"Heh, it seems your body isn't as damaged as I first thought," the girl smiled faintly, a soft flush spreading across her face. "My name is Yao Qier. As for my ears... well, I'm a Fox Spirit, so having ears like these is quite normal."

"A Fox Spirit!" Ye Xiu was momentarily startled, and the surprise caused the blood flowing from his abdomen to surge once more. He quickly clutched the wound, groaning in misery.

"Whoosh!" Suddenly, Yao Qier's delicate hand swept through the air, sending several Reverse Fate Heavenly Needles flying to strike various acupoints around Ye Xiu's wound, staunching the bleeding. "Why is your blood black? It looks exactly like my father's."

"Father?" Ye Xiu clearly found the term unusual. It seemed the Boundary of Samsara and the Mortal Realm might be connected, leading to more modern usage in language. Yet, he knew that within the higher realms, only a Shinigami possessed black blood. "Where is your father? He should be a Shinigami, just like me!"

"Shinigami? Never heard of that." Yao Qier gradually approached Ye Xiu and reached out, taking his arm to support him with a smile. "Your injury isn't life-threatening, but it’s not minor either. My home is nearby. The conditions might be a bit simple, but proper bandaging will do wonders."

"Your home? This seems improper," Ye Xiu hadn't expected such enthusiasm from a Fox Spirit woman. However, the word 'home' suddenly felt alien to him; he couldn't fathom what a 'home' would mean to a Shinigami. "Is your father at home? I imagine he would be interested in meeting me."

"Yes, just follow me." Yao Qier started to help Ye Xiu up, but being a man, Ye Xiu firmly pushed her hand away, causing her a flicker of annoyance. "Injured and still so stubborn?"

Ye Xiu nodded to signal he was fine. Thus, in the deepening twilight, the two walked one after the other, traversing a dense thicket and wading across a small river. Finally, a humble, small house materialized before Ye Xiu's eyes.

"This is your home?" Ye Xiu looked around the small dwelling. It was constructed of mud and surrounded by numerous beautiful flowers and grasses. This style of architecture was indistinguishable from that of the Mortal Realm—no wonder the two boundaries could be interconnected.

"What, you still don't trust me?" Yao Qier was rather warm and cheerful. She directly pulled Ye Xiu across the lawn and into her house. "Did you truly think all Fox Spirits live in caves?"

Ye Xiu looked up at the simple house before him. Just then, the Tian Miao Sword strapped to his back seemed to sense something amiss, emitting a faint, rattling sound.

"Aren't you coming in? Are you afraid I'll eat you?" Yao Qier’s smile was sweet, and her demeanor generous. As she pushed the door open, she called into the house, "Father, I brought a friend home today!"

Father? Was this the Shinigami Yao Qier spoke of? Ye Xiu was perplexed. If Yao Qier's father was indeed a Shinigami, how could his daughter be a Fox Spirit? Could Shinigami and Fox Spirits intermarry? It was utterly confusing.

"Heh, I already know," a gentle, middle-aged man responded steadily from inside the house. "Hurry and invite our guest in."

"Hurry up and come in! Why are you standing there like an idiot?" Yao Qier seemed utterly unconcerned with the proper etiquette or distance between men and women. She reached out and directly tugged Ye Xiu into the room.

"Senior... hello, my name is Ye Xiu." Ye Xiu felt a flush of awkwardness. He didn't know how to properly address Yao Qier's father, nor did he know how to converse calmly with a Shinigami.

The middle-aged man turned around. He scrutinized Ye Xiu from head to toe and spoke without reserve, "I can tell at a glance that you are a Shinigami, and that sword in your hand too. I never thought that after the ancient war, another Shinigami would set foot in the Boundary of Samsara. I truly don't know whether to be happy or sad."

"Senior, you really are a Shinigami! And you recognize this sword?" Ye Xiu was astonished that a Shinigami still survived in the Boundary of Samsara, and more importantly, this man recognized the sword he carried.

"The Tian Miao Sword, belonging to the Death Realm Sword Demon, Ba Fang Guling!" The middle-aged man's gaze was sharp; he identified the sword's origin in an instant. He merely lifted his arm slightly, and the Tian Miao Sword on Ye Xiu’s back rose slowly, coiling around him like a docile pet.

Ye Xiu stared dumbfounded at the movement of red light. Only then did he look closely at the man before him. Though somewhat aged, the very structure of his body appeared remarkably taut. The long stubble failed to conceal his eyes, which were filled with potent energy. Now, with the Tian Miao Sword closely wrapped around his waist, it was clear this man was no mere Shinigami. "You... you are..."

"Wow, Father, this sword knows you? Look how it dances," Yao Qier clapped her hands delightedly and skipped over to stand beside the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man tilted his head, the tenacity in his eyes seemingly focused entirely on the Tian Miao Sword. He slowly said, "Oh, Tian Miao Sword, I never thought that after so many years, we would meet again."

"You... what is your relationship with the Tian Miao Sword? Do you know Ba Fang Guling?" Ye Xiu felt a cold sweat break out at this thought. Based on his past experiences, the Tian Miao Sword was shrouded in mystery, and its owner, Ba Fang Guling, was a peerless master among experts in the realms. This middle-aged man recognizing the divine weapon and having a special affinity with it meant he was certainly not simple.

