I am a swordsman in a strange city

Chapter 70 Theater Actors
Pei Ju returned home and sat on the balcony, watching the children running back and forth in the streetlights, playing games in small groups. Seeing their joyful appearance, Pei Ju couldn't help but think of his own childhood.

在干什么呢？

Practicing swordsmanship and fighting.

He didn't play any other games, but at the time he didn't think he did anything wrong. Now that he thinks about it, he doesn't feel there was anything wrong either, just a little regretful that he missed out on some childhood friends.

But what he had seen and heard in the past day or two left him feeling melancholy, so he went inside, took out his xiao (vertical bamboo flute), and started playing it on the balcony.

A Song of Rising Tides on the Azure Sea!
Chen Sheng, who lives next door, is a theater director and is currently directing a martial arts drama. However, she has always felt that something is missing.

Just then, she suddenly heard the sound of a flute, which instantly transported her to a world of swords and shadows.

She couldn't help but get up and slowly walked to the balcony. She didn't go out because she knew it might disturb the other person. She stood inside and listened. The sound of the flute was coming from next door. As she listened, her body and mind trembled.

In the world of drama, although she is a newcomer, she is extremely professional because she has been learning about this subject from her father since she was a child. This is a family tradition and a love that she has developed through exposure to it.

In addition, her appearance, although not in the absolute sense of beauty, combined with her status and intellectual temperament, made it possible for people to line up around the neighborhood to pursue her.

This time, she was directing a play all by herself, so she always wanted it to be perfect. She hadn't been able to find a piece of music that she wanted that could run through the whole play. When she heard it, her first instinct was that it was the perfect piece.

Only after the music on the balcony ended did she go out to look and find that the flute player was next door. She knew that no one lived next door for many years; she had lived there for over a year and had never seen the person next door before.

When she saw him today, her eyes lit up. He was a man with long, jet-black hair. He was tall and had a chiseled face. He looked very upright. Although he had long hair, he didn't look effeminate at all. Instead, he had a kind of indifferent and melancholic temperament that was very charming. She was speechless for a moment.

During his five years in the Taoist temple, Pei Ju became too lazy to get a haircut, so his hair grew longer and longer. This time when he returned, he didn't shave it because he was used to it.

"What's up?"

The voice reached Chen Sheng's ears; it was deep and carried a detached and indifferent quality.

"Oh, yes, it's like this, I'm a theater director. I'd like to ask, what do you do? Are you a music student?" Chen Sheng didn't realize that he was actually a little nervous.

"No."

"You play the flute really well, you must have studied it specially, right?" Chen Sheng asked again.

The bamboo flute in Pei Ju's hand wasn't exactly beautiful; it was made of bamboo by himself and looked rough. Combined with his long hair and the music, it exuded a rugged,江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) vibe.

"I suppose so," Pei Ju replied simply.

"So, what are you doing now?" Chen Sheng asked again.

Pei Ju didn't want to talk anymore. He was already in a bad mood. Ever since the incident at home, he had been in a bad mood for many years. In addition, there were few people to talk to on the mountain. He had gone from a cheerful boy to a silent young man.

He's suddenly being questioned, so he doesn't want to talk.

“Oh, no, I… it’s like this…” Chen Sheng saw Pei Ju looking down at his flute and not answering him, so he immediately explained, “I’m a theater director, and I’m currently directing a play. I need an actor who can play the flute. I just heard your flute playing and I thought it was very good and fits the theme of the play perfectly. I wonder if I could invite you to participate?”

“I’m not an actor, I can’t act,” Pei Ju glanced at the other person and replied calmly.

“You don’t need to act, you just need to play the flute at the crucial moment, and I’ll pay you.” Chen Sheng said, then suddenly realized she had mentioned money. Feeling she had offended him, she immediately said, “Sorry, that’s not what I meant. I meant that paying you is the right thing to do, but I don’t know if you have the time?”

In the end, her voice became much softer.

