A master of comedy!

Chapter 9 Golden Shackles and Silver Locks
"Luoshu, could you complete this mica formula for the immortal's robe?"

Having tasted the benefits, Zhou Sheng immediately wanted to perform divination using tortoise shells.

After all, although this prescription is good, it can only be taken twice. Once you have experienced the feeling of rapid progress in your cultivation, it is often difficult to accept the hardship of enduring time.

Moreover, the profession of a ghost storyteller is too special. They spend their days with ghosts and spirits, like walking on a tightrope in the dark night sky, where they are always at risk of annihilation and rarely have a peaceful end.

Most practitioners of Yin-Yang magic are already considered very skilled if they live past the age of thirty.

He is already twenty-one years old this year.

Therefore, he needs to improve his cultivation level as soon as possible, and taking medicine is undoubtedly a good choice.

Within his sea of ​​consciousness, the Tortoise Shell Luoshu trembled slightly, its light flashing but ultimately failing to produce the scorching golden flames.

This is a sign that there is insufficient energy, making divination impossible.

However, Zhou Sheng's eyes revealed excitement, which meant that as long as he could accumulate enough energy for it, he could obtain the true divine mica formula through tortoise divination!

Divination using the Luoshu (洛书) can also fail, but failure can be divided into two situations. One is that divination is completely impossible. For example, Zhou Sheng once asked where there were secret manuals of profound skills or rare and precious materials.

The Luoshu (Lo Shu Book) showed no reaction to this.

It seems that it can only divine things that are already connected to his real life.

Another reason for a failed divination is insufficient energy. For example, right now, the Luo Shu is trembling with light, trying to condense golden flames, but ultimately it has failed.

This means that it is possible to divine the outcome, but one must first accumulate energy.

Zhou Sheng was already very satisfied.

The abridged version of the Immortal Robe Mica Formula is already so powerful; if the core components hadn't been lost, what amazing effects would it have?
For a moment, he was filled with motivation.

However, Zhou Sheng also knew that haste makes waste. There would be another chance to take the medicine in seven days, so there was no need to rush before then.

It seems it's time to leave Yangcheng, but before leaving, he has to go somewhere else.

……

"Sir, would you like some food?"

Inside the inn, the waiter saw Zhou Sheng come downstairs and immediately went up to him and asked him in a warm manner.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the young man in front of him seemed to have changed in some way compared to last night.

It's hard to explain, yet it's impossible to ignore.

"Waiter, I've long admired Lord Lu's reputation. I'd like to offer incense to the City God, but do you know how to get there?"

"Hey, you've come to the right person! Our City God is incredibly powerful. That's Lord Lu. I heard he loved listening to Bao Gong operas when he was alive, so every year on Lord Lu's birthday, the government hires an opera troupe to perform Bao Gong operas at the City God Temple..."

When the city god was mentioned, the waiter's eyes were full of respect, and he spoke eloquently about him.

But some diners sneered and said, "If Master Lu were truly effective, the opera troupes that perform for him every year wouldn't have been closed for more than a month now."

"Shen Jinhua was such a wonderful actress, with such a beautiful voice and figure. It's such a pity. I heard that she often used her own money to help orphans when she was alive. Why didn't she get a good reward for her good deeds?"

Upon hearing this name, the others visibly changed their expressions.

"Shh, don't talk nonsense. I heard there's been a lot of trouble at the opera troupe lately. Last night, the stage was broken, and some passersby thought they heard... someone singing 'Dou E'..."

Although it was afternoon and the yang energy was strong, the mention of this matter seemed to cast a chill over the entire inn.

People shook their heads and quickly changed the subject.

Zhou Sheng didn't linger. Following the directions given by the waiter, he quickly found the City God Temple in Yangcheng.

The blue bricks are mottled and the atmosphere is solemn and dignified. The incense burns continuously in the three or five halls, and the knee marks of believers are imprinted on the stone steps at the entrance.

He didn't step in immediately, but waited quietly for a long time until dusk, when it was deserted and quiet, before he went up.

The stone lion at the gate is missing half a toe, its body is covered in moss like splashed ink, and the holes of the embroidered ball under its paws are filled with lucky coins. It is clearly within easy reach to take them, yet no one dares to steal them.

As Zhou Sheng took a step, he felt, whether it was his imagination or not, that the stone lion's eyes seemed to be staring at him.

An invisible threat descended, making him feel a strange pressure, as if he were being silently watched by a ferocious beast in the dark.

Phantom troupes deal with demons and evil spirits year-round, and are often surrounded by yin energy. They cannot easily enter temples, otherwise they may disturb the spirits and deities enshrined there.

