After dealing with all the ghosts in the third courtyard, Li Banfeng pushed open the hanging flower gate to the fourth courtyard. He had only taken a few steps into the courtyard when war drums thundered from all directions, rolling without end. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Li Banfeng quickly swept his gaze around. The courtyard, which had been empty just a moment ago, was now filled with soldiers.

Cavalry thundered into formation. Infantry marched forward in tight lines. Archers raised their bows in unison. Among them, soldiers with firearms stepped out, their weapons gleaming coldly.

Such a massive formation? Li Banfeng really started panicking.

He couldn’t tell whether the troops were real or illusions. The only thing he knew for certain was that they weren’t human. Every last one of them was a ghost.

Li Banfeng darted back and forth through the storm of bullets and arrows, then lightly tapped the pendulum.

The pendulum understood at once. It circled behind Li Banfeng, sliced open his suit, and pulled a record from the lining. Then, using its tip, it began to glide evenly along the grooves.

The gramophone wasn’t powered by electromagnetism. It worked purely through the friction and vibration between the needle and the record.

At that moment, the pendulum took the place of the needle. It was a tactic Li Banfeng and his wifey had devised together.

Li Banfeng could use the Deep Court Domain ability to imitate his wifey’s singing style, or he could play her records directly on the gramophone.

However, his singing was far inferior to hers. Against certain enemies, his own voice simply wasn’t enough.

Sometimes, though, he simply couldn’t bring out the gramophone at all.

And that was where the pendulum came in. In moments like these, it could act as the gramophone and scratch out sound where there should have been proper music.

It wasn’t perfect. But in an emergency, it would just barely do.

“On ancient rooads and barren hills, the clash of battle raaages on.

“The common folk bleed, their blood scattering in crimson streams.

“Lamps flicker on yellow sands, as heaven and earth groow dim.

“Dust veils the stars, and ghoosts wail in sorrow.”

Those verses came from the Chinese opera Changban Slope, specifically the lines sung by Zhao Zilong.

It was an aria sung by a martial male role, yet his wifey had recorded it. Cross-gender performances were nothing unusual in the opera world, especially among renowned performers. Even so, this segment still carried her distinctive throat tones.

The aria from the Changban Slope sounded very fierce. For a brief moment, the countless troops filling the courtyard seemed to freeze where they stood, as if struck still by the sound.

Li Banfeng swept his gaze across the scene, searching for Xiao Yeci. If he could find her, that would be best. If not, he would have to retreat at once. There was no way he could afford to fight head-on here.

Li Banfeng didn’t find Xiao Yeci. Just as he turned to leave, the performer suddenly appeared right in front of him. The costume had changed. He was no longer dressed as a young female role, but as a young male scholar.

“Brother, wait a moment. Where did that aria just now come from?”

Li Banfeng glanced at the performer, then pulled out a record from behind him. “It came from this. Have you seen a record before? I can play it again for you.”

This was Li Banfeng’s usual tactic. He would tell the truth first to lower the enemy’s guard, making it easier to use Words Chiseled in Stone when the moment came.

Just as he was about to run the pendulum across the record, the performer suddenly shouted, “DON’T USE THE WEAPON! YOU WILL LEAVE MARKS ON THE RECORD!”

Li Banfeng froze for a moment, then snapped, “What are you shouting for? Without a gramophone, this is how you play it!”

“I have a gramophone!” the performer said, his voice trembling slightly. “Let me hear it one more time, and I will give you back the person you’re looking for!”

With a wave of his hand, several ghosts brought Xiao Yeci forward. Her hands were bound, her mouth gagged, and her face was filled with terror.

Li Banfeng had the performer send Xiao Yeci back to the first courtyard, and he did as told.

Several ghosts carried a gramophone over to Li Banfeng. The performer kicked them aside, then carefully wiped the gramophone clean with his sleeve.

It hadn’t been used for years, and a thick layer of dust had settled over it. He cleaned it carefully, then fetched an oil can and applied oil with great care.

Once everything was done, he looked at Li Banfeng with such eager anticipation.

Li Banfeng placed the record onto the turntable. The performer carefully turned the handle, and the verses from Changban Slope began to play from the gramophone.