Pei Ju leaned against the door and said, "It's nothing. I just arrived in Haishi and haven't looked for a job yet."

Over the past few days, Pei Ju found himself sinking into a depressed state again. He didn't want to go anywhere, didn't want to move, and just wanted to stay in his room alone. After understanding what the other person was saying, he thought to himself that he needed to engage with society and couldn't stay alone forever.

"Really? That's great! Come join our crew and be a permanent member. I'll get you onboarding done tomorrow," Chen Sheng said excitedly.

She wanted to talk to Pei Ju, but Pei Ju ignored her and said, "Oh, I'm going to sleep now."

After he finished speaking, he went back into the room and lay down on the bed.

He certainly didn't really want to sleep. As a professional, he didn't need to sleep that much. He just didn't want to talk and wanted to be alone.

Chen Sheng, sitting next door, was stunned for a moment, but she didn't get angry. If someone else had treated her like that, she would have been angry, but not this time.

He immediately returned to his room and called the film crew to tell them that he had found an actor to play the music.

After that, she dialed another number. As soon as the call connected, she said, "Niannian, I met a super charming and handsome guy."

"Super charming? Handsome guy? Is it that cliché?" Nian Nian joked over the phone.

"Yes, he's not just any handsome guy, he's absolutely stunning. You wouldn't believe it, but when you see him, you'll find that he's incredibly charismatic. His voice and his eyes, that detached gaze, like he's looking at thin air, can really draw you in."

"Sheng Sheng, you like this kind of person who doesn't respect you?" Niannian said sarcastically on the phone.

"No, it's just that I happened to run into someone like that," Chen Sheng said somewhat embarrassedly.

“Okay, let’s set a time when I have time, and you can bring it to me so I can see it,” Niannian said.

"I'm not sure I can get you to agree to meet up," Chen Sheng said hastily.

"Oh, there are men that even our Sheng Sheng can't get a date with?" Niannian said in disbelief.

"Yeah, when I talk to him, he barely responds, only a word or two," Chen Sheng complained.

"is it?"

"However, he agreed to join our crew as a music actor. He plays the flute very well, and you can tell from his voice that he has been through a lot."

"He plays the flute, huh? I wonder if he can play the conch shell too?" Niannian chuckled to herself after saying this on the phone.

"What did you say? Let me tell you, don't talk nonsense, don't flirt with him, or you'll make him angry and I won't let you off the hook," Chen Sheng said, feigning anger.

"Okay, okay, I won't mess with the one you've set your sights on, but he's so charming that he'll come crawling to me. Don't blame me if he does," Nian Nian teased over the phone.

"No way, don't worry. I'm hanging up now, I'm going to take a shower." After saying goodbye, Chen Sheng went to take a shower.

She was happy and slept soundly all night, as if she had a beautiful dream. When she opened her eyes, it wasn't fully light yet. But she couldn't fall back asleep, wondering about the man next door—his background, name, experiences, where he was from, and what he did before.

She went out onto the balcony when it was fully light, but quickly came back to wash up first, and then put on makeup. While she was putting on makeup, she kept listening to see if there was any movement on the balcony next door, wondering if they had woken up.

After she finished putting on her makeup, made herself a cup of oatmeal, toasted some bread, and went to the balcony to eat while waiting, she found that the man next door was already sitting there.

He sat on a single sofa, reclining and curled up there, as if he were still asleep and taking a nap.

She put down the cereal and bread dish in her hand and immediately called out, "Hey, hey, handsome neighbor."

Fortunately, she didn't have to shout many times before the other party responded.

Pei Ju reached out and smoothed his hair, then looked towards the next room.

When he turned around, it was still morning, and his emotions seemed to have not returned; his eyes were indifferent.

Chen Sheng felt that those eyes were incredibly captivating.

Pei Ju saw a woman standing by the railing, smiling at him.

He didn't answer, but she knew the question in his eyes.

"Have you eaten?" Chen Sheng asked.

"No," Pei Ju replied, then leaned back on the sofa.

