Chapter 127: The Red Infant Theater Troupe (End)

Chapter 127: The Red Infant Theater Troupe (End)

"Ah, we do need to assign roles." Xie Fangcheng flipped through the script quickly and pointed to a character, "How about I play this role?"

Yu Cong hurriedly leaned in to look.

It was a scene from the later part of the script, where Zhang Biegu takes the brutally murdered Liu Shichang to Bao Zheng to seek justice.

Naturally, the role Xie Fangcheng was pointing at wasn't Bao Zheng... it was Minor Official B.

Minor Official B didn't have a single line of his own, only appearing in a group line with "Second Minor Official", with almost his only line being "Yes."

Yu Cong hadn't expected that the big shot wasn't vying for a role with more lines, but rather seriously embracing a lesser role.

As everyone knows, the final rewards of a dungeon are directly linked to the performance within the dungeon. In this particular dungeon, it was obvious that a main character with many lines, like Liu Shichang, would offer a player more contribution points, and thus more generous rewards, compared to a role like Minor Official B.

Before, players were quite resistant to taking on this role, primarily because of the high level of danger associated with this dungeon. A role like Liu Shichang was evidently the most dangerous.

But now... danger? The NPCs who were forced to come and watch the play from below the stage had more right to talk about danger!

"Are you sure, big shot?" Yu Cong couldn't help but inquire.

"Yes, I am sure."

There were over ten roles in this script. Choosing to play Minor Official B was already the biggest concession Xie Fangcheng could make; he didn't even opt for the roles like the Four Green Robes, who stood as background figures on the stage without a single line.

After considering the situation from a different perspective, Manager Jie realized that their group only consisted of seven people. It seemed they might need to enlist some external help; it wouldn't be reasonable not to leave the roles without lines for others, would it?

The big boss's unique consideration was something Yu Cong could not comprehend. However, the fact that Jie Fangcheng wasn't competing for lines turned out to be a pleasant surprise for everyone.

The assignment of the remaining roles was accomplished swiftly. Whoever wanted the uncontested roles could take them, and for disputed roles, they drew lots, resolving the allocation issue in a matter of minutes.

The audience, who had been reluctantly brought to watch the performance, finally anticipated the beginning of the play now that the roles were distributed. Each of the corpses under the morning sun appeared so devout, fervently hoping they could return after hearing the play once.

But they soon realized that their expectations had been set too early.

Not to mention the other players who had hardly ever heard the play a few times, even Jie Fangcheng, who frequently attended such performances, had only been an audience member and never performed himself.

Clearly, enjoying listening to something is different from being capable of performing it.

The spectators were swiftly astounded.

Was this supposed to be a play?

Seven individuals stood on the stage dressed in red inner robes, some with hair unkempt, managing to give the traditional attire the semblance of pajamas, mechanically reciting their lines.

These people were not even attempting to embody their roles, they simply huddled together, some even turning their backs to the audience, with the sole script being passed around amongst them.

Some even had to ask midway: "How do you read this character?"

Quite politely, they would say "Thank you" after receiving an answer.

Could this farce even be called a play???

If it weren't for the sword in Jie Fangcheng's hand planted on the stage, the audience would have surely stormed the stage to give them a piece of their mind.

After stumbling through one round of performance, everyone waited but didn't receive the system's "You have cleared" notification.

"It seems this approach won't work," the players started to brainstorm, some suggesting that maybe they lacked proper costumes which made the system not recognize their performance, while others speculated it could be due to their flawed line delivery and numerous mispronunciations.

And then there was Jie Fangcheng, who paused to contemplate before looking at the audience below.

"Could it be that these spectators are the issue?" Jie Fangcheng muttered, squatting at the edge of the stage to communicate with the audience, "What do you think of our performance?"

He really had the audacity to ask!!

The corpses were livid but dared not voice their anger, firmly keeping their mouths shut, fearing a wrong answer might get them cleaved in half.

