Settling the Fateful Bond

What do you mean by "husband"?

"Whose 'husband' are you, and who is your wife?"

As soon as those few lines of dialogue were uttered, Ding Ling's face flushed red, but her eyes sparkled.

Just as she was about to question Zhou Yang, she heard the man finish his monologue and then begin to sing a short opera— Ding Ling works as a cook in an opera troupe and is actually a lover of opera herself, otherwise she wouldn't have the ability to "learn folk opera on her own".

He had already been captivated by Zhou Yang's few lines of recitation, and when he saw him sing along, his mind wandered as well.

After listening to several parts of the play, I felt increasingly ashamed and angry.

But the pent-up grievances that had previously dissipated surged up again—she realized that Mr. Zhou's performance wasn't specifically for her.

It wasn't what I thought it meant.

"Ah~ my wife, Wang Baochuan."

"You pitifully wait in this cold cave, all alone, for me, Xue Nanpinggui, for a full eighteen years~"

My wife, Wang Baochuan.

"I shouldn't have harbored doubts, I shouldn't have spoken so lightly, and now I'm seen as ungrateful, as if I've deceived the heavens..."

Let me recount these past eighteen years from the beginning—

"Only then did I, Xue Pingnan, realize that I rushed home day and night, just so that my husband and I could be reunited..."

After Zhou Yang sang this tune that was both theatrical and song-like, he asked Ding Ling with great interest, "How was it, Ding Ling!"

Have you ever heard this opera before?

"What did you think of this scene? Did you find it refreshing?"

Before returning to Daliang Village, he recalled all his experiences Daliang Village.

Recalling the Opera Ghost's self-talk, Zhou Yang realized that in the previous encounters with the Opera Ghost, the troupe had managed to subdue him temporarily by performing operas that the Opera Ghost Opera Ghost was unfamiliar with.

The Opera Ghost, and the "Opera Lady," have some unknown connection.

Its goal is to create a unique opera that has never been performed before, one that will captivate the Opera Lady.

Even after becoming a ghost, it still retained this "temperament" of being momentarily stunned and unresponsive upon hearing unfamiliar opera— Zhou Yang wondered what if he could compose an opera that had never been performed before?

This unprecedented opera performance may "captivate" the Opera Ghost for even longer!

In this way, he and his Karmic Retribution Body can escape alive!

Zhou Yang didn't know he had that much talent and experience to compose a few plays. In fact, he rarely listened to plays, and the few plays he had heard before were mostly similar to the operas performed by artists in the world today.

The operas he had heard were hardly "unprecedented or unique".

But then a thought flashed through his mind, and he remembered a song he had heard before he time-traveled.

A traditional Chinese opera song, surprisingly, fits this scene perfectly!

This style of speaking, resembling opera singing but not entirely opera singing, is unique in this world.

It's even more unprecedented!

Zhou Yang eagerly sang one or two verses to Ding Ling, only to hear Ding Ling reluctantly reply, "It sounds catchy."

"I've never heard of opera like this before; it's truly refreshing."

Although she was praising it verbally, she actually showed very little interest.

This reaction startled Zhou Yang.

If Ding Ling, a lover of opera, wasn't interested in the opera-style song he presented, how could he dare let Ding Ling sing it to ghosts?

Moreover, Ding Ling had become much colder towards him, something that had never happened before.

The crux of the matter isn't in this song; it's elsewhere.

After a moment's thought, Zhou Yang quickly understood the root cause of Ding Ling's current attitude:

"At that time, I led Ding Ling into that dilapidated house. I thought it was a good place to go, whether we were fleeing to the outside of the village or temporarily staying there."

Little did they know, that was the lair of the Opera Ghost.

"I encountered Opera Ghost there, and in a moment of great danger, I returned to Guan Village because 'the time had come'."

In my view, this matter is "justified" and therefore understandable.

But for Ding Ling, it was a completely different story.

At that time, she was the one who personally faced the Opera Ghost, and her life and safety hung by a thread.

"I thought I could stand up for her and support her through thick and thin, but I suddenly left at this moment."

Even if I have my reasons and a thousand justifiable causes, how can I possibly get her to accept it?

After considering the situation for a moment, Zhou Yang said to Ding Ling, "My sudden departure was not my intention."

"I was also caught in a situation I couldn't control."

Upon hearing this, Ding Ling felt a pang of sadness, and her eyes immediately reddened slightly.

She said, "I know for sure. Sir, you are a very capable person. There must be many important matters waiting for you to handle."

"I would be extremely grateful if Mr. Zhou could stay here for a moment."

--This shows that there is still resentment in one's heart.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yang fell silent for a moment.

His brief silence made Ding Ling feel even more heartbroken.

She felt that any matter concerning Mr. Zhou could outweigh the safety of her life.

So much so that he left in haste without leaving a single word.

The more Ding Ling thought about it, the sadder she became.

But where can she even begin to express her sadness?

Although Mr. Zhou and she had gone through several crises together and had gone through hardships together, they could have remained unscathed if Mr. Zhou had not been involved in those crises.

Those dangerous situations and crises were all hers Ding Ling.

It was Mr. Zhou who helped her.

She hadn't actually helped the other party in any way.

She and Mr. Zhou were complete strangers, not even friends, yet he repeatedly helped her—this was already a great favor. And now she wants more? Isn't that greedy?

Even though she understood the reasoning, she was still sad.

At this moment, Zhou Yang sighed softly.

A sigh sent a shiver down Ding Ling's spine.

She was afraid that if she had spoken too harshly, Mr. Zhou would truly leave and never return.

Fortunately, Zhou Yang slowly spoke up afterward, saying, "I had my own unspeakable reasons for leaving without saying goodbye."

"I am not the highly skilled person you think I am."

It was simply a matter of fate that brought us together.

"The reason I left in such a hurry was because I was also in a difficult situation."

"If they do not leave, they will also perish in an instant."

Upon hearing these words, Ding Ling suddenly felt enlightened.

So that's how it is—he was also in a life-or-death predicament and had no choice but to leave in haste!

Even when he was in a life-or-death predicament, he still thought of me constantly and tried to help me solve my problems... With this change of heart, Ding Ling's sadness vanished, leaving only endless heartache and regret churning within her.

She stammered, "S-Sir, you, you, I..."

"I was wrong, sir."

I shouldn't blame you.

"It's good that the misunderstanding between us is cleared up," Zhou Yang said with a smile. "Now, can you think carefully about the opera I just sang?"

What did you think of that scene?

"I... I didn't hear you clearly..." Ding Ling whispered.

Apart from the first few lines of dialogue, she didn't pay attention to the rest of the scene and naturally didn't remember much of it.

Zhou Yang knew that this play might be the key to breaking the deadlock, so he patiently sang the opera tune again.

This time, Ding Ling thought about Mr. Zhou's experiences and her own, and found a strong connection with the couple in the play who had both gone through hardships. She was immediately immersed in the play and couldn't pull herself out of it for a long time.