Chapter 1448: Sea Demons (Part One)
Zhong Siyu mentioning compensation made Yang Haoran's smile freeze, his mouth twitching involuntarily, and a pang of pain immediately shot through him.
In the last battle against the Tong Continent Great Emperor, Zhong Siyu had played a decisive role, and Yang Haoran had, in turn, promised her compensation.
After successfully relocating to Half-Moon Island, Yang Haoran had bestowed rewards according to merit, and Zhong Siyu was naturally among them. However, he hadn't openly presented Zhong Siyu's compensation, but rather had personally delivered it to her in secret.
Yang Haoran did this entirely because the reward was truly precious. If he had made it public, it might have stirred discontent and jealousy among some. To avoid such an occurrence, he had decided to handle it discreetly. And the compensation he had given Zhong Siyu at the time was a valuable Soul Crystal.
As a high-grade item, Soul Crystals were peak existences even within the entire Underworld Office. Yang Haoran didn't possess many, as each Soul Crystal was the product of extreme luck. Thus, over the years, he hadn't managed to collect many. Every Soul Crystal was exceptionally precious to him. This time, to express his gratitude to Zhong Siyu, and also to demonstrate the sincerity of their contract, he had engaged in a fierce internal struggle before finally deciding to take out one Soul Crystal.
Although half a year had passed since then, whenever Yang Haoran thought of it, he couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. It was no different now.
"I only just experienced that heartache half a year ago, and now you want to exploit me again?"
Yang Haoran struggled to maintain his smile, but it looked incredibly unnatural.
Zhong Siyu remained relentless. Ma Ling, standing by, couldn't help but shake her head helplessly upon hearing this. It wasn't her first day dealing with Zhong Siyu. In the beginning, she couldn't stand Zhong Siyu's behavior and had voiced her displeasure, but after being easily outmaneuvered by Zhong Siyu, she had become much more well-behaved. As long as Zhong Siyu wasn't targeting her, she would absolutely never provoke her, because in her eyes, the seemingly harmless, cute, and sweet Zhong Siyu was nothing short of a lunatic. If one provoked such a lunatic, they'd be lucky to escape without being flayed alive, even if they didn't die.
Yang Haoran was utterly speechless. No matter what, Zhong Siyu was now his Guardian Spirit. For his own Guardian Spirit to go out with him, lend a hand, and resolve potential troubles, only to then demand compensation from him—his mood could well be imagined.
"If you don't speak, I'll take it as you agreeing to my terms. If you're unwilling, I'll just go back to Half-Moon Island. Whatever you plan to do after that has nothing to do with me. If you happen to kick the bucket on this trip, that would be even more perfect! I'd regain my freedom, no one would be holding me back, and I could go wherever I please. The sky's the limit for birds to fly free!"
Seeing Yang Haoran remain silent, Zhong Siyu spoke again, provoking him further. Yang Haoran, already speechless, found himself both exasperated and amused by Zhong Siyu's words.
"Alright, alright, stop talking! And stop cursing me to die halfway. I'll give you compensation, isn't that enough? The amount of compensation will be calculated by the number of times you act. However, your injuries haven't fully recovered, and your strength isn't at its peak, so I can't give you the original price. You'll have to sell yourself cheaper!"
Seeing that Zhong Siyu was absolutely insistent on demanding compensation, Yang Haoran, unable to out-argue her, was forced to agree. However, he wasn't one to suffer a loss. He intended to use the excuse of Zhong Siyu's incomplete recovery to drive down the price of her interventions.
In the last battle with the Tong Continent Great Emperor, Zhong Siyu had also sustained severe injuries. Her wounds were only slightly lighter than Yang Haoran's, but not by much.
Logically, since Zhong Siyu had suffered such heavy injuries, her physical recovery should have been similar to Yang Haoran's. The result, however, was quite the opposite. Over the past half year, Zhong Siyu's injuries had already recovered by eighty or ninety percent, at an astonishing speed, far surpassing Yang Haoran's.
