The melodious music swelled, and amidst a flurry of shifting lights, the mask-changing performer strode onto the stage, head held high and chest puffed out.
He was adorned in a vibrant dragon-embroidered top, shod in cloud-treading boots, with an embroidered cloud shoulder piece gracing his shoulders and a purple cloak billowing behind him. His facial makeup, stern and imposing, lent him an air of extraordinary presence.
Keeping pace with the music, the mask-changing performer suddenly flicked his cloak, and the masks painted on his face instantly transformed. From a crying clown, he morphed into a stern old man, changing with such astonishing speed that it was impossible to perceive or capture the shift!
"Good!"
Cheers erupted from the audience. The patrons, who had been immersed in the classical music, now set down their teacups, their curiosity piqued as they watched the performance.
Yan Shouyi smiled and said to Long Feicheng,
"Little Long, you're going to lose a lot of money tonight."
Long Feicheng retorted defensively, "Why do you say that? The trickster is either at table number three or nineteen. With the stakes even, there's no way I'd lose money!"
"Who told you the trickster could only be a guest?" Yan Shouyi countered.
Long Feicheng was taken aback, and then everyone's gazes followed, focusing on the mask-changing performer on stage.
"No way? You said the trickster had fled here. How could he be one of the performers?" Zhao Yiyao asked, confused.
Yan Shouyi pointed to the guests, "Many of these guests are regulars, but their expressions are filled with novelty. This indicates that there's usually no mask-changing performance here. This mask-changing performer is here for the first time."
"Refund! Refund!"
Long Feicheng immediately took out all the money he had collected and placed it on the table, pushing it far away, signifying his detachment from it.
How could the others agree? They all took their money and shoved it back into Long Feicheng's embrace.
Long Feicheng had never imagined that the first time someone forcefully stuffed money into his hands would be under such circumstances.
Luo Ning threatened, "If you dare go back on your word, I'll send my pet zombies to knock on your window tonight."
Zhao Yiyao sneered, "I'll have my Yellow Four skins go into your bedroom and fart."
Wang Jiwang's threat was even more direct and brutal; he simply tossed a cleaver onto the table.
Long Feicheng said with a distressed face, "Fine, I'll take it back... Alas! Years of hard work, gone in a single day!"
Long Feicheng mused that he was destined to lose money, his meager savings quickly squandered. He wondered when his luck would finally turn.
"Alright, stop the commotion," Yan Shouyi reminded them. "Since the trickster has appeared, we should focus our attention on Chu Liang."
"Chu Liang hasn't appeared yet. Why don't we take the trickster away first?" Wang Jiwang asked.
Yan Shouyi shook his head. "I have a feeling that the trickster's appearance here has some other purpose."
The timing and location of the trickster's appearance were too precise to be controlled by Chu Liang; instead, it was the trickster. Thus, Yan Shouyi suspected that the trickster's appearance at this time must have a reason.
He had a compelling reason to be here, but he also feared being captured by Chu Liang, which led him to contact Yan Chou to send people for help.
All they could do now was wait.
The mask-changing performer possessed excellent skill. To deliver a brilliant performance, one must not only know how to change masks but also how to engage the audience, changing masks unexpectedly in places where the audience wouldn't anticipate, thus creating surprise.
After changing masks several times on stage, the performer began to descend and interact with the audience. He surveyed the crowd and finally his gaze settled on Yan Shouyi and his companions.
The mask-changing performer walked directly to Luo Ning and gestured for her to extend her hand. As Luo Ning complied, the performer leaned in. With a sudden tremor, the painted masks on his face shifted again. This unexpected display of skill made even Luo Ning show a look of surprise.
The audience cheered. They had expected the performer to interact with other guests, but he didn't leave. Instead, he approached Yan Shouyi and gestured for him to extend his hand.
"Again?"
Although Yan Shouyi was surprised, he extended his hand. The mask-changing performer, following the same pattern, grasped Yan Shouyi's hand and leaned in.
He trembled all over, but the painted masks did not change. Just as everyone thought he might have made a mistake, the performer turned his head and instantly changed his mask again!
"Impressive!"
Yan Shouyi smiled and gave the performer a thumbs-up.
Because he wore a head covering, the performer's expression was indistinguishable. He simply nodded at Yan Shouyi and returned to the stage. The audience was a little disappointed, having hoped to interact with the skilled performer themselves.
Yan Shouyi's smile faded as he quietly picked up his teacup and looked down at his palm.
When the mask-changing performer had shaken his hand earlier, he had slipped a note into it.
Unfolding it, he found a single line of text: Protect the girl with long hair and a blue dress for me.
Long hair, blue dress?
Yan Shouyi scanned the surroundings. Where was the girl with long hair and a blue dress among the guests?
However, the fact that the mask-changing performer had given Yan Shouyi a note already confirmed his identity.
