Chapter 299: Night Watchman's Traces
All the immortal cultivators were attending the funeral on the mountain, and at the foot of the mountain there were only eight disciples standing on the hill to watch over the people kneeling and worshipping.
But as a burst of energy suddenly rushed out in the night, the eight disciples' eyes went dark and they fell to the ground.
At this time, Ji You landed in a dark corner in front of the stage and looked towards the platform.
The clown on the stage had completed his opening appearance, and then picked up the bag on the table on the stage, while at the same time a leisurely singing voice came over.
"Prepare yourself in the dark room with a strong will—"
"Tighten your clothes, tie up your bags, and sharpen your swords!"
"I have long since made a wish to become a god—"
Wu Hualian tightened his sword and turned back: "Protect the four directions!"
At this time, an old actor came on stage, took a few quick steps, lifted up the hem of his robe and said, "Wait a minute, Junior Brother!"
"Brother, I have made up my mind. Don't worry about leaving now."
"Cats and dogs living under the same roof are attached to each other, let alone those who have been in the same school for so many years!"
After hearing this, Wu Hua Lian pointed at the audience and said, "The ghost lights on earth are bright at night, and the gods are closing their eyes and pretending to be deaf and blind! I would rather be a sword to suppress evil spirits in wild graves than learn to carve wooden beams in the golden palace!"
The old man's hands trembled: "This time... a thousand mountain monsters, my junior brother."
Under the platform, Ji You stood sideways, listening to the singing of the people on the platform, with a faint golden color in his eyes...
The name of the play performed by the Lang family is "The Ancestor of the Lang Family Saves the World". It is said that it will be performed for nine whole nights, starting from dusk every day and ending at the crowing of the rooster at dawn.
The daytime was reserved for the opera troupe to rest, and the people could return to their farms and kneel here again before dusk.
The play on the first night was called "Leaving the Mountain", which tells the story of Lang Kun, who had achieved success in his early years of cultivation, and seeing the sufferings of the world, he came down the mountain to protect the four directions, waved his sleeves to bring rain when there was a drought, and raised his arms to move mountains when there was a flood.
At dawn, Cishan Yunyou sang its last scene, and the artists on the stage began to leave one after another.
Under the makeshift shed, the young boss stepped out, bowed and thanked several mainstays for their hard work.
He watched half the show the night before, and after making sure everything went well, he went to sleep for two hours. Now, after seeing off the artists with his fatigue still not completely subsided, he began to direct his men to come to the front of the stage to change the scenery.
Last night we sang Farewell to the Mountain, with mountains and clouds as the background, and the next scene will be set against a small town and lake.
The scenery already had signs of being old and did not look like new works, especially the Lang in the play "The Lang Family Ancestor Saves the World" on the stage, which was also temporarily sewn with cloth with color difference.
Ji You could actually have been sure long ago that this was indeed an old play that had been sung countless times, and it was not something that was specially adapted for Lang Kun.
He traveled from north to south, then changed course to the west, making a big circle and listening to various forms of singing and performances.
Shadow puppets, big drums, sanxian... most of the stories I've heard are similar to the ones about immortals who keep night watches and slay evil spirits and are worshipped by the people, but this is the first time I've heard someone singing their origins.
Ji You knew that this troupe must know more about their repertoire.
So he left at dawn, found a secluded place to practice body training, and then returned to the stage at the foot of Wangyang Mountain at dusk.
The first night he left the mountain, the second night he traveled, and then he saved the world and slayed demons and evil spirits.
This play was originally performed to mourn the ancestor of the Lang family and was revered by the people, so the focus of the drama is still on praising his merits.
There was not much difference compared to the shadow play, sanxian, and drum book he had heard before, but Ji You still saw something different.
For example, when the subsequent demon-slaying began, many artists with green faces and fangs came up covered in black cloth.
Before the opening performance, they have to hold up the black cloth and walk around the stage for a week.
Ji You used to suffer from insomnia every night. He took a lot of sleeping pills, listened to sleep-inducing music on video websites, and also listened to crosstalk and storytelling.
There was a saying in crosstalk and storytelling that he remembered very clearly: the mouth of a storyteller and the legs of an actor.
It means that a storyteller can travel a great distance just by opening his mouth, and an actor can travel all over the world just by walking around the stage.
