The Underworld also has its day and night.
As the last sliver of moonlight faded, the land fell into a pitch-black night.
The ghost market, floating in mid-air, suddenly lit up with candles, bustling with an eerie liveliness.
At the end of the ghost market, Zhuyue Restaurant, usually the busiest establishment, was closed today.
Ghost soldiers, clad in gloomy iron armor, surrounded the building in three layers, inside and out.
Inside the restaurant, lights blazed brightly.
More than ten dancing girls, with enchanting figures, sometimes transformed into wisps of smoke, sometimes into a light drizzle, gracefully danced on the circular stage, swirling their sleeves.
“Two esteemed guests, this is a wine I’ve newly brewed, called ‘Forget the Mortal World’.
One cup can erase even the greatest sorrows. Please, esteemed guests, have a taste.”
The proprietress, her flower-like ornaments trembling, glanced at the indifferent Ling Ye, then tactfully turned to the other person.
“Young Master Zhi Shen, would you do me the honor?”
Zhi Shen, whom she addressed as Young Master, was the son of the Underworld’s Protector and the adopted son of the Underworld Lord, Yan Yue.
Although of noble status, he was always carefree and approachable, able to chat with anyone.
The proprietress, not daring to provoke Ling Ye, could only ask him.
Zhi Shen, with a baby face, chuckled. “Forget it. This young master has no worries, no need for such wine. You should give it to someone who needs it.”
…Out of everyone in the room, who needed it more?
The proprietress glanced at Ling Ye, who had been cold-faced since entering, and pretended not to understand.
“Alright, I’ll leave the wine here. You two can try it when you’re in the mood.”
With that, she quickly left.
Zhi Shen watched her disappear before curling his lip at the wine she left behind. “Don’t drink her wine carelessly. Who knows what kind of messy stuff she put in it.”
At this moment, in the vast restaurant, there were only two guests and a dozen dancing girls.
With a barrier separating the stage and the main table, it was obvious to whom he was speaking.
Ling Ye, however, didn’t bother to respond, continuing to play with an empty wine cup, his eyes downcast.
Zhi Shen was exasperated. “Young Master, you specifically called me out, just to give me the cold shoulder?”
The two had been friends since birth, and in the entire Underworld, only he dared to speak to Ling Ye like this.
Faced with his friend’s questioning, Ling Ye remained silent, still indifferently toying with the wine cup.
Zhi Shen didn’t mind, curiously leaning closer with a wine pot. “So, you really spent ten days in self-reflection at the Nightless Pavilion?”
Ling Ye’s face grew colder.
“So it’s true,” Zhi Shen clicked his tongue. “What’s wrong with you? The dignified Young Master of the Underworld, actually bullied by amortal girl.
Bullied is bullied, but after your confinement, instead of seeking revenge, you come to me for a drink.
Young Master, this isn’t like you.”
Ling Ye scoffed coldly, his gaze growing more indifferent. “Father gave her the Shenyue Pearl.”
Zhi Shen paused, sitting up slightly. “Really?”
Ling Ye grew more irritated.
“It seems the Underworld Lord really approves of this daughter-in-law… What about you? What do you think? Do you really plan to marry a mortal?” Zhi Shen also began to frown.
Although the Underworld Lord must have his reasons, he still felt it was too much of a compromise for their dignified Young Master to marry a mortal.
Ling Ye met his gaze, expressionless.
Zhi Shen looked sympathetic.
After the previous Queen’s death, these two had depended on each other for thousands of years.
Although Ling Ye had an unapproachable and autocratic nature, he had no way to deal with his
father.
He probably figured if he broke off the engagement today, the Underworld Lord would find a rope to hang himself tomorrow.
Zhi Shen sighed. “If it really doesn’t work, just let that mortal initiate the break-up. The Underworld Lord has always been soft-hearted.
If a mortal insists on breaking off the engagement, he’ll probably have to compromise.”
“She refuses to break it off.” Ling Ye glanced at him.
Zhi Shen propped his chin on his hand.
“That’s true. A mere mortal, if she becomes the Young Mistress of the Underworld, it’s like ascending to heaven in a single step. It’s normal for her to refuse to break off the engagement.”
The more Ling Ye thought about it, the more annoyed he became.
He casually picked up a pot of wine, about to drink, but suddenly noticed it was the one the Zhuyue Restaurant proprietress had brought.
He frowned and put the pot down.
