Chapter 20: The Four-sided Enemy
At this moment, in a self-built courtyard in Nanchu, Kong Xuan slowly came to the incense table, stretched out his hand to fan the curling incense mist, his face solemn and slightly gloomy behind the mist. At this time, the house was quiet and no one was there, the incense was strong, it was the best time to practice.
He raised his hand, took out a book and placed it on the desk, frowning and looking cold.
There are only a few elegant words on the cover: "Must-do Questions for High School Students (Physics)"
Kong Xuan rubbed his eyebrows, picked up the pen and started writing!
He just didn't believe that this physics problem could help him.
About five minutes later, Kong Xuan got a headache when he saw the weird question type. He slapped the incense table with his palm. They actually dared to set traps in the questions... He wished he could catch a few of the question-setters right away... no, kill the demons.
Kong Xuan gnashed his teeth and said, " Doing the questions has tempered my killing heart, and thousands of evildoers will be robbed and destroyed!"
……calm.
no.
The question has not been finished yet and is due soon.
Kong Xuan took a deep breath and floated outside. He decided to bask in the moonlight to calm down.
…
At Yueshan Park, it seemed that only Tan Xiao and little Bao Gong could see the two unusually "enthusiastic" special audience members at the performance. The others were all touched by the cute little actors and took up their cameras and mobile phones to take photos and videos. The official photographer also took a few close-ups.
After all, the young actor had little experience on stage, so it was good enough that he could sing. He just felt nervous and confused:
Why didn’t the security guard pull away the two uncles and aunts who were about to climb onto the stage? They didn’t look like they wanted to give flowers. They looked more like the kind of troublemakers the teacher had mentioned.
It was very strange. Not only did the security guard not take them away, but the acting teacher watching from the audience also didn't say anything.
They must have their reasons. But the little kid thought so.
When the little Bao Gong's instructor, an actor from the Nanchu Kun Opera Troupe, saw this, he obviously noticed that something was wrong with the child. He was not behind the scenes when the face was being painted, but was helping to adjust the sound system.
Before going on stage, he also discovered that the little actor's face was not painted correctly, but it was too late by then. However, how could he associate this old rule with the child's current condition? He just thought that he was nervous because there were too many people.
It's not surprising that children cry on stage for various reasons. Sometimes they may even cry just because they see a bug. Besides, he hasn't cried yet, he's just a little bit off.
The people in the audience could also hear that Little Bao Gong's voice was starting to tremble, his steps were floating, and he was even walking further and further to the inside of the stage. Everyone felt that it was because he was too young and nervous, so there was warm applause from the audience, from sparse to even, everyone cheered and encouraged Little Bao Gong's actor.
His opening was so brilliant that it stunned everyone. It was obvious that he had strong skills, but he just lacked stage experience.
"come on!"
“The kids sang really well!”
The instructor was also making encouraging gestures to the young actor from the audience, and silently demonstrating the lyrics and movements that would follow with exaggerated lip movements. His parents were even more worried about him while filming, and kept repeating "relax, relax" to themselves, as if their words could be heard right into his ears.
The entire show only selected the most exciting passages from the entire play. It was not very long and there were not many lyrics left.
With everyone's encouragement, Young Bao Gong mustered up his courage, took two steps forward, and sang the last verse to the audience.
Just at this moment, the two strange, thin audience members finally climbed onto the stage, fluttered down, and knelt in front of him, each holding a square-shaped object in their hands.
"Hey, when I got on stage, it seems that the adults are not as tall as the legends say... They are even shorter than us."
"Could it be, could it be that this is the young master of the master's family?"
"How come crescent moons are hereditary..."
"Never mind, just ask first."
Because of the excitement, their faces were distorted, and many dry cracks slowly appeared, which reminded people of the bacon dried in the sun at home. The lights on the stage were already strong, and they cast a more hideous light on their faces with every second, and the corners of their eyes seemed to be about to crack.
A man and a woman knelt down and took a few steps, stretched out their hands with black nails, and tried to hug little Bao Gong's knees, sobbing, "Mr. Bao, is that you! Is that you!"
