Chapter 113

Chapter 113

Chapter 113: The Troupe Leader

The young waiter was sent off by the troupe leader to busy himself, leaving only Bai Zhengliu and the troupe leader at the tea area.

This was the usual place where the theater hosted distinguished guests. It was located behind and above the regular audience seating. Though farther from the stage, it avoided the clutter below and allowed a clearer view of the performance.

Incense slowly burned inside. As Bai Zhengliu stepped in, the warmth of the scent enveloped him. Fortunately, this incense was not as overpowering as the one in Cheng Yaoniang’s cabinet the previous night. He felt no irritation, kept a calm mindset, and even cast a scornful glance around.

The swordsman himself was not an arrogant or picky man—but he had seen much.

From childhood, Bai Zhengliu had slept in the wilds and visited palaces. He had fought beggars for food and spoken fluently before the emperor. Now, by recalling the expressions of household servants he had seen in the capital, he could effortlessly put on a convincing demeanor.

The troupe leader indeed trusted him completely, showing no doubt about the truth of Bai Zhengliu’s words. Yet he still fussed repeatedly over the “costumes are torn, need to fetch replacements elsewhere,” giving Bai Zhengliu an earnest look that almost made him think the leader expected him to fetch them.

Bai Zhengliu raised an eyebrow, choosing not to expose the troupe leader’s subtle intent. Instead, he switched to a more ordinary topic:

“First, tell me about how Dream-Seeking Record is staged, and who this author ‘Hengsheng’ is. Also, for setting up the stage at our house, will all the work be done by your troupe, or do we need to involve our household servants? Additionally, since the actors aren’t performing today, lead me to meet them. Our master is particular; anyone with an unsuitable appearance must not come to our home!”

Three points in one sentence:

Dream-Seeking Record is a play performed by the troupe, but the origin lies with the person who wrote the story of “Song Lang meeting the young lady in a dream,” someone Bai Zhengliu is curious about.

Who drew the array on Cheng Yaoniang’s roof? Climbing the roof isn’t easy, so by asking about setting up the stage, he wanted to know if the troupe had capable people for such work.

Most importantly, neither the young waiter nor the troupe leader showed any traces of yin energy. That’s good, but Bai Zhengliu could not feel at ease. From past experience at the Cheng household, he knew to ensure nothing went wrong, he needed to inspect the troupe thoroughly.

Thinking this, he wondered if the one-and-a-half hours agreed with Yinghan might be tight… The swordsman’s mind ran ahead, when the troupe leader finally spoke.

After seeming to think carefully, the leader first agreed: “Of course, esteemed guest. If you want to see, I will take you. Regarding the stage, it’s best if the household helps, but if only our troupe does it, we can manage.”

Bai Zhengliu slightly raised his chin, signaling that he was listening.

“As for ‘Hengsheng,’” the leader hesitated, “he’s just a scholar. Perhaps you don’t know, but many of the scripts on the market, including those used by our troupes, are often written by those who failed in the imperial exams, writing miscellaneous books to support their households. They care about face; they want money but cannot lose their reputation. ‘Hengsheng’ is a made-up name; his exact circumstances are hard to say.”

Bai Zhengliu glanced sideways at him.

“Hard to say?” the swordsman pressed, “Are you hiding some insider knowledge? I wondered from the start—how could a play no one has heard of become so popular? Master Mei only said it was for the young ladies at home to see something fresh. Now I see… haha.”

He acted all the way, making a show of leaving. But no sooner had he taken a few steps than the troupe leader chased after him, grabbing Bai Zhengliu’s wrist.

“Esteemed guest, esteemed guest!” the leader called. “Don’t go!”

Bai Zhengliu gave him a cold stare.

The troupe leader tried to appease him: “Isn’t it enough if I explain?”Bai Zhengliu looked at him for a moment, then let out a soft “hiss” and sat back at the table.

The troupe leader made a small “ah” sound, lowering his hand from Bai Zhengliu’s arm—somewhat cautiously. After all, the “people from Master Mei’s household” had been watching his hands intently. The troupe leader even glanced at his own hand a few extra times, checking for dirt that might upset the distinguished guest.

Hmm, nothing—clean and spotless, not a speck of black.

The troupe leader swallowed, raising his head again. At this moment, Bai Zhengliu put on a “finished scolding, now smile” expression and said, “Do you think I asked casually? Our master is truly particular.” The troupe leader listened, thinking, I can already tell that.

“Your play is good, but our master has heard some parts of it—he says some lines aren’t quite fitting and wants ‘Hengsheng’ to revise them. Also, a few scenes need changes.”

