The man's eyes were very cold, but it wasn't a deliberate hostility. Rather, it seemed more like an innate instinct belonging to those in a superior position.

The instant the man's gaze locked onto him, He Yan felt like he was prey being targeted by a lone wolf. He even had the illusion that his blood was freezing. His mind was screaming danger, yet his body couldn't move.

His intuition told him that this was definitely someone he could not afford to provoke.

Just like now, the man had effortlessly captured a small strand of his spiritual power threads in his hand.

Although losing a tiny portion out of tens of thousands of spiritual power threads didn't really impact him much, the real trouble was, after this man who was clearly no ordinary figure discovered his abnormality, would he take an interest in him and bring some unexpected trouble?

On alert, He Yan's gaze revealed an obvious wariness.

After locking eyes with He Yan for a moment, the man suddenly lowered his gaze, averting his eyes. Only then did He Yan notice the man's eyelashes were jet-black and long. When slightly lowered, they rested on his lower eyelids, forming a stark contrast against his pale skin.

...Strange, why was he unconsciously focusing on the man's face?

He Yan couldn't help frowning at his own inappropriate point of focus. Perhaps it was because the man's appearance was simply too outstanding. People all have an appreciation for beauty, and even he was no exception. Or perhaps, the man had used some kind of magic.

If he remembered correctly, certain specific races of spirits inherently possessed the innate ability to easily enchant others with a mere gesture.

Therefore, to ensure he wouldn't be bewitched, He Yan deliberately used his spiritual power threads to prick his own spirit sea, keeping himself alert.

The man lowered his eyes and observed that small spiritual power thread in his palm for a moment. Suddenly, he withdrew his hand, yet that spiritual power thread did not fall to the ground with his releasing motion. Instead, it was carried by a gust of wind from who knows where, floating and swaying as it passed through the sea of countless white petals, finally stopping in front of He Yan.

He Yan was a bit hesitant.

Was this man extending an olive branch?

After He Yan used his spiritual power threads to catch that segment of his own spiritual power thread, he cautiously examined it and found nothing amiss. He then rolled it into a ball and stuffed it back into his spirit sea.

Afterwards, this small segment that had been severed from the main body would return to the state of a spiritual power orb in his spirit sea. Then, as time passed, it would once again merge into the other spiritual power threads.

Although this man seemed difficult to deal with, from the current situation, he also hadn't shown any hostility towards him.

Moreover, this man had appeared so coincidentally in this small forest where Xu Xi took her revenge. One couldn't help but connect him to this matter.

Could it be that the Court of Ghost Prison had finally discovered something wrong with the Underworld Warrant, and dispatched an Underworld official to investigate?

This guess made He Yan relax slightly.

In any case, he hadn't directly made a move against Yan Xixi and that eminent figure. If one considered it carefully, he was still an innocent victim in this matter. Although the title "Underworld official" sounded very frightening, in reality, their conduct strictly followed the regulations. Those underworld officials who dared to abuse their authority, once found out, would suffer even more severe punishment than ordinary evil ghosts.

It's just that after he retracted his spiritual power thread, he waited for a long time without seeing any new action from the man. After a while, He Yan finally couldn't help initiating a question: "May I ask who you are?"

Hearing the youth's inquiry, the man raised his eyes, turning his lowered gaze back onto his face. In that instant, the youth's image was clearly reflected in those pupils without irises. From the man's perspective, it was a figure that appeared very frail, yet had an aura as vigilant as a small beast.

Under He Yan's somewhat puzzled gaze, he did not answer the question. Instead, he suddenly moved, lifting his long legs and walking straight towards where He Yan was.

Those petals floating densely in the air parted like the Moses Sea, consciously opening up a path for him. They dispersed in front of him and gathered where he passed.

"..." Seeing this scene, He Yan always felt something was off.

Wait, isn't this a classic shot from those Mary Sue TV dramas? The fated gentleman walks towards the blushing female lead amidst a sea of flowers. If sentimental romantic background music was added at this time, the scene would be even more complete.

However, in the next second, He Yan expelled this ridiculous association from his mind. Let's not even mention that he was someone with a partner. Just looking at these seemingly delicate and harmless petals filling the sky, each one was actually filled with yin energy and concealed murderous intent. If one was truly deceived by their appearance and tried to reach out and catch them, the scene would probably instantly sprint towards the direction of a murder scene.

The man's footsteps were very steady and also very fast. His strides seemed to contain some strange rhythm. Although He Yan had been maintaining vigilance since the man started moving, by the time he reacted, this person had already reached in front of him, less than an arm's distance away.

Han Ziyu's body was a bit underdeveloped. Even now, he hadn't passed the 1.7-meter disability line. Compared to the nearly 2-meter-tall man, the difference was not small. He Yan had to tilt his head up at a very large angle in order to see his face clearly.

