Cheers from the Whole House

"Help! Help!"

"I am the county magistrate! Someone save me!"

"Open the door! Open the door!!"

On the streets of Qinggu County, a figure crawled across the ground with great difficulty, crying for help again and again as he pounded on the doors of the houses lining the street.

Yet not a single person opened a door for him.

A long trail of blood spread across the bluestone pavement.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Slow footsteps sounded, treading along that blood-stained road like the drums of King Yama calling for a life.

Bright blue skies, broad daylight.

Under the gaze of countless eyes hidden behind door cracks, Old Huang Zhong drew his bow and nocked an arrow, his tongue bursting like spring thunder.

"Zhang He was scared out of his wits by me, casting off his armor and helmet as he fled into the barren hills."

"I hate that shallow-minded strategist; he said I could not defeat Xiahou Yuan."

Whoosh!

That arrow pierced the joint of Magistrate Zhu's right arm, making him scream as his crawling slowed considerably.

"Don't kill me! You can't kill me! My elder brother is—ah!!"

Whoosh!

Another arrow pierced his other leg, leaving him with only his uninjured left hand. He could not crawl even if he wanted to.

"Seated upon the carved saddle, I pass down my command: great and small, all three armies, heed your lord's words! Blades leave their sheaths, bows are strung, armor clasps are drawn tight in linked rings..."

Two more arrows flew out. One pierced his crotch, the other his kidney.

From Shen Jinhua, to Cui Cui, to Uncle Xu, this entire tragedy had begun with this man's lustful impulse.

Above the word lust hung a blade, yet those he had cut down were all innocent and kind people.

These two arrows were for Shen Jinhua, and for Cui Cui, who had been tortured to death by pain.

Even in death, he would first have a taste of the most terrible pain in the mortal world.

Magistrate Zhu curled up on the ground, letting out heart-rending screams as blood steadily spread beneath him. His eyes were filled with despair.

A madman—a madman who sang opera!

He had never imagined that there truly was such a reckless, lawless madman in this world!

"I'll fight you to the death—"

He struggled to grab at Zhou Sheng, but a foot mercilessly stomped on his throat, turning every word into a muffled whimper.

At that moment, the drumming from the yamen gates in the distance suddenly became urgent, while Zhou Sheng's operatic singing reached its peak.

"Forward, each and every one shall display his merit; retreat, and your—heads—shall hang high upon the poles!!"

That bold and majestic singing was like an arrow piercing the clouds, soaring into the nine heavens. It made one feel as if one stood upon an ancient battlefield, hearing a general beat the war drums as the three armies roared.

Zhou Sheng had intended to finish him with one final arrow, but when he reached back, he found that his quiver was empty.

All one hundred Feathered Arrows had been fired.

Zhou Sheng's gaze was cold as blades. He gave a soft laugh, then bent down and grasped the arrow that had pierced Magistrate Zhu's right arm.

Amid the man's screams, he twisted it free and made use of what was at hand.

He drew the bow and nocked the arrow. The cold iron arrowhead aimed straight at Magistrate Zhu's head beneath his feet, only a few feet away.

Because it had just been pulled out, scorching blood dripped from the arrowhead, landing squarely on Magistrate Zhu's brow.

One drop, two drops, three drops...

At that moment, Magistrate Zhu completely broke down.

His entire body trembled as tears and snot streamed down his face.

"Wuh... don't kill... me. My elder brother is... a Judge..."

Though his throat was pinned beneath a foot and he could barely breathe, his powerful instinct to survive still drove him to force out those words in broken fragments.

This was his greatest secret, and the greatest support of his life.

Back then, he had merely been a poor scholar, dull by nature and with four bare walls at home, when he came across an abandoned Judge Temple on his way to the imperial examinations.

Thinking to shelter from the rain in the temple, he had simply cleaned the Judge's statue, which was draped in cobwebs. He had even poured his last bit of wine upon the ground to pay his respects to the Judge.

And that very act completely changed his fate.

That night, the Judge really came, inviting him to drink wine and eat meat. He had been so large-hearted that he was not even afraid, and he and the Judge had spoken with great delight.

From then on, the Judge often came to drink with him, and the two grew closer and closer.

He had no grasp of letters, so the Judge replaced his heart with an exquisite heart, saying it was one left over in the underworld and had not been taken from a living person.

Yet he had heard that at the Xu Family a hundred li away, their rather famous talented scholar had suddenly died in the middle of the night, seemingly of a heart ailment.

With that exquisite heart, he had long since become clever, so it was not difficult for him to guess the connection.

But as he listened to everyone's praise and enjoyed the glory brought by passing the provincial examination, in the end, he said nothing at all.

