novelsite Chapter 1914 11913 How much joy was there?
Chapter 1914 11913 How much joy was there?
Chapter 1914 1.1913 How much joy was there?
"We've come here solely to slay the Black Sheep Demon and gather the Five Elements Inner Elixirs. Let's not create any unnecessary complications." Wu Chen concluded by reminding everyone, "As the saying goes, 'Things will work themselves out in the end.' The key to success lies in the interconnectedness of things; 'a single hair can affect the whole situation.' There's really no need to 'create unnecessary complications (trigger side quests)'."
"Yes, my lord." Right Protector Xiahou Ying immediately accepted the order.
The imperial carriage passed Changlefang directly and headed towards Piaoyanzhai on the street corner.
Fleeting glimpses of light and neon signs illuminate cyberpunk buildings. The blend of ancient Chinese style and cyberpunk fantasy creates a mesmerizing atmosphere.
"Heaven and earth are the inn of all things; time is the passing guest of a hundred generations." Princess's strategist Li Huixin recited the famous lines from Li Bai's "Preface to the Banquet with My Younger Cousins in the Peach Blossom Garden on a Spring Night": "And life is but a dream, how much joy can it hold?"
As the ancients said, "Drink today, for tomorrow we may die." Left Protector Sai Xiaojing is a woman of forthright character, a heroine who is no less capable than any man.
"What a fine example of getting drunk today!" Right Protector Xiahou Ying leaped off the carriage and walked towards Piaoyanzhai.
Since they called themselves "Zhai" (斋), they must be people practicing spiritual cultivation. The Zhuang mother and daughter came from a family of musicians. Zhuang Yiyun's family produced many famous musicians and performers; her mother also made a living this way before marriage. However, during the Song and Liao dynasties, the situation for performers was far worse than before, and there was a fear of repeating the mistakes of the Tang and Five Dynasties period, where "performers ruined the country." The Song Dynasty governed through the imperial examination system, with the emperor and scholar-officials jointly ruling the country. Ouyang Xiu's *New History of the Five Dynasties: Biographies of Performers*, a representative work of the time, served as a warning to the court and the public. Emperor Renzong of Song did not employ the commoner-turned-minister Liu Sanbian, ordering him to "go and write lyrics." This was to block the path for performers to advance and to appease the discontent of the scholar-officials. Thus, the Zhuang mother and daughter abandoned the bustling capital and traveled to the harsh frontier to serve in the household of General Han.
Otherwise, how could the swallows that once graced the halls of noble families now fly into the homes of ordinary people?
It should be noted that even so, the public's admiration for famous actors remained undiminished, comparable to that of later film and television stars.
For example, in Yan Shu's poem "Shangyuan": "Amidst the golden and emerald light, the flames are truly magnificent, and the drums resound from the mountain towers high and low. The courtesans of the two armies are as light as falcons, and the electric wires twirl atop the hundred-foot poles."
Closer to home.
Looking around, Piaoyanzhai was bustling with guests, their seats filled with distinguished patrons. They were clinking glasses and exchanging toasts, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.
With the help of the three sisters' "informants," Wu Chen glimpsed a famous character from "Wuxia World: Prison City Conquest" among the many ghosts in the cave.
For example, in *The Ghost Bride*, Wei Xiaodie (Cherie Chung) is bound by a ghost marriage; He Chunyi (Wang Xiaofeng) is a vengeful ex-girlfriend who commits suicide; Guo Jiajia (Rosamund Kwan) is a ghost as light as a feather and as beautiful as a fairy in *My Wife Is Not Human*; Xiao Rong (Chingmy Yau) is a female ghost in *The New Human Lantern* who dies tragically at the hands of a gangster boss and has her skin cut off and made into a human lantern, preventing her from ever being reincarnated; Luo Huixian (Yue Yun), the leading actress of the Fengming Yue Opera Troupe, repeatedly fights with her junior sister Xiao Furong out of jealousy, ultimately causing her own death; Ru Hua (Anita Mui) is a top prostitute in the Hong Kong Shek Tong Tsui Yi Hong Lou who waits for her lover in the underworld for 53 years in *Rouge*; Xu Banxiang (Maggie Cheung) is a washed-up female ghost singer who misses her chance to be reincarnated in *Happy Ghost 2*; and Xu Banxiang is a ghost in *A Ghost Lives Next Door* who is sealed in a photograph. The film features several female ghosts, including Xiaoqian (Zhang Min), Cheng Zhixin (Zhu Yin), who suffers the annihilation of her family due to possessing evidence of a criminal gang's murders in "The Corpse's Tale"; Ai Lin (Wen Bixia) and Wenwen (Wan Qiwen), who die unexpectedly while traveling in Thailand in "The Corpse's Tale"; Qiu Rong (Mai Jiaqi) and Xiao Xie (Yi Ren), who drown in "Ghost Girl"; Hong Xie (Zhong Zhen), who dies in a fire at the Xintiandi Karaoke a year earlier during the Ghost Festival in "The Haunted Karaoke"; Luo Yanqing (Ye Yuqing), a white-collar worker in a foreign trade company who is raped and murdered by her colleague in "The Beauty and the Beast"; Feng Guniang (Tong Ling), a beautiful woman from the frontier who is burned to death by a scoundrel after being pursued by him; and Yu Xuanji (Xia Wenxi), a talented woman who refuses to be a wife or concubine and enters a Taoist temple with her maid Lü Qiao (Lin Kailing) to become a female Taoist priest in "The Unrestrained Woman of the Tang Dynasty".
