Chapter 162: What Is Righteousness

The moment the imposter paused, countless Little Birds flocked to his face.

They pecked and tore, leaving his skin dotted with a dense cluster of bloody holes.

Amidst his screams, a wave of black and white washed out from his body, swallowing the surrounding scenery.

An eerie singing voice rang out once more.

This time, it was the classic drama Tale of the Pipa, which had also undergone a demonic alteration.

"I've placed first in the exams, but so what... my father is dead... my mother is gone..."

An eerie spiritual power instantly spread outward as the imposter's figure shifted, morphing into Zhao Wuniang from the play.

This was his best role. If he could complete the transformation, he would still have the strength to put up a fight.

But...

A slender hand reached in from beyond that black-and-white world and seized the man directly by the neck, violently choking off his transformation.

"Wait here for a moment, sir. I need to teach him a lesson."

Fei Yu gave Yan Jing a faint smile, then turned and dragged the man straight into the inner room.

"Don't beat him to death!"

Yan Jing shot to his feet and quickly shouted after her.

"Understood!"

Fei Yu's crisp voice called back.

Listening to the screams echoing from the room, Yan Jing lay back in his recliner, lost in thought.

He knew Fei Yu was far from simple, but he hadn't expected someone so young to be at the Third Tier.

It was just that in Young Master Luo's memories of Bianliu County, there had been no mention of Fei Yu's tier.

He only vaguely knew that she was strong.

The aura she had just displayed was roughly on par with those Third Tiers in Old Sin City, perhaps even slightly stronger.

Looking at it this way, Young Master Luo's idea of staging a comeback against the odds wasn't entirely baseless. Although a Third Tier wasn't considered the absolute peak combat power in Bianliu County, it was by no means weak. After all, Wanhua Fang didn't even have a Third Tier anymore.

However, if they were facing the likes of Big Landlord Lin from North Street or Boss Bai from East Street, a Third Tier probably wouldn't be quite enough.

Within the Wei Faction Lineage, for instance, Wei Bufan was already approaching the Third Tier, to say nothing of his father, Wei Nantian.

But... Yan Jing had no intention of clashing with them just yet.

When lacking strength, the only option was to keep a low profile and bide his time.

As for why he wanted to root out his would-be assassin, that was strictly from the perspective of the Dungeon.

If he lost this character, he would have to roll the dice with the system.

Knowing his own luck, Yan Jing preferred a safer approach.

Moreover, finding the real culprit would simultaneously unlock the Dungeon's character-switching function.

It was truly killing two birds with one stone.

After confirming a few days ago that the assassin had likely used a disguise to kill Young Master Luo, he had focused his attention on the Opera House.

Compared to Old Master Liu's method of peeling back the layers and advancing step by step, Yan Jing—who had rich experience dealing with disguises—chose a far more aggressive approach.

He would use himself as bait to go fishing.

It was time to let the people of this Domain experience the vigilance of someone who had undergone "professional training."

Afterward, he and Fei Yu had agreed on a secret signal. The moment he walked through the door, she would list the groceries she had bought that day and then suggest a random dish—but it couldn't be the one he actually wanted to eat.

Such as the carp, tofu, and scallions from before...

With that, the bait was set, and on a double hook no less.

But he still had to chum the water.

An Actor Cultivator needed five days of observation to mimic someone. Therefore, he and Fei Yu went to the Opera House every day to watch plays.

While they watched the plays, he let those people watch him.

Once the waters were chummed, it was time for the most crucial step.

To go fishing, you needed actual fish.

Where would the fish come from? Naturally, the Old Man would herd them over.

With the Old Man tirelessly tightening the net little by little, if those people still wanted to kill him, they would have to strike as soon as possible.

Fortunately, he didn't end up empty-handed.

He just didn't know if this fish was the one he had been trying to catch.

A short while later, Fei Yu walked out, dragging the battered and bloody imposter.

By now, he had revealed his true face—it was actually a man.

Moreover, it was someone both Yan Jing and Fei Yu had seen before.

