Lantern Ghost (Be sure to keep reading on Tuesday!)
"Dong dong qiang, dong dong qiang, dong qiang dong qiang dong dong qiang..."
The clamor of gongs and drums broke the silence of the cold night.
The show hadn't even started yet, but the area in front of the stage was already packed with people.
Behind the curtain, Ding Ling felt stiff and her hands and feet were ice-cold.
Can it hold on?
Zhou Yang asked Ding Ling a question.
The dead from Daliang Village kept gathering in front of the stage, and the Ghost Rhyme clinging to them also came along with them.
Even though Ding Ling's Mindfulness had improved, she still found it difficult to withstand such a strong Ghost Rhyme when facing it alone.
The straw doll beside her was now shielding her from the onslaught of Ghost Rhyme.
Even so, Zhou Yang didn't think Ding Ling was safe and sound.
"It's much better than last time."
"Last time Gao Hongbo, who was possessed by a ghost, knocked on the door, the Ghost Rhyme emanating from him almost swept my soul away."
"There are so many dead people like Gao Hongbo outside the curtain right now, and I feel that they are still conscious."
"Sir, I can manage!"
Ding Ling's response to Zhou Yang was quick and decisive.
Zhou Yang nodded. "When you feel you can't hold on any longer, don't force yourself to."
"I'll remind you when the show begins."
The timing of when a scene begins and when a killing scene takes place are all predetermined.
The play that Chang Dafeng and his group had chosen by ghosts was scheduled to begin at 7:45 PM.
It was only close to the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), and there was still some time before the fourth quarter of Xu hour. The onlookers in front of the stage were already impatient—the dead people sat upright on the benches and began to slap their knees hard with their palms!
"Slap! Slap! Slap!"
A chorus of sounds—the clatter of bones and flesh—filled the air!
The Ghost Rhyme floating in the air like a turbulent current, combined with the sound of corpses slapping their knees, suddenly became one. This Ghost Rhyme rushed onto the stage, instantly causing all the decorations on the stage to tilt and crumble!
The red ribbons wrapped around the pillars quickly faded and became mottled.
The vegetation around the stage was withered, and even the few red lanterns hanging from the top emitted a green light as they swayed violently!
A chilling wind howled!
In the wind, one could hear many impatient shouts:
"Start the show! Start the show!"
"Bring them out, and get them to sing!"
"Hurry up and start the opera!"
The traveling opera troupes would sometimes play drums and gongs from noon until nightfall to ensure their income.
Those who, upon hearing the sound of gongs and drums, would bring their families and benches to watch the performance, were naturally unwilling to wait for the opera troupe for several hours. When they couldn't contain themselves, they would stir up trouble and make a commotion, forcing the opera troupe to take the stage and perform as soon as possible.
In such situations, the opera troupe usually has a way of dealing with them.
Instead of performing the main act, they would hide behind a curtain, or simply not dress up at all, and instead, carrying an erhu and a pair of clappers, sing a few tunes for the audience to pass the time.
Today, Ding Ling is going to perform for ghosts, so we can't be careless at all.
Chang Dafeng had anticipated that these dead spectators would return and cause trouble midway through the performance, and had made arrangements accordingly.
The dim green firelight shone through the tear in the curtain and onto Ding Ling's face.
Ding Ling, her eyelids drooping, suddenly raised an eyebrow—
Her face was clearly painted with Zhong Kui's facial makeup, yet her eyes possessed a captivating allure.
"The moon, like an ice wheel, begins to turn and rise over the island."
"I saw the Jade Rabbit, which had already risen in the east."
"The icy moon departs from the island, and the world shines exceptionally bright."
"The bright moon hangs high in the sky, just like Chang'e leaving the moon palace."
"I resemble Chang'e leaving the Moon Palace."
"It's as if Chang'e has descended from the ninth heaven."
"So quiet and desolate in the Palace of Broad Cold, ah, in the Palace of Broad Cold..."
This scene is from "The Drunken Imperial Consort".
The current "Imperial Concubine" remains hidden behind a curtain, not revealing her true face to the onlookers.
The singing emanating from behind the curtain, melodious and rhythmic, seemed to convey the entirety of the imperial concubine's every smile and gesture, her natural charm, directly to the hearts and minds of the audience.
