Before Huo Yuhao had finished speaking, Ghost Nana hooked a finger beneath the thin garment draped over her shoulders. It slid slowly down.
The fabric slipped over her slender, pale shoulders. Her skin was almost translucent, with scarcely a trace of color.
Huo Yuhao stopped dead. His pupils contracted slightly, and he froze where he stood.
His mind went blank.
No, this had gone completely beyond anything he'd anticipated.
He had come to Ghost Nana for one reason: to follow this lead to the Holy Spirit Cult's remaining hideout, tear it open from within, and root out the Evil Soul Masters lurking in Mingdu's shadows.
"What are you doing?"
Genuine helplessness tinged Huo Yuhao's voice, along with bewilderment at being caught off guard. He lowered his voice without meaning to.
Nana tilted her head slightly, her long lashes drooping. Her eyes held none of the shyness one might expect of a girl, only the numb obedience that years of conditioning had carved into her bones. Her dark gaze rested quietly on Huo Yuhao's face.
"You just said you wanted my body."
Her voice was flat, as though she were discussing not herself but an object she could trade or offer up.
After the Holy Spirit Cult's relentless abuse and indoctrination, she had learned the rules of a Holy Servant: her body was a bargaining chip, something to exchange for protection.
Huo Yuhao pressed a hand to his forehead. His temples throbbed, and helplessness washed over him.
Good grief. They were a hundred and eight thousand miles apart in this conversation.
"I don't want your body."
Huo Yuhao let out a long breath and forced down his tangled thoughts. His expression settled as he looked at her seriously.
He had pieced together the rough outline of Nana's past. Reduced to the