"It happened in the middle of the night!"
In the room, Sha Lifei wore a bitter expression. "I heard a noise and woke up to find the Taoist priest had fallen off the bed. No matter how I called, he wouldn't respond. I thought he'd been struck with some sudden illness, so I hurriedly took people to fetch the village doctor."
"The doctor couldn't figure it out either. It was an old carpenter from the Wan family who noticed something was wrong and quickly sent someone back to the city to summon Elder Wan. Only then did we learn he'd been ambushed…"
Listening to Sha Lifei's account, Li Yan's face turned icy.
On the bed across from them, Wang Daoxuan clenched his teeth, his fists tightly balled, his body rigid. Surrounding him, positioned according to the twelve earthly branches, were twelve lit oil lamps.
Wan, the shopkeeper, stood solemnly, holding half a bowl of clear water in his left hand and three chopsticks in his right, muttering incantations under his breath.
Then, he took one chopstick, tapped it three times on Wang Daoxuan's forehead, dipped it in the water, and inserted it into the center of the bowl.
Clatter!
The chopstick failed to stand and fell to the ground.
Wan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he continued the ritual.
Li Yan knew this method was called "Grave Measurement," or in local terms, "Standing Chopsticks," a widely practiced folk sorcery.
Wang Daoxuan had once explained this technique to him, describing it as a form of divination.
Clatter! Clatter!
As the remaining two chopsticks fell, Wan finally sighed and shook his head. "No reaction. His living soul has been captured."
Looking at Wang Daoxuan on the bed, he continued, "Fortunately, Taoist Wang is sharp. Sensing danger, he used the Spirit Platform Locking Technique before his soul was taken, preventing his body from being possessed by something else."
Li Yan's voice was low. "Does Elder know who did this?"
"I know exactly who."
Wan snorted coldly. "The one responsible is Chen Fakui, a disciple of the Lishan Nine Origins Sect. He's been hiding in Xianyang City, colluding with the White Ape Gang. He's the one who used dark sorcery to break through the barrier!"
"Last night, when I rushed to the City God Temple, the temple priest, Taoist Qingyangzi, was furious. To track down the mastermind, we didn't make a big scene. Instead, we set an ambush in Menggu Village."
"Sure enough, someone showed up at midnight. After capturing them and interrogating, we learned they were lackeys of the White Ape Gang. Following the trail, we discovered Zhou Peide of the Zhou family and Yuan Qu were working with Chen Fakui."
"That very night, the authorities sent troops to raid the White Ape Gang. Taoist Qingyangzi personally set up an altar, summoning spirit soldiers to patrol at night, but they couldn't find Chen Fakui's whereabouts."
"Zhou Peide has been thrown into prison. According to his confession, Chen Fakui performed the ritual to lure Brother Li out of the village for an ambush."
Sha Lifei, enraged, said, "The Zhou family's methods are truly despicable!"
"The Zhou family is finished."
Wan shook his head. "Using dark sorcery to borrow luck and break through barriers violates the taboos of the Mysterious Sect. The Nine Origins Sect will send people to clean house, and the Law Enforcement Hall of the Supreme Mysterious Orthodox Sect will act. Chen Fakui is as good as dead."
"As for the Zhou family, in a mess like this, their backer, Vice Minister Lu, will immediately distance himself. Zhou Peide may not have been directly involved, but without his patron, their house will collapse like a tree without roots…"
"We'll deal with the Zhou family later!"
Li Yan said gravely, "The urgent matter is saving Taoist Wang. Does Elder have a way?"
Wan shook his head. "To capture a living soul, a tool like a Soul-Wandering Jar is needed. First, we must find it. If Chen Fakui destroyed the jar, Taoist Wang's soul will scatter, and he'll be lost forever."
Sha Lifei panicked. "The Soul-Wandering Jar is in Chen Fakui's hands, and that guy's hiding who-knows-where. Even the City God Temple couldn't find him. What do we do?"
"No need to rush. There's another way."
Wan said, "Xianyang City has no shortage of extraordinary people. In the Longsheng Theater Troupe, there's a martial clown named Wu Laosi. He's unremarkable in the troupe, but he's actually a Mysterious Sect sorcerer who has awakened his Intent Root and is skilled in the art of soul-crossing."
"When he was young, something happened that left him disillusioned. He stopped helping people cross to the other side and hid his identity in the troupe. But he owes me a favor."
"I'll write a letter to ask for his help. Though he can't summon back Taoist Wang's soul, he can roughly determine its location. With Brother Li's abilities, you should be able to find him."
"Remember, when dealing with a Nine Origins Sect disciple, never act at night."
