Chapter 254

After gathering the souls from three courtyards, Li Banfeng opened the fourth gate; just as he took a few steps into the yard, war drums boomed from all directions, relentless and deafening.

Li Banfeng scanned the surroundings and saw troops of all kinds materializing across the vast courtyard: cavalry, infantry, archers, and musketeers.

Such a massive force?

Li Banfeng was genuinely alarmed.

He couldn't tell whether these troops were real or illusory, but he was certain of one thing—they weren't living beings; they were all souls.

Li Banfeng dodged through a storm of spears and arrows, lightly brushing the pendulum.

The pendulum understood, circling behind Li Banfeng, slicing open his suit jacket, and pulling out a vinyl record, then gliding its tip evenly across the grooves.

The phonograph principle has nothing to do with electromagnetism—only friction and vibration between needle and record.

The pendulum now served as the needle; this tactic had been conceived jointly by Li Banfeng and his wife.

Li Banfeng could mimic his wife's singing voice using the Deep Courtyard Technique, or play her record directly on the phonograph.

But his singing voice paled in comparison to his wife's; some enemies simply couldn't be countered by his voice alone.

Sometimes, Li Banfeng couldn't conveniently retrieve the phonograph; in emergencies, using the pendulum as a makeshift player was a tolerable stopgap.

"On ancient roads through barren hills, they struggle in bitter strife; the people's blood stains the earth red. Lanterns dim beneath yellow sands, dust obscures the stars as ghosts wail."

A solo from "Changban Slope," Zhao Zilong's aria.

It was a Wu Sheng aria, but carved by his wife—female performers taking male roles was common in opera circles, and this piece contained her unique vocal inflections.

The "Changban Slope" aria carried immense power; the entire courtyard, filled with thousands of troops, seemed momentarily stunned.

Li Banfeng scanned the crowd—he'd prefer to find Xiao Ye Ci, but if he couldn't, he had to retreat immediately; he couldn't afford a direct confrontation.

He didn't find Xiao Ye Ci. As he turned to leave, he suddenly saw the actor standing before him, his makeup now changed from Qingyi to Xiaosheng.

"Brother, please wait a moment—where did that aria come from?"

Li Banfeng looked at the actor and pulled a record from behind his back: "It came from here. Have you ever seen a record? Shall I play it again for you?"

This was Li Banfeng's usual tactic: tell the truth first to gain the enemy's trust, making his Veracity Technique flow more smoothly.

He was about to drag the pendulum across the record when the actor shouted: "Don't use weapons! Don't scratch the record!"

Li Banfeng froze, then snapped: "What's the big deal? Without a phonograph, this is how you play it!"

"I have a phonograph!" the actor's voice trembled. "Let me hear it once more—I'll return your person!"

With a wave of his hand, several souls brought Xiao Ye Ci forward.

Xiao Ye Ci's hands were bound, her mouth gagged, her face filled with terror.

Li Banfeng ordered the actor to return Xiao Ye Ci to the first courtyard; the actor complied.

Several ghosts carried a phonograph up to Li Banfeng. The actor kicked them aside and meticulously wiped the phonograph with his sleeve.

The phonograph hadn't been used in years; thick dust coated its surface. The actor wiped it carefully, then fetched an oil flask and oiled its mechanism.

When all was done, the actor looked at Li Banfeng with eager anticipation.

Li Banfeng placed the record on the turntable. The actor carefully turned the crank, and the phonograph began playing the "Changban Slope" aria.

The opera itself was fierce and bold; his wife's singing was deeply moving. Every time Li Banfeng heard this piece, his blood boiled.

But the actor before him didn't boil—he wept.

Li Banfeng hadn't expected souls to cry, let alone sob uncontrollably.

After crying, the actor looked at Li Banfeng: "Could you give me this record?"

Li Banfeng waved his hand: "No way! This is my weapon in battle."

The actor sniffled: "This isn't a weapon—it's a priceless treasure! You don't understand…"

Li Banfeng frowned: "How don't I understand? With this record, I can handle ghosts and spirits easily."

"That's exactly why you don't understand!" the actor cried harder, as if Li Banfeng had desecrated something sacred. "Using this record for battle is a waste of heaven's gift!"

Before Li Banfeng could respond, the actor wept and sang: "Heaven and earth may last, but all things end; this sorrow stretches on without end. If you won't give it, I'll buy it—name your price, I beg you, name your price…"

The actor wept more bitterly, unable to speak.

Li Banfeng retrieved the record: "Stop crying. Let's find a place to talk."

Though they'd fought nearly all night, Li Banfeng could tell the actor was still trustworthy.

They entered the main hall. The actor ordered tea.

Ghost servants brought tea pots and cups. Li Banfeng didn't drink—the tea was ancient, its age unknown.

The actor wanted the record. The matter wasn't entirely closed.

Li Banfeng set his price: three conditions.

"First: let us leave."

The actor agreed: "Easy."

"I don't mean just leave this mansion—I mean leave this realm."

The actor paused, then said: "You want to leave Wuyou Ping?"

"Wuyou Ping?" Li Banfeng didn't know the place had a name.

The actor said: "That's simple. Wuyou Ping connects to every corner of Puluo Province."

"Every corner?" Li Banfeng stared. "It connects directly to all regions of Puluo Province?"

The actor nodded: "And you don't need travel permits."

Li Banfeng thought a moment: "This is just like Kucaizhuang."

