Chapter 19: Defending the Nation with One’s Life

The villa, while described as small, was only so in comparison to a large estate; in reality, it was by no means cramped.

As the group followed Wan Sui inside, they were met by a dignified and heroic-looking middle-aged man.

Wan Sui called out, “Dad!”

Gu Wang then heard Zhou Tong gasp, “Wan, Wan Qingwen!”

Chang Xu quietly asked her who that was, and she explained, “He’s the host of Yaoguang City News Channel! Everyone local knows him; he’s my mom’s dream man!”

Wan Qingwen, seemingly having heard or not, smiled and nodded at the group, his voice charmingly deep and pleasant. “Sui Sui told me she was bringing friends over. Welcome, all of you.” He led them toward the living room.

Wan Sui winked at the group and said, “Dad, you go ahead and be busy. I’ll show them around. Where’s Grandma?”

Wan Qingwen good-naturedly nodded. “Then you young people have fun. Your grandma is in the back garden.”

Wan Sui then led the group straight to the small garden.

Zhou Tong and Chang Xu, entering a villa for the first time, were overwhelmed, looking left and right.

Gu Wang, meanwhile, exchanged a look with the Candle Maiden.

There seemed to be a special presence in this villa, neither demon nor ghost.

Upon entering the small garden, the most eye-catching feature was a stage set up in the center, with red drapes hanging overhead.

On the stage, two human figures with golden blades stood, with a beautiful, ornate backdrop embroidered with the moon and starry sky behind them.

A red candle sat on the performance table in the middle.

This was a typical Fu opera stage.

Legend has it that Fu opera was often performed at night, and to prevent other creatures watching the show from confusing it with real life, golden-bladed guards were used to suppress the stage.

In front of the stage, an elegant old lady with silver hair sat in a wheelchair, watching the performance closely.

Needless to say, this was Wan Sui’s grandmother.

Wan Sui introduced everyone.

The old lady appeared cheerful, her reading glasses hanging from a pink chain, looking pretty adorable.

Seeing Wan Sui, she smiled, “Naughty Sui Sui, skipping class again?”

Wan Sui approached her, acting spoiled and charming to amuse the old lady.

After a few exchanges, Gu Wang asked, “Grandma, Wan Sui said you haven’t been sleeping well lately and always hear strange sounds. Could you tell me about it?”

Wan Sui quietly explained that Gu Wang had once been a Taoist priest and she had specially invited him to take a look.

The old lady accepted this well and said, “It’s nothing major, I just occasionally hear people singing opera.”

Gu Wang: “Is it Fu opera?”

Grandma nodded. “Yes, Fu opera.”

She looked at the stage with a hint of melancholy. “I’ve sung Fu opera my whole life, and now I can’t sing anymore, but I just can’t let it go. Young people nowadays don’t like opera. I always think, when we old folks are gone, will no one listen to Fu opera anymore? Probably because of this, every night, I can hear my old friends’ singing, that dramatic flair, it’s so beautiful, I haven’t heard it in so long…”

Gu Wang quickly asked, “Old friends? Are you saying you hear familiar voices?”

Wan Sui didn’t even know this and was a bit scared. “Grandma, which friend do you hear? Do I know them?”

Grandma Wan lovingly stroked her head. “You don’t know them. Even your dad doesn’t!”

She displayed that unique expression of an old person lost in memories. “This friend of mine, she was a true hero of her time…”

When Grandma Wan was seven or eight, it was a time of chaos.

The opera troupe would finish one show with no promise of another, enjoying their meal today but uncertain if they would go hungry tomorrow.

Luckily, all eight members of the troupe were orphans taken in by the troupe leader, like a family.

When there were no performances, the older children would go out to work, barely getting by.

However, war came, tearing apart the land, and human lives were like grass.

The battlefield swiftly moved into Fu Yu Province.

Although members of the opera troupe were considered the lowest class, they understood the principle that without a nation, there could be no home.

Several elder brothers packed their belongings and enlisted in the army, leaving only an elder sister to care for her younger siblings.

Grandma Wan: “Her name was Ying’er. She sang the female general roles the best, and many opera fans even affectionately called her ‘Little General.’ That year, she was sixteen.”

Sixteen-year-old Ying’er diligently cared for her younger siblings while waiting for her brothers’ return.

Unexpectedly, enemies arrived instead.

Yaoguang City fell, and the common people ran in panic.

Ying’er, with a few children, escaped outside the city with help from neighbors who were opera fans.

Looking back, she saw the enemy close behind.

Grandma Wan’s voice gradually faded, as if she were reliving that desperate escape.

The enemy was about to catch up, and defenseless compatriots like lambs were beside them.

Ying’er gritted her teeth, pushed her younger siblings into others’ arms, pulled out the opera costume and armor she had always been reluctant to discard, climbed onto a nearby hill, and began to sing her best piece, “Guarding the City Under the Moonlight.”

Wan Sui couldn’t help but ask, “What happened then?”

Grandma Wan came back to herself. “Later… we went back to look, and found a damaged helmet.”

Ying’er’s excellent voice carried far, her operatic singing grand and powerful.

The enemy was suspicious and hesitated to advance until half an hour later, they realized they had been tricked and, enraged, blasted away half the hill with a cannon.

But by then, they had already slipped into the forest.

Grandma Wan still remembered that performance of “Guarding the City Under the Moonlight” as the best she had ever heard in her life.

The tears of the auntie holding her fell onto her neck, hotter than the distant cannon fire.

