Full House of Applause

"Help! Help!"

"I am the County Magistrate, won't someone save me?"

"Open the door, open the door!!"

On the streets of Qinggu County, a figure crawled with difficulty on the ground, repeatedly calling for help and patting on the doors of the houses by the street.

However, no one opened the door for him.

A long bloodstain spread across the bluestone ground.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Footsteps sounded slowly, treading on the blood-stained road, like the drumbeats of King Yama calling for life.

In broad daylight, under the clear sky.

Under the gaze of countless pairs of eyes peeking from behind door cracks, Old Huang Zhong drew his bow and nocked an arrow, his voice booming like thunder.

"Zhang He was so scared by me that he shed his armor and helmet and fled to the wilderness."

"I resent that strategist's shallow insight; he said I couldn't defeat Xiahou Yuan."

Whoosh!

This arrow pierced the joint of Magistrate Zhu's right arm, causing him to cry out in pain and significantly slow his crawling speed.

"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 intact left hand, unable to even crawl.

"Sitting on the saddle, I pass down the orders; all soldiers, big and small, listen to my words: Draw your swords, string your bows, tighten your armor and fasten your buckles..."

Two more arrows were shot. One pierced his lower body, and the other pierced his kidney.

From Shen Jinhua, to Cui Cui, and then to Uncle Xu, this entire tragedy stemmed from this man's lustful thoughts.

Lust is a knife above one's head, but he wielded it against the innocent and kind.

These two arrows were for Shen Jinhua, and also for Cui Cui, who died of pain.

Even in death, he had to 'enjoy' the utmost human suffering in advance.

Magistrate Zhu curled up on the ground, letting out heart-wrenching screams. Blood continued to spread, and his eyes were filled with despair.

A madman, a madman who sings opera!

He never imagined that there could truly be such a reckless madman in this world!

"I'll fight you to the death—"

He struggled and reached for Zhou Sheng, but a foot mercilessly stepped on his throat, turning all his words into whimpers.

At this moment, the sound of drums from the distant yamen suddenly became urgent, and Zhou Sheng's singing reached its peak.

"Those who advance will achieve merit; those who retreat—their heads—will hang on high poles!!"

The powerful and heroic singing shot like an arrow through the clouds into the highest heavens, making one feel as if they were on an ancient battlefield, hearing the general beat the drums and the army roar.

Zhou Sheng had intended to finish him with his last arrow, but when he reached behind him, his quiver was empty.

All one hundred Feathered Arrows were gone.

Zhou Sheng's cold eyes were like knives. He chuckled lightly, then bent down and grasped the arrow that had pierced Magistrate Zhu's right arm.

Amidst the other's screams, he twisted and pulled it out, using what was at hand.

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

Because it had just been pulled out, hot blood dripped down the arrowhead, landing precisely on Magistrate Zhu's brow.

One drop, two drops, three drops...

At this moment, Magistrate Zhu completely broke down.

He trembled all over and wept bitterly.

"Wuuu... Don't kill... My elder brother is... the Judge..."

Although he could barely breathe with his throat being stepped on, the strong instinct for survival still made him utter this sentence intermittently.

This was his greatest secret, and his biggest reliance in this life.

He had originally been just a poor scholar, dull-witted and destitute. But on his way to the imperial examinations, he encountered a dilapidated temple dedicated to the Judge.

Thinking to take shelter from the rain in the temple, he simply cleaned the Judge statue, which was covered in cobwebs, and even poured his last bit of wine on the ground as an offering to the Judge.

And it was this act that completely changed his fate.

That night, the Judge actually came. He invited him for drinks and meat. He was bold enough not to feel scared and even had a pleasant conversation with the Judge.

From then on, the Judge often came to drink with him, and their relationship grew stronger.

He was uneducated, so the Judge replaced his heart with a clever one, saying it was a leftover from the Underworld, not taken from a living person.

But he had heard that in the Xu family a hundred miles away, a renowned scholar had suddenly died in the middle of the night, seemingly from a heart ailment.

He had long since become wise with his discerning heart, so it was naturally not difficult for him to guess the relationship behind it all.

But listening to everyone's praise and enjoying the glory that came with passing the provincial exam, he ultimately said nothing.

Heart for heart, it seemed that the simple heart that would sweep the cobwebs for the divine statue and treat it with wine had also been replaced.

