Chapter 1668: I'll See You Off

Ye Chen stared at Zhao Yun, and Zhao Yun stared back at him.

It was clear that Zhao Yun's eyes held a trace of wariness.

Just like Ye Chen, he felt the same way.

Between masters, there was an innate understanding; Ye Chen had no confidence in defeating him, and Zhao Yun had no confidence in defeating Ye Chen.

Ye Chen knew it, and Zhao Yun knew it too—if they fought to the death, there would be no winner, only mutual destruction.

The supreme geniuses of two universes, both unbeatable in their own ranks, were truly evenly matched.

Without a word, the two exchanged a smile, their understanding unspoken.

Qin Mengyao, however, lit up with excitement in her eyes when she saw Ye Chen arrive.

"Do you have any idea how close you came to getting beaten to death by my brother?"

Ye Chen whispered, "How is that my fault? I told you to keep him out of the way, but he had to come and stir up trouble."

Kui Niu shook his head dramatically. "If you ask me, we can't blame our old seventh for this. It's your brother who's too arrogant, thinking he's invincible. He needed a lesson."

Ye Chen pulled out a wine flask. "You should be thanking me. If I hadn't held back, your brother would have been on his way much earlier."

Listening to their conversation, Qin Mengyao slapped her forehead in frustration.

Going back to the incident half a year ago, the root of it all was her fault—a casual remark that had gotten her brother into serious trouble.

He was injured, but at least he was alive and would recover over time. The real tragedy was the ming jiang of the Nine Halls.

Not long ago, when she and Zhao Yun returned and heard about what had happened that day, she was nearly scared out of her wits. It was utter chaos.

There were seventy-two ming jiang, including nine quasi-sheng wang, all of noble status, and Ye Chen had taken them all down.

That bloodbath, sparked by a single word, left her with an inexplicable sense of guilt. They had truly gone overboard.

She really should thank Ye Chen; if not for her sake, her brother would have met a fate worse than the ming jiang.

"You owe me a favor, remember that," Ye Chen said, patting Zhao Yun on the shoulder with a serious expression.

Zhao Yun looked puzzled. "A favor? What favor?"

"Sparing your big brother-in-law's life—isn't that a favor?"

Qin Mengyao chuckled and sidled up to Zhao Yun, without a hint of modesty, linking her arm with his like a devoted wife.

"We're not that close," Zhao Yun said bluntly, pushing away Qin Mengyao's hand. "And I don't have any big brother-in-law."

Ye Chen chimed in, eyeing Qin Mengyao curiously. "Is Qin Guangwang's temper really that bad?"

Qin Mengyao shrugged. "None of the Ten Halls of Yanluo have good tempers, but Qin Guangwang's is the worst."

Ye Chen rubbed his brow, feeling like he'd asked a foolish question.

Back when he went to be reincarnated, he'd already experienced Qin Guangwang's foul mood. All the yanluo of the Ten Halls were cut from the same cloth.

He was certain that if he mentioned Chu Ling to Qin Guangwang, the guy would probably kick him out of the Yinhe Xi galaxy.

But the problem was, Di Huang wouldn't help, so he had no choice but to go to Qin Guangwang. It might even come with some messy tasks.

The more he thought about it, the more it frustrated him. He'd gotten the passport for passage, but he still couldn't take Chu Ling with him. It was awkward.

"Qin Guangwang is in seclusion. If you want to find him, come back in three days," Qin Mengyao said casually, then leaned toward Zhao Yun again.

"It's on purpose," Ye Chen grumbled to himself a thousand times over.

Not secluding himself earlier or later, but right when I want to talk—it's just to piss me off, you jerk.

He kept those words in his heart; he couldn't let Qin Guangwang hear them, or the consequences would be severe.

Kui Niu spoke up from the side, taking a deep breath. "Old seventh, tonight at midnight, I'll be going for reincarnation."

Ye Chen snapped out of his thoughts, his brows furrowing slightly. Midnight was less than an hour away.

