Chapter 378: Dilemma

A green-robed figure hurried through the intricate alleys.

Li Qingshan ascended the steps, step by step, when he suddenly saw a corpse nearby with its heart gouged out. He involuntarily paused.

Li Qingshan's Adam's apple bobbed. He carefully skirted Fenggui's corpse and continued forward. After walking several dozen steps, the narrow alley ahead suddenly opened up.

"What is this...?"

Li Qingshan looked around, his feet treading on the scarred underside of the bridge, his eyes filled with shock.

What kind of battle must have taken place to leave this place in such a state?

Li Qingshan stepped over a charred corpse and walked towards a sound coming from nearby. As he drew closer, a voice with a faint electric crackle became increasingly clear.

"...The perimeter has already locked down around Liuzhen, and several high-level architects are about to arrive. No matter how many tricks you have, you are just one person; you won't escape our grasp... Fusheng Hui will make you pay."

Li Qingshan passed through the bridge's underside, and seeing the scene before him, instinctively stopped.

Ink-black clouds gathered in the sky. In the biting, sinister wind, a large red opera robe fluttered alone over the ruins.

"Alright," the figure said indifferently, holding a walkie-talkie. "I'll wait for you."

Bang—!

As the words fell, the figure clenched their fingers, crushing the walkie-talkie in their hand!

The red-robed figure slowly opened their palm, allowing the fragments of the walkie-talkie to scatter in the air. At their feet, Lin Xi's corpse lay unseeing in a pool of blood.

As if sensing something, the red-robed figure slightly tilted their head, and a gaze fell upon Li Qingshan, making his body tremble.

What kind of eyes were those?

Cold, chilling, lonely yet powerful... like a cornered beast at death's door, drenched in blood, gleaming with a calm madness.

Li Qingshan had never seen such a gaze. In that instant, it felt as if a chilling coldness surged from his feet to the top of his head. His entire being felt watched by some ferocious beast; he dared not move an inch, only sweat continuously seeped from his back.

"Li Qingshan?" Chen Ling's eyes slightly narrowed. "What are you doing here?"

"I... I wanted to help you."

"Help me?"

"On my way to gather firewood just now, that person stopped me. I guessed he was probably coming to catch you, so I thought I'd come and plead for you..." Li Qingshan opened his mouth, then silently took out several crumpled silver notes from his sleeve, which rustled in the wind.

"I know this isn't much money, but what if they're willing to take it? If I just beg them again, maybe they can give you a temporary way out..."

"As the old saying goes, 'While there's life, there's hope.' As long as you're alive, there will always be a way to lessen the punishment later."

Li Qingshan paused for a moment, then added,

"I'm just an ordinary person, and what I can do is truly limited... Perhaps this is meaningless to you, but if I do nothing, my conscience will trouble me for the rest of my life."

The cold wind swept through the scarred bridge arch, emitting a mournful hum.

Under the gloomy sky, Chen Ling looked at the resolute Li Qingshan in green and fell silent.

After an unknown amount of time, he slowly spoke. "You and I are just chance acquaintances. I don't recall doing anything that would warrant your help."

"Brother Lin, don't you know? Because of what you did in the opera troupe, Liuzhen has become the focus of attention for the entire Hongchen Realm. The Huadu Consortium has already apologized and will soon conduct a second assessment in Liuzhen. Furthermore, to win back public opinion and prove they had no internal manipulation, they will definitely ensure the fairness and impartiality of this assessment. Otherwise, it would give other consortia and the media a handle to exploit..."

"Brother Lin, because of you, everyone in Liuzhen has gained an opportunity to change their fate."

Hearing this, a faint glint of surprise flashed in Chen Ling's eyes.

He seemed to have heard about the Huadu Consortium's apology on the radio, but he himself hadn't expected that his unintentional actions would cause such a significant impact.

Chen Ling gave Li Qingshan a deep look.

"It seems you're not completely ignorant of the intricacies involved."

Earlier, when they were with the opera troupe, Li Qingshan had almost stubbornly completed his performances, seemingly clueless about social etiquette. But judging by his deductions just now, he had long understood the intricacies perfectly.

"So what if I know?" Li Qingshan gave a self-deprecating smile. "I'm just a commoner; I can't change anything... As long as I close my eyes, those vile and corrupt things naturally won't exist."

"You're willing to use money to save me now. Why didn't you use money to smooth things over before? Otherwise, you might have entered the main city years ago."

"That's different." Li Qingshan shook his head solemnly. "To pawn my family property to save you today, that's benevolence. But if I used this money to bribe judges, that would be despicable... Even if I entered the main city by such means, my opera wouldn't be pure anymore.

"I, Li Qingshan, do not want such a future."

Chen Ling stood silently in place for a long time, then nodded slightly:

"I've accepted your kind intention... Now you can go."

After saying this, Chen Ling turned and left.

Li Qingshan's original intention was to help Chen Ling, but by the time he arrived, Chen Ling had already killed all three of his assailants. Now he was being hunted by Fusheng Hui. If Li Qingshan didn't leave soon, he would likely be implicated as well.

Li Qingshan suddenly spoke. "Brother Lin, come back with me!"

Chen Ling stopped and tilted his head slightly. "What?"

"Aren't those people trying to kill you? And you have nowhere to hide... Come back with me; I'll say you're my distant cousin. That way, even if they investigate, they won't suspect you. It should protect you for a while."

Li Qingshan's expression was incredibly serious.

Chen Ling's eyes narrowed slightly. After a brief moment of thought, he still shook his head.

He uttered two simple words:

"No need."

The next moment, the red-robed figure disappeared alone into the distance, lost to the wind and rain.

Li Qingshan watched Chen Ling's resolute departing back, standing stunned in place. After a long while, he let out a helpless sigh.

To be honest, Chen Ling was indeed somewhat tempted by Li Qingshan's suggestion.

Now that the perimeter had sealed off Liuzhen and Fusheng Hui's powerful members would soon arrive, Chen Ling was definitely no match for them in a direct confrontation. Li Qingshan's suggestion was equivalent to allowing Chen Ling to perfectly blend into Liuzhen. Even if those people investigated, it would be very difficult to confirm the authenticity of a distant relative. Most importantly, they wouldn't expect the people of Liuzhen to risk sheltering Chen Ling, acting like a natural protective umbrella.

But the problem was, Fusheng Hui was truly enraged. They wouldn't lift the perimeter until Chen Ling was killed, and under repeated screenings, clues would eventually emerge. By then, not only would Chen Ling himself suffer, but Li Qingshan and the old woman who sheltered him would also be implicated.

Chen Ling walked alone in the wind and rain, his brow furrowed.

"This time... how do I break out of this situation?"

Inn, Room 301.

The handsome young man lying on the bed, seemingly asleep, suddenly rolled over and yawned lazily.

His eyes slowly opened, and a faint smile played on his lips.