"The Southern Branch Troupe is gone."
Mei Sijun's very first words took them by surprise.
"No one can find its former site except the old opera troupes in Fu City." Mei Sijun's expression shifted slightly. "It's a taboo. I only learned a little about it from overhearing the older generation chatting."
"Just now, I dreamed of the Southern Branch Troupe a hundred years ago. It was winter, with heavy snow falling, close to the New Year. The troupe's star performer had drowned herself in a well. The troupe leader, Zhao Qigong, found a group of new performers and planned to make a fresh start..."
With his eyes slightly closed, he recounted it at an unhurried pace.
The dream did not seem long, nor did it reveal much information, but as he spoke, an impression of an old opera troupe gradually formed in everyone's minds.
"The fat businessman, Wang Youde, took a fancy to one of the new performers and summoned Zhao Qigong. Zhao Qigong said there were six newcomers and asked which one he wanted..."
He fell silent, then opened his eyes to look at everyone. "That's where the dream ended."
Zhao Qigong, the leader of the Southern Branch Troupe; two lustful, greedy businessmen, one fat and one thin; Yu Ji, the star qingyi performer who had drowned herself in a well; the Overlord, whose whereabouts were unknown; and the stunning new performer...
"Judging solely from your dream, the qingyi performer who drowned herself in the well is behind this," Chen Zhiyuan said.
"May I ask why you said the Southern Branch Troupe is a taboo in your profession today?" Dense Forest, the handsome older man, asked.
Mei Sijun looked at him and slowly explained, "First, opera is ethereal and can reach ghosts and gods. Second, performers were lowly in