HCB Chapter 176 You also call yourselves the Akatsuki?
Chapter 176 You also call yourselves the Akatsuki?
Chapter 176 You also call yourselves the Akatsuki?
"What exactly happened the day before Su Chen disappeared...?"
"We don't know the specifics."
"That day, Lord Su Chen only said he was going to gather information on the 'last enemy,' and then he disappeared without a trace."
"We have continued to search for news about him, but so far it seems there has been no progress."
Jingyin spoke, her voice tinged with bitterness.
The final enemy?
Gu Yuena secretly memorized Jingyin's words.
"Sister Jingyin, is Su Chen back?"
A loud, carefree voice rang out. It belonged to a boy with short blond hair who ran over excitedly, his bearded face beaming with excitement.
"Naruto, stop shouting like that."
Next to the blond boy was a black-haired boy, who was quite handsome, wearing blue clothes with a fan pattern made of red and white.
"Naruto, Lord Su Chen must be very tired when he comes back, don't disturb him."
A girl with cherry blossom hair chimed in.
"Uh, it doesn't seem to be Brother Su Chen."
The blond boy responded, but when he saw Gu Yuena behind Jingyin, his excited expression instantly turned into disappointment.
"What? It's a woman. I thought Su Chen was back. Turns out I was just getting excited for nothing."
Naruto looked dejected, indicating he'd lost interest: "Damn it, that perverted sage tricked me again."
"Speaking of which, that girl's clothes are definitely different from ours; she looks like a princess."
A cute-looking girl spoke, her strange white eyes fixed on Gu Yuena, and said weakly, "And I always feel that this girl from out of town is a bit different, just like the feeling I get from Brother Su Chen..."
Hinata's Byakugan does indeed exude a unique aura, quite similar to Su Chen's.
Sasuke, who also possessed one of the three great dojutsu, was aware of this as well.
"But if Hinata-neechan knew that the person who came wasn't Su Chen-nii, she would definitely be very disappointed," Hinata said, her Byakugan eyes showing a hint of sadness.
That guy is really popular.
Hearing that "Sister Xiao Nan" had been concerned about Su Chen, Gu Yuena felt a pang of sadness.
……
In a small town thousands of kilometers from the west coast of Douluo Continent.
Su Chen and Zi Ji flew here over a long distance.
It should be noted that the Evil Emperor is a 79-year-old soul beast, ranking second among the top ten ferocious beasts.
In terms of human powerhouses, he is at least comparable to a Super Douluo from '98.
Even with the help of the Rakshasa god, such a person should not be careless.
To hunt down the Evil Emperor, a fierce battle is inevitable. He must adjust his condition to a perfect state, as even the slightest fatigue could affect his combat effectiveness.
Caution is his norm; after all, he only has one life.
This small city is called Silver Moon City. It is located on the border of the Star Luo Empire, beyond which lies a desolate wilderness. It is one of the most notorious forbidden zones for life on the Douluo Continent.
Without the strength of a Soul Emperor or higher, it is almost impossible to cross this threshold.
There are few resources in the wilderness, and no one would be foolish enough to go there.
Upon entering the city, the streets were sparsely populated and looked quite desolate.
Su Chen had some doubts, because it wasn't just Silvermoon City; several towns along the way had been the same.
The two walked for a long time before finally seeing an inn.
Su Chen and Zi Ji stepped into an inn, where a lean man came out to greet them.
"Two rooms," Su Chen said casually.
"Okay...okay..." The waiter looked at the couple with a strange expression.
Although Zi Ji, who was standing next to Su Chen, was shrouded in a large black robe, her beautiful figure could not be concealed.
However, judging from Su Chen's cold and aloof demeanor, he doesn't seem like an ordinary person.
It should be some young master who went out to gain experience.
Not daring to say more, the waiter simply ushered the two of them towards the room.
Just then, a commotion arose from the street.
"Father, I was wrong. Please don't hand me over to those people."
"Please, I will be obedient."
A little girl was tugging at the middle-aged man's clothes, screaming and crying her eyes out.
"Let me go! I don't want to go with you! Please let me go home with my father..."
"Xiaotong, you should go back with your uncle... It's my fault, I'm sorry..." The middle-aged man looked pained, but he hardened his heart and pulled the child's hand away.
The girl then fell to the ground.
"Little brat, you'll live a life of luxury in our Akatsuki organization. Your poor father can't afford to raise you. Even if you go back with us, you'll just be sold here again. Why bother?"
A man in black grabbed the girl and knocked her unconscious with a single blow.
"Alright, stop looking at me with that hypocritical face." The man in black looked at the middle-aged man who had sold his daughter with disdain and threw a bag at him.
"Take the money and get out of here."
"Yes...yes..." Upon seeing the man in black become angry, the middle-aged man immediately grabbed the money bag, bowed and scraped, and fled as if escaping.
This scene made Su Chen frown deeply.
"Waiter, what's going on?"
"How can there still be cases of children being sold in your town?"
As one of the two great empires of Douluo, the Star Luo Empire's local finances shouldn't be in such a state of depression.
"Sir, you are unaware of the truth..."
The waiter sighed.
"Years ago, we suffered from an insect plague, and the crops almost completely failed. Who would do such a heinous thing if they weren't starving?"
"This place belongs to the Star Luo Empire, why aren't they providing any assistance?" Zi Ji asked.
"Hmph, rely on these corrupt officials, these high and mighty nobles? In their eyes, we ordinary people are no better than roadside weeds."
"Forget about disaster relief, they haven't reduced grain taxes by a single grain, and many people have been driven to their deaths by them!"
"Things in the towns are alright, but the people in the villages... ah, those are truly horrific!"
"Fortunately, a few Soul Masters dressed in black came over. We don't know what methods they used, but the insect plague did stop after they arrived."
"But as you know, crops only grow once a year. It was truly a last resort that led to the sale of their children. However, the group of black-clad soul masters saw this and took the initiative to recruit these children into their organization."
"They would also give the children's parents some money and food. To be honest, it was a blessing for those children to be able to follow those black-clad soul masters..."
Hearing these words, Su Chen fell silent.
He was somewhat angry at the Star Luo Empire's inaction.
But what puzzled him was why these black-clad soul masters would take the initiative to drive away the insect plague for these civilians.
They even recruited children and gave them money and food.
In the Douluo Continent world, Soul Masters are revered, and they care about fame and fortune.
Aside from the Spirit Hall potentially doing something for the common people, almost no other spirit masters would return to remote towns to help the people through difficult times.
But this place is too remote, and the nearest branch is in a big city, so no believers would come here.
"Oh, by the way, they're from the same organization."
The waiter suddenly remembered something and scratched his head.
"What was that organization called again... oh, I think it was called Akatsuki!"
(End of this chapter)