I was forced to cultivate immortality when I just wanted to lie down

Chapter 105 Accident
There are many Liyuan disciples in Linhe Theater, and each of the roles of Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo and Chou has its own outstanding famous actors.

Today, Xu Qing followed Mr. Feng to the Liyuan Opera House to take the lead and find a master who is most suitable to teach the embroiderer to sing opera, to see if the singing lessons can be arranged in advance.

In the opera world, no matter whether you are male or female, young or old, as long as you have the ability, a good opera voice, can sing vividly, and act in a way that can make the audience immersed in the play, then you deserve the title of master.

It is not easy for ordinary people to talk to the master. You have to wait outside first. After someone hands you a letter, the master will decide whether to come out or not.

After all, it's just like a big star.

But as we said, that is for ordinary people.

But can Xu Qing and Mr. Feng be ordinary people?
Funeral homes have always had business dealings with opera troupes. Sometimes when they hold a funeral for a wealthy family, they have to invite people from the opera troupe to perform.

You should know that the money for organizing a ghost play is much more than that for performing a normal play.

If there is a big play that lasts for three days and three nights, the cost of even one performance is equivalent to the income of a troupe for most of half a year.

So in a sense, Xu Qing and Liyuan are still partners in business.

There is no need to say much about the other Mr. Feng. He is a frequent visitor to the theater and is very generous. He is the kind of person who, when he comes to the theater, the main stars will come out to say hello.

When the owner of the Liyuan Opera House saw Xu Qing and Mr. Feng coming together, he was still speculating in his mind.

The troupe owner wondered how these two seemingly unrelated people could have ended up together. Could it be that Mr. Feng was having a funeral and wanted someone to sing a ghost opera?

That would be great! Given the Second Master's generosity, he would have to perform a seven-day and seven-night opera. How could he have been short of money?

Mr. Feng didn't know what the troupe leader was thinking, otherwise he would have let his uncle go and pecked a few holes in the other party's body.

"I wonder what brings you here, Mr. Xu?"

Mr. Feng went straight to the point and talked directly about asking a master to teach him how to sing opera.

The class owner immediately looked embarrassed when he heard this.

"Second Master, acting is a family skill, how can I teach it to others so easily?"

"One hundred taels of silver."

"This isn't about money. You have to know that the Dharma is not easily passed down, and the Way is not sold cheaply. These are the rules passed down by our ancestors."

"Three hundred taels."

"Hey, what are you doing, Master? As the saying goes, rules are dead, but people are alive. Teaching and educating people is a great virtue. I just don't know which master Mr. Xu wants to hire?"

In the Liyuan Theater, on the largest stage, Xu Qing and Mr. Feng were sitting at the bottom, having already booked the entire place.

"Sheng, Dan, Jing, Chou, and Mo, all famous actors from various schools, which one would you like to choose first, sir?"

"My cousin is a girl, so she must learn the female role."

Xu Qing did not hesitate at all. Considering the embroiderer's figure and voice, he couldn't just paint her face with clown paint and hire a Jingjue master to teach her to sing Bao Gong, right?
When the class owner heard this, he threw out a bunch of professional terms.

"There are also different types of female roles in our industry. There are Zhengdan, Huadan, Wudan, Daomadan, Laodan, Caidan and Huashan. Mr. Xu, please take a look at which one you would like to choose."

Zhengdan, also known as Qingyi, sings about a dignified and elegant woman; Huadan sings about an innocent and lively girl or a strong-willed young woman; Wudan, as the name suggests, must be able to dance with a flower spear and fight, and this type mostly sings about brave female generals.

Daomadan is a middle-aged woman skilled in martial arts, Laodan is played by elderly women, and Caidan is a role played by those with a funny and humorous side.
As for the last Huashan, she is an all-round master who combines Qingyi, Huadan, Wudan and Daomadan in one.

Xu Qing had performed the salvation rituals for many female actors in the past, such as Qing Luo from the Tianxin Sect and Sai Yuxian from the opera house, both of whom had become famous actresses.

Even Princess Yanning, the thousand-year-old female ghost in the tomb, can hum a few words.

So he was not unfamiliar with these words from the opera troupe owner.

"I think it's better to do it in one go and let your Huashan Dacha take the lead."

"Boss Xu is really good at choosing. Boss Liu is the mainstay of the theater, the leader who carries the banner. He has so many performances every day that he doesn't have time to teach others how to sing."

"Five hundred taels." Mr. Feng said concisely.

In Erye's eyes, anything that can be solved with money is not a big deal.

When Boss Chen heard this, he didn't even mention how busy Boss Liu was. Instead, he ran backstage to invite Liu Su'e to the stage to sing.

Xu Qing is a principled person and is unwilling to spend Mr. Feng's money, but Mr. Feng said that if you don't let him spend money, it means you don't consider him a friend.

"Second Master, five hundred taels is not a small amount after all."

