Chapter 119: Whether You Can Be Served to Your Satisfaction

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I had no idea when the Forgetting River would come to take me away, so all I could do was keep following Youluo.

The Netherworld truly was terrifying. The first time, I had not seen clearly; the second time, I did—and there were horrifying evil ghosts howling all around us.

There was a foul stench everywhere. The Netherworld was filled with ghosts, and the ones on Youluo’s side seemed to be the kind who could never be reincarnated.

Either they had committed too many evil deeds, or they were the ghosts of some strange creatures.

In any case, it was a stench so vile that even covering my nose could not shut it out!

Only after we left that passageway filled with evil ghosts did I finally let out a long breath.

The smell had lessened considerably. Looking around, I saw countless little figures drifting back and forth. They floated and swayed as though they were the people the ghost officials had just brought back.

Some were terrified, while others seemed utterly calm. There were men and women, old and young. The only difference between them was the slight variation in the color of their souls—which, of course, still came down to whether they had done good deeds or not.

Among them, I spotted the soul of a little girl who was almost transparent, her entire body speckled with pale white light.

I pressed my lips together.

Wow. If the Forgetting River took her back, she would be a magnificent tonic!

That faint white radiance looked like an extraordinary thing as well. Perhaps it meant she had done good deeds for many lifetimes and had already cultivated herself into a golden body. There even seemed to be a trace of holy light surrounding her; none of the lesser ghosts nearby dared approach.

I was envious. I had done plenty of good deeds too, but I had never truly visited the underworld, so I had no idea what color my soul was.

When I felt myself dying, everything had seemed exactly the same as usual.

Still, looking at the little girl, I smiled. It was only wishful thinking, really. The last time Rebecca ate the transparent soul of a good person, I had been heartbroken.

After doing so many good deeds, that person might have been born into a wealthy family as a young lady in the next life. What a waste to let the Forgetting River eat her.

I shook my head, only to see that Youluo had also noticed the wandering little girl. He raised a hand, and a ghost official came over.

I instinctively moved a little farther away. The ghost official still had no face, only a hazy, indistinct form. He could not speak either. I had no idea how the two of them communicated.

Youluo said a few words to him. I could not hear what they were, but I understood the meaning well enough.

Youluo gestured toward the sparkling little girl ghost.

The ghost official nodded, then set off to carry out his orders with an expressionless air.

Do not ask me how I knew he was expressionless when he had no face. Although he possessed no features, I could genuinely sense that he was completely devoid of expression as he drifted away.

A chill ran through me. Then I saw the ghost official say a few words to the little girl, whose whole body shimmered with golden light, before taking her away.

I had no idea where he was bringing her, but I doubted it would be anywhere pleasant.

Yet I, too, was someone being led away by another. What right did I have to meddle in someone else’s affairs?

It would be better to take care of myself. In this place, where evil ghosts flew in every direction, I had no desire to involve myself in any unnecessary business. I only wanted to complete that so-called mission as quickly as possible.

After seeing the ghost official take away the sparkling little girl, Youluo gave me a gentle smile and continued leading me onward.

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Eventually, we left the place filled with ghosts and arrived somewhere that resembled an ordinary human settlement, except that there was no sun.

I had no idea what illuminated the world. It was somewhat like the human realm at night, only darker and more sinister, suffused with a faint green glow.

Before long, he brought me back to the room where I had lived before.

I recognized it. Even though I had not paid much attention the last time, I still remembered the place.

Once inside, I relaxed a little. I had lived there for two or three days, after all, so compared with the unfamiliar places outside, it gave me at least a little sense of security.

A splashing sound came from nearby. Youluo poured me a glass of milk.

“You liked it when we met last time, so I’ve kept some ready for you ever since.” After handing it to me, Youluo still wore that gentle, radiant smile that made him seem almost unbearably tender.

I glanced at the glass of milk and snorted disdainfully.

“Don’t tell me you prepared it for me. Isn’t this just the milk from last time, left sitting here until now? How did you know I would come back?”

