Watching the Opera

A small border town located at the border between Miao Frontier and Nanzhao.

There used to be an academy in the city, with blue bricks and gray tiles, and a deep courtyard. Although the plaque has been removed, the courtyard is more lively than usual.

A high platform was erected between the lecture hall and the library, with its eaves and brackets covered in colorful silk. A scarlet carpet was laid on the platform, and bright yellow tassels hung at the four corners.

The two old banyan trees in front of the academy are still there, their branches gnarled and their dense shade covering half of the stage.

The large crowd below the stage consisted mostly of farmers and laborers. Although their clothes were not particularly bright, they were clean and tidy, clearly new clothes that they had changed into on purpose.

People of all ages and genders are present, and the unique silver ornaments of the Miao Frontier jingle in the sunlight.

They were Miao people under the rule of Proclaiming Earth's army.

Since the fall of Nanzhao, Southern Frontier, and a large part of Miao Frontier, and the fact that this area came under Chen Hai's control, Miao Frontier has become somewhat more stable than before.

In the past, the immortal clans of Miao Frontier exploited the Aristocratic Clan ruthlessly, while the Witch Department fought for power with the imperial court, leaving the Miao people caught in the middle and suffering from both sides. Now, Chen Hai is in charge of a region, and under the banner of "equal land distribution," he has allocated a considerable amount of land and reduced taxes by several percent.

The Miao people don't care who rules the country; they only care about who allows them to live.

Today is the day that Prince Chen Hai is "enjoying himself with the people" in the Miao Frontier.

The stage was set up three days ago. The books in the academy were temporarily moved to the side courtyard, and the lecture hall was cleared out to serve as the backstage area.

The benches below the stage were brought by various households, some high and some low, arranged in a crooked and uneven manner.

On the outermost edge, Remaining Rank people dressed in colorful costumes stood on both sides. They included men, women, and children, and their gorgeous attire contrasted sharply with the simple clothes of the people below the stage.

But these people lowered their heads and dared not speak, nor did they dare look at the center of the crowd, as if something terrifying had happened.

If Su Yao were here, he would recognize the red-clad man slightly to the right among the dozen or so people as the demon king of the Purple Mansion Middle Stage Li Fire Dao.

At this moment, the Fire Demon King Li no longer possessed the slightest trace of his "smiling phoenix eyes"; he lowered his head, his face gloomy.

In the center of the crowd, a pale figure sat upright in a grand chair covered with a tiger skin. He looked like a young man with delicate features, but his eyes revealed a calm and indifferent demeanor that came from having experienced many things.

It was Chen Hai, the reincarnation of Proclaiming Earth True Lord.

Behind him stood a middle-aged man dressed as a farmer, seemingly simple, yet his body exuded a faint aura of Divine Ability power.

At this moment, the gongs and drums on the stage began to sound, and the curtain was drawn back.

The first act has begun.

The stage setting depicts a rainy night. The sky is so overcast it looks like it's about to collapse, and the raindrops weave a curtain of color, pattering on the straw mats laid out on the stage and splashing up a fine spray of water.

An elderly man, wearing a straw raincoat, barefoot, with his trousers rolled up to his knees, his legs covered in mud, stood there.

Behind him stood hundreds of soldiers, all emaciated and soaked in sweat, yet their faces held a fierce determination born from being driven to the brink of despair.

He stood on the high platform, rain streaming down his face.

He began to sing. " At Daze Township, the rain pours down, the road is impassable, missing the appointed time means execution. To flee now is death, to launch a great plan is also death—since we are all going to die anyway, why not launch a great plan!"

The song, though soft, was like a stone thrown into stagnant water. An old man in the front row clutched his peanuts, mouth agape, forgetting to chew.

At this moment, a male actor specializing in clean-cut roles stepped out from the crowd, grabbed his hand, and said in a tight voice:

"Brother! This is Heaven's will! We are all destined to be executed for missing the appointed time; we might as well rebel!"

Chen Sheng looked at him, then turned back to look at the hundreds of garrison soldiers.

Everyone's eyes were on him.

He paused for a moment, then turned around, faced the sky, and raised the plow and hoe high in his hands:

"Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny? A brave man either lives or dies, and makes a name for himself! I, Chen Sheng, establish Zhang Chu and declare myself King of Chen. One day, I will surely change the world!"

After the song ended, some people in the audience clenched their fists. The old man peeling peanuts forgot about the peanuts in his hand, and peanut shells fell all over the ground.

On stage, drums thundered and lights flickered. The scene shifted, and Chen Sheng had already captured several cities. The Qin army was routed, and the people were eating and drinking. Chen Sheng rode a tall horse, with banners fluttering behind him.

