Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 87 Taking Office: A Novice in a Makeshift Role! (Three Chapters, 10,000 Words, Seeking Subscriptions)
The room was simply furnished with an eight-immortal table, a few armchairs, and a portrait of the founder of Peking Opera hanging on the wall opposite the door.

This middle-aged man is named Guan Sihai, and he is the head of the Qingchun Troupe.

He looked Chen Ye up and down, then questioned him seriously: "Who else is in your family? What are their names? Where are they from?"

Chen Ye did not hide anything and told the whole story of the original owner's background.

Upon hearing this, a barely perceptible hint of joy flashed in Guan Sihai's eyes.

He had no father or mother, no relatives or friends, and not even a proper background.

This is exactly the kind of promising talent the opera troupe loves most—clean, easy to manage, and once she's made it big, no random relatives will come knocking on the door asking for a share of the profits.

But he remained outwardly calm, his face stern as he said in a deep voice, "In our Peking Opera profession, rules are paramount. We train in the coldest winter and hottest summer, and being beaten and scolded is commonplace. Once you enter my tutelage, you have to sign a contract, and it won't be easy to leave after that. Have you thought it through?"

"I've made up my mind." Chen Ye replied without the slightest hesitation.

After all, survival is the most important thing right now.

Moreover, in this world, a theatrical troupe that performs for ghosts and gods is itself a path to contact the extraordinary.

Seeing that he agreed so readily, Guan Sihai was even more satisfied, and the seriousness on his face eased a bit.

"Alright, since you've made up your mind, then kowtow to the patriarch."

Chen Ye knelt on the prayer mat as instructed and respectfully kowtowed three times to the portrait.

That completes the ceremony.

"Uncle Fu, take him to take a bath and change into clean clothes," Guan Sihai called out to the door.

A gaunt old man answered the call and came in, leading Chen Ye to the backyard.

After Chen Ye left, Guan Sihai picked up his teacup, gently blew on the steam, and began to make plans in his mind.

This child has top-notch looks and physique. As long as his voice isn't too bad, with a little training, he'll definitely be a pillar of the show and a cash cow for the Qingchun Troupe!

Guan Sihai became happier the more he thought about it.

Not long after, Uncle Fu returned with Chen Ye, who had changed his clothes.

Guan Sihai was about to say something, but the words caught in his throat and he swallowed them back.

Because the boy in front of them no longer looked like a destitute little beggar.

The coarse cloth shirt he wore, faded from washing, did not make him look shabby at all; on the contrary, it accentuated his upright posture and clean demeanor.

His face, cleansed of dirt, was exceptionally handsome, with a pair of phoenix eyes that exuded a natural charm. He was like a piece of unpolished jade, radiating a warm glow.

"Great, great!" Guan Sihai liked it more and more as he looked at it, and slapped his thigh, unable to hide the smile on his face.

He first asked Uncle Fu to go to the kitchen and bring Chen Ye a bowl of hot meat porridge and two steamed buns.

Chen Ye was really hungry, so he picked up the bowl and started wolfing down his food.

After finishing his meal in a whirlwind, Guan Sihai personally led him to the courtyard and addressed the young men and women who were practicing martial arts.

"Stop right there, everyone. This is your new junior brother, Chen Ye. From now on, you all need to look after him and not bully him, understand?"

The courtyard fell silent instantly, and everyone's eyes were focused on Chen Ye.

The boys and girls were stunned by Chen Ye's appearance, and several of the bolder girls blushed.

As soon as Guan Sihai left, the group of teenagers immediately surrounded Chen Ye.

"Your name is Chen Ye? You're really good-looking."

Where are you from before?

Amidst the chattering questions, the tallest and darkest-skinned boy squeezed in and asked in a deep voice, "Why do you look like a woman?"

Chen Ye raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly.

But he could sense that there was no malice in the dark-faced boy's eyes; he was simply honest and straightforward.

"My name is Tiedan. If anyone bullies you in the future, just tell me!" The dark-faced boy patted his muscular chest.

Chen Ye smiled and nodded. "Thank you!"

In the afternoon, Chen Ye began practicing martial arts with the others.

Leg stretches, back bends, vocal exercises...

These basic skills, which might seem tedious and painful to others, were performed meticulously by Chen Ye.

Soon, a faint light flashed in front of Chen Ye.

[Starting work...]

[Job Successful]

Name: Chen Ye

[Occupation: Extra (Level 1) (At the very end of the Peking Opera world, on the foundation of a towering stage, every frown and smile possesses charm, every tone and melody can move even ghosts and gods. This is the beginning of the path of theatrical art, and also the path to divine connection.)]

[Talent: A born actor – possessing an extraordinary understanding of traditional opera, easily discerning the essence of singing, movements, and spirit, and internalizing it for his own use.]

Become!

Chen Ye felt relieved. He had been worried that the actor profession wouldn't be able to activate the panel, but now it seemed he had been overthinking it.

With his professional talent, Chen Ye learned opera with ease.

Whether it's the singing style and movements, or the rhythm of the recitation, the instructor can often imitate it almost perfectly after the teacher only explains it once, and even better than the teacher can capture its essence.

This astonishing progress made Guan Sihai feel as if he had truly found a peerless genius, and he was overjoyed every day.

