novelraw Chapter 1153 588: Overbearing Outsourced Forced Love
Chapter 1153 588: Overbearing Outsourced Forced Love
Good news, not an enemy.
Bad news, it's Ji Jue.
Tang Qian felt as if he had been struck by lightning, wanting to cry but having no tears, thinking this is worse than having an enemy!
All I can say is, the ups and downs of fate are hard to predict. Sometimes you're just comfortably eating rice and singing on an Empire train, and suddenly Ji Jue happens to you!
Everyone changed their appearances in Central Earth without an appointment, yet inexplicably ended up in the same pit; it's quite bizarre.
It's just like a horror story.
It's impossible not to be scared.
Dammit, you're working a day job beside the Imperial Garrison Base, and out of nowhere pops up a renowned crazed craftsman and newly minted arms dealer from the Federation smiling at you; anyone would be scared, right?!
In just one second, Old Tang's mind was racing, even almost coming up with the starting words for his last words as he was about to be dragged down by Ji Jue: Born to the masses, I'm very sorry...
In a moment of shock, that wrinkled old face already showed a distinct courtesy, and he deftly served a bowl of fruit.
"Enjoy, sir, enjoy."
He smiled obsequiously, nodding and bowing, stepping back and pushing his cart away.
But before leaving, he gave a meaningful look.
Then vanished.
Old Tang felt a shiver inside... No matter what, meeting Ji Jue, that scoundrel, never leads to anything good!
This wretched day job in the Empire, seems like I can't do it anymore!
Outwardly, he was still raising a glass and smiling to the unlucky teammates he just met, but inside he had already made up his mind, disregarding everything, to pick up his things and run away!
After just two cups, claiming an urgent need to relieve himself, he hurriedly fastened his pants and ran towards the restroom, glancing back to ensure no one was watching. He then took two sprinting steps and jumped over the wall into the open roof of a small cattle truck.
"Oh, who do we have here?"
In the cargo truck disguised as a wagon, Ji Jue was sitting, rubbing the buzzing Pan Ying with his head down, full of curiosity: "Weren't you going to the toilet? That's not this way, is it?"
"Oh, crap..."
Tang Qian hadn't even settled his rear, when he saw the roof closing in above him, and the buzzing Pan Ying in Ji Jue's hand, making his hairs stand on end.
Damn it, just as expected, nothing good comes from encountering that scoundrel!
Am I being targeted now?
He twitched a bit, coughed twice, and said: "Sorry, sir, you must be mistaken..."
Before he could finish, a shiny gold coin fell out of Ji Jue's pocket. Before it hit the ground, he instinctively caught it in his hand.
This made Ji Jue's smile even more teasing.
"See, I'm not mistaken, Old Tang. We've known each other for so many years; being so distant is not right, is it?"
"Ahem, Mr. Ji, you understand me; in our line of work, it's taboo to develop unnecessary feelings with clients."
Old Tang looked around, sighed softly: "Don't contact me in the future, I'm afraid the Empire could misunderstand..."
Smack!
Another gold coin slipped from Ji Jue's pocket, rolling and buzzing on the floor, causing Old Tang's eyelids to twitch wildly.
"It's not about the money..."
Smack!
Another one, and then another, and another...
The crisp sound of metal clinking filled the air, causing Tang Qian's stiff expression to twitch, his upturned mouth barely held down, and he nearly set off sparks with the coin in his fingers.
He turned his head with effort, gritting his teeth, and squeezed out a voice: "A loyal minister doesn't serve two masters, I'm not that kind of person... I've already quit this line of work..."
"Is that so?"
Ji Jue paused, sighed, and patted the box of Empire gold coins he was sitting on, lamenting: "A forcibly twisted melon isn't sweet. If that's the case, then just pretend I never came—"
Smack!
This time, it wasn't a coin that hit the floor.
It was Old Tang.
The muscular man was already groveling on the ground, slithering like a mollusk, clinging to his leg, tears streaming down, "Tang Piaoling has wandered through life, yet to meet a wise lord. If you do not discard me, I willingly accept you as my adoptive father!"
In the blink of an eye, he swept all the coins on the ground into his pocket, his upturned head full of bull-like eyes glistening like stars, "Dad, there's no need for us to be so distant, you tell me, who do you want done? Let's just do it!"
"Alright, since you put it that way." Ji Jue petted his head approvingly, spoke a name: "Federation Military Base's General, Fan Yun."
"Uh…"
Tang Qian was dazed, then squeezed out a smile: "Ah, that idiot, why would you bother with him? He's an old relic, practically buried up to his neck in dirt, not appropriate, really not appropriate, boss, we should respect the elderly and care for the young.
Pick someone else, anyone else but him!"
"Alright."
Ji Jue nodded readily, and offered a different target: "Then how about killing the commander of the Imperial Garrison Base, Border Duke Pasarella? If that's too much trouble for you, I can lower the difficulty, and you can go to You Sui and kill an old dog with a price on his head.
If the distance bothers you, how about going to Central City to kill the President, or to the Great City to kill the Prime Minister?"
"...That's also a bit..."
Tang Qian's face twitched, suddenly feeling the leg he was hugging was becoming quite hot, making him instinctively want to distance himself, afraid of having Ji Jue's blood splatter on him when he dies.