He rode past in high spirits, singing:

"Look at us today, a peasant from Daze Township, tomorrow he'll be a guest of honor at the throne of Prince Chen. The world has suffered under Qin for too long; watch how I, a commoner emperor, will restore order to the world!"

Someone in the audience couldn't help but whisper a cheer, then quickly covered their mouth, looked around, and only breathed a sigh of relief when no one paid attention.

But the scenery on the stage changed faster than turning the pages of a book. The scene shifted again, and it was now a magnificent palace. Chen Sheng in a splendid crown, sat high on the throne.

An elderly man dressed as a laborer, in tattered clothes, was stopped by guards outside the palace.

He struggled to push his way in, shouting:

"Prince Chen! It's me! Back in Daze Township, we went to serve together. You said, 'If I become rich and powerful, I will not forget you.' Have you forgotten?"

Chen Sheng sat on the throne, looking down at his old friend. His eyes were as cold as still water as he slowly spoke, "I am now king. How dare you commoners cling to me? Throw me out of the palace."

As the guards dragged him away, he turned back and shouted, "Chen Sheng! Have you forgotten why we rebelled!"

Chen Sheng didn't speak. He just sat there, watching his old friend being dragged away.

Then he stood up, flicked his sleeves, and left, singing:

"Back then, we tilled the fields and talked of lofty ambitions; now, as kings, we've forgotten our old friends. The palaces are deep, locking away the Spring and Autumn. Who still remembers that old field?"

The old man shelling peanuts in the audience suddenly grunted and threw the peanut shells on the ground. Someone next to him nudged him with their elbow, and he then remembered where he was and awkwardly shut his mouth.

But the show wasn't over yet.

The stage lights dimmed.

Chen Sheng stood alone in the hall, his crown slightly askew.

He stepped down from the throne, walked to the palace gate, and gazed at the night outside, lost in thought.

A clown, disguised as Zhuang Jia, carrying a wooden halberd, quietly emerges from the side curtain.

That wooden pole looks ordinary, just a regular wooden stick, but the wood grain is quite special, with deep and dense lines, like an old tree that has grown for thousands of years.

Zhuang Jia walked up behind Chen Sheng, but Chen Sheng did not turn around.

Zhuang Jia raised his wooden halberd and sang:

"You once hailed as a hero in Daze Township, but now you've forgotten your old comrades. Today, I hold my wooden spear in hand, and send you, Prince Chen, to the Western Paradise!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the wooden spear struck.

Chen Sheng fell to the ground, his crown rolling away.

At the very moment the wooden spear pierced through, everyone on the stage sang in unison:

"Alas! How can sparrows know the ambitions of swans? Yet the swan dies at the hands of sparrows. Rise and fall in an instant, a sigh for the ages for King Chen She. Do not say that wooden spears are ordinary things; Gathering Wood is broken, the soil itself is wounded!"

As the last line was sung, the stage lights suddenly went out. In the darkness, the grain of the wooden halberd glowed with a very faint, pale green light. The light traveled along the wood grain, like an old tree sprouting new buds, or like tree roots quietly stretching out in the soil. It only shone for a moment before going out.

The audience was completely silent.

The old man peeling peanuts looked at the wooden spear and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He couldn't explain why, but the green light of the spear reminded him of the fresh green shoots emerging from the soil after a rain.

But that new green shoots grow on the grave mounds.

Chen Hai sat upright in his chair, his expression unchanged.

He picked up his teacup and took a sip.

The tea was a local bitter tea from the Miao Frontier, extremely bitter at first, but with a long-lasting sweet aftertaste.

He set down his teacup with a soft thud that stood out clearly in the silence, then said, "I will never become like King Chen She."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the room heard him clearly.

But no one dared to speak.

Only the middle-aged farmer stepped forward, bowed, and said with a forced smile:

"Our Proclaiming Earth Xuan, how can he be compared to King Chen She? Chen She was merely a common soldier, while Your Majesty is a person favored by Heaven and Earth, and should be respected for ten thousand generations."

Upon hearing this, Chen Hai waved his hand, a slight smile curving his lips.

He looked at the "corpse" of "Chen Sheng" on the platform, his gaze lingering for a moment on the wooden halberd, before saying:

"One more song."

The drums and gongs sounded again, and the second act began.

This time, the stage setting was changed to a grand mansion in Jiangnan.

Pavilions and terraces, winding streams and floating wine cups.

There is a plaque hanging in the hall with the words "Man Bed Wat" written on it.

An old minister sat in the hall, his hair white and his face ruddy, holding an ivory tablet in his hand, smiling as he looked at his children and grandchildren who filled the hall. Each of his children and grandchildren was dressed in official robes, of different ranks, from ministers to vice ministers to Hanlin scholars to censors, and so on, filling the hall to capacity.

On the bed, the official tablets were piled up like a small mountain.