“Haha…” Youluo laughed. “I didn’t think your temperament was necessarily as that Taotie described it. Deep down, you’re still rebellious and untamed. If you returned, you must have had some compelling reason. That’s why I never gave up on rescuing you.”

Holding the glass of milk, I hesitated, then sighed.

“Heh… rescuing me.”

I shook my head and let out another quiet sigh inwardly. What a marvelous choice of words.

He had clearly promised the Forgetting River in private that he would never come after me again. Yet now that he had gone back on his word, he had the nerve to place the blame on me and call it “rescuing” me.

That single word cleansed away all his darker qualities, making him sound as though he were the kindest man in the world.

“Drink it. We’ll talk after you finish.”

I glanced at him and placed the milk on the table.

I did not want to drink it. Who knew whether there was something unpleasant in it? Basic precautions were still necessary.

When Youluo saw that I would not drink, he rose and walked around behind me. Then his slightly cold hands settled on my shoulders.

At that moment, I did not know whether I was in the form of a soul or something else. If I were still in my physical body, how could I have come to the Netherworld?

And yet, if I were not in my physical body, I was wearing layer upon layer of clothing, like a penguin.

To withstand the cold of the human realm, I had wrapped myself in a huge down coat. Even so, I could still feel the chill of his palms through it.

That meant the entire body of this Nether King must be as cold as ice.

“Qianqian, I knew you loved me. Staying in the underworld is what you were meant to do. This is where you belong. This is your home.”

Again, he spoke in that nearly cloying tone that made my whole body grow cold. When a man used such a tone, it inevitably made him sound somewhat effeminate.

“I want to ask you something. Did you send those evil ghosts into the rift just for my sake?”

I had no idea what my mission was supposed to be. The Forgetting River had only told me to return to the Netherworld with him.

Now I was already in the Netherworld, yet I had no idea what I was supposed to do next.

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So I simply followed the situation and asked or said whatever seemed appropriate.

“Of course it was for you.” Youluo nodded. “From the first moment I saw you, I felt that you were the best.”

“Then why didn’t you take me away when the Forgetting River was oppressing me and I might have ended up in prison? Why did you wait until now, when I might finally have settled down, to try to take me away?”

“At the time…” He hesitated. “It wasn’t the right moment.”

“The right moment for the sacrifice?” Forgive my bluntness, but that was the one thing I had always been angry about.

“Haha…” Youluo was not embarrassed in the slightest. “That was part of it. But at least I helped you. Besides, every woman who becomes a Nether King’s consort must undergo the sacrifice. It is inevitable. Don’t be afraid.”

As he spoke, he reached out and touched my face. I instinctively tried to dodge, but he merely brushed his fingers against my cheek. I failed to get away, so I accepted it with a look of utter disgust.

For some reason, I always felt that Youluo’s hands were frighteningly cold.

Yet then he said something astonishing.

“Your face is so hot… Are you… feeling something for me? Hmm?”

Again, his voice was dark and eerie, the suggestive meaning unmistakable. Was my face really that hot?

The only explanation was that my down coat had made me overheated. But in reality, I did not feel hot at all. I was breaking out in a cold sweat.

Then why was my temperature so high?

Youluo gazed at me, his eyes filled with tenderness, but I did not understand.

I truly did not understand. Nether Queen Consort? What kind of nonsense was that? Even if it really were a position that allowed one to enjoy a life of ease, could marrying a man who constantly went back on his word truly be called happiness?

Just as Youluo’s lips were about to descend, I raised a finger and covered his mouth.

“Tell me, how many Nether Queen Consorts have you had?”

I smiled as though I were not nervous at all.

“There were many before. From now on, there will only be you.”

Youluo answered almost without thinking. His eyes were so tender they seemed to melt the heart.

“Oh?” I smiled again. “And what about after that? What about after me? Will you say the same thing to another woman?”

My smile was reflected in Youluo’s crystalline black eyes, where it seemed to cast back a smile of its own.

He laughed freely as well. His hands moved down from my face and stroked my shoulders, then continued lower, clearly intending to go farther.

“That depends on whether you can please me.”

With that, he revealed a strange smile.

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