Novel Name : Heaven Official’s Blessing
Heaven Official’s Blessing Chapter 131-140
Chapter 131-140
Ch. 131: Separating Colours; Textile House Wide Open 2
The Wind Master once told him that this person was probably Yin Yu, since there were
only a handful of heavenly officials who were banished in recent years. Thus, Xie Lian
asked, “How do I address you, good sir?”
That ghost masked man replied, “Please, Your Highness. I’m nothing more than a
nameless servant.”
Entering that abandoned textile house, Xie Lian was taken aback. There were all sorts
of clothing hung on racks upon racks of wooden stacks: wedding robes, government
attire, ladies satin, uniforms, children’s clothes… there were also very simple and vulgar
bloody hemp shirts, as if they were afraid people couldn’t tell they were wicked. Piles
and piles, layers and layers, haunting and eerie, heavy in the essence of evil, like each
and every one was a live corpse standing. Even if they weren’t the Brocade Immortal,
they certainly wouldn’t be anything good either.
Long fabrics of various dyes hung high upon the stacks; some pale white, some filthy. It
had been a long time since anyone had minded them. Quan Yizhen was squatting next
to a large black barrel of dye, his head poked in, inspecting the dyes inside that had a
funny colour, a fluid emitting a strange smell. Xie Lian was afraid that the next second
he was going to dip his finger in and lick it to see, and hastily dragged him away. Seeing
that outside the yard, a band of ghosts and monsters were all bound by a single iron
chain, hugging their heads crouching, Xie Lian wondered, “What…?”
That ghost masked man answered, “The monsters and ghosts that were selling the
Brocade Immortal in the Ghost City and all the other places recently are all here. A total
of ninety-eight pieces of clothing have been collected.”
Ninety-eight pieces. And they were all caught in a very short amount of time. Xie Lian
was slightly touched. The ghost masked man continued, “If there are any new strange
movements, we will also capture them in the shortest time possible for Your Highness.”
Hearing this, Xie Lian couldn’t help but say, “There’s no need. Please tell San… Hua
Chengzhu that there’s really no need to trouble him like this. I can do this myself too.”
The result would be the same, it would just take a little more time and energy, that’s all.
He was a titled heavenly official working for the heavens after all, and even if there
weren’t many worshippers, he’s still got a job to do.
That ghost masked man replied, “Naturally, chengzhu understands that Your Highness
is capable of doing this effortlessly. But this is also precisely why he hopes My Lord
won’t waste energy on small errands that anyone can do. Your Highness’ time and effort
should be spent on more important matters.”
“…”
Xie Lian hesitated, but in the end still asked, “May I ask how your chengzhu is doing
right now…”
Lang Ying was nonchalantly swaying about next to Xie Lian, and that ghost masked
man replied, “Chengzhu is very busy at the moment.”
Xie Lian quickly replied, “Oh. Then that’s good. Hopefully everything goes well for him. I
wish him success.”
They questioned every single ghost and demon that were bound, and each and
everyone were adamant that their product was from the distribution of a mysterious
masked person, and they didn’t seem to be lying. But a place like the Ghost City, how
many hundreds of masked individuals roamed the streets in a day?
The interrogation was fruitless, and so that ghost masked man pulled on that chain, and
bid farewell as he led those yapping ghosts away. However, those ninety-eight pieces of
ghost clothing were left behind. Xie Lian only felt that in all his time collecting scraps
and old clothing, he had never seen so many clothes. Flipping through them, he
suspected that most likely not a single one was the real thing, and he said to Quan
Yizhen, “Qi Ying, why don’t you come and take a look?”
However, Quan Yizhen only ruffled his loose, curly hair, and shook his head, “Too
many.”
Too many ghost robes. Every single cloth emitted the essence of evil, affecting each
other, making one lose the ability to judge.
This was akin to someone who possessed a sharp sense of taste, who although they
could differentiate between the flavours of pear and apple candied stuffings, if
ninety-eight different kinds of fruity stuffings were mixed together and have the person
try, they would lose their sense of taste completely. Xie Lian was trying to think of
another method, but when he turned his head around to look, he saw Quan Yizhen had
picked up a robe and was just about to pull it onto his person directly. Xie Lian hastily
stopped him and hung the robe back onto the rack, “Stop, stop, stop. Qi Ying, let’s
agree on this: first, don’t put random things in your mouth, and second, don’t put on
random clothes. Those are all very dangerous actions.”
However, Quan Yizhen pointed to behind him, “Then what about him?”
Xie Lian suddenly smelled something burning, and when he followed the direction of
where Quan Yizhen was pointing to look, he saw Lang Ying had found some stick from
a random corner and lit it on fire, and he was holding that flaming stick, setting the hem
of a ghost robe ablaze, looking serenely stoic.
“…Don’t… play with fire either???” Xie Lian exclaimed.
That ghost robe seemed to be in pain from the burning, and the hem started rolling
upwards, twisting like mad, trying to get away, looking more like a live eel than a piece
of clothing, painting a rather cruel picture. Yet, although there was the smell of burning,
there was no trace of the fabric being burnt at all. It appeared that the essence of evil on
those ghost robes had soaked in enough for them to escape fire disasters.
Hearing Xie Lian telling him not to play with fire, Lang Ying tossed that fire stick down
and stepped on it to put out the flames, looking every bit obedient again. Xie Lian didn’t
know whether to laugh or cry and he walked over, “Why are you so… today?”
He stopped mid-speech, his expression suddenly became serious.
He saw, not far away, a long and flowy white fabric that was hung high up on a wooden
rack, gently fluttering in the night breeze. Upon the fabric was the shadow of a human
figure and it was slowly moving. This figure did not have a head.
Xie Lian pulled Lang Ying behind him and immediately unsheathed his sword,
“EVERYONE, WATCH OUT!”
The swing of the sword cut the fabric and the shadow in half. However, when the fabric
landed on the ground, there was not a single soul in the back, the headless shadow had
disappeared. Xie Lian hadn’t had the chance to rush up to check before something
behind him made him shudder. He whipped his head around and his pupils shrank.
Somehow, a beautifully dressed woman had soundlessly appeared behind him.
No! It wasn’t a woman, it was a robe!
What he cut in half just now was also a robe, and once it fell to the ground it was
covered by other textiles. From all around, suddenly there were a bunch of humanoid
figures emerging, swaying and rocking slowly, gathering towards the three of them.
Turns out, before they knew it, all ninety-eight pieces of ghost robes that were hung in
the yard, in the hallways, within the entire textile house had all struggled free of the
racks!
Xie Lian was dumbfounded, “They were all fine before, what’s going on?”
Beside him came a low voice, “The arousal of millions of ghosts.”
Xie Lian turned his head to look, and the one who spoke was Lang Ying. Although he
didn’t show any nervousness, his veins were popping on the back of his pale hands,
very obviously being affected by something as well.
Another wave of demonic arousal! The closer to the day Mount Tong’lu opens its gates,
the stronger its tremors in the ears of ghosts became to remind them. The first thing Xie
Lian thought of was: How’s San Lang???
However, the current situation didn’t give him much time to think. While his mind was
spinning rapidly, twenty or so ghost robes had already pressed over. Quan Yizhen didn’t
blink or think before his fist was swung out. If this fist landed on the wall or the ground,
then surely the earth would move, the mountains shake, boulders and ground crack. But
this thousand tonned fist was beaten on some clothes. Just think, even children’s
games knew in ‘rock, paper, cloth’, cloth wraps rock. That lightly flowing, soft and supple
cloth was perfect for subduing fists! No matter how hard his fists, that fabric could just
wrap around it softly and incur no damage, and only Xie Lian’s sword could do anything.
However, those ghost robes were light in their evasion, a simple spring back could bring
several feet between them, and since they barely had any weight, there was practically
no sound or breath, so detecting their movements to avoid their ambush was much
more difficult compared to avoiding humans.
Usually it was people who picked clothes. Now, it was clothes picking people. Those
ninety-eight pieces of ghost robes were eagerly searching for a body that fitted them, a
person they fancy. Amongst people, it’s women who loved picking clothes; amongst
ghost robes, it was women’s clothes who loved picking people. Some ten different
coloured and styled female long dresses crazily pressed themselves against Xie Lian,
and even the sword couldn’t force them away. This battle was even more rigorous than
a group of women who saw a pretty robe they fancied and were fighting over it. In that
moment, it was as if Xie Lian was surrounded by blooming flowers and silk, squeezed
between those female robes being pulled from all directions.
Quan Yizhen pulled off several children’s clothes that were stubbornly trying to lower
themselves over his head and tossed them aside. Looking at Xie Lian puzzled, he
wondered, “How come those women’s clothes all like you?”
“Maybe because they think I look friendlier???” Xie Lian answered.
However, not a single ghost’s robe went to harass Lang Ying. Perhaps it was because
he was also a ghost, and knew they couldn’t scrape any benefits off of him, and so they
didn’t approach. Xie Lian swung his sword horizontally and sliced a number of women
dresses, but the ghost robes that were cut in half still moved as they willed, and
somehow were even more agile in dodging. Xie Lian saw from the corner of his eyes
several ghost robes sneaking towards the window and shouted, “CLOSE THE DOOR,
CAST AN ARRAY! DON’T LET THEM OUT!”
With them two gods and one ghost they could still deal with the situation, but if those
ghost robes snuck out to seek trouble with others then it’d be troublesome. However, his
shout seemed to be too late. The yard to the textile house was open air, and there was
already a long robe that fluttered its expansive sleeves, flying into the air like a giant bat,
jetting towards the night sky. Xie Lian cried ‘What a pain!’ mentally and shouted, “Qi
Ying! I’ll leave the textile house to you!” Then, he tipped his foot and leapt out of the
wall, catching the hem of that ghost long robe.
With the added weight of an entire person, that long robe tried to flutter its sleeves as
hard as it could to no avail, and pummeled to the ground with Xie Lian still holding its
fold in a deadly grip. However, it was exceedingly cunning, and RIIIPPP! It tore off its
own corner like a warrior chopping off his own arm, and it hastily slipped away from Xie
Lian’s hands. It just so happened that a passerby was on his way home after a night of
drinking, and seeing a headless creature flying at him, he screamed from fright,
“AAAAAAHHHHHH A HEADLESS GHOST! IT’S HEADLESS!”
Xie Lian immediately charged over and seized that robe again to show it to that
passerby, comforting him, “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared! See! It’s not headless, it
has nothing!”
That passerby looked, and sure enough it was completely empty inside the folds of that
robe, nothing! This was definitely more horrifying than a headless ghost, and his eyes
rolled back, fainting on the spot. Xie Lian quickly caught him and gently laid him on the
ground, “So sorry! I’ll take care of this immediately.”
After that wave of riot was over, Xie Lian finally was able to seize all the ghost robes
that flew out of the textile house. He counted all of them, making sure not a single piece
was missing, before letting out a sigh of relief.
With things thus, Xie Lian said, “I suppose we can only use Qi Ying’s simple, crude
method. Let’s try each of these robes on and see.”
He didn’t mind trying them on himself, but it was harder to say for his two other partners.
If later he did actually put on the Brocade Immortal, who knows if they would be able to
deal with any accidents that may happen. In the end, it was decided he would stand
watch while the other two dressed.
Thus, both Lang Ying and Quan Yizhen peeled off their outer robe and started fitting
one robe after the other, and with every new robe, Xie Lian would give out simple
commands like “jump” or “spin around” to see if they would obey.
However, after trying out every single one of the ninety-eight robes, each of the two
trying on forty to fifty of them, there didn’t seem to be any strange reactions. It’d appear
that in this pile of ghost robes, not a single one was the Brocade Immortal, and they
worked all night for nothing.
Lang Ying and Quan Yizhen squatted on the ground in their single layer while Xie Lian
sat among a ground piled high with all sorts of clothes. Supporting his forehead with his
hand, Xie Lian mumbled, “There really is no value in buying fakes…”
After sitting there for a while, he went to seek Ling Wen in the communication array,
“Ling Wen, I’ve collected some ghost robes here, and even though the real Brocade
Immortal is probably not in this pile, they’re still rather evil; a little troublesome to deal
with. Can you send someone down to take them away?”
“Acknowledged. I’ll go coordinate immediately. How many pieces have you gathered?”
Ling Wen answered.
“Ninety-eight pieces.” Xie Lian replied.
“…”
Ling Wen remarked, “Your Highness truly is a capable man, having collected more than
what I’ve reported to you.”
Xie Lian softly cleared his throat, “It actually wasn’t me…”
But before he finished his sentence, there was another familiar chill that ran down his
spine. Xie Lian shuddered and looked up.
In front of him, upon a number of light and flowy white cloths was the black shadow of a
human silhouette.
This time, it wasn’t headless nor was it fluttering. The one standing behind those long
curtain-like fabrics was very much a man. It was easy to see that it was a very tall young
man, and even the disheveled strands of hair could be clearly seen on the edge of that
silhouette.
————
Ch.132: The Ninety-Ninth Ghost Robe Hiding in Danger
Xie Lian instantly shot to his feet, “THE BROCADE IMMORTAL?!”
Naturally, that silhouette didn’t respond and didn’t move either, only standing there, still.
Xie Lian pressed his hands down on the shoulders of the other two and whispered,
“Don’t move.”
A moment later, a night breeze blew by, and that silhouette of a man seemed to have
sighed before dispersing, gone with the wind. Xie Lian abruptly stood up. Just then,
outside the door of the textile house suddenly came a knocking sound. The three all
looked towards it and Xie Lian raised his voice, “Who is it?”
The voice of a man rang from outside the door, “Your Highness, it’s me.”
Xie Lian went over to open the door, and outside the textile house was a man with an
open countenance, his form immaculate and chaste, and he entered with his hands on
his sides. Xie Lian was slightly bewildered, “Ling Wen, why did you come yourself?”
Ling Wen fixed his sleeves, “Since I heard Your Highness say things were difficult, I
figure your typical heavenly officials wouldn’t be able to assist, so I’ve come to see
things for myself. Greetings, Your Highness Qi Ying. Why are you sitting on the ground?
What’s wrong? What’s with that look?”
It was Ling Wen in male form. Xie Lian walked to that cloth curtain and flipped it open,
and sure enough there was nothing behind. A moment later, he turned his head, “The
Brocade Immortal showed itself.”
Ling Wen was amazed, “What?”
“It should be it, I’m sure of it.” Xie Lian said, “It was a young man, very tall in height,
maybe two inches taller than me. Judging by his bone structure, he must be someone
skilled in martial arts.”
Ling Wen was somewhat doubtful, “Your Highness, are you sure? In the past so many
years, there’s never been word that the Brocade Immortal had shown itself to anyone.
Besides, didn’t you say that none of these ninety-eight pieces of ghost robes were the
real thing? Could it be someone in disguise and playing tricks?”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Xie Lian replied, “After that wave of chaos was over, to
prevent ghost robes from sneaking out and harassing mortals, we shut the door and
windows and set an array. Things inside couldn’t get out and things outside couldn’t
come in. There’s only the three of us in the textile house, no one can plot anything.
Humming for a moment, Ling Wen said, “Then the real thing must’ve run into a special
circumstance, or, what you all saw was a silhouette of a vengeful spirit possessing one
of the ghost robes?”
Lang Ying and Quan Yizhen were crouched on the ground, both in a state of spacing
out. Xie Lian and Ling Wen stood with their arms crossed, assuming the appearance of
adults, and were in serious discussion. Finally, Ling Wen suggested, “Why don’t I take
these ghost robes to the Palace of Ling Wen and have my people examine them? If that
won’t work, then we can make inquiries at the next meeting. I’m sure someone in the
Upper Court is an expert.”
Giving the idea a thought, Xie Lian nodded, “That’s probably a good idea. But, this was
a mission we’re responsible for after all, I still want to be a little more thorough. Since
the real Brocade Immortal is mixed in here, let me think of a few more ways to bring it
out. If there’s still no results by tomorrow then I’ll pass the ninety-eight ghost robes to
you.” After all, this affair wasn’t under the jurisdiction of the Palace of Ling Wen.
“There’s no need for Your Highness to be so polite.” Ling Wen said, “Oh, if you’ll be
sending them over tomorrow, it should be a hundred and one pieces, right?”
Xie Lian was taken aback, “Why are there suddenly three more?” Then it dawned on
him. “You’re suspicious of the robes we’re wearing right now?”
“It’s not impossible.” Ling Wen said.
Xie Lian lifted the sleeve corner of his cultivation robes so worn that threads were loose,
“I’ve worn this robe for several years now, it definitely wouldn’t have issues. The one
Lang Ying is wearing right now was newly bought, but he didn’t obey my words so it
shouldn’t be problematic either.” He told Lang Ying not to work but Lang Ying still
chopped wood; he told him to stay home like a good boy but Lang Ying still came out.
However, Ling Wen shook his head, “That’s not what I meant. Your Highness, you might
not be aware of this, but the essence of evil of the Brocade Immortal is strong, and
since it’s here, that essence would affect other normal clothing. In any case, just to be
safe, don’t wear the clothes you have on anymore and do something about them.”
Hearing this, Xie Lian quickly peeled off the outer robes of both Lang Ying and Quan
Yizhen, “Don’t wear this anymore, don’t wear this. Take it off, take it off. Then, I’ll wrap
up the clothes and bring them to the Palace of Ling Wen tomorrow.”
“I’ll send people to come pick them up?” Ling Wen said.
“No need, no need.” Xie Lian said, “It’s already embarrassing enough to trouble you
every time. Your palace is busy, I can handle this myself.”
The next day, Xie Lian arduously wrapped a huge pile of clothes, and carried those
large bundles by himself to ascend to the Heavenly Court.
Ling Wen had already been waiting for him in the palace for a long time, and today, it
didn’t seem as hectically bustling as before with gods running back and forth. Xie Lian
unwrapped the large bundles of ghost robes; colourful clothes burst out and spread
about. He wiped at the sweat at the corner of his forehead as Ling Wen walked over
leisurely, “Have you made any discoveries?”
Xie Lian sighed helplessly, “Much ashamed, it’s been fruitless. I apologize in advance;
since there’s no helping hands, it couldn’t be helped if things are a bit scattered. There
was so much chaos yesterday I don’t know if what I’ve brought is all of the robes. I keep
feeling like I’m missing one or two pieces, but I’m not sure either.”
“That’s a non issue.” Ling Wen said. Then she looked down and roughly counted,
“There really are missing pieces. Your Highness, it seems the clothes that little ghost
next to you was wearing isn’t included in here?”
Xie Lian’s right hand clenched into a fist and lightly tapped his left palm, “Ah, you’re
right! I remember now. Lang Ying had gotten used to draping that robe over himself and
I forgot to collect it. I’ll go grab it right now.”
Ling Wen chuckled, “No rush. Take care, Your Highness.”
However, Xie Lian didn’t move to leave, and instead he stood still on the spot, his
expression growing dim. Ling Wen was about to order for the heavenly officials under
her command to come take the ghost robes away, but when she turned around and saw
he was still there, with just the two of them in the hall, she was puzzled, “Your Highness,
do you have something else to say?”
Xie Lian watched her with an unreadable expression, “Nothing much. Only, I was
thinking, if I really did bring you the real Brocade Immortal, if I turned around, would you
hide the real thing away?”
“…”
Ling Wen’s smile was fading but still was extremely polite, “Your Highness?”
Xie Lian watched her serenely, “From the very beginning, I’ve had this inkling.”
“What of?” Ling Wen asked languidly.
“Normal people, typical demons and ghosts don’t dare to break in to the Great Martial
Temple. If someone was familiar with the Great Martial Hall enough to steal objects that
were sealed away and still escape capture, then I’m afraid other than Jun Wu himself,
there’s only you, Ling Wen Zhen Jun.”
After all, the Palace of Ling Wen roamed all the palaces day in day out, and could be
said to be more than familiar with everyone’s domains.
Ling Wen grinned, “Your Highness, your reasoning is a little too matter of fact. “The
person with the easiest access is the one who’s the most suspicious”. Based on that
train of thought, then wouldn’t Jun Wu robbing himself be more likely?”
Xie Lian nodded. “I must admit you’re not wrong. But, what made me start to think
things suspicious was that Half Maquillage Woman.”
“What about the Half Maquillage Woman?” Ling Wen asked.
Xie Lian replied, “She had in her possession the fake Brocade Immortal, and just so
happened to come to my door. How can things be so coincidental? Besides, it was like
she might as well have written ‘suspicious’ on her face, like she was scared I wouldn’t
be suspicious of her being the culprit. Her intention was too obvious.”
“Oh? What intentions?”
“Didn’t she already say it herself?” Xie Lian said, “‘Exchange old for new’. What she
wanted was the old clothes in my Puqi Shrine!”
In retrospect, when the Brocade Immortal was stolen, the Great Martial Hall found out
really fast and immediately started investigating the moment they realized. Therefore,
the thief might not dare to keep it in their own hands and would instead hide it away
first. Then, where would be the best hiding place?
Hide leaves among forests.
If Xie Lian wanted to hide the Brocade Immortal, he would turn it into an extremely
inconspicuous and normal-looking hemp robe and toss it in the mortal realm, but
keeping an eye on it from afar. Normally, not many would want to buy such a coarsely
made robe. However, the life Xie Lian led couldn’t be said to be normal, and he himself
had been wearing the same worn edged cultivation robe for the past several years; the
money he had could only afford such clothing. Besides, as long as the clothing kept him
warm and was clean, that was all he asked for and wasn’t picky. Plus, he was the kind
of person who possessed the incredible ability to pick out the most dangerous article of
clothing in the big discount bin out of countless other clothing. Thus, in a
self-congratulating cheer at the major discount, he bought and brought home that
legendary Brocade Immortal.
“Your Highness, what you’re saying is a little too much now.” Ling Wen said, “You’re
from a martial god background after all, so just thinking about it you’d know that the Half
Maquillage Woman would be instantly subdued by you if she approached your door.
She wouldn’t be able to take any robes away, old or new.”
“She certainly couldn’t take anything away, but who said she had to? If there were no
further incidents, how would she be dealt with?” Xie Lian said.
If Xie Lian had thought that Half Maquillage Woman had in her hand the real Brocade
Immortal, then he would for sure report it to Ling Wen, and then, Ling Wen would most
likely descend herself. Like the day before, she would probably tell Xie Lian that for the
sake of security, all the clothes needed to be brought back to the Palace of Ling Wen to
be assessed.
It really was too bad that Quan Yizhen was there too at the time. And, it was unexpected
that he was experienced after only having worn the Brocade Immortal once, and could
directly determine that the Brocade Immortal the Half Maquillage Woman’s hand was
fake. Which meant it was no longer easy nor logical for Ling Wen to take away all the
clothes in Puqi Shrine.
All of Xie Lian’s information was provided by Ling Wen, and she could also make
inquiries openly; Xie Lian’s whereabouts and movements were fully in her grasp. When
that Half Maquillage Woman was exposed, Ling Wen immediately sent Xie Lian new
communication through the array, and told him the Ghost City distributed many
counterfeits in need of management, throwing new missions at him to give him no time
in thinking too deeply about anything that might be questionable.
“I don’t know if those counterfeits were distributed by you, but, it was indeed you who
provided me with information. With this step, you probably wanted to divert me away
from Puqi Shrine before coming for Lang Ying.” Xie Lian said.
Yet unexpectedly, Lang Ying also followed along and came out.
“I don’t know if the Brocade Immortal showing himself so suddenly was within your
anticipation, but for you, thinking fast and changing course of action shouldn’t be
something hard.”
With so many ghost robes indiscernible whether real or fake, there would surely be a
chance to slip the real Brocade Immortal away amidst the chaos, and with the Brocade
Immortal showing himself, Ling Wen could also use it as an excuse to appear
personally; openly collecting away all clothing on site. As for how things would be
assessed and how the real thing was determined, the explanation of that silhouette, it
would all depend on Ling Wen.
Having listened to this point, Ling Wen made a pause hand gesture, “Your Highness,
please stop right there. So, you believe that Lang Ying, that’s his name, right? You think
that the robe he was wearing was the Brocade Immortal? Don’t forget, once he put it on
he still didn’t obey your every order, am I wrong? You said so yourself. You have to
know that the Brocade Immortal’s powers are extremely strong, and even a Ghost King
is no exception if he was to run into it.”
Xie Lian replied, “You also said, ‘it must’ve run into a special circumstance’. As for what
exactly is a special circumstance, I’m sure you’re more well-informed on that subject,
pray tell you can answer that question for me.”
Ling Wen’s frowned slightly and clenched her firsts. She said softly, “Your Highness,
does this mean you have deemed me the thief? Pardon my honesty, but this makes me
somewhat… displeased.”
Xie Lian inclined his head slightly, “I apologize.”
“Apology accepted” Ling Wen said, “However, Your Highness, if you must be adamant
about this, you can, as long as you have the evidence. After all, this has been nothing
but speculation.”
Xie Lian replied slowly, “Before today, I didn’t have any evidence. In fact, I didn’t have
anything before stepping into the Palace of Ling Wen. But, I’ve gotten it since we started
this conversation.”
