Underworld Reapers, Soul-Reaping Envoys (1)

Time slipped away quickly, and in the blink of an eye, another half month had passed. Little Snowball was now a month old, and the last of the snow on the ground had completely melted.

And just like that, the annoying flames of war flared up again, with bright red blood replacing the snow and covering every region.

It weighed on everyone’s hearts.

Ivy Shen stood on a high vantage point, watching the six heroic figures atop their warhorses up ahead.

"Wife..." Liam Willow—aka my little White Rabbit—was clutching Little Snowball in his arms, standing right beside me with his brows all scrunched up, sighing like a lost soul. From up front, the sounds of battle and those ear-splitting screams kept rolling in without a break.

"Connor Tong really isn’t easy to deal with." Facing that guy, Ivy thought it was impossible for him to be so clever, impossible for him to never show his face.

The only explanation was that he had a super sharp strategist behind him. No need to guess—she already knew who it was.

Cao Wan’er. In this world, only she could be that cunning. No doubt, that old witch knew they wanted to capture Connor Tong, so she kept him hidden, just commanding from the shadows. That way, he wouldn’t get caught, and his men would fight with all their hearts.

Cao, you sly old dog! I totally underestimated you!

But Ivy just curled her lips into a frosty smirk. If anyone dares cross her, she’ll absolutely rip them out by the roots—loyalty or not, she won’t show mercy. No one gets a free pass just because they used to be good.

Serves them right for having brawn but no brains! Every night, my dreams loop through the same underworld quest: I cross the Bridge of No Return over the River of Oblivion, pause at the Last Glance Terrace, where Granny Meng sells her Forgetfulness Soup, and beside the river sits the Three-Lives Stone. The soup erases all memories, the stone records past and present lives; after crossing the bridge and gazing from the terrace, drinking the soup means forgetting everything and starting fresh in the next life.

"Wife, are we attacking the city tomorrow?" Now that they were getting closer and closer to the front, Liam Willow felt uneasy for some reason. He kept thinking that things were going way too smoothly this time—it couldn’t be that simple. Whenever I dreamed this, a weird voice would echo in my ears: "In this life you have fate but no share; why force it?"

"What’s wrong?" Ivy turned her head to look at Liam Willow’s furrowed brows and couldn’t help but ask. Who was it? Who kept speaking beside me? What did those words mean?

Seeing this, Liam Willow bit his lip and said, "Wife, don’t you think our progress has been way too smooth? Cao the Empress has been able to help Song Zhijue all this time, which proves how smart and cunning she is. So if that’s the case, how come we’re advancing so easily?" Just because he didn’t know martial arts or battle tactics didn’t mean he was just a bookworm. Finally, last night, I realized: none of this was a dream at all—it was my soul leaving my body.

Hearing this, Ivy smiled a little. "Wow, little White Rabbit, didn’t know you could analyze things too!" This time, I finally saw the figures clearly—two of them. And they were exactly the people I least wanted to meet.

"Wife..." Black and White Impermanence—the underworld reapers!

"Sigh!" Ivy gazed ahead with a helpless expression. "Of course I know there’s a trap, but at this point, there’s no way to turn back. Did you forget how innocent civilians in the Soaring Phoenix Realm have been dying these past few days? Rumor has it I sent people to do it, but you know even if I hate Cao Wan’er, I’d never harm innocent people. This is obviously a frame-up—she did it to make the commoners hate me. But... Why do you stubbornly cling to this body when you’re not its true owner?" Black Reaper demanded, his tongue trailing as he spoke.

She smiled at Liam Willow. "But you, the Saint, have influenced them so deeply—even now, they still support you, and me." With so many supporters, she couldn’t just stand by and watch them die. The arrow was already nocked; she had no choice but to let it fly! "You should return to the underworld," said White Reaper, his pale skin giving off a creepy vibe.

"See? With all this support, how could I just sit and wait to die? Besides, there’s no time left..." Suddenly, Ivy’s voice grew quieter and quieter. "What if I refuse?" Even if you’re soul-reapers, I’m not leaving—if I don’t want to go, nobody can drag my soul away, not even the King of Heaven!

"Wife, what did you say? What do you mean there’s no time left?" Liam Willow frowned and asked. "Why be so stubborn?" the two reapers asked in unison.

