"I understand!" the Tree Demon said to Chen Hao, eyes filled with emotion. "Thank you! Rest assured, I will definitely live well from now on, protecting this forest and my companions until one day we all become immortals!"

"Hmm!" Chen Hao nodded, "I believe you will become immortals!"

"Boyfriend, I suddenly feel like you've gotten more handsome!" Ye Yuqiao's voice suddenly rang in Chen Hao's mind, her heart touched by Chen Hao's speech just now.

Chen Hao's gaze returned to Ye Yuqiao, noticing that she was looking down with a slightly flushed face, appearing somewhat shy. Seeing her like this, Chen Haoyue wanted to tease her even more. Ignoring the Tree Demon's presence, he stretched out his hand to pinch Ye Yuqiao's chin and said in a teasing tone, "Babe! Lift up your head, I love to see you blush."

"Humph!" Ye Yuqiao glared with wide eyes and lightly slapped Chen Hao's shoulder. "Mischievous, naughty!"

After a hearty laugh, Chen Hao leaned close to Ye Yuqiao and said, "You will find me getting handsomer and handsomer. Although I'm already a bit too handsome, my inner charisma is to the point of unmatched supremacy!"

Ye Yuqiao smiled vaguely with pursed lips, not speaking further, muttering to herself, "Vain, naughty, mischievous..."

Ye Yuqiao spouted out all the derogatory terms she could think of.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, the earth shook and the mountains quivered!

Startled, Chen Hao immediately wrapped his arms around Ye Yuqiao's waist.

"Don't worry!" the Tree Demon next to them said, "This is me letting you out, not meaning to harm you!"

After exchanging a glance with Ye Yuqiao, Chen Hao nodded at the Tree Demon, and the nervousness faded from his face.

Soon after, gusts of cold wind blew overhead, and a faint light pierced through the dust-filled air.

After glancing upward, Chen Hao lowered his head and said to the Tree Demon, "Then we'll be leaving now, take care!"

"Wait!" the Tree Demon's voice came urgently, "Can I ask what your name is?"

After a smile, Chen Hao said, "Chen Hao, 'Chen' from 'eardong' and 'Hao' from my own name!"

"I am Ou Yuanlin!" the Tree Demon replied.

"Ou Yuanlin! I'll remember you!" Chen Hao grinned at the Tree Demon, then leapt up with Ye Yuqiao, leaving the mysterious underground cultivation place.

At that moment, Chen Hao had no way of knowing that years later, this Tree Demon named Ou Yuanlin would become one of his most reliable companions.

When Chen Hao and Ye Yuqiao landed, the split ground had already fused back together, and the trembling had also ceased.

"Chen Hao, Yuqiao!" Tang Jing's excited voice came from behind them, "You finally came out!"

Having said that, Tang Jing had already reached their side.

Chen Hao and Ye Yuqiao turned around and collectively smiled at Tang Jing, then Chen Hao said, "We ran into some trouble, but everything's been resolved now, and there won't be shops like that one ever again! By the way, where did Xie Xiaofeng go?"

"He's sleeping in the car!" said Tang Jing. "That guy, he's really sleeping like a rock!"

"It's okay, let him rest for a bit. He must be tired from driving all day," Chen Hao laughed.

"Hmm!" Tang Jing nodded. "What happened after you guys fell underground just now?"

Just then, a blast of cold wind came, making them shiver uncontrollably.

"Let's talk about it back in the car!" Chen Hao said, his hand on Ye Yuqiao's shoulder, her shivering making him a bit heartbroken.

Soon after, the three of them walked toward the van. Reaching the driver's side window, Chen Hao tapped on the glass. Through the window, he saw Xie Xiaofeng lying on his side in a very relaxed pose, with a string of what seemed like sticky saliva at the corner of his mouth!

For a long while, Xie Xiaofeng showed no reaction.

"This guy!" Tang Jing's tone was full of complaint, "He's sleeping so soundly!"

Then, it wasn't until the fourth time Chen Hao tapped the glass that Xie Xiaofeng finally woke up.

After the window rolled down, Xie Xiaofeng's weary voice came out, "Jerk, goddess, you're out! Are you okay?"

"What do you think?" Chen Hao glared at Xie Xiaofeng, "I was counting on you to rescue us, but to think you actually fell asleep, such a jerk!"

"It's strange to be called a jerk by a real jerk!" Xie Xiaofeng yawned as he spoke. After finishing his yawn, he continued, "Get in the car quick, if we're fast, we can still have a midnight snack before all the shops in Y City close!"

"You still have the appetite for a midnight snack!" Tang Jing rolled her eyes. "Just thinking about what we saw in that shop makes me nauseous!"

Once everyone was in the vehicle, the van started moving forward. Not long after, Chen Hao began recounting what happened in the tunnel, while Ye Yuqiao leaned in his arms, listening to the heartbeat in his chest and gradually fell asleep.

An hour later, the van was still about an hour's drive from Y City, and the car fell silent just a short while after Chen Hao finished his description.

