Chapter 274: Play Stage

The two words "painter" immediately raised Pei Ye's eyebrows.

Li Piaoqing was also startled. She looked at the youth, and together they condensed their eyes and looked at the stage, no longer having the intention of leaving after listening for a while.

This play was sung for an hour.

It was impossible to find the quiet and harmonious atmosphere of a proper playhouse here. There was only constant noise. Play guests only occupied a small half, and the rest were women and old people bringing children to find a place to play.

However, those children, big and small, listened the most seriously. Many didn't even have adults with them, rolling up their trousers, with black feet, and their braids covered with the dust of the Seven-Meng Jiucheng. They chattered and discussed the plot and lyrics seriously, and occasionally followed along to sing a few lines—it was they who added a layer of noise that couldn't be eliminated to the theater.

But even so, very few people left their seats. Those play guests from elsewhere seemed to have long been accustomed to this atmosphere, and even the two leaders on the second floor listened to the whole play quietly.

Pei Ye and Li Piaoqing sat until the end in such an atmosphere, but the expectation at the beginning fell through.

This was indeed a story of a snake immortal falling in love with a painter, but the two didn't find any elements related to Xi Wantian in it. No genius becoming famous, no entering the mountains for a month, no "Scroll of Approaching Immortals"... or rather, the "painter" character didn't get any ink in this play at all.

He was more like a tool or a thin symbol. The whole play focused entirely on the perspective of the White Snake Immortal, singing about her fate of being born to tend to immortal grass, singing about her moving her mortal heart and meeting the painter, singing about her falling in love with him, singing about the immortal grass withering, and her wanting to become mortal and spend her life with the painter, but finally being caught by the immortal, and the two suffering eternal separation. As for the painter, even the ending was not explained.

"This big brother, is this painter one of our Xiangzhou?" The girl asked the play guest beside her again, "I heard that there was a 'Xi Wantian' who was very famous thirty years ago..."

"Ah? Who is Xi Wantian?" The play guest turned his head blankly with red eyes.

However, this play was indeed as the student said, sorrowful. Its moving quality did not lie in the true feelings between the White Snake and the painter with a vague image, but in the sorrow of the White Snake woman herself wandering between two paths.

This play had a long monologue by the female role. The lyrics were elegant and precise, and the imagery captured was mostly things like night dew, morning mist, immortal grass, and white snakes, which were cold and lung-invading. Therefore, once one listened to this play, it was as if one were on a high cliff invaded by cold fog, watching the White Snake woman struggling painfully between two paths. One path led to the cold, high, and distant clouds, where the accompanying immortal grass was about to wither, and she should abide by the vow of her birth to feed it with saliva and blood; the other path fell into the warm and chaotic red dust, where the man who had made a vow of white-headed unity with her was anxiously looking for her.

No matter which side, it made the audience worry tightly.

"She should have broken off the love with this painter and gone back to feed the immortal grass." The girl leaning on Pei Ye's shoulder suddenly whispered.

Pei Ye was startled and smiled: "Why do you always have thoughts different from normal people?"

"No, the immortal grass will die without it, but it won't die without love." The girl whispered and smiled.

Unfortunately, this was a book praising love. Here, true feelings could always defeat fate. The White Snake woman still chose the path to the human world, but she didn't end up spending her life with her sweetheart. The immortal forcibly took her back to the sky, imprisoning her by the immortal grass for a lifetime.

When this tragedy fell, the girl immersed in it buried her head softly on Pei Ye's shoulder.

Pei Ye hesitated for a moment, opened his arms, and gently wrapped around her waist from behind: "Didn't you say you wanted her to go back to the sky?"

"I said she should, not that she would be happy." The girl said muffledly, "And she wasn't willing either."

Then she whispered: "This play is really good, I want to move it back to Bowang."

"Actually, there is a path for both." Pei Ye looked up and thought seriously about the solution, "It could steal the immortal's cultivation method first, secretly practice until it's stronger than the immortal, bring the immortal grass to the mortal world, or pick up the painter to the sky, then both can be perfect..."

Li Piaoqing rolled her eyes helplessly.

"This play can't see anything." The girl got up and looked at the sky outside, "You can find someone to buy the play script and take a look, and you can also take it back to Bowang."

Pei Ye nodded and agreed: "Are you leaving?"

"I handed in a post to Bixiao Pavilion in the morning, making an appointment to meet their head manager in the afternoon. Now there are only two quarter-hours left." Li Piaoqing smiled and reminded, "The script is the treasure of the theater, especially such a good play, they mostly don't want to sell it. Remember to be polite and don't be stingy with silver."

"Then how much money?"

"Generally speaking, it is calculated as ten to twenty times the income of a play. However, their play fee here is too cheap..." The girl thought for a while, "About ten taels is a fair price, and anything below twenty taels can be bought."

