Chapter 90 - 87: The Dragon’s Three Turns

Chapter 90: Chapter 87: The Dragon’s Three TurnsThe human turtle’s turtle shell predicted the patrol of the God Traveling Department, and it quickly urged the chicken baby to climb into the well water. Corpse oil mixed with blood is an effective means to conceal one’s aura, and with the human turtle’s own methods of concealing its aura, it could render its presence utterly undetectable. Over the years, he had been soaking in this Blood Water Well daily, only leaving for meals and when absolutely necessary, barely taking a single step away. A bright red lantern drifted through the night sky and passed by the bamboo forest behind the mountain without stopping, continuing further away. When the lantern had gone far, the human turtle finally emerged from the well and cursed: "Without that item in Zhou Xuan’s possession, I’m as timid as a turtle egg!" Then, he redirected his anger toward Zhou Xuan: "That wandering soul that cannot be predicted through past or present lives, if you ever fall into my hands, I’ll make sure your soul is utterly dispersed." ... At noon, the sun blazes fiercely. A round-bellied man entered the courtyard of Zhou Family’s Troupe, and he was welcomed by Yu Zhengyuan. "Mr. Huang, today is Lady Lianhua’s birthday. Please convey my blessings to her on my behalf." "Sure thing." The man was Huang Tianfeng, the steward of the yellow-skinned Mr. Huang. He took out a celebratory red invitation card and handed it to Yu Zhengyuan: "At the ninth hour of the You period, the sedan from Huang Family will come to pick up the storyteller; please pass this to him." "Will certainly be delivered; Zhou Family’s Troupe awaits in advance." Yu Zhengyuan took the invitation and fist saluted to Huang Tianfeng. After sending Huang Tianfeng away, Yu Zhengyuan took the invitation to find Zhou Xuan, who was just about to leave the house. "Xuanzi, the invitation from Huang Family has arrived, set at the ninth hour of the You period." "What time is the ninth hour of You period?" Zhou Xuan was not keen on traditional timing. Yu Zhengyuan was quite sensitive to it, as some families who hired them often used traditional timing. "It’s at 5:45 PM, we can head to the door ten minutes earlier." "There’s still time, my sister asked for me, I will go there for a while." Zhou Xuan walked toward the courtyard. From behind, Yu Zhengyuan reminded him loudly: "Xuanzi, make sure to remember the time." "I will keep it firmly in mind." Zhou Xuan waved his hand to show he understood. ... Zhou Xuan arrived at Zhou Lingyi’s room, knocked on the door. "Come in." Opening the door, Zhou Xuan saw Xu Li was also there, and he greeted: "Sister, sister-in-law." "Been waiting a long time for you, finally you’re here," said Xu Li, cheerfully cracking sunflower seeds. Zhou Lingyi then picked up a red gown laid on the bed and helped Zhou Xuan put it on: "Try it, see if it fits." "I can dress myself." Zhou Xuan was used to putting on clothes by himself, but Zhou Lingyi insisted, "If we’re to speak formally, today is your first day officially performing on the big stage. It’s our troupe’s rule that when a brother performs, his sister must help him dress." Zhou Xuan stretched out his arms, making it easier for his sister to help him wear the gown. Xu Li praised Zhou Lingyi from the side: "Xuanzi, from the moment you agreed to perform at Huang Tianfeng’s birthday event, the Class Leader had someone measure your size in the troupe and hurriedly placed an order at Liao’s Tailor Shop. That shop is incredibly busy, getting a tailor-made item within a month is lucky. The Class Leader paid triple the price to expedite it, and we got the outfit in less than three days." "Thank you, sister," Zhou Xuan felt the warmth of the gown. Once dressed, Zhou Lingyi assessed him from a distance, nodding and remarking, "Fine clothes make the brother even more dashing. Sister-in-law, what do you think?" "No need to ask! With Xuanzi’s figure, he’s hard to find in Ping Shui Prefecture," Xu Li also praised. Unable to resist showing off, Zhou Xuan stood in front of the dressing mirror to admire himself, gratified by his sister’s taste, and