One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

"Teacher Nie! Miss Chen Duo! You're finally out!" Xiao Yang's voice was filled with obvious excitement and lingering fear. "The commotion in the mountains just now... the earth shook so badly, it scared us to death! We thought... we thought you..." He didn't finish his sentence, but the relief and worry in his eyes were obvious. He quickly looked the two of them over and saw that although their clothes were a bit torn and covered in dust, they were in good spirits, especially Chen Duo, whose face was rosy and eyes were bright. She didn't look like she had been seriously injured. Only then did the weight on his heart finally lift.

"It's alright, the base self-destructed, and we got out in time." Nie Lingfeng explained simply, without mentioning specific details about the "Sanctuary," the "Body of God," and the "Sample Zero." He only said, "The core experimental subjects and data inside should all be destroyed. Qu Tong escaped beforehand. The case regarding the base can be reported and closed. The subsequent blockade, investigation, and media control will be handled by your branch."

Xiao Yang nodded repeatedly: "Understood! Understood! You two have worked hard! Quick, get in the car, let's go back to the city first, take a hot shower, and get some rest! I'll take you back to the safe house, no, I'll find a better place..."

"No need for that, let's just go back to the safe house we had before." Nie Lingfeng waved his hand and pulled Chen Duo into the back seat of the van. Xiao Yang also got into the driver's seat, started the car, turned around, and drove along the rugged mountain road towards Guiyang.

The car drove smoothly along the mountain road. Chen Duo leaned against the window, watching the mountain scenery rushing past, gradually tinged with the warm gold of dusk, her eyelids beginning to droop. The day's tension, the fighting, the running, combined with the safe, warm environment and the car's gentle bumps, caused her accumulated fatigue to surge up like a tide. Her little head bobbed up and down, and finally, without realizing it, she rested her head on Nie Lingfeng's shoulder, emitting even, soft snores, and fell asleep. Unconsciously, she hugged the panda plush toy in her arms even tighter.

Nie Lingfeng adjusted his posture to make her more comfortable, then took off his coat and gently draped it over her. He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, seemingly resting, but his mind was rapidly processing and analyzing all the gains and information from this trip to the base.

"The Council"... "The Temple of Immortality"... It sounds like a higher-level, organized group composed of beings similar to the "Blood Moon." Their goal is to "go home," and they need a "key." "Holy Blood" (likely the primordial power of "that being") is part of that key, or perhaps the crucial element. Earth is their "testing ground" and "nursery," where they are using the beings, faith, and even the ley line energy to conduct some kind of experiment, cultivating "seeds" and "divine bodies"—all in order to... open the passage home?

What is the other part of that "key"? Where is it? Are Qu Tong and those "above" her servants of the "parliament" or collaborators? What role do they play in the "returning home" plan? Are they simply pawns being used, or do they have ulterior motives?

And then there's the phrase "the seed has been planted"... Dong Cheng also mentioned the "sowing ceremony" before his death. In what form does this "seed" exist? Is it like Luodong Village, polluting an area and its beliefs? Or is it like the "body of god" in the base, nurturing an individual? Or... is it something more abstract, more conceptual, like... "marking" a key person or thing?

Nie Lingfeng subconsciously glanced at Chen Duo, who was sleeping soundly against his shoulder. This girl could directly sense the disguise and malice of the "core." Her phoenix bloodline seemed to have an extraordinary sensitivity to "contamination" and "evil." Could this "seed" be "planted" in someone like her, possessing a special bloodline or physique? Or... in himself, someone who had fused with the three divine artifacts and carried the aura of the "Qilin" and what appeared to be the same origin as "that being"?

He examined himself inwardly, thoroughly checking every part of himself. Meridians, bones, flesh, the very essence of his soul… he still found nothing unusual, no foreign energy or imprint. Was he really just overthinking things?

Too many clues, even more questions. Like a huge jigsaw puzzle missing crucial parts, it barely manages to piece together a blurry and terrifying outline, but the details and the whole picture remain hidden behind layers of fog.

As the car entered Guiyang city, the city lights were just coming on. The city's neon lights and traffic once again shut out the atmosphere of the mountains and forests. Xiao Yang safely drove them back to the vicinity of that old residential area, and considerately, he didn't take them down to their building, but parked the car on a relatively quiet street corner.

"Teacher Nie, Miss Chen Duo, I'll leave you here. I've had the safe house rechecked and replenished with food and supplies. This is my new contact information; please call me anytime if you need anything. The branch will fully cooperate." Xiao Yang handed over a simple business card with only a phone number printed on it, his tone sincere.

"Okay, thank you." Nie Lingfeng took the business card, patted Xiao Yang on the shoulder, and said, "You've worked hard too. Go back and get some rest. Please take care of the follow-up matters at the base."

"Of course!" Xiao Yang nodded emphatically, watching Nie Lingfeng gently wake up the still drowsy Chen Duo. The two got out of the car and disappeared into the night at the entrance of the residential area before starting the car and leaving.

