Qian Feng had entrusted Lin Huashan with a fragment of a map leading to the ancient city, which was given to Chen Hao.

This map fragment was the only piece Chen Hao was missing from the total of eight.

Although the fragment was written on paper, Chen Hao recognized it at a glance. With it, he would be able to piece together a complete map.

"This is a fragment of the ancient city map!" Chen Hao said to Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body, "When we asked Qian Feng for it before, he said he had destroyed the fragment long ago, following the orders of the Second Generation Nether King!"

"He did destroy the fragment in front of the Second Generation Nether King, indeed," Lin Huashan said, "But before that, he secretly copied it by hand. The reason he didn't tell you when you asked for it recently is that he knew the Second Generation Nether King would find out."

"Does that mean, the other day when you stealthily went to see Zhao Chong, claiming you overheard Qian Feng's conversation with an enigmatic figure, that was also at his behest?" Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body looked urgently at Lin Huashan.

"Yes, he instructed me to do so. By that time, the Second Generation Nether King had already learned of your plans and had prepared an ambush in advance. What he failed to anticipate was that the Second Generation Nether King would personally appear," Lin Huashan said, his voice growing more distressed.

Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body frowned deeply, feeling a profound sense of regret. In fact, she and Zhao Chong had a meticulous plan in place, only needing to bring fifty thousand troops to the Eighteen Levels of Hell.

Like Qian Feng, she did not expect the Second Generation Nether King to show up in person. If not for that, Qian Feng would likely still be well today.

"Why would Qian Feng help us?" Chen Hao finally asked the question that was also on Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body's mind.

Lin Huashan looked at Ye Yuqiao, pausing before he said, "Qian Feng always carried something with him. Once, I inadvertently saw him sitting in the courtyard in a daze, holding a lock of long hair. He told me that lock of hair was cut from your mother, the Nether King."

Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body hummed in acknowledgment, her expression calm. She was not the least bit surprised by this revelation.

..

..

The night had deepened.

Chen Hao, Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body, and Zhao Chong left Qian Mansion.

The three of them sat together in a carriage, and the journey was silent, quiet throughout.

Zhao Chong felt uneasy, as according to protocol, he should not be riding in the same carriage as the Nether King, but he could not defy the sacred command of Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body.

Chen Hao, meanwhile, was still filled with mixed emotions because of Qian Feng's effort to save Ye Yu's Yin Soul.

After the carriage had rolled forward slowly for a while, Zhao Chong finally spoke to break the silence, "Your Majesty, I have once heard a rumor regarding you and Qian Feng, may I speak of it?"

A faint glimmer flashed in Ye Yuqiao's eyes as she looked at Zhao Chong, "Speak freely."

"That rumor was relayed to me by a relative in Wushuang City, claiming that your mother did not give birth to you in Netherworld City, but inside Wushuang City instead."

"That is true," Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body nodded slightly, "My father, the king, had mentioned this to me before, I was indeed born in Wushuang City. The reason is that I possess a three-soul body requiring an abundance of Yang Energy at birth, and Wushuang City, located at higher ground, is one of the areas with the most Yang Energy within the Netherworld."

"Do you know then that the person who secretly escorted your mother to Wushuang City back then was none other than Qian Feng, the Clan Leader?"

Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body appeared slightly startled and shook her head, saying, "My father king has never mentioned this to me. However, with Qian Feng's illustrious status at the time, how could my father king possibly have sent him to escort her?"

"What if he was willing to do it?" Zhao Chong countered, "Don't forget, Clan Leader Qian was originally a royal guard, with profound Spiritual Power. No one would have been more reassuring to escort the empress, who was nine months pregnant at the time."

"But now Qian Feng doesn't have much Spiritual Power left, otherwise he wouldn't have..." Chen Hao hesitated.

"That's exactly what I'm getting at," Zhao Chong said, "I've heard that when Your Majesty was born, many strange signs appeared in the skies over Wushuang City. Later, someone in Wushuang City spread rumors claiming a demon was about to be born. They said that when the demon was born, the city would run red with blood."

"What happened after that?" Ye Yuqiao asked anxiously. These were all things she had never heard of before.

"Since your mother's visit to Wushuang City was a secret, the people inside didn't know she was the empress. When she gave birth to you, tens of thousands of civilians stormed into the residence, trying to stop the so-called demon's birth, demanding that Qian Feng hand over your mother. Qian Feng refused, and the people started to smash, set fire, and curse loudly."

Hearing Zhao Chong say this, Ye Yuqiao felt very angry inside.

"Later, your mother was extremely frightened, and after giving birth to you with great difficulty, she passed away."

Seeing the anger on Ye Yuqiao's face, Chen Hao sent a secret message: "Little Nether, it's just a rumor and may not be true. Besides, it's all in the past, why trouble yourself with anger now?"

"You must have heard about Qian Feng leading troops to massacre Wushuang City, right?"

Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body was shocked and said in disbelief, "Is it because of this incident?"

"That's right!" Zhao Chong nodded, "It's because your mother died giving birth to you, and three days later, Qian Feng led his troops to lay waste to the city."

"What does this have to do with the Spiritual Power in his body?" Chen Hao questioned.

"It's related to what happened next," Zhao Chong said, "Since you were a difficult birth and were in bad shape after being born, as the Nether Soul and Yang Spirit inside you clashed, your Yin Soul was damaged. So, to save you, Qian Feng sacrificed half of his Yin Soul and soul, which is why his Spiritual Power greatly diminished."

Ye Yuqiao shook her head repeatedly, finding it hard to accept what Zhao Chong was saying.

"Zhao Chong, when did you hear these rumors, and why are you only telling me now?"

"Your Majesty, I learned of these matters last year when I was responsible for conscription in Wushuang City and coincidentally met a distant relative. He was a division commander during Qian Feng's massacre. After the city was destroyed, Qian Feng arranged for him to stay and rebuild," Zhao Chong replied.

"There have been many matters since then, and I never had the chance to speak to Your Majesty about this."

...

...

Before long, the carriage carrying the three of them arrived at the eastern courtyard.

Before getting off the carriage, Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body sent a secret message to Chen Hao: "Chen Hao, my mind is a bit chaotic right now, can you keep me company and talk for a while?"

Chen Hao agreed, bid farewell to Zhao Chong, and got off the carriage with Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body.

After entering the yard of the eastern courtyard, Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body suddenly embraced Chen Hao, saying somewhat despairingly, "Chen Hao, I'm feeling so anxious inside, do you think what Zhao Chong said earlier could be true?"

"Even if it is true, it wouldn't be surprising," Chen Hao said softly, "he's willing to risk his life to save your Yin Soul today, what would sacrificing half of his Yin Soul have been to him back then?"

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