Yin Yan pulled Yu Zhen straight out of the restaurant and stopped in a small alley at its side.

“Why did you bring me out?”

Yu Zhen was confused and tried to pull his hand back at the same time.

Too many messy things had happened today, and it wasn't until this moment that Yu Zhen had the presence of mind to notice that this Remnant Soul who had run out of his body, while appearing quite proper and gentlemanly on the surface, actually made a lot of small gestures upon careful reflection.

The few times they held hands before, and the arm around his shoulder in the private room just now—for two strangers who had only met twice, these actions were all too intimate.

That wasn't right. Yu Zhen frowned at this thought, pondering vexedly. It seemed he and Yin Yan couldn't really be considered strangers.

After all, they had once lived in the same body, and now they were even registered for marriage. Moreover, this Remnant Soul could almost be said to have watched him grow up; in a sense, he was his elder.

So, was their marriage registration incest?

“...”

He frantically shook his head to throw this horrifying speculation out of his mind, looking at Yin Yan opposite him, who had very naturally let go after noticing his movement, his expression remaining calm and composed as if holding hands with him was nothing. Yu Zhen thought hesitantly.

Perhaps the other party thought the same way, viewing him as a junior he had watched grow up, so holding his hand was natural, just like a parent holding their child's hand—a gesture of pure tolerance and care.

As for the arm around his shoulder, the Yin Family had been there just now. Perhaps the gesture was to make their act more convincing; after all, the other party had to continue living with the identity of Yin Yan.

Yin Yan didn't answer his question. After letting go of his hand, he instead pressed a hand to his head and asked, “Why are you shaking your head? Do you have a headache?”

It was indeed an elder-like concern. After all, no adult man would so naturally touch another adult man's head.

Yu Zhen, whose romantic senses were completely undeveloped, drew his own conclusions, and his not-so-bright brain immediately tossed the issue to the back of his mind. He shook his head again and replied, “It's nothing, I was just thinking about some things.”

“Mm.”

Yin Yan nodded, not asking what he was thinking about. He retracted his hand, looked up at the sky, then suddenly tilted his head to indicate the other end of the alley and said, “Go there. Your fortuitous encounter has arrived.”

A fortuitous encounter?

Yu Zhen looked confused.

“Your soul is incomplete right now, and your soul body is too weak. Orthodox cultivation methods are not suitable for you. If you want to smoothly enter the path of Cultivation, you must first practice Soul Refining. Today is auspicious for marriage, and also for ghosts to walk. At the alley entrance, there is a Merit-Confused Soul. Go wake her up and send her to reincarnation.”

Yu Zhen understood his words, but the ubiquitous word "ghost" in his speech scared him so much that he pressed himself tightly against the wall and began to tremble. “Y-you mean, there's a, a ghost at the alley entrance?”

Yin Yan probably hadn't expected such a reaction. After a strange two-second silence, he stepped forward to peel him off the wall and said, “A Merit-Confused Soul won't harm people. Yu Zhen, fortuitous encounters are not easy to come by. If you miss the timing and the Netherworld Official arrives, you won't have the chance to get close to the confused soul.”

So that meant he might also encounter a Netherworld Official?

The fear from almost having his soul reaped before rose wildly. Yu Zhen shook his head, his face turning pale. After being peeled off the wall, he even stretched out his arms, preparing to hug the trash can three steps away.

Yin Yan quickly reached out to stop him, only to be hugged by the extremely frightened Yu Zhen, who settled for the next best thing. Burying his head in Yin Yan's chest, he trembled, unwilling to go to the alley entrance.

Yin Yan leaned back slightly from the force of the hug. Feeling the fragile fear emanating from within Yu Zhen, he hesitated at first. Then, remembering his incomplete soul, he sighed silently, gently held him, and patted his back. Looking up at the sky again, he thought for a moment and said, “Yu Zhen, only great benefactors who did many good deeds in life become merit souls after death. Like your grandfather, Yu Rongfeng.”

These words pried open a small crack in Yu Zhen's fear-filled mind, and his grip on Yin Yan loosened slightly.

“The soul at the alley entrance is just like your grandfather, also an elderly person. She's lost right now and can't find the path to reincarnation. You will help her, right?”

His tone was calm as always, but his voice had softened a little.

Yu Zhen thought of his grandfather and imagined a scene where his grandfather's soul was lost after death, unable to reincarnate and with no one to help. His heart clenched. He released his hold on Yin Yan and took a step back.

Yin Yan let go and watched him quietly, saying nothing more.

“Then I... I...”

Yu Zhen wanted to say, “Then I’ll go,” but deep down, he was still afraid.

“Go on.”

Yin Yan patted his shoulder, turned him to face the other end of the alley, and gave him a gentle push, saying, “I'll be here watching you.”

Yu Zhen moved forward passively. He glanced back at Yin Yan, knowing he couldn't avoid this and understanding that Yin Yan was doing this for his own good. He took a deep breath and started walking towards the alley entrance.

One step, two steps, three steps... The distance between them grew larger and larger. As Yin Yan watched Yu Zhen's stiff retreating back, he seemed to once again see that thin figure in a white robe walking through the Karmic Fire. He unconsciously took a step forward, then restrained himself and stopped.

