Chapter 392: Goodbye, Clown

Chen Ling thought for a long time, but couldn't think of anyone else who could help him. He didn't know many people in this era; probably only those few from the Twilight Society could help him.

Chen Ling withdrew his gaze, temporarily setting aside his thoughts, and continued to follow the others towards the Ancient Theater Trove.

Compared to the last time he took this path, Chen Ling was no longer nervous; his mind was completely relaxed. After all, for him, the Ancient Theater Trove was no longer so mysterious and unknown; its masters were, in fact, right by his side.

However, when Chen Ling saw Ugly Peak in the distance, his expression still became subtly strange, as if recalling an unpleasant memory.

"Junior Brother, what's wrong?" Ning Ruyu, keenly noticing Chen Ling's change, asked with concern.

After a moment of hesitation, Chen Ling recounted everything that had happened previously at Ugly Peak.

"You mean, Fifth Senior Brother inexplicably tried to kill you??"

Not only Ning Ruyu, but also Mo Jiao beside him, and even Wen Renyou, who was pulling the cart in the distance, trembled slightly, their eyes filling with deep confusion.

"Yes, it was clearly the first time I'd met him... I don't know why he was so determined to kill me, even sealing my abilities with white ash."

"Did Junior Sister stop him?"

"She did, almost couldn't hold him back. He was like a madman."

Ning Ruyu and the other two exchanged glances, their brows furrowing deeper.

After a long period of thought, Ning Ruyu quickened his pace, walked up to the handsome young man, and spoke with a serious expression:

"Master..."

"Ruyu." A voice interrupted him.

The handsome young man didn't look at him, simply sitting quietly on the cart, his eyes fixed on the gradually approaching Ugly Peak.

He spoke calmly,

"...We're almost home."

Ning Ruyu was slightly taken aback. He looked at the handsome young man, puzzled, but ultimately didn't ask further questions.

Ugly Peak, towering over the gray world, grew larger and larger. This stone mountain resembled a lonely, pale sword; the closer they got, the more intense the oppressive feeling became.

As Third Senior Brother Wen Renyou gripped the cart's handle, the heavy vehicle and all the props on it floated in the air, ascending steadily with his steps as if weightless.

They ascended straight up the bare mountain path, and before long, reached the summit.

The mountaintop was barren and desolate, with only a small stone hut standing in the center. In front of this hut, two figures sat facing each other on the ground, with several thumb-sized, smooth pebbles between them.

The short Clown seriously lay on the ground, his thumb hooked around a pebble. He squinted one eye, aimed for a long time, and then flicked it forcefully.

*Clack—*

Several other pebbles were struck in succession, scattering and rolling in all directions.

"Yi hahahaha!!"

The Clown, overcome with joy, lay flat on his back, vigorously kicking his short legs and clapping his hands continuously, looking as comical as a little dog rolling on its back.

Across from him, Queen of Clubs, still in her cheongsam, let out a cold snort.

*Clack—*

With a gentle flick of the pebble in her hand, she precisely knocked away one of the stones, and the Clown's laughter instantly ceased.

"Uh..."

He scratched his few remaining hairs, his face, smeared with white ash, twisting into a comical expression of distress.

Just then, Queen of Clubs and he seemed to notice something at the same time, turning their heads towards the mountain path.

"Master?"

"Yi ya!!"

The Clown sprang four or five meters into the air, then shot like a spring towards First Senior Brother Ning Ruyu, arms and legs spread wide, crashing with a thud into his embrace.

Ning Ruyu, standing in his white robes, steadily caught the Clown, who was moving at cannonball speed. He smiled and patted his head, a hint of indulgence in his tone:

"Fifth Senior Brother, didn't you win against your Senior Sister again?"

"Yi ya!"

The Clown opened his arms, gesticulating as if to say something, but then his gaze fell on Chen Ling in red, not far away, and he suddenly froze.

The next moment, that harmless, comical face suddenly transformed into that of a ferocious beast, letting out a roar at him!

A terrifying wave of pressure swept over him. Chen Ling's expression changed, and his muscles instantly tensed!

"Fifth Senior Brother?!"

Seeing this, Ning Ruyu immediately prepared to restrain the Clown, but the Clown's small figure was faster than him, vanishing from his shoulder in an instant and pouncing on Chen Ling behind them with astonishing speed!

*Damn it... what exactly did I do to offend him?!*

Chen Ling's face was incredibly grim. Just as he was about to act, a young man's voice calmly rang out:

"Fifth Senior Brother."

In mid-air, the Clown's pupils suddenly constricted!

His figure seemed to be pressed down by an invisible giant hand, crashing onto the hard stone ground. A dense network of cracks appeared on the stones, and he lay prostrate before the cart, completely still.

"Master, Fifth Senior Brother he..."

"Ruyu." The handsome young man spoke calmly, "You take Sixth Junior Brother back first... I have something to say to Fifth Senior Brother."

Seeing this, Ning Ruyu looked back at the Clown, who was obediently kneeling, appearing somewhat pained... but he eventually sighed.

"Let's go."

Third Senior Brother Wen Renyou picked up the cart's handle again and followed behind Ning Ruyu. Mo Jiao and Queen of Clubs also looked like they wanted to speak to their Master but held back. Chen Ling remained silent for a moment, then followed them.

The five figures passed through the small stone hut and continued straight towards the back of the mountain. Chen Ling, at the very end of the group, subconsciously looked back.

On the barren rocky ground, two figures stood quietly. The young man pulled the small Clown to his feet, seemingly speaking to him seriously...

"Junior Brother, there might be a misunderstanding here," Ning Ruyu said carefully.

"Fifth Senior Brother is a good child, very simple-minded. Although I don't know what exactly happened... he's not usually like that."

Chen Ling recalled the scene of the Clown playing with Queen of Clubs moments ago and nodded slightly.

"Mm."

"Since Master intervened, you can rest assured that Fifth Senior Brother won't cause trouble again," Mo Jiao added from the side.

"So, he's officially joined the sect?" Queen of Clubs asked Chen Ling.

"Yes, Master personally accepted him."

Queen of Clubs nodded slightly. She extended her hand to Chen Ling, and her clear, cold voice spoke: "Luan Mei."

"Hello, Second Senior Sister," Chen Ling said respectfully.

"Junior Brother, have you been to the Ancient Weapon Trove before?" Ning Ruyu asked, as if remembering something.

"Yes."

"Oh~ Then you might be in for a big surprise this time."

The group continued their journey, finally stopping before an empty cliff. The gray sky, like heavy leaden clouds, pressed down overhead. As far as the eye could see, there was endless desolation and a shattered, fragmented land.

Ning Ruyu, Luan Mei, Wen Renyou, and Mo Jiao stood at the edge of the cliff, looking back at Chen Ling.

"After all, the Ancient Theater Trove... is quite different from there."

Ning Ruyu smiled slightly, took half a step forward in his white robes towards the cliff, and his body rapidly plunged downwards!