A master of comedy!

Chapter 2 The Injustice to Dou E

The so-called "breaking the stage" is usually a ritual performed to ward off evil spirits after a major accident occurs in a theatrical troupe.

Strictly speaking, "Broken Stage" is not a play, but rather a performance where one actor plays a ghost, while other actors play spirit officials, deities, etc., wielding whips to drive away the ghost and slaughtering live chickens, sprinkling their blood on the stage.

The entire process must take place around midnight.

This is the rule of the opera industry. For thousands of years, most opera troupe leaders have firmly believed in this. Only by successfully breaking the stage and driving away the evil spirits can the opera troupe continue to operate.

“Master Wu, the stage is about to be broken. There are some things that should be said, such as the woman in blue who died on the stage.”

In front of the bronze mirror on the dressing table, Zhou Sheng asked a question while filling his cheeks with red cinnabar.

Upon hearing this, Master Wu immediately became nervous and avoided eye contact.

Zhou Sheng wasn't in a hurry. While painting the face, he said calmly, "Since you know my master, you should know the rules of our profession."

He paused, his thickly drawn eyebrows turned upwards, and under the bright crescent moon between his brows, his eyeliner appeared exceptionally sharp, with the sharpness of a sword being drawn from its sheath.

"If there is any deception, once you get into character, anything could happen."

Bao Gong is known for his iron face, integrity, and impartiality. Once he gets into character, if he discovers that Master Wu has done something evil, his guillotine can not only behead evil spirits but also living people.

Clearly, Master Wu knew the rules of Yinxi (a type of traditional Chinese opera). He trembled slightly and dared not deceive anyone any longer.

"Danshan, I'm not lying, but this matter... is just too bizarre!"

"The actress who died was named Shen Jinhua, but I definitely didn't kill her. After all, Jinhua was our troupe's cash cow and a famous actress. With her death, wouldn't I be the one who suffers the biggest loss?"

"Master Wu, don't be anxious. I don't doubt you. But we need to know first how that woman in blue, named Shen Jinhua, died."

Zhou Sheng comforted the somewhat agitated Master Wu, his gaze softening as he continued to press for answers.

After calming down, Master Wu recounted the whole story.

The actress named Shen Jinhua had been performing in the Yangcheng Opera Troupe for seven years. She was beautiful and had an excellent singing voice, making her the troupe's undisputed pillar.

She is a lead singer of Qingyi roles, and her signature play is "The Injustice to Dou E". Whenever she performs this play, the theater is always packed and the audience is full of applause.

More than a month ago, Shen Jinhua sang this play again.

Everything was normal at the beginning of the performance. Shen Jinhua lived up to her reputation as a famous actress in Yangcheng Opera Troupe. Her poignant and sorrowful singing and graceful movements quickly drew applause.

Especially the part about vowing at the execution ground, "If I have a heart full of resentment that bursts forth like fire, may it move the six-petaled ice flowers to roll like cotton, so that my corpse may not be revealed..."

Yun Zheyue's voice rose higher and higher, accompanied by the tragic and desolate sound of the sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument), truly like the cry of a cuckoo, each word piercing the heart.

The final, mournful note concluded the performance, drawing thunderous applause and bringing tears to the eyes of many.

The next scene shows Dou E being beheaded by the executioner, but her blood does not fall to the ground; instead, it splatters three feet of white silk, causing snow to fall in June.

But something unexpected happened.

Just as the executioner brought down his knife, Shen Jinhua, who should have dodged and fallen, suddenly froze and remained motionless for some reason.

And the fake knife somehow turned into a real knife.

As the beautiful woman's head flew off, so too did the blood, more poignant than the blooming of azaleas, spurt out like a spring.

Amidst the countless terrified screams, Shen Jinhua's astonished gaze gradually became empty.

The fake knife became a real knife, the fake play became a real play, and the fake Dou E became the real Dou E.

This time, however, the splattered blood not only reddened the white silk but also stained the entire stage.

……

"After that, things became increasingly turbulent in the opera troupe. Soon, Da Cheng, who played the executioner, died tragically at home, and the stage manager who was in charge of backstage props also went insane and hanged himself half a month ago."

Even though a long time has passed, the people backstage still feel lingering fear when they talk about this incident, as if the air itself has become exceptionally cold.

Zhou Sheng paused slightly with the cinnabar brush in his hand. Even though it wasn't the first time he had dealt with such strange matters, he still felt a sense of surprise.

"Will the opera troupe still be haunted after the executioner and stage manager die?"

"It's making a scene! And it's getting increasingly violent!"

The actress in blue who will be playing a female ghost tonight suddenly trembled slightly and said in a trembling voice, "Once, I was practicing my singing at home, and when I looked up, I found that the person in the bronze mirror was actually... Sister Jin!"

