Chapter 1665 - 1630: Return to the Central Continent Empire

Yang Xiao returned to the Central Continent and went to the City of Hope first. The one guarding the City of Hope now was Chen Peng.

When Chen Peng saw Yang Xiao, he was first greatly surprised, then overjoyed.

"Oh damn, Boss, what wind blew you back here?"

Ever since Yang Xiao left the City of Hope, it had been three or four years since he'd come back. In that time, Chen Peng had grown from a Captain of Guards under Yang Xiao into the lord of an entire city.

Letting Chen Peng serve as City Lord of the City of Hope was a sign of Yang Xiao's trust in him.

Many of the guards under Chen Peng all knew Yang Xiao, and most of the common folk in the City of Hope knew him too. As soon as everyone saw Yang Xiao, they immediately crowded around.

Yang Xiao didn't turn anyone away. He greeted and shook hands with many people, casually chatting about bits of everyday life from his memories.

Although Yang Xiao was now a Divine Hall Elder and King of the Central State Empire, in the eyes of these old subordinates, he was still that same Boss.

"Boss, you've been gone so long, the brothers really miss you."

"Are the brothers all doing well?"

"We're good, really good. Let me tell you, the new-city construction of the City of Hope was finished long ago. Now the whole city has about three million residents. We haven't yet hit the five-million target you set back then, but it's pretty decent already."

The reason the City of Hope hadn't reached five million people was that later Yang Xiao became King of the Central State Empire and no longer needed the City of Hope to keep drawing in population.

On the contrary, Yang Xiao had people gather the population into a few other large cities, while also maintaining balance among the various cities.

"Also, Boss, the hundreds of thousands of mu of fertile land we opened up in the Dark Forest are now one of the Central State Empire's granaries, supplying a quarter of all the Empire's grain."

Chen Peng spoke with a face full of pride, because much of the later work had been personally led and completed by him and his people.

Yang Xiao patted Chen Peng on the shoulder and said:

"Not bad. You haven't let me down. Very good."

That night, Yang Xiao stayed in the City of Hope. He walked around the city with Chen Peng, seeing it completely renewed, dramatically transformed. Yang Xiao felt happy inside; after several years on the Central Continent, he had at least done some good.

The next day, Yang Xiao returned to the Capital City of the Central State Empire.

Elder Qi, Black Wood, Flying Tiger and the others saw Yang Xiao come back and each of them was wildly excited.

"Oh damn, the Boss is back! We've missed you to death."

"We pay our respects to the Emperor!"

Yang Xiao laughed and said:

"Forget it, we're all old friends. No need for this empty formality."

The news of Yang Xiao's return quickly spread throughout the Imperial Capital City. The people were all thrilled. Many old subordinates and familiar faces came to the outside of the Imperial Palace walls, hoping to see Yang Xiao.

When Yang Xiao heard, he personally came out to the palace gates, hugging and shaking hands with everyone, and waved in greeting to the tens of thousands of common folk outside.

Yang Xiao suddenly realized that being a leader loved and respected by his subordinates carried a strong sense of accomplishment.

Elder Qi held a grand banquet to welcome Yang Xiao back.

Elder Qi, Black Wood, Flying Tiger, Ao Litai, Fan Chen, Wanyan Bai and hundreds of former War Generals rushed from different cities to gather in the main hall of the Imperial Palace, drinking with Yang Xiao, pouring out their hearts.

In the two or three years since Yang Xiao left, under the joint management of Elder Qi and the others, the whole Central State Empire was flourishing and prosperous.

The common folk were living peaceful, settled lives, and Yang Xiao's former War General comrades had all gotten married and started families, with their own marriages and households, living in happiness and security.

"Boss, I got married. Man, back then I really wanted to invite you to come back and attend my wedding, but Elder Qi wouldn't agree."

"You brat, the Boss is so busy, how would he have time to attend your wedding? What, my old self attending your wedding wasn't enough face for you?

How about you get married again while the Boss is here?"

"Hahaha..."

"Boss, I've got a son now, born last year. I named him Zhuo Niangxiao, to commemorate you."

...

Seeing his subordinates all looking so happy, Yang Xiao felt both gratified and moved.

As for sending out troops from the Central State Empire, several times the words reached Yang Xiao's lips, but in the end he still didn't speak.

Once the army marched, these people would immediately be separated from their wives, children and parents. Many of them might die on Witch Star, and even if they didn't, no one knew when they would be able to come back.

In war, the ones who suffer in the end are always the ordinary people.

For every general's success, ten thousand bones wither!

That night, Yang Xiao didn't refuse anyone's toasts and drank quite a bit. He was a little tipsy.

Elder Qi arranged for Yang Xiao to stay in the Royal Palace.

"Boss, the Central State Empire has always been waiting for you to come back. This Royal Palace will always be yours."

Yang Xiao smiled.

"Elder Qi, go have someone brew a pot of sobering tea. Come with me to the rear garden of the palace for a chat."

"Alright."

Elder Qi accompanied Yang Xiao to the rear garden. The maids brewed sobering tea and brought dozens of kinds of fruit and pastries, setting them out inside the garden pavilion.

Elder Qi said to the guards:

"Everyone out of the garden, wait by the gate. Unless I call you, no one is allowed to come in. The Emperor and I have matters to discuss."

"Yes."

The guards and maids all withdrew.

Elder Qi glanced around, then waved his hand. A soundproof light curtain enclosed the entire pavilion.

"Boss, have some tea."

Yang Xiao picked up the cup and downed it in one go, then smiled and said:

"Elder Qi, have you made any progress in your Genetic Evolution these past years?"

"Thanks to the Boss's blessings, I've improved a little, but there's no comparing it to you. From the feel of your aura now, Boss, you're at least at Emperor Level Advanced Realm, right?"

Yang Xiao nodded.

Elder Qi asked again:

"Boss, calling me here—there's something you want to talk to me about, isn't there?"

"Mm. Elder Qi, do you want to go back to Witch Star?"

"Go back to Witch Star?"

Elder Qi's body trembled slightly. He spoke, a little agitated:

"Yes, I do, I dream of it. Boss, can we go back to Witch Star?"

"If we go back, it means losing everything here. With what we've achieved today, if you return to Witch Star, you'll likely find it hard to reach this again. Elder Qi, speak from your heart—can you really let it go?"

Elder Qi looked at Yang Xiao, hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice:

"I can't bear to. But as long as we can go back, even if I can't bear it, I'll have to."

"If you give up your wife, children, career and friends here to return to Witch Star, your family and clansmen there might be impossible to find, might already be dead. You've lived on Dwarf Star for over a hundred years—this place has already become your true homeland. Can you really put it down?"

Elder Qi fell silent.

"Boss, what do you mean?"

"Thanos Saint has come out of seclusion. Three months from now, he'll lead an army of a million to attack Witch Star. My return this time is actually to raise troops and prepare to march."

"What, Thanos Saint is going to attack Witch Star?"

Elder Qi was utterly shocked; his face changed drastically as he stared at Yang Xiao.

"Boss, have you thought of any way to stop Thanos Saint from sending out his army?"

"There's a bit of a way, but the chances of success aren't great. Thanos Saint's Cultivation is at Saint Level Supreme. For now, it's very hard for me to surpass him in a short time."