Chapter 151.2

Many people in the audience shot to their feet and applauded hard, the atmosphere fully ignited. Anyone could tell this was the real deal.

There was a saying in the trade: in the south, there were plum blossom poles; in the north, the Tower to Heaven.

This elevated setup was exactly that: the Tower to Heaven.

In truth, dividing lion dancing simply into southern and northern styles was not really appropriate. Places like Shandong and Henan also had their own deep lion dance traditions.

But these days, people liked broad, one-size-fits-all labels. Slapping on a simple “south” or “north” drew more attention.

The golden lion stood at the top and started making gestures down below, as if mocking them, throwing the pressure downward.

Although Lin Shuyou was shy by nature, deep down he carried the pride of the Officers of the Command Banner. And since the program title had been stamped with a regional label, he had no choice but to go up.

The white lion sprang forward. There was clearly a side with a pair of ropes, but instead of stepping on both, he planted both feet on a single rope and shot straight to the top.

“Bravo!”

“Bravo!”

The audience, who had only just sat down again, leaped to their feet once more and erupted in cheers.

Now both the golden lion and the white lion were at the top, fighting lion against lion on the tiny platform.

At first they still held back a little, but gradually the golden lion pressed forward. The two lion heads began colliding, like they were locked in a test of strength.

The northern lion’s head was heavier, which gave it the advantage in a contest like this. If Lin Shuyou did not want his lion head dented in, he had no choice but to avoid it.

Just like that, it turned into the golden lion attacking while the white lion dodged.

The audience roared with laughter, finding it entertaining.

But the two above had already started getting heated.

It was not really a matter of who was right or wrong. At the start, everyone had probably only wanted to perform their own act properly, but for some reason they had been shoved into the same program, completely throwing off each other’s rhythm.

And lion dancing itself was an intensely masculine activity. It was like two hot-blooded young men trading, “What are you looking at?” and “What’s it to you?” before immediately throwing hands.

They really did start fighting.

No one could tell who struck first. In any case, after another collision, both sides suddenly thrust their legs out from beneath the lions and kicked at each other.

Then came one side pressing down and the other counter-pressing, both leaping and rebounding.

After that came body slams, reckless charges, and shoulder checks, until even the entire Tower to Heaven began to sway.

Li Zhuiyuan had seen Lin Shuyou’s skill before. Back when he had not even used spirit-writing, he had been able to dodge bullets with sheer reflexes.

Yet in this exchange, he failed to gain even the slightest upper hand. The other side had two people, yes, but that also meant they were no ordinary practitioners either.

Very quickly, the platform could no longer satisfy the needs of their fight. The golden lion lunged fiercely, and the white lion whipped its tail, leaving the platform and landing on the rope below.

The golden lion kept pressing the attack. The white lion met it head-on. The two sides began dueling atop the ropes.

Of course, the audience had no idea this was a real fight fueled by temper. They only thought the program had been arranged this way. Plenty of them clapped until their palms turned red and still kept clapping.

Even the leaders seated in the front row stopped caring about their image. One after another, they stood up and pointed excitedly.

They had never expected that a university student mixer in the city could produce a performance this outstanding. It was more than good enough to be sent to the Spring Festival Gala.

The two sides gradually began truly fighting, with the lion costumes serving only as the last cover.

After exchanging a round of punches and kicks, they shoved apart, waved the lions around for show, put on an act for a moment, and then started fighting again.

Tan Wenbin pumped his fists and cheered A-You on, lamenting, “If I’d known, I should’ve gone up there with A-You.”

Runsheng said, “To drag him down?”

Tan Wenbin said, “I can fight too, all right?”

Runsheng said, “You want to shorten your lifespan by inviting a spirit into your body just for a performance?”

Tan Wenbin choked on that, but quickly changed tack. “Then you should’ve been the one sent up there.”

Yin Meng said, “That would be bullying them too much.”

Lin Shuyou had not used spirit-writing, and he was still fighting the two of them to a draw. If Runsheng got added in, the balance would be shattered instantly.

Runsheng said, “I’m not a student.”

Tan Wenbin said, “Haihe University Bargain Shop entry. Could even advertise the store.”

Li Zhuiyuan did not join their conversation. He had noticed that the golden lion had made several unusual movements, and every time it did, a faint phantom seemed to appear above the stage.

