A master of comedy!

Upon hearing his apprentice's words, the figure wearing the lion head trembled slightly, then slowly removed the lion head, revealing a face with silver-white temples and beads of sweat on his forehead.

Master is indeed old, and with the disability in his right leg, he was slightly out of breath after only performing a short lion dance.

Seeing his apprentice's reddened eyes, Yu Zhensheng was touched, but felt as if ants were crawling all over his body, so he quickly interrupted.

"Alright, alright, what kind of man are you, crying like this?"

Little Red Thread scratched her head and said, "But Master, I think I just saw you wiping away tears inside—"

"Wiping sweat! I was wiping sweat!!"

Yu Zhensheng said in a fit of anger, his old face turning red with anxiety. He reached out and hit Hongxian's head hard, but it made a dull thud, and Hongxian grimaced in pain.

It turned out that Hongxian had used her supernatural powers of seventy-two transformations to turn her head into stone, and she was chuckling smugly, with stone dust constantly falling from the corners of her mouth.

At this moment, a dense demonic aura flashed by, and eight scythe-like legs appeared and disappeared, with sharp, bristly hairs faintly visible on them.

Then the demonic aura transformed into Aunt Zhu, holding a pipe, and gracefully approached, her laughter tinged with mockery.

"They're all so old, yet they're still so stubborn about saving face. I wonder who it was who knelt before the statue of Emperor Huaguang for most of the night, and then suddenly jumped up excitedly at dawn, grabbed the still-sleepy Hongxian, and started practicing the lion dance..."

Yu Zhensheng quickly waved his hand and explained, "If a disciple becomes the troupe leader, the master must personally perform a lion dance to express his congratulations. This is the rule of the Zhao family troupe. My master did the same back then."

"Danshan, if you have your own apprentice in the future, don't forget this rule."

"Yes, Master, I have remembered!"

Yu Zhensheng reached out and helped him up, patted his shoulder, and looked at that young and energetic face, a trace of emotion and reminiscence flashed in his eyes.

In the blink of an eye, his apprentice had graduated and was about to become the troupe leader.

"Now that you've become the troupe leader, the troupe can't be without the statue of the patriarch. The Zhao family troupe no longer exists, so it's time to hand over that statue to you."

"Master—"

"Listen to me. I already know what you did in the underworld. You didn't disgrace me. The things your grandmaster taught me can be considered passed down."

"I believe that in the future, you will be able to carry forward and develop the legacy of our ancestors!"

Hearing his master's expectations and feeling the hopeful and gratified look in his eyes, Zhou Sheng knew he could no longer refuse.

His master rarely praised him, and he had never praised him to his face like he did today.

The fact that the master could say these things shows that he had made a great decision.

"Master, I will carry forward the art of Yin Opera and will never fail your trust today!"

The statue of the patriarch is the last treasure my master had left. It is a precious artifact passed down for thousands of years in Yinxi (a type of traditional Chinese opera). This trust cannot be underestimated.

Yu Zhensheng smiled and nodded, his lips trembling slightly. After a long pause, he finally spoke softly.

"These nice words are just for show, don't take them too seriously. Live well and don't burden yourself with too much."

"You should serve the patriarch well, but you don't have to obey him in everything. When you encounter difficulties, listen to your inner voice, ask your friends for help, and don't carry everything on your own..."

Yu Zhensheng, who was usually carefree, suddenly seemed a bit long-winded at this moment, constantly giving instructions.

As Zhou Sheng listened, he suddenly sensed something was amiss.

"Master, are you leaving?"

He suddenly asked.

Yu Zhensheng was taken aback, then shook his head and laughed, "You brat, you've only just established your own school, and you're already in a hurry to send your master away?"

"Your Zhou family troupe will be responsible for my livelihood for the rest of my life. Besides, do you think it's over after you graduate? You brat, there's still a lot for you to learn. Come to my room tonight at 1-3 AM, and I'll teach you a few more of my most treasured skills!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Sheng smiled and said, "Master, then it's a deal!"

……

The opening ceremony of the Zhou Family Troupe was neither complicated nor grand, but everyone was in high spirits, laughing constantly, and even put on a few plays together on stage. There were no vengeful ghosts as the audience, nor were there any ghost messengers listening in.

Everyone sang the opera in a very relaxed and enjoyable way. There was no danger, no rush, and they could sing however they wanted. Even if the tune was off or the stage position was wrong, they didn't care at all.

Everyone was immersed in the beauty of the opera. It was the first time Zhou Sheng had ever felt so relaxed and enjoyed himself on stage.

A banquet was held afterwards, where he sat on the ground, sang and drank quite a bit of wine.

The oppressive atmosphere and tension of the Ghost Festival play completely dissipated during this carnival, until the music ended and the audience dispersed at midnight.

Zhou Sheng suddenly opened his eyes in the room, the drunkenness in his expression gone.

He made a hand gesture to burrow underground, and his body disappeared into the ground in an instant.

……

The night breeze rustled through the branches, making them sway and groan, as if the sounds of the daytime opera still lingered.

A figure shouldered a bag and, under the starlight, quietly stepped out of the house.

His footsteps were very light, as silent as a raccoon dog's, so light that even stepping on dry, withered leaves wouldn't make a sound.

They seemed afraid of disturbing the person inside the house.

Once outside, he breathed a slight sigh of relief, feeling a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing both emotion and reflection).

That brat is really something now. I got him drunk and I was worried he'd overhear me. Sometimes, having a disciple with such high cultivation isn't necessarily a good thing.

The moonlight illuminated that somewhat weathered face, revealing it to be Yu Zhensheng.

He took a few steps, but couldn't help turning back to glance at his apprentice's room again. He stared at it for a long time before finally letting out a soft sigh.

The master-disciple relationship of sixteen years, seven months, and twenty-six days has come to an end.

Kid, from now on, you'll be walking this road alone...

Yu Zhensheng wiped his wet eyes and turned to leave, but he suddenly stopped, a look of surprise in his eyes.

"Master, didn't you say you'd teach me a few of your most secret skills around 1-3 AM?"

Where are you going?

Zhou Sheng stood in front of him, his gaze calm.

"Ah, well... I suddenly remembered something urgent that I need to do right away. I didn't have time to tell you, so I wrote down those amazing skills and put them on the table."

Yu Zhensheng laughed and said, "I'll be back in a few days, don't worry. You should practice your special skills well, because I'll be testing you when I get back."

Zhou Sheng gave his master a deep look and asked, "What urgent matter is it? Where are you going?"

Yu Zhen said angrily, "You brat, you've just become the troupe leader, and you think you're all grown up now, daring to boss me around?"

Zhou Sheng shook his head: "Master, since you won't tell me, then let your disciple guess."

He paused, then took a deep breath.

"You intend to go to Yu Tianheng, accept his challenge, and die at his hands."

"Firstly, it can help Yu Tianheng overcome his long-standing inner demon, which is yourself. Given Yu Tianheng's personality, he should eventually repay this favor to me."

"Secondly, only if you die will I extinguish my desire to kill the Night Wanderer and help you reclaim your Golden Core and Leg Tendon."

"In the end, only when you die will the play 'Exploring the Underworld' truly be lost, and no one will dare to try to take advantage of me because of this play."

Under the moonlight, Zhou Sheng's eyes shone brightly, and his voice was firm and resonant.

"Master, do you think my guess was correct?" (End of Chapter)