The old minister raised his official tablet, looked around with a smug expression, and began to sing:

"His bed was laden with official tablets, the envy of all; his children and grandchildren all held high office. His eldest son was a minister in charge of personnel selection; his second son was a vice minister wielding military power; his third son was a member of the Hanlin Academy compiling the national history; and his fourth son was a censor in charge of law enforcement. Everyone thought this was a blessing in life, but little did they know that their end was near!"

Someone in the audience muttered quietly, "This family is really extravagant."

The person next to him chimed in:

"Indeed, even more prestigious than the chieftain's house."

As soon as he finished speaking, the lights on the stage went out. The old minister suddenly transformed into a skeleton and sat upright in the grand master's chair. All the official tablets on the bed turned into withered bones, and the official robes of his children and grandchildren turned to ashes and scattered everywhere.

The skeleton remained in the same posture as when it was alive, still holding the ivory tablet in its hand, though the tablet had also turned into grayish-white bone.

Then a collective gasp rippled through the audience.

A solitary lamp was lit, illuminating an old man dressed as a hermit.

He had white hair but a youthful face, and sat cross-legged under a pine tree, with a clear light flowing around him.

He slowly rose, walked to the skeleton, and gently stroked it with his hand.

The skeleton disintegrated, turning into a pile of ashes.

Then the hermit sang:

"In the mountains, time stands still; when the cold ends, the years pass unnoticed. People strive for fame and fortune, unaware of the mysteries of the Immortal Dao. Look there, worldly riches are like dew on flowers; you fight and vie for them until your hair turns white, and in the end, you return to a handful of yellow earth."

Then the hermit pointed to the bed full of withered bones, and his voice suddenly rose, like the resounding of bells and chimes:

"Look at those imperial tablets and tablets, where are they now? They've all turned into desolate graves overgrown with weeds in the wilderness. You say that having many children and grandchildren is a blessing, but who knows that wealth and glory don't last? Only the Daoist Daoist Gate maintains a constant state of purity and tranquility, cultivating truth and refining one's nature, living as long as heaven and earth, shining as brightly as the sun and moon!"

With that, he waved his sleeve, and the withered bones on the stage turned into specks of spiritual light and vanished.

Then, the stage lights suddenly turned on, and the background changed to a majestic fairy mountain.

At the summit of the mountain stands an octagonal pavilion, in front of which are two osmanthus trees. Beneath the trees are a chessboard, teacups, and a sword case.

The hermit sat upright in the pavilion, playing his zither and singing:

"Behold the Golden Ao, its myriad rays of light illuminate the Qixia Temple, where Daoist teachings are passed down in the Qixia Temple. The Crimson Dawn Unstained Night-Illuminating Clear Light Sword, piercing through countless barriers with a single strike. Rainbow Clouds path leads to the immortals; have you ever seen emperors and generals attain eternal life? Have you ever seen a bed full of official tablets leading to the netherworld?"

The music suddenly turned high-pitched, like a sword ringing in the sky.

The hermit rose, drew his sword, danced, and sang:

"Do not say that the Xuanmen (mystical sects) are devoid of bloodshed; the Azure Nether Sword Intent cleaves through the mortal realm. Even with the favor of heaven and earth, you cannot withstand the rainbow-like radiance that pierces the nine heavens!"

Then everyone on stage sang together:

"A bed full of official tablets is not as good as a single breath of Qi; a bed full of official tablets is not as good as a single breath of Qi. Cultivating immortality is good, the Mysterious Gate is good, escaping the cycle of reincarnation is true blessing!"

After the song ended, the gongs and drums ceased. The "hermit" on the stage remained seated, while "withered bones" and "ashes" were scattered on the ground.

The lone lamp was still lit, its light falling on the scattered tablets and props on the ground, faintly casting shadows like sword marks.

The old man in the front row nodded and said in a low voice, "That makes sense. No matter how high your official rank, it's not as good as cultivating oneself to prolong life."

People around him laughed at him, "Your second son can't even read many words, what kind of immortality is he cultivating?"

The old man Qi Ingestion, "Wasn't Prince Chen a miner back then too?"

As soon as he said it, the person next to him changed his expression and quickly covered his mouth.

Chen Hai, however, paid no attention.

He stood up and shouted, "Reward!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the farmer behind him waved his hand and threw several silver ingots onto the stage.

Just as Chen Hai was about to speak, his expression suddenly changed, and he looked up at the northern horizon.

A streak of light swept in from the north, as fast as a shooting star.

As the light faded, a figure knelt on one knee, his voice urgent:

"Your Highness! Several dukes from Great Qing have arrived, each leading tens of thousands of elite Capital Garrison. They have reached the Miao Frontier, less than ten thousand li from here!"

These words caused an uproar in the audience.

