Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 3: Flying Tiger Escort Agency, nicknamed Nezha

The next day, at Donglai Restaurant.

The lower floors of the restaurant were still as bustling as usual, but if you looked carefully, you would find that most of the people sitting there were young and strong men.

These people were all tall and strong, wearing knee-length white round-necked robes, black fu on their heads, and a red headband embroidered with a winged tiger. They were obviously a group of people.

The higher up the floor, the fewer people there were, and the clothes and fabrics became more expensive. On the top floor, a middle-aged man in a brocade robe was holding the railing. He opened his mouth, his voice not loud, but everyone in the building could hear:

"Brothers, today is the little girl's birthday"

"Yesterday's banquet for the three families in the inner city was a courtesy; today's banquet for all of you brothers is a gesture of friendship!"

"Don't be shy, drink to your heart's content!"

As soon as the words fell, seventy or eighty men responded loudly:
"Thank you, Chief Escort!!!"

The middle-aged man clasped his fists and turned to go into the private room. Li Cunxiao watched all this secretly and felt a burning sensation in his heart.

The world was in turmoil, and war was about to break out. This was something that anyone with insight could foresee. The Flying Tiger Escort Agency was able to maintain its position within the inner and outer cities of Chuqiu County precisely because of this group of warriors.

If the world changes one day, we only need to equip these young and strong men with armor and they will become a powerful force. You must know that the city guards of Chuqiu County are only two or three hundred.

Of course, the private armies of the three families in the inner city are unknown to outsiders.

The thought that a real man should be like this flashed through his mind, and a quick shout came from behind him:

"Nezha?! Where is Nezha?!"

Li Cunxiao was stunned for a moment, then hurried back:
"I am"

The troupe owner was initially a bit annoyed with searching for someone, but when he saw the young man with a leopard-like head and round eyes rushing before him, his anger instantly subsided by a third, and he sighed:
"You are such an evil-looking young man! You don't even need any makeup, you look like an evil Nezha."

He stopped talking nonsense and quickly asked someone to change Li Cunxiao's costume and explained what to do on stage later.

Actually, there's a story behind the Heavenly King's assistance. It happened during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of this dynasty. An enemy nation from outside the border suddenly attacked, and they were victorious one after another, causing great uproar in the government and the public.

It happened that the eminent monk Amoghavajra set up an altar and performed a ritual to invite the Northern Heavenly King Vaisravana to help. The Heavenly King, along with his third son Nezha, led five hundred golden-armored gods and warriors to repel the enemy.

It is hard to tell whether the story is true or not, but from then on, the Northern Heavenly King was known as the God of War, and Nezha the Third Prince also became increasingly famous.

However, this Prince Nezha is not some handsome exiled immortal. There is a saying in the Buddhist scriptures:

"Prince Nezha, looking around with evil eyes"

"Suddenly, an angry Nezha appeared with three heads and six arms."

This means that Nezha often appears ferocious and angry. Some say that Nezha is the general of Yakshas, ​​commanding a group of ghosts and rakshasas.

This spread so widely that gradually, opera troupes began to look for vicious young men to play Nezha. It was thanks to this that Li Cunxiao was able to get this job.

In fact, Li Cunxiao was born with a leopard head and round eyes. Although fierce, he was not ugly. If he were a military general, others would probably praise him as a fierce warrior.

But who made Li Cunxiao just a small figure?

"Little brother, stay backstage, big brother will be back soon."

Li Cunxiao put on his makeup and gave some instructions before going on stage.

Li Mucha was a child who loved the hustle and bustle. He wanted to watch a show, but he couldn't help feeling disappointed when he heard this, but he still nodded.

The boss beside him heard it and patted Mu Cha's little head lovingly:
"It's okay. Let him stay backstage. I'll have someone watch over him. Cuicui, come here!"

A young girl in her twenties came over at the sound, and her eyes lit up at the sight of Li Mucha's cute little face. Without the old boss's instructions, she pulled candied fruit out of her bag and flirted with him in a gentle and sweet voice.

The other girls in the class came over, and for a moment they were all laughing and joking. Li Mucha had never seen such a scene before, and he was so panicked that he kept calling "Big Brother" and the two people standing beside him were stunned.

The old boss's gaze shifted back and forth between the two brothers, as if to say, are you two really born from the same mother?

Li Cunxiao was speechless for a moment, thinking that his younger brother really had the potential to be a gigolo.

After all, he felt relieved that someone was watching over him. When the first few acts were finished and the gongs and drums sounded, Li Cunxiao followed the "Heavenly King" in paper armor and slid onto the stage.

Under the stage, the chief escort of the Flying Tiger Escort Agency and his family were toasting each other.

"Master, I offer you a toast."

