Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 36 Thump, thump thump (Please read on! Please add to your favorites!)
“Ding! Ding!”

The patrol team set off towards the ancestral hall, led by the old troupe leader who held a gong and struck it heavily every ten steps. Behind him followed twelve members of the troupe, their faces painted with thick greasepaint, appearing particularly pale in the torchlight.

Jiang Jin stood beside Huang Yongxiao, his gaze fixed on the opera troupe.

"Picking Up the Jade Bracelet" is a Cantonese opera about a talented scholar and a beautiful woman. It tells the story of a scholar named Fu Peng who meets a young woman named Sun Yujiao and they fall in love with a jade bracelet.

Huang Yongxiao explained, "The play 'Picking Up the Jade Bracelet' was originally a scene from the traditional Peking Opera 'Famen Temple,' which was already quite famous during the Tongzhi and Guangxu periods. In 1958, Cantonese opera master Ma Shizeng and Hong Xiannu staged this play as a Cantonese opera. Because it was a touring performance, the plot details were slightly altered. The role of Sun Yujiao is played by Li Ning, the most talented Cantonese opera actress in our village. Masters are welcome to enjoy it."

"Um……"

The opera troupe, led by a stilt-walking "earth god" who jingled a copper bell, was suddenly joined by Li Ning, who played the female lead Sun Yujiao, peeking out from the back of the procession.

A girl in a pale white pleated skirt walked slowly forward, carrying a bamboo chicken coop.

The velvet flower at her temple trembled gently with each step she took in her embroidered shoes, making her look like a timid swallow in spring.

Moonlight streamed across the bluestone slabs, illuminating several speckled chickens curled up in their coop.

Sun Yujiao took a small bag of broken rice from the side and sprinkled it into the chicken coop. The chickens fluttered over and gathered around.

"Don't steal! Don't steal!"

She gently tapped the most domineering speckled hen in the coop with her hairpin, her voice sounding soft and sweet.

And so, the villagers continued their journey with the night patrol performance team.

About fifteen minutes later...

They were getting closer and closer to the ancestral hall.

Many villagers' expressions grew increasingly solemn.

Just then, as they passed a roof near the ancestral hall, the lanterns hanging under the eaves suddenly flickered, and a figure in a silver-red robe cut diagonally in from the alleyway next to them.

Huang Yongxiao introduced, "Master, this is the male lead, Fu Peng."

This time, however, he did not introduce the actors to Jiang Jin.

Before Fu Peng could even unfold his folding fan, the night wind lifted his sleeves.

Sun Yujiao was startled when she saw Fu Peng. Her embroidered shoes slipped, and she bumped her lower back into the chicken coop, startling the speckled chickens into flapping their wings and flying away.

"Be careful, young lady!" Fu Peng reached out to help her up, his sleeve brushing against her hair.

The moment their fingertips touched, the sound of the night watchman's clapper came from behind the patrol team, startling Sun Yujiao so much that she took a half step back and dropped the chicken coop to the ground.

"Girl, let me do it!"

As Fu Peng bent down to pick up the chicken coop, Sun Yujiao became shy and hurriedly turned around.

Then, the two began to sing a duet.

Fu Peng: "Her graceful figure and charming demeanor aroused my love. I wanted to go up and bring it up, but I was afraid of offending her."

Sun Yujiao: "I am but a maidservant in my boudoir, how dare I cause gossip for no reason? I can only lower my head and fiddle with my embroidery needle, pretending not to hear or ask anything."

The melody of the song is beautiful and poetic, vividly portraying Fu Peng's amazement and admiration for Sun Yujiao upon their first meeting. Compared to his previous performance of "The Princess Changping," this version lacked the eerie atmosphere and instead appeared quite cheerful.

However, all the villagers in the audience wore expressions as if they were attending a funeral; no one was in the mood to appreciate the love story before them.

The two then "coincidentally" met for the second time.

At this moment, the patrol team had moved to a position less than fifty meters away from the gate of the ancestral hall!

Fu Peng continued singing:

"A spring outing, apricot blossoms filling the air—"

Sun Yujiao flicked her water sleeves lightly, her voice sweet and cloying:

"Whose young man is that on the roadside, so dashing and charming—"

Her steps were very light, so light that it seemed as if she were floating rather than stepping on the bluestone pavement.

At this moment, Jiang Jin glanced at Deathstroke beside him.

at last……

Fu Peng took out a jade bracelet from his sleeve and threw it at Sun Yujiao.

This is the most crucial plot point of "Picking Up the Jade Bracelet"! Fu Peng uses this jade bracelet to woo Sun Yujiao! This item becomes their token of love, hence the title of the play, "Picking Up the Jade Bracelet"!
"Miss, this is a gift for you—"

The jade bracelet traced an arc in the air as Sun Yujiao reached out to catch it.

At that very moment—

"Clap."

The jade bracelet did not fall into Sun Yujiao's hands, but fell to the ground, rolled twice, and stopped in front of a pair of blue embroidered shoes.

