60: Chapter 60 I am an actor

Qiu Chuanxing had just dragged the half-strand of soul that had drifted out back into his Physical Body when he heard Niu Fei's words, and his hair instantly stood on end.

He lunged forward: "Niu Fei! Are you fucking crazy! Stop messing around!"

Jiang Jiye's fingertips clenched until her knuckles cracked, and cold sweat instantly soaked through the inner garment clinging to her back.

Ling Muxue crossed her arms and leaned to the side, a playful curve appearing at the corner of her mouth as she raised an eyebrow slightly.

She showed no trace of panic; instead, she was in the mood to watch the show, wanting to see what kind of trouble this foolish, simple-minded big guy could stir up on this ghostly stage.

Wu Xi's gaze landed on the stage, where the Yin Qi surrounding the three ghosts was churning like boiling oil, the malice in their eyes almost dripping out.

Earlier, when dealing with Qiu Chuanxing, the three ghosts had been like a cat playing with a mouse, but this time, Niu Fei had stubbornly stood his ground, which was equivalent to slapping their faces in public; the three ghosts had been thoroughly provoked into a murderous intent.

As soon as the gongs and drums sounded and the play began, they would definitely not hold back; they would go for the kill right from the start.

Niu Fei stared fixedly at the three ghosts on the stage, his voice as loud as thunder: "What? Are you scared? Didn't you want to drag people into singing for you so badly? I'll sing with you!"

Troublemaker Ghost's turbid, ghostly eyes scanned Niu Fei up and down for a long time, then suddenly let out a sharp, ear-piercing laugh.

"Good! What a foolish fellow! You've got guts!" He cackled, bending down to pick up the gong mallet from the ground.

Clang—!

It was a dull thud, not a crisp sound of a gong, but a heavy bass note that felt like it was hammering against the heart, making everyone present feel their hearts contract violently, their eardrums buzzing, and even the soil beneath their feet trembled.

"Since you are in such a hurry to die and want to sing! Then the three of us brothers will keep you company and perform a play!"

Niu Fei didn't even think about it; he puffed out his chest and roared, shaking the stage: "Fine! Let's sing! Whoever is afraid is a coward!"

The moment his voice fell, a layer of murky Yin Qi simultaneously rose from the bodies of Troublemaker Ghost, Scavenger Ghost, and Shabby Ghost.

In the blink of an eye, the tattered clothes on the three had changed; Troublemaker Ghost was now in a green robe and golden armor, his face painted red, a long beard hanging over his chest, dressed as Guan Gong, Guan Yunchang, from the story of "Riding Alone for a Thousand Miles," but the evil aura in his eyes could not be hidden.

Scavenger Ghost wore a short outfit, dressed as a groom, with a horse whip woven from grave grass in his hand, which stirred up a cold, ghostly wind with every flick.

Shabby Ghost wore the armor of an officer, his face painted white, dressed as the gatekeeper general, his entire body wrapped in Yin Qi that carried a bone-chilling cold.

The gongs and drums sounded again, and Troublemaker Ghost began to sing. As soon as he opened his mouth, the surrounding ghostly wind swirled with debris, and everyone present felt a numbness in their hearts.

According to the script, it was Niu Fei's turn to respond.

Niu Fei had just been stubborn and headstrong, but now that he was actually standing on the stage, stared at by three pairs of ghostly eyes and wrapped in the Yin Qi filling the venue, he was instantly bewildered.

He hadn't listened to many plays in his life and didn't even know where the pitch was. He opened his mouth for a long time, but couldn't squeeze out a single word, his face turning beet red.

The villagers below, whose souls had been entranced, suddenly let out a synchronized burst of mocking laughter.

That laughter was stiff, devoid of any human warmth, like something produced by marionettes, making one's hair stand on end.

Qiu Chuanxing was stomping his feet in anxiety below, the cold sweat on his palms soaking through the hem of his clothes, muttering to himself: "It's over, it's over, this foolish guy is really dead for sure this time!"

