Chapter 255: Xi Xiu

Under Li Banfeng's pressing questions, the actor dismissed all the spirits in the room and began recounting that past.

"Actually, back then, I didn't want to marry Hong Ying—I wanted to marry Zhao Xiaowan. I told His Majesty and asked him to be the matchmaker, but Zhao Xiaowan refused."

Li Banfeng asked: "What was your status?"

The actor raised his hand and gestured around: "Look at my courtyard, look at the furnishings in my home—can't you tell what status I had?"

Li Banfeng shook his head: "I can't tell."

"I'm a Prince of the Blood! Prince Chun!" At this, the actor raised his voice. "You should know what kind of status a Prince of the Blood holds."

Though Li Banfeng hadn't studied history in university, he had some idea of what a Prince of the Blood meant: "You're a Prince of the Blood, and Zhao Xiaowan is a General who rose from being a performer—how could she refuse to marry you?"

The actor smiled bitterly: "It depends on the time. In normal circumstances, she wouldn't dare refuse—I could've tied her up and dragged her into my princely mansion without even giving her a formal title."

"But back then, it wasn't possible. War was raging, Zhao Xiaowan had won battle after battle, and His Majesty couldn't do without her. This matter had to be negotiated properly with her."

"In the end, we didn't reach an agreement. His Majesty gave me a face-saving solution and betrothed Hong Ying to me."

"Hong Ying came from a proper military family. Her status was slightly below mine, but far superior to Zhao Xiaowan's."

"Though I wasn't happy inside, Hong Ying was a stunning beauty, and crucially, she was willing to marry me—I accepted the match."

Li Banfeng nodded: "If she was willing and you were willing, then the matter was settled."

"It wasn't settled," Prince Chun shook his head. "At the time, Zhao Xiaowan and Hong Ying had won many victories. For some reason, His Majesty recalled both of them. He granted Zhao Xiaowan the title of Xiongqi General and Hong Ying the title of Caiguan General."

"He no longer needed them to fight. He sent General Cong Shixiang to the front, taking command of the troops."

"One day, His Majesty held a banquet and summoned all civil and military officials. Zhao Xiaowan and Hong Ying went along."

"At the banquet, His Majesty ordered Zhao Xiaowan to perform opera—put on her helmet, apply makeup, and sing a proper grand opera!"

Li Banfeng frowned: "She was already a Xiongqi General—why force her to sing opera?"

Prince Chun studied Li Banfeng from head to toe, then clicked his tongue: "You think the same way Zhao Xiaowan did. She also believed that as a General, she shouldn't perform opera before court officials."

"It was indeed humiliating, but it was His Majesty's command—his word was law! Who dared utter a single word of protest?"

"Yet Zhao Xiaowan actually said no. His Majesty flew into a rage and had her immediately arrested and thrown into prison."

"Hong Ying pleaded for Zhao Xiaowan's mercy. His Majesty ordered her arrested too, and both were imprisoned. From that moment, the marriage was off."

Li Banfeng didn't care about the marriage—he cared about the Emperor's mindset: "Because of a simple matter of singing opera, two Generals became prisoners?"

Prince Chun fell silent for a moment, then shook his head: "In my view, it wasn't just about the opera. At that time, the Ministry of War received a battlefield report—the front had suffered a defeat. I don't know exactly how it happened, but I heard the Minister of War secretly curse: 'Cong Shixiang is nothing but a fool.'"

"His Majesty was probably already in a foul mood. Zhao Xiaowan happened to cross him at the worst moment—she defied the dragon's scales and suffered the consequences."

"Nonsense!" Li Banfeng shook his head. "If you can't win battles, you punish the ones who can? Is this Emperor insane?"

Prince Chun sighed deeply: "I also thought it unreasonable. But later, after thinking it through, I understood His Majesty's intent."

"Generals who can fight don't obey; those who obey can't fight. His Majesty may have wanted to use this incident to warn the court officials—not to grow arrogant from their achievements."

"Those two Generals suffered terribly in prison. They say they never got a full meal, endured hunger and cold, and were beaten repeatedly."

"Later, I heard from Ministry of Justice officials that His Majesty intended to kill them—not just kill them, but make them suffer before death."

"Our own Generals could be treated however he pleased, but the enemy in the Demon Lands didn't give His Majesty any face. The front lost battle after battle, and they were nearly at the capital."

"For the sake of Da Huan's realm and its people, His Majesty had to set aside past grievances…"

Li Banfeng waved his hand: "Don't talk about realm and people—it has nothing to do with this."

Prince Chun pursed his lips: "In short, His Majesty released Zhao Xiaowan and Hong Ying. Hong Ying was restored to her former rank as Caiguan General. Zhao Xiaowan was demoted to Captain."

"His Majesty ordered them both to accompany Cong Shixiang back to the front."

"Though Zhao Xiaowan was only a Captain, Hong Ying obeyed her. In all matters of battle, she followed Zhao Xiaowan's orders. The two were closer than sisters."

"Despite being reduced to skeletons from their ordeal, they were still formidable on the battlefield. They won victory after victory. The entire court rejoiced. Their story spread throughout the capital."

"Especially Zhao Xiaowan—her fame became enormous. Storytellers, opera performers, street vendors, performers, even fortune-tellers on the roadside would recite Zhao Xiaowan's exploits before opening their shows."

