Mingchao: The Survival Journey of a Comedian

Chapter 112 Mentor

Meanwhile, the wanderer, trapped in the mirage, was searching aimlessly, but to his dismay, he couldn't even sense the other person's presence. Frustrated, he gripped his sword, then sensed the rhythm of battle approaching.

Hurriedly moving forward, they saw a little girl with pink hair skillfully manipulating her resonance ability; the flames in her hands instantly incinerated the surrounding remnants.

The little girl clearly noticed the wanderer as well. After confirming that the other party's frequency was not an afterimage, she withdrew the flame in her hand and walked over.

"It's dangerous here. I've cleared away all the debris around here; I think I haven't missed anything."

"But why did you come here? This village has been attacked by the remnants of the phantoms; no one wants to stay here except for wanderers."

The wanderer was stunned when he saw the little girl who looked exactly like Changli, let alone the fact that she could talk to him.

After all, phantoms in the mirage wouldn't talk to people like this.

"...Could Changli have been affected by the time rewind? What's Mo Wunian's current situation...?"

Chao frowned uneasyly. After thinking for a moment, he decided to first try to get some information from the person in front of him.

Do you know Chang Li?

"...My name is Changli, given to me by my master."

"The Mysterious Immortal?"

"Not only that, another mentor also gave me a name."

"?"

The wanderer was stunned, looking at the short distance before him with some surprise.

After all, Changli had never mentioned that she had a mentor, and judging from the longing expression on the little girl's face, her relationship with that person seemed to be quite good.

A knot formed in his heart; based on his understanding of that person, he already had a general guess in his mind.

"What's that tutor's name?"

But this time, the wanderer did not get the answer he wanted.

The little girl in front of him lowered her head and shook her head.

"do not know"

“I spent a long time with my mentor; he took care of me all those years… He was also the one who guided me to find my master.”

"But in all this time, my mentor has never told me his name."

He said his name wasn't important, that it was something dispensable.

"I usually call you..."

"Continuers"

"..."

Duanli's expression was also somewhat sorrowful; he lowered his head and remained silent for a long time before speaking again.

"My mentor led me to my master, and then left without saying goodbye not long ago."

"They only left me a note before they left, saying that we would meet again in the future."

"...Oh right! Before meeting my mentor, I also met an older brother who looked a lot like him..."

"No, to be precise, they are exactly the same; they might be twins."

"Do you know that person's name?!"

Upon hearing the other person's story, the wanderer suddenly realized something, involuntarily clenching his fists and staring at the short-lived man before him, almost losing control of his expression.

"he is……"

"Mo Wunian"

“…It was indeed him.”

The wanderer breathed a slight sigh of relief when he heard the familiar name; at least he heard the other person's name, didn't he?

But soon another problem arose before him:

Who is the mentor that Changli mentioned who looks exactly like the other person?

Drifting along, a slight headache throbbed, and he glanced at Duanli, who looked puzzled. The situation was unclear; perhaps he should follow Duanli for now.

And we certainly can't leave the other person here alone.

"...Are you lost?"

"Yes, I'm lost."

“…Then, I can take you to a safer place. I know a road that leads to another safe village.”

"I'm just out here to gain experience; I'll be going back to find my master in a while."

Duanli briefly explained his situation, then nodded to the wanderer, signaling him to follow. Seeing this, Chao quickly caught up with Duanli.

Before the two had gone far, they were stopped by a trap.

"Hmm...were there things like this here before?"

"But don't worry, my mentor told me about these mechanisms a long time ago."

"However, it will take two people working together to solve it. Just follow my instructions."

Duan Li frowned as he looked at the mechanism before him, but soon he had a clue how to solve it. He then turned to direct the wanderers.

Chao also realized that there was nothing wrong with the method of separation, so he followed the instructions and began to operate the mechanism. After a short while, the golden barrier disappeared.

"Alright, the mechanism is solved, let's move on."

Duanli smiled happily upon seeing that he had solved the mechanism, and the two continued on their way.

Along the way, the wanderer, seeing how familiar Duanli seemed with many of the mechanisms, grew even more curious about his mentor and finally couldn't help but ask.

"...Changli, can you tell me about your mentor?"

"Perhaps I know him."

"...About the mentor?"

Duan Li pondered for a moment, looked up at the snow-covered landscape as if recalling something, and finally spoke slowly.

"My mentor... is very aloof."

"...No, it didn't feel like indifference...I don't know what words to use to describe it..."

