Starting with the flesh-based stimulant

There was music and drumming on the stage.

A few notes of gongs and strings, melodious and poignant, brought tears to the eyes of the audience. Lady Qin slowly walked forward from behind the stage.

Her face makeup was pink, her flowing sleeves were pink, and the rhinestones on her headdress were also pink.

Zhou He took two cotton balls out of his pocket and handed them to Ga Gouwazi:

"Put them in your ears, lower your head and close your eyes, don't look at the stage."

When Lady Qin began to sing, her voice was filled with sorrow; she was singing the Legend of the White Snake:

The scenery of West Lake remains unchanged.

I am so haggard, it's hard to face the autumn scenery.

Frost paints the maple leaves crimson, the cold forest grows thin.

I can't bear to look back on those past trips.

Back then, we traveled hand in hand in Qiantang.

Who would have thought that today we would be separated like lovers, each in our own place, filled with sorrow?

It's all my fault for believing the incantation of that monk from Jinshan.

Drinking medicinal wine during the Dragon Boat Festival revealed the true nature of the problem and caused trouble.

I was so scared, Xu Lang ran away!

Stealing the Ganoderma lucidum risked his life, suffering several beheadings.

Zhou He nodded and pressed down the brim of his hat:

"Stealing Ganoderma lucidum? That's quite fitting."

People around him, young and old, were all shedding tears, not caring about getting their sleeves dirty, and wiping their faces haphazardly.

Even the younger ones, after a few soft sobs, couldn't hold back their heart-wrenching pain and simply let out a loud cry.

For a moment, it didn't feel like a food fair or a theater, but more like a family mourning the death of someone, with filial sons and grandsons dressed in mourning clothes and weeping bitterly.

Some of them fainted while crying, falling to the ground with a cry of "Ouch!" and no one even glanced at them.

And then there were those tears rolling down their cheeks, who simply slapped themselves hard in the face and pounded their foreheads.

Zhou He felt a lot of pain in his heart, and he gritted his teeth, but he smiled on the surface.

"The opening drums are beating; it's time for the main performers to take the stage."

The moment he thought of this, a thick plume of smoke billowed in, obscuring the sky and turning the bright daylight into a scene of dark clouds looming over the city.

The star has arrived.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, a huge head floated in the air. Upon closer inspection, the head was complete with beard and hair, but its color was entirely the ghastly white of flesh.

It turned out to be a fleshy ball with its skin rolled up like a bladder, hanging in mid-air, with something inside that was unknown.

The fleshy ball opened its eyes and scanned the air.

The crowd below lowered their heads, their eyes brimming with tears, completely oblivious to what was happening.

"Hmph! You wild donkey, come out here!"

Grandpa Taochuan.

Zhou He followed the sound and looked toward the stall not far away, only to find that the crowd in front of the stall all had dazed eyes, each one as if they had lost their soul, standing there blankly, not speaking or reacting.

Only a few people, like myself, were scanning the surroundings.

Chen Erlu grinned, showing his big teeth, and said to Grandpa Taochuan:

"Sir, you're chasing me too aggressively. I just closed a few good deals, and you've ruined them all."

There was no fear in his voice, but rather a hint of resentment.

Grandpa Taochuan seemed somewhat wary and did not kill Chen Erlv with his bare hands as he had done last time.

It could also be because he hasn't grown hands and feet yet.

After all, Jincheng doesn't have that many trees.

"You wild donkey, give Grandpa's basin back!"

Grandpa Taochuan's voice was thunderous.

"The basin is in my hands. If you want to buy it, I'll give you a good price."

Chen Erlu still had that snobbish look. He took out a dark earthenware basin from the cart. Zhou He recognized it. It was in this basin that a single match had burned all night in the dilapidated temple.

"You're asking for it!"

Grandpa Taochuan was breathing heavily, and the fleshy mass swelled and contracted, like a heart with eyebrows and eyes.

"If you're a good buyer, we can discuss business properly. But if you're a bad customer, sir, I, Erluzi, won't take your business."

Chen Erlu grinned, his hands resting on his cart, his teeth bared, his expression unreadable.

"There's no such thing as stealing someone's things and then having to pay to buy them back, Erluzi, you're being unreasonable."

Next to Chen Erlu's stall, the tall, thin carpenter who owned several stalls put down his adze and chimed in.

"Carpenter Bai, as the old saying goes, a distant relative can't compare to a close neighbor. We've been neighbors for a few days now, so why are you siding with others?"

Chen Erlu turned to Bai the carpenter and spoke.

"If the road is uneven, I, an old man, will just open my mouth and say something. You donkey, you're a bit ignorant of the rules."

The carpenter picked up the adze again, seemingly somewhat annoyed.

"You haven't finished your own business yet, why do you have to interfere without any reason?"

On the stage, Qin Niangzi gracefully descended and spoke softly to Bai the carpenter. Her voice was gentle, but the audience below was still immersed in grief and couldn't pull themselves out of it, so they simply ignored her.

"Bullshit, bullshit!"

Old Man Taochuan, hovering overhead, grew impatient, his brows furrowed, and suddenly roared:

"If you won't listen to reason, then let's see how much you two really amount to!"

"Sir, you can't say that. I'm a respectable young lady, unmarried and single. How could I have become a couple with this wild donkey? If you continue to say that, I won't stand for it."

Qin Niangzi's expression also turned cold.

"Fine, I won't comply then. I've been your boss for years, do you really think I'm afraid of you?"

After saying this, Grandpa Taochuan stopped talking, closed his eyes, and slowly began to speak:

"The master sits in the high hall, while the disciple burns incense."

Plant a rootless tree, and a colorful phoenix will come... Come here!

With a loud shout, several thunderous sounds echoed from the direction of Taochuan in the distance, and one after another, towering trees rose from the ground, fiercely rushing towards Jincheng.

For a moment, it seemed as if it wanted to tear apart the dark clouds that covered the sky and smash the sun hanging in mid-air.

Chen Erlu smirked and looked at Qin Niangzi. Qin Niangzi nodded at him, gestured with her lips, and pointed at Bai the carpenter.

In front of the carpenter, two wooden frames held planed, stripped timbers that had been unloaded onto the ground. Two Y-shaped supports, like four hands, pointed to the sky, waiting to receive the giant timbers.

Zhou He adjusted his own hat, thought for a moment, then adjusted Ga Gouwa's hat, pulled out his knife from his pocket, and retreated step by step to the back of the crowd.

The colossal tree, reaching for the sky, was moving faster and faster, and in an instant it was about to crash down on Jincheng.

"well--"

A sigh escaped, and a voice with a heavy accent sounded behind Zhou He:

"Young master, don't get involved."

Old Han had already put on his glasses and was holding a soft ruler in his hand, slowly rubbing it section by section in his palm. Standing behind Zhou He, he spoke slowly.

Zhou He smiled happily, his gaze fixed on Lao Han:

"Butler Han should have reminded me of this sooner; it's probably too late now."

"Young Master, you are different from them."

Old Han's voice was somewhat low as he looked at Zhou He, the measuring tape in his hand already extended quite a distance.

Zhou He ignored him and turned to continue looking into the distance.

The giant log slammed heavily onto the city wall, creating a deafening roar that made Zhou He almost lose his balance.

In the center of the arena, Qin Niangzi and Chen Erlv stood together, facing Tao Chuan Da Ye's fleshy head.

Beside him, the white carpenter held a gleaming adze in his hand, and a frame made of two tree branches stretched out, reaching towards the sky.

A storm is brewing, and dark clouds loom over the city.