Chapter 939: Advancing 666

Jian Changsheng couldn't remember Chen Ling, but he surmised that the person who had given him these assets was the one from whom the Silver King had stolen.

Sun Bumian hesitated briefly before returning all the other property deeds to Jian Changsheng, keeping only the deed for the smallest jewelry shop. "We're just getting food; we don't need all this," he explained. "One shop is enough to mortgage for a lot of money, and we can redeem it when we get paid next month."

"Oh," Jian Changsheng responded, his mind preoccupied with recalling the origin of the property deeds. Once Sun Bumian had his consent, he left the residence with the deed to buy food.

As soon as Sun Bumian left, Jian Changsheng found himself alone in the courtyard. He looked at the crumpled deed in his hand, then after a moment's hesitation, he thoroughly searched his own pockets and belongings to see if there were any other items of unknown origin.

As his fingertips brushed against the scabbard pendant around his neck, a warm, smooth sensation made Jian Changsheng pause. "This is..."

Jian Changsheng remembered the Heaven-Piercing Star Position and this necklace. Sun Bumian had returned to the old district with him at the time, helping him extract the luck from the Heaven-Piercing Star Position, and then...

Jian Changsheng's brows furrowed deeper. No... Sun Bumian had only accompanied him back, leading them to shatter the star position. But who was it that created this necklace?

Jian Changsheng sat blankly under the eaves, clutching the deed in his left hand and the necklace in his right, feeling an increasing sense of unease and panic.

Splashing sounds filled the air as raindrops hit the puddles in the courtyard, unsettling Jian Changsheng.

Jian Changsheng had never felt time pass so agonizingly. This sensation of missing crucial memories made him feel like a stranger to himself. He found this kind of baseless existence difficult to accept.

Jian Changsheng stood and paced back and forth under the eaves, as if trying to steel his resolve.

After an unknown period, the mansion's main gate opened again. Sun Bumian returned from outside, carrying a large black pot on his back and heavy ingredients in both hands, looking satisfied. Before he could even reach the eaves, a figure suddenly rushed towards him!

"Spade! What are you doing?!" Sun Bumian exclaimed, startled by Jian Changsheng's bloodshot eyes.

"Let's go to the Boundless Realm!"

"Huh?" Sun Bumian replied, bewildered.

"Whether it's ten days or a month, I can't wait! Instead of wasting time here, it's better to take the initiative!" Jian Changsheng declared, gripping Sun Bumian's shoulders with an unprecedented intensity.

Sun Bumian paused, "But the Boundless Realm is the Silver King's territory now..."

"So what?" Jian Changsheng countered. "You haven't forgotten, have you? We were going to the Boundless Realm anyway."

When Sun Bumian heard the words "Boundless Realm," a thought crossed his mind, and he hesitated, as if something there held a strong allure for him.

"But... Senior Bai Ye is gone. How can we cross the Gray Realm on our own?"

Meanwhile, Jiang Xiaohua, who had been lying peacefully in the room, seemingly unconscious, quietly raised a hand. "...And me," she murmured.

Both Jian Changsheng and Sun Bumian turned their heads simultaneously. "You... when did you wake up?" Jian Changsheng asked, startled.

"This afternoon," Jiang Xiaohua mumbled, sitting up from the bed. "When you were standing by the door, staring blankly with the deed and the pendant."

"...Then why didn't you say anything when you woke up?"

Jiang Xiaohua tilted her head in confusion. "Why should I have?"

Jian Changsheng was speechless.

"I can conceal your presence to help you leave this realm and ensure your safe passage through the Gray Realm," Jiang Xiaohua offered. "Let's go save Red Heart, together."

"But..." Sun Bumian said, innocently holding up two full bags of groceries. "What about the food I bought?"

"Take them with us! We can eat them on the way!"

Jian Changsheng didn't want to wait another moment. He pulled Sun Bumian towards the door, while Jiang Xiaohua quickly got out of bed and trotted to catch up.

As they passed the doorway, Jian Changsheng paused briefly. He pulled three straw hats from a pile of odds and ends near the door and, without a word, placed one on Sun Bumian, who had no hands, and another on Jiang Xiaohua, who was standing stiffly in the rain like a mannequin.

Finally, he slowly put on the last hat.

The three figures walked along the street, unnoticed by anyone. Only the patter of rain on their hats could be heard.

"Even though I don't remember who you are, this time, it's our turn to save you again..." Jian Changsheng muttered. "Wait, why did I say 'again'?"

Flicker—A small flame sparked, and the wick of the kerosene lamp slowly caught fire, casting an orange glow that illuminated a corner of the dim room.

The figure in the large red opera robe slowly advanced, stopping before a massive glass floor-to-ceiling window. The Boundless Realm was perpetually shrouded in haze, with neither starlight nor moonlight at night. In the blackened windowpane, only his shadow subtly swayed in the candlelight.

"The first stage should be complete..." Chen Ling murmured to himself.

After tonight's probing, Chen Ling's persona was firmly established. Neither the Silver King nor anyone else would likely dare to provoke him with aggressive tactics again.

Now, it remained to be seen if the Silver King had any other contingencies.

Chen Ling recalled his suspicion about the Silver King's ability to tamper with memories, and a sense of unease still lingered. He didn't know what conditions were required for such memory manipulation, nor if it would be used on him. After a moment of hesitation, his fingertips touched the inner lining of his opera robe.

However, Chen Ling didn't immediately retrieve it. Instead, he took a deep breath and softly spoke: "Cut."

The flickering candlelight instantly froze.

"Review." As he uttered these words, a few lines of text materialized before his eyes.

Action: Chen Ling's fingertips touched the paper's edge, a flicker of vigilance in his eyes.Action: Chen Ling became lost in thought by the window.Chen Ling (muttering): "The first stage should be complete..."

Only these three events had occurred in the past eight seconds. Seeing no sign of the Silver King's prying, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

From the events at the dinner, Chen Ling knew that the Silver King wasn't all-knowing or all-seeing within the cathedral. He could only observe what was happening in other areas if he actively focused his gaze there.

The review confirmed that the Silver King had not noticed him in the last eight seconds, but this didn't guarantee his absolute safety. If the Silver King had begun observing him earlier than eight seconds ago, it wouldn't appear in the script. Thus, the information served only as a reference.

This time, Chen Ling didn't rewrite any content before calling out "ACTION" again. As a result, he only expended a portion of his mental energy, avoiding the severe exhaustion that caused bleeding from all seven orifices.

Once everything replayed, Chen Ling touched the paper again. This time, without hesitation, he pulled it out and read it quickly.

"I am Chen Ling. When you see this, please read all the content below carefully and review your own memories."