The opera troupe's music stopped abruptly. Everyone held their breath.

Jiang Jin also felt a tremor in his eyes!
All the villagers instinctively picked up their lanterns.

At the same time, many people untied the glutinous rice bags on their bodies and sprinkled the glutinous rice in front of them.

And this time...

Jiang Jin finally saw the terrifying final boss of the dungeon clearly.

She wore a faded blue theatrical costume, her hair disheveled, long strands completely obscuring her face; only her pale hands were visible, her fingernails filled with black. And just like that—she appeared abruptly in the parade!
At this moment, the jade bracelet on her feet had disappeared.

Everyone's attention was drawn to the bracelet on her wrist!
At this moment, while everyone's attention was focused on the woman in blue, Jiang Jin suddenly took out a bronze mirror from the Reincarnator's Watch!
At this point, the bronze mirror had already developed cracks, and black substance began to seep out from the edges, although it had not yet completely liquefied.

Then he said to Huang Yongxiao, "Village Chief Huang, look at this."

Huang Yongxiao was stunned when he saw it: "Master Jiang, you..."

This morning, when the village was collecting these kinds of mirrors, Jiang Jin took one.

At this moment, the woman in blue moved very slowly, as if her joints were rusty, making a "crackling" sound with each movement.

Every villager was terrified, and the love story that had just been so joyful was about to change, with the female lead actress about to transform from Li Ning into the woman in blue before them!

In other words, Fu Peng is about to fall in love with this "Sun Yujiao" in front of him!

The eighth rule of the villagers' code states: "When the female lead appears, no matter what happens, the actress playing the female lead must leave the stage immediately, and the villagers must continue watching as usual. Otherwise, the blue-clad actress will immediately turn into the red-clad actress."

Therefore, Li Ning, the actress who played Sun Yujiao, was trembling all over and staggered as she prepared to leave the stage immediately!
It's now!

Jiang Jin had confirmed that he and Huang Yongxiao were less than ten meters from the ancestral hall's entrance. The woman in blue, however, was much farther away from the hall.

He immediately did two things.

He quickly put the bronze mirror back into the Reincarnator's watch, then swiftly took out the Rusty Hunting Crossbow with his right hand, his fingertips already on the trigger.

With his left hand, he took out the gun he had taken from Zhang Asi and pointed it at Huang Yongxiao's head!

Then, Jiang Jin pulled the trigger of the rusty crossbow!
"Whoosh!"

An arrow made from the finger bone of the deceased pierced the air and precisely embedded itself in the chest of the woman in blue!

The woman in blue froze, standing rooted to the spot!

"Death knell!" Jiang Jin roared.

The hunting dogs, which had been lying in wait beside the woman in blue, pounced like lightning, bit the jade bracelet on her wrist, and ripped it off!

Then, the actress who played Sun Yujiao was so frightened that she ran away!

The faded costume of the woman in blue was suddenly stained blood red!
Those blue embroidered cloth shoes have also been turned into red embroidered shoes!
Upon seeing this, the villagers present screamed in unison!
A deadly ghost has appeared in the world!

Jiang Jin put away the rusty crossbow, grabbed Director Huang by the collar, and pressed the muzzle of the gun against his temple: "Come with me!"

The two rushed toward the ancestral hall, the screams of the red-clad female ghost behind them almost tearing the night sky apart.

The finger bone arrow of the deceased has failed!

But it was expected!

"Jiang Jin! You've gone mad!" Director Huang roared. "What are you doing?"

"Shut up!" Jiang Jin dragged him to the front of the ancestral hall and shouted, "Tell them to open the door! If they don't, they die!"

But when Jiang Jin looked back, it seemed too late!

The woman in red moved with astonishing speed; wherever she passed, the stone pavement crumbled, and black water gushed out from the cracks!

The time the dead man's finger bone arrow bought him was shorter than expected!
Jiang Jin quickly pulled a golden box from his watch and then smashed it on the ground!

The lock above is open!
"Come out!" Jiang Jin shouted.

Then, a hand covered in lividity reached out!

The moment the hand reached out from the golden chest, the woman in red's speed froze!
Soon, a person shakily crawled out of the box!

It was an old man wearing a long black robe, his face covered with lividity!

The old man's eyes were incredibly cloudy, grayish-white, and filled with an aura of death.

The moment the old man appeared, almost everyone's red lanterns went out instantly! The surroundings plunged into complete darkness!
Jiang Jin shouted, "Now...knock on the door!!!"

After Jiang Jin gave the order, the old man turned around, faced the ancestral hall door, raised his hand, and knocked on it!
"Boom, boom, boom."

A dull, eerie knocking sound rang out at a fixed frequency, as regular as a telephone or alarm clock ringing!
　The second round of recommendations begins today, hence the third update! We'll be moving on to Volume Two today!

　　In the second volume, the male protagonist will officially enter the mysterious revival dimension!
　　This is the first update!
　　

(End of this chapter)