Chapter 467: Face Makeup

"Sixth one, what do you see?" Master’s voice sounded from the side.

"I see... faces, and labels?"

"In my view, those aren't labels, but the 'anchor points' of the characters."

Master spoke calmly. "Face makeup is the condensation of a character. Even if you ignore everything else, as long as this face exists, their joys, sorrows, and thoughts remain eternal... It's like a giant anchor on a ship, pinning the character to the turbulent sea. No matter how the plot surges, the ship remains there, and he remains himself."

"Anchor point..." Chen Ling muttered to himself.

"You, too, are a ship currently sailing on an ocean of unprecedented confusion. But your hull is weak and fragile; as soon as the confusion stirs up even a slight wave, it could shatter you into pieces."

Master turned his head, his deep eyes gazing at Chen Ling, and said slowly:

"To overcome the confusion, you need to find an 'anchor'."

"You mean, I need a face makeup?"

"To be precise, you need a face makeup that belongs to you—a face makeup that belongs to 'Chen Ling'... Only then, when you feel lost about your own existence, or even when your mind is swallowed by confusion, will you have a glimmer of hope to find yourself again."

Master’s voice echoed in Chen Ling’s ears, profound and mysterious. Chen Ling felt as if he understood, yet also as if he didn't.

"Then... what exactly should I do?" Chen Ling asked, puzzled.

Master didn't explain further, but instead asked:

"If you had a face makeup of your own, which category do you think it would belong to?"

Chen Ling’s gaze swept across the four faces of Sheng, Dan, Jing, and Mo, and he began to ponder.

Up until now, the one he was most familiar with was probably the "Dan" role, after all, this body was supposed to be Chen Yan’s... But thinking carefully, the existence of face makeup was a manifestation of his personal will. In his self-perception, he was "Chen Ling" and not "Chen Yan," so naturally, he couldn't measure himself by a simple "Dan" role... But the others—[Sheng], [Jing], [Mo], [Chou]—didn't seem to have much to do with him either... Could it be the [Sheng] role? That didn't seem right either...

Five face makeups flashed before Chen Ling’s eyes. After thinking for a long time, he shook his head:

"I... don't know."

"That's normal," Master said leisurely.

"After all, a person is not a labeled 'character' in a story, but a highly complex composite of personalities. Everyone has shadows of [Sheng], [Dan], [Jing], [Mo], and [Chou] within them; it's just a matter of degree."

"The process of painting your own face makeup is essentially the process of knowing yourself—peeling away the layers of your past and present, turning them into lines and color blocks, and manifesting them into a unique face..."

"This process is [Painting the Crimson Face]."

Hearing this, Chen Ling roughly understood the meaning of the three words "Painting the Crimson Face," and why Master had said this secret technique could help him break through the confusion. Although he couldn't remember what exactly his confusion was, having the "anchor point" of face makeup meant that, at the very least, he wouldn't be easily lost.

"Please teach me, Master," Chen Ling said respectfully.

Master waved his hand, signaling that Ning Ruyu and the others could step down, and said:

"Painting the Crimson Face is a long process, and the face makeup that belongs to you will change as your experiences grow... What you need to do now is to paint a prototype of a face makeup based on your current understanding of yourself."

"How do I do that?"

"Step onto the stage."

Chen Ling didn't hesitate and stepped onto the stage. Ning Ruyu and the others had already returned to the first row of the audience, leaving Chen Ling alone on the empty stage.

He stood on the stage, looking at the empty audience below, and couldn't help but think of the theater in his mind... Fortunately, the two were different. Most importantly, there were no damn "audience members" in these seats here.

Master then stepped onto the stage and beckoned. A brush appeared out of thin air in his palm. The handle was pitch black but uneven, as if polished from some ancient animal bone, and the bristles were as white as fresh snow—he didn't know what kind of creature's fine hair it was.

With the appearance of this brush, an inexplicable feeling surged into Chen Ling’s heart. The snow-white tip seemed to possess the power to purify everything; just looking at it made one’s mind go blank involuntarily...

Master stood before the stage curtain, facing Chen Ling on stage, and spoke again:

"Sit down."

Chen Ling sat cross-legged, his back to the audience.

"Next, I will teach you a passage of lyrics."

"Once you have memorized it, I will use this brush to guide you into a state of 'no form, no self'... In that state, your consciousness will enter a 'pseudo-dormancy,' retaining only a sliver of wisdom, and your face makeup will be in a state of absolute blankness. At that point, you will use the lyrics to awaken yourself bit by bit."

"In this process, the experiences and emotions hidden in your past will turn into lines, outlining the prototype of the 'Crimson Face'."

Chen Ling nodded heavily: "I understand."

"Good, then listen carefully..."

Master’s lips parted slightly, and a cryptic, convoluted passage of lyrics echoed in Chen Ling’s ears. Not only were the singing style and melody extremely difficult, but they also resonated with spiritual fluctuations. If Chen Ling’s [Singing] skills weren't incredibly solid, he probably wouldn't have been able to reproduce it at all.

Chen Ling frowned, listening earnestly as Master sang it several times before he finally memorized it.

"Have you memorized it?"

"Yes."

"Sing it once for me to hear."

Chen Ling immediately opened his mouth and sang the lyrics. There wasn't the slightest error in rhythm or wording; he had basically perfectly replicated Master’s singing style. The four senior brothers and sisters below were clicking their tongues in wonder, seemingly marveling at Chen Ling’s monstrous talent.

After listening, a look of satisfaction appeared on Master’s face. He nodded slightly:

"Very good. Next... it’s up to you."

Chen Ling took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes, like a red-robed statue with its back to the stage.

Master stood before him, his youthful face showing a steadiness and depth beyond his years. He slowly raised the black-handled, white-bristled brush and tapped it lightly on Chen Ling’s brow...

The next moment, Chen Ling felt a chill spread from his brow, followed by a heavy blow to his head, and his consciousness plummeted as if jumping off a cliff!

Everything before him was pitch black.

On the stage, a touch of white spread rapidly across Chen Ling’s face, instantly covering his original features and skin, as if he had put on a pure white mask... clean, pure, and full of infinite possibilities.