A master of comedy!

Chapter 71 Five Thunder Talisman

Li Zicheng, the rebel?
Upon hearing this familiar name, a flicker of disbelief crossed Zhou Sheng's eyes.

He had almost forgotten that this was a world with the same origins as Chinese history, and that divergence only began after Huang Chao.

The current Great Xuan should correspond to the Great Ming Dynasty on Earth, but times have changed and history has undergone tremendous changes, and Zhu Yuanzhang has not appeared.

The founding emperor of the Great Xuan Dynasty was named Li Qingxuan, and because he revered Taoism, he was later known as the Taoist Emperor.

However, the person who assisted him in achieving his great cause remained unchanged; it was still the imperial tutor Liu Bowen.

In Chinese history, it was Li Zicheng, the rebel leader, who captured the capital and overthrew the rule of the Ming Dynasty. In this world, Li Zicheng also rose up in rebellion and once commanded great momentum.

He proclaimed himself Grand Marshal of the Righteous Army and conquered thirteen cities in a single month, amassing hundreds of thousands of troops and pointing his sword directly at the capital.

However, historical records state that just as Li Zicheng was about to besiege the capital and overthrow the Li family's regime, a plague suddenly broke out in the army, causing a large number of soldiers to lose their fighting ability.

Meanwhile, the imperial army launched a counterattack, and Li Zicheng's army suffered a crushing defeat.

Strangely, the massive and sudden plague that had saved Da Xuan miraculously disappeared without a trace.

None of the officers and soldiers were infected with the plague, which the historians attributed to divine will and the enduring fortune of the nation, and they wrote extensively about it.

"My grandfather told me that after the rebel Li Zicheng was defeated, he kept wandering around. When he reached the outskirts of Xunyang City, he was beheaded by one of his generals."

"The mutinous army did not surrender, but instead stormed into Xunyang City like bandits, committing all sorts of atrocities, including burning, killing, looting, and ransacking. Not only Qinghetang, but many larger shops were also looted."

"For example, the Baxian Pawnshop next to Qinghetang was the largest pawnshop in Xunyang City back then. It was also wiped out, and after the looting, the shop was burned down."

The young man remarked with emotion, "My grandfather was once an apprentice at Qinghetang. He was kicked out for eating too much at every meal, but unexpectedly, this saved his life."

"If my grandfather hadn't told me about this so often, I might not have remembered Qinghe Hall at all, since it was over a hundred years ago..."

After collecting some medicinal herbs to nourish his body, Zhou Sheng left Baicaotang.

Watching his retreating figure, the young man smiled slightly, his eyes wise, as if he had seen through everything.

"He also said he wanted to pick up some medicine while he was at it. I think he was just pretending to inquire about Qinghetang, but he really wanted to get these medicines."

"I made dumplings just for this dish of vinegar, tsk tsk tsk."

……

As Zhou Sheng left Baicaotang, his eyes gleamed.

If he wasn't mistaken, Qinghetang should be in the Ghost Market. The Xunyang City mentioned in Luoshu doesn't refer to the Xunyang City inhabited by the living, but rather the Xunyang City known as Little Fengdu.

Looks like I'll have to go to the ghost market tonight.

Afterwards, he went to the bookstore and bought the second volume of "The Story of Hong Fu". After thinking about it, he also bought several more of the latest vernacular novels, intending to bring them to Yao Tai Feng that evening.

After finishing all that, he was about to go home to rest when he was stopped by a voice as he passed the intersection of East Street.

"Sir, please wait! Stop!"

He looked back and saw a figure sitting in front of a fortune teller's stall under the willow tree by the river, smiling and waving at him.

He was an old Taoist priest wearing a bright yellow robe. His hair and beard were all white, but his face was ruddy and he was in good spirits. He looked quite like a Taoist immortal.

Beside him was a handsome young Taoist disciple.

Two banners hung in front of the stall, each bearing a sentence.

"Hidden within the sleeve lies the Book of Changes, revealing the will of Heaven; with a sword pointed at demons, it shatters the netherworld."

Zhou Sheng didn't intend to pay any attention and wanted to leave directly, since most of these fortune tellers were swindlers with a whole set of tricks up their sleeves.

It all boils down to observing people's words and expressions, and figuring out what's going on in their hearts.

But as soon as he turned around, he heard the other party chasing after him, arriving at his side in an instant from several feet away, with extremely fast movements.

"Sir, you may have recently attracted some evil spirits. I have a talisman here to ward off evil, free of charge. If it works, you can come back to me at Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow."