Ling Wen made a welcome hand gesture, “Please.”
“The evidence is, just now, you never bothered to count the exact number of those
ghost robes.” Xie Lian said.
Ling Wen’s expression barely changed, however, her brows seemed to stiffen slightly.
Xie Lian continued, “The ghost robes I’ve brought were indeed lacking, but it wasn’t just
the one missing. In fact, I’ve only brought eighty-eight pieces – a total of ten robes are
missing!”
“Every piece of clothing I consider suspicious I kept and didn’t bring it over. You never
thought the count was off yet with one glance you noticed the one Lang Ying was
wearing wasn’t here. So, pray tell, how did you know it was that particular one that was
missing?”
Ling Wen raised her hand, “Please wait.”
Without hurry, she recounted all the ghost robes on the ground once more, and
discovered it was indeed eighty-eight pieces of clothing. Maintaining her impassive
tone, she replied, “I suppose you can say no one is perfect and there’s always going to
be something overlooked.”
“Very well.” Xie Lian said, “Since you’ve counted seriously this time and should’ve
looked over every single piece, then, let me tell you something: did you not notice? The
robe Lang Ying wore yesterday was among those eighty-eight ghost robes!”
“Your Highness, what are you trying to say?” Ling Wen asked.
Xie Lian crouched down and pulled out a robe from the pile of random clothing, shaking
it open, and it was a plain, white hemp robe. “The one Lang Ying wore yesterday was
this one, isn’t it right here? How come you didn’t notice it when you were counting just
now?”
“Your Highness should also know that there’s nothing special about this hemp robe, so
you can’t blame me for not recognizing it with just a glance.” Ling Wen replied.
“It really is nothing to write home about.” Xie Lian said. “Then, you, Ling Wen Zhen Jun
who is so competent and reliable, hardworking and cautious, why would you say so
rashly that such an inconspicuous robe was missing when you haven’t fully counted?”
Ling Wen’s smile did not falter, “There are too many robes, my eyes glazed over; scrolls
are piled high like a mountain, I’m overwhelmed.”
“Your eyes didn’t glaze over, it’s the opposite.” Xie Lian said, “Your eyes are too sharp.
Let me tell you a second thing: I actually didn’t bring the robe Lang Ying wore yesterday.
The one in my hands right now is another one I replicated based on that original one –
but, I was careful with the details in this replica, so how were you able to tell with just
one look that the real one Lang Ying wore isn’t here?”
Ling Wen was puzzled, “Fake or not, either way I didn’t see it. Your Highness, have you
worked too hard on cases and do you always think too much? Why would you spend all
this effort in creating a replica?”
Xie Lian lifted that white hemp robe and said softly, “…This hemp robe was but a
random one I pulled from the pile. What “replica based on the original” or “careful with
the details”, it’s all nonsense I made up just now. As you said, why would I waste my
time to make a replica? You’ve been tricked. This one isn’t even the same colour as the
robe Lang Ying wore yesterday, but I questioned you holding it in front of you, and never
once did you think it strange?”
“…”
Xie Lian stared at Ling Wen intently, “Ling Wen, right now, I only need you to answer a
very simple question: what was the colour of the robe Lang Ying wore yesterday?”
Ling Wen didn’t immediately speak, only raising her eyelashes slowly.
That white hemp robe fell to the ground as Xie Lian said, “As the esteemed number one
civil god, countless thousands of scrolls detailing the matters of the Upper Court all
passed through your hands, so your memory shouldn’t be this bad. How come you can’t
even recall the colour of the robe Lang Ying wore yesterday?”
“You can’t answer, because you’re guarded against my potential trickery; you daren’t
answer so easily, because you never knew what colour it was in the first place. Because
yesterday, what you saw him wear was only a headless, sleeveless, ragged cloth sack!”
He enunciated every word, “The Brocade Immortal takes on thousands of forms, but
that’s no doubt nothing more than an illusionment spell. However, no matter how
powerful that illusionment spell is, it will always be ineffective to one individual – the one
who created it!”
“No matter what form it took on, in the eyes of the creator, it will always be its true form.
Earlier, you glanced through those eighty-eight ghost robes and didn’t see a headless,
sleeveless strange cloth sack, so of course you were able to determine immediately that
the Brocade Immortal isn’t in the pile!”
————–
Ch.133: Seen Through the Ghost King; Play the Ghost King
At first, he had only planned on keeping the suspicious ghost robes and thoroughly
examine them again himself, but he hadn’t realized that with Ling Wen’s one offhanded
comment, he would catch this huge fault in her lies. The moment Xie Lian wrapped his
head around it, he went with the flow and tricked her the entire way. In the end, he
actually blew apart Ling Wen’s armour.
Ling Wen stood there frozen. Xie Lian said, “Of course, you can deny all this. But it’d be
easy to prove whether it’s real or fake. Once I bring forth that robe and present it to the
Great Martial Hall, have it change its form before the Heavenly Emperor then ask you
whether or not you can tell what it looks like, everything will become clear.”
When that Brocade Immortal roamed the mortal realm it had sucked the blood of over
five hundred people; it was an object of great evil. If Ling Wen had only broken into the
Great Martial Temple to steal the brocade robe and hadn’t had the chance to use it to
harm anyone, then it wasn’t a crime too great that it couldn’t be forgiven. However, Ling
Wen was first appointed as a deputy general before she ascended. The earliest time
when stories of the Brocade Immortal first broke out was much later than the years Ling
Wen spent as a deputy general.
Which meant, this was after Ling Wen had entered her duties in the heavenly realm;
that she created the Brocade Immortal as a heavenly official!
That a heavenly official whose duty was to protect mortals turned around, seduced and
murdered a mortal should already call for a severe sentence. The mortal who was
seduced and murdered was also a future heavenly official. Alas, this affair would not be
so forgivingly handled. Ling Wen sighed, “Your Highness, you really are…”
After a pause, she said, “Maybe it’s just my bad luck that this mission was given to you.
Although there’s only the two of us here in Ling Wen Hall today and we’ve got centuries
of friendship between us, but, I think, if I pleaded for you to keep an eye closed on this
based on our years of friendship you probably won’t agree to it, and would instead
encourage me to turn myself in to the Great Martial Hall, am I right?”
Xie Lian sighed too. Although he and Ling Wen had known each other for centuries, it
had always been pure business, and they had never become closer. Their relationship
wasn’t bad, and even when he ascended for the third time, while everyone taunted him
as the Rubbish God, Ling Wen never looked down on him. On the contrary, she had
given him even more assistance and took care of him. But this Brocade Immortal
mission just had to land on his head, and once the truth was revealed, while it was hard
to report it, it was even more impossible not to report it.
Xie Lian replied earnestly, “My luck is bad too,”
Ling Wen crossed her arms and shook her head, “Your Highness, someone like you…
sometimes you’re smart, but sometimes you’re not very smart either; sometimes you’re
soft-hearted, but sometimes you’re cold-hearted too.”
After a pause, she asked, “So where is that robe now?”
“It’s in my keep.” Xie Lian replied, “I will personally deliver it to the Great Martial hall
after.”
Ling Wen nodded, seemingly having nothing more to say. Xie Lian added, “So, can you
tell me, how come when Lang Ying wore the Brocade Immortal its effects didn’t work?”
“I can probably guess.” Ling Wen said, “But, if Your Highness wants to know the answer,
will you first agree to a request?”
“What is it?” Xie Lian asked.
“Will you let me see it?” Ling Wen said, “The Brocade Immortal.”
Xie Lian was taken aback. Ling Wen continued, “I only need one day’s time. After all, if I
am to turn myself in to the Great Martial Hall, there may not be any opportunities to see
it after. Don’t be mistaken. I’m not going to do anything. It’s just, yesterday when you
said it showed itself, I was shocked.”
She shook her head, her eyes unfocused. “…It’s been so many years, yet I have never
seen Bai Jing appear.”
“So the name of that young warrior is Bai Jing?” Xie Lian asked.
Ling Wen seemed to snap out of it, “Oh. Yes. But, people usually call him Xiao Bai*.”
“Xiao Bai?” Xie Lian wondered, “That sounds like…” Like they were calling a dog, or like
they were calling an idiot. Ling Wen chuckled, “It’s the meaning you’re thinking of. I gave
him the name Bai Jing. No one ever calls him that, so not many knew this name. But, if
you call him by that name, he’ll be happy.”
In the legend of the Brocade Immortal, the way the girl that young man loved treated
him only made one think it cruel and horrid; if there wasn’t any bone-deep hatred, then it
was pure cold-bloodedness. Yet, when Ling Wen talked of that young man, her tone
was friendly; there was neither affection nor hatred. “So will you? If Your Highness is
worried I’ll run away, you can have Ruoye bind me. I’m not a martial god, I won’t be able
to escape.”
For some reason, Xie Lian felt he should trust Ling Wen. After humming for a moment,
he nodded his head slowly. “Very well.”
The two left the Palace of Ling Wen like nothing was the matter. When they strolled
down the Great Martial Avenue, they still greeted other passing heavenly officials as
usual. Ling Wen looked the same as always, giving nothing away that the hands in her
sleeves were tied firmly by Ruoye. They didn’t go very far when they bumped into the
Pei Ming who had just returned from his street patrol, and the two greeted each other,
standing on the side of the road making perfunctory greetings and snide comments. Pei
Ming stared at Xie Lian the entire time, and Xie Lian was slightly alarmed, “Why is
General Pei looking at me like that?”
Pei Ming rubbed his chin and replied earnestly, “Not gonna lie, Your Highness, every
time I see you now I feel anxious and my body tenses, like whoever walks next to you
will have something happen to them. So when I see you walking with Ling Wen, my
heartbeat quickened. Ling Wen, you best be careful the next little while.”
Ling Wen laughed, “How can that be? General Pei, please stop joking.” Xie Lian
however, didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. On some level, Pei Ming’s instincts were
quite accurate.
Once back at Puqi Shrine, from afar as they approached they could see Lang Ying was
leaning against the old tree in front of the shrine, his left hand playfully spinning the
broom without care, and a mound of golden fallen leaves piled next to his feet. Xie Lian
squinted and watched him for a good while before putting weight into his steps to
purposely make himself heard. Lang Ying didn’t look back, but he must’ve noticed their
presence and very naturally changed his pose, continuing to sweep before turning
around and acting like he only just saw Xie Lian and Ling Wen approach. Xie Lian
lightly cleared his throat, “Sweeping again?”
Lang Ying nodded. Seeing him like this, Xie Lian couldn’t hold back and patted his head
like an elder would and praised, “What a good child.”
Lang Ying accepted the gesture simply. Ling Wen watched them without comment, and
Xie Lian led her as he opened the door to Puqi Shrine, “It’s in here…”
Yet unexpectedly, the moment he opened the door he saw a figure crouched in front of
the donation box, once again sneakily stuffing gold bars in. Xie Lian quickly ran up to
drag him away, “Qi Ying, stop stuffing it, that’s really enough. I haven’t even taken out
the ones you stuffed in last time, it’s all stuck.”
Ling Wen nodded, “Greetings, Your Highness Qi Ying.”
Qi Ying acknowledged her too, “Hi.”
There was a wooden rack standing right in the centre of Puqi Shrine, and upon the rack
hung a plain hemp robe. Of course, that was only what Xie Lian sees. Ling Wen
approached, looked at it solemnly for a while, but that robe did not react. She turned her
head slightly, “My Lords, I want to look at it alone, is that alright?”
“That’s fine.” Xie Lian said.
Ruoye had her hands bound and she wasn’t a martial god, so technically she couldn’t
start anything. Xie Lian wasn’t that worried, and he laid a hand on Quan Yizhen’s
shoulder, “Let’s go out.”
At least this case was considered closed, and Xie Lian was relaxing. It just so happened
the neighbours all gifted him a batch of fruits and vegetables, so Xie Lian took them to
the kitchen, ready to cook. This was what they called an undefeated spirit. After so
many days, Quan Yizhen seemed to have taken his Puqi Shrine as some sort of happy
farm, leaping up and down, sometimes climbing trees, sometimes stealing squashes,
sometimes snagging fish, sometimes catching frogs. In a moment of Xie Lian’s
carelessness, Quan Yizhen snuck into the kitchen and swiped a yam. Feeling the spot
empty on the counter, Xie Lian turned his head and saw Quan Yizhen had the yam
dangling in his mouth slipping out, hurrying away like a fish who escaped the net. Xie
Lian cried, “It’s not cooked yet, don’t eat it!”
Yet it was precisely because it wasn’t cooked that it had to be eaten quickly. Once Xie
Lian cooked it it wouldn’t be edible anymore. Xie Lian shook his head, then he saw
Lang Ying walking over and his eyes turned crescent, “Lang Ying, are you free? Come
help me chop some vegetables.”
Lang Ying was just about to snatch back that yam Quan Yizhen snagged, but hearing
Xie Lian’s charge, he came over to help without a second thought. He picked up the
butcher knife on the cutting board, pressing down on the cabbage, he started cutting it
knife by knife, taking his task very seriously. Xie Lian watched him, then turned his head
over to wash the rice as he chatted, “Lang Ying, you’ve seen quite a number of gods
and ghosts that have come to our little Puqi Shrine now, right?”
Each of them more bizarre than the next. Lang Ying answered from behind him, “En.”
Xie Lian continued, “Then, let me ask you: if you had to pick, who among those gods
and ghosts is the handsomest?”
Lang Ying was chopping the vegetables wordlessly, seeming to be thinking hard. Xie
Lian raised his brows slightly, “Tell me. Just say whatever’s truth in your mind.”
Thus, Lang Ying answered, “You.”
Xie Lian laughed, “Besides me.”
“The one in red.” Lang Ying said.
Xie Lian was going to burst a gut trying to contain his laugh.
He responded with a serious voice, “En. I think so too.”
After a pause, Xie Lian asked again, “Then, who do you think is the strongest?”
Lang Ying still answered with, “The one in red.”
Xie Lian swiftly continued his questions without skipping a beat, “Who’s the richest?”
“The one in red.”
“Who do you admire the most?”
“The one in red.”
“Who’s the dumbest?”
“The one in green.”
Those questions were coming one after the other without pause, but he was actually
able to change his answer in time, which came to show how fast his mind worked and
how fast his reactions were. Xie Lian commented, “It seems you quite like that gege
dressed in red. His name is Hua Cheng, do remember it. So, does this mean you think
he’s a very good person?”
Unwittingly, the knife in Lang Ying’s hand seemed to have increased a little in speed,
“Very good.”
Xie Lian said, “Then, once we’re free, do you think we should invite him over as a guest
again?”
“En. Of course. It’s a must.” Lang Ying replied.
“I think so too.” Xie Lian said, “But, his subordinate said he’s very busy lately, so he
must be very busy doing very serious things. I think it’s best if we don’t go disturb him.”
After that comment, the crunching sound of Lang Ying chopping vegetables suddenly
became more heavy-handed. Xie Lian held onto the edge of the stove to support
himself, his guts spraining from holding back his laugh. Suddenly, Quan Yizhen poked a
head in from the window, taking a bite of the yam and swept a look. Then he said to
Lang Ying, “You’ve chopped it to shreds, it won’t taste good anymore.”
“Hm? What did you say?” Lang Ying threatened.
Xie Lian turned his head to look; the cabbage wasn’t just shredded, it was nothing but
tiny scraps at this point. He cleared his throat softly, “My gosh, your knife work is really
bad.”
“…”
Throwing all sorts of seasonings into the pot, Xie Lian clapped his hands and decided to
let it all simmer for two hours and left the kitchen. He glanced at Ling Wen; she was still
properly in the shrine, so he continued to do his chores. From the pile of logs he
fumbled out a larger piece of a plank, borrowed brush and ink from the village head’s
house, then sat in front of the door, a hand holding the plank and the other holding the
brush, lost in thought. Lang Ying walked over too and Xie Lian looked up. He asked
warmly, “Lang Ying, can you read? Do you know how to write?”
“I do.” Lang Ying replied.
“Then how’s your writing?” Xie Lian asked.
“Mediocre.” Lang Ying replied.
“That’s alright,” Xie Lian said, “As long as it’s legible. Come give me a hand again.”
He passed the plank and brush over to Lang Ying and smiled, “Our shrine doesn’t have
an establishment plaque. How about you write one up for me?”
“…”
Under Xie Lian’s urging, Lang Ying picked up the brush. That little brush in his hand
seemed to weigh a thousand tonnes, unable to be moved no matter what.
Finally, a moment later, he seemed to have conceded defeat and put down the brush
and plank. A helpless voice sounded from behind the bandages, “…Gege, I’m wrong.”
That voice didn’t belong to Lang Ying at all, it was clearly Hua Cheng. Only, it was more
crisp than normal, the sound of a boy. Xie Lian was leaning against the wall on the side
with his arms crossed, and having watched him struggle for so long and finally
surrendered, he really couldn’t hold back anymore. Xie Lian dropped to the ground
laughing, “San Lang really is so busy!”
———
●[白錦] ‘Bai Jing’ means White Brocade. The word white also means ‘blank’. ‘Xiao
Bai’ Little White is like a pet name like ‘Spot’, and ‘Bai Chi’, one who is blank in
the mind, means idiot.
——–
Ch.134: Seen Through the Ghost King; Play the Ghost King 2
At first, Xie Lian had felt since they haven’t seen each other for a long time, he missed
him dearly. Even though this “a long time” was nothing more than a few days. Yet who
knew that Hua Cheng had always been right by his side, hiding, and suddenly, Xie
Lian’s mood brightened, all of his previous worries and anxieties completely forgotten.
He was laughing so hard he was having trouble getting up.
“Gege, you played me.” Hua Cheng accused.
Xie Lian picked up the brush and plank and said, “Don’t turn this on me, San Lang
played me first. Let me guess… you’ve been around ever since I broke the stove,
right?”
Hua Cheng complimented, “Ah, that’s indeed the case. Gege, how did you know?
You’re so amazing!”
Xie Lian waved his hand, “What, amazing? San Lang, if you want to disguise yourself
as someone else, don’t be so lazy. It’d really be amazing if I couldn’t tell. And here I
thought there was a second person who could eat… ahem, but, “Who’s the
handsomest? Who’s the strongest? Who’s the richest? Who do you admire the most?”
Hahahaha…”
“…Gege, please forget that ever happened.” Hua Cheng said softly.
Xie Lian refused resolutely, “No. I will remember this forever.”
Hua Cheng said woefully, “Gege, although I’m happy you’re so happy, but, is it really
that funny?”
Xie Lian hugged his belly, “Of course! Only after having met you did I rediscover that it’s
such a simple thing to be happy, hahaha…”
Hearing this, Hua Cheng blinked, and Xie Lian’s laughter quieted a bit, realizing what he
just said was a little too revealing. Now that he’d calmed down, even he thought it was a
little sappy. Clearing his throat softly, Xie Lian rubbed at the corner of his eyes and
forced himself to school his own expression, “Alright, enough playing around. Where’s
the real Lang Ying? Why are you disguised as him? Bring him back now.”
Hua Cheng replied languidly, “I’ve temporarily sent him to the Ghost City as a guest.”
Since it was Hua Cheng who took him away, Xie Lian wasn’t worried at all. He nodded
and was about to speak again when the wooden door creaked open. Ling Wen walked
out from within Puqi Shrine with her hands at her sides, “Your Highness.”
Hua Cheng had no intention of revealing his identity so Xie Lian didn’t mention it either,
pretending he was still Lang Ying in front of others. Seeing Ling Wen’s solemn
expression, Xie Lian unconsciously became serious too, his smile completely gone,
“What is it? The Brocade Im… Is something wrong with Bai Jing?”
“No. There’s nothing wrong with him.” Ling Wen said, “It’s just, there seems to be a
weird smell coming from the kitchen. Is Your Highness cooking something?”
Xie Lian quickly replied, “Oh, I am. I’m cooking.”
After some thought, Ling Wen used a courteous tone to say very discourteously,
“Please clean it away, Your Highness. Whatever you’re cooking, it’s probably ruined by
now.”
“…”
Two hours later, the evening had come.
Inside Puqi Shrine, at the altar table, Hua Cheng, Ling Wen, and Quan Yizhen sat
around the little wooden table in a circle. Xie Lian brought out a pot from the kitchen and
laid it on the table. The moment he opened the cover, he revealed many snow white
and cute, round and smooth little meatballs, sitting sagely in the pot.
“Didn’t you stew with water? Why did it turn into meatballs?” Quan Yizhen demanded.
Xie Lian introduced, “This dish is called “Incorruptible Chastity Meatballs”*.”
“Didn’t you stew with water? Why did it turn into meatballs?” Quan Yizhen demanded.
Xie Lian continued his presentation, “Because kneading meatballs requires a delicate
strength, not too hard, not too light, so a lot of time and effort went into this.”
“Didn’t you stew with water? Why did it turn into meatballs?” Quan Yizhen demanded.
“…”
Since Quan Yizhen really was too relentless, Xie Lian explained warmly, “I did use water
to stew, you’re right. But because there was a little problem with controlling the fire and
time, the entire pot was boiled dry, so I added new seasonings and made meatballs
instead.”
Hearing this, Ling Wen praised wholeheartedly, “Your Highness truly thinks outside the
box, incomparable in all of history, this servant is steeped in deep respect.”
“Thank you, thank you, your praise is too high.” Xie Lian said.
“It’s not.” Ling Wen said, “At least, I believe, there will definitely not be another in history
who can create a dish called “Incorruptible Chastity Meatballs”.”
Xie Lian passed the chopsticks around, “Who knows, who knows. Everyone, please.”
Ling Wen and Quan Yizhen took the chopsticks with their right hand, and their left
reached for the cold buns sitting at the edge of the table at the same time. Only Hua
Cheng reached for an Incorruptible Chastity Meatball, delivering it to his own mouth,
and after a moment, he remarked, “Pretty good.”
Seeing this, Quan Yizhen’s eyes widened. Hua Cheng then added, “The flavour’s a bit
light.”
“Ok. Duly noted.” Xie Lian said.
Watching with wide-eyes the boy covered in bandages next to him eat several glowing,
smooth like cement meatballs and give such sincere feedback, Quan Yizhen seemed to
be completely persuaded. After some thought, he also reached for a meatball.
Xie Lian maintained his smile. He smiled and watched Quan Yizhen swallow it. He
smiled as his face turned pale. He smiled as he fell to the ground, unable to get back
up. Xie Lian continued smiling as he asked, “Is something the matter?”
Hua Cheng answered, “Probably ate too fast and choked.”
Ling Wen grinned. Just then, Xie Lian suddenly heard a familiar voice rang in his ear,
“Gege.”
It wasn’t the mumbling voice of Lang Ying, and it wasn’t the crisp and lazy voice of boy
Hua Cheng either, but the voice of the usual Hua Cheng. He was speaking to Xie Lian
through their private communication array. Xie Lian raised his lashes slightly and
responded, “What is it?”
“Ling Wen is someone cruel and cunning, heartless and merciless. Now that you’ve
brought her back, things might not end so easily.”
This was the first time Xie Lian had ever heard anyone make such comments about
Ling Wen. After some pondering, he replied, “It seems to me she harbours some good
will towards that Brocade Immortal, that shouldn’t be false.”
“Harbouring good will and being merciless don’t conflict. She’s the number one civil god
in the heavens, her eyes and ears are everywhere and her arms are far-reaching. Gege
needs to guard against her looking for helpers.”
“General Pei?” Xie Lian asked.
“Shouldn’t be him,” Hua Cheng replied, “If the Water Tyrant was still around then she
would definitely ask the Water Tyrant to suppress the matter, because Shi Wudu always
aids relations and not logic. But if it was Pei Ming, as long as you tell him the truth of
everything, he might not choose to aid corruption. Gege, be careful.”
“Alright, I will be careful.” Xie Lian said, “Good thing a day goes by fast.”
However, Hua Cheng’s voice in his ear was dark, “No. Gege, you’ve misunderstood. I’m
telling you to be careful of something else. Someone’s here.”
Just then, a series of clinkling, clinkling, crisp sound of bells entered Xie Lian’s ears.
Hua Cheng frowned slightly. Xie Lian looked through the cracks of the window and saw
a middle aged cultivator with a bell in his hand, swaying as he approached the entrance
to Puqi Village.
That cultivator had donned a cultivation robe that was luxurious, a treasure chest
carried on his back, and the chest was covered with yellow charms. That bell rang as he
walked. Xie Lian had an eye for these things, and recognized it was a good tool. If there
were any normal monsters and demons about, their heads would throb when they hear
the sound of that bell, and would back away themselves. Before the cultivator got
closer, a few other large, white browed and yellow robed monks joined him with staffs in
their hands.
Soon, a crowd of fifty to sixty gathered as if they had all planned this meeting.
Unsurprised to see one another present, they surrounded Puqi Shrine.
