Nearby, his personal soldiers searched for the kidnappers, but aside from a fissure in the ground, two skeletal remains, and some unidentified blood, there was nothing else in the clearing. Though their torches illuminated the scene, a chill ran through each soldier. Half an hour earlier, they had heard blood-curdling screams from this forest but had found nothing despite searching thoroughly—until the Bai sisters suddenly reappeared here.
How did a fissure open in the ground? What was with the skeletal remains? And why, though unharmed, were the young ladies covered in blood? If they hadn’t been Bai Xun’s loyal soldiers, they would have likely fled in fear.
Bai Xun, carrying Bai Shuo and Bai Xi, cast a cold glance around the rear mountain of the imperial tomb, his eyes narrowing as he spotted the two skeletal remains.
"Fill in the fissure and burn these bones here," Bai Xun ordered his soldiers, his voice firm and authoritative. "Report to the City Guard and the Court of Judicial Review that the young ladies lost track of time while attending the lantern festival and got lost in the city, troubling everyone. As for tonight’s events, I don’t want to hear any more talk of it. Understood?"
"Yes, General!" The soldiers suppressed their fear and responded in low voices.
Satisfied, Bai Xun nodded, clutching his daughters tightly as he headed back to the city.
* * *
In the ghost realm, Tian Qi sat on his throne, his face impassive. Beside him stood Xiu Yan, whose expression was even more wooden, devoid of the playful charm he had displayed back at the Bridge of Regret.
The Ghost King, Ao Ge, known for his fierce and cold nature, usually left such unpleasant tasks as greeting divine beings to Xiu Yan. Especially now, when the guest was the furious True Lord himself.
"Divine Lord," Xiu Yan said, knowing full well why Tian Qi was here but choosing to skirt around the issue with a bitter smile. "The Book of Life and Death is fixed. By saving those two girls, you’ve disrupted mortal life and death in the human world for the next decade or so. If the Heavenly Court questions the ghost realm about this, I won’t take responsibility!"
"That child who died had the ‘Reborn Star’ destiny. Her fate had not yet ended, and today was not meant to be her day of death. Moreover, with her destiny, she was supposed to be a heavenly celestial reborn to undergo reincarnation and training in the mortal world. If I hadn’t happened to pass by, and she’d been devoured by the nine-headed serpent, her spirit would have been damaged, her millennium of cultivation destroyed. Then it would be you, the Ghost King, who’d have trouble explaining things to the Heavenly Court, wouldn’t it?" Tian Qi glanced at Xiu Yan, his voice calm.
Xiu Yan’s face darkened, and he cursed inwardly. Damn it, you knew everything! So why did you trick that little girl into owing you a debt of gratitude?
A noble, wealthy young lady now pledging to live thousands of years to repay a divine favor? What was the point?
"I didn’t save her?"
"I didn’t save her sister?"
"I granted her a new life; isn’t it only right she repay me?" Tian Qi asked coolly, noticing the flicker of resentment in Xiu Yan’s eyes.
The True Lord raised an eyebrow, his expression amused rather than angry.
Xiu Yan, an old and seasoned deity, had been dutiful in the ghost realm for many years, and unlike his hot-headed brother, Tian Qi had patience for him.
"It is right," Xiu Yan muttered through gritted teeth, as Tian Qi’s notorious pride and self-assurance were well known in the heavens.
"As for her sister, she may yet live for a thousand years, with a chance of meeting me again." Tian Qi sneered softly, an image of that girl’s fiery, determined gaze flashing through his mind. His voice dropped slightly. "But as for her, without any trace of destiny or spiritual energy, she’ll be lucky to live a full life in this world."
Xiu Yan lowered his head, wondering which of the Bai sisters had intrigued Tian Qi more. Before he could ponder further, the True Lord had clearly lost interest in mortal affairs and moved to the main topic.
"Over the past thousand years, has there been any sign of Yue Mi in the ghost realm?"
At the mention of Yue Mi, a brief silence settled over the hall.
"Divine Lord, neither in the River of Reincarnation nor the Bridge of Transcendence has there been any trace of Yue Mi’s soul," Xiu Yan said, shaking his head with sincerity.
Seeing Tian Qi’s expression darken, Xiu Yan straightened. "Back then…" He paused, then hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "After that incident, the ancient True God came to the ghost realm to search. If anything had been found, he would not have waited for over sixty thousand years."
Back then? After that? The devastating blood array that nearly destroyed the three lower realms over sixty thousand years ago was a forbidden topic throughout the celestial realm, one that no one dared mention in Tian Qi’s presence.
Tian Qi narrowed his eyes, meeting the Ghost King’s steady gaze.
"Divine Lord, Yue Mi has perished completely."
Ao Ge, Xiu Yan, and Yue Mi had fought together in many battles between gods and demons in the past, forging deep bonds of friendship. A little over a thousand years ago, when Tian Qi came to the ghost realm searching for Yue Mi’s soul, Ao Ge had almost drawn his divine blade against the True Lord.
"Three hundred years ago, in the Realm of the Firmament, she left a trace of her divine consciousness," Tian Qi said, his violet eyes dark and profound. "If her soul had truly vanished from this world, why would that divine consciousness remain preserved for sixty thousand years?"
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