Chapter 2

The magnificent palace, the long stone-paved paths, the plump and graceful palace maidens, and the eunuchs who walked with bowed heads and a servile demeanor. This is the imperial palace! A place of countless people's dreams and also a place where countless dreams are shattered!

If it were an ordinary person, they would surely be awed by the luxury of the palace, but Ling Xiao had visited the Forbidden City many times in his previous life. Facing this palace, which was almost no different, he couldn't get excited.

"Hey! Look who it is! Isn't this the famous descendant of the Bao Long clan!" The voice was full of mockery, making one feel uncomfortable just by hearing it.

Ling Xiao sighed and turned back with a helpless smile, "What a coincidence! I can see you as soon as I enter the palace! It seems my luck is really bad this year; I should go back and pray to the Buddha!"

A robust young man approached, dressed in a guard's uniform, a wooden waist badge hanging from his side, and a knife in his left hand. His name was... Ling Xiao had already forgotten it, or perhaps he had never asked. He only knew that this young man, like himself, had escaped from the training camp, but while he had succeeded, the young man had been caught and returned.

"You're right, a person can't always be lucky. Even if you succeeded at the time, it might have planted the seeds of future disaster." The young man's lips curled back, looking more and more sinister.

Ling Xiao looked the young man up and down again, "Look at you, you've been promoted?"

"Exactly! After countless hardships and tortures, I finally crawled out of that hell! In the future, I will rise step by step, and you will only be fit to lick the soles of my shoes!" The young man was indescribably proud, and a fleeting fear flashed in his eyes when he mentioned the hardships and tortures.

Ling Xiao sighed inwardly. He was equally terrified of that hell, and this young man was clearly a pitiful person driven mad! But seeing him become more and more arrogant, he couldn't help but want to knock him down a peg.

"Right! I don't have your high ambitions; I'm just a commoner. No, it's not a good idea to keep running into lunatics like you. I should ask Aunt Cai to find me a wife to bring some good luck!" Ling Xiao squinted his eyes and nose, looking at the young man with an expression that seemed to invite a beating. The young man indeed had a reason to hate him.

The young man's face twitched, and he trembled with anger, his hand unconsciously gripping the hilt of his knife. The atmosphere grew tense, and it seemed a life-or-death struggle was about to break out. But Ling Xiao didn't take it seriously, still smiling at the young man, which only fueled the young man's anger.

"In the imperial palace, loud noise is strictly prohibited."

The voice was not loud but carried a natural authority. The young man's face turned pale with fear, and his hand slid off the hilt of the knife as if it had lost all strength.

A middle-aged man stood not far away, wearing a dazzling flying fish robe, a "Jin" gold medal hanging from his waist, and a wooden box similar in size to an ancient zither on his back. Just standing there, he exuded an aura of authority, and he calmly looked at the two of them, but his calm gaze made the young guard tremble with fear.

"I, a humble servant, greet the Commander! I congratulate the Commander on the successful completion of your mission!" The young man knelt on one knee and leaned on his knife, while Ling Xiao still smiled at the middle-aged man, paying particular attention to the wooden box on his back.

"Ah, it's a daily routine, nothing to congratulate. You can go about your business now." The middle-aged man replied calmly.

"Yes! I take my leave!" The young guard left without further ado.

"Being able to return alive is something worth celebrating, don't you think, Uncle Qinglong?" Ling Xiao raised his eyebrows and smiled.

The middle-aged man looked Ling Xiao up and down and said slowly, "You know very well that as a Jinyiwei, you can't get married casually. Why provoke him like this?"

"Just can't stand his smugness, humph!"

"He has already lost his true self to blood and slaughter. If he doesn't reflect on himself, he won't have a bright future!" Qinglong shook his head and made a judgment.

"Who doesn't have some troubles in this world! Every family has its own hard-to-read book, and there are many people more miserable than him! If everyone became like him, there wouldn't be so many rags-to-riches stories in the world." Ling Xiao nodded in agreement with Qinglong's judgment.

Qinglong couldn't help but sigh, "Although I don't understand what you mean, it does make some sense. Compared to him, we actually prefer you more!"

"Still, I can't bear your favor." Ling Xiao shook his head, looking like a frightened little boy.

Qinglong didn't mind and continued, "When you were in the training camp, you were the oldest. At first glance, you seemed to have no potential, but it turned out you were the one who led the escape, even using your belt to knock out the guard, giving everyone a full three hours to escape! You acted decisively, showed leadership, and were not afraid of authority. The only thing was that you were a bit soft-hearted. If you had killed the guard instead of letting him wake up to report, you would have gained at least another day."

Ling Xiao crossed his arms and recalled, "Oh, you mean that! I almost forgot. If I had killed the guard, it would have enraged the Jinyiwei. We were just a bunch of kids! Even if we all escaped, you wouldn't have cared much, but if we had enraged you, it would have been a matter of life and death! Who dares to underestimate the Jinyiwei's ability to catch people!"

Qinglong paused, looking deeply at Ling Xiao, "I'm a bit regretful now. I shouldn't have let you leave for the Bao Long clan. With your abilities, the next Jinyiwei Commander could