Chapter 1486: The Opera Face Has Spirit

Ugly Peak.

The Clown, who was dozing on a rock, suddenly opened his eyes. He fixed his gaze on the stone steps leading up the mountain and saw five figures walking up at a leisurely pace.

“Eeya—!!!”

The Clown sprang from the rock like a coiled spring, flying toward the figure in the lead.

Chen Ling only felt a blur before him as a figure like a cannonball crashed into his arms. Fortunately, his physical fitness was top-notch, and he caught him steadily, then smiled helplessly and indulgently.

“Fifth Senior Brother, does there have to be this kind of welcome ceremony every time?”

“Eeya—!”

“Haha, Old Five is like that. Last time, Old Four didn’t catch him in time and was knocked flying from the mountaintop all the way back to the foot of the mountain.” Ning Ruyu chuckled.

“……？”

The End-role’s mouth twitched, wanting to say something but stopping.

Luan Mei nodded slightly. “Now, besides the Eldest Senior Brother, only the Little Junior Brother can catch Old Five with his bare hands.”

“But Old Five’s strength seems a bit less today... Most likely he’s hungry.” Wenren You was thoughtful, as if already considering what dishes to cook later.

“Eeya!”

The smile on Chen Ling’s face grew brighter. He patted the Clown’s head.

“Fifth Senior Brother, let’s go, let’s go back to the Ancient Treasury to eat.”

“Eeya eeya!”

Chen Ling carried the Clown like that and strode toward the edge of the cliff. As the void curtain parted, the figures of the group disappeared from the spot.

……

On this day,

the Opera Path Ancient Treasury was exceptionally lively.

Iron pots sizzled over hot flames, the enticing aroma whetting everyone’s appetite. Colorful flags on the houses snapped in the prairie wind, and the faint scent of earth mixed with the alluring smell of cooking smoke, spreading through this daydream-like paradise.

Wenren You was cooking.

The End-role was washing dishes.

Ning Ruyu lay on the grass, lazily soaking up the sun.

Luan Mei was being dragged by the Clown to squat on the ground, helplessly and patiently playing with stones...

The figure in the red-bottomed, black-patterned opera robe stood quietly by the window. The distant snow-capped mountains looked like a painting framed by the window, serene and beautiful.

Chen Ling closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. Only at this moment did the pressure he had been carrying in the Lingxu Domain completely release, and he felt entirely relaxed.

This was his first public appearance since becoming the Red King, and it was a risky move he had taken with all the Twilight Society members. It would be impossible to say he felt no pressure, but becoming the Red King meant he had to suppress all these emotions deep inside, never letting his companions or enemies see his hesitation or wavering.

Fortunately, regardless of the process, the result of this meeting was very good.

Chen Ling turned and walked toward the back. He stepped out of "The Daydreamer" and arrived among the cold bookshelves of the Opera Path Ancient Treasury...

He looked at the four empty bookshelves around him, a flash of complexity in his eyes.

Ning Ruyu, Luan Mei, Wenren You, and the End-role were not "people" in the real sense... They were existences born from the essence of the four major opera roles—【Sheng】, 【Dan】, 【Jing】, and 【Mo】—from ancient times to the present. In other words, they were artifact spirits born from the Opera Path Ancient Treasury.

They were the first to follow the previous Red King, and from the moment the Red King took control of the Opera Path Ancient Treasury, the four of them had already become a part of the Red King...

Therefore, they became the earliest four K-cards of the Twilight Society.

The final "Painting of Cinnabar" drawn by the Red King for Chen Ling not only handed over the authority of the Opera Path Ancient Treasury to him but also entrusted the four senior brothers and sisters to him. After all, if the Opera Path Ancient Treasury were without a master for even a day, the four of them, as artifact spirits, would naturally cease to exist.

Who could have imagined that Chen Ling, once nurtured and cared for by his four senior brothers and sisters, had now become the foundation of their existence...

Now, the four of them existed because of Chen Ling.

Chen Ling’s fingertips gently rubbed the surface of the bookshelf. Through these four bookshelves, he could clearly sense the state of his four senior brothers and sisters and feel their joys and sorrows... Not long ago, their moods had hit a low point due to the death of the Red King. Even though they could still force a smile for Chen Ling at the time, the sadness in their hearts could not be hidden from him.

But now, Chen Ling could feel that the pain in their hearts had healed somewhat.

“Little Junior Brother! Dinner’s ready!!”

Wenren You’s shout came from afar.

“Coming!”

Chen Ling replied, took his hand off the bookshelf, and with a flicker, stepped back into "The Daydreamer."

Ning Ruyu was already seated at the dining table, next to the Clown, who was hugging a large rice bucket. Wenren You and the End-role seemed to be busy in the kitchen serving dishes, and Luan Mei handed a rice bowl filled to the brim with rice to Chen Ling...

Chen Ling’s mouth twitched slightly.

“Senior Sister... isn’t this a bit too much?”

“Little Junior Brother, you’re at the age where you’re still growing; you should eat more,” Ning Ruyu said seriously.

“That’s right.” The End-role walked out of the kitchen wearing an apron and placed the dishes on the table. “Besides, you’re the Red King of the Twilight Society now, with a thousand things to attend to. If you don’t eat enough, how will you have the strength to be busy?”

“Eeya!”

The Clown held chopsticks in one hand and a rice scoop in the other, raising both hands to show his agreement.

Seeing this, Chen Ling could only smile and take the rice bowl. The five brothers and sisters sat around the table, which was already filled with dishes.

“Little Junior Brother, how do you feel today?” Ning Ruyu asked while putting food in Chen Ling’s bowl.

“Hmm... not bad, very smooth.”

“But that Lord of Lingxu’s strength is indeed unfathomable,” Luan Mei added. “Even when Master was alive, he might not have been able to beat him.”

“That’s not for sure. Isn’t the Lord of Lingxu’s ability mathematics? Our Opera God Path is the least scientific thing there is.”

“That makes sense too...”

“Eeya!”

“Haha, Old Five, you can’t underestimate that Lord of Lingxu. Maybe he really will be our greatest opponent in the future.”

“But Little Junior Brother’s potential is no weaker than his. Little Junior Brother just needs some time to grow.”

“Why is everyone putting so much pressure on Little Junior Brother? In my opinion, Little Junior Brother should rest more. If that Lord of Lingxu dares to come and kill us, I’ll fight him to the death!”

“But come to think of it, the women in the Lingxu Domain are naturally beautiful,” Luan Mei suddenly added.

“Hmm? That’s true!”

“Counting his age, Little Junior Brother is at the age to take a wife...”

“Hey, what do you think of the commander of the Moon White Knight Order?”

“Hmm... she is quite fair-skinned.”

“Little Junior Brother, what do you think?”

As the conversation shifted, Chen Ling buried his head lower and lower while eating. The large bowl of rice was finished in just a few bites.

Acting as if he hadn’t heard his senior brothers and sisters’ discussion at all, he forced a smile.

“Senior brothers and sisters! I’m done! You guys take your time!”

After saying this, he flickered and fled in a panic.

The senior brothers and sisters looked at the empty rice bowl, exchanged glances, and laughed silently.

In the Opera Path Ancient Treasury,

Chen Ling’s figure passed through various areas,

and finally, he arrived at the deepest part of the Ancient Treasury... As Chen Ling’s footsteps stepped onto the barren wilderness, the outline of a shrine appeared before his eyes.