"N-no, it’s nothing. I just meant that if we don’t attack soon, those innocent civilians won’t have much time left," Ivy hurriedly forced a smile, awkwardly covering up.

No one knew that ever since she gave birth, Ivy had been dreaming about all sorts of weird things every night.

At first, she couldn’t see anything clearly, but as time went by, the scenes became sharper and sharper.

Yes. She saw it.

She saw herself walking beside a path lined with blood-red flowers, a blurry shadow drifting past to tell her this was the Road to the Underworld.

After that, every night when she fell asleep, she’d dream of the same scene.

The Road to the Underworld.

The River of Oblivion.

The Bridge of No Return.

The Last Glance Terrace.

"What if I refuse?" Even if you're soul-reapers, Ivy Shen had zero intention of dying—if she didn't want to go, nobody could drag her soul away, not even the King of Heaven!

"Why be so stubborn?" the two reapers asked in perfect unison.

"She told me to stay. I've accepted this body—no matter who tries, I won't back down!" Ivy glared coldly at the Black and White Reapers. So what if they were ghosts?

It was the first time the Black and White Reapers had met someone so stubborn. Furious, they lashed at her with a soul-locking chain. To their shock, Ivy shrugged it off like a monster—the chain had zero effect on her, and instead she sent the two reapers flying, east to west.

"I'm warning you—don't try any tricks. Go tell the King of the Underworld: since you took the wrong soul and left it here, let me live out this life in peace. Otherwise, don't blame me for what happens next!" Ivy clapped her hands, face set with fierce resolve.

"We're just following orders. Your time in this life is almost up—you have only nine days left," said White Reaper, voice chilling.

Hearing this, Ivy couldn’t help but sneer. How ironic—nine days left. Nine was supposed to be a lucky number, symbolizing eternity and happiness. But for her, it was a cruel joke—a countdown to the end.

Black Reaper, seeing Ivy’s scornful smile, coldly reminded her, "If you keep being stubborn, one of your husbands will take your place here."

"You're a cursed star of Heaven—both blessing and disaster. Just because we can't drag you away doesn't mean we can't take them. The law of nature can't be changed: one life for another. If any of them substitutes for you, they'll never be reborn!" With those cruel words, the Black and White Reapers vanished.

Hearing that, Ivy jolted awake, drenched in sweat, trembling uncontrollably.

But, wife, Empress Cao must have set up an ambush in the city. You saw her scheming in the palace before—I’m really scared, truly scared," Liam Willow said, recalling Cao Wan’er’s past cruelties and his sister’s suffering. He knew that woman was no simple opponent, and the thought terrified him.

"Qingyan..."

"Waa waa..."

"Qingyan..." Ivy hurriedly grabbed his hands as he clung to the baby. Maybe he was really scared, because his hands were trembling, and the little one in his arms seemed to sense his panic and burst out crying.

"Sorry, Little Snowball, sorry, Daddy didn’t mean it." Liam Willow hugged the little one, shaking all over, and looked at Ivy, his eyes turning red without him even realizing.

"Qingyan, what’s wrong?" Seeing him so out of sorts, Ivy couldn’t help but furrow her brows.

"Wife, I don’t know why, but my heart feels so panicked, so suffocated. It’s like, once you walk through those gates, you’ll never come back. My heart feels like it can’t breathe..." As he spoke, tears slid down the corners of his eyes, and Ivy unconsciously took a step back, startled by his words.

Could he sense it too? Did he feel she was about to disappear?

"Wife..."

She forced out a smile, gripped his hands tightly, and told him—maybe even trying to fool herself—"No way, I’ll live to a hundred, because I’m gonna grow old with my little White Rabbit, white-haired and wrinkly together!" She smiled, but the pain behind that smile was something only she could understand.

*********Explosive drama incoming***********

PS: The story is getting closer to the endgame! There’s a huge tragedy coming up, one so brutal it’ll leave everyone scarred, life and death on the line. Out of the seven husbands, someone will... Hoo hoo, can’t spoil it yet. Just thinking about it makes my heart ache... Whatever needs to be experienced, must be experienced! (Even if one of them doesn’t make it, at least they loved—reader: you’re looking for trouble!)