“…What is that scent?”
The voice of Nan Shan reached Ling Ye’s ears, pulling him back to reality.
He looked down to meet her worried yet confused gaze.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry,” Ling Ye reassured, his tone calm.
“The aura of Father King is harmless, but those two auras are no good. If left lingering for too long, they could affect your parents’ health. I’ve already cleared them, so there won’t be any further issues.”
“Could it really affect them?”
Nan Shan asked, her expression tightening in concern as she rushed into the house.
Ling Ye glanced up at the sky, his mind swirling with questions.
Why would Nan Shan be connected to the Eastern Barbarians and the Qingqiu—two clans that everyone believed to be extinct?
Could there still be survivors from those tribes?
If so, why target Nan Shan? And what about the Wan Sheng Ding?
Kunlun’s ancestor had mentioned that after the Wan Sheng Ding vanished, Qingqiu’s aura remained… Could the person who stole it be one of the masters of the other four fates?
What did this lingering aura have to do with them?
It was supposed to be a simple visit to Nan Shan’s home, yet Ling Ye found himself entangled in so many mysteries.
He steadied himself and stepped inside the hall.
“Ling Ye!”
Nan Shan exclaimed, jumping in front of him.
“You’re amazing! Mother just told me that she and Father have been sick lately.”
“They won’t be sick anymore,” Ling Ye said, his voice steady.
Nan Shan smiled.
“Thank you, Ling Ye.”
Her gratitude was so genuine that Ling Ye felt a slight embarrassment.
He cleared his throat, turning his face away.
“It’s no big deal.”
“Let me formally introduce you—this is my fiancé, the young master of the Underworld…”
Nan Shan hooked her arm around Liu Jinhua’s, giving Ling Ye a glance, unsure if she could reveal his identity.
Ling Ye spoke plainly, “I am Ling Ye, the young master of the Underworld. You may call me by my name.”
“The Underworld… what?”
Sun Jin didn’t quite understand, and Liu Jinhua looked equally puzzled.
“This is a long story. Let me explain,” Nan Shan hurriedly said.
Though Liu Jinhua was curious about the sudden appearance of her son-in-law, she was more interested in hearing about Nan Shan’s recent experiences.
After exchanging pleasantries with Ling Ye, she pulled Nan Shan aside to talk.
Sun Jin wanted to chat with the beautiful young man but felt awkward leaving his new son-in-law alone.
After hesitating a few times, he reluctantly brought Ling Ye a bowl of hot water.
“Drink, drink some water,” Sun Jin said awkwardly.
Ling Ye thanked him and took a sip from the bowl.
Today, he wore a white robe embroidered with clouds.
The color was modest, yet it could not hide his noble aura.
His features were elegant, and his presence was extraordinary.
Even though the chipped bowl in his hands was humble, it seemed as though an emperor was holding a shovel—completely out of place.
“I’ll get you a different bowl,” Sun Jin offered, trying to remedy the situation.
Ling Ye lifted his gaze.
“No need.”
“It’s really a bit broken,” Sun Jin insisted, taking the bowl from Ling Ye and walking away to fetch another.
Ling Ye sat quietly in the hall, waiting.
After a long while, Sun Jin still hadn’t returned, and Nan Shan, who had gone inside with her mother, showed no signs of coming back.
Ling Ye simply waited in silence.
When Nan Shan returned, she saw him sitting alone, looking somewhat lonely.
“Where’s Father?” she asked.
Ling Ye perked up upon seeing her, his expression lifting.
“He went to get a new bowl.”
“A new bowl?”
Nan Shan didn’t quite understand but didn’t press the matter.
She looked at him eagerly.
“Mother wants us to stay for dinner.”
“Dinner?”
Ling Ye blinked, caught off guard.
“It’s New Year’s Eve, the family feast,” Nan Shan said softly, her eyes gleaming with a hint of pleading.
“I always spend New Year’s with them.”
Ling Ye was taken aback by her playful, childlike behavior.
He felt somewhat unsure of how to respond.
“That’s great!”
Nan Shan cheered, tugging him toward the kitchen.
The kitchen was a separate room, smaller and darker than the main hall.
The walls were covered in black soot. Liu Jinhua had just finished slicing the mutton when she saw her stunningly beautiful son-in-law entering.
She immediately waved her hands, trying to shoo him away.
“Out, out! You’ll dirty your clothes!”
“It’s fine, Mother. His clothes won’t get dirty,” Nan Shan replied, and then, as if to show off, she deliberately wiped a finger against the soot on the wall and smudged it on Ling Ye’s robe, winking at him mischievously.
Ling Ye found her antics a little tiresome, but he used his spiritual power to clean the robe effortlessly.
“Goodness, not a trace left!”
Liu Jinhua exclaimed, stepping closer to examine the spot.
She couldn’t hide her astonishment.
“You’re like a god! This is amazing…”
“It’s no big deal,” Ling Ye said, slightly uncomfortable with her proximity.
Luckily, Liu Jinhua stepped back after a quick inspection.
“Goodness, a real immortal…”
Liu Jinhua said, wiping her hands with her apron.
“Thank you for not minding the fate bond thing. I really appreciate it.”
She had grown up in the countryside, and while her daughter had been fortunate enough to see the county magistrate, Liu Jinhua had only ever met the village head.
It was hard for her to imagine what kind of god could be the ‘prince’ of the eighteen layers of hell, so she felt both awkward and nervous, afraid of saying the wrong thing.
Nan Shan, sensing her mother’s anxiety, immediately tried to comfort her.
