Chapter 50: The Power of One Person Lies Not Within the Underground Palace

After a group of fierce beasts departed, the Peach Wood Spring fell into a deep silence.

The little dumpling clutched the blood-letter in her hands, gazing at it blankly, seemingly lost in thought.

"Little imp?" Lu Qing, standing beside her, grew anxious and hurriedly spoke up, "How do you plan to make the Third Prince of the Dragons withdraw his secret decree and bring peace between the demon clan and the ghost clan?"

Let alone withdrawing the secret decree, achieving peace between them was simply an impossible feat.

The deep-seated grievances between the demon clan and the ghost clan had taken root ever since the death of the former Demon King. How could reconciliation be spoken of so easily?

"Let... let me think..." The little dumpling tucked the blood-letter into her cosmos sack, her small body slowly slumping down.

In truth, what she had said just moments ago was merely a momentary impulse, spoken on the spur of the moment. She had not considered at all how to handle the aftermath, or rather, she had not yet figured out how to proceed with the matters ahead.

If she told her father, he would surely be able to solve all these problems for her, and fiercely punish that arrogant Third Prince of the Dragons who held the ghost clan in contempt.

However, she had snuck out in secret. How could she possibly go running to her father with such a matter?

"Little imp, this is a matter of grave importance. I don't think the Underworld King is unaware of it."

"What?" The little dumpling raised her head slowly to look at him, her eyes filled with incomprehension.

He squatted down to be at eye level with her and explained, "You heard what they said too. They had been lying in wait here for quite some time, which shows it wasn't just a day or two. How could the Underworld King possibly be unaware of this?"

"I'm afraid the Underworld King is also pondering how this matter should be resolved."

Understanding his implication, she asked, "Does Little Uncle mean that I should stay out of it for now and wait for my father's decision?"

"Yes," he nodded, quickly pulling her to her feet with a movement that, though swift, lacked none of its gentle care.

"None of these problems are for you to shoulder. Cherishing your freedom and happiness is the only thing that truly matters."

The little dumpling's eyelashes trembled as she replied in a soft, tender voice, "But I am also the Young Princess of the Ghost Clan, am I not?"

"If I were not my father's daughter, this matter indeed would be none of my business, nor should I intervene."

"Yet now, this matter has been placed directly before me. I have seen with my own eyes and heard with my own ears that they intend to slaughter my kin. How can I simply turn a blind eye?"

Lu Qing lowered his head and fell silent. Naturally, he knew that what she said was right; her identity did not allow her to turn away from these burdens.

Yet right now, she was merely a tiny, delicate child. In the mortal realm, a child of her age would be nothing more than someone licking candied hawthorns and riding on the shoulders of adults; how could she possibly bear the weight of such monumental concerns?

"And yet..." He spoke in a low voice, reluctant to crush her spirit.

"Hmm?" The little dumpling widened her eyes, waiting for him to continue.

He lifted his gaze to meet the pair of purple eyes identical to his own, and for reasons unknown, felt an urge to voice every thought in his heart. "And yet, how are you supposed to handle all of this? Right now, your cultivation has barely broken the nineteen-thousandth layer, and you cannot even control your own primordial heart-source power. What could you possibly do?"

"I can control it," the little dumpling declared with absolute certainty.

For when she summoned the Azure Vault Vast Sword just moments ago, she could distinctly perceive that her heart-source power was far stronger than ever before.

Yet she had not felt that power slip beyond her control. Instead, after advancing a tier in her cultivation, it had fused even more seamlessly with her body.

Lu Qing frowned, rebuking her, "Little imp, things are not as simple as you imagine."

"I know what Little Uncle means. You simply think that with my single strength, I cannot deal with these fierce beasts, right?"

"Is that not so?" Lu Qing countered.

Even if her cultivation were to advance another two tiers, she would still be no match for that group of beasts, let alone the Third Prince of the Dragons.

Defeating Pi Cheng was merely a stroke of luck, made possible by borrowing the Azure Vault Vast Sword.

"What about the Demon King?" The little dumpling gazed at him with serious eyes, a stubborn, unyielding defiance hidden within her pupils.

"If I cannot punish them, surely the King of the Demon Realm can punish them, can he not?"

