It was noon, and the sun blazed overhead in the mercenary base nestled deep within the mountains.

Su Shenyun, holding an umbrella, walked to the large iron cage in the middle of the clearing and calmly regarded Mandala, who was locked inside. Xu Wei had welded this cage in his spare time, specifically for catching crocodiles.

Three days had passed since their return to Xu Wei's mercenary base from Yelte Cathedral. For all three days, Mandala had been left in the cage, exposed to the wind, rain, and sun. Moreover, her arms and legs had been broken and her meridians destroyed, leaving her completely powerless to resist.

Although she was no longer young, she still retained some of her former beauty. Occasionally, Xu Wei's men would drag her out of the cage and take turns "cherishing" her in a nearby tarp-covered shed.

...

Weak and frail, Mandala sat in the cage looking out at Su Shenyun. She parted her cracked lips and smiled faintly. "You seem to be in much better spirits."

"You, on the other hand, look much worse," Su Shenyun replied.

"Can you spare a cup of water?"

Su Shenyun smiled. "Those mercenaries have been force-feeding you every day. Haven't you had enough?"

Mandala grinned. "Su Shenyun, do you know what you are? A loser. A complete and utter loser!"

Su Shenyun retorted, "And yet, you're the one who's become my prisoner in a cage."

Mandala glared at her, her eyes venomous. "If it weren't for that pretty boy, do you think you'd be standing there talking to me like this?"

"Sorry," Su Shenyun said with a light smile. "I guess I'm just lucky enough to have someone on my side."

A mocking smile touched Mandala's lips. "You let yourself get captured in Sakura Country on purpose, didn't you?

"During the interrogation, you repeatedly insisted on being transferred to Africa, claiming you would only confess once you saw the Messenger Lord… In reality, you were after the Soul-devouring Worm all along."

Su Shenyun asked, "If you knew that, why transfer me to Africa?"

Mandala let out a dry laugh. "Because at the time, we had no idea you knew the Soul-devouring Worm existed, nor did we ever suspect you were plotting something like that.

"Besides, the intelligence you offered about the Audit Bureau was quite tempting for our Holy Boi Religion.

"And also… because someone offered a high price for you. Due to certain restrictions, however, the payment couldn't be processed through channels in Sakura Country. It had to be routed through Africa."

"Was it the Duan Family who wanted to buy me?" Su Shenyun inquired.

"That young master of the Duan Family seemed desperate to get his hands on you," Mandala said. "The price he offered was truly difficult to refuse."

Su Shenyun smiled faintly. "The one in contact with you was the Duan Family's intelligence department, not the young master himself. He's just a young master; he doesn't have the authority to move that much money."

Hearing this, Mandala's eyelids drooped. "So, you're saying… the Audit Bureau has people inside the Duan Family's intelligence department? And the one who truly wanted to buy you wasn't the young master." After a pause, she added, "If I'm not mistaken, it was your sister, Su Hongli."

"If you're that thirsty, you should talk less," Su Shenyun said.

Mandala suddenly burst out laughing. "Su Shenyun, your plan seemed to go off without a hitch, but in the end, you still failed!

"You're just like Su Sang—a loser!

"It's a pity no one expected a monster to suddenly appear.

"If it weren't for that monster, you'd be my prisoner right now!"

Su Shenyun's voice was flat. "You should know what I want from you, and it isn't this nonsense."

With that, she turned and left, intending to check on the "monster" Mandala had mentioned. Besides, it was time to give him his medicine.

...

Luo Xiu had been unconscious ever since he coughed up blood and collapsed in Yelte Cathedral. Su Shenyun had been personally taking care of him, even sleeping by his side at night. But beyond basic care, she was powerless. Xu Wei had already helped find all the necessary doctors, and she had administered all the prescribed medicine, but Luo Xiu showed no signs of improvement.

In the quiet room, as Su Shenyun was feeding Luo Xiu his medicine, Su Hongli walked in.

"Shenyun, how are your injuries?"

"Much better."

Su Hongli looked at Luo Xiu on the bed and let out a soft sigh. "Have you really fallen in love with him?"

Su Shenyun was silent for a moment before replying, "I'm a wilted flower now. I haven't thought about such things. I'll be content as long as he can live a happy life."

"But I can tell he cares a great deal about you," Su Hongli said.

A small smile appeared on Su Shenyun's face. "Is that so?"

