The King of Black Fog

The night sky was pitch-black, the lights of the pear orchard shone brightly, like a cluster of campfires under the firmament, laughter was everywhere, and the stage was filled with eloquent dialogue.

Zhong Yingru's gaze once again fell upon Li Changzhou.

Having had several illicit encounters, she was fairly familiar with his body, but today was the first time she noticed a mocking smile on his face when he laughed.

It was as if he saw the people on the stage as nothing more than a joke—just like the high and mighty Uranus on stage, the commoners below dared to point fingers and comment carelessly, completely disregarding them.

Was this his usual demeanor towards others?

"Forcing someone's hand?" the tall, thin middle-aged man repeated the phrase, letting out a cold laugh.

He flicked his robe and sat down on the stool.

"Li Erye," the sarcasm and ridicule in the tall, thin middle-aged man's tone were palpable, "living in this world is just the heavens forcing someone's hand, how hard is it to simply live? You're not young anymore; don't you understand even this simple truth?"

Zhong Yingru furrowed her willow-leaf eyebrows and turned her gaze towards this middle-aged man again.

"No matter who is behind you, how dare you speak to Erye like that?"

Now, the entire Xia Country was dominated by the Li Clan, the Song Clan, and the Zhao Clan. Li Changzhou was the second young master of the Li Clan. Who, apart from a few, dared to show him disrespect?

The assassination attempt a few days ago, had it not been for Commander Li wanting to test his son and decide on a successor, Song City would have already been storming with bloodshed.

"Li Changzhou," the middle-aged man tugged at the corner of his mouth, eyeing Li Changzhou, "do you think I dare?"

Li Changzhou fell into deep thought—what could he gain by pretending to join the opponent?

If the opponent was courting him, they wouldn't court others; he'd have one less hidden enemy, gain an ally, and find out their plans against Commander Li and Li Bichang.

Zhong Yingru and the middle-aged man in the robe were both watching him. He lay back on the couch, elbows propped on the armrests, fingers interlocked in front of his chest, his eyes deep in thought.

"Forget it." The two suddenly heard him say.

Initially, he was just going along with the assassin, being new here and curious.

Now, to follow an organization's orders for an extended period, when a somewhat ranked subordinate didn't even regard him as a person (and simpler tasks didn't guarantee completion), what was the point?

"Forget what?" the middle-aged man in the robe frowned.

On stage, deafening gongs and cymbals crashed down fiercely.

The lead actress flung her water sleeves, and her head adornments flashed blue light.

Zhong Yingru covered her mouth, eyes widened, while flames of white fire burned in the eyes of the middle-aged man, white overwhelming his pupils, his sockets filled with blankness.

He continued to sit on the stool, but his body was stiff, giving off a ghastly pale vibe like that of a candle.

On stage, the martial artist flicked his face and suddenly donned a ghastly mask.

"Excellent!" Cheers erupted from all around.

The Black Death God slowly retracted his scythe, his form gradually blurring.

"Erye!" The door was suddenly pushed open, and Liu De burst in with his men.

The Black Death God was good in many ways, but his appearance always brought a chill breeze, which actually provided some relief in the summer.

"Hang him at the city gate for three days." Li Changzhou directed pointing at the soulless body of the man in the robe.

Liu De looked at the body, his face changing color, his pupils dilating. The body offered no resistance, showed no wounds, and the death was both sudden and bizarrely grim.

"Should someone keep watch?" His attitude towards Li Changzhou held a mix of respect for power, money, and now added obedience.

"What's the use of watching a dead body? Let whoever wants it take it. Just throw it out; it's unlucky to keep it here." Li Changzhou picked up his wine glass and took a sip.

"Yes," Liu De turned and hissed to his subordinates, "Take it away!"

The bodyguards stepped forward and promptly lifted the body, leaving only Li Changzhou and Zhong Yingru in the room.

"You've seen it," Li Changzhou set down his wine glass, "I've gotten myself into a lot of trouble lately; even my elder brother wants to kill me. Let's avoid contact for a while."

He turned his head, looking at the still unsettled Zhong Yingru, "Let's get back together once everything is settled."

