Chapter 2: Sister-in-Law, Let’s Get a Divorce
The car windows were tightly covered, making it impossible to see the scenery outside. Liang Huan had no choice but to close his eyes and rest, conserving his strength.
But no matter how he recalled, whether it was those monsters or these spaceships, they were far beyond his understanding. His knowledge of the future world was limited to those fragmented words. As he grew older, his childhood memories gradually faded. He had to handle government affairs and implement reforms, weigh the merits of officials and purge powerful families, conscript soldiers and fight wars to unify the four kingdoms. The image of the future world that Wang Dian had painted for him many years ago had long become blurred. Simply ensuring that his people were fed and clothed had almost exhausted his life’s efforts.
He never dreamed that he would come to the future world.
Despite his uncertain situation, Liang Huan couldn’t help but feel a bit excited. This place had monsters and deserts, but also hot weapons that far surpassed those of North Liang. If he could bring these things back to North Liang—
“Wake up, stop sleeping.” Someone roughly patted his face.
Liang Huan suddenly opened his eyes.
Li Yao was taken aback. The look Liang Huan gave him was cold and majestic, with a strong sense of oppression, almost giving him the illusion that this person was not easy to deal with.
“I don’t care why you submitted your information at the Population Matching Center, but now that the match is successful, don’t play any more tricks.” Li Yao grabbed the back of his collar and lifted him out of the car like a rabbit, “Get out.”
Liang Huan staggered forward from the push, immediately swallowed by the surrounding hustle and bustle.
In front of him was a very tall building, estimated to be thirty or forty *zhang* high. The outside was painted a deathly gray-black, and the small windows looked cramped and compact. Next to this building were equally towering floors, with colorful pipes and roads crisscrossing the sky. Various “cars” shuttled through them, and “birdmen” flying in the air waved their arms, directing traffic.
In front of this building was a wide street, the streetlights were pale white, and several half-man-high iron balls rolled along the road picking up garbage. Many people on the street were dressed scantily, their hair dyed in various colors, noisily walking forward. When they saw them standing at the door, they immediately hid as far away as mice seeing a cat.
“Hurry, it’s mercenaries!”
“Don’t mercenaries usually use the specialaislepassages? Why would they enter through the bottom floor? Damn, what bad luck, don’t let him see me…”
“Shut up, do you want to die?”
Hearing this, Liang Huan turned to look at those strange people, but Li Yao grabbed his neck and turned him back, “Less talk inside, understand?”
Liang Huan nodded, knowing what was good for him.
Li Yao was satisfied and put his arm around his shoulders, leading him through the door.
Liang Huan rarely got so close to someone. He was about the same height as Li Yao and could smell the gunpowder on his body. He awkwardly tilted his head to the side, but the next second, Li Yao pressed his head back.
“Behave yourself.” There was a threat in Li Yao’s voice.
Liang Huan frowned. As he passed the corridor, he saw a dusty mirror with the words “Mercenary Base Residential Building” written on it. Then he saw himself in the mirror.
It was still his own face, but it looked a little shorter and much younger, at most in his early twenties. He looked very thin, with dark circles under his eyes and a listless expression, without any energy. Even if he reviewed memorials for three days and three nights, he wouldn’t end up looking so miserable.
He felt his pulse, and sure enough, it was weak and erratic, with no internal force at all. No wonder he was suppressed by this rebel.
“Li Yao, you’re back.” A voice stopped them. The owner of the voice was an old man who looked over sixty, wearing glasses, with a hunched back. He sat behind a window, his hawklike eyes staring straight at Liang Huan, “Outside personnel are not allowed to enter the building.”
“Uncle Yang.” Li Yao smiled ambiguously, putting his wrist against the screen in front of the window. “My wife, just got the marriage certificate.”
Sure enough, it showed a photo of the two of them, with the Population Matching Center’s bright red seal, and that conspicuous “S-Rank Mental Strength” under Liang Huan’s name.
Uncle Yang narrowed his eyes and pushed up his glasses. “You’re a lucky guy.”
Li Yao took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and threw it to him. “Share the joy.”
Uncle Yang took the cigarettes, appreciatively sniffed them, and clicked his tongue. “You poor devils are really generous. Fine, hurry up and register him so he can enter from the middle level in the future.”
Li Yao pressed Liang Huan against the small screen. Liang Huan only felt a flash of blinding light and heard a strange female voice say, “Pupil recorded, chip recorded. Welcome Mr. Liang Huan to Mercenary Base Residential Building 7104, we wish you a pleasant life.”
“Thanks, Uncle Yang.” Li Yao grabbed Liang Huan’s hand and waved it at him.
“Go, go, go.” Uncle Yang happily closed the window, hugging the cigarettes.
Liang Huan frowned and was taken into a square little box. Before he could steady himself, the feeling of weightlessness came again, and he subconsciously grabbed Li Yao’s belt.
“Where are you grabbing?” Li Yao slapped his hand away.
“…What is this thing?” Liang Huan frowned, looking at the black iron box.
“Elevator.” Li Yao chuckled with an ambiguous tone, “Stop pretending, you’re a native of the East District, don’t you recognize an elevator?”
