I Became A Playwright In Medieval Fantasy-Chapter 35

"Can he even do that? Isn’t the World Tree sacred to the elves?"

"Don’t ask me! I’m just as confused!"

The audience murmured in shock at the increasingly outrageous events unfolding on stage.

This command, too, was an adaptation of Xiang Yu’s original atrocities. It was a symbolic representation of how he had assassinated the King of Chu and executed King Ziying of Qin, losing his legitimacy and the people's support in the process.

Now, with events spiraling out of control, most of the remaining factions, except for Chu, began to turn against Xiang Yu.

"Conqueror, you villain! You never properly recognized the contributions of Peng Yue, yet you expect loyalty?"

"What’s this?! He tells Yingbu to burn the World Tree, and now he’s quietly shifting all the blame onto him? I’d rather side with the King of Han!"

"Curse you, Xiang Yu! You let my mother die, and as long as I have breath, I, Wang Ling, will never forgive you!"

Dissatisfied with the Conqueror’s unfair rewards, Peng Yue cut off Chu’s supply lines, striking at its heart. Fearing reprisal after falling out with Xiang Yu, Yingbu betrayed him and sided with Liu Bang. Wang Ling, mourning his mother’s death due to Xiang Yu’s actions, attacked with all his might.

Adding insult to injury, Han Xin, Liu Bang’s brilliant general, was steadily taking control of the northern territories, tightening the noose around Xiang Yu.

"Ha, Xiang Yu! Even if Liu Bang is inferior to you, how could you expect to win when you can’t recognize the value of a wise general or reward others’ contributions? You’re nothing but a brute with a warrior’s courage and a woman’s softness!"

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

"This… this can’t be! Fan Zeng was right all along!"

"Who would’ve thought that Han Xin, who once crawled on his belly, would turn out to be such a genius?!"

"If only Xiang Yu had listened to Fan Zeng’s advice… now look at the mess he's in!"

The audience lamented Xiang Yu’s increasingly isolated situation.

Those who had once revered the Conqueror and dismissed Fan Zeng were now realizing just how accurate the old strategist's insights had been.

"But wait! Couldn’t he still listen to Fan Zeng’s advice? It’s not too late, right?"

"Of course! It’s not too late at all! After all, the reason for all this mess is that ‘demon of the heart’ or whatever, right?"

"Xiang Yu is still the unbeatable swordmaster! If Fan Zeng guides him properly, he could snap out of it and reclaim his former glory!"

Though Xiang Yu had fallen into darkness, the audience still held onto a sliver of hope that the Conqueror, the hero they had cheered for in the first part, would overcome his inner demons and return to his former greatness.

But even this hope was in vain.

Ensnared by his own murderous desires, Xiang Yu continued to ignore Fan Zeng’s advice, relying solely on violence, terror, and slaughter to solve all his problems.

"Kill anyone who cooperates with the King of Han! Burn their cities and leave nothing but ruins as a warning!"

"Ahhh, Xiang Yu! No! Stop it already!"

"Please, listen to Fan Zeng! We were wrong to doubt him!"

"Slashing through everything isn’t the solution! If things have gone this wrong, stop being so stubborn and change your approach, you idiot!"

The audience cried out in frustration as Xiang Yu's self-destructive arrogance finally began to show its consequences. What once seemed like a proud, unyielding character in the first part had now become his downfall. His past victories through violence had blinded him to reason, leading him down the path of self-destruction.

Eventually, Xiang Yu crossed a line from which there was no return.

Falling for a ruse by Liu Bang’s men, Xiang Yu grew suspicious that Fan Zeng was colluding with the King of Han and began treating his mentor with cold disdain.

…And as the Conqueror's arrogance turned to outright betrayal, Fan Zeng, feeling utterly humiliated and betrayed, made a decision.

"The fate of the world has already been sealed. This useless old man will now retire to live as a simple peasant."

Feeling only bitterness and sorrow, Fan Zeng resigned his position as the Conqueror’s prime minister and chose to return to the countryside.

"No, no! Don’t do it, Xiang Yu, you fool!"

"What are you doing, Xiang Yu?! This is obviously a ploy by Han! Even a child could see through it!"

"Apologize! Beg for forgiveness! How can you let Fan Zeng leave like that? He’s your mentor!"

But Xiang Yu, the once bold conqueror, refused to bend his pride. And so, Fan Zeng, the Conqueror’s trusted strategist and mentor, passed away from illness on his journey home.

