Longchang Theater

"It happened in the middle of the night!" Inside the room, Sha Lifei wore a bitter scowl. "I heard a noise, and when I woke up, I found the Daoist had fallen off the kang. No matter how I called him, he wouldn't wake. I thought he'd fallen suddenly ill and rushed off to fetch the village physician. "The physician was completely baffled too. It was an old carpenter from the Wan family who realized something was off and hurried someone back to the city to consult Senior Wan. Only then did we learn he'd been ambushed..." Listening to Sha Lifei's recount, Li Yan's face grew cold. On the bed across from him, Wang Daoxuan's teeth were clenched tight, his fists balled, his whole frame taut. Arranged around him in the positions of the Twelve Earthly Branches were twelve lit oil lamps. Shopkeeper Wan wore a solemn expression, holding half a bowl of clear water in his left hand and three chopsticks in his right as his lips moved in an incantation. Next, he raised a single chopstick, tapped Wang Daoxuan's forehead three times, dipped it in the water, and attempted to stand it upright in the center of the bowl. Clack! The chopstick failed to stand, clattering to the floor. Shopkeeper Wan narrowed his eyes and repeated the ritual. Li Yan knew this practice was called "grave measurement," colloquially known as standing chopsticks—a widespread piece of folk sorcery. Wang Daoxuan had mentioned it to him before as a form of divination. Clack! Clack! As the remaining two chopsticks tumbled, Shopkeeper Wan finally let out a sigh and shook his head. "No response at all. His living soul has been captured." Turning toward Wang Daoxuan on the bed, he added, "Fortunately, Daoist Wang is sharp. Realizing something was amiss, he used a method to lock his spirit altar before his soul was torn from his body. That kept other entities from seizing his vessel." Li Yan asked in a heavy voice, "Does Senior know who did this?" "That I do know." Shopkeeper Wan let out a cold scoff. "The perpetrator is named Chen Fakui, a disciple of the arcane lineage of the Jiuyuan Sect from Mount Li. Who knows when he slipped into Xianyang City, colluding with the White Ape Gang. He was the one scheming to break through his cultivation bottleneck using evil arts! "Yesterday, I rushed to the City God Temple. The temple master, Daoist Qingyangzi, was furious. But to draw out the mastermind, he refrained from making a grand scene and instead laid an ambush with us in Menggu Village. "Sure enough, someone showed up in the dead of night. Once captured and interrogated, he turned out to be a scoundrel from the White Ape Gang. Following the trail from there, we uncovered that Zhou Peide of the Zhou family and Yuan Qu had joined forces to run errands for Chen Fakui. "That very night, the yamen dispatched troops to crack down on the White Ape Gang, and Daoist Qingyangzi personally erected an altar to summon nether soldiers on a night patrol, but they failed to locate him. "Zhou Peide has already been thrown into the magistrate's jail. According to his confession, Chen Fakui worked his ritual precisely to lure Brother Li out of the village so they could surround and butcher you." Sha Lifei fumed, "This Zhou family really stoops to the basest methods!" "The Zhou family is finished," Shopkeeper Wan said, shaking his head. "Borrowing fortune through vile arts to force a breakthrough violates Xuanmen's taboos. The Jiuyuan Sect's arcane lineage will dispatch members to clean house, and the Enforcement Hall of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect will intervene as well. Chen Fakui is a dead man walking. "As for the Zhou family, with an affair like this coming to light, that Lord Lu behind them—the Left Administration Vice Commissioner—will cut ties immediately. Even though Old Monkey Zhou took no part in it, without a patron, the tree will fall and the monkeys will scatter sooner or later..." "We'll settle scores with the Zhou family later!" Li Yan said grimly. "The pressing matter right now is saving Daoist Wang. Does Senior have a way?" Shopkeeper Wan shook his head. "To imprison a living soul, one must use a dharma implement like a wandering soul jar. That object must be found first. If Chen Fakui destroys the jar, Daoist Wang's soul will scatter to the winds as well." Hearing this, Sha Lifei panicked. "The wandering soul jar is in Chen Fakui's hands, and nobody knows where that brat is hiding. Even the City God Temple couldn't find him! What are we supposed to do?" "Don't rush; there is another way," Shopkeeper Wan said. "There are many extraordinary individuals in Xianyang City. The Longsheng Opera Troupe has a martial clown named Wu Laosi. While he seems unremarkable within the troupe, he is actually a Xuanmen sorcerer who opened his mind root and is skilled in the art of underworld crossing. "Something went wrong in his youth, leaving him disheartened, so he stopped crossing to the underworld for people and hid his identity within the troupe. However, he once owed this old man a favor. "I will write a letter asking for his help. Though he cannot call back Daoist Wang's living soul directly, he can determine its general direction. Coupled with Little Brother Li's uncanny abilities, you should be able to track him down. "Remember, when dealing with a disciple of the Jiuyuan Sect, never strike at night. "And one more thing: I will use a secret art to safeguard Daoist Wang's physical body, but his living soul must be recovered within seven days. Otherwise, it will all be too late..." * * * The Longsheng Opera Troupe was the premier troupe in Xianyang City. Unlike itinerant troupes that wandered from village to village setting up makeshift tents, the Longsheng Opera Troupe boasted a century of history, performing year-round at the Longsheng Garden near Xianyang's Confucian Temple. The people of Guanzhong loved opera, and tickets for the troupe were often nearly impossible to come by. *Clang, clang, clang!