HLnovel Chapter 489 The Vengeful Spirits of the Opera Troupe (6)
Chapter 489 The Vengeful Spirits of the Opera Troupe (6)
Although Ren Yinyin had doubts, she did not refuse, and the group soon arrived at the opera troupe.
As soon as Ren Yinyin entered the opera troupe, she felt a chilling aura emanating from her.
She frowned and began to carefully observe her surroundings.
Ah Xiu followed closely behind her, her eyes filled with nervousness.
Achu looked around curiously. The opera troupe was empty, and the backstage was full of costumes and mirrors, which looked a bit eerie.
Ren Yinyin first went to check the statue of Master Huaguang, and upon inspection, she discovered the problem—the statue had not been consecrated.
She told Master Ye about her discovery, and Master Ye slapped his forehead, realizing that some impetuous fellow must have broken the statue of Patriarch Huaguang but dared not say so, so he simply went and bought a new one to replace it.
But since they didn't understand anything, they didn't perform the consecration ceremony!
Master Ye gritted his teeth inwardly, determined to find this person and expel him from the troupe!
Ren Yinyin told Master Ye to find a place to set up the statue first, and then find someone to consecrate it.
Just then, the sound of opera singing suddenly came from the other side of the stage. Strangely, the sound was eerie and terrifying, completely different from the usual singing style.
"Senior sister, someone's performing opera!"
“It’s not that someone is performing, it’s that ghosts are performing!” Ah Chu chimed in.
Ren Yinyin gripped the peach wood sword in her hand and slowly walked towards the stage with Axiu and Achu, ready to find out what was going on.
Ren Yinyin used her peach wood sword to lift the curtain and looked intently. She saw that the stage was empty, and a costume was floating around in mid-air.
The sound was coming from inside the costume...
"It really is ghosts performing!" Ah Xiu whispered.
Ren Yinyin took out a leaf-shaped magic artifact from her treasure pouch, placed it in front of her, and used it to open her third eye.
Ah Xiu tugged at Ren Yinyin's sleeve, her eyes filled with longing.
Ren Yinyin picked up the magical artifact and opened the third eye for her and Achu as well.
The three of them looked at the stage again and saw a dressed actor gesturing and singing lyrics.
"Curse, curse, curse the unjust nature of Heaven... Hate, hate, hate the injustice of the world..."
"Wow, it really is Yi Xiaolong!" Ren Yinyin and the others had seen Yi Xiaolong perform before and recognized him at a glance.
Master Ye peeked out from behind the three and saw only a costume fluttering on the stage, which was quite frightening!
"Master Ren, please, go and subdue him quickly!"
Ren Yinyin nodded, picked up her peach wood sword, assumed a fighting stance, lifted the curtain, and strode out.
"Hey, you little brat, why didn't you reincarnate after you died? Why did you have to cause trouble in the opera troupe?" Ren Yinyin shouted, and the opera costume stopped fluttering.
"A cry for lovers who cannot be together, a spit of blood for unrequited love... Write, write, write a last will and testament... Zhu Yingtai, I, Liang Shanbo, will never forget you even in death..."
The opera singing carries a lament against fate and a steadfast devotion to love, making the listener sigh, "It's pitiful and lamentable that lovers cannot be together!"
With a look of sorrow and emotion in his eyes, Yi Xiaolong began to sing to Ren Yinyin.
Ah Chu said to Ah Xiu, "You sang so well, what a pity!"
Ah Xiu nodded. Although she couldn't hear it very clearly, she could truly feel the despair and persistence in it.
Master Ye, his face darkening, watched as the three unreliable Taoist priests began to enjoy the ghosts' performance.
After listening to the excerpt from "Shanbo's Deathbed," Ren Yinyin took the peach wood sword, pointed it at Yi Xiaolong, and shouted, "Alright, you've finished singing. Why don't you surrender?"
