Chapter 61 Wu Nian, The Entertainer

“Princess of the Kindom of Shui... 9 years old... 16 as a living sacrifice... the Kingdom of Yun prosperous... Otherwise... the Kingdom of Yun would perish...” In the darkness, as the world-known prophecy was uttered by a low, magnetic male voice, candles were lit all around. The lanterns on the top illuminated the stage below. On the stage, corpses were lying all over. Dressed all in white, a sixteen-year-old girl walked in under the light. She looked pure and beautiful, wearing a simple pearl hairpin on her head. Looking at the dead bodies all around, she was beyond despair. Slowly, she approached a middle-aged couple who were holding each other. Without any music, on the unusually quiet stage, the girl began to sing. Soft but heart-breaking, her singing was beautifully painful, like a dagger stabbed into the audiences’ hearts. “Behind the gate is an aggrieved country. Alone in hell on earth shall be my tragic story.” Singing gently, the girl knelt next to the middle-aged couple, touching them with her trembling hands. Just at that time, a sound of a flute rang, accompanying the girl’s singing. “Brought up to nine I was a spoiled princess. Dressed in silk I saw my homeland burned into ashes. My country was destroyed, and my parents died. Now I’m the only one alive.” Touched by the girl, the middle-aged couple slowly fell to the ground as if they were just two bodies dead long ago. “Dad, mom! Don’t leave me alone, dad, mom!” The girl shouted it out. Her voice was full of sorrow. Then, she hugged herself among the corpses, trembling as her singing kept going. “With no one by my side, no one kisses me goodnight. Nowhere to go and nothing to care. I only dream at midnight. I see a red sea of blood. I see a white mountain of skulls. I see mom and dad closing their eyes. It is cold. It is silent. It is a nightmare never to be forgotten.” Singing still, the girl slowly got up, walking around the bodies like a ghost. She continued, “My country is destroyed, and I am alone. I am no longer the prideful princess but an orphan. Along with the burnt leaves is my dying soul.” Suddenly, some soldiers appeared to grab the girl. “Shui Yinzhu, you’ve turned sixteen now. It’s time for the sacrifice ceremony,” said one of the soldiers. Despite the girl’s resistance, she was dragged down. “Has the sacrifice ceremony begun?” asked someone in the darkness. “Yes, my lord. The ceremony is complete. Princess Shui is dead now,” reported the soldier. A chorus started. “Her life was a dream. Her beauty was a myth. Her story wet the eyes of tens of thousands. Princess of the Kindom of Shui... 9 years old... 16 as a living sacrifice... the Kingdom of Yun prosperous... Otherwise... the Kingdom of Yun would perish...” Apart from the corpses, everyone on the stage disappeared. It remained silent for a very long time until the girl in white came on stage again. Touched by her performance, the audience broke into thunderous applause. It was a wonderful show. Except for the soldiers, everyone else, including the dead citizens and Princess Shui’s parents, were all dummies made of straws. However, it didn’t matter whether those were real or fake, for the audience had already been fascinated by the acting, especially that of the entertainer as Princess Shui. The applause went nonstop, even after the entertainer in white left the stage... This was a small city far away from the capital. Recently, a male entertainer named Wu Nian came here to do a show. The entertainer wrote a historical play based on the character Princess Shui. Since it was adapted, the princess in it was not a nine-year-old girl but a 16-year-old teen. The play was a tragic story of her witnessing the destruction of her country and being buried alive as a human sacrifice. Ever since the show came out, it had been very popular. After all, Princess Shui, played by the entertainer Wu Nian, was just like a real princess. When Wu Nian put on women’s clothes, especially the white dress, he looked pure and beautiful. Any girl would be overshadowed beside him. Yet, no matter what clothes he was in, he would always wear a simple pearl hairpin. With Wu Nian’s vivid acting, the story of Princess Shui had brought tears to many audience’s eyes. He showed great pain, sorrow, and despair by acting as if he was the real Princess Shui. Days after the show, the audiences were still overwhelmed with sadness. Backstage, there was a small but cozy dressing room. Opening the curtain and walking into it, Wu Nian was immediately held in a pair of warm and strong arms. Seeing that, those confidential guards who played the roles as soldiers walked away. Familiar with scenes like that, they had learned to give them enough space. Xuan Zhi