Chapter 6 — The Demon Queen’s Ten-Lifetime Pact

Lady Meng prepared to speak, but I held up a hand, interrupting her with a tranquil tone: "Let him go. Only by walking this path will he finally lose all hope." Through the Mirror of Myriad Spirits, I watched Qi Yuan kneeling outside the gates of the City of Fengdu for two days and two nights, cradling Jade Nian in his arms. Yet, he could not take a single step across the threshold. The Great Emperor, moved by the sight, sent a guard to remind him: the Underworld had its laws, and no one was permitted to overstep their bounds to interfere in the cycles of life and death. Watching this, a bitter ache blossomed in my chest. For tens of thousands of years, Qi Yuan had never once treated me with such devotion. I had been tortured by him until I wished for death, and in my moments of deepest agony, I had begged him to plead with the Great Emperor on my behalf. Back then, he had only coldly applied the rules to my situation, claiming my desperate cries would only put the Great Emperor in an awkward position. Now, because of Jade Nian, he disregarded every rule, indifferent to whether the Great Emperor felt troubled or not. Such blatant favoritism was enough to chill one to the bone.

While I was lost in these thoughts, the silence was shattered by a commotion. Looking up, I saw Qi Yuan had returned, still clutching Jade Nian. The moment he set her down, he lunged toward me, seizing my collar and growling, "Huyen Ninh! The Great Emperor saved you; that was an unauthorized intervention, a violation of the laws of the Underworld! Tell me, how did you manipulate him into doing it?"

The rules of the Underworld were crystal clear: the Great Emperor was only permitted to interfere with the affairs of the Ghost Emperors under his direct command; he could not arbitrarily reach down into the lower ranks. I brushed his hand away and spoke with cold detachment: "The Great Emperor did not break any laws to save me. Because I have replaced you as the new Ghost Emperor."

Qi Yuan’s entire body shuddered. He stood stunned for a long moment before erupting into a bitter, incredulous laugh. "Huyen Ninh, have you run out of lies that you are forced to babble such madness? You dare to utter such blasphemy against the heavens—have you no shred of shame? I shall give you one final chance. If you do not speak the truth now, I shall not hesitate to send you to your grave once more!"

With that, he gathered his dark energy and struck at me. I lifted my hand with effortless grace, dissolving his attack entirely. Qi Yuan recoiled in horror, bellowing, "You... what dark arts have you been cultivating?!"

I did not answer. Instead, I opened a bronze box, retrieved the object inside, and held it before his eyes. "I cultivate nothing. It is simply that I now possess the Ghost Emperor's Imperial Seal."

It was as if a thunderbolt had struck him from a clear sky; Qi Yuan stood frozen. When he finally regained his senses, he snatched the seal, inspecting it with trembling hands. I saw the flickers of hope in his eyes—he was desperately praying that what I held was the seal of one of the other four regional Ghost Emperors. But when he saw the four characters engraved as "Central Ghost Emperor," all his hopes crumbled into ash. He muttered in disbelief, "Impossible... I have not yet resigned; why would the Great Emperor allow you to replace me?"

I did not answer his question directly. Instead, I countered, "Qi Yuan, try to remember clearly: when was the first time we were wed?"

Qi Yuan looked confused, his voice stiff as he replied, "It was the life in which I gouged out your eyes."

I shook my head slowly. "No. Before that, there was another life." I placed my palm against his forehead, and a stream of black mist slowly flowed into his consciousness. It was my memory—the very memory the Great Emperor had once erased from his mind. In truth, my first life had been a rebirth. And before that, in the life prior, was where the story between Qi Yuan and me had truly begun.

Back then, we were inseparable, as close as one soul sharing two bodies. He shared my joys and sorrows, listening patiently to every grievance and melancholy thought. My talent was inferior to his; the lessons the Great Emperor taught, I could not grasp as quickly as he. Fearing I would feel discouraged, he would carefully explain each lesson to me again after class. In our youth, my constitution was frail, and I would fall ill at the slightest exertion. It was he who stayed by my side, tending to my needs, brewing my medicine, and soothing me to sleep every night. Gradually, I realized I could not live without him. Whenever his silhouette vanished from my sight, my heart felt empty and adrift. From then on, a single vow was carved into my soul: if I could not be with him, I would never wed.

Later, as my health improved, my abilities grew to match his. We campaigned together, side by side, establishing glorious feats of arms. I had once shielded him from an enemy’s blade, and I had tested poisoned wine for him when no one else dared. Before our final battle, he held my hands and swore an oath to the heavens: "When we return victorious, I shall marry you. One life, one heart, never to be divided."

When we returned, I thought the days of happiness had finally arrived. Little did I know that on the road back to the City of Fengdu, we would cross paths with someone who had just arrived in the Underworld—Jade Nian. She wanted to be reincarnated into a life of high status, but the Judge told her that fate was already sealed by the Heavenly Dao and was not for mortals to decide. Jade Nian, feeling the injustice, fled in secret. Qi Yuan, unable to bear the sight of a woman’s tears, stepped forward to comfort her the moment he saw her weeping. And from that very moment, the wheels of fate began to turn.