A master of comedy!

Chapter 81 Jinse
Hearing that melodious voice, as clear as a spring, Zhou Sheng's drowsiness vanished instantly, and he regained his alertness.

He also saw the figure in front of him clearly, and his gaze froze for a moment.

The woman, dressed in snow like a lotus, with black hair like a waterfall, stood quietly before him, holding a scorched-tail zither. The ice sash around her waist fluttered gently in the evening breeze.

It was the woman who had given him pointers in front of the ghost market gate.

But unlike before, she is not wearing the dragon mask now.

For a moment, the entire room seemed to brighten up a bit.

Zhou Sheng was used to seeing Boss Feng's stunning beauty, and few women could still amaze him. But this woman in white holding a zither was undoubtedly one of those rare exceptions.

Bright eyes and white teeth, jade-like bones and ice-like skin.

Her beautiful face was like that of the fairy maiden from Gusha in Zhuangzi's writings, her eyes free of any worldly taint, as pure as the first snow in a pine forest.

Or perhaps it's the paintings of ladies by Gu Kaizhi, gentle and graceful, elegant and beautiful.

"Girl, I—"

"No need to explain. The fact that you were able to immerse yourself in the 'Pure Heart and Universal Benevolence Mantra' without any discomfort proves that you are not an evil person."

Zhou Sheng was taken aback, but he breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried about how to explain it.

"Besides, since you are a friend of the Feng family, I will naturally help you."

Her voice was very gentle, like the singing of a woman from Jiangnan picking lotus flowers, but what she said startled Zhou Sheng.

He then realized that when Yao Taifeng fell into his arms, the mask on her face had somehow become crooked, revealing half of her face.

Zhou Sheng's eyebrows shot up like sharp blades.

"Did the thought of killing you cross your mind? Are you worried that I will reveal the identity of the Feng family?"

Unexpectedly, the woman in white seemed to possess a keen and perceptive mind, as she keenly sensed the murderous intent that flashed through Zhou Sheng's mind.

"It seems you treat her well, which puts my mind at ease. Someone trusted by the Feng family should also help me keep the secret."

After saying this, the woman turned around, exposing her back to Zhou Sheng, seemingly without any suspicion.

She walked to her bedside, reached out and tapped a spot, and then the bed split in two, revealing a deep secret passage.

“Going down from here won’t get you out of the General’s Mansion, but it’s very close to the side gate of the west wing. It’s quite secluded there. The key I’ve hidden is under the thirty-second brick from the left on the wall…”

The woman in white recounted her story in detail, and it was only then that Zhou Sheng realized that the key he had used to enter the general's mansion was actually hidden by her.

"Take Feng Dajia away quickly, just don't let today's events get out."

Zhou Sheng frowned and asked, "And what about you?"

The woman in white said with some disappointment, "Do you still doubt that I would betray your true identities?"

"Do not."

Zhou Sheng said seriously, "I'm asking if you will be implicated in this matter, since this vicious tiger saw us come here."

As he spoke, a murderous glint reappeared in his eyes, as if he wanted to stab the sleeping tiger to death.

"You must not kill this big cat. It is very much favored by the general. If it dies, you will definitely not be able to escape."

"As for me……"

The woman in white smiled and said, "The general's murderous aura is too strong. In order to avoid going astray, he needs to listen to me play the 'Pure Heart and Universal Benevolence Mantra' often, so he won't do anything to me."

Zhou Sheng then carried Yao Tai Feng toward the secret passage under the bed, pausing slightly just before they were about to descend.

"Thank you for your help, young lady. I will repay this kindness in the future!"

"If there's a chance in the future, let me help you practice your singing."

Zhou Sheng was taken aback upon hearing this.

The woman in white seemed to have a glimmer in her eyes as she smiled and said, "I wanted to say this as soon as I saw you at the city gate: your voice is so beautiful."

She praised Zhou Sheng's voice without reservation, her expression extremely serious, as if she had a strange reverence for it.

“I once gave Feng Dajia a vocal training session. Her voice is truly beautiful, a rare gem in the world. Your voice is no worse than hers. Plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, and chrysanthemums each have their own strengths.”

