Chapter 1401: The Red King’s Thoughts

The underground palace, which had been silent for a long time, was brightly lit again this night.

Small scorpions lined up to enter from the entrance, each carrying a plate of exquisite poisonous bug dishes on its tail hook. However, compared to last time, the quantity was much smaller. Moreover, countless poisonous bugs died every day in the Ghost Mockery Abyss due to infighting, and this bit of "ingredients" was just the tip of the iceberg.

The scorpions arrived at the entrance of the dining room, and bright firelight shone through the cracks in the door. From here, one could hear the laughter coming from inside.

Several small scorpions looked at each other:

【It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the Great King laugh so happily.】

After opening the door and entering, they saw Chen Ling and Ning Ruyu, each with several empty wine glasses in front of them, their faces flushed with drunkenness, looking as if they had already been drinking for three rounds.

"Let me tell you... Old Five doing this kind of thing isn't the first or second time... Two days ago, when Old Two went to collect the clothes, everyone else’s clothes were fine, but Master’s theatrical robes had a ghost face drawn on them... Do you know what he used to draw it?"

"What did he use?"

"He used the white ash from his own nose!" Ning Ruyu slapped the table. "You know Old Five; that white ash of his isn't some ordinary thing. Once it gets on something, it’s absolutely impossible to wash off. And the most critical thing is, whenever someone sees that smear of white ash, they can't help but laugh...

Do you know what the funniest part is?"

"What?"

"Master didn't notice at all! He happened to be wearing those theatrical robes down the mountain that day, and as a result, everyone he met on the road laughed at him. No matter how he changed his face, it was useless. It wasn't until he had finished his rounds that he realized it, found a mirror to look at himself... and then, he was so angry he laughed."

"Haha, and then?"

"Then Old Five got a severe beating, and Master confiscated his big rice spoon, giving him an ear-cleaning spoon instead, forcing him to dig out his rice bit by bit every day."

"Hahahahahahahaha..."

Chen Ling laughed loudly, a crystalline glint appearing in the corners of his eyes. He couldn't help but ask, "Fifth Senior Brother is too mischievous, isn't he?"

"He’s always been like this, but these past few months, he’s been playing extra pranks on Master."

"Why?"

"Who knows..." Ning Ruyu took a light sip of the Five-Poison Wine. "Perhaps he’s also blaming Master for driving you away."

The air suddenly fell into silence.

The smile on Chen Ling’s face stiffened. After a long while, he silently poured a large gulp of wine into his mouth.

"What about you guys... do you blame him too?"

"For us, it’s more of a lack of understanding." Ning Ruyu paused for a moment. "Because in our impression, Master has never been that kind of person... We believe he must have his reasons, it’s just that we can't see through the old man’s thoughts yet."

Chen Ling stared into Ning Ruyu’s eyes and suddenly chuckled:

"So... he sent you here to be a lobbyist?"

"The old man didn't say it directly, but I can guess his meaning... Otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to Old Four and the others' request at this time, yet only sent me alone." Ning Ruyu didn't intend to hide his intentions, but spoke straight to the point.

"Junior Brother, come back with me. Master probably wants to see you."

"Heh... probably??

If he wants to see me, why doesn't he come find me himself? If he wants to see me, why doesn't he tell you directly? Why use such a roundabout way??" Chen Ling’s hand holding the wine glass tightened.

"Who does he think he is? A high-and-mighty chess player, or an emperor who cares so much about the country that he makes others guess his thoughts?

Does he want me to obediently go back to see him without even being willing to say a single word directly?"

"Junior Brother..." Ning Ruyu opened his mouth, but didn't know how to answer, and ultimately could only fall into silence.

After a long while, he sighed heavily.

"To be honest, let alone you... even we can't understand what the old man is trying to do lately... He’s been spending more and more time in the ancestral hall, and the opportunities for him to come out and talk to us are becoming fewer and fewer... It seems like Master has something on his mind."

"He has his business, and I have mine." Chen Ling drank the Five-Poison Wine in his glass in one gulp.

"Senior Brother, I’m really happy you came to see me... but I won't go back with you to see him."

"Fine, I understand."

Ning Ruyu waved his hand and stopped mentioning it, instead raising his wine glass to clink it lightly with Chen Ling’s. "Never mind him, as long as we’re happy."

"Mm."

"This wine of yours is indeed strong. I can't drink any more... If I drink any more, I won't be able to go back later."

"If you can't go back, then don't. My palace has hundreds of rooms; there’s always a place for you to stay, Senior Brother." Chen Ling said with a wave of his hand.

Ning Ruyu shook his head: "No, Master only gave me 22 hours. I should go back in a while."

A flash of doubt crossed Chen Ling’s mind.

Not 12 hours, not 24 hours, but exactly 22 hours... Chen Ling captured this detail, and a thought emerged in his mind.

"Fine, then I won't keep you." Chen Ling stood up. "Senior Brother, after this drink, I’ll see you out."

"Haha, good!"

The two clinked glasses again and drank the last of the wine.

Ning Ruyu had indeed drunk a lot, enough to rival Jiang Xiaohua from before. By the time he left, he was walking a bit unsteadily...

Chen Ling escorted him all the way to the cliff of the Ghost Mockery Abyss. Fearing that he might get lost in the Gray Realm after drinking too much, he specifically prepared a centipede to send him to the Theatrical Dao Ancient Treasury.

Ning Ruyu stumbled onto the centipede’s back and waved goodbye to Chen Ling:

"Junior Brother, I hope we meet again at the Theatrical Dao Ancient Treasury."

Chen Ling smiled slightly. "Good... see you."

The centipede carried Ning Ruyu’s figure, crawling along the nearly vertical cliff like an arrow, and disappeared from Chen Ling’s field of vision in the blink of an eye.

The red theatrical robes stood silently in place. Once Ning Ruyu’s figure had completely disappeared, his gaze deepened once more.

He could feel that Ning Ruyu’s visit this time was absolutely not as simple as it appeared on the surface...

Was this a signal?

And what did this signal represent... What exactly was the Red King plotting again...

"22 hours, huh... it should be soon." Chen Ling roughly estimated the time, and it was about what he had expected.

He returned to the underground palace alone. The numerous torches had burned out by now, and patches of darkness encroached upon the place again, returning to the main theme of loneliness and deathly silence.

Chen Ling carried the remaining Five-Poison Wine, lay on the throne, and casually turned on the radio...

The sounds from the channels of different realms rang in his ears. After listening carefully for a while, there was nothing worth paying attention to. Chen Ling shook his head.

"Forget it... the survival of the realms, what does it have to do with me?"

Having said that, he drank all the remaining Five-Poison Wine and fell asleep on the throne, feeling dizzy.

……

……

I had to go to the Great Hall of the People for a meeting today, so I really didn't have time to update. Taking a day off~