I'm not a drama god

Li Laide paused slightly in the hand holding the chopsticks.

Over the years, he has experienced too much. Establishing the Fire Usurper may sound simple, but only he knows the twists and turns and difficulties involved. In addition, the supervision of the various prisons in the Chengtian Realm is so strict now that he must be cautious at all times when he is outside, otherwise he will be exposed if he is not careful.

The eighth rank sounds quite powerful, but in this era, while eighth-rank individuals aren't exactly as numerous as dogs, they certainly aren't exactly rampant or free to come and go as they please.

But Lee Ryder naturally wouldn't say any of that. After a brief silence, he finally gave a very understated reply:

"……fine."

"What do you mean 'okay'? You've already lost a lot of weight," Luan Mei sighed. "This time when you come back, I'll have your third senior uncle help you get some nourishment... so you can try to gain weight back."

Li Laide hesitated, a look of helplessness appearing on his face.

After such a long time, my senior brothers and sisters haven't changed at all...

Li Laide clearly remembered that when he first returned to the Xidao Ancient Temple with Chen Ling, his four senior uncles and aunts were all stunned when they saw him... It was a kind of look that Li Laide could not understand. It was not the look that the other people had when they looked at a "heretic," but a kind of... eeriness and shock.

Later, Li Laide also asked his senior brothers and sisters about this, and most of them cleverly avoided the topic. Only Ning Ruyu patted him on the shoulder and said that the reason they were surprised was because they hadn't expected Chen Ling to take on a disciple...

But it makes sense when you think about it. His master seemed to be used to being alone, so it would be surprising if he suddenly brought a disciple back.

As time went by, the attitude of his senior brothers and sisters towards him gradually changed from subtle to gentle and patient, and later it seemed that they had completely accepted him, showing him meticulous care and attention.

What Li Lai De never felt from his master was filled in by his senior brothers and sisters. It was because of this that he deeply respected these seniors, and it was because of them that he slowly began to accept Xidao Ancient Collection as his "new home".

Just then, as if remembering something, he hesitated before speaking:

"By the way, senior uncles and aunts... do you know a folk song?"

"Folk songs?" The three exchanged glances. "What folk songs?"

"Two days ago, when Ruoshui Prison was destroyed, Master sang a folk song..." Li Laide recited two verses of the song from memory.

Hearing this, Ning Ruyu chuckled:

"Oh, you mean [Requiem]?"

"A Requiem Ballad?"

"It is one of the four secret techniques of the Ancient Treasures of the Dao of Play, which can soothe the soul of the deceased. It is usually only used in the funeral procession... This is a secret technique created by your master's master."

Li Laid was somewhat surprised, "A master has a master too?"

"of course."

"Then what kind of person was our grandmaster?" Li Laide asked, unusually curious. "Where is he now?"

Ning Ruyu and the others fell silent.

The sound of stir-frying in the kitchen also stopped for a moment.

Li Laid keenly sensed the subtle shift in the atmosphere, and a vague idea surfaced in his mind... Sure enough, after a moment of silence, Ning Ruyu answered softly:

"He...sacrificed himself."

Li Lai's pupils contracted slightly.

sacrifice.

Li Laid immediately realized what those two words meant... His master did not die of old age. This term is usually only used when fighting against a powerful enemy; he died in battle.

Li Lai De's deep blue eyes narrowed slightly. Since returning to the Ancient Treasure House of the Play Path, he had concealed his sharpness, and for the first time, he revealed a fierceness that belonged only to the King of the Fire Usurper:

"Do we have enemies? Are they still alive?"

“…Junior Nephew.” Luan Mei’s gaze was deep and unfathomable.

"Our Twilight Society has only one true enemy..."

She raised her hand and pointed to the sky.

Lee Laide's gaze sharpened, as if he understood something, and his expression became somewhat complicated.

As for the Crimson Star... If it were a human or a calamity-like being, no matter how strong, Li Laid felt he would definitely have a way to crush it in the future. But the Crimson Star... not to mention just how unsolvable that existence is, it wouldn't even easily descend upon Earth. In other words, any era would only have one or two opportunities to deal with the Crimson Star.

Moreover, given that his master had already become so powerful, Li Lai De dared not imagine how strong his grandmaster must be. Even at that level, he had still been defeated by Chi Xing.

"So, Ruoshui-jun is just the beginning." Li Lai-de paused for a moment, "After the Twilight Society buries all realms, only then can the world be restarted..."

“That’s right.” Ning Ruyu nodded.

"However, your master is already looking for a way to completely destroy Red Star... If it goes smoothly, that would be best; if not..."

Ning Ruyu didn't say the second half of his sentence, but Li Laid already understood what he meant.

Even our grandmaster failed. Can our master really defeat Akahoshi? What if he also fails? Will he suffer the same fate as our grandmaster...?

After a long silence, Li Laid finally seemed to have made up his mind and looked up at Ning Ruyu and the others:

"Master Aunt and Master Sister, I... want to learn the [Soul-Soothing Ballad]."

Upon hearing this, Ning Ruyu and the others were somewhat surprised.

"You...learn the Requiem?"

“Is that not possible?” Li Laide retorted. “The Requiem Song shouldn’t be something only the Puppet God Path can learn… My master isn’t from the Puppet God Path either, but if he can learn it, I should be able to too.”

"Although one doesn't necessarily need to be a performer of theatrical arts to learn the Requiem Ballad, it's not that simple. Unless you have a strong talent for 'drama,' it's very difficult to learn." The last horn added, as if recalling something.

"Your master has an amazing talent for 'acting'."

Lee Ryder frowned, lost in thought.

I do not know how long it has been,

He still spoke, unwilling to give up:

"...I want to try it."

Ning Ruyu and the others exchanged glances and nodded almost imperceptibly. Then, Mo Jiao turned to Li Lai De and said:

"If you want to try learning, I can teach you... but you'd better not get your hopes up too high."

"Thank you very much, Fourth Martial Uncle!" Li Laide said with some delight. He then added, "Also... fellow martial uncles and aunts, could you... perhaps we not tell my master about this matter yet?"

"why?"

“…” Li Laid did not answer.

Ning Ruyu and the others understood what Li Laide meant. He was too proud and too concerned about his image. He hadn't mastered what his master had taught him, so naturally he didn't want Chen Ling to know.

Before Ning Ruyu could say anything, Wenren You carried the food out of the kitchen.

"Dinner is ready."

Wenrenyou placed Li Laide's small bowl in front of him.

Li Laid stared wide-eyed in astonishment at the thick, round "rice tower" piled up from the small bowl, as tall as a hand...

Wenren You handed the bowl of "eight-in-one" rice to Li Laide with satisfaction, then went to fetch other dishes, before leaving behind a remark:

"Remember to finish it all."