” Meng Laoyezi questioned, “But how does loving music lead to rebellion?” Qi Shejiang replied expressionlessly, “Because learning music didn’t save the Chinese people.” The audience burst into laughter. Qi Shejiang continued, “This person, besides loving music, also enjoyed making friends with martial arts masters, practicing things like levitating objects since he was eight…” Meng Laoyezi remarked, “Is this learning from martial arts masters? Sounds more like learning from superheroes.” The segment that Qi Shejiang and Meng Laoyezi were discussing was called “Zhan Qinglong,” adapted from a historical story, still in the spirit of their dynamic. “Zhan Qinglong” is a Qin opera that tells the story of Shan Xiongxin from the Wagangzhai during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, who, after being captured by the Tang army and refusing to surrender to Li Shimin, was sentenced to death and sang passionately before his demise. In this version of the cross-talk, it was about Dong Fuxiang leading troops in rebellion while Zuo Zongtang suppressed it. He refused to surrender and was eventually captured and sentenced to be executed. Dong Fuxiang often compared himself to Shan Xiongxin and, in that grim situation, began singing “Zhan Qinglong” at the execution ground. Unexpectedly, his singing awed even the Qing soldiers and Zuo Zongtang himself, silencing them with amazement.
They not only set him free but also conferred him a title and allowed him to lead his old subordinates into the Qing army, transforming into regular troops. From then on, he battled and achieved promotions and wealth. His fierce reputation led him to kill many foreigners during the invasion by foreign powers, causing the Eight-Nation Alliance to harbor deep resentment and even try to force the Qing court to execute him. Despite all that, they couldn’t eliminate him, and the Qing court managed to protect him until he retired in his later years and died of an illness. Now, when Qi Shejiang and Meng Laoyezi perform “Zhan Qinglong” again, they have made some adjustments based on modern culture and incorporated some new jokes.
“Dong Fuxiang thought about this, his tiger-like eyes wide open, and he sang loudly: ‘At the break of dawn, the dawn approaches, Brother Cheng Qi lifts the wine… Today, I’ve endured it, yet none of my friends have come; they all stand aside to watch. I expected no one in the Tang camp would dare to execute me. Jide, send this old man to the Western Heaven!’
Qi Shejiang learned to sing Qin opera, truly grasping its essence. The singing was powerful and high-pitched, leaving people feeling exhilarated and their blood boiling! Old Master Meng was the first to start clapping, shouting, “Good!” The audience followed suit, applauding and cheering in unison. Qi Shejiang glanced at Old Master Meng. Usually on stage, the person supporting the jokes stands at the side of the stage, half-turned towards the comedian to observe them closely and catch any cues. The comedian, for the most part, faces the audience. At this moment, however, he caught a glimpse of tears shimmering in Old Master Meng’s eyes, stirring something in his heart.”
Speaking of this performance, to make the Qin opera more authentic, he had once taken his junior disciple to a Qin opera troupe to listen to their singing. Later, when they collaborated, it was always his junior singing, and he would lead the applause just as he did now. Amidst the continuous applause from the audience, Qi Shejiang briefly lost his focus but quickly regained his composure. Qi Shejiang continued, “Upon seeing this scene, Zuo Zongtang couldn’t help but step forward to untie Dong Fuxiang…” Old Master Meng asked, “What happened next?” Qi Shejiang revealed the punchline: “He personally cheered for Dong Fuxiang!” Old Master Meng waved his hand, saying, “Enough of that!” The applause from the audience roared like waves, with everyone standing to cheer for the spectacular and rare collaboration between Old Master Meng and Qi Shejiang.
Qi Shejiang poured all his energy into performing several long segments of singing, while Old Master Meng supported him wholeheartedly. The effort from both was evident, and the audience certainly felt it. In the overwhelming applause that covered everything, Qi Shejiang and Old Master Meng both bent down to bow.
” Qi Shejiang straightened up, unable to absorb the thunderous cheers, his eyes widening little by little.
Chapter 39 Outside the resting room. “You guys, what do you think is going on? The old master and Jesse have been inside for over twenty minutes without coming out?” Li Jing said anxiously while checking the time. He asked what was happening, but the others present were just as confused. After Qi Shejiang and Old Master Meng finished their performance, they found a resting room to step into, and no one had seen them come out for quite a while. It’s said that the old master had received an enthusiastic response from the audience after his performance; he seemed to be in good spirits, not the kind who would need a hospital. They still wanted to congratulate them, so why were they behind closed doors? Meng Jingyuan was performing on stage and could only send Xu Siyu to knock on the door, calling out, “Old master, Jesse should be going up to finish the show.” Now that the program on stage had concluded, it was time for the ending act to take the stage, which is the grand finale of the entire performance. Today was particularly important since it was Qi Shejiang and Xu Siyu’s first solo show; they had to keep the momentum going. “Got it. You tell Jingyuan to stretch it out a bit.” Old Master Meng’s voice came from inside, and his tone sounded normal. “
Xu Siyu realized that they weren’t finished yet. He hurried off to the side curtain, signaling to Meng Jingyuan and Zeng Wen to stretch the program a bit longer and keep talking.
Inside the room, Old Master Meng and Qi Shejiang looked at each other in silence. When he called him “senior brother” on stage, Qi Shejiang was momentarily stunned, his mind a whirl. Even after his junior pulled him to a secluded spot, he still couldn’t utter a word, unsure if he should respond.
Old Master Meng sighed at that moment, “Senior brother, I’m already of this age; I’ve long since come to terms with life and death. If you don’t respond, I might just die here.”
Upon hearing this, Qi Shejiang embraced him tightly. “It’s okay, senior brother; you can cry. I won’t cry,” Old Master Meng said, though his eyes were still red. “To be able to spend more years with you, I need to take care of this body.”
Hearing this, Qi Shejiang felt even more distressed, unable to cry aloud, only letting tears flow as he recounted his own experiences. This went on for nearly half an hour.
At this point, Old Master Meng held Qi Shejiang’s hand, “Senior brother, let’s talk a little longer.” Qi Shejiang smiled, “…I never expected to hear those two words from you.”
During this time, he had been in turmoil.
Although he often accompanied his junior and was always there, he couldn’t express the thoughts weighing on him. When speaking, he had to remind himself of his “junior” status.
“I’ve always had my suspicions,” Old Master Meng smiled faintly.
His reaction wasn’t as excited as the one he had when he recognized Qi Shejiang under a false identity; it was not that he wasn’t happy but, as he mentioned, he had been guessing for a long time. Seeing Qi Shejiang confirm it was more a sense of relief than surprise.
Moreover, at this level, imagining that a person had returned from the dead was different from a simple recognition. Fortunately, Old Master Meng had lived this long and had seen everything; he wasn’t afraid of anything now, which allowed him to let his imagination roam.
