That Night, Everything Changed

The Big Painted Face's thick makeup gradually faded away, revealing the man beneath.

Compared to his present self, this younger troupe leader's face was still boyish. His eyes lacked the profound maturity and sharp shrewdness he would one day possess.

All he had was the high-spirited vitality and passion of a youth.

After taking off his opera costume, he folded it with great care, as if it were a priceless treasure.

Finally, he ran to a portrait backstage, lit incense, and bowed respectfully.

Only then did he follow Lou Yu out of the practice courtyard.

As soon as they stepped outside, they were met with a sea of people.

Even though the show wouldn't start for another half an hour, the audience seats were already nearly full.

The crowd was a sea of long gowns and felt hats. You could hardly see a single commoner in short shirts or hemp clothes. It was, without exaggeration, a gathering of scholars and elites.

Yet even these well-to-do guests, people with a certain social standing, could only afford standing-room-only tickets in the outer ring.

Even without a proper seat, stuck so far back they could only see silhouettes on stage, people still squeezed their way into the opera house.

This alone showed the fame of the Opera God's Righteous Garden.

"This way, this way! I heard a real big shot came today!"

Lou Yu grabbed Yu Ji's hand, weaving through the crowd. Her voice was lively, her movements agile.

In just a few moments, she led him to the side staircase that went up to the second floor.

Yu Ji asked helplessly, "Are we ever short on big shots? We get county magistrates and court officials making special trips just to see our Star Actor all the time."

"Didn't a prefect come just last month?"

Lou Yu's expression turned mysterious, her grin stretching from ear to ear.

She said with a look of disdain, "Compared to who's here today, a prefect is nothing but a servant pouring tea."

Yu Ji was stunned.

In his eyes, a prefect was the highest-ranking official he had ever seen.

He couldn't help but ask, "For real? You're not pulling my leg, are you?"

"Absolutely not!"

Lou Yu quietly pointed to the four guards standing by the stairs.

"Have you ever seen a prefect show up with an entourage like that?"

Yu Ji looked closely and finally noticed the difference.

The prefect brought guards, sure, but they only carried simple weapons for self-defense and wore plain cloth armor.

But today's guards wore military uniforms and standard-issue armor.

In this era, even the highest officials wouldn't dare commit the crime of privately owning armor.

A person who could so openly bring armored guards…

Just who in the world could they be?

"Stop keeping me in suspense. What level of dignitary is it?"

Seeing Yu Ji's curiosity finally piqued, Lou Yu smiled.

"It's a Prince!"

She leaned in closer.

"I snuck a peek before he went upstairs. It's the Prince from the portrait!"

Hearing this, Yu Ji froze completely.

Their country's prime location and abundant resources had long attracted the covetous eyes of its neighbors, leading to a state of perpetual war.

The only reason the people could live and work in peace was thanks to that very Prince, who guarded the frontier.

He deterred all nations with his powerful military and overwhelming martial prowess.

Furthermore, this Prince was the current emperor's younger brother.

His status in the country was second only to the emperor himself.

His portrait was even believed by the common folk to ward off evil and prevent disaster.

He was a living legend.

He was also the hero Yu Ji admired most, a figure as grand as the Overlord Xiang Yu from the operas.

And today, he had actually come to the Opera God's Righteous Garden.

"Hey, hey, hey, don't get so excited."

Seeing Yu Ji frozen in place and about to foolishly walk toward the staircase, Lou Yu quickly pulled him back.

"I know you admire the Prince. I have a way for you to meet him in person!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Ji immediately sobered up, a wave of relief washing over him.

It was a good thing he hadn't walked over. The weapons in those guards' hands would have shown no mercy.

If they had become alarmed, their blades would have fallen without hesitation. The slightest graze, or worse, a charge of attempted assassination… he would have been finished.

"Tell me, what's the plan?"

Yu Ji had two great ambitions in life. The first was to become the main pillar of the Opera God's Righteous Garden. The second was to get the Prince's personal autograph.

Lou Yu pulled him aside and whispered, "I heard from my dad that the Prince is staying the night here. After the garden closes, he wants a private performance of Farewell My Concubine. When the time comes, I'll pretend to be sick. You can take my place serving tea to the Prince. That way you can see him, right?"

"This…"

Hearing the plan, Yu Ji felt a pang of embarrassment.

To meet the Prince was something countless people could only dream of.

Especially for actors like them. With their low social status, they would normally never get to see the Prince in their entire lives.

Moreover, Lou Yu admired the Prince just as much as he did.

She had mentioned his heroic deeds countless times, her eyes sparkling with excitement every time.

And now, she was giving this precious opportunity to him.

How could he accept it?

"Oh, come on! Why are you being so hesitant? You're a man! I said you'll see him, so you'll see him!"

Lou Yu rolled her eyes.

She pulled a hairpin from her hair and held it out to him with a smile.

"Tonight, just show this to Dad and tell him I'm sick in my room. He'll believe you."

"After you see the Prince, remember to come find me, okay? We can admire the moon and chat. I have a secret to tell you, too!"

"Let's meet in the well courtyard of the Nuo Opera Garden. The view of the moon is prettiest there."

Yu Ji stared at the hairpin in her hand.

Then, he nodded heavily.

"Hey, not so fast. I'm helping you meet the Prince, so you have to help me with something, too."

Lou Yu tilted her head, thinking for a moment.

"How about this… you have to grow a flower for me."

"What flower?" Yu Ji asked.

Lou Yu's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled.

"Beauty Yu."

With that, she handed the hairpin over.

From his first-person perspective, Wu Wang saw Yu Ji reach out, ready to take the hairpin.

The very moment his hand touched the hairpin, the world dissolved.

The clamor of the crowd, the armored guards in the distance, everything vanished.

Her crescent-moon smile, the one that could soothe any heart, also vanished.

In its place was the same cold and desolate Dilapidated Opera Building.

He was lying on the cold floor. Slowly, he sat up.

Wu Wang sighed and grumbled.

"The source material is missing…"

The frustration felt like being startled awake at the climax of a good dream.

A person cannot imagine things they have never known.

It was just like when Chu Nan would wake up a second before firing his cannon. The source material was missing.

It seemed to be the same situation now.

The only difference was that the missing 'source' was a real hairpin, not a dream girlfriend like Chu Nan's.

That night was clearly the turning point.

Lou Yu had waited for the troupe leader in the well courtyard, only to fall into the well and disappear.

The once-cheerful troupe leader became the gloomy, shrewd man he was today.

The crucial point, and another contradiction with the present, was the Prince. In this memory, he seemed to have no connection to Yu Ji, let alone the brotherly bond they shared now.

What on earth happened that night?

It seemed the hairpin in Zi Jin's hand was the key.

If he wasn't mistaken, he needed to be holding that very hairpin to see the rest of the memory.

Creeaak…

Just then, the door to the dilapidated opera building was pushed open.

Two figures walked straight in.

Seeing Wu Wang sitting on the floor, one of them asked in surprise.

"Bai Sha? I was looking all over for you."

"Why are you waiting here?"