indeed, the tailored gown fit perfectly. "It fits, it fits," Zhou Xuan smiled, wanting to take off the new gown and save it for the event. "Don’t take it off, keep wearing it a bit longer to make the outfit look sharper," Zhou Lingyi advised. "Alright." Zhou Xuan took her advice, continuing to wear the gown as he went to find Yuan Buyu. ... As soon as Zhou Xuan reached the kitchen door, Yuan Buyu teased him. "Hey, isn’t this my apprentice? Today’s outfit, seamless like a flourishing butterfly! Look at that figure, still as sophisticated as a butterfly among flowers, but when you move, you are the fluttering butterfly..." Yuan Buyu jovially teased Zhou Xuan. "Lao Yuan, be serious, are you using the compliments for girls on me? Come on, I need to talk to you about something," Zhou Xuan waved to Yuan Buyu. "Can’t you come in and talk?" "I cannot." "Why is that? Is there a dog in the kitchen going to bite you?" "My sister made me this new gown, I don’t want to get it dirty in the kitchen." "..." Yuan Buyu. Taking off his coat, Yuan Buyu stepped outside the kitchen door and asked, "What do you need?" "Have you figured out the technique for the eighth incense?" "No, I just want to ask, can you teach me how you changed my voice last time using the Voice Changing Technique?" "I can teach you, but the technique to change voice through breath control is not easy to master, it requires one or two years of practice." "Isn’t there a quicker method?" Zhou Xuan asked. "Yes, if you only want to change to one type of voice, it can be done quickly," Yuan Buyu said. "I want to make my voice a bit hoarser, more solid, how do I do that?" Zhou Xuan asked. "So you want a voice like Yun Zheyue’s?" Yuan Buyu was knowledgeable. "Exactly that." "By sensing, channel the Qi from here to here," Yuan Buyu first pointed at Zhou Xuan’s Dantian, then indicated a spot at the base of his throat. Zhou Xuan gave it a try and found it truly effective. Although it wasn’t as magnetic as Yun Zheyue’s voice that he had heard, it was much more pleasing than his original voice. New voice, new coat, all preparations were in order. At five-thirty, Zhou Xuan was surrounded by the members of Zhou Family’s Troupe, waiting for the sedan from the Huang family. Suddenly, someone shouted, "Here they come, they are here!" Everyone looked up, only to see a group of yellow-skinned folks dressed in red robes, marching towards Zhou Family’s Troupe’s compound with drums and gongs, followed by a large sedan carried by eight bearers. Upon arrival, Huang Tianfeng drew back the sedan curtain: "Please, Sir, get into the sedan." As soon as Zhou Xuan sat down, Huang Tianfeng cried out, "Boys, let’s set off!" The eight bearers intentionally shook the sedan vigorously, seeking liveliness as they jogged toward the outer courtyard of the troupe. "Huang Steward, did you take a wrong turn? That’s my home," Zhou Xuan said, amused. "No mistake, we need to circle your courtyard three times with this sedan, it’s called ’three dragon rounds’, to increase your fame through louder cheers." A cheer is a small-tradition in Ping Shui Prefecture when inviting a storyteller — loudly calling out at the storyteller’s street, "Inviting Mr. So-and-so to a gathering at So-and-so’s home," letting neighbors know that this storyteller is famous and has been invited by prominent families to tell stories. Simply put, the welcoming procession helps the storyteller boost their prestige. However, Zhou Xuan felt an inexplicable sense of embarrassment. "Mr. Zhou Xuan is invited to a gathering at Huang Family Lotus Temple." Members of Zhou Family’s Troupe joined in the fun, with Little Fuzi shouting the happiest: "Young Master, you are going to be famous today, go Young Master!" Xu Li tossed candies into the air, attracting a swarm of children scrambling for them. Meanwhile, Yu Zhengyuan and others arranged for firecrackers as the sedan circled to a dusty corner of the outer courtyard, making the atmosphere more festive than a festival. But Huang Tianfeng, manipulating a corpse, stuck his head out of the man’s stomach. He sniffed carefully, as if he detected some familiar scent. After completing three rounds, the