Although Xu Qing is not short of money now, he still feels uncomfortable spending other people's money, no matter how much.

"Don't worry about that. I've spent at least eight thousand taels of silver on the garden in previous years. Look at the walnuts I'm rubbing against each other. They cost two hundred taels each, and I still think they're cheap. They always feel a little off when I rub them."

"It's a pity that the guest from Shannan is too honest. If he had asked me for a thousand taels of silver, maybe I would have felt something."

Xu Qing had heard that Mr. Feng's family was wealthy and powerful, but he had never imagined that they could be so extravagant.

A walnut costs two hundred taels. If it were someone else, it would be just nonsense and they would take advantage of them and try to trick them to death!
But it is different for Mr. Feng. What people spend money on is a feeling. Once they feel it, a piece of hard earth is more valuable than a piece of gold.

At this time, Xu Qing was still holding the ornamental walnuts that Mr. Feng gave to Xuanyu.

He was moved and asked casually, "How much did the second master spend on this pair of walnuts?"

"Five hundred, that's a round number, and it feels better than mine."

"."

Xu Qing paused as he was serving the walnuts.

It turns out that the mainstay of the opera world is only worth the price of two walnuts!
On the stage, a group of female roles took turns to perform, like a peacock spreading its tail, each showing off its strengths. But when the mainstay Liu Su'e appeared on the stage, those other roles instantly lost their luster and became supporting roles.

"My heart was already as dead as water, and all my hopes were lost, but unexpectedly, spring light shone through the cold night of the 39th day of the lunar calendar. Could it be that fate has mercy on the grass in the valley? I'm afraid the world is cold and harsh. Mo Chou~ Don't forget your identity and worry in vain; Xu Cheng~ Your thoughts are lingering and melancholy..."

The sad and graceful lyrics arose out of nowhere. As the song went on, the vague and elusive voice suddenly became clearer, as if the opera singer came towards him with small steps, looking about to cry.

Xu Qing even felt a strange smell of incense mixed with powder in the air entering his nostrils, making him feel that everything around him became unreal.

"This Mr. Liu is quite interesting."

With the Qi-gazing technique activated, Xu Qing saw the reflection of willow leaves on the stage swaying back and forth, just like the ripples on the water surface, and a big willow tree was hanging down its silk ribbons beside the embankment.

Mr. Feng, who was standing next to him, was listening with great interest and didn't notice anything unusual.

Xu Qing glanced sideways at his uncle and Jin Luan in the chicken coop.

These two chickens, which are good at warding off evil spirits and can see through the true nature of evil spirits, are also surprisingly quiet.

The two roosters tilted their heads and looked at the stage. They looked more focused than Master Feng in listening to the opera.

Based on the visions he saw through his Qigong technique, Xu Qing could tell that Liu Su'e was just an ordinary person, with only the occasional shadow of a willow tree appearing.
Xu Qing thought of the godmother Liu Youdao had in Xiaoshitou Village. Liu Youdao originally had no name, and the villagers called him Tiedan because he always liked to wander around the village wearing open-crotch pants.

Later, Liu Youdao met his teacher Yang Qiying. Master Yang felt that it was not a good idea to always call him Tiedan, so he named him Liu Youdao. The surname Liu was taken from the old willow tree.

After the play, the famous actor on the stage came forward.

"Excuse me, where is Mr. Liu's home? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

Liu Su'e bowed and said, "Sir, the opera house is Xiaoke's home. Most of the people in the opera house have no parents and have learned opera since childhood. As for brothers and sisters..."

"The masters in the opera house are Xiaoke's relatives."

Seeing that Liu Su'e's answer was flawless, Xu Qing was not anxious. He said goodbye to Mr. Feng and Master Chen, and then took Liu Su'e to Shuimen Bridge.

On the way, Xu Qing deliberately stopped by a grocery store and bought a lot of things.

In a short while, the pillar of the opera stage with outstanding temperament behind him became his tool.

Buy scissors, a thread basket, a ruler, all kinds of silk threads, and needles of all sizes.

When she walked out of the grocery store, Liu Su'e was already carrying a lot of things in her hands.

Xu Qing was not idle either. He was holding a bird cage in one hand and a lot of other things in the other.

"Mr. Xu's cousin seems to be a very clever girl."

Xu Qing smiled and said, "My cousin just can't sit still. She always wants to find something to do. Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked Boss Liu to come and teach her to sing opera to relieve her boredom."

"By the way, I haven't asked Boss Liu why he chose the name Liu Su'e, but what is its meaning?"

Liu Su'e didn't think much of it. She panted lightly, unable to wipe the sweat from her temples. She just carried the large and small packages and said as she walked, "I'm not afraid of being laughed at, sir. Su'e was the name the old lady gave me. She said I was beautiful when I was little. Su'e is actually the name of the fairy in the Moon Palace."

Liu Su'e blushed, as if she was a little embarrassed to speak.

