“Sure!” Zu An accepted without any hesitation.
Yan Xuehen was dumbstruck. She angrily exclaimed, “How can you make a promise you won’t keep?”
You have successfully trolled Yan Xuehen for +66... +66... +66...
She didn’t think Zu An would give up on the forest for Chu Chuyan and her.
“How do you know I can’t do it if you don’t give it a try?” Zu An looked at her with a smile.
Yan Xuehen averted her gaze. She was no fool. Playing along with him was as good as whacking a dog with a meat bun—she would just get gobbled up.
The two of them soon arrived above the sea. Yan Xuehen suddenly said, “I heard you’re on good terms with the Mermaid Queen. Shouldn’t you pay her a visit now that you’re here?”
Zu An was surprised. “I didn’t expect the aloof Immortal Yan to show interest in mortal affairs.”
Yan Xuehen’s heart skipped a beat. “Hmph! Who in the world hasn’t heard of your philandering affairs?”
She would never admit to collecting all the news relating to him over the years. In fact, upon hearing about his return, she had rushed here from the White Jade Sect without rest.
“It isn't safe for a soul to remain outside the body for too long. I need to bring you back as soon as possible lest complications occur.” Zu An wouldn’t be so foolish as to bring a woman to meet her love rival. That would be as good as stomping on his own foot.
Yan Xuehen didn’t intend to meet the Mermaid Queen either; she wouldn’t know how to respond in the latter's presence anyway. Without revealing their relationship, she would be forced to watch their public display of affection as an elder. It was too embarrassing for her to reveal their relationship, on the other hand.
“I heard the Mermaid Queen used to be the Dragon Emperor’s wife? Don’t you already have many lovers by your side? Why do you still go after other people’s wives?” Yan Xuehen thought her dao of clear-mindedness, which she had spent many years cultivating, would shatter when she asked this question.
He already has Chuyan, Miss Pei, the Devil Sect’s Saintess Miss Qiu, and me... Why does he still go after other people’s wives? It’s not just the Mermaid Queen. There’s also the empress and the empress dowager.
She had been reading the novels about the regent’s romances sold on the street.
You have successfully trolled Yan Xuehen for +110... +110... +110...
Her only relief was that she wasn’t in any of those books, or else she would be too embarrassed to face the world.
Zu An felt awkward too. “It was a coincidence. When I first arrived at the Ocean races' territory, someone was impersonating the Dragon Emperor, and she was escaping from pursuers...”
He roughly described his first meeting with the Mermaid Queen by the seaside tavern back then.
That changed Yan Xuehen’s impression of the Mermaid Queen. “It sounds like you aren’t at fault here. But why do you keep bumping into such incidents?”
Zu An was frustrated too. “I don’t know either. It’s the same between us too. You were initially after my life as well...”
The embarrassed Yan Xuehen chomped on him before he could finish speaking. Her face was all red. He’s like a magnet for women.
Before they knew it, they arrived at the abyss leading into the Netherworld.
When she looked at the pitch-black abyss before her, Yan Xuehen was no longer in the mood to bicker with Zu An. The dread she instinctively felt made her lean closer to Zu An.
Zu An wrapped his arm around her waist. “Stay within a meter of me. Living beings are forbidden from the Netherworld. You must be careful not to be afflicted by its death energy.”
“Mm.” Understanding the severity of the situation, Yan Xuehen obediently stayed within Zu An’s arms.
She wasn't averse to physical contact with Zu An, but her position and the habit she had cultivated over many years made her self-conscious about it. But if there was a legitimate reason, she didn’t mind being publicly intimate with Zu An.
Zu An leaped into the abyss with Yan Xuehen in his arms. A light emanated from his body and enveloped the two of them.
Yan Xuehen glanced at the man beside her. She thought about their encounters, and the frost in her eyes melted into tenderness. She embraced him tightly while resting her face on his chest. Even if it’s just for a short while, he belongs to me now.
It didn’t take long for them to land on the ground. Zu An gently said, “We’re here.”
Yan Xuehen looked up and assessed the surroundings. “Is this the Netherworld?”
The world was shrouded in a gray mist. Zu An had told her that was death energy, which could kill any living being upon contact. While she was assessing the surroundings, her body suddenly shivered. She bolted away from Zu An’s arms while staring at him in shock.
“What’s wrong?” Zu An was stunned.
“I don’t know. You suddenly felt very frightening. Every bit of my soul is telling me to stay away from you.” Yan Xuehen had no idea why she had such a feeling. Zu An was powerful, but it wasn't his first time holding her. She shouldn’t have been frightened of him.
However, this was primal fear.
Zu An understood what was going on right away. “I'm the master of the Netherworld, wielding the power insignia of the afterlife. All ghosts in the Netherworld naturally fear me...”
He cast a skill that shrouded him in light, isolating the terrifying pressure he emanated.
Yan Xuehen breathed a sigh of relief. She wiped away her sweat. “I've never felt that scared before. I felt utterly helpless, as if I would live and die at your whim. It was terrifying.”
Zu An leaned in with a smile. “It’s not as if that's never happened before.”
Yan Xuehen’s face turned completely red. “You’re so hateful!”
She also remembered how he had driven her to her limit back then, to a point where she begged him for mercy. Even her voice lost its usual coldness and then became cloying.
Zu An's interjection did dispel much of her fear, however. It quickly dawned on Yan Xuehen that even though he appeared to be teasing her, he seemed to have his own reason for doing so.
They made their way to a black pass. Yan Xuehen looked dazed as she murmured, “Is that the legendary Gate of Hell...”
This place was often mentioned in daoist records and folklore, but it was often shrugged off as a legend. She'd never thought a day would come when she was standing before it.
Zu An nodded. He introduced to her the Netherworld’s buildings, the distant Yin Mountain, and the Yellow Spring.
Yan Xuehen studied her surroundings with curious eyes as she asked, “Why is there no one here? Ah... I mean, why are there no netherworld guards around?”
“There seems to have been a major incident in the Netherworld at some point in history, resulting in the disappearance of the netherworld guards. The place is still functioning thanks to the Netherworld Book of Life and Death and its intrinsic laws managing the ghosts, though.” Zu An remembered about the message left behind by the missing shamans, Ox Head, and Horse Face, and he couldn’t help but worry.
Yan Xuehen sensed his worry and held his hand. “Ah Zu, I have been cultivating hard the past few years too. My cultivation has far surpassed the old Zhao Han. From now onward, I’ll help you no matter what you’re facing.”
Zu An was moved. Yan Xuehen was one of the female powerhouses standing at the peak of the world. Rather than being reliant on others, she would rather help shoulder her lover’s burden. He hugged her and whispered, “Will you help me when I’m with Chuyan...”
Yan Xuehen pushed him aside before he could finish speaking. The utterly embarrassed ice immortal’s complexion had turned completely pink. “Don’t even think about it!”
“I’m talking about cultivation. What are you thinking about?” Zu An looked at her with a mischievous smile.
Yan Xuehen realized she had fallen for his trick and angrily pummeled him. For the first time in a very long time, laughter filled the desolate Netherworld.