Chapter 31 Banxianfang's Thousand Meetings: Jun Hebo habitually carried a trunk on his back...

He Bo, who always carried a chest on his back, was hunched over, thin and pale, with a nonchalant smile on his lips, standing alone in front of Feng Xi.

He seemed completely indifferent to what the person in front of him might do, as if it were just a casual greeting, and whether or not they would reply was irrelevant.

Feng Xi glanced at him and said calmly, "What is it?"

Hebo chuckled twice, then raised his voice and said, "It's just that it's rare to see someone with you, so I thought I'd come and see for myself." He then looked at Yan Chao with a complicated expression, and said, "I am Hebo, the best painter in the Three Realms. Would you like me to paint a picture for you, young lady?"

His tone was full of confidence in his drawing skills, as well as the arrogance unique to a genius painter.

Yan Chao was taken aback upon hearing this. She suddenly thought of Uncle He. How could they look so alike? Could they have some other relationship?

Yan Chao said half-jokingly, "Paint a picture of me? Do you mean you want to capture me in the painting to attract more followers for you?"

Hebo chuckled twice, unloading the box as he said, "It seems you know quite a bit about my deeds, young lady. But I only wish to paint for you; let those wretched gods in heaven handle that." With that, Hebo began painting on his own before Yan Chao could respond.

He set up his easel, laid out his drawing paper, sat on a small stool, and began to paint earnestly.

His expression was focused, his lines were smooth, and he wrote without the slightest hesitation. Yan Chao noticed that his forehead was unknowingly covered with fine beads of sweat.

Yan Chao suddenly realized that what he had just said was inappropriate.

Putting aside what he and Uncle He did in Shengchun Town, just considering his identity as a painter, to be fair, his abilities are indeed unmatched, and he takes his paintings extremely seriously. Even those deities he looks down on, he paints with care, without a trace of resentment.

She already knew this back in the Snow Mountain Temple.

Before long, Hebo finished the drawing. He carefully took off the paper, looked at it with satisfaction, and then solemnly handed it to Yan Chao.

Yan Chao took a look and was amazed. The self-portrait was so vivid and lifelike, with delicate and exquisite brushwork, that he almost couldn't recognize it for a moment.

There was no trace of magic in the painting; he simply painted a picture.

Feng Xi glanced at it and nodded approvingly. Although he didn't particularly like He Bo, he still highly regarded his painting skills.

Yan Chao said sincerely, "Thank you for painting for me. You are indeed very talented, and your painting skills deserve the title of 'Number One Painter in the Three Realms'. You have the integrity of a painter, and I shouldn't have said that just now."

Hepburn seemed used to such praise; he simply packed his things quietly, his face expressionless. But when he heard the second half of the sentence, he paused noticeably, a glimmer of light appearing in his eerie, dark white eyes. Suddenly, he felt that the painting had been worthwhile.

Hebo slung the trunk back over his shoulder, looked up at Yan Chao, and smiled, "Young Master is no ordinary man, and I didn't expect this young lady to be no ordinary man either." He stepped forward and whispered to Yan Chao, "If we have the chance to meet again, Hebo would like to paint a picture for you." Then he looked at Feng Xi and raised his voice, "If Young Master is also here, we can join you."

After saying that, he picked up the trunk and left without looking back, quickly disappearing into the crowd.

Yan Chao asked, "Why is he here?"

Feng Xi crossed his arms and said, "He's probably upset about what happened last time and wants to come here to have some fun. But he doesn't dare to cause trouble on my turf, so he can only come and take a look."

Yan Chao turned his head to look at him and said, "You don't seem to like him very much."

Feng Xi confessed, "I really don't like him. Although I appreciate his paintings, he has a strange and extreme personality. Given his current status, if he is provoked, he could be used as a weapon to kill."

Yan Chao said, "Didn't I tell you that Shengchun's ghost is called Uncle He?"

Feng Xi raised an eyebrow and said, "This is interesting. A ghost's soul and body are inseparable. Even if it splits into two bodies, it cannot change that. Without a soul, it is just an empty shell. Even if it has magic power and consciousness, it cannot last long. That thing obviously has neither."

Yan Chao sensed a hint of unease and said, "This matter is probably not simple..."

Feng Xi patted her shoulder and laughed, "No matter how big the problem is, we have to eat first. Let's go eat hot pot!"

