A master of comedy!

Qingzhou, Yaofo Temple.

A lone waning moon hangs in the sky, with only a few crows in the cold.

Night fell over the long-abandoned Buddhist temple, casting a shadow over the once sacred and solemn statues.

Over time, moss has grown on the stone walls, and the Medicine Buddha statue in the center is missing its head, while the Moon Bodhisattva beside it has lost its right hand.

Amidst the ruins, spiderwebs covered almost every corner, except for a stone wall carved with eighteen Arhats, which remained clean. Occasionally, a night breeze would blow by, sounding like an old monk coughing at night.

Suddenly, a little fox ran into the temple, followed closely by a vicious wolf.

The wolf slowed its pace as it arrived at the entrance of the Medicine Buddha Temple, its eyes showing hesitation, as if it knew this was a dangerous place.

But lured by the prey, they still chased after it.

However, after taking only a few steps, the statue of Weituo at the entrance suddenly opened its eyes, and the Vajra in its hand plunged into the wolf's brain, killing it.

Brain matter and blood splattered on the face of the Weituo statue, making its angry expression even more ferocious and terrifying.

The little fox then timidly stepped forward, knelt down and kowtowed before the statue of Weituo, behaving in a very human-like and extremely intelligent manner.

It seems like he has only recently come to his senses, and his mind is as pure as a child's.

The scene of worshipping Weituo in the Fox Temple seems to have a unique Zen-like quality.

But when the little fox raised its head, it saw a pair of eyes glowing red, and the statue of Weituo grabbed its feet with its hands and then tore it apart with force.

Amidst the little fox's pitiful cries, blood and intestines spilled all over the ground.

The statue of Weituo opened its blood-red maw and devoured the little fox's corpse, chewing until its mouth was full of blood and making a crunching sound, before finally swallowing it.

He put the vajra down again, and his face returned to its peaceful state.

However, the gloomy atmosphere of the entire Medicine Buddha Temple seemed to have intensified even further.

The night wind howled, and a sigh seemed to echo faintly in the distance.

“Amitabha, Jingchen, you have broken the precept against killing again.”

……

Night, midnight.

Thirty li outside Xunyang City.

"Master, Hongying, let's leave here. We'll be walking the Yin-Yang Road from now on."

Zhou Sheng turned around and looked at Yaotai Feng and his master, who had already traveled thirty miles, and couldn't help but speak up.

He never liked to procrastinate, and since he had already signed and sealed the document, he acted swiftly and decisively, notifying the entire opera troupe that very night that they should head to Qingzhou that evening.

Since it was the first time performing a ghost opera, it wasn't necessary for everyone to come. Therefore, Zhou only brought a few people he was familiar with from his troupe, and they were all hidden in a Yin-gathering jar and carried with them at all times.

Otherwise, a group of ghosts traveling together could easily attract unnecessary trouble.

As for Jinse and Hongxian, they stayed by his side, accompanying him on his journey.

Yao Tai Feng really wanted to go along, but her divine foundation was just beginning to take shape, and she was in the most crucial stage of consolidating her incense and golden body. Moreover, the imperial court's investiture could come at any time, so it was not advisable for her to travel far for the time being.

Only after the deity has been properly enshrined and made into a golden statue can one leave their temple; otherwise, if something happens to the statue, all previous efforts will be in vain.

"Jinse, please take good care of him for me. He's the kind of person who likes to shoulder everything himself and is very headstrong. If he encounters difficulties, you must try to persuade him..."

Ignoring Zhou Sheng's urging, Yao Taifeng held Jinse's hand and whispered instructions to her for a long time.

Jinse smiled and said, "Xiao Feng, don't worry, I will take good care of the troupe leader."

Yao Taifeng paused, her eyes flashing, and said, "There's no need... to take too good care of her."

"Otherwise, I'm afraid Danshan wouldn't be able to resist a beauty like you."

He said it casually, as if joking.

As a guqin player, Jinse could not help but hear the unspoken meaning behind the strings. She couldn't help but smile and say, "Eh? Where did the vinegar jar spill? It smells so sour."

Yao Tai Feng glared at her, then reached out and pinched her slender, soft waist, instantly making half of Jinse's body go numb, and a blush rose on her beautiful, fairy-like face.

That was the scorched tail of her guqin, and also the most sensitive part of her body.

The two already had a good relationship, and after joining forces to kill the Great General, they became even closer, like sisters. Yao Tai Feng had also figured out the other's weakness. A moment later, Jinse returned to Zhou Sheng's side, dressed in white with black hair, holding an ancient zither, still looking elegant and refined, but her ears were slightly red.

"Remember, think twice before you act. You are now carrying more than just your own life on your shoulders."

Yu Zhensheng was giving instructions to his apprentice.

“Master, I have remembered.”

"Hmm, where's the statue of our ancestral master? Didn't I tell you to carry it on your back?"

Zhou Sheng smiled slightly and said, "Master, don't worry, it's already on me."

The statue of the patriarch is hidden in his immortal stone cave, and can be taken out at any time with just a thought.

This is his biggest trump card for this trip, and hopefully he won't have to use it.

"Let's go, let's go. This is your first official performance of a dark opera after you've completed your apprenticeship. I believe in you, you'll sing it beautifully."

After hesitating for a long time, Yu Zhensheng finally said those words.

However, Yao Taifeng, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.

"Fifth Master, Danshan and the others have already gone far away. If you speak now, will he be able to hear you?"

It turned out that Zhou Sheng had already set off, and his back was almost out of sight.

Yu Zhensheng glared at her and said, "Little girl, you talk too much!"

But when he opened his divine eye and gazed silently in the direction his disciple had gone, he suddenly understood the words his master had said when he saw him off.

Even the best show eventually comes to an end.

"As the master, this is the best I can do for you."

……

Zhou Sheng led Jinse and Hongxian to a large locust tree. After closing his eyes and silently sensing the surroundings, he confirmed that this was the only entrance to the Yin-Yang Path within a hundred miles.

After being officially registered as a master of Yin Opera in the underworld, Zhou Sheng essentially gained a Yin Register, which, while subjecting him to restrictions, also granted him some benefits that ordinary people could not enjoy.

For example, this Yin-Yang Road.

It covers the sixteen states of the Great Xuan and spans three hundred and sixty cities. Its entrances are densely packed, like stars scattered across the sky, but without the Yin Register, they are difficult to find and use.

At this moment, Zhou Sheng only needed to close his eyes, and a map of geomancy, like a constellation of stars, seemed to appear in his mind, corresponding to different directions.

The large locust tree in front of us is one of the stars in the sea of ​​stars.

"The Yin-Yang Master Zhou Sheng wishes to travel the Yin-Yang path and hopes to open a gate to connect the four corners of the earth."

The next moment, the old locust tree trembled slightly, its branches and leaves moving without wind, rustling as if in silent response.

Immediately afterwards, ripples appeared in the surrounding void.

"Stay close to me."

Zhou Sheng took the red thread in his hand and then reached out his other hand to Jinse.

"To avoid getting separated, you must stay by my side later."

Jinse nodded and slowly extended a jade-like hand. Her fingers, which were used to play the zither, were slender, long, fair, and well-proportioned, like a finely crafted work of art.

It has a soft, silky feel and is slightly warm.

Zhou Sheng led the way, and the three of them walked towards the locust tree.

"We crashed! We crashed!"

"oops!!"

With her eyes closed, Hongxian let out a scream, only to find that she didn't feel the pain of hitting a locust tree. When she opened her eyes, she found herself on an unfamiliar road.

She feigned composure and said dismissively, "Boss, how was my performance just now?"

...(End of this chapter)