Yun Qingxue blinked innocently, gave a playful smile, and swore to the heavens and earth, “No matter what benefits others offer me, I will never betray my dear Xiaoxiao!”
“That’s more like it!” Xiao Xiaoxiao put on a proud and spoiled expression, making Yun Qingxue burst into laughter.
“Let’s go. If there’s anything to discuss, we can talk at the Underworld King’s Hall. No need to stand here.”
Xiao Xiaoxiao took Yun Qingxue’s hand and led her outside.
Ming Di frowned as he watched the two girls walk away hand in hand, suddenly feeling a pang of bitterness.
The Flower King’s appearance perfectly inherited the advantages of the Blue Snow Peony clan from the Xuanling Continent. Words like “nation-toppling beauty” or “peerless elegance” weren’t enough to describe her…
A woman so beautiful was truly a menace…
Would his plain-looking wife be swayed by the Flower King’s allure?
They had known each other for so long, yet when had his wife ever taken the initiative to hold his hand?
Every time they met, she was always on guard, as if he, the mighty Underworld King, were some kind of monstrous beast…
The more Ming Di thought about it, the more sour he felt inside…
Yun Qingxue, walking ahead, naturally sensed a resentful gaze following them. However, she didn’t associate it with Ming Di.
After all, this was the Underworld—ghosts were everywhere, and resentment was common. Besides, the ruler of the entire Underworld was right behind them. Even if malicious spirits lurked nearby, they wouldn’t dare act recklessly under Ming Di’s watch…
Thus, Yun Qingxue and Xiao Xiaoxiao chatted and laughed all the way back to the Underworld King’s Hall.
Ming Di followed closely behind.
The entire journey, watching his wife holding hands and laughing with the stunningly beautiful Flower King, filled him with bitterness, envy, and resentment toward Yun Qingxue!
Dai Se visibly relaxed when she saw Yun Qingxue return.
“Report—”
As soon as they entered the hall, a ghost messenger’s voice echoed from outside.
“What is it?” Ming Di’s tone was cold.
“Your Majesty, Lady Yousu requests an audience,” the ghost messenger replied respectfully.
Hearing the name, Ming Di turned to look at Yun Qingxue.
Yun Qingxue was puzzled…
“Did she state her purpose?” Ming Di asked again.
“Lady Yousu said she sensed the Flower King’s presence in the Underworld and thus came to request a meeting,” the ghost messenger answered.
Yun Qingxue frowned. She was certain she had no memory of anyone named Yousu.
But if Yousu could sense her presence, she must be from the Flower and Tree Clan, and her magic power was undoubtedly formidable.
A flower spirit residing in the Underworld…
Could she be a Red Spider Lily?
“Flower King, since she’s here for you, would you like to meet her?” Ming Di, having heard the ghost messenger’s report, looked at Yun Qingxue with a questioning gaze.
Damn it! Whether male or female, being excessively good-looking was a curse! Watching Xiao Xiaoxiao’s attention fixated on Yun Qingxue, Ming Di couldn’t help but feel another wave of jealousy.
He had finally (tricked)… ahem… married his wife. He had to keep a close eye on her and not let the Flower King steal her away!
“Since she’s here for me, I’ll go meet her. Please lead the way, brother,” Yun Qingxue said politely to the ghost messenger as she stepped out of the Underworld King’s Hall.
“This way, Flower King.” The ghost messenger, flattered by the noble Flower King’s courteous tone, felt both honored and nervous, guiding her carefully ahead.
Yun Qingxue followed the ghost messenger out of the hall, winding through twists and turns until they reached a garden-like area.
The Underworld’s garden was naturally different from the vibrant, fragrant gardens of the living world. The only flowers that bloomed here were Red Spider Lilies…
Vast stretches of crimson lilies, red as blood, stretched before her. Amidst the sea of flowers stood a peculiar tree, its branches lush but its leaves an eerie shade—not the green of the mortal world, but a dark gray with faint golden undertones. It was both strange and unsettling at first glance.
Not far from the tree stood a dark gray rockery with a pavilion atop it. Inside the pavilion sat a woman in red.
As the ghost messenger led Yun Qingxue closer, the woman spotted them and immediately rose, leaping gracefully from the pavilion to land before Yun Qingxue.
“Yousu pays respects to Her Majesty, the Flower King!” The woman knelt on one knee, bowing reverently.
“Flower King, I shall wait over there while you speak with Lady Yousu,” the ghost messenger said tactfully before withdrawing.
Yun Qingxue looked down at the kneeling woman. She wore a bright red dress, her jet-black hair styled in an elegant updo adorned only with a ruby hairpin that matched her attire. Her skin was flawless, her lips naturally red, and her brows delicately arched without need for enhancement. Her captivating phoenix eyes held a mix of charm and serene wisdom, as if she had seen through the world’s illusions.
“Yousu…” Yun Qingxue bent to help the woman up and asked gently, “Have we met before?”
The woman shook her head. “This subordinate has long resided in the Nine Netherworld. Naturally, Your Majesty has never seen me.”
“A Red Spider Lily? Is that your true form?” Yun Qingxue pressed.
Yousu smiled faintly. “Your Majesty is only half right.”
Yun Qingxue frowned slightly. “Half right? I’ve heard that Red Spider Lilies bloom for a thousand years and wither for a thousand more. When the flowers bloom, the leaves vanish; when the leaves grow, the flowers fade…
“Could it be that the flower and leaf are two separate beings, and you… are the leaf?”
Yousu chuckled. “Your Majesty is correct—the flower and leaf of the Red Spider Lily are indeed two different individuals. We… were lovers.
“But I am not the leaf. I am the flower, crimson as blood.”
Hearing this, Yun Qingxue didn’t feel embarrassed about her incorrect guess. She simply smiled faintly, though an inexplicable pang of sympathy for Yousu arose in her heart.
Legend said that the Red Spider Lily’s flower and leaf could never meet—when one flourished, the other faded. They were destined to long for each other eternally, forever apart.
If Yousu and the leaf were lovers, did that mean they were fated never to reunite?
“Then, if you’re not the leaf, why did you say I was only half right about your identity?” Yun Qingxue asked curiously.
Yousu smiled. “This subordinate dares to ask Your Majesty—what is most abundant in the Underworld?”
“Ghosts!” Yun Qingxue answered without hesitation. The moment she spoke, realization dawned on her, and she stared at Yousu in astonishment. “Are you… also a ghost?”
Yousu nodded. “This subordinate is indeed a spirit. Long ago, I separated from my physical form…”
“Then why did you seek me out?” Yun Qingxue asked again.
“By rare coincidence, Your Majesty has arrived in the Underworld. This subordinate believes there are matters you must be made aware of.” Yousu’s gaze, calm and profound, swept over the fiery sea of Red Spider Lilies, as if seeing through time itself.
Yun Qingxue didn’t know what this stranger, Yousu, intended to tell her. They had never met…
Yet she had a strong intuition that Yousu’s words would be deeply connected to her.
As Yousu gazed at the crimson blossoms, she began to speak slowly, her voice soft yet carrying the weight of ages.
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