What a bunch of devils in the Western Hills!
Just ask, who else?
It captures all the female ghosts from the golden age of Hong Kong cinema.
"A riot of colors, a boundless display of beauty." Princess's strategist, Li Huixin, with her feather fan and silk turban, was elegant and graceful.
The three members of the Demon Hunter Sect made their appearance, drawing everyone's attention.
Especially since they each possessed their own special weapons, their arrogance only increased.
Madam Zhuang, the owner of Piaoyanzhai, hurriedly stepped forward and bowed to greet her: "I was unaware of your arrival, and I have failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me."
"Madam, please excuse the formalities. I have come uninvited and have disturbed you." Princess's strategist, Li Huixin, naturally possessed a dignified demeanor in her dealings with others.
"May I ask, esteemed guest, are you here to light a fire or to find lodging?" Madam Zhuang dared not be careless. "Having traveled this far in the night, we are starving. We would like to first have a hearty meal and some wine." Princess's strategist, Li Huixin, answered each question flawlessly.
"Please take your seats, all three of you." Madam Zhuang led the way.
The best seats are the upstairs private rooms. From this vantage point, one can enjoy a panoramic view.
"May I ask, Madam, why have all the female ghosts gathered here?" Princess's strategist, Li Huixin, asked with a smile after taking her seat.
"It is because a highly accomplished Taoist master is staying at our humble abode." Since the visitor was a guest, Madam Zhuang answered all his questions: "He can refine the true form of the female ghost."
"Is this true?" Princess's strategist, Li Huixin, hurriedly asked.
"I saw it with my own eyes, how could I lie?" Madam Zhuang told the truth: "(The female ghost) came as light as nothing, her soul was not at peace, and when she left, she walked with lotus flowers on her feet, as if she were in a carriage. Once she came out, she was separated by the Yin and Yang worlds."
"If the female ghost cultivates her true form, she could one day become a 'ghost immortal'." Princess's strategist, Li Huixin, was skeptical: "I wonder how this reclusive master can turn the rotten into the miraculous?"
"How could I possibly know about matters of the Daoist sect?" Whether she believed it or not, Madam Zhuang did not press the matter: "But there must be a reason behind every rumor. The restaurant is full of guests every day, all seeking to see the Daoist in person, which should give you a glimpse into the situation."
“What you say is absolutely right, Madam.” Princess’s strategist, Li Huixin, nodded gently.
Seeing the three sitting silently, and having set out a table of food and wine, Madam Zhuang smiled and took her leave, then closed the straight-lattice door to separate the inside from the outside.
"The old Taoist priest, the Black Sheep Demon, did indeed take the vengeful ghost Le Niang as his disciple and teach her the art of drumming. Moreover, Le Niang and the scholar spent their days together, their intimate moments no different from ordinary people," Princess's strategist, Li Huixin, recalled the details.
"Perhaps it is the Mahamudra." Right Protector Xiahou Ying had a flash of inspiration.
“Yes, aside from the rumors that the Great Seal can deliver the souls of the dead.” Left Protector Sai Xiaojing also realized: “Perhaps it has other supernatural powers, who knows.”
“The Buddha said: ‘To give is to receive; without giving, there is no receiving.’ Therefore, Xue Niang gave up her thousand years of cultivation, spat out her inner elixir, and transformed herself into a human.” Princess’s strategist, Li Huixin, seemed to understand something. “It is also said that this painted wall has its own universe, not connected to the outside world. Whether it is a blessing or a curse, a human or a demon, depends entirely on the old monk’s worn-out brush. This is what the lord meant by ‘vivid and colorful,’ ‘the meaning continues even when the brush breaks.’”
“‘The intention arrives but the brush does not, the brush stops but the intention continues.’ Princess’s strategist Li Huixin nodded gently: ‘This is the essence of Tang Dynasty brushwork.’”
"We must understand its meaning both inside and outside the painting." Right Protector Xiahou Ying also thought of this.
As they were talking, the guests downstairs began to stir.
Then a female Taoist appeared: "Those who wish to have a talk with the Taoist master tonight, please state your name."
"And who is this woman?" Princess strategist Li Huixin asked Wu Chen.
"Little Qing, the ghost maid." Wu Chen transmitted his voice from afar.
Xiaoqing (Jin Wenting), originally a maid in the Han Jinglue's household, was clever, quick-witted, and skilled in music. Later, she was harmed by Le Niang and forced into servitude as a ghost maid, obeying her every command. Together with Granny Wang, she attempted to steal the "Great Seal" from He Yunqing. However, for unknown reasons, she became a disciple of the Black Sheep Demon.