CHAPTER 369: CHAPTER 254 DRAMA CULTIVATOR

Under Li Banfeng’s pressing interrogation, the Actor sent all the Lost Souls out of the room and began to recount the past.

"Actually, back then, the one I wanted to marry wasn’t Hong Ying; it was Zhao Xiaowan. I even brought this matter up and asked the Holy Emperor to act as the matchmaker, but Zhao Xiaowan refused."

Li Banfeng asked, "What was your identity?"

The Actor raised his hand and gestured around. "This courtyard, these furnishings in my home—can’t you tell my status from these?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I can’t tell."

"I am a Prince! Prince Chun!" the Actor said, raising his voice. "You should know what a Prince’s status entails."

Although Li Banfeng hadn’t studied history in college, he had some idea of what a Prince was. "You are a Prince, and Zhao Xiaowan is a general from a humble acting background. You wanted to marry her? And she dared to refuse?"

The Actor gave a bitter smile. "It depends on the timing. Ordinarily, she wouldn’t have dared to refuse. Even if I had to resort to kidnapping, I could have brought her to the Prince Mansion. I wouldn’t even have needed to give her an official title to make her mine. But at that time, it was impossible. A war was raging, Zhao Xiaowan was winning battle after battle, and the Holy Emperor couldn’t do without her. So, I truly had to discuss the matter properly with her. In the end, we didn’t reach an agreement, but the Holy Emperor gave me a way out by betrothing Hong Ying to me.

Hong Ying came from a proper General’s Family. Her status was a little lower than mine, but far superior to Zhao Xiaowan’s. Although I wasn’t entirely happy, Hong Ying was an exceptional beauty, and crucially, she was willing to be with me. So, I accepted this marriage."

Li Banfeng nodded. "Since she was willing and you were too, this matter could be considered settled."

"It wasn’t settled," Prince Chun said, shaking his head. "At that time, Zhao Xiaowan and Hong Ying had won many battles. For some unknown reason, the Holy Emperor recalled them. He appointed Zhao Xiaowan as Valiant Cavalry General and Hong Ying as Material Officer General. They were no longer needed for combat; General Fubo, Cong Shixiang, was sent to the front lines and took command of the troops.

One day, the Holy Emperor hosted a banquet, summoning all civil and military officials. Zhao Xiaowan and Hong Ying attended as well. During the feast, the Holy Emperor ordered Zhao Xiaowan to perform an opera—to don a Helmet, apply makeup, and give a full, formal opera performance!"

Li Banfeng frowned. "She was already the Valiant Cavalry General. Why would she still be asked to perform?"

Prince Chun looked Li Banfeng up and down and clicked his tongue. "Your thinking is just like Zhao Xiaowan’s. She also felt that as a general, she shouldn’t perform before the assembled officials. It was somewhat demeaning, yes, but it was the Holy Emperor’s command—his word was law! Who would dare utter a word of refusal?

Zhao Xiaowan actually did refuse. The Holy Emperor flew into a terrible rage and had her immediately shackled and thrown into prison. Hong Ying pleaded for Zhao Xiaowan, so the Holy Emperor had her locked up as well. And so, the marriage was off from that point."

Li Banfeng didn’t care about the marriage; he was more interested in this Emperor’s thoughts. "Just because of an opera performance, two generals became prisoners?"

Prince Chun was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "If you ask me, it wasn’t just about the performance. At that time, the Ministry of War had received dispatches reporting defeat on the front lines. I don’t know the exact details of the defeat, but I heard the Minister of War secretly cursing Cong Shixiang, calling him a complete incompetent—a ’bag of straw.’ The Holy Emperor was likely in a foul mood, and Zhao Xiaowan unfortunately walked right into his fury, defied the dragon’s scale, and suffered for it!"

"Nonsense!" Li Banfeng shook his head. "Losing battles, yet he punishes the generals who can actually fight? Has the Emperor gone mad?"