Pei Ye took a breath: "So expensive."

Then he thought for a while, picked up the black cat, and placed it on the girl's shoulder: "Okay, then take this."

Li Piaoqing was stunned: "Ah?"

"It can pass messages."

"...?" The girl tilted her head and looked. This quiet and beautiful little cat was lying motionless. She hesitated and reached out to touch it, but was avoided.

"Get along well." Pei Ye said seriously, not knowing who he was exhorting.

————

The play ended, and the noise suddenly became a level more chaotic. Many children rushed to the stage to help move tables and chairs. The young female role who sang with a cold voice didn't leave the stage either. At this time, she smiled gently, answered the children's questions, and distributed the candies and snacks in her hands to them one by one.

Pei Ye bid farewell to the girl and carried his sword to the backstage. While walking, he looked up and saw the two leaders on the second floor still sitting motionless.

Stepping into the backstage, the large screen blocked the daylight, and the noise was also separated by a layer. Several laborers were busy, and they didn't have time to pay attention to him, so Pei Ye went straight to the inner corridor to find someone.

However, he found that the theater was deserted. The further he went, the fewer people he saw. It turned out that the few hired workers were all busy in the front stage.

Walking another stretch, Pei Ye's footsteps paused, and he finally heard voices.

"Two coins are two coins, this word falls and becomes a nail, no one can change it." A thick, old voice came from behind a thin wall, somewhat exhausted, "I have calculated it for you. A family of three, the man goes to the pier to exert strength, and a good day's work is only eleven or twelve copper coins. The woman washes clothes and weaves cloth, and on average, she gets four or five coins a day. Two coins for a play, in Seven-Meng Jiucheng, this is the highest price."

Pei Ye paused his footsteps. It was very quiet here. He held his breath, and the happy noise outside seemed to be two worlds from here.

"... But there are sixteen or seventeen coins a day, we raise it to four coins, even three coins..."

"Ji Yun!" The old voice was higher, "Don't play dumb! You don't know! People who earn sixteen or seventeen taels of silver a day can easily take three or four taels to spend; but people who earn sixteen or seventeen copper coins a day, dare they take three or four coins to play?"

The room was quiet.

"Then what can we do?" The young voice was also higher, and even brought some crying, "Master, which of us brothers doesn't have real skills? If we raise the price to ten coins, it will still be full every time!"

The old man was silent.

"If it doesn't work, we'll move out of Seven-Meng Jiucheng and stop taking this anger! Go to the east city and raise the price to thirty coins!" The young man became more and more excited, "I've heard several playhouses in Xiangzhou City, whose skills are worse than ours!"

"..."

"... And we can collect reward silver." The young voice lowered, "Unlike now, sewing and mending all day, and there are always people sneaking in to listen to the play."

"... Didn't we say, if he sneaks in, you let him listen—" The old man's tone was gentle.

"Is this the matter!" The young man interrupted excitedly.

So the room became completely quiet.

"Ji Yun, I know everyone is bitter." After a while, the old man's light and slow voice sounded again, "When you entered the door, I also said that I would teach you everything I have without reservation. After you learn, you can go to other playhouses to seek a living... but Ji Yun, I came to Seven-Meng Jiucheng to perform plays that cost two copper coins."

"... Xiangzhou City is not short of plays for people who can afford to listen." The old man was silent for a while and said softly, "That's all I have to say."

"... But now it's not that we want to earn money," the young voice was hoarse, "it's that if we don't earn money, we have to—"

He took a deep breath: "Anyway, it's your theater, you make the decision. I'm not leaving anyway."

It was at this time that Pei Ye knocked on the door gently.

After getting a response, he entered. It was a somewhat messy large room, with costumes and props placed everywhere. The first one to look over was a young student with a drooping face, who was exactly the one who played the painter just now.

Further inside was an old man with a hard face and a thin figure, leaning on a play table, looking down at the ground, holding a pipe in his hand, sparks flickering, smoke curling.

Seeing someone enter, he raised his head and looked at him with slight surprise.

Pei Ye first bowed: "Sorry to disturb, I just listened to the 'White Snake Love' in your theater and admired it very much—"

The young man looked annoyed: "Isn't Miss Yi outside?"

Pei Ye was dazed: "—Want to buy a play script."

"Ah?... Oh." The young student named Ji Yun was stunned for a moment, "Sorry."

A smile appeared on the old man's face: "How should I address you, little brother?"

"My surname is Pei, from Bowang Prefecture. I just listened to a 'White Snake Love' and felt it was very good, so I wanted to move it back to Bowang to perform."

The old man knocked on the pipe and smiled as he walked to the side: "Does Pei little brother also open a theater in Bowang? How is the business?"

