Chu Ge began to carefully sort out the relationship between Su Xianjun and Yang Xinyan, based on the memories. Although the memories appeared fragmented and loosely connected, they happened to capture some critical moments. With a detailed analysis, almost every scene seemed meaningful.
This could be due to the game's mechanism, with the golden talent automatically filtering the most informative memories; or maybe these memories had left a strong impression on Su Xianjun, which is why they were preserved.
In any case, this meant that Chu Ge had made significant progress in understanding this new instance.
"These memories about Yang Xinyan can roughly be divided into three stages.
"The first stage is when Su Xianjun and Yang Xinyan learned performing arts together in the troupe. It seems Su Xianjun suffered quite a bit, while Yang Xinyan, as his senior, took good care of him.
"Young Su Xianjun had a brotherly dependence on Yang Xinyan.
"The second stage is when Su Xianjun and Yang Xinyan gradually became renowned actors, performing Farewell My Concubine together.
"Between these two stages, there's a pivotal memory shift marked by the line, 'I was once a charming young girl...'
"Su Xianjun's teacher also mentioned that every line on stage must be perfect, with the actor fully immersing into the role. This foreshadowed Su Xianjun's excessive immersion into his characters.
"Su Xianjun struggled to distinguish between stage and reality. According to Yang Xinyan, he was somewhat 'possessed,' leading to increasingly complex feelings toward Yang Xinyan.
"As a child, Yang Xinyan had been brave and loyal, and Su Xianjun saw him as a heroic figure, akin to the King in Farewell My Concubine.
"But later, Su Xianjun found that Yang Xinyan was becoming less like a heroic figure, more like a common person, clearly separating performance from reality, causing a growing sense of disillusionment.
"The third stage is Su Xianjun's internal breakup with Yang Xinyan.
"He realized that Yang Xinyan was merely a regular person, not the hero he had hoped for. So, he eventually said, 'From now on, we'll only be performing together,' which was essentially declaring their relationship to be purely professional...
"As for Yang Xinyan, he likely sensed this shift too, but he was never destined to be as obsessed with acting as Su Xianjun. For him, he was the King on stage, but off-stage, he only wanted to live as a regular person.
"This is why their conflict ultimately escalated.
"The Eastern Bandits' invasion mirrored the final moments in Farewell My Concubine, yet Yang Xinyan, the supposed King, quickly surrendered, while Su Xianjun insisted on completing a heroic act, like in the play..."
Chu Ge, with his quick thinking and the clarity of the memory fragments, was able to piece together these insights rather swiftly.
"This confirms Yang Xinyan's consistent character. The speculation by many players that he might be the altered character doesn't seem to hold up.
"Since Su Xianjun and Yang Xinyan's portrayal in the instance aligns with their character settings, it becomes increasingly likely that Wang Jinghui is the altered character.
"Let's proceed further."
Soon, the instance progressed again.
After a while, Wang Jinghui entered, looking downcast, with a pale face and his left pinky finger wrapped in white cloth, showing traces of blood.
The two stood in silence for a moment.
Chu Ge wasn't sure what lines Su Xianjun would typically say, so he decided to improvise. Fortunately, players who made it this far were all adept performers, skilled at impromptu acting.
"What happened to your finger?" Chu Ge asked.
As if he had been waiting for this topic, Wang Jinghui quickly replied, "It's nothing, just a minor injury. That bandit got angry when I harshly criticized his poetry, so he broke my finger in rage."
Chu Ge looked into his eyes. "Then why are you urging me to perform for these bandits?"
Wang Jinghui hurriedly explained, "You misunderstand, Xianjun.
"The current situation truly fits the saying: 'To die lying down or standing up, both lead to death. Shall I die for my country?'
"County Magistrate Tang died for the country. This enmity is irreconcilable. I only regret that I am a powerless scholar; otherwise, I would have perished alongside the magistrate!
"Despite the urgent circumstances, we can't act recklessly. These bandits are formidable; fighting them would be futile and lead to unnecessary sacrifices.
"So I believe the immediate priority is to appease the bandits, making them lower their guard. At the very least, it would prevent them from initiating a massacre out of anger.
"Once we're safely away from here, I'll immediately gather the militia to wipe these bandits out!"
Chu Ge continued to stare into his eyes. "Really?"
Wang Jinghui swore, "There's not a word of falsehood!"
Chu Ge couldn't help but marvel at the deceptive, blurred lines within this instance. Even he, who had read historical accounts and replayed this several times, was confused. How much harder must it have been for those who actually lived through these events?
From Wang Jinghui's expression, it was nearly impossible to tell if he was sincere or deceitful.
Of course, having played this once, Chu Ge knew Wang Jinghui's words were likely unreliable. The uncertainty remained whether Wang Jinghui was naturally timid, an altered character, or genuinely intended to gather the militia but was thwarted by betrayal or other circumstances.
With this ambiguity, Chu Ge shared the plan to set the theater ablaze with Wang Jinghui.
Wang Jinghui praised Su Xianjun's heroism, promising he would do his utmost to fulfill this entrusted mission, even at the cost of his life.
"Then… Xianjun, I'll go inform the scholar that you're willing to perform for them. Once I leave the theater, I'll go seek out Gao Ze and organize the militia!"
Wang Jinghui was about to leave when Chu Ge stopped him.
"No need, I'll tell the scholar myself."
Stepping outside, Chu Ge immediately spotted the henchman scholar waiting nearby.
The scholar seemed momentarily surprised, clearly not expecting Su Xianjun to come out personally, given his previous display of animosity.
Approaching the scholar, Chu Ge said, "For the sake of the townspeople, I'm willing to perform.
"But…
"I have a condition."
The scholar's face lit up. "What condition? Speak freely, Su Boss."
Chu Ge glanced around at the others, as if to avoid being overheard, and lowered his voice. "You must agree… to lend me something…"
His voice grew quieter, trailing off until it became inaudible.
The scholar leaned in closer. "What did you say in the last part, Su Boss?"
Before he could finish, he felt a coldness in his chest.
A blood-stained dagger was pulled from his chest and stabbed repeatedly!
Chu Ge watched the disbelief in the scholar's eyes and whispered in his ear, "I said, I'll be borrowing your life to farm some identity points."
…
The scene reset to the beginning of the instance.
Chu Ge exhaled in relief.
Though being cut down by the bandits wasn't pleasant, stabbing the traitorous scholar was immensely satisfying.
Worth it.
The dagger was something Su Xianjun already had on him, perhaps because he had harbored a death wish since the bandits' invasion.
Without the singing talent, there was no way Chu Ge could actually perform on stage without blowing his cover.
After interacting with Yang Xinyan and Wang Jinghui, he had essentially achieved his goal. Continuing with the plot would be a waste of time, so he decided to end things by taking out the scholar and earning some identity points.
Other bandits were too powerful; attacking them as a scholar-turned-actor carried too much risk. The scholar was the easiest target.
As to why Chu Ge, a scholar, acted so fiercely—well, he'd already cut into his own leg before. Stabbing a traitorous lackey was no big deal.
Looking at the identity selection screen, Chu Ge confirmed that his approach was effective.
[Initial Identities: Laborer, Small Trader, Troupe Member]
[Special Identities: Su Xianjun, Yang Xinyan, Wang Jinghui]
[Identity Points: 61]
The traitorous scholar, as a key figure among the bandits, indeed yielded a generous reward of 70 points.
Got it. Next time he needed points, he'd know where to turn.