"One more thing: I'll use a secret technique to protect Wang's body, but his soul must be retrieved within seven days, or it will be too late…"
…
The Longsheng Theater Troupe was the premier troupe in Xianyang City.
Unlike the roving troupes that set up temporary stages in villages, Longsheng had a century-long history and performed year-round at the Longsheng Theater near the city's Confucian Temple.
People in Guanzhong loved theater, and tickets were often hard to come by.
Gong! Gong! Gong!
Today, before the performance began, an apprentice struck a gong at the theater entrance.
A curious onlooker glanced at the signboard, seeing it blank, and asked, "Hey, what play are you performing today?"
"Yeah, why's there no title?"
Xianyang was full of wealthy idlers, and a crowd had already gathered at the entrance.
The apprentice called out, "Today, Master Luo is in high spirits. He's putting on Drunken Beating of the Demon Monkey for three days straight, and it's free for everyone!"
The crowd immediately grumbled.
A plump young noble shook his head. "Forget it. Everyone knows Drunken Beating of the Demon Monkey is Master Luo's own creation. Last time it was performed, the White Ape Gang caused a scene, and it was a mess."
"What, now that the Zhou family's in trouble, he's putting it on again?"
"Tell Master Luo to calm down. We want to see Stealing Immortal Grass or Grievances of the Deep Palace. Miss Lü is rising to fame—she needs our support to become a star!"
"Yeah, we don't want to watch monkey-beating!"
The apprentice bowed with a smile. "Please understand, you all know Master Luo's temper. If he's unhappy, he might even close the theater."
The crowd muttered about their bad luck.
In Xianyang City, the greatest theater enthusiast was none other than Master Luo Shiwen.
His ancestors were once high-ranking court officials, and after returning home, they became local gentry. Several streets in Xianyang belonged to his family, along with vast farmlands. His descendants could spend endlessly and never run out.
Luo Shiwen himself was a talented scholar in his youth, earning the title of xiucai, but he had no interest in officialdom. Instead, he loved martial arts and became the head of Xianyang's Baguamen Sect.
Born to a life of ease, he lacked for nothing.
Except for one thing: an obsession with theater.
While others might spend their days at the theater, he went further and bought a troupe to become its master.
As for Drunken Beating of the Demon Monkey, its origins were well-known.
Master Luo had trained a talented lead actress, hoping to make her famous in Chang'an and compete with other theaters. But due to a Zhou family member, she took her own life.
The incident caused a huge stir.
Luo, who usually stayed out of Jiangu affairs, nearly fought to the death over it. In the end, through mediation, he settled it with a martial contest against Zhou Pan.
Though Luo was gifted and led Baguamen, he was no match for Zhou Pan, who fought with his life on the line.
After his defeat, unwilling to accept it, Luo wrote Drunken Beating of the Demon Monkey.
The entire play was filled with cursing and fighting, purely to vent his anger.
The crowd wasn't eager to watch it.
But seeing the apprentice's firm stance, they had no choice and dispersed.
These wealthy nobles had plenty of entertainment and didn't care about free tickets, but the poor cherished the chance. Hearing Longsheng Theater was offering free entry, people flocked from all directions.
Among the crowd were Li Yan and Sha Lifei.
Li Yan, of course, wasn't there for the play. Approaching the apprentice, he clasped his hands and said solemnly, "May I ask if Elder Wu Laosi, the martial clown of your troupe, is here?"
"Oh?"
The apprentice noticed the Guanshan blade at Li Yan's waist and studied his face. Something clicked, and he straightened, making a strange hand gesture. "So it's Brother Li
Brother Li. Are you here to pay respects or just passing through?"
It turned out the apprentice was also a member of the Liu Sect, a Rivers and Lakes group.
Li Yan said calmly, "No need to be wary, brother. I've come with a letter from an elder to ask Elder Wu for a favor."
With that, he handed over the letter of introduction.
Wu Laosi?
The martial clown of the troupe, a man of few words who barely made a sound even after three strikes—how could he be connected to a blade-wielding wanderer like Li Yan?
"Brother Li, please wait a moment."
Though puzzled, the apprentice took the letter and hurried inside. He soon returned and said, "Brother Li, go on in. The play's about to start, but Wu Laosi says he'll find you after it's over."
"Very well. Thank you."
Li Yan nodded and entered the theater with Sha Lifei.
Behind them, the apprentice watched them go, frowning. He muttered under his breath, "No good. This guy's trouble. I need to warn the master to avoid any mess."
With that, he turned and hurried off…
*(End of Chapter)*