Listening to the children's incredibly naive... yet incredibly earnest words, Yun You fell silent.

She was originally a sharp-tongued person, whether facing enemies or her master, she always had countless words and reasoning to say.

But at this moment, facing these children, she couldn't utter a single word, as if a fishbone was stuck in her throat, both painful and choking.

"Jack, he..."

After a long while, Yun You reluctantly squeezed a bitter smile as she accepted the teddy bear toy.

"He has some things to slowly deal with, so he went to a very, very faraway place, perhaps for many years to come, he won't be returning."

"But don't worry, when he left, he entrusted the task of taking care of you to me."

As Yun You spoke, she took out an electronic bank card and filled in the numbers...

Perhaps due to being flustered, she accidentally added a few more zeros to the amount, turning 50,000 into 500,000.

However, she didn't really mind and handed the card over to the children.

"If there's anything, just call the Huangxing Group's number... don't feel embarrassed about it."

"I... I have some things to do, I'll be leaving first."

With those words, the little girl hurriedly left under the dazed gaze of the children, as if escaping.

...

"You're really having a Grand Saint complex."

Watching the little girl's hurried steps, "King" bluntly criticized, "You just started achieving a comfortable life, yet you're rushing to give money to others... I think, you're naturally not meant to enjoy a good life!"

"Why bother with these little brats? Children who lose their families at such a young age in Nest City are pure fuel, being starved to death alive is the fate they deserve."

"The essence of the world in Nest City is survival of the fittest, why bother with these 'burdens'?"

Listening to King's scolding, Yun You wasn't angry, she just shook her head silently.

"If you put it that way, wasn't I a 'burden' to Jack before?"

"..."

With one sentence, King was silenced.

"That's why I told Aurora, 'You were cuter before.'"

Yun You raised her head with some sentiment, looking at the gray sky, murmuring to herself, "Although complete rationality does bring more benefits, sometimes, one still needs to resemble a human. Living this way is much easier, at least psychologically, it's much more comfortable."

"You also said, what a King should do is live comfortably, right?"

King couldn't refute, only sighing helplessly.

"In that sense, it barely makes sense..."

"Whatever, as long as you're happy."

Yun You smiled without speaking further, just quietly wandering the streets, enjoying the tranquility of the moment.

...

R District, Jinyu Homestay.

Yun You returned to the inn where she'd previously resided, planning to pack her luggage and move everything to G District.

Though her ragged clothes and broken pots weren't worth much, they were brought from "home," carrying all her memories of home, so Yun You would never discard them.

She donned a cloak and slipped into the brightly lit inn.

Yet, upon entering, Yun You sensed something was amiss.

The inn, usually lively and bustling... even in the middle of the night filled with sounds of card playing and revelry, was unexpectedly quiet, as if muted, and even footsteps could be clearly heard.

The sweet-looking receptionist was gone, and the smiling service crew and guests vanished completely.

At a glance, no one was visible.

Something was obviously wrong.

Yun You looked down, noticing a dark red stain where her foot had trodden, not very conspicuous but still emitting faint warmth.

This was a bloodstain, deliberately wiped clean bloodstain.

Judging by the retention of heat, it couldn't have been out for more than six hours.

Such bloodstains were almost everywhere in the inn.

Though they had been handled, and the scent masked by a strong perfume, they couldn't deceive the sharp senses of the Apprentice Death God.

"Something happened..."

Yun You narrowed her eyes, quietly clenching her fists.

She held her breath, softened her footsteps, moving like a cat to the staircase entrance.

"Swish——!"

At that moment, a sneaky shadow suddenly flitted past Yun You...

Though it didn't touch Yun You, it sent chills down her spine, causing her hair to stand on end.

"Who?!"

Yun You immediately turned, only to see a blurry shadow dash in front of her, disappearing into the shadows in an instant.

She found it odd, intending to use Future Sight to discern the shadow's truth, but in a blink, several different shadows appeared before her, disappearing at a swift pace.

These things... were as if toying with her.

"Death God's ability? No, that's not right."

Yun You did not lose her calm, instead trying hard to think.

There is a resonance of power deep within the soul between Death Gods, if these shadows were the work of another Death God, Yun You couldn't possibly miss their presence.

But if it's not a Death God's ability, then what are these shadows that not even an Apprentice Death God can see clearly?

The shadows didn't give the little girl much time to think.

They paused for just a moment, then surged again, rushing at Yun You from all directions, shrieking as they attacked.

Yet this time, Yun You didn't indulge them, directly summoning the Red Scale Scimitar.

Flames burst forth, the blood-red blade sliced out from the blazing fire, the sharp blade light cutting through the shadows in an instant, slicing them along with the inn's walls.

But eerily...

Even severed into two, the largest shadow did not vanish, instead slowing its pace, drifting leisurely towards Yun You.

Only then did the little girl finally see the shadow's appearance.

It was a girl in a waitress's outfit, her appearance should be that of the Jinyu Homestay's receptionist... pale skin, not a trace of color on her face, her body as ethereal as a phantom...

Her lower body empty, the entire person resembled a balloon, no blood or bones in the wound cleaved at the abdomen, only a mass of unseen matter, pitch black.

Rather than a living "human," she seemed more like an illusion, a being not truly existing... a phantom spirit.

She sneered, gently cradling Yun You's face, then slowly spoke, saying...

"Hand over your soul to me..."

With those words, the receptionist's pale hand drifted past Yun You's ear, surprisingly drawing out a pure white "glowing thread" from her ear, as if peeling silk from a cocoon.

As the thread left her body, Yun You felt as if struck by lightning, her physical strength and consciousness suddenly draining rapidly.

Startled, she quickly retreated, snapping the thread, at the same time the Red Scale Giant Blade also instinctively lifted, cutting the receptionist vertically into two again.

But the receptionist still didn't die, instead smilingly... approaching her once more.

[That's a 'Spirit Body', damn it! Yun kiddo! Don't go head-to-head with these things!]

[A pure spirit body won't be affected by physical attacks! Don't quarrel with them!]

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.