sedan proceeded to Lotus Temple. ... Lotus Temple was of moderate size, and the temple’s courtyard lined up around forty tables for a feast. The first six tables were occupied by the Huang family members, large and small yellow-skinned folks, sitting upright in festive garments. The sixth table was full of Huang family’s younger generation, who showed no interest in the dishes, each of them anxious and peering toward the entrance, eagerly awaiting the storyteller. Lady Lianhua was napping in a corner of the courtyard. Her body was enormous, mountain-like, resembling an extremely obese meatball, hairless, covered entirely with flesh lumps that jiggled slightly with any movement, countless lumps swaying. Almost every lump on the surface had faces of unformed yellow-skinned folks, presenting a fierce spectacle. Only a lump on her chest was shiny gold, emitting a captivating luster. "Mother, Mr. Jin has arrived." Huang Jiu, Lady Lianhua’s son, but appeared much more normal, just a bigger yellow-skinned. "Little Jin has come, invite him over," Lady Lianhua said as she was awakened by her son. Huang Jiu motioned with his hand, and a man with slightly gray beard wearing a suit, kowtowed to Lady Lianhua to wish her longevity. "Madam, please bestow some Buddha’s flesh," Mr. Jin uttered his wish. "Mmm." Lady Lianhua took the knife her son passed her, grabbed a lump from her body, and sliced it off. The cut didn’t bleed much, and Mr. Jin, delighted, returned to his seat holding the lump. "The storyteller should be arriving, right?" Lady Lianhua put the knife aside and inquired. "Almost there..." Huang Jiu replied: "The gift is already prepared. It’s a box of small pearls, the quality is not that great." He cupped his front paws to show the lady how big the box was. "Is the box full of pearls?" Lady Lianhua asked. "90% full," Huang Jiu responded. "Make it 70%; times are tight in our temple," Lady Lianhua finished speaking and dozed off again. ... It wasn’t long before Zhou Xuan arrived at the Lotus Temple, welcomed by Huang Jiu, who led him to Lady Lianhua. At first glance at Lady Lianhua, Zhou Xuan mentally agreed with the troupe’s Master Qiu. But he was gracious, her appearance was none of his concern, he simply nodded to Lady Lianhua, using Yun Zheyue’s voice that he adapted while in the sedan, and declared, "May your longevity be as ceaseless as the eastern seas and your fortune as timeless as the southern pines. Storyteller Zhou Xuan pays his respects to Lady Lianhua." "From the sound of your voice, are you also a Tangkou certified storyteller?" Lady Lianhua inquired. "Yes," Zhou Xuan affirmed. "Mmm, your presence truly stands out. Please, take the stage." Once Zhou Xuan ascended the stage, Lady Lianhua told Huang Jiu, "Keep it 90% full, this young storyteller is extraordinary, just the sound of his voice is steady and comforting." "The story left off where Chi Xuzi drunkenly lost his treasure axe, and many heroes tracked it to the ninth harmony palace..." Zhou Xuan began ’The White-Browed Hero’, and the younger members at the sixth table stretched their necks to listen. They quickly immersed in the story, soon captivated, able to connect with the plot they had heard before. However, other guests were confused, not grasping the story Zhou Xuan was telling. Observing the faces, he could see some guests were impatient, agitated, even angry enough to want to flip the tables, Fortunately, ’The White-Browed Hero’, with its exciting fights each episode, didn’t need a coherent story; the lively battles were enough to keep them entertained. Gradually, all guests got into the spirit, though not as absorbed as the sixth table’s younger yellow-skinned folks. Zhou Xuan was not discouraged; he had set out with the goal to entertain the younger yellow-skinned and Lady Lianhua primarily. To further engage the younger audience, Zhou Xuan took to holding a folded fan and tapping a gavel, even stepping off the stage while continuously delivering his narration. This move astounded the guests, who whispered among themselves, questioning which storyteller would be so unconventional as to wander around before finishing his storytelling.