Seemingly noticing their gaze, the old man sat down in the wagon, drew in his legs, and said while twisting his white beard: “I left in a hurry and didn’t mind my appearance. Please forgive me.”

He turned his head to look at the slowly moving ox cart, his eyebrows furrowing: “Can this ox find its way?”

Li Ye averted his gaze, seemingly not very interested in engaging with him, so Er’er had to respond: “Where are you headed?”

“Qianxi City.” The old man lifted his chin, his expression somewhat arrogant, clearly someone used to having his way at home.

However, at the moment, with no one else around him, he could only rely on these two young people of unknown character. The old man pinched the hem of his clothes, pondered for a while, and eventually softened his tone: “I have an acquaintance there, though I don’t know if they’re still alive.”

“An acquaintance?” Er’er tilted her head, feeling this term was quite distant. But looking at the old man’s demeanor, if it were truly just an acquaintance, why would he be in such a hurry?

Since they had nothing better to do on the journey, the old man pondered for a moment before speaking directly:

“Last night, a messenger from Qianxi City arrived with urgent news for nearby cities, saying someone went mad and drove a cart filled with gunpowder into the marketplace. Alas, many people died. I have an unfilial daughter who happens to be married there. Our family carriage couldn’t leave the city, so I thought I’d go see for myself. If she truly met with such misfortune, I could at least collect her remains.”

Er’er raised her eyebrows upon hearing this and turned to look at Li Ye.

…

…

Was this caused by the Gate of Life and Death?

Li Ye had his eyes half-closed, seemingly resting. Sensing her confusion, he responded indifferently: “Though the Gate of Life and Death carries resentful energy, it doesn’t harm people directly. It only amplifies the evil thoughts already present in people’s hearts.”

Human hearts are often tainted, which is why whenever the Gate of Life and Death descends upon the mortal realm, it inevitably brings catastrophe. This was merely the beginning.

The little one became anxious upon hearing this and secretly urged the ox cart to move faster. Li Ye, however, remained unconcerned. Mortals were simply part of the cycle of life and death; they would be reborn after death. Moreover, he didn’t find them particularly likable.

Glancing at the old man’s resentful face, he shook his head slightly.

The old man was filled with hatred and stubbornness. Having lived for sixty years, he had harbored twenty years of resentment in his belly.

How boring.

Withdrawing his gaze, he continued to close his eyes.

The old man continued rambling: “I told her early on that she shouldn’t marry into that family. She wouldn’t listen and insisted on disgracing me. It’s been twenty years without contact. How could anyone be so unfilial?”

Er’er rested her chin on her hand as she listened, asking curiously: “Why couldn’t she marry into that family?”

“You don’t know—that poor boy she set her eyes on had no responsibility, no prospects. He was so timid that he wouldn’t even dare breathe loudly in my presence,” the old man spat out angrily. “I don’t know what lies he told to deceive my daughter, but she was willing to sever ties with me just to live in poverty with him.”

“Now look what’s happened. I don’t even know if she’s still alive.”

“I have plenty of other children and grandchildren. I don’t care about her bloodline. Her threats meant nothing to me. For twenty years, I never lowered my head.”

Proudly raising his chin, the old man shook his head: “I’ve always been a man of principle.”

After applauding him for the show, Er’er wondered: “Then why are you in such a hurry this time?”

“I’m not in a hurry, not at all,” he denied with a wave of his hand. “I have business and shops in Qianxi City. I’m rushing over to check on them, and just happen to see her while I’m there.”

That’s not what you said earlier.

Silently commenting to herself, Er’er found this old man quite interesting. So she secretly conjured a shoe and tossed it into the wagon, then pretended to suddenly notice: “Oh, your shoe fell off.”

The old man looked down, picked up the shoe, examined it, and then looked at the other one still on his foot. His eyes showed confusion: “When I left home, I was only wearing one shoe. How did this end up here?”

Er’er shrugged, indicating she didn’t know. The old man was puzzled for a moment, but still put the shoe on.

At his age, his body was no longer robust. Rushing out like this, he might not even have the strength to return. The ox cart was bumpy, far less comfortable than a horse carriage. He clutched his waist in pain and murmured: “It’s so far.”

“It’s not that far,” Er’er said, looking up at the city ahead. “We’re about to reach the city gate.”

The old man was startled and quickly stood up to look ahead, his cloudy eyes widening: “We’ve arrived?”

From what he remembered, the journey between these two places would take a full day even with urgent dispatch riders traveling eight hundred li. Not to mention this slow-moving ox cart should have taken four or five days at minimum to reach the city gates. How had they arrived so quickly after he’d just boarded?

Rubbing his eyes to confirm that the characters hanging on the city gate indeed read “Qianxi City,” the old man took a couple of deep breaths, looking at the two people on the cart with suspicion and fear.

The young girl seemed lively and spirited, nothing unusual about her. But the man sitting behind her was gloomy all over, with sharp features, clearly not an ordinary person.

Could it be that he had encountered demons?

His face paling, the old man clutched the edge of the wagon and began coughing heavily.

Li Ye opened his eyes, his gaze lightly sweeping toward him.

The old man’s chest tightened, and he even suppressed his coughing.

“Qianxi City is under martial law. Everyone must dismount.” At the city gate, a long queue had formed, and soldiers with shields were shouting at those behind them.

The old man looked around, wanting to seize the opportunity to escape, but the scene before his eyes suddenly shifted, and the slow-moving ox cart was now directly traveling on a street within the city.

“…” He looked at the man in terror.

“What are you doing?” Er’er reproachfully tugged at Li Ye’s sleeve. “Didn’t we agree not to frighten people?”

With a light snort, Li Ye replied: “He couldn’t have withstood that ordeal.”

An old man with one foot in the grave—if tormented further, he might die right here and make her cry.

Er’er looked at him, then at the old man who was so frightened he could barely breathe, and wasn’t sure who was tormenting whom.

“Go find your person,” she said as the cart stopped by the roadside, helping him down. “Keep your silver notes safe.”

The silver notes that had been given out were now back in his pocket. The old man stood shakily by the roadside, staring blankly at their ox cart.

The cart quickly disappeared around the corner of the street. It took him a long while to come to his senses before he collapsed, trembling, onto the ground.

All mortals believe in divine beings, but when encountering something they cannot understand, their first reaction is to assume it’s a demon rather than a deity. This stems from the narrow-mindedness and malice in human hearts. Li Ye was long accustomed to this and didn’t expect the old man to have a good impression of them. After all, once they parted ways, they had nothing to do with each other.

What concerned him more was…

“What are you thinking about now?”

Er’er had been lowering her head, holding it in her hands. Hearing the question, she looked up, her eyes misty.

“It seems to be this place,” she said bewilderedly, pointing at the road they were traveling on. “I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before.”

Roads in the mortal realm all look the same. What’s there to have seen or not seen? Li Ye was dismissive, but he still glanced in the direction she was pointing.