That band wasn’t just for show, their bodies were hung with various spiritual tools, their
hands and feet steady, very obviously skilled. Heavenly officials take spiritual power
from the offerings of their worshippers, and some cultivators and monks could also
receive spiritual power from the heavenly officials they worship. These monks and
cultivators might even possess great spiritual powers than Xie Lian the heavenly official.
To have so many come all of a sudden, it must not be anything good. Xie Lian knitted
his brows slightly, sensing the newcomers didn’t come in peace.
Hua Cheng put down his bowl and chopsticks and rose to his feet. Xie Lian heard his
humph in the private communication array, “Old monks and foul cultivators dare chase
me all the way here. I’m sorry to have brought troubles to your door, gege, I’ll go divert
them away.”
Xie Lian grabbed him, “Don’t move.”
Ling Wen was bewildered, “What’s going on?”
Xie Lian spoke to Hua Cheng through the private communication array, “Don’t go. Tell
me honestly, is the reopening of Mount TonLu really affecting you?”
“No.” Hua Cheng replied.
Xie Lian stared at the eyes behind the bandages intently, “Stop lying. You’re the
Supreme Ghost King. You had no need to be afraid of mortals like them, so why
wouldn’t you just beat them down and chase them away directly, and would rather divert
them away? You weren’t playing a prank at all changing to this form, right?”
With the reopening of Mount Tong’lu, the stronger the ghosts and demons, the more
they felt the effects. The first time the ghosts were aroused, Xie Lian had witnessed with
his own eyes just how much misery Hua Cheng suffered. And as the date to the
reopening of the gates approached, the tremors would only grow. Under these
circumstances, if it was Xie Lian himself, he would choose to temporarily seal his own
true from and transform into a small creature, store his spiritual powers, and avoid going
berserk, waiting for the official opening of the gates to be over before removing the seal.
Thus, although this could avoid the torment of aggravation, but because his powers
were sealed, this gave others the opportunity to ambush him. Xie Lian cussed, “Qi
Rong, you…”
That night, Qi Rong had threatened that he was going to bring forth all the cultivators
and monks that were aggrieved against Hua Cheng, but he hadn’t imagined it wasn’t a
bluff. Hua Cheng shook his head lightly, “Gege, they’re only here for me. It’ll be fine
once I’m gone. Although in my current form I can’t kill them with just a move, but I can at
least still make them get lost.”
However, Xie Lian threatened, “If you leave now, don’t ever come back to see me
again.”
“…”
“Your Highness!” Hua Cheng cried.
Hua Cheng had always been carefree but meticulously mindful. In the past, he had
helped Xie Lian multiple times, and now that Xie Lian finally had the chance to help him,
how could he possibly allow Hua Cheng to leave by himself?
Xie Lian said darkly, “Sit down. I’ll go meet with them.”
Quan Yizhen opened his eyes with great difficulties, and asked whilst in a haze, “Did…
someone come? Do you… need me to beat them down?”
“…”
His voice was hoarse. Xie Lian helped close his eyes, “Qi Ying, just keep lying there.
Also, you can’t beat mortals like that, it’ll cost you merits.”
Xie Lian pressed himself against the wooden door to listen for any movements outside.
Some villagers who were still out and about who only just finished their work for the day
and hadn’t yet gone home for dinner were surprised to see so many cultivators and
monks so suddenly, and they asked, “What’s all the masters doing gathering here? Are
you all here for Xie Daozhang?”
A monk filled with murderous intent clapped his hands together in prayer, “Amitabha
Buddha. Dear donor, did you all know that this place has been invaded by wicked
creatures?”
“What?!” The villagers were shocked, “WICKED CREATURES??? WHAT KIND OF
WICKED CREATURES?”
Another monk replied mysteriously, “A one of a kind Ghost King who brings chaos to the
world!”
“W-what should we do?!” The villagers exclaimed.
The cultivator dressed in luxurious robes who was the first to arrive said, “Leave it to us!
Today, all of us who walk the same paths are gathered here for this very reason, the
chance of a lifetime to capture that evil thing!” Then he was about to walk up when the
village head pushed him back. That cultivator glared, “Who are you? What are you
doing?”
The village head said, “Um, masters. I’m the village head of this village. We’re very
thankful you’re all here, but, hehe, to tell the truth, you all look very expensive…”
“…”
That luxuriously dressed cultivator said, “We’ve come to defeat evil, did you think we’re
here for rewards?!” Then he was about to charge ahead again, but the villagers all
stopped them again. The monks and cultivators were growing irritated but they couldn’t
forcefully break people up either, so they demanded impatiently, “What now?!”
The village head rubbed his hands, “If it’s free then that’s great, thank the masters for
coming here to defeat evil on a benevolent heart. But… it’s just, work here in this village
are all taken cared of by Xie Daozhang. It’s hard on me as the village head if the
masters are here to rob Xie Daozhang’s work.”
The band of monks and cultivators looked at each other, “Xie Daozhang?”
Thus, they gathered around to discuss, “Was there any well known, capable cultivation
house with the name Xie in this trade?”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
“Either way I’ve never heard of him. Probably some nobody.”
“If we haven’t then he’s not well known. Forget it.”
After their discussion, that luxuriously dressed cultivator turned back around, “The Xie
Daozhang you speak of, is he the one living in this place?”
The villagers answered, “Yea.” Then they shouted, “Xie Daozhang! Xie Daozhang! Your
fellow tradesmen are here! There’s so many of them! Are you home?”
A yellow robed old monk put his hands together in prayer, “Amitabha Buddha. It doesn’t
matter if that Xie Daozhang isn’t here. But that wicked creature is hiding in this house
right now!”
The villagers were stunned, “HUH???!”
Just then, Xie Lian pushed the door out and came out leisurely. “I’m here. What’s going
on, everyone?”
The villagers immediately exclaimed, “Daozhang, these eminent monks and cultivators
all say that in your house, there’s a… a… ghost…”
Xie Lian smiled, “Eh? You all can tell?”
“What a fast admittance!”
Xie Lian threw out a pot, “That’s right, there really is a ghost!”
That luxuriously dressed cultivator caught the pot and was delighted at first, but when
he opened it, his smile collapsed, “A Half Maquillage Woman?”
Then he tossed the pot back, looking very obviously displeased, “Don’t play pretend, my
friend. A vulgar monster like this can’t even be considered as a ‘Fierce’! You know
exactly what we’re referring to.”
Xie Lian caught the pot and felt the strength of this man’s throw wasn’t weak, definitely
someone who had cultivated arduously for years, and someone considerable. A number
of monks said to the luxuriously dressed cultivator, “Dao-Xiong, this cultivator looks to
be bursting with the essence of evil from his body, could he maybe be…”
That luxuriously dressed cultivator said, “Whether if he is or not, I, Heaven’s Eye, can
tell with but a look!”
Then, he gave a loud shout, bit his finger and drew a line on his forehead, and a
seeming third eye grew on his face. Seeing his skill, Xie Lian also praised mentally, and
he leaned against the door, admiring his performance. That luxuriously dressed
cultivator glared, and stared at him intently for a moment, “I knew it… There’s essence
of evil! SUCH A HEAVY ESSENCE OF EVIL!!! GHOST KING! YOU DID CHANGE
FACE AFTER ALL!”
Xie Lian was stunned.
How could he, an esteemed, titled heavenly official, have essence of evil on him? He
was just thinking this man might have some skill but how did he turn around and start
spewing nonsense so quickly?
Hearing him, the fifty to sixty masters in the gathering all looked like they were about to
face a great enemy, and each of them struck their fighting stance. Hua Cheng said to
Xie Lian in the private communication array, “Those people are so annoying.”
“It’s fine. It’s alright. You just sit.” Xie Lian replied.
A moment later, that luxuriously dressed cultivator spoke up again but confused,
“…That’s not right?”
The monks next to him asked, “What’s not right?”
That luxuriously dressed cultivator rubbed that blood mark on his forehead, “This is
weird. I’m looking at this man, but he’s sometimes covered in the essence of evil,
sometimes glowing with spiritual light, and sometimes dim and listless… this is really
weird.”
“Huh? How can that be? Dao-xiong, can you really do this? If you can’t, let us handle
this.”
“Yea, how can he be that strange?”
That luxuriously dressed cultivator said angrily, “What? Think I can’t do this? If I can’t,
you think you can? I, Heaven’s Eye, has been running in the trade for so many years,
and I’ve rarely gotten anything wrong!”
Xie Lian rubbed his forehead, shook his head and asked gently, “Then, why don’t you
take a look and tell me which part of me has the strongest essence of evil?”
Heaven’s Eye rubbed his forehead hard, and after looking again for a moment, he
exclaimed firmly, “YOUR LIPS!”
“…………….”
———
●[玉潔冰清] ‘Clean as Jade; Clear like Ice’ is the idiom that means Incorruptible
Chastity. It’s usually an idiom used to describe girls. Xie Lian is using the idiom’s
imagery to describe his cute little meatballs.
●MXTX Author Notes: Something like Essence of Evil can’t be washed away so
easily with just brushing teeth and gargling water… Holy water has to be used.
(Very bitter and very peculiar)
My amusement in allowing Xie Lian create new recipes weapons is just a teeny
bit less than letting Hua Hua change new clothes.
——–
Ch.135: My Puqi Shrine Will Collapse Supremely
“That’s right, it’s your lips!”
Heaven’s Eye proclaimed with such certainty yet all the monks and cultivators were
perplexed, “Why is it the lips?”
“How can the essence of evil only be on the lips? A Lip Balm Spirit?”
Xie Lian’s hands instantly flew to cover his mouth without thinking.
He hadn’t thought that the essence Hua Cheng had stained on him after having
embraced and kissed an entire night at Qiandeng Temple hadn’t faded.
Heaven’s Eye pointed at him, “Well, well, well, do you all see? He’s conscious of his
guilt!”
Xie Lian immediately dropped his hands, and forced himself to suppress the urge to turn
around and see what expression Hua Cheng wore after having heard, even though his
face was covered in bandages and nothing could be mustered anyway. He explained
gently, “Um, my fellow Dao friend, you’ve mistaken. Actually, it’s because my living is a
little strained, so each household item is used for various purposes, like this pot.”
He raised the clay pot in his hand and said earnestly, “Although I use this to catch
ghosts sometimes, but normally I use it to pickle vegetables. The pickles pickled in this
pot have a unique flavour, once you eat it you’ll naturally… if you don’t believe me, you
can all try it yourself.”
…Technically, this wasn’t impossible. The monks and cultivators were all somewhat
doubtful, but the villagers all covered their mouths too, “HUH? Xie Daozhang, do you
mean to say that all the pickles you gave us from before were pickled like this too?”
“Then won’t our mouths all be full of the essence of evil too?”
Usually when the villagers offered him fruits and vegetables, he would return his
gratitude by giving them his pickled vegetables. He quickly waved his hand, “Don’t
worry, the jars I use to pickle for everyone are different!”
Heaven’s Eye said angrily, “Are you dumb in the head?! Aren’t you afraid eating stuff
like this will cut down your lifespan? Stop wasting your breath, there’s still people hidden
in your shrine and it’s not just one person! Move aside!”
This time, afraid that the village head will stop him again, before he even finished
speaking he charged forward. Seeing the situation change so quickly, Xie Lian hurriedly
backed into the house, picked up the passed out Quan Yizhen from the ground, madly
shook his collar and cried next to his ear, “Qi Ying! Listen well! I am going to feed you
that Incorruptible Chastity Meatball!”
Hearing this, Quan Yizhen’s eyes suddenly flashed open. At the same time, Heaven’s
Eye who just charged in shrieked, covered his forehead, and leapt back out. “DON’T
ANYONE GO IN! THERE’S AN AMBUSH!”
Sure enough, the crowd of monks and cultivators didn’t dare to move, and they
gathered around to shield him, “Heaven’s Eye-xiong, what did you see?”
Heaven’s Eye said, “I didn’t see anything, only an immense, blinding white light!”
“Oh no, Dao-xiong! Your heaven’s eye is smoking!”
Heaven’s Eye felt his forehead, and sure enough, that red mark on his forehead had
turned into a black mark, and it was emitting a soft waft of white smoke like that of a
blown out candle. Shocked and dismayed, he exclaimed, “What… WHAT?!”
Ling Wen lazily put down her half eaten steamed bun and wondered, “It’s so noisy
outside, what’s going on?”
A monk said, “Heaven’s Eye-xiong, look, there are two children and a woman plus this
cultivator inside that shrine. There are four people. Which one is ‘him’?”
Heaven’s Eye rubbed hard at his forehead, but he just couldn’t reopen his eye. That ball
of white light was the spiritual aura of Quan Yizhen. When a heavenly official sensed
themselves about to face extreme danger and their lives challenged, the spiritual aura
shielding their body would explosively expand. Xie Lian was using that moment of when
that blinding, strong light exploded to blind that cultivator Heaven’s Eye. It wasn’t like
Xie Lian ruined ten years of his cultivation, he just wouldn’t be able to open his eye in
the next few days, that’s all. Then, Xie Lian picked up the plate holding the meatballs.
Quan Yizhen was fully awake now, and he grabbed Xie Lian’s hand forcefully, croaking,
“I won’t eat it.”
Xie Lian reversed the hold and held his hand, “Don’t be scared, this isn’t for you!”
The band of masters heavily surrounding Puqi Shrine all shared looks with each other,
and almost uniformly shouted, rushing forward. However, before Xie Lian could meet
them, they were bounced away by an invisible barrier.
From the skies above, a deep voice sounded, “You old monks and foul cultivators are
like flies, have you all become obsessed with harassment? You dare pursue me all the
way here, are you all tired of living?!”
“Hua, Hua, Hua…”
He stuttered ‘Hua’ several times but in the end, Heaven’s Eye still succumbed to Hua
Cheng’s might and didn’t dare call him by his full name. Instead he stammered, “…HUA
CHENGZHU! Stop, stop bluffing. We all know that you’ve been affected by the imminent
opening of Mount Tong’lu and sealed away your powers. You can’t possibly be as
insolent as you usually are right now. Sur, sur, surrender yourself…”
Although the more he spoke the less strength there was in his words, still Xie Lian could
sense Hua Cheng was really angry now, and immediately, he rushed back inside to pick
him up. He whispered, “Don’t say anymore! Stop wasting your powers, store your
strength. Leave everything to me!”
Hua Cheng’s body was tense at first, but after he was picked up, he seemed to have
calmed down slowly, and replied with a low voice, “Alright.”
Holding him, Xie Lian could sense that Hua Cheng’s age seemed to have shrunken
again, and was probably no more than a child of twelve or thirteen, and he couldn’t help
but be worried. With one arm holding Hua Cheng, and the other hand clutching Fang
Xin, he walked out, “Have you all never thought that the Green Ghost Qi Rong was
deceiving you all?”
Yet unexpectedly, when they heard him, the monks and cultivators all looked confused.
Heaven’s Eye asked, “Green Ghost Qi Rong? Deceive us what? Why would he deceive
us?”
Xie Lian frowned slightly, “Wasn’t it him who told you all to come here?”
Heaven’s Eye clicked his tongue, “Who do you think we are? That we need a ‘Savage’
to pass us information? Why would we float on the same boat as him?!”
It wasn’t Qi Rong? Then how did information leak?
Before he could think on it more, the monks and cultivators had already started their
attacks. With a swing of his sword, Xie Lian warded off a number of swords and several
staffs. A monk questioned, “Amitabha Buddha, why must this Dao friend protect this
creature of evil?”
Xie Lian wouldn’t back down an inch and replied, “Master, no matter what, it’s not nice
to ambush people when they’re down.”
Heaven’s Eye shouted, “He’s a ghost, not a person! Don’t twist rotten logic you
immature young’un!”
Spiritual staffs and treasured swords and blades all came attacking at once, and if Xie
Lian used Fang Xin he might just hurt mortals. By creed of justice, mortals could hit
heavenly officials but heavenly officials could not hit mortals, because they must be
tolerant, generous, compassionate, and loving towards mortals, not fighting with them. If
one dared hit a mortal then merits would be taken. Xie Lian wasn’t as unrestrained and
wealthy as Quan Yizhen; he didn’t have too many merits in the first place, if more is
taken away he’d be going in the negatives. Thus, he put away his sword and shouted,
“RUOYE, COME! QI YING, WATCH LING WEN!”
When Ruoye bound men it was always aggrieved, but when it bound women it’d change
face. Xie Lian had to call for it twice before it reluctantly peeled itself off of Ling Wen’s
hands. The next second, a white flash whipped past the hands of tens of people, and
when their strength became unsteady they could no longer hold on to their spiritual
tools. Bewildered, they all wondered, “What spiritual tool is that?”
“Was that a spiritual tool? …How come it looks like a white cloth for hanging to me? It
reeks of evil…”
“Whaddayaknow, this brat actually has a couple moves!”
Unexpectedly, just as Xie Lian was in the midst of fending off those masters, Ling Wen
shook her head, cleaned her sleeves and rose to her feet, “Thank you for your warm
hospitality. I will take my leave now.”
Xie Lian was taken aback, “Ling Wen, the day’s not over yet! Where are you going? Are
you going to break your vow?”
“That’s right. I’m going to break my vow.” Ling Wen said.
Her voice was confident and determined, like she was saying she was about to slay evil
by heaven’s will. Xie Lian couldn’t retaliate. A brief moment later, he stated, “The one
who leaked information wasn’t Qi Rong, it was you.”
Ling Wen smiled, “I may not be a martial god and was bound by Ruoye, but one can
accomplish much with just the communication array.”
He knew it! But, how did Ling Wen know that bandaged boy was Hua Cheng? She
barely spoke to him, barely saw him, even Xie Lian hadn’t figured it out as fast as she
did!
Seeing that she was about to take her stately leave but Xie Lian still couldn’t get away,
he shouted, “QI YING! DON’T LET HER GET AWAY!”
Although he ate an Incorruptible Chastity Meatball earlier, but Quan Yizhen can move
himself off the ground now, his strength returning. Besides, Ling Wen was a civil god,
she was powerless and Quan Yizhen could stop her using not even a finger. Hearing
Quan Yizhen acknowledge “OK!” From afar, Xie Lian relaxed and went back to fighting
the crowd. A moment later, there was a sudden rumble, and the roof of Puqi Shrine was
punched through, the silhouette of a figure blown high into the air.
Xie Lian looked back around, shocked, and shouted to the interior of the shrine, “QI
YING! DON’T FIGHT LIKE THAT!”
It’s nothing for martial gods to get tossed around; martial gods all grew up getting
beaten. But no matter how you look at it Ling Wen was a lady heavenly official, and a
civil god at that, if Quan Yizhen fought so ruthlessly, she’d be pulverized!
Yet, the figure who walked out leisurely said, “Bai Jing, don’t fight like that.”
That voice was cold and crisp, very obviously belonging to Ling Wen. Yet in the moment
she walked out, Xie Lian felt he saw a fleeting illusion, like the one who came out wasn’t
Ling Wen, but an extremely tall young man, his aura of vengeance roaring to the
heavens. However, when Xie Lian focused his eyes, it was still the lone figure of Ling
Wen.
Ling Wen was a civil god, that’s for certain. If she had hidden her strength intentionally
in the past, she still couldn’t deceive Xie Lian, so how could she suddenly blow Quan
Yizhen into the sky???
Hua Cheng whispered, “Gege be careful, she’s put on that robe.”
So that’s it! Although on the surface it looks like Ling Wen was still clad in black, but a
layer of simmering black aura was shielding her, seeming like she had changed into a
completely different person. The killing intent was running wild but her blanched face
was extremely calm, and this formed a peculiar contrast. Xie Lian tried testing the
waters by lunging at her with his sword, and Ling Wen deflected the blow by a wave of
her sleeve. Coincidentally, Quan Yizhen came crashing down from above, and fell to the
ground with a bang just in time to witness this scene. Instantly, his eyes lit up,
“Beautiful!”
Xie Lian’s eyes lit up too and also exclaimed, “Beautiful!”
Ling Wen’s move just now was truly a beautiful one. No, it should be said, the move the
Brocade Immortal used to help Ling Wen block the attack!
When that Brocade Immortal was donned on others, either they lose their minds or their
blood was sucked dry. However, when donned on Ling Wen, not a single weapon could
pierce through, and she could even attack proactively, instantly allowing a civil god blow
a Martial God of the West away. No one’s ever heard that Brocade Immortal had this
incredible ability before. Who would’ve thought that after she’s chopped off the head
and limbs of the Brocade Immortal, it would still allow itself to be used by her?
Now, not only the villagers of Puqi village were shocked, even the band of monks and
cultivators were stunned. Heaven’s Eye exclaimed, “What, beautiful?! Is it so good to be
hit? Is there anyone normal inside that shrine? I think not a single soul there is human!”
Quan Yizhen was itching to spar, and he leapt to his feet to attack once more. Ling Wen
said in a low voice, “I said, don’t linger around!”
Those words were directed at the Brocade Immortal, but her body wouldn’t listen to her,
and her elbow blocked Quan Yizhen’s punch before they proceeded to start an all-out
brawl. Fighting and parrying, parrying and fighting, the blows of fists and palms shocked
the old walls of Puqi Shrine and it shook like it was ready to collapse. As expected of
the Brocade Immortal with the potential to ascend; Quan Yizhen was falling behind. Xie
Lian couldn’t help but cry, “Um… excuse me, can you both fight further away? Further
away please!”
But before he finished his sentence, those monks and cultivators came surrounding him
again, some forty to fifty blades, swords, axes, staffs, all crashing forward, and Xie
Lian’s face dropped, raising his hands, “WAIT, DON’T! NOOO!!!”
And amidst that tragic wail, the Puqi Shrine that had withstood countless battering but
still remained standing finally, truly, completely, collapsed.
Xie Lian was dumbfounded, desolation filled his heart. “I just knew none of my houses
would last for over half a year. Now I really need to beg for donations for
reconstruction…”
“Gege, don’t be sad. It’s just a house, there’s plenty around.” Hua Cheng comforted.
Xie Lian tried to make himself stay strong, but then Heaven’s Eye came stumbling over,
his hand covering his forehead, and he pointed at him, “You young’un with nothing but
tricks! You dare ruin my cultivation! Who’s your master? What generation do you belong
to? Which temple are you registered under? What sort of god do you worship?!”
Xie Lian whipped his head over, and a biting chill flashed before his face. He
straightened and stated solemnly, “You ask who I am? LISTEN WELL! — I, AM THE
EMINENT HIGHNESS THE CROWN PRINCE! You riotous radicals, BOW DOWN
BEFORE ME!”
His voice roared like thunder in clear skies, and there were actually a few who almost
fell to their knees, and didn’t snap out of it until their companions pulled them up, “What
are you doing? Are you actually kneeling?”
“Th-that’s weird, I did it before I realized it…”
Xie Lian proclaimed sharply:
“I, AM OVER EIGHT HUNDRED. OLDER THAN ALL OF YOU COMBINED. I’VE
CROSSED MORE BRIDGES THAN ALL THE ROADS YOU’VE WALKED.”
“I, POSSESS SHRINES AND TEMPLES ACROSS THIS LAND; MY DEVOTEES AND
WORSHIPPERS ARE SPREAD TO ALL FOUR SEAS. IF YOU DON’T KNOW MY
NAME, IT’S BECAUSE YOU ARE IGNORANT AND UNLEARNED OF THE WORLD!”
“I, DO NOT WORSHIP GODS.”
“I, AM GOD!”
When the mob heard this speech that was so shameless yet spoken with an
incomparably impressive air, they were all stunned, and subconsciously dropped their
jaws. “…HUH???”
Xie Lian made up all that nonsense because he was waiting for this very moment. He
flung that plate in his hand, and all those white little meatballs shot out through the air
like iron pellets, scattered in all directions, and without any misses, they were hurled
right into the open mouths of all those people in shock. Then he wiped away his sweat,
“Will everyone please forget everything I just said. I’m actually only just a scrap
collector!”
Everyone who ate a meatball instantly dropped their faces, “HUH?! WE, WE’VE BEEN
HAD!”
A few who were quicker on their feet stopped the meatball with their swords, but when
they brought the swords before their eyes, those meatballs were actually still spinning
rapidly, creating sparks with the blades from the friction. The mob were terrified,
“WHAT… WHAT IS THIS HIDDEN WEAPON?!?! Incomparably solid with a peculiar
shine, could this be? The legendary…”
“That’s right!” Xie Lian claimed, “It’s the legendary Incorruptible Chastity Pellets!
Exceedingly poisonous, and if eighty-one cups of clean water aren’t drunken within a
day to detox, then they will explode in your stomach!”
Although no one had ever heard of such a thing before, but the mob grew even more
horrified, “OI! IS IT REALLY THAT POISONOUS?”
“Either way we gotta go drink water! The antidote is only water! Let’s get outta here! GO
FIND WATER!!!”
In an instant, a large number of the crowd who fell for the trick fled.
On the other side, Ling Wen was fighting more and more aggressively, and she actually
had both her hands strangling Quan Yizhen as she picked him up. Obviously having the
upper hand but Ling Wen didn’t look pleased at all, and she barked with a low voice,
“Bai Jing! Are you going to kill him? There’s no need to fight anymore, let’s just go!!!”
