Chapter 603: Chen Ling Takes Command

Kong Baosheng pursed his lips and turned back:

"Sir, I'm going to buy medicine for my grandmother."

"What's wrong with your grandmother?"

“……I don’t know, she suddenly had an attack and was rolling on the ground in pain.” Kong Baosheng’s voice was already laced with a sob. “I really have to go to the pharmacy; I’ll be back very soon.”

The pharmacy…

Chen Ling glanced outside the theater, then at Wang Jincheng, who was sitting by the door, and a thought struck him.

“No, it’s too dangerous outside right now. You’re just a child; you can’t go out and take such a risk.”

“I know it’s dangerous, but Sir, I can’t just watch my grandmother die…” Kong Baosheng clenched his fists tightly, uncharacteristically defying Chen Ling. “Sir, please don’t stop me. I won’t listen.”

“I’m not asking you to just watch your grandmother die…” Chen Ling paused for a moment.

“You stay here and take care of your grandmother; I’ll go out and buy the medicine for you.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Kong Baosheng froze in place.

Wang Jincheng, who was sitting by the door on the verge of death, also looked toward Chen Ling upon hearing this. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes, followed by admiration and respect…

At a time like this, the vast majority of people in the Red Dust Main City were so terrified they had lost their wits, wishing only to drag others out of their cellars so they could hide inside themselves. Chen Ling and Kong Baosheng were likely just in an employer-employee relationship, yet Chen Ling was willing to go out and risk his life for this child. Such courage and resolve were truly rare.

This Boss Lin of the Jinghong Theater is a true gentleman…

“No, how could that be??” Kong Baosheng came back to his senses and hurriedly refused. “You have already been so kind to my grandmother and me; how could I let you risk your life for us…”

“Say no more.”

Chen Ling shook his head. “Time is of the essence; don’t waste it on meaningless arguments… Your grandmother is having an attack and needs someone to look after her. You stay here; we can talk about gratitude later.”

After saying this, Chen Ling didn’t look back, stepping past Wang Jincheng and heading out of the theater.

“Brother Lin! Wait for me! I’ll go with you!”

Seeing this, Li Qingshan followed Chen Ling without hesitation. “It’s too dangerous outside. If we go together, we can look out for each other… I can at least be of some help.”

Chen Ling looked at Li Qingshan’s earnest gaze, hesitated for a moment, then nodded:

“Alright, let’s go together. Director Wang, please rest here for now… If you can, please help me look after Miss Huang and the others as well.”

With that, the two walked straight out of the theater.

Wang Jincheng: …

Wang Jincheng hadn’t expected this either. He had only come to the theater to stop his bleeding, and somehow he had become a babysitter—and a babysitter for a Twilight Society stronghold, at that… However, his injuries truly prevented him from moving around outside, so staying here to guard against disasters wasn’t much of a problem.

Kong Baosheng stood there blankly, watching the two figures in green and red opera robes walk out the door and gradually fade into the howling, sighing wind. His eyes immediately turned red.

With his parents dead early and his grandmother critically ill, Kong Baosheng had endured much suffering and bitterness since childhood, which he had suppressed deep within what he considered a strong heart… But with his grandmother’s sudden deterioration, the strength deep inside him was crumbling. After all, he was still just a child; it was inevitable that he would feel panicked and anxious in such a situation.

But Chen Ling’s two simple sentences had easily shattered the strength Kong Baosheng had been feigning. Past hardships and bitterness welled up in his heart, and by comparison, everything he was experiencing now felt like an unreal warmth…

His body trembled slightly, not knowing what to say… This kindness was too great for him, so great that Kong Baosheng didn’t know how he could ever repay it.

Tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes, his anxiety and gratitude contained within them. He knelt down with a thud in the direction the two had left,

His forehead struck the ground heavily, making a loud *thump, thump, thump* sound!

“Thank you, Mr. Lin, thank you, Mr. Li… Thank you, Mr. Lin, thank you, Mr. Li… Thank you, Mr. Lin, thank you, Mr. Li…”

The boy’s choked murmurs mixed with the sound of his forehead hitting the floor, echoing through the theater. It didn’t reach the ears of Chen Ling and his companion, swallowed instead by the howling, sighing wind outside.

Uncle Quan, inside the theater, saw this scene and let out a long sigh.

“The world says that prostitutes are heartless and actors are unrighteous… It seems that saying is far too shallow.”

“That goes without saying.” Huang Suyu watched Chen Ling’s departing back and said firmly, “In ancient times, everyone looked down on the ‘lower nine trades,’ but professions have never been divided by nobility or baseness. Those who say such things are not necessarily more righteous or affectionate than the two of them.”

……

Outside the theater.

One red and one green opera robe walked through the sighing, howling wind, the hems of the robes flapping violently.

“Brother Lin, do you know where the pharmacy is?”

“If I remember correctly, there’s one at the end of this street, about a kilometer or two away.”

“That’s not far.”

“Indeed.”

“Brother Lin, we didn’t change out of our costumes or remove our makeup after the performance… Walking down the street like this, we shouldn’t scare anyone, right?”

“Besides those disasters, there’s no one else on the road now. But if we can scare those disasters, that would be even better.”

“Hahahaha, that’s true.” Li Qingshan laughed. “Come to think of it, the play wasn’t finished… The ancestors said: once the play begins, all eight directions listen. One direction for humans, three for ghosts, four for gods. Even though the audience ran away, those gods and ghosts are still here.”

Chen Ling had heard this saying too. Regardless of whether it was true or not, for this profession, stopping halfway through a performance was indeed improper.

His gaze swept over the empty street, then he looked back toward the theater. During the performance of *Mu Guiying Takes Command*, a certain emotion had seemed to well up in his heart, resonating slightly with his state.

He spoke subconsciously:

“In that case… let’s finish it.”

“Sing it now? Won’t that attract those disasters or the Jiangtian Sect?”

“If the disasters come, I’m not afraid. If the Jiangtian Sect comes, that’s even better.” Chen Ling smiled slightly. “Just now, which line was I at?”

“‘Suddenly hearing the drums and horns, my ambition to break the Heavenly Gate soars to the clouds’… But that should be near the end.” Li Qingshan recalled.

Near the end, huh… Chen Ling pondered the following lyrics and suddenly realized where the resonance in his heart had come from.

The corners of his mouth lifted involuntarily, his bright red opera robe flapping in the wind, the blue and silver headpieces he hadn’t yet removed swaying lightly… Makeup not removed, accessories still on, he hadn’t stepped off the stage of the performance. At this moment, he was still “Mu Guiying” in the play!

Chen Ling parted his vermilion lips, and a melodious yet sonorous singing voice instantly echoed across the street!

“If I do not take command, who will?

If I do not lead the troops, who will!

Tell the attendants to quickly ready my armor,

I shall take the commander’s seal to the field and lead the three armies!!”

【Audience Expectation +3】

【Current Expectation: 74%】