Watching the almost fanatical scene before him, Qiao Xiang felt as though he had returned to the past. Back then, his master was still alive, the opera house was still there, and those young boys carrying rifles and about to head to the battlefield would gather eagerly outside the opera house, hoping to hear his master sing before they departed. In their sincere, clear eyes was the resolve to sacrifice their own lives for their homeland.
For that reason, his master had thrown open the opera house doors and taken the stage to sing Dingjun Mountain!
That night, the melodies of Peking Opera drifted through all of Jinyang Street~
Today,
He slowly pushed open the teahouse doors and trembled as he walked toward the stage!
Just as his master had once opened the doors and performed!
Step by step, he made his way toward the stage, supported by Qiao Sheng at his side. But once he got onstage, he shoved him away!
His brows furrowed slightly as he struggled to make a gesture with his hand!
Though years had passed, the opera he had been unable to sing still felt so familiar!
Outside the teahouse.
Mei Liangxin arrived at the scene and stared blankly in the teahouse's direction.
His gaze passed through the open doors and fell upon his master, trembling as he stood onstage.
For a moment, he could not stop his tears from falling.
The old man had actually taken the stage again!
Back then, his master had defended this teahouse opera house and the cultural essence of their nation with his life under the mad torture of the people from the island nation, yet he himself had actually considered selling it to someone else.
At that thought, regret and anguish surged wildly within him!
"Master, I'm sorry!"
Looking at Qiao Xiang's figure, he spoke those words through tears. Amid the excited cries around him, his voice was swallowed by the roaring crowd the instant it left his mouth.
Inside the teahouse, Qiao Sheng and his junior brother watched Qiao Xiang take the stage, both wearing worried expressions.
"Senior Brother, Master's illness is so severe. How can he possibly keep singing?"
"You know his temper. At the hospital, he insisted on wearing his opera costume to come take a look at the teahouse. I thought this teahouse had been my father's lifelong obsession, so I brought him here since he wanted to see it. Who knew this would happen?"
Qiao Sheng frowned deeply. His father would struggle to remain standing for even ten minutes, so how could he possibly sing an entire opera?
His junior brother was equally anxious.
"What do we do now?"
"The arrow is already on the bow. He definitely won't step down easily. We can only adapt to the situation!"
Qiao Sheng said helplessly, his heart aching.
In his memory, once his father took the stage, he would never come down easily.
Especially in a situation like this.
If it had been in the past, he would not have worried at all. He might even have looked forward to it.
At that moment,
Not far from the teahouse entrance, Su Chen watched Qiao Xiang walk onto the stage and nodded faintly. It was time!
He stretched out his hand, and strands of golden tassels appeared over his five fingers!
He tapped the empty air before him!
A complex rune was drawn into existence, its golden glow slowly seeping into the void!
"Go!"
Su Chen softly uttered a single word!
As his voice fell, the rune immediately vanished into the void and became formless.
It shot secretly toward Qiao Xiang onstage!
Consumed Reverse Rebirth Talisman *1!
On the opera stage.
Qiao Xiang struggled to support himself, weak and breathless.
His gaze turned toward the expectant eyes of everyone outside the teahouse. His lips moved, but he could not draw up enough breath!
His face flushed red with anxiety!
He was waiting for the agreement he had made with Su Chen.
Suddenly, an invisible ripple surged into his body!
His figure trembled, then his hunched body slowly began to straighten. His pale complexion turned rosy, and his entire aura gradually grew stronger!
"What happened!?"
"What's going on?"
Watching the elderly man onstage suddenly become steady and vigorous, practically radiating vitality, the three people from the island nation changed expressions and cried out in disbelief.
The old man had looked sickly just moments ago, but now he seemed like an entirely different person, vigorous and powerful!
They had already prepared to mock a dying man who insisted on taking the stage.
Who could have expected such a sudden change!?
After Su Chen used the Reverse Rebirth Talisman, Qiao Xiang, who had originally been sluggish and frail, straightened his body at once. The spirit in his eyes burst forth as he flicked his sleeve and lifted his posture, unleashing the imposing presence of a Peking Opera master!
