Leading the Amaterasu Shrine Maiden, Lu Cheng returned to the car.
Ise Hinata sat primly on the soft leather seat, her body still a little stiff.
In her arms, she clutched the snow-white rabbit doll tightly, as if it were her only companion in this unknown mortal world.
Just now... she didn't know why.
But she had already given her hand to this man.
This act was almost equivalent to offering her soul as well.
Yet, even so, in her heart, there was still an unshakeable iceberg named "responsibility."
National Luck.
That was not a vague word, but a reality connected to her bloodline, coexisting with her, heavy enough to crush everything.
She could, for herself, taste a scoop of ice cream, watch a movie, or catch a doll.
But could she, for herself, abandon the fate of this land?
This thought, like the sharpest ice shard, made her blood, which had just warmed up with that "freedom," turn cold again.
A trace of struggle and pain flashed across her face.
How could any of this escape Lu Cheng's eyes?
He leaned back casually in his seat, his voice calm, yet still striking the most vulnerable part of her heart.
"You're worried that if you leave the shrine, the National Luck will spiral out of control, right?"
Ise Hinata's body trembled violently; she turned her head, and in her beautiful eyes, there was undisguised shock.
He... how could he know?
His tone was so certain, as if he could see directly into her soul!
Could it be that this guy had the ability to eavesdrop on thoughts?
Seeing her startled, deer-like expression, Lu Cheng smiled.
He met her gaze and continued to speak.
"Your power originates from this land, and it is also confined by this land."
"It seems vast, but in reality, it's merely a castle in the air built upon the National Luck."
"Once it collapses, your power will vanish in an instant."
"So, you don't dare to leave, don't dare to let go, because you know better than anyone that your so-called guardianship is, in essence, merely a mutually parasitic relationship."
Lu Cheng's words calmly and cruelly dissected all her pretenses, laying the bloody reality bare before her.
Ise Hinata's lips trembled slightly; she could no longer maintain her silence, her voice carrying a hint of unwillingness and struggle:
"I... I have no choice. This is my mission."
Although... everything he said was true.
But the education and training she had received could not be easily refuted by a few words.
"Mission?"
Lu Cheng smiled, as if he had heard something ridiculous, "Is it a mission of imprisonment?"
And then, once again, he reached out his hand to her.
Only this time, a wisp of light appeared out of thin air in his palm.
It was a wisp of light that could not be described with words.
It was not as brilliant as the sun like Amaterasu Divine Power, nor as eerie and malevolent as demonic power.
It was simply pure, utterly pure.
It was as if it itself was a complete world, a self-contained universe.
It flowed quietly in Lu Cheng's palm, cycling endlessly, self-sustaining, not needing any external force, because it itself was the rule, the source!
Ise Hinata stared blankly at that wisp of light; she could feel that this power far exceeded her own!
Her vast Amaterasu Divine Power, in front of this wisp of light, was like a firefly encountering the bright moon, tiny, humble, and even... trembling?
"My power is self-sufficient, a world unto itself."
Lu Cheng's voice carried a divine indifference and condescension.
"It doesn't need guarding, because it itself is the rule."
Ise Hinata watched the light in his palm gradually dissipate... She took a deep breath, her tone still carrying the pride of a shrine maiden:
"You... what exactly do you want to do?"
"No matter how strong your power is, it has nothing to do with me!"
"I have things I need to do."
"What do I want to do?"
Lu Cheng gazed at Ise Hinata and presented the "solution" that made her soul tremble.
"What I want to say is that you don't have to abandon your responsibility."
The corner of his mouth curved into a devilish arc.
"You just need to temporarily deposit your heavy National Luck with me."
"You're crazy?!"
Ise Hinata exclaimed in shock, this was the first time she had spoken with such an undignified tone, "National Luck is the foundation of a country, how could it..."
"Why not?" Lu Cheng interrupted her, his tone becoming playful, "It's just for me to temporarily keep it for you."
"When it becomes more stable, stronger, or... when you get tired of playing and want to go back, I can return it to you anytime."
Keep it?
To entrust the destiny of a nation to him... to keep it?!
This thought was so absurd, so crazy... yet it gave her the hope of "freedom."
It also gave her a perfect, "legitimate reason" to deceive herself, to "betray" with a clear conscience!
I'm doing this for the good of the National Luck... and I'm not betraying, I'm just temporarily entrusting it to him!
Just as Ise Hinata's breathing grew rapid and her mental defenses were on the verge of complete collapse.
Lu Cheng's gaze suddenly became extremely aggressive; he slowly leaned closer, almost touching her ear, and in a husky and ambiguous voice, added the final condition.
"Of course, the storage fee..."
"...What do you want?"
"I don't have money for a rich second-generation like you!"
Ise Hinata's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, almost an instinctive reply.
"Why would I want something as vulgar as money?"
"I only require you yourself to pay."
The moment this suggestive remark fell into her ears... Ise Hinata's earlobe, as if seared by an invisible flame, instantly turned "hot," and her cheeks also flushed a faint red.
However, at this very moment!
"Rumble—!!!!"
An earth-shattering roar came without warning from not far away!
The violent energy explosion unleashed a terrifying shockwave; the glass of the entire street instantly shattered into powder!
The Rolls-Royce's body shook violently because of it!
Dazzling demonic light and golden divine light intertwined wildly in the night sky, illuminating half the sky in flickering brightness!
"It's Long Yi!"
Ise Hinata instantly woke up; the Amaterasu Divine Power within her instinctively stirred, that aura, she was all too familiar with it!
It was her younger brother!
Lu Cheng, however, didn't even twitch an eyebrow, his face still bearing that cynical smile.
He merely gave a lazy instruction to the driver in front.
"Stop the car."
The car pulled over smoothly to the side of the road.
Lu Cheng turned his head, looked at the chaotic battlefield outside the window, then looked at the nervous and worried Ise Hinata beside him, and the smile on his lips deepened.
He reached out and gently pinched her cheek, which was taut with tension, his tone carrying a doting tease.
"Your brother's way of welcoming us is truly strange."