Tomb Raider: The man is in the Nine Gates, but the system insists it's the Primordial Era.

Following Daosheng's instructions, Shuihuang went to purchase all the necessary supplies for setting up the formation.

"I finally managed to get this black dog. Ever since Old Dog Wu became famous, the dog market has been hesitant to buy or sell meat dogs easily, and other dogs are so expensive."

Water Locust came in from outside, followed by his henchmen who were pulling a black old dog that had lost most of its fur.

Daosheng frowned subconsciously when he saw the old dog's aged and feeble appearance.

The black dog blood used in spellcasting is usually from young, strong dogs.

However, he wasn't a picky person; as long as he had it, that was fine.

"Woof woof woof!"

"Waaaaah~"

Shuihuang's subordinate brought over a bowl of hot black dog blood and placed it in front of Daosheng's table where he was performing his spell.

Dao Sheng lightly touched the black dog blood mixed with cinnabar in the bowl with his long fingernails covered in black grime, and began to walk the Seven Star Steps.

Make the Yin Mudra, with the little finger of the left hand hooking the ring finger, and the right hand doing the opposite.

Dao Sheng's lips moved slightly as he chanted a low, sinister incantation: "The sky is gloomy and the earth is turbid, demons and monsters follow, Lu Ban commands, five ghosts come to the door, lock the soul and trap the evil spirits, swiftly!"

The curse falls.

The Taoist priest threw seven-inch-long jujube wood stakes struck by lightning, each engraved with the five characters "魑魅魍魉" (chī mèi wǎng liáng), into the five directions of east, south, west, north, and center.

The wooden stake mysteriously sank three inches into the ground, and a layer of black frost inexplicably rose from the ground.

The five stakes are arranged in a plum blossom shape, with a faint black blood-like sheen on the wooden stakes, exuding a malevolent aura.

……

"The filming hasn't even started yet, what are you doing here?"

Su Mu, who was being pulled along with Huo Xian'er to the gate of the Hong Family Pear Garden, looked at Huo Xian'er with a wry smile.

"These past few days, the Peking Opera troupe has been busy with Zhong Kui catching ghosts, so naturally, they haven't been able to hold regular performances. But it's not like there aren't any shows to watch. Come with me."

Huo Xian'er's eyes darted around, and she continued to pull Su Mu toward the pear orchard.

When the members of the Hong family opera troupe who were guarding the gate saw that it was Huo Xian'er, they smiled and bowed, saying, "Miss Xian'er has come again. Today..."

"Never mind us, go about your business." Huo Xian'er pulled Su Mu forward without paying any attention to them.

As Su Mu approached the lobby on the first floor of the opera house, he heard intermittent humming and the sounds of gongs and drums coming from inside.

The noise inside was extremely low, seemingly intentional, to prevent people outside from hearing it.

"That's the sound of a erhu."

Huo Xian'er, being quite knowledgeable, explained the opera to Su Mu, who had never heard of it before, and then pulled Su Mu to hide behind a screen about ten meters in front of the stage.

The screen depicting mountains and rivers is very thin, and you can vaguely see that there are indeed people dancing on the high platform.

As soon as the erhu began to play, the person on stage started singing.

The intonation and rhythm of the opera lyrics made it impossible for Su Mu to understand what the other person was singing.

However, you can still hear that the voices of the people practicing on the high platform are clear and melodious, with a lingering and poignant tone in the low notes and a stirring and unforgettable tone in the high notes.

"Er Yuehong?" Su Mu looked down at Huo Xian'er, who was squatting in front of him.

The two figures were positioned one above the other.

Huo Xian'er squatted on the ground, while Su Mu hunched over, looking just like a thief.

"Mmm." Huo Xian'er nodded lightly, as if skimming the water.

After hearing the other party confirm that the person on the stage was indeed Er Yuehong, the second-ranked master of the Nine Gates, Su Mu began to carefully examine him through the screen.

Through the blurry screen, the other party was wielding swords with both hands on the high platform, the glint of the blades dazzling.

Her dress fluttered as she swayed, her right foot occasionally hooking up, and her two swords crossed in front of her chest.

