Yama Rising

Chapter 334: Destined

“So, you’re saying that… the new Hell will absolutely need to get the approval of the twelve envoys at the end of the year and retrieve the great seal of the feudal officials along the way? In other words, while I’m at it, I might as well both establish some trade routes as well as save my own life?” He finally calmed down, and he gazed placidly into the distance, “But everything hinges on whether I can receive Emperor Wu of Song’s approval altogether. At the very least, he will need to view the new Hell as an equal before we can even begin to negotiate something like that.”

Previously, the imperial court meeting at the end of the year was no more than a peripheral, unimportant matter. But things had changed! It was an imperative right now - something that he had no choice but to go through with, and even succeed in!

Arthis nodded, “Do your best… We’ll summon all twelve envoys at once. And when the time comes… it will be a good showing. Trust me, these envoys will all live up to your expectations, and then some.”

After all, Hell’s present prosperity and growth, coupled with the backing of the Book of Life and Death, and the existence of the Harken are all not to be underestimated at all!

After mulling over these things, he finally lifted his head, “Then, shouldn’t we take a peek into the Book of Life and Death for now?”

Qin Ye chuckled awkwardly, “Well, I do have to get myself prepared, don’t I? Given my looks and intellect, it’s not necessarily going to be a problem to plant the seeds of the future generation. But the crux of the matter is that the seeds will have to be planted in the right places, and I’ll also have to be considerate and leave some for others in any event. Such a contingency is quite important in case we encounter any unforeseen circumstances at the end of the year. After all, one must at times be willing to flaunt their strengths and use their physical endowment for the pursuit of a pure life…”

She snorted, and then turned a blind eye to Qin Ye’s existence. Then, she waved her hand, and a huge Book of Life and Death drifted out of the sphere of endless Yin energy hovering right over Hell’s Gate. A second later, a tattered ancient book appeared right in Arthis’ hands.

“A person might only be married once in his lifetime. But, often times, people end up marrying those who aren’t the love of their lives. The perfect match, or the destined one or destined ones, are instead still out there at large. The Book of Life and Death would record the names of these people in pink. Look closely, and record all the names of these people.”

“What’s going on?” Arthis stared at the Book of Life and Death with great astonishment as it continued to pore through its records slowly. After fifteen minutes, the Book of Life and Death reached the end of its pages, and the back cover closed up. And then, it began to search from the front once more.

“Impossible!” Arthis’ eyes widened, and her lips trembled as she continued to stare intently at the Book of Life and Death, “Regardless of who it is… everyone has a person that matches him or her perfectly! So, I don’t understand why you don’t!”

Qin Ye: What the Hell are you talking about? Are you looking for a fight?

What was someone like him doing looking for love to begin with?

Look… Even the Book of Life and Death understands that I fall outside of the system of karma…

“It’s first run through was for the present century.” Arthis paused, “In other words, nobody born in the last hundred years is a perfect fit for you. At first blush, you’re fated to be alone. However, this fails to consider the preceding years before the last century…”

“You’re living in Hell! What’s wrong with a posthumous marriage?” Arthis glared at him, before instructing the Book of Life and Death, “Expand the search criteria and start from the beginning. And ignore the gender.”

He was completely speechless.

Ye Xingchen, Lin Han, Wang Chenghao… Qin Ye’s mind grew numb and fuzzy, and he immediately grabbed hold of the Book of Life and Death, “Are you teasing me?!! Do you think I wouldn’t rip you to shreds just because you’re a divine artifact?! Where are you suddenly getting these strange ideas from?!”

Moments later, Arthis coughed dryly, “Calm down. Apologies for that, that last search was for ‘friends’, and not ‘lovers’.”

However, there were still no results.

In other words, it meant that Qin Ye wasn’t fated to be with anyone who was born within the last three hundred years - not even if they were ghosts.

Qin Ye glared wickedly at Arthis, to which she finally withdrew her gaze. Sigh… speaking of which, I do vaguely recall that the first and second King Yanluos of Hell were also loners… Is this the price to pay for being powerful…

Arthis managed to read the emotions undergirding his statement for once. After all, anyone who was told with certainty that they couldn’t find love would never feel good about himself.

Qin Ye was already walking back into Hell’s Gate when he suddenly paused and turned around in shock.

This is… 370 or 380 years ago, back in the era of the Ming Dynasty…

Qin Ye stared blankly at the pink name, and a wave of complex emotions stirred in his heart.

There’s someone…

Unfortunately… you were born before I was, and you were already old when I was born. You hate that I was born late, while I hate that you were born early.

What do I even do with this information?

To think that love eludes me so… How long do I have to wait before I truly find love?

Thus, he had locked away his heart, resigned to the fate of never knowing love.

“Hah…” He laughed bitterly, and then turned around to walk away once more. However, Arthis called out after him, “Hey… wait a minute…”

Xia Jinse’s name… had turned black.

Immediately after that, the Book of Life and Death began to flip around, desperately tracking her life until, just about a hundred years ago, her name turned black once more!

The pages kept flipping, until it was soon the present. And yet, her name was still pink. That said… it was no longer recorded under the name of Xia Jinse!

“What’s going on over here?” Qin Ye was completely dumbfounded.

How is that possible?!

He grabbed the Book of Life and Death and gently ran his finger across her names once more, “She’s someone like me… someone who has consumed the taisui fungus! She has died three times! She has died, lost her memory, and been reborn anew thrice now!”

He wouldn’t have believed a single part of it had it not been recorded in the Book of Life and Death. After all, he couldn’t believe that there were others in this world who had consumed the taisui fungus as well! And she was still alive and kicking, and even destined to be the love of his life!

Both were ageless and immortal, and their union would mean that they no longer had to worry about the passing of their loved ones. There would not be a concept of ‘till death do us part’. If this wasn’t destiny, nothing was.

“Can we see where she is?” Qin Ye immediately asked.

Seconds later, her gaze flickered. Then, taking a few steps back, she muttered, “Hanyang.”

It’s the twelve envoys again!

Calm down… calm down…

“Where are you going?” Arthis asked.

“Just wait and see… I’ve never been so dedicated to self-improvement. My mind is set. I’m going to give them a huge gift at the imperial court meeting!”