“How about I take care of it for you?” Zhi Shen suddenly said.
Ling Ye raised his eyes. “You?”
“What’s with that look? Don’t you trust me?” Zhi Shen scoffed.
“Don’t worry, the Underworld Lord has already given her the Shenyue Pearl. I won’t harm her life.”
After saying that, he suddenly smiled mischievously.
“But that doesn’tvmean I won’t scare her.”
“What are you going to do?” Seeing his expression, Ling Ye knew he wasn’t planning anything good.
Zhi Shen cleared his throat, just about to speak, when the sundial in the corner suddenly clicked.
In the next instant, six or seven maid filed in, quickly filling the table in front of them with food.
Ling Ye, who had just shown some curiosity about his plan, picked up his chopsticks and began to eat seriously.
“…Your good habit of eating three meals a day on time hasn’t changed a bit in all these years.” Zhi Shen watched him speechlessly.
Ling Ye turned a deaf ear, meticulously eating, his eyes downcast.
Zhi Shen waited boredly until Ling Ye put down his chopsticks before leaning in again.
“Don’t worry about what I’m doing. I guarantee she’ll break off the engagement.”
“Achoo!”
Nanshan sneezed forcefully, looking around vigilantly.
The large bedroom was empty.
She breathed a sigh of relief and silently picked up her rice bowl.
Unconsciously, she had already lived in this place for ten days.
Although she hadn’t gone out much during these ten days, she had a general understanding of this place.
Now she lived in a place called Canglan Palace, equivalent to the imperial palace in the mortal world, and Immortal Uncle was the emperor here.
Although Immortal Uncle had said long ago that he was the Lord of the Underworld, Nanshan hadn’t really grasped the concept until someone explained it to her.
She then realized what a remarkable person he was, and her heart became increasingly uneasy.
If Immortal Uncle was the emperor, wouldn’t Ling Ye be the crown prince? She had offended the crown prince!
The highest official Nanshan had ever seen in her life was the county magistrate, and even then, it was just a glimpse from afar.
She couldn’t imagine what the consequences of offending the crown prince would be.
She heard that Ling Ye had finished his confinement and had left the Nightless Pavilion this morning.
“…He wouldn’t come looking for me, would he?” Nanshan anxiously touched the blood-red beaded bracelet on her wrist.
Although Yan Yue had repeatedly emphasized that as long as she wore the bracelet, Ling Ye wouldn’t harm her, for certain reasons, Nanshan felt that he didn’t really understand his own son.
So she lived in a state of constant fear.
Before, she would occasionally stroll in the courtyard, but now she didn’t dare to go out at all.
For three days straight, she shut herself in her room.
On the fourth day, she finally couldn’t resist running to the door to get some fresh air.
Just as she reached the door, she was hit by a pebble.
“Who? Who threw that at me?” Nanshan looked around warily. In the next moment, she saw a young man, about twenty years old, perched on the courtyard wall.
The young man’s eyes were smiling. Seeing her look over, he waved at her.
“Who are you?” During this time, Nanshan had seen all sorts of strange-looking creatures.
This was the first ‘person’ with normal features besides Yan Yue and Ling Ye.
The young man vaulted over the wall and landed directly in the courtyard.
“My name is Zhi Shen, son of the Protector.”
“What’s a Protector? Is that an official position in the Underworld?” Nanshan was puzzled.
Zhi Shen was taken aback by her question. After confirming she was serious, he rephrased. “I’m Ling Ye’s good friend.”
“Ah, you’re Ling Ye’s good friend.”
Nanshan smiled faintly and turned to run back inside, but in the next instant, she was blocked by an invisible force.
She swallowed, pretending to be calm as she turned back. “What do you want?”
“I wouldn’t dare do anything to you,” Zhi Shen glanced at the beaded bracelet on her wrist and said with a grin, “I just want to show you something.”
With that, he held out a fist, as if holding something.
Nanshan hesitantly took a step forward, then suddenly looked behind him. “Immortal Uncle?”
Zhi Shen instinctively looked back, and Nanshan turned and ran.
Unfortunately, she was pulled back in the next instant.
Just as she was about to cry for help, Zhi Shen opened his hand. A strong smell of alcohol exploded, and Nanshan instantly lost consciousness.
Dizzy, drowsy, and a little nauseous, like she had drunk a lot of alcohol.
Her mind was a mess, and her body seemed to be floating.
