In the darkness, among the trees, could someone be setting up a stage for a performance?
But in the dead of night, for whom is this song being sung?
A sense of absurdity and grotesqueness welled up in everyone's hearts.
Lu Guiyan frowned. This strange situation inevitably brought to mind supernatural tales, but being a woman of the martial world, she had never believed in ghosts or gods.
It seems someone is playing tricks... I wanted to avoid it, but it didn't seem like a good idea.
After all, if they were really after them, they would have come looking for them anyway, so they might as well keep going down this path.
As the sound became clearer, Lu Guiyan and the others recognized the sounds of several musical instruments.
There were cymbals, gongs, drums, wooden fish drums, and even clappers...
With so many different sounds, there must be a lot of people involved.
However, as far as the eye could see, there were no figures, only a patch of white firelight, and something moving about in the four corners.
"... This looks so much like a shadow puppet show!"
Mo Beidou scratched his head and offered his opinion.
Hearing him say this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, all agreeing that what he said made a lot of sense.
Fear often stems from the unknown, Mo Beidou's words shattered the gloom in everyone's hearts. After all, what's so scary about shadow puppetry?
The crowd immediately quickened their pace, and sure enough, behind a white curtain, two small figures were fighting fiercely, with the sounds of cymbals and gongs coming from behind the curtain.
Is it really true that some people stay up late at night, hide in the mountains and forests, light a fire, and perform shadow puppet shows?
Lu Guiyan was both amused and exasperated, but she dared not let her guard down.
The woods were deep and the night was desolate. Even if it wasn't some kind of evil spirit causing trouble, anyone who dared to perform shadow puppetry here was certainly no ordinary person.
Their arrival also alerted the person behind the scenes.
Then one of the two figures suddenly left the stage, while the other leaped into the air, tumbling several times on the curtain before landing. He flicked his spear, and only then did a sound rang out.
"Hey!"
"Who goes there...?"
Lu Guiyan clasped her hands in a fist salute:
"I'm just passing by, I apologize for disturbing you, senior."
"Hmm?"
The little figure on the screen spun around twice, its voice full of confusion, before suddenly looking up:
"Under the cover of night, they walk hurriedly and anxiously; could they be criminals crossing the border?"
But where did the passerby come from, and where is he going?
Lu Guiyan, not wanting to get entangled with him, smiled and said:
"We have no intention of disturbing you, so we will take our leave now."
After saying that, he led his men away.
Unexpectedly, the little figure on the curtain moved again, raising the spearhead:
"Hehehe, since you're here, then... ouch!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the little figure on the curtain suddenly disappeared, and Fang Shuwen's voice came from behind the curtain:
How do you play this thing?
"You, you, you..."
A slightly aged voice came from behind the curtain, filled with terror:
When did you arrive?
"I came over while you were talking."
Fang Shuwen glanced at the man while fiddling with the shadow puppet he had snatched from him.
He was an old man, probably in his sixties or seventies, with white hair and beard, and a slender build.
He was sitting in a very strange chair.
Many kinds of musical instruments are attached to the top, and there are pedals under the feet. By pressing the pedals, different instruments can produce different sounds.
This is why, even though he was alone, he was able to produce the sounds of various musical instruments.
Fang Shuwen had seen shadow puppet shows before and knew that in their profession, there was a title called "Shibuxian," which was considered top-tier.
The difficulty lies in achieving the effect that requires the collaboration of many people with the efforts of one person, with various instruments working in perfect harmony, performing and playing simultaneously, which is by no means easy.
Fang Shuwen played with the shadow puppet in his hand for a moment, then asked:
"What did you just say? Now that we're here, what's the deal?"
The old man stared at Fang Shuwen, hesitated for a long time, and then tentatively spoke:
"Shall we watch one game before we leave?"
"It's not impossible."
Fang Shuwen peeked out from behind the curtain:
"Miss Lu, how about we listen to a song? We've been walking all night, and everyone's tired. How about we rest for a while?"
"It's rare to see a shadow puppet show, and it's free!"
The old man clicked his tongue in disbelief. "Who said I don't have to pay?"
However, considering that Fang Shuwen had appeared silently beside him and easily snatched the shadow puppet without him even dodging, he decided not to take the money!
A true man stands between heaven and earth; how can he be so petty about such trivial matters as money?
Lu Guiyan was slightly taken aback, not understanding why Fang Shuwen wanted to linger here.
However, since he said that, it must have been for a reason.
After a moment's hesitation, he clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, saying:
"Thank you very much, sir."
With that, he waved his hand:
"Everyone, take a break and watch a... shadow puppet show."
The old man gave a somewhat bitter smile, feeling that tonight was the worst night imaginable.
All that good stuff has to be for nothing.
But what's done is done, there's no point in saying more, let's sing!
The bodyguards and escorts in the escort agency weren't particularly interested in the shadow puppet show, but the two being protected were like curious children. They quickly found Liaokong to sit down and eagerly watched the white screen, waiting for the show to begin.
Seeing that the others were scattered around, Fang Shuwen smiled and said:
"Everyone come closer, get closer, what can you hear from so far away?"
The bodyguards and porters looked bewildered and somewhat confused, but they still gathered around.
They didn't know much about Fang Shuwen, but he was, after all, Escort Chief Mo's junior brother. Out of respect for him, they couldn't very well ignore him.
Fang Shuwen found a seat at the front and sat down. A figure flashed beside him, and when he turned his head, he saw Lu Guiyan.
She sat down next to Fang Shuwen and spoke softly:
"Did you discover something?"
Those with high internal strength often have keen hearing and eyesight. Just because Fang Shuwen can't sense or hear something doesn't mean he's Fang Shuwen.
Fang Shuwen glanced at her with some surprise, then smiled and nodded.
You'll know soon.
His words did not put Lu Guiyan at ease; instead, they made her anxious.
This suggests that the attempt to shed the cicada's skin may have failed, and who knows, the Fierce Tiger Gang might be waiting ahead.
Thinking of this, she sighed and subconsciously glanced at Sun Qian in the crowd.
The next moment, the gongs and cymbals sounded, and the play had begun.
The old man began by announcing the title of the play: "[The Rebellious Disciple Fang Huai]".
The story begins with a scholar who is bullied and lives a life of poverty. He later encounters an old man who teaches him martial arts. From then on, he abandons his studies and takes up martial arts, and due to his intelligence, his skills deepen day by day.
Unexpectedly, he harbored malicious intentions. After his master taught him martial arts, instead of repaying the master, he wanted to kill his master and seize the secret manual.
The story itself wasn't particularly captivating, but the old man's rhythm and the accompaniment of various musical instruments easily drew the audience in.
The film was reaching its climax when Fang Huai, revealing his true intentions, and the master, despite his injuries, fought him on the banks of the river.
Just then, the sound of wind being cut came.
In the blink of an eye, one by one, people dressed in black appeared within the firelight.
The crowd parted, and the person at the head stepped forward.
He was also dressed in black, with a fierce tiger embroidered on his chest and cuffs!
However, his expression was not good. He kept glancing at the people from Lu'an Escort Agency and then at the white screen of the shadow puppet show, his eyes practically spitting fire.
But just before he could speak, a soft cough was heard.
He instinctively turned around and saw a simply dressed young man, chuckling, putting a finger to his lips.
"Shh, don't rush, let's watch the whole thing first."