Chapter 922: Press-ganging

The remains of the palace from all ages fell from the firmament like a meteor shower, like a falling dream, blooming flowers of dust on the gray land.

The young man held the wailing girl in his arms, his gaze sweeping over the scene before him, leaving only calmness in his eyes...

The imperial power of the past had become like a dream bubble. In this strange era, his path ahead was covered with gray thorns.

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

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

"I..." The young man paused for a moment, "I stepped onto a path."

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

"You could say that."

"No wonder you grew so much taller... and your appearance has changed a little bit too." A-Qian looked at the young man’s face. Although it was a bit strange, she could still recognize Li Fu’s appearance at a glance, which made her feel at ease.

"Brother Li, where are we going next?"

"Let’s leave here first."

"Hmm, okay."

A-Qian reached out to pull the young man’s hem as usual, and the young man didn't refuse. They stood up slowly and walked out of the ruins together...

THUMP THUMP THUMP—

The remains of the palace fell like a meteor shower around them, but as if by magic, they all avoided their path forward. Only bursts of thunderous roars came from around them, and dust obscured their vision.

As they moved forward, they vaguely saw a golden imperial robe on the side of the road, hooked by a fallen beam, swaying silently in the wind...

That imperial robe didn't know which dynasty it came from, but it was well-preserved. The extremely luxurious materials and patterns symbolized the peak of ancient power, making it hard for anyone to look away once they saw it.

Seeing this imperial robe, the young man’s eyes narrowed slightly...

[An Emperor must remember: to have attachments in the heart is to show weakness to the enemy; it must never be taken.]

A line of faint text appeared before his eyes.

The young man snorted coldly and waved his hand casually, and the faint text dissipated in the air.

He didn't have the slightest nostalgia, didn't even look at the imperial robe again, and passed by it calmly, walking away step by step...

"Brother Li, the clothes just now were so beautiful." A-Qian couldn't help but speak.

"No matter how beautiful, it’s still an old garment." The young man said lightly, "The era is different now, the old set is no longer suitable... If I can create that old one, I can create a new one."

He looked at his tattered coarse hemp clothes and continued to walk forward. Their figures gradually disappeared into the dust.

"This time, I will start over."

……

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

"Damn... what happened?"

"You’re awake?"

Sun Bumian sat on a stone nearby, yawning lazily, "How do you feel?"

"My head hurts... I seem to have had a nightmare just now, dreaming that I fell from a very high place and was in pain all over." Jian Changsheng felt around his body and said uncertainly.

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

Jian Changsheng followed Sun Bumian’s finger and saw Jiang Xiaohua stuck in the ground like a head-first dive, with his head and half his body buried, leaving only two legs sticking straight out on the Gray World land.

Jiang Xiaohua was also silent, motionless, not even knowing if he was dead or alive.

Jian Changsheng: ...

Helplessly, Jian Changsheng and Sun Bumian could only grab one leg each, pull him out of the ground bit by bit, and then throw him heavily onto the ground like a sandbag.

Sun Bumian turned his head, panting, and saw Jiang Xiaohua’s eyes blink, looking at them clearly.

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

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

"It’s quite comfortable in the ground."

“……”

Jian Changsheng and Sun Bumian’s mouth corners twitched slightly, resisting the urge to stuff this guy back into the ground. Just then, a figure draped in bright red theatrical robes stepped on [Cloud Steps] and landed slowly from the air.

"Hey, where’s your imperial robe?" Sun Bumian asked suspiciously.

"The ancient treasury is gone, that imperial robe was just a decoration, I threw it away because it was too hot."

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

Jian Changsheng and Sun Bumian looked at each other and followed immediately.

"What’s wrong?"

"How do you plan to deal with that Jiang Xiaohua?" Chen Ling said in a deep voice.

Hearing this, Jian Changsheng was shocked and quickly said,

"Heart, are you going to kill him to silence him? That’s not appropriate... although he doesn't have much utility value now, he did save our lives after all."

Chen Ling looked at him strangely, "When did I say I was going to silence him... am I that cruel?"

Jian Changsheng nodded like a pounding pestle.

"..." Chen Ling couldn't be bothered to talk nonsense with him, "Jiang Xiaohua has seen our past, our identity as members of the Twilight Society is likely exposed. If we don't kill him to silence him, there are only two choices now."

"Either let Senior Bai Ye come over to steal his memory and let him go;"

"Or pull him into the Twilight Society and let him get on the same pirate ship as us."

"This is the first time I’ve heard someone describe themselves as a 'pirate ship'..." Sun Bumian shrugged, "But it doesn't seem wrong."

"If we pull him into the Twilight Society, will he agree?" Jian Changsheng began to weigh it seriously, "Looking at him like this, he doesn't seem like someone willing to lick blood from a blade and take risks outside..."

Chen Ling snorted coldly,

"We have three 6s and a Heart Q here, he has to agree whether he wants to or not today... Carry him away!"

"Okay!"

At Chen Ling’s command, the three of them set off directly, rushing to Jiang Xiaohua’s side with great momentum, looking at him with ill intent.

Jiang Xiaohua, who was lying peacefully on the ground, was stunned, and a bad premonition rose in his heart...

He rarely took the initiative to speak:

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

"Less nonsense, come with us!" Jian Changsheng said domineeringly.

The three of them picked up Jiang Xiaohua without any explanation. Chen Ling carried him on his shoulder, while Jian Changsheng and Sun Bumian carried his legs on the left and right, like a bride-snatching team seizing a sedan chair, and ran toward Bai Ye’s direction!

At this time, Bai Ye was carefully searching for something in the ruins, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter...

"Strange, where did it go..."

He muttered for a while, then suddenly seemed to notice something, looked up into the distance, and saw Chen Ling and the others running toward him carrying Jiang Xiaohua!

Bai Ye looked at this scene in confusion and said incredulously:

"What... are you guys doing?"

"Senior Bai Ye." Chen Ling answered calmly, "We caught a laborer for the Twilight Society."

Jiang Xiaohua, who was being carried, saw his expression change from confusion and panic to dullness, and then, seemingly having lost all strength and means, looked up at the sky with resentment.

Bai Ye: ...?