Yan Chao thought about it and agreed. He immediately stretched his arms and legs on the street to prepare to eat more later.

Feng Xi was amused by her, looked up at the fish lantern above, and said, "Would you like to choose a lantern? The fish lantern will bring you good luck."

Yan Chao stopped what he was doing and looked expectantly at the sky full of fish lanterns. He was dazzled by the sight and finally chose a very ordinary one from among the many. It had no complicated decorations, just the simplest color scheme and style.

She opened her umbrella and tossed it into the air, bringing down the fish lantern. Holding the lantern in her hand, she smiled and said, "It really is a blessing to see good fortune when you look up."

The two continued walking, and as they walked, they saw a large black boat sailing on the river ahead. It was so large that all they could see in front of them was a black wall. Looking up, they saw that the boat had four decks, and on the top deck hung a plaque that read "Banxianfang".

The black boat slowly emerged from the misty fog, brightly lit and filled with singing and dancing. On the deck, more than a dozen little ghosts with painted faces giggled and scattered paper money and flowers into the river, chanting, "Half-idle, half-idle, idleness brings happiness, half-idleness brings completeness..."

Sure enough, things that aren't from the mortal realm often have a touch of eerie humor.

Feng Xi said, "We've arrived."

Yan Chao exclaimed, "The Ghost Realm is truly lively and magnificent!" After his exclamation, he also felt regretful, "It's a pity that Chunshan Tower is closed now, otherwise I would definitely want to see what Chunshan Tower in the Ghost Realm is like."

Feng Xi said, "If you have some free time when the market opens in Chunshan, you are welcome to come back."

As soon as he finished speaking, a ladder appeared on the ship. Feng Xi gestured for Yan Chao to go first, and the two boarded the ship one after the other.

Two young demons respectfully bowed to Yan Chao and Feng Xi and led them into the main hall.

The lobby is sometimes decorated in magnificent red and yellow, and sometimes in mysterious and elegant blue and purple. A thick, luxurious carpet is laid on the floor, and the surrounding environment changes with the colors, as if you are in two different worlds.

The place was bustling with people, all wearing masks, drinking and making merry, singing and dancing, or talking about love—it was very lively.

If you want to eat or drink something, just call out to the passing imp, and the imp will wave his hand, and the food will appear before you. But there are no tables or chairs here, so if you want to sit, just conjure something up yourself, or sit directly on the ground, lie down, or sprawl out in all sorts of positions, without any regard for decorum.

But they were also very well-behaved. No matter how much they ate or how strange their eating habits were, they always managed to finish everything they ordered, leaving nothing behind and not making a mess of the Banxianfang area.

The little devil reached out a hand not far away. Yan Chao looked up and saw a curtain behind the crowd, on the long steps. Behind the curtain, he could vaguely see a figure in black and white, lazily reclining on a couch. Just then, the room changed to red and yellow, making the figure stand out even more.

Feng Xi whispered in his ear, "That is Qianxiang Fuyou. She is the ghost I mentioned who always insists on showing her true form."

The imp led the two to the curtain. The figure behind the curtain slowly rose, and with long, pale fingers, gently lifted the curtain, revealing an undeniably beautiful face.

She wore a black and white patchwork dress, her sharp and heroic eyebrows revealing a hint of languor, her red lips slightly pursed with a faint smile. Her smooth and round head was bald, but it didn't look strange at all; on the contrary, it looked surprisingly refreshing.

One of her fingernails was black, and the other was red. There were two obvious scars on her delicate, boneless wrists, as were on her bare feet.

As Yan Chao sized her up, she was also looking at her, but her gaze shifted back and forth between the two of them. As if she understood something, she glanced at Feng Xi with a playful expression and said, "It is truly an honor to have such a distinguished guest at our humble abode!" Her words were respectful, but her tone was anything but polite.

She stepped forward and took Yan Chao's hand, saying, "I am Yin Chi, also known as Qianxiang Fuyou. I have heard about your story for a long time and have always wanted to meet you. Today I finally get to meet you."

Yan Chao smiled and said, "My name is Yan Chao. I have long heard that Lady Qianxiang is the only female ghost king in the ghost realm. Now that I have the opportunity to meet her, it can be considered that my wish has been fulfilled."

Yin Chi happily put his arm around Yan Chao's shoulder and led him upstairs to the private room. After taking a few steps, he waved and said, "Young Master, please go upstairs on your own." Then he smiled at Yan Chao and said warmly, "Yan Chao, from now on, treat my Banxianfang as your own home! Don't think that just because he's the boss, it's any worse than his place!"

