Chapter 46 Why Bother Swearing Fealty, He Is Gone

"Lu Qing?!"

That ancient monster living in the deluxe suite on the eighteenth level of hell—Lu Qing?!

"It is I," Lu Qing said, pinching the sound-transmitting bell in his hand and giving it a gentle shake.

The bell emitted a clear, crisp chime, and the corners of his mouth curved into a smile.

"Well now, are you planning to escape hell? To leave through this dungeon of mine?"

The little bun raised her head in surprise, a slightly dazed look on her face. How could he have guessed that they would leave through his dungeon?

Could it be that he had known all along that this dungeon of his connected directly to the Peach Wood Source outside of hell?

Over on the other end, Bai Yan felt a strong sense of foreboding and hurriedly said, "Lu Qing, return the sound-transmitting bell to Her Highness. This matter was solely my doing; it has nothing to do with her."

Lu Qing chuckled softly, tossing the sound-transmitting bell back to the little bun. "Her expression already tells me that this matter is closely tied to her."

The little bun's little leg was bumped by the bell. It didn't hurt, but it quickly snapped her out of her daze. "A-are you going to tell on me?"

"This endeavor was plotted by only myself and the white radish. You are the third person to know."

Lu Qing raised an eyebrow. "What, are you afraid I'll report this to your father?"

The little bun quickly put down the bell, hopped off the bed, and looked up at him with a pitiful expression. "You won't tell on me, right?"

"Someone as formidable, handsome, and dashing as Little Uncle is rare in this world. You definitely wouldn't blab about it, right?"

Bai Yan: "..."

Lu Qing laughed, his eyes curving into crescents and his lips upturned, his mood visibly amused and pleased. "Little imp, where did you learn to be so smooth-tongued?"

The little bun's heart relaxed, knowing there was still room for negotiation. She quickly stepped forward, tugged at the hem of his robe, and said obediently, "Naturally, I learned it from Little Uncle. Little Uncle is so amazing, and there are many things Miaoyuan still needs to learn from you."

Bai Yan: "..."

He simply could not listen to any more of this.

Lu Qing laughed even more heartily. "Alright, just for the sake of those words, wherever you're going, Uncle will have your back."

The little bun gasped in shock, "Really?!"

"Really. I—Lu Qing, never break my word."

"Yay!!" The little bun jumped up with joy. "I knew Little Uncle is the best!!"

Lu Qing shook his head, smiling with doting tenderness. "Is that so? Little Uncle is the best? Then take Little Uncle with you too; Little Uncle wants to get out as well."

The little bun nodded frantically. "Mm-hmm, yes you can, absolutely."

Hearing this from the other end, Bai Yan urgently spoke up, "No, you can't! We only have three hours!"

Lu Qing glanced toward the sound-transmitting bell on the bed, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Three hours is enough."

"Enough for what?" The little bun tilted her head and looked at him.

...

Hall of Ruthlessness
Front Hall

Hei Chang stood before the desk, his expression rather gloomy. He said, "Your Highness, are you really just going to let Her Highness stay with him in that dungeon?"

"Do not forget, his father is the one who betrayed the entire Ghost Clan and the former Underworld King."

"As you said, it was his father," Yan Yi replied without raising his head. Holding a long ghost-inscribing brush, his movements flowed like moving clouds and flowing water as he swiftly slashed a blood-red mark across the Book of Life and Death.

"But Your Highness, his father betrayed the former Underworld King. Who can guarantee that he won't follow in his father's footsteps and betray Your Highness as well?"

"Why should he feel any allegiance to this Eminence?" Yan Yi raised a hand and flicked his wrist, causing the long brush to vanish into his personal spatial realm.

He stepped over the desk and walked at a leisurely pace toward a small table nearby, sitting down in the opposite chair.

He quietly poured himself a cup of the Haojing tea currently kept in the hall, allowing the warm, fragrant steam to drift throughout the grand chamber.

