A master of comedy!

Chapter 5 Audience
With the vengeful spirit gone, it was as if the storm had passed, and everything returned to calm. Only the indelible marks on the stage told the story of the fierce battle that had just taken place.

Zhou Sheng suddenly closed his eyes.

In his mind, as the vengeful ghost dissipated, an ancient and mottled tortoise shell shone with light, its mysterious and crisscrossing cracks seemingly foreshadowing some unfathomable secret.

In the lower right corner of the tortoise shell are two ancient and profound characters, as if the truth of heaven is revealed within them.

"The Luoshu".

This is his biggest secret, and even his master, who taught him Yin Opera for sixteen years, doesn't know it.

Both past and present lives are connected by this mysterious tortoise shell.

“Huan…Danshan—”

When Master Wu saw that everything had settled down, he wanted to step off the stage and talk to Zhou Sheng, but what he received in return was a fierce and sharp gaze.

Huan Hou glared angrily, his murderous aura chilling Wu Banzhu to the bone.

On the stage, Zhou Sheng stood tall and imposing, like a black iron pagoda suppressing a dark spring. After a moment, he stepped firmly and, with a "kicking python" posture, swung the hem of his robe, then raised one arm to the sky and inserted the snake spear upside down.

"May the world be bright and clear! May righteousness endure forever!"

"The villains have been eliminated, the platform has been breached—mission accomplished!"

Each word struck like a hammer blow, sending a shiver through everyone's hearts.

They immediately realized that Zhou Sheng wanted them to cooperate in playing out this charade.

There is a beginning and an end.

Xiao Shan, dressed as a martial arts performer, reacted the fastest, immediately striking a pose reminiscent of "gazing at the sea and moon," and reciting his lines in operatic style:
"Why must we rage like Vajra to subdue demons? A single spear can bring peace to countless people! Do not say that the people of Yan are only reckless; they bow their heads and uphold a clear and peaceful world!"

"The conquest of the platform is complete; Marquis Huan, please return to your throne!"

Apart from the one in blue who had fallen into a coma, the others also sang a few lines, but their performances were all subpar and clearly not up to par.

After finishing his stance, Zhou Sheng carried the serpent spear and strode away, stepping through the curtain of the "Entering the Prime Minister" gate and entering the backstage area.

With this, the whole drama of breaking the stage finally came to a complete end.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, still shaken, and immediately went to check on the unconscious woman in blue.

Backstage, in front of a bronze mirror, Zhou Sheng is removing his makeup.

As the water continued to rinse, a handsome face slowly emerged, and his towering body quickly returned to normal.

The superhuman strength to tear tigers and leopards apart, the martial arts honed through countless trials, and the overwhelming murderous aura all dissipated.

Zhou Sheng rubbed his temples, his face showing undeniable fatigue.

The more immersed one is in a role, the higher one's skill level becomes, but this also puts a tremendous strain on one's mind and body. If the female ghost had persisted for a few more moves, he would probably have been the first one to give out.

My skills are still too shallow.

If he hadn't first played the role of Bao Gong, taking the opportunity to sprinkle the incense ash from the jar on the female ghost, severely injuring her, it would have been hard to say who would have won.

Hopefully, this experience will help him improve his skills.

"Danshan, you've worked hard. Wash your face."

Wu, the troupe leader standing to the side, quickly handed over a clean silk handkerchief, his expression respectful, both grateful and somewhat awe-inspiring.

Zhou Sheng wiped his face and then looked at himself in the bronze mirror.

His eyes still had a hint of bloodshot, as if the blood vessels in his eyeballs had burst slightly, and his overall energy and spirit appeared very low.

It felt like going without sleep for days and nights.

Singing the song of Marquis Huan is really easy to overdo if you're not careful. My master was right after all. If you're not skilled enough, it's best not to force it.

Seeing Zhou Sheng staring at the bronze mirror without speaking, Master Wu seemed to realize something and asked nervously, "Danshan, is there something wrong with this bronze mirror?"

“Every time Jin Hua performed on stage, she would put on her makeup in front of this bronze mirror. Could there still be some lingering spirit of hers hiding in this bronze mirror?”

Zhou Sheng was somewhat taken aback upon hearing this, then shook his head and smiled, "The bronze mirror is fine."

