Chapter 1457: Red King's Tears (Part 5)

The Red King's self-narration unfolded before Chen Ling's eyes like a script. He didn't seem to intend to reveal his entire life story to Chen Ling, but the few lines already contained the trajectory of his existence. By this point, Chen Ling had actually guessed the identity of the fourth-generation Red King, and when he saw the last line, his heart still trembled.

The next second, the scrolling script extended again like a disc, and a scene appeared before Chen Ling.The same ancient treasury of the Courtesan’s Path;The same tranquil lake;And…A mysterious black and purple coffin.He saw the figure cloaked in a large red opera robe standing before the coffin, motionless like a statue for a long time.

“Why…”“He knew very well that ascending the Red Star meant death! Why did he still go?!”“Even if he had to go, why didn’t he tell me in advance?! Why did he leave without a word!!!”Chen Yan’s eyes were bloodshot. He seemed to have collapsed, angrily questioning the figure lying in the coffin, his roar echoing through the sky.

“He didn’t mean not to tell you in advance… it’s just that he only deciphered the secret left by the previous Red King when the Red Star was about to descend,” the Gray King slowly spoke from the side.The Gray King of the fourth-generation world appeared to be male. He looked at the emotionally shattered Chen Yan, his tone as calm as lake water.“The third-generation Red King suffered an accident early on for some reasons, which led to a generational gap between him and the fourth-generation. He wasn’t like you, who met the previous Red King so early and grew up by his side, always having someone to back you up no matter what you did.You are fortunate; your life has progressed smoothly under the fourth generation’s guidance…But he wasn’t.Everything he achieved up to that point, he figured out little by little on his own.”

Chen Yan clenched his fists tightly, veins bulging on his neck. He stared at the silent, ferocious Nuo mask, tears streaming uncontrollably down his cheeks.He stood there for a long time, then tremblingly reached out a hand towards the Nuo mask that had never been unveiled.He had followed the Red King for so long, yet he had never seen the Red King’s true face beneath the mask.Now the Red King was dead…At least, he wanted to remember the appearance of the most important person in his life.

As Chen Yan slowly removed the ferocious Nuo mask, he first froze upon seeing the aged yet somewhat familiar face, then he began to tremble uncontrollably!“…………Brother???”The person now lying in the coffin was none other than… Chen Ling, who had long since died in the mass grave.Or rather,Seeing this scene, Chen Ling’s conjecture was confirmed.

Nuo is a combination of shamanism and opera. According to the timeline Chen Ling knew, Nuo should not have appeared in this era, as there were too few people capable of combining opera and shamanism; so far, there was only Shen Nan.But one person possessed this possibility.That was Yao.Yao himself was of the Shaman God path, and his younger brother Chen Yan was of the Opera God path. According to the original story, both brothers should have been buried in the mass grave. Chen Ling didn’t know what happened in that world, perhaps some fusion occurred between them, allowing Chen Yan’s Opera God aura to enter Yao’s body, creating the miracle unique to Nuo.In any case, in that world where no Red King intervened, Yao was the one who ultimately survived.He inherited Chen Yan’s power, becoming the true Nuo.That’s why, in Chen Yan’s fourth-generation world, the Red King rushed into their home immediately, saving Chen Yan before his heart was removed; that’s why, at the mass grave, he knew so much about everything that happened in District Three; that’s why he said Yao was ill and was supposed to die…Because, in Yao’s eyes, he himself was the one who had taken his younger brother’s life and talent, ultimately surviving.In this new world, he wanted to change all that.So he allowed his own death,Leaving the possibility of life to Chen Yan.He could have saved himself, but he didn’t, because he knew that only if the “brother” in Chen Yan’s heart died, could Chen Yan unreservedly embark on the Opera God path.Later, he meticulously cared for Chen Yan, teaching him opera secrets, giving him talismans, washing his clothes, bringing him delicious food. He did all this to compensate, to make up for everything he owed Chen Yan.

“Brother????”“How is this possible…”“How can you be my brother?!!”Chen Yan completely collapsed. He stared at that face in disbelief, his eyes filled with fury.Throughout his life, Chen Yan had only truly trusted and been close to two people: one was his brother Chen Ling, and the other was the Red King. When Chen Ling died in District Three, he gradually transferred that affection to the Red King. But only after the Red King’s death did he discover that his two spiritual pillars were, in fact, the same person.He had lost the person he loved most… twice.

“He didn’t get to see you one last time, but he wrote everything he didn’t get to say in this letter…” The Gray King slowly took a letter from his embrace and handed it to Chen Yan.Chen Yan tremblingly opened it.Perhaps due to the extreme urgency, the letter’s content was very simple. The Red King confessed the truth of everything to Chen Yan and apologized for his unannounced departure. He hoped that even without his protection, Chen Yan would still live well, take over the Red King’s position, and fulfill the objectives of the Twilight Society.

“Why… why can you say all this so easily??”“When I was little, you were there with me as I grew up! Now, you’re helping me get stronger!! Your shadow has been over my entire life; no matter the period, you were protecting me, guiding me… Now you’re dead, what am I supposed to do?! Can I just ‘live on’ and forget everything that came before?!”“I’m a human, not a machine!!”“If you were destined to leave me from the start, then why… why were you so good to me?!”“Brother…”“Say something…”“Answer me!!!!”Chen Yan roared, questioning the figure lying in the coffin. His emotions had completely shattered; reason and calm were thrown out the window. As he said, he was human, not a machine; no one could think and function rationally after losing a loved one.The Red King had been too good to him. The closer their relationship, the more painful this moment of separation.Moreover, their separation came without any warning, a sudden, devastating blow.What’s more, the Red King was also his brother.There was no more cruel torment in the world than this.

Chen Ling couldn’t bear to watch any longer. He quietly closed his eyes and sighed deeply.“So…”“You hid from me, avoided me, even openly admitted to manipulating me and guiding me to resent you… was it also so that when this moment arrived, I wouldn’t suffer as you did back then?”