It wasn't that they didn't want to flee, but fleeing seemed not an option. Their coffins were right there, and fleeing corpses wouldn't get far without their coffins. The man before them was clearly not to be trifled with; if they ran, their graves might be desecrated next.

Their silence only irked Jie Fangcheng even more.

"What's the matter with you all? Can't you even show a little support?"

Supporting the performance was one thing, but who would willingly applaud this disaster?

Seeing the group of corpses' lack of cooperation, Jie Fangcheng didn't hesitate to strike his sword against the side of the stage, the dazzling golden color in the morning sun appeared so cold, so sharp.

The corpses erupted into rounds of applause and cheers.

"Bravo!"

Despite the lively scene, the players still didn't receive any system notifications.

"What should we do now?" someone asked.

"Shall we give it another try? This time, let's all focus and avoid stuttering or making spelling mistakes while reading the lines," a player suggested.

"Agreed."

Jie Fangcheng introduced new requirements for the audience.

"How do you usually applaud a performance? Clapping and cheering during the play, right? Please remember to do the same during our performance. But don't just applaud and cheer aimlessly, find the right moment to do so. Given that you are regular theatre-goers, I trust you'd know the perfect timing, right?"

The players exchanged worried glances, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.

The boss truly lived up to his reputation. Everyone had only seen NPCs making demands of players before. When had they ever seen a player continuously making demands of NPCs??

This is actually working!

The audience below the stage was on the verge of tears, but none dared to voice any objections, looking at Jie Fangcheng's sword. Instead, they utilized their experience to desperately find moments to applaud and cheer amidst the awkward recitation, displaying far better acting skills than those on stage.

Yet another round went by, and still, there was no notification from the system.

"I thought we performed quite well during the last round! Why isn't it working?"

"I stumbled over a part while reading just now. Could that be the reason?"

"Should we try once more? Let's familiarize ourselves with the script by going through it a couple of times."

Surprisingly, this ordeal repeated itself five times. Everyone managed not to make a mistake in the last round, but they still didn't receive any notification from the system.

It seemed that there were other conditions that needed to be met...

"It must be the costumes, right? Our current outfits are too plain. We should apply makeup and wear funeral garments like the NPCs we saw yesterday, shouldn't we?"

"I think so. Otherwise, our appearance now is really too informal; it doesn't resemble a proper performance."

"But until now, we still don't know how to obtain the funeral garments and the makeup solution..."

Everyone simultaneously turned their gaze towards Jie Fangcheng.

Catching on quickly, Jie Fangcheng squatted down to inquire with the audience below the stage once again.

"How can we acquire the costumes and makeup supplies?"

Even though they had braced themselves, at this moment, the players behind Jie Fangcheng still felt a sense of absurdity.

How can someone employ such outrageous methods to clear a game level! Instead of currying favor with friendly NPCs for clues, they went straight to the hostile NPCs!

"Ah... you need to collect joss papers, and use your own blood to adhere them together to form garments, even the makeup requires your own blood..."

Look! The hostile NPC actually responded!

Jie Fangcheng was extremely dissatisfied with this answer: "What? We have to shed blood??"

The corpse answering questions below the stage seemed on the verge of tears: "We didn't make these rules!"

"Who did, then? Who established these utterly unreasonable conditions?" Jie Fangcheng had already lifted his sword.

The corpses shook their heads fervently, resembling tambourines.

"We don't know, we truly don't know!"

They were just regular NPCs in the game level; clearly, they had no influence over such core settings.

Shedding blood might not be a big deal for regular players, but the boss was evidently quite displeased by this, leaving everyone with no choice but to consider other influential factors.

"Ah... are there specific requirements regarding our movements and vocal tones? Should we practice them first?" someone suggested.

This suggestion seemed reliable, and everyone nodded in agreement.

But a new problem emerged—

"Er... does any of us know how to perform in a traditional opera?"

Having tasted the sweetness of manipulating hostile NPCs, at this moment, everyone couldn't help but stealthily glance at Jie Fangcheng.

