As they walked, they stopped in front of a stall selling exquisite hair accessories. They twisted a hairpin inlaid with light blue crystal between their fingertips and looked at the sun carefully. The tiny spots of light reflected by the crystal danced on her fair and fair face.
"Ling Ye, do you think this looks good?" Ye Lingling tilted her head and spoke in a soft voice.
Ling Ye glanced at it and responded casually: "It's okay, it suits you."
Just when Ye Lingling was hesitating whether to buy the hairpin, several figures wearing the standard light armor of the Tiandou Royal Guards cut off their path to the front, back, left and right. The faces of these guards were as cold as stone sculptures, and their eyes were as sharp as eagles. They moved in unison, instantly surrounding Ling Ye and Ye Lingling in the small center. The pedestrians who were originally near them dispersed quickly and quietly like a school of frightened fish.
The relaxed smile on Ye Lingling's face froze instantly, and the fingers holding the hairpin tightened suddenly, and the knuckles turned slightly white. She subconsciously took a half step forward and blocked Ling Ye almost instinctively.
The leading guard is exceptionally tall and tall, with a visor covering most of his face, revealing only a pair of unruffled eyes. He took a step forward and performed an impeccable military salute with standard movements. His voice was low and flat without any fluctuation: "Mr. Ling Ye, His Highness the Crown Prince has invited you. Your Highness has been waiting in the palace for a long time. Please follow me." The two empires have always been indifferent to Wuhun Palace.
Ling Ye gently raised his hand and patted Ye Lingling's arm (because his shoulders couldn't reach it!) "Ling Ling," Ling Ye's voice was not high, but it reached Ye Lingling's ears clearly, with a reassuring certainty, "It's okay. Don't be nervous." He even deliberately yawned a little, appearing nonchalant, "I'll be back when I go. You go back to the branch hall first and wait for me."
He squeezed her forearm gently, then withdrew his hand and raised his chin casually to the leading guard, as relaxed as if he were going to an ordinary afternoon tea, "Let's go, don't keep His Royal Highness waiting."
There seemed to be a trace of slight surprise in the eyes of the commander of the guards. He had probably never seen someone so calm and composed under the "invitation" of the prince's personal guards. He didn't say much, just turned sideways and made a standard and cold "please" gesture.
Lingye didn't even look at Ye Lingling's worried face. He took a step forward and walked through the passage that the guards had left without any hindrance.
---
Martial Soul Branch Hall.
Shui Binger sat cross-legged on the ground and slowly opened her eyes. The azure blue soul light lingering around her body converged back into her body like an ebbing tide, and the ice crystal lines flowing on her skin gradually disappeared. A more concentrated and rich aura naturally emanated from her body than before, announcing the success of absorbing the soul ring. She let out a long breath, with the joy of relief, and the corners of her lips curved in a bright arc.
"It's done!" There was a hint of exhaustion in her voice, but more of excitement, "This god-given spirit ring is so amazing! There is no pain in absorbing it, and it fits so well." However, the smile on her face froze instantly when she saw the person standing at the door.
Ye Lingling's face was frighteningly pale at the moment, his chest was heaving violently, and there were beads of sweat on his forehead. It was obvious that he had run all the way back.
"Lingling? What's wrong with you?" Shui Bing'er's heart tightened and she immediately stood up to greet her.
"Ling Ye...Ling Ye... was taken away on the street...by the people of Prince Xue Qinghe!"
"What?!"
"Those people...are the guards of the Prince's Mansion! Ling Ye said...he said it was okay, and asked me to come back first..."
“You believed him when he said it was okay?” A naturally charming voice suddenly sounded from the door. Hu Liena had appeared there at some point. She was leaning against the door frame, her normally captivating peach blossom eyes slightly narrowed at this moment. There was no trace of laziness on her face that turned all living beings upside down, only fright and anger. "Xue Qinghe! That's the crown prince of the Tiandou Empire! What does he want to do with Ling Ye?!"
"No! This matter is too big! Why would Xue Qinghe target Ling Ye? How important is Ling Ye to us! What if..."
"I have to go find the ghost elder immediately! And Bishop Salas! We can't delay for a moment!"
Before she finished speaking, Hu Liena turned around furiously, her fiery red skirt swirled in a sharp arc, and she was about to rush towards the area where the upper echelon of the branch temple was located.
Stop.
A cold, hoarse sound, like the sound of two pieces of pig iron being rubbed together, interrupted Hu Liena's movement without warning.
The light at the door of the quiet room seemed to be swallowed up and distorted by some invisible force. A vague black outline seemed to be peeled off directly from the deepest night, condensing and forming silently. The ghostly black cloak wrapped his thin body, and the shadows under the hood were thick, and only two points of cold light could be vaguely seen, as deep as an abyss. A powerful, soul-crushing cold breath instantly filled the entire quiet room, and the air temperature dropped sharply.
