The Fourth Wall
The next day.
Chen Ling got out of bed, washed up simply, and walked out of his room early.
Knowing that Master was going to personally teach him a secret method today, a sense of anticipation and novelty diluted Chen Ling's sleepiness. Although he had become familiar with his several senior brothers and sisters now, he actually hadn't had much deep interaction with Master, other than talking and eating with him every day.
In his cognition, aside from being unserious and unreliable, "mysterious" was the heaviest label on Master's body.
"【Little Junior Brother】!"
Just as Chen Ling pushed open his door, he saw 【Mo Jue】 walking over from a distance.
"Fourth Senior Brother, why are you here?"
"Master told me to come pick you up."
"Master specially chose a place for you, saying he was afraid of an accident occurring." 【Mo Jue】 glanced at the time and didn't explain much further. Instead, he directly reached out and lifted a curtain in the nothingness,
"Let's go."
Although Chen Ling was doubtful in his heart about what this so-called "accident" referred to, he still followed 【Mo Jue】 into the curtain. After a slight feeling of spatial inversion, his feet landed back on the ground.
Chen Ling's gaze swept over his surroundings, a hint of astonishment flashing through his eyes.
This was a 【The Theater】.
A 【The Theater】 within the 【Ancient Vault of the Drama Path】.
Chen Ling was currently standing in the aisle of the audience seats. Surrounding him were endless empty seats. What was strange was that the appearance and eras of these seats were all different. Some were ancient-style hard chairs knocked out of wood, some were comfortable and grand red chairs found in modern theaters, there were also pure white round chairs of Western style, and even a large number of oddly shaped small stools...
It was exactly as if countless 【The Audience】 from different eras had brought their own chairs and gathered neatly here, anticipating a brilliant 【Performance】 that spanned across time and space.
Following the aisle straight ahead was an ordinary 【Stage】. Not too big and not too small, with no luxurious decorations, nor was it too simple and crude. It was exactly like the "【Stage】" itself, simple and pure, stripped of all additional attributes.
"This is..." Chen Ling spoke, not understanding.
"The 【Performance Zone】." 【Mo Jue】 explained. "This area has two functions: '【Performance】' and 'Watching 【Performance】'."
"'【Performance】' takes place on the 【Stage】. All the plays, scenes, and props recorded within the 【Ancient Vault of the Drama Path】 can be freely utilized here. It's normally used as a place for creation and rehearsals. Whenever we occasionally want to rehearse some new operas or 【Performance】s, we come here.
'Watching 【Performance】' takes place in the audience seats. Whether it's an opera 【Performance】, a modern drama, or a sketch comedy or crosstalk, everything can be concretized on the 【Stage】. Whatever you want to watch, you can set it yourself...
Moreover, between the 【Stage】 and the audience seats, exists '【The Fourth Wall】'."
"【The Fourth Wall】?"
Coming from a 【Director-Screenwriter】 background, Chen Ling naturally knew what "【The Fourth Wall】" meant. This was a theatrical term referring to the dividing line between the stage and the audience on a traditional proscenium stage. It separated the actors and the audience, allowing the actors to focus more on the molding of 【The Role】 during the 【Performance】, while the audience could immerse themselves more deeply in the world of the drama.
And the implication of the "Wall" was "insurmountable". The 【Performance】 on the 【Stage】 would not spread to the audience, and the audience could not intervene in the 【Performance】.
It was exactly like a program playing on a television screen. No matter how much the mountains collapsed and the earth split, it wouldn't affect the people watching the television in the slightest. The same principle could be applied to novels, comics, movies, and stage 【Performance】s... In other words, as long as 【The Fourth Wall】 existed, a "story" was ultimately just a "story".
"What do you mean by the existence of 【The Fourth Wall】?" In Chen Ling's cognition, the existence of 【The Fourth Wall】 was only a concept, a terminology, an ethereal thing.