.

Inside the chief's room.

After expelling a few individuals who recklessly wanted to move up the performance of "The Tale of the Black Basin" to today, the deputy chief still felt quite angered.

"Where do they think this is? This is Shoufang Village! The audience here are extremely harsh critics, even veteran performers who have trained for decades fear making a mistake. But these people... they are utterly ignorant of their own limitations!"

The deputy chief vented for a while but ultimately he was somewhat worried about these youngsters.

They seemed to lack even the most basic skills. Wasn't scheduling the performance of "The Tale of the Black Basin" a bit too rushed for them?

If given a choice, the deputy chief would prefer to postpone "The Tale of the Black Basin" to allow these people ample preparation time, but the performance date was set by the chief...

Thinking of the chief, the deputy chief couldn't help but shudder.

He suppressed his sympathy, stepped out of the room, and began earnestly instructing the individuals practicing in the yard.

Everyone knew well how terrifying Shoufang Village was, hence they were all training very diligently at this moment. Seeing this, the deputy chief felt considerably relieved.

See, these are proper performers!

After he finished giving guidance all around, it was already midday.

Only then did the deputy chief remember.

"Where are the people performing 'The Tale of the Black Basin'?" the deputy chief asked.

It wasn't a secret that Jie Fangcheng and his group had gone out. At this moment, someone mentioned it, causing the deputy chief to pause, faintly hearing some noises coming from outside.

Consequently, he hastily rushed out of the theater's entrance, only to halt in bewilderment.

On the stage, two corpses that would normally induce screams and flight at the sight were now resembling external veteran instructors, guiding the players on their movements and vocal tones.

This was very difficult.

For the players, learning how to use props or how to fight could be explained step by step, but cultivating opera skills from scratch was a monumental task, and the two corpses seemed many times on the verge of losing their patience completely.

The deputy chief looked lost, utterly unable to comprehend what was happening.

Since when were the audiences in Shoufang Village so benign and kind-hearted? Offering guidance on the performance, even?

Interestingly, it was Jie Fangcheng, who had been idly holding his sword the entire time, who first noticed the deputy chief, even politely nodding at him.

The deputy chief, with an almost surreal expression, nodded back.

Afterwards, Jie Fangcheng seemed to remember something; his eyes brightening, he spoke a few words to the players still rehearsing nearby, and then directly jumped down from the stage.

With his leap, the audience below reacted as if they were ducks hit by stones, scattering hurriedly and leaving a large empty space.

Jie Fangcheng appeared completely unaware, walking up to the deputy chief: "Deputy chief, I just happen to have a question for you."

The deputy chief stared blankly at him before finally nodding: "I also have something to ask you..."

"Do our troupe have regular opera costumes?"

Jie Fangcheng asked.

The deputy chief paused for a moment, then nodded: "Yes."

"Could we borrow them?"

The deputy chief frowned: "You want to wear regular opera costumes during the 'The Tale of the Black Basin' performance? Let me remind you, the audience in Shoufang Village doesn't appreciate..."

His words abruptly halted.

On stage, the two "instructors" had reached a point in the teaching that warranted applause and cheers, and the conditioned audience below, having been subjected to numerous cycles, began to applaud reflexively.

Moreover, the audience had grown considerably in number since earlier.

Unable to help it, Jie Fangcheng was seeking a few individuals who could perform in an opera. Unfortunately, the first batch of NPCs he found were incapable, so Manager Jie had no choice but to initiate another wave of recruitment.

At this moment, the twenty or so “individuals” in the audience were all behaving obediently, applauding when told to applaud and cheering when told to cheer, evidently terrified of losing their lives.

This scene once again astounded the deputy troupe leader.

Over there, Jie Fangcheng spoke with a calm demeanor: “No worries, they will appreciate the regular opera costumes.”

They wouldn't dare to dislike them.

The deputy troupe leader, an old man, stared at him blankly.

