Peking Opera Cat: I Became A Zi's Brother

"..."

Chu Shanjun's broad palm held my trembling arm firmly, and his rough fingertips brushed Xiaobai's blood-stained wrist, as if he was afraid of breaking a glass vessel.

"me……"

His other hand quickly pulled out a porcelain bottle from his waist and poured out a warm amber ointment.

"Don't be afraid, Da Zong's healing ointment is the most effective."

As he spoke, he gently applied it to the wound on Xiaobai's cheek. The cool touch mixed with the faint herbal fragrance instantly suppressed the burning pain.

"Um?"

Yanhu squatted beside me, blinked his golden vertical pupils, and suddenly lowered his head to use his fluffy tail to roll away the mud on my skirt.

Xiaobai looked at the vibrant tiger-head pattern on Chu Shanjun's armor, his lips moved but no sound came out until the bronze bell on his waist made a clear sound.

"I am the Sect Master, Chu Shanjun."

His voice suddenly softened, and when he squatted down and looked at Xiaobai at eye level, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were filled with gentleness.

"Little girl, that monster was clearly coming for you just now. The red hairband you were holding is still shaking. Would you like to tell me what secrets you are hiding?"

"..."

Xiaobai subconsciously protected the pocket where the silver lock was hidden, and the burning sensation from his palm almost penetrated the fabric.

Her mother's last words echoed in her ears, but the flame flickering in the old man's eyes inexplicably reminded her of the locust flowers on her temples when she was dressing.

At this moment, Chu Shanjun suddenly raised his hand. Xiaobai instinctively shrank back, but he just gently brushed away the blood-stained hair on her forehead.

"Don't be afraid,"

The warmth from his fingertips came through his hair.

"The Da Zong hates Chaos bullying the weak. Look at this Flame Tiger,"

He nodded at the majestic beast behind him.

"This is a conjuration of my rhyme power. He also possesses my sense of justice."

"Roar……"

The Flame Tiger seemed to understand and let out a long tiger roar, causing the scorched earth in the distance to fall.

"..."

It suddenly stretched out its claws and gently patted her shoulder. The dancing flames on its fur made the rhythmic patterns on Chu Shanjun's armor flicker, and in a trance, they overlapped with the lotus on her mother's dressing box, forming a strange light and shadow.

"Uh……"

She clutched the bloodstained red hairband, looked at Chu Shanjun's face, which was full of vicissitudes but also showed concern, and mustered up the courage to say:

"Master Chu, before my mother died, she kept talking about the old locust tree in the east, saying there was something important under the tree... Please take me there!"

After she finished speaking, she bent her knees and was about to kneel down, but was quickly supported by Chu Shanjun.

"useless!"

He frowned slightly, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then he sighed.

"The place where the old locust tree is located is now filled with remnants of chaos and is extremely dangerous. But seeing that you are so determined, I will accompany you on this journey."

After saying that, he turned and looked at Yanhu.

"Old buddy, let's go east again!"

"Roar……"

The Flame Tiger roared, and the cyan-gold flames around it ignited again, and a heat wave hit his face.

Chu Shanjun gently lifted Xiaobai up and placed him on the back of the Flame Tiger, while he stood firmly beside the tiger's head.

"Hold tight!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Flame Tiger rushed towards the east like an arrow.

"call out……"

The whistling sound of the wind passed by my ears. I clutched the fur of the Flame Tiger tightly and watched the scenery below rapidly receding.

The mountains in the distance were shrouded in chaos, appearing a strange gray-black color. From time to time, a few black mists rose into the sky, like the tentacles of evil spirits.

……

After an unknown amount of time, Yanhu's speed gradually slowed down.

"Why is this place like this?"

"Uh--"

She looked up and saw a charred scene in front of her. The old locust tree was now only a charred and twisted stump. The land around it was dry and cracked, with no grass growing. The air was filled with a pungent and rotten smell, the smell of chaos.

"This is it."

Chu Shanjun was the first to jump off the Flame Tiger. He looked around vigilantly, and the rhythm patterns on his body lit up, ready to guard against possible dangers at any time.

"Little girl, are you sure it's here?"

"Um!"

She bit her lip, suppressed her fear, and climbed down from the tiger's back.

"Yes, that's what Mother said."

As she spoke, she walked towards the tree stump. With every step she took, she could feel a slight chill coming from the ground, as if something was calling her from underground.

"There must be something here!"

Xiaobai squatted down and began to dig the soil around the tree stump with his hands. Blood soon seeped out from between his nails, but I didn't feel any pain at all.

"Hmm? I finally found it!"

Finally, my fingertips touched a hard object. I didn't bother to clean the dirt and pulled it out directly - it was an ancient wooden box with an exquisite Peking Opera cat pattern engraved on the lid, but the surface was covered with dust and cracks.

"Wong..."

The moment I picked up the wooden box, the chaotic aura around me suddenly began to surge violently, and the ground began to shake slightly.

Chu Shanjun immediately stood in front of her, with a dazzling golden light in his hand:

"Look out! Something's coming!"

Xiaobai's hands, gripping the edge of the wooden box, were covered in cold sweat, and fragments of scorched earth were embedded in the cracks between his nails.

When the lid of the wooden box popped open with a "click", inside was nothing but a copper key engraved with opera patterns, with the red hairband that my mother often wore wrapped around its edge.

Just as Chu Shanjun was about to speak, the copper key suddenly emitted a dazzling golden light and drilled into her forehead like a living thing.

"I didn't expect you to awaken the rhyme pattern!"

Chu Shanjun's bronze bell vibrated violently. He grabbed my wrist, and surprise flashed in his cloudy eyes.

"Little girl! The mark on your wrist is the unique blood mark of the Da Zong! This proves that you are no ordinary cat!"

"Roar……"

The Chaos Monster in the distance smelled the fluctuation of rhythmic energy and rushed over with a roar.

Chu Shanjun's two hammers spun out afterimages in his palms, and he laughed loudly:

"It's a good time to test your aptitude! Look carefully—the basic Dazong move, 'Strength to Pull Mountains'!"

The moment the hammer hit the ground, the mark on my wrist lit up automatically, guiding me to swing out a golden air wave, blowing the nearest monster three feet away.

"Great! What a natural rhythmic sense!"

Chu Shanjun's eyes flashed with brilliance, and Yanhu took the opportunity to spit out a column of fire to block the monster's retreat.

He turned around and patted her shoulder, and the tiger-head hammers collided with each other, making a crisp sound:

"Little girl, your talent cannot be wasted. From today on, follow me and learn the martial arts of the sect!"

"Roar……"

Before he could finish his words, the most ferocious monster pounced in front of him with its fangs and claws bared.

Chu Shanjun dodged the attack by leaning sideways, and smashed it into pieces with a backhanded hammer. The flying chaos fragments were instantly swallowed up by the flames of the Flame Tiger.

"From now on, start at 11:00 AM every day and run ten laps around the Flame Tiger to warm up!"

He shook the chaotic residue on the hammer handle and swung the copper bell at her.

"If you dare to be lazy, I'll use you as a target for practicing!"

Xiaobai looked at the dancing mark on his wrist, and thought of the gentle charm hidden in his mother's sugar painting, and clenched the copper key in his hand:

"I will definitely study hard!"

Yanhu seemed to understand and nudged her waist with his head, a purr of approval rolling out of his throat.

In the distant sky, the first ray of morning light was gilding Chu Shanjun's armor, making him look like a majestic martial artist appearing on the stage.