On the road
Amidst the sound of drums and music.
On stage, Zhong Kui Zhong Kui would stroke his beard and smile, or raise his fan and glare. With just a few movements, he conveyed the lighthearted joy of returning home on his journey.
Ghost Rhyme simmered from all sides.
Despite being overwhelmed by the Ghost Rhyme, Ding Ling still performed Zhong Kui's movements and postures meticulously.
Her mind, too, gradually aligned with the character's state of mind through these movements.
With another glance, she was already a "living Zhong Kui" on stage!
Zhou Yang, observing quietly from the sidelines, was astonished at how quickly Ding Ling had gotten into character.
No wonder Chang Dafeng praised her as a natural-born opera singer after teaching her to sing a few times.
It's a pity that Ding Ling can't breathe fire, otherwise she could have used this ability to demonstrate Zhong Kui's divine power and made the portrayal of Zhong Kui incredibly lifelike and convincing.
While Zhou Yang was still feeling regretful, the audience below the stage, having witnessed Ding Ling's performance, all started clapping, seemingly praising Ding Ling's acting as if it suited their tastes perfectly.
A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted from the pile of corpses.
Some dead people slapped the rotting flesh off their hands, some lost an arm from shaking, and some slapped their hands until their knuckles broke off.
They remained oblivious to their surroundings, picking up the fallen rotten flesh and severed hands, and hurling them onto the stage like flowers and ribbons, scattering them towards "Zhong Kui" in the center!
The air around them suddenly filled with Ghost Rhyme, drawing in a chilling wind that howled:
"Good!"
Corpse parts fell onto the stage like flowers, the sticky Ghost Rhyme on them accelerating their decay, and in an instant they turned into drops of foul blood, splashing onto Ding Ling in the center of the stage!
Zhou Yang's heart tightened!
But on Ding Ling's face, beneath the embroidered ingot-shaped facial mask, were a pair of eyes that seemed to be open yet closed.
"It" twitched its temples slightly, flicked its folding fan, revealing a large cluster of auspicious and prosperous peony flowers on the fan's surface, and sang at the same time:
Broken umbrellas and solitary lamps were arranged in rows;
"Facing that peace and good fortune;
"A gleaming sword spews forth chilling stars!"
"Accompanied by a book box, following the green zither, riding this cold donkey's stirrups;
A journey of a thousand miles to marry off his sister;
What a joyous and festive atmosphere!
As Ding Ling began to sing, Zhou Yang suddenly sensed that the first door outside her had already opened.
The petite woman with long hair covering her face was a sight to behold, perfectly matching her physique.
She previously portrayed Zhong Kui so vividly that she is now Zhong Kui herself.
The Ghost Candle was Da Le, casting a faint glow in the corner.
The candlelight fell on Ding Ling, who was using the power of Averting God, making her exude an aura of inviolability and dread. The torrential rain of putrid blood poured down on her was burned away by this aura and vanished like smoke!
Zhong Kui's eyes, sharp as lightning, swept across the audience.
The clamor and applause from the audience instantly fell silent!
Ding Ling raised his black boots high, mimicking the posture of riding a horse, and circled the stage several times.
The "Lantern Ghost" hiding in the corner raised its gauze lantern high, letting the green flames shine on Zhong Kui, and then led the way for Zhong Kui.
It hopped and skipped, leaping off the stage in a few steps, forcing the audience to scatter in all directions.
Some onlookers who didn't have time to retreat were instantly Da Le Averting in place when illuminated by the Ghost Candle held up by Da Liaoyan.
At that moment, a dark, thin arm suddenly grew from behind the straw man, gently pushing the frozen dead people—who could have walked and jumped and whose every move was no different from that of the living—and they immediately fell to the ground!
The Ghost Rhyme on the corpse vanished completely, never to rise again!
Da Le Averting into the pile of corpses like a stake, clearing a path for Ding Ling around him.
Ding Ling felt a sudden reduction in pressure.
She followed Da Le Averting down from the stage and walked along the path Da Le Averting cleared into the courtyard.
As we walk, we sing:
I only see birds chirping new tunes on the branches.
"The lingering snow by the small bridge heralds the arrival of spring."
"This painting of plum blossoms, with its few dots, evokes the spirit of snow."
Plum blossoms are less white than snow, but snow is less fragrant than plum blossoms.
Both are of exceptionally pure character.
"Taking advantage of the dim moonlight, we wandered along the winding, desolate path."
"And seeing only the desolate hall only adds to my sorrow."
"The watchtower has announced the first watch of the night."
As Ding Ling walked, she was surrounded by dead bodies on both sides.
The dead kept reaching out to touch the Zhong Kui, but were always burned by the flames from the Ghost Candle. Their outstretched hands and arms were burned to charcoal and fell to the ground.