Little Bao Gong had just finished singing the last sentence at this time, and the ending sound was erratic. It was not very good, but he finally finished it and won applause from the whole audience.
After he finished singing, he relaxed. Looking at the hands reaching for his costume, he could no longer hold back the fear in his heart, so he sat down on the stage and burst into tears.
What surprised him was that the audience, including his parents and teachers, saw him cry after he finished singing. After being surprised, their first reaction was to laugh. They just thought the child was so cute. He wanted to cry but held it back and finished singing and getting ready before crying with his face up. It shows that he has a strong professional ethics at such a young age.
Hearing the laughter, the little actors couldn't help but cry even louder. Why were they still laughing? It was obviously so scary!
The laughter from the audience made the scene even more lively.
The little actor was so scared on the stage that he dared not move. He stood there crying and was afraid to leave. His parents were still recording the video with their mobile phone before they prepared to go on stage to carry him away.
But before they went up, a handsome and bright young man, carrying a big drum and drum stand, walked to the son's side very quickly, put the drum down heavily, and then picked up the child with one hand and handed him directly to his parents from the side of the stage.
The audiences in the audience saw a handsome young man, and laughed at the cute little Bao Gong, whose two short legs were still scratching on the ground because he was lifted by him.
The actor's parents took it and recognized Tan Xiao. The boy had handed over a child in a similar manner before. They smiled at him shyly and said, "Thank you again."
Little Bao Gong wiped his tears and saw that the brother seemed to... intentionally or unintentionally stop the two weirdos on the stage from rushing down to the stage. It seemed that he even crushed their feet with the drum stand?
The feeling of doubt and the fact that his brother successfully stopped the other person made his tears slowly stop. The tears washed over his gloomy face, leaving traces that made people around him find it funny and cute.
At this time, the host was already announcing from the side: "The next performer is the famous band Zhurong from our Chu Province. They will perform wonderful songs together with the Sunset Red Square Dance Troupe and Tan Xiao, the inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of Southern Chu. Please enjoy——"
Cheers immediately broke out from the audience, and it seemed that quite a few people at the scene knew the Zhurong band.
Although they are a little confused about how this rock band, square dance and intangible cultural heritage can be integrated together, the Nanchu Municipal Government is quite creative, but will it be a bit out of place?
"Mr. Bao, young master Qingtian, where are you going?"
"Did this guy stop us on purpose?"
"Stupid or not, of course he is, he can see us at a glance!"
"…Why are you calling me stupid again???"
"What are you standing there for? Don't you know to go chase after the young master Qingtian?"
The man and woman in shrouds actually started quarreling. The woman pinned the man and beat him up. The man said weakly, "I won't fight with her." The woman sneered and said, "You, a sick ghost, want to fight with this evil ghost? Can you win?"
Tan Xiao: “…………”
This was only the third time that Tan Xiao had seen a ghost - no, Tan Xiao suspected that he had seen other ghosts as well, but he might not recognize them, just like Lin Yang's great uncle.
But anyway, this time he happened to encounter a performance, which really gave him a headache. He was about to rush up, but was stopped by the staff, who strangely said that it was not yet time for him to go on stage.
Fortunately, the show was very fast. He was very nervous when he stopped the two just now. Now it's time to test his acting skills.
It's okay, it's okay, just treat it as practicing your skills, contributing to public safety, and learning from the 404 Office. Tan Xiao said to himself.
When Maomao walked onto the stage, she immediately got into the mood, holding the microphone and greeting everyone enthusiastically, "Hello, friends from Nanchu, I'm very happy to be here."
She interacted with the audience in a familiar manner, and seeing that everyone else had their equipment ready, she said, "I hope everyone likes the next song, 'Leaving Fire'!"
She kept her hands raised high and waved to the audience. After she finished speaking, she let go of them with force. Tan Xiao behind her also followed suit and beat a drum.
Boom!
The two ghosts stopped at the same time!
Kong Xuan stood on the roof, looking up at the boundless sky dotted with a few sparse stars. The three realms were once one, but later separated. He came from the upper realm, but had never seen the view from this angle.
When humans look up, they see stars and clouds like this, and they want to communicate with the distant gods in the clouds.
