Chapter Forty-Nine: Leave If You Want

“We will never disappoint your trust in us, senior. We will accomplish the mission!” Tian Yi and Feng Xiao replied with firm determination.

Hearing their words, Ye Qiu finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself, “Heh, time to make my getaway, right? Ahem... I really am as clever as they come.”

But why did he feel as if a cold, piercing gaze was fixed on him?

Ye Qiu glanced furtively at Yue Chan, feeling inexplicably uneasy, and whispered, “Little Red, do you sense it? This woman is so fierce! Why does she keep glaring at me?”

The Devouring Sky Sparrow scoffed, “You did this to yourself—don’t you have any self-awareness?”

Did what?

Ye Qiu froze in confusion, then panic struck him. Could it be that his act of stealing a kiss from her years ago had been discovered?

No, that couldn’t be. With my acting skills, how could I possibly be found out? And besides, how would Little Red know about that?

Ye Qiu was at a loss; it was clear that what he was thinking of and what the Devouring Sky Sparrow meant were two entirely separate matters.

The Devouring Sky Sparrow was referring to Ye Qiu’s earlier, forceful suppression of the Empress, while Ye Qiu was thinking of his mischief in the past.

“It’s over. I’m doomed this time! Little Red, get ready to run…”

Sensing disaster, Ye Qiu prepared to bolt at any moment. Just then, the elder Tian Yi stepped forward and said, “Senior, we are about to head for the River of Realms. Would you be willing to accompany us?”

Though they had the mighty Tathagata backing them, without Ye Qiu, they still felt uneasy.

So, before departing, they wanted to try once more to see if Ye Qiu could join them and lend support.

Ye Qiu didn’t dare go to such a place, but he couldn’t refuse outright, or he’d seem cowardly.

No, he couldn’t let the image he’d painstakingly built collapse just like that.

“Uh… I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t be joining you. You all take care…” Ye Qiu replied solemnly.

At that moment, Yue Chan suddenly spoke, “Senior… could it be that you’re afraid?”

“Huh?”

Ye Qiu was startled, immediately sensing trouble, and blurted out, “How could that be! How could I possibly be afraid? I don’t boast for nothing—no matter if there are three million demon gods in the heavens, they must all bow their heads before me!

I am a traveler in the mortal world, with a wave I summon clouds, with a turn of the hand I bring rain—when have I ever known fear?”

Well now, that was quite a boast!

Even Ye Qiu himself blushed after saying this, but the others didn’t think the same.

“Hiss… So the senior truly is here to experience the mortal world. No wonder his words and actions are so extraordinary. So that’s the truth…”

“Three million demon gods in the heavens, all must bow their heads before me? Hiss… Damn, that’s the ultimate way to show off! Heh, from now on, this line is mine. Never thought I’d get a showy quote for free—what a windfall…”

Daoist Fufeng grinned slyly, proud of his own wit for picking up such a boastful phrase.

Everyone’s respect grew deeper, and they became even more convinced that Ye Qiu was an immortal, living among mortals for amusement.

However, Yue Chan wasn’t buying it.

Hit me? There’s no way this matter will end so easily.

With a meaningful smile, Yue Chan looked at Ye Qiu and continued, “Oh… I thought you might be afraid, senior. After all, those demon gods are ruthless fiends, killing without a second thought.

They are ruthless and violent by nature, taking pleasure in slaughter. It’s only natural if you’re afraid—no one is perfect, after all…”

“Hmm? Is she provoking me? What a joke! If there’s one thing I, Ye Qiu, excel at, it’s putting on a show! Is it just a trip? Who’s afraid of whom…”

Ye Qiu was instantly enraged! This woman was obviously making things difficult, deliberately goading him into making a personal appearance.

Fine, I’ll go. Who’s afraid of whom!

In this world, reputation is everything. You want me to lose face? Impossible…

Ye Qiu narrowed his eyes at her and said, “A mere demon god is hardly worth my attention. I wasn’t going to bother with them, but since you put it this way, if I don’t go, wouldn’t the world think less of me?”

Just as well, Ye Qiu wanted to investigate the source of the chaos and search for the younger brother he lost years ago.

For twenty years, Ye Qiu had harbored a secret—wondering whether his brother, Ye Dong, was still alive.

Twenty years ago, after his family was destroyed, Ye Qiu wandered with his younger brother. During the disaster at Reject North City, an endless darkness tore his brother away, and since then, he’d heard no news.

Ye Qiu didn’t know if he was dead or alive; he only knew the darkness had taken him.

Oh, and Ye Qiu had two older brothers, but they’d died long ago. Only his youngest brother was left, missing to this day.

All these years, Ye Qiu had been searching for him, which led to his years of wandering, saving Liu Jianchen, and that stolen kiss from the Empress.

During those years on the road, Ye Qiu saved and helped many people but never found a trace of his brother.

Now, as darkness threatened again, he wondered if this calamity was the same as before.

Ye Qiu truly wished to journey into the depths of the darkness himself, but he was too weak to dare.

He hadn’t expected Yue Chan’s provocation to awaken the secret he’d buried for so long.

“Very well! Then let us make the journey…” Ye Qiu looked at Yue Chan with a resolute gaze and spoke coldly.

Hearing this, Yue Chan’s expression shifted in surprise, as if she realized she might have said the wrong thing.

“What’s wrong with him?” she wondered, sensing an unusual emotional fluctuation in Ye Qiu, though he quickly concealed it.

Though he hid it swiftly, she sensed that in those few seconds, the deep-seated hatred Ye Qiu carried had fully surfaced.

“How many secrets is he hiding?”

In that moment, Yue Chan was deeply shaken, finding the man before her ever more enigmatic.

She had believed Ye Qiu to be utterly pure, carefree and unburdened, untouched by grudges or fame—a true recluse.

Yet now she realized he too had attachments, only hidden so deep that no one noticed.

“Little Red! Let’s go back to the inn, I need to fetch a few things…”

Having made up his mind, Ye Qiu was determined to make the journey himself.

Regardless of whether his brother’s whereabouts lay on the other side of the River of Realms, he had to go. The only trouble was… with no cultivation to speak of, entering the River would be incredibly dangerous. He had to arm himself somehow…

The Nine Heavens Bird wheeled above the abyss, then dove toward the inn. Ye Qiu leapt off the Devouring Sky Sparrow and walked inside.

“Boss…”

Cao He approached, about to speak, when he saw Ye Qiu’s grave expression and immediately sensed something was wrong. He’d known Ye Qiu for many years now.

Whenever Ye Qiu wore that look, it always had something to do with his missing brother…

“Cao the Thief, uh… slip of the tongue—Little Cao, I’m putting you in charge of the inn for now. I’m stepping out!”

Ye Qiu grinned, quickly reverting to his usual carefree self.

Cao He was left perplexed. “Strange, what’s got into the boss?”

Though he couldn’t figure it out, he knew every time Ye Qiu left, it was always in search of his brother. This time would likely be no different.