Chapter 168: Under Shimen Mountain On a quiet night in the deserted mountains, the moonlight is bright, and someone is setting up a stage to perform a play. At first, the actor's voice inevitably trembled a little. But it didn't stop. There were dozens of wide benches placed below. To the Taoist from Yishan who had come from afar, they seemed empty, but in the blink of an eye, it seemed as if some people were already sitting on them. Fortunately, there are still some vacancies. Many Taoists were very sure that the people performing on the stage were real people. They had also heard of this form of performance before. Only the little sister had never heard of it. She looked confused, but she also walked over and sat down with her brothers. They wanted to ask for directions, or at least find a place to stay, even if it was a temple, it would be better than sleeping in the wilderness. However, the actor was performing with all his heart and soul, and there were audiences watching below, so they really couldn't go up on stage to disturb him, which was impolite. So I had to find an empty seat, sit down and wait. As soon as I approached and sat down, I could clearly feel that the voice of the actor on the stage, which had just finally returned to normal, immediately began to tremble again. And it was shaking even more violently than before.

Even the sound of blowing and beating was disrupted. I knew immediately that the other party had misunderstood me, but I couldn't leave anymore. There were lanterns lit on the stage, but not below. The lanterns illuminated the front rows, but the Taoists were sitting in the back rows and were hidden in the moonlight. In the eyes of the people on the stage, they were performing a ghost show in this deserted village at night. There were few people walking around this place even during the day. Yet, while they were singing at night, some figures came and sat in the darkest place. They looked as if they were watching them perform. How could they not be afraid? There was even a "person" in the audience who seemed to love the show. In the moonlight and the dim light of lanterns, he was seen shaking his head and chanting along. "We can't stop! We have audiences, we need to perform better!" A middle-aged man's low voice came from backstage. The volume was just right and mixed with the sounds of music and opera, so the people in the audience could not hear it at all. This has been the rule for thousands of years. "What are you afraid of? Don't be afraid! We are here to sing and perform for them. Since ancient times, not to mention gods and ghosts, even the damned barbarians would not embarrass us actors!" The people on the stage listened silently without stopping. This is the truth. I've already accepted the role, how can I stop? Once a piece of opera starts, it must be sung to the end no matter what, no matter if it is windy or rainy, no matter if anyone is listening or not, it must be performed from beginning to end. In an instant, the sound of blowing and beating became louder again. The actors were more focused on it. As the mood gradually improved, I forgot about my fear. The opera troupes here are also famous for their emphasis on singing, reciting, acting and fighting, and there are many hard-working platform and high-stage martial arts. For example, one-legged kick, split-legged kick, sword kick, flying fork, etc. are all extremely thrilling. When performing high-platform martial arts, flipping over countless tables in a row, flying over eaves and walking on walls are no problem at all. The people on the stage were not fooling around at all.

The people and ghosts in the audience gradually listened attentively. Even the junior sister folded her arms across her chest, holding the sword, staring at the stage with a focused look on her face, her eyes shining with concentration. Even when Lin Jue turned his head to look around, he saw that other strangers around him were watching with great concentration. Even though some of them had dazed expressions, they refused to look away. There is still too little entertainment these days. So much so that whenever a wealthy family in a mountain village invested in an opera troupe to perform outdoors, people from miles around would hear about it and would be willing to walk two hours up the mountain road to join in the fun. After watching the show, they would walk another two hours back home, feeling very happy. Because this kind of opportunity is so rare. I didn't expect that being a ghost would be like this. Lin Jue didn't think it was a big deal. He just turned his head left and right, constantly looking at these ghosts. I didn't expect that there would be so many ghosts, big and small, around this small place. There were even monsters transformed into animals, stopping in the darkness in the distance, to join in the fun. Most of these ghosts were pale and thin, and there were men, women, old and young. It was hard to see them clearly in the dark, and I didn’t know when they died. However, they neither went to the underworld nor disappeared naturally... I'm afraid this is because both the underworld and the human world are not functioning smoothly. Lin Jue thought so. However, after a long time, the people on the stage did not come down. Not to mention coming to talk to them, they didn't even leave the stage. Lin Jue gradually felt a little sleepy. At first I thought they sang pretty well, the performance was wonderful, and the music was energizing. But after listening to the continuous sounds for a long time, I got used to it and it seemed to help me sleep. Fuyao sat at his feet. Lin Jue patted its head gently, and when it turned its head, he said to it, "I'm going to take a nap first. Remember to wake me up if anything happens." "Hey~" The fox replied simply. Lin Jue sat on the ground and closed his eyes to rest. But unexpectedly, nothing happened that night. Overnight, the people on the stage never came down, never stopped, and the original audience below the stage did not disturb the stage in the slightest. It seemed as if both sides were tacitly abiding by this ancient rule. In fact, where are the written rules? It's nothing more than putting yourself in other people's shoes. When Lin Jue woke up, it was already early the next morning. The sky was already dim and filled with red light. The benches around were already empty, and the wild beasts in the mountains behind him had also disappeared. Only a few actors with hoarse voices, still in their costumes, stood by, talking to the second senior brother in shock. "The Taoist priests really scared us..." The troupe was really frightened when they started last night. They were performing for ghosts and gods at night, and some people came and sat down while they were performing. After they finally calmed down and performed normally, they found that it was almost dawn, but they didn't leave! It was not until the cock crowed at dawn that I could see clearly that there was a group of Taoists sitting below.