Nanshan’s eyelashes trembled, struggling repeatedly on the border between consciousness and unconsciousness.
Just when she was so uncomfortable she didn’t know what to do, a cool breeze suddenly brushed her cheek, bringing clarity to her entire being.
“If you don’t open your eyes, you’ll really drown.”
A malicious voice rang out. Nanshan shuddered and finally opened her eyes.
Where was this?
Her vision gradually cleared, and a vast, grayish-white water surface appeared before her eyes.
Water?
Nanshan froze, then sank uncontrollably, realizing with a start that she was in a huge lake.
Gurgle, gurgle…
“Pfft!” Nanshan struggled to the surface, spitting out water before looking frantically at the person on the shore. “What are you trying to do?”
“Nothing much, just wanted to chat with Miss Nanshan.” Zhi Shen smiled and crouched down on the bank.
Nanshan wiped her face, looking at him warily. “What do you want to talk about?”
“Hmm… how about we talk about breaking off the engagement?” Zhi Shen spoke kindly, as if discussing it with her.
Nanshan: “…”
“There’s a saying in your mortal world, ‘A forced melon is not sweet.’ I believe Miss Nanshan has also heard it,” Zhi Shen’s tone was light, as if he were talking about the weather.
“My Young Master doesn’t like you. Even if you become the Young Mistress, you probably won’t have a good life. It’s better to take some compensation and leave early. What do you think?”
Nanshan laughed angrily. “What do I think? Are you planning to drown me if I don’t agree?”
“Drowning, not really. Making you soak in the water for a few days, that’s possible. I just don’t know if Miss Nanshan can endure it.” Zhi Shen smiled.
His smile made Nanshan’s back crawl.
She had a feeling he could really do such a thing.
“Calm down. If something really bad happens to me, Immortal Uncle definitely won’t let you off. You don’t want to be punished by him, do you… I understand what you mean.
It’s just breaking off the engagement. If Ling Ye wants to break it off so badly, he can just tell Immortal Uncle directly. Why bother going through all this trouble to find me?”
If Ling Ye took the initiative to break off the engagement, she would be the one who was wronged.
Given Immortal Uncle’s personality, he would definitely protect her and her parents. If she was the one to break it off, he might really abandon their family.
“Let Ling Ye break it off. If he succeeds, I promise I won’t pester him.” Nanshan emphasized.
Zhi Shen spread his hands. “My Young Master is most filial and has always been unwilling to disobey the Underworld Lord. You know, all filial sons are like this.”
Nanshan: “…”
“So, will you break it off?” Zhi Shen stopped beating around the bush.
Nanshan was silent for a moment, then said, “I won’t…”
Before she could finish, an invisible force suddenly pushed her underwater.
She struggled frantically, almost choking before she surfaced again.
“What did you say?” Zhi Shen smiled sinisterly. “I didn’t hear you clearly.”
Nanshan: “…”
“Will you break it off?” Zhi Shen asked again.
Nanshan stared at him for a moment, then stubbornly said, “I won’t…”
Pushed underwater again, Nanshan quickly held her breath.
But Zhi Shen seemed to have anticipated this, holding her down for a noticeably longer time this time.
When she came up, she could only float on the surface, gasping for air.
“Will you break it off?” Zhi Shen asked for the third time.
“I…” Before she could say the word “won’t,” the force began to push her down again.
Nanshan hurriedly said, “I’ll think about it!”
“Then you’d better think fast. This is Muyi Lake. There’s a ferocious seven-legged snake trapped inside. It’s a beast that even the Underworld Lord can’t handle.
If you delay any longer, be careful it might eat you.” Zhi Shen reminded her slowly.
The lake water had already taken away most of her body heat, and Nanshan was already shivering from the cold.
Now, hearing him say this, her heart began to chill. “I have the Shenyue Pearl. You can’t touch me.”
“I’m not touching you,” Zhi Shen said innocently. “But if the seven-legged snake insists on eating you, what can I do?”
Nanshan: “…”
Seeing her frustrated expression, Zhi Shen chuckled.
Just as he was about to continue pressing her, a cold voice came from behind him.
“Is this the solution you came up with?”
Nanshan and Zhi Shen looked back at the same time.
Ling Ye, dressed in a wide-sleeved robe and wearing a translucent white jade crown, appeared as noble as a descending god amidst the gray expanse of water and sky.