A master of comedy!

Chapter 144 A One-Man Show Is No Show

late at night.

While the general was being punished by lighting the lamp, the ghost soldiers who had been searching the ghost city returned to their camps, and the gates that had been closed for so long were reopened.

Zhou Sheng declined Yao Taifeng's offer to see him off and left slowly alone.

In this great battle, Juxianlou suffered heavy casualties.

Several actors were affected and disappeared, including Yunniang's mother, Granny Sun, the gentle and kind stagehand.

Although Xiuxiu was not completely destroyed, she was affected by the demonic wind and suffered from the corruption of demonic power, falling into a coma and at risk of disappearing at any time.

Thinking of Tang Weng again...

As Zhou Sheng walked, he suddenly felt his steps become heavy.

Until a glimmer of light appeared ahead.

Yu Zhensheng carried a lantern, his body covered in frost and snow. His thin frame had been standing in the cold night for who knows how long. His cold eyes softened when he saw his disciple appear.

"Master..."

Looking at his master, whose hair was completely white and whose eyes were heavily circled, Zhou Sheng felt a strange pang of sadness and a trace of guilt.

This stubborn but soft-hearted old man must have been worried about himself for a long time.

"Stinky boy."

Yu Zhensheng stepped forward and reached out to strike.

Zhou Sheng quickly closed his eyes, but instead of the pain he expected, he felt a gentle pat on the shoulder.

"go home."

Zhou Sheng was taken aback, then his pupils turned slightly red, and he hummed in response, his voice trembling slightly.

"Come home and call again."

Zhou Sheng: "..."

Under the moonlight, an old man and a young man walked side by side. The candlelight was not bright, but it dispelled the darkness before them.

……

We stepped over the brazier and paid homage to the ancestral master.

Zhou Sheng recounted his experiences over the past few days in detail, from killing the evil Taoist priests of the Dragon Flower Cult and seizing the sacred artifact, to being turned into a sheep and imprisoned in the dungeon, to discovering the Tiger God Altar with Jinse, and finally the battle at the Gathering Immortals Pavilion, and Tang Weng's choice...

He spoke for a full quarter of an hour.

After finishing his story, a hint of disbelief flashed in Zhou Sheng's eyes. Unconsciously, he had experienced so much in the past few days.

"Master, please punish me."

Unlike before, this time he voluntarily handed the wooden stick to his master, ready to accept punishment.

But Yu Zhensheng, who was usually stern, shook his head and snapped the wooden stick in two.

"Master?"

"Do you feel guilty because you caused the deaths of many people this time, and that's why you asked me to punish you?"

Zhou Sheng remained silent.

"Then there's no need for punishment, because for a person with a conscience, guilt is the best punishment; it will make you remember it for a lifetime."

Yu Zhensheng looked at his somewhat dejected disciple, and his voice softened even more.

"In June of the seventh year of Yuanyou, my master, who is also your grandmaster, and I went to perform a ghost opera. The opponent was a notorious ghost king who specifically requested to hear the 'Hanging Man' from the Mulian opera."

Yu Zhensheng's eyes showed a look of reminiscence as he recounted a past experience.

Zhou Sheng was slightly taken aback.

Mulian Opera is also known as Ghost Opera. Among them, the segments "Male Hanging" and "Female Hanging" are the most dangerous, in which the actors have to perform the hanging ghost on a hanging silk.

For those who perform ghost plays, it's a real matter of hanging themselves; if they're not careful, they could become hanged ghosts and stay on the stage forever.

"I was twelve years old then, and it was my first time dealing with evil spirits. I was very nervous and scared, and I made a mistake on stage. To protect me..."

Even though it's been many years, Yu Zhensheng's voice still trembles slightly whenever he mentions it.

“Your grandmaster left behind a hand as an apology to the other party.”

Zhou Sheng was shocked and remained silent for a long time.

