A master of comedy!

Chapter 107 Tiger God
Under the moonlight, Jinse, dressed in white, her clothes whiter than snow, carrying an ancient zither, walked briskly forward. Her silk shoes, embroidered with cloud patterns, barely touched the ground before she gracefully flew several feet away.

From a distance, it looks like it's three inches off the ground, walking on the moon.

She quickly arrived at the general's secluded retreat. Her glassy eyes flickered slightly as she reached out and pushed open the door.

The scene that came into view was extremely cruel.

An elderly woman was torn to pieces by a fierce tiger and a dragon, turning into wisps of yin energy, which were then swallowed by the general.

Beneath the official's mask, his crimson pupils shimmered even more, sometimes vertical like a beast's, sometimes round.

"grandmother!!"

A little boy cried out and reached out to hit the general, but the general opened his mouth and sucked him in, turning him into streams of yin energy that entered his belly.

Gulu! !
The general's abdomen swelled slightly, and the faint sound of ghostly wails could be heard, but it disappeared in just a few breaths, and everything returned to normal.

The bloodlust in the general's eyes faded, and his vertical pupils changed to round pupils.

"So eager to see me defeated? Too bad, those heroes in your eyes not only can't save you, they'll serve me in the future..."

The two ghosts he devoured were actually the grandfather and grandson who had been peeping and gossiping through the crack in the door.

Upon seeing this, Jinse's icy fingers trembled slightly, and a cold glint flashed in her eyes, but it disappeared in an instant, well concealed.

"General, you have used the power of the Tiger God again?"

She looked concerned and asked.

The general nodded, his crimson eyes flickering slightly, and said, "I was just casually stretching my muscles, but I didn't expect that Cloud Dragon to be so capable, actually forcing me to use the power of the Tiger God."

"However, his performance of Zhong Kui tonight did inspire me."

The general's deep voice was filled with murderous intent and an irrepressible excitement.

“Zhong Kui can devour ghosts, so why can’t I? Since the Tiger God’s power is too strong, I will devour more fierce ghosts to strengthen my own Yin energy in order to fight against the Tiger God who is becoming increasingly awake.”

Jinse frowned and said, "General, if I may be so bold, this method is no different from drinking poison to quench thirst."

"While consuming ghosts can increase your Yin energy, it can also affect your mind with various distracting thoughts. It may not seem like much to you now, but as the number increases, you may go mad."

"It's alright, your music will help me stay clear-headed. Besides, I already have news of that sacred artifact. Once I obtain it, I will be able to fully control the power of the Tiger God. At that time..."

His eyes blazed with a crimson light, radiating an astonishing killing intent, as if he could already see the world stained with blood and corpses floating everywhere.

"Raise troops!"

"Dragon slayer!"

The ambition and murderous intent in his eyes sent a chill down Jinse's spine, and her hands holding the guqin turned slightly white.

A moment later, the Pure Heart and Universal Benevolence Mantra was played, and the sound of the guqin was like the chimes of bells and chimes, peaceful and serene, carrying a profound Zen meaning, as if it could dispel all murderous intent and delusions.

The general closed his eyes and listened to the zither, slowly immersing himself in it, and the murderous aura around him gradually subsided.

But the woman playing the zither, with her compassionate face like Guanyin, had eyes that grew colder and colder.

Her jade-like fingers plucked the Bodhisattva's melody, her lowered brows concealing a sharp blade beneath her icy gaze.

……

The moon sets and the sun rises; time flies like an arrow.

In the blink of an eye, five days have passed.

After applying the incense ointment several times, Zhou Sheng's left shoulder injury had completely healed, without even leaving a scar.

After that night's battle, everything seemed to return to calm.

He continued to learn opera from Uncle Guan every night as usual. On the third day, the stage was repaired and he went on stage to perform as usual, honing his skills and accumulating energy.

The biggest change is that I have far fewer opportunities to interact with Yaotai Feng than before.

After their heart-to-heart talk that night, Uncle Guan became completely unreserved and turned into a "peach watcher," keeping a close watch on Zhou Sheng and rarely giving them any time alone except when they were on stage.

But perhaps because they had worked side by side, their tacit understanding when performing operas not only did not diminish, but became even more pronounced.

No matter what kind of opera they are performing, the two can instantly connect on emotion and quickly get into character when their eyes meet.

If one person occasionally forgets their lines, the other will proactively cover for them, subtly prompting them with the next line while turning around.

As a result, their performance became increasingly popular, far surpassing the popularity of everyone else at Juxianlou. Even Tang Weng, who rarely left his home, personally visited Juxianlou and watched their performance of "The Peony Pavilion" in a private box on the second floor.