In Ji You's eyes, the black cloth represented the night, and the circle around the field represented the night covering the world.
This is very similar to the story told in the book "Night Watch".
And his tsundere ghost has a saying, if there are too many coincidences, then they are definitely not coincidences.
“It’s a bit unnecessary.”
"This new character..."
On the night of the fifth day, Ji You saw another difference besides the darkness.
It is still a story about slaying demons, and suddenly there is a boy next to a character similar to the night watchman.
The boy's appearance was very simple. He was rescued by the guardian immortal in the opera when he passed by a farmhouse. Because he had no father or mother, the immortal stayed by his side.
But the boy's lyrics were very few, basically just about eating, sleeping, etc., which did not have much meaning, making Ji You feel that this specially arranged role seemed dispensable.
In all the plays he had heard before, this little boy did not appear, and even the night represented by the cloth was rarely seen.
This may be because other operas, when borrowing from it, also realized that this character and setting were unnecessary, so they removed them.
But Ji You knew that both the boy and the black cloth must have their reasons for existing in this opera.
Otherwise, these would not be left behind.
Singing opera is the most troublesome of all performance forms. One has to dress up and practice movements. Adding one more role will make it much more troublesome, so there is naturally no need to keep it.
On the eighth day, the sky was clear and bright.
What was sung last night was still similar to the plot of slaying evil spirits in Old Man Zhao's shadow play. Lang Kun in the story was like a savior, guarding the four directions with one man and one sword.
Ji You listened patiently, then went to find a place to train his body, preparing to wait for the final battle.
For a large-scale drama that needs to be performed for several nights, the middle sections may be filled with passionate and generous demon-slaying scenes, but the last scene is bound to tell something different.
However, when he returned from his practice in the afternoon, he found that Wangyue Mountain was in a mess.
From a distance, it seemed that some of the small families who came to pay their respects were blocked outside the door and were not allowed to enter.
Before long, countless immortal cultivators flew out from Moon-Watching Mountain in the distant sky, drifting in all directions with surprise and confusion.
Looking up, they see dense clouds covering the sky like ants moving house.
There were already people at the foot of the mountain waiting anxiously. When they saw this scene, they immediately fell to the ground, their trembling bodies conveying their fear and uneasiness.
In fact, they discovered from the first night that the immortals guarding them would fall asleep as soon as the show started.
So they are not really kneeling, they are squatting, or sitting.
Because if they really kneel, their legs will be broken in just one night, not nine days.
So when they saw the immortal flying out of the mountain, they thought their "disrespectful" behavior had been discovered and they all waited for death in fear.
But after waiting for a long time, they found that the immortals had left.
At this time, Ji You also looked at the huge immortal residence on Wangyue Mountain, and couldn't help but frowning slightly.
Because just now, he caught a glimpse of magical aura spreading in the courtyard and then quickly disappeared.
This was the funeral of the Lang family's ancestor. Logically, no one should have resorted to violence. Moreover, it was very strange that these mourners left in a hurry before the ninth day of mourning had even begun.
Nine has always been an auspicious number for success in the world.
The human race is divided into nine states, and cultivation is divided into nine realms. Leaving on the eighth day seems a bit unreasonable.
However, Ji You was waiting to watch the last show. Seeing that the artists who had rested had gathered in front of the stage, he withdrew his gaze and did not pay too much attention.
"There are a few new characters..."
"She seems to be wearing something precious..."
Ji You looked around the stage, his eyes fell on the characters he had never seen before, and he couldn't help muttering to himself.
Because this play is meant to praise Lang Kun's achievements to the people, which he himself is not aware of, so apart from Lang Kun who is mistakenly identified, the other characters that appear in the play are demons and people waiting to be saved.
The people were dressed simply, wearing grey clothes and grey pants.
But the costumes of these characters today are obviously not ordinary people, which makes Ji You feel that there may be other relationships between the characters.
However, as the show started, a group of immortal cultivators with solemn expressions suddenly came down the mountain.
The young owner of the troupe, the young actress who was just about to go on stage, and the old actor who played many passerby roles were all called over. After a few scoldings, the eyes of the three of them were immediately filled with panic, and they came back and started asking people to pack up.
At the same time, the old man also hurried away with a few errands. He came back half an hour later and brought back four carts.