When the two of them first went to the Opera House to watch a play, the person playing the wealthy fop in The Tale of Killing a Dog had been the man right in front of them.

"Tell me, where are you from?"

Yan Jing looked at the man with a smile.

"The Wang Family Troupe."

The man's speech was already slurred.

"The Wang Family Troupe?"

Yan Jing shook his head. "I don't believe you."

"You are clearly not from the Wang Family Troupe!"

Yan Jing raised his voice.

"I am from the Wang Family Troupe!"

The man also raised his volume.

"You are not!"

"I am!"

"Really?"

"Really!"

"Bullshit!"

Yan Jing used one of the only two curse words Young Master Luo knew.

"How can you prove you're from the Wang Family Troupe?"

"I've already shown my 'true face'; you can go verify it!"

The man said anxiously.

"True face" was what this group of actors called their actual appearance.

Right after his voice fell, Yan Jing suddenly laughed.

"Good! You are from the Wang Family Troupe!"

It was practically impossible for this man to be from the Wang Family Troupe.

Otherwise, why would he be so eager to admit it?

But he did indeed perform in the Wang Family Troupe. That was the clever part.

Yan Jing chuckled and said, "Xiao Yu, brew some Herbal Tea. I'm thirsty."

"And seal off his movements completely. Wait until Master Liu gets back, then interrogate him properly!"

Hearing this, Fei Yu stood where she was, unmoving. She looked at Yan Jing and said softly, "The herbs used to brew Herbal Tea cost money, you know. Rather than wasting it by pouring it down his throat, you'd be better off finding a gold cultivator outside and asking for two buckets of manure."

She had seen right through him.

Yan Jing looked at Fei Yu, taking in the fake smile plastered across her face. He knew that if he didn't do something, all those plays he had taken her to see over the past few days would have been for nothing.

He could only let out a long sigh and lean back.

"Two bowls of Herbal Tea. I'll drink them myself. I'm a dog if I don't."

At that, the fake smile on Fei Yu's face turned into genuine amusement. She happily dashed off to brew the Herbal Tea, disappearing into the kitchen in a flash.

"Don't worry, sir, I'll add sugar this time."

It would probably taste even worse.

Ultimately, Yan Jing wasn't quite that bold, and he swallowed the remark.

...

That night, Old Master Liu returned. Yan Jing recounted the events to him, omitting the part about the secret signal. He simply claimed that the man had been backed into a corner by the Old Man's tightening net and had finally lashed out at him.

"Old Man, I really owe it all to you,"

Yan Jing said.

"Don't mention it, Young Master."

The Old Man waved his hand. He was delighted to see that they had caught the culprit, but he still spoke with a hint of concern.

"Young Master, I'm just afraid there's more than one person behind him."

This was what Yi Ji had told him yesterday.

Young Master Luo had indeed been poisoned by a scent, but he had fallen asleep a while after inhaling it. Given the foot speed of the rickshaw-pulling cultivators, trying to both release the incense and commit the murder simply wouldn't have allowed enough time.

"That's exactly what I'm worried about."

Over the past few days, Yan Jing had become a master of playing dumb. However, although Young Master Luo wasn't skilled at solving crimes, he was still highly intelligent, so Yan Jing had to show a certain level of astuteness.

"That's why I wanted to ask you what we should do."

"Leave it to me."

Old Master Liu said. "That friend of mine is an expert at interrogations."

"Then I'll have to trouble your friend."

"Not at all. He will certainly have matters to trouble you with later; when the time comes, I hope you'll lend him a hand, Young Master."

And just like that, the Old Man left with the captive.

Yan Jing lay on his recliner and read a book for a while. Seeing that it was about time, he headed into the inner room.

He let out a faint sigh.

From solving the case to setting the bait, catching the culprit, and now the interrogation—this whole ordeal was truly exhausting.

He only hoped he could get what he wanted this time.

...

...

The interrogation went very smoothly.

Although the strength of Yi Ji's body was suppressed by one tier in this Domain, the two abilities—Memory Severance and Fear Memories—were still usable. It was just that they took a massive toll on the body, just as they had back then with Old Master Liu and Chen Nian.

