Chi Yu and Li Xin brought the lingering soul back to the underworld to find…

The lingering soul showed no reaction.

Chi Yu asked another soul in a different jade statue, “How about you? Do you recognize me?”

This soul seemed much more solid than the previous one, and sluggishly nodded, “We were originally one.”

Chi Yu nodded, “Right, would you be willing to merge with me?”

“I am too weak now, I fear I cannot do it.”

“Indeed.” Chi Yu thought for a moment, then said to Li Xin, “It seems we can only take them back to the underworld.”

Li Xin immediately felt a pang of loneliness and hurriedly asked, “Senior, are you leaving?”

Chi Yu nodded, “You must have tried many methods to repair them, but it seems the effects have been minimal. How about I take them to the underworld and ask the King of the Underworld for help? He will surely be able to fix them and assist me in merging souls.”

Li Xin felt uneasy and jealously questioned, “You, a mere ghost emissary, how could you trouble him?”

“I naturally have no such face, but my friend can summon the King of the Underworld. I can go find him,” Chi Yu said confidently, completely unaware of the other nuances in Li Xin’s words.

“Again, it’s your friend. What’s their relationship with the King of the Underworld? Why does the King listen to him so much?” Li Xin furrowed his brows.

Chi Yu hesitated for a moment, “They… The King of the Underworld really likes him.”

Li Xin’s brows immediately relaxed, “He and the King of the Underworld are… that kind of relationship?”

Chi Yu nodded, “If you want… why not come with me to the underworld?”

Li Xin paused slightly, his face showing a hint of joy, but it quickly faded, “I cannot go. If I see the King of the Underworld, I might not come back.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Chi Yu chuckled lightly, “We don’t have the face to see the King of the Underworld directly. We’ll go to the ghost market and find my friend. His shop is a mix of all kinds of beings, so even if they discover you’re a living soul, no one will think it’s strange.”

The ghost market—accessible by all realms.

Li Xin naturally knew, but over the years he had been extremely cautious, seldom interacting directly with those from the underworld, and naturally, he had never dared to step into the ghost market lightly.

Seeing that he didn’t respond, Chi Yu patted his shoulder, “What’s the matter with you?”

“It’s nothing.” Li Xin snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at Chi Yu.

Chi Yu then remembered that Li Xin had used forbidden arts and quickly changed his tone, “I was careless. If you’re not comfortable, you don’t have to force it. I’ll be back in a day or two.”

“I’ll go with you,” Li Xin quickly said. “Senior, it’s not easy for us to reunite. I don’t want to be separated from you again.”

Chi Yu, whose thinking was limited, couldn’t detect the longing and reluctance in Li Xin’s words. He just solemnly nodded, “Fine, but we must be cautious.”

Li Xin nodded quickly and agreed.

Li Xin packed all the jade statues into his backpack, and they both headed to the ghost market.

With a ghost emissary guiding them, entering the underworld was very easy. The two traveled straight to the shop of You Jiang.

Li Xin looked up and realized it was this shop.

He had heard about a shop in the underworld that handled matters for wandering souls. Originally, he thought the owner of the shop had some great powers, but it turned out he was able to act so conveniently because of his relationship with the King of the Underworld.

“Once we’re inside, follow me. Don’t speak or wander,” Chi Yu instructed Li Xin seriously.

Li Xin nodded, “Don’t worry, Senior. I’ll follow you.”

The ghost market was a mix of beings, and You Jiang’s shop was even more so. It wasn’t just ghosts who came for help, but also gods, demons, and even geomancers like Li Xin.

The two entered the shop, which was brightly lit, and there were more than a dozen tables filled with patrons. Some were there for business, while others were resting. Li Xin glanced around and saw all sorts of demons and ghosts.

The waiter saw Chi Yu and immediately greeted him enthusiastically, “Sir, you’re here. You must be looking for our shopkeeper, but today it might be…”

Chi Yu immediately understood, “Is His Majesty here?”

The waiter nodded, “Exactly.”

Chi Yu responded, “Please let him know that I have an urgent matter. If it’s inconvenient for him, just inform me, and we’ll leave and come back tomorrow.”

“Sir, you’re too polite. I’ll go inform him right away,” the waiter gestured for them to follow him to the back yard.

The back yard was very different from the front—it was an ancient and elegant courtyard. The waiter arranged for them to sit in a pavilion and drink tea, “Please wait here. I’ll be back shortly.”

Chi Yu smiled and nodded, “Thank you.”

The waiter bowed and went to deliver the message.

Chi Yu turned to Li Xin, “Let’s sit for now.”

Li Xin nodded and, watching the waiter walk deeper into the courtyard, curiously asked Chi Yu, “Senior, how did you know the King of the Underworld would be here?”

Chi Yu chuckled, “Because the King of the Underworld only comes here when someone reminds me that You Jiang will be unavailable today.”

Li Xin suddenly realized, “I see now.”

Li Xin thought of something else, “If the King of the Underworld is here, he’s probably too busy to meet with us. It might be better not to disturb him and come back tomorrow.”

