EFB Chapter 66 Rouge
Chapter 66 Rouge
"This is 'God,' or in the play, he's called 'Qianjin Bai,' meaning that one glance from him is worth a thousand pieces of gold."
Lu Cheng looked at his still-shaken disciples and said calmly.
"On stage, why is it that some famous actors can blow the roof off with just one 'lucky tap' when they appear on stage?"
"Some extras shout themselves hoarse and still no one pays attention?"
"The problem isn't the volume of the voice, but whether these eyes can 'capture' the emotion, whether they can 'grab' people."
"If you cultivate this spirit, even if you don't have a knife in your hand, your gaze will be a knife, a gun, capable of drawing out a person's soul and then chopping it to pieces."
"From this day forward, every morning and evening, light an incense stick and stare at the tip. When the incense burns out, your eyes will not feel sore; when the incense burns, your eyes will not be disturbed."
"When you can look at yourself in the mirror and feel scared, then you've got the makings of a star."
"yes!"
The children got up from the ground, their legs were still weak, but their eyes shone even brighter.
Just as Lu Cheng had dismissed the children and was preparing to go back inside.
At the main gate, the sound of car brakes rang out.
Immediately afterwards, the familiar Manager Zhao, wearing sunglasses, ran in with a fawning expression, carrying a brocade box in his hands.
"Master Lu, Master Lu, this is a joyous occasion!"
Manager Zhao ran up to Lu Cheng, panting, and held the brocade box high above his head.
"The General has returned from hunting in the Western Hills. He heard that you killed Zhang Xiaolin with a single spear thrust, and he is overjoyed!"
"This was a special gift: a bank draft for two thousand silver dollars, plus this box of deer antlers from Changbai Mountain."
Lu Cheng took the brocade box and casually handed it to Shunzi, who was standing next to him.
"Please thank the Commander for me."
"That's natural, that's natural."
Manager Zhao showed no sign of leaving. Instead, he moved closer to Lu Cheng, lowered his voice, and his tone carried an ambiguity that only men would understand, along with a hint of anxiety.
"Master Lu, besides the General's reward... the one at Tingyuxuan is also waiting for you."
"Fourth concubine?"
Lu Cheng frowned slightly.
"yes!"
Manager Zhao wiped his sweat, his expression somewhat strange.
"Fourth Concubine said she didn't get enough of the play last time. Today, the Commander-in-Chief is hosting a banquet for his colleagues in the front hall and can't attend to the backyard."
"She specially... specially took a bath and changed her clothes, and prepared fine wine, saying that she wanted to ask you again about the 'Overlord's' spear technique."
"The car is right at the entrance. There's no one else here except the driver. We'll take you straight into the inner courtyard without anyone noticing."
Upon hearing this, Lu Cheng's eyes instantly turned cold.
Through Steward Zhao's sunglasses, he seemed to see the "Rouge Tiger" in heat in the warm pavilion of the Marshal's Mansion.
……
at the same time.
Marshal Ma's Mansion, Tingyu Pavilion.
The floor heating in the house was burning even brighter than usual, making it unbearably hot.
The heavy velvet curtains were drawn tightly shut, keeping the cold wind outside out of the house into another world.
The warm room was dimly lit, and the glass palace lantern burned with ambergris that seemed especially sweet at this moment, its smoke curling upwards.
In the center of the warm pavilion, there is a huge bronze mirror.
Yao Hong sat in front of the mirror, swirling a glass of deep red wine in her hand, but her eyes never left her reflection.
She had just taken a shower, and her slightly damp long hair was casually tied into a bun, with a few stray strands clinging to her slender neck.
She didn't wear her usual elaborate cheongsams, but only a wine-red silk nightgown.
The belt was tied very loosely, the neckline was slightly open, and with each breath, the shadow of the collarbone was faintly visible, flowing with a delicate, porcelain-like luster under the dim light.
This appearance lacked her usual fiery temper, but instead exuded a languid charm.
"Um……"
Yao Hong took a sip of wine, her red lips glistening with its liquid, making her appear even more alluring.