Looking through the rear-view mirror, seeing that Tang Jing had her eyes closed, asleep, and Xie Xiaofeng focused on the dim mountain road and the night, Chen Hao lowered his head and whispered something into Ye Yuqiao's ear.

"Jerk, did you wake the queen?" Ye Yuqiao's lazy voice rang in Chen Hao's mind.

Chen Hao muttered to himself, "Queen, please talk to me, or I'll be so bored."

"If you're bored, then tell me a story, a cute one."

...

At eleven at night, they finally arrived in W City!

Gazing at the brightly lit streets on both sides, Chen Hao couldn't help but think of Y City. If he were still in Y City now, he would probably be cuddling with Ye Yuqiao on the familiar sofa, watching TV, or loving each other on the comfortable bed.

Instantly, a sense of homesickness for being in a strange land welled up in him.

Just then, a familiar softness traveled from the palm of his hand to the depths of his heart, followed by Ye Yuqiao's voice echoing in Chen Hao's mind: "I suddenly miss Y City, our home. This city feels so alien! After our argument not long ago, I came here alone, dragging my suitcase through unfamiliar streets while crying. I was in despair at that time!"

Chen Hao bowed his head and left a kiss on Ye Yuqiao's forehead, thinking, "It won't happen again; I won't let you walk alone on unfamiliar streets, nor will I be absent when you're sad and upset."

"Hmm!" Ye Yuqiao snuggled closer to Chen Hao's chest. "Although I was very sad during our last fight, it was at least better than when I came to the mortal world all by myself eighteen years ago. There were so many things I wasn't accustomed to back then, and I didn't know how long I could hold on, only that I had to wait for you, eighteen years later. That feeling of having no expectations was terrifying! Although I left in a huff after our quarrel, I believed that someday you would come and find me first. Thankfully, you didn't disappoint my expectations or leave me alone in the mortal world."

Ye Yuqiao's tone became more and more melancholic, and tearful glimmers began to gather in her eyes along with the cadence of her voice.

Pausing for a moment, Ye Yuqiao suddenly pinched Chen Hao's arm hard, looked up into his chin with a misty gaze, and said, "Now you are my everything, my home. No matter when or where, as long as you are by my side, I will never feel foreign."

"Hmm!" Chen Hao closed his eyes, "Hold my hand tightly!"

"Why should I hold your hand tightly?"

"Because it feels so warm, just like being at home!"

Ten minutes later, the four of them got off at the entrance of a hotel. Xie Xiaofeng considerately got three rooms, arranging for Ye Yuqiao and Chen Hao to share one, while he and Tang Jing each took their own.

...

...

In the morning at nine, after getting ready, Chen Hao held Ye Yuqiao's hand as they left the room.

"Chen Hao, Yuqiao, have you seen Xie Xiaofeng?" Tang Jing immediately appeared in front of them and asked.

Chen Hao shrugged and said, "Haven't seen him. He's probably hungry. Maybe he went downstairs to eat something!"

"Then let's go downstairs too, we didn't eat anything all night!"

After breakfast downstairs, and it was already ten o'clock. Coming out of the hotel entrance, they saw Xie Xiaofeng's familiar figure. Xie Xiaofeng squatted on the side of the van, with a can of spray paint in his right hand.

"Xie Xiaofeng, what are you doing there?" Tang Jing asked.

Turning his head and smiling, Xie Xiaofeng then stood up and stepped a few paces to the side. On the side of the van, there were a few big characters sprayed on with red paint: "Exorcism Special Vehicle."

Under the "Exorcism Special Vehicle," were four characters: "Affordable Rates!"

"What do you think? Not bad, right?" Xie Xiaofeng said proudly, with a smile.

Chen Hao, Ye Yuqiao, and Tang Jing all froze, their faces a mix of amusement and disbelief.

"Xie Xiaofeng, what on earth are you trying to do?" Tang Jing asked in bewilderment.

"Aren't we out here to subdue demons and expel evil spirits?" Xie Xiaofeng said. "If that's the case, then we need to let everyone know we exist, right?"

"Oh!" The three of them nodded dumbly.

"Isn't this a bit too showy?"

...

Meanwhile, in Y City, at the train station.

It was a moment of parting. At the ticket checkpoint, a young couple reluctantly looked at each other.

"Ye Fei, will you call me when you get to W City?" the girl asked the boy.

"Of course!" The boy named Ye Fei nodded, "I'll call you at least once every day!"

"Go on, then!"

"I'm off!" Ye Fei waved to the girl.

After Ye Fei passed the ticket checkpoint, the girl shouted after him, "You jerk, make sure you miss me!"

Ye Fei turned back, his face bittersweet, "Crybaby, I know! You'd better miss me too!"

After half a minute of eye contact, Ye Fei turned and disappeared into the crowd. This Ye Fei was no ordinary person; he was a controversial and mysterious figure in Y City—the Campus Hero!

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