"Heh. Since fate allowed you to obtain this divine weapon, you must have heard of the Death Realm Underworld King entering the Boundary of Samsara." The middle-aged man casually waved his hand, and the Tian Miao Sword flew back up to dance near the ceiling on its own. "In the past, the Underworld King led the forces of the Death Realm to occupy the Boundary of Samsara, soundly defeating the great clans and creating an apex myth. Later, for reasons unknown, the Underworld King abandoned his aspiration to unify the Boundary of Samsara. The Sword Demon's master followed the King back to the Death Realm, while I remained here in the Boundary of Samsara."

"Sword Demon Master, what is your relationship with Ba Fang Guling?" Ye Xiu couldn't help but be curious upon hearing this. Observing the fervor between the Tian Miao Sword and this man, he had every reason to believe this Shinigami had a profound connection with Ba Fang Guling.

The middle-aged man stroked the Tian Miao Sword and smiled slowly. "I am merely a sword attendant who served the Sword Demon. My name is Ba Fang Jin."

"A Sword Attendant?" Ye Xiu didn't quite grasp the meaning of the title, but he saw how the Tian Miao Sword reacted to this man as if meeting a relative. "So, the Tian Miao Sword accompanied Ba Fang Guling under your care the entire time?"

Ba Fang Jin nodded, returning the Tian Miao Sword to Ye Xiu's hand. "I am just a humble attendant. When the great Death Realm army withdrew from the Boundary of Samsara in those days, I chose to stay here to pass my days, because..."

Ye Xiu glanced at Yao Qier. Since she called Ba Fang Jin 'Father,' he naturally understood the reason. "Senior Ba Fang, how much do you know about the Death Realm Underworld King?"

Yao Qier was uninterested in their conversation, sitting alone on a stool, occasionally fiddling with the divine needles in her hand. In her view, her current life was quite satisfying.

Ba Fang Jin held nothing back, motivated not only by the Tian Miao Sword but also by his curiosity about Ye Xiu entering the Boundary of Samsara. "For a Shinigami to enter the Boundary of Samsara—does the Underworld King have new plans? Did he send you as a vanguard?"

"Sigh..." Hearing this, Ye Xiu couldn't help but sigh. It was rare to encounter a kinsman in this realm with whom he didn't need to communicate through violet flames. He spoke frankly, "Senior Ba Fang, to be honest, I am completely ignorant of the Death Realm's history. The only thing I can tell you is that the Underworld King has retreated behind the Gate of the Death Realm, and as for your master, Ba Fang Guling..."

"How is he? Is he still following the Underworld King?" Ba Fang Jin tried to comfort himself, but when he looked at the Tian Miao Sword, he realized the Sword Demon's plight. "Did he entrust the Tian Miao Sword to you, or..."

Ye Xiu noticed a hint of sorrow in Ba Fang Jin's expression and tried to console him. "Ba Fang Guling fought the tyrannical ruler of the Demon Realm, Sha Jun Tian Xia. He died under Sha Jun’s Yu Huang Zhan strike. That battle was heaven-defying, truly amazing, but... these... these were all shown to me by the Tian Miao Sword's soul."

"Heh. The Sword Demon lived for battle and died in battle; it is a worthy end," Ba Fang Jin wasn't as heartbroken as Ye Xiu might have expected. He looked at Ye Xiu with acceptance. "No matter what you have come to the Boundary of Samsara to do, since you have arrived here, it is fate that we meet an old acquaintance. It is worth celebrating."

"That's right! I'm starving, and you two are talking about death and things like that," the moment 'celebration' was mentioned, Yao Qier immediately thought of dinner. She skipped playfully into the kitchen and shouted, "Wow, Father, you've already made so much delicious food!"

"Heh, this child..." When speaking of Yao Qier, warmth instantly radiated from Ba Fang Jin's eyes. He ushered Ye Xiu into the house. "Although you know we Shinigami don't need to eat these things, occasionally changing up one's lifestyle isn't a bad idea."

"Who is Yao Qier's mother?" Ye Xiu asked Ba Fang Jin, staring with some confusion. "Although I haven't been in the Boundary of Samsara long, I know that for a Shinigami, the public enemy of this realm, surviving shouldn't be easy, right?"

"That's why we chose to live here." Ba Fang Jin patted Ye Xiu, signaling him not to be so tense. "This is already the very edge of the Boundary of Samsara. Besides, it's not so easy for the people of this realm to disturb us Shinigami."

"Of course! My father's cultivation is not something ordinary people can contend with," Yao Qier smiled as she arranged the table and chairs, bending gracefully to invite Ye Xiu to sit—her posture was captivatingly elegant. "With my father here, you don't need to worry so much, just relax and eat."

Ye Xiu spread his hands and smiled, realizing he had been overly anxious. However, at that moment, two streams of energy within his body suddenly surged. He felt a sharp tightness in his chest, and his body lost control, collapsing straight onto the floor, unconscious.

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