Zhong Yingru dropped her hands from her chest and shifted her eyes to Li Changzhou.

Her expression was complicated, as if seeing him for the first time.

After a moment, she spoke numbly, "I thought you were only attractive and skilled at winning women's hearts."

"Attractive, I admit, but winning women's hearts depends on the person." Li Changzhou smiled, "Sister-in-law, you should go home early. Be careful on the way, and it's best not to go out during this period."

Zhong Yingru nodded subconsciously, then came back to her senses and stood up to head outside.

"Sister-in-law."

Zhong Yingru turned back to see Li Changzhou pointing at her couch where her shawl still lay.

She walked back as if in a trance, reached out for the shawl, and just as she was about to turn around, she suddenly lunged at him.

She pinned him down on the couch, her arms tightly wrapped around his neck, her delicate face pressing against his, as if to draw warmth from his body.

The two of them were as closely intertwined as stacked spoons, and with just a lowering of his hand, Li Changzhou could embrace her slender waist and further down, her curvaceous hips.

"Ah Zhou," she murmured softly, "I belong to you in this lifetime. If you die, regardless of my will, I will die with you."

She lifted her head, the rouge on her lips smudged, her breath warm, her lips parted slightly, her tongue peeking out before even touching.

Li Changzhou's hand fell, knocking her unconscious.

He picked up her cheongsam collar and dumped her on the next couch.

"Damn it!" he couldn't help but curse quietly, brushing off his chest.

If he carried her scent, how could he face Miss Yang? This woman was simply insane!

Li Changzhou dipped his fingers into the wine glass, thinking of splashing some on himself to mask any smell, but then decided against it.

Neither he nor Yang Qinglan really drank alcohol; it was merely an occasional life experience for them.

He sighed deeply, feeling annoyed, more so than if he had made an enemy by killing someone.

It seemed the stage thrived on opposition, and now the Emperor Chun took the stage.

Dressed as a noble lord, even in costume and makeup, one could discern his excellent demeanor—calm, composed yet always tinged with a hint of melancholy, and amazingly handsome. No wonder he had been rated among the top four beauties by the newspapers.

On stage, his operatic performance was perfectly controlled, light when it needed to be light, heavy when it needed to be heavy. Peking opera, in his mouth, was manipulated like a piece of candy, any way he wanted it.

The opera "Drumming and Scolding Cao," in which she played Mi Heng.

"Even if they cut off my head, I shall be renowned throughout the land for scolding Cao!"

As soon as she opened her mouth, the cheering from below almost materialized, threatening to lift the box seats.

After the curtain call, Li Changzhou applauded and asked Liu De to prepare a basket of flowers to meet her backstage.

"The costume?"

"Is the beard not attached properly yet?"

"Where did the black patch go?"

Backstage in the makeup room, the actresses were busy dressing and applying makeup.

The Chun Emperor had already been informed of Li Changzhou's visit and had come early to greet him.

Before she could speak, Li Changzhou quickened his pace and, before even reaching her, greeted her with a laugh and a clasped fist: "Miss Wu, Li Changzhou offers his respects!"

The Chun Emperor, whose real name was Wu Chun'er.

Originally, she was not named this: Sun Xiaoyun had changed it for her later—it meant inadvertently contending for spring, letting envy blossom freely; "Wu" sounds like "without," hence, without spring, outside of being the Chun Emperor, there was no spring.

Seeing Li Changzhou wearing a suit but deliberately bowing, Wu Chun'er giggled continually, her demeanor both girlish and boldly hearty.

Li Changzhou twisted around, took the basket of flowers from Liu De, and handed it to the Chun Emperor, once again clasping his fist:

"Having spent years abroad, I neither understood nor respected opera. Today, the Chun Emperor has given me a resounding slap, enlightening me."

"You shouldn't say that, Master Li," Wu Chun'er said with a pursed smile, her face still made up, beautiful like a silhouette from 1928, "if word gets out that I slapped you upon our first meeting, I would be scolded to death."

"Indeed," Li Changzhou laughed, "a slap to me is trivial, but scaring people away from the Chun Emperor's plays is a grave matter."

He turned to Liu De and said, "Remind the newspapers throughout the city that it was I, Li Changzhou, who slapped himself after seeing the Chun Emperor's performance."

