A master of comedy!

Chapter 17 Passing Six Levels

Zhou Sheng looked at the paper in his hand, and after reading it, a ripple flashed in his eyes; his heart was far from calm.

What's written here is everything he experienced in Yangcheng.

It includes the mica formula for immortality, Bao Gong's gavel, and the so-called one-year agreement, the contents of which are recorded until he embarks on the path between Yin and Yang.

The signatory is... Lu Bingyuan!

"Lu Bingyuan is a cunning old fox who's been around for hundreds of years. Do you really think he'd be swayed by a few words from a young upstart like you?"

"No sooner had you left than he dispatched another ghost messenger to deliver this letter to me at great speed, praising your intelligence, integrity, and filial piety, hehe..."

Yu Zhensheng shook his head and sneered, "He just wants to tell me that my apprentice has been dragged into this mess, so this old geezer can't just stand by and do nothing either."

"Even the entire Yin Opera lineage will have to get involved!"

"Master... Lu Bingyuan died in battle to cover the retreat of the people. Are you mistaken?"

Zhou Sheng was somewhat lost in thought. The Lu Bingyuan his master spoke of seemed quite different from the Lu Gong he had previously admired.

Yu Zhensheng's eyes were deep and his words were sharp as knives.

"Don't mistake a centuries-old fox for a saint or a gentleman. Even if he was full of passion back then, he'll change after sitting in that position for a long time."

"Have you ever considered that your encounter with a vengeful spirit on the road is actually what Lu Bingyuan wanted to see?"

Zhou Sheng was taken aback.

"If he can pass your message on to me, he can certainly pass it on to others."

"Using you as bait to lure out the real culprit is one thing, as for the second..."

"You brat, you still haven't figured it out?"

"I've figured it out."

Zhou Sheng gave a bitter smile and said, "If I survive, I will be grateful for the reminder and the gift of the sedan chair. If I die, my master will do everything in his power to avenge me, leaving me with no way out."

Hatred is undoubtedly the best way to drive a person, more so than a prescription.

"Indeed, you are intelligent, but you lack experience in the martial world. Dealing with ghosts and gods is like walking barefoot on a mountain of knives; a slight misstep could lead to utter destruction!"

"In Shen Jinhua's case, is the victim important?"

Yu Zhensheng sneered, "Even if we opera singers become the leading actors, we're just a slightly larger pawn. Lu Bingyuan's investigation into this case might be partly for the sake of so-called justice, but the remaining seven parts..."

He pointed to the ground.

"It's the people below who are fighting."

"Lu Bingyuan is nothing more than a pawn in this battle."

Zhou Sheng was startled and remained silent for a long time.

According to the master, Shen Jinhua's case was just a trigger; the real mastermind behind the scenes was a big shot in the underworld.

It seems that this so-called underworld is not as sacred, majestic, and orderly as he imagined, but rather a place rife with undercurrents.

"Now it seems that the reason he gave you Bao Gong's gavel was probably because he felt that Lu Bingyuan was no longer worthy to wield it!"

Yu Zhensheng toyed with Bao Gong's gavel for a moment, then casually tossed it to Zhou Sheng.

"That old fox, I begged him for this item back then, but he wouldn't budge no matter what. Now it's ended up in my disciple's hands, hasn't it?"

"Master, here you go—"

"I'm not performing shamanic operas anymore, so what do I need it for?"

"Keep this safe; it will be of great help to you when you perform in Bao Gong operas in the future."

"Master, and this mica formula, I've already prepared the powder. It's specially made for you..."

Zhou Sheng took out the medicine from his pocket and was about to hand it to his master.

He is not a person who likes to keep things to himself. He naturally wants to share good things with people he trusts, and in this world, the person he trusts most is his master.

Yu Zhensheng smelled the fragrance of the medicine and then shook his head in refusal.

"This medicine is useless to me; it only works on those whose eyes haven't yet opened." "Eyes?"

Zhou Sheng was somewhat surprised, as this was the first time he had heard this. In the past, his master had only instructed him to focus on practicing his skills and rarely discussed matters of cultivation.

