The Opera Troupe

On the second page of the Knife Credit Ledger.

The boiling ink condensed into characters, arranging themselves in lines across the page:

"Sword or blade sold on credit: an iron blade that has not been quenched or forged.

"Quality: extremely poor.

"Recipient: Ding Ling.

"Notes: Because the quality of the blades sold on credit is extremely poor, the causal connection between the Blade-Credit Merchant and the Karmic Retribution Body will be relatively weak. There is a high probability that the Karmic Retribution Body 'Ding Ling' will sever her causal connection with the Blade-Credit Merchant."

"The quality of the blade sold on credit will affect the Karmic Retribution Body's life circumstances.

"Due to the 'extremely poor' quality of the blade sold on credit, 'Ding Ling' will have a very small chance of encountering 'fortuitous opportunities' and a very high chance of frequently encountering 'dangerous situations' in her future life.

"The quality of the blades sold on credit will affect the Blade-Credit Merchant's Imprinting results."

"Due to the extremely poor quality of the blade, when the knife seller imprints an ability from the Manifestation Body, he will only obtain one-tenth of its effectiveness. Each time he imprints an ability, the probability of the Manifestation Body severing its causal connection with the knife seller will increase.

"Once the Manifestation Body severs its causal connection with the Blade-Credit Merchant, the Blade-Credit Merchant will lose that Manifestation Body forever."

Zhou Yang could read all the words that had appeared on the page.

But their meaning was hazy to him, and he couldn't fully understand it.

In particular, Zhou Yang couldn't grasp the true meaning of most of the notes in the Knife Credit Ledger, and thought nothing of them.

Only the part mentioning "Imprinting abilities" gave Zhou Yang a small burst of excitement.

Amid the predicament he faced in Guan Village, he valued the Knife Credit Ledger largely because of the gray "Imprinting" button in his profile. He had always guessed that Imprinting meant he could copy an ability someone else possessed directly, much like taking a rubbing of an inscription on a stone stele.

Zhou Yang's guess had now been confirmed.

He could imprint the abilities of those to whom he sold blades on credit.

Even if this Ding Ling's abilities were no good, who knew how many stories and characters would appear in this thick Knife Credit Ledger in the future?

Some outstanding characters were bound to have abilities he could imprint and use!

He would eventually gain the power to escape Guan Village from them!

Besides, Ding Ling, this Manifestation Body, might not be useless after all.

Her Daliang Village was in the midst of a ghostly incident.

Chang Dafeng, the head of the opera troupe, seemed capable of dealing with such things.

Although the situation in Daliang Village might not apply to Guan Village, where Zhou Yang was, it would still be good if he could learn a thing or two from it and figure out what sort of world this was.

Thoughts churned chaotically through Zhou Yang's mind.

At one point, a powerful wave of exhaustion swept over him, and he fell straight into a deep sleep.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he dimly heard some faint sounds.

The more his consciousness cleared, the clearer those faint sounds became.

They were the voices of several people talking.

Beyond his eyelids, a dim, yellowish light flickered.

Zhou Yang hadn't yet thought to open his eyes, and merely listened passively to their conversation.

"Sigh... We're really out of luck, trapped in this village with no food, no drink, and no tips-but never mind that!

"The worst part is, why does everyone in the village seem like they've run into a ghost now?

"The men and boys were all lively just a few days ago, but look at them today, and there's hardly anything human about them.

"If this keeps up, things are going to get bad.

"We'd better hurry up and find a way to run!

"But with Sister Ding in this state, if we run-and take her with us-I'm afraid we won't be able to get away easily, will we?" a muffled male voice said.

Another man's voice sounded as though he were pinching his throat, with an operatic lilt to his speech. "She's been sick with a chill for seven or eight days, and she still isn't getting any better.

"Our troupe brought her along to take care of our two meals a day and do odd jobs for us!

"But look at her. She's only been here a few months, and she's gone and fallen seriously ill, dragging us all down instead."

Another man said in a hoarse voice, "Ding Ling hasn't had a bite or a drop for two or three days running. Even a body made of iron couldn't hold up under that kind of strain.

"I think she's like this oil lamp-there's hardly any oil left. I'm afraid she won't make it to next month."

"If she's going to die, she'd better not die in our troupe. What bad luck that would be!" The man with the operatic voice was full of disgust. "This village might be haunted right now. If she dies at a time like this, who knows what bigger trouble she might cause!

"Whatever's going on, Troupe Leader Chang hasn't said a word about it.

"He ought to tell us whether it's really haunted or not!

"He's as tight-lipped as a clam, running around the village seven or eight times a day, looking everywhere. Who knows what he's looking at..."

As the three talked, a somewhat youthful male voice suddenly called from afar, "The troupe leader's back!"

The people talking here immediately fell into a flurry.

Footsteps, the rustle of clothes, laughter and greetings all bubbled up in Zhou Yang's consciousness like water suddenly coming to a boil!

He was fully awake now-

Yet he still didn't open his eyes, instead mulling over what the three had just said.

The Knife Credit Ledger said Ding Ling was responsible for the Lampstand Opera Troupe's meals and odd jobs.

"He" caught a chill and had been sick for many days without getting any better.

What those three said just confirmed all of that.

But judging by what they said, could this Ding Ling-my first Karmic Retribution Body-be a woman?

The thought startled Zhou Yang, and he instinctively bent an arm and felt around his chest-

It was fairly flat.

But it did have a slight swell.

This wasn't a normal man's chest!

Even more flustered, Zhou Yang moved his hand down to feel around. The moment he touched that damp, empty place, his arm curled up as though he'd been shocked-this wasn't his reaction, but that of another consciousness in the body he currently occupied!

It was Ding Ling's reaction!

Ding Ling really is a woman! The thought filled Zhou Yang's mind. Alongside his surprise, he felt a slight sense of relief.

Fortunately, Ding Ling wasn't him.

"Mm..."

As the arm curled up, a faint female voice sounded beside Zhou Yang's ear.

Ding Ling slowly opened her eyes.

The hazy scene before her gradually came into focus.

Cobwebbed beams and rafters lay hidden in darkness, their rough outlines barely visible.

Not far away, an oil lamp cast a wavering, dim yellow light.

The huge shadows of several people fell across the wall to the side.

Zhou Yang and Ding Ling both took in the entire scene.

The two souls in one body were both dazed.

Ding Ling was still wondering in alarm whether the male voice she'd heard in her head earlier had been real or an illusion.

Zhou Yang, meanwhile, was hesitating over how to begin his first conversation with this Karmic Retribution Body of his.