Lu Qing massaged his temples, utterly at a loss for how to dissuade this innocent and pure little imp.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he lowered his head to look at her in exhausted exasperation. "You said it yourself, he is the King of the Demon Realm. Naturally, his loyalties lie with the demon kind. Do you expect him to favor your ghost clan?"

The little dumpling let out a light, mocking chuckle. "What if someone can make him favor us?"

Lu Qing raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

The little dumpling extended a fair, tender hand and pointed toward the skies. "The Immortal Lord, Your Highness Yuheng."

The foremost of the six great clans, who ruled the four seas and eight desolate realms and safeguarded peace across the world—Your Highness Yuheng.

The faint spark of hope that had just ignited in Lu Qing's heart was instantly extinguished. "And here I thought you were talking about someone who mattered."

His tone carried a palpable arrogance and disdain.

The little dumpling looked perplexed. "What is wrong? Would His Highness Yuheng not handle this matter fairly and justly?"

Lu Qing clicked his tongue and shook his head. "If he were truly fair and just, your ghost clan would be in for quite a lively time."

"?"

"I have rarely seen immortals punished for wrongdoing, whereas members of the demon and devil races have been disciplined aplenty."

The little dumpling knitted her delicate brows. "But this is a matter concerning the ghost clan and the demon clan."

Even if he favored the immortal race, what of it? This matter did not involve a single member of the immortal race.

Lu Qing glanced up at the blazing sun climbing high into the sky and waved a hand dismissively. "Forget it, little imp. You do not understand. If you were to appeal to the Immortal Lord to handle this and coerce the Demon King, it would be far more realistic for the few of us to go kowtowing before the Underworld King to confess our wrongs and beg for mercy."

The little dumpling drooped her head in distress. "Father would surely punish us severely for that."

She had already been locked away in the dungeons once; she dared not imagine how her father would punish her if he grew truly angry.

"Enough, let's put this aside for now. Hurry and check if that radish has returned yet," Lu Qing urged her.

No matter how important this matter was, it paled in comparison to keeping their own lives.

If the people of the ghost clan discovered they had escaped from the underworld, they would be stripped of a layer of skin even if they survived.

"Oh, right," the little dumpling suddenly remembered. White Radish had been away from the Peach Wood Spring for nearly two and a half hours, and she had no idea if he had managed to find the great serpent.

She hurriedly fetched the Sound-Transmission Bell from her cosmos sack and sent a message through it.

"White Radish..."

"Can you hear me?"

"White Radish, it's Miaoyuan."

"It's Miaoyuan..."

Far away, tens of thousands of miles distant, Bai Yan clearly heard the little dumpling's calls.

Yet he simply had no time to respond to her right now.

"What did you say?"

"Your King is not in the underground palace?"

Bai Yan stared in shock at the group of serpent servants who stood with bowed heads in silence, a wave of profound anxiety rising in his heart.

If he was not in the serpent clan's underground palace, where on earth could that fellow have gone?

He was still recovering from injuries; instead of recuperating properly, could he possibly—

"Did your King mention where he was going?"

The group of servants shook their heads in unison. "The King did not say."

"This is bad," he muttered to himself. Could that fellow have truly gone to seek revenge against the Third Prince of the Dragons?

Bai Yan turned and hurried away, leaving behind only a single instruction: "When he returns, have him send me a message to let me know he is safe."

"Understood, sir."

When he received the little dumpling's call, Bai Yan was already on his way to the East Sea Dragon Palace.

To avoid being discovered, he temporarily cut off the little dumpling's connection to him and placed the Sound-Transmission Bell within his own spatial storage.

Even though he could hear her voice, he was utterly unable to give her any reply.

"How is it?" Lu Qing asked, casting a worried look at the little dumpling.

Clutching the Sound-Transmission Bell in her hand, the little dumpling felt a terrible premonition settling in her heart. "He... he hasn't answered me."

"Could something have happened?"

The little dumpling shook her head and put away the bell. "I don't know."

"What shall we do then? In another half-hour, it will be time for the patrols. We must return before then."

The little dumpling nodded. "Alright, let's go wait for him at the exit."

Lu Qing gave a heavy nod. "We have no other choice."

The little dumpling turned and left the Peach Wood Spring, returning with Lu Qing to the exit of the underworld dungeons.

White Radish, you must hurry back.