Five Guardian Soldiers

Hearing the voice, Zhou Sheng's heart first jolted, then he relaxed.

It's Master!

At the same time, he closed his eyes. The remaining magical power in his Dantian surged up from the Du Meridian, passed through Fengchi, and entered the Gushu acupoint, causing his brow to throb faintly.

His spiritual sense then climbed to its peak.

Immediately after, he indeed sensed an extremely cold and ferocious gaze from three Zhang away behind him.

In an instant, the pores on his back stood on end like a startled wild cat.

I was careless!

He had used a lot of magical power in the battle at the Zhu Mansion. Furthermore, the sun had already risen, and with the dawn breaking and the east turning white, ordinary Malevolent Spirits wouldn't dare to appear, which had made him lower his guard.

He never expected a Guardian Soldier to sneak up behind him!

The so-called Guardian Soldier, also known as the Five Guardian Soldiers, is an extremely fierce type of ghost. Some say that Guardian Soldiers are the heroic spirits of soldiers who died in the battle between the Yellow Emperor and Chi You. Others say that Guardian Soldiers are the remnants of the six cave demons subdued by Celestial Master Zhang Daoling.

Zhou Sheng didn't know which theory was correct, but he knew that Guardian Soldiers were notoriously overbearing and ferocious among the many types of ghosts.

Most Taoist priests didn't even dare to open an altar to summon Guardian Soldiers, because Guardian Soldiers only executed orders and didn't care about the process at all.

For example, if you asked a Guardian Soldier to eliminate a certain Fierce Ghost, it might even kill all the lonely ghosts within a radius of dozens of miles.

If it was not satisfied or displeased, it might even retaliate against the Taoist priest who opened the altar.

Extremely bloodthirsty, extremely malevolent!

If a temple was built for them, but they were rarely offered incense, Guardian Soldiers would actively attack nearby living people, making them dazed and falling seriously ill.

Hence, they were also called Cold Altar Tyrant Soldiers!

Zhou Sheng had never seen a Guardian Soldier before, but seeing that it dared to appear and act even with the sun rising in the east, he knew how ferocious it was.

Without bothering to think about why the Zhu Mansion would harbor a Guardian Soldier, every pore on Zhou Sheng's body tensed, and a chill surged from the base of his spine to the crown of his head.

Because he sensed that the Guardian Soldier three Zhang away was slowly approaching him.

Two Zhang, one Zhang, four Chi, three Chi, two Chi, one Chi...

As the distance closed, the oppressive feeling Zhou Sheng sensed grew stronger and more terrifying. Despite it being the clear morning of a rising sun, he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, enveloped by a shadow darker than the night.

His back was covered in sweat, and the skin under his clothes was covered in goosebumps.

Clang...

He vaguely heard the sound of a sword being drawn, and a hint of the smell of blood, which even the morning breeze couldn't blow away, reached his nostrils.

Was the other party testing me, or did they really want to... kill me?

Zhou Sheng lowered his eyelids slightly, revealing a hint of determination.

He didn't even have time to use the Luoshu for divination now, because the sword was already at his neck, and he didn't know when it would fall.

I'll fight for it!

Just as Zhou Sheng was preparing to fight for his life, the gate of the Zhu Mansion suddenly opened, and a figure strode out.

At the same moment, the Guardian Soldier behind Zhou Sheng seemed to hesitate and instinctively took a few steps back.

"Brat, why are you so late? Where are the herbs I asked you to get?"

Yu Zhensheng walked out of the Zhu Mansion with his medicine box. He yelled at Zhou Sheng upon seeing him, his expression natural, as if he couldn't see the Guardian Soldier behind him at all.

Zhou Sheng immediately reacted and stepped forward with a smile. "Master, I had a stomachache and forgot the time when I went to relieve myself. The herbs you wanted are all in this box."

Yu Zhensheng nodded and said, "That's good. Let's go back. Something happened at the Zhu Mansion, and these herbs won't be needed for now."

"Master, what happened? I heard a commotion inside, and no one answered when I knocked."

Yu Zhensheng hit him without hesitation.

"Children shouldn't ask too many questions. Just mind your own business."

Then the two walked towards home. The Guardian Soldier behind them hesitated for a moment before finally not following.