To maintain a safe distance and to not strain his cervical spine, he immediately took a step back.

The man did not advance further, but stopped in place and observed him for a moment before his thin lips parted slightly: "Xuan Qi."

His voice was the same as the aura on his body - ice-cold without a hint of warmth.

He Yan pondered. However, one could hear that there was indeed no malice. Perhaps this person's personality was just like this, innately indifferent.

Wait... Xuan Qi?

He Yan's mind was halfway through turning when it suddenly stalled.

Isn't this name the Court of Ghost Prison chief ranked first in terms of danger level on the metaphysics forum?

The one whose original form was said to be a wisp of resentment born at the beginning of heaven and earth, with Sirius as his root, with the Dao of slaughter, and who devoured an entire underworld prison of evil ghosts by himself two thousand years ago?

Recalling this person's origins and those deeds that had been written into the compulsory courses for introduction to metaphysics, He Yan widened his eyes. He couldn't help but take another step back on top of the step he had already retreated.

Wasn't this big shot absent for a full two thousand years? How did he suddenly appear in the mortal world without a sound?

Could it be that something major is about to happen... The last time he appeared was during the rebellion of the evil ghosts from the underworld hell, when they almost broke through the barrier between hell and the mortal world.

He Yan quickly scanned through the information he had obtained about this world, but did not find any signs of the world's destruction.

Then... could it really be related to the failed Underworld Warrant on Xu Xi's body?

In the Court of Ghost Prison, the most important thing is the ubiquitous "rules", and the Underworld Warrant contains the power of rules, representing the highest standards of the Court of Ghost Prison. The failure of an Underworld Warrant can be considered a big deal, and it is conceivable that once this problem is discovered, hell will definitely send someone to investigate.

It's just that he originally thought hell could send a high-ranking Underworld official at most, and never expected it to directly alarm the legendary director of the Court of Ghost Prison.

However, this big shot was quite low-key. Although he looked quite imposing and had a cold personality, he did not feel the legendary resentment that was enough for ordinary people to drink a pot of. It must have been deliberately concealed so as not to affect others.

Countless guesses flashed through He Yan's mind, but in reality, only a few seconds had passed.

Xuan Qi watched as the expression on his face changed from shock and puzzlement to calmness, his eyes darkening imperceptibly.

He pursed his lips slightly, and after the young man's expression had completely calmed down, he lowered his head and explained to the young man who had not responded, "There's a problem with the Underworld Warrant, I'm here to check."

With his guess confirmed, He Yan had a little more confidence in his heart. He looked up at him and cautiously replied, "Is there anything I can do?"

Xuan Qi paused for a moment, then nodded expressionlessly, "If it's convenient for you, I'd like to understand the situation."

He Yan hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Okay."

Actually, there was one thing that didn't make sense. With the ability of the person in front of him, he could directly check Xu Xi's memories of the past few days to figure it out, and there was no need to ask him at all.

However, firstly, he was just an ordinary college student with no money or background. Except for knowing a little about metaphysics, there was nothing on him that others coveted. Secondly, for a big shot like Xuan Qi, if he really wanted to harm him, it would just be a matter of moving his fingers, and there was no need to deliberately deceive him.

So, he probably didn't need to be particularly worried.

Moreover, with this big shot around, things would be easier to solve.

First of all, Yan Xixi definitely couldn't escape. Her name had already been engraved on the Underworld Warrant, and now that the boss of the Court of Ghost Prison had personally come to investigate, there was no way she could find a scapegoat to die in her place under the eyes of this person.

As for the "expert" who helped Yan Xixi curse him and the female ghost behind the scenes, the things they did to avoid karma would definitely be punished accordingly once the Court of Ghost Prison found out.

Their family's black shadow... he still didn't know when it would reappear. He couldn't sense the black shadow's existence at all now and could only wait passively. During this waiting period, he had to find some things to do, so as not to be driven insane by the anxiety and uneasiness in his heart.

Thinking of the missing black shadow, He Yan's mood inevitably became depressed again. Seeing that Xuan Qi had no objection, he collected his thoughts, organized his words, and recounted the events of the past few days to him.

Because the black shadow had fought with Xu Xi, He Yan understood that its existence could not be hidden from Xuan Qi, so he had no intention of concealing it from the beginning. However, when recounting, he selectively blurred his true relationship with the black shadow.

Perhaps feeling a little guilty, He Yan subconsciously averted his eyes when recounting these things and did not make eye contact with Xuan Qi, so he did not notice that the eyes of the cold-faced man in front of him flickered imperceptibly.

Author's Note:

He Yan: Feeling guilty

Big Shot: Feeling guilty +1