Chapter 451: Soil and Roses

At these words, everyone present was momentarily taken aback.

Zong Wen, seeing the young girl in the black dress standing behind Chen Ling, seemed to realize something. A wave of joy surged within him, and he immediately stood up and declared, "Everyone, listen to the Special Envoy! Everyone out... let's give the Special Envoy some private space!" As he spoke, Zong Wen urged the others to leave, while he himself stood up from the sofa with a chuckle, giving Liu Qingyan a meaningful look. "Liu Qingyan, make sure you serve the Special Envoy well... understood?"

Liu Qingyan seemed just as surprised by how things had turned out. She stood rooted to the spot, looking bewildered, until everyone had left and the room fell completely silent.

Finally, it was quiet... Chen Ling sat back down on the sofa, letting out a long sigh of relief.

This trip to the Metropolis Conglomerate was far more exhausting than his previous visit to the Big Dipper Conglomerate. He never imagined that Zong Wen, a man who appeared to be in his sixties or seventies, would indulge in such elaborate pleasures in his own home. No wonder a small theater troupe under his patronage in Willow Town had become so degenerate.

Chen Ling wanted to be able to examine the scrolls independently, but sending everyone away would arouse too much suspicion. So, reluctantly, he kept Liu Qingyan, using her presence as a cover. After his previous encounter with Liu Qingyan, Chen Ling could tell that the girl wasn't particularly loyal to Zong Wen and would be relatively easy to manipulate if necessary. Keeping her there would at least prevent her from secretly gossiping to Zong Wen.

"Special Envoy..." Chen Ling, still flipping through the scrolls in his hands, spoke calmly, "Find a place to sit down. You don't need to do anything; just watch from the side."

"...Yes."

Liu Qingyan obediently acknowledged him, then sat down on the sofa opposite Chen Ling, quiet and reserved, like a rag doll in a black dress.

Chen Ling opened each scroll on the table. He immediately set aside any that depicted non-human figures, only turning over those with human portraits to check for the Plum Blossom 8 mark.

However, the Metropolis Conglomerate's collection was vast. He searched for a long time, and a large pile, like a small mountain, still remained before him.

Liu Qingyan, sitting opposite him, hesitated for a moment before peeking out from behind the small mountain of scrolls and cautiously asking, "Special Envoy, are you looking for something...? I can help you."

"No need," Chen Ling replied coolly. Matters concerning the confidential affairs of the Twilight Society naturally could not involve an outsider.

"...Alright." Liu Qingyan closed her mouth.

As Chen Ling continued his search, he said, "If Zong Wen asks later..."

"I'll say I've been serving you," Liu Qingyan said softly.

Hearing this answer, Chen Ling looked up, casting a slightly surprised glance at her.

"Didn't you keep only me here precisely because you hoped I could cover for you?" Liu Qingyan's lips twitched slightly. "If the Special Envoy had any intentions concerning me, it would have happened back at the auction house..."

"You're very clever," Chen Ling said calmly. "The Metropolis Conglomerate is not a benevolent organization, and Zong Wen even less so. You should keep your distance from them."

"The Special Envoy speaks truly." Liu Qingyan paused, then murmured, "However, not everyone is like the Special Envoy... People like us, born into such squalid circumstances, don't have the luxury of choosing our own lives."

Chen Ling's hand, flipping through the scrolls, paused slightly.

In his mind, he immediately recalled the girl from Willow Town, swan-like in her attempts to spread her wings, only to fall repeatedly on the stage... and her helpless gaze, almost shattered under countless greedy eyes.

He remained silent for a long time, then said, "No one's life is worthless... Even from the most sordid soil, a brilliant rose can bloom."

After his words, the room fell silent. Liu Qingyan's eyes stared blankly at him. After a long moment, a faint smile appeared on the girl's habitually melancholic face.

"Does the Special Envoy believe I can become that rose?"

"To become a rose, you must first grow thorns to protect yourself," Chen Ling said, looking into her eyes. "You are already growing your thorns... aren't you?"

Liu Qingyan had already awakened her Divine Path. Although Chen Ling didn't know what that power was, it was already enough for Liu Qingyan to protect herself in this chaotic mortal world.

"...Mm-hmm." Liu Qingyan nodded gently, "Because once you see the light, you desperately want to grow... towards it."

Chen Ling didn't continue the conversation. His gaze returned to the scrolls. After casually setting aside a few more, the number of scrolls before him dwindled... A rough estimate put them at only twelve or thirteen.

His heart slowly sank... Was it not at the Metropolis Conglomerate either? Had this trip been for nothing again?

Refusing to give up, Chen Ling took out all the remaining portrait scrolls and laid them side by side on the table, beginning to meticulously examine the back of each one.

Finally, as he turned over the second-to-last scroll, his eyes, shimmering with faint blue light, locked onto the upper right corner... There, a mark so faint it was almost imperceptible was revealed to Chen Ling: Plum Blossom 8.

Chen Ling's eyes lit up. He knew this trip hadn't been in vain after all.

He turned the scroll over to look at the front. It was a lady's portrait with a distinct old-world feel. At first glance, there was nothing particularly remarkable about it, and with Chen Ling's limited knowledge of history and art appreciation, he couldn't determine its meaning. Regardless, the target had been found this time. Chen Ling rolled up the scroll and, instead of keeping it on his person, placed it back into the pile of scrolls nearby... He then began to look through the last one.

With Liu Qingyan right there, Chen Ling naturally couldn't expose his true objective. Even if he'd found the painting, he had to go through the motions of examining the rest. This wasn't because he feared Liu Qingyan would report to Zong Wen, but mainly because it concerned the Twilight Society, and it was always best to be cautious.

"Where's Zong Wen?"

"He should be waiting next door..."

"Go call him over," Chen Ling said, feeling annoyed at the thought of having to deal with the old lecher again. "Tell him not to bring any of those messy 'collections'."

"Yes."

Liu Qingyan turned and walked towards the door, then suddenly stopped and asked out of the blue, "Does the Special Envoy dislike him?"

"He makes me sick just looking at him," Chen Ling waved his hand. "Go on now."

At this answer, a faint, almost imperceptible gleam flickered in Liu Qingyan's eyes. After a moment of silence, she pushed open the door and exited.

Once Liu Qingyan had left, Chen Ling was alone in the room. He took out a slip of paper from his pocket, quickly wrote something on it, tore it off, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it out the window. A timely gust of wind rose from the ground, carrying the note like a paper crane, gently drifting down towards a certain direction...

"My mission is complete... The rest is up to you," Chen Ling murmured to himself.