Lu Pan

"A little over a month ago..."

After hearing Cui Cui's words, Zhou Sheng's heart stirred, lost in thought.

This was precisely when Shen Jinhua performed The Injustice to Dou E and died on stage.

Shen Jinhua had lost her head, and the County Magistrate's wife had gotten a new face.

The biggest beneficiary of this was Magistrate Zhu, who turned his drab wife into a peerless beauty, allowing him to legitimately enjoy her company and indulge in sensual pleasures.

The fog had gradually cleared, and the entire affair was close to being revealed.

But what echoed in Zhou Sheng's ears at that moment were Shen Jinhua's final words before her soul scattered.

"If you can't let the June snow cover my pure bones— Why force me to paint my face for half a lifetime... playing Dou E..."

The tragically deceased Shen Jinhua probably never dreamed that her tragedy was merely because a county magistrate wanted his wife to have a more beautiful face.

"Cui Cui, how much do you know about Magistrate Zhu?"

Zhou Sheng's gaze turned cold as he continued to press.

An ordinary county magistrate certainly couldn't command ghosts and gods to achieve such a feat. It was clear that this Magistrate Zhu had something unusual about him.

Cui Cui thought carefully and said, "I joined the household late, so I don't know much. But I've heard the older servants in the mansion talk. They said Magistrate Zhu was a poor scholar in his early years, lacking talent and living in destitution. Then, he suddenly had an epiphany and passed the imperial examinations consecutively..."

Zhou Sheng's heart stirred, a cold smile appearing in his eyes.

This probably wasn't an epiphany, but a change of heart.

If he could change his wife's head, why couldn't he change his own uncultured mind?

He suddenly recalled a story from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio called Lu Pan.

The scholar Zhu Erdan, by chance, met Lu Pan from the Underworld. Zhu Erdan was naturally dull and lacked talent, so Lu Pan replaced his heart with a clever one, greatly increasing his abilities.

Later, Zhu Erdan, dissatisfied with his wife's ugly appearance, sought out Lu Pan again to give his wife a young and beautiful head.

Even after Zhu Erdan's death, he became an Underworld Official, quite imposing. He often visited the mortal realm to guide his son, as if he were still alive.

When he read this story back then, he found it quite amusing. But when such a gruesome event happened right beside him, he realized that it was only amusing because it hadn't happened to him.

Some people lost their hearts, and some lost their heads.

But who could speak up for them?

This Magistrate Zhu was perhaps like that Zhu Erdan, having an extraordinary relationship with some important figure in the Underworld.

"Cui Cui, how did you die?"

Seeing that the stick of incense was almost burnt out, Zhou Sheng asked his final question.

Hearing this, Cui Cui's body trembled, and her eyes flashed with pain, struggle, and fear.

"That night, after my father was beaten and kicked out of the mansion, Magistrate Zhu came to find me. He wanted to force himself on me. When I refused, he hit me and left behind a hairpin."

"Soon after, a servant said I stole the madam's hairpin. The madam seemed to believe it and was very disappointed in me, no longer caring about me."

"Then..."

"Those household guards... they... they violated me..."

"Which household guards?"

"...All of them."

Zhou Sheng was stunned.

"All the male household guards participated. They said it was a pledge of allegiance; whoever didn't participate would be suspected of leaking secrets and be disloyal to the master."

"I cried and begged for help from the sisters and aunts who used to take care of me. They clearly heard me, but they pretended not to hear."

"I felt so, so much pain, as if my whole body was being torn apart. Later, my voice became hoarse, and I couldn't scream anymore. I fainted from the pain, so..."

"I don't know how I died. It felt like... I died from the pain?"

Zhou Sheng's expression was calm, but the hand in his sleeve clenched until it turned white.

This poor little girl had ultimately been tortured to death.

"Brother, I don't know what I did wrong. Why did those uncles, aunts, sisters, and brothers who were usually kind to me do this to me?"

"Brother, I miss Father so much."

After leaving Grandma Cui's house, Zhou Sheng remained silent the entire way.

He had peeled back the layers of mist and finally saw the truth of the entire affair. However, this truth was far too heavy.

The time of one stick of incense was short, and Cui Cui's soul quickly returned to the Underworld. Perhaps in the future, she would be reincarnated.

Meng Po's Soup could make her forget the pain of this life, but the questions she asked at the end, Zhou Sheng felt, he would probably never forget.

Upon returning home, seeing his disciple looking lost and dejected, Yu Zhensheng let out a sigh.

"Every outstanding Ghost Opera Performer has experienced countless joys and sorrows beyond the imagination of ordinary people. That's why a Ghost Opera Performer's heart must be tough and cold enough to survive on the stage of Ghosts and Gods."

"Master, I understand."

"No, you don't understand."

Yu Zhensheng shook his head, then suddenly asked, "Now that you know everything, are you still planning to perform Old Xu's Ghost Opera?"

Just as Zhou Sheng was about to speak, Yu Zhensheng waved his hand to interrupt him.

"Things have come to this, so I won't hide it from you anymore. Although Magistrate Zhu has no cultivation, his background is not small. He has connections with important figures in the Underworld, and those Guardian Soldiers were likely sent by that important figure to protect him."

"He already saw through the identities of you and me. That day, he used water as ink and drew a pattern on the table – the Ghost Gate Pass of the Underworld."

"In two months, you will officially become a performer. During the Ghost Festival, you will have to pass the Ghost Gate Pass and go to the Underworld to perform for Ghosts and Gods. It's a path of nine deaths and one life."

"If you provoke an important figure in the Underworld, and they secretly play some tricks, your performance on stage will be even more dangerous!"

Yu Zhensheng looked at him deeply and said, "Think it over carefully before making a decision. If you decide to give up, I won't blame you. After all, what are rules compared to life?"

"That's right, what are rules compared to life?"

After hearing his master's words, a complex expression appeared on Zhou Sheng's face.

"Master, as the saying goes, good people don't get good rewards."

"Shen Jinhua was a good person, often using the money she earned from performing to help orphans, yet she died with her head cut off; Uncle Xu was a good person, yet he was strangled and thrown into the river; Cui Cui was also a good person, yet she died agonizingly..."

"It seems good people truly don't get good rewards."

"But should good people really not get good rewards?"

Zhou Sheng slowly raised his eyes, the dejection gone, replaced by a sharpness like a drawn sword.

The youthful spirit in the young man's eyes seemed to outshine the sun outside the window.

"On the way back, I kept thinking about Cui Cui's last question to me: why did those people treat her like that?"

"I couldn't answer that question, but it suddenly occurred to me that this question wasn't meant for me to answer."

He paused, then grinned, revealing a row of pearly white teeth. A murderous aura flickered in his eyes, and his brows shot up like knife edges.

"Since I can't answer it, I'll send them down to answer it themselves."

"And see if there's a place for them in the eighteen levels of hell?"

Sensing the surging killing intent from his disciple, Yu Zhensheng offered no comment, merely asking calmly, "Have you decided?"

"I've decided."

"No regrets?"

"No regrets."

"Good, then I will teach you a few new plays."

"Since you've decided to perform, make it a brilliant one. When the gongs and drums sound, if it's not a good show, it will be a disgrace to me, Yu Zhensheng."

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, everyone!

Thank you to bu chi cong hua for the generous reward, and thank you to book friend 20230322105722047 for the two hundred reward. Sending virtual hugs!