Jiang Chen's hesitation did not come as a surprise to Young Master Xiao.
Young Master Xiao did not press the matter further, either. He merely smiled at Jiang Chen, displaying remarkable patience, waiting to hear what he would say next.
Jiang Chen mulled it over for a moment before speaking. "I'm afraid I can't make a decision on this just yet. Besides, to be honest, I don't know enough about your Tiannan Alliance. And your knowledge of me is limited to surface impressions as well. This matter—I can't give you a definite answer right now."
Jiang Chen's response did not seem to take Young Master Xiao by surprise.
"Haha, true geniuses are never easy to recruit. I'd already prepared myself to be turned down beforehand. Still, your explanation makes me feel somewhat better. And to top it off, these two excellent wines have left me with a very favorable impression of you."
Jiang Chen cupped his fists. "Young Master Xiao flatters me."
"May I ask your surname?"
"Jiang." Jiang Chen kept it brief.
"Good, Brother Jiang. Not bad at all!" Young Master Xiao laughed with easy candor. "Brother Jiang, this must be your first time in our City of Sin?"
Jiang Chen smiled ruefully. "Not only is this my first time in the City of Sin—it's my first time on Dongyan Island as well. I'm completely in the dark about everything here."
"Oh? So as far as Dongyan Island is concerned, Brother Jiang is a blank slate." Young Master Xiao looked rather surprised. "Brother Jiang, where do you come from? I've heard that the world beyond Dongyan Island is quite extraordinary?"
Upon hearing that Jiang Chen had only just arrived, a look of deep yearning actually shot into Young Master Xiao's eyes.
Jiang Chen was quite surprised. "You've never seen the outside world?"
Young Master Xiao's expression turned somewhat somber. "The moment I was born, I was here on Dongyan Island. And I was told that I could never leave—ever."
Jiang Chen fell silent, but understood. This Young Master Xiao must have been banished here by his parents' generation, and then raised children here. From the day Young Master Xiao was born, he belonged to Dongyan Island—he had come into the world bearing the sins of his forebears.
Suddenly, Jiang Chen realized that this Young Master Xiao was not quite as carefree and spirited as he appeared on the surface. A man who had never set foot off Dongyan Island since birth—even if he held a lofty position in the City of Sin, how happy could he truly be?
Such a question was almost beyond consideration.
"Does Young Master Xiao long for the world outside?" Jiang Chen probed cautiously.
Young Master Xiao smiled bitterly. "What good does longing do? And what harm if I don't? Someone like me was cursed by fate from the moment of birth. Dongyan Island—this is our eternal destiny."
Jiang Chen had no words to offer in reply.
"Brother Jiang, let me make a guess. Right now, your heart must be filled with the desire and the impulse to escape from here. Every moment of every day, you're thinking about leaving. Am I right?"
Jiang Chen started, studying the other man with a puzzled look.
"Don't be surprised. Just about every newcomer thinks the same way. But Dongyan Island's reality has a way of grinding that impulse down. After a few years, most people give up hope. And those who don't give up? Well, they're practically already dead."
Refuse to give up, and you die.
Young Master Xiao's words sank a weight into Jiang Chen's chest. If even someone as influential as Young Master Xiao spoke this way, it gave Jiang Chen an inexplicable sense of dejection.
"Young Master Xiao, with your position in the Tiannan Alliance, can't you find some way to reclaim your freedom and leave here?" Jiang Chen couldn't help but ask.
Young Master Xiao sighed. "On Dongyan Island, any kind of status is hollow. The only words that carry real weight are those of the Guardians from the Huichun Island Domain."
"The Guardians?" Jiang Chen asked, curious.
"You don't know about the Guardians? Dongyan Island is where the Huichun Island Domain sends its most dangerous prisoners into exile. Naturally, there are Guardians. They are the ones who control Dongyan Island. In normal times, they don't interfere with life here. But the moment anyone breaks the rules of the island—or attempts to escape—that's when the Guardians unleash their thunderous methods." It was clear that Young Master Xiao harbored considerable wariness toward the Guardians.
"So the selection process is also decided by these Guardians?" Jiang Chen asked.
"Selection?" Young Master Xiao smiled ruefully. "How many spots does the selection even offer? And how many powerhouses are there on Dongyan Island? Forget about young people like us—even plenty of old monsters can't manage to get one of those spots. Trying to leave through the selection process is next to impossible. Brother Jiang, you're a genius—I can see that. But I'd advise you not to pin too much hope on leaving."
This was already the third group of people to warn Jiang Chen.
The first had been the Three Ghost Fiends. The second, Xinghui and his daughter.
And now this third group was Young Master Xiao.
These words from Young Master Xiao actually earned a measure of Jiang Chen's goodwill. At the very least, there was a note of genuine sincerity in what he said.