Martial arts actor Xiaoshan also said in fear, "I've experienced sleep paralysis before. I woke up in the middle of the night and found an embroidered shoe next to my bed. When I looked closely, it disappeared. I was so scared that I didn't dare to sleep for three days!"

"And Old Duan, he found a whole bunch of women's hair in his drink..."

Zhou Sheng's eyes flashed, and he sensed something amiss.

Logically speaking, the culprit who caused Shen Jinhua's violent death on stage was either the executioner or the stage manager in charge of props. After killing those two and avenging her great grudge, Shen Jinhua would generally have had two choices.

The first is to resolve resentment and be reincarnated.

Secondly, it transforms into a vengeful ghost, killing countless people.

However, this was not the case. Shen Jinhua neither let go of her resentment nor went on a killing spree. Her fright of Xiaoshan and the others was more like a test.

To test whether they are the real culprit.

This means that Shen Jinhua's spirit is absolutely certain that the real culprit who killed her was not the executioner or the inspector.

Master Wu sighed and said, "Afterwards, I invited monks and Taoist priests to perform rituals, but it was no use. In desperation, I could only ask Master Yu for help."

Zhou Sheng nodded, his expression becoming calm and serene, as if all his emotions had been gradually stripped away, leaving only the vermilion brush used for drawing faces and sketches before him.

His technique was extremely skillful, with strokes, outlines, dots, and smears that even veteran actors who had been performing for many years could not help but marvel at his fluid and skillful movements.

What's most special is that unusually devout temperament.

The way he draws his face is like judging a case; every stroke is a law, displaying an almost obsessive seriousness.

In a short while, the handsome and refined man disappeared, replaced by the painted-face Bao Gong on the stage.

Thick ink lays the foundation of heaven and earth, while crimson sand, like cracked eyes, paints a picture of loyalty and rage.

His black face was like a demon in the night, and his white markings were like a guillotine distinguishing right from wrong.

"Master Wu, let's begin the performance."

Zhou Sheng's voice also began to change, becoming low and hoarse, as if he had become a different person in an instant.

He was putting on his costume with his eyes closed, as if he was preparing something, but his hands didn't make the slightest mistake.

"Danshan, what are you up to?"

Master Wu asked in a low voice. After the face was painted, Zhou Sheng in front of him seemed to have an invisible aura of power, which made him lower his body involuntarily.

Zhou Sheng closed his eyes and remained silent, as if he had fallen into a strange state, and did not answer for a long time.

Seeing this, Master Wu had no choice but to bite the bullet and order the gong to be struck to start the performance, indicating that he should proceed with the normal stage-breaking ceremony first.

clang!
Suddenly, the sound of gongs rang out on the stage late at night.

Although the actress playing the female ghost was afraid, she still managed to slowly walk onto the stage under the constant urging of the troupe leader.

Her face was veiled by her cloud-like sleeves, and she recited a mournful poem:
"The moon is cold, the water is chilly, the soul is adrift, a lonely grave awaits the return of light—"

"Borrowing a third of a living person's breath, I rekindle the ashes within my bones!"

Her voice was melodious and graceful, full of charm. When she finished reciting the last word, her water sleeves suddenly fell off, revealing a pale face and lips dotted with vermilion.

This one appearance alone demonstrates her skill.

At this moment, Zhou Sheng had already changed into his costume and was still standing backstage with his eyes closed, but his ears were listening to every sound on stage.

This actress has excellent skills; she can't perform without improvising, and her ability to deliver such a performance under pressure is truly remarkable.

This young actress, who was always overshadowed by the famous actress Shen Jinhua and made a supporting role, shows how profound Shen Jinhua's skills were.

Pity.

Then the people playing the roles of spirit officials and deities also appeared one after another, and according to the ritual, they began to beat gongs and drums, sprinkle chicken blood and set off firecrackers to drive away the female ghost.

This went on for an unknown amount of time. The actors were all panting, but Zhou Sheng still hadn't gone on stage.

It seemed as if they were waiting for something.

Finally, after another quarter of an hour, just when everyone was about to give up, the surrounding candlelight suddenly flickered and several went out.

An indescribable chill permeated the air.

The next moment, the 'female ghost' who had been fleeing on the stage suddenly stopped. Chicken blood splattered on her face, slowly flowing down her powder-covered face.

Those dark eyes stared silently at the 'spirit official' who came to chase after her and sprinkle chicken blood.

Immediately afterwards, the sound of a sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument) suddenly rang out, and the familiar melody caused everyone's expression to change drastically.

Dou E's injustice!
Backstage, Zhou Sheng suddenly opened his eyes, which had been closed for a long time. In an instant, his gaze was sharp as lightning, like a bright mirror reflecting the figure of the white-clad female ghost.

……

(End of this chapter)