Peking Opera Cat: I Became A Zi's Brother

"It's so beautiful..."

The morning light gilded the flames around the Flame Tiger with a golden edge. Xiaobai rode on its back, looking at the towering city looming in the clouds ahead.

"Hmm~"

Chu Shanjun stood in mid-air, holding two hammers, and bronze bells jingled as he laughed:

"Hurry up, our attack on the clan's gate won't wait for anyone!"

Before he finished speaking, Yanhu rushed out like an arrow, and the whistling wind was mixed with Xiaobai's excited screams.

Through the swirling clouds, a huge city suddenly appeared before our eyes.

The city wall is made of ink-black rocks, carved with lifelike tiger head patterns. Above the city gate, the words "Da Zong" shine with golden light.

The moment the city gate slowly opened, the sound of passionate drums came to the face, and dozens of Da Zong disciples came out one after another to the beat of the drums. The armor they wore was exactly the same as Chu Shanjun's, and the bronze bells hanging around their waists rang in unison.

"The Sect Master has returned!"

The disciples shouted in unison, and the sound was so loud that the rhythmic patterns on the city wall flickered.

Xiaobai looked around curiously. The street stalls were filled with weapons engraved with rhyme patterns. Little Peking Opera cats in training clothes were chasing and playing with each other, waving mini tiger-head hammers in their hands, splashing dots of rhyme light.

"There are new faces!"

When an old craftsman selling sugar paintings saw us, he immediately scooped up the golden sugar juice with a spoon and painted a vivid flaming tiger on the stone slab in just a few strokes.

"This is for the new junior sister!"

The old master handed me the sugar painting with a smile, and there was still a faint rhythm flowing in the sugar juice.

"Um?"

As soon as I took the sugar painting, I was attracted by the cheers from the street - two disciples of the Da Zong were competing. The whistle sticks in their hands collided, and a dazzling golden light burst out. The cats watching the fight around cheered, and some cats even followed the rhythm and beat the small drums they carried with them.

"Don't just look at it,"

Chu Shanjun picked up Xiaobai.

"I'll take you to see the elders. But first, I have a rule: you are not allowed to hide behind me later!"

He said this, but quietly slowed down his pace, letting her stare at the rhyme-patterned wristbands and tiger-head masks sold on the street.

"roar~"

Yanhu would stop from time to time and use his tail to roll up a few strings of candied haws sprinkled with spiritual fruits, which made her laugh.

……

Passing through the bustling streets, a magnificent palace appeared before our eyes.

The plaque above the temple gate reads "Tiger Roar Hall" in three large characters, and at the door stand two gigantic statues of flaming tigers with their heads held high, as if they would come alive at any moment.

Chu Shanjun adjusted his armor, turned around and winked at me:

"Are you ready? From today on, this will be your new home."

Xiaobai clutched the candied haws he hadn't finished eating and stared at the golden rhythmic patterns flowing in front of the Tiger Roar Hall. His throat tightened with nervousness.

Chu Shanjun, however, put his arm around her shoulders and deliberately jingled the bronze bells on his armor:

"What are you afraid of! The elders are not Chaos Beasts!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the palace door burst open and several majestic figures walked out slowly.

"Shanjun, did you gain anything from this trip down the mountain?"

The gray-haired old cat in the lead was leaning on a tiger-head cane, his eyes sweeping over the faint mark on my wrist.

"of course!"

Chu Shanjun slapped his chest fiercely, causing his two hammers to hum.

"Look at this seedling! He's already sparking resonance just after awakening his rhythmic power. This is something you only see once in a century!"

"Oh!"

The other elders gathered around, their cloudy eyes instantly lighting up.

"I'm a little interested. Let me take a look..."

The white-haired elder stretched out his claws and lightly touched her brow. Feeling the residual rhythmic energy fluctuations, his beard trembled with excitement:

"Incredible! This sensing speed is even faster than the tiger back then!"

"Don't scare the children!"

Chu Shanjun protected Xiaobai behind him, turned around and winked at me.

"Let's get you settled in today! Once you've rested up enough, we'll start the infernal training tomorrow!"

His fingertips slashed through the air, and a flame condensed into a tiger head shadow that swayed towards me.

"Yanhu is regulating his breathing right now. Once you learn the 'Tiger Roar' technique, you'll be able to see him."

……

The room assigned to her was full of surprises.

On the dressing table carved with lotus flowers, brand new tiger-head boots lay quietly, with a note stuffed inside the boots:

"It took three days to get the size according to your foot shape - Lao Chu"

On the bedside table, a set of training hammers engraved with basic rhythmic patterns were glowing, and the hammer handles were specially wrapped with soft red hairbands; what made my eyes warm the most was the pot of flame orchid on the windowsill. The rhythm of the flames burning in the petals was exactly the same as the rhythm of my mother's humming.

When night falls, Dazong City is lit up by thousands of lights.

Xiaobai lay in front of the window, listening to the sound of hammer training and songs coming from afar, and the Tiger Boy mark on his wrist felt slightly hot.

Suddenly, a cat knocked on the door. When I opened it, I saw Chu Shanjun holding a flame-patterned cloth bag with half a candied haws sticking out of it.

"I bought this in case you'd miss home. Meet at the square at 3:15 AM tomorrow! If you're late, I'll wake you up with a hammer!"

"Cuckoo..."

At three quarters past morning, before daybreak, the bronze bell in the square was struck loudly.

"Um?"

Xiaobai rubbed his sleepy eyes and stumbled to the training ground. Chu Shanjun was already swinging his two hammers with great vigor, and the sparks had scorched the stone slabs.

"too slow!"

He shouted without even turning his head, and casually swung out a cast iron tiger-head hammer that was as tall as Xiaobai.

"First lift it 300 times. If you can't develop wrist strength, what will you use to smash the chaos in the future?"

She gritted her teeth and caught the hammer, the heavy weight instantly making her arm numb.

After only raising it for the tenth time, his wrist felt like it was filled with lead, and beads of sweat dripped down his nose onto the hammer handle, emitting wisps of white smoke.

"Keep your waist straight! The rhythmic power flows from your dantian!"

Chu Shanjun suddenly appeared behind her and hit her back hard with the handle of the hammer.

"Bend down again, and I'll tie this hammer to your leg and make you run up the mountain!"

Xiaobai gasped in pain, but he didn't dare to relax and forced his trembling arms to continue rising and falling.

"Another one comes to suffer..."

I could hear other disciples whispering in the distance, but when I caught a glimpse of the purple scars and worn-out palms on their bodies, I suddenly understood that this was the rule of the Dazong.

After finally finishing the hammer lifting exercise, the next step is the "Tiger Leap Step".

Chu Shanjun planted burning stakes all over the ground, and the flames shot up higher than a man:

"Step on the poles twenty times, and practice more if you fall!"

Xiaobai looked at the shaking wooden stakes, and her legs felt weak. When she jumped for the first time, the hem of her skirt was immediately scorched by the flames, and the scorching air wave almost made her

She flipped it over.

But every time she wanted to give up, the red hairband her mother gave her before her death would become hot on her wrist, forcing Xiaobai to grit her teeth and continue.