Naihe stayed silent for a long while, and Fengguang watched him just as long. Finally, she couldn’t resist poking him on the shoulder with her finger. “What are you thinking about?”
Someone like him wasn’t the type to space out.
But Naihe didn’t answer. Instead, he stood up and said, “It’s time to go.”
“Oh… well, you go ahead. I’m going to stay here a little longer and enjoy the peace.”
Without any particular emotion, Naihe gave her a sideways glance. Then, as he turned, he naturally took her hand and pulled her to her feet, leaving her no choice but to follow behind him.
Fengguang had to take quick little steps to keep up. She tried to yank her hand back, but it didn’t budge. She snapped, “What are you doing?!”
“To keep you from falling into the River of Forgetfulness.”
That reason… made her feel a little guilty. And it left her with no retort.
Naihe all but dragged her out of the sea of otherworldly flowers. Looking pale and sluggish, Fengguang trudged back toward Naihe Bridge. Walking beside her was still Naihe—he was on his way to warn Meng Po, the old woman who oversaw the River, that Xia Fengguang was no longer allowed anywhere near it.
Fengguang scoffed coldly, “Wow, really going out of your way for me, huh?”
“I just don’t want to see a woman drink the River water and lose her mind, becoming no better than a newborn. I don’t like children. They’re noisy,” Naihe said, not breaking stride.
She blinked. “Wait… drinking the River of Forgetfulness turns you into a child?”
“Of course. It erases everything—all your memories, anything you ever learned or knew, completely wiped out.” He glanced at her. “Otherwise, why do you think people are blank slates after reincarnation? Why do they have to relearn everything from scratch? Did you think the River of Forgetfulness only makes people forget about love?”
Fengguang: “…”
The tone he used—like she was the dumbest person alive—made her brow twitch, but she couldn’t argue. The truth was, she hadn’t thought about it that deeply. Now that she did, she was glad she hadn’t drunk it. Just imagining a grown adult with the mind of an infant… it was creepy as hell.
Naihe Bridge was always busy, with spirits passing by every day, but today it was livelier than usual. Three men stood on the bridge—one in black, one in white, and leading them was a refined man dressed like a scholar.
The man at the front furrowed his handsome brows, and his stern, unsmiling face looked even colder under his current expression. He looked straight at Meng Po and said in a sharp tone, “What kind of outfit is that? Inappropriate.”
“This is how I dress at home, and it doesn’t affect my work. Since when do I need your permission to wear what I want?” Meng Po was lazily lounging in a chair, arms crossed, glancing at him sideways with clear disinterest. She clicked her tongue. “Seriously… if you’ve got nothing better to do, go process more reports or something. Don’t just show up unannounced, acting all self-important.”
All the underworld officials stood silently on either side of the bridge, saying nothing, but their eyes were full of gossip, watching the standoff between the man and the woman.
Fengguang leaned closer to Naihe and whispered, “Who’s that guy?”
“That’s King Yan, Ao Ye.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Ao Ye? That sounds like ‘all-nighter’—what kind of name is that?”
Four hundred years ago, the previous King Yan decided to reincarnate and experience mortal life, saying he needed to go through a spiritual trial. So Ao Ye took over and became the second-generation King of the Underworld. Known for being cold and emotionless, he pretty much terrified everyone in the entire realm… except for Meng Po.
Why wasn’t she scared of him?
Because after the old King left, she became the most senior figure in the entire Underworld. Even if she yelled at Ao Ye, he wouldn’t do anything—not because he couldn’t, but because Ao Ye was a total stickler for rules and tradition. He believed firmly in respecting elders and maintaining hierarchy. To him, being rude to a senior was unacceptable.
Lucien On ABRWF Chapter 43.2