Several times, the phantom had tried to descend and merge in, but each attempt failed to fully take shape.

This was not some malevolent spirit, but a kind of spirit-being. Though faint, it carried an extremely imposing aura.

“Oh!!!!”

“Ahh!!!”

The two sides were so absorbed in their fight, trading blows on the ropes without stopping, that the hastily built Tower to Heaven began to tilt and looked ready to collapse.

If it really came down, the leaders in the front row would be the first to get hit.

At that very moment, both sides finally came back to their senses. They broke apart, then used their lion heads to “bite” onto a rope each, wrapping their legs around as well, and together forced the collapsing Tower to Heaven back upright and stable.

The two lions rapidly blinked and shook their heads, as though this had all been part of the performance.

The stage staff, whose souls had nearly been scared out of them, rushed forward at once and pulled up the curtain to deal with the situation.

The audience below erupted again in thunderous applause.

The next performance did not go on for quite a while.

But the audience was still immersed in the brilliance of the previous act, so the pause worked out fine.

Backstage.

Lin Shuyou removed the lion costume. The two men opposite him came over in black tank tops and black pants. They were all college students, so naturally they were around the same age.

“Hahaha! Brother, you’ve got great skills!”

“The two of us against one, and we still couldn’t take you down!”

Seeing that they were not there to keep picking a fight, and that their attitude was open and easygoing, Lin Shuyou smiled and nodded back at them.

“My name’s Zhou Cheng. This is my younger brother Zhou Feng. We’re from Cangzhou.”

“My name is Lin Shuyou.”

“From your accent, southern?”

“Mm.”

Zhou Feng smacked his lips. “Never thought southern lions could be this fierce.”

Zhou Cheng asked curiously, “Shouldn’t lion dancing on your side be more refined?”

Lin Shuyou waved a hand. “I only just learned lion dancing.”

Zhou Cheng said, “Oh, no wonder. So you’re purely a martial artist, not actually in this line of work.”

“Mm.”

Zhou Feng said, “That’s why when we signaled you to awaken the lion spirit, you didn’t react. We were wondering about that.”

“Awaken the lion spirit?”

Zhou Cheng said, “When the person and lion merge as one, the fake lion becomes a real lion. It gets braver and fiercer.”

Zhou Feng laughed. “Good thing we didn’t awaken the lion spirit, or that would’ve been a bit too unfair.”

Lin Shuyou smiled along with them. Back on stage, if the other side had awakened the lion spirit, then he would have had to use spirit-writing and invite White Crane Child to dance the lion.

He would never have dared imagine something like that before, but he knew that ever since Little Yuanhou had warned the child spirit last time, he probably really could summon it now.

In any case, he could afford not to win, but he absolutely could not afford to lose. He knew Little Yuanhou and the others were watching from below.

Zhou Cheng invited him, “Come on, let’s skip the banquet after this and find a place to grab a drink.”

Lin Shuyou shook his head. “My classmates are waiting for me.”

Zhou Cheng said, “What’s the problem with that? Call your classmates too. Our treat!”

“Then I’ll go ask first.”

Lin Shuyou knew Tan Wenbin and the others’ seat numbers, so he came out from backstage to the audience and asked them.

Li Zhuiyuan said, “Then let’s go eat together.”

Then Li Zhuiyuan looked at Tan Wenbin. “Bring the class monitor too.”

Tan Wenbin said quietly, “That’s not very convenient, is it?”

Li Zhuiyuan said, “Who’s in charge?”

Tan Wenbin immediately said, “Then it couldn’t be more convenient.”

There were only a few performances left, so Li Zhuiyuan and the others left early.

As Tan Wenbin walked toward where Zhou Yunyun was sitting, he mimicked what Little Yuanhou had just said. “Who’s in charge? Who’s in charge? Hahaha!”

Rarely, he had seen a kind of childishness in Little Yuanhou.

Tan Wenbin went to pick up Zhou Yunyun, and while he was at it, he shot Luo Mingzhu another warning look. She did not dare follow.

Because she could sense that today, the man before her had no patience in his eyes.

Normally, no matter how annoying this senior girl was, Tan Wenbin could still tolerate it when dealing with her alone. But with Little Yuanhou here today, there was no way he was going to let her ruin the mood.

