"Okay, okay~"
Liang Di admired this trait in Liang Lin—it felt strikingly familiar.
"We don’t need him as a meat shield. Even alone, I can protect you perfectly."
Huh?
Somehow, the words carried unmistakable intimacy. Beneath the church’s sacred statue—a scene of pure holiness—such suggestive phrasing created a strange illusion… almost like a proposal.
"Let’s go."
Liang Di shook her head, pushing the thought away. Now wasn’t the time to zone out. Unknown dangers still lay ahead.
Liang Lin gripped the statue’s arm and twisted hard.
*Crack.*
*Creak… creak… creak…*
A hidden, pitch-black passage revealed itself. The entrance was narrow—only one person could pass. Liang Lin stepped in first.
"Follow right behind me."
Liang Di didn’t hesitate, falling in behind her.
Darkness deepened with every step—total blackness, damp walls, no torches.
After what felt like forever, a faint glow appeared ahead. Liang Lin quickened her pace—only to halt at an iron grille locked tight from within.
"Damn it."
She glanced at her sword.
If only she still had her old blade—the one that sliced iron like butter. But that sword was lost on the battlefield after her death. This ordinary steel? Cutting the lock was pure fantasy.
She scanned the room: worn sofa, corner-missing table, two candles, a hanging lamp. Across the grille stood an iron door—likely where the girls were held.
Where were the guards?
Just then, the iron door creaked open. A burly man stepped out, smacking his lips while pulling up his pants.
Rage flared in Liang Lin. Without the grille, she’d have lopped his head off instantly.
"Wait! Don’t move," Liang Di pressed her shoulder. "Don’t draw your sword. They can’t know we’re armed. Quick strike—no full fight."
Liang Lin’s face tightened. She lowered her hand.
Liang Di shoved past and yelled through the bars: "Hey! The priest upstairs sent us! Said we’d receive God’s blessing down here!"
The man jumped, then grinned greedily. "That priest… his tricks for luring girls keep getting better."
"Yes, yes~ Come in! Receive God’s blessing~"
Watching his greasy, lecherous smirk, Liang Lin took a sharp breath—suppressing the urge to skewer him like candied haw.
He unlocked the grille, reached for her wrist. Our "villainess" paled, ducked under his arm, and slipped inside. Liang Di followed.
*Click.* He locked the grille, turned slowly, rubbing his hands with a sinister grin. "Haven’t seen beauties like you in ages… Daughters of merchants?"
His filthy hand reached again.
"Damn it…"
Liang Lin snapped.
"I’m the daughter of a demon! Go to hell!"
Her sword flashed—half his scalp vanished.
"Don’t kill him! Liang Lin! Leave him alive—as a witness!" Liang Di urged from behind.
Liang Lin gritted her teeth. "Fine!"
As the man screamed, she slammed the sword hilt into his skull.
*Thud!*
He collapsed like a felled tree.
She drew a dagger, severed his tendons. "Hurry. He’ll bleed out or die from pain otherwise."
"So ruthless~" Liang Di clicked her tongue. "But… I like it~"
The inner iron door creaked open. Another thug peeked out—eyes locking with Liang Lin’s blood-red gaze. Icy dread crawled over his skin. He slammed the door shut, heart hammering. *Why… was a little girl so terrifying?*
Wait—the blood on the floor… that body… one of their own?
*Killed by a child?*
*Thud!*
Outside, Liang Lin stood hands-in-pockets, leg raised, cursing. "Damn! Coward! Open up!"
*Thud! Thud! BANG!*
The thin door dented inward.
Inside, thugs froze. A bespectacled man stepped forward. "What happened?"
"B-boss… a red-eyed girl… killed Brother Zhang!"
"A girl?" He adjusted his glasses. "Impossible."
*Thud! Thud!*
"How many out there?"
"Two… both girls."
"Then OPEN IT! Grab them! We need new 'materials'!"
"Yes, sir!"
*Creak…*
The door swung open.
Silence shattered into screams. Limbs scattered across the floor. At the doorway, Liang Di smiled serenely, her shadow twisting into tentacle-like shapes.
Liang Lin drove her sword deep into a man’s chest.
"You scum…" she hissed, crimson eyes blazing. "You belong in hell."