"Throughout our time together, my mentor always gave me a feeling of being out of reach, even when he was right beside me, even holding my hand..."

"I also have a feeling that he might disappear at any moment..."

"Like a god who came specifically to save humanity, existing for a purpose, and departing as if liberated once that purpose is achieved."

"But my mentor is very kind to me and takes good care of me."

"He taught me to control the fire, helped me regulate my body, and imparted to me the principles of this world..."

The words he said to me most often were, "Live well and strive towards the future he so desperately hoped for."

"But he never seemed to care about me."

"I remember one time it was incredibly cold. Even though I was carrying the Fire of Destruction, I was shivering under the covers. Through the window, I saw my mentor standing alone outside, watching the snow fall silently."

"I went to ask my advisor, but he sent me back inside and told me to get some rest."

"I say I'm not tired, I just need some time to think about what's next."

"I once played a game of chess with Him, and although I lost badly, I'm still grateful to Him for helping me find the meaning of my own existence."

"[It was from that moment that I truly realized my decision wasn't just my own decision.]"

"I don't want to bury innocent people again because of my decision."

"But it's fortunate that things can change each time."

"At least, I can still deduce the ending I want."

Duan Li paused for a few seconds, but then spoke out what was on her mind.

"...My supervisor doesn't like his plans to be interrupted, and he has to think things through for a long time before doing anything."

“I’ve never won against him in chess, not even when I try to cheat and take back a move. I know in my heart that my mentor has too many ways to counter my playing style.”

"...but if any unforeseen circumstances were to interfere with what he wanted to do...the mentor would be more excited than anyone else."

"..."

"I have almost never seen my mentor smile."

“My mentor always seemed very calm. Even once when we encountered a large horde of afterimages on the road, he simply stood in front of me, and in the blink of an eye, I saw the horde of afterimages disappear.”

My mentor simply patted me on the head and told me to keep moving forward.

"My mentor... is very strong."

"So strong that I'll never be able to surpass them in my lifetime."

"The only other expressions I ever saw on my mentor's face were pain and sorrow."

"Whenever we pass through villages attacked by ravaged elephants, if I observe carefully, I can sense an unfathomable pain and sorrow in those eyes."

"A suppressed, yet unstoppable pain"

"I wanted to comfort my mentor, but he told me he was glad he still had these feelings."

"I'm glad I can still feel pain..."

Speaking of this, Duan Li was also losing control of her emotions; her eyes were already slightly red, and her voice choked with sobs. She turned her head to look at the wanderer beside her, who was also silent and didn't know what to say.

"...You said you might have known your advisor before..."

"But... just how much did my mentor have to go through to become like that?"

After learning about the person who looked exactly like the one he knew, Chao felt uneasy.

A person who looks exactly like the person he loves has endured countless hardships... and it's highly likely that this person is the one he loves. He feels as if his heart is being torn apart.

"...Sorry, I don't know either."

Duan Li could only nod dejectedly after hearing this.

"All right……"

"Huh? Why are there traps here too?"

The two stopped once more, staring at the mechanism that had appeared before them again, and fell into silence.

But Duanli only thought about it briefly before quickly operating the mechanism.

"Did your mentor teach you about this mechanism?"

"Yes, my mentor used to like to design traps to test me, and he would specifically test my control over power."

"They said that a long time from now I would experience a test of life and death..."

"Oh right! My mentor just mentioned that he would leave a test for that older boy we met back then."

"But that older brother was just a casual acquaintance of ours... Why would the mentor go to the trouble of setting up a test for him as well?"

The mechanism was quickly unlocked, and the door emitted a faint blue light as the lock was released.

"...Do you still remember how that older brother left back then?"

Duan Li was about to push open the door when his hand suddenly stopped. He blinked blankly, trying hard to remember, but he couldn't recall anything. He clutched his head in anguish, trembling uncontrollably.

"...How did that older brother leave back then...?"

"Why...why can't I remember..."

"It seems like I've forgotten something very important... But... I can't forget it..."

"Okay, if you really can't remember, then stop thinking about it."

Seeing Duanli in such pain, the wanderer quickly crouched down to try and stop him, but the next moment a key appeared in the other person's palm.

"No! I think I'm remembering something... but the images in my memory are very blurry..."

"But... that older brother seems to have just disappeared."

Duan Li took a few steps back, looked at the key in his hand, and nodded firmly.

"...Now that we have this key, we should be able to open this door."

"Although I'm not sure what I've forgotten... my advisor did mention it to me."