A master of comedy!

Chapter 83 Greatly Increased Cultivation (Seeking First Subscription)

The secret passage wasn't very long, and the two quickly emerged from a hidden crevice in a rockery, now very close to the side entrance.

Relying on the divination abilities of the Luoshu, Zhou Sheng quickly avoided the surrounding Yin soldiers and successfully left the General's Mansion with Yaotai Feng.

Even after leaving the mansion, the two did not stop, but moved forward quickly in perfect unison until they stepped out of the gate of the Ghost Market, at which point they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Only when they reached this point did the two slow their pace slightly.

Zhou Sheng went over the events of the night again. Boss Feng wore a mask the whole time and even changed his voice at Qinghe Hall. Apart from Jinse, there should be no other flaws.

"Making a ruckus at Qinghe Hall and breaking into the General's Mansion at night, Boss Long, being with you is really exciting, it's like a play."

As he was reflecting, Yao Taifeng's eyes gleamed with an unusual light, as if she was still savoring the experience of the night, with a strange excitement.

"It's a pity we don't have enough time, otherwise we would have taken all the good stuff from the warehouse, like that wine called 'Snake Shadow,' which costs three hundred coins a jar in the ghost market!"

Yao Taifeng was still somewhat unsatisfied, waving her fair and slender hands, a hint of drunkenness flushing her face beneath the mask.

Zhou Sheng gave her a strange look, as if he had discovered another side of the Feng family.

“Boss Long, there’s no need to look at me like that. I’ve been learning opera since I was a child, and I’ve been singing about heroines like Mulan, Fan Lihua, and Liang Hongyu. The stories I’ve read are mostly about female knights-errant who punish evil and promote good and roam the world with their swords. I’ve long been disgusted by the tyranny of the General’s Mansion.”

She paused, then looked up at the bright moon in the sky, her eyes filled with emotion.

"Although I am a descendant of the Yang family generals, my family has long since fallen into decline. When I was four or five years old, I was kidnapped by a slave trader and sold to a brothel. Among a group of children, I was the most stubborn. I tried to escape several times but was caught and brought back. The madam whipped me. In the dead of winter, I was only allowed to wear a single layer of clothing to sweep the floor and serve tea."

Perhaps it was their shared experience of facing life and death together tonight that brought them closer, or perhaps the beautiful moonlight stirred up her memories.

Yao Taifeng's voice was calm, her eyebrows were slightly raised, and her bright eyes reflected the moonlight.

"But the more the whip hurt, the more I wanted to run. Finally, I succeeded on the sixth try. I ran until my shoes were worn out. It was the dead of winter, and I was cold and hungry. Just when I was about to faint from hunger, I saw a painting. It was the 'Farewell My Concubine' painting that Juxianlou had posted outside for advertising."

"So you joined the opera troupe?"

"No, I was so hungry that I tore the painting down and licked the glue that stuck it back together. That glue was made of grain, so it was edible."

"I still remember that taste; it was cold and hard, but it had a rice aroma."

Zhou Sheng remained silent, as if he could see that scene in his mind.

On a snowy winter day, a little girl, covered in dirt, huddled in a corner with her drawing paper, licking the paste off the back of the paper to stave off hunger.

This was her first encounter with traditional opera, and it wasn't pleasant; it was so real it was almost cruel.

Yes, when faced with hunger, no matter how elegant the art, it cannot fill an empty stomach.

"After my master found out about me, he took me in, gave me food, and taught me to sing and practice martial arts. He came from a family of martial arts practitioners, so he taught me real skills. In addition, I was eager to learn and willing to endure hardship, so I quickly became famous for my singing..."

At this point, Yao Taifeng sighed softly.

"During that time, people praised me as the number one female impersonator in Jiangzhou, but in all these years, I have never even left Xunyang City."

"What does West Lake look like in the Legend of the White Snake? Is Kaifeng in the Bao Gong opera really that prosperous? And what about the Red Cliff in 'Borrowing the East Wind,' the Yellow Crane Tower in 'Li Bai's Drunken Writing,' and the Suzhou gardens in 'The Peony Pavilion'...?"

“Every time I walk in a circle on the stage, I think, how wonderful it would be if I could walk in a circle and be thousands of miles away, see the scenery in the play, and become a character in the play.”

"Boss Long, thank you for tonight. You made me feel like I was truly in the play."

