Peking Opera Cat: I Became A Zi's Brother

Before the morning dew in Dongqiang Town had time to be dried by the morning sun, a cloud of fine dust rose from the grass of the training ground in the back mountain.

Bai Tang suddenly jumped up with his hind legs, and the light golden star energy condensed from the tips of his claws was like a dancing flame, flowing towards his shoulders and neck along with his movements - according to the method taught by Mo Yun.

The third stage of "Meteor" requires Yun's power to penetrate the skin, but this power is disobedient and explodes just when it reaches the collarbone. His center of gravity tilts and he falls to the grass with a "bang", and even the tip of his tail hits the ground heavily.

"Ouch……"

Bai Tang rubbed his aching elbow, his furry ears drooped, and he scratched the grass beside him with his claws and muttered softly,

"I've been practicing for three days, but it's still not working... Brother Mo Yun is such a fool. He clearly knows I'm stuck here, but he still runs to the back mountain every day. Can't he give me a few more pointers?"

He propped himself up on the grass and sat up. His nose moved and he smelled a faint bamboo fragrance coming from not far away - that was the scent of tea that Mo Yun often used.

Bai Tang tiptoed quietly to the edge of the bamboo forest, parted a piece of emerald green bamboo leaves and looked inside:

There was a bamboo chessboard on the stone table. Mo Yun was sitting on a stone bench, holding a white chess piece in the air between his fingertips. The figure sitting opposite him made Bai Tang's eyes light up instantly.

It’s Senior Brother Rongguang!

There was still a bit of dust on the inky robe of the Chang Zong, and the hem of the cloak on his shoulders had a few signs of wear and tear, obviously he had just returned from a journey.

He was holding a black chess piece in his hand, looking down at the chessboard, with a familiar gentle smile on his lips. He was talking to Mo Yun, and even his voice revealed the ease of reunion after a long separation.

Bai Tang suddenly remembered what the owner's mother-in-law said to him casually when she gave him food supplement three days ago in the evening:

"Rongguang went to inspect the towns after Maotu was liberated. He walked from Shenzong to Buzong for nearly half a month. Counting the days, he should be back to Dongqiang Town in the next two days."

It turns out that the eldest senior brother arrived last night. No wonder Mo Yun has been running to the back mountain these two days. It turns out that he was meeting the eldest senior brother.

He secretly shrank into the bamboo bushes and didn't dare to make a sound to disturb them.

Rongguang placed the black chess piece down, and a crisp "click" sound came from the chessboard. His voice also floated over:

"I didn't expect the Shen Sect's chess moves to be so focused on 'hiding'. Every move is like the rhythm of water, seemingly gentle, but actually concealing hidden power. Unlike us in the Chang Sect, whether practicing vocal rhythm or playing chess, we all emphasize 'straightforwardness'. Every move is like striking a gong, and the opponent must hear it clearly."

Mo Yun chuckled softly, and the white chess piece at her fingertips gently landed in the corner of the chessboard, just blocking the black chess piece's path.

"You just returned to Dongqiang Town, and instead of taking a couple of days off, you're already thinking about playing chess with me. After inspecting so many places, how is Maotu doing now? Are those liberated towns recovering well?"

When it came to business, Rong Guang's tone darkened, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the edge of the chess piece:

"Most towns are slowly getting better. The water veins of the Body Sect are back online, and drought-resistant grass has been replanted on the Gobi Desert of the Foot Sect. Even Broken Jade City, once shrouded in Chaos, now has kittens running around the streets selling candies. Some old nests deep in the mountains still retain some residual Chaos energy, so we have to send disciples to slowly clear it out—but compared to before, things are much better now."

He paused, looking towards the training ground. It seemed as if he could see Bai Tang's figure through the bamboo bushes. His voice softened.

"This time when I went to the Buzong border, I met some kittens who had migrated there from Dongqiang Town. They asked about you and Baitang and the others. They said they used to see Baitang chasing Wusong around town and even snatching Dafei's pancakes. Now that I think about it, life back then was much more lively than it is now."

Mo Yun followed his gaze and happened to see Bai Tang's little head peeking out. A smile flashed in her eyes, but she didn't point it out. She just said lightly:

"They're all busy getting stronger. Wu Song is practicing the 'Burning Sand Tempering Meridian Technique' in Da Zong, Da Fei is recuperating in Chang Zong and practicing the 'Thousand-Force Collapse', and Bai Tang is also trying to reach the third stage of the 'Meteor', but... they're too impatient."

