Chapter 325
Chapter 325
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Translator: Ace
Chapter:
Chapter Title: Chaos in Yuan Chen Palace
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Blackie Pot kept feeling like something was off. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly realized: "I don't have a tail anymore!"
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Chen Shi looked around, thinking to himself: "Where did Boat Aunt go?"
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With a rag draped over his shoulder and a bucket in hand, he searched everywhere but couldn't find Boat Aunt's little yaksha.
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The Young Lord's Yuan Chen Palace spanned dozens of li around, a vast place filled with ornate beams and painted rafters. Little yakshas bustled about everywhere, chattering away with their "guaji guaji" noises.
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Some little yakshas climbed trees to trim branches. Because they sawed from the front while sitting backward, they often tumbled down from the trees along with the branches.
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Others loosened the soil and fertilized, digging pits and dragging companions over to bury them inside. They'd pat a couple of shovelfuls of dirt on their heads and walk off as if nothing had happened.
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A few little yakshas, seeing no one around, tossed companions they didn't like into the fish ponds to feed the dragonfish.
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When guests arrived and instructed them to tend to their mounts, some little yakshas teamed up with others to feed their companions to the visitors' mounts.
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The Yuan Chen Palace was a chaotic mess, with little yakshas getting into accidents everywhere. Fortunately, no one minded when these little things died—they could just recruit more from outside the palace to fill the gaps.
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Chen Shi searched for a good while but still couldn't find Boat Aunt's little yaksha. He felt a bit uneasy.
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"Temporary possession is a spell created by Granny Sha, true to her usual style—good enough if it works."
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He thought to himself, "Granny Sha's principle is that a little error is fine, as long as it's not too big. That's a successful spell.
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But clearly, with more than two people, it starts to go off."
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This time, it was two people and a dog—a bit too many. Clearly, the spell had some flaw somewhere.
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"Where exactly did she possess... Never mind Boat Aunt for now. She's highly skilled and won't get done in by other little yakshas."
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Chen Shi led Blackie Pot forward. Passing by a little yaksha who had trimmed the flower bed and accidentally cut off its own arm, he set down the bucket and bandaged the wound with the rag.
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Chen Shi picked up the shears and trimmed some flower branches. After a few snips, he dropped them and dodged a falling branch from above, along with the little yaksha riding on it.
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He walked forward, picked up a pronged tool, thrust it into the fish pond, and fished out a little yaksha that companions had tossed in to feed the fish.
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He tossed aside the prong and headed to the back kitchen, where the little yakshas stoking fires and cooking were brawling. All sorts of sharp blades flew through the air.
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Chen Shi and Blackie Pot wove through the flurry of knives, casually pulling a little yaksha out from the bottom of a pot. He untied another little yaksha bound to the roasting rack and yanked one about to become fish fodder off the cutting board.
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By the time they went from one end of the kitchen to the other, they had changed into the uniforms of serving yakshas carrying dishes. They followed the little yakshas ahead toward the banquet hall.
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The Young Lord was hosting guests in Jade Wave Hall. The banquet was originally set for two days later, but Immortal Capital was remote with complex terrain, so many guests had arrived early.
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Their three meals a day needed arranging, and he had to keep them company.
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Chen Shi and Blackie Pot carried the dishes to the entrance of Jade Wave Hall. Here, the little yakshas settled down considerably and didn't dare fool around.
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Chen Shi behaved himself too, thinking this was a chance to enter Jade Wave Hall and see just who the Young Lord was entertaining.
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But upon arrival, beautiful women took the bowls and dishes from their hands and delivered them into the hall, not allowing lowly ghost creatures like them inside.
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Chen Shi looked closely. These beautiful women weren't paper effigies—they should be the primordial spirits of female cultivators.
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"The Young Lord's forces in the underworld are indeed formidable!"
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Chen Shi turned to head back. At the corner, he took dishes from a little yaksha's hands, turned around, and continued serving. Voices from Jade Wave Hall drifted into his ears.
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"Young Lord, when will Lord Wei ascend the throne as the new generation Yama King?"
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A ghost god's voice reached Chen Shi's ears: "The Yama throne has been vacant for five years. Lord Qingtian has been missing for five years, whereabouts unknown. Your honored father, Lord Wei Ling, is of high virtue and prestige, the perfect successor to become the new Lord Yama."
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Another ghost god declared loudly: "Deputy Marshal Tan speaks truly.
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Without a Yama King in the underworld, the ghost gods are in chaos. We underlings don't even know who to report to.
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Over these five years, Lord Wei Ling has toiled ceaselessly to keep the underworld stable. We Yin Commanders have all seen it.
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The master of Hell's Hall of Yama can only be Lord Wei! We Yin Commanders of Hell's Hall submit to no other ghost god!"
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At that moment, a mild and refined voice rang out: "Everyone, how could my father dare become the new Yama King? Lord Qingtian came from Huaxia Divine Continent after all, bearing immense merits and the adoration of the masses. That's why a strand of his incarnation came to Western Ox New Continent, using supreme arts to establish the underworld's order—ghosts follow the ghost path, gods the god path, humans the human path, keeping the yin and yang realms stable.
