vajra is a weapon.” Zhiwei held the vajra in one hand and pulled Yun Tianjiao with the other, then went to another room.

Inside the room were tables, bronze mirrors, and various kinds of rouge and face powder, suggesting it was a place specifically for makeup.

Yun Tianjiao was led by Zhiwei to sit down in front of a bronze mirror. She looked at herself in the mirror, her hair bun undone by him, and her long, black hair cascaded down.

Zhiwei handed the vajra to Yun Tianjiao, and then stood behind her to comb her hair.

"Why did you choose this weapon?" Yun Tianjiao asked.

Zhiwei replied, "The protagonist of today's play is a ghost attached to this vajra."

"Am I going to play that ghost?" she asked.

"No." Zhiwei smiled and shook her head.

He leaned down gently, his head close to hers, and their faces appeared simultaneously in the bronze mirror. His deep black eyes gazed tenderly at her through the mirror, his voice slow and deliberate: "Your Highness will play the role of a cultivator who will suppress and seal this ghost."