noffsinger Chapter 157: The gong and drum sounded, and they were also in the play
Chapter 157: The gong and drum sounded, and they were also in the play
Ye Yingzhou spoke to reassure everyone: "Don't worry, these ghosts are born out of obsession. If you follow their rules, you can survive. If you pass, the position of the formation guarded by the ghost master will become invalid, and you can use this to break the formation."
Lu Wensheng and Yan Qingshu looked at each other: This smell is so familiar! Strange rules?
"Welcome to the audience~"
Just as they approached the red gate, a hoarse voice suddenly rang out, startling everyone. They saw that it was a paper welcoming figure. No one knew when it had been placed here. It looked thin and weightless.
Its face was a little blurry, with two bright red cheeks painted on its sides, its whites of its eyes dyed with ink and its eyes dotted, its arms were long and gathered together in a strange salute to them, and the gold foil clothes on its body were glowing with a faint light.
"The one performing today is our troupe's top star. However, we have our own rules here. Please keep quiet while watching the show. Please focus on the top star. Don't get too close to him to avoid disturbing the performance. The top star can talk freely during the break..."
[No noise can be made, the head card must be within sight, but you cannot get too close to the head card. You can talk when the head card stops.] The system translated honestly.
The rules of the paper figures were not difficult to understand, but since they were watching a play, shouldn't they be sitting? Why were they so close to the performers? Lu Wensheng had a bad feeling - hahaha, they were not going to interact with each other, were they?
The paper man continued to introduce like a guiding NPC: "When the public watches a play, men and women are forbidden to mix together, so men and women sit separately. Women sit under the two corridors. There will be a rattan whip tied to the beams of the corridors. Men are not allowed to enter the corridors..."
[You cannot mix with the opposite sex on the way! 】
Yan Qingshu patted Lu Wensheng on the shoulder: You're done for, brother. I can't help you anymore.
"Hehehe, the show is about to begin--" Before they could figure out what was going on, the paper mannequin suddenly let out a creepy laugh. The painted face became distorted and looked a little crazy. As gongs and drums sounded from somewhere, the mannequin spontaneously combusted with a bang.
Everyone subconsciously huddled together, and saw that the paper man had turned into ashes. The theater also became dimly lit, but it was still dim, but it was enough to see the general display.
Exquisite pendants are hung on the top of the stage, and the top and bottom are surrounded by a low carved fence on the east, west and north sides. If you look closely, you can see various exquisite bat patterns carved on it.
However, the audience seats are difficult to see, as if they are blurred, and the orientation of the stage is also problematic.
People in the theater industry call the stage facing south or east "Yangtai", the one facing north "Yintai", and the one facing west "Baihutai".
There is a saying: "If you want to make a fortune, the most taboo is the White Tiger Stage." Therefore, any "White Tiger Stage" with the stage facing west must be "broken" before performances can begin.
Otherwise, it is believed that there will be quarrels and fights within the troupe; mistakes will be made in the literary performances, and people will be injured in the martial arts performances; the show may even be unable to continue, and no one will invite the troupe to perform in the future.
The stage here faces northwest, which is cool. It is indeed a place from the underworld. It has everything. (I wrote this randomly, and the above is the information I checked)
Yan Qingshu and the others were separated because of the integration of the stage. They stood on the periphery, with the beams above their heads as dividing lines. There were vine whips wrapped around them, and the vine whips seemed to be alive, moving as they were wrapped around the beams.
Suddenly, a beam of light shone from the top of the stage, dim but still bright, and a graceful figure appeared out of thin air, with her back to the crowd, her jacket and skirt hanging softly. The actor swayed and took a few light steps, as if an immortal in colorful clothes was walking on auspicious clouds. She pointed forward with her slender jade finger in the shape of an orchid, then pointed back, stepping on the clouds, with the orchid finger, and turning her wrist, the flowers were dense, and the stage was already up.
In a trance, everyone seemed to see a five-foot stage, a golden horse and a jade hall, string music and short operas, the sound of a python-skin huqin, and heard the graceful singing voice.
It seems as if there is an actor applying rouge and white on his face, with charming cloud shoulders, kingfisher feathers on his head and face, gold-painted fan bottom, water sleeves folded over white wrists, eyes full of waves, phoenix eyes, with a seductive aura, and white hands combing his cloud-like hair; he is holding a cup of wine, drunk, and wearing a royal bridal robe, everyone in the room is dazzled.
However, as the actor's head with the phoenix crown on his head turned around, a chill ran up from head to toe, like a basin of ice water poured down, and the illusion that he had seen in a trance instantly disappeared.
There was no lively drama scene at all; all that could be seen were the dilapidated, dusty theater building, rotten wood, old people, and a dead air.
The face that should have been whitened by rouge was half burnt black, and the other half was gone, with blood vessels exposed. Some facial muscles could still be seen, and the round hands that were pinching the orchid fingers had turned to bones, with the soft tissue on top half falling off, about to fall off during the movements. The body that was holding up the costume but had become stiff made a "clicking" sound, like the sound of rusty gears turning again.
The tassels on the crown fell as it moved, and its intact eyeballs rolled around, staring at the person in front of it.
Lu Wensheng subconsciously wanted to run, but thinking of the rules, he could only force himself to look at the actor. He estimated the distance, slowly backed away a few steps, his body a little stiff.
The monks' memory and intuition about danger were very accurate. They pondered over and over again what the paper man said, and naturally they would not forget matters that concerned their lives.
Therefore, in the sudden change of the scene, even those who felt scared remained silent, stared at the actor, and honestly moved back.
As the sound of drums came from all directions - the game began.
"She always holds that red pen
See the so-called good relationship end in spring and autumn
Deep resentment in the boudoir
Later she painted skin, bones and people's hearts
Painting Yin and Yang
Painting this world of countless old people's sorrow
Ask everyone you meet if you want that beautiful skin and delicate bones..."
The singing style sounds dry at first, but becomes mellow and reserved when listened to again, with high, low, dull and bright tones forming a layered contrast. With a wave of her sleeves, she sings out all the sorrow and grief, every word of which is gentle and melodious.
Although the actor's movements are a bit jerky, one can still feel that he had great skills in his lifetime.
Everyone was circling around the actor, changing positions. If it wasn't a matter of life and death, everyone would be willing to be a guest in the opera house and support the top performer.
(The lyrics in it are not from the script, don't take it seriously, it's not very rigorous, after all, it's a bit difficult to find a script that matches it.)
(Potai: Generally, at night, an actor with martial arts skills plays the role of a spirit official, chasing a female ghost played by a female role on the stage and driving the "female ghost" away. A rooster is killed and its blood is sprinkled around the stage. Then firecrackers are set off and gongs and drums are beaten. This is called Potai.
Before the performance, it is forbidden to light the lamps in the front stage, and the oil lamps in the backstage must be blown out after the makeup is done. Outsiders are forbidden to peek and talk during the performance. The actors hold a cinnabar bag in their mouths, which is said to ward off evil spirits and avoid being possessed by ghosts.
(Separate seats for men and women: In the mountainous areas of southwestern Zhejiang, performing plays is a ritual of worshipping ghosts and gods. When the public watches plays, it is forbidden for men and women to mix together. Men and women sit separately in the audience. Women sit under the two corridors. A rattan whip is tied to the beams of the corridors. If a man breaks into the corridor or teases a woman, anyone can use the rattan whip to beat the offender.)