Chapter 636: Plum 8 and Heart 9

"Audience anticipation level: 34."

As Chen Ling aimlessly wandered the room, bored, he saw these words float before his eyes, and his heart sank. He knew he couldn't keep waiting like this. He had to find something less tedious to slow the audience's declining anticipation, buying as much time as possible for the Twilight Society. Chen Ling's gaze swept around the room. The only one who could possibly provide some entertainment was Club 8, lying silently on the bed. He simply grabbed a chair and sat by Club 8's bedside, looking at him intently.

"What... what do you want?" Club 8 instinctively flinched back at Chen Ling's sudden move, a suspicious look on his face."Let's chat.""Chat? About what?""Anything," Chen Ling mused. "How did you join the Twilight Society?""Well... there's not much to tell.""We're just waiting anyway, so you might as well tell me slowly," Chen Ling said. He left the latter part unspoken: *My audience is really going to lose patience if I don't do something soon.* But his gaze towards Club 8 was undeniably sincere. Club 8 eyed Chen Ling with a peculiar expression. After a moment of hesitation, he spoke.

"Before joining the Twilight Society, I was the Ninth Hall of the Ephemeral Painting, you know that, right?""I do.""When I was still in the Ninth Hall, an extremely arrogant Twilight Society member infiltrated Red Dust Main City, provoking three Hall Masters to attempt his capture simultaneously... and I was one of them. Though arrogant in his actions, this Twilight Society member was incredibly meticulous, leaving us almost no clues. The three of us searched the city separately for days with no success. Later, I accidentally caught a trace of him, followed the trail, found him, and then fought him.""An arrogant Twilight Society member..." Chen Ling's expression became subtle. "Heart 9?""...Yes." Club 8 bit his lip, as if recalling something that angered him. "I had just reached the Sixth Rank then, and he had been at the Sixth Rank for a long time. I fought him, and I was *this* close... *this* close to winning! In the end, not only did I fail to catch him, but he also thoroughly ridiculed me."*Sure enough, that's Heart 9's style,* Chen Ling thought."...And then?""Then, he ran," Club 8 sighed. "When I returned to the Ephemeral Painting, I got scolded by the Second Hall Master... because after discovering the Twilight Society member, I didn't immediately call for backup but chose to fight alone. But back then, I was indeed young and reckless, fearless, and it never occurred to me that I'd need help... that was definitely my fault. It was also around that time that I discovered some issues. I had an argument with the Second Hall Master and decided to leave the Ephemeral Painting."Club 8 deliberately avoided specifying what those "issues" were, and Chen Ling didn't press, continuing to listen quietly.

"Coincidentally... on the train leaving the Red Dust Domain, I ran into Heart 9 again, disguised and preparing to escape. I immediately chased after him. We fought our way through a train car, battling fiercely in the Gray Realm—a chase-and-fight—but in the end... I still lost." Club 8 said resentfully, "I lost, and he humiliated me again. I couldn't take it, so I tried to hit him... and got beaten up again. After several repeated attempts, I finally passed out."Chen Ling was speechless.Chen Ling looked at Club 8, thinking, *You really are stubborn, rushing into a fight repeatedly even when you know you can't win...* But on second thought, it made perfect sense. Who was Club 8? He was the top genius of the contemporary Azure God's Path, a young hero known across several major domains. Chen Ling calculated that Club 8 would have been around fourteen years old when he fought Heart 9—a time when he was most unyielding. How could he possibly tolerate such humiliation?"He didn't kill me; he just tied me up and took me to the next domain like a hostage... At first, I wished I could rip him to shreds, and even considered suicide. But later, I discovered that these Twilight Society members weren't as evil as I had imagined... if you didn't count the personal humiliation." Club 8 paused. "In short, after spending a long time with them, I was exposed to some of the Twilight Society's ideals and realized this organization wasn't quite what external rumors claimed... 'Rebooting' might not be the ultimate answer I seek, but it's the closest option I've seen so far. So, I ultimately chose to join the Twilight Society.""No wonder," Chen Ling said, sitting in his chair, listening with great interest, as if he just needed a bag of sunflower seeds in his hand."So now? Do you still hate him?""...Who?""Heart 9."Club 8 opened his mouth, then hesitated, leaving his words unsaid.

"Hahaha, you wouldn't believe it, that kid was sniveling when I beat him up back then!" Heart 9 boasted excitedly, as if recalling a joyful memory.Club rolled his eyes. "How old were you back then? And how old was he? A grown man in his twenties beating a fourteen-year-old kid like that, and only barely winning, yet you still have the audacity to gloat.""Just tell me if I won or not!"Club couldn't be bothered to argue with him. As he followed Liu Qingyan across the lands of the Gray Realm, he casually took some sparkling powder from his tall hat and gently scattered it on the path."What are you doing?""Leaving a trace," Club calmly replied. "I'm leaving a mark on the path so that even if we fall at the Red Dust base, those who come after us can follow the marks and find its location."Jian Changsheng nodded, then asked worriedly, "Speaking of which, can the three of us really break into the Red Dust base and rescue Chen Ling? That's the Ephemeral Painting's stronghold!""Not three, just two," Heart 9 said with a smile, looking at Jian Changsheng. "You're too weak, rookie. You don't count in the numbers."Jian Changsheng was speechless."I think I know why Club 8 wanted to beat you up so badly back then," Jian Changsheng muttered through gritted teeth."If it were ordinary Rank 7s, the probability of breaking into the Red Dust base to rescue someone would be zero," Club paused. "But as a magician, I have no shortage of deceptive methods, so we'll have a slightly better chance... though it's still at most twenty percent.""Twenty percent? That's too low." Jian Changsheng frowned deeply.

"What if we add a thief to the mix?" a familiar voice called from a distance. Jian Changsheng and the others froze, turning to look behind them. Along the path, which faintly glowed with silver light, two figures were directly following them.One was Diamond 10, who had originally stayed behind at Jinghong Tower.The other wore a gray wool coat, with Bai Ye, still unconscious and wearing a baseball cap, slung over his back. He was walking towards them with a smile... and it was he who had just spoken.The moment Jian Changsheng saw this person, his mouth involuntarily dropped open, and he became incredibly excited!"Senior Chu!!!"