A master of comedy!

Chapter 52 Zhao Zilong

Boom!Boom!Boom!
The little tiger knelt down and begged for mercy, its forehead turning red from kowtowing; it was clear it was really putting in a lot of effort.

Zhou Sheng had no right to bully a little girl anymore, so he quickly stepped forward to help her up. But as soon as he got close, the little girl's dark eyes darted around, and she pounced on him again.

This time, however, it was no longer in the shape of a tiger, but in the shape of a dog.

With agile movements, like a rabbit leaping over an eagle, its two tiger teeth bit towards Zhou Sheng's arm.

However, after taking the mica formula a second time, Zhou Sheng's lightness skill had become extraordinary. Although he was not yet at the level where He Xiangu could walk as fast as she could when she first attained enlightenment, he was still as light as a swallow and could fly with the wind.

With his feet planted firmly on the Qian position, he moved with lightning speed, narrowly avoiding the bite.

Zhou Sheng suddenly opened his mouth, glared angrily, his brows furrowed so tightly that a line appeared between them, like an upside-down third eye.

“Waaaaaaaaaaa——”

His voice was like thunder, and his divine power was awe-inspiring.

Where is the Celestial Hound?

Zhou Sheng sang a line from an opera about Erlang Shen, without using any shady techniques; he was simply singing to see the girl's reaction.

The little girl did not disappoint him. As if she had heard a command, she instantly leaped and flipped several times in the air, landing right at Zhou Sheng's feet and letting out a cry.

"I'm here! I'm here!"

After a pause, she saw the smile in Zhou Sheng's eyes and realized she had been tricked. She was immediately furious and embarrassed.

"You, you, you, don't think you're so great just because you can sing a lot of operas. I, I can even sing in sheep form—"

"Then I'll sing about Su Wu."

"I can also do the donkey pose!"

"Hehe, then I'll sing 'Zhang Guolao, Riding Your Little Donkey Backwards'..."

"I...I've got it! I'll play the dragon!!"

The little girl stretched out her dragon claw, her delicate face contorted with excitement, mimicking the dragon's appearance.

She said smugly, "Let's see what you can sing this time!"

Zhou Sheng simply smiled faintly and recited his lines in a theatrical style.

"Dragons emerge from fire, tigers are born from water. Heaven and earth conceal magical power, the golden rope is used to subdue demons!"

"Eight Heavenly Dragons, heed my command!"

The little girl immediately looked miserable, like a wilted eggplant, and muttered, "Eighteen Arhats fighting Sun Wukong, and you singing the Dragon-Subduing Arhat song, I... I still can't beat him..."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Sheng laughed heartily and said, "What's your name? You know quite a lot. Are you from Juxianlou?"

"My name is Hongxian!"

She raised her left wrist, revealing a section of red thread tied around it, and said in a crisp voice, "You can sing so many operas, just as many as Sister Feng."

Zhou Sheng's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to ask something, he saw her looking up at him with her small face, pleading, "You, you smell so good. I smelled it when I was acting as a tiger."

She paused, swallowed hard, and said, "Could you let me have a bite?"

Zhou Sheng raised his eyebrows slightly, a hint of surprise in his eyes. Could it be that this little girl was able to break her master's corpse-driving talisman and smell the scent of a living person on him?

However, when he saw that her gaze was fixed on his chest, Zhou Sheng had a flash of inspiration and took out an apricot shortbread from his pocket.

When he was a child, he often drank Chinese medicine with his master, the kind that was particularly bitter. Every time he finished drinking the medicine, he would eat a piece of candy. Over time, he always carried some with him as a snack.

Sure enough, when he took out the apricot shortbread, Hongxian's eyes immediately lit up, sparkling as if they had suddenly gained insight.

"Want to eat?"

She nodded.

"Then tell me about Juxianlou."

With her eyes glued to the candy, Hongxian patted her chest and said, "Alright, I'll tell you, Juxianlou is a building!"

Zhou Sheng nodded, and then the two stared at each other.

"Gone?"

"It's... a theater!"

"Tell me something I don't know."

Hongxian scratched her head anxiously and said, "I'm so stupid, I can't remember anything except for plays. How about this, you come with me into the building and you'll find out."