Back in the safe house, the familiar environment and warm lighting made everyone completely relax. Nie Lingfeng told Chen Duo to take a shower first, while he quickly checked the room to make sure there was nothing wrong. Then he also took a hot shower to wash away the dust, gunpowder, and fatigue.

When he came out of the bathroom, drying his hair, Chen Duo had already changed into clean pajamas (bought by Nie Lingfeng, light blue with a bear pattern). She was sitting on the sofa in the living room, drying her wet hair with a towel while looking at him expectantly. The meaning in her eyes was self-evident—Strawberry! Strawberry! Strawberry! (☆▽☆)

Nie Lingfeng chuckled, glancing at the clock on the wall; it was a little past seven in the evening. At this time, the night market should have just opened, and the old lady selling candied strawberries should still be there.

"Come on, let's change your clothes, I'll take you to find Grandma Strawberry," Nie Lingfeng said with a smile.

Chen Duo's eyes lit up instantly. She immediately put down the towel, ran back to her room, and changed into her outdoor clothes as quickly as possible (the same dark windbreaker, the clean one). She just haphazardly tied her hair into a ponytail with a hair tie and eagerly ran to the door to wait, clutching her panda plush toy in her arms. (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

Seeing her adorable, impatient expression, the last trace of heaviness in Nie Lingfeng's heart vanished. He picked up the keys, took her hand, and said, "Let's go, you little glutton."

The two went downstairs again, blending into the bustling streets of Guiyang at night. Unlike their last visit, this time they didn't feel the same sense of being watched. It seemed that the Yaoxing Society's influence in Guiyang had been completely reduced or paralyzed with the destruction of its base. At least for now, they were safe.

The night market was still bustling, filled with the aroma of food. They quickly found the old woman's cart selling candied strawberries. The bright red strawberries, coated in a glistening sugar shell, shimmered enticingly under the lights.

"Grandma, I want the three largest ones," Nie Lingfeng said as he stepped forward.

The old woman smiled and readily agreed, deftly selecting three bunches of the largest and reddest strawberries, skillfully coating them in syrup, letting them cool, and then handing them over.

Nie Lingfeng paid and handed all three skewers of candied strawberries to Chen Duo. Chen Duo took them, her eyes crinkling into crescents, and eagerly took a bite. "Crunch!" The crisp sound of the sugar shell breaking, mixed with the sweet and sour juice of the strawberries, burst in her mouth, making her squint her eyes in satisfaction.

"Is it good?" Nie Lingfeng asked.

"Mmm! Delicious!" Chen Duo nodded vigorously, holding one of the skewers to Nie Lingfeng's lips. "You have some too!"

Nie Lingfeng took a bite from her hand. It was indeed very sweet, with the natural tartness of strawberries, and the sugar coating was crisp and not sticky. He wasn't usually a fan of sweets, but seeing Chen Duo enjoying it so much, he found the candied hawthorn particularly delicious.

The two of them walked and ate their skewers together in the bustling night market, each holding one in each hand. Chen Duo nibbled on her food carefully, savoring every last bit, even the crumbs. Nie Lingfeng, on the other hand, ate more slowly, his gaze sweeping over the crowds, the warm lights, and the steaming food stalls, a sense of peace settling over him.

This is what he wants to protect: the ordinary, bustling, and vibrant human world.

"Nie Lingfeng," Chen Duo suddenly spoke, her voice muffled because her mouth was stuffed with strawberries, "Next time... after we beat up the bad guys, can we still come and eat candied strawberries?"

Nie Lingfeng looked down at her glistening lips, glistening with sugar residue, and her clear, emerald-green eyes, reflected in the night market lights, as if mirroring the entire starry sky. The softest part of his heart was gently touched.

He reached out and gently wiped the sugar crumbs from the corner of her mouth with his thumb, then nodded very seriously and solemnly:

"Yes, we can. From now on, we'll come here to eat every time we beat up the bad guys. Not just rock sugar strawberries, but also Changwang noodles, Siwawa (a type of steamed bun), Love Tofu... We'll try all the good food in Guiyang, no, in every place in the city."

"Really?" Chen Duo's eyes shone even brighter, as if stars were shining within them.

"Really." Nie Lingfeng smiled, making what was perhaps the most "unreliable" yet most sincere promise of his life.

"Pinky promise!" Chen Duo extended her little finger, which was covered in sugar syrup, with an unusually serious expression. This was a "promise ritual" that she had recently learned from the kids downstairs.

Nie Lingfeng chuckled and extended his little finger, solemnly hooking it around her small, strawberry-scented finger.

"Pinky promise, hang yourself, for a hundred years, no take-backs."

In the bustling night market, two young people, their hands covered in dust and light, who had just returned from destruction and darkness, recited the childish nursery rhyme earnestly, as if it were the most sacred covenant.

The night breeze carries the aroma of food and the warmth of the city.

In the distance, the city's neon lights still flicker, and the deep night sky holds endless secrets and possibilities.

But at this moment, in this place, there is only the sweetness of rock sugar strawberries and the warmth of fingertips intertwined.