Chapter 451: 'A Survival'
Just as the noise reached its climax, a man dressed in a neat blue cloth gown and looking like a manager walked quickly to the center of the stage.
He raised his hands, palms facing down, made several powerful downward gestures, and shouted in a loud voice: "Dear guests! Please be quiet! The performance will begin immediately!"
His voice seemed to have some kind of magic. The noisy theater quickly quieted down with him as the center, leaving only a few low whispers like the receding tide.
The steward nodded with satisfaction and quickly retreated.
Immediately afterwards, several men pushed large boxes onto the stage and then retreated. Then, two men in strange, brightly colored costumes walked out from behind the backstage curtain.
Both of them had a thin layer of powder on their faces, their eyebrows and eyes were long and slender, and their movements were rhythmic and gentle.
They stood side by side and bowed to the audience in unison, performing a standard theatrical salute.
One of them said in a slightly shrill voice: "Slave Yinda."
Another one immediately joined in, his voice even softer: "Your servant Yin Er."
The two men said in unison, "Today, my two brothers will present this 'shocking and shocking human transformation' to you, our distinguished guests!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the audience erupted in thunderous applause and excited cheers, the sound waves almost blew the roof off.
The man who called himself Yin Da glanced at the audience with a smile, his narrow eyes seemed to have hooks: "I wonder which distinguished guest would be willing to come on stage today and try it out for himself, and cooperate with my two brothers to complete this magical trick of 'resurrecting a living person'?" He deliberately dragged out the tone, with temptation.
As soon as he finished speaking, a burly, bearded man in the front row suddenly raised his arms and shouted in a loud voice: "I'll do it! Let me try!" He looked eager to try, as if he was going to wrestle.
Yin Er's eyes fell on the burly man. He covered his mouth and chuckled softly, his orchid finger slightly raised, and his voice was soft and charming with a hint of ridicule: "Oh my, this guest is very heroic and his spirit is commendable! But..."
His eyes flickered as he pointed to an exquisite wooden box beside the stage that looked like it could only accommodate an average adult. "Look at our 'Treasure Box of Wonderland'. It's so small and exquisite, I'm afraid... it can't accommodate your strong and sturdy body! If you force it in, the box might break and you'd get stuck, and that would be... not pretty!" He raised the end of his voice, causing the audience to laugh.
Yin Er's playful ridicule was like a drop of water thrown into a frying pan, instantly causing the audience to burst into laughter.
The burly bearded man's face was burning with laughter. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly with his big hand like a palm-leaf fan and shouted in a rough voice: "What are you laughing at! No one is allowed to laugh!" His forced appearance made the laughter even louder.
Yin Da raised his arm just in time to silence the clamor. His narrow eyes swept across the countless eager faces below the stage. His voice rose a few notches, carrying an alluring allure: "Dear guests! Is there anyone else willing to come on stage and assist my two brothers in performing this magical 'resurrection'? Just like yesterday, all participants will receive a reward of ten taels of silver!"
"Ten taels?!"
Lan Xiyue's heart was filled with alarm, and her eyebrows were instantly twisted into a knot.
In this era, ten taels of silver was enough to keep a poor family afloat for months! How could such a sum of money be spent on a seemingly entertaining magic show? Her keen intuition told her that this "reward" was far from simple and pure. She wondered if she was overthinking it.
Qian Duoduo leaned closer, his warm breath brushing against Lan Xiyue's ear. He lowered his voice and explained, "Yueyue, this is one of the reasons why 'The Great Transmigration' is always sold out! Who wouldn't be tempted to win ten taels of silver for cooperating with the performance? But..."
She curled her lips. "Actually, most people who come to the Baihua Theater to watch a play for entertainment don't lack the money. Most of them are just curious and want to see the 'secret' of how they make people disappear."
These words were like lighting a powder keg.
The crowd in the audience erupted in excitement, their faces lit up with ecstasy. They'd only spent half a tael of silver to enter the Baihua Opera House, and they could earn twenty times that back just by performing on stage! This was simply pie in the sky!
For a moment, the entire hall was filled with noise, arms raised high like a forest, and countless voices rushed to shout: "Choose me! Choose me!"
"let me!"
"Here! Here!" Everyone wanted to be locked in the gaze of the person on the stage.
Yin Da pressed his hands down again, a professional, embarrassed smile on his face. "Quiet! Quiet! I am truly flattered by the hospitality of our distinguished guests, and it is truly difficult to make a decision... Please be quiet for a moment, so that I can carefully select a suitable person."
The noise gradually died down under Yinda's comfort, and countless pairs of eyes stared at the stage with anticipation.
Yin Da's gaze was like a searchlight, slowly sweeping across the faces in the front row of the audience.
When his gaze swept over Lan Xiyue, his slender eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had discovered a rare treasure - the woman in front of him had a beautiful face and outstanding temperament, and her clothes were low-key yet revealing an unconcealable luxury.
But this astonishment only lasted for a moment, and Yin Da's heart immediately sounded a warning bell: this kind of woman is definitely not an ordinary family, she is very likely a noble lady! If he accidentally offends her, the subsequent troubles will be endless... His eyes flickered, and almost immediately, without hesitation, he turned his gaze away from Lan Xiyue, as if he had never stopped.
Lan Xiyue keenly caught that brief and unusual look.
She raised her eyebrows slightly, her doubts growing even stronger. That look just now was clearly filled with scrutiny and a hint of... regret? She almost thought he would choose her, but his gaze quickly jumped away like a frightened rabbit.
This deliberate avoidance, on the contrary, cast a deeper shadow of doubt in her heart.
Finally, Yinda's gaze fixed on a pretty girl in the back row.
"Please invite this girl to come on stage!" he announced loudly.
The girl who was chosen instantly broke into a smile of surprise on her face. With a bit of shyness, she lowered her head and walked quickly onto the stage under the envious or curious gazes of the crowd.
Lan Xiyue tilted her head and whispered to Qian Duoduo, "Duoduo, do you recognize the girl who came on stage later?"
Qian Duoduo shook his head blankly and said matter-of-factly, "Yueyue, the capital is so big, with so many people, how can I possibly know everyone? I feel like my ancestors have accumulated great virtue and burned incense to be able to know you!"
Lan Xiyue smiled at her exaggerated yet sincere statement, but the smile quickly disappeared and her gaze returned to the stage solemnly.
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