hugged Wu Nian tightly. He hated to watch Wu Nian reliving the desperate past, opening his wounds over and over again in front of everyone! “Wu Nian, let’s not do this anymore, okay?” “Zhi, I’m fine!” “But, you are always acting...” “I’m alright. I’ve got used to it. It doesn’t hurt anymore.” “Wu Nian.” “Don’t worry!” Xuan Zhi knew he wouldn’t listen, but he wouldn’t do anything against his will either. Holding Wu Nian even tighter, he couldn’t help landing a punch on the wall with his right hand. Suddenly shaken by that punch in Xuan Zhi’s arms, Wu Nian quickly got out and turned around, cupping Xuan Zhi’s right hand and putting it on his chest. He then gently blew the knuckles with which Xuan Zhi hit the wall. “Does it hurt?” he whispered tenderly. “It doesn’t.” “Really?” Xuan Zhi’s hand had turned reddish. Wu Nian felt even worse. He gently touched Xuan Zhi’s hand on his chest. “It doesn’t hurt at all.” “Zhi.” Wu Nian blamed him with a glare. “I-I didn’t mean to do it.” “Promise you won’t do it again.” “Um.” Wu Nian continued stroking the red area on his hand. He was so cautious, for fear of hurting him. Feeling kind of shy, Xuan Zhi wanted to pull back his hand. “Wu Nian, it’s okay. I’m a man. It’s no big deal.” “Anyway, you can’t hurt yourself like that again. Remember?” “Alright.” Xuan Zhi lifted Wu Nian in his arms and sat in a comfortable chair so that Wu Nian would feel better leaning against him. He rested his head on Wu Nian’s. Rather than sexual desire, their intimacy was more of a habit for comfort. “Zhi, we’ve been to several cities. Do you think this time we’ll get to see Lord Xiaoyao?” “My men have reported that he’s been in the city for the past few days.” “Has he heard about my show in the city?” “Yes, he has.” “That’s good.” “Um.” “By the way, spread the news that I’m going to perform an extra show two days later.” “Okay.” Agreeing to that, Xuan Zhi held Wu Nian harder. He really couldn’t bear watching his show over and over again. Though Wu Nian said he didn’t care anymore, it must still be like torture for him. The show was arranged to attract Lan Li. When Wu Nian heard from Yun Hai that Lan Li, Lord Xiaoyao, was actually his childhood crush, Fang Li, he couldn’t believe it. He was told that because Fang Li opened the gate to the Kingdom of Shui, his homeland was destroyed, and his parents were killed. Secretly, Wu Nian hoped Fang Li and Lan Li were two different people, but if Lan Li was the culprit, Wu Nian swore to God he would take his life. Strangely, the whereabouts of Lan Li had been a mystery, and nobody knew where he was exactly. They had been to several cities while chasing after him, but they still didn’t get a chance to see the mysterious man! In the end, Wu Nian came up with an idea. They were not going to follow him. Quite the opposite, they had planned to attract his attention by performing such a play. Wu Nian wanted to know if Lan Li truly became a cold-hearted person. With the stage set up, a brand-new show was ready to be put on. Not comparable with those crowded big cities, this small city only had a fair that functioned as people’s entertainment in the evening. Now it was just in the afternoon when people were still busy at work, but a particular place was crowded, which was rare to see in this place. On a rarely visited street, a theatre had already been packed. The theatre looked ordinary, with a typical wooden door, but surprisingly, it was spacious inside. Right now, the whole place was filled with people. Anyone who came later wouldn’t even have a spot to stand. After people entered the theatre, a huge stage could be seen right in the front. Simply established, it was nothing close to delicate, made of wood. There was a large red carpet laid on the stage. Ten sets of wooden tables and chairs had already been set close. This was all the decoration of the theatre. To be honest, it was really sloppy, but people were still obsessed with the show here! In fact, there was still some space around the tables, yet only those who were rich and powerful could afford to sit there. For most of the audience, standing was their only choice. Even so, it didn’t affect their excitement while they were waiting. In this small city, no one other than Wu Nian, the entertainer, could fascinate the audience like that. His acting as Shui Yinzhu, Princess Shui, was just one of a kind. Wu Nian was an entertainer, but he arranged his performance in a pretty carefree way. Although he had been to many places, he only performed once or twice in each city. The show about Princess Shui had been played only a few times. Due to the quality and frequency, tickets for the play were often sold out within minutes. The theatre was almost always crowded in every performance.