She calmly finished recounting her experience, no longer looking up at the bright moon above, but quietly gazing at the boundless darkness ahead.

Zhou Sheng remained silent for a moment. He did not say anything to comfort or sympathize, because that was not what Yao Tai Feng needed.

"Speaking of which, we are somewhat in the same boat. When I was a child, I not only went hungry, but I almost became someone else's 'paste' to fill their stomachs..."

Zhou Sheng recounted his experiences after time travel, from meeting his master to practicing diligently for sixteen years, to helping the Yangcheng opera troupe break up the stage, and to causing a ruckus in Qinggu County, killing the county magistrate and his tyrannical soldiers.

Apart from Luo Shu, he told Yao Tai Feng everything without hiding anything from her.

She listened intently, her phoenix eyes growing brighter and brighter, especially when she heard that Zhou Sheng had performed three shady plays to help musician Lao Xu and Cuicui get justice, turning Qinggu County upside down.

"Boss Long, the play really doesn't lie. In that performance of 'Shooting the Halberd at the Gate,' I could hear your murderous aura, your fierceness, and your undisguised heroic spirit."

"What a show! I wish I could have been there..."

She murmured to herself, and before they knew it, the two had walked along the long street and arrived at the gate of the ghost town. The place was deserted tonight; only the two of them remained.

Yao Tai Feng stopped at the city gate.

"Mr. Long, this is the best I can do for you."

A city gate seems to be the boundary between life and death, the dividing line between the living and the dead.

Zhou Sheng turned to look into her eyes and said, "See you tomorrow, Boss Feng."

Yao Taifeng paused slightly, then looked up and smiled, "Okay, see you tomorrow."

Zhou Sheng stepped out of the ghost city, his figure quickly disappearing into a thin mist.

He walked for a moment and looked back. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but through the dark night and the hazy mist, he could vaguely see a beautiful figure still standing there quietly.

……

Back home, Zhou Sheng's initial joy at obtaining the five-colored mica faded considerably for some reason.

He was trapped in Xunyang City during his lifetime, and his journey ended in Xiaofengdu after his death.

Boss Feng must be very resentful.

During their heart-to-heart talk under the moon, he had come to regard her as a very special friend, and if given the chance, he would definitely help her break free from her constraints and restore her freedom.

Of course, all of these require strength.

Thinking of this, Zhou Sheng opened the yellow box he had taken from the general's mansion.

The next moment, wisps of light white mist rose up, and in the faintly visible five-colored light, a stone the size of a fingernail could be seen.

If placed on a desk at night, it will spontaneously generate a light mist, like clouds rising from the earth's veins.

This time it's genuine five-colored mica.

Although it looks small, it is said that only a famous mountain with thousands of years of history could possibly produce a piece the size of a fist.

This piece of mica, the size of a fingernail, is already a rare treasure.

Without any hesitation, Zhou Sheng began to refine the medicine according to the prescription in his mind. He had already prepared the other auxiliary medicines, which were now ready to be used.

Steaming, drying, grinding...

After two hours of preparation, only one dose of medicine was obtained, which was just enough to consume the piece of five-colored mica.

The resulting medicinal powder was distinct and crystal clear, shimmering with five colors under the moonlight and emitting a faint mist.

It resembles the celestial mist of the Jade Pool.

His eyes lit up with anticipation, and he immediately took the medicine with some dew.

The longer the night, the more things can go wrong; only after you take it will it truly be yours.

There was no rough, gritty feeling upon entry; instead, there was a unique coolness that went straight from the throat to the lungs, as if one had drunk a bowl of ice water.

He quickly assumed the posture for guiding exercises.

A moment later, Zhou Sheng's face suddenly turned as red as fire, and his whole body was radiating heat. The surging medicinal power, like molten lava, invaded every inch of his flesh and blood, making him feel like a golden elixir in Laozi's furnace, being tempered by divine fire.

Suddenly, a clap of thunder rang in his ears.

In his internal vision, the space above his dantian suddenly exploded, like rolling dark clouds, lightning, and thunder.

Immediately afterwards, he seemed to hear the sound of a torrential downpour.

It was not rain, but drops of spiritual liquid condensed from magical power, sprinkling into his dantian like sweet rain, causing the lake of magical power to grow rapidly.

His cultivation is progressing at an incredible speed!

……

(End of this chapter)