Chapter 471: His Eyes

Hearing these two words, everyone simultaneously stopped.

"This is far enough," Master said, stepping out from the other side of the curtain as if walking on air. "You all should go back now... I'll handle the rest."

The next moment, Master, clad in his theatrical robe, vanished from their sight, seemingly covering thousands of miles in a single stride.

The secret art: Cloud Steps.

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances where they stood.

"...Let's go," Mo Jue sighed. "This truly isn't a place we should be..."

"Besides Master, it seems only Senior Brother has been here before?"

"I've only brought Master back here occasionally when he's had too much to drink," Ning Ruyu shook his head. "Normally, I don't have permission to enter the depths."

"Little Junior Brother stumbled in by mistake, he should be fine, right?"

"With Master accompanying him, he'll definitely be fine."

"Senior Brother, what exactly is in there? Can you tell us?"

The other three simultaneously looked at Ning Ruyu. After a brief silence, Ning Ruyu still answered vaguely:"Inside... there's actually nothing special, just a room similar to what Old Fifth has."

"Just a room?"

Everyone nodded slightly, tacitly refraining from further questions. They each lifted the void curtain and vanished into the desert.

Deep within the desert.

A figure in red robes swiftly streaked across the sand, a black, smiling mask silently contorting in a menacing grin.

On this barren cultural wasteland, no life or water could be seen. It was like an endless cage, trapping humans as small as ants within it.

It wasn't until "Chen Ling," using Cloud Steps, had traversed nearly tens of kilometers that a black speck gradually emerged at the far end of the desert.

As he drew closer, he saw it was a house standing in the center of the desert, slightly larger than the one on Ugly Peak. When the distance between them narrowed to less than three kilometers, the outline of an ancestral hall became clearly visible.

"Chen Ling's" speed was incredibly fast. Just as he was about to enter the ancestral hall, a voice boomed from above:"Stop."

The moment the word rang out, the red-robed figure abruptly froze, half a foot over the ancestral hall's threshold, stiff as a statue... But upon closer inspection, it became clear he wasn't completely still. He appeared to be bound by some force, his muscles constantly trembling, seemingly on the verge of breaking free.

In the presence of this nemesis to the Path of Drama, the effects of secret arts were greatly diminished. They were like lines in a play; no matter how captivating, they could hardly influence the "audience" for long.

Master stepped up to "Chen Ling," gazing at the black "Audience" mask, and spoke slowly:"Chen Ling, you must wake up. Even if confusion has swallowed your past, there must still be something that can serve as your 'anchor'... Those memorable experiences, those people who changed the course of your life – their existence has made you who you are today. Find it, grasp it. I know you can."

The black Audience mask struggled again, and "Chen Ling's" physical body began to tremble incessantly.

In the pitch-black world.

Chen Ling clutched his head, endless confusion assailing his mind. He didn't know what these things were, nor why he felt so much bewilderment, but he could vaguely guess that a shocking secret must be hidden behind all this confusion...

"'Anchor'... Do I have other anchors?"

Enduring the pain, Chen Ling struggled to open his eyes. In a daze, he saw a figure slowly approaching him through the heavy snow.

The make-up of a "Dan" role covered his face, and an identical large red theatrical robe swayed gently in the wind and snow. He stood in the frost-white world, his apricot-red eyes gazing at Chen Ling's face.

"Brother, I'm here," he said softly.

"A-Yan...?"

Chen Ling's pupils contracted slightly.

"Whether your past is real or not, Brother, our feelings are genuine," Chen Yan smiled faintly. "We met earliest, and I had the deepest influence on you. Master used the True Self Mirror to awaken this body's instincts precisely so that I could become your first anchor... Your confusion is too powerful, and only I can anchor your cognition."

Chen Ling was stunned.

Numerous details surfaced in Chen Ling's mind, and everything seemed to connect. As soon as he entered the Ancient Repository of Drama, Master had him learn basic secret arts, both "singing" and "recitation," to lay the foundation for mastering the lyrics needed for Painting Vermilion Faces... And his encounter with the True Self Mirror wasn't a coincidence either; it was preparation specifically made by Master to awaken Chen Yan's consciousness, as presumably no one in this world understood the power of "Mockery" better than him... From the very first day Chen Ling stepped into the Ancient Repository of Drama, Master had been preparing for this day... No, perhaps Master had begun planning even before Chen Ling entered the Ancient Repository. This precisely proved that the importance of Painting Vermilion Faces far exceeded Chen Ling's imagination; it wasn't just about dispelling confusion, but perhaps also related to the "Mockery" disaster!

Chen Ling immediately asked:"A-Yan, what should I do?"

Chen Yan smiled and shook his head in the snow. "Brother, you don't need to do anything... Do you remember when you said you'd teach me how to apply makeup?"

"...Yes."

"I know I'm not very good at makeup, but at least I'm always satisfied with my eye makeup," Chen Yan said, a slight smile playing on his lips, seeming very pleased. He continued, "Let me apply the first stroke of makeup on your face, Brother."

Chen Yan gently wiped his own eye corner with his hands, and a touch of apricot-red transferred to his fingertips, as if he had removed a part of his own makeup. He then walked slowly to Chen Ling...

"Brother, close your eyes."

Chen Ling paused for a moment, then instinctively closed his eyes.

Chen Yan raised his hands, extending both thumbs towards Chen Ling's face... In this dark world, the pure white mask remained spotless. As Chen Yan's fingers descended and gently brushed it, a pair of apricot-red eye shadows were permanently imprinted on the mask's surface.

With this stroke, the dull, monochrome pure white mask finally gained its first splash of color, coming alive as if a dragon had been given its eyes. A wave of white light rapidly spread outwards from Chen Ling's feet!

This small boat, navigating a stormy sea, finally cast its first "anchor." Its hull, which had seemed ready to break apart at any moment, gradually stabilized, and the endless confusion, like the night, was dispelled in a corner by the boat's lamp.

That was the mark Chen Yan left for him, proof of "Chen Ling's" existence...

That was Chen Ling's unique mask. Perhaps in the future, this face would become more complete through his experiences, but this stroke of apricot eye makeup would forever be his pillar and his starting point.

Chen Ling's eyes slowly opened. Unlike the delicate and gentle eye makeup on Chen Yan's face, Chen Ling's apricot-colored eye corners swept upwards like phoenix tails, appearing alluring yet also bearing a unique sharpness and killing intent...

Simultaneously, Chen Ling felt a mysterious sensation rise from his eyes. He seemed able to perceive more than before, and even his secret pupils began to absorb this eye makeup, hinting at an even more powerful ocular art about to emerge!

"This is... my 'Vermilion Face'."

Tomorrow (March 9th) at 12:00 PM, Tomato will launch an exclusive reader interaction event prepared for "". Participants will have a chance to win an iPhone 15, Apple headphones, massive Tomato VIP memberships and coins, signed copies of "Under the Night Curtain," and more. Everyone is welcome to participate! Access the event via the pinned link in the "Drama God" book group >>

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