The Troupe Leader of the Dilapidated Opera Building

When Wu Wang walked out of the room, he had already wiped away the bagua pattern on the floor. A new pile of ashes now lay in the trash brazier.

They were the remains of the Book of Calculation.

He had held off on burning it, worried the calculation method might not work without the physical book. But the ritual was done, and he had confirmed that simply remembering its contents was enough.

With that settled, Wu Wang had decisively burned it to ashes.

Some things are only valuable if you are the only one who can do them.

He had no doubt that if the troupe leader or the book boy found the book, they would kill him immediately to eliminate any future trouble.

"Now then... time to go check out the opera house."

Wu Wang headed in the direction of the Dilapidated Opera Building. Along the way, he kept an eye out for any trace of the skinny old man.

He wanted to ask the man about the "Opera God Tower," the cry for help from last night, and Lou Yu's past.

Unfortunately, he didn't see the skinny old man anywhere. The man was like a ghost in this opera garden, always appearing at the most inexplicable times before vanishing without a trace.

Wu Wang pushed open the main doors of the Dilapidated Opera Building and scanned his surroundings.

He had been here before when following the troupe leader to the Refining Medicine Pavilion. At that time, however, he hadn't lingered, heading straight down to the Secret Room.

Now, upon careful inspection, he discovered something bizarre.

This Dilapidated Opera Building didn't just seem similar to the Main Opera Building. It was a perfect copy.

The layout of the audience seats, the carvings on the stage pillars, the placement of the lanterns and candlesticks... everything was identical. The only distinction was that it was much smaller than the Main Opera Building, making the layout feel more cramped.

If this was an old, abandoned opera house, and the Main Opera Building was built to replace it, then why were the decorations copied so perfectly, without the slightest alteration?

"Come closer... let me... see you again..."

"Just once..."

A mournful voice echoed from within the building. For a dazed moment, Wu Wang thought he saw a handsome scholar walking toward him.

But in the blink of an eye, the desolation returned. There was no scholar to be seen.

Frowning, he began to wander around below the stage. After a few steps, several figures of Wu Wang appeared in the main hall and began to move about.

【Big Dipper Seven Star Steps】!

His time to explore was limited. If the troupe leader happened to return to the Refining Medicine Pavilion, it wouldn't be good for him to be found loitering here. So, he activated the skill to summon phantoms to investigate alongside him.

"Why... why are you unwilling to stay for a moment..."

"Must you be in such a hurry..."

That mournful voice appeared again, its source near the phantom by the latticed window.

Wu Wang hurried over.

Still, he saw no one.

"Troupe leader, if you are here, why won't you show yourself?" he shouted with a frown. "You're the one who asked me to come here. Let's meet!"

He had been puzzled earlier when he entered the Refining Medicine Pavilion. Where was the troupe leader who had been singing in the Dilapidated Opera Building last night?

At first, he thought the man was hiding. But to hide even after summoning him over for a meeting... wasn't that a bit strange?

"I never left..."

"Yu... have you ever truly looked at me..."

"Is it only because I am but a lowly actor?"

The troupe leader's voice, filled with extreme sorrow, continued to echo through the building. Wu Wang could clearly feel that the man was speaking right here, in this very place.

At times, the voice was so close it felt as if the man were standing right in front of him.

But he still couldn't see anyone at all.

"Do I have to come here at night to see him? Is the troupe leader in this building the real ghost?" Wu Wang speculated.

But he overturned that idea in seconds. At least, the first part of it.

If all it took to meet this ghost-like troupe leader was coming here at night, it created a problem. The other troupe leader, the one outside, couldn't possibly visit the Refining Medicine Pavilion only during the day.

If he came just once at night and the two troupe leaders met, Wu Wang didn't believe for a second that things would remain peaceful.

Zzt. Zzt. Zzt.

Just as he was about to leave and return after gathering more clues, an itching sensation started on his wrist.

This time it wasn't the remnant soul. The Red Vertical Pupil was blinking frantically.