The troupe leader’s face grew more and more distressed.

Bai Zhengliu once again pulled “gold fragments” from his bosom, casually saying, “If you can meet our master’s requests, consider this as a deposit. If not, it’s better to speak up now so our master can find someone more capable.”

The troupe leader: “……”

The troupe leader: “Please, esteemed guest, speak.”

Bai Zhengliu: “Speak what?”

Troupe leader: “Uh… about what parts need to be changed.”

Bai Zhengliu scrutinized him, “Should I tell you? Are you versed in poetry, or in writing plays?” His expression showed suspicion. “Could it be that ‘Hengsheng’ is your alias? You clearly wrote the play, yet you hide it. Only now, at this point, do you confess honestly to me.”

The more he spoke, the colder his tone became. The troupe leader’s heart raced, and he hurried to clarify: “Of course not! It’s just that, if the esteemed guest wants to revise the play, naturally—”

Bai Zhengliu cut him off decisively: “Naturally, you first tell ‘Hengsheng’ to make the changes, and only then do you stage the new version!”

The troupe leader drew a sharp breath. For a moment, Bai Zhengliu thought he had overplayed his act and expected the troupe leader to refuse. Unexpectedly, after a brief hesitation, the troupe leader nodded.

“Alright,” he sighed, “I will tell you where ‘Hengsheng’ lives. But his temper isn’t good; he usually avoids visitors. Once you arrive, how you talk to him is not my decision.”

Bai Zhengliu smiled: “Naturally.”

He listened to the address, calculating in his mind: from Jingzhou City by fast horse, it’s roughly a two-day journey.

Not too far, but not very close either.

With that, the most important matters were settled. Bai Zhengliu then listened as the troupe leader recounted how he entered the profession and the background of the actors in the troupe. Glancing at the time, he realized that if he delayed any longer, Yinghan would start worrying, so he brought up meeting the actors.

On this point, the troupe leader was straightforward as ever: “Very well, let’s go then.”

With that, he led Bai Zhengliu to meet all the members of the Leshan Troupe. On stage and off, from master performers to apprentices, Bai Zhengliu took in every one of them with his eyes.It wasn’t just the people—Bai Zhengliu also carefully examined the buildings in the theater, making sure there wasn’t a trace of yin energy anywhere.

He considered all this with a smile on his face, saying to the troupe leader, “Everyone here looks proper. I’ve looked around; nothing seems amiss.”

The troupe leader’s face lit up with a smile, his gaze lingering on Bai Zhengliu’s chest. But Bai Zhengliu, of course, had no real gold for him. After a moment of thought, he thought to himself: Saving people comes first… and using his inner strength, he melted the previously obtained gold safety lock. By the time it appeared in the troupe leader’s eyes, it had become a heap of gold fragments.

Seeing the tangible gold, the troupe leader was overjoyed, nearly showing all his teeth in excitement. Were it not for Bai Zhengliu still in front of him, he might have tried to bite the gold.

“By the way,” Bai Zhengliu looked at the troupe leader’s expression and remembered something, asking, “The costumes you mentioned retrieving—where are they? I have some skill, and with lightness skill, I could get there much faster than you. Perhaps I should go myself and complete this part of our deal.”

The troupe leader froze, and even the gold in his hand was less enticing now. He slowly gathered it back into his palm.

After a moment, as if realizing, he answered: “That place isn’t hard to find, but the locals remember our troupe members’ faces. If the esteemed guest goes, it might not work. It’s better if we send someone; esteemed guest, please don’t trouble yourself.”

Bai Zhengliu blinked slowly.

They held each other’s gaze. The troupe leader pressed his lips together, staring unblinking at Bai Zhengliu.

Bai Zhengliu saw his nervousness but pretended not to notice, only curling a slight smile at the corner of his lips: “I see, that’s reasonable. It’s not trouble, though if they recognize you, I truly won’t be able to help.”

The troupe leader exhaled in relief: “Mm… esteemed guest, your consideration is noted.”

Bai Zhengliu didn’t respond to that. Only after stating he would leave and actually departing the theater did his expression slowly settle.

This troupe leader, originally, had clearly intended for him to fetch the costumes. But once he knew Bai Zhengliu was going to find “Hengsheng” and clarified the location, he hurriedly changed his tone.

It seemed the only place the leader had wanted him to go all along was one single location.

Author’s note:

Finished for today =v=

See you tomorrow!

I’m really looking forward to the movie this afternoon hehe! (That is, while writing this update, the first movie merchandise is right by my side)