A master of comedy!

Chapter 145 Qingnang
"You said you want to get rid of the Grand General? And in just seven days?"

Inside the room, Yu Zhensheng could hardly believe his ears.

Zhou Sheng nodded and said, "Master, believe me, we will definitely win this time."

Yu Zhensheng sneered and said, "Do you think the General would be so weak after enduring the punishment of being kept under the lamplight for seven days?"

"Besides, do you even know—"

"I know."

Zhou Sheng suddenly interrupted his master, his voice calm and confident, and continued, "I know that to get rid of the Great General, we need to consider not only how to defeat him, but also the remnant soul of the Tiger God, and... that mysterious city lord."

Yu Zhensheng was slightly taken aback and gave his disciple a deep look.

The fact that the apprentice could say that this shows that it wasn't just a momentary impulse, but rather a relatively comprehensive consideration.

Tell me about your game.

Yu Zhensheng sat down, but his expression became much more serious.

Zhou Sheng swept all the chess pieces away with a flick of his sleeve, then picked up a black piece and slowly placed it down.

"The first step is to persuade one person, the most important helper."

"Who?"

"Xunyang City God".

Yu Zhensheng immediately shook his head and said, "Although I have a good relationship with Lao Zheng, based on my understanding of Him, He would never help you because the risk is too great."

"He was injured in his last battle with the Great General, and his cultivation level dropped considerably. He hasn't recovered in recent years, and the incense offerings have also declined—"

"It's because the incense offerings have declined."

Zhou Sheng's eyes flashed, and he said, "Master, how about we make a bet?"

"What are you gambling?"

"I can persuade the City God before noon tomorrow."

……

The next day, early morning.

The master and apprentice arrived at the City God Temple in Xunyang. From a distance, there were few people around, and the offerings in the temple seemed to have not been changed for a long time, with a very faint smell of incense.

The temple keeper was a white-haired, hunchbacked old man who clearly recognized Yu Zhensheng. He nodded, closed the door, and left.

Yu Zhensheng respectfully lit three incense sticks and said, "Old Zheng, let me introduce my apprentice to you. He has some things he'd like to discuss with you."

A warm breeze blew by, stirring up the incense ash in the burner, which then slowly drifted down, forming two characters.

"Not permitted."

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhou Sheng's eyes. Before he could say a word, the other party seemed to know his intentions and refused directly.

Yu Zhensheng turned and glanced at his apprentice, as if to say, "See, I was right."

Zhou Sheng smiled faintly, stepped forward and bowed respectfully, saying, "Your Majesty, I, Zhou Sheng, have only come to say one thing to you."

"The murderer in the Xunyang missing persons case that you have been worrying about day and night for many years has been found. It is that great general."

After saying this, he said no more, and the temple was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

After a long while, the warm wind rose again, and the incense ash formed two more characters.

"evidence."

Upon seeing these two words, a smile flashed in Zhou Sheng's eyes, and he felt reassured, knowing that he had hit the nail on the head.

"You will see it before noon, but before that, I would like to borrow something from you."

"What?"

"Qing Nang".

Silence fell over the temple once more. Time ticked by, but Zhou Sheng remained unhurried, standing quietly with a calm gaze.

Finally, a gust of wind blew by and knocked the cloth bag off the waist of the City God statue.

It was a tattered green pouch, like a patchwork garment made of scraps of cloth sewn together, looking utterly ordinary. But when Zhou Sheng held it, he felt a warmth, as if a surge of heat was flowing into his body.

"Thank you, City God."

After saying this, Zhou Sheng immediately turned and left the City God Temple, calm and composed.

On the way, Yu Zhensheng looked at his apprentice with some surprise. How come his apprentice seemed to have become a different person after playing that game of Gomoku?

The confidence in his every move was like that of Zhuge Liang, who strategized and made decisions from afar.

"How did you know that Old Zheng had the herbal medicine?"

He couldn't help but ask curiously.

Zheng Keren, the City God of Xunyang, was an incorruptible official more than two hundred years ago. He served as an official for many years without lifting a finger. It is said that when he died, his family could not even afford a coffin.

The people of Xunyang were deeply moved upon hearing this and spontaneously raised money to hold a funeral for him.

Because Zheng Keren loved medical books and was obsessed with medicine, he often treated poor people for free. Those he treated each contributed a piece of cloth, which was woven into a blue bag to hold medical books and buried with Zheng Keren.

Later, a plague broke out in Xunyang. A doctor dreamed that Zheng Keren took out a prescription from his pouch and gave it to him. The next day, he got the medicine according to the prescription and was indeed cured of the plague.

After that, more and more people worshipped Zheng Keren, to the point that he was eventually conferred the title of City God of Xunyang by the imperial court.

Yu Zhensheng was curious because he had never told his apprentice the story of the Qingnang, and nowadays, not many people in Xunyang City knew about it.

Moreover, the apprentice seemed to have a good understanding of the wonderful uses of this herbal pouch.

“Last time my master gave me incense ointment to heal my wounds, I guessed that the City God of Xunyang might be proficient in medicine, so I asked someone to find out more about it.”

Zhou Sheng gave a casual explanation, then went to the market that specialized in selling livestock and spent money to buy forty-nine sheep.

After herding the sheep to a secluded corner, he silently opened the green pouch, opened it towards the sheep, and said, "Collect!"

The next moment, the forty-nine sheep turned into streaks of light and were sucked into the bag.

This green pouch was only slightly heavier.

This is the first wonderful use of the green bag: it contains the universe and can hold all things. It can also be called the Qiankun bag.

Immediately afterwards, Zhou Sheng used his escape technique again, taking his master underground. Sometimes they moved to the Qian position, sometimes to the Xun position, and sometimes to the Li position, going around in circles, changing unpredictably.

Just as Yu Zhensheng was getting dizzy from his rambling, the two of them burst out of the ground and actually arrived at a certain place in the Ghost Market.

"You can enter the ghost market in broad daylight?"

Yu Zhensheng was surprised again. The ghost city only appeared at night. This was the first time he had ever heard of it being possible to enter from the outside during the day.

How exactly did the apprentice manage to do that?
"The Ghost Market only appears at night because it is within a strange formation. Whenever the moonlight comes down, the formation is activated, allowing people to see it and come to the city."

"But once you understand the principles of the formation, it's not difficult to get in, whether it's day or night."

Zhou Sheng spoke up to explain.

"So how did you figure it out?"

"It was taught by Lu Zu."

"really?"

"If you don't believe me, go ask Lü Zu."

Yu Zhensheng: "..."

Zhou Sheng coughed, then pointed to the door in front of him and whispered, "Master, this second move depends on you."

Yu Zhensheng looked at the door, and the more he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed. He couldn't help but gasp.

"This can't be..."

Zhou Sheng nodded.

Yu Zhensheng's expression was strange, but he still took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

A hint of embarrassment appeared on his old face in front of his apprentice, but he still forced himself to say, "Zhu Zhu, I've come to see you."

……

(End of this chapter)