The Fire Demon King Li and the Demon Cultivator looked up at the same time, their expressions varying.

The people in the audience whispered among themselves.

A young man shouted:

"What's there to be afraid of? His Highness has even conquered the Nanzhao Royal City!"

As soon as he finished speaking, an old man next to him slapped him on the back of the head:

"What do you know! That's the imperial court, how can it be compared to the Nanzhao Royal Family?"

Chen Hai did not respond.

He slowly stood up, put his hands behind his back, and looked towards the northern horizon.

Several extremely powerful Human Dao auras were approaching, and although they were thousands of miles apart, they were already clearly perceptible.

He turned his gaze away and looked at the stage.

The wooden halberd was still stuck diagonally on the platform, and the lone lamp was still lit.

"The play isn't over yet." He turned and looked north. "Then, let's continue."

As soon as he finished speaking, he moved, transforming into a streak of pale yellow light, and headed towards the confluence of the two rivers.

Behind him, more than ten Demon Cultivator transformed into streaks of light and followed closely.

The stage was empty.

The audience gradually dispersed.

The old man peeling peanuts stood up, patted the peanut shells off his clothes, and said to the Human Dao around him:

"Let's go home. Prince Chen has gone to war; we can't help him, and we shouldn't cause any trouble."

Someone asked, "Is the play still going to be performed?"

The old man said as he walked:

"The song is over. King Chen She died under the wooden spear, and his bed full of official tablets burned to ashes. What's the point of singing anymore?"

But the next moment, the gongs and drums on the stage sounded softly again, and a minor character returned, mimicking carrying a load, and slowly sang:

"What talk of Prince Chen's lofty ambitions, what talk of a bed full of official tablets and tablets of honor? In the end, it all became a play on the stage. After the gongs and drums ceased and the audience dispersed, only the bright moon remained to shine on the desolate hills."

After finishing his song, the last character turned and retreated backstage.

Deep within the Great Void, Chen Hai amidst the pale yellow light, facing north.

The Fire Demon King Li couldn't help but speak:

"Your Highness, the imperial court is coming with overwhelming force this time..."

"Scared?" Chen Hai didn't turn around.

The Fire Demon King Li froze, not daring to reply.

Chen Hai gazed at the crimson-gold sky to the north, remained silent for a long time, and then suddenly said:

Tell me, where did King Chen She fall from grace?

The Fire Demon King Li taken aback, unsure how to respond.

"He failed because he only thought about becoming king," Chen Hai said slowly, "But he didn't consider how to protect this land after becoming king."

He paused:

"The way of Proclaiming Earth is to advocate change. The old land is overthrown, but the new land has not yet been established. If one only knows how to overthrow but not how to establish the new, how is one different from Chen She?"

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the Demon Cultivator behind him, finally settling on the face of the Fire Demon King Li:

"The people from Great Qing, let them come, but they are not our opponents now."

Upon hearing this, the Fire Demon King Li's body trembled slightly.

He suddenly remembered the emerald green patterns that shone on the wooden halberd when Chen Sheng was killed by it in the play.

The Gathering Wood and the soil breaks, causing the soil itself to be damaged.

Proclaiming Earth is earth, Gathering Wood overcomes earth.

Isn't Namuge a metaphor for Gathering Wood along a path?

Thinking of this, he opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately said nothing.

Seeing this, Chen Hai said no more, turned around, and transformed into a streak of pale yellow light, heading towards the confluence of the two rivers.

In Miao Frontier town, the stage was empty.

The crowd had dispersed, leaving only the middle-aged farmer standing alone in front of the stage, gazing at the scattered ceremonial tablets and props on the ground, remaining silent for a long time.

He bent down, picked up a piece of a ceremonial tablet, brushed off the dust, and suddenly murmured a sentence:

"A bed full of official tablets is not as valuable as a single breath of qi..."

After finishing his reading, he casually tossed the tablet back onto the ground and turned to walk out of the city.

As he walked out of the city gate, he glanced back at the stage.

The setting sun was casting its light on the eaves of the stage, turning the bright yellow tassels a golden-red hue.

"The play isn't over yet."

As soon as he finished speaking, he swayed and revealed a middle-aged man with white hair. He was dressed in a white linen robe, and although he looked middle-aged, his features were extremely handsome. Anyone would say he was a handsome man.

Then, he transformed into Jade Pure One light and vanished.

There is a word cloud:

Chen She died, his bed was empty.

The drums and gongs have ceased, and the stage is empty.

Who transformed white hemp into a celestial rainbow?

Gathering Wood and breaking the soil, the soil itself is damaged.

Before Proclaiming Earth was established, new land lay barren.

Rainbow Clouds stretches across the nine heavens.

Only then did I realize that the play was over and it was all just a pipe dream.

The world is a stage.