Liang Huan glanced at him, and the next second his shoulders were grabbed again. He was about to push the other person away when he heard Li Yao lower his voice, “This is not the rich district you’re used to. Someone like you, with delicate skin and tender flesh, these people in the building would play you to death without batting an eye. If you want to live, be honest and listen to me. Do whatever I tell you to do. When things are done, you take the money and leave. I guarantee you won’t lose a single hair. Got it?”
Liang Huan heard the threat, but keenly caught the key information inside, “What do you want *Zhen* to do?”
Li Yao was speechless for a moment. “Are you still addicted to this role-playing?”
“Role-playing?” Liang Huan frowned.
“Ah, something like that.” Li Yao patted his head. “Did zombies eat your brains?”
“*Zhen*—I don’t remember.” Liang Huan stared at him and called out his name in a deep voice, “Li Yao.”
Li Yao met his eyes unexpectedly, and his brain went numb from being called. He cursed inwardly, “Careful, or I’ll beat you up.”
The lights in the corridor were dim and pale. The sound of boots on the floor echoed. Li Yao put his arm around him as they exited the elevator. There were ten rooms on each floor, all standard one-bedroom apartments. Two or three doors were closed tightly, and the rest were wide open. Liang Huan glanced around. In one room, seven or eight “mercenaries” were sitting at a table playing cards, with messy shoes on the floor. In the next room, someone was bandaging a wound, with a bloody human head next to him. In another room, two men were hugging and kissing…
“Yo, first time seeing Brother Yao bring someone back.” A mercenary stuck his head out from a doorway, brushing his teeth. After seeing Liang Huan’s appearance, his eyes lit up. “Baby, do you accept Dawn Coins or Concentrated Coins?”
“Coin your big head!” Li Yao cursed with a laugh, letting go of Liang Huan’s shoulders.
“Hey, Brother Yao, I didn’t mean—ah!” Before the man could finish speaking, Li Yao suddenly changed his face and punched him in the temple.
Before he could react, Li Yao grabbed his shoulder and kneed him in the stomach. Li Yao grabbed his hair and slammed him against the wall, instantly splattering blood all over the wall.
He weakly collapsed in the corridor, looking at Li Yao in horror. “Brother Yao, I, I was wrong, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
“This is your sister-in-law, we got the certificate.” Li Yao patted his head, casually wiping the blood on his clothes. He stood up and put his arm around Liang Huan again, meeting the gazes of those who were peering out, “If anyone dares to have any funny ideas, don’t blame me for not showing any brotherly affection.”
The entire corridor was silent.
Li Yao sighed and took out two packs of cigarettes from the storage box at the door, throwing them on the bloody man. “Consider it my treat for you to drink wedding wine.”
The corridor erupted in cheers. A group of people swarmed over, instantly dividing up the two packs of cigarettes, shouting “Hello, sister-in-law” at Liang Huan.
Li Yao put his arm around Liang Huan and entered the room, slamming the door shut, completely cutting off the noise outside.
He locked the door, kicked off his blood-stained boots, and said to Liang Huan, “Sit wherever you want, don’t go out. I’ll take a shower first.”
Then he entered the bathroom next door.
Liang Huan surveyed the small space. It was very simple. The place Li Yao had just entered must be the shower. Right next to it was the kitchen with a pot, covered in a layer of dust, indicating it hadn’t been used in a long time. Further inside was only a single bed, a small cloth chair, a small table, and a wardrobe by the window. The wardrobe was wide open, filled with identical clothes, with two pairs of boots underneath. There was nothing else.
This rebel was very poor, and it seemed that he was not doing anything good.
He looked around, but the bedding on the bed was messy, and the chair was covered in bloody jackets. There was nowhere to sit.
Li Yao came out of the shower, saw him still standing there, and raised his chin at him, “Sit.”
Liang Huan frowned.
“Troublesome.” Li Yao roughly wiped his dripping hair with a towel, grabbed the jacket on the sofa and threw it into the closet, “Sit here.”
Liang Huan didn’t move, staring at Li Yao’s bare upper body. On his lower back was tattooed a black dragon, its tail wrapped around his waist, its body lying on his back, and its head resting on his shoulder, full of menacing energy.
He stared at it for a while and asked, “Does ‘getting a certificate’ mean getting married?”
Li Yao sat on the bed and took out a treatment device from the head of the bed. Hearing this, he smiled, “Your Majesty, are you still immersed in being an emperor here?”
Liang Huan looked at him gravely. “Just say yes or no.”
“Yes.” Li Yao pressed the treatment device on his foot, where the tendons had been severed, suppressing his anger. “Today we got a certificate and officially became a legal couple. You really gave me a great wedding gift. Should I thank you?”
Liang Huan was puzzled. “Why would *Zhen* marry you?”
Although he didn’t object to men forming partnerships, he didn’t really advocate for it. Moreover, due to some hidden ailments, he wasn’t interested in matters of romance. He hadn’t established a harem before his death, and even his appointment of a crown prince was modeled after the late emperor, choosing the best from the collateral branches. He didn’t like either men or women; he would rather review memorials.
Even if he were blind, he wouldn’t take a man like Li Yao as a concubine, let alone make him an empress.
“You really don’t remember?” Li Yao lifted his eyelids to look at him.
“No.” Liang Huan stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at him. “In any case, *Zhen* has no intention towards you. Let’s get a divorce.”
Li Yao stared at him in silence for two seconds, then burst into earth-shattering laughter.