When Zhou Cheng and Zhou Feng saw that Lin Shuyou had brought so many “classmates,” both brothers looked a little embarrassed.

As for where they were eating, of course it was still the same place.

A Hebei lion and a Fujian lion had gone from trading blows to sharing a meal at a Sichuan restaurant.

Old Sichuan Restaurant had recently expanded and been newly renovated. Its style and class had clearly gone up a notch. Xue Liangliang had paid for it. He was out of town, so he sent the money to Tan Wenbin, who then handed it over to the husband-and-wife owners.

Standing at the restaurant entrance, Zhou Cheng and Zhou Feng exchanged a glance, a little troubled. They had assumed it would just be a simple drink somewhere small, not a full restaurant meal with so many people.

The two quietly put their heads together and calculated whether the living expenses they had left for the month would barely cover this meal.

Tan Wenbin slipped in between them, draped an arm over each of their shoulders, and said, “This is my family’s place. Since you’re honoring us with your visit, this one’s on me!”

These days, what spare money did ordinary college students really have to eat out, especially those with big appetites?

The dinner was lively from start to finish.

The Zhou brothers were extremely forthright. They gave a detailed account of their family’s lion dance inheritance and history, though they did not mention awakening the lion spirit again.

Halfway through the meal, Li Zhuiyuan left the table and went to the pickup truck. Both the golden lion and white lion costumes were stored inside.

Li Zhuiyuan examined the golden lion and found carved formation patterns within it. It was a spirit-attaching array, and its effect was to lower the difficulty of spirit attachment.

So the Zhou family really did have a lion spirit of its own.

Just as Li Zhuiyuan was about to get out and head back to the private room, the golden lion suddenly moved. Its eyes opened.

The next instant, they shut again.

Li Zhuiyuan felt puzzled, but apart from that one opening and closing of the eyes, the lion gave no further response.

Did you slip in while we were eating inside?

Forget it. I won’t scare you.

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and patted the lion head, then got out of the truck and went back into the restaurant.

After the meal, Li Zhuiyuan and the others simply walked back to school, while Tan Wenbin drove Zhou Yunyun and the Zhou brothers back to their respective campuses.

He dropped off the Zhou brothers first. They were a little drunk, both slapping Tan Wenbin on the arm and saying that once next month’s living expenses came from home, they would definitely treat him in return.

When he drove Zhou Yunyun back, she sat in the front passenger seat looking somewhat restrained.

Tan Wenbin noticed and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Should I not have come today?”

“Not at all. Weren’t they basically all fellow townspeople? Don’t overthink it.”

When they arrived at the gate of Zhou Yunyun’s school, Tan Wenbin got out and walked her over.

It was obvious that Zhou Yunyun was still feeling a little down.

Back at home, she had once said that being with Tan Wenbin felt like a dream, something unreal.

A woman’s feelings were delicate. She could sense that Tan Wenbin was holding something back in his heart when it came to this relationship.

Tan Wenbin reached out and gently rubbed her cheek, pretending to be playful. “Come on, girl, smile for your lord.”

Zhou Yunyun immediately burst out laughing. Back when they were in school, Tan Wenbin, still acting as Left Protector, had used the same line to tease her. The next line had always been: If you won’t smile, then your lord will smile for you.

It was an old joke, but because it stirred up old memories, it had the same effect as before.

The disappointment left Zhou Yunyun’s face, and she reached up to straighten Tan Wenbin’s collar.

After fixing it, she was just about to step back when Tan Wenbin gently pulled her into his arms.

At a university gate, that kind of gesture could not have been more normal, yet Zhou Yunyun still blushed bright red.

Tan Wenbin said softly, “Class monitor, there are some things I have to go do first.”

“Then go do them. I’m not stopping you.”

“Wait for me.”

“How long?”

“Hm? Already afraid it’ll be too long? Woman, are you really that practical?”

“I just want a date in my heart, something I can look forward to.”

“I don’t know how long either. I wish I had something to look forward to too. You are what I’m looking forward to.”

…

Tan Wenbin pushed open the dorm room door and went back inside. Li Zhuiyuan was already lying in bed, ready to rest.

“Little Yuanhou, you’re going to sleep this early?”

“It’s not early.”

