Hu Family Ancestral Hall

Being able to afford to hire people to perform for ghosts wasn't something ordinary families could do. The Hu family was considered a major clan in Wu Li Gang, with nearly a third of the village sharing the Hu surname.

Li Huowang had already learned from Lu Zhuangyuan that the one who paid for the performance was the wealthiest landlord and the most senior member of the Hu family in Wu Li Gang, Hu Qinghe.

At this moment, he was accompanying Lu Zhuangyuan and his troupe towards the Hu Family Ancestral Hall.

"Lord Hu said it's nothing serious. He's hired other troupes to perform ghost operas in the past, and nothing ever happened."

Li Huowang glanced at him, unsure whether he was trying to reassure himself or others.

He pressed the bell at his waist, feeling slightly more at ease. Even if something happened, having this made him feel much safer.

Of course, it was best if nothing happened, considering that inviting Lord You cost three months of his lifespan.

Walking along the village path, they soon arrived at the Hu Family Ancestral Hall, which was adorned with many red lanterns.

It was very crowded, and Li Huowang and the others couldn't squeeze in. Looking over the layers of heads, he saw many people burning incense and kowtowing to the black spirit tablets.

"That's Lord Hu. He also said that after the performance, he wants us to stay for dinner."

Lu Zhuangyuan pointed to the old man in silk clothes at the front of the kowtowing crowd.

Just as he spoke, the kowtowing people stood up and respectfully took down the black ancestral tablets, placing them on the semi-immortal tables that had been prepared in advance.

There were many tablets and many tables, filling the spacious three-courtyard Ancestral Hall.

The tables in front of the tablets were not empty; they were filled with delicious dishes of various kinds.

Red candles, incense, gold ingots, and yellow paper were neatly arranged in the dishes, for the ancestors to enjoy.

As if afraid of not providing enough care, a dozen paper figures stood by the walls of the Ancestral Hall, ready to serve tea and water, presumably to be placed next to the tables later.

"Hey, Lord Hu is really generous, personally paying for a troupe to perform for his ancestors."

"Yeah, no wonder Lord Hu's family hasn't had any illnesses or disasters. It's all thanks to the ancestors' blessings."

"Alas, I wonder if I'll have such good fortune after I die."

"That depends on whether your descendants can earn as much money as Lord Hu. Hiring someone to perform for ghosts costs a lot of money."

Listening to the words of the Hu family members and looking at the solemn scene before him, Li Huowang felt somewhat relieved. It didn't seem like anything bad would happen.

He leaned slightly towards Lu Zhuangyuan beside him. "Lu Ban Master, you've traveled all over for so many years. Have you encountered more ghosts or things that seek blessings?"

"Huh?! What do you mean? Aren't they the same thing?" Lu Zhuangyuan widened his eyes, looking very surprised.

"How can they be the same? One is what people become after death, and the other is..." Li Huowang didn't know how to explain.

But Li Huowang was certain that whether it was Grandma, whom Danyangzi used for alchemy, or Lord You, or even the Small Feet Woman from that night, they were definitely not ghosts, at least not the ghosts he had in mind.

Just then, the Hu family's tablets had been placed, and Hu Qinghe led a large group of Hu family members towards Lu Zhuangyuan.

"Lu Ban Master, please work hard. Jiao Liang, you take the others to help Lu Ban Master set up the stage."

"Oh, oh, you're too kind, Lord Hu is really too polite."

"Lu Ban Master, you know the rules of performing. Once the ancestors come out to watch the opera, the descendants who hired the troupe must leave and stay at home. Please take care of everything here at the Ancestral Hall." Lord Hu instructed with a kind face.

"Of course, of course. Lord Hu, rest assured, with me here, nothing will happen to the Ancestral Hall." Lu Zhuangyuan patted his chest and said decisively.

Although no one was watching, Lu Zhuangyuan really didn't dare to make any mistakes. If something happened to the Ancestral Hall, the Hu family could bury the entire Lu Family Troupe alive.

"Also, when the opera starts, the living mustn't talk to the performers, lest the ancestors feel uncomfortable listening."

"For the opera, just pick something cheerful. The ancestors said in a dream that the underworld is too cold and they want to see something festive."

"There's no need to sing all night. After the fifth watch, my son will come to take the ancestral tablets home, and you can rest."

Lu Zhuangyuan nodded like a chick pecking at rice, "Yes, yes, Lord Hu, don't worry, we will definitely not break the rules."

With the help of the Hu family, the stage was quickly set up in the Ancestral Hall. Only five people were performing tonight. Luo Juanhua didn't come because women are not allowed in the Ancestral Hall.

Then, under Hu Qinghe's shouts, the dense crowd of onlookers dispersed and went home.

"Clang clang~ clang clang lift~!" When the Lu family started performing on stage, Li Huowang stayed backstage waiting.

Time passed bit by bit, and the entire Wu Li Gang became quiet. The large village fell into darkness, with only the Ancestral Hall lit up.

Singing opera for the dead was a first for Li Huowang. He opened the backstage curtain and looked outside.

It must be said, it was quite eerie. The stage was lively, but the audience was dead silent. There was no applause, only rows of black tablets engraved with names, and treasure candles and yellow paper between the tablets.

After a trip to Qingfeng Temple, these scenes couldn't scare him, but the Lu Family Troupe couldn't handle it. Before long, the opera-singing Lu Zhuangyuan forgot his lines several times, making the gong-striking Lu Zhuangyuan anxious.

However, as time passed, they began to get into the groove and things started to go smoothly.

In the silent night, the sound of the opera traveled far. Accompanied by this sound, Li Huowang, with his sword on his back, sat backstage and closed his eyes to rest.

Listening and listening, Li Huowang, who was a bit bored, actually heard a hint of charm, and his head shook along with the yi yi ya ya singing.

In this environment, the second watch passed unnoticed, and the third watch arrived.

Li Huowang now understood that the third watch was from 11 PM to 1 AM, the fourth watch was from 1 AM to 3 AM, and the fifth watch was from 3 AM to 5 AM. Generally, after 5 AM, the village chickens would start crowing.

He yawned. He didn't know why, but he always felt more tired here than others.

Since he was getting paid, he couldn't really fall asleep. Li Huowang simply held the Heavenly Book in his hand and pondered it to relieve his drowsiness.

Recently, when guarding the night, he would take it out to study, but apart from being more certain that this was a scripture that advised people to be good, he had gained nothing else.

Watching and watching, the second watch passed, and the third watch arrived. Everything was normal in the Ancestral Hall, and nothing happened.

Li Huowang looked up at Lu Zhuangyuan, who was changing makeup in front of the bronze mirror, and thought to himself, "Lu Ban Master is probably bleeding in his heart right now, losing six taels of silver for nothing."

Thinking about it, it shouldn't be anything happening. This is the Hu Family Ancestral Hall, and the younger generation is inviting the elders to watch a play. The elders can't possibly ruin the show.

Just when Li Huowang thought that tonight would pass like this, an accident happened. He heard the yi yi ya ya opera sound outside suddenly stop without warning.