Chapter 136: Rare Love Between a Human and a Transgender

The two Day Roaming Deities, who served as the Left and Right Deputy Envoys of Patrol in the Imperial Capital Prefecture's Underworld, were experiencing a situation this bizarre for the first time in their centuries of service: the demon dared to face them without attempting to evade!

After a moment of stunned silence, the Right Deputy Envoy questioned the woman.

"You demon! How dare you hide in the home of a citizen of the Imperial Capital Prefecture!"

The demonic aura emanating from the woman was faint. To the Day Roaming Deities, she seemed more like a shapeshifting sprite than a fully transformed demon, and there was a fundamental difference in power between the two.

The two Day Roaming Deities immediately gripped their sword hilts, and the two Soul Reapers also grasped the soul-reaping chains at their waists, facing the woman.

"There's no rush for Zhou Niansheng's soul. Our first priority is to apprehend this fiend!"

The Day Roaming Deities gave the order and drew their swords. The Soul Reapers had already drawn the soul-reaping chains from their waists, and the shadowy energy of the four underworld officials surged.

The woman's expression was somewhat sorrowful. She had been sitting motionless by the bed, but now she slowly stood up and performed a full curtsy to the underworld officials.

"Esteemed Underworld Officials, I know you cannot tolerate my presence. Today, Master Zhou's lifespan has ended. We have loved each other for many years. I only ask that you permit me to accompany him to the Underworld. After that, I will willingly accept my punishment and offer no resistance!"

The other Zhou family relatives in the room were unaware of what was happening, only seeing that their master was breathing heavily, and the surging shadowy energy in the room made the living feel a chill.

But upon hearing the woman's words, their faces collectively paled as they looked around, huddling together in fright.

"Underworld officials?" "The underworld officials are here?"

"Are they here to take the master away?" "Oh dear, no wonder it's so chilling!"

"Shhh, don't speak…"

After hearing the woman's words, the Day Roaming Deities exchanged glances, then narrowed their eyes, scanning her up and down.

"You, a mere sprite, dare to bargain with underworld officials? Don't think that just because you show no malevolent aura we will believe you. There are many ways for evil demons to deceive and harm people."

The other Day Roaming Deity sneered:

"If you don't resist and allow us to bind your soul, let alone letting you accompany him for a short distance, what harm would there be in entering the Underworld together!"

The woman looked up at the two Day Roaming Deities and then at the Soul Reapers with a resolute expression.

"Then please, Soul Reapers, proceed!"

This statement stunned both Day Roaming Deities and Soul Reapers. They had never encountered a demon that truly surrendered. Could a demon who entered the Underworld ever hope to return? Was there a trick involved?

"Proceed!"

The Day Roaming Deity roared, and his shadowy energy pulsed, transforming into two ethereal white figures that appeared on either side of the woman. Like a flash of lightning, they each swung their blades down.

The two Soul Reapers furthermore flung their soul-reaping chains, which struck the woman like long whips.

The Left and Right Envoys' figures crossed paths, both blades striking the woman's soul. The Soul Reapers' chains caused the woman to momentarily lose her footing, and her soul trembled slightly.

Large drops of sweat beaded on the woman's face, trickling down her chin and dripping onto the floor. Her body remained motionless in its curtsy, enduring all four blows.

"You…"

The two Day Roaming Deities exchanged bewildered glances, their hands still gripping their sword hilts, not making a second strike.

Ji Yuan was currently standing in the courtyard, his azure eyes wide open, observing everything inside the room as if the door and other objects were transparent.

While the affection between this demon and Zhou Niansheng was certainly moving, even impressing the underworld officials to some extent, it didn't mean the officials would let her go. If she truly reached the gates of the Underworld, the gods of each division would apprehend her.

To accompany him for just a short distance, was she really willing to pay with her life?

'She must have another trick up her sleeve!'

While Ji Yuan was pondering, the Soul Reaper inside the room had already bound the woman's soul with one of the soul-binding chains, and with her cooperation, effortlessly pulled her soul out.

'Hmm?'

Ji Yuan seemed to discern something.

When the woman's soul was pulled out, it was still in human form, and the clothes clinging to her soul had become a white, fur-like robe. While demons and spirits could maintain human-shaped souls, this change in clothing was slightly unusual.

A moment later, the room was filled with cries, some genuine, some perhaps overly dramatic.

"Master!" "Father!"

"Oh, Master, how could you leave us!"

"It is your unfilial child's fault!"

Clearly, Zhou Niansheng had also passed away.

Sure enough, the two Underworld Day Roaming Deities, holding their swords and maintaining formation, one in front and one behind, and the two Soul Reapers, each leading a soul to their left and right, emerged from the room.

