The Republic of China: From Storyteller to God

Looking at the surging fiery red joy around him, Liu Che took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

To absorb the power of these seven emotions, one needs to introduce them into the "Benming Storybook" through storytelling.

But Liu Che did not intend to tell the story of Yue Fei.

After a moment's thought, he slowly recited a line of poetry.

"In the chaos before the separation of heaven and earth, everything was in disarray..."

hum!

As soon as he uttered those seven words, he felt as if all the blood and energy in his body had been drained away in an instant. His vision went black, and he experienced tinnitus in both ears.

At the same time, the incense powder that was slowly burning in the incense burner burned to the bottom in the blink of an eye, just like gunpowder that had been ignited.

A delicate fragrance, mixed with the immense power of the seven emotions, surged into Liu Che's body.

The depleted qi and blood began to regenerate, gradually restoring Liu Che's blurred vision.

The tinnitus quickly subsided, and Liu Che raised his hand to steady himself on the table.

Such terrifying blood and energy depletion!

As Liu Che felt his blood and qi returning to normal, he couldn't help but feel a wave of fear.

The poem he just recited is the opening line of "Journey to the West".

Journey to the West is the highest peak in the storytelling profession in this world.

None of the eight great storytellers, including Han Qianlin, could tell the story of "Journey to the West".

Whether it's "The Complete Biography of Yue Fei" or "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," the generals in them are skilled in martial arts, possessing superhuman abilities, but they are still within the realm of human beings.

The story of Journey to the West is full of gods, ghosts, monsters, and celestial deities. Storytellers of the third rank or below are simply not qualified to challenge this script.

Liu Che knew this was a difficult topic to discuss, but he never expected that just seven words would almost drain him dry.

Fortunately, he had prepared the "Seven Emotions Assistance," otherwise he might have really died here from telling stories.

With the help of the Seven Emotions, the fire burned out, and A-Wu recovered.

Rubbing his sore cheeks from laughing, he also looked shaken: "What was wrong with me? Why was I laughing like a madman? I couldn't stop!"

"That's its effect."

Liu Che put away the incense burner, wrapped the remaining "Seven Emotions Assistance" in kraft paper, and put it close to his body.

Although he only experienced it for a short time, the power of the seven emotions he obtained from Ah Wu alone this time exceeded the power of the seven emotions he obtained when telling stories to Huang Feihong and dozens of others in Baozhilin that day.

At this rate, once he uses up the remaining [Seven Emotions Assistance], he's guaranteed to advance to the eighth rank.

If there are enough listeners, it's not impossible to advance to the seventh rank in one fell swoop.

But what book should I mention?

The Journey to the West, a tale of gods and demons, is not something he can challenge right now.

Short stories like Drunken Fist can be told in an hour or two, so they don't keep the audience engaged.

To keep people listening to audiobooks in the long run, you still need to tell long, lengthy stories.

While pondering, he had several ideas in mind, but he couldn't make up his mind for the time being.

He didn't make a decision until early the next morning.

This one will do!

Today, Uncle Fu will be delivering oysters, so Liu Che arranged for A Wu to go to the dock to receive the goods and then have someone remove all the oyster meat.

After having breakfast early in the morning, he went directly to Chen Xiangwan's house.

He and Chen Xiangwan had agreed yesterday to meet here today, and Chen Xiangwan was waiting for him at home early this morning.

After the meeting, Chen Xiangwan did not delay and took him to Miaoxiang Tea House.

Before even entering the teahouse, Liu Che spotted Boss Wei outside.

Boss Wei and his staff were soliciting customers at the entrance of the teahouse.

However, most of the customers avoided it, and very few went inside.

Boss Wei was sweating profusely with anxiety. When he saw Chen Xiangwan and Liu Che coming over, he felt like he had found a lifeline and quickly went to greet them.

"Mr. Chen, you've finally arrived."

He grabbed Chen Xiangwan, almost crying: "Business at the teahouse is even worse today. We haven't had many customers since this morning."

"What? Are the Shahe Gang still causing trouble here?"

Liu Che asked a question.

No, not at all.

Boss Wei recognized Liu Che and became even more mournful upon hearing this: "My regular customers are all neighbors. Most of them come here to drink tea, listen to stories, and pass the time."

The Shahe gang caused a scene here that day, and the neighbors didn't want to offend them, so they went to other houses.

Furthermore, since Mr. Chen hasn't come to read his books these past two days, there have been even fewer visitors.

"Sigh! These bastards are so arrogant and domineering; they'll die a violent death sooner or later!"

Chen Xiangwan cursed angrily before comforting him, "Boss Wei, don't worry, Brother Liu has now also entered the world of storytelling."

He said his storytelling was unique and he could even create his own stories. He said if he came to your place to tell stories, he could definitely help you make your business successful.

"Uh...that's right, that's natural..."

Boss Wei agreed verbally, but his brows remained furrowed.

When it comes to storytelling ability, he trusts Liu Che's ability to beat people more.

But whether having such a powerful figure who had offended the Shahe Gang performing storytelling in a teahouse was a blessing or a curse, he really dared not say.

Just then, a voice came from afar.

"Boss Wei, have you reserved a seat?"

The group looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the person who came was Huang Feihong, followed by Aunt Thirteen, Toothbrush Su, Pork Wing, and a group of militia brothers.

Seeing them approach, Boss Wei's brows immediately relaxed considerably.

Huang Feihong's name is much more effective than Liu Che's.

"Yes, yes, yes! A VIP seat in the front row has been reserved for Master Huang! Please come in!"

Boss Wei greeted him warmly.

"Brother Liu, we've all come to show our support."

Huang Feihong greeted Liu Che with a smile, "You'd better give us a good listen today!"

"No problem."

Liu Che smiled, raised his hand to invite Huang Feihong and the others into the teahouse.

Boss Wei jogged alongside him on both sides, his attitude towards Liu Che becoming much more attentive.

No matter how Liu Cheshu speaks, as long as he can invite Huang Feihong, he will definitely be the one to host the story.

Huang Feihong and his entourage are walking advertisements.

Seeing them enter the teahouse with Chen Xiangwan, many other customers followed suit and flocked into the teahouse as well.

We went straight up to the second floor, where Boss Wei and the waiter greeted us and arranged for us to sit down. They served tea and food, keeping us so busy that our feet barely touched the ground, but they all had smiles on their faces.

After exchanging a few pleasantries and seeing that everyone was seated, Chen Xiangwan took the initiative to speak: "Brother Liu, please?"

Seeing the storytelling stage in front of him, Liu Che didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up the bronze stove and went straight up to the stage.

"good!"

Before Liu Che could even stand up straight, the militia brothers cheered in unison, clapping their hands loudly.

This temporarily put aside the doubts of the guests who were wondering why it wasn't Chen Xiangwan who was on stage, and they curiously looked at Liu Che on the stage.

Standing on the stage, Liu Che first looked around, then cupped his hands in a fist salute and spoke loudly: "Dear neighbors, brothers and sisters, I am Liu Che. I am new to your esteemed place and am grateful for your hospitality. Please allow me to tell you stories and anecdotes. If there is anything I do wrong, please forgive me..."

As he spoke, several burly men with steady steps walked up the stairs.

After they went upstairs, they stood on both sides, looked around, and then looked behind them and made a gesture.

Then, a short, stocky man dressed in a Western-style suit and wearing a wide-brimmed hat came up.

At this moment, Liu Che on the stage got to the point: "Today, I will tell you the story of a scoundrel from a Yangzhou brothel who went undercover in the palace but eventually became the Duke of Luding."