“Since then, when I stood on the stage, no matter how terrifying the ghosts and gods were, I was never afraid again, and I never made a mistake again.”

Yu Zhensheng sighed, "Do you know where you went wrong this time?"

Zhou Sheng pondered for a moment and said, "The mistake was not calling on Master to join us."

Hearing this, a hint of relief flashed in Yu Zhensheng's eyes, but he said calmly, "At least you still have some brains." "Your master is just lame, not completely useless. If a real fight breaks out, even if it's a great general, it's not certain who will live and who will die."

His voice was calm, yet there was an indescribable firmness within that calmness.

"You prefer to work alone, but we opera singers all need a helper, don't we?"

After a pause, Yu Zhensheng said meaningfully, "Always remember one thing: a one-man show is no show."

"A one-man show cannot make a performance..."

Zhou Sheng pondered those words, his eyes flickering slightly.

"Master, what happened next?"

After a moment of contemplation, Zhou Sheng suddenly asked, "What happened to the Ghost King who caused our master to lose an arm?"

Yu Zhensheng stroked his beard and calmly uttered four words.

"His soul was scattered and his spirit was destroyed."

"I personally beheaded him."

Zhou Sheng's eyes brightened instantly, and the gloom in his eyes melted away like ice and snow, as if he had drawn some kind of spiritual strength from his master's experience.

"Master, I've made up my mind."

Seeing his apprentice's excited expression, Yu Zhensheng smiled slightly.

"Please go and kill the general. Also, please deal with the city lord who is blocking our way!"

Yu Zhensheng's smile froze instantly, his lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

Are you performing a play or making a wish?

"Hehe, how about I take care of Judge Lu while I'm at it? No, no, no, let's just wipe out the entire Underworld. That way you won't have to go through any graduation trials..."

Yu Zhensheng gave a forced smile and silently picked up the broken stick.

Zhou Sheng quickly laughed and said, "Just kidding, just kidding. Master, do you have Go?"

"What do you want to do with Go? Do you even know how to play?"

"No, but I'd like to learn."

……

A moment later, Zhou Sheng sat down in front of the chessboard, took a deep breath, his eyes showing a resolute look, and picked up a black piece to place.

He then immediately closed his eyes, as if deep in thought.

A few breaths later, he suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze bright, and picked up another white piece and placed it down, playing against himself.

He closes his eyes and thinks before each move, sometimes quickly, sometimes for a long time.

Sweat gradually appeared on my forehead, as if my mental energy was being rapidly depleted.

Yu Zhensheng, who was standing to the side, was puzzled. This kid was putting on an act. Did he really know how to play Go?
After an unknown amount of time, many pieces had been placed on the chessboard, but Yu Zhensheng's gaze became increasingly strange.

A drop of sweat shattered on the chessboard.

When Zhou Sheng opened his eyes for the last time, his gaze was bright and frightening, revealing an undisguised excitement.

"We won! A decisive victory!"

With a crisp snap, the black piece landed on the chessboard with a powerful impact.

Yu Zhensheng frowned, pondering for a long time but still couldn't figure it out.

"What kind of victory is this?"

Zhou Sheng wiped his sweat, pointed to the five black pieces in a row, and laughed, "Isn't that a win?"

Yu Zhensheng: "..."

So you were playing Connect Four?!
He gripped the wooden stick so tightly it creaked, veins bulging on his forehead. Just as he was about to teach his apprentice a lesson, he saw his apprentice smile brightly.

"Master, it's done."

"The Gomoku game is complete?"

"No, this show has been a success."

A deep killing intent flashed in Zhou Sheng's bright eyes, as if he could see those fierce red eyes again.

This time, you are doomed!
Deep within the sea of ​​consciousness, the once radiant tortoise shell Luoshu has now dimmed.

……

　Thank you Night Sky for the 1000 reward, thank you Moon Shining for the 500 reward, and thank you Mokokibia for the 106 reward! Sending you love!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)