"At once!" Liu De responded loudly, his fists clasped, much like an ancient general accepting an order.

Wu Chun'er laughed gleefully again, her cheerfulness making her slightly embarrassed; she pulled up the sleeve of her costume and covered half her face, only her curved eyes visible.

Liu De, utterly captivated, still held his fists together without lowering them.

After enough laughter, Wu Chun'er took a breath and said, "Master Li, if you weren't a master, and joined us on stage to sing, you would definitely be more famous than me."

"Sure," Li Changzhou cheerfully looked at her, "when I'm no longer a master, I'll join the Chun Emperor in singing operas, walking to the ends of the earth. Perhaps I could even earn titles like 'Emperor Li,' 'Emperor Chang,' or 'Emperor Zhou.'"

Under his intensely charming gaze, Wu Chun'er couldn't help but purse her lips and avert her gaze.

"Wu Chun'er, it's almost time for your second act!" someone shouted from afar.

Wu Chun'er glanced at Li Changzhou and bit her lip.

"Master Li, I—"

"Go, go," Li Changzhou urged her, "I'll wait for you in the audience; don't be late, alright?"

Wu Chun'er pursed her lips again, smiling, "Alright! You wait for me, but if I don't see you in the audience, I'll really give you a slap."

She flauntingly showed off her fair, delicate hand.

Li Changzhou laughed heartily: "The way you put it, I suddenly don't want to go; I might rather take that slap!"

After Wu Chun'er had left, Liu De gave a thumbs-up: "Master, you surely are something!"

Li Changzhou just smiled faintly.

"I heard that the eldest son of the Song Clan also wanted to have the Chun Emperor as his consort, but after just one meeting, she ran away overnight. Master, if you could win her over, it would really show the Song Clan up," Liu De added.

"Actresses perform wherever there's an audience. Before she ran, how do you know she didn't smile at the Song Clan's son? Go find out, ask around about her attitude toward that Song son before."

Liu De hesitated, under normal circumstances, he was not supposed to leave Li Changzhou, but the mastery of Li Changzhou in killing had reassured him slightly.

"Alright, I'll inquire. Be careful on your own, Master," he said.

"I'll just be backstage, not going out. Come find me here when you're done."

"Off I go!"

After Liu De left, Li Changzhou immediately stretched his neck like a hound, searching for his Miss Yang.

Turning east and west, with the antenna cane tapping on the ground, he quickly found her.

Sun Xiaoyun was chastising a group of apprentices in a corner of the backstage garden, and Yang Qinglan was among them.

"...to be charmed by just a few words! Love, you see, only starts to appear when you have gone through a lot, have broadened your horizons."

Truly a former star, her speech melodious as if singing.

"Especially you, Qing Lan."

Li Changzhou pricked up his ears.

"Keep a low profile, focus on learning opera. You're in the best position, smartest of all, and in two or three years, you could be on stage. Don't think about shortcuts, understand?"

Yang Qinglan obediently bowed her head: "Understood."

"Starting today, you're not allowed up front or to meet anyone. Just focus on practicing your postures and vocals behind the scenes."

"Yes."

Li Changzhou leaned against the pillar, left hand in his pocket, right hand holding the cane, looking meaningfully in that direction.

It was quite a distance, and under normal visibility, it would be impossible to make out who he was, but Li Changzhou could see clearly, and Yang Qinglan knew he was watching.

Soon, someone came to call Sun Xiaoyun, saying that Master Liu was visiting.

After Sun Xiaoyun left, everyone else dispersed.

"Let's see if some people still dare to buy newspapers for the Chun Emperor, as if."

"Stop scoffing. Do you have people flattering you? Can you make it on stage in two or three years like her? You've been studying since you were a child, and you still have four or five years to this day."

"It's not that I'm not as pretty as her, nor am I good at flattering people."

Li Changzhou's interest peaked, but unfortunately, Yang Qinglan didn't create trouble with these actresses and instead glared at him with a 'what are you looking at, come here' expression.

Li Changzhou quickly walked over, and Yang Qinglan also headed his way, the two meeting behind the broad banana trees.