Prince Chun sighed deeply. "I too found it unreasonable. But after reflecting on it, I managed to understand the Holy Emperor’s thinking. Those who can fight are disobedient; those who are obedient can’t fight. Perhaps the Holy Emperor intended to use this incident to knock some sense into the court officials, warning them against arrogance born from their achievements.

Those two generals suffered greatly in prison. I heard they never had a single full meal. Not only did they suffer from hunger and cold, but they were also severely beaten. Later, I heard from people in the Ministry of Punishment that the Holy Emperor intended to kill them both—and not just kill them, but make their deaths agonizing.

He could torment his own generals as he pleased, but the enemy forces from the Demon Land showed the Holy Emperor no such courtesy. Battle after battle was lost, and the enemy nearly reached the Capital. For the sake of Great Huan’s empire and its people, the Holy Emperor had to set aside past grievances..."

Li Banfeng waved his hand. "Don’t talk about the empire and its people; that has nothing to do with it."

Prince Chun pursed his lips. "In short, the Holy Emperor released Zhao Xiaowan and Hong Ying. Hong Ying was reinstated to her post as Material Officer General, while Zhao Xiaowan was made a mere Colonel. The Holy Emperor ordered them both to accompany Cong Shixiang back to the front lines.

Although Zhao Xiaowan was only a Colonel, Hong Ying deferred to her. In all matters of warfare, Hong Ying listened to Zhao Xiaowan. The two were closer than biological sisters.

Despite being reduced to mere skeletons, Zhao Xiaowan and Hong Ying were still formidable on the battlefield. Victory followed victory, and the entire court was ecstatic. Tales of the pair spread throughout the Capital. Zhao Xiaowan, in particular, became incredibly famous. Storytellers, opera singers, street vendors, performers—even fortune-tellers on street corners—would recount Zhao Xiaowan’s deeds to attract customers before starting their business."

Li Banfeng looked Prince Chun up and down. "You, a Prince, seem quite down-to-earth! You even know about fortune-tellers and street performers?"

Prince Chun laughed. "I enjoy it. When I have free time, I put on plain clothes and wander through the Capital. I just love observing these common folk activities..."

Li Banfeng gestured with his hand to cut him off. "Never mind about you for now. Let’s talk about Zhao Xiaowan. What happened after the victories?"

Prince Chun sighed deeply. "There was no ’after.’ The two of them won battle after battle; the war situation was excellent. Dispatches from the front lines reported that the enemy commander was surrounded. They were just one step away from total victory. But who could have imagined? The two of them turned on each other!

To this day, I still don’t know why they fought. I can’t comprehend why they would be so ruthless with one another. Zhao Xiaowan died at Hong Ying’s hands. Hong Ying, gravely wounded, also passed away a few days later."

Li Banfeng exclaimed, "You don’t know why they fought?"

"I don’t know," Prince Chun shook his head. "I wasn’t at the war. How could I know?"

"What happened after that?"

"After that, the war was won. I don’t know how. I heard the Holy Emperor called for reinforcements, though I don’t know from where. It took several months, but somehow, we won. After the victory, the Holy Emperor summoned all civil and military officials and hosted a grand three-day banquet in the Imperial Palace. I remember those three days; the Holy Emperor was exceptionally joyous. He proposed toast after toast, and the ministers drank cup after cup. I lost count of how much wine I drank myself.

I got drunk. I don’t know for how long. When I awoke, I discovered my mansion was no longer in its original location. The people under my command had also changed their appearance. They were no longer among the living. They told me I, too, was no longer in the world of the living. They said the land outside was called Puluo State, and this place was the Worry-Free Plain. They said one could go anywhere from here, yet we could go nowhere.

I said the road was right beneath our feet, so why not venture out and see? But they urged me never to leave, explaining that if we stepped outside the Worry-Free Plain, anyone who saw us would try to kill us.

Years passed, and I remained here. With nothing else to do, I sang opera every day for my subordinates. They listened day after day, year after year. Initially, they’d humor me, pretending to be thoroughly enjoying it. But eventually, they grew weary of it and refused to listen, even if I threatened them with a whip.