The verses were bold and forceful, and his wifey’s singing carried powerful emotion. Every time Li Banfeng heard it, his blood surged with excitement.

However, for the performer across from him, it stirred something entirely different. He began to cry.

Li Banfeng hadn’t expected a ghost to shed tears, yet the performer sobbed uncontrollably.

After a while, the performer lifted his head, looked at Li Banfeng, and said, “Can you give me this record?”

Li Banfeng waved his hand. “No. I use this in battle. It’s an enchanted artifact for fighting enemies.”

The performer sniffled. “How is this a weapon? This is a priceless treasure! You don’t understand...”

Li Banfeng frowned. “How do I not understand? With this record, it’s much easier dealing with ghosts and monsters.”

“That’s exactly why you don’t understand! Using this record in battle is a terrible waste!” The performer broke down even harder, as if Li Banfeng had desecrated something sacred.

Before Li Banfeng could respond, the performer sang through tears, “Even if heaaaven and eaaaarth should faaade one daaay, this sooorrow will never eeeend... If you wooon’t give it, then let me buuuy it... Name your price... I beg you, naaame your priiiice...”

The more the performer cried, the more sorrow filled his heart, until he could no longer speak.

Li Banfeng took the record back. “Stop crying. Let’s find somewhere to talk.”

Although they had fought for nearly the entire night, Li Banfeng could tell that the performer was fairly trustworthy.

The two entered the main room, and the performer ordered tea to be prepared.

A ghost servant soon brought over a teapot and cups, but Li Banfeng didn’t drink. Who knew how long that tea had been sitting there?

The performer only wanted to buy the record. That was something they could negotiate.

Li Banfeng named his price. There were three conditions in total. The first condition is to let us leave."

The performer immediately agreed as he said, "Consider it done."

“I don’t mean leaving this estate. I mean leaving this entire territory.”

The performer paused for a moment. “You want to leave Worry-Free Flat?”

“Worry-Free Flat?” Li Banfeng did not even know this place even had a name.

“That’s still easy,” the performer said. “Worry-Free Flat connects to all places. You can go anywhere in Puluo Province.”

“Anywhere?” Li Banfeng froze. “It borders every territory in Puluo Province?”

The performer nodded. “And you don’t even need a travel permit.”

Li Banfeng fell silent for a moment, thinking. “Why does this feel similar to Bitter Greens Manor?”

The performer let out a sigh. “There are hidden workings here, but I am unwilling to tell you.”

“Unwilling?” Li Banfeng stood up. “Then I won’t sell you the record.”

“Wait!” The performer called out, stopping him. “You were very much right. Worry-Free Flat was once part of the Lower Thirty Percent of Puluo Province. But over the years, it has become almost an Uncharted Land. As for why...” He paused. “Even I can’t explain it clearly.”

A Lower Thirty Percent region turning into an Uncharted Land?

It was the first time Li Banfeng had ever heard of such a thing.

The performer continued, "Since you have arrived at Worry-Free Flat, I will give you a map shortly. Follow the route on the map, and you won’t get lost. But you must move quickly, or you might wander into the Old Land again."

His statement proved that Li Banfeng had guessed correctly. This estate was indeed part of the Old Land.

He then brought up the second condition. “This record is a fierce weapon against ghosts. If I sell it to you, I lose that advantage. So you must compensate me with an enchanted treasure.”

The performer looked a little embarrassed. “I used to have a few treasures like that, but times have changed. I can’t offer you one now. I do have a spirit-bound item, though.”

He had a ghost bring over a wooden box. The moment the lid opened, the surrounding ghosts shrank back at once.

The performer took a horsewhip from the box and handed it to Li Banfeng. “With a single strike, it can scatter the soul of any ghost without cultivation. Any ghosts below level three would be severely injured by one lash.”

“Any ghosts below level five would feel an immense pain when struck by this whip.

“But once they are above that... You can still use it, of course. Just don’t expect anything special. At that point, it’s nothing more than an ordinary whip.”

Li Banfeng picked up the whip and was about to give it a whip when the performer shouted, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!”

If the whip could truly hurt ghosts, then this was really not the place to test it.