Jie Fangcheng wanted to confirm once more: “So we can borrow them, right? If so, could we borrow them now?”

Lunchtime was approaching quickly, and it would be excellent if they could complete the rehearsal wearing the appropriate attire and makeup.

The deputy troupe leader met his gaze and, after a while, nodded: “You can borrow them, but I have a condition.”

“What condition?”

“Could I possibly ask you... to kill the troupe leader?”

“Kill the troupe leader?”

The deputy troupe leader nodded affirmatively: “Yes! If it weren't for her, we wouldn't be performing in Shoufang Village so frequently. Just because the village pays well, she doesn't regard our lives as valuable. No one wants to obey her, but we have no choice; she holds everyone's contracts.”

“Can't you guys kill her yourselves?” Jie Fangcheng asked curiously.

The deputy troupe leader gave a wry smile: “We've considered fighting her, but she is a monster! A real monster!”

Even mentioning this never-before-seen troupe leader caused the deputy troupe leader to tremble.

“You will understand once you meet her tomorrow night... she isn't like a human being, just wearing a human skin. And to be honest, the troupe leader is more formidable than anyone in Shoufang Village, we truly lack the confidence to break away from her. If you can do this, not to mention costumes, you can have anything you want!” he exclaimed, finally raising his eyes to meet Jie Fangcheng's gaze.

Jie Fangcheng waved a hand dismissively: “I don't need anything else.”

A glimmer of tears seemed to flash in the elderly man's murky eyes: “So, you agree?”

“We agree, we'll be there tomorrow night.”

“But don't you need to consult the others?”

“Ah?” Jie Fangcheng laughed, “No need, I alone am sufficient.”

.

Due to this one condition, the option to clear the instance before noon had to be postponed.

According to the deputy troupe leader, the troupe leader would return only tomorrow night, and the performance of "The Tale of the Black Basin" was scheduled for the night after next.

They would have to endure a bit longer.

The other players were quickly shaping up under the guidance of the two specially hired instructors. As for Jie Fangcheng, he was exempt from this training; he only needed to take his place there.

They practiced continuously throughout the day.

Initially, the NPCs who were slated to perform in the evening remained in a state of terror. However, in the afternoon, upon hearing about the happenings on the stage, numerous NPCs peeked out surreptitiously to find, just as the rumors indicated, that the previously ferocious audience members, who seemed ready to kill at the slightest provocation, were now model spectators. Regardless of whether the performance on stage was truly a “performance”, the audience was extremely supportive.

Had these spectators been possessed? Or perhaps their souls purified?

Regardless of the reason, now that the audience showed no signs of aggression, the NPCs responsible for the evening performance were no longer afraid.

This time, the performance was well-received, with Jie Fangcheng, who was blended into the audience, leading the applause.

“Excellent!”

The spectators below the stage naturally didn't dare to voice any objections, joining in the applause, creating an atmosphere akin to a regular theater.

The only difference was that after the show, each member of the audience fled rapidly, some even letting out screams of having narrowly escaped danger, as if something was chasing them from behind.

This too was part of the rehearsal.

The troupe leader would return tomorrow evening, and Jie Fangcheng planned to directly eliminate her, followed by everyone commencing the performance.

Since it was unclear whether the number of spectators would influence the success of clearing the instance, it was decided to call over each audience member to acquaint them with the rhythm of the boss, to prevent any dragging of feet the next day.

Everything was ready; all eyes were on tomorrow night.

Yu Cong and the other players never imagined that one day they would anticipate the arrival of the big BOSS just to take it down — a notion so preposterous that every player out of ten would find it ludicrous.

Yet, such an absurd event was indeed about to occur.

During the day, everyone continued rehearsing, with Yu Cong seizing the opportunity during meal times to gather information about this instance, attempting to formulate a guide that could assist ordinary players in clearing it.

Creating the guide wasn't for the purpose of sharing it freely; ever since the advent of national instances last year, free guides gradually became a thing of the past, and everyone reverted to a life of buying and selling guides.