“Then I’ll wash up and sleep too.”

Tan Wenbin picked up his basin and went over to the wash area to bathe. Winter was beginning to show its face, and no one had to line up there for showers anymore.

He lit a cigarette and leaned against the sink, smoking silently.

Lin Shuyou happened to walk over, saw the scene, and hesitated like he wanted to say something but did not dare.

Tan Wenbin said, “If you want to say something, then say it.”

“Brother Bin, did your relationship fall apart?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“I didn’t mean anything, I didn’t mean anything, I really didn’t mean anything!” Lin Shuyou immediately shook his head, tense and guilty.

Tan Wenbin stubbed out the cigarette, picked up a basin of cold water, and dumped it over his head.

Splash...

He wiped his face and said with feeling, “Sometimes, having too many people you care about really is troublesome.”

Lin Shuyou said, “Yes, yes.”

“Yes what? Do you understand?”

“I can understand.”

“Heh. Then why don’t you find one? Back in lecture class, didn’t I notice you were pretty popular? Speaking of which, what kind of girl do you actually like?”

Lin Shuyou immediately picked up his own basin and dumped it over himself from head to toe.

Splash...

“Brother Bin, what did you just say?”

…

Li Zhuiyuan had a dream.

It had been a long time since he last dreamed. In the past, whenever he dreamed, he would quickly distinguish dream from reality and snuff the dream out. Ever since he learned how to walk the shade, the chances of dreaming while asleep had become even lower.

But this really was a dream.

In the dream, he was standing in a small stream, water submerging his calves.

The water was not cold. It was warm instead, and white steam rose all around him, as though it were flowing out of a hot spring.

But when the figure appeared ahead of him, Li Zhuiyuan knew this was not hot spring water.

The reason the water had warmth was because there was a lion standing in the stream ahead of him, its whole body burning with fire.

Li Zhuiyuan asked, “What are you trying to say?”

The lion turned its head toward the bank, then walked ashore.

Li Zhuiyuan followed.

The moment he stepped onto land, everything around him turned pitch black. The only sources of light were the burning lion and a candle stand in the distance.

The lion walked toward the candle stand, with Li Zhuiyuan following behind.

He was very curious why this lion spirit had paid such a tremendous price just to send him a dream.

The candle stand was right ahead. Li Zhuiyuan’s attention shifted from the lion to the candle flame, and his steps unconsciously moved that way.

But at that moment, the lion suddenly turned back and let out a roar at the boy.

“Roar!”

Li Zhuiyuan stopped in his tracks.

The lion scattered, turning into flames that spread in all directions and lit up the area around the candle stand.

…

At the same time, in the Zhou brothers’ dorm room, the golden lion head sitting in the corner suddenly caught fire.

“It’s on fire!”

“It’s on fire!”

The blaze was not large and caused no real damage. A basin of water was enough to put it out, but the lion head itself had been burned to ashes.

The Zhou brothers both looked extremely grim. The most precious part of a lion costume was the lion head. When they had left home for college, their grandfather had brought this golden lion out for them from the ancestral hall. It had the power to ward off evil and protect them.

Zhou Feng said, “Brother, what’s going on? Did the lion spirit show itself?”

Zhou Cheng said, “According to Grandpa, this should mean the lion spirit warded off a disaster.”

“For us?”

“Obviously. The lion spirit our family has been nourishing wouldn’t go help someone else avert disaster, would it?”

…

In Li Zhuiyuan’s field of vision, a person appeared, drenched from head to toe, the entire body soaked.

Its head was lowered, making it impossible to tell whether it was male or female.

It should have been a Dead Sinker, but the damp, chilling aura on it gave Li Zhuiyuan the same feeling he had gotten when he first encountered Little Oriole.

But at that time, he had not yet entered the path. He had only been an ordinary person, so feeling that way had been normal.

Now, however, he was no longer who he used to be.

So whatever this thing was that could still give him such a strong sense of eeriness, it was definitely no ordinary being.

It stretched out a hand and pressed it against the edge of the candle stand. Thick, yellowish, foul-smelling wax began pooling in its palm.

Once enough had gathered, it extended its hand toward Li Zhuiyuan.

A hoarse, suppressed echo rang out all around them:

“Be good… drink this bowl of soup.”

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