Those cold words instantly filled Fu Huan’s heart with anger. He was the one who had her come here to carry out the punishment, and now that she had finally overcome her psychological barriers and was ready to do it, he told her to come out…

Did he think Fu Huan was so easy to push around?

Furious, Fu Huan pretended not to hear Si Qing’s words and picked up the saw again, aiming it at the person before her.

“Clang—”

Once more, the saw in her hand was knocked away by Si Qing.

“Come out!” Si Qing repeated.

Hearing this, Fu Huan slowly turned around, meeting the gaze of Si Qing outside, and spoke unhurriedly, “Didn’t my lord want me to carry out the punishment here? What do you want now?”

Listening to Fu Huan speak to him in that sarcastic tone, Si Qing couldn’t help but find it amusing. This little girl certainly had quite a temper.

“I’m taking you somewhere,” Si Qing said languidly.

…

…

Take her somewhere?

Fu Huan furrowed her brows. “Can I refuse?”

“No.” With a domineering and unyielding tone, he directly rejected Fu Huan’s question.

Fu Huan pouted and walked out through the iron door.

After exiting the iron door, Fu Huan followed beside Si Qing, heading outward. After walking a few steps, they saw You Lan approaching.

Though You Lan’s face showed a smile as she looked at the two, Fu Huan could see a hint of coldness in her eyes.

So, was this woman the first enemy she had made in this lifetime?

“My Lord, Upper God, where are you going?” You Lan approached with a smile, smiling at Si Qing.

“None of your business.” Si Qing dropped these four words before leading Fu Huan away from the Eighteen Levels of Hell.

You Lan stood in place, her expression growing increasingly grim.

……

After leaving the Eighteen Levels of Hell, Fu Huan couldn’t help but speak up, “That Immortal You Lan seems to have some feelings for you. Why are you always so cold to her?”

Hearing this, Si Qing continued walking as he replied, “I don’t believe there’s any rule stating I must be nice to her.”

“…” Fu Huan was left speechless by Si Qing’s response. She opened her mouth but ultimately decided to say nothing more.

Si Qing said he wanted to take her somewhere, but she had no idea where that might be.

Fu Huan followed beside Si Qing, and after walking for a while, she realized that they weren’t heading toward the exit of the Underworld but rather deeper inside. It seemed Si Qing wanted to take her to some place within the Underworld.

“My Lord, Upper God.” As the two walked, a small ghost suddenly appeared and knelt before them.

“What is it?” Si Qing asked.

The small ghost raised his head, his gaze falling on Fu Huan. “Upper God Fu Huan, the Celestial Emperor, has just issued an edict rescinding your punishment and training in the Underworld. He requests that you return to the Celestial Realm immediately.”

“Rescinded the edict?” Fu Huan was rather surprised.

It had only been a few short days, and the Celestial Emperor had suddenly canceled this edict. Didn’t that mean she didn’t need to stay in the Underworld anymore?

Thinking this, Fu Huan turned to look at Si Qing’s profile.

Si Qing’s thin lips were pressed together as he looked back at Fu Huan, giving a soft laugh. “Congratulations, you can leave this place now.”

Si Qing’s tone was flat, with no discernible emotion.

“Thank you,” Fu Huan expressed her gratitude. Although leaving the Underworld was a good thing, she inexplicably felt somewhat uncomfortable, though she couldn’t quite explain why.

“Weren’t you going to take me somewhere?” Fu Huan paused, then spoke to Si Qing again.

Si Qing looked at her, slowly reaching out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Next time.”

Fu Huan blushed at Si Qing’s sudden gesture, her heart suddenly beating faster. “Then I’ll go now.”

“Mm.” Si Qing nodded.

Fu Huan lowered her eyes, for some reason feeling too embarrassed to look at Si Qing at this moment.

And why was her face so hot…

Fu Huan covered her cheeks and turned around, slowly walking toward the gate of the Underworld.