Suddenly, a drumbeat sounded in the distance, which made his heart beat wildly and his pulse became a little disordered. He turned his head to look -
In the park, the rapid and majestic drum beats, each of which stirs the blood in people's hearts with the vibration of the drum skin, forming a resonance in the souls of thousands of people, as if they had heard this sacred and rich music before, and some dormant memories suddenly rushed to their minds.
Whether in their previous lives or as children, they had all heard this captivating rhythm.
The aunties who were performing square dance also waved their sleeves and twisted their waists, dancing to the drum beats in a classical-looking dance with ancient Chu style. This scene, which originally made people doubt whether it was out of place, became the most shocking program since the opening!
The audience hardly dared to speak, or wanted to speak but didn't know how to describe their reactions. They just watched the scene with excitement.
Kong Xuan closed his eyes, and he seemed to see a pair of slender fingers, clenching the drumsticks, playing on the bright red drum, so clearly.
This was no longer a solo song for him to entertain the gods, his wizard said, this was the flower of folk art, which had long since served the gods and nobles and had become folk music to entertain all the people.
But who can blame him for being his substitute wizard, and who can blame the Chu wizard's drum for being naturally magical.
He even saw Tan Xiao's focused eyes. Everything seemed far away, yet close at hand.
Even the distance between heaven and earth can enable communication, let alone the distance between streets.
Kong Xuan saw Tan Xiao, who was immersed in the drum music, close his eyes. The boy's hair was against his soft cheek. He also quietly closed his eyes, faintly sensing the boy's thoughts and wishes. His breath followed the wind, wrapped around the boy's hands, and blessed his drumming...
…
Maomao raised her hand. Today she was not playing the keyboard, but holding a six-sided rattle in her hand. As the prelude continued, she shook it along with the bass drum. The relatively clearer sounds mixed together, inexplicably very harmonious.
Maomao turned around and smiled at Tan Xiao. In fact, this was Tan Xiao's idea. She only scheduled it twice at the last minute.
——"Yi and Na, place my drums and gongs, play them one by one, and honor my great ancestors."
This looks very much like a children's toy, except that the shape is more complex and simple. In fact, this kind of "rattle" was called "鼗" in ancient times , and it was also an important musical instrument during sacrifices.
The peacock speaks the music of the shaman to entertain the gods.
However, like countless other things that were once used to "entertain the gods", the drum has entered thousands of households and become an object for "entertaining people", played for everyone.
The exciting drumbeats, amplified by the speakers, made the two ghosts who were originally bickering no longer want to argue. They just felt deeply frightened and wanted to escape.
At this time, beyond performing arts, it quietly reveals its most original function.
When the drum beats were the most rapid, Zhurong Band's drums, bass and guitar joined in, playing a passionate melody mixed with the electric current, which created the first climax of the scene.
Regardless of whether they liked them before or not, they all screamed involuntarily, shouting out the nameless impulse that had been suppressed in their hearts when they heard the drumbeats just now—
The two ghosts felt that their souls were about to be shattered by the sound of drums and screams, and they wanted to crawl off the stage.
The actor who played Little Bao Gong was still standing in the audience. His face, which had just stopped crying, wrinkled again. His parents thought he was scared by the music. "Haha, what's there to cry about? It's so beautiful."
Tan Xiao had finished his prelude task in the inexplicably comfortable feeling as if he was surrounded by the wind. He turned his wrist, inserted the drumsticks on the drum stand, and without hesitation, pressed his bent middle and ring fingers with his thumbs, raised his index and little fingers, and made a small golden knife gesture, pointing directly at the ghost!
"Wow!" Tan Xiao was not very good at controlling his strength. The two ghosts were chopped forward and almost lost their souls. They hugged each other and burst into tears.
Little Golden Knife Technique, this person, this person is the Nanchu Lingwu wow!
There are always thousands of spectators at the event, and there is even an official video recording.
Everyone could see Tan Xiao's action. Someone leaned over to look and asked, "What does that handsome boy's hand raising mean?"
When fans of Zhurong saw this, they shouted to passers-by, "You don't know this, this is a rock and roll gesture! The metal salute!"