"I'll make one for you," Chen Sheng said quickly.

"No need," Pei Ju said without looking up, but he heard the other person enter the house.

Not long after, the other person came out again and said, "Here, I made some toast and a cup of cereal. Have some to tide you over."

Pei Ju glanced at her and saw her holding the food there. He felt it wasn't right to have her hold it like that, but it was too far to reach for it, so he said, "Then I'll go eat it."

“Okay.” Chen Sheng said immediately. She had deliberately not invited him over, but she was carrying some food. Pei Ju wanted to eat, so he had no choice but to go over.

After that, she learned Pei Ju's name, but that was all. She didn't know anything about his background, only that he was originally from Haishi, but left five years ago and only recently returned.

After that, she said she would take Pei Ju to complete his onboarding process, and then they went to the theater and participated in rehearsals that day. The music was already arranged, but she was never satisfied with the music part of the rehearsal.

Now that she had finally found someone who satisfied her, the replaced flute player was indignant, but when he heard Pei Ju play the "Azure Sea Tide" tune, he fell silent.

And so, he began his first job back in Haishi, on a stage with a large audience. However, since he didn't need to perform and only played the flute when needed, he was assigned to the second floor, behind a curtain. Whenever needed, he would stand up and go to the railing to play the flute.

In the final stage, a beam of light will shine on him.

Chen Sheng and the rest of the directing team, watching the final flute performance from the audience, were all amazed. One of them said, "He's a natural-born stage actor! Director Chen, where did you find him?"

Chen Sheng laughed and said, "I didn't look for it, but I guess you could say it was a gift from heaven."

"A gift from heaven."

"If this look were to be paired with suitable period costumes, it would be even more perfect, outshining the main character."

"I think he will be a major highlight of our show."

After stepping down from the stage, Pei Ju asked Chen Sheng if he could wear a mask, as he felt uncomfortable with everyone watching him.

If there are audience members, thousands of people watching at the same time, it will be even more uncomfortable, so I want a mask.

“Yes.” One of the assistant directors slapped his thigh and said, “Wearing a mask adds to the mystery, draws everyone’s attention to the music, and in the end, they see a person wearing a mask, which gives it a more江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) feel.”

After a week of rehearsals, the play was performed at the Lotus Theater in Shanghai.

Unlike movies, stage plays don't require massive advertising campaigns, but they still manage to spread within small circles.

Of course, not many people watched it at first.

However, this martial arts stage play called "The Legend of the Swordsman" was surprisingly good.

Putting the story aside, the sword and knife skills performed by the stage actors and the sword dances performed by the wires suspended in the air are exceptionally beautiful.

However, what truly amazed everyone was that after someone died, during the dark transition, a soul-stirring melody appeared, shocking everyone present.

That mournful, high-pitched, and endless sound, rising in waves, was like a sword, piercing everyone's unsuspecting hearts with countless holes.

The darkness dissipated, and the scene shifted back. However, everyone couldn't help but search for the place where the music had just come from. But there was a curtain covering the area, and it was dark. People could only be vaguely seen, but not clearly.

Between each scene transition, the sound of the xiao (vertical flute) would rise, each time perfectly suited to the occasion. When tense, the xiao's sound would be high-pitched, while when sorrowful, it would be low and melodious, like a sob.

Until the very end, all the stage lights were turned off, except for a beam of light shining on the second floor, where a person stood by the railing. The wind blew the curtains around that person, who was wearing a bronze mask.

The mask only covered the upper half of his face, leaving the lower half (mouth and nose) exposed, as he played the flute.

He was wearing a black robe and his hair was loose.

In that instant, the scene and the sound of the flute transported people to a special situation.

"Wow!"

This was almost a unanimous gasp from the audience.

They all took out their cameras and phones to take pictures.

The sound of the xiao is not only high-pitched, nor only low-pitched, but also stretches far and wide, as if one is looking out over the wind to the desert and the vast sea, boundless and entering the realm of martial arts, with lingering charm.

(End of this chapter)