Chapter 250: Back on Stage (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Xiao Xiao Lou Fang finally slept a peaceful sleep.

Since that dim evening ten years ago, when a new hanger-on he had taken in, with a face full of flattery, handed him that opium pipe...

He had not slept so peacefully for a long time.

Before dawn, Xiao Xiao Lou Fang woke.

Feeling carefully: the sensation of ten thousand ants devouring his heart inside his body had truly not appeared again!

For a moment, he truly regretted it.

But soon he bitterly shook his head: My lord Xu's medicine pill has taken effect; I have become a human again.

But... can everything go back?

I am no longer the "Xiao Xiao Lou Fang" who was red throughout Zhan Cheng.

I am loathed by gods and abandoned by ghosts.

I have let down everyone around me.

How could I let down a person who has done me a great favor?

Xiao Xiao Lou Fang got up, lit a lamp; paper and brush lay on the table.

Unfortunately, there was only white paper.

Performance notices at the opera troupe's gate were all written on red paper.

But... Xiao Xiao Lou Fang thought: this is both my final performance notice and my obituary.

White paper—indeed, it is quite fitting.

He ground the ink and began to write seriously.

But his arm trembled, and the handwriting was not neat.

This body has truly been ruined by opium.

He put down the brush, rubbed his hands and arms hard, not knowing if he could still endure one performance.

Then, he picked up the brush again and wrote down the play's title:

"Yielding Xu Zhou."

Finally, in slightly larger characters, he wrote the performer's name:

Xiao Xiao Lou Fang!

These three characters were quite beautiful; Xiao Xiao Lou Fang was very satisfied.

After writing, he gently blew it dry, and the sky had already brightened.

Outside came the loud "ang-ang-ang" of Da Fu's call, shouting for Fan Zhe to get up.

Xiao Xiao Lou Fang blew out the lamp, put on his clothes, drew water to wash, and carefully cleaned every part: face, neck, and hands.

Then he combed his hair neatly.

Opening the door, Jia Yi and Mao Dabin were waiting outside.

"Mr., please have breakfast."

Xiao Xiao Lou Fang nodded; breakfast had been made personally by Lin Wanmo.

After Xiao Xiao Lou Fang, Xu Yuan, and Zhang Laoya had chewed slowly and savored every bite, he wiped his mouth clean with a snow-white handkerchief: "Let's go."

His technique must be performed on the opera stage.

Xu Yuan had made arrangements beforehand, ordering Lang Xiao Ba to go to the Liang Troupe early, informing them that the stage would be borrowed this morning, with silver paid at market price.

Troupe Master Liang asked in confusion: "We don't perform in the morning anyway; if My Lord Xu wants to use the stage, there's no need to pay anything.

I just wonder which performer is going to sing for My Lord Xu?"

Troupe Master Liang thought Xu Yuan wanted to hear opera but looked down on Zhan Cheng's troupes, and must have invited a famous troupe from a big place like Luo City.

Troupe Master Liang felt somewhat resentful; if that troupe's name wasn't famous enough, Troupe Master Liang would find an opportunity to whisper a few "idle words" in My Lord Xu's ear.

Lang Xiao Ba: "Xiao Xiao Lou Fang."

"Who?!" Troupe Master Liang thought he had misheard.

"It is Xiao Xiao Lou Fang."

"Ah? This..." Troupe Master Liang was speechless.

Lang Xiao Ba had already strode away, inspecting all around the stage to ensure My Lord's safety.

Troupe Master Liang's mind was in chaos; he simply went to the gate and waited early, wanting to see exactly what was happening.

Before long, he saw My Lord Xu and others riding horses, followed by a group of Captains.

In the middle of the procession was a prisoner carriage covered with black cloth.

Troupe Master Liang searched carefully and indeed found Xiao Xiao Lou Fang among the several people beside My Lord Xu!

Xiao Xiao Lou Fang's spirit and energy were very good.

Very different from the consumptive appearance he had shown every day for these ten years.

"Ah!" Troupe Master Liang shouted, hurriedly rushed forward, and bowed to My Lord Xu: "My Lord has arrived; please come in quickly; everything is ready."

While speaking, his eyes kept looking at Xiao Xiao Lou Fang.

The latter smiled at him, full of apology.

"You... are well?"

Xiao Xiao Lou Fang nodded: "These past years, I have burdened everyone."

Troupe Master Liang was extremely excited; My Lord Xu had truly cured Xiao Xiao Lou Fang!

He had been running around for years on this matter, but finally had to give up.

