First Close Contact (Part 2)

He had delicate features and a natural demeanor, speaking with a gentle smile. Luosha recognized him at a glance—this youth was the ritual invoker from back then. She took another look at the uniform he wore. What was going on? A ritual executor of the Black Tide Cult was actually an investigator for the authorities? "Everything in the safe house is under surveillance. You can rest assured of your safety," Ye Huan said. Their eyes met. She had a pair of emerald-green eyes, bright and clear, with an enchanting spirit circulating within them. After Ye Huan spoke, her eyes flickered slightly. Surveillance. She understood. "It truly is our first time meeting. Hello," Luosha said. Ye Huan's "This should be our first time meeting in reality" had turned into her "It truly is our first time meeting." Under surveillance, she delivered a flawless response. Ye Huan praised her inwardly before introducing himself: "I'm Ye Huan—Ye as in leaf, Huan as in joy." "I'm Luosha. Uh, Luo as in luo, and sha as in sha..." As soon as she finished, she wanted to thump her own head. Why did she introduce herself like that? "Thank you for the warning you provided. I had no idea I was going to be ambushed," Ye Huan said. Luosha looked at him. About the ambush, huh... For him to mention this under surveillance meant it was something that could be talked about openly. Naturally. Then for safety's sake, I can talk about it too. "I only knew the Cardinal wanted to kill you, but I don't know why she wanted to do so," Luosha said. It was both a statement of fact and paving the way forward. Come on. However you want to play it, I'll play along. Sure enough, Ye Huan picked up the cue: "Because we killed an important figure in the cult. It was a mutated martial artist who seemed to be related to the secrets of the mining area. Did you know about that?" "I've heard a bit about the mining area. It seemed to be a grand ritual by the cult to attempt to awaken something—I'm just a newly joined marginal member, so that's all I know," Luosha said. Their eyes met once more. Under surveillance, their exchange smoothed over the entire narrative. Each also gained further confirmation regarding the other's current situation. Ye Huan suddenly glanced above her head. "Holy Maiden of the Black Tide Cult." What? How did she become the Holy Maiden? The last time he saw her— In that rented apartment's corridor, when she descended from the Ether, she was still "Assistant Archivist of the Flesh Archive." How had she suddenly become the Holy Maiden? He continued reading. Sure enough, lines of small text surfaced: "Identity Achievement:" "An obscure girl who, due to the hatred of the Cardinal and the protection of you, a newly elevated ritual executor, has drawn the attention of the Great Being." "Her talent is so remarkable that the Great Being realized at once that she is someone capable of rewriting the era." "The Great Being has altered her post within the cult." "Starting today, she is the Black Tide Holy Maiden." "Identity Challenge: Gain the attention of the Great Being alongside her, and find a way to be promoted to the post of 'Holy Son.'" "Success grants the corresponding achievement settlement." "Begin challenge?" "Note: You have already completed one identity achievement challenge today and cannot challenge again. Please wait until tomorrow to try again." Holy Maiden. Things had grown complicated. Ye Huan frowned slightly, then smiled again and asked, "Within the cult, between the 'Holy Maiden' and the 'Cardinal,' whose authority is higher?" "Naturally the 'Holy Maiden,' because the 'Holy Maiden' represents the will of the Great Being, effectively serving as the spokesperson of 'God' in the mortal realm. The 'Cardinal' is merely an administrator of the cult's affairs, a mortal who must treat the 'Holy Maiden' with reverence," Luosha explained. "How many Holy Maidens are there in your cult?" Ye Huan asked again. "Supposedly there was one a long time ago, but she disappeared without a trace afterward. In all these years, no one has been acknowledged as the Holy Maiden," Luosha said. "I heard there is one now," Ye Huan said. "Is it Her Eminence the Cardinal? She has always wanted to take a step further," Luosha asked. "It's not her. I suspect your evil god might prefer a balance of power. Do you have any thoughts on that?" Ye