Ghost Douluo!
He stood there abruptly, like a stone statue summoned from the underworld, blocking Hu Liena's way.
Hu Liena was so frightened by the sudden terror that her breath was suffocated, and her steps were frozen in place. However, the eagerness in her eyes did not subside, but intensified: "Elder Ghost! You came just in time! Ling Ye was captured by people from Xue Qinghe! We must immediately..."
"I know." Ghost Douluo's hoarse and cold voice interrupted her, with a kind of heart-stopping indifference, as if he was stating a trivial matter that had nothing to do with him, "The prince just invited Ling Ye to come over as a 'guest'. There is no need to panic, and there is no need to mobilize troops."
"Being a guest?!" Hu Liena's voice suddenly rose, so sharp that it almost pierced the ceiling of the quiet room. She couldn't understand Gui Douluo's calmness at all, "Elder Ghost! That's the crown prince of Tiandou! The two empires have always fought openly and secretly with our Spirit Hall! Why does Xue Qinghe suddenly "invite" our people to "visit"? This clearly has an ulterior motive!" She became more and more excited as she spoke, speaking at an astonishing speed, "You know the value of Ling Ye better than anyone else! Which of the things in his "blind boxes" can stir up the situation in the mainland? What if the prince notices something, or tortures... or simply..."
"That's enough!"
Ghost Douluo's voice suddenly dropped, like the cold wind blowing through the Nine Netherworld, and the soul guide lamp hanging in the quiet room flickered violently several times. A substantial cold mental pressure pressed hard against Hu Liena, causing her next words to get stuck in her throat, her face instantly turned pale, and her body shook involuntarily.
The shadow under the hood seemed to rotate slightly, and those two deep cold lights locked on Hu Liena, with a trace of imperceptible... fatigue?
『This damn girl! ” The roar deep in Gui Douluo’s heart was deafening, almost breaking through his withered face, “I usually look very clever, but why did the matter with this kid Ling Ye turn into a million-dollar question? ! One question after another, endless! If it can be said, will I say it? That's the young master! 』
He forcefully suppressed the urge to throw Hu Liena directly into the quiet room for confinement. His skinny fingers creaked under the wide sleeves of his robe, but his voice tried to maintain the majesty and calmness of the elder: "Hu Liena, I say it again, Ling Ye, there is no danger." With an unquestionable decision, "What you are worried about will not happen."
Hu Liena was pinned to the spot by the cold mental coercion, her lips moved slightly, and her eyes were full of dissatisfaction and anxiety: "Then... what on earth is His Highness looking for him for? There must be a reason?" She raised her head stubbornly, trying to catch a clue from the shadow of Ghost Douluo's bottomless hood.
REASON? ” The villain in Gui Douluo’s heart was already beating the ground crazily, “The reason is that Qian Renxue, that girl, is also coveting Ling Ye’s blind box! Can I tell you directly? ah? ! His Majesty the Pope and the old priests knew that they had to skin me! 』
The shadow under the hood seemed to be a little darker, and Ghost Douluo felt that the mask he maintained his dignity was about to crack. He took a deep breath - even though this action was meaningless to him who was no longer human - and tried his best to make the hoarse voice sound smooth and smooth, and even contained a hint of the extremely reluctant "comfort" of an elder to an ignorant junior:
"Xue Qinghe's purpose has its own considerations. This is not the level for you to interfere." He paused, emphasized his tone, and gave a final warning, "This matter ends here. Return to your own positions. Ling Ye's whereabouts are not allowed to be disclosed to the outside world. Reveal even a single word! Violators will be punished as traitors to the palace!"
The cold pressure that enveloped the entire place increased to another level, like an invisible iceberg crashing down, and both Shui Bing'er and Ye Lingling felt a suffocating feeling in their chests.
Ghost Douluo gave a cold "hum" at the end, and the sound was like an ice pick piercing the bone marrow: "I will personally explain this matter to the Pope in detail. You," his two ghost lights pointed at Hu Liena again, with a hint of relief that could finally end this torture, "mind your own business, and ask one more question..." He deliberately prolonged his tone and added a threatening threat with extremely worldly lethality, "I will throw you into the city of killing!" The moment he finished speaking, Ghost Douluo's skinny black figure was like an ink mark dropped into water, suddenly blurred, faded, and finally completely dissipated in the air of the quiet room.
The feeling of oppression suddenly disappeared, and Hu Liena shook her body before she stabilized her body. She looked at the place where Ghost Douluo disappeared and bit her lower lip with her teeth, almost bleeding.
"Elder Ghost..." Shui Bing'er stepped forward and supported Hu Liena's somewhat limp body, her voice full of confusion.
"He said it's okay, so just pretend it's okay." Hu Liena's voice deepened.
…