The further they went, the more Fuhuan felt her footsteps becoming increasingly unsteady, cold sweat pouring from her entire body without stopping.

It seemed this Underworld truly conflicted with her nature.

After walking for a while, Fuhuan began to hear waves of miserable screams coming through, along with various sounds of chains and whips lashing. This level was permeated with an aura of death.

“Those imprisoned here all committed unforgivable sins in their lifetime. Therefore, after death, they must endure endless torment here, never to be reincarnated.” Youlan cast a glance at Fuhuan, her tone tinged with ghostly malice.

Fuhuan pressed her lips together. “So what am I supposed to do here?”

“There’s not much to do here. Mainly, you’ll be an executioner.” As Youlan spoke, she stopped in front of an iron door.

Fuhuan stopped with her and looked inside the iron door to see a man tied up securely.

“This is a newly arrived sinner. Supreme Deity, please carry out the punishment here. After this one, others will be brought in,” Youlan said.

“What punishment?”

…

…

“Sawing.”

Fuhuan was slightly stunned, processing the word “sawing.” According to rumors, it meant using a saw to cut a person into segments until death…

This was a bit too extreme.

“Supreme Deity, please go quickly. The master has always disliked procrastination. If you delay, I fear he may punish you,” Youlan reminded Fuhuan, then opened the iron door, indicating for Fuhuan to enter.

Fuhuan nodded and stepped inside.

Upon entering, she found a saw placed at her feet.

“I’ll leave now. If Supreme Deity Fuhuan needs anything, just send someone to find me,” Youlan smiled, then turned and left.

Inside the iron door, Fuhuan bent down, picked up the saw from the ground, and looked at the tightly bound man, hesitating to act.

Compared to the screams coming from the other iron doors, Fuhuan’s area was exceptionally quiet.

Firstly, she was somewhat afraid to begin.

Secondly, she wasn’t feeling well.

The tightly bound man before her, seeing Fuhuan pick up the saw but hesitate to move, became increasingly frightened and finally couldn’t help but burst into tears. “Spare me! Spare me! I beg this immortal lady to let this lowly one reincarnate. I promise to be a good person in my next life!”

Fuhuan found this headache-inducing. She rubbed her temples. “Shut up!”

After her rebuke, the man obediently closed his mouth, though he still looked terrified at the saw in Fuhuan’s hand.

…

Outside, Siqing was leaning against a wall, watching Fuhuan’s every move inside the iron door through an illusion conjured by Youlan.

Seeing Fuhuan’s continued hesitation, Youlan looked toward Siqing. “Master, Supreme Deity Fuhuan is, after all, a woman. Perhaps such punishments should be left to the little ghosts?”

Siqing didn’t answer Youlan, still watching Fuhuan in the illusion with interest. “In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, she’s wiped sweat three times. Is the Eighteenth Level of Hell that hot?”

The entire Underworld was an extremely cold place. Being hot there should be impossible.

Could it be that she was frightened?

Hearing this, Youlan also noticed the beads of sweat on Fuhuan’s face. Just as she was about to speak, she glimpsed that Siqing’s gaze was fixed intently on Fuhuan, his eyes even tinged with a hint of amusement…

Youlan was slightly taken aback. Having been by Siqing’s side for so long, she had never seen him display such an expression.

Unconsciously, she gently clenched her fingers.

“Clang—” A crisp sound suddenly came from within the illusion.

The saw in Fuhuan’s hand dropped from her palm, followed by the sight of Fuhuan leaning against a nearby wall, gasping for breath continuously, her complexion becoming increasingly pale.

Siqing slightly furrowed his brow. What was happening?

“Bring her up.”

After dropping these four words, Siqing went to his study.

Shortly after, Fuhuan was brought to his study by two little ghosts.

As soon as she entered, she heard Siqing’s mocking voice, “If you can’t even perform the most basic task of punishment, why did the Heavenly Emperor send you here for training? Was it deliberately to cause me trouble?”

Fuhuan lowered her eyes. Earlier in the Eighteenth Level of Hell, the coldness rising from the soles of her feet had almost consumed all the fiery essence in her body.

It was even accompanied by waves of suffocation.

“The task you assigned me was too cruel,” Fuhuan said. Just thinking about using a saw to cut someone into segments made her feel nauseous.

“Cruel?” Siqing looked up with a cold smile. “Those who are locked in the Eighteenth Level of Hell, what kind of people do you think they were in life?”

After speaking, Siqing raised his hand and tossed a booklet, throwing it at Fuhuan’s feet.

Fuhuan bent down to pick up the booklet and opened the first page. It recorded a person’s information—

Zhang Wu, a native of Yun City, former county magistrate of Yun City. Forced himself on women, accepted bribes, perverted justice, hired assassins, and committed all evils.

Died at seventy years old.

“Such an evil person who lived to seventy years old, what do you think about that?” Siqing fixed his gaze on Fuhuan.

Fuhuan shook her head, not wanting to speak.

“Living so freely in life, letting him suffer a bit after death, is that cruel?” Siqing asked again.

Fuhuan shook her head again. Although she didn’t speak, this time, her perception of Siqing as a person had somewhat improved.

But she still couldn’t do those things, because…

“My fiery essence seems to conflict with this Underworld. The colder the place, the worse I feel. Could you perhaps let me stay on this level?” Fuhuan said, looking up at Siqing, her tone mixed with a hint of grievance.

