Chapter 108: Preparations

In a village somewhere in Shandong, Li Xinyi stepped into a noodle shop. Behind him, Yu Die lingered at a distance, watching him with cautious eyes.

"Boss, one bowl of beef noodles!" Li Xinyi called out, glancing back at Yu Die. She was swallowing hard, clearly famished, yet she hadn’t dared to spend the red hundred-yuan notes he had given her earlier.

"Boss, make that two bowls!"

As he spoke, Li Xinyi looked at Yu Die, who was still hovering timidly at the entrance. He sighed deeply. "Come in."

When she heard his invitation, a smile finally broke across her face. She happily hurried over and sat down beside him.

"Where are you from?" Li Xinyi asked.

"My home is in Henan Province, in a remote mountain valley," she replied tentatively.

"Two bowls of freshly made beef noodles, coming right up!" The shop owner set the steaming bowls down in front of them.

The fragrant noodles, garnished with green onions, were irresistible. Famished, Yu Die began to eat voraciously. Watching her, Li Xinyi sighed again, thinking, "Another poor soul."

"So delicious!" Yu Die finished the noodles in just a few gulps. Seeing Li Xinyi watching her, she suddenly felt self-conscious, quickly wiping her lips and trying to regain some composure.

"I am a corpse-driver from Western Hunan. Following me means facing many dangers—you could die at any moment. This trip to Shandong is for a very perilous task," Li Xinyi said coldly as he ate his noodles.

"I'm not afraid. I have nowhere else to go anyway. It’s good to follow a benefactor. If you don't mind me, I can even bear you a few children. Do you prefer boys or girls?"

Li Xinyi nearly choked on his noodles.

"What's wrong?" Yu Die asked.

"It's nothing," Li Xinyi said, composing himself. "You can follow me, but don't talk about having children. I may not marry in the future. Just leave it at that for now."

"Why wouldn't you marry?" she asked, clearly unwilling to let it go.

"After I finish my business in Shandong, I will return to Western Hunan to fulfill some obligations. Only if I survive and remain there will I consider other things," Li Xinyi explained slowly.

Yu Die bit her lip, deep in thought, but kept her silence. "I will wait for you."

"Wait for me to do what?" Li Xinyi asked, puzzled.

"Wait for you to come back and marry me after you’re finished."

"I..."

"I'll wait for you!"

Taken aback by such a direct confession, Li Xinyi felt flustered. He quickly finished his noodles, picked up his Soul-Guiding Banner and Soul-Capturing Bell, and said, "We must be on our way. The road ahead is extremely dangerous. If you are certain you want to follow, then come along."

In his heart, Li Xinyi was deeply moved. The life of settling down and raising a family that Yu Die spoke of was exactly what he longed for. But he had a promise to keep: to avenge his family of four. After that, he had to return to his sect in Western Hunan to atone for his actions. The final outcome would have to be left to fate.

"I will follow you, even unto death," Yu Die vowed.

As they walked out of the noodle shop, Li Xinyi’s retinue now included not only the four corpses he had brought with him but also a young woman named Yu Die.

***

Meanwhile, at Fang You’s fortune-telling shop:

Having survived life-and-death trials, Fang You and Zhang Shengnan had officially become a couple. Zhang Shengnan nestled in Fang You’s arms while the fox, Xiaobai, lay curled up on his right leg. Fang You, however, remained focused on his study of the Qimen Dunjia.

"Oh, there's something I need to tell you," Zhang Shengnan said lazily, hugging him. "My father wants to meet you."

"Your father?" Fang You set down his book in surprise. "Are you saying the mayor of this city wants to meet me?"

"Yes," she said softly. "My parents have always doted on me, and perhaps because of certain circumstances that made me an only child, I am particularly important to them."

"Because of our relationship, my father insisted on meeting you. You’ll be ready, right, little Taoist priest?"

"This..." Fang You felt a surge of nerves. On one hand, meeting his girlfriend's parents was daunting enough; on the other, her father was the city mayor.

He had originally intended to become a full-time ascetic, shunning the secular world and romantic entanglements to focus entirely on Taoist arts, exorcising evil and slaying ghosts. But now, his feelings had won out. He decided to become a "half-ascetic"—someone who could build a family while continuing to save the world from supernatural threats.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Zhang Shengnan asked, pouting.

"No problem at all! Whenever you like," Fang You said with a smile. Now that their relationship had changed, Zhang Shengnan’s words held quite a bit of sway over him.

"When are you free? My father said he’d accommodate your schedule," she said, kissing him on the forehead.

Fang You remembered his promise to Bai Ling and the Earth-Seeker clan: to resolve the unfinished business his father had left behind at Dragon God Mountain, to uncover the mystery behind the disappearance of the ancient Earth-Seeker ancestors, and to retrieve the legendary Earth-Avoidance Pearl.

"Let’s say a month from now," he told her. "I have some matters to attend to."

"A month? That's so long!" She pouted, clearly eager to show off her new boyfriend to her father. But Fang You had to honor his commitment.

"Alright then. In a month, I’ll go with you to see him. Just make sure you're prepared, little priest. My father is very strict. If he finds out you’ll be bullying me in the future, you’ll be in for it!"

She playfully tapped his forehead with her finger. Fang You lifted her chin and gave her a deep kiss.

"I'm off then. Bye!" She grabbed her white backpack, smoothed out her white dress, and stepped out of the shop.

Fang You began his preparations for the journey to Dragon God Mountain.

"My father's footprints... what new discoveries will I find this time? Father, what kind of man were you, really?"