Chapter 68: The Drunken Guan Yu

Meng Fan and Gao Dazhuang followed along with the Shehuo parade in silence.

Suddenly, after downing several kilograms of strong liquor, the actor portraying Lord Guan changed his stride, broke away from the Shehuo procession, and strode with large steps straight into an alley, arriving in front of a Guan Yu Temple.

Gazing at the divine statue of Lord Guan, his expression filled with a sense of helplessness and bitter sorrow, he burned yellow paper money in front of the temple while shedding tears. Immediately afterward, he shook his head and departed once more, staggering with an air of helplessness.

Employing his Insightful Vision, Meng Fan looked at the man. He saw that the man was dressed in a green robe with golden dragon patterns and wielded a Green Dragon Crescent Moon Blade. His body was suffused with a faint divine aura, and the otherwise ordinary Guan Yu facial makeup was radiant with a brilliant, flowing golden light.

If one looked closely at the facial makeup, one could discover beneath it a weathered face covered in deep gullies.

"It's him!"

Meng Fan said to Gao Dazhuang.

The man left the Guan Yu Temple and continued to follow the Shehuo parade. Whenever he encountered people praying for physical health and well-being, he would wipe the red paint from his facial makeup and dot it onto their foreheads.

He wielded the Spring and Autumn Green Dragon Crescent Blade, having witnessed all the worldly sufferings and hardships of mortal beings. He wished to eradicate the injustice and unfairness in the world, yet he knew not where to begin.

"This person...?"

Gao Dazhuang furrowed his brows and could not help saying, "His condition seems very wrong!"

Meng Fan nodded. "The God-Status Mask is an art of actors and clowns, communicating directly with gods through song and dance, and conveying the will of the gods through mysterious and ancient rituals."

"It uses unknown methods to collect the spiritual energy emitted when people worship gods, and seals it away."

"When necessary, one performs. You perform until others believe it, until you believe it yourself, performing with your very life, acting as a god with your own body, and transforming into a god with your own self."

"Actors and clowns steal the power of human worship through unknown means, thus generating a certain power originating from belief; the consciousness generated on this basis, founded on legendary figures or deities, is called—the God-Status!"

"The mask is the carrier of the God-Status spirit. It requires prior rituals to attach consciousness onto it for the actors and clowns to use. From the very moment the facial makeup is applied to the face, one merges into a single entity with the role."

"This man's mastery of the God-Status Mask is extraordinary. At this moment, he is truly, undeniably Lord Guan!"

After the Shehuo concluded, Meng Fan and Gao Dazhuang found the man.

He had long since removed his makeup and was sitting in front of a small food stall, drinking gloomy wine while eating a bowl of spicy garlic sheep blood.

Meng Fan sat down opposite him. Looking at his aged, white-haired, and sorrowful face, he estimated that the man should be at least seventy years old, yet according to the records in the files of the Company, he was actually only around sixty.

Meng Fan cupped his fists and said, "Senior, this junior disturbs you for a moment. Might I be permitted to do so?"

The man swallowed the remaining spicy garlic sheep blood in a few gulps, wiped the chili oil from the corners of his mouth without a trace of hesitation, coughed a few times, and asked, "Speak. What business do you have with an old man like me?"

"Are you senior Lin Mingshu, Old Master Lin?"

That old master looked at Meng Fan, then glanced at Gao Dazhuang standing behind him, and smiled. "The person behind you is no ordinary figure. He came from that place."

"You are no ordinary person either. Your form is light yet your vital breath is heavy—you possess the bearing of a divine person!"

Meng Fan smiled. "I am unworthy of such high praise from you, Old Master. My visit this time stems from a rather unpolished request: I wish to borrow your family's cultivation method for the God-Status Mask to peruse."

Upon hearing this, the old man did not get angry at all. Instead, he let out a dry, self-deprecating chuckle. "Heh, an unorthodox wild opera like mine cannot compare to those great schools of thought. To think someone actually wants to learn this trick?"

Meng Fan nodded. "No matter what cultivation method it is, it was painstakingly explored by predecessors, consuming their heart and soul. How can there be any distinction of high or low?"

Afterward, Meng Fan modestly added, "To not hide it from you, my family's hereditary techniques are even worse. I am merely a beast-tamer looked down upon by everyone, a mere street performer."

Old Master Lin would not simply believe Meng Fan based on a few empty words. If he were truly just a street performer's skill, how could he possibly be protected by that kind of person?

Therefore, with a probing gaze, he asked, "May I know what you intend to use this cultivation method for once you have learned it?"

Meng Fan shook his head. "It cannot be spoken of in words, but I can guarantee that it will be used for the righteous path!"

The old man immediately wore an expression of understanding.

"Gao Dazhuang!"

"Give me the identification."

Meng Fan handed over the credentials of the 139th Division. Old Master Lin looked at the official seal, then looked at Meng Fan and Gao Dazhuang, and nodded, his eyes welling up with tears before he realized it.

It was mainly the upright temperament unique to Gao Dazhuang that made the old man feel a deep sense of familiarity, prompting him to choose to trust them.

He had performed as Lord Guan for a lifetime; he still possessed that bit of discernment for judging people. He let out a sigh and said, "Follow me, both of you. I will get it for you."

"Old Master, aren't you going to ask anything else?" Meng Fan asked curiously.

Who would have thought that the old man would point to Meng Fan's credentials and smile, saying, "Based on this seal alone, I trust you."

—————

Meng Fan obtained the inheritance of the God-Status Mask just as he had wished. The moment Old Master Lin handed it over to Meng Fan, his spine, which had always remained stiffly erect, seemed to bend, and he lost a portion of his spirit and vitality.

He said, "My master told me to pass it down, but for so many years, I have never been able to find a suitable successor. However, it is good now. Handing it over to you sets my mind at ease, and it can be considered fulfilling a wish in my heart."

Afterward, he was seen walking out with an untethered and carefree stride, still singing softly in his mouth, "Wearing a golden crown with phoenix feathers fluttering, phoenix eyes and silkworm brows revealing heroism. Loyalty and righteousness firmly support the master of the Han Dynasty, going into battle relying entirely on the crescent moon blade..."

Watching the departing figure of Old Master Lin.

With a complex expression, Meng Fan slowly said, "He doesn't have long to live."

"Why?" Gao Dazhuang was puzzled.

"Practicing the God-Status Mask means using one's own life to carry divinity. The weaker a person's physical life is, the greater the risk of losing one's original nature when using the God-Status Mask."

"What's more, by using the God-Status technique to dot foreheads for others to dispel illness and avert disasters, he is expending his own vital essence, breath, and spirit, as well as his cultivation. At his age, how much of the three treasures of essence, breath, and spirit can he possibly have left?"

"Moreover, I faintly perceive that his lungs seem to have hidden injuries. He can be considered a respectable person. Having performed as Lord Guan for a lifetime, how is he not Lord Guan himself?"

Pass through every barrier and overcome every hurdle; the road ahead is both brilliant and long.

There was actually one more thing Gao Dazhuang had not told Meng Fan. From the traces of Old Master Lin's walking, sitting, and resting, he could more or less discern the shadow of something identical to himself.

In other words, when that old man was young...

Meng Fan turned his head and looked at Gao Dazhuang. "Let's go. We should also go attend to our own matters. Let's return to the 139th Division first. Now that both items are in hand, it is time to put my ideas to the test."

Gao Dazhuang nodded. The moment he turned around, he silently paid his respects in his heart. Such people do not die; they merely fade away gradually.