"I, my name is Na Nali..."
Na Nali took a deep breath, trying hard to make her expression look more natural. Her voice carried just the right amount of timidity.
Na Nali?
Luo Yang's gaze flickered.
That name... He felt like he'd heard it somewhere before.
Information about the Holy Spirit Cult flashed through his mind: the Dark Bell, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Holy Spirit Cult, who used strange methods and a sweet appearance to beguile her opponents. Her true self was a ruthless madwoman.
Could this "pitiful" little girl in front of him really be her?
So she was here for me too?
Had she come on the Holy Son's orders to capture me and take me back?
Seriously, man, was this ever going to end?
Luo Yang felt like his whole brain had gone numb.
One Death Messenger hadn't been enough? Now the Dark Bell, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, had come in person too?
What had he done to deserve so much attention from the Holy Spirit Cult?
He sighed inwardly, but kept the same harmless smile on his face. Looking at Na Nali, he said with a grin, "So that's your name. Na Nali... It's lovely. Don't worry, you'll be safe with us. Right, Guyi?"
Ye Guyi gave Luo Yang a meaningful look, then glanced at Na Nali and softly murmured, "Mm."
She said nothing more.
But that one look had said everything.
When that gaze swept over Na Nali, she stiffened all over and nearly lost her balance.
She felt like a mouse that had crawled straight into a cat's den of its own accord, thinking it had hidden itself perfectly, only to discover the cat had been awake all along, lazily lying there and simply not in the mood to eat her yet.
And the most terrifying part was, she couldn't run.
Because that "cat" was now smiling at her, its expression clearly saying:
Go on, run. Let's see you try.
Na Nali wanted to cry.
She began bitterly regretting ever accepting that lousy mission from Qiangu Zhangting.
Qiangu Zhangting, you idiot!
What kind of monster did you make me provoke?!
At the same time, Ye Guyi folded away the eight wings behind her and slowly descended beside Luo Yang.
The sacred light gradually faded. She looked like an ordinary, stunning young woman, except for the faint holy aura surrounding her, which still made people afraid to look directly at her.
Yuanen Yehui silently watched everything unfold. She had a vague feeling that something was wrong with the little girl named Na Nali, but she couldn't put her finger on what.
Luo Yang and Ye Guyi's reactions baffled her even more. They'd just said they'd "picked her up on the road," so why was the atmosphere so strange now?
But she wisely chose to stay quiet.
The journey back to the plaza went much more smoothly than the trip there.
After Ye Guyi forcibly broke the Death Messenger's domain, the area returned to normal. The ruins remained, but the nauseating stench of decay had been completely cleansed by the sacred light.
When Luo Yang and the others stepped back into the town center plaza, the sight before them left them all silent.
There were several more corpses in the plaza.
They were the members of the Public Security Squad from earlier—the very squad that had placed bets on them "not surviving until noon."
Now they lay sprawled in pools of blood, their faces twisted in terror. They had clearly suffered terribly before they died.
Some of their bodies had partially liquefied, turning into pus. Others were still frozen in the poses they'd been running in, but had only managed a few steps before collapsing.
Not a single survivor.
Yuanen Yehui turned her face away, unable to look any longer.
After a moment of silence, Luo Yang gently patted her shoulder.
"Let's go," he said.
Na Nali kept her head down, doing her best to make herself inconspicuous.
She could feel Ye Guyi's gaze fixed on her, never quite leaving her, like a thorn in her back.
She didn't dare make a single sudden move.
If she so much as showed a hint of danger, that angelic young woman would draw her sword without hesitation.
Just then, a figure blazing like a brilliant flame swooped down from the sky!
Leng Yaozhu!
She landed steadily in the middle of the plaza. Her crimson dress fluttered gently in the night breeze, and powerful Soul Power still swirled around her, not yet fully restrained.
There was a trace of worry on her face, almost too subtle to notice, but when she saw Luo Yang and Yuanen Yehui safe and sound, it quickly gave way to relief.
"You two little ones, are you all right?" She hurried over and carefully scanned them both, checking that they had no obvious injuries before finally letting out a breath of relief.
"I'm fine, Aunt Leng." Luo Yang smiled and shook his head.
He briefly recounted what had happened along the way: they'd encountered an Evil Soul Master at the Soul Ancestor rank, Yuanen Yehui had been injured, and he'd used Gold of Life to treat her. Then they'd met an even more powerful "Death Messenger," whom he'd ultimately summoned Ye Guyi to slay.
Of course, he was very vague about Na Nali.
Leng Yaozhu listened with her heart in her throat.
When Yuanen Yehui had been injured, she'd been trapped at the edge of the Death Messenger's domain, and it had taken all her strength to break free after several minutes.
If Luo Yang hadn't had Ye Guyi as a trump card...
She didn't dare think further.
Leng Yaozhu's gaze fell on Ye Guyi. Even as a woman, she couldn't help a flash of admiration in her lovely eyes.
She was tall, and her golden palace gown perfectly outlined her graceful figure, full in all the right places and slender where she ought to be. She seemed like an angel untouched by the dust of the world, descended to earth.
And what was more...
Unless her senses were deceiving her, this person's cultivation seemed to be at the Limit Douluo level.
Incredibly powerful!
Even Leng Yaozhu couldn't help marveling at how outrageous Luo Yang's Martial Soul was.
Just how heaven-defying was it, to be able to revive the dead and bring back powerful experts?
Ye Guyi naturally noticed Leng Yaozhu's appraising gaze.
"It's a blessing that you all made it back alive. That Death Messenger... was at least a Titled Douluo. If it weren't for this young lady's help..."
She looked at Ye Guyi and gave her a solemn nod. "Thank you."
Ye Guyi inclined her head slightly and said nothing.
Leng Yaozhu turned her attention back to Luo Yang, a gentle smile appearing on her face. "Still, you certainly exceeded the mission requirements. You not only eliminated the target, but also dealt with an even greater threat."
"So, is there a reward?" Luo Yang chuckled.
Leng Yaozhu paused in surprise, then smiled.
"There is," she said.
Then, while everyone was still caught off guard,
she crouched down and cupped Luo Yang's face in both hands.
Her stunning face was reflected in Luo Yang's pupils, and—
Then...
A soft, fleeting warmth brushed his lips.
It was over in an instant.
So fast that he didn't have time to really feel it.
Luo Yang's eyes widened slightly, and his mind went blank for a moment.
Leng Yaozhu straightened up, smiling with her eyes curved. There was a touch of mischievous delight in her expression. "Your reward is a kiss."
His first kiss... was gone just like that?
Luo Yang stared blankly at the woman in front of him, who was smiling like a fox, unsure what to say.
Seeing his dazed expression, Leng Yaozhu seemed to be in an even better mood. Her smile made her look just like a scoundrel who'd gotten away with something.
Yuanen Yehui silently looked away, pretending she hadn't seen a thing.
Ye Guyi raised an eyebrow.
Na Nali: "..."
Seriously, were all the people in the Spirit Pagoda this wild?
Even the Holy Spirit Cult had never given out rewards like that...