Nuwa, the goddess of immortality, said that cultivating immortality does not require spiritual energ

"What brings you to the underworld?"

In the main hall, Yama, with a gentle smile, asked Qin Le a question.

"To save a loved one." Qin Le presented the Heavenly Marriage Certificate in his hand.

The King of Hell glanced at the contents of the marriage certificate, and the smile on his face relaxed a little: "I see, this is not difficult."

Having said that, he took a seemingly ordinary but subtly shimmering golden book from the table, opened the pages, and wrote down the two characters "Lin Yang"—this was the name of Qin Le's maternal grandfather.

As the pen fell, the golden book moved without wind, its pages turning rapidly. The pages rustled, as if searching through vast, mysterious records. After about ten minutes, the turning of the pages finally stopped.

With a flick of his finger, Yama sent a golden light flying from his hand and disappearing into the void, as if conveying some kind of command.

He then handed the Heavenly Marriage Certificate back to Qin Le and said with a smile, "You can wait in the side hall first, and your relatives will be brought over later."

"Thank you, King Yama." Qin Le accepted the marriage certificate, bowed in thanks, and then asked, "May I ask how long the wait will be?"

"In terms of time in the mortal realm, it will take at most one hour," Yama replied readily.

"Alright, thank you for your trouble, King Yama." Qin Le nodded.

"It's alright." King Yama waved his hand, his expression gentle.

Watching Qin Le follow the ghost messengers towards the side hall, Yama secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He was relieved that Qin Le's request did not exceed the rules of the underworld.

Otherwise, it could be quite tricky.

Although the underworld is now under the rule of the saint Houtu Niangniang and is in good order, Nuwa Niangniang, who stands behind Qin Le, was also a saint before leaving the Three Realms.

If Qin Le were to make a request to take away the souls of his loved ones directly, Yama would have no choice but to report the matter to the Empress Houtu for judgment.

After all, if Qin Le is offended, the underworld will likely not be peaceful in the future.

Fortunately, Qin Le's trip was only to remove the contractual ties binding his relatives, which was reasonable and in accordance with the law, and the King of Hell could make his own decision.

In fact, even if Qin Le's maternal grandmother came in person, she could still accomplish this, but the process would be much slower.

The reason why Grandma couldn't do it was because she couldn't enter the underworld normally—there was no way to apply through the regular channels, and she was powerless to force her way through. Her only chance was to take advantage of the brief opening of the passage when the ghost messengers were collecting souls and force her way in, but that would be tantamount to walking into a trap. The result would inevitably be that she would be instantly suppressed, punished for hundreds of years, and then sent back.

Inside the side hall, the furnishings were simple and the lighting was soft.

Qin Le found a seat, took out the jade slip given to him by Laozi again, and immersed himself in it to continue expanding his knowledge base.

Since we have to wait an hour, sitting there is just a waste of time.

Qin Le was not impatient about having to wait an hour to see her grandfather.

The underworld is said to be more vast than the heavens and the human world combined, so bringing someone from the place of torture in such a short time is already extremely efficient.

If he were to search for it himself, it would probably take several times, or even dozens of times, more time.

Time slipped away silently.

About an hour later, the light and shadows flickered slightly at the entrance of the side hall.

A ghost messenger dressed in black led a middle-aged man in.

The man was slender and dressed in a rather casual modern outfit, with glimpses of his former charm still visible in his features.

The man stepped into the hall, and when his gaze fell upon Qin Le, he was first bewildered, then his expression turned to deep shock: "You, you are... Xiao Le?!"

Although I only saw him when he was three years old, his extraordinary handsome appearance was already evident even in his childhood, making him unforgettable.

Grandpa's memories were instantly awakened.

Qin Le put away the jade slip, stood up, and gave a gentle smile: "Grandpa, it's me."

Although the memories were blurred, the moment I saw the real person in front of me, those scenes buried by time gradually became clear again.

"How...how did you end up in the underworld?"

After confirming that he hadn't mistaken Qin Le for someone else, the grandfather sat down next to Qin Le, his expression of shock deepening.

During his punishment in the underworld, he was isolated from the outside world and had no idea of ​​the changes happening in the mortal world, let alone the current situation of his grandson.

