Bumping, endless bumping.

The sounds of the yueqin and erhu gradually faded as Yuan Qingzhi heard the rumble of wheels rolling over an ancient road.

“First act of the opera, begin!”

As the narrator’s voice echoed across the stage, she slowly opened her eyes.

Her view was a narrow, completely wooden enclosure. On the left was a small, carved window that had been nailed shut. Directly ahead hung a gently swaying lotus-root colored curtain. Clearly, this horse carriage was in motion.

A strange face reflected in the bronze mirror hanging to the side. Yuan Qingzhi blinked, and the passerby face in the mirror blinked back. Evidently, this face belonged to the character she was playing this time.

“Hurry up, don’t be late!” Someone shouted loudly not far away.

Immediately after, a horsewhip cracked sharply in the air.

Yuan Qingzhi, sitting in the carriage, staggered from the jolt, quickly grabbing the carriage wall while her other hand sank into a soft embroidered cushion.

The feedback from her fingers was soft, with the distinct friction characteristic of fabric, adding a touch of contemplation to her eyes.

Form, sound, smell, taste, touch… Humans rely on the five senses to distinguish between the real world and illusion.

However, judging by Yuan Qingzhi’s current five senses, everything before her was real, not fake.

So how could someone who had entered the play tell if they were in reality or the opera?

Yuan Qingzhi withdrew her hand and felt for the object hidden in her sleeve.

She cupped her hands together and shook them.

As her finger bones ached from the pressure, she opened her palm and saw a single red bean inlaid within white jade.

That was it. The Exquisite Dice had rolled a one, indicating she was currently in the play.

This was the “awakening item” Yan Guchen had mentioned earlier.

The awakening item was an old tradition for everyone born with natural opera talent.

Because reality and the opera were indistinguishable after entering the play, each person with this talent would set their own “rules” for differentiation, with the awakening item serving as the embodiment and “anchor” for these rules.

Her awakening item was this keepsake left by the mother she had never met.

Growing up, it had always served as her protective charm, capable of guiding her safely through any danger.

Just holding the Exquisite Dice for that short moment caused Yuan Qingzhi’s vision to blur, while conversely, the sounds of the instruments from below the stage grew louder.

She understood this was a sign she was about to break free from the opera and quickly put the dice away.

Just then, another strange noise came from outside the carriage.

The carriage’s speed suddenly slowed.

Unfortunately, the carriage walls were nailed shut, making it impossible to observe the outside scene.

A shrill voice rose high, “Who goes there?”

“Replying to your lordship, it is the young lady of the Wu family, ordered to participate in the Ritual Master selection.”

As she spoke, the accompanying maidservant took out a cloth pouch, her face wreathed in placating smiles. “This person was specifically appointed by the Marquis’s eldest daughter, who instructed this servant to watch over her. It’s late at night, please accept this, sirs.”

The eunuch took the pouch, weighing it with satisfaction. “Alright, go on in.”

The carriage began bumping again, rolling over the green stone slabs of the palace gate steps, rumbling forward.

Who knows how long they traveled, but finally, as the driver pulled the reins and the horse’s hooves rose high, they stopped.

Yuan Qingzhi heard footsteps, and then someone lifted the carriage curtain.

Dusklight shone in from the front, the dim light dazzling her eyes.

“Fifth Miss Wu, we’ve reached the palace gate. Please alight.”

The maidservant said this but showed no intention of helping her down.

After all, according to the script, she wasn’t a Wu family servant but was borrowed from the Marquis’s household by the female antagonist to boost Fifth Miss Wu’s prestige; she looked down on the declining Wu family entirely.

Yuan Qingzhi didn’t mind, groping her way forward two steps and smoothly jumping down from the carriage.

Leaving the narrow, oppressive, coffin-like carriage, her view suddenly opened up.

Directly ahead lay a cluster of towering, immensely luxurious palaces.

The entire complex was built against the mountain, stretching endlessly.

Carved white jade steps paved the central path, resembling a jade waterfall cascading down from afar.

The main palace bodies were predominantly vermilion, with strings of golden talismans inscribed onto the black pillars.

Coupled with the ubiquitous, strangely shaped small temple towers, it was easy to overlook lifeless details like the lack of flowers, plants, or wild birds.

This was the main setting for the story of Evil Omen, the second opera in the first volume of Night Journey Chronicles.

Looking at the resplendent palace before her, Yuan Qingzhi’s heart grew heavy.

The palace described in Evil Omen was a rare fusion of palace and temple.

An experienced Feng Shui master would be able to tell at a glance that this palace was not a Yang House (living residence) but was constructed based on the principles of a Yin House (tomb).

Yang houses were for the living, Yin houses for the dead— hence why not even wild birds were drawn here.

Not to mention the countless small religious towers, barely taller than a person and covered in runes, standing everywhere. These superfluous, eerie-looking structures weren’t built for aesthetics… but to suppress and seal the evil entity bound beneath the palace.

Though a thousand thoughts turned in her mind, Yuan Qingzhi’s expression remained impassive.