Fortunately, Xie Lian had one meatball left, and just as Ling Wen said the word “go”,
with his swift hands he lobbed a meatball into her mouth.
Instantly, the light in Ling Wen’s eyes was extinguished, like it was sucked out by the
thing she swallowed, and the black aura surrounding her person also lightened a shade.
With an expression like she was forcing back the urge to vomit, she glanced at Xie Lian,
her lips soundlessly quivering, then after enduring for a while, she threw Quan Yizhen
onto the ground, and left with her hand supporting her temple.
Quan Yizhen jumped to his feet, chasing after her. Xie Lian had wanted to follow after
them too, but that mob of monks and cultivators blocked his way and they shouted,
“EVERYONE, HANG ON! MORE REINFORCEMENTS ARE ON THEIR WAY!”
More?! He couldn’t stay in Puqi Village any longer, he best leave first and think later. In
hot pursuit of Ling Wen, Quan Yizhen soon disappeared. Xie Lian cradled Hua Cheng in
his arms and said, “Hold on tight to me!” Then, tipping his feet to bolt, he surpassed the
mob and fled.
Hua Cheng followed his instruction and embraced him tightly. For some reason, this
scene felt familiar to Xie Lian, but, he had no time to reminisce the past; this affair
needed to be reported to court as soon as possible. Without thinking, he sent a
message to the private communication array: “Ling Wen, something’s happened! I…”
Ling Wen: “…I know.”
Xie Lian: “…So sorry to bother you.”
An instant later, it was Ling Wen who cut off the communication first.
Xie Lian was speechless too. In the past, he had always communicated with Ling Wen
directly, and now that it was Ling Wen herself who was the problem, he hadn’t yet had
the time to wrap his head around it, and actually reported the incident to her, so he
didn’t know whether to laugh or cry either. Xie Lian entered the public communication
array and yelled as he dashed with Hua Cheng in his arms, “EVERYONE! PLEASE
ALERT THE WHOLE COURT! LING WEN’S RUN AWAY WEARING THE BROCADE
IMMORTAL!!!”
———–
Ch.136: My Puqi Shrine Will Collapse Supremely 2
Yet unexpectedly, no one in the spiritual communication array was listening to him. It
was like something big had happened, and every heavenly official was blabbering
noisily. Xie Lian heard Feng Xin yell, “Your Highness? DID YOU SAY SOMETHING?
IT’S REALLY CHAOTIC HERE RIGHT NOW…”
Xie Lian raised his voice, “FENG XIN! I SAID, LING WEN WAS THE ONE WHO
CREATED THE BROCADE IMMORTAL! SHE’S RUN AWAY WEARING IT, WATCH
OUT FOR HER!”
“WHAT?!” Feng Xin shouted, “THAT’S HAPPENED?!”
Xie Lian was about to expand on the details when the noise by his ear abruptly stopped,
and nothing more could be heard. Taken aback, he tried calling again, “Everyone? Is
everyone still there?”
He called a couple times but no one answered. Hua Cheng spoke up, “It’s no use. The
spiritual communication array of the Upper Court was set up by Ling Wen, she must’ve
broken it up just now. It’ll need to be rebuilt.”
“Whatever shall we do then?” Xie Lian gaped. Usually when he communicated with the
Upper Court, it was either through the spiritual communication array or through Ling
Wen directly, or the Wind Master. He didn’t know the verbal password of any of the
other heavenly officials. Now that he could no longer depend on Ling Wen or the Wind
Master, and the communication array was destroyed, what should he do?”
Hua Cheng seemed to see through his worries and said, “Don’t worry, didn’t gege
already report the key issue? Not all the heavenly officials of the Upper Court are idiots,
and Jun Wu is also in the Heavenly Court right now. It’ll be fine once the message
passes through.”
Xie Lian thought that too and nodded. After his mad dash, they’ve already crossed
through several mountains tops, leaving those masters far behind them, but it seemed
they wouldn’t be able to keep up with the Brocade Immortal and Quan Yizhen after all.
Hua Cheng added, “If gege still wants to investigate the Brocade Immortal, you’ll have
to hurry.”
However, Xie Lian shook his head. “That was before. Qi Ying’s already chasing after
Ling Wen, so right now we’ve got more important matters in our hands. San Lang.” He
stared intently at the Hua Cheng in his arms, “Your form… it seems to have changed
again.”
Before when Hua Cheng was disguised as Lang Ying, he was still in the appearance of
a fifteen to sixteen year old boy and it wasn’t easy for Xie Lian to carry him. Even if he
could it didn’t look good. But now, Hua Cheng’s body seemed to have shrunk in size,
looking to be at most eleven or twelve, and Xie Lian could carry him singlehandedly and
have him perch on his arm. Be that as it may, Hua Cheng’s air of steady calm never
changed. “It’s a non issue. Changing form is only a temporary plan. After the whole
thing is over my old self will return.”
He unwrapped the bandages on his head as he spoke. On that snow white face, a pair
of deep, black eyes watched Xie Lian, and between his brows were still shadows of that
handsome young man. It was clearly the face of a child, but his air and expression was
the laid backness he always assumed.
Xie Lian watched him dazedly, not speaking a word.
Hua Cheng frowned slightly, “Your Highness, you…”
Suddenly, Xie Lian’s other hand reached out and squeezed his cheek.
This was so out of the blue, Hua Cheng widened his eyes as his face changed shape
from the squishing, “…GEGE!”
Xie Lian laughed, “Hahahahahaha… Sorry San Lang, but you’re too cute I can’t help
myself, hahahaha…”
“…”
Xie Lian squished him tenderly as he said gently, “Then, San Lang, are you going to
keep changing? Are you going to turn into a toddler of five or six? Or even better, a little
baby?”
Hearing his hopeful voice, Hua Cheng replied helplessly, “I’m afraid I will have to
disappoint gege.”
Xie Lian dropped his hand and grinned, “Nonsense. San Lang has never disappointed
me. I’m really happy to have this chance to protect you.”
However, Hua Cheng said glumly, “I’m not happy.”
“How come?” Xie Lian asked.
Hua Cheng voice turned cold, “I.. hate looking like this!”
Xie Lian could detect a trace of loathing in his voice and was slightly taken aback. Hua
Cheng lowered his head, “I don’t want you to see me in such a helpless form, and I
absolutely didn’t want you to have to protect me!”
Maybe it was because Hua Cheng’s age had diminished that even his emotions
seemed to be rippling. Xie Lian felt his heart stir and hurriedly hugged him in his
embrace, lightly patting his back as he laughed, “Then according to you, I might as well
just die since you saw me in a mess so many times. Besides, it’s not like you’re
completely useless right now, you’re just temporarily storing your powers, that’s all.”
“…” Hua Cheng buried his face in his shoulder and grumbled in a muffled voice, “It’s not
the same. Your Highness, I have to be the strongest. I have to make myself stronger
than anyone else. Only then can I…”
Although his voice was young and tender at the moment, there was still a faint trace of
fatigue. Xie Lian soothed, “You’ve always been the strongest. But, you don’t need to be
every waking moment of every day. Just… think of this as giving me some face, and let
me protect you this once. Please? Ok?”
It was a long time before Hua Cheng lifted his head from his hug, and he placed his
hands on Xie Lian’s shoulders, watching him, “Your Highness, wait for me.”
“Alright, I’ll wait for you.” Xie Lian promised.
Hua Cheng assured again very seriously, “Give me a little time, I’ll be back very soon.”
Xie Lian smiled, “No rush. Go at your own pace.”
The next day, the two came to a small town.
Xie Lian was holding Hua Cheng’s hand, and the one adult and one child strolled along
the streets, chatting leisurely. Xie Lian asked, “With the reopening of Mount Tong’lu, all
the preceding Ghost Kings are affected by the tremors. So does this mean that Black
Water is the same?”
Hua Cheng had one hand courted behind his back as he held hands with Xie Lian with
the other and replied, “Yes. But our situation’s different, our training methods are
different, so naturally our ways of resisting provocations are also different.”
“For example?” Xie Lian asked, “How does he resist aggravation?”
“Hibernation, probably.” Hua Cheng replied.
The words “Eat when hungry, sleep when full” appeared in Xie Lian’s mind.
Hua Cheng continued, “When Black Water was a mortal, he suffered the torment of jail.
With only one meal every three days, even if he was given swills he must swallow.
Hunger ruined his stomach; sometimes he’d feed nonstop, sometimes he’d reject eating
anything at all.”
“No wonder he was so impressive in devouring everything.” Xie Lian mused.
In truth, in He Xuan’s situation he could focus on devouring hungry ghosts, because he
possessed that attribute by nature, so hungry ghosts should be more to his taste. Yet in
all the five hundred some ghosts and demons devoured by Black Water Demon Xuan,
the majority were water ghouls. It must be because he remembered the face of Shi
Wudu, and in order to break his water magic, He Xuan did so intentionally. And when he
swallowed too much, after a while he would need to slumber to digest.
“Indeed.” Hua Cheng said, “I might as well mention that Qi Rong feasting on human
flesh was him trying to imitate He Xuan on purpose.”
Xie Lian was speechless for a moment and thought, ‘How can feeding on humans be
the same as feeding on ghosts?’ Then after pondering, he asked, “Then that forest of
upside down corpses? Could it be he was trying to imitate you?”
“Correct.” Hua Cheng replied. “Because he wanted to achieve the same bloody rain
sceneries but didn’t know how I did it, so, he simply and vulgarly hangs rows of dead
bodies in the air.”
“…”
Today, Xie Lian could finally understand completely why every time Qi Rong was
mentioned, no one knew what to say. He had all the appearances but none of the class.
Xie Lian sighed as he thought, ‘Qi Rong had taken Guzi away, who knows if the poor
child was eaten or abandoned. Wind Master… who knows if Black Water took him
away. Pray they’re both safe.’ Then he asked, “What about your Ghost City? Won’t
anyone go stir up trouble there?”
Hua Cheng replied, “I’ve locked up the Ghost City when I left, and leaked some false
information of my whereabouts. Even if anyone tries to start trouble, if they can’t find me
they won’t be too hard on them. But I’m sure there are plenty of eyes watching that
place right now.”
Hua Cheng couldn’t return to the Ghost City and Xie Lian couldn’t take him to the
heavens either, lest he be exposed by a heavenly official, so the two frolicked in the
crowds of the mortal realm without a destination in mind.
Xie Lian slightly knitted his brows, “You leaked false information, but Ling Wen leaked
real information. I still don’t understand how she was able to see through your Lang
Ying disguise.”
“What I don’t understand is something else.” Hua Cheng said.
“What?” Xie Lian asked.
“That foul cultivator Heaven’s Eye, I’ve played him a couple times, his skills aren’t bad.”
Hua Cheng said.
Xie Lian agreed, “En. It’s true. He’s really got the talent and put in the effort.”
“Yea. So, why would he say that gege’s lips are covered in the essence of evil?” Hua
Cheng questioned.
“…”
Xie Lian’s hands instantly clenched, but when he remembered he was still holding
hands with Hua Cheng, he immediately loosened his grip. Hua Cheng pressed with a
low voice, “Gege, don’t blow me off with words you’d use to placate idiots. Tell me just
what exactly did I do to you that night.”
“…”
‘It’s not what you did to me, more like what I did to you…’ Xie Lian thought. Suddenly,
his eyes lit up, “Wait, San Lang, look over there.”
“Gege?” Hua Cheng questioned.
But Xie Lian was already pulling him into a luxurious and lavish store on the road. The
owner at the counter looked the pair of them up and down, the curious combination of a
cultivator and a layman, and asked, “What can I do for you, daozhang?”
Xie Lian lifted Hua Cheng up and smiled, “It’s not for me. It’s for him.”
Hua Cheng tilted his head in his arms.
An incense time later, Hua Cheng emerged from the back of the store.
Lang Ying’s clothes fit for a fifteen, sixteen year old from before no longer fit the current
Hua Cheng, so Xie Lian picked out a new outfit especially for him. The moment he
emerged, Xie Lian’s eyes brightened.
What a skin as white as snow little young master!
Donned in a robe as red as maple fire, and a pair of deer leather boots hung with silver
chains, Hua Cheng was both handsome and spirited. His raven locks were loose, and
before he only had a thin braid next to his right cheek, but Xie Lian couldn’t help but
braid another one on his left too to match, making him look even more sprightly. What’s
really too much however, was his expression; his eyes were vivacious and bright, his air
calm and steady, looking nothing like a child! Such a contrast, it made one hard to look
away. The ladies shopping in the store were all stunned, and they gathered around in a
circle, their hands clutching their hearts as they cried “Aiyoh aiyoh” in appreciation.
Hua Cheng leisurely approached Xie Lian, and Xie Lian clapped lightly, “I knew it. San
Lang looks best in red after all.”
Hua Cheng helplessly pulled at the little braid on his left and grumbled, “As long as
gege is happy.”
Xie Lian lowered his arm to seize his hand, and smiled as they went to the storefront,
ready to pay. Hua Cheng’s outfit wasn’t cheap, and Xie Lian didn’t have much money to
spare so usually he wouldn’t have entered such a store. However, he had saved up a
small fortune for renovating the shrine, and now that there’s nothing left to renovate, he
could buy Hua Cheng some clothes first before he worried about anything else. Just as
he was counting out his coins one by one, Hua Cheng squished over to his side, and
PA!, slapped a gold foil on the counter.
Xie Lian: “…”
The owner: “…”
The ladies: “…”
“There’s no need for change.” Hua Cheng said, “Gege, come on, let’s go.”
He tugged at the corner of Xie Lian’s sleeve then exited the store with his hands at his
sides. Xie Lian smiled and took a few steps too when suddenly, Hua Cheng backtracked
and came back in, bumping into his arms. Xie Lian held his shoulders and asked,
“What’s wrong?” Then he looked up and saw the shadows of a figure in the flowing
crowd on the streets, and his heart lurched too. Coincidentally, the store owner asked,
“Would you two still like to purchase something else?”
Xie Lian raised his hand, “Yes. Please bring me that robe!”
———-
●MXTX Author Note:
Hua Hua: That day, His Highness took me to a lavish store to buy brand names
(Huh???
The crown prince is good at making pickled veggies. Because eating steamed
buns and porridge all need pickles to match, he’s practiced this for centuries so
he’s experienced. Besides, a majority of the time you don’t need to mind pickles
when making pickles; just leave them in a corner and let chemistry do its work.
Most of his failures come from his intense desire to create something new.
———–
Ch.137: Upon Barren Hills; Rioting the Black Hearted Inn
The store owner was taken aback, “Huh? That one? Daozhang are you sure you’re not
mistaken?”
Xie Lian confirmed, “Yes, that one!”
Then he just rushed up himself to grab for that robe, picked Hua Cheng up and dashed
to the back of the store, slipping behind a set of curtains. This clothing store was a
daring one and an innovative one at that. There was a small stall inside for changing, so
those who came to purchase clothes could try them on on the spot. The crowd was
taken aback. A moment later, a luxuriously dressed cultivator walked past the clothing
store, grumbling as he rubbed his forehead, and behind him followed a mob of
malicious looking, strange monks and cultivators. When they saw the clothing store had
a large gathering, he barked, displeased, “What are you lookin’ at?!”
“Sigh, forget it, let’s hurry. I need to go to the toilet again!”
“Wait, Heaven’s Eye-xiong, there’s plenty of people here, why not ask them if they
saw?”
“My lady donors, have you all seen a white clad cultivator with a small child covered in
bandages pass by?”
The crowd was silent but there were some who unconsciously glimpsed to the back of
the store. The mob grew cautious, and made the hand gesture of ‘go over and see’.
Heaven’s Eye strode inside, held his breath, and slowly approached those curtains. A
moment later, he yanked it open. Instantly there was a shriek.
Behind the curtains sat a woman, her long raven hair hung a loose bun, her neck
slender and white with a black choker and a thin silver chain circled around. Her robe
was half stripped, revealing her snow white shoulder and a small bit of her back, looking
to drape and fall, making one’s face burn and heart race.
When the curtains were pulled, the figure of that woman trembled, covering her face
with her sleeves, and whimpered softly, as if she was shocked and terrified by such a
sudden and brutish act. Heaven’s Eye instantly dropped the curtains, “I-I-I-I-I-I’M
SORRY!!!”
The band of monks and cultivators who followed after Heaven’s Eye all screamed too,
“WHAT A SIN, WHAT A SIN!” And they all covered their own eyes. Using this chance,
that ‘woman’ whipped around – who else could it be but Xie Lian? Hua Cheng was
sitting in his arms and was only blocked from view by Xie Lian’s body. Although Xie Lian
was a man and his shoulders were wider than the average woman, but he only pulled
down half of his robe to expose the best angle, creating the perfect effect.
With one arm full of Hua Cheng, Xie Lian lifted the skirt with his other hand and dashed
past those screaming monks and cultivators with their eyes covered, fleeing away like
the wind. The store owner and the ladies were all dumbfounded, and seeing him flee,
the store owner had wanted to stop him, but opening and closing his mouth, he looked
down at that gold foil that could easily buy two sets of clothing and more, he shrugged
and stopped caring.
Xie Lian dashed madly the entire way with Hua Cheng in his arms, leaving nothing but
clouds of dust. The passersby on the streets only saw the blurry shadows of a ‘woman’
holding a child fly by, as lithe and ferocious like a jaguar, creating clouds of suffocating
dust, and they choked and coughed, their eyes unbelieving. A small food stall on the
side of the road was covered and the owner started cussing, “WHAT’S WRONG WITH
YOU!”
Xie Lian spared the time to turn his head and shouted loudly, “EVERYTHING’S
WRONG! I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY!” Just then, he heard wild hollering from behind him,
“STOP RIGHT THERE—!!!”
He looked back, and it was that mob who had charged out of the clothing store. ‘I really
wonder what’s on the minds of people who yell ‘stop right there’. It’s obvious the one
they’re yelling to won’t stop. Instead they would just hold their breath and run faster!’ Xie
Lian thought, and he immediately put his mind to it, dashing away faster.
This large fanfare of a crowd running down the streets, dust flew and covered the air,
and now the food stall owner couldn’t even curse anymore, flipping his own pot from
anger, “WHY THE FUCK DO I EVEN BOTHER!”
After chasing for four hours, sure enough, the monks and cultivators who were yelling
as they ran were finally losing their breaths, their steps slowing. As for Xie Lian who was
experienced in the art of escape soundlessly persevered to the very end. Once they’ve
lost their tail completely, Xie Lian put Hua Cheng down and stood on the side of the
road gasping for breath. Hua Cheng held his shoulders and said in a low voice, “Don’t
breathe too harshly, you’ll hurt yourself.”
Xie Lian looked up and saw Hua Chen’s small frown but still with the face of a child, he
couldn’t help but laugh out loud, “HAHA, HAHAHA… Ah!”
He laughed too abruptly; a sharp pain shot up from his ribs so he held his sides. Seeing
that Hua Cheng was looking dismayed, he waved his hand, “It’s nothing… eh? Is that
an inn over there?”
Sure enough, not far in the distance within the steadfast blues of the evening was an inn
peeping with warm yellow glow as if beckoning travelers to go. Xie Lian straightened up
and said, “Let’s go in and rest.”
“Alright,” Hua Cheng said.
Xie Lian clutched his hand and the two strolled towards the small building. When they
came before the entrance, Xie Lian realized that this inn had two levels, much more
lavish than it appeared from afar. The doors were closed, and Xie Lian raised his hand,
knocking lightly, “Anyone there? We’re here to stay the night.”
Soon enough, someone called from the inside, “Coming, coming!”
A moment later, the door opened, and several attendants came forward to greet, their
faces full of smiles, “Good si…”
They had wanted to say ’good sir’, but seeing the person before them was wearing
women’s robes, they changed, “Mis…”
Before the word left their lips, Xie Lian emerged fully from the darkness with Hua Cheng
in hand. If there’s a child, then it wasn’t an unmarried lady, so they changed again,
“Mada…”
‘Madam’ was still half on their lips and Xie Lian’s face was fully illuminated by the light
within the inn. Although this person was dressed in women’s robes and had a gentle
countenance, if they must be honest, no matter how they looked it was the face of a
man. The attendants all became mute, and it was a good moment before they went
back to their original greeting, “Good sir, please come inside.”
Xie Lian smiled as he nodded. The him now was very practiced wearing anything, and
there was not a drop of mental or physical discomfort. With Hua Cheng in hand, he
crossed the extremely low threshold, and sat down at a table in the corner of the lobby.
Other than those attendants in the inn, there was no one else. The moment they
entered, the attendants immediately closed the door and gathered around, piling smiles
on their faces. It was more those smiles that were making Xie Lian uncomfortable.
He took the menu card and said, “It’s not easy to find an inn in the wild like this, I’m
amazed!”
The attendants responded, “It’s not easy to have customers in the wild like this either!”
For some reason, although they were smiling, those smiles looked like they were
painted on, quite fake. Xie Lian didn’t move a muscle or change his expression. He
flipped the menu card, ordered a few dishes, before the attendants merrily left to bring
their orders to the kitchen.
Hua Cheng was playing with his chopsticks, “Gege, we’ve entered a shady
establishment run by ghosts.”
“En.” Xie Lian acknowledged.
If it wasn’t anything weird, then a small inn with one level and a couple of attendants in
the wild like this was already quite amazing; why was there such a lavish establishment
with so many attendants?
Of course, this wasn’t any strong evidence. The main reason was because the moment
Xie Lian entered the inn, he could smell the thick, fresh, stench of blood.
Normal people probably wouldn’t notice this stench of blood, but for someone as
experienced and senses as sharp as Xie Lian, the heaviness had reached the point
where he couldn’t ignore it. Xie Lian said, “There’s more people on the second level, I
hear their footsteps. I wonder if they’re travelers who are also here staying the night.”
If they were, then they must be rescued. The two sat across from each other and put
their faces together, talking in whispers for a long while when the attendants finally
brought their dishes. “Coming!”
Xie Lian was about to speak but caught a slight movement from the outside. He
immediately rose to his feet, “We’re going to go rest in our rooms, can I trouble you to
bring our food upstairs?”
“No problem, no problem!”
Xie Lian held Hua Cheng’s hand and lifted his skirt with his other hand with practiced
ease and they went upstairs. He looked back, “Oh, by the way, if anyone asks about us,
please tell them you’ve never seen us.”
“No problem, no problem!”
Xie Lian hurried up the stairs. It wasn’t long before the brash sound of someone
knocking the doors came and a gruff voice called, “Open up, open up!”
The attendants opened the door with smiles on their faces. The crowd who poured in
was Heaven’s Eye and that mob of relentless monks and cultivators!
Xie Lian and Hua Cheng had already entered their room on the second level by then.
As they shut the doors behind them, they could hear people who had just entered the
inn yelling “TOILET TOILET TOILET!” and running for the stalls while others demanded,
“BOSS! DO YOU GOT WATER?!”
Seeing so many people come in all at the same time, the attendants were overjoyed,
“There is, there is, please wait, it’s coming!”
“Sigh, I’m so stuffed!” Heaven’s Eye complained, “Unbelievable. That whatsmacallit
‘Incorruptible Chastity Pellets’ really is some tenacious poison. I’ve only drunken some
twenty cups, how long will it take before I reach eighty-one?”
“…”
Xie Lian hadn’t imagined that those monks and cultivators were actually so honest. He
told them to drink eighty-one cups of water and so they really planned on drinking
exactly eighty-one cups of water. One of the monks replied, “Amitabha Buddha. This
monk has already drunken twenty-five cups of water, and I have to say, it’s been very
effective as an antidote. This monk is feeling much better already.”
Hearing this, Xie Lian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and he fumbled around
looking to see if there might be any cracks he could peek through. He saw Hua Cheng
half crouched on the ground by the side calling him, “Gege, look over here.”
Xie Lian crouched down too and looked to where he was pointing on the ground but
there wasn’t anything wrong with it. “What’s over here?”
Suddenly, Hua Cheng poked, and a small hole instantly appeared on the solid floor, a
thin ray of light coming through. “Here. Now we can see.”
“…”
Xie Lian leaned down and peeked down through that hole. The mob was gathered at a
long table in the middle of the lobby, and Heaven’s Eye slapped the table, “HMPH! We
were too careless this time. Next time if we see that evil cultivator, we won’t give him
any chance to take advantage of us! We must take down Hua, Hua, Hua Chengzhu,
and eradicate evil in the name of heaven!”
Xie Lian whispered, “San Lang, just how have you offended them?”
Hua Cheng didn’t answer, but someone had already asked for Xie Lian, “That’s right, I
never asked, but how come you’re all here to catch that ghost king? What’s the story?”
Thus, the mob began a meeting to exchange condemnation.