After reading it, Tang Weng made no comment, only leaving behind a calligraphy piece with four large characters: "Dragon and Phoenix Bring Auspiciousness".

Even Guan Buping dared not neglect Tang Weng's calligraphy, so he could only hang it in Juxianlou, though he always looked rather unwell when he saw it.

Later, tickets for plays featuring the two of them on stage saw their prices skyrocket in the ghost market, with one performance of "Farewell My Concubine" even fetching a price as high as one hundred coins.

Tickets are extremely hard to come by.

Zhou Sheng wasn't particularly excited about this. He continued as before, practicing his skills, singing opera, and playing the matchmaker. Sometimes he would consult with Tang Weng, and they would talk about the past and present, becoming close friends despite their age difference.

The days passed peacefully, until the arrival of the Wuji day.

Wu and Ji are the twelve Heavenly Stems. In the Five Elements, Wu belongs to Yang Earth and Ji belongs to Yin Earth. On this day, the virtue of Earth is flourishing and the earth's energy is at its strongest, making it suitable for sacrifices, repairing granaries, and building dikes.

Many practices related to the Earth element will be twice as effective on this day.

As dawn broke, the sound of swords clashing suddenly arose.

Zhou Sheng brandished his Guan Dao, each move powerful and domineering, the force of his blade causing the "Spring and Autumn Sword Manual" on the stone table to be flipped open by the wind from his blade.

The illustrations of Guan Yu wielding his sword, page by page, correspond perfectly to the moves he is currently practicing.

Azure Dragon Emerging from the Sea, Spring and Autumn Clouds Hanging Down, Slaying a General While the Wine Is Warm, Dragging a Blade While Riding a Horse, Severing the Moon Through Five Passes, Bone-Scraping Thunder...

The Thirty-Six Forms of the Spring and Autumn Saber Technique, combined with the number of the Heavenly Dipper, swirled the fallen leaves on the ground into a dancing green dragon, the saber light flashing like mercury.

A cold, sharp saw, a blade that has stood the test of time for millennia.

The howling wind from the blades resembled a dragon's roar, causing the water vat under the eaves to splash and ripple continuously.

With the final move, "Return to the Jade Spring," Zhou Sheng swung his sword fiercely, unleashing the power he had been accumulating for so long.

Wow!

Ye Long crashed into the distant wall and trees, piercing them like a hidden weapon. The impact caused the trees to sway and tremble, and leaves to fall like rain.

Zhou Sheng's knife tip touched the ground three inches away, he stroked his beard with one hand, and his eyes opened and closed with a dignified and imposing aura, which was unlike that of an ordinary person.

It is said that after Guan Yu's defeat at Maicheng, his heroic spirit remained undiminished and manifested as a deity at Yuquan Mountain.

"Guan Buping's Spring and Autumn Saber is indeed formidable!"

Yu Zhensheng's eyes lit up with admiration as he praised the sword manual, but he only complimented the manual itself and made no comment on his disciple's swordsmanship.

"Master, is there something wrong with my practice?"

Seeing his apprentice's expectant eyes, Yu Zhensheng's beard trembled slightly, and after a long while, he uttered two words.

"improvise."

In fact, he was very satisfied. These past few days, his apprentice had been looking at the sword manual almost every day, and even while eating, he would be lost in thought, occasionally using his chopsticks to practice his sword skills.

He's practically going mad.

But his swordsmanship has also improved by leaps and bounds. He has grasped three-tenths of the essence of this Spring and Autumn sword technique and is now wielding it with considerable skill.

This kid is not only a prodigy at performing shady operas, but also an absolute martial arts prodigy.

"It's almost the day of Wuji. Even with your magnificent steed, Wuzhui, it's time to set off."

A hint of realization flickered in Zhou Sheng's eyes.

He had been so engrossed in the sword manual these past few days that he hadn't even realized how quickly time had passed.

"Alright, let's not delay, let's set off now!"

Zhou Sheng was a decisive person by nature, so he didn't delay any longer and immediately prepared to go to Mount Lu.

"Wait a moment."

Yu Zhensheng sneered, "You brat, to cultivate that 'Zhengyi Dragon Tiger Earth Pivot Escape Method,' you need to borrow a lot of earth vein power. I ask you, do you understand feng shui and geomancy, and do you know how to find places that gather and retain qi?"

Zhou Sheng was taken aback. He had never thought of this before. He thought he could just find a cave in Mount Lu to cultivate.

"Take this."

Yu Zhensheng took out a letter and gave it to Zhou Sheng, instructing him: "I have some connection with the mountain god of Mount Lu. When you get to the temple, burn this letter for him, and he should help you find a suitable place for cultivation."

……

(End of this chapter)