“It’s fine.” Chi Yu picked up the tea on the stone table and took a sip, “The King of the Underworld is very accommodating with him. If I mention urgent matters, he’ll probably come to see me.”

“Senior, you’re so sure?”

“Naturally, we’re the best of friends. Youjiang is not the kind of person to favor love over friendship,” Chiyu answered confidently.

Youjiang didn’t disappoint him, indeed walking out from the deepest part of the backyard.

“Chiyu, didn’t you go to the human realm? How come you’re back so soon? Did you run into some trouble?” He was walking lazily, yawning, his clothes hanging loosely on him, looking like he just woke up.

“Did I wake you?” Chiyu asked with a smile.

Youjiang pouted, rubbing his sleepy eyes. “Just got disturbed by that old thing, finally went to sleep not long ago, and then heard you had something urgent for me, so I came out.”

Chiyu, who wasn’t sensitive to emotions, heard such words often from Youjiang and didn’t think anything was wrong. But Li Xin, on the other hand, noticed the marks on Youjiang’s neck and suddenly felt his face heat up.

He thought to himself, No wonder he’s a fox demon. He can speak so naturally about these things.

“Sit down first. Let me introduce my junior brother, Li Xin.”

Only then did Youjiang notice there was someone else beside Chiyu.

He quickly pulled his collar tighter and looked carefully. “You brought a living soul here?”

Li Xin, sensing his awkwardness, immediately smiled and introduced himself, “Hello, my name is Li Xin. I’m a feng shui master.”

Youjiang awkwardly gave a stiff smile. “Hello, I am Youjiang, the owner of this place.”

After saying that, Youjiang awkwardly sat down on the other side of Chiyu and quietly muttered, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? You see me… dressed like this, I’m going to be laughed at.”

Chiyu leaned close to his ear and softly said, “It doesn’t matter. You look good no matter what.”

“Really?” Youjiang smiled and immediately gained a bit more confidence.

“Of course. No one in the Underworld is better looking than you.”

Only after hearing this from Chiyu did Youjiang truly believe it because Chiyu never lied. If someone else had said it, he would have just considered it flattery.

Feeling happy, Youjiang forgot to tighten his collar. His hand loosened, revealing most of his chest, and the marks on it became more visible. Li Xin quickly turned his head to the other side, avoiding looking at Youjiang.

Neither of them noticed Li Xin’s embarrassment and kept talking.

“I came back because I need a favor. Can you help me ask His Majesty for a reward?” Chiyu was straightforward, as usual, saying what was on his mind.

Youjiang liked this about him the most, and he smiled, asking, “What do you want? I’ll go talk to that old thing.”

Chiyu patted his waist. “I found one soul and four spirits, but I’ve only integrated one soul, and the others are severely fragmented. I can’t repair them or integrate the souls myself. I want to ask His Majesty for help.”

“Wow, impressive!” Youjiang looked at Chiyu in surprise. “You found so many souls in just two days?”

Chiyu laughed awkwardly. “It’s not me, it’s him.”

Youjiang followed Chiyu’s gaze and looked at Li Xin. “You helped him find them?”

Li Xin nodded. “Since my master passed, I’ve searched for a thousand years to find these few. I’m really ashamed.”

Youjiang was astonished. “A thousand years?”

Li Xin nodded. “Their auras are weak, and they can’t sense each other, so it’s been a lot of work for very little progress.”

Youjiang’s eyes sparkled with admiration as he looked at Li Xin, patting Chiyu with envy. “Chiyu, your junior brother is really good to you. He hasn’t forgotten you for a thousand years.”

“I… I really didn’t expect it either,” Chiyu laughed awkwardly.

Youjiang sighed, “I wish that old thing could be this sentimental too. I wonder if he would remember me when I die.”

“What are you saying?” Chiyu noticed the meaning behind it and quickly covered Youjiang’s mouth. “He and I are just master and disciple, not the kind of relationship you have with His Majesty.”

Youjiang removed Chiyu’s hand and chuckled, “Is that so?”

“Of course,” Chiyu replied seriously.

Youjiang grinned ambiguously, glancing at Li Xin, then shook his head. “You still have some waiting to do.”

Li Xin cleared his throat, trying to hide his embarrassment. “Let’s focus on business first. I wonder if it’s possible for His Majesty to help my master.”

Youjiang raised his chin confidently. “Don’t worry, I’ll go talk to that old thing right away.”

With that, Youjiang grabbed Chiyu’s hand and turned to Li Xin, saying, “You’re a living soul, so it’s better if you don’t wander around. Stay here and wait for us. We’ll be back soon.”

Li Xin nodded and agreed, “Thank you, shopkeeper.”

Youjiang smiled lightly. “You’re Chiyu’s junior brother, just like him. You can call me by my name.”

After saying that, Youjiang pulled Chiyu into the deeper part of the courtyard.

The courtyard was surrounded by a faint mist. The closer you were, the clearer it became, but the farther you went, the more blurry it became. In the end, Li Xin could only watch as Chiyu and Youjiang disappeared into the mist.