Immediately afterwards, the troupe members began to load the trucks in a hurry: one truck for costumes, one truck for props, and two trucks for people. By noon, they had packed up and were ready to leave.
Not singing anymore?
Ji You was slightly startled, then walked towards the first carriage where the class owner was.
"Boss."
"Ah, it's the young master. Has Mo met the young master?"
In fact, the people in the troupe had noticed him a long time ago and knew that he would listen to operas in the audience every day. They also knew from the way he was dressed that he was not an ordinary person, as there was humility in his replies.
Ji You glanced at the house on the mountain and said, "I have been listening to the opera these past few days and I saw that you sang very well. Why didn't you sing the last act?"
Hearing the question, the old boss swallowed his saliva and said, "We don't know either. They just said that we have offended the Heavenly Might and told us to pack up and leave."
"Clashing with the power of heaven?"
"Maybe they think the play we sing is inappropriate."
Ji You turned his head to look at the mansion on the top of Wangyue Mountain and found that at some point, there were already cultivators guarding the mountain path.
However, judging from their clothes, those guarding outside are not members of the Lang family, but members of the Shanhai Pavilion.
Seeing Ji You deep in thought, the class leader couldn't help but bow and said, "May I ask if you have anything else to do? If not, we still have to hurry on our way."
Ji You came to his senses and bowed: "Excuse me, where are you going?"
"We have to go back home. This play is very tiring. We need to rest. It would be a good thing to have one less show."
Ji You took out a silver coin and said, "I have something I want to ask you. Can I go with you?"
The class owner did not dare to make a move easily, but looked at him warily: "I wonder what you want to ask, sir?"
"Nothing special, I just didn't finish listening to the play you sang, and I really want to know the rest of the story, otherwise I'll always feel a little bit uneasy."
"this……"
Seeing that he was hesitant, Ji You took out another silver coin and said, "I'm just sitting there doing nothing, and I don't think your carriage is too crowded."
The old boss thought for a while and then reached out his hand and took one of the smaller ones away: "These are enough."
"Thank you for your help, Master."
"Sir, please get in the car. There are many troubles in front of this immortal family. We should leave early."
Ji You nodded and then got on the carriage.
Then the coachman whipped the carriage in front and it began to move slowly.
The people in this troupe are mortals who eat the food of immortals. They are always very cautious when traveling around the country and will not answer anything without being asked.
This is not because they have secrets to keep, but because they are afraid that if they say something inappropriate, it will be regarded as an offense to the immortals and they will be killed.
Ji You did not directly state his purpose, but chatted casually with the class owner.
All the members of their troupe came from a county called Pingxi in the southeast of Yunzhou. They have traveled far and wide for many years and are quite popular among immortals because of their specialties, so they are doing pretty well.
It is also because of this that their lineage is not like shadow puppetry, where the inheritance has been interrupted midway and they can’t even clearly identify who their master is.
On the contrary, the inheritance of their lineage is very clear, which makes Ji You feel fortunate.
As for the play that was performed during these eight days, it did not go beyond Ji You's expectations.
According to the old troupe owner, this play is indeed an old play that their troupe has performed for decades.
Whenever an immortal passed away and the noble families wanted all the people to mourn together, the immortals would specifically request this play and would also ask them to replace the protagonist in the story with the name of their own ancestor in order to create glory for their family.
What do people understand?
They don't even know what cultivation is.
Some people will actually believe it after hearing it, and think that although the immortal has to collect money and grain every year, he is really protecting them.
In other words, the original story of this play was most likely about the night watchmen.
Ji You went straight to the point and asked, "What about the last play? What was the last play about?"
After hearing this, the troupe leader opened the box behind him and took out a book: "This is the content of the last play, please take a look..."
“This book is quite new.”
"yes."
Ji You reached out and opened the cover, his eyes immediately falling on the book.
At this time, the carriage had already left the territory of Wangyue Mountain and was swaying along a dilapidated official road covered with dense jungle.
The sunlight filtered through the shade of the trees, casting patches of light all over the ground, which were then scattered by the carriages passing by on the road.
In the last carriage, which was two carriages away from the troupe leader, sat side by side the Huadan, Qingyi, Laosheng, Wusheng, etc.
Ever since leaving Wangyue Mountain, the young actress has been feeling uneasy. When she could no longer see Wangyue Mountain, she finally couldn't help but open her mouth.