If they wouldn’t listen, I’d find others. Travelers used to pass by and rest here, and I’d sing opera for them at night. Later on, not a single traveler came by the entire year. My subordinates told me this territory had become Old Land, and it would be difficult to encounter another living person again.

For a full ten years, you all are the only Living People to have come here. That girl urinating in my courtyard wasn’t actually a big deal. I deliberately made things difficult for you simply because I wanted to keep you here to listen to my opera. I adore singing opera, but if there’s no one to listen, how agonizing it is."

"So, you just want to keep us here to listen to the opera?" Li Banfeng laughed. "Are you planning to keep us for a day, a year, or a lifetime?"

Prince Chun was quite candid. "I truly do want to keep you for a lifetime. But you’re too ruthless; you’re not easy to keep. If we were to fight for another couple of days, I fear few of my men would remain. Now that everything is out in the open, and I’ve given you what you wanted, this record..."

Li Banfeng pulled the record out from behind him and handed it to Prince Chun.

Holding the record, Prince Chun caressed it for a long time. "General Zhao, I truly admire you. As for your claims of being handsome, I didn’t pay much mind to that. What I truly admire is that magnificent voice of yours. Every time I hear you sing a single line, I feel as though my own half-lifetime of cultivation has been a waste."

Li Banfeng asked, "There’s something I want to know, and if you don’t want to tell me, I won’t force you. Which Taoist Sect do you belong to?"

Prince Chun put away the record. "By rights, I shouldn’t tell you this. But it’s been so many years since I’ve spoken at such length, and it feels good to get it out. I am a Drama Cultivator. It’s not as simple as merely loving to listen to or sing opera; I possess genuine cultivation level. My impersonation of that mother-daughter pair earlier utilized true skill from my cultivation level. However, as I only saw them for the first time today, there might have been some minor flaws in the details. Let me put it this way: if I were to impersonate an acquaintance, I guarantee even his own wife wouldn’t be able to recognize him."

Li Banfeng sneered, "Keep bragging!"

Slapping the table, Prince Chun insisted, "How can this be bragging? The first time you saw through my disguise, you must have realized I wasn’t a person of the Yang Realm. The second time, when I impersonated that girl’s mother—be honest, you didn’t spot any flaws at first glance, did you?"

Li Banfeng nodded; he had to admit that, based on appearance alone, he hadn’t detected any flaws.

Prince Chun said proudly, "And let me tell you, it’s not just the appearance you can’t see through; you can’t tell from the inside either."

"How can you tell from the inside?" Li Banfeng was curious.

"As long as our Taoist Sect’s cultivation level is sufficient, we can perfectly mimic anyone, regardless of any illness they have, injuries they’ve sustained, poison they’ve ingested, or medicine they’ve taken!"

Li Banfeng’s eyes narrowed. "That sounds incredibly far-fetched, doesn’t it?"

"Why would I lie to you? You simply haven’t witnessed a true master of our Taoist Sect. They can even replicate a person’s Bloodline perfectly, enough to deceive top-tier Peeping Cultivators and Medicine Cultivators!"

Even the Bloodline can be perfectly mimicked?

Li Banfeng was skeptical. Could such an outlandish Technique truly exist in this world?

「...」

At the Yuezhou Sanatorium, Xiao Zhenggong was inquiring about He Jiaqing’s condition. The chief physician’s response remained the same as before: the patient’s vital signs were stable, but he shouldn’t be moved unnecessarily.

Xiao Zhenggong dismissed the caretaker and sat before He Jiaqing’s hospital bed, a cold sneer on his face. "How the hell did you manage to fake it? This is a major hospital, and they couldn’t tell you were feigning illness? What exactly are you planning to do, staying in the Outside Provinces? Did you really come after me? Things have been tense these last couple of days, so I can’t make a move on you easily. But mark my words: as long as you remain in the Outside Provinces for even a day, your pathetic life is in my hands!"

PS: Who is really lying in the bed?