"Remember, it must be at Chen Shi (7-9 AM). If you miss the appointed time, I will have to attend the Queen Mother of the West's Peach Banquet."

After saying that, he forcefully stuffed the yellow talisman into Zhou Sheng's hand, then smiled mysteriously and drifted away.

He never mentioned receiving money from beginning to end, which showed a rather magnanimous attitude.

Zhou Sheng raised an eyebrow slightly, silently putting the talisman into his pocket. He couldn't help but wonder if he had really met a master.

Thinking about it, it's quite possible. His yang energy was drained by Boss Feng, and in the eyes of someone with the ability to see clearly, he would show signs of depleted yang energy and being surrounded by yin energy.

This situation is very similar to being possessed by a ghost.

If he's truly a master, then this talisman must be genuine; why not take it? You might need it later. Of course, he definitely won't come looking for this old Taoist priest tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM). He's supposed to be attending the Queen Mother of the West's Peach Banquet, boasting like he's some kind of genius; he's probably not that powerful.

……

After Zhou Sheng left, the old Taoist priest's smiling face instantly fell, and a look of heartache appeared in his eyes.

Those are Five Thunder Talismans blessed by Longhu Mountain; he only has a few of them.

This time they really went all out; I guarantee that tomorrow this kid will treat them like royalty.

"Disciple, have you memorized his scent?"

"Reporting to Master, I have noted it down."

The young Taoist asked curiously, "Master, are you really not going to wait a little longer?"

"wait?"

The old Taoist priest was so angry upon hearing this that his beard bristled. He roared, "Do you know how I've been these past two days? I've been standing at the city gate all night!"

"The eerie wind is making my old bones feel like they're about to fall apart. You know what? Last night, there was this guy with painted face who lives off female ghosts, and he actually told me to move aside because I was in his way!"

"That's not all. What's most infuriating is that later, some people even asked me if I was the doorman."

At this point, the old Taoist priest was almost bursting with rage, gritting his teeth.

"The people at headquarters are utterly useless. We've been waiting for so long and there's still no sign of them. They're probably dead on the way. It seems we'll have to rely on ourselves to get the sacred artifact!"

After a pause, the old Taoist priest looked in the direction Zhou Sheng had left and said, "This man is surrounded by yin energy and his yang energy is weak. He is naturally prone to attracting evil spirits. Perhaps he can help me retrieve that sacred object..."

Even without the ability to burrow underground, I can still prove myself. What kind of bullshit incense master is this? He can't even handle a small matter and yet he expects me to be loyal to him?
Once I get the sacred object, I'll offer it to the Buddha Mother. Maybe I can become the new incense master!
……

Back home, just to be on the safe side, Zhou Sheng even showed the talisman to his master.

"Good stuff, the Five Thunder Talisman from Longhu Mountain, it's been blessed, it really can ward off evil. It seems that old Taoist priest has some skill."

"Master, the other party didn't realize I'm also a cultivator. Should we return this talisman?"

"Give it back?"

Yu Zhensheng sneered, "If it's free, why not take it? But don't wear this talisman when you perform tonight, or you might anger the ghosts in the audience."

Zhou Sheng nodded and temporarily hid the yellow talisman in the drawer.

Over the next period of time, he ate, drank medicine, and practiced his exercises. With continuous conditioning, by evening he felt much less tired.

The depleted Yang energy is being rapidly replenished.

His master recovered much more slowly than him, which shows that youth gives you a good foundation.

As night fell, Zhou Sheng hung a lantern by his bedside, preparing to explore the infamous Ghost Market of Xiao Fengdu that night.

But before he could even lie down on the bed, a crisp knock sounded at the door.

dong dong dong dong!

The sound was extremely rhythmic, with each beat seemingly occurring at the exact same interval, as precise as a machine.

Suddenly, as if stimulated by something, the lantern by his bedside turned into a white light.

"Who is it?"

Zhou Sheng asked aloud.

"it's me."

The master's voice came from outside the door.

Zhou Sheng walked over, reached for the door latch, and was about to open the door when he suddenly stopped, his eyes flashing.

Wait, why has Master's voice suddenly become so strong and energetic?
He didn't open the door for a long time, and the people outside seemed to have been waiting for too long and were getting impatient.

dong dong dong dong!

There was another knocking on the door, sounding abrupt and eerie in the quiet of the night.

Zhou Sheng's eyes narrowed, and a chill ran through him.

In folk legends, people usually knock on the door three times, but ghosts knock on the door... four times!

(End of this chapter)