Chapter 396: Home of the Sixth

This place still looked like a museum.

However, what was archived here were not discs or tapes, but carefully bound scripts... Countless scripts were neatly arranged together, extending forward according to category and chronological order, all the way to an end invisible to the naked eye.

But what surprised Chen Ling was not the scripts placed here, but the wooden cabinets that housed them.

Chen Ling stepped up to one of the wooden cabinets, reached out, and slowly rubbed the surface of the cabinet, as if feeling their texture... His brows furrowed involuntarily.

Too similar.

The cabinets used to store scripts here were exactly the same as the cabinets storing plays in the theater in his mind!

Whether in size, shape, or texture, Chen Ling couldn't find any difference... Was it the same cabinet? Or some kind of replica? If it was a replica, who imitated whom?

Chen Ling subconsciously pulled out a script and flipped through it in his hand. This script was also extremely similar to the plays in his mind; the font and margins were about the same, but the scripts here clearly carried a sense of the era, and one could tell at a glance that they were old objects.

If these were all coincidences, it would be too far-fetched. But Chen Ling thought about it carefully and felt it still couldn't be the same one; after all, that thing was in his mind, belonging to the ethereal, while these cabinets had probably existed for hundreds of years... If they were replicas, that was possible.

"This is the book area." Seeing Chen Ling so interested, Ning Ruyu introduced it,

"From the birth of writing, all opera scripts, storytelling manuscripts, crosstalk, poetry, plays, lyrics, etc... anything recorded in written form as a performance is here."

"Compared to the first two areas, the chronological span here is the largest, spanning thousands of years."

"Every manuscript here has witnessed the glory and decline of an era, whether it was a war that swayed a dynasty or the exchange of love between a woman and her lover in a boudoir, all are stored here."

"These performances intertwined together are an era."

Chen Ling now understood the general structure of the Ancient Treasury of the Opera Path.

From audiovisual-combined visuals to pure audio, to performances recorded in writing... The deeper one goes into the Ancient Treasury of the Opera Path, the older the era that can be traced, and the heavier the history they carry.

Chen Ling walked among these bookshelves, his gaze sweeping over lines of play titles. Among them were classic repertoires he was familiar with, as well as unheard-of lost editions. Going deeper, the bound books turned into individual pages, and then into bamboo slips...

Further back, Chen Ling couldn't even understand the characters on them.

At this moment, Chen Ling seemed to have discovered something and asked in confusion:

"Senior Brother, is something missing here?"

"What?"

"Opera scripts." Chen Ling looked around. "Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo, Chou... I don't seem to see a single volume of scripts related to these? Don't they also belong to the book category?"

Ning Ruyu was stunned for a moment, then smiled:

"Those? They’re kept somewhere else."

"Oh..."

"Actually, the Ancient Treasury of the Opera Path is very large, and there are more areas inside than just these. But today is mainly to familiarize you with the main parts. You can explore the others slowly in the future."

Ning Ruyu checked the time and turned to Chen Ling:

"Junior Brother, the place prepared for you is just ahead. Follow me."

This time, Ning Ruyu didn't pull open a "curtain," but walked straight to a wall and pushed hard.

Creak—

A large door appeared out of thin air on that wall, and following Ning Ruyu’s action, it slowly opened inward...

A breeze mixed with the fragrance of soil rushed toward him. In this enclosed museum, it made Chen Ling feel instantly refreshed. When he saw the situation behind the door, a look of astonishment appeared on his face.

Behind the door was actually a spacious outdoor area.

Under the azure sky, white clouds drifted leisurely. In the distance, snow-capped mountains lay like crystalline sleeping dragons on the earth. On that lush, fertile grassland, colorful flags fluttered in the wind, and several exquisite small houses were nestled among them.

Seeing the scene before him, Chen Ling was momentarily mesmerized. Blue sky, snow mountains, colorful flags, houses... This was simply like a scene from a dream.

He had thought that most of the Ancient Treasury of the Opera Path was something like a museum, but he hadn't expected such a place to exist.

"How is it? The environment is not bad, right?" Ning Ruyu walked to his side and asked with a smile.

"Do you all live here usually?"

"That’s right."

Ning Ruyu pointed to the houses. "The one furthest east is mine, the one next to it is the third’s, the fourth is in the north, the second is in the west, and the fifth’s is in the south... However, he has to guard the Chou Peak, so he probably won't come to live here often."

"Then what about me?"

"The newest one in the middle is yours. The third and the others just built it."

"So fast?"

"Remember what I said? The Ancient Treasury of the Opera Path is a universal stage."

Ning Ruyu smiled and led Chen Ling straight toward the houses.

Although these houses were not large, they looked very exquisite and comfortable. The thick walls perfectly insulated against the temperature difference between day and night outside. There was a small courtyard in front of the door, and a sign was stuck in front of the courtyard gate, with four large characters written on it:

"Home of the Sixth."

Chen Ling: ...

"Thank the senior brothers and sisters for me." Although the four characters looked a bit strange, Chen Ling still spoke sincerely.

"You just live here for now. If you need anything, tell your senior brothers... Also, the third can cook. When it’s mealtime, don't be polite, just take your bowl and chopsticks and go to his house."

Chen Ling nodded, then as if remembering something,

"By the way, where is Master’s house?"

"Master doesn't live here... He is in the deeper part of the Ancient Treasury of the Opera Path."

Ning Ruyu paused and added, "Of course, when it’s mealtime, he will still happily come over with his bowl and chopsticks."

After Ning Ruyu finished giving instructions, he said goodbye to Chen Ling and turned to leave.

Chen Ling walked around the house and found that the basic daily necessities were all there, and even the bed had been made, with everything inside and outside the house looking brand new.

Seeing this scene, there was a complex look in Chen Ling’s eyes.

He didn't know how the third senior brother and the others had built this house in such a short time. Perhaps with the blessing of the Ancient Treasury of the Opera Path, this was just a simple matter, but the act itself was of extraordinary significance to Chen Ling.

Chen Ling walked into the bedroom and naturally fell backward onto the bed, his bright red opera robe blooming on the snow-white sheets. He looked at the white ceiling above and fell into silence.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he muttered uncertainly to himself:

"In this era... I guess I have a place to stay now?"