"He is the offspring of the Ghost Clan and the Demon Clan, possessing only half the blood and core source of the Ghost Clan. He has no duty, nor any need, to heed this Eminence's orders and commands."

Hei Chang walked over and frowned slightly. "Then does Your Highness intend to let him grow this close to Her Highness?"

"When this subordinate went over earlier, he even helped Her Highness absorb the spiritual power of the elixir, healing the injury to Her Highness's heart source."

"This subordinate believes Her Highness will not forget this kindness."

"That is Yuan'er's own affair." Yan Yi stared at the tea before him, his gaze gradually growing cold. "However, should he dare to utilize Yuan'er to do anything detrimental to the Ghost Clan, this Eminence will not spare him either."

Hei Chang quickly lowered himself to bow. "Then this subordinate shall go keep watch over him and protect Her Highness."

"There is no need," Yan Yi picked up his teacup and lowered his gaze slowly. "Yuan'er should learn to protect herself."

"Then... what about that criminal immortal?"

"Bai Chang is there; have her keep a close watch."

"This subordinate understands."

"Clang—!!"

"Jingle-ling-ling—!!"

"Brother!!"

"Brother, are you there?!"

The spiritual ring on his wrist emitted a bizarre and dazzling glow, appearing in sync with his younger sister's urgent distress call.

Hei Chang reached out, swiftly removed the spiritual ring, and tucked it into his sleeve. He lowered his head and bowed to the figure in the main seat. "Then this subordinate will take his leave."

"Go." Yan Yi put down his cup, watching Hei Chang's retreating figure until the hall doors closed gently.

His hollow yet overwhelmingly majestic eyes flashed with a sharp glint. "Lu... Qing."

Let us hope you do not walk the same path as your father—betraying the entire clan and hell for the sake of a woman, a loss that outweighs any gain.

Outside the Hall

Hei Chang walked to a secluded corner, pulled the spiritual ring from his sleeve, and said in a low voice, "Bai Chang?"

"Brother?!" A surprised voice immediately echoed from the other end.

"What has happened?"

"Brother, you must come over here quickly. I don't know if my senses are failing me, but why do I feel as though I have been the only person in this dungeon from beginning to end?"

"What did you say?" Hei Chang's expression shifted drastically. He tightened his grip on the spiritual ring and asked, "What about that criminal immortal?"

"This... I..." Bai Chang raised her head to look at the opposite bed.

Over there, Bai Yan's aura was faint and intermittent. Perhaps because he was inside his own spatial realm, she could not sense his presence at all.

"Go and check if he is there."

"Alright." Bai Chang nodded. Following her brother's instructions, she clutched the sound-transmitting bell tightly and got off the bed.

She walked slowly toward the opposite bed, where the white gauze curtains drifted gently in the breeze.

Occasionally the curtain swept across the foot of the bed or brushed the floor, revealing the scene upon the bed—completely empty, with not a single soul in sight.

Bai Chang moved forward swiftly, pressing her index and middle fingers together to condense a spell. A golden light materialized and flashed toward the bed.

If that criminal immortal had truly been cultivating inside his own spatial realm, his barrier should have been able to withstand her probing attack.

If that criminal immortal was not in his spatial realm, or worse, not in this dungeon at all, this spell would bypass everything, striking the wall behind the bed and leaving a mark.

"Whoosh—" The spell bypassed everything in the air effortlessly, slashing swiftly against the wall and leaving a deep gouge.

"How... how can this be?!" Bai Chang stared in shock at the mark her spell had left on the wall. The sound-transmitting bell slipped from her hand, crashing heavily against the ground with a clear, ringing chime.

"What is happening?"

"Is he there or not?"

Hei Chang on his end was burning with anxiety. Hearing the commotion without being able to see, he had no idea what the situation was on Bai Chang's side.

"B-brother..." Bai Chang's voice was trembling as she stared blankly at the deep gash, shivering violently. "He, he is gone."

"What?"

"He is gone, that criminal immortal is gone, Brother, he is gone!! What do we do?! He's gone—"