Free Web NovelChapter 55: Chapter 55: The Disappearing Woman
"This..." Su Tingting finally figured it out, "That child belonged to the woman who died. Master Bai kidnapped her to extort her, this... this Master Bai is such a beast!"
Originally, Su Tingting had thought that the Feng Family was already beastly enough for paying silver to buy Xi Yao’s life, but it turned out that Master Bai was even worse. Unwilling to part with his daughter, but also unwilling to relinquish the silver promised by the Feng Family, he found someone to pose as Xi Yao and sell herself to the Feng Family. In this way, he got the silver and kept his daughter safe—a perfect solution, killing two birds with one stone.
With this understanding, everything made sense. No wonder as soon as they got the silver, the Bai Family Stage troupe made a run for it. If Master Feng discovered the truth, wouldn’t he flay their skins!
Furthermore, this was why the sorcery had no effect. The person buried wasn’t Xi Yao at all; even their dates of birth didn’t match. If it had worked, now that would have been a real surprise.
In short, Master Feng was played like a fiddle by these people from the Bai Family Gate; not a single good soul among both sides.
Having figured this out, a single question remained before them. Su Tingting looked at Yang Xiao, "Then who is this poor woman who died?"
After a moment of silence, Yang Xiao provided an answer, "This woman had a singing talent that could even rival the leading player Xi Yao, definitely not someone unknown. She surely had a role within the Bai Family Stage. All we need to do is find someone familiar with the Bai Family Troupe, ask around who amongst the women had a great singing voice and had a child, and we’ll have our answer."
"Right, right, that’s it! You really have a way!" Su Tingting exclaimed excitedly. According to Kuang Hongyi, as long as they clarified the whole story behind the Nightmare World, their mission would be considered complete, and they could return home!
After leaving Li Si Alley and finding a carriage, they jolted along until they reached Yingke Building, which was also a place where the Bai Family Troupe had previously performed operas.
As they got out of the carriage, the sight that met Yang Xiao’s and Su Tingting’s eyes was unexpected. Su Tingting gazed at the three-story wooden building situated at the corner of the street. Though somewhat imposing in design, it was clearly in disrepair, with loose window frames that creaked eerily with the wind.
"This... is this Yingke Building?" It was, to say the least, starkly different from the bustling and lively image Su Tingting had in mind.
The door was still open, but there were hardly any people inside. An attendant with a white towel over his shoulder sat lazily in the shade of the doorway steps, hardly bothering to greet newcomers.
The coachman seemed rather nostalgic, commenting that Yingke Building was not what it used to be, declining more and more each day. It once had regulars that kept it afloat, but now... Shaking his head, the coachman led the carriage away to find a place to park.
Yang Xiao wasn’t concerned with this. He didn’t come to watch a performance but to gather information. He walked into Yingke Building with Su Tingting without hesitation.
Inside the spacious hall sat only one table of guests. In the center faced a large wooden stage, hastily put together, with several paintings related to opera hanging behind it. An attendant from behind the counter approached with a bow and a smile, "Two sirs, what would you like to eat?"
This confirmed to Yang Xiao that Yingke Building had indeed seen better days. Instead of first introducing which troupes were performing today, which famous actors were anchoring the stage, and what operas were set to be staged, they were straightforwardly asked what they wanted to eat—as if it were a mere restaurant.
Yang Xiao glanced at the empty stage, "No performance today?"
The young attendant was taken aback for a moment before bending even lower, smiling sheepishly, "This sir must be new to our establishment, right? Currently, we don’t have a resident troupe. If you wish to watch an opera, you’ll have to wait for dates like the sixth, sixteenth, or twenty-sixth when travelling troupes come to perform."
Yang Xiao looked around with a wistful sigh, "I’m not a new patron, I visited 10 years ago, never imagined that it would have become like this."
"You’ve been here before?" the young attendant asked, surprised.
"Hmm, I remember back then it was still under the Bai Family Gate’s banner. Speaking of which, they did perform some decent operas. I specifically came for them today," Yang Xiao said naturally.