"Hm? What kind of trouble are you planning to stir up now?"

Wu Wang's brow furrowed. He had a bad feeling. Whenever this damn thing got this excited, it was never good news.

He had seen the Abyss God's Mark on the red cloth right after entering the Instance. That meant this place had been contaminated by it.

Did the pupil's excitement mean the aura of the Abyss God was present in this building?

Creak.

Kaka.

At that moment, the stage, tables, and chairs all began to move, producing a harsh scraping sound. The building's very frame groaned, overwhelmed. The entire structure began to shake as if it would collapse in the next second.

The Red Vertical Pupil's blinking grew faster and faster, to the point where Wu Wang could faintly feel blood about to seep from the corner of its eye.

Its gaze was taunting, as if it were enjoying a private joke.

Seeing this, Wu Wang was unfazed. He had grown used to it.

He sighed, his expression blank. He felt like a cartoon character who, knowing he was doomed, would first light a cigarette and shrug with world-weary resignation.

With that same sense of helplessness, he muttered, "I'm toast."

BOOM!

The moment the words left his mouth, the world spun around him. Dust flew everywhere, and his consciousness plunged into darkness.

An unknown amount of time passed.

When Wu Wang slowly opened his eyes, the very first sight that greeted him made his expression turn grave.

It was a quirky and mischievous-looking girl, grinning as she reached a hand out to him.

"Stop practicing, Yu, the good show is about to start! My dad's performing in person today!"

Her face was exceedingly fair and delicate, making her look like a young lady from a wealthy family. When she smiled, her eyes curved into crescents, and a beauty mark at the corner of her eye added a certain charm.

Of course, her appearance wasn't important.

Wu Wang had no interest in things like love and romance. He had a sister at home as beautiful as a celestial fairy, and he still bickered with her every day.

Women will only slow down the speed at which I draw my sword!

What was most important was the hairpin pinning up the girl's hair.

Wu Wang had just seen that style a short while ago.

It was Lou Yu's hairpin!

Could this be the daughter of the old troupe leader, the white moonlight the current troupe leader was so desperate to save from the Yin World? The Lou Yu who had disappeared after falling into a well?

Why was she here?

And what did she call him? Yu? Who was that?

"How many times have I told you? Can you use my full name?"

A helpless voice came from Wu Wang's own mouth.

This made Wu Wang try to move his fingers and speak, but there was no reaction. He quickly realized his situation.

He was merely an observer from a first-person perspective, unable to control this body. It was just like watching a movie.

If Lou Yu was here, and she even said her father was preparing to go on stage, this was likely an event from the past.

Didn't that mean he could see what the troupe leader of the past looked like in this memory? He might finally understand what had happened to him!

Thus, Wu Wang patiently waited for the memory to unfold.

Lou Yu rolled her eyes and pulled him to his feet, considerately patting the dust from his shoulders.

"Aiyo, that darn name of yours is so feminine. Yu Ji, Yu Ji, it sounds just like Yu Ji. You want to kill yourself with a sword, too?"

"Our bodies, to every hair and bit of skin, are received from our parents. We must not presume to injure them. This is the beginning of filial piety. A name is the same. Do not slander it. It is my root and cannot be changed," the body's owner said.

Then, he added with firmness and confidence, "Besides, I'm not Yu Ji. I will be Xiang Yu! A world-conquering hegemon-king who stands tall between heaven and earth!"

"I will carry on the glory of the Opera God's Righteous Garden!"

This declaration stunned Wu Wang, who had been ready to grab some popcorn and watch the show.

Wait a minute!

Yu Ji... Brother Ji...

Holy shit! I'm the troupe leader!

Just then, the body walked towards the dressing table. In the bronze mirror, he began to remove the makeup of a Big Painted Face.

It was a handsome face, and despite its lingering immaturity, one could still tell he had good features.

The design of his painted face makeup was even more hair-raising.

That painted face was identical to the Beijing Opera mask on Wu Wang's left wrist.

It was the very image of the remnant soul