The Secret of the Troupe Master and the Chou

Wu Wang got his wish and was separated from the team, just not in the way he wanted.

This Instance revealed its difficulty right from the start.

Unlike the 【Masquerade Ball】, which was also a Nightmare-grade Instance, 【Anecdotes of the Pear Garden】 seemed to test the players' acting skills far more.

After all, in the 【Masquerade Ball】, the players were merely tourists on a boat. No one scrutinized their behavior to see if it matched their supposed identities.

Even in Instances like 【Fight Back to School】 and 【Relic Scramble】, where players had specific roles, they could usually avoid any problems arising from those identities. Teachers wouldn't pry into a problem child's family life, and nuns wouldn't question if the players were truly descendants of the Townsfolk.

As long as one's general performance wasn't out of place, it would be fine.

But this place was different.

From the very beginning, the players' characters had already committed a serious act against an important NPC, the Troupe Master. If their performance was too out of character, it could trigger a dangerous chain reaction.

Of course, Wu Wang was just feeling sorry for the other players.

He wasn't worried about such problems.

He was 【Undying】.

The other players had left, leaving him and Wu Wang alone outside. The two of them walked toward the opera house where the performance stage was located.

Just as they were about to open the door, the Troupe Master suddenly spoke.

"Alright, Bai Sha. Speak up," the Troupe Master said, rubbing his neck. "What were you thinking? That cut really hurt."

The question caught Wu Wang by surprise.

Buddy, you're asking me?

I'd like to know what this dumbass was thinking too!

Killing the Troupe Master in the pear garden, where everyone sees each other constantly, was stupid enough. But you didn't even run afterward? What, were you hoping for a happily ever after?

How about I just kill you again? This time, I'll be prepared. The second you're dead, I'll be a hundred li away.

Normally, the Troupe Master would have waited until the players had explored the Instance before questioning the Chou. But thanks to Wu Wang's "special maneuver," the Troupe Master had grown suspicious ahead of schedule.

"Heh. You had the guts to do it, but not the guts to talk about it?"

The Troupe Master laughed mockingly. He raised a hand and pushed open the main door to the theater courtyard.

In the pitch-black environment, he seemed completely unaffected as he walked forward on his own.

A faint hiss sounded as he produced a match-like object from somewhere and lit the candelabrum next to the seats.

Only then could Wu Wang vaguely make out the stage and audience seats. Although the stage was obscured by a heavy red curtain, its sheer span suggested it was vast enough to accommodate dozens of performers at once.

In this historical setting, opera actors were considered part of the Lower Nine Streams, no more than ants in the eyes of the rich and powerful. To possess a stage of this scale proved that the Opera God's Righteous Garden was a true leader among the pear gardens.

The opera house faced the audience on three sides and had two levels, upper and lower, capable of holding nearly a thousand people.

The Troupe Master was now sitting in the front row, closest to the stage. He beckoned for Wu Wang to sit beside him.

After Wu Wang took his seat, the Troupe Master finally spoke, his voice calm.

"I know you used to think I was deceiving you. You believed that the dead cannot be resurrected, that it is the order of heaven and earth."

"But I have now proven that I possess the ability to defy the heavens."

"So, are you ready to do what you promised me?"

Wu Wang didn't speak. He just turned his head to stare into the Troupe Master's eyes. They were a pair of bright, intoxicatingly deep eyes that would have captivated countless young women in modern times.

After a moment, he slowly spoke.

"Tell me again, what exactly do I need to do? Let me think it over for one more night."

Anyone carefully pondering Wu Wang's words would discover his subtlety. He sounded like he intended to agree, hence his question about the details. In reality, he was just trying to get the Troupe Master to reveal information he didn't know.

The Troupe Master didn't notice anything amiss. In his eyes, the Chou was simply preparing to give him an answer while trying to save a little face.

He looked toward the stage.

"What extent?" he said softly. "The extent where, after you bring me what I need, you make sure that everyone who possessed it keeps their mouths shut for good."

As he finished speaking, a bizarre, cold wind howled through the opera house, blowing the red curtains wide open and revealing the stage behind them.

Whoosh!

Amidst the howling wind, all the lanterns and candelabra around the stage suddenly flared to life. This impossible sight made Wu Wang realize something was very wrong.

On the stage that should have been empty, seven ghostly shadows, gray-white like mist, had appeared. Each one had different characteristics.

"【Heart Like Fire】."

Swish!

As the Troupe Master's voice fell, one of the ghostly shadows, its face painted with the white tofu-like square of a Chou, strode forward. It thrust a hand violently through the chest of another shadow and pulled out a rosy heart that was still beating.

Thump-thump, thump-thump.

The pierced shadow fell to the ground, motionless.

"Body like Water."

The Chou shadow pounced on another ghost, this one emanating a flowing black light. In the blink of an eye, it severed its limbs and head, tossing the torso into the center of the stage.

"【Arms of Prosperous Earth】."

This time, another shadow, whose arms gave off faint yellow specks of light, had its arms torn clean off. They were then attached to the sides of the ink-colored torso.

"【Head of Shining Gold】."

The Chou instantly decapitated the ghostly shadow with a pure white head. It carried the blood-soaked head to the torso and attached it to the neck.

"【Thighs of Sinking Wood】."

Among the remaining shadows, one had a sprinkling of green radiance on its legs. It wasn't as helpless as the others and tried to flee.

Unfortunately, just as it reached the edge of the stage, the Chou shadow caught it. Even on its featureless face, Wu Wang could read fear and pleading.

The Chou paid it no mind. It simply tore off the legs and completed the patchwork of the multi-colored body.

Finally, it placed the crimson heart upon the torso.

The moment the grotesque figure was complete, it began to twitch. Then, it slowly knelt in the direction of Wu Wang and the Troupe Master and kowtowed heavily three times.

"Do you see clearly now?"

The Troupe Master, having produced a cup of steaming hot tea from somewhere, took a slow sip.

"I know they are your martial brothers, the ones you spend every day with."

"But if you want to see that beautiful lady, the one separated from you by death, I hope you can bear the pain and make this small sacrifice."

"After all, you haven't forgotten how she died, have you?"

"Don't worry. One of your brothers has already promised to help you once it's done."

At this point, how could Wu Wang not understand?

The Troupe Master wanted him, the Chou, to kill five other actors! And one of the other players had already defected to the Troupe Master's side.

Furthermore, those ghostly shadows on the stage didn't seem like mere performance props. Not only was the Troupe Master a ghost himself, but he also had seven lesser ghosts at his command.

The difficulty of this damned Instance is way too high!

First, a frontier Prince who was a Jiangshi. Now, a Fierce Ghost in the form of a pear garden Troupe Master.

How the hell are players supposed to beat this!

And now, the plot was forcing a conflict between players.

And they called this a team-based cooperative Instance? Are my teammates going to try and kill me again?