Si Qing stood in place, watching Fu Huan’s gradually receding figure. After a while, he gave a self-mocking smile. They had only spent a few days together, yet he had somehow grown accustomed to having her by his side.

This was not a good sign.

……

When Fu Huan left the Underworld, the light outside shining on her body felt somewhat blinding.

She had just returned from the Celestial Realm, so why had the Celestial Emperor suddenly rescinded the edict? Could it be…

Thinking of this possibility, Fu Huan quickly made her way to the Celestial Realm, appearing in the Celestial Emperor’s palace in a brief moment.

“Paying respects to the Celestial Emperor.” Fu Huan bowed to the Celestial Emperor seated in the grand hall.

“Mm, you may rise,” the Celestial Emperor glanced at Fu Huan, his tone somewhat heavy.

Fu Huan stood up, looking at the Celestial Emperor before her.

“Huan’er, during these few days I sent you to the Underworld, did you notice anything unusual about Si Qing?” the Celestial Emperor asked.

“In reply to the Celestial Emperor, Lord Underworld God spent most of each day sitting in his study organizing case files and handling various matters, with absolutely no unusual behavior,” Fu Huan answered.

The Celestial Emperor raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Is that truly so?”

The Celestial Emperor’s words, to Fu Huan’s ears, carried some deeper meaning. But despite this, Fu Huan didn’t feel it appropriate to say anything more about Si Qing. “It is true.”

“Kneel!”

Anger suddenly surged on the Celestial Emperor’s face.

Fu Huan obediently knelt, not understanding why the Celestial Emperor had suddenly become angry for no apparent reason.

Could it be that he truly believed Si Qing was up to something?

Or perhaps he had discovered that she had revealed the spell to unlock the forbidden area?

“I hear that during your few days in the Underworld, you prepared meals for Si Qing every day?” The Celestial Emperor’s tone was somewhat elevated.

“You spent each day grinding ink in Si Qing’s study, or resting there?”

“And you even went out alone with Si Qing, returning only late at night?”

“…”

Fu Huan frowned. These were all perfectly ordinary matters, yet coming from the Celestial Emperor’s mouth, they somehow took on a certain coloration and deeper implications.

No, she needed to explain properly.

“In reply to the Celestial Emperor, on the day I went to the Underworld, it was Immortal Master Wuji who personally took me there. Before leaving, Immortal Master Wuji asked the Underworld God to treat me well, but the Underworld God refused, saying he always handled matters strictly and would not show favoritism.”

“Later, he had Fu Huan go to the Eighteen Levels of Hell to be an executioner.”

“However, the cultivation technique Fu Huan practices, including the phoenix power within her body, is of the fire element, which conflicted with the yin energy of the Eighteen Levels of Hell, nearly causing my blood to rush upward and making me faint.”

“The Underworld God may have feared for Fu Huan’s life, which is why he had Fu Huan stay by his side. Later, when Fu Huan was grinding ink, she lazily fell asleep. Upon waking, she feared the Underworld God’s punishment, so she went to make a bowl of red bean porridge, merely to curry favor…”

“These are things I used to do for Father Ziwei as well…”

Fu Huan gave a long explanation, and as she explained, in her heart, she tore You Lan to pieces a thousand times over.

That woman had indeed come to stir up trouble.

The Celestial Emperor listened to Fu Huan’s explanation and thought carefully. Everything she described seemed to fit with Fu Huan’s mischievous character.

But one thing also occurred to him.

Si Qing and Fu Huan were both unmarried, of similar age, handsome and beautiful—they could be considered a perfect match.

With prolonged interaction, genuine feelings might develop.

Although he did not oppose marriages between gods of the Celestial Realm, Si Qing had recently caused him some apprehension. If this phoenix daughter, Fu Huan, were to collude with him, it could lead to significant trouble.

