The Maiden Role

The sun was shining brightly.

The rocky beach was bathed in a pure white light.

On the gleaming, rocky beach, two people walked one after the other, trudging along the stones towards the riverbank.

The sun was high, but it couldn't make the air any warmer.

The wind blew in from the other side of the river, chilling everyone to the bone.

On the rocky beach, the woman in front was dressed as a young lady in a wedding gown, but without a red veil covering her head, Chang Dafeng's unmade-up old face was clearly visible.

Behind Chang Dafeng, the one dressed as Zhong Kui is naturally Ding Ling.

The Ding Ling of today walk with their arms and legs stiff and unbendable, like zombies.

Her head drooped, her face pale.

His eyes also lacked any sparkle.

A layer of gray mist hung over Chang Dafeng's face, making it look like a dead man's, devoid of any life.

His left sleeve drooped down, and as he moved, his arm swayed inside the sleeve, emanating a stench of decay that lingered between the two of them.

Upon reaching the riverbank, Chang Dafeng unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his finely tailored upper body.

His skin was dark yellow, but the arm attached to his left shoulder had an abnormal bluish-gray hue.

It looked as if the arm was already "dead".

As he exposed his left arm to the air, the stench of death grew even stronger.

He immersed his left arm in the river, scrubbing it incessantly, trying to wash away the stench emanating from it, but the more he did so, the stronger the stench of decay became.

The arms, soaked in water, had a putrid, salty, and fishy smell.

Finally, Chang Dafeng let out a long sigh, and his arm, which was white and swollen from being soaked in water, was pulled out of the river.

He sat down on Shitou, turned to Ding Ling who was standing frozen behind him, and said, "I really didn't expect this..."

"Where did you, a young girl, accumulate such a high level of Mindfulness?"

"The moment Gate of Opening, your Gate of Opening Averting God actually managed to counteract my Gate of Opening Malefic Force!"

When Ding Ling Gate of Opening to Creating a Zhen, Chang Dafeng planted the "Gate of Opening Malefic Force" on her Averting God.

He intended to use this to control Ding Ling, but he didn't expect that his "Gate of Opening Malefic Force" would have no effect on Ding Ling at all.

He went to great lengths and suffered heavy losses in order to capture Ding Ling.

--Even an arm was stuffed into the ghost's belly.

Ding Ling kept her head down and remained silent.

Her eyes were indifferent, showing little emotion.

"What's wrong? You were so full of spirit before, running away and refusing to return even at the cost of your life, how come you've suddenly become so deflated?" Chang Dafeng sneered, "As if your lover has died—"

"Your spirit was broken in an instant, and you lost your soul?"

Hearing his mockery, Ding Ling raised her eyebrows and glared at him. "You're the one whose lover died!"

Although the troupe leader possessed her with the "Gate of Rest Averting God" (a type of magic spell), rendering her unable to resist, he at least gave her the freedom to speak.

"I'm a man, I can't have a lover..."

Chang Dafeng said this, but his eyes seemed unfocused.

He lowered his head and pondered for a while before saying, "You women are always like this, easily troubled by love."

That's why I said... women can't accomplish anything.

"How come such a high level of Mindfulness fell upon a woman like you?"

His words were full of regret, which annoyed Ding Ling greatly.

She didn't see anything wrong with being a woman.

The troupe leader's words came out of nowhere.

But what's the point of arguing with the troupe leader about these things now?

Ding Ling suddenly thought of someone, and it felt as if a hole had opened in her heart, through which all her energy leaked out. She lowered her eyes, her expression indifferent.

"Girl, what are you always thinking about running away from?"

Chang Dafeng's expression softened. He pointed to the opposite bank of the river and said to Ding Ling, "I told you long ago that we can't escape."

"After crossing this river, we'll be out of Daliang Village, right?"

"But look at what it's like on the other side of the river!"

Ding Ling didn't go to see it.

She had actually observed before that the other side of the river was the same as this side.

--The other side is like a mirror image of this side.

Whatever is on this side, is also on the other side.

Even her and Chang Dafeng's every move was reflected on the opposite bank.

"See?" Chang Dafeng chuckled and said to himself, "You crossed the river on that bridge and got to the other side—you thought you'd escaped the ghost village..."

"Actually, the other side is the same as this side."

"All your scheming and going around in circles has only brought you back to where you started!"

"We're like we're under a ghost's spell right now."

"If you just run away like this, you'll never get out of the village, and you'll only alert that ghost more easily—now you understand what I mean, right?"

After he finished speaking, he went to check Ding Ling's reaction.

Seeing Ding Ling standing there blankly behind him, completely ignoring his words, Chang Dafeng said angrily, "Don't you want to live anymore?"

"Listen to me, and you will live!"

Ding Ling remained unmoved.

Chang Dafeng's tone softened. "The one in Daliangzi Village nowadays is indeed not a puppet."

"They're not some bunch of puppets."

"In this matter, I did lie to you, but if I hadn't done it, you would all be running around like headless flies—and that would have only made you die faster!"

He spoke while observing Ding Ling's expression.

Seeing that Ding Ling's eyes lit up, as if she had finally become interested in what he was saying, he quickly added, "I lied to you for your own good."

"This time, listen to me. If you trust me, I guarantee you'll leave this village alive..."

Ding Ling's eyes shone even brighter.

His expression grew even more serious.

Chang Dafeng thought she was resentful that he had deceived her and concealed the true level of the Opera Ghost. Even if he told her the truth now, she would still harbor resentment.

Unbeknownst to him, another voice was echoing in Ding Ling's mind at that moment.

"Ding Ling!"

Hearing that person's call, Ding Ling's heart suddenly warmed.

She was about to respond instinctively, but then, as if remembering something, her face suddenly turned cold, and she fell silent.

Let's pretend that person's voice doesn't exist.

But she was also afraid that if she didn't respond, the person would disappear in an instant, just like before. So she was conflicted and hesitant, and full of grievances. Her heart was in turmoil and she couldn't find peace.

"Ding Ling, stop daydreaming, wake up!"

The man called out "Ding Ling" again.

He assumed Ding Ling was just lost in thought and hadn't come to her senses yet, so how could she know Ding Ling's true thoughts?

Ding Ling wanted to make him understand her feelings, but she didn't know where to begin, so she felt increasingly frustrated. Just then, the man started reciting a line from a play.

Ding Ling only heard the first sentence, and all her grievances vanished.

The man recited:

"All the mistakes, no matter how many, are my fault!"

"You, you, you, you, you, you—please forgive me..."