This matter is enough to be told to others as a joke. "Forgive us, we just got lost by accident and have nowhere to go. We wanted to ask you for directions, but you were too focused on your performance to care about anything else. It was dark and the road was slippery. There was fog in the mountains, and the ground was wet and cold. We had nowhere to go, so we had to sit here. At least we have a bench to sit on." The second brother had no choice but to bow his hands repeatedly, "It's also because we were bored on the road and wanted to see your performance." "I see." The troupe's owner heaved a sigh of relief, then looked at them respectfully, cupped his hands and said: "You Taoist priests are really brave. It's the dead of night and we are performing here. There is no one around, but you dare to sit and listen. You must be very skilled in Taoism." "Didn't you all sing on the stage all night?" said the Seventh Senior Brother beside the Second Senior Brother. "That's different. We were originally hired to perform for ghosts and gods. Even if there was no one down there, we would have to sing here all night. On the contrary, we were frightened when there were people." "Then how do you know..." The seventh senior brother smiled and said to them, "There is no one else down there except us?" Everyone in the troupe was stunned when they heard this. He couldn't help but turn around and look at Senior Brother Seven. The seventh senior brother also looked at them, respecting them for not fooling around and for working hard all night to bring a brief joy to the ghosts and gods, and he also saluted them. There is no need to ask further questions. The troupe was stunned and raised their hands, and both sides saluted each other. Putting down his hands, the seventh brother asked, "Why are you all performing in the middle of the night in this wilderness?" "We were invited by a wealthy family in Shimen Village to perform here and invite the ghosts and gods in the mountains to watch." The troupe owner said, "It is said that their family gave birth to a strange child, whose soul often wanders. Some time ago, he left and never came back. Now the child is not only stupid, but also almost dead." "Shimen Village..." The seventh brother muttered something, and then asked curiously, "What does this have to do with you all performing here?" "The Yan family invited a fortune teller to come and see. He said that the child's soul had gone far away and could not be called back. Then the fortune teller gave them an idea to invite a troupe to perform a play for the ghosts and gods. He said that after watching the play, the ghosts and gods would be moved and would naturally help find the child." "So that's it." "We don't know if ghosts and gods really come, and we don't know if they will be of any use. Anyway, we just take the money and come to perform. It has been like this for thousands of years. We actors and actresses have only one life, so there is nothing to be afraid of." "The boss must not say that." After hearing this, the seventh senior brother immediately became serious and said, "You all are talented and dedicated to your work. All the audience were very satisfied last night. And these wandering souls have been wandering in the mountains for who knows how long, and they have so much depression in their hearts. You can bring them joy and relieve their depression. How can this not be a good deed?" When the troupe owner heard him being called a "famous actor", he felt ashamed and wanted to wave his hands to refuse the title, but after hearing what happened next, he couldn't help but ask: "S-Seriously? Are the ghosts and gods really satisfied?" "nature." Actors are originally of low status, but all mortals and little devils have such a heart, so everyone couldn't help showing some satisfaction at this moment, and they were even more respectful when facing these Taoist priests. "Where are the Taoist priests going?" "We were looking for Shimen Mountain. This place is too remote. We are new here and inevitably got lost." "Shimen Mountain? This place is indeed remote. The Taoist priest said that we may not know other places, but Shimen Mountain..." The class owner turned around and pointed to the deep mountains in the distance, "That is Shimen Mountain. There are four or five villages at the foot of the mountain. Although it is remote, there is still a lot of land."

Everyone looked in that direction. I saw a green mountain in front of me, at the foot of the mountain there seemed to be fields with paths and houses hidden in the dense forest in the morning mist. The lower half of the green mountain is covered with lush forests, while the upper half is half hidden in the morning mist, and a stone mountain can be vaguely seen. There is a cave in the middle of the stone mountain, which looks like a door from a distance. The clouds and mist make it more ethereal, like a fairy gate. "I see." The fourth brother couldn't help but murmur. If I had known that Shimen Mountain was so easy to identify, I should have asked a friend to fly to the sky to find it. "We are invited by the Yan family in Shimen Village at the foot of Shimen Mountain. We are going back to report and get the money. We can also take you Taoist priests with us." The troupe leader said, "You Taoist priests must be capable. That family is already worried about the future generations, so they will definitely welcome you Taoist priests. At the very least, we will have breakfast." "Being respectful is worse than obeying orders." Many Taoists followed him. The mountain road was covered with dew in the early morning, and one could not avoid brushing against the spring grass while walking. Shoes and clothes were wet, and there was fine sand on them, and this mountain village was thus reflected in one's mind. Lin Jue looked around as he walked. This place is really remote, and the Shimen Mountain in front is really huge. I even walked for nearly two miles before I could vaguely see the village hidden in the mountains and forests. The size of Shimen Mountain seems to be the same regardless of distance. The air smells of mud, flowers, grass and dew, and has a fresh and spiritual aura. It is a good place to retreat from the world and practice. Without a doubt, the most suitable person here must be the fourth senior brother. If he lived here, the mountains would be a natural paradise and hunting ground for his friends, and this remote place would be just right for him and his friends to practice meditation. But remoteness has both advantages and disadvantages—— If there is something missing, it will be inconvenient to buy it. If you can establish good relations with the people down the mountain, things will be much easier. I heard that this is a newly built mountain temple, which should have been funded and built by the villages at the foot of the mountain. It would be a good opportunity to ask the owner for directions and to inform the villagers that the Taoist priest who takes care of the temple has arrived. After walking for a quarter of an hour, they crossed the fields and entered the woods. The road under my feet turned into an alley in the village. It was morning, and when people were cooking, the smoke from the cooking stove rose up and sank into the dense forest, adding a sense of tranquility to the village. Amid the sounds of cocks crowing and dogs barking, the opera troupe and the Taoist priest came over. The villagers all looked at him in surprise. The troupe took them into the host's house and met the Yan family. The troupe owner first said that he had finished the play, and then talked about what happened last night, and then introduced the Taoist priests of Yishan to them. (End of this chapter)