* Before the day's performance had even begun, an attendant at the theater entrance was already striking a gong. A few curious onlookers glanced at the wooden signboard by the door. Seeing it completely blank, someone asked, "Say, what play are you performing today?" "Exactly! How come there isn't even a title?" Xianyang City had no shortage of wealthy idlers, and a crowd had long gathered by the entrance. The attendant called out loudly, "Troupe Master Luo is in high spirits today! For three straight days, we're performing *Drunkenly Beating the Demon Monkey*—and admission is free for everyone!" At these words, murmurs of discontent broke out immediately. A plump, fair-skinned young master shook his head. "Forget it. Who doesn't know that *Drunkenly Beating the Demon Monkey* was written by Troupe Master Luo himself? The last time he staged it, the White Ape Gang blocked the doors and made an ugly scene. "What, is he ready to stage it again just because the Zhou family hit bad luck? "Tell Troupe Master Luo to cool his temper. What we want to see is *Stealing the Immortal Herb* or *Grievance of the Deep Palace*. Young Mistress Lyu just made a name for herself; if she wants to become a celebrated star, she can't do without our support..." "That's right, we don't want to watch some monkey getting beaten!" The attendant cupped his hands with an apologetic smile. "Please bear with us, gentlemen. You all know Troupe Master Luo's temper. If he gets crossed, he might just shut the theater down altogether." At that, the crowd muttered curses at their bad luck. If one were to name the biggest opera fanatic in Xianyang City, it was none other than this Troupe Master Luo—Luo Shihai. His ancestors had served as prominent court officials, and after returning home, the family had become local gentry. Several entire streets in Xianyang belonged to them, along with vast stretches of fertile land. Their descendants could idle their lives away and never run out of money. As for Luo Shihai himself, he had possessed remarkable literary talent in his youth, earning the rank of xiucai. Yet he had no ambition for officialdom, favoring martial arts instead, and had even become the master of Xianyang's Baguamen. One could say he had been born into a life of luxury, wanting for nothing. His sole obsession was opera. When others loved opera, the most they did was spend every day lounging in theaters. He, on the other hand, had simply bought the entire opera troupe to become its master. As for the origin of *Drunkenly Beating the Demon Monkey*, many were well aware. Troupe Master Luo had once trained a treasured leading qingyi, intending to bring her to Chang'an to make a name for herself and rival the great theaters there. Yet driven to despair by a scion of the Zhou family, she had hanged herself. The incident had caused quite a sensation at the time. Troupe Master Luo, who normally stayed out of jianghu affairs, had nearly staked his life in vengeance. Only through mediation was the matter settled through a sanctioned martial duel against Zhou Pan. Though Troupe Master Luo possessed remarkable talent and held the mantle of Baguamen's master, he fell short against Zhou Pan, a man who had fought for his fortunes with his life on the line. Unable to swallow his indignation after his defeat, he composed *Drunkenly Beating the Demon Monkey*. The entire play consisted of nothing but cursing and beatings, purely an outlet for his rage. The patrons had no interest in watching it. Seeing the attendant's firm stance, the crowd had no choice but to disperse. These wealthy young masters had plenty of pastimes and cared little for free admission, but the common folk cherished it. The moment word spread that Longsheng Theater was offering free entry, people flocked from all directions. Li Yan and Sha Lifei squeezed their way through the throng. Li Yan, naturally, had not come to watch an opera. Approaching the attendant, he cupped his hands and said in a low voice, "Pardon me, brother. Is Senior Wu Laosi, the martial clown of your troupe, present?" "Oh?" The attendant caught sight of the Guanshan blade at Li Yan's waist, then studied Li Yan's face. Suddenly remembering something, his posture straightened, and his hands formed an unusual gesture. "So it's Brother Li. May I ask if this visit is to present a card or just strolling the wharf?" It turned out the attendant was also a jianghu man from the Liu Sect. Li Yan said evenly, "No need to be nervous, brother. I carry a calling card from a senior to ask Senior Wu for a favor." With that, he presented the calling card in his hand. *Wu Laosi?* The martial clown of the troupe, a man so taciturn you couldn't beat three words out of him with a stick—how could he be involved with a bladesman like Li Yan? "Wait here a moment, Brother Li." Though bewildered, the attendant took the card and scurried inside. Before long, he came trotting back out. "Brother Li, please head inside first. The performance is about to start. Wu Laosi says he'll seek you out once it's over." "Very well. Thank you for your trouble." Li Yan nodded, stepping into the theater alongside Sha Lifei. Watching them walk in, the attendant knitted his brows and muttered under his breath, "No good. That kid is a magnet for trouble. I've got to inform the troupe master so nothing gets out of hand." With that, he turned and hurried away...