He couldn't go.

This was his path, and he needed to take the first step himself.

He stopped, and Yu Zhen stopped as well.

The alley entrance was now right before him. Yu Zhen turned back, his face pale, and forced a smile. He asked for confirmation, “You'll stay here the whole time? You won't leave?”

The light in the alley was dim, and from this distance, Yin Yan's expression was unclear, but his nod was distinct.

“Then I’m going.”

Yu Zhen withdrew his gaze, no longer looking at Yin Yan's perpetually straight-backed figure. He took a deep breath, quickened his pace, and rushed out of the alley entrance, bumping right into an old woman with graying hair.

“Aiyo, my apples.”

The old woman had a kind face and a plump figure. When she collided with Yu Zhen, who was more than a head taller than her, she only dropped the fruit she was carrying, while Yu Zhen fell right to the ground.

“I’m so sorry, Ma’am, are you alright?”

Yu Zhen quickly scrambled up to apologize and bent down to help the old woman pick up the apples. He made a gentle scooping motion with his hand, but it passed right through an apple. His body immediately froze.

“What could happen to me? Are you alright, child? Did you get hurt anywhere? It’s all this old woman’s fault for rushing and not watching where I was going. Did you get hurt from the fall?”

The old woman paid no mind to the apples on the ground. She quickly stepped forward and pulled Yu Zhen up, squeezing his arm as if he were her own grandson. She anxiously looked him up and down, her face filled with unconcealable concern.

“I-I’m fine.”

Feeling the warmth from her hands, as if she were a living person, and looking at her rosy, vibrant face, Yu Zhen glanced down at her feet, which cast no shadow. His fingers tightened. Suppressing his fear, he reached out to steady the old woman and asked, “Ma’am, why are you all alone at this remote alley entrance? Where is your family?”

“Family?”

The old woman’s expression was blank for a moment. Then, she tapped her forehead, bent down to pick up the bag of apples, and said in annoyance, “Look at my memory. My child is sick, and I have to go see him. Is there a hospital nearby? Strange, how did I end up here?”

A hospital?

Yu Zhen recalled the addresses of the major hospitals in Dawu City and asked, “Is it the First People's Hospital?”

“Yes, yes, that’s the one. My child is waiting for me to bring him food. Thank you, young man, I have to go now.”

“Wait!”

Yu Zhen quickly stopped the old woman. Thinking of Yin Yan in the alley and the Netherworld Official who could arrive at any moment, he hesitated for a moment before taking out his phone to call a taxi. He said to the old woman, “Walking to the First People's Hospital from here is too slow. Let me take you there. Please wait a moment, the car will be here soon.”

The old woman was very embarrassed and quickly declined, but Yu Zhen insisted. In the end, the old woman couldn't refuse him and got into the taxi with him.

The journey, which would have taken over ten minutes on foot, only took a few minutes by car.

The taxi stopped at the entrance of the First People's Hospital. Yu Zhen paid the fare. After getting out, he saw that not far across the road, the traffic police had cordoned off an area. It seemed there had been a car accident; a few apples were rolling on the ground nearby. His heart tightened, and he quickly turned to block the old woman's line of sight. Under the driver's gaze, which screamed 'psycho,' he helped the old woman, who was completely invisible to others, into the hospital.

“Good child, thank you. Take this apple. It’s from our own orchard, it’s very sweet.”

The old woman insisted on stuffing an apple into Yu Zhen's hand. After thanking him repeatedly, she turned and walked into the hospital. A few seconds later, the same ethereal bell sound he had heard before drifted over faintly. The old woman's figure grew fainter as she walked, and then gradually disappeared.

Yu Zhen hid behind a pillar and squeezed the apple in his hand, which had suddenly become solid and tangible. His nose inexplicably tingled. Shaking his head to dispel the emotion, he strode quickly out of the hospital.

He took a taxi back. In the alley, Yin Yan was still standing in the same position as when he had sent him off, his face showing no trace of impatience from the wait. Seeing him return, he simply asked calmly, “Did you send her off?”

Yu Zhen nodded and gestured with the apple in his hand. “She gave me this. Said it’s very sweet.”

A sad and dejected emotion surged in his heart. Yin Yan looked at his expression of pretending everything was fine and raised a hand to cover the apple in his.

He thought to himself that Yu Zhen didn't have to be so kind.

“What's wrong with you?”

Yu Zhen felt a little uncomfortable under his direct gaze. The hand holding the apple flinched slightly. He didn't understand why Yin Yan had suddenly gone silent.

Yin Yan then realized he hadn't spoken his thoughts out loud just now. He shook his head to indicate it was nothing. The hand covering the apple moved slightly, and in the next second, the apple transformed into a ball of golden light that swirled upwards before splitting into two strands and entering each of their bodies.

With the apple no longer between them, their hands came to rest gently together. The moment their skin touched, a faint glimmer of light flashed across the surface of the rings on their hands and vanished.

Yu Zhen's eyes widened in shock at this completely unscientific scene. He stared foolishly as the golden light entered his body. A warmth spread from his chest, and fragmented images flashed before his eyes before quickly dissipating. His body immediately felt much lighter.