The dead men in the audience, who had been clapping their knees and urging the play to begin, suddenly fell silent.
The Ghost Rhyme that came from all sides, carried by the wind, transformed into an undercurrent.
The sound of the wind has faded away.
In the departing wind, the faint sound of opera can be heard:
"So quiet and desolate in the Palace of Broad Cold, ah, in the Palace of Broad Cold."
"The scenery is so enchanting, I didn't realize I'd arrived at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion..."
The faint sound of opera singing, in Ding Ling's voice, sang out the second half of the song she hadn't sung!
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yang's heart sank slightly.
This is the first time Ding Ling has sung this part of "The Drunken Imperial Consort".
However, the Opera Ghost in Daliang Village was able to perform the second half of the song that she hadn't sung in its entirety.
The attempt to confuse it with traditional opera excerpts is simply not going to work.
He and Ding Ling had practiced "Wujia Slope" diligently for several days. What were their chances of winning then?
The uncertainty of the future always makes people feel uneasy.
Now that things have come to this, whether you stick your neck out or not, you'll still get hurt—the only option is to be resolute and go all the way down this path!
Ding Ling sang a song, which finally calmed the audience in front of the stage.
Time flowed slowly by, but the sound of gongs and drums never ceased.
There were several more instances where the play was rushed to start, but Ding Ling resolved them all.
It's three quarters past Xu hour, Ding Ling.
"Take your breath and go over the words in your mind."
"Once you're on stage, facing those Ghost Rhyme corpses below, it will be very different from singing behind a curtain now. Be careful," Zhou Yang instructed Ding Ling.
He also learned several excerpts from "Zhong Kui Marries Off His Sister". Although he didn't sing it as well as Ding Ling, he combined "ripples" with his own style and the effect was not bad.
But since the show is about to begin, he still needs to conserve his energy.
To avoid exhausting yourself before even meeting the Opera Ghost —that would be disastrous!
"I am from the province, sir." Ding Ling continued to beat the gong and drum until 7:45 PM, when she finally put down the mallet.
The noisy drumming and gonging stopped abruptly.
No more music played in the darkness.
The straw figure that had been standing stiffly beside Ding Ling had yellow paper on its face swaying, and the painted features seemed to change in expression.
With a "smiling expression," it stretched out its hand and grabbed a long-handled gauze ball lamp that was stuck nearby.
A chilling aura emanated from "Daliao Averting God" and instantly seeped into the gauze ball, causing the Ghost Candle placed inside to ignite with a faint green light.
The aura emanating from the Ghost Candle instantly brought a sense of coolness to Zhou Yang's heart.
Under the green light, Ding Ling's eyes shone even brighter.
"Daliao Averting God" held a lamp in both hands, a smile on his face, and twisted his limbs. The joints of his hands and feet, which were made of thatch, made a "creaking" sound.
Amidst the incessant creaking sounds, the scarecrow skipped and hopped through a hidden door on the side of the curtain, stepping onto the stage before Ding Ling!
Zhong Kui held a noble position, and when he traveled, he was always accompanied by attendants who cleared the way for him.
In the original play, before Zhong Kui appeared, there were various ghosts such as the Lantern Ghost, Umbrella Ghost, Sword Ghost, and Great Ghost clearing the way for him.
Now that the troupe has only two members left, they can only ask the Daliao Averting God dressed as a military general to play the role of "Lantern Ghost" and pave the way for Zhong Kui.
The Da Le held up a lantern and jumped and tumbled on the stage, his posture comical.
The audience below stared blankly at the Lantern Ghost figure on stage, their eyes wide open, completely unresponsive.
The Ghost Rhyme undercurrents scattered throughout the air were gradually gathering.
At this moment, Ding Ling stood behind the hidden door on the side of the curtain, regulating her breathing.
The Lantern Ghost rolled around on the stage a few times and then hopped to a corner.
Ding Ling, dressed as Zhong Kui, struts confidently onto the stage.
The Da Le aloft a gauze ball lantern in the darkness, the Ghost Candle inside the gauze lantern glowing brightly.
Amidst the flickering firelight, the sounds of various musical instruments arose.
For a moment, the sound of drums and music filled the air.