Chapter 405: Who Am I!!

At Wenren You’s house.

"The [Mirror of True Self]?" Mo Jiao mused. "If I remember correctly, that mirror is for high-level Opera God Path practitioners..."

"That’s right." Ning Ruyu added.

"For those above the sixth stage of the Opera God Path, they have usually played hundreds or thousands of different roles. Due to repeated deep 'acting', they might get lost in the roles...

That mirror is placed in the [Appearance Area] to prevent losing one's inner self due to deep 'acting'. No matter how many times one experiences deep 'acting', as long as one goes there and looks in the mirror, one can see the 'true self' and return from the lost state.

However, there are only a few of us in the Archive, and no one gets lost. Plus, that thing is too big and takes up space, so it was sealed in the warehouse."

Reminded by Ning Ruyu, everyone remembered that such a thing did indeed exist.

"Little Junior Brother is only at the third stage, he shouldn't have done any deep 'acting' yet, right? Why would he need the [Mirror of True Self]?" Mo Jiao looked at their Master in confusion.

The beautiful young man stared at the void in the distance. The leisure and laziness on his face gradually faded, and his whole demeanor became serious.

He spoke slowly:

"That’s why I said, you underestimate him."

"His current state is not just as simple as deep 'acting'..."

……

"A-Yan?!!!"

"Brother?!!!"

Chen Yan’s voice sounded almost simultaneously.

Chen Ling stared blankly at the young man standing before him. A bright red opera robe was dazzling and vivid under the light. That familiar face lifted slightly, and the clear, black-glass-like eyes were full of shock and astonishment.

Chen Ling was stunned. He widened his eyes in disbelief and stood frozen in place for a long time;

"Am I dreaming?!" Two voices sounded simultaneously again.

At this point, Chen Ling realized something was wrong. He and Chen Yan looked up at the same time, only to see four large characters flickering slightly in the darkness above them.

— Breaking Delusion, Returning to Truth.

Is that mirror playing tricks?

The two sentences "A hundred faces, a thousand masks, ten thousand people, one life, one world, one true self" immediately appeared in Chen Ling’s mind. Now it seemed this mirror had something to do with 'returning to truth'...

But Chen Ling still wasn't sure: was the Chen Yan in front of him real, or an illusion created by the mirror?

"A-Yan, is it you, A-Yan?" ("Brother, is it you, Brother?")

"Damn it... what exactly is going on??"

Chen Ling’s brow furrowed tightly. He reached out tentatively, wanting to touch Chen Yan, who was within arm’s reach;

And Chen Yan also watched Chen Ling, slowly reaching out his hand, seemingly about to touch him...

Just then, Chen Ling’s body swayed slightly. A mass of light and shadow suddenly floated out from his body, turning into a third figure holding a kerosene lamp, standing on the other side.

Three lamp lights swayed silently in the darkness.

Chen Ling and Chen Yan were both stunned. They turned their heads to look at the same time, only to see another "Chen Ling" standing there, forming a triangle with them, also looking at the two in astonishment;

However, the difference between him and Chen Ling was that he wasn't wearing a bright red opera robe, but a simple Third District outfit, and his temperament was also very different from Chen Ling’s.

Chen Ling and "Chen Ling" locked eyes, their pupils contracting slightly;

"Who are you?!" ("Who are you?!")

"I am Chen Ling!!" ("I am Chen Ling!!")

"If you are Chen Ling, then who am I?" ("If you are Chen Ling, then who am I?")

The two spoke in unison, like two identical existences in a mirror, yet feeling like strangers to each other.

How could this be... appearing with a Chen Yan was one thing, but how could there be another me?!

Chen Ling’s brain was overloading. He couldn't understand anything before him.

Hum—!!

When the three figures appeared simultaneously, the entire [Mirror of True Self] shook violently, as if bearing immense pressure, and fine cracks began to spread across the surface of the mirror!

A sharp pain spread through Chen Ling’s mind. His facial features twisted in agony, and his thoughts became chaotic.

[Audience Expectation +3]

At this moment, Chen Yan and "Chen Ling"’s bodies also shook slightly, looking at each other in astonishment.

"Brother?"

"A-Yan?"

"Who are you?!"

"I am Chen Ling!!"

"No, I am Chen Ling! I am A-Yan’s brother!"

"You are Brother? Then who is he?"

"A-Yan, I am Brother! I am Chen Ling!!"

"No, you are not Chen Ling! I am Chen Ling!"

"I am Chen Ling! I really am Chen Ling!!"

"If you are Chen Ling, then who am I?!"

"You are me!!"

"No... I am not you! How could I be you..."

"I am you! You are also me! A-Yan is our younger brother! We are all Chen Ling!"

"Who exactly are you???"

"Who am I?!!!"

The chaotic voices almost burst Chen Ling’s brain. He curled up on the ground in pain, feeling as if he were about to split into three pieces. He stared with bloodshot eyes, talking to himself in front of the [Mirror of True Self].

[Audience Expectation +3]

Hum hum hum—

The [Mirror of True Self], as if receiving some invisible impact, vibrated at an increasingly high frequency. Cracks rapidly covered the surface of the mirror, making faint clicking sounds; it was already overwhelmed!

"Oh no, my mirror!!" Meanwhile, at Wenren You’s house, their Master stood up abruptly.

He took a step, pulled aside the curtain, and instantly vanished.

"Who am I?!!!"

Bang—!!!!

Following Chen Ling’s roar, the [Mirror of True Self] in front of him exploded. Countless tiny mirror shards, like shrapnel, instantly flew into every corner of the warehouse.

Chen Ling, who was closest to it, was riddled with holes in the first instance. His skin was torn, and scarlet blood flowed onto the ground.

His bloodshot eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground.

Half a second later, a young man wearing an opera robe stepped out of the void and slowly lifted the fallen Chen Ling.

Behind him, Ning Ruyu and the others followed. Seeing Chen Ling covered in blood on the ground, their expressions turned to shock.

"Little Junior Brother?!"

"Master, what happened to Little Junior Brother?"

Their Master glanced at him and spoke unhurriedly, "Don't worry, he’s fine. These superficial wounds will heal in a few minutes."

The other Senior Brothers and Sisters breathed a sigh of relief.

The beautiful young man moved his gaze away from Chen Ling and looked at the mirror shards all over the floor, a look of heartache appearing in his eyes.

"To actually break the [Mirror of True Self], this kid... But even so, it can only barely awaken a part of it..."

Meanwhile, a small figure walked over from the dressing room, scratching his head and listening to the sounds in confusion, seemingly unaware of what had happened.

The Clown walked to the door in a daze and saw Chen Ling lying in a pool of blood. His body shook violently!

His small, bean-like eyes looked at the injured Chen Ling, then at the shattered mirror not far away, and then at his own hands...

His eyes immediately turned red, and his body couldn't stop trembling.

"Eek!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"