As he spoke, he also imitated the gesture, raised it high, jumped and waved it along with the music, and felt that this was simply the most exciting live performance he had ever heard.
Many people were inspired, and even those who didn't know it before joined in the fun, raising their index and little fingers. Members of the square dance team who were scattered around the stage and the audience also followed suit. The old men and women also tried their hand at it today.
Maomao couldn't help but laugh. He felt that the citizens of Nanchu were super cute and made a "I love you" gesture to her.
Tan Xiao: “…” Uh, I forgot this gesture is a bit similar to theirs.
At this time, the photographer came over to give Tan Xiao a close-up, raised his chin towards him, and Tan Xiao also smiled hastily.
When the two ghosts saw this, they were completely stunned.
——Do you have to be so cruel, you people from Nanchu!
Even if not everyone could achieve the same effect as Tan Xiao, so many people and the spiritual master made the same hand gestures and surrounded them, which was enough to scare them so much that they could not move and shed tears of blood. If ghosts could distinguish so many things clearly, they would not have made a mistake even for Bao Gong...
Where to go? The following is all Little Golden Knife Technique!
Look, the spiritual master is still smiling, oh my god!
The two ghosts who were originally quarreling hugged each other again and cried, "The witch is surrounded by enemies on all sides!!"
…
【Based on the frequent occurrence of unnatural cases in various places after the Gengshen Day, the 404 Office fully performed its duties and took active measures to create a social atmosphere where humans, demons, ghosts, spirits and monsters coexist harmoniously, and strive to create a livable urban environment for the human race to ensure the safety and normal life of citizens. 1. Increase efforts and make comprehensive arrangements. The 404 Office established a special supervision team to focus on key areas in the urban area and report unnatural cases in a timely manner...】
Mu Fei finished writing the materials overtime with tears in her eyes, then collapsed on the sofa in the office and opened a bottle of Coke.
Liu Qingquan was also busy, explaining earnestly to a new monster, "No, you can't sell your own foot skin in public, even if you are a ginseng... At least don't tear it up in front of others!!"
The other party said innocently: "I don't want to cut my hair. This is also a tonic and has a very good effect."
"It's not a question of efficacy." Liu Qingquan covered his face, feeling tired.
Mu Fei looked at him sympathetically and casually opened the live broadcast room of a Nanchu anchor.
Mu Fei had also heard the songs of Zhurong Band. When she saw the promotional poster, she knew that Brother Tan Xiao was going to perform with them today. She was very surprised. It was like she had broken into another dimension. And by the way, I also got to know the band.
Now that I had finished my work, I simply clicked on it to take a look, and it happened to be Tan Xiao who was on stage.
Seeing the musical instrument that looked a bit like the Phoenix Drum, Mu Fei couldn't help but feel like "recalling the past". She thought about how thrilling it was at the bottom of the King of Chu's tomb. She wrote a six-page report when she returned...
But it was all worth it, because after she came back, she wrote an academic material about the exploration and reclassification of the male viper morphology, which was also published in the internal reference materials, which is quite valuable, hehe.
Her partner Liu Qingquan finished explaining and floated over. Seeing her screen, he also recognized her: "Wow, isn't this Little Spiritual Master Tan? Why is his ritual so lively? He is indeed the designated spiritual master of Peacock God. Is he catching ghosts or exorcising demons?"
The little monster was about to leave, but when he heard the noise, he couldn't help but come over to see, "What's that sound? It sounds a bit scary." Even though he was not at the scene, he felt a little terrified.
What they saw was a close-up of Tan Xiao.
"It's not a method, it's a performance." Mu Fei said disdainfully, "It's a live show, okay."
As soon as he finished speaking, the two saw Tan Xiao neatly put away his drumsticks and made a small golden knife gesture with both hands towards a certain place on the stage. Others might not be able to tell the difference, but they would never make a mistake.
Mu Fei: “…”
Liu Qingquan tilted his head and said, "...You still said he was not practicing magic."
Mu Fei nearly spit out a mouthful of Coke, rubbed her eyes and said in dismay: "Damn, I've written too many materials, how come I saw Tan Xiao openly practicing witchcraft in public!"
...No one would even doubt him!
