Will Not Sing Again
Kong Baosheng's Grandmother died,
Before Chu Muyun arrived.
Kong Baosheng would never forget the helpless and complex gaze of that Doctor wearing a Woolen Overcoat, who called himself Mr. Lin's friend, after examining Grandmother's physical condition...
Even though Mr. Lin risked his life to bring back various medicines for him, in the end, it still couldn't save Grandmother's life. Under that kind of heartbreaking torment, any medicine lost its original effect. Kong Baosheng could only watch helplessly as the old woman who endured hardships to raise him was tortured to death alive on the bed.
Kong Baosheng couldn't understand. He clearly gave Grandmother her medicine on time, and she was clearly fine yesterday. How did she suddenly become like this today...
Even now, Kong Baosheng still hadn't recovered from the shock.
"Baosheng, the dead cannot be brought back to life... Grandmother has already left, you should arrange her funeral affairs," Li Qingshan said with a long sigh, looking at the body wrapped in the bedsheet.
Seeing Kong Baosheng like this, Li Qingshan also felt bad. Not to mention how much he usually liked this kid Kong Baosheng, Li Qingshan also depended on his grandmother since childhood. Just putting himself slightly in Kong Baosheng's shoes made him feel as if his heart was about to break, feeling incomparably sad.
Kong Baosheng blinked hard, determination surfacing in his red eyes. He used his hand to wipe away the tear stains on his cheeks and nodded heavily:
"I can do it... I will definitely do it well! Grandmother loved growing flowers the most before, I will definitely let her leave grandly."
Just as the few were talking, a red-clothed figure stepped over the threshold of the Jinghong Theater.
Uncle Quan, who was sitting not far away, was startled when he saw that translucent familiar figure, and then a look of terror surfaced in his eyes!
"You... y-you..."
Li Qingshan, Kong Baosheng, and Huang Suyue all turned to look, only to see a figure draped in a Great Crimson Theatrical Robe already standing quietly in the lobby, frowning as he observed all this.
"Brother Lin!"
"Mr. Lin?!"
"Special Envoy Lord!!"
The three shouted in unison.
Kong Baosheng was stunned. He blankly observed the translucent, ghost-like Chen Ling for a long time, then fell to his knees with a plop and broke down crying:
"Mr. Lin... I'm sorry... I'm sorry! If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have risked going out to get medicine, and you wouldn't have... Once I finish arranging Grandmother's funeral, I will immediately go down and personally apologize to you... What I owe you in this life, I will repay by working like a horse or an ox in the next life!"
Kong Baosheng kowtowed desperately to Chen Ling, kowtowing until a smear of blood stained the ground. Seeing this, Chen Ling immediately spoke:
"What nonsense... Stand up, I'm not dead yet."
The sudden speech of the "ghost" Chen Ling plunged the entire Jinghong Theater into dead silence.
"Brother Lin... you... what is this..." The first time Li Qingshan saw the translucent Chen Ling, he also thought he saw a ghost just like Kong Baosheng. But thinking about it carefully, Chen Ling wasn't dead at all!
"This thing is a bit complicated to explain. In short, my main body is not here, this is just a wisp of my consciousness." Chen Ling's gaze fell on that corpse on the lobby floor, his brows unconsciously furrowing.
"What's going on here?"
Knowing that Chen Ling wasn't dead and that what stood here wasn't a ghost either, everyone's expressions clearly relaxed. Li Qingshan briefly explained the news of Kong Baosheng's Grandmother's death, and Chen Ling was somewhat surprised.
Chen Ling didn't know the information about the "Philosopher's Stone", nor did he connect her death with the Wuji Domain. He merely felt that human life was sometimes indeed fragile; a single illness could take away everything.
He was silent for a long time before slowly spitting out two words:
"My condolences."
The current Chen Ling still hadn't stepped out from the influence of transforming into an "Audience" just now. The Fourth Wall still existed; even though it was already very weak, it still greatly reduced Chen Ling's empathy... He looked at Kong Baosheng with his red eyes, unable to empathize with his sorrow, but still replied according to human etiquette and manners.
Kong Baosheng was startled. He looked at that translucent red clothing, always feeling that Mr. Lin seemed to be somewhat different from before... but couldn't exactly point out where.
"I came over to inform you of something," Chen Ling's gaze swept over the crowd, getting straight to the point.
"...What?"
"The Realm War is about to break out, you guys need to leave here as soon as possible."
"Realm War??"
Huang Suyue was stunned. Among the people present, perhaps only she could instantly realize what this term meant. Her eyes were full of shock, "Special Envoy Lord, are you serious?"
"Of course," Chen Ling said solemnly.
"Right now, the Hall Masters and other members of the Floating Life Painting are rushing to the Realm border. It's estimated that the people from the Wuji Domain will also arrive soon... Once the Realm War begins, the affected area will inevitably be extremely wide, and the Red Dust main city will also become the enemy's highest priority target for attack.
Here, it is no longer safe."
"But... but if even the Red Dust main city isn't safe, where else can we go?" Uncle Quan frowned tightly.
"Go to Willow Town," Chen Ling looked at Li Qingshan. "Once the flames of war ignite, Willow Town will be the safest place in the entire Realm. You guys should set off as soon as possible."
Li Qingshan didn't understand why Chen Ling said Willow Town would be the safest, but he still chose to believe Chen Ling in the first instance, then asked in return:
"What about you? Brother Lin, are you safe?"
"I can protect myself well."
"But, what about the Jinghong Theater?" Kong Baosheng was at a loss. "The Jinghong Theater is still here. If we leave, won't there be no one here? Then where will we sing opera in the future? Where will the guests go to listen to opera?"
Kong Baosheng shook his head subconsciously, murmuring:
"No... I have to stay. Someone has to look after this place... We can't lose our Jinghong Theater."
"Baosheng, this is no longer about the Jinghong Theater." Chen Ling frowned slightly. "I said, the entire Red Dust Realm is in imminent danger. Not to mention whether the Red Dust main city will still be there after this battle, even if it is, not many people will survive. Who would still have the mood to listen to opera?"
"But what if? What if someone still wants to listen to opera in the future?"
"Which is more important, the opera, or your life? Can't you distinguish?"
"But, but the Theater House... it's our Theater House, Mister!!"
"So what? It's just a Theater House. It has already fulfilled its mission, that's enough."
"Then do you mean, you won't sing anymore in the future?" Kong Baosheng bit his lip. "You don't want the Jinghong Theater anymore either?!"
The sudden argument left Li Qingshan and Huang Suyue stunned in place. They never expected that Chen Ling, who was always the most reasonable, and Kong Baosheng, who revered him the most, these two could actually argue...
Just as Li Qingshan was about to speak up to persuade them, Chen Ling stared closely at Kong Baosheng and slowly said:
"On the day the Theater House opened, I set a rule: Jinghong Theater, No Performance on Rainy Days."
Chen Ling raised his hand, the large red sleeve pointing above the hollowed-out roof at the pattering falling rain.
"This rainstorm facing the Red Dust Realm won't easily stop... And the operas of the Jinghong Theater won't have a chance to be sung again."