Ghost Douluo Pledges Loyalty

In an instant, the Chrysanthemum Douluo, who had still been reeling in shock, was dumbfounded. He stared at the Ghost Douluo kneeling on the floor in disbelief.

Before he could say anything, however, the Ghost Douluo had already bowed deeply.

"Senior, I can never repay your great kindness. From this day forward, I, Gui Mei, am willing to follow your lead!"

The moment those words fell, the Chrysanthemum Douluo could no longer hold himself back.

"Smack!"

His palm slammed heavily onto the table beside him as he stared at the Ghost Douluo in utter disbelief.

Ning Yao had cured the affliction that was originally meant to haunt him for the rest of his life. As his old partner of several decades, he could understand why the Ghost Douluo wanted to repay Ning Yao.

But...

Follow his lead? That was practically a declaration of loyalty. Something was not right here.

"Old Ghost, have you forgotten about Her Holiness the Pope?"

The Chrysanthemum Douluo's face darkened. He glanced at Ning Yao, who sat calmly to the side, then looked back at the Ghost Douluo kneeling on the ground as he gritted his teeth and spoke.

They were still members of Spirit Hall.

Fine, swear loyalty if he wanted, but at least do not let him hear it.

What was the point of saying it right in front of him?

The Chrysanthemum Douluo's face had turned black. For a moment, he did not know whether to call the Ghost Douluo foolish or say that he trusted him too much.

Yet despite the Chrysanthemum Douluo's words, the Ghost Douluo showed no intention of standing.

He merely turned his head and glanced at him.

"Yue Guan, we both know exactly what we are in the eyes of that Pope. You understand it better than I do."

In Bibi Dong's eyes, they were ultimately nothing more than tools.

If not for their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, they would never have attained their current positions.

Spirit Hall did not lack a Titled Douluo. What it lacked was a peerless genius like Ning Yao, one found nowhere else on the continent.

He could still tell who had the brighter future.

"Besides, who said I was betraying Spirit Hall?"

The Ghost Douluo abruptly changed his tone and snorted coldly.

"If His Excellency Abundance joins Spirit Hall in the future, then there would be no conflict with me repaying his kindness."

"I would still be loyal to Spirit Hall. It would simply be perfectly reasonable for me to help His Excellency Abundance, my lifesaving benefactor, with a few things."

The Chrysanthemum Douluo's face had turned green. He stared at the Ghost Douluo, his partner of sixty or seventy years, in shock, suddenly finding him rather unfamiliar.

"Old Ghost, I never knew you had so many schemes."

Though he said that, the Chrysanthemum Douluo also felt that the Ghost Douluo's words made some sense.

To someone like Bibi Dong, they were disposable chess pieces. But if they became Ning Yao's people...

The fact that they had been sent here by Bibi Dong meant they already knew most of what there was to know about Ning Yao.

They also knew about the situation on the Worship Hall's side.

This Abundance Douluo was someone both the Pope Hall and Worship Hall were scrambling to recruit, someone irreplaceable.

Even thinking with their toes, they knew that placing their bets early and following him sooner would surely bring benefits.

As long as Ning Yao favored them somewhat, Bibi Dong would have to think twice before using them in the future.

The status of a level 95 healing-type Super Douluo capable of reviving the dead and restoring flesh to bones was something no one could replace.

"Besides, only the three of us know about what happened today."

"You, me, and His Excellency Abundance. As long as none of us speaks of it, who would know what we said in private?"

Hearing this, the Chrysanthemum Douluo fell silent, because he now felt those words made perfect sense as well.

He even began to feel that the Ghost Douluo's act of leaving himself a way out was actually the right choice.

After speaking, the Ghost Douluo looked toward Ning Yao, who had remained silent all this time.

Ning Yao was leisurely savoring the fine tea in his hand.

Only when both of them looked at him did he unhurriedly set down his teacup.

"You two, have you finished discussing this?"

"Oh, and there is no need to worry about today's matter. I will not spread it around. I have no interest in publicizing such things."

As he spoke, Ning Yao smiled faintly.

The two Douluo across from him breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

Then this was still a matter between just the three of them.

"Then, Your Excellency Abundance, what do you think...?"

The Ghost Douluo remained kneeling on the ground. He lifted his head and looked at Ning Yao with his newly reborn, still sparkling eyes.

He was waiting for an answer.

Everything he had argued with the Chrysanthemum Douluo about had been for Ning Yao's next words.

Yet Ning Yao did not speak immediately. Instead, he glanced at them both.

In the end, his gaze settled once more on the Ghost Douluo.

"Follow my lead?"

If it had been anyone else, or indeed any ordinary native of Douluo Continent, hearing such words would probably have made them leap up in excitement and accept without hesitation.

But he clearly did not fall into that category.

"Saving you was merely something I did on a whim out of curiosity. You need not go this far."

Ning Yao's view of the Ghost Douluo had always been simple.

A laboratory rat.

From beginning to end, he had treated the Ghost Douluo as an experiment driven by curiosity.

And besides...

"There is no need to thank me for your body so quickly. What might happen in the future is still uncertain."

Both the Ghost Douluo and the Chrysanthemum Douluo froze upon hearing that.

"Does that pill have some other effect? Didn't you say it was merely a simple healing pill?"

The Ghost Douluo spoke nervously, so much so that he did not even notice Ning Yao had just tactfully declined his pledge of loyalty.

Ning Yao smiled slightly, rose to his feet, and patted the Ghost Douluo on the shoulder.

"Do not be nervous. I have not finished speaking."

"That pill is indeed a healing pill by nature, but its effects may far exceed your imagination."

A puzzled expression appeared on the Ghost Douluo's face.

Far exceed his imagination?

It had allowed him, a living corpse, to regain a living body. Was that not enough?

"Please elaborate, Your Excellency Abundance."

The Ghost Douluo cupped his fists toward Ning Yao as he spoke, his words unconsciously carrying a measure of respect.

He no longer dared to casually speculate about Ning Yao's thoughts.

Especially regarding pills, even the Chrysanthemum Douluo beside him, the expert, probably did not understand.

But Ning Yao merely shook his head lightly.

"I do not know either. Otherwise, why would I call it an experiment?"

He looked at the Ghost Douluo.

The Seed of Abundance had already been consumed by him. Since it had repaired his entire body once over, the power of Abundance had long since spread throughout every part of the Ghost Douluo's body.

The reason it had not manifested yet was partly because the power contained within the seed itself was minuscule, and partly because much of that power had been delayed by the task of repairing his body.

Now that the Ghost Douluo possessed a new body, the power of Abundance would begin to thoroughly affect him.

As for the extent of that effect, Ning Yao was curious as well.

After all, the bodies of people from Douluo Continent were too weak. He had no way to estimate it.