Chapter 4: Liyuan Opera (Part 4) The show is about to begin.

A test?

What test?

Ye Qingzhan blinked at Wen Gu with her round, dark eyes, then stiffly turned to the performer closest to her, the one who had first congratulated them, the woman holding the gauze lantern.

The woman had a simple, delicate makeup on her face, and wore a long, narrow-sleeved, cross-collared gown, dressed like an ordinary person. Judging from her appearance and attire,

she was probably around thirty years old. Judging by the attitude of the performers around her, she must be the one in charge.

Seeing that the people who had been crying and making a fuss about leaving the troupe a few days ago now looked stunned and showed no joy after passing the entrance test, the performer in charge pointed at the two and said unhappily, "Why do you two look like that? What's wrong? Are you unhappy?" "

I don't know who it was who, three days ago, betrayed his sister and insisted on joining our 'Suihe Troupe'!" The performer glanced at Wen Gu, who had a dull expression, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

Ye Qingzhan glanced back and forth between the two, carefully sorting out the information she had gathered from the shadow figure's brief remarks. She recalled the names the shadow figure's child had addressed her and Wen Gu as Ali and Lang. Combining their attire and their recent experience on stage, she deduced that this must be a troupe, and that Ali and Lang were likely siblings coming to learn the art.

The so-called test was likely to test their courage to fall from the platform and assist the shadow figures in their magic tricks. However, these were just her guesses, their accuracy uncertain. She could only take this role one step at a time.

The most important thing now was to ensure that the story within the illusion continued as it had unfolded during the life of the consecrator. So, Ye Qingzhan prepared to begin the performance, but just as she was about to speak, the young man next to her spoke up, "I think I've damaged my brain after falling on the haystack. I never imagined this would be a test for joining the troupe. I was so caught off guard that I almost let down the troupe leader and everyone else." "

The troupe leader?"

Ye Qingzhan looked at him in disbelief.

"Oh," the shadow figure holding the gauze lantern suddenly laughed so hard that her body shook. She quickly pulled out an embroidered handkerchief from her sleeve and covered her face, saying, "You little rascal, you are good at talking. I, Hua Niang, can be your mother, and even your sister...really!"

Although she said so, the smile on her face did not diminish at all. Ye Qingzhan also smiled twice and listened to her continue: "But you are wrong. I am not the owner of the 'Suihe Class'. The real owner is--" "

Oh, it's so lively!"

A clear voice came from the door where the shadow figures had just poured in. Ye Qingzhan looked in response and saw a woman in palace costume approaching with her hands behind her back, followed by the young man with pleated hair whom she had just met.

Hua Niang smiled and said, "This is our big boss."

The shadow figure in palace costume came gracefully, and the shadow figures stepped aside to make way for her. She looked at the two of them and asked with concern, "Are you two okay?"

Ye Qingzhan nodded obediently and replied, "Nothing, my brother and I are fine."

Brother?

Wen Gu resisted the urge to look sideways and accepted the scrutiny of the young man with pleated hair.

The figure in palace dress also looked at Wen Gu as he was told, and looked him up and down. Then he said happily, "I'm glad you two are okay," and looked at Ye Qingzhan again, taking her hand, "From now on, you two are members of my 'Suihe Class'."

"Thank you, class leader."

"You're welcome," the figure in palace dress let go of Ye Qingzhan's hand, "There are no dogmas or rules in the Suihe Class, and there are no red tape. You two just need to pay your respects to the tablets of the previous class leaders, and you'll be considered an intern."

"Oh, right," the figure in palace clothes asked, as if recalling something. "Three days ago this morning, I rescued you two from the Wild Grave Valley. In the afternoon, you—" she glanced at Wen Gu. "You came to the class carrying your sister on your back, saying your parents had passed away and you had no relatives. You begged me to join the class. But just now, a handsome scholar claimed to be your brother. How do you explain this?"

When he mentioned "handsome scholar," his eyebrows knitted together on the handsome scholar's face, and he snorted.

