Chapter 345: Red Dust

The drizzling rain created ripples on the small river, tinkling like crisp silver bells.

On the damp bluestone path, a figure pushed a wooden cart. The wheels rolled over the moss between the flagstones, causing the cart to bump and sway occasionally. The person, dressed in a blue robe, slowly advanced through the misty drizzle.

*“A lone horse leaves Xiliang behind,**Tears stream down my chest, uncontrollable.**Green are the mountains, verdant the waters, a vibrant world,**Xue Pinggui returns like a solitary wild goose…”*

The clear, resonant, and melodious singing voice of the person in blue echoed through the misty alleys. He tilted his head back, letting the rain trickle down his neck without evasion, seemingly completely immersed in the lyrics, his eyes shining bright like stars.

At the same time, on the wooden cart piled high with firewood, a figure in a red robe blinked slowly and opened their eyes.

Chen Ling was awake.

The first thing that met his eyes was the sky-blue sky, covered by light rain clouds. Fine, needle-like rain pattered on his face, bringing a hint of coolness. On either side, white walls with gray tiles receded, along with lush, green willows swaying in the wind by the banks.

Where was this...?

Seeing this scene, Chen Ling momentarily thought he had traveled back to a modern-day Jiangnan water town. But as his consciousness gradually cleared, he remembered that he had just been in the pale flower fields of the Gray Realm.

Was this the Red Dust Realm?

How did he get in?

Chen Ling felt completely bewildered. He rubbed his head and slowly sat up from the pile of firewood. Even with a slight effort, he could still feel the weakness in his body.

"Oh? You're awake?" a voice came from beside him. "I'm sorry, I originally wanted to carry you on my back, but since I also had to pull the firewood, I could only inconvenience you by having you lie on top of it..."

Chen Ling turned his head. The speaker was a young man in a long blue traditional gown, currently pushing the wooden cart and looking at Chen Ling with an apologetic expression.

"You are...?"

The young man tilted his head up and said with a smile, "My name is Li Qingshan. May I ask, brother, which opera troupe's performer are you?"

"Performer? I'm not a performer."

"You must be joking, brother. Your makeup clearly shows you're a clown character! Looking at your attire, a red-robed clown... hmm... strange, which play's character is this?" Li Qingshan scrutinized Chen Ling, a look of confusion appearing between his brows.

Chen Ling was startled. He seemed to remember something and immediately got off the wooden cart, running towards the nearby small river.

"Brother? Brother!"

Li Qingshan's shouts came from behind. Chen Ling had already stepped quickly onto a small stone platform, normally used for washing clothes, and looked down into the river water.

The corner of a large red opera robe floated on the water's surface. A familiar face, smeared with white ash, was clearly reflected on the water.

Damn it... this thing is still here??

Chen Ling's expression instantly darkened. He again sensed his body; both his spiritual power and skills were sealed by the white ash. His body felt empty.

"Brother, you shouldn't be running around. I think you have low blood sugar; otherwise, you wouldn't have fainted on the back mountain..." Li Qingshan hurried over from behind and kindly helped Chen Ling. "Look how pale you are!"

Chen Ling's brows furrowed. He turned back and asked, "What is this place?"

"Huh? This is Willow Town."

"The Red Dust Realm?"

Li Qingshan paused for a moment. "What else would it be?"

Chen Ling's guess was correct. He looked around. This town was different from the one he and Meihua K had departed from. According to Meihua K, there were hundreds of such towns in the Red Dust Realm. In such a vast place, where would he find his master and the others?

"Brother, I think you're confused from hunger." Seeing Chen Ling's pale face, Li Qingshan couldn't help but say, "How about this, you come back with me and eat something first, get your blood sugar up... Come, let me help you up."

Chen Ling didn't let Li Qingshan help him; he stood up on his own. He looked at Li Qingshan for a moment and nodded.

"Alright, thank you very much then."

He was alone, having just arrived in the Red Dust Realm, unfamiliar with everything. If he could get some information from this local, it would save him from running around elsewhere. And more importantly, he was truly hungry.

The white ash had consumed his spiritual power and drained his physical strength. Chen Ling was now in a state of extreme hunger, and his current weakness in his limbs was probably due to this.

Li Qingshan resumed pushing the wooden cart, asking as they walked along.

"Brother, you still haven't told me your name."

Chen Ling touched his face. After a moment of contemplation, he still spoke: "Lin Yan."

Since Wuxiang was sealed, he couldn't change his face to Lin Yan's at this moment. Fortunately, since this was the Red Dust Realm, no one would recognize him anyway, so using any face shouldn't be a big problem.

"Lin Yan," Li Qingshan murmured twice. "Which opera troupe are you from?"

"What is an opera troupe?"

"You don't know what an opera troupe is?" Li Qingshan looked at him in surprise.

"My hometown is quite remote; I haven't heard of these things..."

"No wonder, so your clown character is self-taught too? Then you're just like me," Li Qingshan explained patiently. "You must know about the Red Dust Capital, right?"

The Capital... so it's like Aurora City?

Chen Ling nodded slightly. "I've heard of it, but I don't know much about it."

"The Red Dust Capital is the most prosperous and spectacular city among the Nine Realms! Gold is everywhere, and there are superstars all over the place. Any singer or celebrity who walks out of there can cause a sensation in other realms... Do you know Tian Yingjun? She's the superstar who sings 'Stars.' A few days ago, she held a concert in the Southern Sea Realm, and before it even began, hundreds of people fainted from excitement!"

"There are also many famous performers, like Master Chen Xianggui; I grew up listening to his operas." Li Qingshan's eyes were exceptionally bright.

"In short, most of the world's most influential people are there...

"Gold notes and colorful silks always flutter in the Red Dust. People sing and cheer twenty-four hours a day. Wealth and adoration are never lacking. It is the center of human art and wealth!"

Chen Ling's brows furrowed deeper. He couldn't imagine what the Red Dust Capital Li Qingshan described truly looked like. After all, it sounded utterly extravagant and decadent, completely different from Aurora City.

"It seems I've gone a bit off topic." Li Qingshan also felt he was getting too excited as he spoke. After a couple of light coughs, he continued.

"In short, the entertainment conglomerates of the Red Dust Capital, in order to continuously create 'stars' who attract traffic and popularity, also send people to towns outside the city to find suitable talent. Over time, they simply established local opera troupes in the towns, partly to operate the town's entertainment industry, and partly to supply fresh blood to the Red Dust Capital.

"Any young person with some talent who wants to work in this industry will generally join an opera troupe. If they happen to become famous, money and influence will follow, and then not only they themselves but their entire family can rise up!

"If they are lucky enough to enter the Red Dust Capital and become a superstar of the Capital, or even the Human Realm, their descendants for generations will benefit from their glory!"

Chen Ling fell silent.

Drip-drop—drip-drop—

The Jiangnan rain was not cold. It fell on Chen Ling's large red opera robe and also on the surface of the muddy bluestone path. The evaporating water vapor blurred into mist on the ground. Chen Ling quietly watched the mist rising from the mud, as if seeing the surging mundane world.