Chapter 348: Scraping the Face

A few minutes later, three hot dishes were placed on the dining table.

These three dishes were basically all vegetarian: a plate of stir-fried greens, some water chestnuts, and only in the minced meat eggplant could one see a hint of meat color... But even if they were all added together, there probably wasn't even a fingernail's worth of meat.

"Brother Lin... our family is tight on money, we can't afford much meat, I hope you don't mind." Li Qingshan sat at the table and said apologetically.

Chen Ling shook his head. "Having something to eat is already very good. Thank you, Brother Li."

"Don't be polite. I can't promise much else, but there's plenty of rice."

Li Qingshan smiled slightly and picked up his chopsticks to eat.

Chen Ling was starving, and just as he was about to pick up his chopsticks, as if thinking of something, he turned his head seriously:

"Brother Li, I want to ask a question."

"Hmm? Go ahead."

"Has an opera troupe come to this town recently? About four people in total."

Chen Ling's top priority was to find the whereabouts of his mysterious master and the others. It was impossible for him to walk through the entire Red Dust Domain on his own, but since they were an opera troupe, someone must have seen them, and perhaps he could gather some information.

"A four-person opera troupe... that would be a very small scale." Li Qingshan frowned, as if recalling something, and then said firmly,

"No. If an opera troupe had really come, I definitely would have gone to see them. I haven't heard any news recently."

Chen Ling sighed deeply in his heart.

"So, you got separated from your own opera troupe?"

Li Qingshan was thoughtful, seemingly understanding why Chen Ling would be wearing an opera robe and makeup, and fainting alone in the forest behind the mountain.

"That's right." Chen Ling went along with it.

"That's easy to solve. Since you want to find your troupe, why don't you ask at the local opera guild?" Li Qingshan spoke again. "Small-scale troupes like that should all be registered with the guild. Where they perform and where they set up their stage all have to be applied for in advance..."

"Oh?"

Chen Ling's eyes lit up. This information was undoubtedly crucial to him. "In that case, how do I contact the opera guild?"

"At this hour, there shouldn't be anyone at the guild hall... Wait until they open tomorrow morning, and you can go with me." A hint of anticipation flashed in Li Qingshan's eyes. "Tomorrow happens to be the day of the guild's preliminary auditions for this year. I've failed in previous years, but this year, I must pass no matter what!"

Have to delay for another night, then...

Chen Ling had no other choice for now and could only agree.

In the most optimistic scenario, perhaps that mysterious master could sense the mark on him and find him here to take him away... But Chen Ling had never been one to pin his hopes on others. Relying on anyone was not as good as relying on himself. Besides, he didn't even know what kind of person that master was.

Under Li Qingshan's shocked gaze, Chen Ling ate five large bowls of rice in one go, which finally eased his hunger and helped him recover from his state of exhaustion.

Just as he was about to get up to clear the bowls, his expression suddenly changed!

"Hee-hee-ha..."

Chen Ling suddenly stuffed his mouth with another mouthful of rice.

Li Qingshan, sitting to the side, was stunned and looked at Chen Ling in confusion. "Brother Lin, what's wrong?"

Chen Ling's expression was a bit ugly. He took a deep breath, trying his best to suppress the intense urge to laugh, shook his head, and walked outside.

Once he reached the narrow kitchen and put down the bowl, Chen Ling managed to swallow the rice in his mouth, then began to sneer in a suppressed voice.

The white powder of the Clown role was like a ticking time bomb. Although it wasn't fatal yet, even an occasional laugh like this would make people think he was mentally ill...

He had to find a way to solve this as soon as possible.

That night, Chen Ling stayed at Li Qingshan's house. Fortunately, the Red Dust Domain was not cold, so sleeping on a mattress on the floor wouldn't be chilly. During this time, Li Qingshan offered to sleep on the floor himself, but Chen Ling refused.

After all, it was his first time meeting Li Qingshan, and Chen Ling never let his guard down. Even while eating, he deliberately paused to ask questions, waiting for Li Qingshan and the old lady to take a few bites first to confirm there was no problem before he picked up his chopsticks.

The more unfamiliar the place, the less one could afford to relax. Chen Ling didn't believe this domain was as simple as it appeared on the surface.

Night deepened.

When Li Qingshan and the others fell into a deep sleep, Chen Ling slowly opened his eyes in the darkness.

He walked out of the house silently. The black dog in the corner was about to bark at the shadow, but was stared back by a single glance... Chen Ling pushed the door open, walked out of the courtyard, and went alone to the deserted small bridge by the river. Under the bright moon, he frowned as he looked at his reflection in the water.

He narrowed his eyes, slowly took a short blade from his sleeve, and aimed it at his face...

The next moment, the blade pierced into his skin without hesitation.

Scarlet blood flowed down his cheeks and dripped onto the bluestone path. The muscles on Chen Ling's face trembled slightly, but he didn't make a sound. Instead, he silently carved one stroke after another until all the skin stained with the white powder was torn and bleeding.

Chen Ling's original appearance was quite handsome, especially after stepping onto the path of the Opera God; the details of his face had changed slightly, making his features even more outstanding. But he didn't care about that. After all, he had witnessed the demise of the Aurora Domain and had long since seen through the facade of the mortal world.

He knew that in this era, a pretty face was useless, and it could be discarded when necessary.

But unfortunately... even though he had scraped off that layer of skin and the white powder was no longer visible to the naked eye, the seal within his body still hadn't loosened.

The bright moon hung in the sky over the town. Chen Ling watched silently as the blood was diluted by the river water. Finally, on the shimmering surface of the water, only the reflection of a blood-stained, mangled face remained... He sighed deeply.

"Scraping off the surface is useless. I have to find a way to purge it completely... It seems I have no choice but to use that method."

Chen Ling had one last trick left, a trick only he could use...

Rebirth.

Since this mark was carved so deeply, he had no choice but to die once. In the process of his death and rebirth, all injuries and hidden ailments would be cleared. Even if the Clown's methods were powerful, they could never be stronger than the Theater itself. This method had a 99.9% chance of allowing him to get rid of this trace of white powder.

But the problem now was that the current audience expectation was only 49%. He needed at least 70% expectation to be reborn without side effects.

"Have to stir up trouble again, huh..."

Chen Ling pondered for a moment, then turned and walked back toward Li Qingshan's house.

……

At the first crow of the rooster in the early morning, Li Qingshan hurriedly began to wash up.

He first changed into a clean cyan long gown, then pinned up his hair, solemnly opened the black bag on the table, and took out a brush to apply makeup to his face, his expression serious and focused.

This process lasted for a full hour. Only after he had carefully examined his makeup in the mirror and confirmed there were no flaws did he hurriedly push the door open and walk out.

"Grandma! I'm leaving! I'll be back at noon to cook for you!"

He called out to the house, but just as he reached the door, he froze in his tracks.

The morning breeze, mixed with the scent of earth, brushed past the dawn-lit bluestone path. A figure draped in a bright red opera robe was already standing under the willow tree, and a black veil swayed gently in the wind across his cheeks...