Ye Qingzhan and Wen Gu exchanged a glance.

She remembered the exiled immortal's words about adapting to the story of the illusion and deducing the underlying concerns of the ghost who created it. Never arbitrarily add or subtract characters from the story to fill in roles that didn't originally exist. Minor details that didn't change the story's trajectory were fine, but if a casual addition of a nonexistent person caused the story to veer off course, creating an irreversible error that affected the ghost who created the illusion and made them "feel as if they were there, emotionally resonating," then it would be a disaster.

Wen Gu and she were obviously chosen to be characters in the story. As for the exiled immortal—who knows if he would affect the course of the story if he rashly entered?

It was better to be cautious. Ye Qingzhan winked at Wen Gu.

Wen Gu said, "A Li and I don't know him."

"I told you, that pretty boy is definitely a liar!" The flowery young man turned his head to the side proudly and said to the troupe owner earnestly, "Jin Fan, all liars are ugly." The troupe

owner Jin Fan replied impatiently, "I know, I know. Xie Zhiyan, why are you getting more and more nagging?" He looked at the likable brother and sister again, "You two should have a good rest tonight. Tomorrow morning we will leave for Sui'an County."

Sui'an County?

Ye Qingzhan suddenly felt depressed. She was a step behind Wen Gu and replied in a deep and dull tone, "Okay."

Wen Gu glanced at her sideways. After

Li

Zhixing and Qinghuai temporarily settled the ghost guest in their respective rooms, he took the reluctant Qinghuai with him as they wandered the streets of Guimenguan.

While ghosts were allowed to roam freely within Guimenguan without a curfew, the position of the moon in the sky suggested it was past midnight and already deep in the night. Unlike the ghosts roaming the mortal world, mortal ghosts feared sunlight and mostly roamed at night. Their daily routines were similar to those of mortals, working at sunset and resting at moonrise.

Therefore, when he tried to ask for directions, there were no ghosts to turn to.

However, based on his knowledge of Guimenguan, gambling houses were not prohibited in Guanzhong; many were located in the streets and alleys of the bustling city. If he hadn't been unfamiliar with Guanzhong's terrain, he would have found them long ago.

"Why the hell couldn't I just stay in the Heavenly Realm?

Why did I have to get lost in a place like this?" "I'll do my job well and never get demoted again!"

Li Zhixing cursed himself as he searched. Suddenly, he caught sight of "Changzuifang" tucked away in a deep alley. The sign read, suggesting a winery, but a voice within him firmly told him it was a gambling den.

"Come on, Qinghuai, let's go in!" Li Zhixing dragged the visibly upset young man into the alley, confronting two drunken men reeking of alcohol.

One of the burly men said to the other, "Why do I smell a spirit?"

Li Zhixing's hair stood on end at this, and he quickly cast a spell from his sleeve, drawing the ghostly aura from Qinghuai towards himself.

The man sniffed and replied, "No, I don't smell anything."

The man who had spoken earlier sniffed around again and leaned closer to Li Zhixing. Not smelling any divine aura, he said disdainfully, "Oh, even scholars like to gamble!"

Li Zhixing thought, "What's your business?" But his smile remained gentle and he said nothing. The man next to him pulled him aside and said, "Why do you care? Let's go! We have to go and exchange things with that weird old man before sunrise."

The man woke up from his dream and said, "Let's go, let's go. We can't afford to delay this."

The two of them swept away like a gust of wind.

The exiled immortal at the entrance of Changzuifang sighed softly, "This is terrifying! If Heaven and Earth knew I went to the gambling den for money, they'd banish me for hundreds more years!"

Qinghuai looked at him, winked, and said, "I'm going to complain."

"Sue you, you idiot!" Li Zhixing snapped his finger at Qinghuai's forehead, causing him to glare furiously.

"What are you looking at? Follow me inside!"

Walking alongside the young man in green, his disgust for the gambling den clearly visible on his face, a level beyond what most people would accept. Li Zhixing suspected he had some connection to the gambling den in his past life.

