Chapter 98 Origin

Qing Bai said he was organizing his thoughts, but in reality his mind never stopped. He took out the attitude of doing reading comprehension in his student days, and read over and over again the vague and to the point conversation between the two people in front of him, savoring it word by word... Unfortunately, due to his lack of understanding of the underworld and many things in their "system", Qing Bai did not savor much useful things.

But Qing Bai wasn't about to give up. A flash of inspiration struck him, and he decided to change his approach: since he didn't know much about the underworld, he'd focus on Jiu Nian... He didn't believe Jiu Nian's trip was just a spur-of-the-moment decision. Even if certain things had only just been confirmed today, there had always been a lingering suspicion in his heart.

During this period, they were inseparable every day. Jiu Nian was not on guard against him and acted as his guardian, instilling all kinds of "common sense" in him whenever he got the chance. His words and deeds always revealed some clues. Qing Bai had too much to sort out.

Let's not talk about the distant past, let's just talk about today, the conversation sparked by those three crane feathers...

Qing Bai: “!!!”

Qing Bai was suddenly struck by lightning. He didn't want to admit that he had been so used to being a carefree little cat these days that he had almost lost his IQ. But facts spoke louder than words. The truth was clearly laid out before him. He only needed a little connection... and he had waited until now to figure it out!

Tsk! The beast's body really does affect its IQ!

After arbitrarily placing all the blame on the beast prototype, Qing Bai calmed himself down and spoke his newly formed 'guess' as calmly as possible: "That Lingxi tribe leader is so intolerant of me..."

Qing Bai was calm and composed. Yin Weihuai, who was sighing and mired in self-doubt, was startled by his nonchalant words. The anger that had just calmed down in his body began to surge again. After a rather inelegant burp, he stammered, "You... why would you think that?"

The frown that had remained there for nine years deepened, but he made no move to interrupt.

Qing Bai glanced at Jiu Nian, his mind becoming more composed. He said slowly, "Don't panic. It's just a reasonable guess."

"..." Yin Weihuai coughed dryly a few times, then threw his long sleeves behind him. He looked quite casual, but his eyes darted around, not quite serious. "I'm not panicking, I'm just a little surprised... You actually know the Lingxi clan leader?"

Qing Bai didn't really want to answer this silly question, but for the sake of future harmony in the office, he casually said, "It's just my good fortune that I know."

Yin Weihuai silently shifted his gaze to Jiu Nian with mixed feelings. Without thinking too much, it must be that this big man 'happened' to tell this little Lingxi who didn't even know what his own prototype looked like... Looking at the perfunctory look of the little Lingxi, he was probably only half-knowledgeable and didn't know that the Lingxi clan leader was an unspeakable taboo in their underworld.

The Wheel of Reincarnation rotates day after day year after year. Decades have passed. Except for the old ghosts who survived the great battle that almost overturned the Naihe River, even the serious ghost officials Wuchang who work in the underworld, only regard the mysterious spiritual beast Lingxi as a story or legend, let alone the leader of the Lingxi clan.

The underworld seems to have remained unchanged for thousands of years. The turbulent Naihe River flows forward tirelessly without looking back. The long bridge over the river is always crowded with ghosts, and there is an endless queue of people waiting for a bowl of Mengpo soup that will put an end to everything. The eighteen levels of hell are bustling with evil ghosts who are always crying and wailing. Even the newly appointed impermanence prefers those two unattractive black robes and white shirts. With their tall hats on, they look like old friends at first glance... Compared to the ever-changing human world, this place is like a place forgotten by time. It looks the same as it did a thousand years ago.

But the underworld is also the most fickle, just like the roaring waters of the Naihe River rushing across the bridge. Once the ghosts on the bridge drink a bowl of soup, there is no turning back. Life and death are just the next reincarnation. Decades later, they line up again on the bridge to receive a bowl of soup... Reunion is always short, but separation is so long, so long that when you look back inadvertently, you realize that except the underworld itself, old friends and old events, everything has changed.

Yin Weihuai suddenly remembered his colleague who had been making soup by the bridge for years. He once sighed in a half-drunk and half-awake state, saying that this vast underworld was like a huge cauldron. The cauldron it used to make soup in looked as if it was fresh and full every day, but in fact, the soup in the cauldron had been changed countless times. Every time a cauldron was made, it would be poured into the human world. And they, the old ghosts, were just the rinsing water. They looked good, but in reality, they didn't even have the right to return to the cauldron...

After Qing Bai finished perfunctorily answering Yin Weihuai, he returned his gaze to Jiu Nian. Although he was still just guessing, his tone was extremely certain: "It must be it. The 'Origin' you want to meet is the surviving Lingxi tribe leader from back then."

Jiu Nian's eyes moved slightly, and after looking at Qing Bai for a moment, he quickly regained his composure. It was obvious that he figured out where the problem lay.

...Today, before coming to the underworld in Shangjing, he had been forced to mention the existence of the Black Crane to Xiao Lingxi because of the three crane feathers. Xiao Lingxi had keenly sensed the danger posed by him and asked who his survival was hindering. He had some guesses at the time, but he hadn't intended to express them out loud. However, Xiao Lingxi, through her own cleverness, had stumbled upon a partial truth about the disaster.

Now that things have come to this, it would be better to tell the truth thoroughly than to let him make half-knowledge and random guesses. So he had no choice but to reveal the news that Lingxi had not been completely wiped out and the Lingxi tribe leader was still alive.

Although he successfully changed the topic later, he did not expect Xiao Lingxi to forget those things so quickly, but he was still a little surprised that Xiao Lingxi was so determined to lock on the Lingxi clan leader as the person who wanted to harm him.

