Mingchao: The Survival Journey of a Comedian

Chapter 109 The World's Malice Is Everywhere

After taking the exhausted Wu Li to rest, Mo Wunian and the others sat down in the teahouse and discussed the situation with Fu Ling.

After briefly recounting their experiences, Fu Ling nodded thoughtfully.

"I think I have a general understanding of what happened."

"But Wu Li did it for me."

"Let's talk about it. After all, he almost died this time. It's rare to find a man willing to give his life for you."

Fu Ling paused for a moment, then nodded and slowly recounted the events.

"I was originally a landscape painter. I met Wu Li through work, and we traveled to many places together."

"But six months ago, I fell seriously ill, and it became increasingly difficult for me to move around. I could no longer go on adventures and sketching trips with him like before... And he turned down all his commissions to seek medical treatment for me everywhere."

Even though he always came up empty-handed... he never gave up. But just two days ago, he brought me here, saying he had a surprise for me.

"I thought he wanted me to clear my head... but he disappeared for seven days. Although he would leave for two or three days before... this time it was really too long. I almost panicked and sent Night Return Army up the mountain to look for him."

"And when he came back, he said he had found a way to slow down my illness..."

What happened next was exactly what you all saw.

Nodding to indicate that she understood the situation, she looked at Fu Ling, who seemed worried for her lover, and silently sighed at the saccharine smell of romance before asking...

"Your lover... the solution they came up with must be the secret method of immortality found in Mount Chengxiao, right?"

"Yes, he said he had consulted a lot of information and learned that there is an undisturbed paradise here, where time stands still forever. As long as I live there, my illness will never worsen..."

"I thought this was a distant legend, until what you just said..."

"...It must be a time turbulence, right?"

After hearing the details of the incident, Chao gave his own conclusion, which was quickly agreed upon by the other two.

After listening, Changli also spoke up, emphasizing the seriousness of the matter.

"But logically speaking, there shouldn't be any more time turbulence in the mountains..."

"In other words... there are still hidden time turbulences in the mountains, and Wu Li mistakenly entered them for some reason, believing that he was the legend he was searching for."

"This is not a solution at all... it's fraught with danger."

"...So that's how it is..."

"If that's really the case... then I'll leave it to the three of you to handle..."

"Don't worry about my feelings. If the time turbulence is really that dangerous, I can't stay for my own selfish desires."

I'll talk to Wuli about it.

Fu Ling, however, took it all in stride, nodding firmly to show her stance. Seeing Fu Ling's attitude, Mo Wunian's gaze towards her held even more admiration.

"If you have other thoughts, it's best to tell him as well. Some things, if not spoken aloud, will remain unknown even to your closest loved ones."

"Yes, I understand."

"...I think I understand now, don't you think so, Chao?"

"Some things, if left unsaid... often cause even greater harm."

After hearing Changli's words, someone who was already unhappy about being misled used this phrase directly quoted it and threw it at Chao.

The wanderer, caught off guard by Mo Wunian's sudden attack, was speechless for a moment and could only awkwardly close his eyes and smile.

"...Don't play dumb, I know you're not completely clueless."

Is there any trust left between people?

Staring at Chao, who was still trying to bluff his way through, Mo Wunian had no desire to play any more riddles with him.

Ever since he became increasingly sleepy, his temper has become more and more volatile, and he's grown increasingly thirsty for the truth that he used to pay little attention to.

It was as if something unimaginable might happen if he didn't know.

"…Mo Wunian, this matter is far more complicated than you think."

"Why don't we resolve this matter first?"

At the crucial moment, Changli stepped forward to help the wanderers out of their predicament. Seeing Fu Ling's shocked expression, Mo Wunian abandoned his plan to interrogate Chao and nodded in agreement with Changli's suggestion.

"Okay, let's resolve this first."

"Don't think I won't bring it up again. Be prepared."

Seeing that Chao was visibly relieved, Mo Wunian still wasn't going to let him off the hook. After giving him a deliberately fierce glare, he turned his attention back to the matter at hand.

"......knew"

“It’s good to know”

"Shall we talk somewhere else?"

Chang Li looked around. There were quite a few people around, especially since this was an inn.

"...Since you gentlemen wish to discuss matters, then I, Fu Ling, shall take my leave."

"I still need to go and take care of Wuli..."

"But what if the wanderer is truly hiding something that is very important to the other person..."

"Just like what Lord Nagatoshi said..."

"...I'm sorry for bringing up some ideas I shouldn't have. I'll be going now."

Fu Ling simply nodded silently, then turned and walked into the hotel, leaving only the three of them in the room.

The three looked at each other, then moved to a slightly more secluded spot and began to discuss the matter.

"There are many suspicious points in this matter..."

"I remember Wu Li was just an ordinary explorer, right? How could he be so sure that he had found that place?"

"Not to mention that it only took half a day."

"It seems Mo Wunian has also realized that something is wrong."

"His goal was indeed to save his lover, that's true, but he concealed part of the truth."

"Not to mention that the turbulent currents of Chengxiao Mountain should have been dealt with long ago with the combined efforts of Jin Xi and Mo Wunian... and the wanderers have been in the mountains for so many days without finding anything..."

At this point, an image of an organization dressed in red instantly flashed into Mo Wunian's mind; it seemed only they had the leisure to engage in such matters.

"...I think I know who's behind this."

"The Remnant Star Society?"

"Hmm, after thinking about it, it seems like only they would have this idea."

"And I can also sense that although the frequency disturbances there are weak, they do indeed possess the aura of temporal turbulence, only slightly different from the turbulence of the past..."

"They're trapped in that area."

Changli nodded in agreement after hearing the person's speculation.

"Indeed, the direction at that time was almost exactly the same as the location of the chess score in the notes left behind by Master Xuanmiao."

