"What are you doing here?"

The sharp, hoarse voice of an old man echoed in Yu Xing's ears. Yu Xing blinked, not letting the atmosphere turn silent. He smiled naturally, "I heard your voice and came out to take a look. I thought I had just arrived at the main hall, so I might as well pay my respects to this esteemed person. After all, I am new here."

His words were spoken so naturally that no one could have guessed that he had calmed down in a short moment and organized his words.

If it were another village, wandering here so late at night would definitely be suspicious. But this village itself was already very unusual. Yu Xing estimated that the villagers' thought process would prioritize their worship of the gods.

As someone who had been personally led here by the shaman, if he had the thought of worshiping the gods, Aunt Li would definitely be pleased to see it, even if he admitted that he had come with Aunt Li.

As long as he could understand others' thoughts and concerns, he could often position himself in an absolutely safe place in their interactions.

Sure enough, after hearing this, Aunt Li smiled with her wrinkled face and said, "It's good to worship the gods, but it's already late. Mr. Shi Wei, you should rest first."

"Alright." Although being called Shi Wei made Yu Xing inexplicably uncomfortable, he still remained calm and bid Aunt Li goodnight before returning to his room at a leisurely pace.

"Phew..." After closing the door, Yu Xing touched his nose, got into bed, and fell asleep.

In the end, the night's experiences did not scare him. He was just a little disappointed that Aunt Li's house had insufficient information.

At first, he couldn't fall asleep and went to watch a ritual offering of meat, but instead of feeling more awake, he became drowsy and soon felt his eyelids grow heavy, unknowingly falling into darkness.

...

It was still a dream.

After falling asleep, the dream came knocking, briefly pulling Yu Xing out of reality and into another strange world.

Yu Xing's consciousness floated among the bizarre lights and shadows. Unlike last night, tonight's dream was no longer a series of fragmented, hard-to-remember and capture images, but a series of coherent scenes, like acts in a play. Although absurd, there seemed to be a hidden thread connecting the real passage of time.

...

"The purple flowers bloom everywhere, as if they are all given to the broken wells and dilapidated walls..."

"Such a beautiful day, why is there no one to enjoy the scenery in the courtyard..."

"Morning flights and evening rolls, clouds and green pavilions, rain threads and wind pieces, misty waves and painted boats..."

"The embroidered screen is too cheap to watch this beautiful time..."

In a dreamlike state, the melodious singing echoed in Yu Xing's ears. He was very clear that he was currently in a dream, just as many people are very aware of whether they are dreaming or not.

He looked up and saw a graceful female role singing on the stage, her voice clear and beautiful.

Wearing a red dress, with a large bun on her head and long, soft black braids on both sides, her eyes and eyebrows were adorned with makeup, and every step of this female role was just right, portraying the end of the song as if it were real.

The weather was gloomy, and it was hard to tell if it was morning or afternoon. Yu Xing was wearing a Western-style suit that was gradually becoming popular in wealthy households, sitting in a Western-style chair.

"Dreaming of the Garden." He vaguely remembered this famous Kunqu Opera segment.

The person on stage continued to sing.

"The red flowers on the green mountains are crying, the smoke outside the flowers is soft and drunk, although the peonies are beautiful, how can they compete with the spring returning..."

Yu Xing looked around and saw a blurry figure sitting next to him, making it difficult to determine the person's voice. After some time, the song ended, and the female role left the stage. The blurry figure said, "I have long heard of a masterful singer in the city, and now I have heard it with my own ears. It is indeed a great honor for Mr. Yu to be invited to celebrate my birthday."

The female role bowed and spoke in a male voice, "It is fortunate for the performer to be valued by Mr. Yu and to celebrate Mr. Yu's birthday."

There was a hint of undeniable softness in his eyes and voice, but it was not lacking in sharpness. Although he played a female role on stage, he was very cheerful offstage and would not be mistaken for a woman.

In other people's words, it was probably "this man is too good-looking."

"Mr. Yu" seemed very happy and laughed, looking at Yu Xing, "Traditional Chinese art is indeed beautiful. This is my son, who has just returned from studying Western art abroad. I was really afraid that he would become too inflated and forget his roots after going out for a trip. How about it? You have always liked beautiful things since you were young. Is this performance of 'Dreaming of the Garden' not as beautiful as the oil paintings and sculptures you have studied?"

The last sentence was directed at Yu Xing. Although Yu Xing realized that this was a dream, he couldn't control his body at this moment. He heard himself say happily, "Hmm, it's beautiful."

Mr. Yu really liked this performer. From then on, the performer stayed in his house and became a frequent guest.

Yu Xing often saw a handsome man in a long gown and a horse jacket walking around the house.

...

The events in between were as fragmented as a deep ravine. When he opened his eyes again, Yu Xing's feet were on the cold ground, surrounded by shattered glass and a pale red liquid, with long hair covering his naked skin.

He was running.

There was a light door in front of him, and a voice in his heart was telling him that he could escape from all this if he went out.

There were many people chasing after him, shouting, "Don't let him escape! He is our only successful test subject!"

"Bang!"

A gunshot rang out, and Yu Xing felt a sharp pain in his leg. He vaguely felt that his body had never experienced such pain before. This was the first time, and it left a lasting impression on him.

But he only stumbled for a moment, and his running speed did not decrease much. The gunfire behind him gradually intensified, with some bullets piercing through him and others remaining in his body.

Blood seeped from the corners of Yu Xing's mouth, and his consciousness became clearer.

"Don't let him get too badly injured, or the performer will kill us!"

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"What are you afraid of? He can't die now!"

The performer... Upon hearing this name, a huge wave of grief and hatred surged in Yu Xing's heart.He remembered, standing dumbfounded amidst a sea of flames, and that voice he often heard at home spoke to him with a laugh entirely different from the one used in operas: "Your home is gone, you have nowhere to go, come with me."

"Oh? Is it my fault that your family was destroyed and your people killed? Hehe... Young Master Yu Xing, how come you only realize it now? You're not very clever, and that will put you at a disadvantage in the future."

"The reason for doing this... of course, it's because of you. Look at your face, it's the same type as mine, you're so suited to become the second Performer... Yes, entering your home was also part of the plan."

At this moment, Yu Xing recalled all the memories before he entered the small village.

He let out a cold laugh.

He truly hadn't expected that after losing his memory, he would recall the past in his dreams, and the person prompting these memories would be the Performer.

He never imagined that one day he would learn his own name, Yu Xing, from the mouth of a Performer.

m.x