Chapter 112
Chapter 112
Chapter 112: Pretending
The porridge had been cooked until soft, and the snow lotus within had completely dissolved. When holding the bowl in her hands, though the heat radiated from it, one could still sense a faint crispness of the mountain snow air.
It was quite remarkable.
Lady Cheng thought so, and then carefully helped her daughter sit up, feeding her spoonful by spoonful of the snow lotus porridge.
Though she could not see it, Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan clearly observed: as the snow lotus porridge entered Lady Cheng’s body, the yin energy inside her slightly trembled. The more she swallowed, the stronger the tremor, and the edges showed signs of dissipating.
It was working.
Their gazes calm, the two turned to look at Master Cheng.
Master Cheng was still explaining the situation with the opera troupe: “…Although they’re new to Jingzhou City, they are not a troupe without reputation. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have agreed to invite them to our home. It’s just that they used to perform elsewhere—I’d heard of them, but had never seen them myself.”
Bai and Mei nodded.
Master Cheng continued: “The troupe leader is a man about my age. As for the dan and sheng roles…” He recounted the members he remembered to the blade and sword heroes. Then he mentioned the most important thing: “They’re currently in the southern garden of the city. I’ll have Brother Long guide you two heroes there.”
Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan both said in unison, “Thank you.”
Master Cheng hesitated, then asked, “Will both of you go? If… if that yin-evil thing comes to our home again and entangles Lady Cheng…”
Thinking back to last night still filled him with fear.
His thoughts were written plainly on his face. Bai and Mei could see it clearly.
The two glanced at each other, silently sighing. They were still too few for this outing.
“Here’s what we’ll do,” Bai Zhengliu said. “One of us stays at your home, the other goes to the troupe to gather information.”
Mei Yinghan, upon hearing this, turned his head to glance at him, disapproval faint in his eyes.
But Bai Zhengliu knew that his “disapproval” came only from concern for him. At this point, splitting up was the best option.
Mei Yinghan would understand.
Bai Zhengliu added, “Yinghan, you stay behind.” It wasn’t just a command; he carefully explained the reason: “You know more about medicine than I do, so you can check Lady Cheng’s condition regularly… It’s daytime now, and we’re in the heart of Jingzhou City. The evil spirits aren’t likely to act. Just wait for me a little while; I’ll be back soon.”
Mei Yinghan exhaled slowly and finally said, “Alright.”
Indeed, he knew Bai Zhengliu was right. Although Chang Laogui and Meng Yuniang had access to ‘daylight,’ that was only because their victims had already been dragged into the domain of evil spirits. “Song Lang” had only ever appeared at night. This time, with Zhengliu going to the Le Shan troupe, it was unlikely anything would go wrong.But still, he worried.
Since last year, after separating from Fu and Gu in Guang’an Prefecture, the sword hero and the blade hero had always acted together. Rarely separating, even once, it had been Bai Zhengliu going into the ice crevasse to search for someone, only for Mei Yinghan to realize he wasn’t really looking for a “person” at all. With such past experiences, how could he not be concerned?
Yet the Cheng family truly needed someone to watch over them.
Mei Yinghan glanced at his beloved, and after responding, added, “Considering the size of Jingzhou City, an hour and a half is enough for you to ask questions and return.”
He didn’t say the next part, but Bai Zhengliu understood perfectly: “If I don’t return in time, it’ll trouble you, Yinghan, to come find me.”
Mei Yinghan smiled faintly. “Go.”
…
…
The same bustling streets, walked two days apart, felt very different.
Yesterday, Bai Zhengliu still had uncertainties about the place, and worries that “if we go the wrong way, the true evil may have already hidden and harmed people.” Now, his steps were determined. Were it not for being in the crowded streets, and thus unable to use lightness skill as freely as last night, he might already have flown along the ground.
Even so, Bai Zhengliu moved extremely fast. Within a short incense-smoke’s time, he had arrived at the Le Shan troupe’s location.
At this moment, a play was ongoing on the stage. Listening carefully, it wasn’t The Dream-Seeking Tale, but The Case of the Executed Beauty.
Seeing Bai Zhengliu listening at the side, someone from the opera immediately approached, offering him a seat and suggesting he buy some snacks and tea. But the blade hero didn’t respond to this; instead, he asked, “Is the troupe currently performing from Le Shan’s group?”
The server was unsurprised, smiling: “Indeed.”
Bai Zhengliu asked, “Then why aren’t they performing the famous play?”
The server replied, “Oh? Sir, you’re here for The Dream-Seeking Tale?” Though spoken lightly, both understood it was trivial. “It’s just unfortunate—the actors for The Dream-Seeking Tale are resting today. If you wish to hear it, you’ll have to come another day.”
Bai Zhengliu remained expressionless: “I specifically came to Jingzhou City for this. How is it so coincidental that it’s not performed now?”
The server protested, “Not ‘coincidence,’ sir. Go ask around the streets—anyone will tell you our Dream-Seeking Tale now performs only once every three days. The actors need to rest their voices, don’t you agree? This way, we honor the appreciation of all our esteemed guests.”
Bai Zhengliu: “…” Alright, fair enough. Though he hadn’t heard this in advance, he reasoned that one troupe couldn’t perform every day nonstop.
