Chen Hao was astonished; he had not expected Zhao Chong to actually intercept the Evil-Banishing Moon Sword in front of that zombie.

"Go now!" Zhao Chong said to the zombie. By now, the Evil-Banishing Moon Sword in his hand had already shattered, turning into a pile of powder that scattered on the ground.

If the Evil-Banishing Moon Sword hadn't been turned into dust, Zhao Chong would have been injured by the Sword Qi and Mana carried by the sword wound.

"Zhao Chong! What are you doing!" Chen Hao roared at Zhao Chong. Seeing the ancestral sword that had been passed down in his family destroyed, he wished he could kill Zhao Chong!

Zhao Chong paid no attention to Chen Hao, but rather shouted to the zombie still trying to counterattack Chen Hao, "Go now, if you don't leave you'll never have a chance to escape again!"

"Don't even think about escaping!" Chen Hao bellowed with eyes raging, pushing the Yang Energy from within his body to his exterior, hoping to deal a final blow to that zombie.

Suddenly, a gentle hand with a familiar warmth clasped Chen Hao's arm, followed by a familiar fragrance wafting to his nose. Chen Hao turned around, shocked, to find a tear-stained, trembling Ye Yuqiao standing behind him.

"Can you let him go?" Ye Yuqiao pleaded with Chen Hao through her tears.

Chen Hao frowned; the tears Ye Yuqiao seemed to be shedding for someone else made his heart ache.

"Yuqiao, what are you saying!" Chen Hao said incredulously with a pained expression. "You're telling me to let him go? Why? Why should I let him go!"

"Roar!" Suddenly, the zombie let out a ferocious roar and vanished into the night.

Watching the zombie depart, Chen Hao felt not only unwilling but also a bitterness rising to his throat. His heart was shattered, and he was crying without tears.

"Who was that person?" Chen Hao asked hoarsely, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

Ye Yuqiao lowered her head, sobbing helplessly. Suddenly, she disappeared before Chen Hao's eyes, transforming into a shadow, and it was unknown where she had gone.

"Yuqiao, where have you gone, Yuqiao!" Chen Hao shouted anxiously into the woods.

"Yuqiao is gone," Zhao Chong spoke in a deep voice, his mood the same as Chen Hao's. "Let her be still for a while!"

"No!" Chen Hao shook his head, his heavy breathing seemingly making even the wind in the forest heavier, and the pain he received in return was like suffocating. "I must find her!"

Having said that, Chen Hao sprinted into the profound darkness ahead.

A few steps later, Zhao Chong appeared before him, grabbing his arm and said, "Don't you want to hear about that zombie just now?"

"Does it really have something to do with Yuqiao?"

Zhao Chong nodded.

...

Twelve thousand years ago, in the Netherworld.

One day, the sound of drums and music filled the air, and the ministers gathered in the Nether King's grand hall.

After three bell chimes, everyone knelt. In the middle of the hall, on the red carpet, two maids escorted Ye Yuqiao, dressed in red and wearing a purple imperial crown, into the grand hall.

Half a minute later, Ye Yuqiao ascended to the grand hall and turned around to face all those below.

The crowd proclaimed, "Long live the Nether King!"

"My ministers, please rise," Ye Yuqiao said. After she finished speaking, she slowly sat on the Nether King's throne behind her, her expression stern, her eyes commanding, and her brows revealing the dignity of a sovereign.

That day marked Ye Yuqiao's ascension to the throne. Since that day, there were no more relaxed expressions on the face of Ye Yuqiao, who had become the Nether King!

Until five thousand years later, which is seven thousand years ago.

One day, Zhao Chong invited Ye Yuqiao to hunt in the eastern wild forest outside of Netherworld City. This wild forest was the private property of Zhao Chong's Zhao Family; not only was it home to many rare Netherworld beasts, but it also had a unique feature—a high place in the woods that was originally a mountain peak, which had its summit flattened into a plateau.

Latter, Zhao Chong built a pavilion on this plateau and named it Tingfeng Pavilion. At Tingfeng Pavilion, one could not only appreciate the landscape within hundreds of miles but also hear sounds coming from the mortal world above the Netherworld.

That day, Zhao Chong welcomed Ye Yuqiao to Tingfeng Pavilion. Not long after, suddenly a strain of music from a zither wafted over from the mortal world. Hearing this music, Ye Yuqiao's expression suddenly became tense, gesturing for everyone to keep silent. After the crowd fell silent, Ye Yuqiao closed her eyes and listened quietly to the music.

