Luo Yu stayed perfectly still.
She felt guilty. She had indeed tricked him earlier.
And…
Even though she had just shaken him off, he had managed to find her again without her noticing and silently crept behind her. That was not something an ordinary NPC could do.
Her instinct told her she could not handle the person behind her, so she wisely stayed quiet, letting him hold her in a slightly familiar way.
After all, he was a handsome man, no complaints there.
A few minutes later…
Luo Yu snapped angrily, “Don’t pinch my leg.”
It was flesh, not clay. Pinching and kneading, always targeting the soft parts, really unfair.
Hiss! It must already be red. Luo Yu glared, tears welling up.
At first, she thought the man had some improper intention, but after being squeezed for so long without mercy, she finally understood:
He was pinching her just for fun. Disgusting behavior.
“Don’t pinch my leg!”
The man showed no restraint, and Luo Yu had to continue protesting. With monsters moving below, she could not speak loudly, only managing a few thin whimpers.
Like she was acting cute, completely powerless. Humans were troublesome.
The man raised an eyebrow. He had not planned to care, but seeing the tears at the corners of her eyes, he silently withdrew his hand.
She was crying, her eyes red. A little cute.
Like a little bird whose feathers had been ruffled, instantly flustered and chirping incessantly. The Evil God recalled a distant memory of such a little bird, a plump shrike with soft pale yellow feathers.
It had a temper, jumping up to peck His finger.
So He had forever stopped time for that bird and sent it to some unknown corner of the world.
The Evil God looked back at the “little bird” in front of Him. She was peering at the monsters below, curious why the soulless monsters passed by her unnoticed.
Of course, it was because he was here.
Of course, it was because he was protecting her.
Would this little bird behave?
The Evil God moved, gently grasping the little bird’s smooth black hair and tugging lightly.
“If you are naughty, I will throw you to the monsters too.”
He heard a muffled cry of pain.
The little bird turned her head, guarding her precious “feathers,” frowning deeply, her expression revealing a beak full of defensiveness.
Not behaving.
The Evil God’s eyes darkened. In an instant, he shifted from amusement to boredom.
Elsewhere, after being unexpectedly attacked, Luo Yu turned back in confusion.
She did not understand why this man suddenly behaved like a childish boy, tugging at her hair and repeating the threat he had given earlier.
Really…
She had wanted to complain in a scolding tone.
But she looked up and saw the man leaning against a tree, one leg straight, one hand resting on his bent knee, looking completely at ease as if the world could collapse and he would not care.
He lifted his gaze, his obsidian eyes gleaming.
Stray strands of hair fell with the wind, framing his beautiful eyes perfectly.
What an outstanding man. What a magnificent face.
For a moment, all was silent. Luo Yu could only hear her own heart pounding like a drum.
Who was moved? Who had fallen before beauty?
Luo Yu blinked. Her expression softened instantly. Even her eyelashes trembled, and a faint blush crept across her cheeks.
“All right, I will behave.”
She regretted ever wanting to be harsh to someone so beautiful.
The man paused for a moment, letting his eyelids fall, then stared at her with dark, intense eyes.
“Pinching your leg is fine too?”
Luo Yu responded quickly, “Fine.”
“How about this?”
The man tugged at her hair again, gently toward his direction. It was not strong, but it hurt a little.
Luo Yu pressed her lips, “That’s fine too.”
What could she do? Although this man was petty and meticulous, who could resist forgiving someone with a face like his, no matter what mischief he committed?
Luo Yu chose to forgive him.
The man smiled lightly. His long fingers slid through her hair and rested on the nape of her neck.
Meanwhile, below the tree, the swamp suddenly changed.
A thick mist rapidly spread, covering the entire swamp like a rolling cloud, but it did not rise above a human height. From above, it looked like a turbulent sea of clouds.
Within the cloud sea, the swamp came alive. It writhed like a snake, swallowing everything in its path—
Dead branches, fallen leaves, living trees.
And the monsters who had been searching for Luo Yu, along with the restless Brother Fat who could not find her.
None of them expected the solid ground beneath their feet to suddenly become a dangerous swamp.
By the time they realized, it was too late—they were already trapped.
“Fog! Eh, eh? I stepped into the swamp!”
“The swamp shouldn’t be here! Wha-what… ahhh, it hurts, it hurts!”
“The swamp is moving! The swamp is moving!”
“Damn it, Luo Yu is at it again! Everyone, stay calm…”
The swamp glowed a ghostly green, corroding all living creatures trapped within.
The monsters screamed and wailed, unable to bear it, reverting to their ugly original forms and flailing in a futile attempt to escape. In moments, they were swallowed entirely, leaving no trace in the world.
After the transformation, only the tree where Luo Yu sat remained.
The thick mist swallowed all sound. Above the mist, Luo Yu could not hear any movement from below.
In fact, she could not even perceive the change beneath her feet.
Because—
Her eyes were fixed on the Evil God, unable to look away.
Help…
Don’t look at her with that gaze. She really had no resistance to it.
“Mmm…”
Luo Yu choked softly. She was moved to tears by the man’s flawless beauty, utterly embarrassing.
Ah, she was crying again.
The Evil God smiled wider. He hooked the red cord around her neck and gently lifted the bone whistle she wore.
“You are looking for the owner of this bone whistle?”
“Huh?” Luo Yu was stunned, only realizing now. She nodded slowly, “Yes.”
She almost forgot the real task. Beauty was distracting.
She averted her gaze and returned to observing the situation below the tree. What she saw stunned her. There was nothing but a white sea of mist.
“What… what happened?”
The swamp? The monsters?
The Small Grove? The path?
Luo Yu looked around in confusion. In the area centered on her, it seemed only the forked tree remained.
“I…”
She panicked and looked to the man for help.
He held the bone whistle, pressing it directly to her lips.
“Blow.”