Today, He Qingchen had a meeting, so he didn't go with them. However, he had already made a reservation at a restaurant for lunch.
When he arrived at the private room, he immediately sensed Gu Zhiyao's disapproving gaze. He didn't hesitate and met her gaze openly, silently telling her of his commitment to Jian Xi.
Previously, Gu Zhiyao highly respected He Qingchen, even praising him endlessly. But now, it was different. She was re-evaluating He Qingchen from the perspective of Jian Xi's family.
After a few minutes of silent gazing, Gu Zhiyao sighed. Well, she couldn't find any faults with him. Entrusting Jian Xi to him seemed to be the most reassuring option.
Having passed Gu Zhiyao's scrutiny, the old friends' gathering continued, and the conversation flowed.
Jian Xi quietly recorded a video and posted it in the group, tagging Zhang Luoyu and Lin Yichen, "Just you two left!"
Soon, Lin Yichen responded first in the group, 【You're just bullying me because I'm the farthest away. I'm a vegetative patient, quite a hassle!】
Jian Xi: 【Senior Brother Four, do you need my help?】
Lin Yichen: 【No need for your help, I'll be back to see you all in two days.】
Ye Ze: 【Vegetative.】
Su Yinghe: 【Two days.】
Huo Chengxi: 【Hassle?】
Lin Yichen: 【Yeah, any problem?】
The people in the private room exchanged glances with their phones, then collectively responded to Lin Yichen with several ellipses.
Zhang Luoyu didn't say anything in the group, probably busy.
After putting down their phones, they continued chatting, and the afternoon passed by unknowingly. They had all consumed some alcohol, except for Jian Xi.
She wanted to drink, but the other five didn't give her a chance.
He Qingchen called for a driver since the only one who hadn't been drinking was still preparing for her driving test, so she couldn't drive.
After sending everyone off, He Qingchen and Jian Xi returned home.
The distance to Pleasant View Creek Garden was quite far, and the driver wasn't driving particularly fast. He Qingchen had a bit of a buzz from the alcohol, feeling uncomfortable as he frowned and leaned against Jian Xi's shoulder, relaxing.
Jian Xi adjusted her posture and tilted her head to look at the road outside, gradually feeling sleepy.
After a while, Jian Xi suddenly opened her eyes and glanced at the driver. She caressed the bracelet on her left hand and said coldly, "Stop the car, shall we settle this?"
As soon as Jian Xi spoke, He Qingchen opened his eyes, sensing something amiss. Before he could say anything, the driver spoke, "Little girl, long time no see!" He gave a stiff smile, glancing at Jian Xi in the rearview mirror.
As soon as he finished speaking, the driver's head tilted, and he lost consciousness.
The car swerved towards the roadside barrier, and He Qingchen held Jian Xi tightly in his arms.
At the same time, Jian Xi took off the Five Emperor Coins from He Qingchen's neck and took out two more from her bracelet. She threw them in different positions, forming a defensive formation that protected the driver and themselves.
Fortunately, the car wasn't going too fast, but the Rolls-Royce's front end was still dented.
He Qingchen released Jian Xi and, upon confirming she wasn't injured, felt relieved.
Jian Xi checked the driver's condition; he had just been possessed by the Nameless Ghost King and passed out.
Seeing Jian Xi's vigilance, He Qingchen knew this one wouldn't be easy to deal with. "Should we call Ye Ze?"
"No need, Senior Brother Two should be home by now. I'll go meet him first, you wait for me." Jian Xi stretched her wrist and opened the car door.
He Qingchen didn't get out of the car, as his presence might hinder her. Although he had the Ghost-Vexing Constitution, which generally made ghosts avoid him, today's ghost was clearly different. He didn't want to cause trouble for Jian Xi. The car cabin had Jian Xi's defensive formation, which couldn't be broken.
However, he still worried about Jian Xi, so he took out his phone and called Ye Ze, asking him to come over.
"Little girl, do you remember me?" The Nameless Ghost King looked at the grown-up Jian Xi, with a hint of hatred flashing in his eyes.
Of course Jian Xi remembered him. When they had mentioned the Ghost King escaping from the Underworld, she had even thought of him. She didn't expect it to be him who had escaped.
"How could I not remember? But how did you escape from the Underworld?" she asked curiously.
Nameless laughed, his voice somewhat grating. "At this point, you're still concerned about how I escaped from the Underworld? Shouldn't you be worried about your own life? This time, you're on your own."
With a glint of battle in his eyes, the Peach Wood Sword appeared in Jian Xi's right hand, and her left hand held a talisman. She smirked, "I may be alone, but didn't you forget? Times have changed, I'm not a child anymore. Whether I can defeat you or not, let's find out!"
At the Ghost King level, ghosts had already manifested a visible form. He Qingchen stared intently at Nameless's face, feeling a sense of familiarity.
Suddenly, he remembered. Wasn't this the Ghost King that Jian Xi and Ye Ze had tricked and kicked into the Underworld back then? How did he end up here?
Knowing the opponent's identity made him even more worried, not for any other reason but because Jian Xi had just endured three strokes of the discipline rod, reducing her cultivation by three tenths. He didn't know if she could defeat this Ghost King.
He called Ye Ze again, informing him that the opponent was the Nameless Ghost King and asking him to hurry.
Meanwhile, on the road, Jian Xi threw out seven Ghostbinding Talismans in rapid succession, forming a circle to trap Nameless within. She exchanged the Peach Wood Sword for a Jade Flute, playing the Soul Control Melody.
Jian Xi's Ghostbinding Talismans could restrain a Ghost King-level entity for five minutes. She planned to use this time to make him falter, then summon heavenly thunder to destroy him.
The last time she and Ye Ze faced him, she had opened her Celestial Eye to see Nameless's past, then called out his family members' names, making him turn around. They took advantage of that opening, and Ye Ze kicked him into the Ghost Gate that Jian Xi had secretly opened.
So, she knew Nameless's past, and her Soul Control Melody had another effect: it could make ghosts fall into an illusion of their past. She created an illusion of Nameless's past, intending to confuse him and wait for him to let his guard down before summoning heavenly thunder!
To make the illusion more realistic, Jian Xi poured most of her cultivation into the Jade Flute.
As expected, Nameless's gaze became vacant, but not enough, as he was still struggling to resist Jian Xi's Soul Control Melody.
Seeing this approach wasn't working, Jian Xi looked around, confirming no one was nearby, and took out a Thundersummoning Talisman. "Heavenly thunder, earth tremor, all laws shake..."
