Chapter 005: Dragon Soul

Ye Chen squinted his eyes at the man and woman who emerged, the man probably in his thirties, dressed in black, carrying the aura of a soldier as he walked.

The woman by his side did surprise Ye Chen a bit—she was in her twenties, also dressed in black tight-fitting clothes, with delicate features, an absolute beauty.

What was with today, constantly encountering beauties? Sending a beauty to tail him, what did that mean?

The middle-aged man stopped ten meters away in front of Ye Chen, spread his hands to show he meant no harm, and asked, "Should I call you Ye Chen, or should I call you Nether King?"

A light flashed in Ye Chen's eyes, and a surge of intense killing intent flowed from within him, causing the two people opposite him to feel a chill run down their spines; the potent killing intent involuntarily tensed their bodies.

Just the outward release of killing intent made them feel a bit of pressure, and their expressions couldn't help but change slightly. The Nether King's strength was beyond their imagination.

"In Huaxia, I only go by the name Ye Chen," Ye Chen said indifferently. "Are you people from the Dragon Soul?"

Dragon Soul was the most mysterious entity in Huaxia, and only an organization like Dragon Soul could find him so quickly after he had just returned to Zhonghai.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Zhang Zhen, and this is Vermilion Bird, from Dragon Soul," Zhang Zhen said with a smile.

Ye Chen frowned and asked, "I don't seem to have had any dealings with your Dragon Soul people before. I'm very curious, what is your purpose in following me?"

"I am equally curious, Mr. Ye, how did you notice we were following you?" Zhang Zhen wondered. "We thought we hadn't exposed any flaws."

As a member of Dragon Soul, he was confident in his tracking and counter-surveillance skills, or else they wouldn't have sent him to tail Ye Chen. Unexpectedly, they had met their match and been caught outright.

"Years of life and death experiences, that's all. If I couldn't even notice being followed, I, as the Nether King, would have died too many times to count by now," Ye Chen chuckled.

Since Ye Chen was unwilling to reveal the reason, Zhang Zhen did not press him. Vermilion Bird then said, "The underground world's three kings, one of the Twelve Main Gods, the founder of Nether Palace, the Nether King, suddenly returning to Zhonghai City, I think anyone from any country would feel uneasy. We really want to know the purpose of Mr. Ye's return."

"Purpose? There's no special purpose, just tired of the killing and came back to get married, nothing more than you think."

Ye Chen said with a smile, his expression lazy as he looked towards Vermilion Bird.

When had Vermilion Bird ever been stared at like this? A hint of annoyance appeared on her face, and had the man standing opposite not been the world-famous Nether King, she would have taken him down a peg already.

Zhang Zhen straightened his expression and said, "We have come here this time to formally invite you to join Dragon Soul. This is also Comrade Jianjun's intention; he still hopes you'll continue to serve the country."

Hearing the words "Comrade Jianjun," a cold light flashed in Ye Chen's eyes, and he scoffed, "Hmm, I'm afraid that's what 'those people' want. The moment I made that decision back then, returning was never an option. Now, I'm just an ordinary person who wants to live a peaceful life."

"I understand the pain of losing comrades, but have you forgotten the oath you once took? You were Huaxia's Soldier King, you..."

Zhang Zhen hadn't finished speaking when Ye Chen suddenly grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up.

Vermilion Bird's expression changed, and she reflexively got ready to fight, but she didn't rashly attack, knowing that with her skills, she might not stop Ye Chen and also believing that Ye Chen would not harm Zhang Zhen.

"What do you know? They were soldiers; to die on the battlefield was their honor. But they didn't die at the hands of the enemy—they died by the hands of their own. Do you understand that?"

Ye Chen's voice was so cold it sent shivers down the spine, and his eyes filled with madness, containing anger, despair, sorrow, and helplessness which left Zhang Zhen and Vermilion Bird somewhat speechless.

"Those conspirators have already been judged," Zhang Zhen said, his face red, his voice hoarse.

After a moment of silence, Ye Chen let go of Zhang Zhen and asked, "Are the promises from back then still valid?"

"As long as you don't act against the nation's interests, those promises will always hold," Zhang Zhen replied, holding his neck and breathing heavily.

