"Everyone, take your seats." Lucas said loudly. They all sat in the front row, gathered around Lucas, with Catherine sitting beside him.
Perhaps because Catherine was a guest, everyone made way for her. Dahlia sat next to Catherine, followed by Elisa in order.
On Lucas's other side sat Helen, who had her notebook ready to jot down any suggestions Lucas might give.
Once everyone was seated, the door was closed, and the windows were covered with black cloth. Aside from necessary ventilation, the surroundings were engulfed in darkness.
"Eh? Why is everything dark?" Catherine exclaimed in shock, her eyes darting around in panic as she flailed her hands. She was most afraid of the dark—ever since her mother passed away, she had hated it the most.
As she waved her hands frantically, one of them suddenly landed in a warm, broad palm. A gentle voice came from beside her.
"Don't worry, the light will return soon." Lucas reassured her.
Catherine's body stiffened. She mechanically turned her head toward Lucas, realizing that he was holding her hand.
For some reason, the darkness no longer seemed so frightening. All her attention shifted to the warmth of his hand, which calmed her and left a faint trace of shyness in her heart.
"Boom!"
A drum sounded, followed by a deep, magnetic male voice emerging from the darkness.
"A long, long, long time ago, before there were humans, before the era of the beastkins, before even this world existed, there was the era of the gods. They cultivated in the boundless darkness… until a primordial god created the world..."
"Boom!"
A drumbeat echoed through the air. Behind the white curtain, candlelight flickered, illuminating it brightly, as if recreating God splitting the heavens.
"It's alright now, no need to be afraid." Lucas chuckled softly, releasing Catherine's hand. He had only reached out instinctively when he felt her flailing and hadn't thought much of it.
"Thank you." Catherine murmured, her voice gentle. She clasped her hands together, a faint sense of loss creeping into her heart—she wished he had held on just a little longer.
"Hmm." Lucas nodded quietly.
The rhythmic "dong dong dong" of small drums resounded, accompanied by the plucking of a moon lute and the haunting strains of an erhu. A deep, magnetic voice emerged from behind the white curtain.
The enchanting music made Catherine's eyes light up. She suddenly sat up straight, as if a new world had opened before her. The steady drum beats, the melancholic yet beautiful strings—
If not for her remaining self-restraint, she would have already rushed behind the curtain to see what kind of instruments could produce such soul-stirring melodies.
"Legend has it that after countless ages, a new era began. The world was vast, with many continents, each far larger than our current secluded mountain ranges. Among them, the most significant were these great lands: Dongsheng Divine Continent, Xiniu He Continent..."
As the voice narrated, the white curtain lit up with silhouettes of strange, irregular landmasses, piecing together a grand world map—the mythical Primordial World.
"And the story begins in the Ao Lai Kingdom of Dongsheng Divine Continent. There stood a mighty mountain called Huaguo Mountain. Atop it lay a divine stone, and one fateful day, the stone suddenly shattered—"
"Boom!"
A triangular mountain silhouette appeared on the curtain. Cracks split its center, and from within, a figure leaped out—a shadow puppet of a monkey.
The puppets, the drums, the moon lute, the erhu—all these instruments and arts had been brought from Earth by Lucas, who then taught his subordinates how to use them.
As the performance unfolded, a sense of wonder gleamed in Catherine's eyes. This storytelling, this music, and these shadow puppets—it was unlike anything she had ever seen before.
As more shadowy figures appeared on the white curtain, the dialogue and dramatic tones captivated the women, leaving them breathless. They watched with rapt attention, completely absorbed in the performance.
Lucas, on the other hand, was feeling a bit drowsy. For the beast-eared girls, shadow puppetry was something entirely new—just like how, in Earth's 1980s, a household with a television could draw in the entire village.
But for Lucas, who had grown up immersed in Earth's modern digital entertainment, shadow puppetry didn't hold much appeal beyond the initial novelty.
Still, he could easily predict just how popular this shadow puppet theater would become. It was bound to be packed every night, with people flocking in droves.
Just from ticket sales alone, he'd be raking in money hand over fist.
Baozi Shop Owner: "Hey, hey! What do you want?"
Stone Monkey: "I'm hungry. I want a baozi to eat."
Baozi Shop Owner: "Where's your money? One baozi costs three steel coins."
Stone Monkey: "I don't have any money."
..."
"Dong dong dong!!!" The drumbeats rolled in rapid succession.
Then, from behind the white curtain, a voice rang out—a voice that made people want to curse:
"To find out what happens next, tune in for the next episode!"
Yes, the first shadow puppet play, "The Stone Monkey Leaves the Mountain," had officially come to an end.
As the black cloth covering the window was pulled aside, light streamed into the room. Lucas glanced around and saw that all the women were pouting—even Freya had her lips pursed in dissatisfaction.
The story had just started to introduce its grand world-building, with the Stone Monkey venturing across the sea, searching for a master… and then—bam, it ended.
That abrupt cutoff left them all restless and anxious, their hearts stuck in suspense.
Some of them had read the novel Journey to the West, but reading a book couldn't compare to watching a shadow play. The way the puppets interacted, the shifts in tone and delivery—it was simply mesmerizing.
And now, they had to wait. How infuriating!
"Lord Lucas, why did it end so quickly?" Catherine turned her head, gazing at Lucas with wide, expectant eyes, clearly eager to watch more.
"It's already been forty minutes." Lucas replied helplessly. Watching the shadow play made time feel like it had vanished in an instant.
"Can we watch it again?" Dahlia leaned forward, her voice soft. "Even if it's just a repeat."
"Young Master, how about another round?" Helen asked shyly. Her notebook was completely empty—she had been too engrossed to take notes on any possible flaws.
"Young Master, play it again!" Annie pouted, urging him. She wanted to experience it all over again.
Lucas swept his gaze over the room. Seeing the eager anticipation in their eyes, he could only sigh in surrender.
"Alright, one more time but after a break."
"Yay!" The women cheered, immediately settling back into their seats, eyes sparkling with excitement.
The window was once again covered with black cloth, the candlelight behind the white curtain flickered to life, and the drums, erhu, and moon lute began playing once more.
The second act—"The Stone Monkey Finds a Master"—began.
Lucas sat quietly, accompanying the women as they watched this otherworldly version of shadow puppetry.
But while his body was here, his thoughts had already drifted far away.
He couldn't help but wonder—if he brought over a laptop and played Journey to the West for them, would the beast-eared girls be completely shocked?
After all, the flying-through-clouds effects and supernatural battles were on a whole different level compared to simple shadow puppets.
…Okay, that was just a passing thought.
Because if he really did it, he wasn't sure how to deal with the consequences.
What if they got too scared or thought it was real?
He definitely didn't want the beast-eared girls to have a crisis.
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You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.
pat reon.com/GreenBlue17
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