In order for the ghost guest to quickly recover his memories, it was inevitable for him to face the painful events of his past life. He had to overcome this hurdle; it was a necessary step in the process of regaining his memories.

Qinghuai rubbed his forehead, aggrieved, and followed the exiled immortal into Changzuifang.

The den was brightly lit and filled with cheers. Just like the name of the inn, the aroma of wine is so lingering that it makes people want to get drunk forever.

Li Zhixing closed his eyes and concentrated in the aroma of wine. When he opened his eyes, his gaze was a little more fierce. He said to Qinghuai beside him: "

Hold your breath. " Qinghuai held his breath as he was told.

He didn't like the

smell of wine either. - It was like a demon that seduces people's souls, making them want to get drunk and never wake up again.

The candlelight flickered. Li Zhixing lowered his eyes and glanced at the soles of their feet. The shadows were only half fallen. He raised his head and said to Qinghuai:

"Do you know that this place is also a place in your memories when you were alive."

Qinghuai blinked hazily and listened to the exiled immortal continue: "This place seems unreal but real. It's very weird. You have to follow me."

He nodded.

Li Zhixing glanced at him, then squeezed into the group of ghosts, took out the silver he had borrowed when he left the Red Dust Inn, and started to place bets.

Over the years, he has learned almost all these tricks of the mortal world. With the help of some fairy power, he can naturally win a lot of money.

In the surprised and envious eyes of the ghost guests, the exiled immortal walked out with a bag of money and said as he walked, "Chengle Cheng Ren, even if the luck comes, the gods can't stop it."

The gambling house has the rules of the gambling house. Envy is envious, and jealous is jealous. Soon the ghost opened another plate, and the dice sounds scattered.

Qinghuai held his breath and his face turned red. Seeing this, the banished immortal raised his wrist and gently pointed it, "I forgot you too much."

There seemed to be a sliver of spiritual power injected into the place where Li Zhixing pointed. Qinghuai felt much more comfortable all over, so he tried to say, "Exiled immortal, can we go out? I'm going to suffocate to death."

"Hasn't you ever died once? How else should you die?" Li Zhixing said seriously.

I deserve a beating seriously.

Qinghuai turned around angrily. The exiled

immortal followed with a smile.

As the immortal and the ghost neared the door, they nearly collided head-on with the ghost.

"Have you opened your eyes?" a shifty servant shouted at the top of his voice. "Don't you see our Lord Jinchan is coming? Why don't you get out of the way!"

Such a stern tone.

Stopped at the door, Li Zhixing paused, tucked his purse into his sleeve, and with a forced smile, he pulled Qinghuai aside, thinking, "I'd like to see who Lord Jinchan is.

" "Lord Jinchan, you're here!" the servant said flatteringly, respectfully ushering in a short, stout man surrounded by four tall guards.

Li Zhixing covered his face with his wide sleeves, leaving only his eyes to watch quietly from the side.

The man being escorted in truly lived up to his name: a golden toad.

He was plump, his face wrinkled, and draped in golden robes.

As he entered, he glanced at Qinghuai, then walked straight toward the center of the gambling house.

When he looked at it, Li Zhixing lowered his head and hid his eyes, and Qinghuai beside him did the same. After the people left, the exiled immortal pulled the green-clothed ghost guest and quickly left Changzuifang.

Li Zhi moved like a rabbit, pulling Qinghuai and glancing back from time to time, for fear that the toad-looking ghost would catch up and bump into something if he didn't pay attention.

"Hey!"

Hearing a cry of grief, Li Zhixing hurriedly stopped and turned his head, "Sorry, sorry, you are okay..." He stretched out his hand to help the female ghost who was knocked to the ground. After seeing her face clearly, he asked, "Sanniang?"

"Hey, Immortal Li." The voice that answered him sounded weak.

His eyes followed the pale face and Li Zhixing was stunned -

Hu Sanniang fell to the ground, covered in blood.