Seeing that the other party seemed to be tone-deaf, Zhou Sheng smiled and nodded, saying, "It is my honor to have a master sing with me."

The door to the secret passage slowly closed, and as Zhou Sheng gazed into those glassy eyes, a sudden thought struck him.

"By the way, I still don't know your name."

hum!
The secret passage closed, plunging the surroundings into darkness, but a voice could be faintly heard from the other side of the door. "Jinse."

……

"The brocade zither has fifty strings for no reason; each string and each fret evokes thoughts of bygone years."

Inside the secret passage, Zhou Sheng carried Yao Tai Feng forward, softly reciting the poem.

"Zhuangzi dreamed of butterflies in the morning, and King Wang placed his love on the cuckoo."

Yao Taifeng had opened her eyes at some point, smiled and replied to the next sentence, then jumped out of Zhou Sheng's arms with a swift, graceful, and elegant movement.

Those eyes, seemingly smiling yet not smiling, gazed quietly at Zhou Sheng, with a hint of amusement in them.

"Boss Long is really lucky with women. You even know the famous Qin Fairy Jinse from the Ghost Market."

Zhou Sheng gave a wry smile and said, "Boss Feng, please stop teasing me. When did you wake up?"

"Your voice is so beautiful."

Yao Tai Feng laughed and said, "It was from those words that I woke up."

Zhou Sheng: "..."

Seeing his expression, Yao Taifeng burst out laughing, her beautiful face blooming like a flower beneath the phoenix mask.

"Alright, alright, let's stop teasing our thin-skinned Boss Long and get serious."

She suppressed her smile and said, "Jinse is not a person, not a ghost, not even a demon, but... a zither."

"When one's skill in playing the guqin is perfected, one can understand the music of all schools and comprehend the sounds of ancient and modern times; when one's skill is close to the Tao."

Upon hearing this answer, Zhou Sheng paused, his eyes showing surprise.

But upon closer reflection, it seems to make sense.

No wonder her piano playing was like heavenly music, and could instantly lull a ferocious tiger into a deep sleep.

No wonder the rhythm and cadence of her voice sounded like a musical instrument.

No wonder she's so obsessed with beautiful voices.

Ancient objects can become spirits. His master had told him similar stories. Many old objects, if they are touched by human presence, may give birth to spirits.

Generally, these kinds of spirits are quite simple and kind. At most, they might misbehave and cause trouble for people, but they usually won't harm anyone's life.

Of course, there are exceptions, such as the Jade Pipa Spirit in "Investiture of the Gods".

"No wonder she always carries a guqin; that guqin must be her true form."

"I don't know about that. All I know is that Jinse is the most outstanding musician in the world. The tune 'Deep Night' that we will sing tonight when we sing Farewell My Concubine was improved by her."

Upon hearing this, a look of realization flashed in Zhou Sheng's eyes.

No wonder he felt divinely inspired when he listened to the zither music at Juxianlou tonight; the melodious and sorrowful tune moved him deeply.

He met Jinse at the city gate. It seems that she had just finished revising the tune for Yaotai Feng at Juxianlou and was in a hurry to return to the General's Mansion.

"It's a pity she became a musician in the General's Mansion; otherwise, Juxianlou would have been much more splendid with her presence."

At this point, Yao Taifeng sighed, seemingly with some regret.

Such beautiful music could not be understood by a mere soldier. As the saying goes, one can understand the refined meaning by listening to the strings and singing. She served as a musician for the general, seemingly a position of high status, but she misled the beauty of Bai Xue's music.

At least she knew that Jinse was not happy.

"Perhaps you underestimate her."

Zhou Sheng examined the secret passage, touching the uneven marks on the wall, as if they had been eaten by insects and ants.

"She's staying at the general's mansion; she probably has some unspeakable secret."

He suddenly closed his eyes, and the heavenly music seemed to echo in his ears again, lingering there for a long time.

A moment later, a gaze suddenly pierced through the dark room.

"So that's how it is. There was such a deep killing intent hidden in that music."

……

(End of this chapter)