“Just talking about it brings anger to my heart! Twenty years ago, there was a village
where a pig monster went mad, and overthrew the master’s house. The house
collapsed, the whole family’s dead. That pig fled to the Ghost City. I’d only just entered
the trade at the time so I went after it, but was beaten to a pulp by a bunch of ghosts
and had no choice but to escape. What humiliation! He also sent a lackey to tell me that
there was no reason why you can eat a whole family of pigs but a pig can’t slaughter a
whole family in revenge. If the pig didn’t seek revenge then it’s your lucky day, if it did
then you deserved it. Now tell me, what is that rotten logic!”
“What a coincidence! Our sect experienced something similar, but it was over a rooster
spirit!”
“Our story’s simple. Because the god we worshipped in our sect was one of the one’s
he listed for that challenge, so no matter how many temples we build he’d burn them
down. What an outrage! Absolutely unreasonable!”
“Me too, me too. You all know of my shixiong, right? Talented with infinite future! He only
had one small vice: he loved playing women. Decades ago, a little prostitute ghost
seduced my shixiong and sucked him dry into a human jerky, and that Hua, Hua, Hua,
that ghost king dared shelter her.”
The criticisms were flaming down below, but above them, Hua Cheng looked bored, not
even bothering to give a taunting smirk. Heaven’s Eye said, “I think I’ve heard of your
shixiong before. Wasn’t he that guy who under the pretense of conducting rituals and
ceremonies would confound and force himself on married women? The one who was
locked up for three months?”
“Ahem ahem ahem!”
It just so happened that at that moment the attendants brought their food over, and
crowd hurriedly diverted attention, “Food’s here, food’s here, come come come, let’s say
no more, Heaven’s Eye-xiong, let’s eat.”
Xie Lian straightened up, glanced at the dishes the inn attendants brought over, and
Hua Cheng said, “No need to keep looking, they’ll keel over the moment they eat that
stuff.”
Xie Lian said in a low voice, “This is going to be troublesome.”
Although that mob of monks and cultivators were relentless and extremely annoying,
still they couldn’t just let them croak in this peculiar, shady establishment. Yet it wasn’t a
good idea to raise alarm either. Just then, Heaven’s Eye spoke up, “Stop!”
He stared at those dishes and blocked the others, his eyes sharp and flashing. Xie Lian
praised mentally, ‘He does have some skill!”
The others wondered, “Heaven’s Eye-xiong, what’s wrong?”
Heaven’s Eye reached out with one finger and wiped around the edges of a plate, then
he raised that finger high in the air, yelling in rage, “SO MUCH GREASE FROM JUST
ONE WIPE OF A FINGER! The plates aren’t washed clean, what kind of business are
you guys running around here?!”
“…”
Xie Lian had thought he noticed something off, but he hadn’t imagined it was a different
kind of off. Although he was a little speechless, but the results were all the same. The
moment Heaven’s Eye complained, the others began to gripe too, “My gosh, it’s true!
What is this, it’s all sticky like spit… wait! THERE’S HAIR IN THIS DISH!”
Someone reached out with their chopsticks to stir around, and sure enough a few
strands of black hair were stirred out, “HOLY SHIT WHAT’S GOING ON WITH YOUR
KITCHEN? WHO THE HELL’S IN THE BACK?”
The attendants rubbed their hands and smiled, “Um… we recently butchered a few pigs,
so those are probably pig hairs!”
Yet, when the chopsticks picked at those hairs, the more they pulled the longer the hairs
became, longer and longer, “WHAT KIND OF PIGS HAVE HAIRS THIS LONG? IS
YOUR BOSS LADY WASHING HER HAIR IN THE KITCHEN?!”
“Take this all away and redo them!”
“Yessir yessir!” The attendants hurriedly acquiesced, “We’ll redo everything,
immediately! My Lords please drink water, drink water.”
‘Drinking water won’t be good either,’ Xie Lian thought, ‘There must be something in the
water too!’
Before the attendants walked away, when water had just about reached the lips of the
mob, Heaven’s Eye called out again, “Get back here!”
The attendant returned, smiling apologetically, “Does My Lord daozhang need anything
else?”
“Let me ask you, have you seen a very bizarre woman with a small child come by?”
Heaven’s Eye asked.
So he did inquire after all. ‘Thank goodness I’ve instructed for them not to tell him.’ Xie
Lian thought. Yet who knew, just as he was thinking this, that attendant responded
without pause, “Oh, I have!”
Xie Lian: “???”
The mob was shocked, and they put down their waters, lowering their voice, “Where are
they?”
That attendant also lowered his voice, “Upstairs!”
The mob were instantly on high alert, their gazes whipping upwards. Xie Lian swiftly
blocked that hole Hua Cheng poked out with his finger. A moment later, there were
creeping sounds of a group of people who were coming upstairs. Xie Lian skulked to the
door, listening to the footsteps, and it seemed that attendant had lead that mob up,
sneaking towards them. His left arm held Hua Cheng, his sword clutched in his right
hand, Ruoye next to his person shielding them, all weapons at the ready, he was tense
and on guard. However, those footsteps passed right by their door and continued deep
into the long hallway. Puzzled, Xie Lian pressed against the door and looked out
through the cracks. That mob passed by this room and was surrounding the entrance to
another room.
Inside that room seemed to be a person; faint light filtered through the papered windows
and reflected the silhouette of a woman sitting by the tableside.
———
Ch.138: Upon Barren Hills; Rioting the Black Hearted Inn 2
He would’ve never imagined that the attendant would actually keep their word and didn’t
give them away. It was someone else they spoke of.
It seemed, other than the two of them, there was another ‘very bizarre woman’ with a
small child that had come to this inn to lodge for the night.
Heaven’s Eye and his group eyed each other and made hand gestures almost uniformly
around, ready to kick the door open. Suddenly, the light inside the room was
extinguished and the silhouette disappeared. Following right after was “thud, thud, thud”
a series of fast and hurried footsteps and a woman yanked the door open, cussing,
“WHAT ARE Y’ALL STINKIN’ MEN DOING GATHERED OUTSIDE MY DOOR IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT? YER GRAND MAMA WANTS TO TAKE A BATH, WHAT
ARE Y’ALL PLANNING? HUH?!”
This woman was slender and sensuous in figure, her unpainted face heavenly; although
she had the air of a fighting cock, she was nonetheless wholly a woman. She clicked
her tongue, rolled up her sleeves and continued cussing, “AND IT’S A BUNCH OF
MONKS AND CULTIVATORS TOO. AREN’T Y’ALL RELIGIOUS PRIESTS? WHAT
HAPPENED TO ALL YER CHASTITY VOWS?!”
Some of the monks mumbled, “It’s a misunderstanding, it’s a misunderstanding…”
That woman raised her brows impossibly high, raising her hands as if ready to strike, “I
DON’T CARE IF IT’S A MISUNDERSTANDING OR A MEETING, LEAVE NOW OR
THIS GRAND MAMA WILL GRANT Y’ALL A NICE TUB OF BATH WATER!”
“OI OI OI, LADY DONOR, HOW CAN YOU BE LIKE THIS? WATCH YOUR VIRTUES!”
“Let’s get outta here…”
Although Xie Lian didn’t recognize that woman’s face, he still felt her voice and her aura
were extremely familiar. A moment later, he exclaimed in a whisper, “Lan Chang?”
“That’s right. It’s her.” Hua Cheng responded.
Seeing the crowd disperse, Lan Chang seemed to let out a sigh of relief, glanced
around and hurriedly went back to her room, shutting the door. She wasn’t covered in
heavy makeup, showing the world a plain face, and while there were quite a number of
wrinkles around her eyes, her age apparent, she was unexpectedly somewhat elegant,
and Xie Lian almost didn’t recognize her. If she had presented herself like this that day
at the Great Martial Hall, Pei Ming’s claim to innocence might not be as convincing.
Before when Mount Tong’lu reopened and the ghosts were aroused for the first time,
there were a significant number of monsters and demons that escaped their seal from
all around, and Lan Chang and the fetus spirit were among them. If the ‘very bizarre
woman’ the attendant meant was Lan Chang, then didn’t that mean the child she had
with her was…
Xie Lian whispered to Hua Cheng, “The fetus spirit must be with her. That creature is
too dangerous, we can’t let them run loose like this.”
However, the inn they were in was already a shady one, and there was that band of
mortal masters in pursuit of Hua Cheng. It wasn’t going to be easy for them to capture
them under these circumstances.
That crowd of monks and cultivators made it to the staircase, and the attendant asked,
“So? Was it not the person My Lords are searching for?”
“It’s not!” Heaven’s Eye replied, “Sigh! Let me ask you then, have you seen a cultivator
with a small child?”
The attendant gave it a thought and said, “There isn’t a child, but there is a cultivator
who’s by his lonesome.”
Hearing this, the mob were spirited once more, and they asked in a low voice, “Where is
he?”
That attendant replied in a low voice too, “Over here.”
This time, he was pointing a different room. The crowd eyed each other again, and once
again skulked over with his lead.
Yet unexpectedly, this time, when they were still but three feet away from the door, there
was suddenly a sharp sound that broke through the air, and a yellow talisman shot out
from the cracks of the door, brushing past Heaven’s Eye’s cheek and nailed to the wall
behind him. Stunned, the crowd all went to take a look at that talismans, and found it
was half embedded into the wall like a steel plate.
Several of them were about to charge into the room but Heaven’s Eye stopped them,
“It’s not him! But it’s still someone impressive, don’t anyone be rash and start things.”
Then he courted his hand in greeting and called, “Sorry to have disturbed you, skilled
master. This is but a misunderstanding.”
The one inside the room didn’t respond, truly the style of a skilled master. The crowd
backed away and someone asked, “Dao-xiong, why did you say it’s not him inside the
room? Wasn’t the hands of that rubbish cultivator who hurled hidden weapons just as
forceful?”
Rubbish cultivator… Xie Lian had to really think about it before it dawned on him that
the ‘hidden weapon’ was his Incorruptible Chastity Pellets. ‘Well, alright…’
Heaven’s Eye replied in a low voice, “Of course it’s not him. They both hurled hidden
weapons, but the hands and strength of the one inside the room was slightly weaker
than that rubbish cultivator…”
He hadn’t finished his words before another seven or eight yellow talismans came
shooting from behind them, nailing onto the doors and walls like arrows. The crowd was
terrified and fled downstairs without another word. Seeing everyone had gone, Xie Lian
stealthily opened the door, pulled out a yellow talisman from the wall, and returned to
the room. Hua Cheng used two fingers to ignite that yellow talisman, and with just a
glance, he lightly tossed it away. “Heaven’s Eye’s eye really isn’t too bad.”
On the surface of that yellow talisman was a layer of spiritual aura, which was why it
was as sharp as knives, strong as steel when it shot out, and deeply cut into the wall.
Earlier however, Xie Lian hurled those meatballs with so much might that they shot like
iron pellets, and it was all released through his own control of strength without any
added spiritual powers. After all, he had spent centuries without spiritual might, and had
long gotten used to depending on himself for doing anything instead of depending on
spiritual powers. Heaven’s Eye had used this to determine the difference in strength.
Xie Lian couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Just how many different kinds of people are gathered
in this inn? Why is there even a cultivator lodging here? Could he also be here for
defeating evil? It’s normal if those mundane monks and cultivators noticed nothing, but
with this individual’s skill level, how can he not sense anything weird about this inn?
Either way, now I absolutely cannot let those monks and cultivators discover San Lang
is here. If they start talking and that individual in the room overhears, that might add one
more to the chase. This one might not be as easy to deal with as the group of them.’
The mob went back downstairs and returned to the lobby, sitting back down at that long
table. Xie Lian peeked through that hole Hua Cheng created and that attendant said, “I’ll
go have the kitchens prepare your orders again right away, pray My Lords please wait a
bit longer, hehehe.”
“WAIT! Take the waters away too. Wash your cups properly before serving them.”
“Of course, of course. Hehehe.”
That attendant left with a face full of smiles, and was probably headed for the kitchens.
Xie Lian seemed to recall that the kitchen was located behind the inn, so he picked up
Hua Cheng, flipped out of the window to land outside the inn. He circled to the back and
picked up a few small pebbles, clutching them in his hand in case he’d need to use
them later.
He skulked to the wall outside the kitchen. Hua Cheng poked again, and a small hole
appeared on the wall, as if the wall was made of tofu. Xie Lian pressed close to see just
what kind of owner this shady establishment had.
The light from the kitchen was dim, only a few dying lamps were lit, and no one could be
seen. But listening carefully, there were crunching sounds coming from some place.
Xie Lian changed a couple angles and finally discovered that the sound was coming
from below the stove. His vision was blocked by the stove itself, but next to the stove
counter was a human leg. Obviously the man was already dead, but it was still twitching
along with the sound of munching and savouring.
Just then, several of the attendants entered the kitchen, “My king…”
Behind the stovetops, a disheveled, grimy man suddenly raised his head, his mouth
chewing, and he replied blearily, “WHAT?!”
That man’s lips were covered with fresh blood, his eyes emitting a green glow, and in
his mouth dangled the hand of a human like it was chicken feet. As much as that
expression and figure were horrifying, but it could still be easily seen – it was the man
Qi Rong possessed!
With stuffed cheeks, he sucked in the fingers of that hand not yet fully eaten, and a
moment later, he spat out a few bones, hitting squarely on the faces of those
attendants. He cussed, “You useless trash born from a pile of shit! Crying like you’re
mourning, and here I thought you’re bringing this ancestor food. Well? Where’s the
humans? Where’s the meat? DIDN’T I GIVE YOU THE POISON ALREADY, WHY ARE
THEY STILL STANDING?”
It seemed, the one lying on the ground and was currently being munched on was either
the original owner of this establishment or some other traveler who passed by.
Those attendants were aggrieved, “My king, it’s not that we’re useless, but that mob of
monks and cultivators kept pushing and making everything difficult. First they scorned
the plates for being too greasy, then they scorned hairs in the dishes. They refuse to eat
anything we’re serving.’
Qi Rong chewed and crunched, then sucked on the blood of those ten fingers, “WHAT?
WHAT THE FUCK?! THIS ANCESTOR WILL PERSONALLY COOK THEM AN
EXECUTION MEAL. They should already be crying tears of joy for not making them
kneel and lick off the ground, WHO the FUCK gave them the right to scorn? They
should try eating what cousin crown prince makes, THAT SHIT’S WORSE THAN SHIT,
THOSE FUCKERS SHOULD KNOW TO KNEEL BEFORE THIS ANCESTOR IN
GRATEFULNESS!”
Xie Lian: “…”
“…Gege, don’t pay any mind to what a useless trash says,” Hua Cheng comforted.
“…Yea.”
“IT’S ALL CUZ YOU’RE ALL USELESS TRASH, CAN’T EVEN WASH A PLATE
CLEAN!”
Qi Rong jumped to his feet and cussed as he beat up those attendants. His anger
satisfied, Qi Rong rolled up his sleeves, cleaned his blood-covered lips with a wipe of
his hand, and took up the spatula, clinking and clanking the iron wok, cursing as he
ordered, “GET OVER HERE!!! Open your shitty eyes, I’ll let you witness the skills of this
ancestor! See if you all have anything shitty to say after!”
Flames roared to the skies, and soon after, he indeed remade another set of dishes,
and he ordered those attendants to serve them.
What a set indeed; the meat was abundant, the vegetables fresh, aromatic and alluring.
Xie Lian returned to the guestroom on the second level and peeked down below, and
those monks and cultivators were all in awe, “This looks good!”
“Yea! This is so well done, especially this salt and pepper chicken feet, fat and tender…
isn’t it a little too fat and tender? I’ve never seen chicken feet this long?”
The attendants explained, “Oh! This is our house specialty, it’s not your typical chicken
feet, but a rare, white phoenix chicken feet especially selected with claws removed.
Don’t they look soft and delicate like a girl, seductive and tempting?”
“You’re right. But I fancy this fried pig’s skin best; the pig skin is lightly crispy and tender,
the fire controlled just right… wait, why does this pork have tattoos?”
The attendants explained, “Oh! It’s because our chef wanted to demonstrate his godly
carving skills, so this was intentionally etched to show off a little trick, that’s all.”
“This sweet and sour ribs doesn’t seem cooked through and the sauce is too thick,
you’re not trying to cover up anything funny with all the sweet and sour flavour, are
you?”
The attendants explained, “Oh! Nothing of the sort. Everything in this establishment is
butchered and sold on the day of, it’s just our chef has a stronger taste, that’s all.”
“…”
Seeing how they were praising the dishes endlessly and were about to dig in, Xie Lian
really couldn’t hold back anymore and threw a small pebble he picked up earlier, flinging
it out of that small hole.
This shot hit the hand Heaven’s Eye was using to raise the tea cup he was going to
drink from to “detox”, and his arm shuddered, spilling the water from the cup. This spill
splashed squarely on the face of one of the attendants who kept smiling.
That water wasn’t hot, but it was like boiling water had spilled on that attendant, and it
covered its face wailing, “AAHHH!!!”
Now everyone at the table was bewildered, and they all raised their weapons, “WHAT’S
GOING ON?!”
Heaven’s Eye seized the hand of that attendant and yanked it aside. The crowd
“AH”-ed. The facial features of that attendant were half melted, as if water had spilled on
a blank sheet of paper and the ink smudged. Blurry and hazy, trails of ink spread along
the cheeks and rolled down.
His features and smiles were drawn with a brush!
“…”
Without missing a beat, the mob flipped the table, and instantly started a brawl with the
attendants.
Those attendants were hugging their heads as they were beaten, howling, “MY
LORDS!!! PLEASE STOP! UM, THAT UM, THAT VERY BIZARRE WOMAN WITH A
SMALL CHILD YOU’RE ALL LOOKING FOR!!! THAT STRANGE CULTIVATOR! HE’S
UPSTAIRS! THEY’RE UPSTAIRS! GO FIND THEM! LET US GO! WE’RE ONLY
PART-TIMERS!!!”
“P’TUI! PART-TIMERS? WHO’RE YOU KIDDING?”
“TRYIN’ TO DECEIVE US? THINK WE’RE THAT EASY? IT’S TOO LATE NOW!”
The attendants were aggrieved, “We’re not lying! It’s true!”
The brawl downstairs was growing wild, and seeing those masters had the
overwhelming upper hand, Xie Lian shook his head. He stopped caring and was about
to capture Lan Chang and the fetus spirit amidst this chaos instead when unexpectedly,
before the door was even opened, a shriek came from the corridor. The terrified voice of
Lan Chang rang, “No… I beg you, I don’t want to go! Please, I beg you, let us go! I’ll
kneel and kowtow!”
The angry voice of a young man said, “Who cares about your prostrating? If you leave,
then what should I… my general do? Fuck, you pair of mother and child really did him in
this time! Enough useless talk, you’re coming with me!”
Hearing that voice, Xie Lian whipped the door open, “It’s you?!”
In the long corridor, a black clad youth was standing there blocking in front of Lan
Chang, his expression dark. The moment Xie Lian emerged, he looked up slightly and
was flabbergasted, “It’s you?!”
Xie Lian came out the door, “Fu Yao? Why are you here?”
Lan Chang saw him and widened her eyes, “…The crown prince?”
“…” Fu Yao looked him up and down for a moment, his lips twitching, but at least his
eyes didn’t roll. He asked back, “Why are you here too?”
Xie Lian looked down at himself and hurriedly stripped off the woman’s robe and replied,
“It’s a long story.”
Just then, Fu Yao noticed Hua Cheng standing by his side, and his pupils shrank.
——–
Ch.139: Upon Barren Hills; Rioting the Black Hearted Inn 3
Fu Yao blurted, “…YOU?!”
Hua Cheng humphed coldly and ignored him. As for Lan Chang, the moment she saw
them she turned to bolt. Fu Yao noticed and whipped around, “STOP RIGHT THERE!”
He hadn’t yet stepped out when a long white silk band flew out and strapped her ankle.
Lan Chang immediately tumbled to the ground, hugging her belly as she flipped over. It
seemed that fetus spirit was hidden in her belly again. Xie Lian said as he pulled Ruoye
back, “If you wanted her to stop, you should’ve done this… just shouting is pointless. By
the way, you were talking about your general earlier, what’s happened to your general?”
Fu Yao didn’t respond. He humphed and went up to seize Lan Chang’s arm, looking like
he really was furious now. Not only did he forcefully grab a woman, his action
unforgiving and hard, but he actually cursed “fuck” earlier; this was not the Fu Yao they
knew from before. Yet unexpectedly, before he was able to pull Lan Chang up, her belly
suddenly swelled up like a balloon, a white figure shot out and shrieked as it lunged at
Fu Yao’s face.
It was the fetus spirit!
Every time it returned to its mother’s womb it would save up another round of energy.
Thus, this strike was treacherous, and Fu Yao had to focus to fight it, whipping up his
hand to smack. That fetus spirit was beaten back like a ball and hit the wall with a bang,
then it shot towards Xie Lian.
“Catch it! Don’t let it run away!” Fu Yao shouted.
Before Xie Lian had even moved, Hua Cheng was already shielding in front of him. That
ball like fetus spirit braked abruptly in front of him, and charged Fu Yao once again. This
bundle of ghost ball was ricocheting and rampaging about the corridor, but it was also
complete mayhem downstairs. They could hear down below the cries of those
‘attendants’ begging for mercy: “My Lords, please be magnanimous! Us lowly ones are
also only doing this for a bite to eat!”
“Yea, we won’t do this anymore! Truth to be told, at most we’d only steal some chickens
nearby to eat, it’s all that green… Green Old Master, who forced us to be his underlings
that we did this, he’s in the kitchen right now!”
Seeing that the situation had now fallen to complete chaos, Xie Lian suddenly
remembered something and leapt down from the second floor. Qi Rong was in the
kitchen, his legs crossed, picking at his teeth cheerfully while waiting for his ‘meal’ to
serve themselves. Suddenly, there was a large rumbling sound; a figure had kicked
through the wall and leapt in aggressively, “Qi Rong! Where’s Guzi?”
This classic martial god entrance shocked Qi Rong to his feet, “YOU?! Why are you
here? CAN’T YOU KNOCK LIKE A NORMAL PERSON?!”
Without missing a beat, Xie Lian went up and smacked him down, pressing him over the
top the chopping board like a duck, “Cut the nonsense! What did you do to the child?”
Qi Rong grinned a smile full of teeth, “Hehehe, look, isn’t the ground piled with them?”
What’s the ground piled with? Human bones!
Fury blazed in Xie Lian’s heart, and he squeezed harder with force. Qi Rong then
started wailing and howling, “OW OW OW OW ARM! MY ARM’S BROKEN! BROKEN
BROKEN! COUSIN CROWN PRINCE WAIT! OK, OK, OK, I’LL BE HONEST, I LIED, I
DIDN’T EAT HIM! I DIDN’T! I WAS GOING TO BUT I HAVEN’T YET!”
“Where is he now?” Xie Lian demanded.
“STOP CRUSHING, STOP CRUSHING! I’ll tell you, that little Feet-Dragger is locked up
in the shed on the side, JUST TAKE A LOOK AND YOU’LL SEE!”
Xie Lian ordered Ruoye to bind Qi Rong, and opened a small door on the side of the
kitchen. Sure enough, Guzi was curled up inside. Xie Lian felt his breath under his nose
and his breathing was steady, his little face red and flushing, looking to be sound
asleep. However, when Xie Lian lifted the child up, he could feel the child’s body was
hot to touch like he was feverish, and Xie Lian’s heart tensed.
Just then, those monks and cultivators poured in too, and the moment they entered the
kitchen they stepped on that ground piled with human bones and almost slipped. The
scene was shocking and horrifying, and they all cried, “HUH? IT’S A SHADY
ESTABLISHMENT!”
“SO ALL THOSE DISHES OUTSIDE… THEY’RE ALL… MADE OF HUMAN FLESH?!”
“I told you I’ve never seen chicken feet that long!”
Right at the same time, there was another loud rumbling, and a new hole was punched
through the ceiling, a bundle of white ball crashing down. “WHAT’S THAT?!” The mob
cried.
Soon after, Fu Yao jumped down from that hole too, hurling out over ten yellow
talismans from the swing of his hand, yelling, “GET LOST! DON’T GET IN THE WAY
OF MY WORK!”
“AH! IT’S THE SKILLED MASTER!” The mob cried.
Then, Lan Chang dragged herself and rolled down too, “STOP HITTING HIM!”
“WHA-! A WOMAN!” The mob cried again.
Those yellow talismans were shooting like iron nails, like flying blades, and while Xie
Lian dodged with just a slight shift of his body, Qi Rong couldn’t get away, and they all
stabbed squarely onto his back. He wailed pathetically, “GHOST MURDER!!!”
The mob swarmed over and gathered around him to examine the talismans, gasping in
awe, “Wow, what incredible skill in shooting talismans…”
A good ol’ kitchen was suddenly squished and crowded, loud and noisy. Fu Yao was
chasing that fetus spirit leaping up and down, Lan Chang was chasing after Fu Yao like
she had gone mad. Half of Qi Rong’s face changed shape by the way Xie Lian was
pressing him down on the chopping board, his back turning into a target for those yellow
talismans Fu Yao hurled while being observed by a crowd, and Lan Chang would step
on him from time to time. He lamented pathetically, “WHY? WHY ARE THERE SO
MANY PEOPLE? WHO ARE YOU? AND WHO ARE YOU? IS NO ONE GONNA LET
ME FUCKING EAT??? WHY IS IT ALWAYS LIKE THIS NO MATTER WHERE I GO???