Under the treatment of the Medicine God Society, Zhong Siyu's recovery speed was far quicker than Yang Haoran's. The primary reason for this phenomenon was the difference in their physical bodies.
Although Yang Haoran's physical body had undergone a transformation from Heaven and Earth and would not naturally die, it was still not as strong as Zhong Siyu's. Zhong Siyu's physical body was that of a Ghost King. Whether in terms of strength, defense, or recovery speed, it was far superior to Yang Haoran's. This was why, even though both were injured at the same time and to a similar degree, Zhong Siyu's injuries recovered much faster than Yang Haoran's. Of course, while Zhong Siyu's physical body had advantages over Yang Haoran's, it also had disadvantages. If Yang Haoran's physical body was destroyed, as long as his soul was not scattered by the enemy, he could still condense his soul and either enter the path of ghosts or reincarnate. However, once Zhong Siyu's physical body was destroyed, her soul would dissipate into ashes, even without the enemy deliberately striking it down. This was the fundamental difference between their physical bodies.
As Yang Haoran relented, Zhong Siyu's face immediately lit up with a smile, clearly delighted.
"Let me tell you something, my injuries are almost completely recovered now, so every time I make a move, the price can't be too low. I can't sell myself too cheaply, lowering my own standards. . ."
As she spoke, Zhong Siyu's smile suddenly froze. She immediately realized something was wrong with her words towards the end, and her voice abruptly cut off.
"Yang Haoran, how dare you insult me! ! !"
Zhong Siyu's face became ferocious as she roared at Yang Haoran, a surge of immense power immediately erupting from within her. This scene utterly bewildered Ma Ling, who stood by, wondering what madness had seized this young lady now. One moment she was fine, the next she had completely changed, looking as if she wanted to devour Yang Haoran alive.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I say, Young Miss, what are you doing? I've already agreed to your terms, why are you still so enraged?"
Yang Haoran forced a sheepish laugh. He, who was usually as steady as an old dog, felt a slight tremor of fear facing Zhong Siyu's berserk state. The main reason was that he had a guilty conscience.
"Were you doing that on purpose!"
Zhong Siyu fumed at Yang Haoran, while he wore a look of utter innocence.
"What 'on purpose' or 'not on purpose'? What are you even talking about? What do you want to say?"
Seeing Yang Haoran flat-out deny it, Zhong Siyu trembled slightly with rage, her hair and eyes beginning to turn blood-red, as if she were about to enter a battle state. It certainly seemed she was furious.
"You're still feigning innocence? Have you forgotten who helped you get where you are today? How dare you take advantage of me? Watch how I deal with you! If I don't awaken the fear within you, I'm afraid you'll forget who this Young Miss is!"
No sooner had Zhong Siyu's words fallen than dozens of powerful Demon Qi suddenly emanated from all directions, centering on the isolated island where the three stood. These Demon Qi rapidly approached their island, clearly making it their target.
The three sensed the dozens of powerful Demon Qi. The awkward smile vanished from Yang Haoran's face, replaced by a composed and tranquil expression, no longer showing his playful demeanor from moments before. Ma Ling, on the other hand, had a solemn look, as if facing a formidable enemy.
Seeing Yang Haoran suddenly change his demeanor as if he were changing faces, Zhong Siyu let out a cold snort, as if to vent her inner displeasure. After a moment's hesitation, the bloody glow in her eyes vanished, and her blackened hair, which had turned red, returned to normal as the specks of blood faded. In the end, she still didn't strike at Yang Haoran, but instead glared fiercely towards the distant sea.
The area Zhong Siyu gazed upon was also the same area Yang Haoran and Ma Ling were currently looking at. The reason all three had coincidentally looked in that direction was because the strongest among those dozens of Demon Qi was located precisely there!
"Heh heh, we've only been here for a short while, and so many sea demons have already set their sights on us. It seems this sea area not only has a considerable number of demons, but also quite a few strong ones."
Yang Haoran spoke with a faint smile. As his words left his lips, in the area the three of them were watching, the sea surface erupted, water columns surged, and several water spouts, a hundred zhang tall, formed, sweeping towards the isolated island where they stood!
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