Chapter 527: Senior Brother Saves Life

The elder, known as Prime Minister Han, nodded slightly upon seeing this. He rose from his seat and walked directly towards the front door of the carriage, where three young men, around twenty years old, were respectfully waiting. Seeing the elder approach, they simultaneously bowed their heads and said, "Teacher."

"Stop the train. His Majesty wishes to bid farewell to General Nie."

The three young men exchanged a bewildered glance. Though they didn't understand, they still walked directly towards the front of the train.

After more than ten seconds, the train began to slow down. Its buzzing whistle echoed through the vast white birch forest, eventually braking steadily to a stop on the snow-covered plain. The train door opened, and the elder along with the three young men stood by the exit. Behind them, the driver in the train's control room stood motionless, like a puppet, his gaze vacant, as if lined up to greet Ying Fu's arrival. The other passengers on the green train also sat blankly in their seats, unmoving like statues.

Ying Fu, cloaked in a pristine white fur coat, slowly walked through the carriage. Stepping onto the snow outside, scattered snowflakes danced through the birch forest, lifting his dark hair. He stood by the railway tracks, facing the birch forest shrouded in mist. The only sounds around him were the wind and snow.

He gently knelt, placing one hand on the surface of the snow. Fine electric arcs flickered on the ground as a stone tablet, carved with patterns, slowly emerged from the soil, eventually standing majestically among the trees. Ying Fu reached his hand into the snow. With a light rub of his fingertips, the clear melted snow turned ink-black, gradually tracing characters onto the surface of the tablet.

The inscription read: "Tomb of General Nie Yu."

As the last stroke was completed, a tombstone was formed. Nie Yu had died a thousand miles away, but his memorial stood, personally erected by Ying Fu, to rest eternally amidst the birch trees of the snowfield. Witnessing this scene, the elder's gaze became complex.

Ying Fu slowly rose before Nie Yu's tombstone. After a long look at the inscription, he turned and walked towards the train.

"Your Majesty, what next..."

"Let's depart." His pristine white fur coat fluttered in the falling snow. Ying Fu spoke calmly, "Continue north. When the time is right, I will personally seek vengeance for General Nie."

As Ying Fu stepped back onto the train, the elder respectfully followed closely behind. A moment later, the roaring whistle once again sounded across the deserted snowfield, slowly fading into the distance at the end of the tracks.

Dawn was breaking.

Chen Ling staggered out of the factory building, walked through the ruins of shattered shops, and slowly headed towards the museum. After killing Nie Yu, Chen Ling briefly tended to his wounds. However, due to the severity of his injuries, his movements were still difficult. Not to mention, organs like his intestines, which had spilled from his abdomen, would be hard to heal without stitches. He could only temporarily put them into a plastic bag and try to stop the bleeding as much as possible to prevent fatal blood loss.

Since Chen Ling embarked on the Divine Path, this was arguably his most difficult battle. Even though Nie Yu had already been severely wounded by Xiao Chunping, had his rank suppressed, and Chen Ling himself had prepared a trap in advance, he still nearly died here.

"If only I also controlled a domain, perhaps I wouldn't be in such a sorry state," Chen Ling sighed.

By the time Chen Ling slowly made his way to the museum, the sky was already bright.

After the fierce battle with Nie Yu, the museum was utterly dilapidated, especially the main hall, which had largely become a ruin. In the backyard, Su Zhiwei, Yang Xiao, and Xiao Chunping lay separately on beds, seemingly in a deep sleep. Yao Qing, dishevelled and grimy, sat alone on the backyard steps, clutching a military knife he had picked up from somewhere. Behind him were the three sleeping figures. His bloodshot eyes constantly scanned the surroundings, like a resolute doorkeeper, always ready to fight the enemy to the death.

He saw a figure approaching in the distance, and his muscles immediately tensed. But upon realizing it was Chen Ling, he finally relaxed.

"Why are you so badly injured??" His face changed color when he saw Chen Ling's wounds. It wasn't that Yao Qing was inexperienced; rather, Chen Ling's injuries were truly terrifying. Any ordinary person with such wounds would likely be long dead, yet the bloodied attire still sustained Chen Ling's body, maintaining his vital signs.

"I'm fine," Chen Ling replied, glancing at the beds behind Yao Qing. "How are they?"

"They're all fine, just deeply asleep."

"That's good," Chen Ling said, feeling a slight relief. He slowly bent down and sat on the steps beside Yao Qing, his face as pale as paper in the sunlight.

"I'll call an ambulance for you!" Yao Qing immediately pulled out his phone to call, but Chen Ling stopped him.

"No need... It would take time for an ambulance to get here, and how would we explain things if one did arrive?"

"But your injuries are so severe; you'll die if this continues."

"Don't worry, I won't die." Chen Ling glanced at the time on his flip phone. "...I'll be returning soon, and someone will treat me when I get back."

"Return? Return where?"

"It's not important."

Chen Ling offered no further explanation to Yao Qing. He simply sat quietly on the steps as a gentle breeze caressed his blood-stained face. The world was still and peaceful.

After a long silence, Yao Qing spoke again, "Chen Ling..."

"What is it?"

"So, I'm the only ordinary person here, aren't I?" Yao Qing's hand involuntarily tightened around the military knife. "I'm the youngest and have the most energy, yet I couldn't help with anything... How can I become as strong as you all, and as Grandma?"

Chen Ling glanced at him and said calmly, "These things can't be rushed... When the opportunity arises, perhaps everything will fall into place naturally."

Yao Qing pressed his lips together, sitting there sullenly, saying nothing. Chen Ling naturally saw his unwillingness and self-reproach, but even if he wanted to help, he couldn't. Even during the Era of the Nine Sovereigns, very few individuals were chosen by the Divine Path to become God-favored and walk that path, let alone in modern times. For Yao Qing to embark on the Divine Path, the difficulty was immense. However, given the boy's unique traditional craftsmanship, it was quite possible.

Chen Ling looked down at his phone screen. As the time digits continuously jumped, a line of characters popped up before his eyes: "Number time limit reached. Read interrupted."

Chen Ling's vision went black, and his consciousness began to sink. When he opened his eyes again, thin trickles of blood seeped from his lips. Inside "Old Six's Home," Chen Ling sat cross-legged on his bedroom bed, looking down at his blood-soaked body. A bitter expression flashed in his eyes.

"As expected... the injuries came back with me."

Chen Ling struggled to stand from the bed, supporting the organs that had spilled from his abdomen. Leaving a trail of bloody footprints, he pushed the door open and exited.

Inside the Ancient Treasury of Theatrical Arts, it was late at night. A bright moon hung in the prairie sky. The gentle breeze made the lush green grass ripple like waves. All the other disciples' rooms were perfectly quiet, seemingly asleep.

Chen Ling, dragging his blood-soaked body, stopped before one of the room doors.

*Knock, knock, knock—*

Chen Ling weakly knocked on the door. "Senior Brother... *cough, cough, cough*... Senior Brother?"

After a brief pause, hurried footsteps sounded from within the room. A bright yellow light streamed through the living room window as the door before Chen Ling was forcefully opened. Senior Brother Ning Ruyu, his eyes still heavy with sleep, said, "Junior Brother, what's wrong... Hmm???"

A pool of blood spread at Ning Ruyu's doorstep. Chen Ling, covered in blood, offered a grim smile. "Senior Brother, help me..."

Ning Ruyu: "???!!!!!"