“According to them, Chen Shiyu and Chen Xiaoyi led them out to suppress the enemy several times, and they all saw those masked men in black carrying children away.” Wei Shu recalled as he spoke, “Now that I think about it, I don’t think I ever saw the bodies of children in the villages I visited before that were invaded.”
“That person might not be from Xidan…” Black Owl’s voice trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly.
Wei Shu and Ji Chenhai didn't realize it.
Ji Chenhai looked up at him: "Not from Xidan? But some soldiers saw with their own eyes that after they took off their black clothes, they were wearing Xidan soldiers' clothes underneath."
Wei Shu replied, "Actually, we, the city's main generals and the prince, also guessed the same thing, but we weren't sure what their identity was or what their purpose was."
“They only kidnap children, they…” Black Owl suddenly stopped.
A faint, ethereal voice suddenly flashed through my mind.
That voice was so familiar, so very familiar:
"In the next life, I will walk the path you walked, suffer the hardships you endured; live the life you loved, and protect the people you loved..."
The sound was extremely faint, yet it struck the very soul like a resounding bell.
Many bloody images flashed through my mind like a rapidly moving slideshow, finally settling on a desolate, overgrown grave.
"Xiao Chen," Ji Fengming noticed Hei Xiao's unusual behavior, raised his hand and grasped his, his long, strong fingers warmed by the charcoal fire.
The warmth roused Black Owl from a hazy illusion.
He looked up.
He saw Wei Shu and Ji Chenhai looking at Ji Fengming holding their hands with slight surprise, but they did not rashly pull their hands away. They cleared their throats and tried to appear natural: "Or, it's someone from Black Purgatory."
Black Owl never imagined this;
One day, he will be able to utter the words "Black Hell" so easily.
Upon hearing these three words, Wei Shu and Ji Chenhai visibly frowned.
Ji Fengming's long, strong fingers, which were holding his own hand, tightened their grip.
Black Owl himself, however, was not as upset as he had imagined.
He turned around and met the boy's phoenix eyes, which were filled with genuine concern, and easily smiled back.
Ji Fengming's tense nerves relaxed, and he let go: "If they really are from Black Purgatory, the rich young masters and second-generation officials of Duke Chen really can't handle them. Brother Wei, if anything happens, take Brother Xiao and me with you."
"Once we're on the battlefield, there's no such thing as bringing anything with us. We're all brothers who've been through thick and thin together, let's go together," Wei Shu said boldly.
Ji Chenhai, however, remained silent and did not respond, which was unusual for him.
He remembered something from a very long time ago.
That was more than twenty years ago.
The Black Purgatory not only alarmed the Great Zhao Dynasty, but was also infamous in the martial arts world.
However, neither the imperial court nor the martial arts world knew much about this extremely mysterious and infamous organization.
Back then, he was a passionate young man from a wealthy family who insisted on working as a laborer, determined to make a name for himself in the martial arts world. Wuyan City, which had suffered greatly from the Black Purgatory, became the target location for him to make a name for himself.
But he wandered around Wuyan City for nearly a month.
He heard that tragedies were happening frequently in the city, but he didn't even see half a shadow of the Black Purgatory Man.
Later, at the scene of a tragedy, he found a woman who was critically injured and dying.
He helped the woman up and tried to treat her.
For some reason, the woman, who clearly still had a glimmer of hope, suddenly refused his offer to channel spiritual energy into her.
Then, the woman said some strange things to him.
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