Chapter 873: Jiang Xiaohua

Chapter 873: Jiang Xiaohua

A heavy stone monument slammed into the ground, smashing Xiao Jian's snowman to pieces. The snowman, still clutching its prayer beads, fell helplessly from the air, then was sliced open by an emperor's sword. Four emperors stood around an empty space, watching the snowman in the opera robe dissipate into the air. They were stunned; even without seeing their faces clearly, their bewilderment and shock were palpable.

The imperial troops, filling the entire snowfield, seemed to have simultaneously lost their target. The only sound left in the air was the mournful whisper of the wind. The aura of the Actor Emperor had vanished. Not only the Actor Emperor, but also the subservient Paths of the War God and the Opera God had disappeared without a trace. The emperors looked around, their brows furrowed, and immediately ordered their troops to search the surroundings inch by inch. They believed that Chen Ling and the other two could not have left the Imperial Dao Ancient Vault instantly; they must have used some method to temporarily hide nearby. The imperial cavalry galloped across the snowfield, as if they intended to dig up the place three feet deep. And not far from them...

Four figures were huddled together in a strange posture.

Most of Jiang Xiaohua's bandages had fallen off. His snow-white long hair silently fluttered in the snowstorm. Some remaining bandages covered half of his face, but his exposed skin and features were bright-eyed and perfect, like a jade sculpture. Yet, what was most striking was the faint, world-weary aura emanating from his eyes. He was shirtless, and a mysterious energy emanated from beneath his skin, forming an invisible barrier that enveloped him and Chen Ling's group of three. A squad of imperial guards galloped past almost touching them, yet noticed nothing unusual. Chen Ling and the two others were stunned, especially Xiao Jian, who was in the very middle, almost pressed against Jiang Xiaohua's face. His expression was extremely odd, and he quietly tried to lean away. But strangely, even at such close proximity, he couldn't feel the other person's breath.

"...Can you move the gun a little?" Jiang Xiaohua spoke dully. "It's pressing uncomfortably; it hurts a bit."At some point, a black gun barrel was pressed against Jiang Xiaohua's heart. The moment Jiang Xiaohua lunged forward, Chen Ling's gun was already pressed against his chest. After all, the other person had just been buried alive by him, so Chen Ling's action was an instinctive reaction. He had originally intended to shoot directly through Jiang Xiaohua, but he found that the other person seemed to have no hostility, so he kept the gun pressed against him, ready to pull the trigger of the Judgement Court if the other made any move. Chen Ling glanced at the galloping imperial troops out of the corner of his eye. He had already roughly guessed the situation, and after a moment of hesitation, he put away his gun. The fact that he had suddenly appeared here and evaded the emperors' pursuit must be the work of this mummy. It seemed then that he bore no hostility towards him; in fact, he had even helped them.

"...Well," Sun Bumian's expression was also a bit strange, "do we... do we have to keep hugging like this?""My concealment range is limited. They are too close. If we loosen up a bit, we might be noticed," Jiang Xiaohua said after a long silence."But this area is only so big. What if they kick us later?""Don't move."

Chen Ling paused for a moment. "Maintain the current state... It might get a bit bumpy soon." As he finished speaking, Chen Ling once again used the Emperor's Fate to mobilize a portion of the Imperial Dao Ancient Vault's power. The four figures directly tore through the barrier of "Hidden Dragon in the Abyss" and ascended to the next level. Disordered light and shadows flashed around the four. After about seven or eight seconds, they returned to "Or Leaping in the Abyss," where troops from different dynasties overlapped, resembling a chaotic, eternal battlefield. Under Chen Ling's deliberate control, the three descended towards the very edge of this level, finally reappearing near an uninhabited military tent.

"Phew..."Only when his feet touched solid ground did Jiang Xiaohua finally breathe a sigh of relief. He released the three from his embrace and stepped back. "There's no one here, so you can relax a bit... But you still can't go too far from me, or those emperors will sense your presence and pursue you."

Chen Ling and the two others exchanged glances.

Just as they were about to speak, Jiang Xiaohua, as if having exhausted all his social energy, silently walked into the military tent and began rummaging for something. Seeing this, Chen Ling and the others were somewhat puzzled and followed him. Jiang Xiaohua searched for a long time without finding a suitable container, so he took off a soldier's helmet, put it on backward, letting the back of the helmet cover his face. Then he fumbled his way to a corner of the tent, squatted down with his knees hugged, like a forgotten little flower.

The air suddenly fell silent.

After an unknown period, Sun Bumian, with a strange expression, leaned closer to the other two and whispered, "What... what is he doing?""I don't know," Chen Ling paused. "His mind doesn't seem quite right... It reminds me of a book I once read, where a mentally ill person liked to pretend to be a plant alone in the rain.""So, if we ask him something now, will he answer?""...Hard to say.""Leave it to me," Jian Changsheng thought for a moment, then patted his chest. "I'm good at this!"

Under the puzzled gazes of Chen Ling and Sun Bumian, Jian Changsheng walked directly to Jiang Xiaohua, who was wearing the helmet backward. He imitated Jiang Xiaohua, squatting down with his hands wrapped around his knees, and stared eagerly at the ground with wide eyes.

Chen Ling: ...

One minute, two minutes, three minutes...Just as Chen Ling and Sun Bumian were about to lose patience, Jiang Xiaohua finally spoke.

"What... are you doing?""I'm a mushroom."

Although Jiang Xiaohua's face couldn't be seen, for some reason, Chen Ling and the others could sense a look of disdain on his face. He silently got up, moved away from Jian Changsheng, and found another corner to squat in. Then he spoke dully:

"Lunatic..."

Jian Changsheng: ???Not cool, buddy...

"Who exactly are you?" Chen Ling couldn't stand it anymore and just asked directly, "Why are you helping us?"

Jiang Xiaohua squatted in the corner, silent.

Seeing that the other party didn't respond, Chen Ling thought he was just ignoring him. Just as his brows began to furrow, Jiang Xiaohua's muffled voice finally came from inside the helmet:"...I'm helping you to bring peace to the world."

Chen Ling was startled.He had never expected Jiang Xiaohua to give such an unbelievable answer... and he had skipped the first question, answering the second one directly.

"Then who are you?"

"..." Jiang Xiaohua remained silent.

"Can't you even say that? We need to know your name, right?""Alright, if you don't want to say, then never mind...""Jiang Xiaohua." Jiang Xiaohua silently hugged his legs tighter, making himself even smaller, and whispered his answer, "...My name is Jiang Xiaohua."