Chapter 1803: Li Rider’s Request

Li Rider’s hand holding the chopsticks paused slightly.

Over these years, he had experienced too much. Establishing the Fire-Tamers sounded simple enough, but only he knew the twists, turns, and hardships involved… Plus, with the current strict supervision of the major prisons by the Chengtian Realm, he had to be cautious at all times while outside; one wrong move and he would be exposed.

Eighth-rank sounded quite impressive, but in this era, while eighth-rankers weren't exactly as common as dogs, they certainly couldn't be called all-powerful, able to come and go as they pleased.

But Li Rider naturally wouldn’t say these things. After a brief silence, he finally answered in an understated tone:

“……It’s alright.”

“What do you mean ‘alright’? You’ve lost a whole circle of weight.” Luan Mei sighed. “Since you’re back this time, let your Third Uncle feed you well… try to put that weight back on.”

Li Rider wanted to say something but stopped, a look of helplessness appearing on his face.

Returning after such a long time, his uncles and aunts hadn’t changed at all…

Li Rider clearly remembered that when he first returned to the Ancient Theater of Arts with Chen Ling, the four uncles and aunts were all stunned when they saw him… It was a kind of look Li Rider couldn’t understand; it wasn’t the look others gave a “heretic,” but rather a kind of… eerie shock?

Later, Li Rider asked his uncles and aunts about this, and most of them cleverly avoided the topic. Only Ning Ruyu patted his shoulder and said that the reason they were surprised was because they never thought Chen Ling would take on an apprentice…

But it was reasonable to think so; his master always seemed used to being alone, and suddenly bringing back an apprentice would indeed be surprising.

Later, as time passed, the attitude of the uncles and aunts toward him changed from initial subtlety to gradual warmth and patience, and then later, it was as if they had completely accepted him, caring for him in every possible way.

The things Li Rider had never felt from his master were filled in by his uncles and aunts. It was precisely because of this that he deeply respected and loved these seniors, and it was because of them that he slowly began to accept the Ancient Theater of Arts as his “new home.”

Just then, as if remembering something, he spoke hesitantly:

“By the way, Uncles and Aunts… do you know a ballad?”

“A ballad?” The three looked at each other. “What ballad?”

“Two days ago, when the Ruoshui Prison was destroyed, Master sang a ballad…” Li Rider recited two lines of the ballad’s lyrics from memory.

Hearing this, Ning Ruyu chuckled:

“Oh, you mean the [Requiem Ballad]?”

“Requiem Ballad?”

“It is one of the four secret arts of the Ancient Theater of Arts, capable of soothing the souls of the dead. It is usually only used when sending off a realm… This is a secret art created by your master’s master.”

Li Rider was somewhat surprised. “Master has a master too?”

“Of course.”

“Then… what kind of person was the Grandmaster?” Li Rider asked, with rare curiosity. “Where is he now?”

Ning Ruyu and the others fell silent.

The sound of stir-frying in the kitchen also paused for an instant.

Li Rider meticulously captured the subtle change in the atmosphere, and a vague thought surfaced in his mind… Sure enough, after the silence, Ning Ruyu answered softly:

“He… sacrificed himself.”

Li Rider’s pupils contracted slightly.

Sacrificed.

Li Rider immediately realized what these two words meant… The Grandmaster didn’t die of old age. This term was usually only used in the context of a confrontation with a powerful enemy. Was he killed in battle?

Li Rider’s deep blue eyes narrowed. Having kept his edge hidden since returning to the Ancient Theater of Arts, he revealed for the first time a sharpness that belonged only to the King of the Fire-Tamers:

“Do we have an enemy? Are they still alive?”

“……Nephew.” Luan Mei’s gaze was as deep as water.

“Our Twilight Society has only one enemy in the true sense……”

She raised her hand and pointed to the sky.

Li Rider’s gaze froze, as if he understood something, his expression complex.

The Red Star, huh… If it were a creature like a human or a calamity, no matter how strong, Li Rider felt he would surely find a way to crush them in the future. But the Red Star… not to mention how unsolvable that existence was, it wouldn’t even easily descend to Earth. In other words, any chance to deal with the Red Star in any era would only come once or twice.

Moreover, his master was already so powerful, and Li Rider dared not imagine how strong the Grandmaster must have been. Even at that level, he had still lost to the Red Star.

“So, Ruoshui-jun was just a beginning.” Li Rider paused for a moment. “Only after the Twilight Society sends off all the realms can the world be restarted……”

“Exactly.” Ning Ruyu nodded.

“However, your master is already looking for a way to completely destroy the Red Star… If it goes smoothly, that’s for the best; if not……”

Ning Ruyu didn’t finish the second half of the sentence, but Li Rider already understood what he meant.

But even the Grandmaster failed; could his master really defeat the Red Star? If he also failed, would he end up like the Grandmaster… sacrificed?

Li Rider was silent for a long time, and finally, as if he had made up his mind, he looked up at Ning Ruyu and the others:

“Uncles and Aunts, I… want to learn the [Requiem Ballad].”

As soon as these words were spoken, Ning Ruyu and the others were somewhat surprised.

“You… want to learn the Requiem Ballad?”

“Is it not allowed?” Li Rider asked back. “The Requiem Ballad shouldn’t be something that only the Theater God Path can learn… Master isn’t of the Theater God Path either; if he can learn it, I should be able to as well.”

“Although the Requiem Ballad doesn’t strictly require the Theater God Path, it’s not that simple. Unless one has strong talent in ‘theater,’ it’s very difficult to learn.” Mo Jiao added, as if recalling something.

“Your master has incredible talent in ‘theater’.”

Li Rider’s brows furrowed, and he fell into deep thought.

I don’t know how much time passed,

He still spoke, unwilling to give up:

“……I want to try.”

Ning Ruyu and the others looked at each other and nodded imperceptibly. Then Mo Jiao turned to Li Rider and said:

“If you want to try to learn it, I can teach you… However, you’d better not hold out too much hope.”

“Thank you, Fourth Uncle!” Li Rider was somewhat delighted. He then said, “Also… Uncles and Aunts, about this matter… could you please not tell my master yet?”

“Why?”

“……” Li Rider didn’t answer.

Ning Ruyu and the others understood Li Rider’s meaning. He was too proud, too concerned about his face. If he didn’t manage to learn what his master had learned, he naturally didn’t want Chen Ling to know.

Before Ning Ruyu could say anything, Wenren You walked out of the kitchen with the food.

“Dinner is ready.”

Wenren You placed the small bowl in front of Li Rider.

Li Rider looked at the “rice tower” piled up from the small bowl, thick and round, a full palm high, and his eyes widened in astonishment…

Wenren You handed this “eight-in-one” bowl of rice to Li Rider with satisfaction, continued to serve the other dishes contentedly, and then dropped a sentence:

“Remember to eat it all.”