After a long while, as the music continued to play, Zhao Chong saw a smile spread across the normally indifferent face of Ye Yuqiao. It had been five thousand years since he last saw a smile on Ye Yuqiao's face.

That day, it was only half an hour after the music had stopped that Ye Yuqiao finally opened her eyes again. Then she stood up and left without saying a word;

Several days later, Ye Yuqiao came to Tingfeng Pavilion uninvited, staying alone for two hours before leaving;

For the years that followed, every few days, Ye Yuqiao would go to Tingfeng Pavilion to listen to the music. It was only at these times that Zhao Chong could see a smile on her face.

After sixty years of listening, the music finally ceased. After waiting in vain for several months, one day, Ye Yuqiao finally gave up. Zhao Chong would never forget the tears in her eyes as she walked down from Tingfeng Pavilion, saying despondently, "Has his time in the sun come to an end?"

Later, Zhao Chong sent people to find the whereabouts of the zither player's Yin Soul, but, unfortunately, they never found any clues. From that time on, Zhao Chong never saw a smile on Ye Yuqiao's face again.

Five thousand years passed, fast-forward to more than two thousand years ago.

One day, while Zhao Chong was drinking on Tingfeng Pavilion, he once again heard that familiar music. Sorrowful, light and airy, sometimes like a lofty mountain, sometimes like a flowing river, every note struck a chord in the heart.

On that day, Zhao Chong personally went to call Ye Yuqiao over. The moment she heard the familiar music, tears streamed down like rain from Ye Yuqiao.

Just like five thousand years before, every few days, Ye Yuqiao went to Tingfeng Pavilion to listen to the music. Eventually, Zhao Chong once again saw a smile on her face.

Ten years later, one day Ye Yuqiao suddenly said she wanted Zhao Chong to accompany her to the mortal world, to meet the zither player.

Ye Yuqiao's first trip to the mortal world was a few days later.

There, amongst a grove of peach blossoms, they met the zither player. The man, known as Qin Shang, had flowing long hair and a sallow complexion, and was never without a drink in hand. Upon seeing Qin Shang, Ye Yuqiao's cheeks flushed peach red, sheepishly shy, resembling a young girl in the prime of her youth.

To their surprise, Qin Shang was not an ordinary man, but one called a Blood Demon by later generations, and one of the few original such beings, those who were said to have been bitten by the legendary Blood Demon and thus gained eternal life.

After seeing Qin Shang, Ye Yuqiao originally wanted to go forward and greet him, but her shyness made her abandon the idea.

Ten years later, Zhao Chong once again accompanied Ye Yuqiao to the mortal world, again to see Qin Shang. Upon seeing Qin Shang again, Ye Yuqiao couldn't help shedding tears, as if harboring an untold depth of unrequited love. Just like the first time, Ye Yuqiao was again too shy to speak to Qin Shang.

Another seven years passed and the zither music stopped once more. By the time Ye Yuqiao made her third trip to the mortal world, Qin Shang was nowhere to be found.

After that, Tingfeng Pavilion never again heard the zither music, up to the present day.

...

After hearing Zhao Chong's account, Chen Hao's face turned ashen, and he shook his head slightly, "According to what you say, Yuqiao's heart already belonged to someone else. The zombie we saw just now, was that her beloved Qin Shang?"

Zhao Chong shook his head, his voice deep, "I'm not sure she actually loved Qin Shang."

"She went to the mortal world three times for him!" Chen Hao said angrily, his voice hoarse as if he were crying. He seemed to understand why Ye Yuqiao had never expressed her love for him: her heart already had an owner. Realizing this, he felt a pain too deep for words, as if his heart was being ripped from his chest.

"There are also things that happened a thousand years later, I..."

"I don't want to listen anymore!" Chen Hao interrupted loudly, his face extremely grim.

After saying this, Chen Hao left in a huff.

Watching Chen Hao's retreating figure, Zhao Chong sighed helplessly and murmured, "This stubborn and impatient temperament of yours is exactly the same as her past life's. Why not listen to the rest? You should know, Yuqiao listened to the zither for just seventy years, but she listened to your flute for over a thousand years; she went to the mortal world only three times for a look at Qin Shang, but she risked her life to save you! He was just a soul mate, while you are her true beloved!"

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