Kui Niu laughed and shook his head. "It's a direct order from Yanwang, so I have no choice. Whether early or late, I have to go eventually."

With that, Kui Niu stood up and patted Ye Chen on the shoulder. "When you were in the Sea of Sins, Di Huang senior told me you'd need to wait a bit longer, so I'll head out first."

"Since it's time, I'll see you off," Ye Chen said with a smile.

Kui Niu smiled freely and glanced at Zhao Yun and Qin Mengyao.

In a way, the three of them had become acquaintances—it was fate. After this reincarnation, they probably wouldn't meet again in this life.

The emotion of parting always carried sadness, and he felt it too.

Qin Mengyao and Zhao Yun both smiled. "Safe travels."

"It will be," Kui Niu replied, striding toward the exit and waving goodbye without looking back. He was at peace with it, with no regrets.

Ye Chen followed, casually handing Kui Niu a wine flask.

Since Kui Niu had come to the underworld, it had been over half a year, and the two brothers hadn't shared a drink yet. It had been a long time since they'd drunk together.

By the time they descended again, they were at the checkpoint of Huangquan Road.

Other souls were escorted by Niutou and Mamian, but Kui Niu had a judge's document, which allowed him to pass smoothly all the way to the path of reincarnation.

Huangquan Road, also known as the Yin-Yang Road, was the path every reincarnating soul had to take.

Ye Chen was fine with it, but Kui Niu was full of curiosity along the way.

It was just as the legends in the mortal world described—everything was there.

Ye Chen explained it all; he was most familiar with this road.

He'd walked it three times, like visiting a neighbor's house. Among those reincarnating, he was the most carefree, making everywhere lively.

Kui Niu was used to it by now. Having been in the underworld for half a year, he'd heard Ye Chen's stories so many times his ears felt callused.

Though they were sworn brothers, he couldn't compare to Ye Chen.

The two chatted and laughed along the way, masking their sorrow. On the surface, they acted casually, but who knew when they'd meet again after this parting.

"That girl over there is my wife, from the Zhutian Wanyu."

From afar, Ye Chen pointed to Chu Ling, who was still relaxed, legs crossed, cracking sunflower seeds.

Kui Niu glanced over, his mouth twitching. The goddess of Naihe Bridge wasn't quite what he'd imagined—quite eccentric.

As they got closer, he finally saw Chu Ling's face clearly and was stunned. She looked exactly like the goddess from the City of No Tears—or rather, they were twin sisters.

"The two peak masters of Hengyue Sect's Jade Girl Peak—she must be the other one, Chu Ling'er," Kui Niu said, turning to Ye Chen with a smile.

"Just as you said," Ye Chen replied with a laugh. "Her memories are sealed, so she doesn't recognize me or know about the Zhutian."

As they spoke, the two arrived, and Chu Ling turned to look at them.

The personal escort by a ming jiang made her curious about Kui Niu. Seeing the two chatting and laughing, they might even be from the same hometown.

"Call me Kui Niu, sister-in-law," Kui Niu said with a chuckle.

Chu Ling flared up. "What sister-in-law? Here's a bowl of Meng Po Soup—drink it and get on your way."

Kui Niu felt awkward, holding the Meng Po Soup but not wanting to drink it. It was the soup of forgetfulness, erasing the memories of those reincarnating.

"We're so familiar—can't skip this soup?" Ye Chen smoothed his hair, trying to charm her.

"What do you think?" Chu Ling shot Ye Chen a disdainful look.

"How about I drink it for him?" Ye Chen rubbed his hands together.

"You're not the one reincarnating," Chu Ling snapped. "And don't cause any trouble, got it?"

"If she were my wife, I'd have slapped her by now," Kui Niu said gravely, with a meaningful tone.

"Stop wasting time. If you want to reincarnate, drink the Meng Po Soup. If not, go cool off somewhere else."

"Fine, I'll drink it." Kui Niu gave up, tilting his head back and downing the bowl in one go.