Ever since she saw Lu Cheng's performance of "Farewell My Concubine" that day, she has been bewitched.
The man's figure, his domineering gaze, and even the intense, sun-like masculinity emanating from him would creep into her dreams every night, disturbing her peace of mind.
Having been a kept woman in the warlord's mansion for so long, she had grown accustomed to those spineless sycophants.
She wanted that tiger.
She longed for the man who could firmly hold her heart, which was wavering amidst the lust for power.
"Why aren't they here yet...?"
Yao Hong put down her wine glass, her fingertips tracing a sharp sound as they ran across the smooth mirror surface.
She deliberately sent the commander away and let her guard down, like a pot of warm wine waiting for someone to lift the lid.
She was waiting for the man to open the door.
We await the arrival of someone who truly understands opera and the "Overlord" to break the deadlock at Tingyuxuan.
Just then.
Footsteps came from outside the door.
Yao Hong's heart leaped into her throat. She quickly adjusted her posture, turning to face the door, letting the light perfectly outline the curves of her figure, and her eyes instantly became tender and affectionate.
"Boss Lu, you finally..."
The curtain was lifted.
It was Manager Zhao who came in, all alone, covered in sweat.
Yao Hong's smile froze instantly, and the light in her eyes seemed to be extinguished by a bucket of ice water, turning into astonishment and a kind of incredulous anger.
Where are they?!
She grabbed the jade comb from the dressing table and smashed it hard.
Manager Zhao was so frightened that he knelt down on the ground with a thud, not daring to dodge, letting the comb hit his forehead and leave a big bump.
"Fourth, Fourth Concubine, please calm down!"
"Boss Lu, he said..."
"What did he say?!" Yao Hong's voice suddenly became sharp, her chest heaving violently, and the collar of her nightgown trembled slightly.
He said... those who practice martial arts emphasize strengthening their foundation and cultivating their vital energy.
"He also said... he was tired today and needed to rest."
"The threshold of this warlord's mansion is too high; he's just an opera singer, he can't possibly cross it..."
"fart!!"
Yao Hong suddenly stood up, and with a wave of her arm, swept all the bottles and jars on the dressing table to the ground.
With a sharp "crash," cosmetics and perfume spilled all over the floor, the rich scent instantly exploding in the room, pungent and unpleasant.
She was trembling with rage, her nails digging deep into her palms, and her exquisite makeup now looked somewhat ferocious.
"Abstaining from women? Tired?"
"This is an excuse, this is a slap in my face!"
"I, Yao Hong, have gone to such lengths... I've humbled myself so much, and he won't even bother to come and see me?"
An unprecedented sense of shame and frustration overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.
Looking at her disheveled appearance and angry face in the mirror, she suddenly felt both ridiculous and pathetic.
She was the fourth concubine of the warlord's mansion, a powerful and influential woman who manipulated men at will.
But in front of this man, all her bargaining chips seemed to have become a joke.
"Fine... fine, Lu Cheng."
Yao Hong slumped back into her chair, the anger in her eyes slowly subsiding into a deeper resentment, and a more... intense desire to conquer.
"You are a true Buddha, you are Liu Xiahui."
"OK."
"Let's see how long you can keep up this tough act."
"If you don't want to eat the meat in Beiping, there are plenty of people who will force you to!"
……
The Lu residence.
After seeing Steward Zhao off, Lu Cheng stood in the courtyard. The cold wind blew, and the restlessness in his heart dissipated a lot.
He knew what he had refused.
It was not just a woman's tenderness, but also a shortcut in this city of Beiping.
If you had gotten into the car just now, tonight would have been filled with the warmth and fragrance of a beautiful woman, and tomorrow you would have risen to great heights.
But once he took that step, his mind became chaotic.
When the mind is in turmoil, the fist falls apart.
If the newly comprehended "True Meaning of the White Tiger" is softened by the influence of cosmetics, then it will truly become a sick cat.
"cough……"
Lu Cheng let out a long sigh and turned back to his study.