"Ah, no... I practice martial arts. My friend is more knowledgeable, she said this play is very good, so she wants to move it back." Having heard the girl's exhortation, Pei Ye was prepared to explain, but the old man's relaxed and free attitude was beyond his expectations.

"Is that so? Where is it good?" The old man had phoenix eyes, clear as waves, and smiled when he heard this, simply spirited, "You must figure out whether you like this play or our actors?"

Pei Ye was a bit embarrassed: "I like both, I like both..."

The old man squatted down and rummaged in the cabinet. His voice was muffled in the cabinet, but still carried a smile: "Which section do you like best, Pei little brother?"

Pei Ye thought for a while and was infected by this attitude, laughing: "I think 'Farewell to Immortal Grass' is very good."

The old man's eyes lit up and he laughed out loud: "Good eye! Anything else?"

Pei Ye said two more sections, and the old man agreed with all of them, couldn't help but stop the work in his hands first and said: "Little brother, I see you are also knowledgeable about plays. Please be a judge. I will sing a section of 'Farewell to Immortal Grass'. See which one is better than the one Yi girl just sang."

Pei Ye quickly waved his hand: "I haven't listened to many plays!"

"Is that so? Then you are a natural good ear and good heart!" The old man laughed, "Just listen once, it doesn't matter."

After saying that, he flicked his sleeves, and a clear sound came out of his mouth.

Pei Ye's eyes widened, and his hair trembled.

The old man's attitude actually revealed a woman's gentle and delicate feeling. His voice was like a clear flute breaking through the clouds, bright and winding, and his stability was one level higher than Yi Chengxin's, but the most different was the emotion in it.

This section sang about the White Snake leaving the immortal grass to meet her lover. The singing style of the play stage before always had a hazy cold air, and the White Snake was hesitating in her own mood; now the old man's singing style appeared much brighter and more determined. This White Snake seemed to have made a decision to go down to the mortal world long ago, but was blocked by immortal laws, so it was less hazy and more tense.

Pei Ye indeed hadn't listened to many plays, but listening to two sections in a row today, the clanging and flowing sound stirred his emotions, which really made him feel somewhat intoxicated.

After a section, before the old man asked, he couldn't help but say: "Miss Yi's seems to fit the temperament of this play better, but I personally like your section more."

The old man laughed out loud, almost treating him as a confidant.

Couldn't help but say: "Then what do you think of the last section? How about 'Holding Blood and Returning to Grass'?"

"It's also very good, very moving, but..." Pei Ye hesitated, "I inexplicably feel it's not as good as the sections above."

Ji Yun beside him suddenly laughed. The old man glared at him, but sighed with a smile: "That's right!"

While talking, the old man took a large volume from the cabinet, dusted it off, handed it to Pei Ye, and smiled: "This is the copy of 'White Snake Love', the key points are all annotated. Take it and look at it."

Pei Ye was stunned: "How much silver is this?"

"Talk about silver." The old man waved his hand and smiled freely, "A good play is for people to listen to. And if you didn't come to buy it, find a few knowledgeable people to listen to it a few times, and you'll get eight or nine out of ten—plays can't be hidden."

Pei Ye insisted: "If I come to buy, I have to pay silver."

So the old man smiled: "That's fine. I won't force you to owe me a favor. You pay me two taels at the market price. Also, little brother, you practice martial arts, how is your level?"

"... Fairly good."

"As long as you have practiced for two years! How about this, I talk to you about plays, and you help me discuss martial arts." He signaled to Ji Yun beside him, "Our best martial student, I always feel he doesn't fight beautifully. Help me see the key points."

Pei Ye was naturally happy to do this and agreed.

Ji Yun was a bit embarrassed, but under the old man's urging, he practiced a set of kung fu with heart. The room was full of wind for a while. Finally, he stopped with thin sweat, looking at Pei Ye somewhat uneasily.

Pei Ye was somewhat dumbfounded.

He found that he had thought wrong. Cultivators and martial students were really two different trades.

Cultivators want to beat others, while martial students want to fight beautifully. Pei Ye had studied the former quite a bit, but couldn't turn his brain around for the latter.

After holding back for a long time, he blurted out: "When you kicked this foot just now, your toes must be straight, and your strength must be enough, otherwise you won't be able to kick people's throats."

"..."

The old man quickly stepped forward and held his forearm: "Stop teaching! This 'Battle on the Plain' is against me. If he kicks the throat, he'll kick me to death!"

Pei Ye covered his face in embarrassment, and the old and young laughed out loud.

In the end, Pei Ye still tried hard to change his brain and pointed out a few places. When he was about to take out silver, his arm was pressed by the old man with a smile: "You take the book and look at it first, then talk. This play is a bit difficult. Think about it and come back to buy it."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 275 =====