Li Banfeng studied Prince Chun from head to toe: "You're a Prince of the Blood with quite the down-to-earth taste—you know about fortune-tellers and street performers?"

Prince Chun smiled: "I love this. I often wear civilian clothes and stroll around the capital—I enjoy watching the common folk…"

Li Banfeng pressed his palm downward: "Forget about you—tell me about Zhao Xiaowan. What happened after the victories?"

Prince Chun sighed deeply: "There was no 'after.' The two sisters won battle after battle. The front sent a report: the enemy commander was surrounded."

"They were one step away from total victory—yet who could have imagined they started fighting each other?"

"To this day, I don't know why they fought—or why they went so far."

"Zhao Xiaowan died in Hong Ying's hands. Hong Ying was severely wounded and died a few days later."

Li Banfeng was startled: "You don't know why they fought?"

"No," Prince Chun shook his head. "I didn't go to war. How could I know?"

"What happened after?"

"Afterward, we won the war. I don't know how. I heard His Majesty summoned reinforcements—I don't know where they came from. They fought for months, but eventually, they won."

"After the victory, His Majesty gathered all civil and military officials and held a three-day grand banquet in the palace."

"I remember those three days—His Majesty was ecstatic. He kept raising his cup, and the ministers kept drinking theirs. I don't even know how much wine I drank."

"I got drunk. I don't know how long I slept. When I woke up, my mansion was no longer in its original place. My servants were no longer the same."

"They were no longer alive. They told me I wasn't alive either. They told me the outside world was called Puluo Province, and this place was called Wuyou Ping. They said we could go anywhere—but we couldn't leave."

"I said the road was beneath our feet—we should walk out and see."

"They warned me: never leave Wuyou Ping. Once outside, anyone who sees us will try to kill us."

"All these years, I've stayed here. I have nothing else to do but sing opera every day—for my servants."

"They listened day after day, year after year. At first, they pretended to enjoy it."

"Later, they grew tired. Even when I forced them with whips, they refused to listen."

"When they wouldn't listen, I sought others. Originally, travelers would pass by and rest here. At night, I'd sing for them."

"Later, no travelers came at all. My servants told me this land had become Old Soil—finding a living person now would be nearly impossible."

"For ten full years, the only living people who came here were you. That girl urinating in my courtyard wasn't a big deal."

"I deliberately provoked you—I wanted to keep you here to listen to my opera."

"I love singing opera. But if I sing and no one listens, how painful is that?"

"You just want us to listen to your opera?" Li Banfeng laughed. "For one day? One year? Or for life?"

Prince Chun was candid: "I truly want to keep you for life. But you're too ruthless. If I fight you for a few more days, I fear none of my men will be left."

"Now that everything's out in the open, I've given you what you wanted. This record…"

Li Banfeng pulled the record from behind his back and handed it to Prince Chun.

Prince Chun held the record, caressing it for a long time: "General Zhao, I truly admire you. I didn't pay much attention to how handsome you were. What truly moved me was your voice."

"Every time I heard you sing a single line, I felt my entire life's cultivation had been wasted."

Li Banfeng asked: "There's one thing you don't want to say—I won't press you. What Dao sect are you from?"

Prince Chun tucked the record away: "Technically, I shouldn't tell you. But I haven't spoken so much in many years. Now that I've said it, it feels good."

"I'm a Xi Xiu—not just someone who loves listening to or singing opera. I possess real cultivation. Just now, when I impersonated that mother and daughter, I used genuine cultivation skills."

"But those two were people I'd never seen before. Some minor details inevitably slipped."

"Let me tell you this: if I impersonated someone you knew well, even his own wife wouldn't recognize him."

Li Banfeng sneered: "You're full of it."

Prince Chun slammed the table: "How is this lying? When you first recognized me, you must have sensed I wasn't from the living world."

"When we met again, and I impersonated that girl's mother—honestly, didn't you notice anything wrong at first glance?"

Li Banfeng nodded. He had to admit: at first glance, he hadn't seen any flaw.

Prince Chun was proud: "I'll tell you more—not just outwardly, but inwardly too, you couldn't tell."

"How do you check inwardly?" Li Banfeng was curious.

"As long as our sect's cultivation is sufficient, no matter what illness, injury, poison, or medicine a person has, we can mimic them perfectly!"

Li Banfeng lowered his gaze: "That sounds too supernatural."

"Why would I lie to you? You've never seen a true master of our sect. Even bloodline traits can be copied perfectly—even top-tier Kui Xiu and Yao Xiu were fooled!"

Bloodline traits, identical?

Li Banfeng was skeptical. Could such a supernatural technique truly exist?

…

In the Three Institutes of Yuezhou, Xiao Zheng was questioning He Jiaqing's condition.

The attending physician's reply was the same as before: the patient's vital signs were stable, but he must not move lightly.

Xiao Zheng dismissed the nurse, sat beside He Jiaqing's bed, and sneered coldly: "How the hell are you faking it? Even this big hospital can't tell you're pretending?"

"What are you doing out in Waizhou? Are you really targeting me?"

"The wind's been tight these past two days—I can't move against you easily. But remember this: as long as you're in Waizhou, your life is in my hands!"

PS: Who is really lying on the bed?

(End of Chapter)