Huan asked in a casual, conversational tone. It sounded like he was fishing for information. Luosha paused slightly, then lowered her gaze to look at the floor, wondering what he meant. A balance of power. —The suppressed side would rise, while the suppressing side would sink. When Ye Huan spoke of "balance," they were discussing the matter of the Holy Maiden. "I'm... just a small fry. I don't really have any thoughts on it." Luosha shook her head, but gently placed a hand against her chest, seemingly anxious about the situation. Yet Ye Huan understood. Among the meanings conveyed by placing a hand over one's chest, the simplest was "me." She had long eyelashes, cascading black hair, a slender figure, and fair skin, completely devoid of jewelry and exceedingly plain. —With a pure, innocent face and slender fingers against her chest, she said with an apprehensive expression, "I'm just a small fry." She knew there was surveillance. She intentionally spoke with that uneasy tone, but used body language to tell him— She understood. She had already received the message that the "Holy Maiden" was her. Because she knew something the Bureau of Investigation did not. The youth before her was a ritual executor. In a sense, he was "one of their own." He wasn't fishing for information. He was conveying a message to her. So then. This physical gesture was half confirmation, half inquiry. —Is it really me? Or did I misunderstand? "Yes, you truly are," Ye Huan said with emotion. Luosha's gaze froze. It really is me. He had confirmed it. "Those people chasing you—they're all the Cardinal's lackeys, right?" Ye Huan asked in a relaxed manner. "Yes," Luosha replied. "How strong are they?" "About the same as me, mostly leaning toward borrowing the Great Being's power. Only one man is a Shidu-rank martial artist—the burliest one, about 1.9 meters tall, bald, with an aquiline nose and triangular eyes." "Is he well-known?" Ye Huan asked. "Yes, his name is Wang Long. He's the figure behind several nightclubs. He's very wicked. In the few days since I joined the cult, I've been avoiding him. If not for you today, I wouldn't have been able to escape him," Luosha whispered. "How many acupoints has he unblocked?" "The people around him boast loudly that he has already unblocked three acupoints." Ye Huan nodded slightly. Her description was very objective, delivered from the standpoint of an observer. In that case... "Luosha... within your cult, is killing one of your own very popular?" Ye Huan asked again. Luosha tilted her head, looking at him in astonishment. How am I supposed to answer that? Do I need to play along? "Just tell me the truth," Ye Huan said. She whispered, "Very popular." "Can I join you?" Ye Huan asked. "Why?" "Be my introducer. Let me join for a bit." "...Alright." Luosha felt she was beginning to lose track of his train of thought. This person was very strange. She always felt like he was scheming something bad and needed her cooperation. And she had cooperated with him quite well. "See you in a bit." Having said that, Ye Huan nodded and smiled at her, then turned and left. The door closed. Luosha remained in a daze. This guy— What did he go to do? Wait! Luosha couldn't help covering her mouth. "Within your cult, is killing one of your own very popular?" Did he go to kill people? *** Outside the safe house. Ye Huan met with the members of the special security team. "Where are those people?" "They haven't given up. They're still lingering outside the police station, trying to figure out what's going on with that girl." "Location." "Across the street from the police station, at the Haozailai Restaurant, second-floor private room 008." "After I go in, please evacuate the people in the restaurant." "Yes, sir." Ye Huan stepped out of the police station, crossed the street, entered the restaurant, went up to the second floor, and stood before the door of the private room. The door was locked. He gave the handle a gentle push, and the door swung open slowly. Inside, a group of people sat around a round table, all turning their heads toward the door in unison. "Who are you?" Elder Liu asked warily. "I'm Luosha's newly recruited lackey. I heard you've been getting awfully cocky and showing disrespect to my big sister. I'm here to teach you how to behave," Ye Huan said. The door clicked shut behind him. "How amusing. With