Qin Le took out the page of the Heavenly Marriage Certificate and handed it over: "Grandma asked me to bring this to you."

Upon seeing those familiar golden pages, Grandpa's expression instantly became complex, a mixture of guilt, heartache, and relief, ultimately culminating in a long sigh:

"Sigh... I'm the one who hurt her."

The pain of being burned by a volcano was bearable for him.

But the thought that my departure without saying goodbye would cause my beloved to be heartbroken and worried for a long time made the mental torment far worse than the pain of torture.

He accepted the marriage certificate without hesitation, and with a faint but firm glimmer of divine light gathered at his fingertips, he gently imprinted it onto the certificate.

As his mark fell, the entire page of the golden book suddenly emitted a soft glow, then turned into specks of golden light, slowly dissipating into the air as if it had never existed.

The invisible shackles of the contract were completely broken here.

Grandpa breathed a long sigh of relief, as if a huge burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

His Daoist companions no longer need to worry about his punishment.

Then, as if remembering something, he looked at Qin Le, his eyes full of doubt: "Xiao Le, how...how did you get down here?"

He could clearly sense the surging vitality emanating from Qin Le; it was the aura of a living person.

It is by no means easy for a living person to enter the underworld openly and honestly.

Otherwise, his Daoist partner, who was already an Earth Immortal, would probably have already found a way to come down to earth.

"This?" Qin Le smiled, her tone relaxed. "I'm now a personal disciple of the Goddess Nuwa, and I've even comprehended the Dao of Immortality. I guess you could say I got this job through connections."

"Wh...what?"

Grandpa was completely stunned, his mouth agape, unable to utter a word for a long time.

A direct disciple of the goddess Nuwa?

To comprehend the path of immortality?

Is this really the little kid he remembers who would pester him for candy, roll around on the ridges of the fields, and get a spanking from his daughter when he got home?

All of this sounds like the most bizarre dream.

It took him a good ten minutes to barely process this shocking news.

In the end, all the shock turned into an indescribable sense of relief and pride, and a warm smile spread across his face.

"I never imagined... Xiao Le, you've become so successful." Grandpa's voice was filled with emotion and pride: "Much better than Grandpa, good, really good."

Even though his grandson's changes were dramatic, these were all great things, and he could only be happy.

"It's alright." Qin Le touched his nose. "I don't think there's anything particularly different about it."

"You rascal..." Grandpa was amused by his nonchalant attitude and shook his head helplessly.

Next, Qin Le began to tell his grandfather about the family members over the years: his grandmother's longing and perseverance, his mother Lin Wanrou's achievements in alchemy, his father Qin Shoudao's dedication to alchemy... as well as some of his own experiences, and some stories about his cousins, aunts, uncles and other relatives.

Grandpa listened quietly, a smile always on his face, his eyes sometimes flashing with reminiscence, sometimes filled with satisfaction.

After talking for nearly two hours, Grandpa finally raised his hand to stop Qin Le from speaking, and said with a gentle smile, "Alright, Grandpa knows all about these things. It's getting late, I should... get going."

Qin Le nodded and took out her phone from her storage ring: "Grandpa, let's keep this as a memento. Say goodbye properly to Grandma and the others."

Upon seeing the familiar modern object, Grandpa paused for a moment, then smiled and said happily, "That's fine too."

There is naturally no signal from the mortal world in the underworld, but recording a video is a piece of cake.

After recording the video, Grandpa raised his hand and gently ruffled Qin Le's hair, just like when he was a child, his eyes filled with reluctance and love:

"Xiao Le, Grandpa has passed away. Take good care of yourself."

"Mm." Qin Le nodded vigorously and smiled. "Grandpa, have a safe trip."

As the ghostly messenger led his grandfather's figure into the hazy light and shadow outside the side hall, Qin Le couldn't help but feel a touch of sadness.

But he understood that the cycle of life and death was the natural order of things.

Without becoming an immortal, one's lifespan will eventually come to an end, and the desire to stay together forever is ultimately a luxury.

He composed himself and was about to get up and leave the underworld to return to the mortal realm.

A clear, melodious female voice, yet carrying an indescribable air of authority, rang out behind him without warning:

"Your task is now complete. If you wish to return, you must pass my trial."