Chapter 1670: Daddy

At the head of Naihe Qiao, a man and a woman stood there, the atmosphere somewhat awkward.

Chu Ling stopped cracking melon seeds, her chest heaving dramatically as she glared fiercely at Ye Chen, seemingly tempted to fight him again.

She had been living quite comfortably until a decree from the palace lord assigned her to this post, like being trapped in a cage. She could only leave once every ten years, spending each day doing the same tasks. For her, this was pure torment. Perhaps only Meng Po could handle such a duty; she certainly couldn't.

Everything was because of Ye Chen. He had not only tricked Meng Po but also dragged her into it, and now he was trying to flirt with her—clearly intent on provoking her!

"Honestly, you can't beat me." Ye Chen wiped the blood from his nose and shook his head casually, acting as if nothing had happened.

Though Chu Ling was furious, she didn't deny Ye Chen's combat prowess. In the six months since she became the deity of Naihe Qiao, she had heard the most about Ye Chen's exploits from Niutou and Mamian. Any single feat he accomplished was enough to defy the heavens. The underworld was full of hidden talents, and Ye Chen was like a dragon among tigers—utterly terrifying.

"Don't worry about the details; let me tell you a joke." Ye Chen cleared his throat and rolled up his sleeves.

"There was once a weird old man who loved peeking through people's windows."

"There's a treasure that's hard when it goes in and soft when it comes out."

"It's a specialty from my hometown—check it out, it's absolutely great stuff."

Ye Chen chattered on like a nonstop talker, one line after another.

But Chu Ling ignored him completely, turning her back again for fear that listening further would make her lash out and beat him.

As time dragged on, Ye Chen fell silent too, the awkwardness lingering.

Niutou and Mamian kept arriving, escorting one ghost after another.

At some point, escorting ghosts had become a coveted job, with everyone scrambling to come to Naihe Qiao. Their obvious goal was to use the opportunity of delivering ghosts to get close to Chu Ling—maybe even win her over. Even if that failed, just catching a glimpse of such a stunning beauty was a treat for the eyes.

It had to be said, the Niutou and Mamian were quite coordinated, all sporting neat middle-parted hairstyles and feeling quite pleased with themselves.

However, as soon as they spotted Ye Chen, they all shrank back without warning. The Huanggu Shengti was not someone to mess with.

In the blink of an eye, the day passed quietly. Chu Ling was probably tired and let out a yawn, lying down on the desk and falling asleep.

Ye Chen approached quietly, rubbing his hands together as he leaned in.

He gently brushed aside Chu Ling's scattered hair, revealing her peerless face, as beautiful as in her previous life, mesmerizing to behold.

But as he watched, Ye Chen couldn't help but smirk.

He saw that Chu Ling's mouth was dribbling streams of liquid—well, more accurately, drool—that had soaked a large patch.

Who would have thought that a peerless beauty, the elegant deity of Naihe Qiao, would drool in her sleep?

"This is worth recording." Ye Chen chuckled slyly and pulled out a memory crystal, capturing every detail of Chu Ling's sleeping posture and drooling without missing a beat.

"Daddy." Suddenly, a childish voice called out.

The voice was tender and babyish, clearly from an infant.

Ye Chen scratched his head, confirming he hadn't misheard, and looked around.

But here, there was only him and Chu Ling—no third person, let alone an infant. It was strangely eerie.

After searching for a long time, he couldn't find the source of the voice, yet the word "daddy" lingered in his ears.

Before long, another group arrived: three figures, led by the Panguan, with Hei Bai Wuchang following behind, strolling leisurely toward them.

"Panguan seems quite leisurely today!" Ye Chen said, hands in his pockets as he squatted on the Wangxiang Terrace, looking like a lazy toad.

"Just a routine inspection. Got a problem?" The Panguan stood with his hands clasped behind his back, glancing around professionally.

His actions were like those of a superior inspecting work—very diligent.

In reality, what he really wanted to check was Ye Chen.

With a man and a woman together, like dry wood and raging fire, if they did something improper at Naihe Qiao, the higher-ups would explode.

Given the evaluation of Ye Chen in the Book of Life and Death, the Panguan figured it was best to come and see for himself. This guy was capable of anything.

