Singing Opera

Just as Li Huowang was wondering what exactly was being performed before his eyes, the farmers watching below began to move. One after another, they pulled out one or two copper coins and tossed them onto the stage.

The spectators were all farmers who scraped their food from the fields. Those who threw money were always few; more often, they tossed ears of corn, potatoes, and other foodstuffs.

Those from better-off households at most threw salted fish or cured meat.

Yet Luo Juanhua refused no offering, bowing in thanks again and again.

So this was how opera performers were paid? Li Huowang finally understood.

Watching Luo Juanhua kneel so humbly onstage, cradling her daughter as she continued singing in a tearful voice, stretching out a hand to gather the things from the ground and put them into a basket, while occasionally bowing to the cheering crowd below.

He could not help but sigh. Earning a living from this bowl of rice was no easy thing.

Just as Luo Juanhua was picking things up with great delight, a small piece of broken silver was thrown up.

Her eyes immediately lit up. She picked up the silver and gently weighed it in her hand. Finding that it was at least five qian, she immediately slipped into an operatic voice, singing as she kowtowed toward the Fat Old Man—the only person in the crowd wearing silk.

"Good, good, good!! That was damn well sung!" The red-faced old man raised his hand, and another piece of broken silver flew up, drawing wave after wave of thanks from Luo Juanhua.

Li Huowang was growing weary of the farce before him. He yawned and lay down atop the pile of straw, saying to the relatively dependable Zhao Wu beside him, "I'm going to doze off for a while. Keep watch."

"Alright, Senior Brother."

When Li Huowang opened his eyes again, the sun was already high in the sky. The others were chatting idly nearby. It seemed everyone had huddled in this straw pile and made do for the night.

The stage in the distance had already been dismantled, and the Lu family was stuffing all their equipment into the wagon trunks.

"Zhao Wu, how many days of food do we have left?" Li Huowang suddenly asked.

"Not much. If we ration it, three days at most." Zhao Wu answered at once.

Li Huowang took out the dozens of copper coins and the small piece of black silver he had swindled from the Material Room, then handed them to him. "Go trade for some food in the village. We'll need enough for the road."

There were more than ten of them, and all were young, strapping men. They consumed food at an enormous rate. They had brought so many bags from Qingfeng Temple, yet by now they had nearly eaten it all.

Zhao Wu, lying on Fool's back, was just about to have Fool enter the village when he reconsidered. He beckoned over a better-looking Daoist Child, placed the money in his hand, and softly instructed him about something.

Li Huowang propped himself up on the straw pile with one hand and headed toward the distant stage.

"Sir, when are we setting out?" Li Huowang asked Lu Zhuangyuan.

Lu Zhuangyuan looked rather anxious. "Little Daoist Master, please wait a little longer. My daughter-in-law took Xiuer out early this morning, and I have no idea where they ran off to. We'll leave as soon as she returns."

Li Huowang was immediately puzzled. "Hm? They're missing? Aren't they right there?"

When Lu Zhuangyuan followed Li Huowang's pointing finger toward the village entrance, he saw Luo Juanhua walking over with a few feet of cloth in her hands, smiling brightly as she held her daughter.

At the sight of his scatterbrained daughter-in-law, Lu Zhuangyuan's fury flared to the heavens. Gripping his pipe, he rushed over and unleashed a torrent of abuse upon her.

Faced with her father-in-law's anger, Luo Juanhua looked utterly innocent. "Father, didn't you tell me to buy cloth in the village? You said the cloth in town was expensive."

After venting his rage, Lu Zhuangyuan turned around and said to Li Huowang with a beaming smile, "Little Daoist Master, it's fine now. Let's go."

"Hey~! Father, don't leave yet. When I went to buy cloth just now, I picked up some business."

At those words, Li Huowang and Lu Zhuangyuan both looked at Luo Juanhua. "What business?"

"What business could we do? Opera business, of course. The employer is that gentleman who gave the most reward money last night! Go have a look. He said he had some matters he wanted to discuss with you in detail."

The moment he heard that, Lu Zhuangyuan could no longer move his feet. He slowly turned around, smiling awkwardly at Li Huowang.

Though the other man said nothing, Li Huowang naturally understood his meaning from that expression. "No matter. Earning money comes first, Master Lu Ban. We can wait another day."

"Oh dear, oh dear, what a sin, what a sin. This old man will be right back." With that, Lu Zhuangyuan tucked his pipe into his collar and happily dragged his daughter-in-law toward the village.

Li Huowang returned to the straw pile. With nothing else to do, he picked up the shriveled Dao Bell and examined it closely.

If he could truly command Lord You, it would undoubtedly greatly increase his strength.

Unfortunately, he could not summon it now. He had to find a way to repair it.

He turned it over and inspected it several times. Everything else seemed fine; only the caved-in bell wall appeared to be the possible problem.

Then if I straighten it out, will it work again?

After pondering for a moment, Li Huowang placed a square stone beneath the Copper Bell. Then he picked up another stone and struck hard at the bulging side.

But the instant the stone hit, a piercing ring burst out. Li Huowang's head immediately felt as though it were splitting apart, and he could barely keep hold of the stone in his hand.

"This won't work. I need to ask whether there's a blacksmith in this village." Li Huowang shook his dizzy head hard.

Just then, Li Huowang saw those Daoist Children dragging two sacks toward them.

He put away the Dao Bell and hurried over alongside Zhao Wu, who was riding on Fool's back.

"Senior Brother Li, we could only trade for this much." The Daoist Child's young face was full of unease. Though they were children, they were extremely sensible and capable. After all, the children who had not been sensible had already been killed by Danyangzi.

Li Huowang reached out and pulled open the burlap sack, finding it filled with dried sweet potatoes.

"Senior Brother, this stuff has no oil or fat in it. It won't last us many days. Fool can eat a jin and a half in one meal, and too much of it gives you heartburn."

Zhao Wu's words made the honest, bald giant lower his head in shame. "You... you don't... don't leave me behind. I... I'll eat less!"

There was not enough food. Li Huowang stared at the sacks before him, thinking of a solution.

According to Lu Zhuangyuan, Jianye City was still quite a long way off. If they ran out of food halfway there, those dozen or so people could hardly start chewing tree bark.

He reached into his robes again and pulled out a gold ring wound with red string.

After looking at it for a moment, Li Huowang placed it in the hand of Bai Lingmiao, who was behind him holding onto the hem of his clothes.

"Use this to trade." Li Huowang took out Xuan Yang's Jade Pendant and handed it to Zhao Wu.

"Senior Brother, how are we supposed to trade this? There's no pawnshop in the village, and no one can make change for it. Besides, these mud-legged farmers may not even recognize its value."

"If the Jade Pendant can't be traded for food either, then what should we do?" Just as Li Huowang was troubled by the food crisis, he saw Lu Zhuangyuan and his daughter-in-law walking toward him.

"Well, Little Daoist Master, this old man has run into a bit of trouble with some business. Could I trouble you to help?" Lu Zhuangyuan looked deeply embarrassed.

"Master Lu Ban, I don't know how to sing opera. I'm afraid I can't help with your trouble." Li Huowang found it utterly absurd. Did he want him to go up onstage and perform a sword dance?

"No, no, it's something you can help with. It's just..." Lu Zhuangyuan furtively glanced around, leaned closer, and lowered his voice. "That Lord Hu wants me to perform Ghost Opera."