“Have you heard? The mysterious owner of our school is coming for an inspection today.”
Students across the campus were discussing this matter throughout the morning.
Passing students stopped in small groups, gathering around those who were talking.
“Classmate, who is this Dong Yue? Why is everyone talking about him?” asked a young man dressed in black.
The white-clad male who had been speaking earlier said, “Strangely enough, they say Dong Yue appeared out of nowhere and managed to acquire all the nearly bankrupt businesses within a year.”
“Within five years, he went public and established the preeminent Yueshan Group both domestically and internationally. Our school is one of his investment projects.”
“That’s impressive. He must be quite old then.”
“Who knows? He rarely appears in public. I heard all affairs are handled by his assistants.”
As Ni Manxin and Fang Yi entered the campus early in the morning, they found everyone discussing the mysterious owner wherever they went.
Ni Manxin couldn’t help but ask Fang Yi, “Fang Yi, do you know this person?”
Fang Yi sneered while looking into the distance, “I don’t know him. How would I know?”
Ni Manxin immediately teased, “So our famously well-informed classmate Fang Yi finally doesn’t know something! How rare!”
Ignoring Ni Manxin’s teasing, Fang Yi walked directly to the group of talking students to gather more information.
“Classmate, is this information reliable?”
“Of course it is. Can’t you see the principal and administrative staff waiting at the main entrance to welcome him?”
Upon hearing this, everyone rushed to the school gate to see for themselves.
Ni Manxin was no exception. Though initially uninterested, she was dragged along by her friend Fang Yi to join the excitement.
Several Maybachs drove openly into the campus, with school leaders of all levels lining both sides of the road.
Ni Manxin was truly puzzled: who could be in those cars to make all the usually elusive school leaders gather here without exception?
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the cars stopped.
The principal hurried forward to open the car door.
Out stepped a figure dressed in blue, with striking red hair concealing cool purple eyes that swept indifferently across the scene. When his gaze fixed on a particular spot in the crowd, the corner of his mouth unconsciously lifted slightly.
“Your Majesty, it’s Ni Chang,” Bei Yin’s voice came from beside him.
Dong Yue gave a soft acknowledgment before walking through the crowd. When he reached Ni Manxin, he deliberately paused, glanced at her briefly, then left with the school leaders.
Dong Yue, it’s really you. I never thought you’d actually come for her, Fang Yi thought resentfully while watching Dong Yue’s retreating figure.
Fang Yi? No, she was actually Long Chuyao, the Jade Emperor’s daughter who had been expelled from the Grand Dusk Palace by Dong Yue.
Through dozens of mortal reincarnations, finding the lifetime where Ni Chang had been reborn was incredibly difficult. She had originally intended to let Ni Chang go in the Netherworld and return to the Nine Heavens.
But coincidentally, while preparing to return, she encountered Black and White Impermanence and overheard them discussing Ni Chang’s current mortal incarnation.
To get close to Ni Chang’s reincarnated self, Ni Manxin, she had to adopt the identity of Fang Yi to approach her for future plans.
She never expected Dong Yue and the others to arrive so quickly, which exceeded her expectations.
Ni Manxin didn’t notice anything unusual about Fang Yi, but she felt a pang in her chest at the sight of Dong Yue’s red hair.
For some reason, that hair color and those eyes seemed both familiar and unfamiliar, as if she had seen them somewhere before, yet also as if she were seeing them for the first time.”Manxin, are you alright?” Fang Yi asked with feigned concern.
Ni Manxin shook her head, squatting on the ground while holding her head. “Fang Yi, I’m fine. I just feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before, but I can’t remember exactly where. And when I see him, my chest hurts so much!”
Hearing this, Fang Yi’s lips twitched slightly. Of course – Ni Chang had come after drinking the Soup of Oblivion, so naturally she wouldn’t remember Dong Yue.
She had been worried earlier that Ni Chang might recognize Dong Yue, but unexpectedly, heaven was helping her.
Fang Yi: “Really? Ni Manxin, your chest hurts when you see him? Then let’s avoid him from now on. Besides, a man like him must be quite promiscuous.”
Ni Manxin: “I don’t think so. He doesn’t seem like that kind of man.”
Fang Yi: “That just shows you haven’t met many men. How many men these days aren’t promiscuous? Especially someone like Dong Yue.”
Fang Yi’s words made some sense. Whatever, anyway, someone like Dong Yue wouldn’t have any connection with her. For Ni Manxin, making money was what really mattered.
“Your Majesty, we have found Ni Chang. What should we do next?” Bei Yin asked.
Dong Yue glanced at Bei Yin. From the way Bei Yin had looked at Ni Chang this morning, it wasn’t hard to see his surprise and affection, which made Dong Yue very uncomfortable.
“There are many affairs to handle in the Netherworld. Return and manage them well on my behalf. I will handle things here personally.”
Bei Yin looked at Dong Yue in astonishment. The Emperor wanted to stay alone? Besides him and Dong Yue, only his direct subordinates, the Five Ghost Emperors, could come to the mortal realm.
The remaining subordinates, including King Yama, could only meet at night. Was the Emperor trying to send him away to prevent him from getting close to Ni Chang? Could it be that the Emperor had feelings for Ni Chang…
“What? Is there something else?” Dong Yue looked at the motionless Bei Yin with some displeasure.
“No, then I take my leave.”
Dong Yue could sense the resignation in Bei Yin’s words. He couldn’t let Bei Yin stay. What if Ni Chang really… No, he wouldn’t allow such a thing to happen. As for why he had such thoughts, he didn’t want to dwell on it.