Ling Muxue also put away her playful smile, her brows slightly furrowed. She could clearly feel that as the play began, that invisible Soul-Snatching Yin Qi had wrapped around Niu Fei's neck.

Just at the moment when everyone's hearts were in their throats, Niu Fei, having held his breath for a long time, suddenly took a deep breath and roared at the top of his lungs.

It wasn't a theatrical style, and it was completely off-key; it was just his usual loud voice used for calling out on the mountains while hunting. He forcefully roared out the lines from "Riding Alone for a Thousand Miles." It was so out of tune it was miles away, sounding like a pig being slaughtered, but the volume was genuinely loud, making the wooden planks of the stage hum.

"Slaying Hua Xiong while the wine is still warm—!"

With that one shout, the whole place instantly fell into dead silence.

Troublemaker Ghost's hand holding the gong mallet froze in mid-air, and the red paint on his face was turning almost green; clearly, in all his years of existence, he had never seen anyone sing like this.

Ling Muxue, down below, couldn't hold it in and burst into laughter. The atmosphere, which had been tense to the extreme, was shattered by that single shout.

Qiu Chuanxing and Jiang Jiye looked at each other, standing there, not knowing whether to cry or laugh.

Troublemaker Ghost reacted, shaking with anger, and shrieked: "You call this singing?!"

Niu Fei stuck out his neck, looking completely righteous, his voice even louder than the ghost's: "This is how I sing! What? You got a problem? Why do you care how I sing, as long as I can continue the lines, isn't that enough? Does the rule say I must sing according to your tune?"

Troublemaker Ghost was so dumbfounded by his retort that he couldn't say a word for a long time. The Yin Qi around him churned, but he didn't dare to attack directly. The rules of this ghost play dictated that once the gong started, it couldn't stop. As long as the other party continued the lines, even if it sounded like a dog barking, the play had to go on. If he attacked now, he would break his own rules, and the play would be completely ruined.

Gritting his teeth, he struck the gong hard with the mallet, forcing the play to continue.

The subsequent scenes turned into a complete farce.

During the "Passing Five Passes and Slaying Six Generals" segment, Niu Fei relied entirely on roaring; not a single line was in tune. Every time Troublemaker Ghost sang a line, he would bellow back, making the three ghosts' ears buzz.

His actions were even more absurd. When playing Guan Gong, he was supposed to stroke his beard, but he reached up and ripped the fake beard off, throwing it on the ground and stomping on it twice.

When wielding the Azure Dragon Crescent Blade, he swung the wooden sword around and almost tripped over himself, falling face-first onto the ground.

When singing "Searching for Brother for a Thousand Miles," he somehow managed to walk with the same side arm and leg moving together, like a toddler just learning to walk.

The villagers below would sometimes let out strange, wheezing laughs, and other times stand stiffly, their eyes hollow.

The faces of the three ghosts on the stage grew darker and darker, the Yin Qi on their bodies became heavier, and the force of the Soul-Snatching, as the play progressed, became stronger and more vicious.

Niu Fei had been holding on at first, sticking his neck out to roar back at the three ghosts, but slowly, he began to feel that something was wrong.

The sound of gongs and drums in his ears grew more and more distant, as if separated by a thick layer of water.

The stage before his eyes began to sway, and the wooden planks under his feet felt like he was stepping on cotton; it felt extremely unreal.

The strength in his whole body was being sucked away bit by bit, as if by a bottomless pit. His throat was so dry it felt like it was on fire, as if stuffed with a handful of scorching sand. When he opened his mouth to roar again, his voice was airy, and he couldn't even hear himself clearly.

He didn't know that his Three Ethereal Souls and Seven Corporeal Spirits were already drifting out, bit by bit, from the crown of his head with every beat of the gongs and drums. A small part of his transparent soul body had already emerged, being gripped tightly by the three ghosts' Yin Qi like iron pincers, pulling it out little by little; with every line he sang, it was pulled out a bit further.

