Chapter 1802: Just Somewhat Happy

Just Somewhat Happy

During this period, Chen Ling had also tried to contact Jian Changsheng using Thought Storm.

For some reason, Jian Changsheng's thoughts seemed to be isolated by some power, or perhaps he had fallen into a deep sleep. Chen Ling had searched repeatedly, but he simply couldn't find Jian Changsheng's thoughts...

"...I understand," Chen Ling sighed softly.

"Mister Chen, don't be anxious," Teacher Ye consoled. "The Gray World is so vast; even the Integration Faction cannot cover every corner... Perhaps he is in another location. If there are any discoveries later on, we will notify you immediately."

"Mm."

"Right, Mister Chen," Teacher Ye seemed to recall something. "Recently, how is that child doing?"

"Jack of Diamonds? He's adapting very well."

"That's good then..."

Chen Ling smiled. "I wasn't trying to poach your people; he chose it himself."

"Hahaha, of course I have no intention of blaming Mister Chen. Actually, I am also well aware that the value he creates in the Dusk Society is definitely much greater than in the Integration Faction." Teacher Ye took a sip of tea and looked out the window at the sky, sighing with emotion.

"His talent is truly something one can only come across by chance but never seek... I wonder when the next genius like that will appear."

The hand Chen Ling used to hold the cup paused slightly.

In a daze, a familiar figure appeared in his mind. He was draped in a tattered wanderer's cloak, hiding skin covered in Curse Runes under his sleeves. He was standing on the street of Frost Street, grinning widely at him.

Chen Ling closed his eyes and unhurriedly placed the cup back onto the tabletop:

"Perhaps..."

"He won't appear again."

Teacher Ye froze. He looked at Chen Ling in confusion, seemingly unable to understand the meaning behind the other party's words.

Chen Ling didn't say anything more, but naturally changed the subject:

"Are there any results regarding the distribution of the Scarlet Heaven Cult that I asked you all to investigate before?"

"Yes."

Teacher Ye took out a map from the drawer and spread it flat on the tabletop. This was a hand-drawn map of the Gray World. Although it looked somewhat rudimentary, if this thing were brought to the human domains, it would absolutely be enough to incite the madness of the higher-ups in all the human domains!

The Gray World had always been a symbol of mystery. Although human domains roughly knew the locations of the territories of a few major calamities after hundreds of years of exploration, a Gray World map as detailed as this one was likely the only one in the entire world. Even the topography and landforms were marked clearly.

At this moment on the map, several red circles of different sizes were scattered all over, standing out conspicuously.

"The red ones are the locations of all the Scarlet Heaven Sect Branches we have investigated so far. The larger the circle, the more people there are in the branch," Teacher Ye explained, pointing at those red circles.

Chen Ling swept his gaze over those branches, memorizing their locations in his heart, and nodded:

"Thank you."

Chen Ling chatted briefly with Teacher Ye for a few more sentences. After finishing the tea in his cup, he stood up.

"Are you leaving already?" Teacher Ye asked.

"I'm going to 'visit' these branches one by one." Chen Ling flicked his sleeve. "I'll come back to find you after I'm done with recent matters."

"Alright, I'll see you out."

Chen Ling didn't refuse. He walked out of the office together with Teacher Ye and slowly walked down the stairs of the Mother Tree. Familiar classrooms and dormitories entered his line of sight one by one.

The Integration Faction in this world was actually not much different from the one in the fifth-generation world. Chen Ling had lived here for a period of time in the past and was extremely familiar with every blade of grass and tree here. At this moment, the Mother Tree in his memory and the Mother Tree before his eyes overlapped, giving him a feeling as if a lifetime had passed...

"Hello, Teacher Ye!"

"Hello, Mister Chen!"

"..."

Every student walking past would enthusiastically take the initiative to greet them. Some of these people were familiar faces from Chen Ling's memory, while others were not... Following the deviation of the worldline, many people who were supposed to be taken in by the Integration Faction did not repeat the mistakes of the previous life, and some children who originally did not belong to the Integration Faction came here by chance.

Chen Ling's gaze swept over the faces of these children one by one. He suddenly remembered something, turned his head, and asked Teacher Ye:

"Do you have a child named Little Peach here?"

"...Little Peach?" Teacher Ye shook his head.

"No, there is no such person."

Little Peach had not appeared in the Integration Faction, which meant she had either not been born, or her life trajectory had changed... She didn't encounter misfortune and get forced to separate from her brother Xi Renjie like in the previous world, nor did she experience all sorts of hardships, and she certainly wouldn't end up with a tragic ending like in the previous life.

Perhaps, she was living happily with her brother under the aurora right now.

Not just Little Peach, but with his early intervention now, all the children of the Integration Faction could break free from the shadow of calamities... This time, they wouldn't repeat their mistakes and meet such a tragic end.

This time, he would make up for the regrets of the entire Integration Faction.

Chen Ling stopped in front of the Integration Faction's entrance and looked back at this Mother Tree full of cheerful chatter and laughter. A pair of cinnabar-like earrings swayed silently, shining brightly under the sunlight.

"What's wrong, Mister Chen?" Teacher Ye was somewhat confused.

Chen Ling retracted his gaze, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips:

"...Nothing."

"It's just... I'm somewhat happy."

...

Ancient Vault of the Drama Path.

Knock, knock, knock——

Under the dusk, Li Leider held a small bowl and knocked on Wen Renyou's door.

Soon, a figure opened the door. Li Leider saw Wen Renyou, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, and immediately called out:

"Third Martial Uncle."

Wen Renyou smiled. When his gaze fell on the small bowl in the other party's hand, his smile suddenly stiffened...

"Martial Nephew, this bowl of yours is way too small." Wen Renyou's expression was somewhat strange. "Are days outside really this difficult now? Everyone can't afford to eat?"

Li Leider: ...

"That's not it, Martial Uncle... It's just that I haven't been eating much recently," Li Leider explained.

Hearing this, Wen Renyou kept a straight face without saying a word. He just silently snatched the small bowl from Li Leider's hand, coldly dropped the sentence, "Come in first, the food will be ready in a bit," and walked straight toward the Kitchen.

Li Leider walked into the house and found that the other martial uncles and aunts had all arrived. Ning Ru Yu, Luan Mei, and Mo Jue were sitting by the table chatting. The Clown was hugging a rice bucket and sitting on the ground, still enthusiastically playing flicking stones with his reflection in the glass.

Seeing Li Leider come in, Mo Jue smiled faintly and patted the seat next to him:

"Martial Nephew, don't just stand there foolishly, hurry and sit down."

"Yes, Martial Uncle."

Perhaps it was because he hadn't come back for a long time, or perhaps it was because this room was full of seniors like his martial uncles and aunts, Li Leider appeared somewhat restrained. He sat down respectfully next to Mo Jue without saying a word.

"Martial Nephew, having been out for so long, how have you been doing on the outside?" Mo Jue asked on his own initiative.

...

...