The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
The towering giant wave was split apart from the center, like a curtain being pulled back at one corner by someone. As the sea wave crashed onto the reefs, white spray fragments instantly splashed over ten meters.
This time, Chen Ling wasn't sent flying.
He stood amidst the gap in the giant wave. Apart from the sky full of fragmented waves drenching his entire body, he wasn't affected otherwise.
His tightly closed eyes slowly opened. Anger and sorrow still remained in his pupils, as if he hadn't yet snapped out of the substitution just now.
"Is this... [Sleeve-Hand Pushing Heaven]?"
Chen Ling looked down at his own palm, still repeatedly feeling the resonance from that split second. He seemed to understand what Ning Ruyu described as integrating belief into the Path of the Actor felt like.
The strike he just pushed out had a lethality stronger than [Judgment Court] fully released right now, higher than the Third Tier, but whether it could contend against a Fourth Order Domain remained unknown... Chen Ling could feel that the upper limit of this secret technique went far beyond this.
As long as the substitution was deep enough, as long as the resonance was strong enough, the power of [Sleeve-Hand Pushing Heaven] could still be elevated several times over. Of course, this level of substitution absolutely couldn't be achieved at any time; it required the right time, place, and people.
As the sea waves on the reefs gradually receded, the scene surrounding Chen Ling also faded bit by bit.
The sky and the sea surface rapidly folded up, like pieces of paper being folded by someone, eventually all shrinking into Ning Ruyu's palms. Only the completely drenched Chen Ling was left standing in front of the Ancient Vault of the Drama Path's entrance, with water stains continuously spreading downwards from his hair ends and clothes' corners.
"Little Junior Brother, how do you feel?" Ning Ruyu put away the Optical Disc and smiled as he spoke.
"...Very wondrous." Chen Ling paused for a long time before putting his hand down. "However, I've already memorized this feeling."
"That's for the best."
"The four basic secret techniques of Singing, Speaking, Acting, and Acrobatics, plus [Paint the Rosy Face], you have mastered all the foundations of the Ancient Vault of the Drama Path... These will be things that forever accompany you by your side, and also gifts prepared for you by the Master's sect.
With them around, even if one day you are stripped of all Divine Pathways and even skills, losing everything, relying on just these five secret techniques alone will allow you to possess combat strength not inferior to any Divine Pathway...
They will accompany you to the final moment."
Chen Ling turned around and looked at Ning Ruyu, Luan Mei, and Wen Renyou, the three who stood shoulder-to-shoulder. A hint of gratitude flashed in his eyes.
He raised his hands again and bowed deeply to the three senior siblings, as well as the entire Ancient Vault of the Drama Path behind them:
"Many thanks to all senior brothers and senior sister, and please also thank Fourth Senior Brother and Master for me... Chen Ling will forever engrave the kindness of the Theater Dao in his heart."
"Little Junior Brother, you must be careful going to the Red Dust Domain this time," Luan Mei reminded.
"Be careful of the Lord of Wuji, I understand."
"Although you must also be careful of the Lord of Wuji, he is after all one of the Nine Monarchs. To maintain the stability of the Wuji Domain's Domain, he cannot easily leave... Furthermore, if he wants to make a move against the Red Dust Domain, it shouldn't be that fast. [Floating Life Painting] is no vegetarian either." Luan Mei added,
"Besides him, you must be even more careful of the Red Dust Domain itself.
The Red Dust blinds the eyes, you must not be confused by its superficial appearance... You must make good use of your eyes, break through illusions to spy on the truth."
Hearing this, a hint of confusion flashed in Chen Ling's eyes. If Luan Mei was talking about the dirty unbearable truth behind the false prosperity, he had already experienced it long ago. But he always felt that Senior Sister was alluding to something else.
Ning Ruyu also said seriously:
"It shouldn't be long before the Lord of the Red Dust awakens either... If the people from the Wuji Domain truly make a move against Red Dust, Little Junior Brother, you must not get swept in. The war between Realms has nothing to do with us, there's no need to take risks.