A heart for a heart—perhaps that replacement had also replaced the simple, honest heart that would clear cobwebs from a deity's statue and offer wine in hospitality.

After that, he became increasingly dissatisfied, until he eventually asked his elder brother to replace his wife's head as well.

Yet he had never expected to bring upon himself a madman who sang opera.

The past flashed vividly before his eyes. He revealed his final support, hoping that the Judge's name could intimidate this Mad Opera Performer.

It seemed to have truly worked.

Zhou Sheng's hand drawing the bow paused slightly.

A spark of hope immediately ignited in Magistrate Zhu's eyes.

He did not want to die. He had yet to enjoy enough of the mortal world's wealth and beauties. As long as he survived, his lost hands and feet could be replaced again!

His elder brother had promised to help him rise step by step.

He was only a county magistrate, yet he could already enjoy such bliss. If he became a prefect, a minister, a prime minister...

Unfortunately, what answered him was a bowstring's crack like a thunderbolt.

The black-feathered arrow instantly pierced his brow. Splattering blood and brain matter soaked the corner of Zhou Sheng's robe.

Facing those eyes filled with resentment and unwillingness, Zhou Sheng slowly bared his teeth in a cold smile.

"So your elder brother is a Judge. In that case, even the chance to become a ghost..."

"You can forget about it."

Boom!

Within the towering flames were corpses being burned one after another. The most conspicuous among them was Magistrate Zhu in his official robes.

Zhou Sheng silently watched the dancing flames.

To slaughter people in broad daylight, then burn corpses in the street—forget your elder brother being a Judge. Even if you were a Judge yourself, your soul would scatter and your spirit would disperse; you would die beyond all possibility of death.

Some people did not even deserve the chance to become ghosts.

At the same time, the pale gold in his eyes gradually faded. He let out a long breath, and faint wisps of white mist steamed from the pores all over his body.

Both arms ached terribly, especially the fingers that drew the bow, which had been rubbed raw and left with bloody marks.

This great battle had consumed no small amount of strength. It could be called the most dangerous and thrilling fight since Zhou Sheng had begun his career. He had nearly died at the hands of Daoist Xie.

But it felt damn good!

He gazed at the dancing flames, as though the hot blood in his heart were being ignited too. An indescribable feeling of utter exhilaration lingered in his chest.

It was as if every pore from head to toe had opened clear and free!

That actor who had lost his head, that scholar who had lost his heart, that musician filled with hatred, that orphan girl who had suffered humiliation...

Were they watching this splendid performance?

Were they shouting their applause?

At the yamen gates, Shi Tou finally stopped beating the drum. The moment he saw the magistrate die, he dropped to his knees and cried toward the heavens.

A figure stood before him, blocking out the sunlight.

"Benefactor—"

The moment he spoke, a bloodstained contract drifted before him. In a clear and forceful operatic recitation, Zhou Sheng said, "Good lad! With thunder and wind beneath your wrists, you beat the drum!"

"You have frightened those—wolves, tigers, leopards, and panthers—out of their wits!"

"Take the reward money and return home; have you not heard your seventy-year-old mother—calling for her son?"

Shi Tou's heart shook. He picked up that bloodstained contract and immediately recognized it as the receipt the Li Family had secretly altered to increase the interest!

Could the blood on the contract be—

He suddenly looked up at that Huang Zhong Face Paint, its base laid in crimson gold and its features traced in silver. His eyes brimmed with excitement as he knocked his head heavily against the ground.

"Benefactor, you are a divine man! In the future, I, Shi Tou, will surely build you a temple and establish sacrifices in your honor. My descendants will offer incense and worship you generation after generation!"

"Benefactor, you should leave quickly too!"

With that, he picked up the contract and limped away.

Zhou Sheng stood silently at the yamen gates, looking up at the plaque stained red with blood. The killing intent in his eyes danced like Chi Yan.

Leave?

He licked his slightly cracked lips, revealing a smile brimming with murderous intent.

Master had said that once the performance began, it had to be performed brilliantly.

One performance of Mount Dingjun was not enough. After all, those Guardian Soldiers... were still there.

Five Guardian Soldiers, Cold Altar Tyrant Soldier?

For the next performance, let us see whether you are fiercer, or I am fiercer!

Thank you, Qian Dalai, for the ten-thousand reward. Brother, this is your second ten-thousand reward—thank you for the support! Thank you, Weird Strength Meow, for the fifteen-hundred reward; thank you, Moon in the Empty Valley, for the five-hundred reward; thank you, zhen_money, for the two-hundred reward. Hearts!