Bai Tang, who was hiding behind the bamboo bushes, blushed and quickly retracted his head - it turned out that Mo Yun had known that he was peeking!

Just as he was about to turn around and continue practicing Xingyun, he heard Rongguang's voice with a helpless and funny tone:

"It's normal for him to be anxious. He's just like that kid Wu Song, always preoccupied with things and always wanting to get stronger quickly. I still remember the first time I met him, he was holding a piece of roasted dried fish, following the Xingluo Squad, his eyes shining like stars, and he said he wanted to join everyone in fighting Chaos. Now he's become more powerful, even able to challenge the high-level power of 'Meteor'."

These words made Bai Tang's ears warm up. He recalled the scene when he first met Senior Brother Rongguang!

"He was so young back then that he couldn't even control his rhyme, yet now he's trying to master the third stage of 'Meteor'. He's more resilient than I thought."

There was a hint of relief in Rongguang's voice.

"By the way, when he was practicing 'Meteoric Star', did he always feel that the star rhyme couldn't sink? I just thought I heard the sound of a rhyme exploding outside."

"Well, it's stuck at the step where the star power penetrates the skin."

There was a hint of analysis in Mo Yun's voice.

"His Star Aura is inherently intense, like Wu Song's Fire Aura. Coupled with previous injuries, there's still some residual Chaos energy in his meridians, which can easily cause his Aura to surge when he's anxious. I asked him to practice 'Calming Qi' for half an hour every day, but he always loses his patience and wants to try to concentrate his Aura after just two minutes."

"This is not okay."

Rong Guang's voice paused, as if he was recalling something.

"When we practice vocal rhyme in the Chant, the most important thing is to 'support the voice with the breath.' If the breath is not stable, the vocal rhyme will be like rootless grass, scattered by the wind. Although the rhyme of Baitang is different from the vocal rhyme, the principle of 'sinking the breath' is the same. You can ask him to try it. Before practicing Xingyun, he should hum a few lines of the Chant tune to the wind. He doesn't have to sing beautifully, just let the breath flow along the meridians and calm his mind, and the Xingli will naturally sink."

Bai Tang's eyes, hiding behind the bamboo bushes, suddenly lit up.

He recalled how Dafei would always hum a low tune before practicing the "Jing Xin Luo" during their singing days. As he hummed, his voice became more stable. He'd thought it was fun, so he joined in the humming. Dafei, however, smiled and rubbed his head, saying, "Bai Tang, you can sing such a tune that you can fly into the clouds."

(You're just bragging! Dafei ran away too...)

It turns out that this method can also be used on Xingyun!

Bai Tang stopped eavesdropping, quietly took two steps back, turned around and ran back to the training ground.

He took a deep breath and imitated Dafei, humming a little tune of Chang Zong to the wind. The tune was still a little off, sometimes high and sometimes low, like a fluttering butterfly. But as he hummed, he suddenly felt that his chest was not so stuffy, and his heart, which had been restless due to anxiety, slowly calmed down.

Bai Tang closed his eyes and slowly concentrated his rhythm according to the method taught by Mo Yun.

A ball of light of pale golden color slowly rose in his palm. This time, he did not rush to push it to his limbs. Instead, he followed the rhythm of the humming and let the rhythm sink down along with his breath - from his chest to his waist and abdomen, and then to his legs and ankles. Although it swayed at the knees like a child who almost fell, it finally stopped steadily at the ankles, and even the meridians on the soles of his feet felt warm, as if a warm current was slowly flowing.

"better."

A familiar voice suddenly sounded behind him, startling Bai Tang, and most of his rhythm disappeared with a puff.

He looked back and saw Mo Yun and Rong Guang standing not far away. Rong Guang was holding a paper bag in his hand and walked towards him with a smile:

"I just bought some candy cakes in town. You've been practicing all morning, so you must be hungry."

Bai Tang's tail instantly stood up, his eyes fixed on the paper bag, but he still asked seriously:

"Big Brother, the method you just mentioned really works! I was practicing while humming a tune, and the rhythm really sank to my ankles! But...it just fell apart a bit at the end."

“That’s pretty good.”

Rongguang rubbed his head and handed him the paper bag.