Fortunately, Ye Chen was behaving himself this time and hadn't caused any trouble.

Otherwise, with Qin Guang Wang's temper, a beating would be the least of it, and the Panguan's position might not even be secure.

Meanwhile, Hei Bai Wuchang saw that Chu Ling was sound asleep and coughed pointedly. After all, she was the deity of Naihe Qiao—what a lack of decorum.

Chu Ling woke with a start, rubbing her sleepy eyes. Seeing it was the Panguan, she stretched lazily and didn't bother with formalities.

"As the deity of Naihe Qiao, can't you show a bit more dedication?" The Panguan sighed but didn't scold her.

This made Ye Chen raise an eyebrow, realizing that Chu Ling's background wasn't as simple as it seemed—the Panguan was wary of her too.

"Old Panguan, do you have a grudge against me?" Chu Ling started cracking melon seeds again, glancing at him with a serious tone.

"Where did that come from?"

"There are so many people in the underworld, yet you specifically chose me to be the deity of Naihe Qiao."

"It's Qin Guang Wang valuing you and giving you a good position."

"That reasoning is flawless." Ye Chen said meaningfully.

"And it's all because of you." Ye Chen's comment nearly set Chu Ling off again.

"It's just that Meng Po is too straightforward." Ye Chen coughed, but Chu Ling's anger persisted. If he were in her shoes, he'd curse too.

Their back-and-forth left the Panguan and Hei Bai Wuchang baffled, scratching their heads in confusion as they stared at Ye Chen.

From Chu Ling's tone, it seemed she didn't know Ye Chen at all.

But earlier, Ye Chen had clearly said the deity of Naihe Qiao was his wife. There was a contradiction here—had he tricked them?

"Her primordial spirit has restrictions; her past-life memories are all sealed." Ye Chen sent a message, his expression pained.

The Panguan and Hei Bai Wuchang exchanged glances, finding it plausible, as Chu Ling's identity was indeed not straightforward.

The three came quickly and left just as fast, departing soon after.

Before leaving, the Panguan didn't forget to warn Ye Chen repeatedly—more like a threat: Don't cause any trouble for me.

Ye Chen pursed his lips. They were clearly scared of him, treating him as a key surveillance target and checking in whenever possible.

Now, at the head of Naihe Qiao, only he and Chu Ling remained. Without any third wheels, it felt quite romantic—just for the two of them.

"Come on, let me show you something good." Ye Chen grinned slyly and pulled a memory crystal from his pocket.

Naturally, it contained the footage of Chu Ling sleeping.

Chu Ling took it and tapped it open. When she saw the images inside, she exploded in anger, grabbing the memory crystal and hurling it at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen didn't dodge; his Shengti was tough, and the crystal shattered on contact, turning to ash.

"Get lost." Chu Ling's eyes blazed with fury, whether from embarrassment or rage, she wasn't sure—she just wanted to find a hole to hide in and cool off.

Her image was completely ruined by Ye Chen.

Ye Chen just kept chuckling. Chu Ling looked adorable when angry, just like in her previous life.

"As the Huanggu Mingjiang, are you that idle? Why aren't you earning merit and instead sneaking around taking pictures of me?" Chu Ling scolded.

"It's all part of wooing—it's a profound art."

"Get lost." Chu Ling really lost it and kicked out at him.

"Enough nonsense—let me ask you something serious. In the past half-year at Naihe Qiao, have you ever heard a baby calling out?"

"I don't know." Chu Ling huffed and swept her sleeve, stepping onto the Wangxiang Terrace and sitting with her back to Ye Chen, refusing to engage with this jerk.

Ye Chen shamelessly followed, sitting below the Wangxiang Terrace while she sat on it—I need to stay close to you.

Chu Ling was truly out of patience. This was a mighty Mingjiang appointed by Qin Guang Wang, a fearsome figure, yet all he did was infuriating things.

In the quiet, she yawned again, resting her face on one hand, and drifted off to sleep once more—who knew if it was from exhaustion or just her habit.

"Daddy." Suddenly, another call rang out.

Ye Chen, below the terrace, looked up abruptly, then stood, narrowing his eyes to scan around, confirming he hadn't misheard.

But strangely, though he could hear it, he couldn't pinpoint the source—just the voice, with no one in sight.