"Niu Fei! Stop singing! Stop now! Your soul is about to come out!" Qiu Chuanxing could see clearly from below the stage that a semi-transparent figure, with a face identical to Niu Fei's, was already drifting out from the top of his head, being pulled out bit by bit by the Yin Qi. He was so anxious his eyes turned red, and he shouted out in despair.

But Niu Fei couldn't hear him anymore.

In his ears, there was only the theatrical singing of the three ghosts. That singing was like a curse, drilling into his brain, controlling his mouth, making him unable to do anything but continue singing along, completely unable to stop.

The play finally reached its climax—Slaying Cai Yang.

This was the most dangerous and intense segment in "Riding Alone for a Thousand Miles," and also the death trap that the three ghosts had long since set up.

Troublemaker Ghost changed his costume, wearing armor and playing the role of Cai Yang, the wooden sword in his hand wrapped in thick, impenetrable black Qi. Shabby Ghost and Scavenger Ghost simultaneously swung the gongs and drums. The sound of the gongs and drums was no longer a theatrical melody, but had turned into a death knell, each beat more urgent and fierce than the last, like sharp knives stabbing directly into a person's soul.

"Three beats of the drum to slay Cai Yang—!"

As soon as Troublemaker Ghost finished singing, the Yin Qi around his body instantly exploded. With an earth-shattering malice, the wooden sword in his hand, carrying a pitch-black ghostly wind, slashed down fiercely toward the top of Niu Fei's head!

This strike was not a feint for the play; it was a real, life-taking lethal blow!

The three ghosts had been tormented by Niu Fei for a long time and had long been brimming with murderous intent. This strike condensed all their Yin Qi. If it connected, Niu Fei's soul, which was drifting outside, would be smashed to pieces, and his Physical Body would instantly become an empty shell without a soul, dying on the spot!

Qiu Chuanxing rushed forward like a madman, roaring Niu Fei's name, but his steps were blocked by the Yin Qi, and he was a step too slow!

The smile on Ling Muxue's face completely vanished, and the aura around her body instantly exploded as she prepared to forcibly break the situation. But she knew clearly in her heart that it was too late! This strike had already locked onto Niu Fei's soul. Even if she rushed up now, she would only break the rules of the ghost play and be included by the three ghosts, and everyone would fall here!

Niu Fei himself finally came to his senses at this moment.

He watched that wooden sword wrapped in black Qi growing larger and larger before his eyes, his hair instantly standing on end, and all the blood in his body freezing.

He wanted to dodge, but his body felt as if it were nailed to the stage, unable to move at all!

He wanted to shout, but his throat felt as if it were stuffed with cotton, unable to make a sound!

He could only watch helplessly as the sword slashed down, his mind blank, with only one thought left—it's over, I'm going to die here today.

His soul body had already been pulled more than halfway out of his crown by that force, his transparent body beginning to fade and thin out. A moment later, it would be completely pulled out, smashed to pieces, and suffer Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering.

Just at this critical moment, when even breathing had completely ceased.

"Stay your hand!!!"

It interrupted the three ghosts' actions, forcefully slicing through the Yin wind and ghostly wails filling the venue, piercing through the deafening sound of gongs and drums, and clearly drilling into the ears of everyone present.

Niu Fei's soul, which was more than half drifting outside his crown, was suddenly yanked back by what felt like an invisible hand, instantly slamming back into his body.

His originally transparent and fading body instantly regained its color. He shook his head violently, and the black wind and the wooden sword slashing down before his eyes all vanished in an instant.

It was Wu Xi, who had strode onto the stage, shouting: "I am General of the Household Zhang Wenyuan! This is the travel permit given by the Prime Minister to General Guan! You are not allowed to obstruct us!!!"