This was just the outermost periphery at the base of the palace. Dozens of other carriages were parked left and right.

Neatly dressed, beautiful young girls descended one after another, accompanied by maids, likely all eligible young ladies coming to participate in the Ritual Master selection.

The role Yuan Qingzhi chose this time was a walk-on part, a nobody. Neither her looks nor her family background was eye-catching, so she didn’t attract much attention.

Among the lovely young ladies, the most striking was a lavishly dressed girl surrounded by a crowd in the center.

Many young ladies from noble families gathered around her, racking their brains for compliments.

“It’s only been a few days, and Eldest Miss Xie has become even more beautiful.”

“Yes, yes, I wonder what rouge Miss Xie uses.”

“Listen to you! Eldest Miss Xie is clearly naturally beautiful, where’s the need for rouge and powder?”

The subject of their praise, Xie Niyun, wore an arrogant expression, enjoying the adoration, looking thoroughly accustomed to it.

“Miss Wu, you must remember the instructions Miss Niyun gave you for this selection. Only then will it not be a waste of her efforts—spending money, finding connections to pull up your useless family—to get you in here,” the maidservant didn’t forget to remind her in a low voice.

Yuan Qingzhi: “Naturally.”

Yes, this was the character she had chosen to play in Evil Omen.

Female antagonist Xie Niyun’s number one lackey— Wu Wu.

The role of Wu Wu wasn’t difficult to play. Her character was simple, with few lines or scenes.

Besides being rather timid, she just needed to occasionally shower the female antagonist with rainbow farts (excessive flattery) and run errands for her now and then.

The best part was that in the grand tragedy of Evil Omen, where both the male and female leads died and barely one in ten supporting characters survived, Wu Wu managed to survive until the very end.

There was simply no reason not to choose her.

Someone who has worked for capitalists will definitely not admit defeat here!

“What are you all doing crowding here, making such a racket?!”

Soon, several Priestesses walked out from the palace. The oldest one at the front was the most stern, her face set.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but under the distant setting sun, their pupils were unnaturally dark, as if swirling with thick fog. Although they were mostly facing young ladies from noble families, their words held no respect, instead tinged with an unknown malice.

“All of you, shut up and form a line!”

The young ladies were all startled, falling silent and complying.

Yuan Qingzhi quietly lined up at the very back, striving to live like a true nobody in this opera with a high mortality rate.

“You’re the young lady from the Marquis Xie’s household, right? Come, come, stand at the very front.”

While everyone else looked down modestly, Xie Niyun, having already paved the way with real gold and silver, received special attention from the Priestesses and successfully secured the spot at the front.

“Wu Wu, why aren’t you over here yet?”

Having reached the front, Eldest Miss Xie didn’t forget to give her lackey a nudge.

Thus, the unremarkable Yuan Qingzhi could only endure everyone’s stares and silently take a position one step behind Xie Niyun.

She reckoned that after today, her image as Niyun’s running dog would surely be deeply ingrained in everyone’s minds.

“You’re all used to being free and unrestrained in your own homes. The rules of the palace-temple are not as lax as outside. If you violate a taboo, it means death, plain and simple. Not to mention, this time we are selecting the Prayer Ritual Master, who represents the face of our Qing Nation, overseeing the highest temple and all Priestesses.”

Halfway through her speech, the Priestess was abruptly interrupted by a rumbling sound.

Gazing at the simple carriage arriving, the old Priestess’s face visibly darkened.

“Whose young lady is this? Can’t even keep track of the time?”

A palace maid nearby quickly checked the list. “All the noble young ladies on the list have arrived, seventy-two in total.”

Then who was this arrival?

Everyone stared intently at the carriage until a slender, fair hand lifted the curtain.

Someone asked, uncertainly, “Is that… Second Miss Xie?”

Yuan Qingzhi, standing in the prime viewing spot at the front, quickly held up her non-existent melon seeds.

Here it comes, here it comes! The famous scene from the first act of Evil Omen—the female protagonist’s entrance!

That’s right, the last one to arrive at the selection venue was the undisputed female lead of this opera: Xie Shuyao.

Like many operas that emphasize performance over plot, the story of Evil Omen itself was quite simple.

It told of Xie Shuyao, the daughter of a marquis’s concubine, who unintentionally rescued a down-and-out martial arts student, Shi Honghua, during a rainstorm.

They developed feelings for each other during his recovery and exchanged tokens, pledging their lives to each other.

However, their happiness was short-lived.

Shi Honghua carried a deep-seated family vengeance. To fulfill his mission, he had to reluctantly bid farewell to Xie Shuyao and go to the capital to participate in the military examinations.

Possessing outstanding martial arts skills, Shi Honghua won first place and soared to become the Commander of the Palace Guards.

Meanwhile, Xie Shuyao waited and waited for Shi Honghua to return and marry her as promised, but heard nothing.

She then unintentionally heard news that the Emperor intended to marry Shi Honghua to the princess, causing her immense inner turmoil.

Just then, news came from the palace that the previous generation’s Ritual Master had died unexpectedly, and a new one needed to be selected.