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Now that Lord Qingtian is missing, we should exhaust every effort to search for him.
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How could we usurp his position?"
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Chen Shi thought to himself upon hearing this: "This must be the Young Lord, Wei Yue?
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His words are quite reasonable."
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A maidservant outside Jade Wave Hall took the dishes from his hands.
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Chen Shi walked back. At the corner, Blackie Pot's little yaksha was clutching another little yaksha by the neck, pinning it against the wall and gesturing for it to hand over the dishes.
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Chen Shi took the dishes, turned, and continued serving.
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"Young Lord, you are mistaken!"
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Another ghost god's voice rose: "Lord Qingtian did establish the underworld's order, a tremendous achievement indeed. But after all, he is not a native ghost god of our Western Ox New Continent! He was an outsider too!"
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"That's not how to put it." In the end, a voice defended: "Lord Qingtian is the Yama King sealed by the will of the masses. The people's hearts surpass imperial decree, surpass heavenly mandate! We Yin Commanders, how could we defy the people's will? Besides, Lord Qingtian's disappearance is suspicious! Even before he vanished, I heard he had already been secretly plotted against and suppressed! Someone in the underworld wants to rebel!"
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Jade Wave Hall suddenly fell silent, a dead stillness.
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Young Lord Wei Yue burst into laughter, breaking the silence: "Marshal Meng, you can eat your rice, but you can't speak carelessly. You claim something happened to Lord Qingtian—do you have proof?"
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That Marshal Meng sneered: "These years, the Judges of Hell's Hall have died, been injured, or fled. Yin Commanders have died in droves. How many of the Yin Commanders promoted by Lord Qingtian back then remain? How many of the Judges he elevated are left? Marshal Wei, among the surviving Judges now, only your honored father remains, right?"
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"Meng Banshan, what do you mean by that?" A Yin Commander slammed the table in fury: "Are you implying the underworld's turmoil was caused by Lord Wei? Lord Wei doesn't have that kind of power!"
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The maidservant took the dishes from Chen Shi's hands. He turned back around. At the corner, Blackie Pot was beating a little yaksha unwilling to hand over the dishes, leaving the other with a bruised and swollen face.
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Chen Shi snatched the plate and headed back. Voices from the Jade Wave Hall crowd came to his ears.
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This time, the Young Lord Wei Yue was hosting the Yin Commanders from Hell's Hall. The other Yin Commanders now verbally attacked this Marshal Meng Banshan, accusing him of slandering Vice Judge Wei Ling without evidence. They criticized his character, dragged in his private life, then demanded he confess guilt and surrender his Yin Commander seal.
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The routine sounded familiar to Chen Shi. He thought: "This playbook is just like the pure faction's tactics. These Yin Commanders of Hell's Hall have issues!"
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Suddenly, Meng Banshan shot to his feet and sneered: "Enough! Whoever harmed Lord Qingtian knows it in their heart!
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These years, first Deputy Judge Dai Changjun died in Ten Thousand Gods Valley—you said he was killed by demon gods! Then Vice Judge Wu Yuantong fell in battle at Dao Abyss—you claimed demon gods again! Later, the Tongue-Ripping Hell was shattered, nearly all Vice Judges slain—you said they died to demon god invasion! And then, you turned on Lord Qingtian himself! Such audacity!"
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Meng Banshan was furious beyond measure and roared: "Your plan was good! But you haven't gotten the Book of Life and Death yet! Without it, you can't control divine authority. I'd like to see how you become Yama King!"
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Chen Shi's expression changed. After delivering this dish, he hurried back to the corner.
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Blackie Pot had a serving yaksha pinned underfoot, holding a dish plate in his hands with a fierce look.
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Chen Shi stepped forward, took the plate, signaled Blackie Pot to stop extorting other little yakshas, returned the dish to that little yaksha, and led Blackie Pot outward. In a low voice, he said: "Big trouble in the underworld."
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Blackie Pot hurried after him: "Woof... what happened?"
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"The Yan Clan may have spent thousands of years plotting a rebellion against the underworld, seizing all its divine authority."
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As Chen Shi walked, he spoke rapidly: "Over these years, the Yan Clan has rooted out all of Yama King's forces, from Yin Commanders to Vice Judges, replacing them entirely. They even shattered the hells, destroying the treasures of Yin Commanders and Vice Judges one by one, preventing these ghost gods from using treasures to mobilize the underworld's great dao power and shaking Yama King's rule."
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"Guaji?" A passing little yaksha turned and followed Chen Shi and Blackie Pot, puzzled.
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"Miss?" Chen Shi probed.
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"Guaji."
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The little yaksha affirmed confidently.
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Blackie Pot kicked that little yaksha flying with one paw.
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Chen Shi continued: "This rebellion has dragged on for many years. They eliminated Yin Commanders and Vice Judges one after another. Back when Grandpa and the others were searching for me, they encountered a dying Yin Commander who handed his seal to Uncle A Zhuo, making him the new Yin Commander."
