Chapter 363

Chen Fuying's singing was in no way inferior to that of her great-grandmother.

I don't know why her voice is so sweet when she speaks, yet her singing now carries a hint of heroic spirit.

Could this actually be her natural voice, while normally she… puts on an act?

When she went on stage, she held a long spear in her hand.

I thought it was just a prop matching her costume, but once she was on stage and her singing began, its tremendous impact stirred me; immediately, the hairs on my body stood on end, and the wandering souls that had just fled in panic were dragged back, whereupon Chen Ping's human-skin puppet flew into a rage.

His attack on the queer-stitched human-skin puppet shifted, and he turned directly toward Chen Fuying.

Chen Fuying speared upward with the tip of her spear, precisely jerking open Chen Ping's human-skin puppet's wrist; as the spear tip touched the ground, she used the spear's force to flip into a sparrow-hawk turn, both feet kicking hard into the puppet's chest.

The instant her toes touched the ground, she flipped again, delivering a series of kicks that blocked the puppet's defenses; that splendid scene made me want to clap and cheer.

Is this the family legacy of a theatrical clan?!

Even though the opera troupe was persecuted by Chen Ping back then, and even though Chen Fuying's grandmother was sent away when she was little, the fact that someone could shoulder the whole troupe at six years old means her granddaughter could hardly be lacking.

I raised my hand and wiped my face, not knowing whether I was wiping away rain or tears.

I was moved not only by Chen Fuying's stepping forward, but also by every girl appearing beside me, whose vibrant life force and unyielding fighting spirit were enough to stir the heart.

I have never fought alone.

I was pushed forward step by step; even when I had no ability and made no preparations, comrades who could turn the tide at critical moments stood firmly behind me.

Yes, they, them, and even it—all are my comrades!

Liu Junyan has said more than once that I am the cohesion of the pawnshop, because with me everyone is drawn together; but in my view, it's exactly the opposite—it is their uncomplaining support that has made me who I am today.

Chen Fuying's appearance caught the enemy off guard.

Chen Ping's human-skin puppet lost its footing and kept retreating.

His dragon robe had already been pierced by Chen Fuying's spear in several large holes, the broken saber in his hand was gone who-knows-where, and as he seemed about to fall off the ghost opera stage, he suddenly opened his mouth and let out a long howl to the heavens.

That howl shook heaven and earth—it was actually a dragon's roar!

The few gray hawks circling above were instantly drained of their essence and blood; when they fell with a patter, their feathers dropped away, leaving them bald and nothing but skin and bones.

Active sacrifice turned into passive supply.

At the same moment, the Chen Ping skeleton hanging on the long pole stirred.

On the stark white bones, blotches of blood spread like spilled ink, reminding me of the phrase "withered bones blossoming."

Crimson flowers vied to bloom, layer upon layer, quickly forming flesh and blood.

The skeleton began to move, joints emitting a crackling sound; the blood corpse……'came alive'.

At the moment the blood corpse dropped from the long pole, the human-skin puppet rushed over.

I couldn't even see how the human-skin puppet devoured the blood corpse, but when it turned around again, it was already a 'living, breathing' Chen Ping!

He had flesh and blood, tall and mighty; merely standing there exuded overwhelming intimidation.

Chen Fuying seized the moment while the human-skin puppet was accepting the sacrifice, launching a fierce attack in its many constrained openings; though she couldn't kill it in one blow, she forced the puppet that intended to become a Buddha or god to retreat a step.

And that step was crucial.

One step to become a god.

One step to become a demon.

The moment Chen Ping 'came alive', he began a bloodthirsty slaughter; the wandering souls at the edge of the ghost opera stage who hadn't had time to flee were torn apart instantaneously, and streams of black qi surged into his body.

The blood moon in the sky was quickly covered by dark clouds, and at the instant that queer-stitched human-skin puppet was torn apart, it vanished completely.

Chen Fuying gripped her spear, holding her torso upright; she stood at the exact center of the ghost opera stage, never showing the slightest intention to retreat.

Chen Ping hated her to the marrow.

Had it not been for Chen Fuying's sudden intervention, the sacrifice would not have been forcibly interrupted, and his long-held wish to become a Buddha or god would not have come to naught.

Of course, Chen Ping at this point was no longer the original Chen Ping.

On and beneath the ghost opera stage, only Chen Fuying remained.

Chen Ping strode forward; Chen Fuying swept her spear horizontally, but after just a few exchanges, Chen Ping pinned her firmly beneath his feet.

Chen Fuying offered no resistance, lying there and began to sing.

A mournful aria rose, singing of how Chen Ping forced her great-grandmother to miscarry, how he tormented her great-grandfather, how he ruined the opera troupe, and how he persecuted the entirety of Wufu Town…

Each note was more sorrowful than the last, each line more plaintive…

Between heaven and earth, it seemed only Chen Fuying's lament of injustice remained!

I lifted my foot to charge onto the stage, having decided that since Chen Ping had been cast down from his divine pedestal, his resentful qi was now so heavy that I could employ my ancient shamanic arts to control him.

A hand pressed down on my shoulder.

I turned my head and saw Liu Junyan, who had somehow come over from the Zhu Pan River, shaking his head at me to signal that I should not act rashly.

But having come to this point, who could still stay calm?

"Āyàn, Chen Fuying's stepping forward already exceeded our expectations; are we really just going to watch her fight alone and be killed by the enemy?"

I can't do that!

Especially now that I have weighed my own abilities and know I can control Chen Ping on the ghost opera stage, I cannot bear to remain a mere spectator.

Liu Junyan, however, shook his head and pointed upward at the ghost opera stage.

After the blood moon vanished just now, my attention had been wholly on Chen Ping and Chen Fuying; but following Liu Junyan's gesture, I looked up and was instantly startled.

The sky remained filled with rolling dark clouds, yet now it seemed all those clouds were gathering above the ghost opera stage.

The sky above the ghost opera stage was overcast to the point of resembling a black hole.

No, that isn't a black hole; it looks more like the eyes of the death god, solemnly gazing upon everything happening on the ghost opera stage.

I didn't even dare to stare too long; it felt as if a huge stone weighed on my chest, making it hard to breathe.

Liu Junyan's large hand covered my eyes, his warm breath transmitting into my body, whereupon I finally let out a long sigh and relaxed.

I immediately asked, "Āyàn, what is that?"

Liu Junyan's hand slid from my eyes down to my shoulder, gripping my shoulder tightly, and she said word by word: "Heaven's wrath, people's resentment..."