In the original historical records, Fan Zeng died cursing the futility of his efforts, lamenting how his life's work had been wasted.

But in Farewell to the Conqueror, Phantom twisted the narrative to add irony to Xiang Yu’s story.

To highlight the tragic irony of Xiang Yu’s tale, the script depicted Fan Zeng’s final moments differently.

"As the heavens will it, may the Conqueror’s sins be forgiven."

Sensing his death was near, Fan Zeng dressed himself in ceremonial robes and conducted a ritual.

With solemn reverence, he prayed for his disciple’s well-being and blessings until his final breath.

"If a young man strays from the right path, it is an old man’s fault for not guiding him. All the blame for Chu’s downfall lies with me, for I failed to properly teach the Conqueror. If punishment must be dealt, let it fall on me. Do not chastise the Conqueror for his poor choice of mentor."

"Ah, Fan Zeng…!"

"To care for his disciple’s future even in his dying moments…!"

Watching Fan Zeng’s serene, dignified end, the audience began to tear up. Even the academy students, who had once mocked him as a useless old man, reached for their handkerchiefs and sobbed quietly.

"Ahhh! Abo! Fan Zeng, Aboooo!"

And even Xiang Yu, seized by his inner demons, briefly regained his sanity and realized his mistake, kneeling in front of his mentor’s body in despair.

"I was wrong! It’s my fault, I was wrong! Please open your eyes, Abo! Abooo!"

“Uwaaah, Xiang Yu, you fool! Why didn’t you do this sooner?!”

"See? What’s the point of regretting it now?!"

The audience, furious at Xiang Yu’s belated remorse, watched him sob in front of Fan Zeng’s coffin. As he hid his tearful face, lamenting the loss of his only mentor, the theater was once again filled with the sounds of weeping.

…Perhaps because of this, the audience failed to notice something strange.

"Mph… mmm?!"

According to the script, Consort Yu had died to save the Conqueror from his demonic aura.

But as she lay still in Xiang Yu’s arms, her shoulders flinched, and a muffled noise escaped her lips.

After the scene of Consort Yu’s death, the audience was given a brief intermission, around 30 minutes, to recover from the emotional shock.

"Uwaaaah! Xiang Yu, you stupid fool!"

"Why did you ignore Fan Zeng’s advice for so long?! If you hadn’t, Consort Yu wouldn’t have had to die!"

"Mommy! Fan Zeng Grandpa and Consort Yu are dead!"

Though the plot didn’t quite make sense at times, the audience had grown attached to the bond between Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng. And as for Consort Yu, who had spent the entire second part sharing sweet moments with the Conqueror, her tragic death came as an even bigger shock.

But not everyone was overwhelmed by sorrow.

"Sniff, sniff… hey, do you know what’s really frustrating?"

An academy student sniffled as she turned to her friend, blowing her nose with a tissue before speaking with an irritated tone.

"It’s so sad and heart-wrenching… but that’s what makes it even better!"

"Y-yeah, I feel the same! I’m so mad and upset I could cry, but it makes me want to watch even more!"

"Argh! Why do I feel both angry and excited at the same time?!"

It wasn’t just these two girls who felt this way—most of the audience shared similar sentiments.

Despite the seemingly frustrating and tragic plot, something about it was crafted so well that the audience found themselves unexpectedly drawn to the cathartic allure of despair.

The bitter regret of Xiang Yu’s mistakes was both heartbreaking and satisfying in its own way. The contrived bleakness of the story offered a peculiar sense of sadistic satisfaction.

"I can’t stand it! I want to see Xiang Yu grovel and beg Fan Zeng for forgiveness!"

"Yes! And then Fan Zeng will ignore him at first, acting cold until Xiang Yu finally earns his forgiveness…!"

"Why forgive him?! It’d be so much better if Fan Zeng never forgave him! Just imagine Xiang Yu crying and pounding the ground in regret as Fan Zeng walks away!"

"As much as I like the mentor-disciple relationship, wouldn’t it be even more exciting to apply this to a romance story like Xiang Yu and Consort Yu? Imagine if the heroine betrayed the protagonist and then had to beg for forgiveness!"

"Oh, that’s brilliant! You could easily write a whole novel with that concept!"

Though Phantom’s intention had been entirely different, that night’s performance of Farewell to the Conqueror had sparked something new in the audience’s imagination.

…A new genre, much like the fiery thrill of spicy noodles—one focused on regret and heartbreak.