The Netherworld.

In the eastern part of the Netherworld's main city, there is a desolate locust forest where, as night falls, cool breezes sweep through the trees in utter silence. However, it is within this exceptionally bleak forest that a large mansion exists. It is the home of Zhao Chong, the Clan Leader of the Zhao Family, one of the Eight Great Clans of the Netherworld.

The night is as cool as water, the breeze as cold as heartless.

Apart from the two lanterns hanging at the entrance of the mansion, the only light inside the vast property comes from the room where the master, Zhao Chong, resides.

At this moment, Zhao Chong is lying in bed with his eyes half-closed, in a state between dreaming and waking. The dim candlelight casts upon his pale and handsome face, making the perpetually worried-looking man seem even more haggard.

His heart is forever occupied by a woman.

Drifting into peaceful sleep, such an extreme luxury, is an extravagance for him. Whenever he closes his eyes, the image of the woman he can't stop thinking about appears in his mind.

Suddenly, his half-closed eyes snap open. He feels her presence, somewhere in the mortal world! Yet the sensation vanishes as quickly as it came. He sighs, his brow furrowing even more. He knows it is just an illusion; over the past dozen or so years, he has experienced such false impressions almost every month.

After coughing a few times, Zhao Chong gets out of bed and walks to the desk by the window. Then, he pulls out a scroll and unrolls it, gazing at the woman depicted in the painting. This woman is dressed in a red gown, with bright eyes and white teeth, her face cold as frost, and her misty eyes carrying a hint of intimidation.

After a long while, he reaches out to tenderly touch the woman's face in the painting, closes his eyes as if he could feel her warmth.

"Yuqiao!" Zhao Chong utters somberly.

..

In the mortal world, Y City, after defeating the Snake King, Chen Hao went back to the hospital with Ye Yuqiao.

In the hospital corridor leading to the wards.

"Ye Yuqiao, why did you come back with Chen Hao?" Seeing Chen Hao carrying Ye Yuqiao, Tang Chao excitedly asks from a distance. He had only gone to the restroom and upon returning, couldn't find Ye Yuqiao. Then, worried something might have happened to her, he had searched the entire hospital by himself.

Just then, Xie Xiaofeng and Tang Jing, who had just arrived at the hospital, also come out of the ward. Seeing Chen Hao return safely, both of them show a relieved expression.

When the group enters the ward, Xie Xiaofeng can't wait to ask, "Chen Hao, did you really defeat the Snake King?"

"Of course!" Chen Hao nods his head and then boasts very smugly, "It was just a mere snake after all!"

Although he says this, recalling his repeated deaths in the mouth of the venomous snake, Chen Hao's heart still trembles with fear, and he involuntarily shivers.

"But how did you come back with Ye Yuqiao?" Tang Chao asks puzzled, "Did she find you?"

"Heh," Chen Hao chuckles foolishly, then slings his arm over Ye Yuqiao's shoulder and jokes, "I ran into her on the way back. She said she was worried about me. Seems like she really cares and is concerned about me!"

"Whoa!" Xie Xiaofeng lets out a mocking laugh, looking at Chen Hao and Ye Yuqiao with a strange glance.

Ye Yuqiao turns her head to look at Chen Hao and gives him a cold glance without saying a word.

Seeing that Ye Yuqiao is upset, Chen Hao quickly releases the arm that is resting on her shoulder. Then, changing the subject, he starts to open the wooden box in his hand and asks, "Can you guys help me see what's up with this book?"

As he speaks, Chen Hao takes out the Book of Yin and Yang Exorcism from the wooden box and hands it to Xie Xiaofeng, then asks again, "Can you read what's written in this book?"

Xie Xiaofeng watched the book for a while and then said in confusion, "There's nothing written here. Could this be an empty heavenly book?"

"Let me take a look," Tang Jing said softly as she took the Book of Yin and Yang Exorcism from Xie Xiaofeng's hands. After flipping through a couple of pages, she asked with her head down, "Only people of the Chen Family bloodline can see the content of this book, right?"

Chen Hao and Ye Yuqiao exchanged a glance, then said with surprise, "How did you know?"

"Our family also possesses a similar ancestral secret manual," Tang Jing explained. She closed the book and handed it back to Chen Hao, then she looked up at Chen Hao and continued, "However, since my brother's mana is not profound enough, currently only I can see it. You will be able to see the rest of the content only once the Yang Energy Power within you has increased."

"That's it!" Chen Hao suddenly understood. He had practiced the Return to Yang Spell given to him by Tang Jing two days ago, which had doubled his Yang Energy Power, so today he was able to see more of the content in the Book of Yin and Yang Exorcism.

Remembering the "Nowhere to Escape" demon-exorcising technique he had used to eradicate the Snake King just now, Chen Hao still felt a bit excited. He thought that the techniques taught in the Book of Yin and Yang Exorcism must be even more powerful further on, possibly even including strategies to confront the Eight Great Law Kings and the Ghost King. Therefore, he made up his mind to work on both fronts - to enhance the Nether Eye Power of his left eye as well as to diligently practice the Return to Yang Spell to learn more techniques from the Book of Yin and Yang Exorcism.

The night had grown deep, and Tang Jing, Tang Chao, and Xie Xiaofeng had already left, leaving only Chen Hao and Ye Yuqiao in the hospital room.

Chen Hao didn't know if he had done something wrong again, but Ye Yuqiao was always frowning as if she were quite angry. After asking her a couple of times and getting no response, Chen Hao stopped talking, feeling a fire burning inside him.

After a long silence, Chen Hao, who had been sitting on the chair, finally could not bear it and got up, sitting next to Ye Yuqiao on the hospital bed. He then opened his arms and embraced her.

"What are you doing?" Ye Yuqiao asked, her face dark with anger, her tone very angry.

Chen Hao leaned his head close to Ye Yuqiao and said, "You're not speaking to me, and it's making me unhappy."

"It's you who doesn't want to talk to me!" Ye Yuqiao's eyes were wide.

Chen Hao shook his head, "It's clearly you! I don't care, I'm just unhappy!"

Having said that, Chen Hao hugged Ye Yuqiao even tighter.

"Let go of me," Ye Yuqiao said, furrowing her brows, still feeling petulant inside.

"No!"

In a fit of anger, Ye Yuqiao bit Chen Hao's shoulder with her teeth.

After their lips parted, Chen Hao pinched Ye Yuqiao's face and asked, "You're not a puppy, why are you always biting people?"

Ye Yuqiao just hummed and did not respond at all.

"Ye Yuqiao," Chen Hao said, somewhat desperately, "what do you really want? Didn't I just admit my mistake?"

Ye Yuqiao remained expressionless, still without response.

Feeling helpless, Chen Hao let out a heavy breath, then hugged Ye Yuqiao's angrily flushed cheeks with both hands and said, "Go on, bite me to death if you can!"

After that, he embraced Ye Yuqiao again.

This time, Ye Yuqiao did not bite Chen Hao again, but after a few futile attempts to free herself, she gave up.

She closed her eyes, struggling inside, not knowing how to face Chen Hao. She wanted to give him the cold shoulder yet couldn't bear to do it. It was like being stuck in a quagmire, the more she wanted to break free, the deeper she sank.

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