"Exactly the literal meaning." 【Mo Jue】 pointed at the 【Stage】. "Between the 【Stage】 of the 【Performance Zone】 and the audience seats, there exists a 'Wall'. Even if you detonate a nuclear bomb on the 【Stage】, we in the audience seats won't be affected at all, because 【The Fourth Wall】 has already divided us into two different worlds."
"So... here, 【The Fourth Wall】 truly exists?"
"That's right."
Chen Ling's heart was full of shock. The marvels of the 【Ancient Vault of the Drama Path】 truly exceeded his imagination.
【Mo Jue】 led Chen Ling all the way through the aisle, and very quickly arrived beneath the 【Stage】. At this moment, several figures were already sitting in the first row of audience seats. It was none other than the trio of Ning Ruyu, 【Wenren You】, and 【Luan Mei】.
Ning Ruyu was just about to open his mouth to explain something when a voice leisurely rang out from the 【Stage】:
"It was I, your Master, who told them to come and act as teaching assistants for you."
Chen Ling turned his head to look, only to see a youth draped in a 【Theatrical Robe】, leisurely sitting at the edge of the 【Stage】. And as he lightly waved his hand, bursts of sound echoed within the 【The Theater】.
Deng deng deng——
The lights around the 【Stage】 lit up one after another, very quickly illuminating the entire 【The Theater】 brightly.
"Master." Seeing Master appear, the several senior brothers and sisters, including Chen Ling, all stood up from their seats and spoke respectfully.
Master nodded slightly and continued:
"【Old Six】, how much do you know about 【Opera Masks】?"
Chen Ling pondered for a moment. "In drama, 【Opera Masks】 are the concretized reflection of a 【The Role】's character and identity. Different colors and 【Markings】 all have different implications, allowing the 【The Audience】 to know relevant information about the 【The Role】 at first glance."
"Not bad."
Master's gaze turned towards Ning Ruyu and the others. "Come, give your 【Little Junior Brother】 a demonstration?"
Ning Ruyu and the others exchanged a glance, then stepped onto the 【Stage】 in one stride. The four of them stood in the center of the 【Stage】, and the dazzlingly bright lights hit their bodies, instantly making them the visual focus.
"【Little Junior Brother】, you must watch closely."
As Ning Ruyu's voice fell, the eyes of the four slowly closed. Four completely different 【Aura】s began to spread across the 【Stage】. A terrifying oppressive feeling, like an unshakable mountain peak, pressed down from the space above this 【Stage】.
But perhaps because of "【The Fourth Wall】", Chen Ling didn't feel the slightest discomfort under this 【Oppressive Aura】. He stared unblinkingly at the 【Stage】. A moment later, completely different 【Opera Masks】 emerged on the faces of his four senior brothers and sisters!
Ning Ruyu's 【Opera Masks】 was extremely delicate and handsome. Aside from light-colored embellishments that made it even more handsome, there were also a small amount of 【Markings】 and lines, bringing a trace of sword-like coldness and solemn killing intent to this face that was as gentle as jade.
【Luan Mei】's 【Opera Masks】 didn't have complex colors or lines. It was as if some light colors were simply blurred onto her original face, giving a kind of fresh, refined, and worldly beauty, like a winter plum blossom in the twelfth lunar month, aloof and chilly.
Among the four, the one with the most flashy 【Opera Masks】 was 【Third Senior Brother】 【Wenren You】. The lines were bold and rough, and the color matching was bright. His already burly figure matched that majestic face, making people feel fear at first glance and not dare to look directly at him.
There were no overly distinct lines on 【Mo Jue】's face either, to the point where Chen Ling couldn't say what was special about it. The moment his gaze moved away from 【Mo Jue】's face, it was as if he had forgotten what that face looked like...
At this moment, all their other details seemed to have disappeared. There were only four 【Opera Masks】 with completely different styles, like labels, representing their respective 【The Role】s.
It was as if all the 【Male Lead】, 【Female Lead】, 【Painted Face Role】, and 【Secondary Male Role】 roles in human history had gathered together, condensed into these four faces, and revealed themselves in front of Chen Ling.