Chapter 922: Grab Conscripts

Debris of imperial palaces, from across history, rained down from the sky like a meteor shower, like a dream falling to ruin, blossoming into flowers of dust on the gray earth.

The young man held the girl, who was sobbing uncontrollably in his arms, his gaze sweeping over the scene before him. His eyes held only a profound calmness.

Past imperial power was now an illusion, like a fleeting dream. In this unfamiliar era, his path ahead was strewn with gray thorns.

A-Qian cried for a long time, finally releasing the fear in her heart. Her eyes red-rimmed, she looked at the young man and asked cautiously:

“Little Brother Li… what’s wrong with you?”

“I, the Emperor…” The young man paused for a moment. “I have embarked on a path.”

“A path… Is it like the path of those brothers and sisters who are like superheroes?” A-Qian was a little puzzled.

“Something like that.”

“No wonder you’ve grown so much taller… and your appearance has changed a little.” A-Qian looked at the young man’s face; though slightly unfamiliar, she could still recognize Li Fu’s features at a glance, which reassured her.

“Little Brother Li, where do we go next?”

“Let’s leave here first, then we’ll see.”

“Okay.”

A-Qian reached out and, as usual, tugged at the young man’s sleeve. He didn’t refuse, slowly stood up, and they walked together out of the ruins.

Thump, thump, thump—

Debris from the palace rained down like a meteor shower around them, yet as if by magic, it all avoided their path forward. Only thunderous roars echoed from their surroundings, and dust obscured their vision.

As they advanced, they vaguely saw a resplendent golden imperial robe by the roadside, caught on a jagged beam, swaying silently in the wind.

That imperial robe’s dynasty was unknown, but it was remarkably well-preserved. Its utterly luxurious materials and patterns symbolized the pinnacle of ancient power, making it difficult to look away once seen.

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

A faint line of text appeared before his eyes: "Remember, Emperor, to harbor attachments is to show weakness to the enemy, and must never be indulged."

The young man snorted coldly, and with a casual wave of his hand, the faint text dispersed into thin air.

He showed no nostalgia, not even sparing the imperial robe another glance, as he calmly walked past it, moving further and further away.

“Little Brother Li, that clothing just now was so beautiful,” A-Qian couldn’t help but say.

“No matter how beautiful, it’s still old clothing,” the young man said calmly. “The era is different now; the old ways are no longer suitable... If I could create that old one, I can create a new one.”

He glanced at his own tattered coarse cloth clothes, and continued forward, their figures gradually disappearing into the dust.

“This time,” he declared, “I, the Emperor, shall start anew.”

Jian Changsheng shook his dazed head, slowly climbing up from the ground.

“Damn it... What’s going on?”

“You’re awake?”

Sun Bumian sat on a nearby rock, lazily yawning. “How are you feeling?”

“My head hurts so much... I think I just had a nightmare where I fell from a very high place and hurt all over,” Jian Changsheng said, patting himself down with an uncertain expression.

“...” Sun Bumian cleared his throat, skipping the topic. “Since you’re awake, come help. This guy is a bit heavy.”

Jian Changsheng followed Sun Bumian’s gaze and saw Jiang Xiaohua buried headfirst, half his body plunged into the ground, with only his two legs sticking straight up into the gray earth of the Ash Realm.

Jiang Xiaohua was utterly silent and motionless, so much so that it was unclear whether he was alive or dead.

Jian Changsheng: ...

With no other choice, Jian Changsheng and Sun Bumian each grabbed a leg, slowly pulling him out of the ground, then heavily tossed him onto the ground like a sandbag.

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

“...” Sun Bumian was speechless. “If you were awake, why didn’t you move?”

Jiang Xiaohua remained silent for a long time before grumbling in response:

“It’s quite comfortable in the ground.”

Jian Changsheng and Sun Bumian’s mouths twitched slightly, barely resisting the urge to shove him back into the ground. Just then, a figure in a large red theatrical robe descended slowly from the sky, as if treading on clouds.

“Huh, where’s your imperial robe?” Sun Bumian asked, puzzled.

“The ancient treasury is gone, so that imperial robe was just pure decoration. I found it too hot, so I threw it away.”

Chen Ling scanned the three of them, paused for a moment on Jiang Xiaohua, then, as if remembering something, exchanged a glance with Jian Changsheng and Sun Bumian before quietly moving aside.

Jian Changsheng and Sun Bumian exchanged a look and immediately followed him.

“What’s wrong?”

“What do you plan to do with Jiang Xiaohua?” Chen Ling asked gravely.

Hearing this, Jian Changsheng’s heart jolted, and he quickly spoke up,

“Red Heart, are you going to silence him? That’s not right... Even if he doesn’t have much use 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 vigorously.

“...” Chen Ling didn’t bother to argue with him. “Jiang Xiaohua saw our past, so our identities as members of the Twilight Society are likely exposed. If we’re not going to silence him, we have two choices now.

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

Or, we pull him into the Twilight Society and get him on the same ‘pirate ship’ as us.”

“It’s my first time hearing someone describe themselves as being on a ‘pirate ship’...” Sun Bumian shrugged. “But it does seem accurate.”

“If we pull him into the Twilight Society, will he agree?” Jian Changsheng weighed the options seriously. “Looking at him, he doesn’t seem like the type to risk his life out there...”

Chen Ling snorted coldly,

“We have three Sixes and a Queen of Hearts here. He’ll have to agree whether he wants to or not... Haul him away!”

“Alright!”

At Chen Ling’s command, the three immediately sprang into action, rushing menacingly towards Jiang Xiaohua, eyeing him with ill intent.

Jiang Xiaohua, lying peacefully on the ground, froze, a bad premonition rising in his heart.

He uncharacteristically spoke first:

“What... what do you want?”

“Less talk, come with us!” Jian Changsheng said domineeringly.

Without another word, the three picked Jiang Xiaohua up. Chen Ling hoisted him over his shoulder, while Jian Changsheng and Sun Bumian each carried a leg, like a wedding snatching party making off with the sedan chair, and dashed wildly in Bai Ye’s direction!

Meanwhile, Bai Ye was meticulously searching for something in the ruins, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.

“Strange, where could it have gone...”

He mumbled to himself for a while, then suddenly, as if sensing something, he abruptly looked up towards the distance and saw Chen Ling and the other two rapidly running towards him, carrying Jiang Xiaohua!

Bai Ye stared at the scene in confusion, uttering incredulously:

“What... what are you doing?”

“Senior Bai Ye,” Chen Ling calmly replied, “we’ve brought a new recruit for the Twilight Society.”

Jiang Xiaohua, being carried, watched his expression gradually shift from confusion and alarm to blankness, then seemingly losing all strength and will, he gazed up at the sky with a look of deep resentment.

Bai Ye: ...?