A master of comedy!

Chapter 6 Gifts from Ghosts and Gods
"Old gentleman? What old gentleman?"

Xiaoshan and the others exchanged glances, a chill creeping down their spines as they looked at the empty stage below.

Before, they might have thought Zhou Sheng was faking it, but now, after what happened on stage, no one would question Zhou Sheng anymore.

If Zhou Sheng says there are people there, then there definitely are people there!
No, perhaps it's not human...

Only now did they understand why Zhou Sheng had insisted that they cooperate in singing this lousy play.

The play has begun, and people from all directions come to listen.

One side is human, three sides are ghosts, and four sides are gods.

They thought it was just a legend, but unexpectedly, there really was an 'audience member' in the audience that they couldn't see.

If they hadn't finished singing on stage, would they have angered that "audience member"?
Upon thinking of this, they all shuddered and felt even greater awe for this small stage.

……

At that moment, in Zhou Sheng's eyes, there sat a very special old man.

What makes him special is the clothes he was wearing.

It was a dark blue robe embroidered with gold pythons, with a three-inch-wide vermilion border along the edge. It seemed to be an official's robe, but it appeared to be a style from a previous dynasty.

The Great Xuan Dynasty has been established for over three hundred years, yet this old man is wearing the official robes of the previous dynasty. The implications of this are chilling upon closer examination.

Actually, when Zhou Sheng first came to the opera troupe, he did not see the old man. He vaguely sensed it when he played Bao Gong, and he finally realized it when he sang Huan Hou, where the actor and the character became one.

The play ended, but the old man did not leave. He even showed up so that the old man, who had removed his makeup, could see him clearly.

This means that the other party has something to say to him.

"Your voice is powerful and your singing is excellent. Your singing, recitation, acting and fighting are all good. In particular, your singing of Bao Gong, although it is a bit lacking in skill, has a rare touch of the spirit of Bao Longtu."

The old man first praised him generously, then his eyes showed a look of reminiscence, and he sighed.

“Yu Zhensheng… has a good apprentice. It seems that his skills have finally found a successor.”

Zhou Sheng stared at that seemingly ordinary face, yet it made him tense and feel an invisible pressure.

The other person seemed to emanate a faint, subtle glow, not dazzling, but if you looked at them for too long, your eyes would feel a slight stinging sensation.

Furthermore, whether it was just his imagination or not, he seemed to smell some kind of incense scent next to the old man, like sandalwood from a temple.

"Do you know my master?"

"nature."

The old man sighed, "Yunmen's snowy voice overturns the Milky Way, the nine-turn pearl plate shatters jade. The dragon and tiger's throat swallows a three-foot blade, the yin and yang clappers set the dawn gong."

"In those days, Yu Dajia was incredibly famous. He could use cinnabar to draw faces and sing, and copper hammers to create faces that shook the yin and yang. In the world of yin opera, no one could surpass him."

"Especially his Bao Gong plays, which are unparalleled in the world. Even if the real Bao Gong came, he probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference. It's a pity..."

He shook his head and sighed, "Such a good show is hard to come by again."

Zhou Sheng was taken aback, somewhat surprised. He knew that the old man used to be famous for singing ghost stories, but he didn't expect him to be so skilled.

He already had some guesses about the old man's identity, but that's precisely why the old man's high regard for his master surprised him even more.

"You're not bad. Perhaps in the future, you can become the next Yu Zhensheng..."

Suddenly, the old man seemed to remember something and shook his head.

"The road to Danshan is lined with tung blossoms, and the young phoenix's voice is clearer than the old phoenix's. Danshan, he gave you this name, it seems he thinks you are even more outstanding than he was in his youth."

"You flatter me. My master has never praised me in all these years."

The old man stopped discussing the topic and instead took out a small box made of Phoebe zhennan wood from his pocket, which was engraved with some kind of mysterious runes.

Golden nanmu is known as the "Emperor's Wood," and even for an emperor, obtaining a coffin made of golden nanmu was not easy.