As she spoke, she grabbed Zhou Sheng's hand and started to walk inside.

"and many more--"

"I'll take you backstage to watch the play, to see Sister Feng's performance. She sings so well, the best in the world!" Zhou Sheng was somewhat tempted. Over the years, he had long since fallen in love with opera and was obsessed with it.

Having heard Zhou Laosan hum a few lines of Farewell My Concubine, I had already developed a strong interest in Yaotai Feng's opera and hoped to hear it myself.

"Brother Tangdou, don't worry, with me, Hongxian, here, no one will stop you!"

Zhou Sheng smiled and followed her across the threshold of Juxianlou.

The next moment, the scene before my eyes changed, and I suddenly heard a series of noises and saw many figures moving about, making it very lively.

Most of them were spectators, holding tickets and waiting in line to enter.
The building was brightly lit, and one could faintly hear the sounds of people practicing their singing.

Hongxian, holding Zhou Sheng's hand, headed straight into the building. They made their way in without any obstruction, and even the young actors stretching their legs called Hongxian "Big Sister".

The place was bustling with noise and filled with the lively atmosphere of everyday life.

However, under the watchful eye of the law, a different, sinister and terrifying scene unfolded.

Every guest waiting to enter had skin charred black, while the children stretching their legs were soaking wet, pale-faced, and with black lips, looking like drowned ghosts from the river.

As for the surrounding beams and pillars, there were bloody claw marks, as if they had been dug out by someone.

Eerie, bizarre, and terrifying.

Two completely different scenes have come together in one place, creating a strong impact.

The only exception is the little red thread in front of us. She is also a ghost, but she was neither burned to death nor drowned.

"Don't be afraid. They hid in the large water tank during the fire, but the lid was pressed down by wood, and they all drowned."

Hongxian carefully hid the candy Zhou Sheng had given her, as if afraid of being discovered.

"By the way, did you just die? Why do you feel so heavy?"

Hongxian led Zhou Sheng forward by the hand, as if sensing something was amiss.

"Yes, he was seriously ill and just died."

"Died of illness?"

Little Red Thread looked at him excitedly and said, "I also died of illness, so we are... fellow patients!"

She became much more friendly towards Zhou Sheng.

What illness do you have?

She asked quickly.

"What illness I have is mainly related to you."

"Is it related to me?"

Little Red Line's eyes immediately brightened, and she exclaimed excitedly, "I know! You're mentally ill too!"

Zhou Sheng: "..."

After walking for a while, we finally arrived at the theater's viewing platform.

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhou Sheng's eyes. As expected of the number one opera troupe in Xunyang back then, this place is really big.

The building has three floors, with flying eaves and brackets carved with scenes of various entertainments. Twelve pillars reaching to the sky are painted crimson, and eight vermilion cloud-shaped lanterns are suspended from them.

The most impressive feature is the three-sided stage, with a boxwood railing around the edge, a scarlet velvet carpet on the stage, and traditional paintings of fish and dragons leaping over a stream hanging on it.

Both the east and west corridors had bamboo curtains hanging in the private rooms, behind which gilded spittoons and silver spittoons could be vaguely seen.

Downstairs, the seats were packed tightly together, with some benches even having bluestones placed under their legs.

At this time, Juxianlou had not yet opened for business, so the place was empty, and the actors were still backstage busy putting on their headgear and makeup.

Only one figure stood on the stage, with his back to Zhou Sheng and Hong Xian. His figure was tall and slender, like a lone pine tree standing proudly in the snow.

The next moment, as if sensing someone had intruded, the figure slowly turned around.

He wore a scholar's helmet, a white python robe, and held a bright silver spear. Four white satin flags, embroidered with flame patterns, were stuck on his back and fluttered slightly as he turned.

Sword-like eyebrows reaching to the temples, phoenix eyes and thin lips, a single red dot between the eyebrows pointing to the sky.

Silver saddle shines in the snow, jade spear gleams cold; amidst a million soldiers, courage remains undiminished.

Do not say that makeup is not one's true nature; where feathers fly, there lies the Han River and mountains.

"Changshan Zhao Zilong!"

Zhou Sheng blurted it out.

……

(End of this chapter)