Under Li Banfeng's relentless questioning, the performer dismissed all the spirits in the room and began to recount his past.

"Back then, the one I wanted to marry wasn't Hong Ying. It was Zhao Xiaowan. I even brought it up to her and asked His Majesty to arrange the match, but Zhao Xiaowan refused."

Li Banfeng asked, "What status do you hold?"

The performer raised his hand and gestured all around them. "With this courtyard and these furnishings in my home, can't you tell what my status is?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I can't."

"I am a prince! Prince Chun!" the performer said, raising his voice. "You should know what kind of status a prince holds."

Li Banfeng hadn't studied history in university, but he still had a basic understanding of what a prince was. "You're a prince, and Zhao Xiaowan is a general who used to be a performer. You wanted to marry her? And she dared to refuse?"

Prince Chun wore a bitter smile. "That was because of what was happening at the time. Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have dared to refuse. I could have dragged her into the prince's manor by force if I wanted. I wouldn't even have needed to give her a title to take her in. But it wasn't possible at that time. There was a war going on, and Zhao Xiaowan kept winning battle after battle. His Majesty couldn't do without her, so this matter had to be discussed with her properly.

"In the end, nothing came of it. His Majesty saved me the embarrassment of being rejected and betrothed Hong Ying to me instead. Hong Ying came from a proper military family. Her status was slightly below mine, but far above Zhao Xiaowan's. I wasn't entirely pleased, but Hong Ying was extremely beautiful too. And more importantly, she was willing to marry me. So I accepted the marriage."

Li Banfeng nodded. "If she's willing and you're willing, then I guess the matter was settled with that."

"It wasn't." Prince Chun shook his head. "At that time, Zhao Xiaowan and Hong Ying had won many battles. For some reason, His Majesty summoned them both back from the battlefield. He granted Zhao Xiaowan the title of Cavalry General and Hong Ying the title of Elite Troop General. They were no longer needed on the battlefield. Wave-Subduing General Cong Shixiang was sent to the front lines to take over military command.

"One day, His Majesty held a banquet and summoned all the civil and military officials. Zhao Xiaowan and Hong Ying were also in attendance.

At the banquet, His Majesty ordered Zhao Xiaowan to perform opera[1]—to put on the opera headdress, apply makeup, and give a full-length opera performance!"

Li Banfeng frowned. "She was already a Cavalry General. Why would they still make her perform?"

Prince Chun looked Li Banfeng up and down and smacked his lips. "Zhao Xiaowan thought the same. She also believed that, as a general, she shouldn't be performing opera in front of the assembled officials.

It was a bit humiliating, sure, but it was His Majesty's command, the word of the Son of the Heavens! Who would dare utter a single word of refusal?

But Zhao Xiaowan really did refuse. His Majesty flew into a rage. He had her shackled on the spot and thrown into prison.

Hong Ying pleaded for mercy on Zhao Xiaowan's behalf, and His Majesty had her shackled and thrown into prison as well. That was the extent of the arranged marriage, and it ended then."

Li Banfeng didn't care about the marriage. What concerned him was the emperor's reasoning. "Just because of a performance, he turned two generals into prisoners?"

Prince Chun fell silent for a moment, then he shook his head. "If you ask me, it wasn't just about the opera. At the time, the Ministry of War received urgent reports that the front lines had suffered defeat. I don't know exactly how they lost, but I heard the Minister of War curse in private, saying Cong Shixiang was a complete fool.

His Majesty was probably already in a foul mood. Zhao Xiaowan just happened to run into that anger, offended His Majesty, and suffered for it!"

"Ludicruous!" Li Banfeng shook his head. "They were losing the war, and he punishes the ones who actually can win the war? Was the emperor mad?"

Prince Chun let out a long sigh. "I also thought it made no sense, but after thinking it through, I began to understand His Majesty's intentions. Those who could fight didn't obey orders, and those who obeyed couldn't fight. His Majesty likely wanted to use this as a warning to the officials, to keep them from growing arrogant over their achievements.

"The two female generals suffered terribly in prison. It's said they didn't even get a full meal. There was no doubt they went hungry and cold in that prison, and they were even beaten many times. Later, I heard from someone in the Ministry of Justice that His Majesty intended to have them killed—not just killed but to suffer painful deaths.

"He could torment his own generals as he pleased, but the enemy from the Blighted Lands didn't care for His Majesty's dignity. The front lines kept losing battle after battle, and the enemy forces were nearly at the capital. For the sake of Great Huan's realm and its people, His Majesty had no choice but to set aside past grievances—"

Li Banfeng waved his hand. "Don't bring up the realm and the people. That has nothing to do with this."

Prince Chun pressed his lips together. "In any case, His Majesty released Zhao Xiaowan and Hong Ying. Hong Ying was reinstated to her original post as Elite Troop General, while Zhao Xiaowan was reduced to the rank of commandant. His Majesty ordered the two of them to follow Cong Shixiang back to the front lines. Zhao Xiaowan was only a commandant, yet Hong Ying obeyed her in all matters of war. The two were closer than blood-related sisters.

"Despite having been reduced to skin and bones, they were still formidable on the battlefield. They achieved victory after victory, and all the civil and military officials were overjoyed. Stories about the pair spread throughout the capital. Zhao Xiaowan, in particular, became widely renowned. Storytellers, opera performers, street vendors, entertainers, even fortune-tellers on the roadside would recount her exploits before opening shop, just to attract customers."

Li Banfeng looked Prince Chun up and down. "You're a prince, yet you sure are knowledgeable about the ways of the common folk! You even know about fortune-telling and street performances?"