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His eyes lit up as he spoke rapidly: "Right, there's also Iron Chime the Yin Commander, and Zhong Kui! Over twenty years ago, they were ambushed too and had to flee into reincarnation in the mortal world!"
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"Guaji!"
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A crowd of nosy little yakshas ran up behind him, eyes sparkling with excitement.
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Blackie Pot kicked them flying one by one.
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Chen Shi pondered: "Until they sidelined Lord Qingtian and imprisoned him! According to their plot, after Lord Qingtian's death, Vice Judge Wei Ling would inherit the Yama throne as the new Yama King. Vice Judge Wei Ling isn't Yan Clan after all, but fortunately, his son Wei Yue is."
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His gaze flickered as if talking to himself or to Blackie Pot. In a low voice: "If Wei Ling becomes the new Yama King, then suddenly drops dead, the Yama throne falls to Wei Yue. Then Hell's Hall belongs to the Yan Clan..."
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"Guaji, guaji, guaji!"
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A group of little yakshas trailed right behind him, tilting their heads to listen eagerly.
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These little yakshas were very interested in such conspiracies.
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Blackie Pot wanted to kick them all flying, but there were too many, and more kept coming this way.
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Chen Shi seemed oblivious, murmuring: "Five years ago, Grandpa led many friends to storm the underworld, searching everywhere for my soul. They broke into where Lord Qingtian was suppressed. Thinking these ghost gods were holding me, they tried to rescue. Lord Qingtian seized the chance to transform into a crescent moon and escape to Gong Province."
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With nowhere left to go, Lord Qingtian, to evade pursuing ghost gods, had no choice but to enter the belly of a dead prostitute.
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The prostitute gave birth after death to a girl lost in fetal confusion, with no memories of her past life. She was named Little Bastard.
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Adopted by a matron under Young Master Mo's command, at age four, Chen Shi came to Smoky Lane, killed the matron, rescued Little Bastard, and named her Nuan Nuan.
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"Young Lord Mo's ghost gods searched fruitlessly for Lord Qingtian. Now the Young Lord summons Hell's Hall ghost gods to Yuan Chen Palace in Immortal Capital, hosting all guests. The purpose is likely to communicate with every Hell's Hall ghost god, getting them to endorse Vice Judge Wei Ling for the new Yama throne."
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Speaking to this point, Chen Shi exhaled heavily and whispered: "I'm afraid when Wei Ling ascends the Yama throne, his death isn't far off! As expected of the Yan Clan among the Thirteen Great Families—their ambitions are massive."
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"Guaji..."
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A long sigh came from behind him.
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Chen Shi turned and startled. Hundreds of little yakshas clutched their little round hats, faces full of worry.
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Chen Shi looked at Blackie Pot and whispered: "Didn't you try disrupting their thoughts?"
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Blackie Pot stared at the little yakshas, but they remained unmoved.
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Blackie Pot hung his head dejectedly.
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Chen Shi realized: "So Blackie Pot's abilities come from bloodline power. Now in a new body, the bloodline power didn't transfer.
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"Not safe to stay here long!" Chen Shi said rapidly. "That Marshal Meng Banshan publicly defied Young Lord Wei Yue this time—he won't tolerate it. Once Meng leaves Immortal Capital, he's dead for sure! We follow immediately. If there's a chance, we save his life!"
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"Guaji guaji!" The little yakshas behind them panicked too, dropping tools and running outward.
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These little guys were especially susceptible to others' emotions.
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At that moment, from Jade Wave Hall came Marshal Meng Banshan's cold shout: "I won't eat at this banquet!"
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With that, he stormed out angrily.
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Chen Shi and Blackie Pot exchanged a glance, immediately dispelling the temporary possession. Their primordial spirits returned to their bodies.
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After they left, the two little yakshas woke in confusion. Seeing others running out, not knowing why but seeing everyone flee, they too bolted out of Yuan Chen Palace.
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Outside the Young Lord's Yuan Chen Palace, a few palace ghosts were still recruiting little yakshas when suddenly, hundreds poured out like a tide, swarming into the heavenly streets. They huddled whispering, the streets filled with guaji guaji chatter.
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Soon, the little yakshas outside scattered in all directions, not a single one left nearby.
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The ghosts stood dumbfounded, clueless about what happened.
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But soon, news spread of Young Lord Wei Yue's rebellion and plot against Yama King Lord Qingtian, disseminated through the guaji guaji.
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These little yakshas were terrible gossips, spreading word at astonishing speed. Before long, ox-headed and horse-faced imps knew too. More ghosts whispered in discussion.
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Chen Shi and Blackie Pot had no idea their casual talk would have such an effect.
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In Chen Yindu's Yuan Chen Palace, Chen Shi and Blackie Pot awoke to find Boat Aunt still unconscious.
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"Where on earth did she possess?" Chen Shi was astonished.
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But he had no time to dwell, speaking rapidly: "Meng Banshan publicly clashed with Young Lord Wei Yue—Wei Yue won't let him live. Once he leaves Immortal Capital, death is certain! We tail him now. If opportunity arises, we save him!"