But the good times didn't last long. That night, someone spread the word about Chen Ye's background.

"I heard he escaped from a brothel."

"Really? That place is so dirty..."

"No wonder he's so handsome, so that's what he does." Whispers spread among the boys, and some of them began to look at him strangely, with distance and disdain.

Some people even jokingly called him "from a brothel" to his face.

Chen Ye remained silent, as if he hadn't heard anything.

As everyone lay on the cold, communal bed at night, a chubby boy rolled over and deliberately called out in Chen Ye's direction, "Hey, you from the brothel, move over, you're crowding me!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a hand gripped his neck like an iron clamp.

Chen Ye had already sat up at some point, looking at him expressionlessly, his grip tightening.

The job of a stage extra, while primarily enhancing his acting skills, also gave his frail body a bit more strength.

The chubby boy's face flushed red instantly, and he made a "hoarse" sound in his throat. He tried desperately to pry Chen Ye's hands apart, but he couldn't budge them at all.

Everyone was terrified.

They had never seen Chen Ye like this before.

There was no anger on that handsome face, only a deathly coldness, a calmness that sent chills down one's spine.

"You...you're insane! Let go! Someone's going to die!"

Tie Dan, who was sleeping on the other side, suddenly realized what was happening and lunged forward, using all his strength to pull Chen Ye's arm away.

The chubby boy collapsed on the kang (a heated brick bed), clutching his neck and coughing violently, tears and snot streaming down his face.

"Are you out of your mind! If you keep pinching him, he'll really die!" Tie Dan yelled at Chen Ye.

Chen Ye didn't even look at him, but instead swept his cold eyes over the others on the kang.

Those whose gaze swept over him all felt a shiver run down their spines and instinctively looked away.

Tie Dan felt a chill run down his spine from that look. He had never seen such deep indifference in the eyes of a young boy, without the slightest fear or wavering.

The only sounds in the room were the little fat boy's crying and coughing.

Chen Ye lay down without saying a word, covered himself with the blanket, and closed his eyes.

No one dared to provoke him anymore.

Although the dormitory-style bed was cold and hard, it was still better than sleeping in the snow, so Chen Ye was quite content.

As for his actions just now, he didn't really want to strangle the fat man; he just wanted to establish his authority.

He knew very well that if he showed weakness in such a place, he would never have peace in the days to come.

Therefore, we must use the most direct and ruthless methods to scare everyone into submission in one fell swoop.

The snow stopped the next day.

Everyone practiced their skills as usual, but the chubby boy trembled with fear and kept his distance whenever he saw Chen Ye.

Guan Sihai, with his sharp eyes, noticed the clear purplish-blue finger marks around the chubby boy's neck. He inquired around and learned what had happened last night.

A thought crossed his mind, but he merely glanced at Chen Ye and said nothing, pretending not to know.

It's better if you can solve the problem yourself, saving him the trouble.

In the days that followed, Chen Ye's life got back on track.

Because his talent was so amazing, in just two months his singing, recitation, acting and fighting skills had surpassed those of many of his senior brothers who had studied for two or three years.

Guan Sihai grew increasingly fond of him, treating him like a precious treasure. He would never hit him, nor could he bear to say a harsh word to him. He would often bring him back snacks from outside to cook for him.

Others, however, do not receive this treatment.

Especially Tie Dan, although he is honest and simple, he is indeed stupid and lazy. Almost every few days, Guan Sihai would hold him down on a long bench and spank him.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

In the courtyard, Guan Sihai held a bamboo stick and mercilessly whipped Tie Dan and several other apprentices who had made mistakes on their buttocks.

Chen Ye sat on the steps to the side, slowly eating the osmanthus cake that Guan Sihai had brought back for him, while watching with a smile.

Not far away, several girls practicing martial arts frequently stole glances over.

After two months of recuperation, Chen Ye's body has grown considerably and he is no longer so thin.

His eyes and brows sparkled even more, and his every move exuded an indescribable air of elegance, which greatly attracted the girl's attention.

After finishing his training that day, it was Chen Ye's turn to fetch water.

There is an old well outside the alley entrance, from which the surrounding residents and their opera troupe draw water.

According to the rules of the opera troupe, apprentices take turns fetching water, both men and women.

Chen Ye and a girl named Chunyan carried buckets of water and walked outside together.

The water that Chunyan fetched was used by the girls; the water that he fetched was used by the male apprentices. They were clearly separated, and neither of them took advantage of the other.

Along the way, Chunyan chattered away like a cheerful lark, clearly happy to be out with Chen Ye.

Chen Ye mostly listened with a smile, occasionally responding with a word or two.

When they arrived at the well, there was no one around, only a large locust tree with all its leaves gone standing there quietly.

Chen Ye hung the bucket on the well rope and was about to lower it down.

Suddenly, a chill, without warning, shot out from the well opening, running down his spine and straight to the top of his head.

Chen Ye felt every hair on his body stand on end in that instant. His movements abruptly stopped, and his eyes sharpened.

This well...something's not right!

　Because dividing the content into chapters was too troublesome, and also in order to increase the average number of subscriptions, I changed five chapters to three. By the way, I'd like to report on the results: two thousand subscriptions on the first day, which is pretty good. At least I'm quite satisfied.

　　Therefore, I will try my best to update more frequently, and I hope everyone will support me.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)