Half an hour later, Li Ye held a bowl of hot soup that Er’er had thrust upon him.

He looked down disdainfully at the scallions floating on the soup’s surface, his tone extremely rigid: “I don’t like drinking this.”

Er’er also held a bowl, sitting close beside him with a smile. She stirred the broth with a porcelain-white soup spoon, then scooped up a spoonful and took it into her mouth with an “ahhm.”

Yan Cha was skilled in cooking, and naturally, the soup she brewed was both fragrant and rich. The sweetness of corn suppressed the greasiness of the ribs; the meat was tender, the soup smooth, and its slightly hot temperature could warm from throat to heart.

She narrowed her eyes with satisfaction, smacking her lips: “It’s worth trying. There are immortal mountain herbs in here. Even if it’s not very useful to you, it can at least claim the title of ‘delicious.'”

“I used to get into trouble often and then be punished. Once, the Immortal Master was heavy-handed, and I was so injured I couldn’t get out of bed for half a day. Senior Sister felt sorry for me and brewed soup for me to drink.”

“The soup she makes looks ordinary, and the visible ingredients are just mortal world foods, but there’s knowledge in this soup—it hides many precious immortal herbs from behind our immortal mountain. I don’t like bitter tastes, so Senior Sister always brews away the medicinal flavor, leaving only the rich fragrance of the soup.”

Li Ye listened quietly, the disdain on his face not diminishing at all: “Unnecessarily troublesome.”

Though he said this, his fingers bent slightly, as if wanting to taste it, yet feeling it wasn’t worth it.

…

…

What was the point of him drinking the care others gave to her?

Yet, holding this thing, Li Ye couldn’t help but wonder if Hui Ji were still alive, would she also favor him like this, care for him tenderly?

A Supreme God with an age of tens of thousands of years should not crave such trivial care, yet he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

If only she hadn’t died.

Putting the soup bowl aside, Li Ye rubbed his brow. Just as he was about to speak to Er’er, he heard Zhu Yan’s respectful greeting sound in his mind: “Supreme God.”

His heart paused. Li Ye quickly glanced at Er’er, seeing she hadn’t noticed, then lightly coughed and stood up: “I’ll go get some fresh air.”

Er’er thought he simply didn’t want to drink the soup and didn’t force him, nodding while taking his bowl as well.

As his robe hem swept across the threshold, Li Ye walked to the courtyard and responded with his divine thoughts: “What is it?”

Zhu Yan said: “Taihe has gone to the Nine Heavens. The Dao Diviner was forced to send Qian Tian to the Western Sea to seek justice. When he left, he took fifty thousand troops.”

Acting quite fast? Li Ye was somewhat surprised: “The Dao Diviner is willing to spare that much?”

Zhu Yan smiled mockingly: “We underestimated Taihe.”

Originally thought to be just an old immortal who established his immortal gate, with cultivation not at the highest level and status not necessarily high. But in recent years, quite a few immortals had ascended under his guidance, and several ancient old gods even came out to speak for him. The Dao Diviner was forced to authorize Qian Tian to lead troops to the lower realm.

This way, it would be more convenient for them to act.

“How is the Netherworld?” Li Ye asked.

Zhu Yan reported the situation and then added with some difficulty: “Long Xu hasn’t returned yet.”

“Just send someone to find him,” Li Ye said without much concern. “If others go in vain, then you go personally.”

“Yes.” Zhu Yan paused, then asked, “When do we depart?”

“After Qian Tian arrives at the Western Sea,” Li Ye said. “Then you shall set out.”

Calculating their pace, it would probably be in two days.

Zhu Yan responded with some excitement, and then his voice disappeared. Li Ye stood in place, looking up at the clear sky in the distance after the rain, his eyes cold and indifferent.

Er’er took a short nap after finishing her soup.

She was somewhat tired and had intended to rest well for a moment, but who would have thought that as soon as she closed her eyes, she began to dream.

In her dream, the mortal world was flooded, all living beings suffered, corpses of the starved were everywhere, and plague followed. In just a few short months, the mortal world became no different from purgatory. She stood on a moving cloud, anxiously trying to grasp Li Ye’s sleeve, but turned to see him carrying the Phoenix-Slaying Blade, heading toward the Nine Heavens without looking back.

The gods were in a chaotic battle. For some reason, Zhu Yan stood in the most conspicuous place, hands behind his back, smiling at her.

Thunder fell from the sky, and where the lightning shone, heaven and earth were about to merge.

Breaking out in a cold sweat, Er’er suddenly sat up.

Li Ye had just returned to her side and had barely sat down when he was startled by her movement. Glancing at her deathly pale face, he couldn’t help but frown, then reached out to transfer some spiritual energy to her.

“Li Ye.” Grabbing his hand, Er’er asked with trembling eyelashes, “Are you about to seek revenge against the Dao Diviner?”

His heart sank, and his face darkened: “Who told you?”

Shaking her head, she looked at him: “I just had a nightmare.”

“…” His expression relaxed slightly, and he raised his hand to poke her forehead. “Do you have to blame your dreams on me too?”

“But you harbor a grudge,” Er’er frowned. “I can understand that a mother’s murder demands vengeance, but I feel you should investigate more.”

There was too little in the Mirror Flower Water Moon about Hui Ji; it was so vague that not even a clear face was shown. The scene of the Dao Diviner killing Hui Ji was too peaceful. If she hadn’t known about this in advance from Zhu Yan, she wouldn’t have been able to tell it was a murder scene.

Recalling Zhu Yan’s smile in her dream, Er’er couldn’t help but shudder again.

It was too strange.

However, her words were extremely unwelcome. To Li Ye’s ears, they would only seem like unreasonable nagging, and his gaze grew colder: “You need not interfere in this matter.”

Slightly choked, Er’er drooped her head.

Li Ye became angry seeing her like this. He had been so good to her; how could she still think of controlling him?

No one in heaven or earth could control him.

Turning his head away in sullen anger, Li Ye didn’t want to discuss this further. He directly established a barrier, sat in meditation, and began to cultivate.

The great master truly lived up to his reputation, thinking of cultivation wherever he was. Er’er sighed, and with her thoughts churning too much, she simply followed suit and sat in meditation.

She needed to become stronger.

The destroyed immortal mountain became a cultivation task for the disciples. Every day, a group of cultivators moved earth and filled the mountain. Even Meng Wan came to help, but restoring the immortal mountain to its original appearance still took a full nine days.

Nine days later, the immortal mountain was restored. The newly planted trees had just sprouted tender leaves when Taihe Immortal Gate welcomed another distinguished guest.

Li Ye sensed Xin Wu’s immortal energy. Just as he opened his eyes, the man had already floated before him.

With disheveled hair and a pale face, Xin Wu had lost all his usual composure. There were even bloodshot streaks in his eyes. Seeing the barrier dissipate, he directly took out his life essence and handed it to Li Ye.

Even accustomed to great storms and waves, Li Ye couldn’t help but change his expression.

“What’s this?” he asked. “Are you returning to heaven and earth?”

Xin Wu opened his mouth as if wanting to speak, but he had gone without water for too long. As his lips moved, the cracks on them burst open, and his voice was too hoarse to utter a sound.

Er’er, beside them, was truly startled and hurriedly rose to offer him a cup of tea.

As the tea entered his throat, Xin Wu pushed the life essence closer to Li Ye: “Help me with something.”