"I didn't say anything before because I was afraid you'd be too ambitious. Now that you've achieved some success, you can talk about it."

"So-called cultivation is the practice of the Tao. As the Tao progresses, the six major acupoints of the human body will be opened one after another, namely the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind, which is called passing the six gates."

"With each opening of a aperture, one gains different supernatural abilities. For example, once the eye aperture is opened, the eyes become divine eyes, able to see yin and yang, distinguish demons and evil spirits, see clearly in the dark, and even see the minute trace of a lightning bolt striking down..."

"If you want to play Guan Yu, you must first open your eyes."

Zhou Sheng's pupils lit up. So, if he opened his eyes, even a demon known for its speed would not be able to escape his sight.

Moreover, he had been looking forward to playing Guan Yu for a long time.

Marquis Huan, Zhang Fei, already possessed the courage to fight ten thousand men. What if it were Guan Yu, the God of War, instead?
Moreover, it should be noted that Guan Yu was not only a famous general in the human world, but also a deity after his death, eventually becoming the Great Emperor Who Subdues Demons in the Three Realms and the Holy Emperor Guan!
No wonder his master only taught him to sing the role of Huan Hou, but not Guan Yu.

Do your eyes sometimes feel itchy, sometimes sore, and sometimes slightly swollen?

"That's true. I thought it was because I'd neglected to practice my eye exercises lately."

"That means you've already touched the threshold of opening your eyes. Take the medicine again in seven days, and you should be almost there."

"From this perspective, Lu Bingyuan did do a good thing."

"Master, what about Shen Jinhua—"

"Don't worry about anything. Isn't it a one-year agreement? We can talk about even the biggest things after a year. Maybe if we keep dragging it out, Lu Bingyuan will die."

"When a person dies, the debt is settled. You can naturally extricate yourself from the matter then."

Zhou Sheng: "..."

He suddenly realized that his master's skin was much thicker than his own.

"Master, after passing the six trials, what realm is next? Can one... become an immortal?"

"hehe."

Zhou Sheng's question was met with merciless ridicule.

"You haven't even learned to walk yet, and you're already thinking about running? It's already an incredible achievement for you to successfully pass these six trials in your lifetime. When you get to Longhu Mountain, even the Celestial Master will treat you as an honored guest."

"Master, what realm are you at?"

He couldn't help but ask the question; he was genuinely curious.

In my memory, my master rarely made a move. After settling in Qinggu County, he became a doctor and never used any underhanded tricks again.

Judging from Lu Bingyuan's words, his master, Yu Zhensheng, was a legendary figure in the Yinxi lineage, and seemed to have an extremely glorious past.

What happened to make such a legendary sorcerer willingly live in seclusion in a small county and become a barefoot doctor?
Yu Zhensheng smacked him on the head without any mercy and said, "Don't pry into my affairs. It's almost dawn. Go practice your skills right now!"

"what?"

Zhou Sheng said with a bitter face, "Master, I just got back, can't I rest for a day?"

"rest?"

"Once you die at the final stage of your training, you'll have plenty of time to rest!"

"Now, immediately, start practicing your skills!"

"First, practice your vocal cords, then practice your blanket skills, and also practice your eye skills. Adjust the distance to twenty zhang. If you make a mistake, you'll be punished with ten strokes of the rod!"

Yu Zhensheng casually picked up a white waxwood stick from the side, his expression cold and unsmiling. It seemed that once he started teaching opera, he would instantly become a cold and ruthless judge, with no more teacher-student relationship.

"Listen up, brat. While taking medicine can help you improve your cultivation level quickly, cultivation level alone is not enough if you want to graduate alive."

"You need to learn real skills!"

……

　Thank you Qian Dalai for the 10,000 reward, thank you Yanyu Jiangnan Zhou Shangke for the 1,500 reward, thank you Cangshu Chibubao for the 500 reward, and thank you Lanlinglong and Dongfang Richu Xibianyu for the 100 reward. Sending love!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)