Immortality begins in Goose City

Chapter 48 Discovery and Scream

"Madame Butterfly" is a Western-style play that recently came from Shanghai, also known as a "civilized play".

Novel and interesting.

Mei Ruguo sang well, which was most likely to arouse Young Master Huang's interest.

In front of the stage, on the second floor, is the best private room.

Huang Shujian sat down on a cushioned chair.

Immediately, a quick-witted waiter came in with a tray, setting out exquisite tea snacks and a pot of fine scented tea.

Xiuer skillfully opened a small cloth bag she carried with her, took out a few goji berries and ginseng slices, and put them into the teapot.

This is a habit she's recently developed; she's always thinking about how to nourish the young master's body.

Zhao Ming stood quietly to the side behind Huang Shujian, head down, still somewhat reserved.

Huang Shujian picked up his teacup, took a sip of ginseng tea, and looked down at the stage downstairs.

After the martial arts performance on stage, a Western opera called "Glass Hatred" is now being performed, with the actors singing and their sleeves fluttering.

He came to Yuchun Garden, naturally not to watch a play.

As for Xingli Garden, Lan Xiaodie's vengeful spirit won't reappear for another month; there's no rush.

So he came to Yuchun Garden.

This is where he was assassinated.

He came to see if he could find any clues about the assassin who used the Heart-Shattering Palm technique.

The original owner of this body was indulging in debauchery here, perhaps unintentionally offending someone, or seeing something she shouldn't have seen.

Huang Shujian subconsciously patted his waist.

There, in a hard leather holster, was his Mauser pistol.

The cold, metallic touch came through the clothes.

With his current success in cultivation, and the fact that the Heavenly Tiger Divine Blade has broken through its limits, his physique, strength, and reaction time far surpass those of before.

"If I encounter that Heart-Shattering Palm again..." Huang Shujian's eyes turned slightly cold, "I will definitely not be as helpless as I was a month ago."

Just then, the play "Glass Hatred" on stage reached its climax, and the female lead sang a high-pitched, mournful and poignant song.

A continuous chorus of cheers and applause erupted from the audience.

Huang Shujian's ears suddenly twitched, and his gaze then fixed on the two middle seats in the third row below the stage.

They were two young men dressed in coarse cloth shorts, who looked like hangers-on.

The two men gulped down cheap tea while cracking sunflower seeds into pieces, spitting the shells and leftover tea leaves onto the floor.

They cheered along with the people around them, but their words were vulgar, mixed with crude jokes and lewd comments about the female actors' figures and appearances on stage.

Huang Shujian's gaze sharpened.

It wasn't because of their rudeness.

It's because of... their voices.

One of them had a slightly hoarse voice with a slick, street-smart tone.

The other voice was deeper, and his laughter had a quacking sound like a male duck.

These two sounds...

In Huang Shujian's mind, the voice he had heard from the fragments of the strange infant's memory flashed back instantly—

"Mmm! This cornbread is so delicious!"

"That old woman dared to hoard such cornmeal..."

The voice I remembered and the voices of the two people in the audience right now... were completely identical!

Huang Shujian narrowed his eyes and carefully examined the two men.

"What's wrong, young master?" Xiu'er noticed Huang Shujian's strange expression and asked in a low voice.

Huang Shujian withdrew his gaze and shook his head: "It's nothing."

"Xiuer, go find Hu Wan. Tell him to bring a few servants over immediately. Don't make a sound; just wait outside the theater."

Although Xiuer didn't understand what the young master was going to do, she nodded without hesitation. She turned around and ran away from the private room.

Huang Shujian turned his gaze back to the two people below the stage, his eyes becoming deep and unfathomable.

He came to Yuchun Garden today hoping to find clues about the Heart-Shattering Palm technique.

Unexpectedly, they may have run into someone involved in another old case.

Whether it is them or not still needs to be confirmed.

Hu Wan has connections with all sorts of people in Goose City, so investigating two scoundrels shouldn't be difficult.

On stage, "Glass Hatred" finally ended amidst applause.

The troupe leader himself walked to the front of the stage, his face beaming with smiles, and bowed to the audience:

"Gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen! Next, 'Farewell My Concubine' will be temporarily changed to 'Madame Butterfly'..."

Before he could finish speaking, a wave of enthusiastic cheers and applause erupted from the audience.

"Miss Mei! It's Miss Mei!"

"Madame Butterfly! One of Mei Lanfang's signature plays!"

"What a treat for our eyes today! Didn't Miss Mei already perform this morning? This is an encore!"

Many people applauded while subconsciously glancing towards the private room on the second floor where Huang Shujian was.

Everyone understands that Mei Ruguo's sudden addition of a performance was definitely aimed at this gentleman.

The troupe leader smiled and stepped back to the side of the stage, signaling the band to get ready. He himself nervously rubbed his hands, waiting for Mei Ruguo to take the stage.

however……

Time passed little by little.

The band was in position and began the intro.

But Mei Ruguo has yet to make an appearance.

The audience below the stage began to get impatient and started whispering among themselves.

"What happened?"

"Where is Miss Mei?"

"We've been waiting for ages..."

The troupe leader, sweating profusely, quickly went to the front of the stage and bowed repeatedly to the audience:

"Please be patient, everyone! Ms. Mei is still preparing backstage, almost done! Almost done!"

As he spoke, he anxiously winked at the staff backstage, signaling them to urge him again.

In the backyard, in the corridor outside Mei Ruguo's room, several servants were pacing anxiously.

"Miss Mei? Miss Mei? Are you ready? The troupe leader has been asking you several times!"

A waiter whispered cautiously through the crack in the door.

There was no response from inside.

"Miss Mei? Please open the door! Young Master Huang is waiting outside!" another waiter called out.

Still silent.

An ominous premonition, like a cold snake, crept into the hearts of the men.

They exchanged a glance and both saw the unease in each other's eyes.

"Break...break down the door?" a waiter said in a trembling voice.

"Collide!"

The two men gritted their teeth, took a few steps back, and slammed their shoulders into the tightly closed door!

"Bang!"

The door wasn't very sturdy and was knocked open a crack.

A cloyingly sweet, powdery scent, mixed with a rusty, fishy smell, wafted in from under the door!

One of the shop assistants mustered his courage and peered through the crack in the door—

next second.

"ah--!"

A heart-wrenching scream, filled with extreme terror, suddenly burst from the man's mouth!

He seemed to have witnessed the most terrifying sight in the world. He collapsed backward, scrambling on his hands and feet, tears streaming down his face, making incoherent hoarse noises.

"A ghost...a ghost!"

The screams pierced through the noise backstage and faintly reached the front hall.

On stage, the troupe leader, who was smiling and trying to appease the audience, suddenly froze.

The audience's chatter abruptly ceased.

In the private room on the second floor, Huang Shujian suddenly stood up, his gaze sharp as lightning, shooting towards the backstage area.