Nightmare (14) - Sea of Fire

The Lingren did not refuse again. He stood a little distance away and bowed again to Yu Xing in the sunlight, his smile seemingly showing some gratitude.

He said in a gentle tone, "It is my honor to be understood and appreciated by someone like you, young master, when I, a mere actor, am so humble."

From then on, whenever he had free time, Yu Xing would learn singing techniques from the Lingren, and he truly experienced the charm of opera culture through his studies.

The music has its joys and sorrows, its partings and reunions. Occasionally, when Yu Xing was so affected by his role that he became depressed, the Lingren would bring him a cup of tea and say, "Why are you sad? Today I'll tell you something: actors are heartless."

Yu Xing took a sip of her drink in a low voice, looking at the Lingren remained unmoved after stepping off the stage despite having sung so many operas, and sighed, "I've heard that before, but I still can't help but be moved."

The Lingren smiled faintly, patting his cup. "No matter how moving it is, you must remember that you are singing someone else's story, their joys and sorrows."

He glanced at Yu Xing. After spending some time together, their relationship remained one of mutual respect, though they seemed to have grown subtly closer. "Since you're living a good life, why fantasize about those people's tragedies? Or... do you like tragedies and find resonance in them?"

Yu Xing thought for a moment, then exclaimed, "What resonance? I've had a smooth life from childhood to adulthood, so I really don't have any experience with that. But I hope I never will, haha."

The Lingren smiled faintly, "Is there anyone in this world who isn't a tragic figure?"

Later, flames licked everything, accompanied by the thunderous thud and scorching heat of the falling object. Before Yu Xing, the orange-red sea of fire mocked and clamored.

Screams echoed from the burning house. No one could escape the flames. Their faces gradually contorted and shattered in the heat, eventually turning black from head to toe into a curled-up, infant-like position.

"Dad! Sister!! Aunt Sun!" Yu Xing, who had returned from elsewhere, saw all this and let out an uncontrollable roar. He pushed aside the Lingren blocking his way and rushed straight inside, shouting, "Let me go! I need to save them!"

A force came from behind, Yu Xing was pressed down to the ground. The Lingren's usually slender hands felt like they weighed a ton, making it impossible for him to even get up.

The gentle and polite man was dressed in a red robe today. When he saw Yu Xing's shocked gaze, the corners of his mouth curled up, and his smile became more and more arrogant.

He seemed to want to say something, but the words caught in his throat and condensed into a single syllable filled with contempt:

"Oh."

"Is that you?" Yu Xing could still hear the screams of her loved ones. Her sister, who was about to get married to her beloved, had also perished. She pounded her hands on the railing door, Yu Xing for help through the thin, yet now impenetrable, door.

"Brother... save me!!" The woman's voice was shrill and painful as flames enveloped her, turning her into a human torch.

Yu Xing is currently unable to move.

His teeth were clenched so tightly that they bled, and the taste of rust rose in his throat.

His fingers dug horribly into the ground, leaving gruesome bloody streaks. Yu Xing's vision blurred, his brain throbbed with pain as if pricked by needles, and waves of dizziness washed over him, threatening to crush him in this absurd and pathetic state.

"I trusted you so much, I fucking trusted you so much... even my dad trusted you so much!!! Let go of me now!"

The young master swore for the first time, accompanied by a violent tremor of anger throughout his body, and a barely audible sob or wail mixed in with his voice.

"I've said it before, it's my honor to have someone like the young master understand and appreciate me." The Lingren actually stopped laughing wildly and gleefully, and put on the same grateful expression as before, but he didn't loosen his grip on Yu Xing at all. It really proved the saying that actors are heartless, it's all just acting.

"Why did you do this?!" Yu Xing yelled at him.

"You used to comfort me, saying I don't steal, rob, kill, or commit arson, so why should I feel inferior?" the Lingren said slowly, gently stroking Yu Xing's head with his other hand. "You see, you're only half right. I don't need to steal or rob myself, but I'd be very willing to kill or commit arson."

Yu Xing wanted to kill him.

Even though the Lingren seemed extremely dangerous at that moment, he felt no fear; he only wanted to throw the man into the fire immediately so that he could experience the pain his family was going through.

But the Lingren was very strong, making it impossible for anyone to resist.

He knew he couldn't change the tragic ending, and he couldn't bear to look anymore. The urge to escape began to spread in his heart. He wanted to close his eyes, as if as long as he couldn't see, his father, sister, and the servants who had taken care of him since he was a child would not be dead.

The next instant, his hair was grabbed by the Lingren, forcing him to fix his gaze on what was in front of him.

"What a great opportunity! Watch closely. Isn't it said that you can't empathize without experiencing tragedy? Remember what you feel today..."

Yu Xing's eyes were filled with nothing but raging flames, and he let out a roar of resentment.

The Lingren crouched down, his gentle, amused voice reaching his ear from the air, as he released his grip on the hand that had been forcing him to watch the fire. "Don't do that. You have such a beautiful voice, a real talent for opera. It would be a shame to ruin it. Oh, and your hands too, they're all scratched raw. Aren't the hands of an artist precious? Be kinder to them."

As he spoke, he began to hum the tune, just like always.

The fire shimmered, and the stunning singing was melodious yet heartbreaking. Yu Xing her head, her red eyes reflecting the current appearance of the Lingren.

The man was dressed in red, with thin, mocking lips. His eyes held a mixture of sarcasm, pity, and utter ridicule as he looked at him.

Flames rained down from the sky.

"I understand. Zhou Xue and Liang Erni can't meet, right? Not even for a memorial service?" Zhao Ruru's voice pulled Yu Xing from her memories and brought her back to reality.

He blinked, paused for a moment, and then belatedly hummed in agreement.

It's unclear how much Zhao Ruru chattered while Yu Xing was lost in thought, but when Yu Xing looked at her, she saw a smile on her face, probably indicating she'd found the right direction. "Once she and Liang Erni are about to have any interaction, this period will be skipped."

If this matter can be confirmed, it will at least help them eliminate most of the wrong directions, which means a lot of time can be saved.

"You're right. From this point, we might find a very important clue." The sudden clarity of his memories did not affect Yu Xing. He even completely suppressed his various emotions about finding the Lingren, and his thoughts became even clearer.

"Once we figure out the exact relationship between Liang Erni and Zhou Xue —besides grandmother and grandson—whether they have any other conflicts," Yu Xing instructed, then added, "I have a guess, but it needs to be confirmed. Before that, I need to ask you, do you have a car?"

Zhao Ruru: "A car?"