Our goal is only to retrieve the Lord of the Red Dust's corpse and complete the Realm Funeral, it's that simple."
Chen Ling nodded slightly, "I understand."
Chen Ling glanced at the sky. It wasn't long until dark, so he once again bowed to bid farewell to his three senior siblings, turned around, and walked straight outside the door of the Ancient Vault of the Drama Path.
As that Great Crimson Theatrical Robe pushed aside the curtain, his figure completely disappeared within the Ancient Vault of the Drama Path.
The three senior siblings didn't leave, but still stood quietly on the spot, looking in the direction Chen Ling left, silent without a word... They seemed to still be waiting for the curtain to be pulled open again, for Chen Ling to return, and then smile helplessly and say: 'After thinking about it carefully, I'm still not leaving.'
The Ancient Vault of the Drama Path was still that Ancient Vault of the Drama Path. Everything would be comfortable and joyful just like the past half a year.
But unfortunately, the return they anticipated did not happen.
They saw Chen Ling return to Clown Peak, hug Clown to say goodbye, then take one last look here, returning to the Gray World alone, his figure disappearing at the end of the horizon.
A few minutes later, Ning Ruyu withdrew his gaze and let out a long sigh:
"...He still left."
"If Little Junior Brother remained safely and steadily in the Ancient Vault all along, then he wouldn't be Little Junior Brother." Wen Renyou spoke slowly. "Chicks must always flap their wings and fly high, let alone an eagle like Little Junior Brother?"
"Alright, it's not like he won't come back..." Luan Mei looked at the melancholic Ning Ruyu and couldn't help but roast, "First Senior Brother, you're truly getting on in years, why are you acting like a mother?"
"??? Second Brother, the moment Little Junior Brother leaves, you start being presumptuous, huh."
"Hasn't she always been like this?" Wen Renyou rubbed his chin. "When Little Junior Brother was around, she was still holding back a bit... Now she's probably tired of holding back."
Luan Mei shot him a cold side-glance, "When Little Junior Brother was around, you cooked seven or eight dishes a day... Today that Little Junior Brother left, you're not allowed to be short a single dish either."
"Isn't that a waste??"
"With Fifth Brother around, will it go to waste?"
"...That's true."
With Luan Mei's interruption, the originally oppressive and melancholic atmosphere finally livened up a bit. The three turned around and walked back inside the Ancient Vault of the Drama Path again.
They passed through zone after zone, eventually returning to that vast, lush grassland. Under the azure sky, the breeze blew, and six small houses sat in the distance, as if situated in an utterly beautiful fairyland.
Seeing this scene, the three suddenly fell silent.
"These... should we still continue?" Luan Mei turned to look at Ning Ruyu.
Ning Ruyu looked around with a complex expression and shook his head,
"This was originally built for Little Junior Brother. Now that he's left, there's no need to continue expending the Ancient Vault's power to maintain it, let's dispel it... However, leave Little Junior Brother's home."
Wen Renyou slowly stepped forward, reached out his hand towards the grass beneath him, felt around for a moment, then as if grabbing onto something, slowly lifted it.
The next moment, the distant snow mountain began to fold and shrink. The azure sky and the boundless grassland all converged towards Wen Renyou's palm like a tide.
The sky turned into a black roof, and the grassland turned into an ordinary floor. In the dim faint light, wooden shelves surrounded the open space. Some had scripts and traditional operas recorded in text placed on them, while others were completely empty...
Just like a dream-like scene in a movie, as the film ended, it gradually dissipated, and the surrounding environment returned to its original appearance.
Ancient Vault of the Drama Path, [Script Zone].
Among the five empty wooden shelves, the Home of Old Six where Chen Ling lived for half a year stood towering within. The colorful flags no longer fluttered with the wind, dull and lusterless among the dim bookshelves... As if the originally boundless grassland was but a grand dream.
Three figures stood among the dim bookshelves, silent like sculptures.
At this moment, in Wen Renyou's palm, an Optical Disc flickered slightly:
—"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (USA), Ben Stiller, 2013.