"The ancestor of the Lang family might have come back to life..."
The old man was shocked when he heard this: "Nonsense! Only mortals can fake a corpse, how can an immortal fake a corpse?"
The young actress said with pale lips: "If it wasn't a resurrection, why did they ask us if we sang a play about the resurrection of the dead, and those immortals suddenly left."
Wusheng, who was sitting next to them, hadn't spoken a word since he got on the bus. Seeing the two talking about this, he couldn't help but speak: "I saw a shadow sitting up in the mourning hall last night..."
The Lang family's plays are divided into inner and outer scenes.
The singing of praises outside is for the common people, while the performances inside are for the immortals.
There was a martial arts scene yesterday and this martial artist was taken into the mountains. He was restless after coming back and blurted out the whole thing at this time.
The young actress's face turned even paler: "Are you serious?"
"It was just a blurry glance, I didn't see it clearly, maybe he was just a filial son who was waiting by his side..."
"Okay, don't forget the class motto, keep your ears shut, cover your eyes, keep your mouth shut, and keep your heart calm."
The old man was very timid and could not help but stop their discussion.
The young actress and the martial artist also knew that this matter was very serious, so they finally shut their mouths and fell silent on the bumpy carriage.
At the same time, Ji You had finished reading the script of the last scene and looked somewhat speechless.
He thought that the last scene would contain a huge amount of information, after all, new character relationships appeared in it.
In his opinion, even if he couldn't find the Night Watchman himself, it might not be a bad thing as long as he could figure out the relationships around him.
But he was careless, or rather, he ignored the purpose of the play.
The original story of this last scene was not about the Night Watchman at all, but was changed to Lang Kun's story.
In the story, after saving the world, Lang Kun went to Shanhai Pavilion, practiced Taoism, and finally died of old age. He was buried with the wailing of the people, and returned to the world in glory.
When entering the fairyland, the great Lang Kun recited a poem facing the mortal world.
After thousands of years of cultivation, I finally achieve success in one day. Looking back at the mountains and rivers, I burst into tears.
I feel tired before I even step onto the steps to heaven, and I cannot bear the weeping of the world.
Ji You didn't know what crime he had committed to watch such a thing, so he handed the script to the troupe owner and asked, "Is this a new play written after the old one?"
The class owner nodded: "The first eight scenes are fixed, and the last one is written based on the life story provided by the host family."
"No wonder there are so many characters in fancy clothes. They are the children of the Lang family. What a sin..."
"Young Master, do you have great respect for the ancestor of the Lang family?"
Ji You looked up at the class leader: "No, I just have great respect for the original person in the story."
Hearing this, the class owner was stunned for a moment.
Seeing this, Ji You asked again, "Can the class owner tell me the unedited story?"
"Uncensored?"
“It just hasn’t been adapted.”
The class leader shook his head upon hearing this: "In fact, let alone the original story, I have never even heard of the original ninth scene. There is a rule in our school that this last scene will only be passed down before the elders die."
Ji You thought for a while after hearing this: "What about that night? In the play you sang, what does the night full of demons represent?"
"This...hasn't been passed down yet."
"Only the older generation of your school knows about this, right?"
The class leader did not answer directly, but suddenly asked: "Sir, do you think this story is true?"
Ji You was slightly startled: "Could it be that even the class owner himself doesn't believe it?"
"How can there be such an immortal? If there really is such an immortal, how could the world become what it is now? But it's not just Young Master who believes in him. Our Grand Master has always believed in him..."
"Master?"
The boss nodded and said, "My great master is the oldest of our generation, but he is too old now and no longer works as a trader."
After hearing this, Ji You asked curiously, "May I ask how old the master is this year?"
"Over seventy."
"This kind of longevity is really rare."
Ji You felt that he seemed to have found the right person. After a long silence, he spoke again: "Master, can you take me to see your great master?"
In fact, the troupe owner did not believe at first that Ji You was interested in the opera he sang, thinking that he had other intentions. But after chatting along the way, he found that this man really only asked questions related to opera.
The opera is meant to be performed for others to hear, there is nothing to hide.
Moreover, he felt that Ji You was not a bad person from his words and actions, so the class leader was silent for a while, and then nodded hesitantly.
(End of this chapter)
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