Stone lions are inherently believed to have the power to ward off evil spirits, and having guarded the gates of the City God Temple for hundreds of years, they have absorbed the spirits of countless people, naturally giving them an extraordinary and miraculous quality.

If an ordinary vengeful ghost dared to linger in front of the temple, it would be devoured by the lions without even needing the help of ghostly soldiers and generals. But if it were him before he took the mica, he would simply turn around and leave immediately, probably unable to even get past the stone lions at the entrance.

But even under pressure, he remains upright and graceful, staring directly into the lion's eyes.

A surge of heat from his dantian flowed into his eyes, making his eyesight, honed since childhood, even sharper, like a sword honed for ten years, its cold light captivating.

The stone lion was stunned and realized that the person in front of it was not a demon or evil spirit, but a master who had truly cultivated magic power and had attained high level of cultivation.

The feeling of being watched by a ferocious beast gradually dissipated.

Zhou Sheng stepped forward, paused slightly just before entering the hall, took a deep breath, and resolutely stepped in.

The hall wasn't large, but it was tastefully decorated, clean and tidy, and had a strong sandalwood scent.

The most attractive feature is naturally the City God statue enshrined in the very center, dressed in official robes, and bearing a striking resemblance to the old man I saw last night.

Secondly, there are the six generals of the City God.

They are Black and White Impermanence, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, and the General with Golden Shackles and Silver Locks.

Black and White Impermanence and Ox-Head and Horse-Face are well-known to the public, while fewer people know about the Golden-Shackled and Silver-Locked General.

But in fact, these two generals were not simple.

They are also known as "Fifth Master and Sixth Master," and are specifically responsible for apprehending the most heinous criminals or the most sinful souls.

For example, the legendary Hegemon who committed suicide at the Wujiang River.

Legend has it that after Xiang Yu died, his spirit was so fierce that it was difficult to contain, and it was these two generals who, holding instruments of torture, completed the process of guiding him back to his rightful place.

Zhou Sheng's gaze fell on General Yin Suo.

Because the other person seemed to be looking at him too.

The bronze statue of the deity has a bristling beard, wears a golden headband, a blue robe, and treads on a demon. It also holds a silver chain in its hand, which is tied to the neck of the demon beneath its feet.

Through those bronze-cast-iron eyes, one could sense a certain emotion.

Snapped!
The temple door slammed shut, and the room immediately became dark, with only a few flickering blue lamps illuminating the majestic and terrifying faces of the statues.

wow~
Zhou Sheng seemed to hear the sound of chains rattling, and then his vision blurred slightly as he saw the chains binding the evil spirit slowly loosening.

Immediately afterwards, the stone statue fell off, and the evil spirit under General Silver Lock's feet, freed from its restraints, instantly came to life, transforming into a sinister, ferocious, and terrifying vengeful ghost with fangs.

Zhou Sheng heard an extremely sharp cry, and in an instant, a stench swept over him, as if it were a corpse that had been rotting for months.

He felt dizzy, but fortunately, his cultivation had improved considerably, and he regained consciousness with a surge of magical power.

This is a vengeful ghost even more terrifying than Shen Jinhua!

However, Zhou Sheng is no longer the same as before.

In a flash, he stepped on the Qian, Kan, Gen, and Zhen positions, his steps shifting and turning, his movements elusive and shimmering, as if riding the east wind, always managing to evade the evil spirit's attacks by the slightest margin.

This is called the Bagua Step, the same step Zhuge Liang took when singing "Borrowing the East Wind." It contains the secrets of Qimen Dunjia (a form of divination and strategy), and must be performed in seven steps with the seven stars lit during the wind-worshiping ceremony, following the drumbeats.

In the past, Zhou Sheng's Bagua steps were never smooth and agile enough. Now, after taking the mica formula, he feels light and agile, and can walk with both form and spirit, without falling into the clichés.

Even ghosts couldn't touch the hem of his clothes for a while.

After a moment, seeing that General Silver Lock still hadn't made any move, Zhou Sheng frowned slightly and stopped.

"Since the general wants to test my skills, then I will make a fool of myself."

He flicked his sleeve to cover his face, and with lightning speed, applied the pre-painted face mask from his sleeve onto the mask.

When he reappeared, he had changed his appearance.

The forehead is marked with the Samadhi Fire and the crimson phoenix tail pattern.

The cross determines the universe, and the two eyes discern good from evil!
The next moment, the opera singing burst forth like thunder and lightning, causing the roof tiles to tremble slightly.

"Thunder and fire forge the palace, shattering the golden gates; I am—the Supreme Thunderous Manifestation Venerable!"

……

(End of this chapter)