It was clearly the black crane that had never appeared and had been surrounding them like a cold and gloomy mist. The three crane feathers were the trigger for this trip. He knew what the black crane wanted and knew that it would never harm the underage Lingxi unless it had no other choice. If they were in danger, it would even help to protect them.

But Xiao Lingxi didn't know all this, so why was he so sure that it was the Lingxi clan leader who wanted to attack him instead of Xuanhe?

After nine years of being puzzled, he just asked directly.

Yin Weihuai, who was daydreaming just now, also came over. He also wanted to know.

Qing Bai studied Jiunian carefully, realizing he was genuinely curious. He burst out laughing, "Have you ever heard a story... a wealthy businessman paid a fortune for a pair of antique porcelain vases, claiming they were the only two in the world and incredibly valuable. However, upon receiving the vases, the businessman smashed one of them. As a result, the remaining vase not only didn't depreciate, but its value doubled, becoming even more sought after and even considered a treasure."

"Strange, isn't it? It's clearly destruction, but it actually creates greater value. Smash one, and the remaining one naturally becomes a unique piece, one-of-a-kind, unrivaled in the world." Qing Bai's smile faded, and he spoke slowly, "I guess, to the Lingxi tribe leader who has survived as a 'unique piece' for decades, I am the porcelain vase that should be smashed."

"...As for that elusive Black Crane, I'm still unsure what it wants from Lingxi, to the point where it nearly slaughtered the entire Lingxi clan and still wasn't satisfied. But if it wants something, then when the Lingxi clan leader and I are the only two left in this world, it definitely won't simply and brutally kill me."

"To sum up..." Qing Bai looked at Jiu Nian and raised his eyebrows slightly, "Am I right?"

Jiunian's eyes were gentle, half affirmative and half... relieved?

"right."

Yin Weihuai's mouth twitched, thinking to himself, "This isn't just right; it's practically exposing the underwear of 'Yuanyuan'!" It's said that everything in the world has its gains and losses, and that you can't have it all at once. Where's the promised fool beauty?

...But the birth of such an intelligent Lingxi after the genocide was also God's will, right?

He simply couldn't wait to see the scene where the only two people in the world who were in tune with each other would face off.

It must be super exciting~

"...Then I'll trouble Lord Yin to lead the way."

"Okay, okay—" A thrilling battle of spiritual connection was playing out in Yin Weihuai's mind. When he heard Jiu Nian's voice, he subconsciously agreed without thinking twice. By the time he realized what was going on, the words had already been spoken.

Yin Weihuai wanted to regret it, but when he raised his eyes, he met a pair of eyes that seemed to be flowing with hot magma, and he had to swallow back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

Yin Weihuai smiled awkwardly and played dumb, "...Aren't you guys talking about how the Lingxi clan leader wanted to destroy... Little Lingxi? Why are you talking about leading the way again... What way? Who wants to lead the way?"

Jiunian never expected that Yin Weihuai, a dignified Yin Lord and the head of the underworld in the capital, would pretend to be stupid in order to escape reality. He was stunned for a moment.

Although this was Qing Bai's first time dealing with Yin Weihuai, he keenly perceived that this man was unconventional and had a very thick skin, indicating that he was a person who followed his own will. So he took the initiative to answer his question, saying, "It is precisely because of the deep malice we have shown towards the Lingxi tribe leader that Nine Years wants to meet him... Lord Yin once said: 'Nine Years has a request, and I dare not disobey it.' It's not just a nice compliment, is it? No way, no way?"

Is this little Lingxi really just an underage cub? It's so clever, it must be at least 800 pounds of cunning...

Yin Weihuai smiled bitterly: "Then I also said that today is not a good time."

Yin Weihuai's original plan was to slowly reveal to him certain events that had occurred during Jiu Nian's absence from the underworld. A little slowness and inconvenience wouldn't matter, the key was to maintain a subtle, unobtrusive flow, a way for everyone to benefit. Who would have thought that after just a few meetings, everything would be about to be overturned... Jiu Nian had always been the most stable, so was this the case of "the company of bad company corrupts"? That wasn't right either. Regardless of age, qualifications, or strength, shouldn't Xiao Lingxi be the one who keeps company with the good?

Or is it that the Lingxi clan... are really that terrifying?

Qing Bai didn't take it seriously: "Before, you were afraid that it would discover my existence and fear that disaster would come in the future, but it is obvious that it has already known that there is another 'porcelain bottle' in the world that comes from the same source as it. Since hiding it is useless, why not confront it openly..."

"You're not a porcelain vase, so you don't have to confront it." Jiu Nian suddenly said, "I'm the one who's going to meet it."

Well, the attempt to change the subject failed, Qing Bai curled his lips and stopped talking... Whoever wants to talk can tell him!

Seeing Qing Bai calm down, Jiu Nian looked at Yin Weihuai silently, a golden light flashing in his eyes. After a few breaths, Yin Weihuai raised his hands in surrender: "Okay, okay! I'll lead the way, I'll lead the way... But this is also a huge risk for me, Master Jiu Nian..."

Jiu Nian said sternly: "Don't worry, if anything unexpected happens, I will kidnap you immediately."

The corner of Yin Weihuai's mouth twitched slightly, "...That's not necessary."

Considering their reputation in the underworld, even if Jiu Nian transformed back into a beast, with his sharp claws firmly on his neck, with a look that even a blind man could see was 100% of "Jiu Nian coercing Yin Bei", those old ghosts would only think that he was threatening Jiu Nian to play along with him, and that he had ulterior motives.

"After this matter is settled, it would be great if you could come to my underworld and take charge for a while..."

Nine years: "You're welcome."

Yin Weihuai gritted his teeth: "...I'm not being polite."

Qing Bai: "Puff."