As for Master Cheng not mentioning this, it made sense too. Busy with business and worrying over his daughter, he likely harbored an extra layer of resentment toward the troupe, thinking, Good, this troupe is why my daughter ended up in such danger. It would be strange if he knew all the details inside the theater.
In a flash, these thoughts circled Bai Zhengliu’s mind. His expression remained calm, the same smile on his face, and he said, “Alright, I don’t care if you perform it today or not. In any case, our patron wants the troupe to perform The Dream-Seeking Tale at home, to give the ladies a fresh and lively experience. Lead the way—take me to the troupe leader.”The server froze for a moment, as if he hadn’t expected someone dressed like a Jianghu wanderer to open with “Master.”
Being scrutinized from head to toe by Bai Zhengliu, he remained calm. After a moment, Bai Zhengliu thought of something, furrowed his brows, and his expression showed a trace of impatience.
“You’re just standing there,” he thought, recalling how some attendants he’d seen before behaved, “are you worried my master won’t pay?”
Saying this, the blade hero reached into his bosom.
His fingertips touched a few pieces of broken silver. Enough for travel in ordinary times, but clearly insufficient as “intimidation” now.
No matter. A faint smile curved Bai Zhengliu’s lips as he slowly took out the silver. But what fell into the server’s eyes was not the plain silver shine—it glimmered with a pale golden light.
The server froze!
Gold? He hadn’t misseen, had he?
Which wealthy master could be so extravagant? And how famous was the Le Shan troupe to command such treatment?
His legs trembled, and his mind was dazed by the golden light. Only when Bai Zhengliu returned the coins to his bosom did he regain his senses, stammering, “Sir, follow me! To be honest, many families in the city had asked our troupe to perform at their homes, but except for the Cheng family who first welcomed us into the city, the rest our troupe leader refused.
“Because of that, some in the city secretly called our leader aloof. But they couldn’t understand the toil of performing. If anyone truly invited us with sincerity, our troupe leader wouldn’t refuse… Ah, I haven’t asked, sir—your master, which family is he, where do you live?”
Bai Zhengliu said, “It’s Master Mei—you might have heard of him—haven’t heard?” Seeing the confusion on the server’s face, Bai Zhengliu’s heart was unmoved, but a smirk tugged at his lips, giving the impression of You really are blind and deaf.
He acted arrogantly, fully in character, which made the theater server even more respectful, bowing low as he explained, “Our troupe has only been here a month or two. We made The Dream-Seeking Tale popular. From the leader to us runners, we stay at the theater every day. Truly ignorant, we hope Master Mei and sir will forgive us.”
Bai Zhengliu watched him for a moment, then smirked again: “Alright, lead the way.”
The server eagerly complied.
He walked ahead, Bai Zhengliu followed, coins clinking in his bosom.
—There was no actual gold; from start to finish, Bai Zhengliu had only shown the server scattered silver. But the same weight, when silver, was dismissed by the Le Shan server; when perceived as gold, it commanded careful consideration.
The lyrics of The Case of the Executed Beauty drifted away, finally faintly carrying lines: “I imagine you surely have a former wife in the prefecture. Now her mother and child come seeking you—why not recognize them, instead wrong her?”
“This is the place!” After walking a bit further, leaving the bustling theater behind, a much quieter courtyard appeared before Bai Zhengliu.
Perhaps because it was a rest day, even in daylight, the courtyard was peaceful. Weapons arranged on a corner table indicated this was no ordinary household—the actors also practiced here.
The server ran to the courtyard gate and called out: “Leader! Leader! Master Mei’s household has sent someone, inviting us to perform The Dream-Seeking Tale at their home!”
After several calls, movement finally came from inside. A middle-aged man pushed open the door, peering out with a trace of fatigue and gloom. But upon seeing the server and Bai Zhengliu outside, he quickly perked up.The server whispered to Bai Zhengliu, “This is our troupe leader!”
At the same time, the middle-aged man said, “Master Mei… I seem to have heard of him before.” He tilted his head, thinking intently for a moment, then looked up at Bai Zhengliu with a smile, “Since Master Mei sent someone, and this young man brought them to see me, it must be with great sincerity. However—”
Bai Zhengliu looked at him and noticed a trace of bitterness on the man’s face: “Just the other day on stage, our female lead’s costume was torn by her! We do have spares, but they aren’t in Jingzhou City. It might take some time to fetch them.”
Bai Zhengliu observed him for a moment. He saw the leader swallow nervously under his gaze, a tense expression. After a while, he suddenly smiled and said, “I thought it might be something else. No rush. Inviting you, Master Mei, does not mean you have to perform tomorrow. How about this—we first find a place to talk. I have some details to clarify with you.”
“Ah, of course, of course!” the troupe leader nodded and added, “Our room is messy, perhaps not suitable for hosting distinguished guests. Please, let the esteemed guest go to the tea area ahead—it’s a quieter place.”
Author’s note:
Little Bai, waving the “Master Mei” banner, is just overwhelmingly adorable. Anyone agree? …Hmm, definitely no one will oppose (nod).
By the way! Some little angels noticed earlier that in this ghost encounter, Bai and Mei did not actually “enter” any specific place.
Consider it a further refinement of the worldbuilding~