Yan Shouyi frowned, guarding against Chu Liang while simultaneously searching for the girl with long hair and a blue dress.
At this moment, the trickster on stage produced a fire staff. After a flurry of swings, he pointed it forty-five degrees towards the sky and blew out a large fireball!
The firelight reflected on each guest's face. Everyone appeared to be very satisfied with the evening's performance.
"Brother Yan, the trickster's performance is almost over. Hasn't Chu Liang appeared yet?" Long Feicheng asked impatiently.
"Wait a little longer. Be patient."
While Yan Shouyi comforted them verbally, he himself was becoming restless. The limited information he had obtained instilled a deep sense of unease.
Suddenly, Yan Shouyi spotted a figure in a corner of the teahouse.
It was the girl with long hair and a blue dress!
This girl was the one who had been playing the pipa on stage earlier!
She was also the one that the middle-aged man at table nineteen was paying such close attention to.
To Yan Shouyi's surprise, the girl with long hair and a blue dress had been intently watching the trickster, and her expression revealed a close relationship, possibly even familial, with the trickster!
"Something's not right."
Yan Shouyi said warily, "The guest at table nineteen is suspicious!"
"What's wrong?" Luo Ning asked, puzzled.
"There's no time to explain..."
Yan Shouyi stood up abruptly, his expression one of readiness. He dared not turn his back to the guests at table nineteen.
The trickster's request to protect the girl with long hair and a blue dress indicated an unusual connection between them.
And the guest at table nineteen had been staring at the girl with long hair and a blue dress with an unusual expression.
If the guest at table nineteen was connected to the girl with long hair and a blue dress, why didn't the trickster ask Yan Shouyi to protect the guest at table nineteen as well?
Combining these clues led to only one explanation.
Both the trickster and the guest at table nineteen had appeared at this teahouse with the girl with long hair and a blue dress as their target.
The only person who could have arrived at this teahouse punctually, besides the trickster, was Chu Liang!!
The guest at table nineteen was Chu Liang, and his presence here was to kill the girl with long hair and a blue dress, thereby luring the trickster out of hiding!!!
Yan Shouyi, ever cautious and meticulous, instantly grasped the entire situation. His gaze locked onto the middle-aged man at table nineteen.
The middle-aged man seemed to sense Yan Shouyi's gaze, turning his head to meet it.
A flicker of surprise clearly crossed his face.
He recognized Yan Shouyi!
The next second, the trickster suddenly appeared between Yan Shouyi and the middle-aged man. He pointed his fire staff at the middle-aged man and spewed a gout of dragon oil fire onto him!
This mouthful of dragon oil fire instantly engulfed the middle-aged man in roaring flames, making him look like a fireball!
The guests were stunned at first, then after a few seconds, they all screamed and fled the teahouse!
The waiters panicked, scrambling to find fire extinguishers. The trickster, however, holding his fire staff, coldly addressed the crowd,
"Get out of the teahouse, all of you! Anyone who stays here, I'll burn them!"
The waiters, after all, were just employees. Faced with a reckless character like the trickster, they naturally wanted to get as far away as possible. Thus, they immediately abandoned their search for fire extinguishers and scrambled out of the teahouse.
The last waiter to escape, fearing the frenzied trickster might pursue them, callously shut the main door behind him!
"Xiping, you're insane!"
The girl with long hair and a blue dress, who had been standing backstage, did not flee like the others. Instead, she ran forward, grabbing the trickster and disbelievingly asking how he could do such a thing to a guest.
The trickster said coldly, "Shanshan, I can't explain it to you now, and you probably wouldn't understand. So please, believe me, leave this place, and go as far away as possible!"
"What are you talking about?" The girl with long hair and a blue dress naturally refused to leave.
The trickster looked at Yan Shouyi. Yan Shouyi immediately said, "Zhao Yiyao, take her away!"
Zhao Yiyao also analyzed that the situation was escalating out of control. She immediately grabbed the girl with long hair and a blue dress by the hand and forcibly pulled her towards the main door.
The girl with long hair and a blue dress tried to struggle, but she was astonished to find that Zhao Yiyao's strength was terrifyingly immense, leaving no room for resistance.
However, as the two reached the main door of the teahouse, they discovered that no matter how hard they tried, the door wouldn't budge!
"This is strange!" Zhao Yiyao's expression changed, and she immediately summoned her Yellow Great Immortal, Yellow Four Skins.
Yellow Four Skins emerged from her body and stared at the door. It then turned and released a cloud of yellow, foul-smelling gas at the door!
The stench seemed to paint on the door, quickly revealing the true nature of two pale paper figures!
These two paper figures had apparently been hidden behind the door, waiting for it to be closed. Then, holding hands, they acted as a great lock, firmly sealing the teahouse door!!