Thus, this young lady, who had rarely even left her residence her entire life, thought it over and finally made the boldest decision of her life—she would use this opportunity to enter the palace and demand answers from Shi Honghua.

Modern people might find it hard to imagine what such a decision meant to an ancient person accustomed to strict rules; any misstep could be a devastating blow to a woman’s reputation.

Yuan Qingzhi greatly admired this female lead who dared to challenge feudal etiquette.

Unfortunately, Evil Omen was a tragedy. The two protagonists ultimately didn’t end up together, and most of the characters in the opera died, making it one of the classic tragedies in opera history.

One reason for the tragedy lay with the female antagonist, Xie Niyun.

In the script, Xie Niyun and Xie Shuyao were sisters in the Marquis’s household. The antagonist was the doted-upon daughter of the primary wife, while the protagonist was the daughter of a concubine.

Yet, the protagonist happened to be exceptionally beautiful.

Xie Niyun envied her beauty and fought with her since childhood. Whatever the other had, she had to snatch away.

The Marquis’s household often unfairly took sides, leading to the protagonist being bullied by the antagonist throughout her childhood.

Following the typical development of a melodramatic story, it was clear that Shi Honghua was the unlucky new bargaining chip targeted by the female antagonist.

Of course, in the opera, Wu Wu, as Xie Niyun’s running dog, contributed quite a bit to this.

But it didn’t matter now. This lackey was now her.

As a modern person from the 21st century, Yuan Qingzhi was well-versed in the art of slacking off at work.

Stuck with a lackey like her who just ate, drank, and did a perfunctory job, Xie Niyun’s comeuppance had finally arrived!

As everyone exchanged glances, a figure slowly descended from the carriage.

Yuan Qingzhi mentally whistled.

The script described Xie Shuyao as having “Willow brows, apricot eyes, like an immortal’s grace; an orchid in an empty valley surpassing the peony. Pure fragrance drifts ten thousand li; elegant and noble, ascends to the clouds.”

Seeing her now, Yuan Qingzhi felt the script wasn’t wrong at all, perhaps even understated it.

They always say 2D characters are beautiful; seeing her today was truly like witnessing a fairy descended to earth.

Perhaps her gaze was too intense; Xie Shuyao found it hard to ignore.

This otherworldly fairy sister looked over, her eyes becoming wary the moment she saw who was looking.

Fortunately, Yuan Qingzhi reacted quickly, immediately lifting her chin and displaying a disdainful expression.

This expression captured at least some of Xie Niyun’s essence, perfectly portraying the act of bullying others based on connections.

“Isn’t that Miss Wu, the lackey who always follows Eldest Miss?”

Seeing this, the maidservant beside Xie Shuyao was indignant. “It really was Eldest Miss who stole your carriage!”

“Eldest Miss is simply too much! She even had servants tamper with the family carriage. If you hadn’t been clever and decisive enough to borrow a farmer’s horse, we probably wouldn’t have made it to the Ritual Master selection today…”

“Stop talking,” Xie Shuyao whispered. “So many people are watching.”

Saying this was the same as not saying it. Anyone present with eyes could see that the relationship between these Marquis household sisters was poor.

The old Priestess’s gaze lingered heavily on the sisters for a moment, then she suddenly grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. “Since a mistake was made, punishment must follow. This old servant acts under orders and must naturally handle things impartially.”

“Those who are not punctual shall receive ten lashes. Considering it is Second Miss Xie’s first offense, let’s start with three.”

As soon as she finished speaking, several Priestesses began laughing maliciously, while Xie Niyun looked particularly smug.

A young palace maid nearby directly drew a soft whip from her waist; the barbs on it were prominent, making the viciousness in their eyes seem even more intense and shocking.

Xie Shuyao clenched her handkerchief, clear panic appearing on her cool face.

Putting aside the injury itself, if she were truly struck with this thing, never mind three times, even one lash would leave her bedridden for ten days to half a month, immediately disqualifying her from participating in the Ritual Master selection.

“I…” Just as she was desperately trying to explain, a clear voice suddenly came from the front: “What are you doing?”

The palace maids jumped, then quickly bowed upon seeing the newcomer. “Lord Shi!”

Hearing the familiar voice, Xie Shuyao looked up, half in disbelief, half in pleasant surprise.

Sure enough, a troop of saber-wielding guards had appeared beside the palace gate at some point.

The man at the very front stood tall and straight, with a high ponytail, eyes like cold stars, radiating righteousness, standing out like a crane among chickens.

Yuan Qingzhi shuddered dramatically.

Alright, alright, the male lead has entered the stage now too.

Although everyone’s faces had changed due to entering the play, she had already found out from Jia Wenyu that the one playing the male lead Shi Honghua in Evil Omen was the first unlucky sap who accidentally entered the play during rehearsals—the modern master performer specializing in martial art roles, Yuan Xiangming.

Her father Liu Wenqing’s last disciple, the current backbone of the Qing School, the one she grew up with, the person Yuan Qingzhi called ‘Senior Brother’.

She hadn’t expected that seeing him again after several years, he’d be in such a sorry state.