"He always seemed so calm about everything concerning you," Su Hongli continued, "but I later realized he was deliberately suppressing his emotions.

"He held it in until that moment he heard Mandala say over the phone that she had broken your arms and legs… That's when he completely snapped.

"When he got back to the cathedral, he began slaughtering the sect followers in silence, just to vent his rage.

"He looked truly terrifying then, just like his name… an Asura.

"Shenyun, what I'm trying to say is, don't ever think you can tame this man."

Su Shenyun reached out and gently caressed Luo Xiu's face, her eyes filled with such tenderness they seemed on the verge of overflowing. "He isn't scary at all. And I never planned on taming him."

Su Hongli asked, "If you had met him sooner, do you think you still would have chosen this path?"

"Unfortunately, there are no 'ifs' in life," Su Shenyun said slowly. "By the time I truly realized that hatred is worthless in the face of love, it was already too late for me to turn back."

...

「Two more days passed in the blink of an eye.」

That morning, Luo Xiu finally awoke with the rising sun. His body still ached, a stabbing pain shooting through him with the slightest movement. He had used Spiritual Energy while his illness was flaring up, forcing himself to kill so many people and vent his rage. The resulting damage to his body was far worse than any previous outbreak.

Anxious to return to Hua Country, Luo Xiu proposed to Su Shenyun and Su Hongli that they leave the very day he woke up.

Su Shenyun seemed a bit exasperated. "Is it really that urgent? Hongli and I were just talking about taking you to the zoo once you woke up."

"I'm not a child," Luo Xiu said. "What would I do at a zoo?"

Beside them, Su Hongli smiled mysteriously. "The African savanna. A completely natural zoo."

Luo Xiu paused, suddenly tempted. "The African savanna? What would we do there? Mate?"

Su Shenyun let out a laugh. "Well, if that's what you want, we can do that too."

Su Hongli smiled. "It would be a waste to come all the way to Africa and not visit the savanna."

Luo Xiu looked away and said with a straight face, "Actually, it's not that urgent… We can have some fun for a couple of days before heading back."

...

「Two days later.」

Xu Wei personally flew them to the airport in his helicopter. After bidding him farewell, the three of them boarded Su Hongli's private plane. Wu Bingwen and Mandala were brought along as well.

Inside the luxurious and comfortable cabin, Luo Xiu was lounging like a king with his feet crossed on the table, a drink in one hand and a newspaper in the other.

Suddenly, Su Shenyun walked over, sat beside him, and snatched the drink from his hand. "So, what's the big rush to get back?"

"I signed up for the Martial Champion Great Ritual," Luo Xiu said.

Hearing this, Su Shenyun's expression turned strange. "With your strength, do you really need to enter a competition for the younger generation?"

Luo Xiu laughed. "Hey, I'm a young man. And young men should do what young men do."

Nearby, Su Hongli remarked wistfully, "This is like the King of Hell going to play with a bunch of imps!"

Su Shenyun reached out and pinched his cheek. "Alright then. Once I'm free, I'll come cheer for you in person."

Narrowing her eyes, Su Hongli raised her glass. "In that case, let's toast our future Martial Champion in advance."

Su Shenyun's tone grew stern. "He can't drink."

"Whoa there, Auntie Su," Luo Xiu cried out. "Are you trying to boss me around now?"

"Call me 'Sister'!"

"Sly fox."

Su Shenyun's eyes flickered with a bewitching red light. "Do you want to find out just how 'sly' I can be?"

Luo Xiu pouted. "No thanks. I'm scared of your Mesmerizing Flame Technique." He still remembered when Su Shenyun had quietly used it on him on the African savanna. It was more intense than chugging ten pounds of aphrodisiac wine, and he was already traumatized by it.

BOOM!

As the three of them were laughing and joking, a deafening explosion suddenly tore through the air. A missile, appearing from nowhere, had struck their private plane. Alarms immediately began to blare throughout the cabin.

Amid the violent turbulence, an icy blast carrying a wave of heat flooded the cabin, throwing everything into chaos. The three of them were tossed about like leaves in a gale, flung back and forth across the interior.

Luo Xiu suddenly planted his feet, then darted over to grab both women. "Get the parachutes!"

But just then, another missile slammed into the aircraft.

With a final, tremendous explosion, the plane disintegrated high in the sky, consumed by a massive fireball.

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.