"Then what are we waiting for? Whatever they're planning, let's find them first!"

"After all, that organization... never mind, let's set off first."

The thought that person was still in that organization made Mo Wunian's heart clench.

After all, the other person joined the Remnant Star Society because of him, and he really did wrong that person.

"..."

Meanwhile, Chao, who was silently watching Mo Wunian, saw that the other party seemed to be in pain. She lowered her gaze, a hint of gloom flashing in her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it.

"Um"

The group quickly set off, and the first place they arrived at, following the original route, was the cave where Wu Li had previously camped.

Beside an abandoned makeshift campfire, there were some notebooks and messages that hadn't been put away yet.

"It seems the afterimage appeared so suddenly that the explorer didn't have time to collect what it was."

"Want to see it? It's someone else's stuff, after all."

"Let's take a look; what if there are hidden clues?"

Changli quickly made a decision, and the three of them searched for the scattered diaries throughout the camp. Before long, they had found most of them.

Unsurprisingly, Wu Li's diary recounted their search for medicine and their travels, while Fu Ling's comments presented a completely different picture:

The text doesn't express fear of his impending death, but rather overflows with concern and worry for his loved one.

After reading the message, the three of them remained silent, simply putting the note back into the book.

"...Since this belongs to that explorer, we should return it to him when we get back."

"However, it seems... Fu Ling was already prepared to face death long ago."

"A truly moving story. The young girl named Fu Ling had long accepted her impending death, only hoping to spend her remaining days with her lover fulfilling their unfinished dreams."

"We no longer place our hopes for survival on vague legends... but rather want to focus on reality with our loved ones."

"...However, just as we expected, the mastermind behind it all is indeed the Remnant Star Society."

"It seems their goal is still the legendary chess game, but fortunately, the map left by that explorer has already marked our destination."

We can't give them a chance.

After briefly reminiscing about the couple's story, Chang Li quickly turned her attention back to the present matter.

Mo Wunian nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, let's deal with this first."

"And it's not like there's no way to treat either of them."

Although his skill had been transformed into time management with the system's assistance, this actually made many things easier.

"I can already feel the turbulence of time."

After crossing a precipice, the group found a dilapidated chessboard in the snow.

The chessboard had shattered into pieces, scattered haphazardly around it.

Chao stepped forward to investigate and quickly analyzed some things.

"There are signs of excavation here, like it was dug out by hand. Could it be that Wu Li?"

"As before, the key may still lie with this flow-tracing device."

Chang Li then turned his gaze to the time-tracing device on the side. The two instantly understood each other and began to operate the device. Soon, the collapsed chessboard began to rewind, restoring itself to its state from an unknown period of time ago.

At the same time, several blurry phantoms appeared in different locations nearby. Upon closer inspection, one of them looked almost exactly like Chao.

"What a fine game! What a fine game! I never expected to be able to play such a pleasant game of chess here on Mount Chengxiao. Fellow Daoist, you are so young, yet your depth is unfathomable, hahaha..."

"I was so delighted that you still remembered our promise..."

"Ahem... What a brilliant move! It seems that even 20 years from now, this old man has no chance of winning..."

"...This game of chess is full of twists and turns...If it weren't for your reminder, I probably wouldn't have realized the variable in this game..."

"All laws return to one... sacrificing oneself to continue this broken world... the price your companion paid was far heavier than I imagined..."

Mo Wunian listened silently to these words, but noticed that the male phantom voice opposite the old man seemed to have been deliberately erased; even he couldn't discern the secret within it.

"That's Master's voice..."

Changli naturally recognized the old man's voice—it was her master, Xuanmiao Zhenren.

Mo Wunian nodded, and just as he was about to check for any more clues, he spotted another ethereal figure in the distance:

The man wore a white cloak, the shadow of which obscured his face, and his gaze remained fixed silently on two people playing chess in the distance, doing nothing else.

He was just passing by, like someone checking things out.

But judging by his height... he probably isn't that sleazy guy.

Maybe it's him again at some point in time.

Just as he was about to take a closer look, he suddenly felt a temporal turbulence appear, and when he turned around, he saw a golden door appear in front of him.

"The Mirage Realm has opened! Thank you all for leading the way, we'll head out now!!!"

That familiar voice… those familiar villainous words…

It really is your Remnant Star Society!

More than ten craftsmen from the Remnant Star Society suddenly sprang out and rushed towards the entrance to the Mirage Realm. Before they could react, several of them slipped inside.

The remaining few people blocked the doorway and began to mock them.

"As you probably know, the ability of [Horn] to manipulate time at his peak was hidden within this Sonora..."

"Even if it doesn't exist, what a beautiful sight it would be if this Sonora, mixed with the turbulent flow of time, covered the entire Mount Chengxiao..."

But before he could finish speaking, a sword shot out and pierced through his chest. The space compressed rapidly, leaving not even a corpse behind.

"Step aside!"

"Who do you think you are! You think you can just tell us to move aside like that..."

"Wait... wasn't this the person that the lord specifically instructed us not to fight...?"

"Oh no... It seems that... They say if you dare to hurt even a single hair, that evil spirit will cut you into eight pieces..."

"What should we do...? Maybe we should just move aside... Ah!!!"

Although he seemed to understand why the Remnant Star Society members were suddenly hesitant to attack, he was too lazy to waste words and decisively charged forward, quickly eliminating the Remnant Star Society members blocking his path.

Just as he was about to enter the mirage with the three people beside him, another vortex suddenly appeared in front of him, and he, who was at the forefront, couldn't stop in time and was sucked in.

"Mo Wunian!!!"

In the last second before he lost consciousness, he only heard someone calling his name:

So why is there such malice towards him everywhere in this world?!