Chapter 970: Shen Nan's Thoughts

Crack!

A roaring thunderclap sounded right by the child's ear. His consciousness instantly vanished, and he fell headfirst onto the cart. Rainwater streamed past Shen Nan's fingertips; his hand was still in the gesture of stroking. The grotesque mask stared at the unconscious child, looking fierce and terrifying.

"Xiao Tian!!"Seeing this, the woman who was still kowtowing immediately cried out in alarm, stumbling to her feet and running towards them. Shen Nan slowly retracted his hand. The grotesque mask glanced at the approaching woman, and his figure once again rose on tiptoes, swaying like a drunken dancer, bouncing away into the distance with a flag on his shoulder.

The woman, in a panic, helped the child up from the cart. She removed the sack and blanket from him. When she saw the sight before her, she suddenly froze. The large tumor that had been on the back of the child's head had vanished at some point, as if an invisible hand had completely smoothed it away. At the same time, the child's emaciated body visibly began to regain its color! Rainwater streamed over the child's skin like pearls falling from the sky. The woman stared blankly at the scene, her hands trembling as she held his body, as if in a dream.

"Mama..." A faint murmur came from the child in her arms, like a bolt of lightning striking the woman's mind. She snapped back to reality, holding the child and looking towards a certain direction in the rain. Then she dropped to her knees with a thud, repeatedly knocking her forehead forcefully against the ground. Thump, thump, thump— The sound of her kowtowing was drowned out by the rain, and she did not stop even when blood began to stream from her forehead.

At the end of the misty street, a figure in a black and red opera robe danced wildly, its flag unfurling. It was like a god who had descended to enjoy the human world, now laughing as it returned to the heavens.

Under the dripping eaves, Shen Nan slowly removed the Nuo mask. Although he had only worn the mask for a few minutes this time, Shen Nan's face was already as white as paper. He let out a long, ragged breath and looked behind him.

"How was it? Did you see clearly?"A figure in a large coat had, at some point, also come under the eaves, looking at him with a complicated expression. Shen Nan showed an unsurprised expression."Couldn't see clearly? This dance is indeed too complex... Next time we'll...""I saw it clearly," Chen Ling said slowly. "This dance isn't difficult for me."Shen Nan fell silent.

Chen Ling was telling the truth; he had a solid foundation from his ancient theatrical art, so such physical movements were truly not difficult for him. The reason for Shen Nan's silence was that Chen Ling, watching Shen Nan save the child, had been reminded of his own father saving him years ago."So, do you usually use the power of Nuo to do these things?"

"Mostly, yes. I don't like fighting, and usually no one seeks me out for a fight..." Shen Nan lowered his head, looking at the Nuo mask in his hand, a hint of loneliness flashing in his eyes. "Moreover, perhaps no one else in this world can do these things besides me."Shen Nan was the only Nuo in the world, and the only one capable of bringing about miracles. If there were things he didn't do, then some people would forever lose the possibility of living. Rather than killing, Shen Nan preferred to use his power to save people.

"But you are essentially just an ordinary person." Chen Ling's mystic eyes focused on Shen Nan's cheek. "Wearing the mask turns you into a 'god'... This is both a gift and a burden. Overusing the power of Nuo puts too much strain on your body. A short life, sudden death, premature aging—one of them is bound to fall upon you.""I know.""Then you should cherish your life and use the power of Nuo less.""But I'll die of old age eventually, won't I? Instead of living as if I saw nothing, it's better to make my limited life more meaningful... Perhaps this is why Heaven allowed me to live."

Shen Nan's grip on the mask tightened. He seemed to be recalling something, his gaze incredibly complex. "Moreover, if my power alone is limited... then it would be good if there were one more Nuo in this world."

"So, when you specifically came running after me, you had already decided you wanted me to become a Nuo?" Chen Ling's eyebrows rose slightly, and everything connected. "No wonder you actively offered to help me solve my 'one body, two souls' problem, brought me all the way here, made me a mask, and taught me the ritual dance. From the very beginning, you saw the 'play' and 'witchcraft' within me... You weren't actually asking for nothing; you wanted a second Nuo to appear in the world so that this path wouldn't be completely forgotten after your short life."

Shen Nan did not deny it. He looked into Chen Ling's eyes and smiled faintly. Chen Ling sighed helplessly. Although Shen Nan's approach certainly had an ulterior motive, ultimately, Shen Nan's goal was still pure and selfless. He could indeed solve the 'one body, two souls' problem, but he hoped that at the same time, the Nuo tradition could also be passed on. Chen Ling felt no anger at being manipulated; instead, he admired Shen Nan even more. In this peaceful era where everyone was driven by self-interest, the emergence of a person like Shen Nan was truly a blessing for humanity.

"I can try, but as I said... I don't guarantee success. After all, there's still a difference between you and me.""I know your theatrical divine path is twisted," Shen Nan nodded slightly. "Actually, I've always been curious. What I call a 'twisted divine path' is merely the combination of two divine paths; it's not truly twisted... But your theatrical divine path truly radiates strangeness from beginning to end." Shen Nan hesitated for a moment but couldn't resist asking, "Yours... can that truly be called a 'divine path'?""...My situation is a bit unique." Chen Ling could only be vague. It wasn't that he didn't want to explain, but that he himself wasn't entirely clear about what his twisted divine path actually was.

Shen Nan did not press further. He and Chen Ling returned to the open space in front of the dilapidated house. The rain had significantly lessened by now. Chen Ling glanced at the dim light of the sky, confirming the remaining time he had in his 'era archive': "Less than ten minutes left...?""Since you've remembered it all, let's try it," Shen Nan said, looking at Chen Ling with eyes full of anticipation. "Put on the mask, dance like I just did, and while you sense the divine descent, guide the second soul into the Nuo mask."

Shen Nan had expended so much effort to bring Chen Ling here precisely to witness the birth of the second Nuo. In a sense, he wanted Chen Ling to succeed even more than Chen Ling himself did. Yang Xiao and the others also turned to look at Chen Ling, appearing somewhat curious.Chen Ling looked at the black and white mask in his hand, took a deep breath, and slowly placed it on his face...