It seemed that, under the circumstances, they were showing a measure of leniency: the two Soul Reapers walked on the outer sides, allowing the two chained souls to remain close to each other.

Ji Yuan leaned against the shade of a tree in the courtyard. Under his illusion spell, he blended into the shadows, and the four spirits and two souls passed by him, none detecting his presence.

Observing the two bound souls, the aged appearance of Zhou Niansheng and the young, beautiful woman walked closely together. This sight surprisingly didn't evoke a father-daughter impression in Ji Yuan, but rather a genuine sense of deep affection and admiration between them.

With the protective umbrella held above them, the underworld officials guided the souls through the streets of the Imperial Capital Prefecture. To the two souls, the streets began to fill with a dense fog, and the pedestrians appeared as vague, unreal figures.

As the fog grew thicker, they were drawing closer to the Underworld.

Zhou Niansheng and the woman simply held each other's hands tightly, leaning shoulders as they walked forward. The former showed worry, while the latter's face was serene.

"Serving for so many years, I've seen unfulfilled love between humans and ghosts, but a love affair between a human and a demon is truly a first!"

"Hmph, demons are ultimately harmful. Who knows how long this Zhou Niansheng empathized with the demon. Even if this demon was restrained, his vital energy would still be eroded during intimate acts!"

"Hehehe, Zhou Niansheng, you are truly fortunate to have such an enchanting love accompany you on this journey. But your demon companion won't be as lucky as you!"

Given the unusual circumstances, the underworld officials at the front and back couldn't help but exchange a few remarks, causing Zhou Niansheng to grip the woman's hand even tighter.

In recent years, since Zhou Niansheng fell ill, his body had grown increasingly weak. Today, after his death, he felt a long-lost surge of strength, allowing him to hold the woman's hand so firmly—a precious moment for both of them.

The woman turned her face towards Zhou Niansheng and smiled.

"Master Zhou, don't worry, I'll be fine. It's just a pity... I am merely a lonely demon, I only know how to harm people, not how to save them. I have no immortal cultivation methods nor miraculous elixirs. After searching countless mountains and rivers, I could only extend your life by twenty years..."

"Ruoniang, having you by my side for all these years, I, Zhou Niansheng, have been more fortunate than any man in the world!"

The two souls were still entwined in affection, but under the guidance of the underworld officials, their souls moved swiftly. They quickly reached Miaosi Square, where the City God Temple faintly glowed with golden light amidst the swirling incense, and beneath the temple, where the fog was densest, the inner scenery of the Underworld was faintly visible.

Gazing at the increasing shadowy energy ahead and the patrolling underworld officials visible through the Underworld's inner scenery, Zhou Niansheng felt the woman's grip on him tighten considerably.

They were as close to the Underworld as could be, and Zhou Niansheng heard a faint, tearful voice coming from beside him.

"Master Zhou... take care! I... cannot accompany you any further!"

After saying this, the woman's soul twisted and slipped out of the soul-reaping chain. Only a white fur robe remained bound by the chain, while the demon's true soul swiftly flew into the distance.

The four underworld officials instantly sensed trouble.

The two Day Roaming Deities immediately drew their swords, their forms transforming into white ethereal figures, chasing directly after the demon's soul.

"Audacious demon! How dare you attempt to escape at the very gates of the Underworld!"

The other Soul Reaper also released the chain binding the white fur robe, extending it to strike at the woman, but found that the chain passed through her soul as if striking a white mist.

At this moment, the two Day Roaming Deities' sword lights flashed, also cutting through the white mist, but similarly met no resistance.

"Oh no! We've been tricked!"

At this moment, the white fur robe had already flown far away and was transforming back into the woman's appearance from within.

"Master Zhou, take care!"

The clear, beautiful voice reached them, further infuriating the underworld officials who had been momentarily caught off guard.

The Day Roaming Deity unhooked his soul-summoning bell from his waist and violently flung it into the air, while he himself transformed into a white shadow, chasing after the demon's soul.

"Ding-a-ling... Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling..."

With the loud ringing of the soul-summoning bell, the Underworld had already received the alert. The chief official of the Yin-Yang Bureau stepped directly out of the Underworld, his eyes flashing as he glanced at the bell, then looked in the direction the Day Roaming Deity was pursuing.

"A demon dares to toy with us right before the City God Temple in my Imperial Capital Prefecture! This is utterly preposterous!"

At this moment, the chief officials of the Merit and Demerit Bureau, the Reward for Good Deeds Bureau, and the Punishment for Evil Deeds Bureau also appeared together, channeling their spiritual light as they pursued the demon.

Zhou Niansheng, held by the two Soul Reapers, was now both worried and somewhat disconsolate.