Legend has it that it takes at least fifty years for the wood to mature, and several hundred years to achieve the state where the wood fibers resemble golden threads.

This small box made of Phoebe zhennan wood alone is worth far more than fifty taels of silver.

Not to mention what's inside the box.

"According to the rules of your underworld opera profession, since I have watched the show, I can't just cheer without giving my approval. So this item... is yours."

Zhou Sheng's secretly tense body finally relaxed a little.

He sensed kindness in this person.

It seems the other party really is Master's friend. But why didn't Master mention it before coming here?

“Old sir, I haven’t completed my apprenticeship yet, and according to the rules, I cannot accept your teachings.” The old man placed the items on the table, stopped answering, picked up his cane, and walked away into the distance.

Watching his retreating figure, Zhou Sheng hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't help asking a question.

"Sir, Shen Jinhua died unjustly. It seems the murderer intended to kill her from the very beginning. This happened in your territory, why don't you—"

Before he could finish speaking, the old man suddenly turned around and gave him a deep look. The candlelight around him suddenly flared up, and fire snakes danced in the air, creating an extremely eerie scene.

The oppressive feeling that Shen Jinhua exerted all her strength seemed to pale in comparison to this casual glance.

At that moment, Zhou Sheng deeply felt the enormous gap between the two sides.

What terrifying cultivation!

Even if he were at his peak, let alone already being mentally exhausted, he would still be no match for the old man.

"Danshan, don't forget the two most important rules of Yin Opera: don't break character, but even more importantly, don't..."

"I can't get out of character."

His words, spoken one by one, seemed to be a warning, yet also contained a hidden meaning.

Zhou Sheng remained silent. If even the old man couldn't handle this matter, it meant that the power of the person behind the scenes had far exceeded his imagination.

"Thank you."

He bowed respectfully, and when he looked up, he found that the old man had disappeared; the distance was pitch black, and he could not see a single person.

But the extra box on the table proves that everything that just happened was not a hoax.

……

"Danshan, who were you talking to just now?"

"And this box... wow, it's made of Phoebe zhennan wood? And it's entirely gold..."

Master Wu stepped forward and spoke to him, his eyes fixed on the golden nanmu box, his heart filled with curiosity about what was inside.

It must be a priceless treasure!
He had clearly seen Zhou Sheng's behavior just now; he was talking to himself the whole time, but suddenly this box appeared on the table.

It was clearly a gift from that unseen 'person'.

The gifts from ghosts and gods are all wondrous items.

Unfortunately, Zhou Sheng immediately put the box away and said calmly, "Master Wu, sometimes being too curious is not necessarily a good thing."

After saying that, he glanced at everyone.

"The platform has been breached, and Danshan has fortunately fulfilled its mission. I will now take my leave. Farewell, everyone."

"Danshan, it's late at night, why rush? Why don't you stay and rest for a while?"

"Yes, you saved our lives, and we haven't thanked you yet!"

However, Zhou Sheng ignored everyone's attempts to persuade him to stay, and didn't even offer a word of explanation.

He picked up his opera trunk and turned to walk into the darkness.

There were still no footsteps, and in the blink of an eye, they were swallowed up by the deep night, leaving behind a tall and lonely figure.

More than an hour ago, he emerged from the darkness, and now he has vanished back into it. Apart from knowing his name, everyone knows almost nothing else about him.

"Shadow play..."

The martial arts performer, Xiaoshan, muttered to himself, a hint of longing in his eyes.

"Master Wu, tell me... what exactly is 'yin opera'? I've been performing for over ten years, how come I've never heard of it?"

Master Wu glanced at him, seemingly guessing his thoughts, and couldn't help but sneer.

"The game of ghosts and demons isn't as simple as you think. Exorcising ghosts and demons? Punishing evil and promoting good? Heh."

He paused, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes, and said, "Every sorcerer will live in the shadow of ghosts and gods for the rest of their life; it is a situation more terrifying than a curse!"

"Do you know why Master Yu is so famous in the Yin Opera lineage?"

"Because I am a shadow puppeteer..."

"He actually lived past forty."

……

(End of this chapter)