Riding the surge of vigor within him, he suddenly stepped forward and opened his voice:
"Standing at the camp gates, I hear the call to arms!"
"Men young and old, listen well!"
His voice was rather hoarse, carrying an overwhelming sense of age and hardship!
It filled the listeners with sorrow.
Then.
It was as if a fierce wind had begun to blow!
"At the first drumbeat, prepare the battle meal."
The wind rose,
Qiao Xiang's voice grew even stronger, his whole body straightening as he stepped forward!
Boom!
The invisible aura radiating from him made everyone feel oppressed!
"At the second drumbeat, tighten the battle robe!"
Even his opera costume seemed to billow along with the rise of his momentum!
His aged, wrinkled face seemed to reverse with time at that moment!
Every listener present was stunned!
At the third drumbeat, draw the blade,
Four drumbeats, hand over the troops!
In only a few steps and a few sung lines!
The frail figure that had been old and weak just moments ago now seemed as though his life had been reversed!
At this moment,
The person standing onstage no longer seemed to be that hunched old man in opera costume, but a young Peking Opera master wearing an octagonal cap, four back flags behind him, and a red embroidered python robe adorned with ten colored medallions. He stood with awe-inspiring majesty, every inch of him exuding consummate artistry!
"Step forward, and every one of you shall be rewarded!"
Qiao Xiang's voice began to change from weathered and hoarse to bright and resounding!
Combined with his richly expressive movements, form and spirit, voice and bearing advanced as one!
Before the eyes of those people from the island nation, Mei Liangxin, every viewer watching the livestream, and everyone who had come to support him,
He was peerless in bearing, singing a song of youthful splendor!
Dashing, lofty, and graceful, flowing as naturally as clouds and spring water.
His control of release, restraint, breath, and articulation displayed the essence of his voice and style.
The audience outside the teahouse listened in complete fascination.
Before they realized it, the stirring rendition of Dingjun Mountain had already come to an end!
"Th-That's impossible!"
"How did he become like a completely different person?"
The three people from the island nation were utterly dumbfounded. They had never witnessed anything like this, and Qiao Xiang's transformation onstage was beyond belief.
Whether it was his face or his voice, both seemed to have returned completely to their youthful state, blooming right before their eyes!
Their earlier doubts, disdain, mockery, and taunts toward Qiao Xiang had all vanished the moment Dingjun Mountain rang out!
As they looked at the figure on the opera stage, a deep fear rose in their hearts!
It felt as though they were facing a battle-hardened veteran general, facing the murderous aura of a million mighty soldiers!
Everyone around them had gone from worrying whether Qiao Xiang could complete this song for a flourishing age to being profoundly shocked and excited. Many even shed tears of exhilaration!
"That was too astounding!"
"This is how Dragon Country's national cultural treasure should blaze forth!"
"That was incredible! How fortunate are we to witness such a sight?"
Countless viewers frantically sent comments through the livestream, hating that they had not been there in person!
Onstage,
The opera had ended.
Qiao Xiang's body trembled as the effect of the Reverse Rebirth Talisman faded!
The aura around him slowly began to dissipate, while the vitality in his body rapidly vanished as well!
"Master, did you see it? This flourishing age is exactly as you wished!"
Looking at the sea of people outside the teahouse, he smiled faintly. Tears streamed down his face as he murmured to himself.
Back then, it had been just as crowded and lively, every youthful face craning eagerly to look on.
As they listened to his master sing Dingjun Mountain, countless men had soaked their military uniforms with tears!
They had rushed to the battlefield without hesitation, fighting for their homeland and its mountains and rivers!
That year, his master sang for heroes, for a shattered land.
Today, he sang for Dragon Country's vast mountains and rivers, for this unparalleled flourishing age that countless people had fought for with their lives!
In the distance,
Su Chen quietly shed tears, his vision blurred by them.
Watching everything before him,
He seemed to see an opera performer's steadfast persistence,
And he seemed to see the inheritance of Huaxia's spirit across two eras~
Thank you, bosses, for the tips!
Thank you all for the recommendation votes, comments, and monthly votes!
Thanks (ω)!
(Recommended a friend's new book: The Mysterious Game Descends, I Can Extract Monster Abilities)
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