Before they set out, Hanyuexi rose to her feet, watching Ye Yu’s retreating figure, her expression halting as if she had something to say.
Her awkward hesitation was worlds apart from her earlier iciness.
Ye Yu, curious, immediately asked, “What’s wrong? Do you have something on your mind?”
“I... nothing!”
Hanyuexi shook her head slightly, swallowing the words on her lips.
Honestly, she had just been considering whether to ask Ye Yu, once they met the God of Balance, not to reveal anything about her younger brother.
Of course, such a request would be asking too much. Strictly speaking, she and Ye Yu were mere acquaintances—barely even friends—and had met only a handful of times.
Yet this reunion, prompted by her own selfishness, had led Lu Yuan to fixate on Ye Yu as well.
That filled Hanyuexi with guilt, which was why she had confided so much to him. And now Ye Yu was willing to set aside past grievances and escort her to seek refuge.
Such magnanimity made her ashamed even to voice her plea. It was inherently difficult to broach.
Moreover, promises made with the tongue could not be trusted. If Ye Yu truly bore her no ill will, her request would seem a cruel weapon; if he harbored hidden thoughts, it would be useless.
In the end, she let it go.
Hanyuexi knew Han Qianzhang’s situation could not be concealed forever. Even if Ye Yu remained silent, when the Taoist underworld master Lu Yuan ascended the Balance City, the matter might yet be revealed.
So she resolved to leave everything to fate.
Noticing Hanyuexi’s conflicted expression, Ye Yu understood immediately. “Don’t worry. I won’t say more about Han Qianzhang.”
At those words, Hanyuexi was deeply moved. She replied earnestly, “Thank you. I will repay your kindness someday.”
Ye Yu smiled and waved his hand. Not wishing to delay further, he swiftly led Hanyuexi toward Balance City.
He had encountered countless geniuses in the mortal realm—heaven’s chosen and triumphant protagonists bearing grand destinies, even filial grandchildren. After hearing Han Qianzhang’s story, he was slightly moved but not much. A genius teetering on the brink of madness? He could wait until he actually went mad. Besides, his cultivation speed was negligible compared to Ye Yu’s. Who was the real genius was clear at a glance.
Helping Hanyuexi was just a casual gesture—and it yielded a peak Golden God Realm friendship and the road’s protection. Why not?
That openness was why Ye Yu seemed so carefree.
Although they traveled quickly, they had entirely underestimated Lu Yuan’s resolve to find Han Qianzhang.
Once he locked onto their position, ten thousand li away, Lu Yuan revealed a bloodthirsty smile. His form dissolved into countless ghostly creatures that dispersed completely.
Meanwhile, inside Balance City, Yinghuo was ranting in fury.
“They said there’d be friends everywhere—so why is finding one little lion so difficult? With that kind of efficiency, what right do you have to rise in rank? And ‘network connections’? Ha!”
The God of Balance, Yubuxia, sat in a corner, looking like a wronged new bride who dared not speak.
In truth, this grudge had been building for a while. Ever since her divine sister Funuannuan messaged via Communication Stone that a deity called Guji was vying for her Taoist partner, Yinghuo had been absolutely certain that Yubuxia intended to betray her under the lamp.
It hadn’t been a misunderstanding when Ye Yu was present—Yubuxia had truly harbored such thoughts; no wonder Funuannuan had spotted it so easily.
Yubuxia could offer no defense. No matter how she explained, Yinghuo refused to listen.
To calm her sister’s wrath and prevent her from destroying ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) the divine city, the simplest and most effective distraction was to redirect the trouble elsewhere. So Yubuxia suggested, “Let’s put aside some matters for later. Why don’t we first look into this Guji? Maybe she has information about Ye Yu.”
Hearing that, Yinghuo actually relented and had Yubuxia send someone to track down Guji.
Once she had successfully diverted the blame, Yubuxia breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to summon people to find this little lion. It seemed straightforward: if Ye Yu couldn’t find her, why couldn’t Yubuxia?
Yet to everyone’s surprise, Guji had utterly vanished—impossible to locate. The tactic of “‘redirecting the blame’ had failed, leaving Yinghuo perpetually raging within Balance City, and Yubuxia reduced to swallowing her indignation in silence.
Indeed, even gods could not boast too freely. Once lauding her network strength, now she was thoroughly humiliated. On top of being Yinghuo’s imagined rival, the repeated insults had turned her into a beleaguered new bride, with nothing to do but endure her older sister’s nagging.
At that moment, Yubuxia’s Communication Stone trembled again. She immediately withdrew it and infused it with divine power.
Funuannuan’s voice sounded through it once more: “Sister, you really owe me a good reward this time. I’ve found that little lion—she’s at...”
Before she could finish, Yubuxia snatched the image stone back.
Seeing that, Yinghuo rushed forward anxiously. “Why’d you stop listening? Put it back—show me now!”
“I’ll show you,” Yubuxia said. “But first, I have to defend the strength of my network connections. Tell me—aren’t mine strong?”
Having endured days of mockery, Yubuxia finally stood her ground, determined to reclaim her lost dignity.
Yinghuo stiffened. To find that little lion, she could only nod repeatedly, “Strong, strong, strong—are you satisfied?”
Once Yinghuo lowered her head, Yubuxia brought the image stone back out. After listening to Funuannuan’s update, she learned that Guji had joined the Jiyuege Divine Alliance and thus had not appeared in the divine realm for some time.
Now she had left Jiyuege and was at the foot of Tianya Mountain.
Yubuxia arched an eyebrow and asked, “She’s now a deity of Jiyuege—are you afraid yet?”
In the divine realm, the Jiyuege Alliance’s name could indeed intimidate many deities, but Yinghuo was not among them.
“What nonsense Jiyuege! If you push me, I’ll tear down their Alliance banner myself!”
As a former top-ranked figure on the Evil Deeds List, Yinghuo knew no fear. And with Yubuxia by her side, even if the Jiyuege Grandmaster personally appeared, she’d still test her strength.
