They’d braced themselves for soul‑ripping agony when they jumped in, but to everyone’s shock, not only did they feel no pain—their wounds and bloody sword marks vanished completely.
“Daddy…” The Ghost Princess stared in disbelief at the scene, then suddenly burst out laughing.
At last, Lord King Hades allowed himself a faint smile. With a grand wave of his hand, the five of them shot up from the oil cauldron below, restored to their lively, bouncing selves.
Ivy... Everyone looked at Ivy, then at Lord King Hades, eyes full of disbelief. (Note: 'Xin’er' is Ivy's pet name, used by her husbands. Here, the men call her by this pet name, showing their intimacy.)
Lord King Hades... Ivy Shen called out softly, clearly confused by what had just happened.
At that moment, Grandpa Judge chuckled, “Actually, there are all kinds of oil cauldrons. This one’s a Heart‑Trial Cauldron: if you go in with fear or dread, it’ll hurt like hell. But you all jumped in smiling and happy, so naturally you weren’t harmed. Besides, King Hades never meant to kill you—he just wanted to test if your feelings were real.”
“You did that on purpose?” Ivy shot King Hades an annoyed glare.
“Heh, I’ve been in the underworld all these years and never seen love this stubborn. You lot are the first.” Lord King Hades stroked his beard, sounding amused.
“Xin’er——” All four men broke into genuine smiles as they called out Ivy’s pet name, showing their deep bond. It was real—they were together, and would stay together forever.
“This is amazing, really amazing!” The Ghost Princess beamed at their safety, then rushed to Ivy’s side, grabbed her hand and said, “I’m sorry for trying to steal your husbands before. I want to apologize—watching you all showed me what real love is. From now on, I won’t go snatching other people’s husbands. I believe I’ll find my own someday!”
Seeing this, Ivy smiled and didn’t pull her hand away. The Ghost Princess, now showing her true innocent side, actually seemed like a pretty decent girl to her.
But just then, a sharp 'crack' sounded from the Ghost Princess’s face. Everyone froze—what was that noise? Suddenly, something mask-like fell off her face, revealing a fair and beautiful countenance underneath.
“You…” Ivy stared at the transformation, completely at a loss for words.
The Ghost Princess blinked, then asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Here,” Grandpa Judge casually handed her a bronze mirror.
The Ghost Princess picked it up and gasped, “Oh my god, Daddy—is this really me? I’m actually this pretty?” She looked utterly stunned.
“Of course it’s you, Princess. When you were little, Madam sealed away your innocent looks. Only after you grew up—depending on your character—could you earn this beauty.” Grandpa Judge explained, secretly thinking, Poor Madam, she probably thought the Princess would never show her real face. Who knew this ordeal would make her grow up and finally care about others, and cry real tears for the first time.
Hearing that, the Ghost Princess nodded and clung to King Hades’s hand. “Daddy, I get why Mom did it now. Don’t worry, I won’t be so bratty and give you headaches anymore.”
“Good, good!” Lord King Hades’s eyes shimmered with tears. This scene was the best outcome he could hope for.
Then Lord King Hades turned to Black Reaper and White Reaper and said, “Escort them back. Their lifespans aren’t up yet.”
“Yes, sir!” Black Reaper and White Reaper nodded quickly. They hadn’t spoken much, but everything they’d seen had left them thoroughly shocked.
“Please!” Black Reaper and White Reaper made a gesture, inviting them to leave.
“I’ll walk you out!” The Ghost Princess cheerfully grabbed Felix Bloom’s hand and smiled at Ivy.
“Thank you, Lord King Hades!” Ivy nodded to him.
“Thanks for letting us go back. Don’t worry—we’ll rule with kindness and put the people first!” Felix Bloom blurted out, practically bouncing with excitement.
The other three men nodded quickly too, faces full of sincere gratitude. “Thank you!”
“Alright, alright, hurry up and go. Your bodies can’t be left idle for too long,” Lord King Hades waved them off.
Seeing this, Ivy smiled and led the way out with her group.
No one knew that after they left, King Hades finally let out a huge sigh of relief—his palms were drenched in sweat.
“Well, sir, has your anger finally cooled?” Grandpa Judge asked with a smile.
“Not at all! That brat yanked out my hair two hundred years ago—look!” King Hades whipped off his official hat, revealing a shiny bald patch right in the center.
Grandpa Judge struggled not to laugh. “The Dark Maiden may be a handful, but didn’t you just put her—and those four innocent men—through hell?”
“Hey, whose fault is that? It’s her calamity! A thousand years ago, she smashed the Queen Mother’s Love Cup in heaven, so the Jade Emperor sentenced her to ten lifetimes of love tribulation. I had no choice but to send her to the modern world first, then look for a chance to return her to her original place,” King Hades explained.
“True, sir, you’re clever—you even outsmarted Master Xuanluo.” Grandpa Judge smiled, wondering what Elder Rowan would think if he knew the whole story.
A serpent immortal who can predict everyone’s fate, past and present, but couldn’t see himself being played. Talk about tragic!
“Who cares about him?” King Hades rolled his eyes. Even if Rowan’s ascended, he still has to obey the Jade Emperor—this is all heaven’s arrangement, and I didn’t do anything wrong!
“If you hadn’t let her go just now, I’d be worried sick. If the Dark Maiden suddenly regained her memories, she’d turn the underworld upside down!”
“Relax, I know what I’m doing. I won’t let her remember too soon.” King Hades wiped the sweat from his brow.
“But sir, this is only her second life—what if next time she remembers too early, just like the first? Each time she’s supposed to live to a hundred, suffer love and heartbreak, then finally get happiness. Last time she didn’t even meet her true love before suddenly remembering and killing herself—then stormed hell and yanked out your hair.”
[Non-narrative webnovel note omitted: This chapter isn’t over yet ^.^—click next page to keep reading!]
[Non-narrative author’s note omitted: Extra update coming soon! Thanks for your support, readers!]