After this, he became increasingly dissatisfied and finally asked his elder brother to swap his wife's head as well.

Who would have thought that it would ultimately attract a madman who sang opera.

The past events flashed before his eyes, and he spoke of his final reliance, hoping that the name of Judge would be enough to deter this opera-madman.

It seemed to have an effect.

Zhou Sheng's hand, which was pulling the bowstring, paused slightly.

A flicker of hope ignited in Magistrate Zhu's eyes.

He didn't want to die. He hadn't enjoyed enough of the wealth and beauty of the human world yet. As long as he could survive, he could have his lost hands and feet replaced!

His elder brother had promised him that he would help him rise step by step.

Just being a county magistrate allowed him to enjoy such bliss. If he were to become a prefect, a minister, or even a prime minister...

Unfortunately, the response he received was a string sound like a bolt of lightning.

The pitch-black feathered arrow instantly pierced his brow. The splashing blood and white matter wet the corner of Zhou Sheng's clothes.

Facing those eyes filled with unwillingness and resentment, Zhou Sheng slowly curled his lips, revealing a row of bone-white teeth, and let out a chilling laugh.

"So your elder brother is a Judge. In that case, you don't even have the chance to become a ghost..."

"Don't even think about it."

BOOM!

Amidst the soaring flames were bodies being burned, the most conspicuous among them being Magistrate Zhu, dressed in his official robes.

Zhou Sheng quietly watched the dancing flames.

Killing wantonly at noon and then burning bodies in the street, let alone your elder brother being a Judge, even if you were the Judge yourself, you would be scattered into ashes and die a death beyond death.

Some people don't even deserve the chance to become ghosts.

At the same time, the faint golden light in his eyes gradually dissipated. He let out a long sigh, and faint white mist rose from his pores.

His arms felt sore, especially his fingers that had drawn the bow, which were bleeding.

This great battle had taken a significant toll. It could be called the most dangerous and thrilling battle of Zhou Sheng's career; he had almost died at the hands of Daoist Xie.

But, it felt so exhilarating!

He looked at the dancing flames, and it seemed as if the blood in his heart was also being ignited, an indescribable sense of exhilaration filling his chest.

It felt as if every pore from head to toe was unblocked!

The opera singer who lost his head, the scholar who lost his mind, the musician who died full of hatred, the orphaned girl who was humiliated...

Were they watching this good show?

Were they applauding?

At the yamen gate, Shi Tou finally stopped beating the drum. The moment he saw the county magistrate die, he knelt on the ground and cried to the heavens.

A figure stood before him, blocking the sunlight.

"Benefactor—"

As soon as he spoke, a blood-stained contract floated before him. A theatrical monologue, spoken in a clear and powerful voice, was recited.

"Good lad! The drumbeats under your wrists are like thunder and lightning!"

"Scaring the wolves, tigers, and leopards into a state of shock!"

"Take the reward money home, haven't you heard your seventy-year-old mother—calling for you?"

Shi Tou's heart trembled. He picked up the blood-stained contract and immediately recognized it as the receipt that the landlord Li Family had secretly altered the interest rates on!

The blood on the contract, could it be—

He suddenly looked up, gazing at the Huang Zhong Face Paint with its gold leaf base and silver patterns. His eyes were filled with excitement, and he kowtowed heavily.

"Benefactor, you are a divine being! I, Shi Tou, will definitely build a temple and shrine for you, and my descendants will offer incense and worship you for generations to come!"

"Benefactor, you should leave quickly too!"

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

Zhou Sheng stood quietly at the yamen gate, looking up at the plaque stained red with blood. The killing intent in his eyes flickered like a blazing flame.

Leave?

He licked his slightly chapped lips, revealing a smile full of murderous intent.

Master once said that since we're performing, we should put on a spectacular show.

One performance of Mount Dingjun isn't enough, after all, those Guardian Soldiers... are still around.

Five Guardian Soldiers, Cold Altar Tyrant Soldiers?

In the next act, let's see who's fiercer, you or me!

Thank you, Qian Da Lai, for the ten thousand reward. This is your second ten thousand reward, thank you for your support! Thank you, Monster Power Chaos Meow, for the fifteen hundred reward. Thank you, Empty Valley Moon Only, for the five hundred reward. Thank you, zhen_money, for the two hundred reward. Sending love!