032 The Hu Family Ancestral Hall
Those who can afford to hire a troupe to stage performances for the ghosts are no ordinary folks. The Hu family stands as a prominent clan in Wuligang, with nearly one - third of the villagers bearing the Hu surname.
Li Huowang had learned from Lu Zhuangyuan that the person footing the bill for this performance was Hu Qinghe, the wealthiest landowner and the most senior member of the clan in Wuligang.
At this moment, he was accompanying Lu Zhuangyuan and the others on their way to the Hu Family Ancestral Hall.
"Master Hu said it's nothing serious. He's hired other troupes to perform ghost plays in previous years, and everything went smoothly," one of them said.
Li Huowang cast a glance at the speaker. He couldn't tell if the words were meant to comfort others or the speaker themselves.
He pressed the bell on his waist, and the gentle jingle brought him a modicum of comfort. Whether something happened or not, having this bell by his side gave him a sense of security.
Of course, it would be a stroke of luck if nothing went awry. After all, hiring Taoist You would cost one three months of their lifespan.
As they strolled along the village path, they soon reached the Hu Family Ancestral Hall, which was ablaze with red lanterns.
The place was teeming with people. Li Huowang and the others had a hard time squeezing through. Peering over the sea of heads, he saw many people kowtowing and offering incense to the black spirit tablets.
"That's Master Hu. He also said that after the performance, he wants us to stay for a meal," Lu Zhuangyuan pointed to the old man in silk clothes at the front of the kowtowing crowd.
As he spoke, the kowtowing people rose to their feet. They respectfully took down the black ancestral tablets and placed them on the prepared tables.
There were so many tablets and tables that they filled the spacious three - entrance ancestral hall.
The tables in front of the tablets were far from empty. They were laden with all kinds of sumptuous dishes.
Red candles, incense, paper gold ingots, and yellow paper were neatly arranged on the plates, as if waiting for the ancestors to indulge.
As if fearing they might neglect the ancestors, there were more than a dozen paper figures standing along the wall of the ancestral hall, presumably to be placed beside the tables later to serve tea and water.
"Hey, Master Hu is so generous. He paid for the troupe himself to perform for the ancestors," one person exclaimed.
"Yes, no wonder none of the Hu family members are sick or in trouble. It's all thanks to the ancestors' blessings," another person chimed in.
"Alas, I wonder if I'll have such good fortune after I die," someone sighed.
"Well, wait until your descendants can make as much money as Master Hu. Hiring a troupe to perform for the ghosts costs a fortune," someone else retorted.
Listening to the Hu family members' words and taking in the solemn scene, Li Huowang felt a bit more at ease. It seemed like nothing bad was going to happen.
He leaned slightly towards Lu Zhuangyuan beside him. "Master Lu, in your years of traveling around, have you encountered more ghosts or those things that ask for a title?"
"Huh?! Aren't they the same thing?" Lu Zhuangyuan exclaimed, his eyes wide with surprise.
"How can they be the same? One is a transformed spirit after a person's death, and the other..." Li Huowang paused, at a loss for words.
But Li Huowang was certain that neither the Great Grandmother that Danyangzi used for alchemy, nor Taoist You, nor the little - footed woman that night were ghosts, at least not the kind he had in mind.
Just then, the Hu family's ancestral tablets were properly placed. Hu Qinghe led a large group of Hu family members towards Lu Zhuangyuan.
"Master Lu, please do your best. Jiao Liang, take the others to help Master Lu set up the stage," Hu Qinghe ordered.
"Oh, how embarrassing. Master Hu is really too kind," Lu Zhuangyuan replied, flattered.
"Master Lu, you know the rules of the performance. When the ancestors come out to watch the play, the descendants who hired the troupe will leave and stay at home with the doors closed. Please take good care of the ancestral hall," Master Hu said kindly.
"Of course, of course. Master Hu, rest assured. With me here, nothing will go wrong in the ancestral hall," Lu Zhuangyuan declared, pounding his chest.
Even though no one was watching, Lu Zhuangyuan really didn't dare to make a mistake. If something happened in the ancestral hall, the Hu family would bury the entire Lu troupe alive.
"Also, when the performance starts, the living should not talk to the performers, so as not to make the ancestors unhappy," Master Hu added.
"Just choose some lively plays. The ancestors said in their dreams that the underworld is too desolate, and they want to watch something festive."
"You don't need to perform all night. After the fifth watch, my son will come to take the ancestral tablets home, and then you can rest."
Lu Zhuangyuan nodded vigorously like a chicken pecking rice. "Yes, yes, yes. Master Hu, rest assured. We will never break the rules."
With the help of the Hu family, the stage was quickly set up in the ancestral hall. Only five people were going to perform on stage tonight. Luo Juanhua didn't come because women were not allowed in the ancestral hall.
Then, at Hu Qinghe's command, the crowded onlookers dispersed and made their way home.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!..." As the Lu troupe took to the stage, Li Huowang lingered backstage, waiting.
As time ticked by, the whole of Wuligang fell into a deathly silence. The fairly large village was swallowed by darkness, with only the ancestral hall shining like a beacon.
It was Li Huowang's first time witnessing a performance for the dead. He pulled back the curtain backstage and peeked outside.
It was truly eerie. The stage was a flurry of activity, but the audience area was deathly quiet. There was no applause, only rows of black tablets with names engraved on them, and the flickering candles and yellow paper between the tablets.
After his experience in Qingfeng Taoist Temple, such scenes no longer sent shivers down his spine. But the Lu troupe was a different story. Before long, Lu Juren, who was performing, forgot his lines several times, which made Lu Zhuangyuan, who was beating the gong, extremely anxious.
However, as time went on, they found their rhythm, and the performance flowed more smoothly.
In the silent night, the sound of the performance carried far and wide. With the sword on his back, Li Huowang sat backstage, closing his eyes and resting, lulled by the sound.
To his surprise, as he listened, the somewhat bored Li Huowang actually began to appreciate the charm of the performance. His head started to sway in time with the singing.
In this environment, the second watch slipped by unnoticed, and it was the third watch.
Li Huowang had also figured out that the third watch was from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., the fourth watch was from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m., and the fifth watch was from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. Usually, after 5 a.m., the roosters in the village would start crowing.
He yawned. For some reason, he always felt sleepier than others when he was here.
Since he was being paid to do the job, he couldn't really doze off. So Li Huowang took out the Heavenly Book and delved into it to ward off the drowsiness.
Recently, he would also take it out to study during his night - guarding shifts. But apart from being more certain that it was a scripture advocating kindness, he hadn't gleaned anything else.
As he was poring over it, the second watch passed, and it was the third watch. Everything in the ancestral hall was normal, and nothing out of the ordinary occurred.
Li Huowang looked up at Lu Zhuangyuan, who was changing his makeup in front of the mirror, and thought to himself, "Master Lu must be heart - broken right now, losing six taels of silver for nothing."
It made sense. Logically, nothing should go wrong. This was the Hu Family Ancestral Hall. The descendants were inviting the ancestors to watch a play; the ancestors wouldn't cause any trouble.
But just when Li Huowang thought the night would pass without a hitch, an accident struck. He heard the singing outside suddenly come to an abrupt halt.