The city guard of Baiyue City was instantly horrified when he heard Fang Chen's words, his scalp tingling. He fixed his eyes on Fang Chen.
Another city guard asked in surprise, "What's going on? Do you know this wandering soul?"
"I don't just know him."
The first city guard smirked slightly, a trace of cold mockery flashing in his eyes. "It's an old acquaintance. General Fang, am I right?"
Fang Chen smiled. "Is Xia Yu here?"
Xia Yu had died years ago, but his karmic fate had yet to be severed. His soul might have passed through the Underworld, crossed the Forgotten River, and eventually ended up in Baiyue City.
The city guard smiled faintly. "The Crown Prince has long since returned to the earth and is not in Baiyue City anymore. General Fang need not worry. Please, come into the city."
Fang Chen nodded and walked into the city.
Watching his back, the first city guard's eyes glistened. Once Fang Chen was out of sight, he turned to his colleague. "I have some things to handle. I'll be back shortly. You keep an eye on things."
The first city guard waved impatiently, hurrying away.
As Fang Chen walked through Baiyue City, he noticed that the levels of power here were even lower than those in Youhuan City. The strongest auras were no stronger than the one belonging to the guy surnamed Zhao, whom Fang Chen had previously killed.
Meanwhile, inside the City Lord's mansion of Baiyue City, a banquet was being held, and most of the city's noble figures had gathered.
Xia Yu, walking with his wife amidst the wandering souls, suddenly felt a wave of fatigue amidst the clinking of cups and the swirling of drinks.
The woman sitting beside Xia Yu saw how exhausted he was, so she pointed at a distant bamboo pavilion and suggested, "Dear, are you feeling a little tired? Let's go sit over there; it's quieter."
Xia Yu nodded lightly, and the two of them walked over to the pavilion. Xia Yu's gaze wandered far off.
Over there, the people drinking and sitting were all prominent figures in Baiyue City. Among them were the Division God, the Day and Night Guards, and his father-in-law, the Lord of Baiyue City.
Xia Yu suddenly said, "Dear, how is the matter progressing? When will father give me a definite answer?"
The woman paused slightly and softly replied, "Don't worry, Dear. Father said that the Lord of the Day Walkers has already made the necessary connections. Soon, you'll be promoted. Once he leaves, the position of the Day Walker Guard will be vacant. My father has already made arrangements for you to take over."
Xia Yu smiled bitterly. "That's good. I just don't know how many more years it'll take."
The woman gently stroked Xia Yu's back. "Be patient, Dear. It's already been so many years. Can you not let go of the matters of the mortal realm?"
Xia Yu gazed into the void, a trace of bitterness flashing in his eyes. "The matters of the mortal realm…. I fear I'll never forget them in this lifetime. They took everything I deserved from me. How can I accept that? I was once the Crown Prince of Grand Xia. I was destined to be the future Emperor. I was destined to walk the path of immortality, to become an eternal being.
"But all of this changed completely because of that person. Now, I only hope to become a Day Walker, work hard to advance through the ranks, and one day be able to meet that person in the Underworld. I want to see him look up to me and tremble beneath my feet."
The woman gently nodded. "I believe you will succeed, Dear. You are no ordinary man. You are destined to transform into a dragon."
Xia Yu smiled slightly and looked at his wife fondly. "Dear, you are the only one in this world who truly understands me."
The woman gently leaned into Xia Yu's embrace. "Dear…."
Suddenly, someone interrupted their moment, saying, "Your Highness, Your Highness... I hope I am not disturbing you."
Xia Yu furrowed his brow and looked at the newcomer. "I recall today is your shift at the city gate. Why are you here and not standing guard? Your superior is at the Lord's residence. If he sees you, I won't be able to speak up for you."
His wife gently pulled away from Xia Yu's embrace. She softly said, "I'll take a walk over there. I'll come back shortly."
Xia Yu nodded with a smile. "Alright."
Once Xia Yu's wife left, his expression turned cold again. "Speak, what is it? Who did you meet this time? For trivial matters, handle them on your own, there's no need to come to me. Longdu, Gu He, Yi Zhou, Qing Song— I have too many acquaintances; I don't have time to meet them one by one."
The newcomer kneeled on one knee, his expression filled with excitement. "Your Highness, it's Fang Chen. I saw Fang Chen!"
"Fang Chen!?" Xia Yu shot to his feet, his eyes fixed on the newcomer. "Are you sure? Is it really Fang Chen!? He... he's dead too?"
The newcomer quickly assured him, "I am absolutely certain, I even spoke with him for a moment. It's definitely Fang Chen!"
Xia Yu let out a low, triumphant laugh. "Hahahahahaha..."
He paced back and forth in the bamboo pavilion, his excitement spilling out uncontrollably. It took a while for him to calm down. He said in a deep voice, "Let's go! Take me to him."
Inside Bai Yue City, Fang Chen wandered about for a while. As he strolled around, he discovered that Bai Yun City didn't have Spirit God Temples. He couldn't even see a single Yin Walker here.
"Grand Xia has had few cultivators to begin with. And the soul-crossing ritual had been lost for a very long time. Even in the Central Continent, only a handful of people knew this technique. It's no surprise there are none here in Baiyue City. The souls here probably have never encountered a Yin Walker. They wouldn't recognize my identity."
A nearly transparent soul holding a broken bowl crawled up from the ground toward Fang Chen. She pleaded, "Please, have mercy and grant me some Yin lifespan…."
"Your Yin lifespan is about to run out. Instead of living , it would be better to end it all," said Fang Chen softly. "Even if I grant you a year, you'll still be gone next year."
"One... one year would be enough. Please have mercy, Lord. If I can live for another year, I could perhaps bring my father into the city. He's suffering so much in the Forgotten River... so much..."
The beggar seemed to hear these words for the first time, her emotions overwhelmed her. She weakly lifted her head to look at Fang Chen. Upon seeing him, it was as if she had been struck by lightning, freezing up.
Fang Chen also recognized her. His brows furrowed, and he reached out to help her up. He then handed her a Yin Lifespan Coin.
The woman quickly took the coin and swallowed it. Her body turned more solid, and she didn't look as weak as before.
Fang Chen asked lightly, "Goddess Xiao, you said your father is in the Forgotten River? The mighty Marshall Xiao Lang can't even cross the Forgotten River?"
Although Goddess Shen was disheveled and looked completely different from when she was alive, Fang Chen recognized her at a glance.
"Fang... Fang Chen, how could it be you... You're dead too? No, this is bad. You need to hide, quickly! Xia Yu is here in Baiyue City. He's the son-in-law of the city lord. If he finds out, your fate will be even worse than mine!" she exclaimed in her fear.
A calm voice interrupted, "Hide? It's too late for that,"
Goddess Shen shuddered. She slowly turned around to see Xia Yu accompanied by the earlier city guard. He was standing with his hands behind his back, staring at Fang Chen with an expressionless face.