Chapter 648: Parting at the Opera House

As Chen Ling’s words fell, Jinghong Building plunged into deathly silence once again.

Li Qingshan, standing to the side, subconsciously wanted to tug on Chen Ling’s sleeve to remind him to be mindful of his tone, but his fingertips only touched a void.

Li Qingshan certainly understood what Chen Ling meant—war was coming, and they definitely couldn't stay in Jinghong Building—but his phrasing was indeed too harsh.

For Kong Baosheng, there were only two most important things in the world: the grandmother who had raised him, and the Jinghong Building she left behind... When he was at his most desperate, he chose to sell Jinghong Building to pay for his grandmother’s medical treatment, and it was at that time that Chen Ling entered his life.

Perhaps, imperceptibly, Chen Ling’s status in Kong Baosheng’s heart had become as important as his grandmother’s; he owed him a debt of gratitude as heavy as a mountain.

For Chen Ling, Jinghong Building might just be a tool to complete a mission; but for Kong Baosheng, it was the legacy left by his grandmother, the place where he grew up, the opera house that he and "Sir" had opened after overcoming countless hardships and obstacles... When Jinghong Building became a hit, no one was happier than Kong Baosheng.

The spotless floor, the orderly seats, the kitchen always stocked with ingredients... This underage child did the work of several people alone, without a single complaint, because this place was his home.

The product of Chen Ling’s play-acting was the entire world in this child’s eyes.

Now, his grandmother was dead, and Chen Ling and Jinghong Building were his spiritual pillars... But Chen Ling chose to abandon Jinghong Building without a hint of nostalgia.

Sir was leaving, the opera wasn't being sung, and Jinghong Building was gone—what was left for him?

Kong Baosheng had nothing left.

It was like a wanderer who had left home since childhood; even if they possessed a brand-new house, "home" was no longer home... This was also why so many people were unwilling to leave their native land, stubbornly remaining in place despite the questioning or incomprehension of others. Sometimes, "emotion" rises above everything, including reason.

Li Qingshan could empathize with Kong Baosheng and knew why this child was so determined, or rather, stubborn about staying in Jinghong Building, but Chen Ling could not.

Chen Ling looked at those red eyes, his brow furrowed, feeling unable to understand... An opera house was just an opera house. Leaving here and saving one’s life was the most important thing; at worst, one could spend money to build a new one later.

Chen Ling could not empathize with Kong Baosheng. From the "audience" perspective, Kong Baosheng’s argument was unreasonable, even arguably dim-witted.

Kong Baosheng looked at Chen Ling, opened his mouth, but couldn't say a single word.

Pitter—patter—

Tears rolled down his cheeks onto the ground, just like the rain sliding across the hollowed-out roof, dripping into the buckets he had placed with his own hands. Not a single drop of rain touched the stage, but the floor beneath Kong Baosheng was mottled with water stains.

Chen Ling had intended to say more to Kong Baosheng, but at that moment, he seemed to sense something unusual and looked at the void above his head...

"I have something to attend to on my physical side." Chen Ling’s speaking speed increased slightly. "In any case, you must leave Jinghong Building as soon as possible. If nothing goes wrong, I will wait for you in Willow Town."

Chen Ling’s gaze swept over Li Qingshan, Kong Baosheng, and Huang Suyu in turn, his expression incredibly solemn.

"I understand." Li Qingshan took a deep breath.

"Brother Lin, go ahead and attend to your business. We will see you in Willow Town."

Chen Ling nodded slightly, his semi-transparent body fading further until it finally vanished into the void.

"Miss, let’s set off quickly!" Uncle Quan walked quickly to Huang Suyu’s side, his eyes full of anxiety. "If what that gentleman said is true, we absolutely cannot stay in the Red Dust Main City... Let’s go back and pack up, and we’ll head to Willow Town immediately."

Huang Suyu was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Li Qingshan and Kong Baosheng:

"I am truly sorry, but I need to go back and handle some matters regarding the Huang Financial Group before I can go to Willow Town... I won't be traveling with you two."

"No problem." Li Qingshan cupped his hands. "Miss Huang, we will see you in Willow Town."

"Mm."

Huang Suyu nodded, walked over to Kong Baosheng, crouched down, and spoke gently, "Baosheng, although your Mr. Lin spoke a bit harshly, he still did it for your own good... Don't be angry with him, okay?"

"I’m not angry with Sir; I’m just... just a bit sad." Kong Baosheng lowered his head, his voice choking.

"You go ahead, I still have to send Grandma off..."

Huang Suyu patted his head, exchanged a look with Uncle Quan, and walked straight out the door.

Drizzling rain dripped from the eaves like a curtain woven of crystal beads. A yellow dress stepped over the threshold of the opera house, and her gaze swept across the scarred main city street, her expression incredibly complex...

Uncle Quan followed hurriedly, opening an oil-paper umbrella to shield her from the swaying rain. Huang Suyu looked back deeply at the Jinghong Building sign before walking straight toward the end of the road.

"Uncle Quan."

"What is it, Miss?"

"In a while, send a cart of flowers to Jinghong Building."

Uncle Quan was stunned, remembering that Kong Baosheng had just said his grandmother loved growing flowers the most, and couldn't help but ask, "Are you doing this for that child?"

"This child has truly had it hard." Huang Suyu sighed long. "I wanted to give him a fund subsidy before, but he wouldn't accept it... Now, this is the only way I can help him."

"Yes, Miss."

……

Chen Ling’s consciousness returned to his body, and the blooming Red Dust Domain retracted into the flower.

He didn't have time to check the state of the flower, but looked up sharply. He saw the patterns of the relief gate clearly etched in the void, and above them, an abstract giant face was being outlined!

The Second Hall!

A pair of triangular eyes hung in the air like the sun and moon. It overlooked the incredibly tiny Chen Ling and spoke in shock:

" 'Guernica' has failed... How is this possible? What did you do?!"

Feeling the Eighth-Order pressure bearing down, Chen Ling’s expression turned incredibly ugly. He did not hesitate to activate [Cloud Step], attempting to flee into the distance!

However, no matter how much Chen Ling accelerated, he barely moved relative to the Second Hall. He was currently inside "Guernica," and this scroll was in the hands of the Second Hall—it was like Sun Wukong trapped in the palm of the Buddha; no matter how many somersaults he turned, he could not escape.

The Second Hall looked at the fleeing Chen Ling and the Plum Blossom 8 on his shoulder, a look of gravity appearing on its abstract face. Just as it was about to take action, a sudden flash of white light streaked across the void above!

"This is..." Chen Ling felt the white light flash by and was slightly stunned.

He looked up, only to see that in the pitch-black void, the face of the Second Hall had already vanished...