Yi Xiaolong flicked his water sleeves, finding the young Taoist quite amusing. "Young Taoist, I didn't charge you for listening to my opera, so why are you trying to charge me instead?"
"Because you're dead. When you're dead, you should obediently go to the underworld to be reincarnated. Look at you, not only do you not reincarnate, but you also run around the opera troupe scaring people." Ren Yinyin pointed at Master Ye, "You've caused panic in the opera troupe, and almost everyone has run away!"
“That’s right!” Although Master Ye couldn’t see Yi Xiaolong, he could hear him!
He mustered his courage and said, "Brother Long, I haven't done anything wrong to you, so why did you hurt me?"
Yi Xiaolong's expression changed, and he shouted fiercely, "I'm dead! Someone killed me! I'm going to find him! No one can stop me!"
As he spoke, he leaped up and pounced on Ren Yinyin.
Ren Yinyin stretched her limbs and wielded the peach wood sword with great skill, attacking Yi Xiaolong from all directions, making it impossible for him to escape.
"Dare to underestimate me? I'll beat you to death!"
……
"Taoist Master, I'm innocent!" Yi Xiaolong knelt on both knees, pleading in terror. This little Taoist priest was too violent and terrifying.
Ren Yinyin looked at Yi Xiaolong with a serious expression. "Humans have their own path to the underworld, and ghosts have their own path to the afterlife. Since you are already dead, you should be reincarnated instead of wandering here. It is only fair and just for me to take you in!"
Yi Xiaolong cried out, "I have lived an upright life and never done anything wrong. Yet I was murdered for no reason this time. I am truly resentful! That is why my spirit is haunting this place."
He paused briefly, then continued, "Moreover, I know the murderer is in this opera troupe. The reason I refuse to leave is that I want to find the real culprit and seek justice for myself!"
Ren Yinyin frowned slightly, seemingly somewhat helpless about Yi Xiaolong's persistence.
She took a breath and said earnestly, "Good deeds will be rewarded, and evil deeds will be punished. It's not that retribution won't come, it's just that the time hasn't arrived yet. Why are you so attached to it? Letting go of hatred and peacefully reincarnating is the right path."
"Master, as the saying goes, 'Every wrong has its source, and every debt its debtor.' I just want to find out who is behind this!" Yi Xiaolong looked at the Master with a pleading expression, his eyes filled with pain and resentment.
"I beg you, Taoist priest, have mercy and help me find the murderer! If the real culprit cannot be punished as he deserves, I will not rest in peace even in death! Even if I become a vengeful ghost, I will never let that swindler who is still at large get away with it!"
Ah Chu, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but interject, "Isn't the police department already investigating your case? They will definitely give you justice. There's really nothing we can do to help you!"
However, Yi Xiaolong wouldn't listen to A Chu's words at all. He kept staring at Ren Yinyin and continued to plead, "Daoist Master, I know you must have a way! Please, please help me out of my pitiful state! I'll do anything to let you know the truth!"
“Tell me everything that happened to you, and maybe we can help you find out the truth.” Ren Yinyin looked at Yi Xiaolong’s pitiful appearance and couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity. She decided to give it a try and see if she could uncover the mystery behind this tragedy.
Yi Xiaolong took a deep breath and began to recall that terrifying night: "That night, I felt a little unwell, so I found a corner backstage to rest for a while. However, not long after, I suddenly heard a slight noise, as if something had fallen to the ground. I was awakened by the sound and quickly got up to check, only to find that a costume had fallen to the ground. So, I picked it up and prepared to hang it back up."
He paused, then continued, "Just as I finished hanging up my costume, suddenly something covered my head tightly, and everything went black."
"I was terrified and struggled desperately, but that thing covered my mouth and nose tightly, making it almost impossible for me to breathe. Then, I felt something strangling my neck. I used all my strength to break free, and in my panic, I grabbed the hairpin in my hair and, without hesitation, stabbed it at the person..."