Before long, Ding Ling was surrounded by corpses missing limbs.
A mixture of burnt and putrid odors lingered in the air.
Ding Ling walked relatively smoothly along the path from the stage to the window of the main room in the courtyard.
But Zhou Yang looked around and felt a little worried. As the dead villagers kept trying to pull on Ding Ling under the light of the Ghost Candle, Ding Ling was not in danger for the time being, but the Ghost Candle was burning faster.
On this short stretch of road, the Ghost Candle, which was only about the length of a palm, was already half burned away!
Based on this calculation, the Ghost Candle would not last long enough for the opera troupe to reach the bridge!
This was before the Opera Ghost even appeared!
After Ding Ling finished singing the line "The watchtower has announced the first watch," Zhong Kui, led by the Lantern Ghost, entered the courtyard and stood under the door of the main hall.
The Lantern Ghost went to knock on the door.
Onlookers crowded at the entrance or climbed onto the wall, making the entire courtyard completely packed.
A huge crowd of people thronged the area.
In the still of the night, the door opened three times.
A clapper sound followed.
The window, which was originally dark, was suddenly illuminated by candlelight.
A woman's silhouette was cast through the window.
The woman pressed her hand to her cheek and sang mournfully:
"The watchtower has already announced the first watch of the night;"
The watchtower was silent.
I am an orphan and a widow;
Who is calling my doorstep?
The sounds of the opera still lingered in the courtyard, not dissipating for a long time.
The main entrance to the main hall is already wide open.
The Lantern Ghost, holding a lantern, hid in the corner, while Zhong Kui stood on the steps in front of the door, just as he met Zhong Mei Gate of Opening.
Chang Dafeng had rouge on his face, dressed like a young lady in a Chang Dafeng costume. He was petite, so the portrayal of a woman suited him well.
Every move she made, every smile she gave, exuded the grace and poise of a young lady from a modest family.
Even with Zhou Yang's careful observation, he couldn't immediately tell that this seemingly gentle and weak woman was actually disguised as a sinister old man like Chang Dafeng!
He had heard Ding Ling say that Chang Dafeng mostly played the role of a painted-face character in the opera troupe, and that Master Chang was very skilled in the various acrobatic skills that came with the plays featuring gods and ghosts.
How come Chang Dafeng's portrayal of female roles is so lifelike these days?
This is definitely not just because Chang Dafeng used the technique of Bloated Aspect Averting God"!
Just like Chang Dafeng, who has studied female roles for many years, he has immersed himself in the art for so long that he can bring the performance to life with just a few movements.
Chang Dafeng, dressed up as a performer, shocked Zhou Yang.
The brother and sister met in the courtyard.
Zhong Kui told Zhong Mei about all the changes in his life after he left home.
He then mentioned that he had betrothed his sister to Du Ping.
After agreeing on the marriage arrangements for his sister, Zhong Kui immediately saw her off on her journey.
The play "Zhong Kui Marries Off His Sister" has now officially begun.
"Let me turn the wheels and hoofs;
"A hasty trip."
Banners and flags were in the shadows;
"Burning incense and candles to light the gauze lamp."
"Listen to the harmonious song of the phoenix and the luan;
"The dragon flute sounds, the elephant clapper is struck, the alligator drum is played, and the phoenix flute is played."
"Music."
"Warm and gentle, spring mists bring forth a hundred charms."
"Under the umbrella, on the donkey, sat General Zhong."
"The car carried a frail and beautiful woman."
Ding Ling escorted Chang Dafeng, swaying slightly as if riding a donkey, while singing opera lyrics.
Chang Dafeng put on the red veil, his body swaying as if he were sitting in a carriage.
Da Le Averting a lantern to lead the way, leading the two down the hill and onto the main road in the village.
On both sides of the road, the dead Daliangzi Village lined the way to welcome him.
The deceased are currently moving slowly along with the convoy.
They no longer tried to reach for Ding Ling and Chang Dafeng, who were illuminated by the Ghost Candle, which relieved Zhou Yang.
In the pitch-black night, only the sound of Ding Ling.
After a long while, another round of opera singing came from the very back of the pile of corpses. Different voices, men, women, young and old, sang and chanted, one line after another, eventually forming the entire opera aria:
"Let me turn the wheels and hoofs;
"A hasty trip."
"Under the umbrella, on the donkey, sat General Zhong."
"The car carried a frail and beautiful woman."
As the last line of the opera was sung, "A delicate and graceful woman was carried in the carriage," the opera voice had already reached behind Zhong Kui.
Its voice is neither male nor female, making it difficult to distinguish between them.
An indescribable sense of eeriness emanated directly from the opera's voice!
A withered, rotten hand suddenly landed on Zhong Kui's shoulder!
Even the flickering light of the Ghost Candle couldn't ignite the arm!