Under One Person: My comprehension is unmatched.

Zhang Yan was taken aback by the young man's answer. He had just been thinking about Xia Liuqing, and now the person in question had appeared right beside him.

However, judging from Xia Liuqing's appearance, he probably hasn't met Jin Feng'er, the woman he's pursued his whole life, yet, and he hasn't joined the Quanxing sect at the moment.

He clasped his hands in greeting and said, "I am Zhang Yan, a free spirit."

Upon hearing this, Xia Liuqing's eyes widened, and she asked, "You're Zhang Yan from the Northern Frontier?"

Seeing Zhang Yan nod, he pointed to the backstage of the opera troupe and said, "I've heard so much about you, let's go inside and talk."

After saying that, he led Zhang Yan into the backstage area.

The backstage area was not spacious. Many performers were applying makeup in front of the mirror, while those who had finished removing their makeup were resting with their eyes closed in their chairs.

This was Zhang Yan's first time in such a place. Looking at the actors and the costumes hanging there, he couldn't help but marvel.

Xia Liuqing brought over a dressing table and two chairs, and said.

"Brother Zhang, please have a seat. This place isn't spacious, but it's quieter than outside."

Seeing Zhang Yan sit down, he then spoke.

"Brother Zhang, weren't you in the northern frontier? How did you end up in the northwest?"

Zhang Yan smiled and said, "I've been traveling around the Northwest for more than half a year just to find a theatrical troupe like yours."

After saying that, Zhang Yan took out the parchment from his pouch and placed it on the dressing table, which made Xia Liuqing's eyes widen.

Is this a storage artifact? He even managed to get his hands on such a rare storage artifact; Zhang Yan is truly extraordinary.

Xia Liuqing picked up the brown paper and looked at its contents. The more he read, the worse his expression became.

The person who obtained such detailed information must have put in a lot of effort, but why is that?

At this moment, Xia Liuqing only had two guesses in her mind: one was that Zhang Yan was related to the family that was slaughtered and had come to seek revenge.

Another reason is related to the methods used by this opera troupe; regardless of the method, it's not a good thing for him.

Xia Liuqing put down the parchment, hid her hands in her wide sleeves, forced a smile, and said.

"Brother Zhang, what does it mean to show me this?"

As he finished speaking, the costumes hanging around him began to sway without wind, and even the singing from the stage gradually became clearer.

"Brother Xia, don't be in such a hurry. Let me finish speaking first."

As Zhang Yan spoke, he waved to Xia Liuqing, and the pupils in his eyes changed slightly.

Just then, a gentle breeze blew from somewhere in the cramped backstage area, carrying the opera singing into the distance.

After the breeze, all the swaying costumes suddenly came to a complete stop.

At this moment, everyone, whether they were wearing makeup or resting with their eyes closed, looked at Zhang Yan.

Xia Liuqing was shocked and exclaimed, "What kind of technique is this?"

Zhang Yan shook his head, and just as he was about to speak, a slightly aged voice came from behind him.

"Xia, you are a guest, please don't be impolite."

Zhang Yan looked over and saw a person walking down from the front stage; it was the same actor who had just displayed his skills on the stage.

"Yes, master."

"Boss."

"Boss."

When people saw this person, they all greeted him.

The man's eyes were like torches as he looked at Zhang Yan, then exclaimed in surprise.

"You don't have any immortals on you, so how did you manage to use the Ma family's methods?"

Zhang Yan shook his head and said...

"This is not the method of the shamans; to be precise, it is the method of the immortals."

The man was even more puzzled upon hearing this, but since it was someone else's protective item, he couldn't delve into it further.

With a wave of his sleeve, he revealed an old face and began to speak.

"My surname is Cheng, and I am the head of this opera troupe. May I ask what brings you here?"

Zhang Yan stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Master Cheng, and said.

"Young man Zhang Yan, greet Master Cheng. I've come here to find someone."

"Hehe, young friend Zhang, you're not here to see Xia, are you?"

Master Cheng chuckled, glanced at Xia Liuqing, and spoke.

Xia Liuqing, who had just relaxed a little, tensed up again upon hearing these words.

"Everyone has misunderstood. I'm here to see an old Taoist priest surnamed Zhang. I wonder if Master Cheng has met him before."

As Zhang Yan spoke, he handed the brown paper back to Master Cheng.

Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, as long as they weren't there to cause trouble for the opera troupe.

The person in front of them looked young, but he subdued Xia with a wave of his hand, and the methods he used were also strange. Even the old troupe leader couldn't figure out his background, which was truly terrifying.

Master Cheng picked up the parchment and examined it carefully. After reading to the end, he sighed deeply and began to speak.

"The child who escaped was Xia."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yan was immediately excited. After searching for so long, there was finally some progress. Then, he became nervous and asked, "..."

"Master Cheng, let me confirm something with you: is that old Taoist priest really dead?"

Looking at Zhang Yan's expression, Master Cheng sighed again and said.

"He is indeed dead. He died backstage at this opera troupe. If I'm not mistaken, you must be his apprentice."

Zhang Yan's eyes dimmed instantly, and he nodded slightly.

He took out the wooden plaque and the method that the old Taoist priest had left him from his bosom and asked.

"Where is my master buried?"

“Mountain Stream, this is his last wish.”

Shanxi, the place where Zhang Yan and the old Taoist first met, is also his hometown. Zhang Yan searched there for a long time without success.

Zhang Yan cupped his hands again and said, "Thank you, Master Cheng. Could you please tell me more about his matter?"

Master Cheng nodded and recounted what he knew, which was largely the same as the intelligence reports, except for a few minor details. Finally, he said...

"Before he died, he expressed two wishes: one was to be buried in Shanxi, so that he could return to his roots; the other was..."

At this point, Master Cheng glanced at Zhang Yan and continued.

"Another last wish was to find his apprentice and give him a job that would allow him to make a living, even if it meant living as an ordinary person for the rest of his life."

This livelihood naturally refers to the skill of performing opera. In the end, Zhang Laodao no longer hoped that Zhang Yan could sense the Qi through Nuo opera, but only hoped that he could survive peacefully in this chaotic world.

"why?"

Zhang Yan's voice was a little hoarse.

“I asked him this question too. He said that even if he didn’t make this trip, his days were numbered, and his knowledge of the methods was incomplete, so he had to leave something for his disciples.”

Upon hearing Master Cheng's words, Zhang Yan understood that the incomplete method had caused his master to fall ill, which was why he had always refused to teach Zhang Yan how to sense Qi.

He knew his days were numbered and decided to take a gamble, but ultimately there was no going back. He could only settle for second best and place his hopes on this Master Cheng.

“We also looked for you, but to no avail. Later, as your reputation grew, it became even less likely that we would approach you and ask if you were that old Taoist’s disciple.”

Master Cheng looked at the silent Zhang Yan and then spoke.

“I know what he’s thinking, but whatever he’s thinking, since he’s returned the things, I, Cheng, will accept this favor.”

"Zhang Yan, let me ask you, are you willing to learn this skill of performing traditional opera?"