Li Banfeng used Perceiving the Spirit’s Melody to listen to the whip, but he didn’t hear a single sound coming from the whip. It was absolutely silent.

Li Banfeng frowned. "Does this thing have any spirit at all?"

The performer gave a small snort. “It’s a spirit-bound item, refined from a hollow spirit. It will never become stronger and it cannot recognize you as its master. Of course it cannot be compared to an enchanted artifact, but it has enough spirit energy.”

Li Banfeng put away the whip before he started talking about his third condition. “If I am going to sell you this record, I need to know where it came from. Who sang the aria on it?”

Of course, Li Banfeng already knew who had sung it. He was asking mainly to probe the performer.

The performer let out a long sigh. “It’s not convenient for me to reveal the secrets behind this record...”

Li banfeng took out the whip again and said, "Then I won't sell you the record."

The performer quickly stopped Li Banfeng and explained, "This aria was sung by the Cavalry General Zhao Xiaowan. She was a renowned general of the Great Huan dynasty."

“What dynasty is the Great Huan?” Li Banfeng asked.

"The previous dynasty."

"How long ago was that?"

"I can't remember. I really can't..."

The performer was telling the truth. As a ghost living in the Old Land, he had no real sense of time.

Li Banfeng asked, "What kind of person was Zhao Xiaowan?"

"A famous general, and also a renowned performer."

Li Banfeng had thought of the possibility that the Gramophone had once been a famous general. He had also considered the possibility that she had once been a famous performer. But when those two identities were placed together, they felt completely at odds.

“How did a general become a performer?”

The performer smiled. “You have got it the wrong way around. You should be asking how a performer became a general. Zhao Xiaowan was originally a performer. She took the stage at seven, rose to fame at ten, and at twelve, when her troupe master was imprisoned for colluding with the Blightlanders, she was implicated and exiled into military service.

“At seventeen, she earned merit on the border and was pardoned for her crimes, rising to the rank of commandant. In the years that followed, she continued to amass military merit, and by twenty-three, she was granted the title of Cavalry General and returned to the capital to receive her honors.

Li Banfeng was curious. "She started as an opera performer. Even after being exiled into the army, at most she should have been doing odd jobs. How did she become a commandant?"

The performer’s face lit up with admiration. "Because she was exceptionally gifted. Everyone who served with her said Xiaowan was born to lead troops to war. She once led a group of thirty-odd laborers and held off more than a hundred enemies for an entire day. A woman like that only comes once in a lifetime."

"You have seen her?"

"I have!" The performer sounded rather proud. "I have seen her fight, and I have heard her sing. Even now, it all feels as clear as if it happened yesterday."

"What did she look like?"

"Beautiful. The most beautiful woman in the world!" The performer looked utterly entranced. "It’s not just me. Back then, many in the court said she was the most beautiful woman in the world."

Li Banfeng didn’t doubt it in the slightest. His wifey was exactly that beautiful. Just one look at that dignified, elegant horn was enough to stir his soul!

The performer sighed. "Back then, people used to say that on the battlefield, the moment the enemy saw the Cavalry General, half of them would be so captivated they lost the will to fight."

Li Banfeng asked, "What about the other half?"

According to the novel, the other half would be intimidated by Zhao Xiaowan's sheer presence.

However, the performer’s version was different from the novel. "The other half were frightened out of their wits by her deputy, Hongying."

Hongying was his wifey’s deputy?

"What did she look like to terrify enemies like that?"

The performer paused. "Beautiful. She was beautiful too. She was not as beautiful as Zhao Xiaowan, but she was still a peerless beauty. Hongying and I were going to get engaged and married, but then she and Zhao Xiaowan were imprisoned, and it all fell through."

"Why were they imprisoned?"

"I can’t say." Fear suddenly flashed across the performer’s face as he shook his head repeatedly. "It would be a grave offense. I must not speak of it!"

Li Banfeng lowered the brim of his hat and stood up. "Then I am not selling you the record."

Author's Note:

PS: Does the grudge between Zhao Xiaowan and Hongying have anything to do with this performer? I don’t think it does, but I wonder what the rest of you think.