The actor sighed: "There's mystery here—I won't tell you."

"Won't tell, huh?" Li Banfeng stood. "Record's not for sale."

"Wait!" the actor blocked him. "You've already guessed it—Wuyou Ping was once the rear third of Puluo Province, but over the years, it's nearly become an Unknown Land. Why? I can't explain."

Could a rear third become an Unknown Land?

Li Banfeng had never heard of such a thing.

The actor continued: "Since you're here, I'll give you a map. Follow it exactly—you won't get lost. But move fast. Otherwise, you'll drift back into the Old Land."

This confirmed Li Banfeng's suspicion: this mansion truly belonged to the Old Land.

Li Banfeng raised his second condition: "Without this record, I lose a key weapon against souls. You must compensate me with a magic treasure."

The actor looked ashamed: "In my prime, I did possess a few such treasures. But times have changed. I can't offer a magic treasure—only a spiritual object."

He ordered a soul to fetch a wooden box. When he opened it, the ghosts immediately retreated.

The actor pulled out a horsewhip and handed it to Li Banfeng: "A soul without cultivation will be shattered by a single lash. A soul below the third level will be gravely wounded. A soul below the fifth level will suffer unbearable pain. If the soul's cultivation reaches fifth level or higher, the whip still works—but becomes merely an ordinary weapon."

Li Banfeng picked up the whip, ready to test it.

The actor shouted: "What are you doing?"

If the whip truly harmed souls, testing it here was unwise.

Li Banfeng used his Insight of Spiritual Sound to listen—the whip was utterly silent.

Li Banfeng frowned: "Does this thing have spirit?"

The actor said: "It's a spiritual object forged from Void Spirit—cannot advance, cannot be mastered, naturally inferior to magic treasures, but its spirit is sufficient."

Li Banfeng tucked the whip away and raised his third condition: "Since I'm selling you the record, I need to know its origin—who sang this aria?"

Li Banfeng already knew who sang it—he asked to test the actor.

The actor sighed deeply: "The mystery behind it… I cannot reveal it…"

Li Banfeng pulled out the whip: "Record's not for sale."

The actor blocked him: "That aria was sung by General Zhao Xiao, a famed general of the Da Huan Dynasty."

"What dynasty is Da Huan?"

"The previous dynasty."

"How long ago was that?"

"I can't remember. Truly, I can't."

The actor spoke truthfully—he was a soul, trapped in the Old Land, with no sense of time.

Li Banfeng asked: "What kind of person was Zhao Xiao?"

"A famed general—and a famed actress."

A famed general—Li Banfeng could imagine.

A famed actress—he could imagine too.

But the two identities clashed.

"How could a general become an actress?"

The actor smiled: "You've got it backward. You should ask: how did an actress become a general? Zhao Xiao was born an actress. She debuted at seven, became famous at ten. At twelve, her troupe master was imprisoned for colluding with the Demon Lands; Zhao Xiao was implicated and exiled to the army.

At seventeen, she earned battlefield merit, had her sentence lifted, and rose to Captain. By twenty-three, her accumulated victories earned her a royal audience and the title of Swift Cavalry General."

Li Banfeng was curious: "She was an actress—exiled to the army, she'd at best be a laborer. How did she become a Captain?"

The actor's face glowed with admiration: "Because of her extraordinary talent. Her comrades said Zhao Xiao was born to command. Once, she held off a hundred enemy soldiers for a full day with only thirty laborers. Such a woman is unparalleled."

Li Banfeng was curious: "She was originally an opera singer; even if sentenced to military exile, she'd at most become a laborer—how did she become a Captain?"

"I did!" the actor beamed. "I watched her fight. I heard her sing. Even now, I see it all clearly."

"What did she look like?"

"Beautiful—the most beautiful woman in the world!" The actor's gaze grew dreamy. "I'm not the only one who said so. Back then, many in court called her the most exquisite beauty on earth."

Li Banfeng had no doubt.

"Beautiful, the most beautiful woman in the world!" The actor's expression was entranced. "I'm not the only one who said it—many in the imperial court back then called her a peerless beauty."

Li Banfeng had no doubt about this.

My wife is this beautiful!

Just one glance at that dignified and graceful trumpet made Li Banfeng's soul tremble.

The actor sighed: "Back then, someone said that when troops faced the battlefield and saw General Zhao Xiao, half the enemy army would be bewitched and lose all desire to fight."

Li Banfeng asked: "What about the other half?"

According to the novel's description, the other half were directly terrified by Zhao Xiao's aura.

The actor's account differed from the novel: "The other half of the enemy army were terrified out of their wits by her deputy general, Hong Ying."

Hong Ying is my wife's deputy general?

"What did she look like, to scare enemies so badly?"

The actor recalled for a moment: "Beautiful, very beautiful! Slightly less stunning than Xiao, yet still a peerless beauty."

"Come to think of it, I was meant to marry Hong Ying, but then both she and Zhao Xiao were thrown into prison, and that betrothal faded away."

"Why were they thrown into prison?"

"Can't say," the actor suddenly showed fear, shaking his head repeatedly. "That's a grave offense of disrespect—absolutely cannot speak of it!"

Li Banfeng lowered his hat brim and stood up: "You won't tell me, eh? Then I won't sell you the record!"

PS: Is there any connection between Zhao Xiao and Hong Ying's feud and this actor?

I think there's probably no connection—I don't know what others think.

(End of chapter)