Back home, Yu Zhensheng's expression instantly turned cold, and his expression was very serious.

"You've gotten brave, sneaking into the County Magistrate's house and performing Jiang Taigong's act with Palm Thunder, hehe..."

He casually picked up the White Ash Rod beside him, his voice chilling.

"You'd better give me an explanation, or I'll break your legs and stop you from performing Ghost Opera, which would be better than having to collect your corpse one day!"

"Master, I didn't expect it either. Magistrate Zhu's house actually harbored a Guardian Soldier..."

Zhou Sheng took a deep breath and then recounted the whole story.

Yu Zhensheng's expression remained unchanged, only showing a slight flicker when he heard that the Evil Corpse was Old Xu, but it was fleeting.

"Master, I suspect that Uncle Xu was murdered by someone from the Zhu Mansion. He—"

"Enough."

Yu Zhensheng interrupted coldly.

"Take off your shirt, ten lashes."

Zhou Sheng's face immediately fell. "Master, do you really have to hit me?"

Yu Zhensheng said calmly, "Twenty lashes."

Zhou Sheng immediately became obedient, took off his clothes, revealing a lean upper body. His muscles were smooth and well-defined, as if carved by a knife, looking like he was wearing a suit of scale armor.

Bang!

Yu Zhensheng brought down a rod with the "burst" and "shake" force from spear techniques. The White Ash Rod whipped down fiercely, like a whip, striking Zhou Sheng's back and even making a whistling sound through the air.

With a crisp crack, Zhou Sheng gritted his teeth in pain.

After twenty lashes, his back was already bruised and purple, with barely an inch of good skin visible.

"Do you know your mistake?"

"This disciple knows his mistake."

"Where did you go wrong?"

"I shouldn't have meddled in other people's business."

"Wrong!"

Yu Zhensheng suddenly looked up, his gaze sharp, his voice ringing out.

"Old Xu helped you practice your voice for three years and helped you through the Molting Season. That is a kindness that must be repaid. Otherwise, we would truly become the 'Unrighteous Opera Actors' the world speaks of."

"Remember this, no matter how others look down on us actors, we must not look down on ourselves!"

"If you sing the old ancestors' opera, you cannot disgrace the old ancestors. Otherwise, you will never be able to sing Ghost Opera well your entire life."

Zhou Sheng was stunned, a look of shock on his face.

"The neighbors in Qinggu County have taken good care of you. You pursued the killer for them; that is not wrong. Old Xu was kind to you, and you took in his lingering soul, wanting to find the killer; that is also not wrong."

"Master, then why did you still hit me—"

"Your mistake is that, confident in your improved Dao cultivation and possessing a bit of skill, you became arrogant and acted rashly. Without understanding the Zhu Mansion much, you dared to sneak in privately and even performed Ghost Opera!"

"Who do you think you are, a Celestial Master from Longhu Mountain, or the sect leader of Maoshan?"

"Do you know that if I hadn't been invited to treat the County Magistrate's wife today and sensed your presence, and secretly intervened to stop the Guardian Soldiers for a while, your corpse would likely have gone cold by now!"

Zhou Sheng finally understood. No wonder the Guardian Soldiers never came while he was fighting the Evil Corpse in the mansion, and only targeted him after he left.

"Master, I was wrong. This disciple will definitely guard against arrogance and impatience and think thrice before acting from now on!"

Seeing the seriousness on Zhou Sheng's face, Yu Zhensheng's expression softened slightly. He casually tossed the White Ash Rod, which landed upright in the corner behind the door.

"Alright, it's good that you know your mistake."

"Open the Ghost Raising Altar and let Old Xu out."

Yu Zhensheng sat in the Grand Tutor's chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest. In his eyes, filled with the vicissitudes of life, the turbidity suddenly vanished, replaced by a sharp, chilling glint.

Like a gaunt tiger that had slept for a long time in the snow, it suddenly opened its pupils, shaking off the frost and wind.

It had not roared like a tiger, yet the entire forest was filled with an aura of deadly killing intent.

"Next, let's see who... King Yama has summoned."

Thanks to book friend 20230102134810702 for the hundred-yuan tip, sending virtual hugs!