"Ha!"
Ji Jue let out a cold laugh, kicking the dog away: "This won't do, that won't do, then what use are you?"
"That's not how you negotiate, boss!"
Old Tang glared, "Why not ask me to deal with the Heavenly Furnace? Asking for the sky and getting down to earth; if you're not going to offer any truth, it's certainly a deal we can't take."
"Want to deal with the Heavenly Furnace?"
Ji Jue laughed appreciatively: "Didn't expect Old Tang, who's usually so calculating, to have ambitions for big things. I just happen to have a plan. If it succeeds in the future, you'll definitely be the head of the masses, and even the Soldier Master will have to serve you."
"Give me a break!"
Tang Qian rolled his eyes, took a deep breath, and seeing there was no way to bluff his way out, had to assert his stance: "Earning money is all well and good, but you have to stay alive to spend it. If you keep beating around the bush, I might just leave, and at worst, I'll refund you."
"Don't worry, it's quite simple."
Ji Jue smiled warmly, "I'm not asking you to do anything too heinous, just to help find someone."
Immediately, Tang Qian breathed a sigh of relief, visibly relaxing.
He was genuinely afraid Ji Jue would shout about doing something big, dragging him into dealing with Pasarella... That was one of the old-school Heavenly People of the Entropy System, True Blood of the Empire, who had once competed for the throne with the current Emperor lying in ICU — truly a formidable opponent. How could a half-crippled person like him take that on!
But, as he was waiting, he realized something was off.
This bastard stopped speaking!
"And then?" His brow furrowed. "Who is it that you are looking for?"
"That's the issue."
Ji Jue shrugged, "I don't know."
Tang Qian's expression twitched, "Is it a man or a woman?"
Ji Jue shook his head decisively, "I have no idea."
Tang Qian's enthusiasm began to cool, tentatively asking, "How old are they?"
Ji Jue kept looking at him.
Smiling.
Causing him to completely lose his composure.
"Bro, you can't be such an outrageous client!"
Tang Qian glared angrily, "Do you know how many people come and go at the Imperial Garrison Base daily? The regular troops number sixty to seventy thousand, and irregular contractors like me are impossible to count. The checkpoints and verifications inside are as numerous as stray dogs on the roadside. A sixth-class citizen like me would be dragged to a holding cell after just a few steps, and you're telling me to go find someone inside... You might as well just send me off to an early grave!"
"Relax, I have my ways."
Ji Jue flicked the Pan Ying in his hand, and in the resonance, three of the Six Days of Old Ghosts Seal appeared, lighting up Tang Qian's eyes: "I neither want you to kill nor commit arson, nor lose your humanity; just find someone... so, are you in or not?"
Tang Qian fell silent immediately.
After a long while, he gritted his teeth, squeezing out the words:
"...Gotta increase the pay!"
Ji Jue, going with the flow.
He opened the box beneath him, grabbed a handful, and placed it in Tang Qian's hand.
Then another handful.
Just like when Tang Qian paid his fees earlier, the only difference being, it was scarily generous!
One handful was enough to form a small mountain of gold coins; after two, Tang Qian could barely hold them all.
He began to sweat.
Damn it...
When the boss isn't human, it's terrifying; when the boss is excessively generous, it's even more terrifying!
Even the inhuman boss was this generous this time, could the matter be small at all!
And these gold coins...
Why do they feel a bit off?
He frowned, looking at the gold coins in his hand. Something felt wrong, like the tactile discrepancy when you suddenly feel an unusual banknote after counting standard ones at a bank counter.
The print, the color, all utterly flawless.
Just like before, they hadn't circulated in the market, as if they had been hoarded right after they were minted.
Moreover, the engravings on them were completely unfamiliar!
Wait, this bastard didn't dig up some Emperor's tomb, did he…
He fell silent, actually having quietly initiated his unbeatable Inheritance Burnt Offering.
— Uncle Fourth, War God, come out for me!
"Old Deng, take a look at what's going on with this thing?"
"Good grief?"
The consciousness of Uncle Fourth emerging in his mind trembled for a moment, unbelievably: "You damn bastard, did you dig up some Emperor's tomb?! Top of the fourteen great treacheries, if this had happened while the Emperor was still around, it would mean executing ten clans to the last!"
"Bullshit, when did I have the time in the empire to give the Emperor's tomb a peek."
Tang Qian rolled his eyes, "The wages the boss paid feel off, take a look, lest it's counterfeit, deceiving people."
"..."
Uncle Fourth remained silent for a long time, not speaking, making Tang Qian more and more uneasy: "Holy crap, could it really be fake? I knew that bastard Ji Jue isn't human!"
"No, it's real."
Uncle Fourth sighed deeply, "Truly, it couldn't be truer, generally, those of such style are all tributes for the Emperor in the Ancient Temple, how could they not be real?"
"Then why were you freaking me out with such dramatic breaths!"
Thus, Uncle Fourth's tone grew more complex: "The problem is right there; how could it possibly be real, damn it, I feel like there's trouble in the dynasty..."
"Your crappy dynasty fell apart four hundred years ago, what trouble could arise now?"
"You wouldn't understand."
Uncle Fourth sighed once again, muttering to himself, ultimately not speaking out loud.
What to say?
What could I say!
Dare not speak...