Su Han was no kind gentleman. Mercy toward an enemy was cruelty to oneself. If he didn't still have questions, he would've finished the Abyss Apostle off long ago.
Looking at the barely-breathing Abyss Apostle, Su Han crouched down and asked, "Tell me, why does the Abyss Prince want to kill everyone who uses Golden Light?"
"Don't dream! I'll never tell you, you despicable manipulator…"
The Apostle lay on the ground, swearing he'd rather die than open his mouth.
That was his last shred of dignity.
Su Han looked at him, teeth clenched in defiance, and chuckled. "Good, I like stubborn people like you. Conveniently, I've been studying a rather interesting spell lately. You can be my test subject."
He smiled. "Remember, you'd better hold on."
As soon as he finished speaking, a faint golden glow appeared at Su Han's fingertip. The light condensed again and again until it formed into a fifteen-centimeter-long golden needle.
The Abyss Apostle, who had closed his eyes to brace himself, still didn't realize what awaited him. Hearing Su Han's words, he sneered, "You think I'll.. wait, what are you... you're not human!!!"
Before he could finish, the golden needle plunged downward, right below his abdomen.
The sensation… was as if a red-hot iron brand had been pressed against a lychee.
As the Apostle screamed in agony, Su Han's eyes lit up with intrigue. "Huh. I thought after you Khaenri'ah folk turned into Abyss creatures, that lychee would've degenerated. Looks like it's still there. Not bad… really not bad."
Clicking his tongue, Su Han conjured two more golden needles. Without waiting for a plea, he drove them down into the same spot again. Worse yet, he even began to twist them to test where the creature's weak points lay.
"Stop—! You monster! Kill me! Just kill me already!!"
The Apostle's body convulsed under the pain, but before he could move much, the remaining half of his body was pinned to the ground by the golden needles.
He was so noisy that Su Han simply turned his finger, weaving golden light into fine threads and sewing the creature's mouth shut.
One needle after another fell.
Abyssal blood pooled thicker and thicker on the ground.
Su Han, seemingly forgetting his interrogation, even began to hum a cheerful tune. Two minutes later, looking down at the Apostle, now looking more like a golden porcupine, he finally undid the seal on his mouth.
"P–please… stop torturing me…"
The constant agony had blurred the Apostle's mind, but some faint instinct still urged him to beg for release.
Su Han dispelled the light on his hand and said calmly, "Then hurry up and tell me, why did the Abyss Prince order the extermination of everyone who uses Golden Light? Say it, and I'll let you rest."
"It's… because… the Prince said… anyone who wields Golden Light will be… his mortal enemy…"
"Mortal enemy? Why a mortal enemy? I've never even met him."
Su Han's confusion deepened. He pressed for more answers, but that last sentence had already drained the Apostle's life away. His mouth opened and closed soundlessly a few times… then fell still.
Seeing the creature truly dead, Su Han cursed, furious. "Useless! You're an Abyss creature, couldn't you have held on a bit longer? Saying half a sentence and dying, how disgusting!"
As Su Han was grumbling, Xiangling came running over with Guoba.
The girl looked at the fallen monster and at Su Han, bloodstained from battle. Concern filled her eyes. "Brother Su, are you alright? I went out to find ingredients and didn't expect you to be attacked… what on earth was that explosion just now?"
Hearing her voice, Su Han slowly got to his feet, but as soon as he did, the world began to spin.
"Not good… too much energy spent…"
His body gave out, tilting sideways.
But instead of hitting the ground, he felt something soft and warm catch him, the faint fragrance of a girl's scent brushed against his nose. Su Han realized Xiangling had caught him in her arms.
Looking down at the pale-faced man lying in her lap, Xiangling's eyes softened. She gently brushed his cheek and asked, "Does it still hurt, Brother Su?"
The warmth of her touch snapped Su Han back to his senses. He quickly shook his head. "I'm fine, just a bit drained."
Xiangling frowned, unconvinced. She set him down gently and reached to tear open his shirt to check his injuries, only to find, no matter how hard she pulled, the fabric wouldn't rip.
"Huh? It's just cloth, why won't it tear?"
Watching her puzzled expression, Su Han couldn't help but laugh. "Can't figure it out, huh? That's my family's heirloom artifact. Ordinary people can't tear it. And really, I'm fine, just need a moment to recover."
"Well… alright. As long as you're okay."
Xiangling didn't insist. After all, men and women shouldn't touch too freely — only in her panic earlier had she forgotten.
Su Han rested on Xiangling's lap for half an hour before hearing the distant sounds of approaching troops. Among the shouts, he caught familiar voices.
"There's someone over there! go!"
"It must be Big Brother Su! He's hurt!"
"Hurry up, Uncle Millelith!"
"Search the area first! Stay alert, this is Abyssal corruption!"
As figures closed in, Su Han saw the Millelith arrive, and behind them, Yaoyao and Klee hiding behind the trees, crying their eyes out.
A tall, broad-shouldered man stepped forward and saluted. "I am Mo Yun, commander of the Millelith under the Qunyu Pavilion. Greetings, Lord Su Han."
Su Han blinked. Lord?
"You're calling me 'Lord'? Do you know me?"
"Yes," Mo Yun nodded quickly. "Lady Ningguang has given orders, your status is now equal to that of the Liyue Qixing. Addressing you as 'Lord' is proper. Also, since you're the one who understands the situation best, may I ask if you'd like to take command?"
Now this was how a professional should act. Unlike the disorganized Knights of Favonius, the Millelith actually knew to defer command to the one who understood the threat.
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