looks like Luosha's, she can preach too? I can roughly guess how she converts people," a cultist sneered, a hidden malice showing in his eyes. He sat near the door, right in front of Ye Huan, directly blocking his path. The crowd burst into laughter. By the window, a bald man said in a low, heavy voice, "Those sitting here are all renowned cadre-level figures in charge of various affairs. Luosha is merely a newcomer who just joined the cult." "Little brother, is your judgment lacking?" Bald, aquiline nose, triangular eyes. This was the Shidu-rank martial artist. Ye Huan looked away, letting the crowd laugh and ignoring the fact that they were quietly drawing all sorts of bladed weapons and handguns. Without a word, he first looked at the cultist blocking his path. "What are you staring at? Your hair hasn't even grown out, yet you're already fooling around with Luosha?" The man sneered and stood up. Ye Huan's hand suddenly rose, patting the cultist lightly. The cultist had just drawn his dagger, intending to test Ye Huan, but before he could react, the youth's hand reached across, and a single palm struck him. The strike appeared very light. Yet he was knocked back a step, collapsing back into his chair, leaning motionless against the backrest. Blood leaked from his seven facial orifices. His eyes turned glassy. He stopped moving altogether. "Insolence!" Elder Liu's face darkened, and flames flared up around his hands. Yet in the blink of an eye, the flames retracted. "See? The Great Being is so fair—if you can't use it, neither can I," Ye Huan said with open palms. He walked along the round table toward Elder Liu. Every person who tried to stand along the way, no matter what method they used to attack, was slapped right back into their seat by him, made to sit down properly again. —The corpses bleeding from seven orifices multiplied rapidly. "Making my big sister Luosha unhappy makes me unhappy," Ye Huan said leisurely. Suddenly, the burly bald man rose, swinging both fists toward Ye Huan. Before the fists even landed, a gust of fierce wind hit his face. Yet Ye Huan had kept an eye on this man the entire time. —This was the Shidu martial artist, Wang Long! Clang! Clang! Both fists drove toward Ye Huan's ribs and kidneys, but were blocked by Ye Huan's forearms. He hadn't opened three acupoints at all. At most, this force belonged to two acupoints. Ye Huan mused inwardly. "Iron Hand?" Wang Long asked uncertainly. "It is Iron Hand. And what kind of kung fu is yours?" Ye Huan asked. "Die!" Wang Long gave no reply, driving an elbow toward Ye Huan's face. ...That's all? Ye Huan lowered his eyes. Without even looking, he chopped out with a palm strike to the man's chest. Iron Hand Force! The timing of this palm strike was exquisite. The opponent was slammed backward, his elbow forced to retract with it. —Simultaneous strike and parry! In the martial world where he had allocated stat points, Ye Huan had sparred with countless people over half a year, followed by three years of closed-door cultivation. Add to that three months of cultivation in the Taiyin Sect— Right now. Even if both were Shidu martial artists, their tactical judgment, reaction speed, and timing in battle were simply not on the same level. Thud, thud, thud! Wang Long stumbled back several paces. Unable to keep his balance, he collapsed backward into a chair. "Pfft." He spat out a mouthful of blood, his expression changing drastically as he immediately prepared to flee. Ye Huan gave him no quarter, lunging forward with a swift step. His hands blurred into afterimages, slipping through the man's guarding arms before slapping down squarely on the crown of his head with a crisp "crack." This palm strike still carried Iron Hand Force, but was infused with an extra thirty percent of hidden energy. A series of pops resembling firecrackers echoed from Wang Long's cranium, jaw, spine, and sternum. His eyes shuddered in terror, slowly turning blank before drifting downward. He, too, stopped moving. Blood trickled from his seven orifices, staining the front of his clothes. Only one person remained in the entire room. Ye Huan pulled a few napkins from the table, slowly wiping his hands as he walked up to Elder Liu and asked: "Do you have a phone?" "...Yes." "Could you film an apology video for my big sister? That way, we won't have to ruin our good relations."