"When I first practiced 'Using Breath to Support Voice,' I hummed the tune for half a month before the rhythm of the voice stabilized. You've seen results after just one try. You're much better than me."

He paused, his eyes fixed on the faint light on Baitang's paw that had not yet completely dissipated, and his tone became serious.

"There's no need to rush when practicing 'Meteor'. You have Wusong, Dafei, and your fellow Xingluo Squad members in your heart. This concern for everyone is the best foundation for stabilizing Xingyun. Just like when we sing the sect or strike the gong, only when we think of the people we want to protect will the sound and rhyme have power."

Bai Tang took a bite of the cake, and the sweet taste slid down his throat, and his heart felt warm.

He remembered that before Wu Song left, he pushed the fire stick into his hand and said, "Wait, Baitang. When I have mastered the 'Hell of Fire Blast', I will come back to protect you."

I remember when Dafei was packing scones for him, he said with a smile, "Eat more sugar. When I have mastered my new tricks, I will make you scones with three layers of meat."

Thinking of Mo Yun making supplements for him every day, he said

"Don't worry, Baitang, I'll practice with you."

These concerns are like threads that tightly connect his rhythm and heart.

"I understand, senior brother."

Bai Tang nodded vigorously, clenching the cake in his hand tightly with his claws, his eyes shining like the stars in the morning.

"I will practice 'Calming Qi' and the third stage of 'Meteor' well. Once I'm done, I'll go find Wu Song and Da Fei. Together, we'll drive away the remaining Chaos and protect all the kittens!"

Rong Guang looked at his serious expression and couldn't help laughing. He turned to Mo Yun and said:

"You see, this kid works harder than anyone else as long as he finds the right way."

Mo Yun nodded, and a wisp of water charm condensed at his fingertips and gently fell on Bai Tang's shoulder. The water charm brought a hint of coolness and slowly flowed along his meridians, relieving the soreness and swelling he had just experienced when practicing Xing Yun.

"Since Rongguang has taught you the method of 'using breath to support voice', follow this from now on. Every morning, hum the tune for half an hour, then practice concentrating the rhythm. At noon, I will teach you how to integrate the rhythm power and texture. In the evening..."

"I'll come practice with Bai Tang tonight!"

Rong Guang suddenly interrupted, patted his chest with a smile,

"I just got back to Dongqiang Town, so I don't have much to do. Tonight, I'll teach him two basic arias from the Changzong opera, and then help him practice 'Chenqi'. I guarantee he'll learn faster than he can on his own."

Bai Tang's eyes lit up even brighter, and his tail swung like a small fan:

"Really? That's great! Big Brother, can you teach me how to play the gong like Da Fei? I used to see Da Fei playing the 'Jing Xin Gong' and it was amazing!"

"of course can."

Rong Guang agreed with a smile.

"But you have to practice breathing first when playing the gong. Once you have mastered the 'sinking breath', I will teach you the simplest 'calming tune'."

The wind blows through the bamboo forest, carrying with it the sweet scent of sugar cakes and the faint aroma of bamboo tea.

Mo Yun looked at the lively scene in front of her, and a hint of tenderness flashed in her eyes.

Rongguang lowered his head and talked to Baitang about the techniques of singing the religious tune, occasionally raising his hands to gesture a few times, just like when he was singing the religious tune as a little disciple;

Bai Tang tilted his head back and listened attentively, nodding from time to time, gesturing with his paws, and even his tail swaying gently to the rhythm.

The sunlight shines through the gaps in the bamboo leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground.

Bai Tang took a bite of the cake, and the sweet taste spread in his mouth, and his heart was also sweet - he knew that practicing the third stage of "Meteor" would definitely not be easy, and he might fall many times, and the rhythm might still often disperse, but now he has the guidance of Brother Mo Yun, the help of Senior Brother Rong Guang, and his concern for Wu Song and Da Fei in his heart, he will definitely be able to persevere.

After he had mastered the "Meteoric Star", he would write to Wu Song and Da Fei immediately to tell them about his progress;

When he reunites with them, he wants to show them that he is no longer the little kitten who needs to be protected. He can also join them in shouldering the responsibility of protecting everyone.

Bai Tang clenched his claws, and the star rhyme in his palm once again condensed into a faint golden light - this time it did not spread out in a hurry, but stayed steadily in the palm of his palm, like a small, warm star.