A master of comedy!

Hearing the words of the Black and White Impermanence, Zhou Sheng felt a surge of emotion.

No wonder the mere mention of graduation makes even the most skilled Yin Puppet Masters pale with fear. Even a prodigy like my master is deeply impressed by and terrified of this hurdle.

No wonder sorcerers don't live long; just graduating from their apprenticeship is a life-or-death struggle, and those who survive are prone to psychological problems.

For the lineage of Yinxi Masters, the Zhongyuan Ghost Play Apprenticeship Tribulation is practically a curse etched into their bloodline.

At the same time, he also understood his master's reasons for sending him to Juxianlou to perform.

The stage at Juxianlou, due to its special conditions, bears a faint resemblance to the Ghost Festival plays, almost equivalent to a weakened version of them.

Once you get used to singing there, you'll be more adept at it when you descend to the underworld.

"However, with Boss Long's supernatural powers and cultivation, there is no need to worry too much about those evil spirits. What you should really worry about is that one in the Investigation Department."

The White Impermanence offered a subtle hint, but only went so far as to leave it at that.

Zhou Sheng smiled slightly and nodded to indicate that he understood, but a cold glint flashed deep in his eyes.

Just as the Black and White Impermanence said, Judge Lu had laid ambushes all the way, his murderous intent was obvious, and he would definitely not let this opportunity pass.

He had a vague premonition that Judge Lu's true trump card was probably yet to be revealed.

The three walked and talked, and soon arrived at a magnificent opera house. It was even more spacious than Juxianlou, but it was decorated with white candles, white lanterns and white cloths all around, making it look more like a mourning hall than an opera house.

A cold wind blew, and the surroundings became chilly.

Before Zhou Sheng even stepped over the threshold, he heard some people chattering.

"Why is it so cold here? Brother ghost messenger, could you please let us out first so we can stretch our muscles? Otherwise, if our hands and feet are stiff when we go on stage later, we'll easily make mistakes."

The speaker was a woman with beautiful features and a gentle temperament, holding a petite woman in her arms.

At that moment, they were all locked in a narrow iron cage, shivering with cold.

Besides this cage, there are four other cages distributed under the stage, each containing two people, all of whom are already arrived Yin Opera Masters.

There were both men and women, all eighteen years old, in the prime of their lives, yet they were locked in cages with the same humiliation as prisoners.

"Hehe, you all brought this on yourselves. In the past, some people tried to escape before the show started, so Judge Lu ordered that from now on, all ghost performers must be locked in cages before the show begins!"

"However..."

The guard's eyes darted around, and a greedy smile appeared on his face: "If you can give me some money to buy tea, I might be able to show leniency."

Upon hearing this, the gentle woman gritted her teeth and took out three coins from her bosom—her last savings.

Along the way, in order to prevent herself and her junior sister from suffering, she had almost given away all the incense money given to her by her master.

"Three coins? You're looking down on ghosts!"

The ghost messenger sneered and said indifferently, "If you want to come out early, it'll cost ten coins per person. If you're poor, then stay inside!"

"But we really have no money left, please—"

"Enough nonsense. You so-called charlatans are all masters of deception. You're just actors, yet you dare to haggle with me?"

Just then, a cold voice rang out.

"If I hadn't seen the character '卒' (soldier) on your clothes, I would have thought you were some high-ranking official. You're just a lowly ghost soldier, yet you have such an air of authority!"

The ghost messenger was instantly enraged and turned around, yelling, "How dare you—"

He paused, then immediately put on a fawning smile and said, "Your subordinate greets the two Yin Generals!"

The Black and White Impermanence nodded expressionlessly.

"Release them all."

Zhou Sheng spoke up.

"I don't know who you are..." "A sorcerer."

Shadow Practitioner?
The ghost messenger was taken aback, then looked at the two Yin generals, and only felt relieved when he saw them nod at him.

He sneered, "Since you're so-called 'yin play masters,' then please get into the cage. This is where you belong!"

He then stepped forward to escort Zhou Sheng away.

However, the moment his hand touched Zhou Sheng's soul, both Black and White Impermanence glared angrily and shouted loudly.

"You lowly scout from the Investigation Department! Not only did you accept bribes, but you also dared to snatch people from our hands! According to the laws of the underworld, anyone who blocks the road and steals a living soul shall be executed!"

After saying that, Black Impermanence took the lead and struck first. His mourning staff emitted a dazzling ghostly light and struck the head with it.

In an instant, the arrogant ghost soldier let out a miserable scream, blood flowed from his seven orifices, his soul cracked open, and finally turned into wisps of yin energy and dissipated.

Soul fly away!

Everyone was stunned. Even Zhou Sheng, who was about to make a move, couldn't help but glance at the two brothers.

Black and White Impermanence secretly felt a sense of satisfaction.

The pent-up resentment finally found an outlet. Who told you to be a member of the Investigation Department?

A sharp clang of the sword rang out!
The iron cages were instantly torn apart by the flash of the sword.

"Fellow practitioners, the performance is about to begin, so let's all get moving and discuss how the play should be performed."

Zhou Sheng's move shocked everyone present.

"You are my benefactor!"

A surprised voice rang out, and a fat man with a bruised and swollen face walked out of the iron cage in the far corner.

He stepped forward excitedly and exclaimed, "I, I, my name is Song Yingjun, my stage name is Yunzhongzao, I am a disciple of He Hama from Yangzhou, I play clown roles, I am good at both civil and military clown roles!"

At this moment, the others were also greatly encouraged and exclaimed with delight, "Fatty Song, is he the one you were talking about, the one who saved you on the road to the underworld, the one with superb cultivation, and who was even escorted by the Yin King's army?"

Zhou Sheng shook his head and smiled, "It's not so much about saving you, but we're all practitioners of Yin-Yang magic, so it's natural to lend a hand when we see injustice."

Upon hearing the other party's admission, everyone immediately showed joy.

They had been hoping to be assigned to the same stage as that outstanding Yin Opera master, which would greatly increase their chances of survival.

I can't believe I actually ran into him!

Moreover, he seems to be even more powerful than Song Pangzi described, and even important figures like Hei Wuchang (Black and White Impermanence) show him great respect.

"My name is Yu Ruyi, and this is my junior sister Yu Ruyi. We grew up together and are both disciples of Wang Wenmu of Huizhou. We sing female roles, and are best at playing old female roles."

The gentle and graceful woman led her junior sister forward, bowed gracefully to Zhou Sheng, and acted with poise and elegance.

Zhou Sheng was quite surprised. He hadn't expected that a young girl in the prime of her life would be best at singing old female roles, which are usually sung by older people.

However, his voice is slightly hoarse, which is the famous "cloud-covered moon" in opera. He speaks with full breath and clear pronunciation, so his basic skills should be very solid.

As for her junior sister, she was much more naive, looking at Zhou Sheng timidly, curious but not daring to speak to him.

Others also rushed forward to introduce themselves, vying to become acquainted with Zhou Sheng.

Finally, a young man with a calm demeanor and square face stepped forward. He was dressed in a long robe, elegant and dignified, and his every move exuded an extraordinary aura.

In a daze, both Yazi and Chiwen within Zhou Sheng's body showed a slight change.

"Tan Sheng has no stage name yet. He is a disciple of Yu Tianheng of Yanzhou. He mainly sings old male roles, and his specialty is... imperial plays."

...(End of this chapter)