Chapter 931: Perception

Lou Yu and Chen Ling were undoubtedly enemies. The Silver King had kidnapped Chen Ling and nearly killed Jian Changsheng and others, creating a deep-seated vendetta. Meanwhile, the Silver King had forcibly seized Lou Yu's territory, meaning their relationship was equally strained.

Ying Fu's relationship with Chen Ling was more complex. Chen Ling had, after all, helped Ying Fu at the time and even let both of them go in the Gray Realm, making it a mix of gratitude and enmity. The relationship between the Silver King and Ying Fu was also subtle, to the point that even Chen Ling couldn't discern it. As the four stood together, their intricate relationships were like a spiderweb. No one knew what they were truly thinking as they looked at each other.

After an unknown period, it was the Silver King who finally broke the silence: "It seems we aren't quite familiar with each other yet... How about this: tonight, I will host a banquet. Besides the three of you, I'll also invite other key figures. It can serve as a welcome reception for His Majesty and Mr. Chen."

Chen Ling and the other two had varied expressions. Before they could ponder further, the Silver King's gaze calmly swept over them, and he spoke slowly in an undeniable tone: "Gentlemen... do you have any objections?"

"...None."

Chen Ling had no intention of opposing, as such a banquet presented an excellent opportunity for him to gather intelligence. As for Lou Yu, although he was extremely dissatisfied with the Silver King's usurpation of power, he couldn't resist. In his current state, he was no match for the Silver King. Ying Fu, eyes downcast, remained silent, his thoughts unknown to anyone.

A smile reappeared on the Silver King's face, and he clapped his hands. "In that case, I look forward to welcoming the three of you tonight..."

***

The Tianshu Domain.

"That's right..."

"Who were we supposed to rescue again?"

Jian Changsheng, Sun Bumian, and Bai Ye exchanged bewildered glances. They all felt as if they had forgotten something, their memories a tangled mess. A figure seemed to be fading from their minds; they reached out to grasp it, but it dissipated like smoke, leaving no trace.

Observing this, Jiang Xiaohua's eyes filled with confusion. "You... forgot again?"

"Forgot what?"

"Chen Ling!" Jiang Xiaohua's face was pale, but his voice was earnest. "We need to save Chen Ling!"

"Chen Ling... who is Chen Ling?" Sun Bumian scratched his head. "Why are we supposed to save him?"

Disbelief washed over Jiang Xiaohua's face. He instantly guessed what had happened, and his eyes were filled with anxiety. "Chen Ling... Chen Ling is our companion! If it weren't for him, we would all be dead right now... He wears a red opera robe and has a fierce expression..." Jiang Xiaohua gesticulated wildly, trying to recall Jian Changsheng and the others' memories, but no matter how he described it, their eyes remained profoundly bewildered.

Seeing this, Jiang Xiaohua stomped his feet in exasperation, his heavy steps leaving several deep imprints on the ground. He was about to say more when an unprecedented fatigue surged through him, and his vision began to darken. He opened his mouth to speak, but the next moment, he weakly toppled forward.

Bai Ye reacted fastest, immediately catching him. "What's wrong with him?" Jian Changsheng asked with a frown.

"I don't know... Perhaps his body hasn't fully recovered after being dismembered earlier, and he became too agitated," Bai Ye observed carefully. "But it's nothing serious; a good night's sleep should fix it."

"Let's enter the city first and find a place to stay."

"Mm."

With Bai Ye's strength, he easily led the three into the Tianshu Domain. Perhaps because Chen Ling and the other two had left the Tianshu Domain in such a conspicuous manner previously, the domain was now heavily guarded. Guards were visible every few steps, constantly apprehending and questioning people. However, this posed no challenge for Bai Ye. He stole memories along the way, navigated through several streets, and finally found a decent place to settle.

It was an abandoned residence, with cobwebs on its gate and dust covering its furnishings, looking as if it had been uninhabited for a long time. After a brief discussion, they temporarily settled Jiang Xiaohua there.

Jian Changsheng cautiously peered through a crack in the door, observing the street outside. Sun Bumian, meanwhile, found a blanket from somewhere and draped it over the unconscious Jiang Xiaohua. Seeing the unhealed, severed wounds on Jiang Xiaohua's body, he let out a long sigh.

Sun Bumian turned and walked into the courtyard, where he saw Bai Ye sitting on a stone, frowning in thought. "Senior Bai Ye, what do you make of this?"

"Something's off; the memories aren't connecting... It seems the Silver King was behind this," Bai Ye stated with certainty.

"Just as I thought..." Sun Bumian wore an expression that said, "I knew it." "Even you didn't notice?"

"Usually, when I steal a memory, I also steal the 'doubt' associated with it, so those who lose memories don't realize it themselves," Bai Ye explained resignedly. "However, the more memories are stolen, the more frequently 'doubt' arises. Unless one can constantly stay nearby to keep stealing 'doubt,' something will eventually feel wrong. We were fortunate to have moved away from the Silver King quickly, which is why we can now perceive this doubt."

"The question now is, just how many memories did he steal..."

"I feel like it's a lot," Jian Changsheng interjected, turning back. "My mind is a complete mess right now, like I've blacked out. So many parts just don't connect..."

"I'm a bit better; only memories from the recent past are disconnected," Sun Bumian said after a moment of thought.

"It seems then that the part stolen from us is something we all shared..." The three exchanged glances and simultaneously uttered two words:

"...Chen Ling?"

That was the name Jiang Xiaohua had spoken... and that person was key to their escape from the Silver King.

"According to Jiang Xiaohua, this Chen Ling must have been taken by the Silver King."

"Yes... and before we lost our memories, we were planning to rescue him."

"But why were we fleeing at the time?"

"Because the opponent was the Silver King, right? We couldn't rescue him from the Silver King, so we had to flee first... However, on the way, the Silver King stole our memories of him," Bai Ye quickly deduced the sequence of events, his eyes narrowing slightly. "He wanted us to forget 'Chen Ling,' but he wouldn't have anticipated that Jiang Xiaohua is immune to memory theft..."

"So what do we do now? Go back and rescue him? We can't defeat the Silver King either." Jian Changsheng's expression was troubled.

Bai Ye pondered for a moment, then stood directly from the stone. "Just us won't be enough... I need to go out."

"Where to?"

"To find a contact point for the Twilight Society," Bai Ye calmly replied. "This concerns the Silver King, so it must be reported to the higher-ups, no matter what."