The young man with a square face raised his glass respectfully. The middle-aged man sitting at the top smiled and nodded. But before he could drink the wine, a voice beside him said:

"Big Brother, today is Xiaowu's and my birthday, why don't you toast me?" Looking in the direction of the voice, I saw four girls sitting next to the beautiful woman standing next to the middle-aged man. Their ages ranged from around twenty to around ten. The one who was speaking was a ten-year-old girl who looked very clever.

The woman was holding a three or four-year-old girl in her arms, who was the "Xiaowu" mentioned in the conversation.

"Que'er, you have no respect for your elders!"

The middle-aged man scolded, feeling helpless and doting. The beautiful woman and several girls next to him all laughed, obviously used to it.

The elder brother was very serious when he heard this.
"I've been so careless. Since it's Que'er's birthday, what gift would you like?"

"Big Brother is the best! I think... I think..."

Que'er pondered for a while, but seemed to be unable to come up with any results, so he acted like a rogue:
"I haven't thought about it yet! Anyway, Dad and Big Brother have to promise me one thing!"

Everyone burst into laughter, and the family was having a great time. At this moment, gongs and drums of an opera troupe sounded in the distance, and a group of people swarmed over.

The lively performance quickly diverted everyone's attention. When the "King of Heaven" and his generals came on stage, Que'er immediately pointed, stood up and shouted:
"Wow! That Nezha is so fierce and ugly!"

Li Cunxiao on the stage was suddenly embarrassed, and when he saw that other people on the stage were also holding back their laughter, he became even more annoyed.

When the "King" gave the order to fight, he couldn't help but put in a little more strength when fighting with the "enemy soldiers", and the man fighting with him couldn't help but groan inwardly.

You little brat, you're clueless! This is called a leopard head with ring eyes, don't you understand?!
After all, it was a temporary addition, so Li Cunxiao's Nezha was dressed in simple clothes, holding a "steel fork" in his hand and wearing a "tiger skin skirt" over his pants.

His exposed upper body was smeared with some unknown mixture of oil, which looked like gold paint, making his bones and muscles more distinct. Although his muscles were not strong, they were knotted and twisted like the roots of an old tree, which was quite frightening.

"Tiezi, did you see it?"

The middle-aged man called out softly, and the eldest senior brother named Shi Tie followed his gaze and immediately understood what his master meant.

"I saw it. The little brother who plays Nezha is a little thin, but his muscles are strong and his body is straight. He must be a potential martial artist, and..."

Shi Tie looked at Li Cunxiao, whose face had turned pale without him noticing, and was slightly surprised:
"Being red-faced with anger is a sign of blood courage. If this person trains properly, achieving perfection in the Qi and Blood realm shouldn't be difficult."

"As for going further, it depends not only on his physique but also on his mental will."

The middle-aged man listened without saying a word. After the play was over, he gave everyone some small change. Suddenly, he asked:

"Boss Zhou may not recognize me, but I've watched quite a few of your plays. How come I haven't seen this Nezha before?"

Li Cunxiao had originally received a reward of one or two taels of silver and was about to leave happily, but when he heard the words, his heart suddenly tightened.

Even the old troupe owner, Zhou, was startled. Today's performance had actually gone quite smoothly, and the new Nezha had even surprisingly performed quite well—after all, he didn't have to recite any lines.

What exactly is it that makes Mr. Zhang unhappy?

He stepped forward quickly:
"Master Zhang, I... I..."

It's strange to say, Mr. Zhou has been leading the opera troupe for so many years, and he has served the young men and women in the inner city countless times, but he has never been as scared as he was today, so scared that he couldn't even speak.

It was as if the person in front of him was not a living person, but a man-eating tiger. The other party had obviously not done anything, but just standing there made his calves tremble.

Li Cunxiao saw this and knew that he would be the one to deal with it, so he gritted his teeth and stood up:

"Please forgive me, Master Zhang. The troupe owner asked me to play Nezha because he wanted to bring good luck and bring joy to your daughter's birthday."

Zhang Lishi found it interesting when he heard this.

Firstly, they thought the young man was very brave, and secondly, they wanted to see what the other party had to say. The eldest brother Shi Tie and his female relatives next to them also looked over curiously when they heard what he said.

"Then tell me, what is the prize?"

Facing everyone's gaze, Li Cunxiao's mind raced, and an idea flashed:
"I am the lottery"

"you?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone couldn't help laughing, and even the old boss's mood eased a little.

After all, it is quite funny for a young man with a fierce appearance to say that he is a good omen, just like a crow saying that it is here to announce good news.

Seeing everyone laughing, Li Cunxiao felt Zhang Lishi's gaze and knew he hadn't passed the test yet. He suppressed his inner shame and said with a straightforward face:

"Master Zhang, my nickname is Nezha."

(End of this chapter)