"Out of respect for General Wang, if you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can come to me," Ye Chen said as he turned and walked away,

"Tell those people that I am Ye Chen, a member of the Yanjing Ye Family."

Zhang Zhen's expression shook, showing a look of helplessness, and Vermilion Bird couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. She had never imagined that the infamous Nether King would also be a member of the Ye Family.

The Yanjing Ye Family was one of the truly powerful Four Major Families in Huaxia, their family influence exceptionally strong throughout the nation. If Ye Chen was a member of the Ye Family, then even Dragon Soul couldn't force him to join.

Let's not mention the enormous contributions Ye Chen once made to the country. As long as the old man of the Ye Family is alive, and as long as Ye Chen doesn't do anything illegal, there are hardly a few people in Huaxia who can force Ye Chen to do anything.

At this moment, Ye Chen was walking quietly down the street alone. The emergence of the Dragon Soul brought some memories deep in his heart back to the surface. He thought he had completely let go, completely come to terms with it, but at this moment, it was all just self-deception.

He couldn't forget those comrades-in-arms who had died in battle!

In a daze, Ye Chen found himself unwittingly arriving at a nightlife district. Bars, nightclubs, KTVs, and other entertainment spots were scattered around.

Greeted by the enthusiastic smiles of the staff, Ye Chen entered a bar called "Night Colors." He needed alcohol and women to numb himself.

High stools, a tall bar counter, explosive music, and that nerve-thrilling rhythm, coupled with a touch of drunkenness—that was the charm of the bar, where all the pressure dissipated into thin air.

In the dance floor, a group of wild men and women were twisting their bodies, howling unrestrainedly, releasing their inner emotions. On the stage, several women were dancing crazily, appearing almost bewitchingly enchanting under the colorful lights.

"A glass of whiskey," Ye Chen said, approaching the bar and smiling at the young girl working there.

The girl was probably in her early twenties, with a charming look about her, the bartender of the bar.

"Sir, here's your drink," the beautiful bartender handed the whiskey directly to Ye Chen.

Ye Chen picked up the glass, took a big gulp, then swirled the glass around, his eyes slightly blurred.

A man with a story is most likely to attract women, especially someone like Ye Chen who exuded a melancholic aura and was also very handsome.

"Handsome, can I sit here?" a seductive voice said, followed by a burst of strong perfume as a woman in a strappy dress leaned in.

Ye Chen turned his head. The woman was okay-looking, but she had heavy makeup on, her face like it was plastered with a layer of flour.

"If you want to sit, just sit," Ye Chen took another sip of whiskey and smiled.

The woman was taken aback by Ye Chen's indifferent tone. Typically, in this bar, which man wouldn't look at her with a lecherous gaze, staring fixedly at her? No one had been as indifferent as Ye Chen was to her.

"Handsome, aren't you going to buy me a drink? Get me drunk, and you can do whatever you want with me tonight," the beauty said with a full smile, her voice charming.

Apparently encountering a "drink pusher," Ye Chen chuckled and said, "If you want to drink, you can have my glass."

The woman paused, threw a flirtatious look at Ye Chen, and said, "Handsome, stop joking. Don't you want to have some wonderful moments with me?"

"Big sister, looking at all that foundation on your face, I have absolutely no interest. Is this the quality of drink pushers these days?" Ye Chen smiled.

"Who do you think you are, you poor loser? You can't even afford to buy a drink, yet you try to pick up girls. I took a fancy to you, and that's a fortune you've cultivated over eight lifetimes," the beauty snapped back indignantly and left with a cold huff.

Ye Chen took a sip of his drink and noticed a small beauty sitting at a table not far away.

Her face was slightly youthful, probably around sixteen years old. Although young, her features were exquisite—a beauty in the making.

However, the girl's attire was quite alternative: a white T-shirt on top, ripped jeans below, skull pendants hanging from her ears, and non-mainstream bracelets on her wrists.

Clearly a rebellious young woman—her eyes full of defiance—many drinks were placed on her table, and she was drinking one after the other, her face flushed red.

Such a stunningly beautiful young girl naturally drew the attention of more than just Ye Chen. Soon, three men approached her in the bar, sitting to her left and right, sandwiching the girl in the middle.

The bald man on the left put his hand over the girl's glass with a sleazy grin and said, "Little beauty, it's lonely to drink alone. How about having a drink together?"