But as soon as the attendant heard the words ’Bai Family Gate,’ his complexion changed drastically. He scanned his surroundings and, seeing that no one else was paying attention, pulled Yang Xiao and Su Tingting to a secluded seat, "Keep your voice down, gentlemen. I have to tell you, you won’t be able to hear the Bai Family Gate’s operas anymore—not just here in Yingke Building, but anywhere else in the city, for that matter. Their ship... their ship sank. The entire troupe died in the waters near Old Bull Dock."
Feigning surprise for a few moments, Yang Xiao adopted a look of curiosity and inquired about the news of the Bai Family Troupe, "I remember they are a famous big troupe, with at least 20, 30 people. Right, were you waiting tables here 10 years ago?"
"I... I was only taken in by the manager in recent years, after fleeing here in turmoil. But everyone in town knows about the Bai Family Stage; you can ask around." The server seemed reluctant to waste time on this topic, pointing to the specials hanging on the wall with a flattering expression, "Sir, would you like to order something to eat?" freewebnoveℓ.com
Yang Xiao didn’t waste words, and casually ordered a few signature dishes since they were also hungry, at the same time, he took out a small piece of silver, gently placed it on the table, and gave the server a knowing look.
The server, who had initially planned to attend to other customers, suddenly became glued to the spot, eyes fixed on the silver.
"Young man, you see, we came here today specifically for the Bai Family Troupe. It’s quite regrettable not to hear their performance. Who here is familiar with the Bai Family Troupe?" Yang Xiao asked.
The server swallowed hard, "I... Our old accountant here has been here while managers of the Yingke Building have changed many times, but the accountant has always been the same. He definitely knows those people from Bai Family Stage."
"Call him over for me." Yang Xiao pushed the silver toward the young server.
Almost snatching the silver, the young server’s mouth could hardly close from joy, as he evidently hadn’t seen such a generous customer. The next second, he looked around vigilantly to ensure that no one was paying attention before hiding the silver in his sleeve, "Please take your time, sir, I’ll go and call him for you right now, but..." The young server looked at Yang Xiao, his lips pressed tightly together, as if he had some unspeakable issue.
"Don’t worry, I won’t speak of this matter." Yang Xiao nodded towards the server’s sleeve where the silver was hidden and said with a smile.
"Alright, sir, please wait a moment!"
In no more than three to five minutes, the server returned with an old man sporting a goatee and wearing a dignified long robe. The old man looked Yang Xiao and Su Tingting up and down, then greeted them with clasped hands, his tone filled with puzzlement, "Excuse me... do we know each other?"
Yang Xiao didn’t idle either, smiled, and took out a silver ingot, gently placing it at the corner of the table.
The old accountant was taken aback, then quickly sat down, casually brushing his sleeve against the table corner to receive the silver. The next second, with a face full of wrinkles, he bowed his head and said apologetically, "Esteemed sirs, from a distance I felt that I recognized you. May I ask what I can do for you?"
From an upright demeanor to abject obsequiousness, the transformation of the old man took less than five seconds. Yang Xiao asked, "Old accountant, I’ve come to inquire about something. How many people were there in the Bai Family Gate, from top to bottom, and did they all really perish at Old Bull Dock?"
"Ah, you’re asking about that incident. Indeed, they’re all gone. Let me think... including Master Bai, from top to bottom, there were 25 people actively involved in the troupe," the old accountant stated confidently.
"Are you sure?" Su Tingting pressed.
The old accountant nodded repeatedly, straightening his back, exuding an air of indisputability, "Of course, their monthly silver wages all had to be collected here. How could there be a mistake?"
Now it was Yang Xiao’s and Su Tingting’s turn to be puzzled. Why would it be 25 people? That made no sense. It should be 26, considering the pitiable woman who was drowned in the lake. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
"Was there any female role-player in the troupe who had a child with her? Have you heard of such thing?" Yang Xiao continued his questioning.
The old accountant chuckled, shaking his head, "Sir, you must be joking. The troupe doesn’t keep any freeloaders, how could they allow someone to bring along an encumbrance? No, absolutely not."
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao’s expression turned grim. No child, and one person missing—where on earth could this woman have come from?
