Chapter 453

Soil and Rose

Hearing this sentence. Everyone present was taken aback.

【Zong Wen】 saw the black-skirted girl who had been standing behind Chen Ling the whole time, as if realizing something, his heart rejoiced, and he immediately stood up and said, "Everyone listen to the 【Special Envoy】, everyone get out... Let's leave the 【Special Envoy】 some private space!"

While speaking, 【Zong Wen】 urged the others to leave, and he himself stood up from the sofa with a chuckle, giving 【Liu Qingyan】 a look.

"【Liu Qingyan】, serve the 【Special Envoy】 well... understand?"

【Liu Qingyan】 seemingly didn't expect things to turn out like this, standing at a loss in her original spot. After everyone left, the room thoroughly fell into quiet.

Finally quiet...

Chen Ling sat back down on the sofa, letting out a long breath in his heart.

This trip to the 【Flower Capital Consortium】 was much more tiring than going to the Beidou Consortium before... He absolutely didn't expect that 【Zong Wen】, this old man who looked to be in his sixties or seventies, would play so wild in his own home. No wonder a small theater troupe under his banner in 【Willow Town】 was so rotten.

After coming into contact with 【Liu Qingyan】 last time, Chen Ling could see that this girl was not that loyal to 【Zong Wen】, and when necessary, she would be easier to manipulate. Keeping her, at least she wouldn't secretly talk too much with 【Zong Wen】 behind his back.

"【Special Envoy】 【Lord】..."

While flipping through the scroll in his hand, Chen Ling spoke faintly, "Find a place to sit down, you don't need to do anything, just watch from the side and that's fine."

"... Yes."

【Liu Qingyan】 responded obediently, then sat down on the sofa opposite Chen Ling, quiet and constrained like a 【Cloth Doll】 in a black dress.

Chen Ling opened the scrolls in front of the table one by one. Seeing non-portrait paintings, he threw them directly to the side. Only when he discovered a portrait would he turn it over to take a look, confirming whether there was an 【Eight of Clubs】 mark.

But the 【Flower Capital Consortium】's collections were truly too many. He flipped for a long time, and there was still a pile in front of him, piled up high like a small mountain.

Sitting opposite, 【Liu Qingyan】 tangled for a moment, then still peeked her head out from beside the small mountain, asking carefully:

"【Special Envoy】 【Lord】, are you looking for something... I can help you."

"No need."

Chen Ling responded coldly. Naturally, it was impossible to let an outsider participate in matters involving 【Dusk Society】 secrets.

"... Alright." 【Liu Qingyan】 closed her mouth.

While searching, Chen Ling said: "If 【Zong Wen】 asks later..."

"I will just say, I have been serving you the whole time."

【Liu Qingyan】 said softly.

Hearing this answer, Chen Ling raised his head and looked at her somewhat astonished.

"You exclusively kept me behind, isn't it because you hoped I could cover for you?" 【Liu Qingyan】 pursed her lips slightly, "If the 【Special Envoy】 【Lord】 had thoughts about me, you would have... early on at the auction venue."

"You are very smart."

Chen Ling said calmly, "The 【Flower Capital Consortium】 is not a good sort, 【Zong Wen】 even less so. You should stay a bit further away from them."

"What the 【Special Envoy】 【Lord】 says is true." 【Liu Qingyan】 paused, and said softly, "However, not everyone is the 【Special Envoy】 【Lord】... Cheap lives like ours, growing in dirty soil, don't have the qualification to choose our own lives."

Chen Ling's hand flipping through the scroll paused slightly.

In his mind, the image of the young girl he saw in 【Willow Town】 suddenly emerged, trying to flap her wings and rise like a swan, but ultimately falling onto the 【Stage】 time and time again... as well as that helpless gaze that almost crumbled under countless greedy eyes.

He was silent for a long time,

"No one's life is cheap... Even in the dirtiest soil, a brilliant rose might bloom."

As his voice fell, the room fell into a quietness. 【Liu Qingyan】's eyes stared blankly at him. After a long time, a faint smile emerged on the young girl's gloomy face, which seemed to have remained unchanged since ancient times.

"Does the 【Special Envoy】 【Lord】 think I can become that rose?"

"To become a rose, first you must grow sharp thorns to protect yourself." Chen Ling looked into her eyes, "You are already growing your own sharp thorns... aren't you?"

【Liu Qingyan】 had already awakened her 【Divine Pathways】. Although Chen Ling didn't know what that power was, it was enough to let 【Liu Qingyan】 protect herself in this chaotic mortal world.

"... Mm." 【Liu Qingyan】 nodded lightly,

"Because once you see the light, you will desperately want to grow... towards the direction closer to the light."

Chen Ling didn't continue following her words. His gaze fell back on the scroll. After casually throwing aside a few more, the scrolls in front of him became fewer and fewer... Roughly looking, there were probably only twelve or thirteen left.

His heart slowly sank...

Could it be that it's also not here in the 【Flower Capital Consortium】? Was this trip in vain again?

Chen Ling didn't believe in evil. He took out all the remaining 【Portrait Painting】s, placed them side by side on the table, and began to carefully observe the back of each one.

Finally, when he opened the second to last scroll, his pupils, flashing with faint blue light, locked onto the upper right corner... There, a mark so faint it could barely be perceived was exposed in Chen Ling's eyes.

【Eight of Clubs】.

Chen Ling's eyes lit up. He knew this trip finally wasn't in vain.

He turned this scroll over and looked at the front. It was a painting of ladies with quite a sense of age. At first glance, there was nothing special about it, and with Chen Ling's limited historical and appreciation knowledge, he couldn't judge what this painting really meant.

But no matter what, this time's target could be considered found. Chen Ling rolled up this painting. He didn't put it on his body, but instead put it back into the pile of scrolls next to him... Then he began to flip through the last scroll.

Now that 【Liu Qingyan】 was right in front of him, Chen Ling naturally couldn't expose his target. Even if he saw that painting, he had to casually finish looking at the rest... This wasn't because he was afraid 【Liu Qingyan】 would inform 【Zong Wen】, mainly because it concerned the 【Dusk Society】, it was better to be safe in everything.

"Where is 【Zong Wen】?"

"He should be waiting next door..."

"Go call him over." Chen Ling thought of having to deal with that old pervert again in a while, and felt somewhat annoyed in his heart, "Tell him not to bring those messy 'collections'."

"Yes."

【Liu Qingyan】 turned and walked towards the door, then suddenly stopped and asked abruptly, "Does the 【Special Envoy】 【Lord】 not like him?"

"Just seeing him makes me sick." Chen Ling waved his hand, "Go quickly."

Hearing this answer, an imperceptible light flashed in 【Liu Qingyan】's eyes. After a moment of silence, she still pushed the door and went out.

When 【Liu Qingyan】 left, only Chen Ling remained in the room. He took out a sticky note from his chest pocket, quickly wrote down something, then tore it off, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it out the window.

A gust of wind rose from the ground just right, supporting the sticky note, and like a paper crane, it floated lightly in a certain direction...

"My task is complete... Next, it's up to you guys." Chen Ling muttered to himself.