No Rush

Could someone really have set up a stage to perform here in the dead of night, amidst the woods? Yet at this late hour, for whom could they possibly be performing? A sense of grotesque absurdity involuntarily welled up in everyone's chest. Lu Guiyan's brows knitted tightly. Such an oddity naturally brought tales of ghosts and demons to mind, but as a wanderer of the jianghu, she had never believed in supernatural spirits. Someone had to be playing tricks... She felt tempted to detour around it, but realized it would be futile. After all, if this was truly meant for them, whatever it was would track them down anyway. They might as well press straight ahead along the path. As the sound grew clearer, Lu Guiyan and the others picked out several different musical instruments. There were cymbals, gongs, drums, wooden fish, and even clappers... With so many distinct sounds, there ought to have been a whole troupe of people. Yet as far as the eye could see, there were no milling silhouettes—only a square sheet of white backlit by firelight, upon which shapes were moving. "...Doesn't this look an awful lot like a shadow play?" Mo Beidou scratched his head and offered his take. Hearing his remark, the others exchanged glances, all finding his deduction quite plausible. Fear often stemmed from the unknown, and Mo Beidou's words tore away the gloom hanging over their hearts. After all, what was there to fear about a shadow play? The group quickened their pace at once. Sure enough, across a white screen, two small figures were locked in unending combat, while the crash of cymbals and gongs came from behind the curtain. Someone really was staying up in the dead of night, hiding in the mountain woods and stoking a bonfire to put on a shadow play? Lu Guiyan was torn between laughter and tears, but she did not dare let her guard down. In the deep woods under the bleak night, even if no foul demons were at work, anyone bold enough to perform a shadow play here was certainly no ordinary soul. Their arrival also alerted the person behind the screen. One of the two little figures abruptly exited, while the other leaped into the air, somersaulting several times across the screen before landing. With a thrust of its spear, a voice rang out: "Halt! "Who... goes there?!" Lu Guiyan cupped her fists. "Merely passing travelers. If we have disturbed Senior, please take no offense." "Hmm, hmm, hmm?" The figure on the screen twirled twice on the spot, its voice dripping with suspicion, before snapping its head upward. "Hastening through the dark of night in such a panicked rush—could you be villains crossing the border? "Might I ask, where do these travelers hail from, and where are you bound?" Unwilling to get entangled, Lu Guiyan replied with a polite smile, "We have no wish to impose. We shall take our leave now." With that, she moved to lead her party away. Unexpectedly, the figure on the screen moved once more, flicking up the tip of its spear. "Heh heh heh! Since you've come, then you must... Ouch!" Mid-sentence, the figure vanished from the screen, and Fang Shuwen's voice floated out from behind the curtain: "How does this thing work?" "Y-you, you..." An elderly voice emerged from behind the screen, laced with terror. "When did you get over here?!" "While you two were chatting, of course." Fang Shuwen inspected the shadow puppet he had just snatched from the man's hands while giving him a once-over. It was an old man, appearing to be in his sixties or seventies, with a snowy beard and hair and a lean, refined frame. He sat upon an exceedingly peculiar chair, rigged with all manner of musical instruments. Pedals sat beneath his feet; with every tap, switch, and press, different instruments chimed in turn. That was why a single person could produce the music of an entire ensemble. Fang Shuwen had seen shadow plays before and knew this craft was known in the trade as Shibuxian—The Ten Unidles—regarded as the pinnacle of the art. Its difficulty lay in achieving single-handedly what normally required a full troupe, keeping every instrument in flawless harmony while manipulating the puppets and singing all at once. Multitasking to such an extreme was no small feat. Fang Shuwen fiddled with the puppet in his hand and asked, "What did you say just now? Since we've come, then what must we do?" The old man stared at Fang Shuwen as if gazing upon a ghost. After wrestling with himself for a long moment, he tentatively ventured, "Then... watch a show before you go?" "Not a bad idea." Fang Shuwen poked his head out from behind the screen. "Miss Lu... why not listen to a show? We've been marching half the night anyway, and everyone's tired. What do you say to a short rest? "It's rare to catch a shadow play, and we don't even have to pay." The old man sucked his teeth at that. *Who said you don't have to pay?* Yet the moment he recalled how Fang Shuwen had materialized beside him without a sound and casually snatched the puppet away before he could even react, he decided that not charging was just fine! How could a true man standing between heaven and earth bicker over petty copper coins? Lu Guiyan was taken aback, puzzled as to why Fang Shuwen wanted to linger here. Still, given his words, he surely had his reasons. After a moment's contemplation, she cupped her fists and smiled. "Then many thanks, old sir." With that, she waved her hand. "Everyone, take a rest and watch... a shadow play." The old man forced a bitter smile, feeling cursed with foul luck tonight. For no good reason, he was forced to put on a show for free. Yet things had come to this; further words were useless. He might as well perform. The escort masters and escort attendants were not particularly keen on shadow plays, but the two clients under their protection were like curious children, scurrying to find an open spot to sit and staring eagerly at the white screen for the show to begin. Seeing the others scattered about, Fang Shuwen smiled and called out, "Everyone, gather around! Closer! What can you hear from way over there?" The escort masters and attendants looked baffled, not quite understanding his purpose, but they crowded together nonetheless. They did not know Fang Shuwen well, but he was Escort Leader Mo's junior brother after all. Out of respect for Mo Beidou, they could hardly ignore him. Fang Shuwen found a spot near the front and sat down. A shadow flickered beside him; turning his head, he saw Lu Guiyan. Sitting beside him, she asked in a low voice, "Did you notice something?" Those with superior internal skill often possessed exceptionally keen senses. Just because she could neither sense nor hear anything did not mean Fang Shuwen couldn't. Fang Shuwen glanced at her with mild surprise, then gave a smiling nod. "You'll know soon enough." Hearing this from him, Lu Guiyan's heart did not settle; instead, it leaped into her throat. This meant their diversion had likely failed, and for all she knew, the Fierce Tiger Gang was lying in wait ahead. At the thought, she sighed, subconsciously glancing at Sun Qian among the crowd. A moment later, gongs and cymbals sounded; the play had begun. The old man announced the title: *The Treacherous Disciple Fang Huai*. The story opened with a scholar who was bullied and destitute until he chanced upon an old man who taught him martial arts. Abandoning his books for the martial path, his cultivation deepened day by day thanks to his natural brilliance. Little did anyone expect that his heart harbored venom. After his master imparted martial arts to him, far from thinking of gratitude, he plotted to murder his master and seize the secret manual. The tale could hardly be called captivating, but propelled by the old man's rhythm and multi-instrument accompaniment, it drew everyone in with ease. Just as the performance reached its climax—Fang Huai administering poison, his dagger revealed, and the wounded master battling him along the banks of a great river—the sound of wind breaking repeatedly sliced through the night. In the blink of an eye, figures clad in black appeared within the firelight. The ranks parted, and their leader strode forward. He too was cloaked in black, with a fierce tiger vividly embroidered on his chest and cuffs! His expression was grim. He glared back and forth between the people of Lu'an Escort Agency and the white screen of the shadow play, flames nearly spurting from his eyes. Yet just before he could speak, a soft cough sounded. He turned his head on instinct and saw a plainly dressed young man who smiled softly, raising a single finger to his lips. "Shh. No rush. Let's finish watching this play first."