Troupe Master Liang couldn't help stepping forward, tightly grasping Xiao Xiao Lou Fang's hand: "Good, good, good! You are still not old; sing a few good performances; we will still be the Xiao Xiao Lou Fang who is red throughout Zhan Cheng!"

Xiao Xiao Lou Fang did not reply, but instead took out from his chest the white performance notice he had written.

He bypassed Master Liang and personally pasted it on the entrance of the opera house.

"This... why is it written on white paper? It's inauspicious. I'll find someone to rewrite it for you on red paper..."

"No need."

After speaking, Xiao Xiao Lou Fang walked into the opera house first.

Everything was still so familiar, yet there was a distant sense of strangeness.

Xiao Xiao Lou Fang stood beneath the stage for a moment, lost in melancholy and dazed.

He then went to the backstage area himself and, with kind words, borrowed various opera costumes from the other members of the troupe.

He also took oil paints and a mirror.

Facing the mirror, he painted his face.

The entire Purification Bureau watched silently.

Xiao Xiao Lou Fang's hands still trembled a bit, but the painting became smoother and smoother; in the time it took to burn one stick of incense, he had finished the facial makeup.

In the instant he turned around, everyone in the Purification Bureau, including Xu Yuan, was momentarily stunned.

This facial makeup was absolutely superb!

It bore a striking resemblance to Tiebei Gai.

Of course, a facial makeup painted with oil paints could not look very much like a real person.

Yet for some reason, the temperament was exactly the same as Tiebei Gai.

This was the skill of the once-famous "Xiao Xiao Lou Fang" of Zhan Cheng!

He put on the opera costumes, moved his body, and after adjusting a few times, everyone felt: there was a Tiebei Gai inside the prison cart, and another Tiebei Gai outside the cart.

"Excellent!"

Before the opera even began, Xu Yuan couldn't help but shout "Excellent!"

Xiao Xiao Lou Fang went up on the stage but did not start performing immediately; instead, he used bamboo strips to tie together a paper effigy.

It was the same size as a real person.

With the face painted, it became the third Tiebei Gai!

Xu Yuan secretly guessed: this was Xiao Xiao Lou Fang's method of "liberation."

Xiao Xiao Lou Fang hid the paper effigy behind the "Entrance" curtain.

If the paper effigy were exposed prematurely, his method would not work.

After making all preparations, Xiao Xiao Lou Fang nodded to Xu Yuan: "We can begin."

The Captains carried Tiebei Gai out of the prison cart.

He was still fixed in that posture.

Tiebei Gai was placed on the stage; Xiao Xiao Lou Fang gave a signal to the music troupe, and the gongs and drums suddenly sounded.

The opera began.

Lin Wanmo flicked his finger, the shadow puppet on Tiebei Gai's back detached, rapidly shrank to the size of a palm, and fell back into Lin Wanmo's hand.

Almost the instant the shadow puppet detached, a thin thread invisible to living eyes appeared, pulling at Tiebei Gai's soul and trying to drag it away.

Xiao Xiao Lou Fang struck a pose; his voice was crisp and clean, his melody winding and echoing: "I am Tiebei Gai of Zhan Cheng!"

That "thread" was suddenly disturbed by some power, unhooked from Tiebei Gai's soul, and reattached to Xiao Xiao Lou Fang.

The moment Tiebei Gai could move, he suddenly shuddered all over; his chest and abdomen churned continuously, and a layer of pale blue firelight flickered in his eyes!

"Dragon Fire!"

This Dragon Fire was about to burn away Tiebei Gai's body and soul together.

Xiao Xiao Lou Fang took a few quick steps on stage in rhythm with the tight gong and drum beats, approached Tiebei Gai, and slapped his shoulder.

Tiebei Gai opened his mouth and, with a "wa," spat out a plume of gray-blue flame.

Xiao Xiao Lou Fang opened his mouth and caught the flame. Master Liang, who had been standing behind the "Entrance" curtain, lifted the curtain to reveal the paper effigy and cried urgently: "Hurry and free yourself..."

But Xiao Xiao Lou Fang knew he could not rush; he must follow the rules of the stage.

Every step had to land on the music troupe's beat.

The music also grew urgent; Xiao Xiao Lou Fang ran toward the paper effigy, stumbling and staggering, yet he could barely hold on.

With only two paces left to the paper effigy, he suddenly threw himself forward, stretched out a hand with all his might, and touched the paper effigy.

In that instant, the thread-pulling method and the Dragon Fire were all transferred to the paper effigy.

The paper effigy was yanked into the air, and with a "boom," burned into ash at a height of seven or eight zhang!

(End of this chapter)