Prince Chun smiled. "I enjoy it. When I have time, I put on plain clothes and wander around the capital. I like watching these things that are popular among the common folk—"

Li Banfeng lowered his hand. "Forget about you for now. What happened after Zhao Xiaowan won those battles?"

Prince Chun let out a deep sigh. "There was no 'after.' The two of them kept winning battles, and the situation at the front was excellent. Reports came in that the enemy leader had been surrounded. They were just one step away from total victory, but who could have expected the two of them to turn on each other! Even now, I don't know why they fought, nor can I understand why they struck with such deadly force. Zhao Xiaowan died at Hong Ying's hands. Hong Ying was gravely injured, and a few days later, she passed away as well."

Li Banfeng asked in surprise, "You don't know why they fought?"

"I don't." Prince Chun shook his head. "I wasn't on the battlefield. How would I know?"

"What happened after that?"

"After that, our side won the war. I don't know how it happened. I heard His Majesty brought in reinforcements. I don't know where they came from, but they fought for several months, and victory was ours. After the victory, His Majesty summoned all civil and military officials and held a grand banquet in the palace for three days. I remember those three days. His Majesty was in an extremely good mood. He kept toasting cup after cup of wine, and the officials drank one cup after another. I lost count of how much I drank.

"I was drunk, drunk for who knows how long. When I woke up, my residence was no longer in its original place, and my subordinates' appearances had changed as well. They were no longer among the living. They told me that I wasn't either. They said the land outside was called Puluo Province, and this place was called the Worry-Free Flat. They said it was possible to go anywhere from here, but we couldn't go anywhere at all. I said the road was right beneath our feet, that we should go out and take a look. They advised against it. They said we absolutely mustn't leave. Because once we stepped out of the Worry-Free Flat, anyone who saw us would beat us to death.

"All these years have passed, and I've stayed here. I had nothing else to do, so I sang opera every day for my subordinates. They listened day after day, year after year. At first, they went along with it and pretended to enjoy it. But later, they grew sick of it. They didn't want to listen anymore. Even when I used a whip to force them, they still refused. When they wouldn't listen, I found other people. There used to be travelers passing by who would stop here to rest, and at night, I would sing opera for them. Later on, we stopped getting visitors completely. My subordinates told me this place had become an Old Land, and it would be hard to ever encounter a living person again.

"Ten full years passed, and you are the only living people who have come here since then. That girl relieving herself in my courtyard... It actually wasn't really a big deal. I only made things difficult for you because I wanted to keep you here and have you listen to me sing. I love singing opera, but if no one listens, how unbearable would that be?"

"So you just want to keep us here to listen to you sing opera?" Li Banfeng smiled. "For a day, a year, or a lifetime?"

Prince Chun was quite frank. "I truly want to keep you here for a lifetime, but you're too ruthless. It's not a good idea to keep you here. If we keep fighting for a couple more days, I'm afraid I won't have many subordinates left. Now, I've told you everything, and I've already given you what you want. So, the record..."

Li Banfeng took the record out from behind his back and handed it to Prince Chun.

Prince Chun held the record and gently ran his fingers over it for a long time. "General Zhao, I truly admire you. You were beautiful, but your looks never mattered much to me. What I truly admired was your voice. Every time I heard you sing a line, I feel like all the years I spent cultivating were a waste of time."

Li Banfeng asked, "There's something I want to ask. I won't push you to tell me if you don't want to, but what's your Daoist path?"

Prince Chun put the record away. "I shouldn't be telling you this, but I haven't spoken this much in many years. Saying it out loud now feels rather satisfying. I am a Performing Arts Cultivator. It's not simply about enjoying acting or singing. I am a real cultivator. When I impersonated that mother and daughter earlier, I used a real cultivation ability. But I only saw them for the first time today, so there were bound to be small flaws in the details. Let me put it this way. If I impersonate someone I know well, even his own wife wouldn't be able to tell the difference."

Li Banfeng let out a cold laugh. "You're just bluffing!"

Prince Chun smacked the table. "How am I bluffing? The first time you recognized me, it was because you noticed that I wasn't of the living world. The second time we met, I disguised myself as that girl's mother. Be honest. You didn't notice anything wrong at first glance, did you?"

Li Banfeng nodded. He had to admit that at the time, he hadn't noticed any flaws in Prince Chun's impersonation, at least in terms of appearance.

Prince Chun said proudly, "And I'll tell you this, it's not just the appearance. You can't tell the difference even if you check inside my body."

"How would you even check the inside?" Li Banfeng asked curiously.

"It doesn't matter what illness a person has, what injuries they've suffered, what poison they've taken, or what medicine they've consumed. As long as our cultivation level is high enough, we Performing Arts Cultivators can replicate it in our bodies perfectly!"

Li Banfeng lowered his gaze. "That sounds a bit too unbelievable."

"Why would I lie to you? You've never seen the true experts of this Daoist path. They can even replicate bloodline traits perfectly. Even top-notch Spycraft Cultivators and Medicine Cultivators have been fooled!"

Even bloodline traits can be perfectly replicated?

Li Banfeng was half-convinced, half-doubtful. Could such an unusual ability really exist in this world?

***

The Third Hospital, Yuezhou.

Xiao Zhenggong was asking about He Jiaqing's condition.

The attending physician's response was the same as before. "The patient's vital signs are stable, but he can't be moved easily."

Xiao Zhenggong dismissed the caregiver, sat by He Jiaqing's bedside, and let out a cold laugh. "How the fuck are you faking this? You're in such a big hospital, yet no one can tell you're pretending to be sick? What exactly is your reason for staying in the Outer Provinces? Are you really here for me? Things have been tense these past few days, so it's not a good time for me to act against you. But remember this, as long as you stay in the Outer Provinces, your life is in my hands!"

1. Chinese opera, not the Italian opera ☜