Chapter 1619: Baosheng

"Mr. Lin... is it Mr. Lin who has returned?"

A weak voice came from the bed. The teenager struggled to sit up, and the dim light spilled in from the window behind him... In the haze, a white bandage stained with blood was wrapped around his eyes.

The moment he saw this, Chen Ling’s heart felt like it had been stabbed, and he stood there like a statue.

"*Cough cough cough cough*..."

"Mr. Lin, don't come near me, stay further away... I have several viruses on me, they will infect you."

Kong Baosheng turned his head, as if listening to the movement at the door. He seemed to have identified the figure outside the door; after all, the only person who could be brought here by Li Qingshan at this time was Chen Ling... He spoke while coughing weakly, his tone full of worry.

Chen Ling’s hands beneath his sleeves clenched silently. After taking a deep breath, as if he hadn't heard Kong Baosheng’s warning at all, he walked slowly toward the bed.

Hearing Chen Ling walking toward him, Kong Baosheng was somewhat at a loss. He wrapped himself in the quilt and moved backward cautiously, seemingly wanting to keep a safe distance from Chen Ling.

"Mr. Lin, don't come any closer, my illness is highly..."

"Don't be afraid." Chen Ling’s deep voice interrupted his words directly. "If these viruses could infect even me, then I'm afraid all of humanity would have died out already."

Chen Ling was a Calamity, the strongest creature in this world. He ate those poisonous insects from the Ghost Abyss as snacks; what virus could infect him?

Hearing Chen Ling’s response, Kong Baosheng froze slightly...

Then a smile squeezed out from his pale lips:

"As expected of Mr. Lin."

These five words were Kong Baosheng’s worship, but they landed in Chen Ling’s heart like five thorns. An indescribable pain and guilt surged from the bottom of his heart. He sat by the window, watching Kong Baosheng blankly for a long time before asking softly:

"Baosheng, what happened to your eyes?"

"Mm... I just got sick, and then, one of the viruses attacked my eyes." Kong Baosheng’s voice grew smaller and smaller, adding, "But it's actually fine, it doesn't hurt that much, it's just... just that I can't see."

Chen Ling reached out gently, his fingertips touching the corner of Kong Baosheng’s bandaged eyes. The latter immediately shrank back in pain, as if electrocuted.

In the dim light, Chen Ling’s gaze was incredibly complex.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lin." Kong Baosheng took the initiative to break the silence.

"I prepared that invitation and asked Mr. Li to help me deliver it to you... Actually, actually it's nothing major, I just wanted to invite you back while I could still barely see things... I wanted you to take a look, take a look at what the Jinghong Pavilion looks like now."

"I've been reading the newspapers, I know Mr. Lin is very capable and busy with many things... I thought, maybe if you could spare even a few hours, that would be enough. After all, it was you who gave me hope back then; without you, there wouldn't be today's Jinghong Pavilion..."

"You don't need to apologize to me, Baosheng." Chen Ling said softly. "I should be the one apologizing to you... I came late."

Chen Ling’s apology was sincere. He hadn't expected that behind that invitation lay Kong Baosheng’s last "light"... He had perhaps just wanted to invite him back before he became completely blind, and then, as Li Qingshan said, witness the brilliance of this opera house in Kong Baosheng’s hands.

Unfortunately, he had missed it in the end. When he rushed over, there was only an empty opera house and a completely blind Kong Baosheng.

"I'm already very happy that Mr. Lin could come back." A smile appeared on Kong Baosheng’s lips beneath the bandages.

"Actually, I had prepared several programs for that day, and I even wrote a script myself and hired the best opera singer in this domain, wanting to perform for you..."

"I'm back now." Chen Ling said earnestly. "I have plenty of time, I can watch slowly."

Kong Baosheng shook his head, a bitter look appearing on his face:

"Mr. Lin... those opera singers died of illness one after another a few days ago."

Chen Ling froze in place.

Kong Baosheng sat on the bed, lowering his head slightly.

"Mr. Lin, the Jinghong Pavilion is still the Jinghong Pavilion, but the current Cangyun Domain is no longer the Red Dust of the past... Now, people are dying everywhere, and even I... probably don't have many days left."

"No." Chen Ling grabbed his hand. "Baosheng, you won't die... I will find a way to cure your illness. You're only ten-something, you're still young, the Jinghong Pavilion needs you."

Kong Baosheng felt the warmth from his palm, and the smile on his pale face became even brighter. He seemed to have fulfilled his wish, and even the haze of illness on his body seemed to have lessened...

He didn't respond to Chen Ling’s words, but spoke gently:

"Mr. Lin, your room has always been kept for you, it's still in the same place..."

"I don't have the strength to cook anymore, I've stored some dry rations in the kitchen. If you're hungry, you can eat some... but the taste definitely isn't as good as when I make it, please don't mind."

Saying these words seemed to have exhausted all of Kong Baosheng’s strength, and he became drowsy.

Chen Ling saw his exhaustion and didn't say anything more. After telling him to rest well, he walked out of the room.

Outside the room, Li Qingshan had been waiting for a long time.

This was the first time Li Qingshan had seen Chen Ling’s expression so compassionate and dejected. He could probably guess what the two had talked about, and after a long sigh, he comforted him:

"Brother Chen, Baosheng and I both know that you must have encountered something that prevented you from coming to see the performance... You don't have to feel too guilty, really, Baosheng is already very happy to see you."

"How long has he been sick?"

"Must be... a month and a half."

"Have you seen a doctor?"

"I have, I even used my privileges to take him to see the Medical God Path in the Cangyun Domain... But they are already driven crazy by work. They said that there are at least thirty types of viruses spreading throughout the Cangyun Domain, and they are iterating too fast. Baosheng is infected with at least three different viruses, so even they have no way."

Chen Ling took a deep breath, nodded to show he understood, and then the wheelchair floated up gently, rising straight to the second floor of the opera house along the stairs. This brand-new Jinghong Pavilion was indeed much better than the one in the Red Dust, and Chen Ling’s wheelchair didn't make a harsh creaking sound as it moved across the floor.

When he reached the second floor, he opened a room door with familiarity, and everything familiar caught his eyes again.

Seeing this perfect one-to-one restored room, Chen Ling’s gaze deepened. He went straight to the bed and sat down, his thought storm leaving his body and flying straight in a certain direction...