Small Thunder Pool

The sun slanted west, setting in the twilight.

Zhou Sheng finally returned home. He had washed off the face paint, taken off his costume, and changed back into his usual dark robe.

His tiger mouth was casually wrapped with a strip of blue cloth, and his long hair was slightly disheveled, with a few strands still bearing dried bloodstains.

He stepped over the brazier and entered the house.

The surging flames flickered and swayed as if blown by the wind.

Yu Zhensheng, who had been idly teasing goldfish by the fish tank, paused slightly. Then, he slowly turned, his gaze falling upon his disciple.

The smell of blood, the overwhelming killing intent—it was almost impossible to suppress.

This was the involuntary surge after a bloody massacre.

Tempered by blood and fire, his disciple's eyes had become more resolute, sharper, like a piece of fine steel that, through constant hammering, had finally taken the form of a sword blank.

A gentle breeze swept by, rustling his dark robe.

Zhou Sheng put down the opera box, his posture upright, and cupped his fist in salute to his Master.

"Master, thank you."

This "thank you" was abrupt, yet exceptionally sincere.

Although he hadn't sensed his Master's presence, he was certain that his Master had been nearby while he performed the Ghost Opera.

It was because his Master was there that he could fight without restraint, giving his all to finally defeat the Guardian Soldier.

The thin, elderly man who liked to play with cats and tease fish had silently weathered sixteen years of storms for him in this world.

"You performed the opera yourself, why thank me?"

Yu Zhensheng scoffed, but the slight upturn of his lips was impossible to hide. He quickly turned his back to his disciple, continuing to tease the little goldfish.

Zhou Sheng smiled slightly, not calling him out. Instead, he said, "Master, I'll go offer incense to the Patriarch."

"Go ahead. After you've offered incense, remember to pack the Patriarch's statue into the box. Also, pack your things. Before the sun sets, we two old men need to make a quick escape."

Zhou Sheng: "..."

"Heh heh, you brat, remember this: in our line of work, who hasn't killed anyone?"

"A virgin who doesn't get his hands dirty will never become an eagle."

"But if you want to live a peaceful life after a bloody massacre, you have to run faster than anyone else."

He paused, then summarized, "The fiercer the knife that kills, the faster the legs that flee!"

Zhou Sheng silently took note of the worldly wisdom imparted by his Master and then, without any hesitation, quickly packed everything.

Carrying the Patriarch's statue on his back, the opera box for meals in hand, and his private savings tucked away, he set off lightly.

Instead of feeling reluctant to leave the place he had lived for so long, he felt a sense of excitement.

Running away after killing someone, how thrilling!

Although he had killed before, it had always been in self-defense, usually against bandits and robbers who tried to rob him. This time, however, he had taken the initiative, and he hadn't killed just three or five people.

It was as if an invisible shackle had been shattered, bringing about an indescribable change in him.

"Don't rush. Give me a lock of your hair."

Yu Zhensheng said, reaching out while still teasing the fish.

Zhou Sheng was startled, then without hesitation, cut off a lock of his hair for his Master.

For those who performed Ghost Opera, hair and birthdates were secrets that could not be easily revealed, lest they be cursed.

For example, the Lu Ban woodcraft lineage among the Hundred Schools of the Underworld excelled at such hexes. With just a lock of hair, they could harm three generations of a family.

However, he trusted his Master completely and gave him the lock of hair without any hesitation.

Yu Zhensheng tied a strange knot with the lock of hair, then took out a yellow talisman. He placed the hair knot inside it and folded the talisman.

After forming a hand seal and chanting an incantation, he reached out and scooped up a goldfish from the tank. He forcibly opened its mouth and stuffed the folded yellow talisman containing Zhou Sheng's hair knot inside.

A talisman hidden in the fish's belly!

He then tossed the goldfish back into the tank. The startled fish swam around in the water.

"Alright, let's go."

"Master, aren't we taking Fish Senior Brother with us?"

"Heh heh, after being fed for a thousand days, it's time to use him once. After eating my food for so many years, it's time for him to repay me."

Under the twilight glow, the figures of Master and disciple gradually receded, soon disappearing from sight, leaving only the goldfish swimming in the water tank.

Time trickled by.

The sun finally set, its light completely withdrawn. The bright moon quietly rose, and night descended.

In the empty courtyard, a gust of yin wind suddenly blew. It wasn't strong, and even carried a hint of warmth, yet it instantly silenced the cicadas and insects around.

The night seemed to grow deeper. Although the moonlight overhead was bright, the courtyard was so dark that one couldn't see their hand in front of their face.

The next moment, the goldfish, which had quieted down in the tank, suddenly began to move.

It dodged back and forth, elusive as lightning, as if being chased by a predator, swimming frantically, even constantly bumping against the hard tank walls.

After an unknown amount of time, the goldfish suddenly stopped moving, foaming at the mouth, its body convulsing, and the water in the tank seemed to be stirred by an invisible force, like a whirlpool.

With a loud bang, the entire fish tank exploded.

In the water on the ground, the goldfish was completely stiff, motionless.

"Remember these hand seals, they are the trick to setting up the Small Thunder Pool."

On the mountain path, master and disciple were rushing through the night. Under the moonlight, Yu Zhensheng taught him several hand seals as they walked.

Zhou Sheng recognized these hand seals as the ones his Master had used when he inserted the talisman into the goldfish.

"Master, what is a Small Thunder Pool?"

"Heh heh, as the saying goes, one cannot step beyond the Thunder Pool. This Small Thunder Pool is a deceptive formation I set up for the pursuers from the Underworld."

Yu Zhensheng smiled slightly and explained, "The fish tank was placed in a spot that gathers wind and collects qi. The goldfish ate your hair, gaining your vital energy. In the eyes of Ghosts and Gods, it will be indistinguishable from you."

"They will temporarily mistake the goldfish for you and will not be able to step beyond the Thunder Pool until they catch the fish and realize they've been deceived."

Zhou Sheng finally understood. No wonder his Master cherished that goldfish so much, taking it everywhere they went. It turned out it was all to set up this Small Thunder Pool for escaping.

As the saying goes, old ginger is spicier!

Rest in peace, Brother Fish.

"Master, how long can the Small Thunder Pool hold them?"

Yu Zhensheng looked at the bright moon in the sky and said, "You killed Magistrate Zhu and the Guardian Soldiers from the Underworld. If you calculate the time, those sent from below should be arriving soon."

"That goldfish was raised by me with a secret medicine; it's extraordinary. Even if Black and White Impermanence themselves come, it should be able to delay them for two to three hours, unless..."

"Unless what?"

Yu Zhensheng's eyes deepened, and his voice lowered, "Unless that Judge himself comes to kill you. If that's the case, the Small Thunder Pool can only hold them for half an hour at most."

"Master, you must have a backup plan, right?"

Yu Zhensheng glanced at him with a smile and said, "Now you're scared? You were quite decisive when you were killing people."

Zhou Sheng showed a hint of an embarrassed smile.

However, he didn't regret killing the Guardian Soldiers and Magistrate Zhu. Firstly, it satisfied his desires, and secondly, it accumulated a large amount of energy for the Turtle Shell.

The Luoshu was now richer than ever.

Perhaps it was already possible to deduce the true Immortal's Cloud Mica Pill!

A shortcut to the heavens, belonging to him, was slowly opening.