After a brief pause, Er Yuehong once again wielded his twin swords with incredible skill, twirling them in dazzling display.

Su Mu doesn't understand opera.

However, it is also possible to see that Er Yuehong on the high platform has extremely profound skills in opera movements, and his martial arts skills should also be quite high.

On stage, Er Yuehong was dressed in extremely solemn attire, wearing a heavy floral crown, with layers of sleeves of different colors fluttering like rainbows as he danced with his sword.

Su Mu raised his eyes and fixed his gaze on the young man who walked to their side.

The newcomer clasped his hands in front of his chest, remained silent, leaned against a pillar, and sized up Su Mu and Huo Xian'er.

"Someone's here."

Su Mu patted Huo Xian'er on the shoulder.

"Who?"

"Oh, it's Chen Pi. It's alright, it would be strange if he didn't show up. By the way, he's Second Master's only apprentice, and his name is Chen Pi."

"Let me introduce you. This is my friend, Su Mu."

Huo Xian'er remained in a squatting position, introducing the identities of the people behind her in a low voice without turning her head.

Dried tangerine peel.

"Haven't you heard about the male concubines you, Huo Xian'er, keep?" Chen Pi scoffed, a smirk playing on his lips.

Su Mu smiled as well: "Even male concubines need to have this face. Unlike you, you look like a stray cat or dog on the street. You'd be lost in a crowd and nobody would notice you."

Chen Pi lowered his fists from his chest, his face instantly turning gloomy.

Su Mu continued laughing, "This isn't like you, Chen Pi. You're so quick to express your emotions. You're too naive."

Chen Pi looked at the boy, who was about the same age as him, and he felt a surge of anger rising in his heart.

His experiences are so rich that outsiders could never understand them.

"Or is it that Er Yuehong spoiled you too much? We both came from humble backgrounds, so don't act like a bully just because you've gained power. Who are you trying to intimidate?"

Su Mu shook his head, no longer intending to argue with the other party.

After meeting Zhang Qishan, Wu Laogou, Jie Jiu, Huo Jinxi, and others during this period, Su Mu realized that Chen Pi's previous performance was far too naive and immature.

"Why is the warning sign red?"

Is there something dirty nearby?

Su Mu felt the talisman in his pocket getting hot. He took it out and saw that it was a red light emanating from a warning talisman.

But to Chen Pi, who was completely unaware of what was going on, these words sounded exactly like Su Mu calling him a dirty thing.

Snapped!

Out of the corner of his eye, Su Mu glanced at the person behind him and grabbed their wrist as they fell, saying without even looking, "I don't have time to mess around with you. Looks like that guy is using witchcraft behind your back. He's really not afraid of death."

Su Mu doesn't have many evil techniques; he uses them to counter the opponent's Lu Ban Yin techniques.

However, he carried many talismans to suppress evil spirits and ward off evil, and after consuming the Nine-Turn Rejuvenation Pill, his body had already transformed into a spiritual body.

Ordinary spells could not get close to him.

"Relax!"

Chen Pi struggled a bit, but found that he couldn't break free from Su Mu's iron-like grip, and his face turned slightly pale.

"Second Master, the statue of Patriarch Huaguang just flashed."

An aged voice called a halt to Er Yuehong's performance, which was still taking place on stage.

Er Yuehong turned back to look towards the backstage area and found that the statue of Huaguang Patriarch was indeed emitting a faint red light. He then began to search for the source of the strange noise.

"Who's there? Is that Chen Pi?" Er Yuehong's voice was gentle and unhurried.

"We've been discovered! Second Master doesn't like others watching his rehearsals. Run! Chen Pi, don't tell Second Master we were here. Let's go!" Huo Xian'er exclaimed in surprise, stood up, and grabbed Su Mu, running away.

Su Mu smiled and nodded, releasing his grip on the dried tangerine peel.

Chen Pi remained silent, staring intently at the bruise on his right wrist, his expression complex.

He was no match for his opponent.

"Dried tangerine peel?"

"He is my master."

"..."