Master Wu nodded, but still made up his mind to replace the bronze mirror with a new one tomorrow to avoid bad luck.

Zhou Sheng could guess what he was thinking, and for some reason, he suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

He had been so immersed in the role that his murderous intent and killing aura made him unmoved by anything external. Now that he had regained his senses, he remembered the words Shen Jinhua had spoken before her soul was scattered.

At first, she cursed and screamed at the top of her lungs, but as the yin energy dissipated, she gradually calmed down.

Before she disappeared, she sang a verse with tears in her eyes.

"You say my opera performance is a mere pretense of weeping cuckoos, but who knows that the blade on this stage... is truly cold?" "Lord Huan! With a swift stroke of your blade..."

Clearly distinguishable—

Which strand of hair is the one that Dou E bound?

Which drop of blood represents the slave's soul?

Shen Jinhua truly deserves her reputation as a star performer in the Yangcheng Opera Troupe. Even Zhou Sheng was moved by her poignant and sorrowful singing, and deeply regretted the passing of such an outstanding female lead.

She left behind her final masterpiece for this world.

"It cannot tolerate the June snow burying the pure bones—"

Why did you teach me to spend half my life in the limelight... to play the role of Dou E...?

This is not Dou E's accusation, but Shen Jinhua's plea for justice.

Dou E had blood splattered on her white silk, snow falling in June, and a three-year drought to plead her case, but what did Shen Jinhua have?

Zhou Sheng remained silent on the matter.

Having studied opera for sixteen years, he understands all too well how difficult this path is, how much beatings and hardships one must endure to become a star.
Even if it becomes a horn, what does it amount to in this cannibalistic world?
"Danshan, this is just a small token of my appreciation. Please don't think it's too little..."

Master Wu took out a plate with five silver ingots on it, each ingot weighing ten taels, which is fifty taels of silver.

This is a considerable expense for a theatrical troupe that has been closed for a long time and is already struggling financially.

Zhou Sheng had to admit that Master Wu was quite generous.

This fifty taels of silver, according to the prices in this world, is roughly equivalent to hundreds of thousands on Earth.

"Master Wu, does Shen Jinhua... have any relatives?"

"Yes, but they all left after receiving compensation. I heard they went to Yangzhou."

Zhou Sheng nodded, then accepted the forty taels of silver and left one ingot.

"Let's leave these ten taels to that unconscious woman in green, and use them to buy her more medicine to replenish her qi and blood."

The woman was possessed by a ghost, which had already damaged her vitality. Coupled with the miscarriage, she will probably be unable to perform for a long time.

Without those ten taels of silver, she probably wouldn't have survived.

Zhou Sheng couldn't stand idly by, so he kept ten taels, but he wasn't a saint either, so he only kept ten taels.

Not too much, not too little; if she's careful with her money, it should be enough to help her get through this difficult time.

"Danshan is truly righteous and worthy of being Master Yu's outstanding disciple!"

Master Wu immediately praised him.

Zhou Sheng simply stared at him quietly, the remaining murderous aura in his eyes flickering slightly.

"You know the rules of the underworld; no one dares to embezzle our money."

Master Wu's smile froze, and he quickly nodded.

He had a little ulterior motive just now, but it has vanished now after Zhou Sheng's warning.

The evil spirit has been exorcised. Once the opera troupe resumes operations, we can continue to make money. There's no need to provoke a shaman for ten taels of silver.

He knew very well how strange and dangerous these people who performed grotesque plays were.

Today I can help you catch ghosts, tomorrow I can turn you into a ghost.

Putting aside everything else, the blood on Old Master Yu's hands back then was so thick that even a large gold basin couldn't wash it all away.

……

A moment later, Zhou Sheng walked out from backstage, and the people around him looked at him with awe and curiosity.

Many people tried to approach him to talk, but Zhou Sheng ignored them and walked straight off the stage.

The audience was completely empty.

But Zhou Sheng stopped in front of a seat on the right side towards the back, and bowed to the empty seat with his hands clasped.

The calm voice carried a hint of solemnity.

Even within the solemnity, there was a hint of tension that wasn't present even when facing a vengeful ghost...?
"Sir, the play has ended, but you haven't left yet. Do you have some insightful thoughts?"

……

(End of this chapter)