Wan Sui’s eyes reddened as she asked, “So, what you hear at night is Ying’er singing opera?”

Grandma Wan nodded. “I always see her standing on that hill, smiling at me, still wearing that armor, looking so mighty.”

Wan Sui looked back at Gu Wang. Gu Wang walked in front of Grandma Wan and squatted down, looking up at her. “Grandma, can I see your arm?”

Grandma Wan scrutinized him for a moment. “Oh, I’m old, my eyesight isn’t good. This child is truly handsome.”

She quietly winked at Wan Sui. Wan Sui gave a wry smile, gently nudging her. “Please extend your arm quickly!”

Grandma Wan chuckled as she rolled up her sleeve.

Gu Wang gently pressed a certain acupoint on her. “Does it hurt here?”

Grandma Wan treated him like a child. “Giving Grandma a massage? Grandma doesn’t hurt, you massage very well!”

Gu Wang found her truly amusing. The old lady was genuinely fascinating. He gave her a proper massage and only eased up once he saw she was genuinely not in pain.

If the Ghost Gate acupoint didn’t hurt, then it wasn’t a ghost encounter. And the Wan family’s house had no sign of Yin energy. What could it be?

Gu Wang then asked, “Grandma, where did Ying’er sacrifice herself?”

Upon hearing this, Grandma Wan pointed to a specific spot. It was a small hill in the garden, the only one visibly clear. Over time, the hill that once stood outside the city was now inside it.

Seeing that it was already noon, Grandma Wan insisted they stay for lunch.

Wan Qingwen was off today, so he could join them.

Zhou Tong even shamelessly asked for an autograph, saying she wanted to give it to her mother.

During lunch, the group chatted for a bit.

Upon learning that Gu Wang was the owner of the Fengdu Amusement Park, Wan Qingwen was momentarily stunned. “That amusement park sounds familiar.”

Zhou Tong immediately said, “Did you hear about it at the station? The TV station was going to film a promotional video for Yaoguang City, and someone from the TV station went to the amusement park to film!” She hesitated, not mentioning Tong Qianqian’s name, fearing it might cause trouble for her senior.

Wan Qingwen thought momentarily, then said, “Ah, I remember now. The station organized a preview of the sample footage at that time, and the amusement park indeed had good scenery.”

But good scenery was one thing; it didn’t guarantee selection. One had to realize that such promotional videos weren’t chosen just because of pretty scenery; the underlying conflicts of interest were very complex.

He didn’t tell Gu Wang any of this; he just heard his daughter ask, “Director Gu, can the matter be resolved this afternoon? Although Grandma isn’t scared, I still think hearing those voices too much isn’t good.”

Wan Qingwen was startled and looked at Gu Wang. He knew his mother was always haunted by hallucinations, and he had even thought about supernatural explanations, but given his unique profession, it wouldn’t be wise for others to know about such things.

However, now his daughter had directly invited the person home, which made things much simpler.

Gu Wang nodded. “We’ll go take a look this afternoon, but there are still many things to prepare.”

It was a good thing he brought the Candle Maiden along; otherwise, many things would be nowhere to be found.

After eating, the group rested for a while.

Gu Wang then took the Candle Maiden to prepare the incense and offerings they had purchased.

By the time everything was ready, the sun was already halfway down the mountain, and only then did they set off for the small hill.

Decades had passed, and the land had regained its beauty; there were no signs of gunfire left.

The small hill wasn’t very tall, but by the time they reached the halfway point, the group clearly felt the temperature drop.

Chang Xu moved closer to his girlfriend, wanting to snuggle, but saw her immediately abandon him and hide behind Gu Wang.

Chang Xu: In this situation, Master Gu is indeed more reliable than him!

Chang Xu simply squeezed over as well.

Wan Sui reacted and quickly followed.

Gu Wang turned back helplessly, seeing the group strung behind him like little chicks following a mother hen.

After a few more steps, the sun had already set, the light grew dim, and a strong wind blew on the mountain.

Zhou Tong didn’t stand firm and almost fell sideways. She felt a tightening around her wrist and her waist being held, then was gently set down on flat ground.

The Candle Maiden smiled softly at her.

Zhou Tong felt the reliable touch of an arm around her waist, then looked at her boyfriend, who had tried to save her but stumbled and fell.

She couldn’t help but silently shed tears: Miss Ghost is so reliable! I don’t even want to be afraid anymore!

Gu Wang, at the very front, waved his hand slightly and softly said, “She’s out.”

As soon as his voice faded, an operatic singing voice echoed from the hill.

The sound came suddenly, but… maybe because they had heard the story, they didn’t find it frightening.

How could someone who performed such a heroic feat in life harm others after death?

The group climbed to the top of the hill and finally saw the somewhat illusory shadow. Her face was smudged, and she wore simple opera armor.

The prop spear was held in her hand, and she stood majestically on the hill like a true general, glaring ahead: “This general is here, who dares to offend!”

With a sound of cannon fire, she maintained her wide-eyed, furious expression, transforming into thousands of fragments, scattered across every corner of the hill.

Blood stained the ground.

However, in just a moment, she reappeared on the hilltop.

The mighty operatic singing resumed: “Hearing of villains invading the nation, I don my armor, go to the battlefield, defending the nation with my life—”

After a brilliant display of spearwork, she thrust her spear down and again glared ahead, “This general is here, who dares to offend!”

Thus, she repeated her heroic death repeatedly, defending the homeland repeatedly… No, she wasn’t like a general—she was a general!