Who had she offended to be sent here for no reason, now finding her true essence conflicting with the environment? Just now in the Eighteenth Level of Hell, she had nearly lost her life.

“Are you sure the Heavenly Emperor sent you here for training and punishment?” Siqing was speechless, yet he didn’t immediately refuse Fuhuan.

Fuhuan pouted, thinking silently, You think I wanted to come?

Seeing her rolling her eyes, thinking about something, Siqing inexplicably stood up, walked to Fuhuan’s side, and inconspicuously pressed his sleeve against hers.

After using mind-reading, Fuhuan’s current thoughts came through clearly—

If you’re so capable, why don’t you ask the Heavenly Emperor to send me back?

If it weren’t for the Heavenly Emperor’s command, making me come here to monitor your every move, do you think I would come?

And making me saw people with a saw, do I look like that kind of person?

…

After sensing her thoughts, Siqing’s lips imperceptibly curved into a slight smile.

So, she came to monitor him.

“For the time being, you’ll stay by my side, until the Heavenly Emperor commands you to leave,” Siqing glanced at Fuhuan, still standing by her side.

Fuhuan was stunned, turning to look at Siqing. “You’re being so agreeable?”

“It seems your misunderstanding of me runs deep,” Siqing said flatly.

Fuhuan pouted, remembering how she was threatened the first time she met this lord, and silently muttered, Are they all misunderstandings?

Anyway, since he allowed her to stay by his side, that was for the best. At least she wouldn’t have to face those demons and ghosts anymore.

His place was better after all, with a clean and bright study.

Hearing her thoughts, Siqing was somewhat surprised. Shouldn’t her first reaction be that staying by his side would make it easier to monitor him?

Yet she focused first on the environment…

What was this woman thinking in her head?

“Come and grind the ink!” After talking with Fuhuan for a while, Siqing returned to his desk and instructed Fuhuan to grind ink.

Grinding ink was something Fuhuan was skilled at.

Back when she lived in the Purple Subtlety Palace, she had done this many times.

So she walked to the desk, picked up the inkstone, and leisurely began to grind the ink.

Gradually, Fuhuan noticed that Siqing was very serious when working. He examined the booklets placed at his side one by one, carefully handling them. During the process, he didn’t speak a word to her.

After some time, Fuhuan’s legs were getting sore.

Seeing that there was still plenty of ink in the inkstone and that Siqing was still handling various matters, she quietly walked to a nearby chair and sat down.

As soon as she sat down, Siqing, who had been busy, raised his eyes and glanced at Fuhuan, who was supporting her head and yawning. He shook his head helplessly but didn’t stop her.

After a long while, when Siqing noticed the ink in the inkstone was used up, he was about to call Fuhuan over to grind more ink. But looking up, he saw that Fuhuan had fallen asleep curled up in the chair.

Her breathing was shallow, her head tilted, her body curled up—her sleeping posture resembled a lazy cat.

That afternoon, Siqing didn’t know how long he stared at her sleeping face.

…

When Fuhuan woke up, Siqing was still busy, but the person grinding the ink had become Siqing himself.

“You’re awake?” Just as she opened her eyes, a cool and indifferent voice sounded from the desk.

Without thinking, Fuhuan knew that facing this strict Lord of the Underworld, she might be punished next…

“I…” Fuhuan opened her mouth, “I haven’t slept well for several days, so I accidentally fell asleep just now.”

Siqing looked at her, and before he could speak, Fuhuan added, “Master, you’ve been busy for so long, are you hungry? Would you like me to cook something for you to eat?”

“You can cook?” Siqing didn’t know why he would suddenly blurt out such a question.

Fuhuan immediately nodded. “Yes, yes. Back when I was at the Purple Subtlety Palace, I had nothing to do alone, so I often made some food for Purple Subtlety Father.”

“Then wait a moment for me, I’ll go prepare something for you to eat.” After speaking, as if fearing punishment, Fuhuan hurriedly ran out of Siqing’s study.

After leaving the study, she let out a long sigh of relief.

How cowardly.

She was terrified to death at the sight of this Lord of the Underworld.

After leaving the study, Fuhuan was about to ask the little ghost guarding the door where the kitchen was when she saw Immortal Lord Youlan walking toward her with several booklets in her arms, evidently having something to discuss with Siqing.

“Where is Supreme Deity Fuhuan going?” Youlan examined Fuhuan, noticing that she looked as if she had just woken up.

But…

How could the master allow her to sleep during punishment?

“May I ask where the kitchen is?” Fuhuan asked.

“The kitchen? Is Supreme Deity Fuhuan hungry?” Youlan was somewhat surprised. It wasn’t yet mealtime, how could the master let her out to eat?

Fuhuan smiled. “No, I’m planning to make something for the Lord of the Underworld to eat.”

“…” Youlan was stunned again, twitching the corner of her mouth. “But the master doesn’t seem to like that…”

She had made and brought meals to Siqing for ten consecutive days, but each time they were rejected by Siqing, using the same reason—

He didn’t need them.

Afterward, Youlan believed that Siqing truly didn’t need them, and thus never made meals for Siqing again.

But Fuhuan was…?

Fuhuan frowned slightly. “Really? But he didn’t say he didn’t want it just now…”