Chapter 408: Awakened Talent

Boom—boom—boom—boom—!!

A massive roar echoed from afar, and the entire grassland shook violently, as if an earthquake were occurring.

At the foot of the snow-capped mountain, a short figure was frantically smashing his head against a massive boulder. With every collision, spiderweb cracks spread across the surface of the rock, and after a few hits, it was already teetering.

"Eeya!!!!!"

The Clown smashed his head into the rock, shattering it into a shower of debris. He lifted his bright red forehead, his beady eyes filled with anger and guilt.

"Old Five... the little junior brother's injury really isn't your fault."

"Yeah, Old Five, you were just hiding in the clothes, you didn't do anything. The curtain on the mirror was blown away by Master; it really has nothing to do with you."

"Even if you hadn't taken the little junior brother to the [Skin-Appearance Zone], Master would have used the Mirror of True Self on him sooner or later."

"Old Five, stop blaming yourself. We all know you didn't mean to hurt the little junior brother..."

"If you keep smashing like this, the whole mountain will collapse in a minute."

“……”

Several senior brothers and sisters surrounded the Clown, trying to persuade him earnestly.

The Clown acted as if he hadn't heard them. His eyes were bloodshot, and after letting out a loud "Eeya," he found an even sturdier rock and began smashing his head against it again—thud, thud, thud.

Just then, the End-Role walked over hurriedly from a distance.

"The little junior brother is awake!"

Hearing this, the Clown's movements came to an abrupt halt.

The other senior brothers and sisters looked delighted and immediately headed toward Chen Ling's room. Ning Ruyu walked a few steps, then looked back at the Clown, who was still standing there, and asked in confusion:

"Old Five, aren't you coming?"

"...Eeya."

The Clown struggled for a long time, then turned back around and continued to smash the mountain with his forehead—thud, thud.

Seeing this, the others smiled helplessly. They knew the Clown's personality, so they didn't force him to come along and instead headed toward Chen Ling's house.

"How is the little junior brother doing?" Ning Ruyu asked the End-Role.

The End-Role opened his mouth, hesitating to speak.

Seeing this, everyone's expressions changed. "Could it be that his injuries haven't healed yet?"

"The injuries healed a long time ago, it's just... sigh, you'll see for yourselves in a moment." The End-Role really didn't know how to describe the scene, so he just smiled with a strange expression.

The group walked across the grassland in confusion and soon arrived at Chen Ling's house. Before they could even push the door open, they heard a melodious singing voice coming from inside:

"I urge my King to drink and listen to the song of Yu, to ease your worries and dance in the twilight. The ruthless Qin has broken the empire, and heroes rise from all sides to wage war. The ancient saying does not deceive me: success and failure, rise and fall, happen in an instant. Ease your heart, drink your wine, and sit in the tent; let us wait to see what news the scouts bring~" (Note 1)

The group was stunned.

They were all too familiar with that voice. Just a few days ago, it had sounded like a broken saw, echoing across the grassland with harsh, grating notes.

But now, it sounded like a clear spring bubbling; every word and phrase hit the pitch perfectly. The voice was clear, melodious, and incredibly infectious.

"Could this be..." Astonishment appeared in Wen Renyou's eyes.

The End-Role smiled helplessly and pushed open the courtyard gate.

They saw a figure draped in a bright red opera robe dancing in the courtyard. His movements were supple, his posture precise, as if a brilliantly talented actor were perfectly portraying the role of "Consort Yu." Even the strictest Luan Mei couldn't find a single flaw.

"Is this the little junior brother??" Ning Ruyu asked in disbelief.

"How is this possible?" Luan Mei frowned. "It's only been a few days. How could his body become this flexible... And those footwork patterns, I never taught him those."

"Who knows? He became like this after he woke up."

The End-Role shrugged. "I thought he had been possessed by something unclean and went to find Master immediately. The old man said this is the little junior brother's true level."

The End-Role had been the first to discover that Chen Ling had no talent, and he was also the first to witness his transformation. He had been completely stunned when he heard Chen Ling sing in an opera voice for the first time; only he knew how shocked he had been at the time.

The senior brothers and sisters looked at each other.

As Chen Ling finished the last passage, he closed his eyes and let out a long breath...

In this body that originally belonged to Chen Yan, there lay a terrifying talent for the Way of the Opera God, along with the crystallization of years of practice. Before this, it had all seemed to be sleeping in the deepest depths, but under the influence of the [Mirror of True Self], it had finally fully awakened.

Chen Ling could feel that when he sang, the talent and instincts of this body completely took over everything... In other words, during that process, he and Chen Yan were completely fused into one.

Perhaps just as Chen Yan said, as long as Chen Ling believed he was alive, he was truly alive.

Every time Chen Ling sang, every time he danced, Chen Yan was with him.

Chen Ling opened his eyes again and saw his senior brothers and sisters standing at the door, looking at him as if he were some kind of rare animal.

"What's wrong?" Chen Ling asked in confusion.

"...Little junior brother, how are you feeling?"

"Very well."

Chen Ling rolled up his sleeves. The scars from the mirror shards had all fallen off, and he was completely recovered. His eyes were as bright as stars.

"That's good, that's good..."

"Fourth Senior Brother, is it time for class?" Chen Ling seemed to remember something and looked at the brightening sky. It seemed that his sleep had lasted until dawn.

And according to the "class schedule," this session was the End-Role's "Singing" class.

The End-Role finally came back to his senses and nodded. "Yes, little junior brother, although you've made great progress, you still shouldn't be arrogant. Let's start class..."

The End-Role gave the other senior brothers and sisters a look, and they immediately understood, temporarily retreating from the courtyard to give Chen Ling a quiet and focused learning environment.

But they didn't go too far; instead, they quietly gathered by the wall and pricked up their ears to listen to what was happening inside.

"Little junior brother, I listened just now, and your pitch accuracy has improved very quickly. We should be able to move past this basic step... Today, Senior Brother will teach you to sing 'The Case of the Beheading of the Husband'."

The End-Role took a deep breath, about to give Chen Ling a demonstration, but Chen Ling, who had been in deep thought for a moment, spoke a step ahead:

"驸马爷近前看端详～上写着秦香莲她三十二岁，状告当朝驸马郎，欺君王瞒皇上……" (The Prince Consort, come closer and examine this—it is written here that Qin Xianglian is thirty-two, accusing the current Prince Consort of deceiving the King and hiding the truth from the Emperor...)

Chen Ling's lips parted, and the melodious singing voice fell like clear spring water. There was not the slightest hint of hesitation between the words and phrases as he fluently sang the entire "Case of the Beheading of the Husband."

As the last word fell, both inside and outside the courtyard, there was dead silence.

The End-Role's mouth hung slightly open. After a long while, he came to his senses and chuckled, "It seems the little junior brother has already previewed this piece. Then today, let's learn 'The Women Generals of the Yang Family'..."

"风萧萧雾漫漫星光惨淡～人呐喊胡笳喧，山鸣谷动……" (The wind is whistling, the fog is spreading, the starlight is dim—people are shouting, the Hu flute is blaring, the mountains are ringing and the valleys are shaking...)

"Then how about 'Yue's Mother Tattoos the Words'..."

"鹏举儿站草堂听娘言讲～好男儿理应当天下名扬……" (Pengju, stand in the hall and listen to your mother's words—a good man should naturally make a name for himself in the world...)

End-Role: ...

……

……

Note 1: Selected from "Farewell My Concubine"