This phoenix daughter possessed phoenix divine power within her body, with immeasurable might. No matter what, she must be kept firmly under his watch and made to serve the Celestial Realm.

“My previous consideration was improper. Since your energy conflicts with the Underworld, you need not return to the Underworld from now on,” the Celestial Emperor sighed, waving his hand to indicate that Fu Huan should rise.

Fu Huan stood up, and upon hearing that the Celestial Emperor would not have her return to the Underworld, she felt inexplicably disappointed. But she quickly composed herself. “Then regarding monitoring the Underworld God…”

“Let’s put that aside for now. We’ll discuss it later,” the Celestial Emperor said.

Fu Huan nodded slightly.

“You’ve had a hard time in the Underworld these past few days. Go back to Phoenix Feather Pavilion and rest well. I will summon you again if there’s anything,” the Celestial Emperor softened his tone, fearing that his earlier words might have caused Fu Huan to harbor ill feelings toward him.

“Thank you, Uncle Celestial Emperor. I’ll take my leave then.” Fu Huan gave a respectful bow to the Celestial Emperor, then turned and left.

Upon leaving the Celestial Emperor’s palace, Fu Huan heaved a deep sigh, feeling uneasy in her heart, though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what felt wrong.

Well, she would return to Phoenix Feather Pavilion first and think about it later.

After Fu Huan left the Celestial Emperor’s palace, two figures emerged—Leng Yuan and Fu Ling.

“Upper God Leng Yuan, the first step of my Immortal Master’s plan has succeeded. Now Upper God Fu Huan has been kicked out of the Underworld, leaving the position of monitoring the Underworld God vacant. It would be a good opportunity for you to go in and recommend yourself now,” Fu Ling whispered into Leng Yuan’s ear.

Leng Yuan’s gaze fixed on what lay ahead, her lips revealing a deep smile. This master and servant pair, You Lan and Fu Ling, had truly calculated meticulously.

Now that Fu Huan had just been recalled by the Celestial Emperor, they wanted her to go in and plead her case, which would be like laying all her innermost thoughts bare for the Celestial Emperor to see.

The Celestial Emperor was no fool.

Neither was she, Leng Yuan.

If she went in to recommend herself now, she would receive nothing but a scolding from the Celestial Emperor, with no positive outcome.

If both she and Fu Huan were excluded by the Celestial Emperor, wouldn’t that conveniently eliminate two enemies for You Lan at once?

What a beautiful scheme.

“Upper God, if you go in now and volunteer to train in the Underworld, the Celestial Emperor will surely think you’re not afraid of hardship and will appreciate you more…” Seeing that Leng Yuan wasn’t speaking, Fu Ling continued to whisper in her ear.

“Let’s wait a bit longer.” Leng Yuan didn’t continue listening and turned to leave.

Behind her, Fu Ling’s expression changed slightly, and she quickly followed.

……

After Fu Huan returned to Phoenix Feather Pavilion, Zi Yu was the first to come forward, smiling at her, “Master, why have you returned? Didn’t you say you would be training in the Underworld for some time?”

“The Celestial Emperor recalled me.” Fu Huan sat down on the grass, plucked a wild grass, and began to play with it idly.

“So quickly?” Zi Yu was somewhat surprised.

Fu Huan nodded, sighing, “Immortal You Lan from the Underworld couldn’t stand me. She complained to the Celestial Emperor, saying that every day in the Underworld, I was constantly coming and going with Si Qing, implying that we had romantic feelings for each other.”

“Immortal You Lan…” Zi Yu muttered this name, then showed an angry expression. “Even a minor King of Hell like her is too presumptuous, daring to gossip behind your back. Doesn’t she fear losing her immortal position?”

“This won’t do. I’m going to find her. Our master is an Upper God, after all. How dare she speak nonsense!”

After saying this, Zi Yu paused, then added angrily, “And while I’m at it, I should also speak to the Underworld God about this. How could he have raised such a troublemaker under his command?”