Underworld Guest

Zi Hao wiped his hands clean of the blood of one of his men. 

He walked out of the dark decrepit dungeon. Turning to one of his soldiers he asked, "Where is she?"

"Replying to your majesty, the guest has been sent to Blooming Night Palace!"

He nodded and patted the soldiers shoulder. "Ask some men to gather elixirs, potions, beauty pills, and anything that a woman likes with me to chat with her."

"Yes!"

In Blooming Night Palace, the air was filled with fragrance of a garden of Blooming Night flowers.

These flowers were surprisingly like the night with small white dots across their petals, like they were stars. 

Ruan Qing's mother sat by a luxurious bed adorned with black sheets. Even her clothes had been changed to be rich soft black robes. 

The heavy doors creaked open and a figure stepped in. 

"Girl, how are you?"

It was a strange scene. Compared to Ruan Qing's mother who looked in her middle ages being called girl by a man that seemed like he was in his 20's.

"D-don't call me that!"

She held her pendant tightly. Although she knew that she had the support of a great immortal, she still felt both fear and anger towards Zi Hao. 

"Well, what else am I supposed to call you?"

"...Chen Ruolan."

Zi Hao smiles. "So it's–Ruolan."

Hearing him speak her name caused her to feel a bit of disgust. But anything was better than having to hear girl every time.

With a snap of his fingers, chests full of treasure and medicinal pills entered the room. 

"What's the meaning of this!?"

"Meaning? Of course its to take care of our guest who's far from home!"

He opened a box and took out a pill. "This pill is called the beauty returns. Those who take it will regain their beauty and become even more beautiful than then they were in their prime."

He took out another, "This one is called the everlasting beauty, Taking this pill would have anyone's youth be forever. 

He opened another, "This is–"

"I don't want it! Leave!"

Zi Hao scoffed. Though he didn't dare touch even a single hair on her shoulder, he still had ways to work around the problem. 

This situation in his opinion was a blessing in disguise. 

The first thing that he had to ask himself was, Why was the one there in the first place?

The answer was simple. Immortals would occasionally enter the mortal realms to experience emotional trials which they had to overcome. 

Thus he made a daring prediction. 

The one has descendants!

The proof?

A magic treasure that anyone would wage war for was in the hands of a mortal woman. 

The fact that he personally appeared to save them!

These two facts alone made him even more confident that this woman was the key to the one! 

He didn't believe for a second that Chen Ruolan would succumb to the taste of power, beauty, and otherworldly desires! Even the so called immortals fell to the mortal realms because of it!

Zi Hao snapped his fingers again. A group of maids entered with food and drinks. Instead of putting them down on the table right away, Zi Hao took them instead. 

Crack!

The pills were turned to fine powder in his hands. 

"You!"

"I'll give you two choices. Eat with the pills and enjoy eternal youth, which I gave you. Or don't eat! And starve to death!

"You aren't afraid of sir immortal killing you!?"

"Afraid? Of course I'm afraid. But if you die because you didn't eat, then what did that have to do with me? Do you really think that Senior will blame me for gifting you treasure and food, but you yourself didn't eat?"

This was a bluff. He was almost certain his head and the whole underworld would face extinction if she died. 

However, to a mortal who wasn't aware of the situation, it was like taking candy from a child. 

As expected, it worked. She felt hesitant and unsure. 

Right now, she didn't know how Ruan Qing was doing and who sir immortal was. If he really was helping them then that's good. 

But could she really depend on someone she didn't know well?

If this is poison....

Ruoyan took a spoon and forcefully fed herself. She gulped a mouthful and slammed the table. 

"I'll remember this humiliation!"

She stared daggers at Zi Hao, her fear was no longer existing in her heart. All that was left was anger. 

"Great, I do hope you can tell senior how well I've treated you."

Taking his leave, he also brought the treasures out. 

After half an hour, he commanded the maids. 

"Take each pill and grind them to be eaten with the food. For the treasure...just return it to the treasury."

Before he left he looked them in the eye. His voice became low and deep.

"If any of you dare to take what's not yours, I'll personally attend your funeral."

The maids shivered and bowed immediately. They scattered as quickly as possible. 

A soldier nodded and spoke, "Your majesty is truly brilliant!"

His eyes glanced to the feeble soldier by his side. 

"Brilliant? Why do you think so? If you're just trying to flatter me then I'll take your head off from you body."

"I mean every word I say. Your majesty took the liberty of enticing this mortal women with high quality pills and treasure to keep her in the demon realm as long as possible. As long as she is connected to the underworld and refuses to leave, the one has no choice but let her be."

He smirks, "As she lives here, the one will not attack us, but might even protect us from future threats! This is why I said, your majesty is brilliant."

Zi Hao looked him up and down. "Whats your name?"

"This lowly one is called Wang Jun."

"Hmm, now that I take a look at you, you're quite a looker huh."

"How could I compare to your grace–"

"How unfortunate~."

"Your majesty?"

"I have no need for those that can't keep their mouths shut."

BAM!

A force claw spiraled through Wang Jun's heart. His eyes widened in horror as Zi Hao's playful smile remained unchanged. 

"W-why..."

"You see, " Zi Hao's voice was light and casual as his hand was completely soaked blood red, "loyalty is a beautiful thing. But the moment a servant thinks himself too clever, it becomes....tiresome."

Zi Hao retreated his arm out from his chest. Wang Jun's body fell to the ground, breathing heavily at the brink of death.

"Y-your Majesty, I-I have always been–"

"Oh shut up, you."

Splack

His foot crushed his head like a watermelon, blood spilled on the ground everywhere. 

"What a load of bullshit."

"Loyalty is the cheapest currency in this world. It is given freely, bought easily, and discarded with a single thought."

"Yet people still think it holds value."

He smiled and scoffed. Glancing down at the broken down corpse he showed a face full of regret. 

"What a pity. A pretty face, wasted." 

He flicked his fingers, dark flames covered the body and soon, not even ashes remained.