“Don’t worry, Mother. Ling Ye is really nice. He specifically came back with me to see you both.”
Hearing Nan Shan’s praise, Ling Ye cleared his throat and stood a little straighter.
“Yes, yes, I can tell he’s a good son-in-law!”
Liu Jinhua nodded repeatedly.
“Now, hurry up and get him to sit down in the hall. Don’t waste my cooking time.”
After Nan Shan agreed, she pulled Ling Ye out of the kitchen.
Just as they were about to return to the hall, they ran into Sun Jin.
Sun Jin immediately shielded the bowl he was holding.
“What, what are you doing out here?”
“I was about to ask you that. Why aren’t you sitting with the guest?”
Nan Shan, much less gentle with her father than her mother, gave him an impatient look.
Sun Jin gave Ling Ye an awkward smile, then pulled Nan Shan aside, lowering his voice.
“I didn’t want to lose track of you, so I went over to your third uncle’s to borrow some new bowls to impress the guest. You go ahead and take him back inside, I’ll bring in the new bowls for him.”
“You went to borrow bowls?”
Nan Shan was speechless.
“Well, I also borrowed some tea leaves to make tea for him,” Sun Jin said, pulling out a small paper packet containing some tea leaves.
“Since our son-in-law is here, I thought we should treat him properly. Don’t worry, it’s not expensive.”
Sun Jin raised his voice, as though speaking for someone else.
Nan Shan, having seen many fine things in her time, immediately recognized the tea as nothing special.
But it was the best tea the village had to offer.
She sighed.
“He’s not thirsty. Don’t bother making the tea.”
Sun Jin’s eyes widened.
“What? I borrowed this specially, it’s tea your third uncle wouldn’t even drink!”
“I know, but…” Nan Shan started to say, but was cut off.
“Son-in-law!”
Sun Jin looked at Ling Ye.
“Do you want some tea?”
Ling Ye, who had been quietly eavesdropping, said, “Yes, I’ll drink it.”
Sun Jin, seeing the confirmation, puffed out his chest and marched off to make the tea.
“The tea isn’t very good. Don’t feel like you have to drink it,” Nan Shan reminded him, her tone filled with amusement.
Ling Ye gave a slight smile and took another sip of the tea.
“You don’t like it, do you?”
Nan Shan grinned.
Ling Ye remained calm.
“I don’t mind it.”
“I’ll drink it then.”
Nan Shan grabbed the bowl and drained the tea in one go.
“Alright,” she said, wiping her mouth. “If you don’t like it, you don’t have to force yourself.”
Ling Ye: “You don’t like it either.”
“True,” Nan Shan admitted, casually placing the empty bowl onto the chipped table.
“But I can’t waste it. Father would scold me if he saw.”
Ling Ye suggested, “Just throw it far away, he won’t notice.”
Nan Shan paused, staring at him.
“…You’re making me seem dumb.”
Ling Ye met her gaze for a long moment, then suddenly couldn’t help but laugh.
Nan Shan, catching him, mischievously forced his face back toward her.
“Go ahead and laugh if you want to,” she said teasingly.
“Can I stop you?”
Ling Ye held her hand with a soft smile, and as they continued their playful banter, their closeness felt natural.
The space between them seemed to shrink, and an invisible shift in their relationship occurred.
What had once been distant had subtly turned into something more familiar.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze for a brief moment.
After that night, they hadn’t had the chance to truly be together, but now, it felt different.
Perhaps, after all, things had changed.
Ling Ye was eating while looking towards Nanshan, using his eyes to ask who Xiao Fu was.
Nanshan’s mouth twitched, but he didn’t say that Xiao Fu was the yellow dog that got blown up earlier today.
That yellow dog was famous in their Sun family village for being a big, fat dog that could eat a lot.
Once the meal was finished, the sky had completely darkened.
Liu Jinhua and Sun Jin both started to feel sleepy, so Nanshan urged them to go to bed.
“No, I haven’t kept the new year’s vigil yet…” Liu Jinhua mumbled.
Nanshan chuckled, “You can sleep, I’ll stay up with Ling Ye.”
“But…”
“No buts, go to bed,” Nanshan refused directly.
Liu Jinhua and Sun Jin were pushed to the point that they had no choice but to go back to their rooms.
Nanshan was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when Liu Jinhua came out with a blanket in her arms.
“Why are you out again?”
Nanshan asked, confused.
Liu Jinhua, half-asleep, said, “I’ll give Ling Ye some space. Tonight, I’ll sleep with you.”
Nanshan was taken aback and instinctively looked at Ling Ye, only to find him looking at him too.
There were only two bedrooms in the house—one for the parents, one for herself.
When they arrived, she hadn’t even considered staying the night, but now that her mother had brought it up, she suddenly realized the issue.
Nanshan’s face suddenly heated up.
She thought to herself that she wasn’t going to sleep with Ling Ye, but Ling Ye probably wouldn’t want to sleep with his father either…
“Alright.”
Ling Ye nodded.
“Alright…?”
Nanshan looked at him in surprise and waited until her mother entered her room before asking,
“Are you sure?”
“I lied to her,” Ling Ye said with a calm expression.
Nanshan was taken aback, “What? You lied?”
Ling Ye’s expression remained indifferent, “I don’t want to sleep with your father.”
Nanshan almost forgot—Ling Ye was quite the expert at lying.Since he didn’t want to sleep with his father, and his mother had already occupied the other room, the only option left was to stay up in the yard.
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