Guan Xinghe spoke, his breathing turning rapid. Although it had been a thousand years since his ancestor obtained the pendant bead, he had reason to be sure that the person before him was very likely from the same era as his ancestor.
For instance, the other party knew far too much about his ancestor's affairs. His tone didn't sound like he was telling a story—it was more like he was recounting personal experiences.
That was the first reason.
The second was, the person before him was the nemesis of the Black City God.
According to the report from Fengdu County, the one rumored in folklore to have stolen the City God's incense offerings was none other than the Black City God. And records of this event in ancient texts dated back at least a thousand years.
Since the Black City God was someone from a thousand years ago, his nemesis couldn't possibly be much younger.
No matter how one looked at it, and then there was the fact that Qin Ye had immediately recognized the pendant bead as a Concealment Pearl.
Guan Xinghe was now more than 80% certain the ancestral legend passed down through his family for generations—the benefactor in his ancestor's story—was none other than the man before him.
"Ancestor?" Qin Ye patted his backside as he stood up, a look of realization on his face.
"Looks like I guessed right. You really are that brat's descendant. No wonder you have the Concealment Pearl."
The moment the words "that brat" came out of his mouth, Guan Xinghe's breath became fiery with excitement, and he was just short of kneeling on the spot.
There was no mistake. This man was truly his ancestor's benefactor. Only the benefactor would refer to his ancestor as "that brat."
"Benefactor Ancestor!" Without a moment's hesitation, Guan Xinghe dropped to his knees before Qin Ye, knocking his forehead against the ground three times in succession.
The sheer intensity startled Qin Ye. "I say, there's no need for such a grand gesture, is there? It's the 21st century now—no need for this."
But Guan Xinghe shook his head, his expression both excited and solemn. "There is a need! Meeting the Benefactor Ancestor, this level of courtesy is a must. Because without you, there would be no ancestor, and without the ancestor, there would be no descendants."
"Benefactor Ancestor, you may not know this, but it was only because you gave the ancestor the Concealment Pearl, allowing him to hide his true nature and appear as an ordinary person, that he was able to be with his wife."
"The ancestor's wife is the little girl you once pinky-promised with—the childhood friend."
"With the Concealment Pearl, they were able to be together, and that's why we, their descendants, exist."
The more Guan Xinghe spoke, the more excited he became. "Our ancestor left an ancestral instruction: each generation must pass down the story and remember the benefactor's kindness. He said the Benefactor Ancestor was powerful and would surely still be alive. If any of us encountered you, we had to repay our debt."
As he spoke, memories surfaced in Guan Xinghe's mind.
It was when he was a child. His grandfather would frequently tell him the story of their ancestor, reminding him over and over to remember this kindness.
And about this command, Guan Xinghe had taken it to heart but never believed he would one day have the chance to repay the debt. After all, it was a matter from a thousand years ago. How could anyone live that long?
But then, after he completed the trial that had been arranged by the ancestor for generations, going through great effort to obtain the Concealment Pearl and learning of its immense power, he started to somewhat believe in the Benefactor Ancestor's greatness.
And now, he completely understood. It turned out the ancestor's story had not a single lie. The Benefactor Ancestor was truly powerful—so powerful he had lived for a thousand years.
The Benefactor Ancestor truly had connections to the underworld—he even possessed forbidden techniques from the realm of the dead.
"The ninth-generation descendant of that brat, Guan Xinghe, greets the Benefactor Ancestor. Just now, I acted against you—my crime is unforgivable! Please punish me, even if you have to beat me to vent your anger…"
Overwhelmed with emotion, Guan Xinghe recalled how he had mistaken Qin Ye for an enemy, even using soul-binding and demon-sealing spells against him.
He felt utterly doomed. Instead of repaying his benefactor, he had attacked him, violating the ancestral instruction.
Moreover, if his parents found out he had treated the Benefactor Ancestor this way, he'd be beaten to death for sure.
"It's nothing. You didn't know, so there's no blame." Qin Ye waved his hand.
As he spoke, a gentle force lifted Guan Xinghe, preventing him from continuing his kowtow of apology.
Then Qin Ye walked to Guan Xinghe and glanced at the Concealment Pearl, a hint of nostalgia in his expression.
"So that brat has reincarnated?"
"Yes, after Great-Grandmother passed away, the ancestor no longer wished to stay in the mortal realm and reincarnated alongside her."
Qin Ye wasn't surprised by this. "That brat was always a hopeless romantic. A shame, really—he had such talent. If he had pursued cultivation, he would've become a dominant force among ghosts. But this was his choice. To him, love mattered more than power."
He smiled and looked at Guan Xinghe. "You've inherited that brat's talent, and in fact, you surpass him in potential."
Being praised by an elder, and not just any elder, but his ancestor's benefactor, Guan Xinghe lost all traces of his usual grandmaster demeanor, scratching his head with a goofy grin.
"That's only because of you, Benefactor Ancestor. Without your help, my ancestor wouldn't have existed, nor my great-grandfather, nor me—the half-demon, half-ghost, half-human descendant."
Qin Ye chuckled. "I just gave that brat a toy to keep him entertained."
"That's no toy! Benefactor Ancestor, you don't understand—without the Concealment Pearl, my father wouldn't have met my mother, and I wouldn't exist, nor would Great-Grandfather and the others."
Guan Xinghe felt exasperated. 'A treasure that even grandmasters coveted was, in the Benefactor Ancestor's eyes, merely a toy?'
If word of this got out, no one would believe it. Then he removed the Concealment Pearl and handed it to Qin Ye.
"What are you doing?"
"Returning it to you, Benefactor Ancestor. This belongs to you. The ancestor left an instruction—if we ever found you, we had to return the Concealment Pearl. You gave it to him to conceal himself as a mortal, but now that he has reincarnated, it should go back to its rightful owner."
"There's no 'rightful owner.' I gave it away, so it belonged to that brat. Now that it's passed down to you, it's yours. Besides, it's just a toy—why would I need it? If I wanted another, I'd just make one."
Qin Ye could vividly picture that brat's stubborn nature.
Guan Xinghe's eyelid twitched. He snuck a glance at Qin Ye's expression—it wasn't arrogance; it was genuine confidence.
'Could it be that the Benefactor Ancestor really saw the Concealment Pearl as nothing more than a toy?'
"Well, then, I'll keep it. But if you ever need it, just ask me for it anytime."
"Just hold onto it." Qin Ye replied casually and turned to face the iron bars of the Heavenly Law Prison.
Guan Xinghe was puzzled. "Benefactor Ancestor, what are you doing?"
"What else? Leaving the Heavenly Law Prison." Qin Ye smiled.
"Now that I've taken care of business with you, there's no reason to stay here anymore."
Guan Xinghe froze, then blurted out, "Benefactor Ancestor, you have a way to leave the Heavenly Law Prison?"
Qin Ye smiled. "I said even gods find it difficult to break through, this is the truth, but I am not a god."
"Benefactor Ancestor, you mean gods cannot leave, but people from the mortal world have a way to leave from here?"
"No, what I mean is, gods cannot leave does not mean I cannot leave, because I am stronger than gods." Qin Ye raised a smile.
That expression was just like when he mentioned the Concealment Pearl was a toy, without the slightest hint of joking—he was serious.
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