Chapter 923: Press-Ganging a Recruit

Press-Ganging a Recruit

The Imperial Palace ruins from throughout the ages fell from the sky like a meteor shower. It was like a falling dream, blooming into flowers of dust on the gray earth.

The youth held the crying girl in his arms. His gaze swept over the scene before him, leaving only calmness in his eyes...

The imperial power of the past was like a phantom bubble. In this unfamiliar era, his path forward was covered with gray thorns.

A-Qian cried for a long time, finally venting the fear in her heart. She looked at the youth with red eyes and asked carefully:

"Brother Xiao Li... what happened to you?"

"We..." The youth paused for a moment. "I stepped onto a path."

"Path... is it the path of those older brothers and sisters who are like supermen?" A-Qian was a bit puzzled.

"You could say that."

"Brother Xiao Li, where are we going next?"

"Let's leave here first."

"Mhm, okay."

A-Qian reached out and pulled the hem of the youth's clothes like she usually did. The youth didn't refuse either. He slowly got up, and together they walked out of the ruins...

Thud, thud, thud—

The meteor shower of Imperial Palace ruins fell around the two of them, yet as if by magic, they all avoided their path. Only bursts of thunderous roars came from their surroundings, and dust obscured their vision.

As they moved forward, they vaguely saw a dazzling golden Imperial Robe by the roadside. It was currently hooked by an upside-down spike on a crossbeam, swaying silently in the wind...

It was unknown which dynasty that Imperial Robe came from, but it was preserved perfectly. The extremely luxurious materials and patterns symbolized the pinnacle of ancient power, making it hard to look away after a single glance.

Seeing this Imperial Robe, the youth's eyes narrowed slightly...

[The Emperor must remember: harboring attachments is like showing weakness to the enemy; it is absolutely unacceptable.]

A faint line of text appeared before his eyes.

The youth snorted coldly and waved his hand casually, causing the faint text to disperse in the air.

He didn't have the slightest bit of nostalgia, not even taking a second glance at the Imperial Robe. He calmly passed by it, walking further and further away step by step...

"Brother Xiao Li, those clothes just now were so pretty." A-Qian couldn't help but say.

"No matter how pretty, it's still an old set of clothes." The youth said indifferently. "The era has already changed, that old set is no longer fitting... Since I could create that old one, I can naturally create a new one."

He glanced at his own tattered coarse linen clothes and continued walking forward. The figures of the two gradually disappeared amidst the dust.

"This time, We shall start anew."

...

Jian Changsheng shook his dizzy head and slowly climbed up from the ground.

"Damn it... what's going on?"

"You're awake?"

Sun Bumian was sitting on a rock nearby, yawning lazily. "How do you feel?"

"My head hurts so much... I seem to have had a nightmare just now. I dreamt that I fell from a very high place, and my whole body aches from the fall." Jian Changsheng groped his body with his hands and spoke uncertainly.

"..." Sun Bumian coughed lightly and skipped this topic. "If you're awake, come help. This guy is a bit heavy."

Jian Changsheng looked in the direction Sun Bumian was pointing, only to see Jiang Xiaohua planted head-first into the ground like a leek, half his body buried, leaving only two legs sticking straight up alone on the gray earth.

Jiang Xiaohua didn't make a sound or move at all. It wasn't even clear if he was dead or alive.

Jian Changsheng: ...

Helpless, Jian Changsheng and Sun Bumian could only grab one leg each. Bit by bit, they pulled him out of the ground, then threw him heavily onto the ground like tossing a sandbag.

Panting, Sun Bumian turned his head to look, only to see Jiang Xiaohua blinking his eyes, looking at them fully awake.

"..." Sun Bumian was a bit speechless. "Why didn't you move if you were awake?"

Jiang Xiaohua was silent for a long time, then answered muffledly:

"It was quite comfortable in the ground."

"..."

The corners of Jian Changsheng and Sun Bumian's mouths twitched slightly. They suppressed the urge to stuff this guy back into the ground. Right at this moment, a figure wearing a Great Crimson Theatrical Robe stepped on Cloud Steps and slowly descended from the sky.

"Huh, where's your Imperial Robe?" Sun Bumian asked in confusion.

"The Ancient Vault is gone, so that Imperial Robe was purely decorative. I threw it away because it was too hot."

Chen Ling swept his gaze over the three of them. After pausing on Jiang Xiaohua for a moment, as if remembering something, he gave Jian Changsheng and Sun Bumian a look and silently walked to the side.

Jian Changsheng and Sun Bumian exchanged a glance and immediately followed.

"What's wrong?"

"That Jiang Xiaohua, what are you planning to do with him?" Chen Ling asked in a deep voice.

Hearing this, Jian Changsheng's heart skipped a beat, and he hastily spoke up,

"Hearts, you're not going to kill him to silence him, are you? That's not appropriate... Although he indeed has no use value right now, he did save our lives."

Chen Ling looked at him weirdly. "When did I say I was going to silence him... Am I that cruel?"

Jian Changsheng nodded like a pounding garlic pestle.

"..." Chen Ling couldn't be bothered to talk nonsense with him. "Jiang Xiaohua has seen our past, so our identities in the Dusk Society are probably exposed. If we don't silence him, we only have two choices now.

Either, we have Senior Bai Ye come over and steal his memories, then let him go;

Or, we pull him into the Dusk Society as well and make him board the same pirate ship as us."

"This is my first time hearing someone use 'pirate ship' to describe themselves..." Sun Bumian shrugged. "But I guess there's nothing wrong with it either."

"If we pull him into the Dusk Society, will he agree?" Jian Changsheng began to weigh it seriously. "Looking at him, he doesn't seem like someone willing to lick blood off a knife's edge and adventure outside..."

Chen Ling snorted coldly,

"There are three Sixes and a Queen of Hearts here. Even if he doesn't want to today, he has to... Carry him away!"

"Okay!"

With a single command from Chen Ling, the three immediately sprang into action. They charged aggressively toward Jiang Xiaohua, eyeing him with malicious intent.

Jiang Xiaohua, who was lying peacefully on the ground, was startled. An ominous premonition rose in his heart...

He rarely spoke on his own initiative:

"What... what do you want to do?"

"Cut the crap and come with us!" Jian Changsheng spoke domineeringly.

The three didn't allow for any explanation and directly hoisted Jiang Xiaohua up. Chen Ling carried his shoulders, while Jian Changsheng and Sun Bumian each carried a leg on the left and right. Like a team snatching a bride grabbing the bridal sedan chair, they bolted toward Bai Ye's direction!

At this moment, Bai Ye was carefully searching for something in the ruins, his frown deepening...

"Strange, where did it go..."

He muttered for a while, then suddenly as if sensing something, he jerked his head up and looked into the distance. He saw Chen Ling's trio carrying Jiang Xiaohua and running toward him at top speed!

Bai Ye looked at this scene in bewilderment and spoke incredulously:

"What... are you guys doing?"

"Senior Bai Ye." Chen Ling answered calmly. "We press-ganged a recruit for the Dusk Society."

Being carried on their shoulders, Jiang Xiaohua's expression gradually changed from bewilderment and panic to dullness. Then, suspected of having lost all strength and means, he resentfully looked up at the sky.

Bai Ye: ...?