WHAT DO Y’ALL HAVE AGAINST ME??”
As he wailed, his eyes spun and saw through the collapsed wall of the kitchen to the
outside of the inn. Hua Cheng looked like he hadn’t noticed the mayhem inside, and
was sitting calmly under a tree with enough leisure to build a golden foil palace. Who
knows how long he’d been playing around, but before him, there was already a
sumptuous little mansion made of over ten gold foils.
Qi Rong instantly changed his tune and yelled at the top of his lungs, “EVERYONE
LOOK OUTSIDE, QUICK! THE CRIMSON RAIN SOUGHT FLOWER TURNED INTO A
BRAT!!! IF YOU HOLD GRUDGES AGAINST HIM GO NOW!!! DON’T MISS THIS
CHANCE, IF YOU PASS THROUGH THIS VILLAGE THERE WON’T BE ANOTHER
SHOP…!!!”
Before he finished, a chilling, glistening, bloody butcher knife was thrusted into his
mouth between his teeth. The handle of the butcher knife was gripped in Xie Lian’s
hand.
Xie Lian smiled, “Hm? What are you yelling about?”
Qi Rong did not see how Xie Lian was able to thrust that knife into his mouth; he could
only feel chill on his lips and the tip of his tongue sensing there was a sudden new,
extremely sharp object. Although he wasn’t hurt, but if he tried moving even an inch his
mouth was going to bleed, and his voice died in his throat.
However, the crowd had already seen the Hua Cheng who was stacking a golden foil
palace far outside the inn, “IS THAT HIM?!”
“PROBABLY!”
With Guzi in one arm and pulling Ruoye with the other, Xie Lian dashed out to get
before the others. Qi Rong was still bound by Ruoye, and he shrieked as he was
dragged along on the ground, “XIE LIAN YOU DOG FUCKER YOU MUST BE DOING
THIS ON PURPOSE I’VE NEVER SEEN ANYONE AS EVIL AS YOU YOU FAKE
WHITE LOTUS AAAAAAHHHHHHHH–”
The mob gathered around, “Do we… charge?”
“Watch out for trickery. How about we observe first?”
Right at the same time, Hua Cheng finished building the little golden palace, and he
rose to his feet, raising his brows as he side eyed the little building he constructed, and
gently kicked.
Flop, flop, flop, the golden palace collapsed.
And that inn also rumbled as it crumbled.
The illusion was broken. Xie Lian turned back and looked, and behind wasn’t some inn,
but a collapsed little cottage, the kind that was normal in barren hills such as this. The
inn earlier was created by an illusionment spell.
That crowd of monks and cultivators who hadn’t yet decided whether to charge out were
all crushed under, knocked out by rotten logs and ragged straws. Xie Lian jogged to
Hua Cheng’s side, “San Lang, won’t using powers like this affect you?”
Hua Cheng waved his hand composedly and those gold foils all disappeared into thin
air. “Don’t worry, gege, something small like this is nothing.”
Just then, a piece of a broken roof moved, and Fu Yao poked out pushing a batch of
hay away, exclaiming angrily, “YOU’RE NOT BOTHERED, I’M BOTHERED!”
He had finally captured that fetus spirit, yet his vision suddenly went dark, and when he
looked up, that rotten roof was splitting and caving in, crumbling right on top of him,
what a disaster! Fu Yao plucked a piece of straw from his hair and stomped out before
Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, glaring at the Hua Cheng who was shorter than him right now
and raged, “YOU… You did this on purpose!”
Hua Cheng blinked but didn’t rebuke, but he didn’t taunt either, only raising his inky
black eyes to look at Xie Lian. Xie Lian immediately dropped his arm, grasped his
shoulder and pulled him behind his person, “No no, surely not. Kids don’t know how to
control themselves… so sorry, Fu Yao.”
Fu Yao watched him in disbelief with his head full of mussed up hair, “…Kids? You
highness, do you really think I’m so blind as to not recognize who this is?”
Xie Lian replied innocently, “What are you talking about? This is a very normal little kid.”
“…”
Fu Yao stared at Hua Cheng and narrowed his eyes, but then behind them came faint
creaking sounds, and it seemed Lan Chang also pushed up a piece of roof and crawled
out. Fu Yao turned back to her. Xie Lian sighed a breath of relief, putting Guzi on the
ground, but as he was doing so, a hesitant voice rang by his ears, “…Your Highness?”
Xie Lian immediately straightened up, “…Feng Xin?”
It really was Feng Xin on the other end, and it sounded like he also sighed in relief,
“Thank goodness! Your verbal password hasn’t changed after all.”
Xie Lian soundless gave a dry laugh. Eight hundred years ago when he activated the
verbal password for the first time, it was “Just recite the Ethics Sutra a thousand times”;
eight hundred years later, it never changed, and Feng Xin actually remembered. Xie
Lian remembered the way Feng Xin laughed until he was hoarse when he first heard
that verbal password all those years back, and couldn’t help but feel nostalgic even
though it wasn’t the right time.
“Yes, it hasn’t changed. How is it in the Upper Court? Is the Heavenly Emperor informed
of the affair with Ling Wen?”
Hua Cheng heard he was talking to a heavenly official of the Upper Court and
consciously stepped away, placing his hand on Guzi’s forehead to check if he was sick.
On the side, Feng Xin’s voice grew serious, “It’s not good. He knows. The entire Upper
Court is in chaos right now.”
Xie Lian sighed, “All the coordination and arrangement of Upper Court affairs had
always been managed by Ling Wen, so it couldn’t be helped. Could no other civil gods
take her place?”
“They have but they’re not effective.” Feng Xin said, “Usually they’re the most diligent in
scorning the Palace of Ling Wen, like they could do the job way better if they had the
position. Now that we need them to take up the task, not a single one can do even half
of what she does. Just the organization and management of news and information
alone made them dizzy; a number of civil gods all dropped and declined the position.”
Xie Lian shook his head and Feng Xin added, “And not just Ling Wen, but something
happened to Mu Qing too. He was locked up at first, but he beat up and injured the
guarding official and escaped.”
“What?!”
Hearing this, on impulse Xie Lian instantly looked to Fu Yao. That black clad youth was
just saying something to Lan Chang, and while there was displeasure on his face, there
was more disquiet. Xie Lian walked further away and lowered his voice, “What
happened to Mu Qing? How did it come to this???”
“He wasn’t just locked up, the entire Palace of Xuan Zhen has been suspended awaiting
investigation.” Feng Xin replied, “It was all because of that fetus spirit.”
Xie Lian’s voice grew softer, “What happened with the fetus spirit? Was he really related
to the case?”
“En.” Feng Xin said, “All the demons and monsters sealed everywhere have escaped
this time; Mu Qing was responsible for the female ghost Lan Chang and that fetus spirit,
but he didn’t manage to capture them, letting them get away. But during the pursuit, that
fetus had pointedly recognized Mu Qing and said, the one who carved it out from its
mother’s womb and molded it into a little ghost was Mu Qing.”
“That’s impossible!” Xie Lian blurted, “No way! Even though Mu Qing is someone…
Well, he had no reason to do something like this?”
“Who knows.” Feng Xin said, “But apparently, there’s a wicked cultivation method
involving the use of dead babies to accelerate ascension. Now there’s a number of
people suspecting whether if his ascension was also problematic, so they planned to
lock him up at first before taking their time to thoroughly investigate all his past actions,
yet who knew he couldn’t sit still and ran away himself. Now everyone believes he’s
guilty and escaped because of the crime.”
“Wait, wait, wait, wait.” Xie Lian said, “This, really isn’t right. If Mu Qing was the
perpetrator, then why didn’t that fetus spirit and Lan Chang recognize him at the Great
Martial Hall at first, and had to accuse him during capture? Isn’t this very obviously
slander?”
“By the time I’ve found out things have already progressed to this point, so I’m not sure
what’s really happened either.” Feng Xin said, “It seems Lan Chang and the fetus spirit
didn’t know who the spellcaster was either, but when the little ghost was first molded
and emerged, it had a random moment of clarity, broke free of control, and left a scar on
that individual. When that fetus spirit was fighting with Mu Qing, it saw there was also a
bite mark on Mu Qing’s arm, and it was an old wound of hundreds of years.”
“…did this bite mark match the cavity of that fetus spirit?” Xie Lian asked.
“A complete match.” Feng Xin replied.
“And how did Mu Qing explain this scar?” Xie Lian asked solemnly.
“He’s admitted that he’d seen the fetus spirit before,” Feng Xin said, “But he doesn’t
admit himself to be the perpetrator, that he saved that fetus spirit out of benevolence but
was bitten by it. A confession like this, he might as well not have tried to explain
anything.”
That was true, only because “helping out of kindness”, “love and protect children”, “do
good without leaving name”, in everyone’s minds, were all things Mu Qing would never
do. Mu Qing had always been ‘lonesome’, never having shown any unnecessary
kindness, and didn’t really make any intimate friends in the heavens. Now that
something’s happened, no one would believe him even if he tried to argue, and naturally
there was no one to speak on his behalf. This was probably why he chose to run away
and investigate the truth himself.
“Things are still out of control here, Your Highness,” Feng Xin said, “Where are you?
The Heavenly Emperor said the gathering of ghosts is probably unstoppable by now.
Hurry back and join the assembly!”
“I’m currently…” Xie Lian started.
Before he continued however, Fu Yao’s cold voice suddenly sounded from behind him,
“Who are you talking to?”
——–
Ch.140: Sharp Tongues and Pointed Teeth; Winds Swallowed and Arrows
Shredded
Xie Lian heaved a sigh and turned around, “Sigh, I wanted to talk to someone, but now
that the spiritual communication array of the Upper Court is in shambles and I don’t
know any other heavenly official’s verbal password, I can’t say anything even if I wanted
to. Fu Yao, do you remember any heavenly official’s verbal password? Just so I can
send some news back and let them know I’m here, and request for some assistance.”
He looked at ease and natural, extremely persuasive, and the gloomy clouds on Fu
Yao’s face dispersed. He placated, “Don’t know. The entire heavens is a mess right
now, everyone’s busy. Take care of things yourself.”
Just then, Hua Cheng spoke up from the side, “Gege, this child has been starving for
two days, and he’s burning up.”
Xie Lian walked over to check, and sure enough, Guzi’s forehead was so hot an egg
could be fried. Instantly he pulled Qi Rong up and demanded, “How on earth do you
take care of kids?”
Qi Rong spat with his face covered in blood, “It’s not like this ancestor’s his real dad! It’s
already incredibly compassionate of me not to have eaten him! Mark me down for
merits, quick!”
“I think it’s more like he wouldn’t taste good feverish that you hadn’t eaten him.” Xie Lian
commented.
On the side, Lan Chang hesitated for a moment before speaking up, “Is that child sick?
How about I take a look?”
She was also covered in cuts and bruises from the collapsed beams of that dilapidated
cottage, but she felt sorry for the child and crawled over, cradled Guzi in her arms and
placed her palm over his head, seeming to be using her chilling body to cool Guzi’s
fever. Fu Yao walked over with the fetus spirit wrapped in a ball by a talisman in his
hand, “Time to go.”
Lan Chang obviously didn’t want to leave, but her son was in his hands so she was
helpless. Xie Lian spoke up, “Wait, don’t leave yet. Fu Yao, are you able to
communicate with your general right now?”
Fu Yao looked at him, “What do you want?”
Xie Lian chewed on his words, “Actually…”
Before he fully said the word, his hand suddenly stretched out and fast like lightning, he
instantly twisted Fu Yao’s arms behind and restrained in a deadly grip before he
continued, “Actually, I already knew he’s in trouble!”
Fu Yao was careless and allowed himself to be caught, and he was both shocked and
furious, “YOU! YOU SLY–!”
“No, no. This is all by my own strength alone. You can try ambushing me the same way
and see if you can hold me down.”
Hua Cheng politely clapped, “I agree.”
Fu Yao was going to roll his eyes from anger, “THEN WHY DON’T YOU LET ME GO
SO I CAN TRY, HUH??”
Xie Lian straightened his expression, “Next time, if there’s a chance. Right now we’ve
got more important things to worry about. Fu Yao, will you help me advise your general
to return to the Upper Court?”
“…Return?”
Fu Yao’s anger was forcefully suppressed into a low voice, “That’s easy for you to say! If
the one stuck in the situation was you, would you go back? What would you say if
others urge you to return? Go back to be wronged and wait for a conviction? Go back to
wait for death?!”
“Don’t get riled up, I’m being serious.” Xie Lian said, “I’m not being sarcastic. Your
general and I are different, his situation isn’t so hopeless to the point of no return; the
real bad was him running away. If you can connect with him, tell him I can help him
investigate.”
Fu Yao was stunned, “You. Help him investigate?”
“Yea. I’ve done a lot of investigations, so I’m somewhat experienced. More experienced
than him anyway.” Xie Lian said.
“Your Highness, need I remind you that after you returned to the heavens, how many
heavenly officials have you investigated?” Fu Yao said, “And how many of those
heavenly officials have fallen after you’ve investigated?”
Xie Lian cleared his throat softly, “That’s different. The problem doesn’t lie with me. If he
really didn’t commit any crimes, then of course I can prove his innocence.”
Fu Yao puffed a laugh from exasperation and cut him off, “That’s enough! It’s not like no
one knows of the personal grudges between you two. Help him investigate? Would he
even have the chance to flip this around then? If you want to use this chance to drag
him down and laugh at him, just say so instead of acting all fake.”
Hearing this, Hua Cheng’s face grew dark. A moment later, he smiled, “Nevermind,
gege. This guy doesn’t know how to recognize goodness when he sees it, so why waste
your breath? Some people are simply born ungrateful, and gauges the heart of a man of
integrity with their own wretched closed mindedness. He doesn’t trust you, and well, I
don’t have the time to care for him anyway. Let him struggle and figure things out for
himself.”
Fu Yao glanced at him and taunted, “‘Kid’?”
Hua Cheng returned his respects and also mocked, “‘Junior Official’?”
Fu Yao’s face dropped slightly. Xie Lian tightened his hold and said gently, “Well, this
and that are two completely different matters, personal affairs and business shouldn’t be
mixed together. It’s one thing if he and I have a personal grudge, whether if he’s
committed a crime is another thing. Someone like Mu Qing, even though he’s
narrow-minded, petty, sensitive and skeptical, has a bad personality, constantly
guessing, doesn’t say nice things, likes to nag, always offending people and a lot of
people dislike him, has no friends, can remember small, unimportant details for a long
period of time…”
“…”
Xie Lian went on in one breath with a straight face, but in the end he concluded with,
“…But I’ve known him since we were kids after all, he’s still got principles.”
“…”
Xie Lian continued, “He might spit in the cup of someone he doesn’t like, but he would
never poison the water to harm others.”
“…”
Hua Cheng commented flatly, “Really? That’s still gross though.”
Fu Yao was popping veins, “NO! He would never spit either!”
“Laxatives then.” Xie Lian said.
Fu Yao seemed to be suppressing himself, “You… must you describe him this way? Are
you speaking for him or against him?”
“Sorry, I just couldn’t think of any better examples at the moment.” Xie Lian apologized.
Fu Yao struggled a bit but couldn’t loosen the hold and demanded in alarm, “Were you
snitching to someone in the heavens earlier?”
Xie Lian replied heavily, “Not yet. I was just chatting. Don’t worry, I won’t harm your
general. If he really doesn’t want to go back, then why not join me and we can act
together? That way, there’s a witness for anything he’d do, otherwise he wouldn’t be
able to clear himself and things would get worse…”
Just then, there was suddenly a roar of crude laughter from behind them. Qi Rong was
staring at Lan Chang’s face and suddenly went mad, “HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA I
WONDERED WHO THIS WAS! ISN’T THIS, ISN’T THIS MY LADY JIAN LAN?”
Lan Chang was holding Guzi in her arms at first, cooling his temperature, but hearing
him, she shuddered and her eyes widened, “Who are you? How come you also…”
Qi Rong snickered, “How do I know? PLEASE! You almost had to call me little cousin!
What, so everyone’s turned into a ghost? Fucking around here and there and it’s all
familiar faces, this world really is small and lively, hehe!”
Xie Lian frowned, “Qi Rong, have you gone mad again? Who’s Jian Lan?”
“Heh, cousin crown prince, are you blind or are you playing stupid?” Qi Rong taunted,
“Look closely at who this is, it’s the number one maiden of our Xian Le – the Lady Jian
Lan! Her family’s all politicians and merchants, indescribably grand and glorious. Her
looks are so-so, but her name will be on the charts every time there’s a Xianle beauty
appraisal. So proud her eyes are grown on top of her head; she saw and cared for no
one. She almost entered the harem and was almost elected as a concubine!”
“What?”
Xie Lian’s eyes flew to Lan Chang’s face unconsciously. Back then, the king and the
queen did indeed have the intention of electing a concubine for him and summoned a
number of exquisitely selected girls to enter the palace for a banquet just to let him see
if there was anyone who he might fancy. However, young Xie Lian had his whole heart
focused on cultivation, and left the banquet after making only one round, never even
bothering to remember the faces and names of those girls, so he could recall nothing.
Lan Chang glanced at Fu Yao but Fu Yao only humphed, “My general said nothing of
this. This woman is also a remnant citizen of Xianle, so she must’ve seen you before in
the past.”
Xie Lian turned to Hua Cheng, and he didn’t look surprised either, so it didn’t seem like
it was something he only just found out. Xie Lian turned to Lan Chang and mumbled,
“Were you really…”
However, Lan Chang hurriedly covered her ears and cried, “Don’t say it! Don’t say it out
loud! DON’T USE THAT NAME TO ADDRESS ME!!! I’ve… long since changed names.”
Xie Lian was taken aback at first, but dropped his arm and sighed heavily.
The daughter from a noble family of bygone years was now a prostitute in the ghost
realm. She changed her name probably because she was afraid to bring shame to her
dead family and wouldn’t admit that the her now was herself.
This woman was once his devotee, his citizen, so how could he not sigh.
Just then, he suddenly felt warmth on his hand, and when he looked down, it was Hua
Cheng who wasn’t looking at him, but held his hand.
Although he was currently in the form of a small child and his body temperature was
cool, but when this small, cool hand held his, it was infinitely warm.
Qi Rong however, didn’t have any sympathies at all, and clicked his tongue, “Who
would’ve thought the lady Jian Lan who was so out of reach in the past would turn into
such an old and ugly hag now! I never thought you looked that beautiful, and now, my
eyes are certainly sharp, you really don’t look that great! I might as well ask, who’s the
dad of this mutt you gave birth to?”
His words were extremely classless, and Jian Lan’s face was growing pale. Qi Rong
continued, “It can’t be cousin crown prince? No no, that cousin of mine probably can’t
even get it up, that’s why he spends all this time pretending he’s all chaste with no mind
for women, what a faker. How can he have a son? Oh-OH! How could I forget? After
Xian Le fell wasn’t my lady sold to that kind of place? It must be the seed of some
Yong’an pleb!”
Xie Lian couldn’t stand this anymore and was about to go make him shut up but Jian
Lan exploded faster than he did, and slapped Qi Rong soundly, “WHAT’S ALL THAT
GARBAGE YOU’RE SPEWING?!”
Qi Rong’s nose bled from that slap and he glared, “YOU’RE NOTHING MORE THAN A
FIERCE OR A SEVERE, A NOBODY LIKE YOU DARE HIT ME WHO’S ALMOST A
SUPREME?!”
Jian Lan spat on his face, then choking his neck, she slapped him twice again, “WHAT
SHITTY SUPREME! YOU SURE KNOW HOW TO BLOW YOURSELF UP! WHO DO
YOU THINK YOU ARE, THINK YOU’RE EVEN WORTH TO BE THOUGHT OF AS
EQUALS WITH THE OTHER THREE SUPREMES? WHAT ARE YOU EVEN GOOD
AT? YOUR THICK SKIN? OF COURSE I DARE HIT YOU!”
Her words stabbed Qi Rong where it hurt, and Qi Rong became frustrated too, yelling
with his spit flying everywhere, “FOUL SLUT LET GO OF YOUR CHICKEN CLAWS!
THIS ANCESTOR THINKS YOU’RE DIRTY! UGH UGH UGH!!!”
The two twisted into a fight, however, it was Jian Lan who was pounding Qi Rong single
sidedly; Qi Rong was bound by Ruoye and couldn’t move a muscle, and he howled,
“XIE LIAN! HOW COME YOU WON’T STOP THIS FIGHT THIS TIME?? WHERE’S
YOUR SAINTLY HEART??”
Xie Lian had Fu Yao caught in one hand, and had his head lowered talking to Hua
Cheng, looking like he hadn’t heard Qi Rong’s shrieks. Jian Lan kicked at Qi Rong, her
eyes going red, and spat angrily, “Even if this ol’ mistress is wasted by plebs I don’t
want a worm like you touch a single finger! A creature like you unwanted by everyone,
TRASH! Think you’re good enough to call other people plebs! Who are you calling
plebs??”
Qi Rong was outraged, “Unwanted? ME, TRASH?! A HUSSY WHO’S ROTTEN TO
THE BONES LIKE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO SAY THAT TO ME? Who else but plebs
would appreciate looks like yours?! …WAIT!!! PUT DOWN THAT BOULDER!!!”
As they fought, a wave of rumbling roared from the skies. They all looked up at the
same time, and Fu Yao demanded, “Didn’t you say you didn’t snitch and was only
chatting?”
Hua Cheng frowned slightly, humphing, “Coming uninvited.”
A crackle exploded in the night sky, and everyone shut their eyes from that sudden
lightning flash. When they blinked open, not far away was a tall, black clad heavenly
official with a longbow carried on his back who was approaching them in long strides.
“Your Highness!”
Xie Lian dropped his sleeve and surreptitiously pushed Hua Cheng behind him, “Feng
Xin! Why did you come?”
Feng Xin quickly walked up, “You suddenly stopped responding, so I made inquiries and
found your whereabouts through ripples in spiritual energy.” Then he knitted his brows,
“What’s going on here? What a mess. Did you run into something?”
Xie Lian was about to answer when Feng Xin noticed the Fu Yao seized in his hand and
the Hua Cheng who was standing behind his person.
It was a picture completely outside his imagination, and he seemed to not know what to
be more surprised at, “What…”
Finally, he pointed at Hua Cheng after all and asked, “…What’s with this child?”
Xie Lian laughed drily, “Cute, right?”
Feng Xin glared, and watched Hua Cheng’s whose expression didn’t match Xie Lian’s
comment at all and asked doubtfully, “…Cute? But, why do I think he looks a lot like…”
Xie Lian replied easily, “Like my son, right?”
“??? When did you have a son?” Feng Xin was shocked.
Xie Lian smiled, “I haven’t yet. I’m just saying, that if I do have a son, he must be just as
cute, right?”
Hua Cheng held his hand and smiled, “Right.”
Feng Xin: “…”
Fu Yao: “…”
“Hahahaha… eh? My lady Lan Chang, don’t run away!” Xie Lian called.
Feng Xin turned around and saw a woman’s shadow jump away from Qi Rong’s side,
running away wildly, and without a moment of hesitation, he aimed his arrow and locked
on to her legs.
Yet unexpectedly, perhaps it sensed its mother was in danger, the fetus spirit that was
tied into a ball by a yellow talisman in Fu Yao’s hand suddenly started quivering, then it
blew up the talisman and shrieked as it lunged at Feng Xin. Jian Lan seemed to have
run away with her head cut off from panic, and only when she heard its voice did she
remember her son was still in the hands of another. She turned around and cried,
“CUOCUO*!”
This was the first time Xie Lian learned of that fetus spirit’s name. So it was called
Cuocuo. Feng Xin’s arrow changed course, and shot towards that snow white fetus
spirit. However, there was only a crunching sound, and that fetus spirit flipped a couple
times in the air, hopped on to a nearby tree. It had bitten between its teeth that arrow,
and everyone had the chance to see its appearance clearly.
Rather than say it was a fetus, it was more like a deformed little monster. Its skin was
blanched white like it was brushed with a layer of powder; its eyes were abnormally big,
shining a peculiar light, and on top of its head were a few yellowing strands. Two rows
of razor-sharp fangs gnawed at Feng Xin’s arrow, biting it clean into two, then spat out
that shimmering arrowhead, nailing it next to Feng Xin’s boots. Then a long, dark red
tongue like that of a snake slithered out of its mouth like it was making provocations.
Without another word, Feng Xin reached for another arrow and locked on to it. That
fetus spirit was crawling up and down the tree like a lizard, exceedingly agile, no wonder
Fu Yao couldn’t catch it so easily. Jian Lan cried anxiously, “Don’t fight him, RUN!!!”
