Chapter 244: I Need Compensation

The two left this space and made their way toward the outside world.

As they were leaving, Ling Xiaoyou couldn’t help but glance back and noticed that the ice-blue longsword was still stationed at the doorway, as if standing guard against any enemies that might come through the hidden door. But to Ling Xiaoyou, it felt more like a little pet that could only wait alone at home after watching its master leave.

Thinking about it, Ling Xiaoyou suddenly shook her little head. She really had quite the imagination—even a sword could be visualized as a pet.

But speaking of which…

“Bai Shuanglian, does your sword have a name?”

Ling Xiaoyou looked at Bai Shuang curiously and asked.

She had never heard Bai Shuang mention the name of this sword before; it had always been referred to simply as “sword.”

“No.” Bai Shuang shook her head and said, “This sword was actually one I casually picked from my family’s storage room when I was a child. At the time, I only thought about using it as is, so I never considered giving it a name.”

“And so even now, it still doesn’t have one?” Ling Xiaoyou pondered for a moment, then said, “How about this—after you finish reforging it, give it a name. After all, it’s been with you for such a long time.”

“Of course.” Bai Shuang saw no issue with that.

The two continued forward, their speed slightly slower than when they had first arrived. But that was because their condition hadn’t fully recovered yet and they were still a bit tired.

“Oh, right—speaking of which, I never asked you. How did you get back?”

Passing by the side hall with the teleportation array from before, Ling Xiaoyou glanced at the now completely dimmed array and asked Bai Shuang curiously.

Because the situation had been too urgent earlier, she had never gotten around to asking until now.

The moment this topic came up, Bai Shuang couldn’t help but pinch Ling Xiaoyou’s little face. Her expression was gentle, but her tone was full of complaint and irritation as she said, “When I realized you had pushed me away, I actually reacted in time, but I couldn’t stop in time and could only be teleported away by the array.”

With her face being pinched, Ling Xiaoyou could only let out a silly “hehe” laugh, trying to brush it off.

“Fortunately, I reacted quickly enough. Halfway through, I self-detonated a high-grade artifact as the price to blow apart the space passage. Because this type of array has a protection mechanism, blowing up the passage wouldn’t hurt me—it would just teleport me back. So that’s how I finally managed to return.”

As she spoke, Bai Shuang rubbed Ling Xiaoyou’s little face forcefully and said, “You see now, right? It cost a high-grade artifact to get me back here.”

Hearing the words “high-grade artifact,” Ling Xiaoyou froze. She also carried a high-grade artifact on her, so she naturally understood its value.

Take her own “Moto Ring” for example—it could completely replicate another person’s fighting style. There was no denying how powerful it was.

Although she didn’t know what kind of high-grade artifact Bai Shuang had blown up, high-grade artifacts were never useless.

Yet even with such a precious artifact, Bai Shuang blew it up without hesitation—all simply because she was worried about Ling Xiaoyou’s safety.

To put it bluntly, even Ling Xiaoyou herself didn’t think she was worth as much as a high-grade artifact.

How much could a little ghost at the Soul Gathering Stage possibly be worth?

Sure, she was a genius, but a genius who hadn’t grown yet was nothing. She truly wasn’t worth as much as a high-grade artifact with such powerful effects.

But even so, Bai Shuang gave up her high-grade artifact without a moment’s hesitation, all to come back and help Ling Xiaoyou.

Then she heard Bai Shuang say, “So, how are you planning to compensate me?”

Ling Xiaoyou fell silent, her heart filled with gratitude and joy.

“Huh?”

Ling Xiaoyou was stunned, momentarily unable to process what the other was saying.

“I said, how are you planning to compensate me?”

Bai Shuang looked at her with a smile, like a big bad wolf ready to devour Ling Xiaoyou, making her instinctively want to hide.

But after all, this was all because of her own impulsive decision. Bai Shuang had genuinely saved her, so she definitely had to compensate her.

Thinking it over, Ling Xiaoyou gritted her teeth and was about to offer her own high-grade artifact as compensation when she heard Bai Shuang say in that cheerful tone, “Compensation? No need for that.”

Ling Xiaoyou dumbly raised her little head and looked at Bai Shuang, seeing her own small figure reflected in those dark, bright eyes.

“As compensation, how about you move into my place from now on and live with me?”

“Wha—what?”

Ling Xiaoyou was completely stunned.

Move into…

Bai Shuang’s home…

And live with her?!

Could it be that she’s trying to use my body to pay off the debt?!

“This… but… well…”

Ling Xiaoyou’s little head inevitably drifted into the not-suitable-for-children zone, and her face turned red in an instant. She frantically waved her hands, wanting to say something, but she had no idea what she should say at that moment.

But then, she saw Bai Shuang’s smile gradually fade. Thinking it was because her stuttering had displeased her, Ling Xiaoyou gritted her teeth and was about to agree.

Suddenly, Ling Xiaoyou saw Bai Shuang pull her close. She stood in front of her and swung cleanly toward the front.

The ambushes hidden in the corridor were swiftly dealt with by Bai Shuang. As the blazing golden flame flashed past, they were disposed of without even a chance to scream.

Bai Shuang ruffled Ling Xiaoyou’s little head and said gently, “Alright, we’ll talk about this later. For now, let’s take care of things first.”

Hearing this, Ling Xiaoyou let out a small sigh of relief, but then began to worry again. Should she agree or not?

If she agreed, it felt a bit like she was selling herself. Although she knew Bai Shuang didn’t mean it that way, it still felt weird.

If she didn’t agree—well, Bai Shuang had blown up a high-grade artifact just to rush back and save her. If she refused, wouldn’t that make her an ungrateful person?

Ling Xiaoyou let out a soft sigh. Forget it, she’d think about it later.

Running away might be shameful, but it still worked.

The two continued through the building, and soon they were about to reach the outside.

But before they could leave, they unexpectedly encountered another group of people inside the building.

Those were members of the Regulatory Division. They were fighting against the devils inside the building, but perhaps because they were too conspicuous, the devils they attracted were all quite strong, making them much harder to deal with.

Naturally, Ling Xiaoyou and Bai Shuang didn’t just stand by. They both acted together and quickly disposed of the devils.

“Hey, you’re that… that person who loaded spirit stones into the array?”

After helping them, Ling Xiaoyou immediately recognized one of the Regulatory Division patrollers.

“So what are you all here for?”

Ling Xiaoyou tilted her head and looked at these somewhat ragged people with curiosity.

The group exchanged glances, looked at the two of them, and fell silent for a moment, as if unsure how to answer.

Just as Ling Xiaoyou was puzzled, the patroller who loaded the spirit stones stepped forward and said:

“We’re actually… here to help you.”