Such guides were potentially lucrative, prompting Yu Cong to gather information diligently. However, upon examining the clues, he couldn't discern a clear path to clearing the instance.

Helpless, they had embarked on a completely different path to clearing the instance compared to the regular players. Even if they continued to gather clues, it would be futile, as their experience in clearing this instance was not applicable to ordinary players.

It seemed that securing a guide for this instance was unlikely.

Yu Cong sighed to this effect during dinner. Upon hearing this, Jie Fangcheng couldn't help but ponder that if Zhang Dao'an were in this instance, with his keen insights, he probably would have figured out how to clear it on the first day, and would have already initiated a revolution.

In the future, efforts should be made to team up with that young man to clear instances!

Jie Fangcheng felt that his performance in this instance had far exceeded the KPI, a stark contradiction to his personal philosophy as an old corporate worker keen on slacking off.

As everyone was immersed in their respective thoughts, at last, the notorious troupe leader returned from the city.

The deputy troupe leader's description of the troupe leader as a monster in human skin seemed to be a bit exaggerated.

Jie Fangcheng watched as the troupe leader pushed open the doors of the theater... The human skin she was wearing didn't seem right at all.

At the entrance, a colossal woman, dressed in a vibrant red gossamer gown and possessing an incredibly beautiful face, stepped in, her stature almost reaching two meters.

As she moved, her gown fluttering vivaciously, the players couldn't help but exchange glances with each other.

Clearly, there were four legs underneath the gown.

The leader, with her four legs, approached them, her eyes fleeting over Xie Fangcheng with a trace of jealousy evident in her gaze.

Such a beautiful face... it seems perfect for a collection, doesn't it?

The leader’s gaze lingered on Xie Fangcheng, scrutinizing every detail of his visage as if wishing to peel it off right at that moment, yet her lips bore a false smile: "You must be the newcomers, right? Don't be nervous. Tomorrow will be your first performance on stage, and I will be watching you from the audience."

—Observing how miserably you will die.

The leader added happily in her mind.

At that moment, the very face she had been fixating on turned to look at her: "Oh, is that so?"

The leader gazed at him greedily.

This face, how wonderfully it would suit being on her own body!

The air seemed to be filled with a delightful floral scent, intoxicating everyone present.

The leader seemed to envisage herself already acting on her desire, placing this face upon her own... No, wait!

In just a fraction of a second, the leader snapped back to reality, but a sword had already swooped down towards her.

A scream of agony echoed throughout the entire theater.

Xie Fangcheng showed no mercy, the leader resembled a figure being hammered straight into the ground by a pile driver, her eyes filled with terror as she stared at him, unable to resist asking before her demise: "It's impossible for anyone to surpass me! Who are you?!"

Xie Fangcheng merely scoffed: "You will find out the answer to that question once you reach the underworld."

With that, he delivered a second strike with his sword.

And just like that, the leader met her end.

Her death seemed too effortless, prompting Yu Cong to confirm again: "Did we really just kill the boss of a level-one dungeon?"

Zhang E reminded him from the side: "Brother, you're overstating it with 'we', aren't you? It wasn't 'us'!"

When all is said and done, it was a solo kill by Xie Fangcheng.

Indeed.

The floral scent was actually Yu Cong's personal skill, capable of briefly confusing NPCs.

But this skill is indeed very temporary, used in the past to confuse pursuers while escaping. This was the first time that right after the confusion, the boss was immediately slain.

Is this what it means to be a big shot?

Yu Cong looked at Xie Fangcheng with fervent eyes, his emotions tumultuous, "Boss! What's our next move?"

Xie Fangcheng glanced at him speechlessly, "To perform on stage, of course."

At moments like this, Xie Fangcheng couldn't help but miss Zhang Daoan dearly.

"Oh, oh!"

However, considering that they were about to test if they could clear the dungeon, Xie Fangcheng was in high spirits.

He waved his hand, "Let's move!"