Yan Chao was surprised by Yin Chi's warm welcome on their first meeting and felt a little uncomfortable, so he could only respond with repeated greetings.

Feng Xi stood behind, chuckled helplessly twice, and followed them upstairs.

Inside the private room, a steaming hot pot was bubbling away, releasing a rich, savory aroma of spicy numbing broth that warmed the senses. Various ingredients and dipping sauces were neatly arranged on the table; Yao Xu and Mi Qing hadn't arrived yet.

Yin Chi gestured for Yan Chao to sit down, then sat down next to him, completely ignoring Feng Xi.

Feng Xi found a seat, took off his mask, and as usual poured a cup of tea for Yan Chao and himself. After carefully checking the dishes on the table and making sure nothing was missing, he leisurely leaned back in his chair and began to drink his tea.

Yin Chi glanced at Feng Xi, smiled meaningfully, and turned to Yan Chao, saying, "You don't know yet, do you? This hot pot broth was personally prepared by the young master. He arranges this meal every year on this day. He really cares about his younger brother. But that younger brother is also good. He arranges his birthday celebration every year. I'm a little envious of the brothers' good relationship. Years ago, I even wondered why I didn't have such a thoughtful sister."

Yin Chi blinked, hooked her arm around Yan Chao's, and said with a smile, "I quite like you. How about we become sisters? What do you think?"

Yan Chao paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay."

Yin Chi immediately hugged Yan Chao, laughed twice, and said, "Alright! Let's not bother with all that sisterly stuff. You call me A-Chi, and I'll call you A-Chao. It's settled then!"

Yan Chao laughed happily twice, patted Yin Chi on the back, and said, "A-Chi".

Yin Chi was easygoing and enthusiastic. Although they hadn't known each other for long and hadn't talked much, the two hit it off immediately.

Feng Xi is right, the two of them do get along very well.

Yin Chi leaned affectionately on Yan Chao's shoulder and sighed, "Indeed, it's much more comfortable to be with sisters than with those stinky men!"

Yan Chao asked, puzzled, "Why do you say that?"

Yin Chi said, "That's a long story..."

Yin Chi and Lu Yang, the God of War of Tiandu, were once husband and wife. The two, along with Emperor Han Yue, all came from the Wumu Kingdom in the mortal realm. However, when Han Yue was alive, the Wumu Kingdom was at its peak, while Lu Yang and Yin Chi were in decline and on the verge of collapse.

Yin Chi was a noblewoman, and Lu Yang was the son of a princess of the royal family. They were betrothed by the emperor at the time. The two were well-matched and it should have been a beautiful story, but for them, it was nothing more than a pre-arranged transaction.

Yin Chi's father was killed by his uncle when he was young. In order to avenge his father, Yin Chi had no choice but to recognize his enemy as his father.

Although Lu Yang is the son of a princess and a cousin of the current king, he seems to enjoy boundless glory, but in reality, he is plagued by suspicion. Lu Yang is eager to go to the battlefield to quell the rebellion, but the king suspects him of plotting a rebellion and imprisons him in the capital, leaving him with a title but no power, essentially making him an idle person.

Yin Chi needs Lu Yang's identity to help her eliminate her enemies and seize control of the family, while Lu Yang needs to use the wealth and power of Yin Chi's family to expand the border defenses and provide protection for the soldiers.

The two initially had no feelings for each other, but because they shared the same goals, they developed feelings for one another during their repeated scheming. Although both were devoted to their country, they were both ambitious and extremely driven individuals.

On the night they killed their enemy, they entwined themselves in a pool of blood, thus forging a deep bond.

They can be inseparable when their love is strong, and they can also love and hate each other when their love fades.

Love comes quickly and goes quickly.

Because they were always striving towards a common goal, they neglected to understand each other, and their feelings naturally faded.

When Yin Chi decided to abandon him, Ye Zi launched a major invasion of Wu Mu, but the emperor abandoned the city and fled. The princes and ministers either fled or scattered, leaving only the helpless people and Lu Yang and Yin Chi, who would rather die than surrender.

After several days of fierce resistance against Yaz, they were still defeated.

That was the ending that was destined from the very beginning.

Utterly defeated, but their will remained unbroken.