Only blood parents could care for such disgusting monsters. Feng Xin locked on,
loosened the bowstring and the arrow flew. The little leg of that fetus spirit was nailed
through, and it shrieked, unable to crawl any longer. Jian Lan dashed back, reaching out
to pull that arrow out, but because her class was too low, when she touched the
fletchings she was rebounded back and there was even sparks from the blow. She
backed away a couple steps but kept going back to pluck relentlessly, erupting splashes
of sparks.
Feng Xin put away his bow and approached, “Alright, time to go back. Don’t add
anymore to our work pile… JIAN LAN?!”
Jian Lan, who was rebounded again, shuddered when she heard his voice and stopped
moving, quickly turning away. However, Feng Xing pulled her back and asked again,
“Jian Lan?”
“…” Xie Lian could sense trouble and asked, puzzled, “What’s going on?”
Jian Lan mumbled vaguely with her head down, “You’ve got the wrong person.”
“What are you talking about? How can I mistake you for anyone else?” Feng Xin
exclaimed, “You look very different now, but I would still not…”
But words got stuck in his throat, because before when Jian Lan was Lan Chang and
covered herself in heavy makeup, looking like a wench, he really didn’t recognize her.
It couldn’t be helped. Feng Xin still looked exactly the same as he did once upon a time,
but Jian Lan’s transformation truly was too great.
Looks, makeup, manners, speech, class… even if her blood parents were to stand
before her they might not recognize their precious daughter.
Feng Xin was astonished, “…It’s you. It really is you. It has to be you! …I thought you
married, and was living well. How did you… how did you become this way…”
Listening to this point, Jian Lan suddenly turned around and shoved him, cussing, “YOU
MOTHER FUCKER!”
Feng Xin backed away a few steps from her shove, unable to speak. Jian Lan continued
to shove him, pushing his chest back forcefully while she screamed, “I ALREADY SAID
I’M NOT THAT HAG, DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND HUMAN WORDS? ARE YOU
DUMB IN THE HEAD?! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT “YOU, IT’S YOU, IT’S REALLY
YOU”?! CAN YOU NOT PRETEND TO NOT KNOW ME? CAN YOU NOT PRETEND
TO NOT RECOGNIZE ME?! OLD MASTER, PLEASE I BEG YOU, LEAVE ME SOME
FACE, YEA? ALRIGHT??”
Acting like this, she was no different than a shrew on the streets, and this was probably
too different than the Jian Lan in Feng Xin’s memories, so he only looked at her dumbly,
unable to speak. Xie Lian was the same. Qi Rong was the one delighted, rolling on the
ground laughing, “HAHAHAHHAHA OH MY FUCKING GOD! COUSIN CROWN
PRINCE! DO YOU SEE WHAT’S HAPPENING? YOU GOT CUCKED BY YOUR MOST
LOYAL DOG!!!”
Jian Lan violently stomped on Qi Rong a few times, “DOG! A DOG! YOU’RE THE
MOST LIKE A DOG!”
Strictly speaking, Jian Lan was once selected with the heavy hope of her family on her
shoulders but she had never formally entered the harem, and was thus never elected as
a concubine, so Qi Rong’s delight made no sense. However, Xie Lian really didn’t know
what to say anymore.
He had never imagined that Feng Xin, who would never speak to a woman if he could
help it, would actually…
Just then, that fetus spirit shredded the arrow nailing it down with a crunch, and lunged
at Feng Xin once more. In a moment of carelessness, Feng Xin allowed his arm to be
deeply chomped down and blood immediately seeped out, pouring nonstop.
The right arm was the arm Feng Xin used habitually. To a martial god, a habitually used
arm getting injured was nothing, and Feng Xin raised his left hand ready to strike when
Jian Lan cried, “DON’T HIT IT!”
Feng Xin’s hand abruptly stopped in mid air, and suddenly a terrifying thought was born.
It wasn’t just him; everyone present all came to think the same thing. Feng Xin allowed
that fetus spirit to gnaw at his arm like a piranha as he looked to Jian Lan, “… Is…
this…?”
————
●‘C’ sound in Chinese is pronounced ‘Tss’, so “Cuocuo” sounds like “Ts-woh
ts-woh”. “Cuo” means “wrong” or “a mistake”. Doubling a word in a name usually
makes it cute or kiddish.
Ch. 131: Separating Colours; Textile House Wide Open 2
The Wind Master once told him that this person was probably Yin Yu, since there were
only a handful of heavenly officials who were banished in recent years. Thus, Xie Lian
asked, “How do I address you, good sir?”
That ghost masked man replied, “Please, Your Highness. I’m nothing more than a
nameless servant.”
Entering that abandoned textile house, Xie Lian was taken aback. There were all sorts
of clothing hung on racks upon racks of wooden stacks: wedding robes, government
attire, ladies satin, uniforms, children’s clothes… there were also very simple and vulgar
bloody hemp shirts, as if they were afraid people couldn’t tell they were wicked. Piles
and piles, layers and layers, haunting and eerie, heavy in the essence of evil, like each
and every one was a live corpse standing. Even if they weren’t the Brocade Immortal,
they certainly wouldn’t be anything good either.
Long fabrics of various dyes hung high upon the stacks; some pale white, some filthy. It
had been a long time since anyone had minded them. Quan Yizhen was squatting next
to a large black barrel of dye, his head poked in, inspecting the dyes inside that had a
funny colour, a fluid emitting a strange smell. Xie Lian was afraid that the next second
he was going to dip his finger in and lick it to see, and hastily dragged him away. Seeing
that outside the yard, a band of ghosts and monsters were all bound by a single iron
chain, hugging their heads crouching, Xie Lian wondered, “What…?”
That ghost masked man answered, “The monsters and ghosts that were selling the
Brocade Immortal in the Ghost City and all the other places recently are all here. A total
of ninety-eight pieces of clothing have been collected.”
Ninety-eight pieces. And they were all caught in a very short amount of time. Xie Lian
was slightly touched. The ghost masked man continued, “If there are any new strange
movements, we will also capture them in the shortest time possible for Your Highness.”
Hearing this, Xie Lian couldn’t help but say, “There’s no need. Please tell San… Hua
Chengzhu that there’s really no need to trouble him like this. I can do this myself too.”
The result would be the same, it would just take a little more time and energy, that’s all.
He was a titled heavenly official working for the heavens after all, and even if there
weren’t many worshippers, he’s still got a job to do.
That ghost masked man replied, “Naturally, chengzhu understands that Your Highness
is capable of doing this effortlessly. But this is also precisely why he hopes My Lord
won’t waste energy on small errands that anyone can do. Your Highness’ time and effort
should be spent on more important matters.”
“…”
Xie Lian hesitated, but in the end still asked, “May I ask how your chengzhu is doing
right now…”
Lang Ying was nonchalantly swaying about next to Xie Lian, and that ghost masked
man replied, “Chengzhu is very busy at the moment.”
Xie Lian quickly replied, “Oh. Then that’s good. Hopefully everything goes well for him. I
wish him success.”
They questioned every single ghost and demon that were bound, and each and
everyone were adamant that their product was from the distribution of a mysterious
masked person, and they didn’t seem to be lying. But a place like the Ghost City, how
many hundreds of masked individuals roamed the streets in a day?
The interrogation was fruitless, and so that ghost masked man pulled on that chain, and
bid farewell as he led those yapping ghosts away. However, those ninety-eight pieces of
ghost clothing were left behind. Xie Lian only felt that in all his time collecting scraps
and old clothing, he had never seen so many clothes. Flipping through them, he
suspected that most likely not a single one was the real thing, and he said to Quan
Yizhen, “Qi Ying, why don’t you come and take a look?”
However, Quan Yizhen only ruffled his loose, curly hair, and shook his head, “Too
many.”
Too many ghost robes. Every single cloth emitted the essence of evil, affecting each
other, making one lose the ability to judge.
This was akin to someone who possessed a sharp sense of taste, who although they
could differentiate between the flavours of pear and apple candied stuffings, if
ninety-eight different kinds of fruity stuffings were mixed together and have the person
try, they would lose their sense of taste completely. Xie Lian was trying to think of
another method, but when he turned his head around to look, he saw Quan Yizhen had
picked up a robe and was just about to pull it onto his person directly. Xie Lian hastily
stopped him and hung the robe back onto the rack, “Stop, stop, stop. Qi Ying, let’s
agree on this: first, don’t put random things in your mouth, and second, don’t put on
random clothes. Those are all very dangerous actions.”
However, Quan Yizhen pointed to behind him, “Then what about him?”
Xie Lian suddenly smelled something burning, and when he followed the direction of
where Quan Yizhen was pointing to look, he saw Lang Ying had found some stick from
a random corner and lit it on fire, and he was holding that flaming stick, setting the hem
of a ghost robe ablaze, looking serenely stoic.
“…Don’t… play with fire either???” Xie Lian exclaimed.
That ghost robe seemed to be in pain from the burning, and the hem started rolling
upwards, twisting like mad, trying to get away, looking more like a live eel than a piece
of clothing, painting a rather cruel picture. Yet, although there was the smell of burning,
there was no trace of the fabric being burnt at all. It appeared that the essence of evil on
those ghost robes had soaked in enough for them to escape fire disasters.
Hearing Xie Lian telling him not to play with fire, Lang Ying tossed that fire stick down
and stepped on it to put out the flames, looking every bit obedient again. Xie Lian didn’t
know whether to laugh or cry and he walked over, “Why are you so… today?”
He stopped mid-speech, his expression suddenly became serious.
He saw, not far away, a long and flowy white fabric that was hung high up on a wooden
rack, gently fluttering in the night breeze. Upon the fabric was the shadow of a human
figure and it was slowly moving. This figure did not have a head.
Xie Lian pulled Lang Ying behind him and immediately unsheathed his sword,
“EVERYONE, WATCH OUT!”
The swing of the sword cut the fabric and the shadow in half. However, when the fabric
landed on the ground, there was not a single soul in the back, the headless shadow had
disappeared. Xie Lian hadn’t had the chance to rush up to check before something
behind him made him shudder. He whipped his head around and his pupils shrank.
Somehow, a beautifully dressed woman had soundlessly appeared behind him.
No! It wasn’t a woman, it was a robe!
What he cut in half just now was also a robe, and once it fell to the ground it was
covered by other textiles. From all around, suddenly there were a bunch of humanoid
figures emerging, swaying and rocking slowly, gathering towards the three of them.
Turns out, before they knew it, all ninety-eight pieces of ghost robes that were hung in
the yard, in the hallways, within the entire textile house had all struggled free of the
racks!
Xie Lian was dumbfounded, “They were all fine before, what’s going on?”
Beside him came a low voice, “The arousal of millions of ghosts.”
Xie Lian turned his head to look, and the one who spoke was Lang Ying. Although he
didn’t show any nervousness, his veins were popping on the back of his pale hands,
very obviously being affected by something as well.
Another wave of demonic arousal! The closer to the day Mount Tong’lu opens its gates,
the stronger its tremors in the ears of ghosts became to remind them. The first thing Xie
Lian thought of was: How’s San Lang???
However, the current situation didn’t give him much time to think. While his mind was
spinning rapidly, twenty or so ghost robes had already pressed over. Quan Yizhen didn’t
blink or think before his fist was swung out. If this fist landed on the wall or the ground,
then surely the earth would move, the mountains shake, boulders and ground crack. But
this thousand tonned fist was beaten on some clothes. Just think, even children’s
games knew in ‘rock, paper, cloth’, cloth wraps rock. That lightly flowing, soft and supple
cloth was perfect for subduing fists! No matter how hard his fists, that fabric could just
wrap around it softly and incur no damage, and only Xie Lian’s sword could do anything.
However, those ghost robes were light in their evasion, a simple spring back could bring
several feet between them, and since they barely had any weight, there was practically
no sound or breath, so detecting their movements to avoid their ambush was much
more difficult compared to avoiding humans.
Usually it was people who picked clothes. Now, it was clothes picking people. Those
ninety-eight pieces of ghost robes were eagerly searching for a body that fitted them, a
person they fancy. Amongst people, it’s women who loved picking clothes; amongst
ghost robes, it was women’s clothes who loved picking people. Some ten different
coloured and styled female long dresses crazily pressed themselves against Xie Lian,
and even the sword couldn’t force them away. This battle was even more rigorous than
a group of women who saw a pretty robe they fancied and were fighting over it. In that
moment, it was as if Xie Lian was surrounded by blooming flowers and silk, squeezed
between those female robes being pulled from all directions.
Quan Yizhen pulled off several children’s clothes that were stubbornly trying to lower
themselves over his head and tossed them aside. Looking at Xie Lian puzzled, he
wondered, “How come those women’s clothes all like you?”
“Maybe because they think I look friendlier???” Xie Lian answered.
However, not a single ghost’s robe went to harass Lang Ying. Perhaps it was because
he was also a ghost, and knew they couldn’t scrape any benefits off of him, and so they
didn’t approach. Xie Lian swung his sword horizontally and sliced a number of women
dresses, but the ghost robes that were cut in half still moved as they willed, and
somehow were even more agile in dodging. Xie Lian saw from the corner of his eyes
several ghost robes sneaking towards the window and shouted, “CLOSE THE DOOR,
CAST AN ARRAY! DON’T LET THEM OUT!”
With them two gods and one ghost they could still deal with the situation, but if those
ghost robes snuck out to seek trouble with others then it’d be troublesome. However, his
shout seemed to be too late. The yard to the textile house was open air, and there was
already a long robe that fluttered its expansive sleeves, flying into the air like a giant bat,
jetting towards the night sky. Xie Lian cried ‘What a pain!’ mentally and shouted, “Qi
Ying! I’ll leave the textile house to you!” Then, he tipped his foot and leapt out of the
wall, catching the hem of that ghost long robe.
With the added weight of an entire person, that long robe tried to flutter its sleeves as
hard as it could to no avail, and pummeled to the ground with Xie Lian still holding its
fold in a deadly grip. However, it was exceedingly cunning, and RIIIPPP! It tore off its
own corner like a warrior chopping off his own arm, and it hastily slipped away from Xie
Lian’s hands. It just so happened that a passerby was on his way home after a night of
drinking, and seeing a headless creature flying at him, he screamed from fright,
“AAAAAAHHHHHH A HEADLESS GHOST! IT’S HEADLESS!”
Xie Lian immediately charged over and seized that robe again to show it to that
passerby, comforting him, “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared! See! It’s not headless, it
has nothing!”
That passerby looked, and sure enough it was completely empty inside the folds of that
robe, nothing! This was definitely more horrifying than a headless ghost, and his eyes
rolled back, fainting on the spot. Xie Lian quickly caught him and gently laid him on the
ground, “So sorry! I’ll take care of this immediately.”
After that wave of riot was over, Xie Lian finally was able to seize all the ghost robes
that flew out of the textile house. He counted all of them, making sure not a single piece
was missing, before letting out a sigh of relief.
With things thus, Xie Lian said, “I suppose we can only use Qi Ying’s simple, crude
method. Let’s try each of these robes on and see.”
He didn’t mind trying them on himself, but it was harder to say for his two other partners.
If later he did actually put on the Brocade Immortal, who knows if they would be able to
deal with any accidents that may happen. In the end, it was decided he would stand
watch while the other two dressed.
Thus, both Lang Ying and Quan Yizhen peeled off their outer robe and started fitting
one robe after the other, and with every new robe, Xie Lian would give out simple
commands like “jump” or “spin around” to see if they would obey.
However, after trying out every single one of the ninety-eight robes, each of the two
trying on forty to fifty of them, there didn’t seem to be any strange reactions. It’d appear
that in this pile of ghost robes, not a single one was the Brocade Immortal, and they
worked all night for nothing.
Lang Ying and Quan Yizhen squatted on the ground in their single layer while Xie Lian
sat among a ground piled high with all sorts of clothes. Supporting his forehead with his
hand, Xie Lian mumbled, “There really is no value in buying fakes…”
After sitting there for a while, he went to seek Ling Wen in the communication array,
“Ling Wen, I’ve collected some ghost robes here, and even though the real Brocade
Immortal is probably not in this pile, they’re still rather evil; a little troublesome to deal
with. Can you send someone down to take them away?”
“Acknowledged. I’ll go coordinate immediately. How many pieces have you gathered?”
Ling Wen answered.
“Ninety-eight pieces.” Xie Lian replied.
“…”
Ling Wen remarked, “Your Highness truly is a capable man, having collected more than
what I’ve reported to you.”
Xie Lian softly cleared his throat, “It actually wasn’t me…”
But before he finished his sentence, there was another familiar chill that ran down his
spine. Xie Lian shuddered and looked up.
In front of him, upon a number of light and flowy white cloths was the black shadow of a
human silhouette.
This time, it wasn’t headless nor was it fluttering. The one standing behind those long
curtain-like fabrics was very much a man. It was easy to see that it was a very tall young
man, and even the disheveled strands of hair could be clearly seen on the edge of that
silhouette.
————
Ch.132: The Ninety-Ninth Ghost Robe Hiding in Danger
Xie Lian instantly shot to his feet, “THE BROCADE IMMORTAL?!”
Naturally, that silhouette didn’t respond and didn’t move either, only standing there, still.
Xie Lian pressed his hands down on the shoulders of the other two and whispered,
“Don’t move.”
A moment later, a night breeze blew by, and that silhouette of a man seemed to have
sighed before dispersing, gone with the wind. Xie Lian abruptly stood up. Just then,
outside the door of the textile house suddenly came a knocking sound. The three all
looked towards it and Xie Lian raised his voice, “Who is it?”
The voice of a man rang from outside the door, “Your Highness, it’s me.”
Xie Lian went over to open the door, and outside the textile house was a man with an
open countenance, his form immaculate and chaste, and he entered with his hands on
his sides. Xie Lian was slightly bewildered, “Ling Wen, why did you come yourself?”
Ling Wen fixed his sleeves, “Since I heard Your Highness say things were difficult, I
figure your typical heavenly officials wouldn’t be able to assist, so I’ve come to see
things for myself. Greetings, Your Highness Qi Ying. Why are you sitting on the ground?
What’s wrong? What’s with that look?”
It was Ling Wen in male form. Xie Lian walked to that cloth curtain and flipped it open,
and sure enough there was nothing behind. A moment later, he turned his head, “The
Brocade Immortal showed itself.”
Ling Wen was amazed, “What?”
“It should be it, I’m sure of it.” Xie Lian said, “It was a young man, very tall in height,
maybe two inches taller than me. Judging by his bone structure, he must be someone
skilled in martial arts.”
Ling Wen was somewhat doubtful, “Your Highness, are you sure? In the past so many
years, there’s never been word that the Brocade Immortal had shown itself to anyone.
Besides, didn’t you say that none of these ninety-eight pieces of ghost robes were the
real thing? Could it be someone in disguise and playing tricks?”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Xie Lian replied, “After that wave of chaos was over, to
prevent ghost robes from sneaking out and harassing mortals, we shut the door and
windows and set an array. Things inside couldn’t get out and things outside couldn’t
come in. There’s only the three of us in the textile house, no one can plot anything.
Humming for a moment, Ling Wen said, “Then the real thing must’ve run into a special
circumstance, or, what you all saw was a silhouette of a vengeful spirit possessing one
of the ghost robes?”
Lang Ying and Quan Yizhen were crouched on the ground, both in a state of spacing
out. Xie Lian and Ling Wen stood with their arms crossed, assuming the appearance of
adults, and were in serious discussion. Finally, Ling Wen suggested, “Why don’t I take
these ghost robes to the Palace of Ling Wen and have my people examine them? If that
won’t work, then we can make inquiries at the next meeting. I’m sure someone in the
Upper Court is an expert.”
Giving the idea a thought, Xie Lian nodded, “That’s probably a good idea. But, this was
a mission we’re responsible for after all, I still want to be a little more thorough. Since
the real Brocade Immortal is mixed in here, let me think of a few more ways to bring it
out. If there’s still no results by tomorrow then I’ll pass the ninety-eight ghost robes to
you.” After all, this affair wasn’t under the jurisdiction of the Palace of Ling Wen.
“There’s no need for Your Highness to be so polite.” Ling Wen said, “Oh, if you’ll be
sending them over tomorrow, it should be a hundred and one pieces, right?”
Xie Lian was taken aback, “Why are there suddenly three more?” Then it dawned on
him. “You’re suspicious of the robes we’re wearing right now?”
“It’s not impossible.” Ling Wen said.
Xie Lian lifted the sleeve corner of his cultivation robes so worn that threads were loose,
“I’ve worn this robe for several years now, it definitely wouldn’t have issues. The one
Lang Ying is wearing right now was newly bought, but he didn’t obey my words so it
shouldn’t be problematic either.” He told Lang Ying not to work but Lang Ying still
chopped wood; he told him to stay home like a good boy but Lang Ying still came out.
However, Ling Wen shook his head, “That’s not what I meant. Your Highness, you might
not be aware of this, but the essence of evil of the Brocade Immortal is strong, and
since it’s here, that essence would affect other normal clothing. In any case, just to be
safe, don’t wear the clothes you have on anymore and do something about them.”
Hearing this, Xie Lian quickly peeled off the outer robes of both Lang Ying and Quan
Yizhen, “Don’t wear this anymore, don’t wear this. Take it off, take it off. Then, I’ll wrap
up the clothes and bring them to the Palace of Ling Wen tomorrow.”
“I’ll send people to come pick them up?” Ling Wen said.
“No need, no need.” Xie Lian said, “It’s already embarrassing enough to trouble you
every time. Your palace is busy, I can handle this myself.”
The next day, Xie Lian arduously wrapped a huge pile of clothes, and carried those
large bundles by himself to ascend to the Heavenly Court.
Ling Wen had already been waiting for him in the palace for a long time, and today, it
didn’t seem as hectically bustling as before with gods running back and forth. Xie Lian
unwrapped the large bundles of ghost robes; colourful clothes burst out and spread
about. He wiped at the sweat at the corner of his forehead as Ling Wen walked over
leisurely, “Have you made any discoveries?”
Xie Lian sighed helplessly, “Much ashamed, it’s been fruitless. I apologize in advance;
since there’s no helping hands, it couldn’t be helped if things are a bit scattered. There
was so much chaos yesterday I don’t know if what I’ve brought is all of the robes. I keep
feeling like I’m missing one or two pieces, but I’m not sure either.”
“That’s a non issue.” Ling Wen said. Then she looked down and roughly counted,
“There really are missing pieces. Your Highness, it seems the clothes that little ghost
next to you was wearing isn’t included in here?”
Xie Lian’s right hand clenched into a fist and lightly tapped his left palm, “Ah, you’re
right! I remember now. Lang Ying had gotten used to draping that robe over himself and
I forgot to collect it. I’ll go grab it right now.”
Ling Wen chuckled, “No rush. Take care, Your Highness.”
However, Xie Lian didn’t move to leave, and instead he stood still on the spot, his
expression growing dim. Ling Wen was about to order for the heavenly officials under
her command to come take the ghost robes away, but when she turned around and saw
he was still there, with just the two of them in the hall, she was puzzled, “Your Highness,
do you have something else to say?”
Xie Lian watched her with an unreadable expression, “Nothing much. Only, I was
thinking, if I really did bring you the real Brocade Immortal, if I turned around, would you
hide the real thing away?”
“…”
Ling Wen’s smile was fading but still was extremely polite, “Your Highness?”
Xie Lian watched her serenely, “From the very beginning, I’ve had this inkling.”
“What of?” Ling Wen asked languidly.
“Normal people, typical demons and ghosts don’t dare to break in to the Great Martial
Temple. If someone was familiar with the Great Martial Hall enough to steal objects that
were sealed away and still escape capture, then I’m afraid other than Jun Wu himself,
there’s only you, Ling Wen Zhen Jun.”
After all, the Palace of Ling Wen roamed all the palaces day in day out, and could be
said to be more than familiar with everyone’s domains.
Ling Wen grinned, “Your Highness, your reasoning is a little too matter of fact. “The
person with the easiest access is the one who’s the most suspicious”. Based on that
train of thought, then wouldn’t Jun Wu robbing himself be more likely?”
Xie Lian nodded. “I must admit you’re not wrong. But, what made me start to think
things suspicious was that Half Maquillage Woman.”
“What about the Half Maquillage Woman?” Ling Wen asked.
Xie Lian replied, “She had in her possession the fake Brocade Immortal, and just so
happened to come to my door. How can things be so coincidental? Besides, it was like
she might as well have written ‘suspicious’ on her face, like she was scared I wouldn’t
be suspicious of her being the culprit. Her intention was too obvious.”
“Oh? What intentions?”
“Didn’t she already say it herself?” Xie Lian said, “‘Exchange old for new’. What she
wanted was the old clothes in my Puqi Shrine!”
In retrospect, when the Brocade Immortal was stolen, the Great Martial Hall found out
really fast and immediately started investigating the moment they realized. Therefore,
the thief might not dare to keep it in their own hands and would instead hide it away
first. Then, where would be the best hiding place?
Hide leaves among forests.