First, he used Fear Memories to drag up the terrifying memories lurking in the man's heart. He questioned the man while he was drowning in deep terror, and then used Memory Severance to make him temporarily forget where he was, repeating the cycle over and over.

After such a grueling ordeal...

The man had nearly suffered a total breakdown, and Yan Jing managed to pry out most of the details.

This man was indeed not the one who had physically murdered Young Master Luo.

The actual killer was still hiding within the Wang Family Troupe.

The two of them had worked together and thought they had succeeded. It wasn't until word spread of the commotion the Young Master of the Luo Family had caused at Wanhua Fang that they realized he wasn't dead at all.

Because of that, the two of them had been severely reprimanded.

However... this man was only responsible for doing the dirty work. He didn't know who was actually pulling the strings, though he did reveal a few other clues.

For Yan Jing, this information was already enough.

Looking at the man who was now wishing for death, Yan Jing smiled, parted his lips, and softly said a few words.

...

...

Afterwards, the man was taken back to Luo Sheng's house.

First thing the next morning, Yan Jing and Fei Yu headed out.

Their destination, naturally, was the Opera House.

The Opera House wasn't open in the morning. However, as Yan Jing approached the entrance, he could see from a distance that there were two groups of people inside, sitting backward on the audience benches and staring straight at him.

They straddled the benches, every one of them dressed in full theatrical costume. With their varied expressions, the scene looked very much like a Hongmen Banquet.

"You don't sell tickets in the morning. Can we still enter?"

Yan Jing asked with a smile, looking at the two leaders opposite him.

One was the troupe leader of the Mei Family Theater Troupe, and the other was the troupe leader of the Wang Family Theatrical Troupe.

"All who come are guests. Enter the theater."

The Mei Family Troupe leader extended a hand.

"Enter the theater!!!"

Beside him, all the actors spoke in unison, their voices echoing so loudly that the Opera House trembled.

This was the unique charm of this Domain. Sometimes, logic wasn't important. Righteousness, hot-blooded passion, or sheer profit could all act as catalysts for inexplicable behavior.

But regardless, it never felt out of place.

As for the actors before him, based on the information Yan Jing had gathered, it was obvious that the catalyst driving their current actions was righteousness.

"If we can't buy tickets, then perhaps we shouldn't enter."

Yan Jing smiled.

"Enter the theater!!!"

Opposite him, the actors shouted in unison once more. This time, even the ground shook.

"There are only two of us, so we won't go in."

"Enter the theater!!!"

Under their united will, the wall behind Yan Jing and Fei Yu began to rattle, drawing the attention of people passing by in the distance.

"Fine! We'll enter then!"

Yan Jing seemed to have lost his temper. Glaring at the row of actors lined up across from him, his voice grew louder:

"But before we enter, tell me—what kind of theater are we entering today?"

"An opera house!"

The one who spoke was the troupe leader of the Mei Family Troupe.

"What opera house?"

"An opera house is an opera house!"

"I am asking you, is the theater I am entering today an opera house that has lost its master! Or is it the Mei Family's opera house!"

Yan Jing extended a hand. As the leader of the Mei Family Troupe fell into a heavy silence, he spoke again.

His voice boomed even louder, his aura erupting:

"I said, am I walking into a broken, masterless theater that has lost its very soul, or the opera house that belonged to Mei Baitang of the Mei Family in years past!!!"

"..."

It was a very simple question. There wasn't even a right or wrong answer, nor was it particularly important.

But the Mei Family troupe leader's gaze wavered. His lips trembled, unable to force the words out.

Because he couldn't say it was the Mei Family's opera house. With so many people watching, the Mei Family was already dead—and they were supposed to remain dead.

If the Mei Family came back to life, things would take a disastrous turn.

But he couldn't bring himself to say it was a masterless opera house either.

Because this was, undeniably, the Mei Family's opera house.

And he, the people under him, and even the people in the Wang Family Troupe, were all people of the Mei Family.

This was the foolish trait of this Domain.

This was righteousness.