The Cycle of Reincarnation in the Four-Courtyard House: A Journey Through the Heavens

At the Deshengxuan Theater, Pei Yanzhi is singing a scene from "The Peony Pavilion" on the stage.

In Li Xiao's eyes, dry firewood was piled up in every nook and cranny of the theater's front and back yards.

To avoid attracting attention, large amounts of molten paraffin were poured onto these piles of firewood.

Li Xiao squinted, seemingly feeling a sense of familiarity with the scene before him.

A moment later, his eyes lit up as he finally remembered a song he had heard in his previous life—"Red-Clad Ladies".

"So it was him!"

The song "Red-Clad Heroine" is set in 1937, when the entire Republic of China was plunged into dire straits due to the Japanese invasion.

In Anyuan County, which was initially untouched by the war, the Kunqu opera "The Peach Blossom Fan" was still being performed as usual. The famous opera singer Pei Yanzhi, who played Li Xiangjun, vividly portrayed the character's qualities of daring to love and hate and not hesitating to stain the peach blossoms with blood.

Later, the Japanese army surrounded the county town and forced Pei Yanzhi to perform a special show for them, threatening to burn down the theater and the entire county town if he refused.

Pei Yanzhi outwardly agreed, but in reality, he secretly plotted to spread kerosene throughout the theater before the performance.

On the night of the performance, as the Japanese soldiers were engrossed in the plot of "The Peach Blossom Fan," Pei Yanzhi, taking advantage of the increasingly sorrowful and indignant singing and the moment when the Japanese soldiers were distracted, shouted—

"ignition!"

At this moment, the fire spread rapidly, and the doors of the opera house had already been blocked. He ultimately saved the county town and its people by sacrificing himself. Pei Yanzhi, who was singing on the stage, showed no fear. He finished singing his last tune amidst the raging flames.

According to records, this moving story of resistance against Japan is just a folk legend and not a true historical event.

Now, in the world of "Siheyuan", Pei Yanzhi has actually appeared, and he is no longer in Anyuan County, but has come to the capital city.

According to Li Xiao's observation, Pei Yanzhi was also prepared to perish together with these Japanese soldiers.

"In that case, I certainly can't just stand by and watch someone die!"

Li Xiao muttered to himself.

Time passed second by second, and the group of Japanese officers were completely captivated by Pei Yanzhi's mournful and plaintive singing on the stage. Even the Japanese soldiers standing around to guard the area had their eyes fixed on the stage.

More than an hour later, when Pei Yanzhi sang: "White bones and green ashes grow long with the sound of artemisia, beneath the peach blossom fan, the Southern Dynasty is sent off. If not for reliving the dream of rise and fall, where would the deep affection of lovers find its dissipation?"

He suddenly shouted, "Light the fire!"

This loud shout stunned the dozens of Japanese soldiers on the ground; they had no idea what was happening.

However, soon, thick smoke and raging flames began to spread throughout the entire Deshengxuan Theater.

"Baka! Put out the fire quickly!"

With paraffin wax, dry firewood, and straw, the fire quickly spread, and waves of heat, accompanied by choking smoke, soon enveloped the more than 300-square-meter theater hall.

On stage, Pei Yanzhi, with heavy makeup on his face, showed no change in expression. Upon closer inspection, there seemed to be a hint of relief in his eyes.

He was still singing the last few lines of "The Peach Blossom Fan".

"If you embarrass yourself in public and make a fool of yourself, others will laugh at you; if you're on the open road, I advise you to run away as soon as possible."

Seeing this scene, Li Xiao, who was lying in ambush in the shadows, suddenly heard the melody of that song in his mind: "Though I am of humble status, I dare not forget my country's worries, even if no one knows me!"

He no longer hid, and with lightning speed, he flipped into the backstage dressing room of the theater.

He reached out and knocked out several makeup workers inside, then took them into the spatial supermarket.

Li Xiao then flashed onto the stage. At this moment, Pei Yanzhi was coughing repeatedly due to the thick smoke. When he looked up and saw a stranger in front of him, his expression became extremely surprised.

"Excuse me, Boss Pei!"

After Li Xiao finished speaking in a low voice, he struck Pei Yanzhi in the carotid artery on his neck, and Pei Yanzhi immediately lost consciousness.

After taking him into the space supermarket, Li Xiao took out two FN57 pistols equipped with silencers from the space and pulled the triggers at the Japanese soldiers who were like headless flies.

The four Japanese soldiers on guard outside managed to break in, but the choking smoke and raging fire prevented them from getting in at all.

To prevent them from running away to seek help, Li Xiao first sent the four Japanese soldiers back to their hometown.

Both of his FN57 pistols were fitted with extended magazines, each containing thirty rounds.

There were only forty-six Japanese soldiers in total, so he didn't need to change his magazine at all.

Li Xiao, who was positioned high above, emptied his gun in just ten seconds. He then darted down and ran towards the fires.

After some searching, he found six young men around twenty years old around the theater. They were the members of the opera troupe who were hiding in those corners and responsible for lighting the fires.

Almost all of these men were burned in the fire, but according to Li Xiao's examination, their lives should not be in danger if they receive proper treatment.

In this era, actors were considered to be in the lowest of professions.

However, the young people in this opera troupe, with their unwavering courage to perish together with the Japanese invaders, still filled Li Xiao with immense respect.

After Li Xiao collected all the people into the spatial supermarket, he directly used the void walking technique to leave the Deshengxuan Theater.

After emerging from a small alley two hundred meters away, he saw the Deshengxuan Theater engulfed in flames in the distance and turned to leave.

Li Xiao soon arrived at the three-courtyard siheyuan at No. 27 Beibingmasi Hutong, where his subordinates Shen Chuan and Fan Wenfang were waiting.

"leader!"

"leader!"

"Alright, I'm giving you two a task today: get them safely to the nearest base!"

"yes!"

Shen Chuan and Fan Wenfang, a married couple, joined the underground Communist Party organization in Beijing six months ago, thanks to the introduction of Zhao Yi, Li Xiao's uncle.

Thanks to their exceptional skills and intelligence gathering abilities, the couple were finally appointed by their superiors as the station chief and communications officer of the underground transportation station in Beijing half a month ago.

As for Li Xiao's uncle Zhao Yi and aunt Wang Min, they have been transferred by their superiors to Fengtian in Liaoning Province to continue their intelligence gathering work.

At this moment, in the living room in the backyard, all sixteen members of the opera troupe who had been rescued by Li Xiao had woken up.

When they saw the scene before them clearly, they were all taken aback.

"Who...who are you people?"

Li Xiao smiled and said, "Boss Pei, don't panic. I'm the one who rescued you from Deshengxuan today!"

"Well......"

Pei Yanzhi seemed to be still in a daze after hearing Li Xiao's words.

Li Xiao's actions today were incredibly swift. At the time, the entire theater was ablaze with flames and thick smoke, and they were knocked unconscious without any chance to react.

When they woke up, they were shocked to find that they had all been rescued.