Late at night, Dong Yue came to Ni Manxin’s room and sat by her bed, watching her.
Then he saw the necklace on Ni Manxin’s chest emitting a faint red glow.
With a gentle flick of his finger, the object hidden inside instantly fell into Dong Yue’s hand.
Dong Yue froze instantly. The red lock of hair appeared so dazzling in his palm.
This was… wasn’t this his own hair? When had it come to be with Ni Chang? And she was wearing it over her heart.
“It hurts, it hurts so much.” Ni Manxin kept murmuring.
“Mom, my chest hurts so much and feels so hot. What should I do?”
Large beads of sweat rolled down Ni Manxin’s forehead. Seeing her in such pain, which didn’t seem feigned, Dong Yue took her hand to check her pulse.
After a moment, Dong Yue stared at Ni Manxin as if he’d seen a ghost, incredulously taking his pulse again, but got the same result.
He couldn’t feel Ni Manxin’s pulse at all, and looked at her in confusion. All mortals had heartbeats, so why didn’t Ni Chang have one?
Puzzled, Dong Yue examined the area where her heart should be. After a moment, he was stunned. What was going on? Why did Ni Chang have no heart? And how had she survived until now without one?
Where was her heart, and a series of other questions troubled Dong Yue.He placed the broken strands of hair back onto Ni Manxin’s chest, where they emitted a faint glow, penetrating her clothing and disappearing into her body.
Before long, Ni Manxin, who had been crying incessantly, gradually calmed down, her breathing steadying.
Was the Great Emperor of the Northern Yin and King Yama hiding something from him? Why did Ni Manxin choose to reincarnate precisely during his slumber, neither earlier nor later? Burdened with these questions, Dong Yue returned to the Hall of King Yama in the Netherworld.
King Yama, having just finished handling a case, was about to step into his bedchamber when he spotted a familiar figure standing by the window. The moonlight bathed Dong Yue, casting an aura of nobility and solitude.
Why would the Emperor appear here? When did he arrive?
“Emperor of the Eastern Peak,” King Yama knelt and addressed him.
Dong Yue remained with his back to King Yama, not uttering a word for half the night. The tense and oppressive atmosphere made King Yama tremble uncontrollably.
After what felt like an eternity, Dong Yue finally turned and walked to the table, taking a seat.
“Who am I?”
King Yama was momentarily stunned by the question. What did the Emperor mean by this?
“You are the Emperor of the Eastern Peak, the supreme Revered God who governs the Netherworld across the Four Seas and Eight Desolations,” King Yama replied cautiously.
“Oh, so you still remember who I am? I thought all of you had forgotten. In that case, answer whatever I ask truthfully. If even a single word is false, do not blame me for casting you down to The Underworld.”
Trembling, King Yama acknowledged the command, his heart racing with uncertainty about what the Emperor intended to inquire.
“Tell me everything that happened during my slumber. Do not leave out a single detail.”
Dong Yue gazed coldly at King Yama.
Slumber? Nothing significant occurred during the Emperor’s slumber… except for Ni Chang? But the Emperor had shown no interest in Ni Chang. Surely, he must be referring to something else!
“Your Majesty, this humble immortal truly does not know which matter you are referring to! Please enlighten me.”
King Yama wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve as he spoke.
“Ni Chang,” Dong Yue uttered, each syllable dripping from his lips.
Ni Chang? This… how should one speak of this? Where to even begin?
“Your Majesty, this humble official knows very little about Ni Chang…”
Before King Yama could finish, Dong Yue’s piercing glare silenced him. If they were to speak of Shen Nichang, King Yama recalled someone who could unravel the mysteries in Dong Yue’s heart.
“Your Majesty, my knowledge is limited. Perhaps it would be best for you to seek answers from the Great Emperor of the Northern Yin. He knows far more than this humble immortal.”
Summoning his courage, King Yama shifted all responsibility to the Great Emperor of the Northern Yin, hoping to avoid further entanglement.
“Your Majesty, I know about Sister Ni Chang,” Yan Lie pushed the door open and knelt beside his father.
Dong Yue glanced at Yan Lie before immediately fixing his gaze back on King Yama, his eyes sharp as daggers.
“Very well, speak.”
Yan Lie recounted everything he knew, while King Yama listened, silently praying that his little troublemaker would not continue.
“Do you know why Ni Chang has no heart?”
Yan Lie was astonished. Sister Ni Chang had no heart? How could that be? He instinctively glanced at his father kneeling beside him.
The information Dong Yue gathered from Yan Lie was sparse, but it confirmed that Bei Yin knew the full story. It seemed he would indeed need to carefully choose a time to speak with him. Otherwise, he might not even realize if the Netherworld changed hands one day.
After watching Dong Yue leave, King Yama immediately collapsed onto the floor. Yan Lie, kneeling nearby, looked at his father with confusion, unable to understand why he was so terrified of the Emperor. The Emperor had merely come to ask some questions—was it necessary for his father to react like this?
“Father, are you alright?”
“Alright? You little brat, your father nearly died because of you! How many times must I teach you what can and cannot be said? Go back to your room and reflect on your actions!”
Seeing that his father was furious, Yan Lie didn’t argue further. He lowered his head and silently returned to his hall to face the wall in contemplation.
Ni Manxin is the reincarnated identity of the mortal soul Ni Chang. I wonder if you all understood that.