She glanced at Xu Qing, and seeing that his expression remained unchanged, she continued to explain, "My surname is Liu because I was weak and sickly when I was young. The old boss found an expert to help me find a match and asked me to take Liu Shu as my godmother, saying that she could protect me from the wind and rain."

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes. This operation was comparable to Liu Youdao's.

It’s just that the godmother Liu Youdao worshipped wasn’t any great yet, while the one Liu Su’e worshipped seemed to be quite capable.

When he arrived at Shuimen Bridge, Xu Qing did not go back to his own villa, but instead found a nearby inn and rented a room.

Liu Su'e didn't know what kind of person Xu Qing was, so she wouldn't go to his house easily.

The villa that Xu Qing bought at Shuimen Bridge was a haunted house among haunted houses, so it was not easy for him to let Liu Su'e go there.

After discussing it, the two decided to rent a room in the inn, which would be more convenient for both of them.

"Boss Liu, please take a break. My cousin will come over later."

After watching Liu Su'e enter the room, Xu Qing immediately put all the needlework he had purchased into the map of mountains and rivers.

When Xu Qingfu returned to the villa, he saw the embroiderer sitting at the stone table, leaning on her chin in a daze.

The silk thread in the loom room had long been used up, and the girl was now alone at home. Apart from practicing, she spent the rest of her time in a daze.

"Oh, you finally came here. I thought you had forgotten me!"

"."

Xu Qing felt something was not right when he heard this.

How does this look like he has a mistress who is staying with him and is secretly meeting with him?
"Is this for me?" The embroiderer's eyes lit up when she saw the needlework items Xu Qing took out.

Xu Qing nodded.

The embroiderer happily held the needlework basket, she was very happy.

A woman in this situation is easily satisfied. If you catch some chicks and ducklings, and buy some needlework for her, she will be happy for most of the day.

This is especially true for people like embroiderers who have been exposed to needlework since childhood and have the natural physique of being good wives and mothers.

"Xiuniang, you're all alone here, with no one to talk to. I don't think it's a good idea to continue like this."

"Look, I've invited a famous opera star for you today. You can go to her every two days to learn opera and relieve your boredom."

The embroiderer who was winding the thread put down the thread board and looked at Xu Qing with a vigilant look.

"Why are you suddenly so nice to me, sir?"

Xu Qing said seriously, "You guard the house for me, so I can't treat you well."

"." The embroiderer lowered her head and avoided his gaze.

After hesitating for a moment, she raised her head, as if she had made up her mind. She mustered up the courage to look at Xu Qing and said seriously:

"Sir, humans and ghosts are different after all. It's not good for us to do this!"

"?"

No, so you think I went to so much trouble to enroll you in interest classes just so you can become a Undead Knight?

Xu Qing bared his teeth and simply gave up the act. He said directly, "I'll tell you the truth. I paid a master to teach you opera, not for anything else, but so that you can learn the singing style of a female dan, so that you can use it to scare people in the future."

“The scaring methods you devised on your own are too crude, and once mortals come to their senses, they won’t work.

Only through specialized training, one-on-one instruction from a master, and learning how to scare people with plots, can you surpass other ghosts."

The embroiderer stuck out her tongue, as if she didn't understand what he said.

"I know, you're doing this for my own good."

"."

Xu Qing hesitated several times to speak, but finally decided to give up.

He is a zombie, why should he bother with a brain-damaged female ghost?

After sending the embroiderer to the inn, Xu Qing asked Boss Liu to set a course schedule for her. From then on, this girl would be able to study.

After arranging the embroiderer's studies, Xu Qing took Xuanyu and Jinluan to Jingxia Street.

When they arrived in front of the paper-making shop, Xu Qing suddenly became cheerful.

"Brother Wencai, I haven't seen you for a long time. Are you planning to come back?"

Wu Wencai had a face full of stubble and looked quite haggard.

Seeing Xu Qing, he forced himself to say, "Thank you, Brother Xu, for your concern. Today I will send my aunt back to recuperate."

Xu Qing walked closer, and when he saw Wu Wencai's appearance clearly, he couldn't help but frown and said, "Wencai, what's wrong with you? How come you look so haggard after not seeing you for months?"

Wu Wencai opened his mouth slightly, and two lines of tears fell silently.

He licked his cracked lips, looked up and sighed, "It's hard to put it into words!"

Xu Qing turned his head to look inside the paper-making shop, but did not see Wu Yaoxing.

"Don't be so whiny, old man. If you have something to say, just say it. I want to ask you, where is Old Wu?"

Wu Wencai welcomed Xu Qing into the paper-making shop, where paper figures and horses were looking at them quietly.

"My uncle was wrongfully imprisoned by the prefect and is now suffering in prison."

Xu Qing frowned and asked, "What crime did you commit?"

"They said he was colluding with the Tianxin Sect rebels. The government sent people to search the house my uncle rented and found three hundred taels of silver and letters suggesting collusion with the rebels."

(End of this chapter)