If Xie Lian wanted to hide the Brocade Immortal, he would turn it into an extremely
inconspicuous and normal-looking hemp robe and toss it in the mortal realm, but
keeping an eye on it from afar. Normally, not many would want to buy such a coarsely
made robe. However, the life Xie Lian led couldn’t be said to be normal, and he himself
had been wearing the same worn edged cultivation robe for the past several years; the
money he had could only afford such clothing. Besides, as long as the clothing kept him
warm and was clean, that was all he asked for and wasn’t picky. Plus, he was the kind
of person who possessed the incredible ability to pick out the most dangerous article of
clothing in the big discount bin out of countless other clothing. Thus, in a
self-congratulating cheer at the major discount, he bought and brought home that
legendary Brocade Immortal.
“Your Highness, what you’re saying is a little too much now.” Ling Wen said, “You’re
from a martial god background after all, so just thinking about it you’d know that the Half
Maquillage Woman would be instantly subdued by you if she approached your door.
She wouldn’t be able to take any robes away, old or new.”
“She certainly couldn’t take anything away, but who said she had to? If there were no
further incidents, how would she be dealt with?” Xie Lian said.
If Xie Lian had thought that Half Maquillage Woman had in her hand the real Brocade
Immortal, then he would for sure report it to Ling Wen, and then, Ling Wen would most
likely descend herself. Like the day before, she would probably tell Xie Lian that for the
sake of security, all the clothes needed to be brought back to the Palace of Ling Wen to
be assessed.
It really was too bad that Quan Yizhen was there too at the time. And, it was unexpected
that he was experienced after only having worn the Brocade Immortal once, and could
directly determine that the Brocade Immortal the Half Maquillage Woman’s hand was
fake. Which meant it was no longer easy nor logical for Ling Wen to take away all the
clothes in Puqi Shrine.
All of Xie Lian’s information was provided by Ling Wen, and she could also make
inquiries openly; Xie Lian’s whereabouts and movements were fully in her grasp. When
that Half Maquillage Woman was exposed, Ling Wen immediately sent Xie Lian new
communication through the array, and told him the Ghost City distributed many
counterfeits in need of management, throwing new missions at him to give him no time
in thinking too deeply about anything that might be questionable.
“I don’t know if those counterfeits were distributed by you, but, it was indeed you who
provided me with information. With this step, you probably wanted to divert me away
from Puqi Shrine before coming for Lang Ying.” Xie Lian said.
Yet unexpectedly, Lang Ying also followed along and came out.
“I don’t know if the Brocade Immortal showing himself so suddenly was within your
anticipation, but for you, thinking fast and changing course of action shouldn’t be
something hard.”
With so many ghost robes indiscernible whether real or fake, there would surely be a
chance to slip the real Brocade Immortal away amidst the chaos, and with the Brocade
Immortal showing himself, Ling Wen could also use it as an excuse to appear
personally; openly collecting away all clothing on site. As for how things would be
assessed and how the real thing was determined, the explanation of that silhouette, it
would all depend on Ling Wen.
Having listened to this point, Ling Wen made a pause hand gesture, “Your Highness,
please stop right there. So, you believe that Lang Ying, that’s his name, right? You think
that the robe he was wearing was the Brocade Immortal? Don’t forget, once he put it on
he still didn’t obey your every order, am I wrong? You said so yourself. You have to
know that the Brocade Immortal’s powers are extremely strong, and even a Ghost King
is no exception if he was to run into it.”
Xie Lian replied, “You also said, ‘it must’ve run into a special circumstance’. As for what
exactly is a special circumstance, I’m sure you’re more well-informed on that subject,
pray tell you can answer that question for me.”
Ling Wen’s frowned slightly and clenched her firsts. She said softly, “Your Highness,
does this mean you have deemed me the thief? Pardon my honesty, but this makes me
somewhat… displeased.”
Xie Lian inclined his head slightly, “I apologize.”
“Apology accepted” Ling Wen said, “However, Your Highness, if you must be adamant
about this, you can, as long as you have the evidence. After all, this has been nothing
but speculation.”
Xie Lian replied slowly, “Before today, I didn’t have any evidence. In fact, I didn’t have
anything before stepping into the Palace of Ling Wen. But, I’ve gotten it since we started
this conversation.”
Ling Wen made a welcome hand gesture, “Please.”
“The evidence is, just now, you never bothered to count the exact number of those
ghost robes.” Xie Lian said.
Ling Wen’s expression barely changed, however, her brows seemed to stiffen slightly.
Xie Lian continued, “The ghost robes I’ve brought were indeed lacking, but it wasn’t just
the one missing. In fact, I’ve only brought eighty-eight pieces – a total of ten robes are
missing!”
“Every piece of clothing I consider suspicious I kept and didn’t bring it over. You never
thought the count was off yet with one glance you noticed the one Lang Ying was
wearing wasn’t here. So, pray tell, how did you know it was that particular one that was
missing?”
Ling Wen raised her hand, “Please wait.”
Without hurry, she recounted all the ghost robes on the ground once more, and
discovered it was indeed eighty-eight pieces of clothing. Maintaining her impassive
tone, she replied, “I suppose you can say no one is perfect and there’s always going to
be something overlooked.”
“Very well.” Xie Lian said, “Since you’ve counted seriously this time and should’ve
looked over every single piece, then, let me tell you something: did you not notice? The
robe Lang Ying wore yesterday was among those eighty-eight ghost robes!”
“Your Highness, what are you trying to say?” Ling Wen asked.
Xie Lian crouched down and pulled out a robe from the pile of random clothing, shaking
it open, and it was a plain, white hemp robe. “The one Lang Ying wore yesterday was
this one, isn’t it right here? How come you didn’t notice it when you were counting just
now?”
“Your Highness should also know that there’s nothing special about this hemp robe, so
you can’t blame me for not recognizing it with just a glance.” Ling Wen replied.
“It really is nothing to write home about.” Xie Lian said. “Then, you, Ling Wen Zhen Jun
who is so competent and reliable, hardworking and cautious, why would you say so
rashly that such an inconspicuous robe was missing when you haven’t fully counted?”
Ling Wen’s smile did not falter, “There are too many robes, my eyes glazed over; scrolls
are piled high like a mountain, I’m overwhelmed.”
“Your eyes didn’t glaze over, it’s the opposite.” Xie Lian said, “Your eyes are too sharp.
Let me tell you a second thing: I actually didn’t bring the robe Lang Ying wore yesterday.
The one in my hands right now is another one I replicated based on that original one –
but, I was careful with the details in this replica, so how were you able to tell with just
one look that the real one Lang Ying wore isn’t here?”
Ling Wen was puzzled, “Fake or not, either way I didn’t see it. Your Highness, have you
worked too hard on cases and do you always think too much? Why would you spend all
this effort in creating a replica?”
Xie Lian lifted that white hemp robe and said softly, “…This hemp robe was but a
random one I pulled from the pile. What “replica based on the original” or “careful with
the details”, it’s all nonsense I made up just now. As you said, why would I waste my
time to make a replica? You’ve been tricked. This one isn’t even the same colour as the
robe Lang Ying wore yesterday, but I questioned you holding it in front of you, and never
once did you think it strange?”
“…”
Xie Lian stared at Ling Wen intently, “Ling Wen, right now, I only need you to answer a
very simple question: what was the colour of the robe Lang Ying wore yesterday?”
Ling Wen didn’t immediately speak, only raising her eyelashes slowly.
That white hemp robe fell to the ground as Xie Lian said, “As the esteemed number one
civil god, countless thousands of scrolls detailing the matters of the Upper Court all
passed through your hands, so your memory shouldn’t be this bad. How come you can’t
even recall the colour of the robe Lang Ying wore yesterday?”
“You can’t answer, because you’re guarded against my potential trickery; you daren’t
answer so easily, because you never knew what colour it was in the first place. Because
yesterday, what you saw him wear was only a headless, sleeveless, ragged cloth sack!”
He enunciated every word, “The Brocade Immortal takes on thousands of forms, but
that’s no doubt nothing more than an illusionment spell. However, no matter how
powerful that illusionment spell is, it will always be ineffective to one individual – the one
who created it!”
“No matter what form it took on, in the eyes of the creator, it will always be its true form.
Earlier, you glanced through those eighty-eight ghost robes and didn’t see a headless,
sleeveless strange cloth sack, so of course you were able to determine immediately that
the Brocade Immortal isn’t in the pile!”
————–
Ch.133: Seen Through the Ghost King; Play the Ghost King
At first, he had only planned on keeping the suspicious ghost robes and thoroughly
examine them again himself, but he hadn’t realized that with Ling Wen’s one offhanded
comment, he would catch this huge fault in her lies. The moment Xie Lian wrapped his
head around it, he went with the flow and tricked her the entire way. In the end, he
actually blew apart Ling Wen’s armour.
Ling Wen stood there frozen. Xie Lian said, “Of course, you can deny all this. But it’d be
easy to prove whether it’s real or fake. Once I bring forth that robe and present it to the
Great Martial Hall, have it change its form before the Heavenly Emperor then ask you
whether or not you can tell what it looks like, everything will become clear.”
When that Brocade Immortal roamed the mortal realm it had sucked the blood of over
five hundred people; it was an object of great evil. If Ling Wen had only broken into the
Great Martial Temple to steal the brocade robe and hadn’t had the chance to use it to
harm anyone, then it wasn’t a crime too great that it couldn’t be forgiven. However, Ling
Wen was first appointed as a deputy general before she ascended. The earliest time
when stories of the Brocade Immortal first broke out was much later than the years Ling
Wen spent as a deputy general.
Which meant, this was after Ling Wen had entered her duties in the heavenly realm;
that she created the Brocade Immortal as a heavenly official!
That a heavenly official whose duty was to protect mortals turned around, seduced and
murdered a mortal should already call for a severe sentence. The mortal who was
seduced and murdered was also a future heavenly official. Alas, this affair would not be
so forgivingly handled. Ling Wen sighed, “Your Highness, you really are…”
After a pause, she said, “Maybe it’s just my bad luck that this mission was given to you.
Although there’s only the two of us here in Ling Wen Hall today and we’ve got centuries
of friendship between us, but, I think, if I pleaded for you to keep an eye closed on this
based on our years of friendship you probably won’t agree to it, and would instead
encourage me to turn myself in to the Great Martial Hall, am I right?”
Xie Lian sighed too. Although he and Ling Wen had known each other for centuries, it
had always been pure business, and they had never become closer. Their relationship
wasn’t bad, and even when he ascended for the third time, while everyone taunted him
as the Rubbish God, Ling Wen never looked down on him. On the contrary, she had
given him even more assistance and took care of him. But this Brocade Immortal
mission just had to land on his head, and once the truth was revealed, while it was hard
to report it, it was even more impossible not to report it.
Xie Lian replied earnestly, “My luck is bad too,”
Ling Wen crossed her arms and shook her head, “Your Highness, someone like you…
sometimes you’re smart, but sometimes you’re not very smart either; sometimes you’re
soft-hearted, but sometimes you’re cold-hearted too.”
After a pause, she asked, “So where is that robe now?”
“It’s in my keep.” Xie Lian replied, “I will personally deliver it to the Great Martial hall
after.”
Ling Wen nodded, seemingly having nothing more to say. Xie Lian added, “So, can you
tell me, how come when Lang Ying wore the Brocade Immortal its effects didn’t work?”
“I can probably guess.” Ling Wen said, “But, if Your Highness wants to know the answer,
will you first agree to a request?”
“What is it?” Xie Lian asked.
“Will you let me see it?” Ling Wen said, “The Brocade Immortal.”
Xie Lian was taken aback. Ling Wen continued, “I only need one day’s time. After all, if I
am to turn myself in to the Great Martial Hall, there may not be any opportunities to see
it after. Don’t be mistaken. I’m not going to do anything. It’s just, yesterday when you
said it showed itself, I was shocked.”
She shook her head, her eyes unfocused. “…It’s been so many years, yet I have never
seen Bai Jing appear.”
“So the name of that young warrior is Bai Jing?” Xie Lian asked.
Ling Wen seemed to snap out of it, “Oh. Yes. But, people usually call him Xiao Bai*.”
“Xiao Bai?” Xie Lian wondered, “That sounds like…” Like they were calling a dog, or like
they were calling an idiot. Ling Wen chuckled, “It’s the meaning you’re thinking of. I gave
him the name Bai Jing. No one ever calls him that, so not many knew this name. But, if
you call him by that name, he’ll be happy.”
In the legend of the Brocade Immortal, the way the girl that young man loved treated
him only made one think it cruel and horrid; if there wasn’t any bone-deep hatred, then it
was pure cold-bloodedness. Yet, when Ling Wen talked of that young man, her tone
was friendly; there was neither affection nor hatred. “So will you? If Your Highness is
worried I’ll run away, you can have Ruoye bind me. I’m not a martial god, I won’t be able
to escape.”
For some reason, Xie Lian felt he should trust Ling Wen. After humming for a moment,
he nodded his head slowly. “Very well.”
The two left the Palace of Ling Wen like nothing was the matter. When they strolled
down the Great Martial Avenue, they still greeted other passing heavenly officials as
usual. Ling Wen looked the same as always, giving nothing away that the hands in her
sleeves were tied firmly by Ruoye. They didn’t go very far when they bumped into the
Pei Ming who had just returned from his street patrol, and the two greeted each other,
standing on the side of the road making perfunctory greetings and snide comments. Pei
Ming stared at Xie Lian the entire time, and Xie Lian was slightly alarmed, “Why is
General Pei looking at me like that?”
Pei Ming rubbed his chin and replied earnestly, “Not gonna lie, Your Highness, every
time I see you now I feel anxious and my body tenses, like whoever walks next to you
will have something happen to them. So when I see you walking with Ling Wen, my
heartbeat quickened. Ling Wen, you best be careful the next little while.”
Ling Wen laughed, “How can that be? General Pei, please stop joking.” Xie Lian
however, didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. On some level, Pei Ming’s instincts were
quite accurate.
Once back at Puqi Shrine, from afar as they approached they could see Lang Ying was
leaning against the old tree in front of the shrine, his left hand playfully spinning the
broom without care, and a mound of golden fallen leaves piled next to his feet. Xie Lian
squinted and watched him for a good while before putting weight into his steps to
purposely make himself heard. Lang Ying didn’t look back, but he must’ve noticed their
presence and very naturally changed his pose, continuing to sweep before turning
around and acting like he only just saw Xie Lian and Ling Wen approach. Xie Lian
lightly cleared his throat, “Sweeping again?”
Lang Ying nodded. Seeing him like this, Xie Lian couldn’t hold back and patted his head
like an elder would and praised, “What a good child.”
Lang Ying accepted the gesture simply. Ling Wen watched them without comment, and
Xie Lian led her as he opened the door to Puqi Shrine, “It’s in here…”
Yet unexpectedly, the moment he opened the door he saw a figure crouched in front of
the donation box, once again sneakily stuffing gold bars in. Xie Lian quickly ran up to
drag him away, “Qi Ying, stop stuffing it, that’s really enough. I haven’t even taken out
the ones you stuffed in last time, it’s all stuck.”
Ling Wen nodded, “Greetings, Your Highness Qi Ying.”
Qi Ying acknowledged her too, “Hi.”
There was a wooden rack standing right in the centre of Puqi Shrine, and upon the rack
hung a plain hemp robe. Of course, that was only what Xie Lian sees. Ling Wen
approached, looked at it solemnly for a while, but that robe did not react. She turned her
head slightly, “My Lords, I want to look at it alone, is that alright?”
“That’s fine.” Xie Lian said.
Ruoye had her hands bound and she wasn’t a martial god, so technically she couldn’t
start anything. Xie Lian wasn’t that worried, and he laid a hand on Quan Yizhen’s
shoulder, “Let’s go out.”
At least this case was considered closed, and Xie Lian was relaxing. It just so happened
the neighbours all gifted him a batch of fruits and vegetables, so Xie Lian took them to
the kitchen, ready to cook. This was what they called an undefeated spirit. After so
many days, Quan Yizhen seemed to have taken his Puqi Shrine as some sort of happy
farm, leaping up and down, sometimes climbing trees, sometimes stealing squashes,
sometimes snagging fish, sometimes catching frogs. In a moment of Xie Lian’s
carelessness, Quan Yizhen snuck into the kitchen and swiped a yam. Feeling the spot
empty on the counter, Xie Lian turned his head and saw Quan Yizhen had the yam
dangling in his mouth slipping out, hurrying away like a fish who escaped the net. Xie
Lian cried, “It’s not cooked yet, don’t eat it!”
Yet it was precisely because it wasn’t cooked that it had to be eaten quickly. Once Xie
Lian cooked it it wouldn’t be edible anymore. Xie Lian shook his head, then he saw
Lang Ying walking over and his eyes turned crescent, “Lang Ying, are you free? Come
help me chop some vegetables.”
Lang Ying was just about to snatch back that yam Quan Yizhen snagged, but hearing
Xie Lian’s charge, he came over to help without a second thought. He picked up the
butcher knife on the cutting board, pressing down on the cabbage, he started cutting it
knife by knife, taking his task very seriously. Xie Lian watched him, then turned his head
over to wash the rice as he chatted, “Lang Ying, you’ve seen quite a number of gods
and ghosts that have come to our little Puqi Shrine now, right?”
Each of them more bizarre than the next. Lang Ying answered from behind him, “En.”
Xie Lian continued, “Then, let me ask you: if you had to pick, who among those gods
and ghosts is the handsomest?”
Lang Ying was chopping the vegetables wordlessly, seeming to be thinking hard. Xie
Lian raised his brows slightly, “Tell me. Just say whatever’s truth in your mind.”
Thus, Lang Ying answered, “You.”
Xie Lian laughed, “Besides me.”
“The one in red.” Lang Ying said.
Xie Lian was going to burst a gut trying to contain his laugh.
He responded with a serious voice, “En. I think so too.”
After a pause, Xie Lian asked again, “Then, who do you think is the strongest?”
Lang Ying still answered with, “The one in red.”
Xie Lian swiftly continued his questions without skipping a beat, “Who’s the richest?”
“The one in red.”
“Who do you admire the most?”
“The one in red.”
“Who’s the dumbest?”
“The one in green.”
Those questions were coming one after the other without pause, but he was actually
able to change his answer in time, which came to show how fast his mind worked and
how fast his reactions were. Xie Lian commented, “It seems you quite like that gege
dressed in red. His name is Hua Cheng, do remember it. So, does this mean you think
he’s a very good person?”
Unwittingly, the knife in Lang Ying’s hand seemed to have increased a little in speed,
“Very good.”
Xie Lian said, “Then, once we’re free, do you think we should invite him over as a guest
again?”
“En. Of course. It’s a must.” Lang Ying replied.
“I think so too.” Xie Lian said, “But, his subordinate said he’s very busy lately, so he
must be very busy doing very serious things. I think it’s best if we don’t go disturb him.”
After that comment, the crunching sound of Lang Ying chopping vegetables suddenly
became more heavy-handed. Xie Lian held onto the edge of the stove to support
himself, his guts spraining from holding back his laugh. Suddenly, Quan Yizhen poked a
head in from the window, taking a bite of the yam and swept a look. Then he said to
Lang Ying, “You’ve chopped it to shreds, it won’t taste good anymore.”
“Hm? What did you say?” Lang Ying threatened.
Xie Lian turned his head to look; the cabbage wasn’t just shredded, it was nothing but
tiny scraps at this point. He cleared his throat softly, “My gosh, your knife work is really
bad.”
“…”
Throwing all sorts of seasonings into the pot, Xie Lian clapped his hands and decided to
let it all simmer for two hours and left the kitchen. He glanced at Ling Wen; she was still
properly in the shrine, so he continued to do his chores. From the pile of logs he
fumbled out a larger piece of a plank, borrowed brush and ink from the village head’s
house, then sat in front of the door, a hand holding the plank and the other holding the
brush, lost in thought. Lang Ying walked over too and Xie Lian looked up. He asked
warmly, “Lang Ying, can you read? Do you know how to write?”
“I do.” Lang Ying replied.
“Then how’s your writing?” Xie Lian asked.
“Mediocre.” Lang Ying replied.
“That’s alright,” Xie Lian said, “As long as it’s legible. Come give me a hand again.”
He passed the plank and brush over to Lang Ying and smiled, “Our shrine doesn’t have
an establishment plaque. How about you write one up for me?”
“…”
Under Xie Lian’s urging, Lang Ying picked up the brush. That little brush in his hand
seemed to weigh a thousand tonnes, unable to be moved no matter what.
Finally, a moment later, he seemed to have conceded defeat and put down the brush
and plank. A helpless voice sounded from behind the bandages, “…Gege, I’m wrong.”
That voice didn’t belong to Lang Ying at all, it was clearly Hua Cheng. Only, it was more
crisp than normal, the sound of a boy. Xie Lian was leaning against the wall on the side
with his arms crossed, and having watched him struggle for so long and finally
surrendered, he really couldn’t hold back anymore. Xie Lian dropped to the ground
laughing, “San Lang really is so busy!”
———
●[白錦] ‘Bai Jing’ means White Brocade. The word white also means ‘blank’. ‘Xiao
Bai’ Little White is like a pet name like ‘Spot’, and ‘Bai Chi’, one who is blank in
the mind, means idiot.
——–
Ch.134: Seen Through the Ghost King; Play the Ghost King 2
At first, Xie Lian had felt since they haven’t seen each other for a long time, he missed
him dearly. Even though this “a long time” was nothing more than a few days. Yet who
knew that Hua Cheng had always been right by his side, hiding, and suddenly, Xie
Lian’s mood brightened, all of his previous worries and anxieties completely forgotten.
He was laughing so hard he was having trouble getting up.
“Gege, you played me.” Hua Cheng accused.
Xie Lian picked up the brush and plank and said, “Don’t turn this on me, San Lang
played me first. Let me guess… you’ve been around ever since I broke the stove,
right?”
Hua Cheng complimented, “Ah, that’s indeed the case. Gege, how did you know?
You’re so amazing!”
Xie Lian waved his hand, “What, amazing? San Lang, if you want to disguise yourself
as someone else, don’t be so lazy. It’d really be amazing if I couldn’t tell. And here I
thought there was a second person who could eat… ahem, but, “Who’s the
handsomest? Who’s the strongest? Who’s the richest? Who do you admire the most?”
Hahahaha…”
“…Gege, please forget that ever happened.” Hua Cheng said softly.
Xie Lian refused resolutely, “No. I will remember this forever.”
Hua Cheng said woefully, “Gege, although I’m happy you’re so happy, but, is it really
that funny?”
Xie Lian hugged his belly, “Of course! Only after having met you did I rediscover that it’s
such a simple thing to be happy, hahaha…”
Hearing this, Hua Cheng blinked, and Xie Lian’s laughter quieted a bit, realizing what he
just said was a little too revealing. Now that he’d calmed down, even he thought it was a
little sappy. Clearing his throat softly, Xie Lian rubbed at the corner of his eyes and
forced himself to school his own expression, “Alright, enough playing around. Where’s
the real Lang Ying? Why are you disguised as him? Bring him back now.”
Hua Cheng replied languidly, “I’ve temporarily sent him to the Ghost City as a guest.”
Since it was Hua Cheng who took him away, Xie Lian wasn’t worried at all. He nodded
and was about to speak again when the wooden door creaked open. Ling Wen walked
out from within Puqi Shrine with her hands at her sides, “Your Highness.”
Hua Cheng had no intention of revealing his identity so Xie Lian didn’t mention it either,
pretending he was still Lang Ying in front of others. Seeing Ling Wen’s solemn
expression, Xie Lian unconsciously became serious too, his smile completely gone,
“What is it? The Brocade Im… Is something wrong with Bai Jing?”
“No. There’s nothing wrong with him.” Ling Wen said, “It’s just, there seems to be a
weird smell coming from the kitchen. Is Your Highness cooking something?”
Xie Lian quickly replied, “Oh, I am. I’m cooking.”
After some thought, Ling Wen used a courteous tone to say very discourteously,
“Please clean it away, Your Highness. Whatever you’re cooking, it’s probably ruined by
now.”
“…”
Two hours later, the evening had come.
Inside Puqi Shrine, at the altar table, Hua Cheng, Ling Wen, and Quan Yizhen sat
around the little wooden table in a circle. Xie Lian brought out a pot from the kitchen and
laid it on the table. The moment he opened the cover, he revealed many snow white
and cute, round and smooth little meatballs, sitting sagely in the pot.
“Didn’t you stew with water? Why did it turn into meatballs?” Quan Yizhen demanded.
Xie Lian introduced, “This dish is called “Incorruptible Chastity Meatballs”*.”
“Didn’t you stew with water? Why did it turn into meatballs?” Quan Yizhen demanded.
Xie Lian continued his presentation, “Because kneading meatballs requires a delicate
strength, not too hard, not too light, so a lot of time and effort went into this.”
“Didn’t you stew with water? Why did it turn into meatballs?” Quan Yizhen demanded.
“…”
Since Quan Yizhen really was too relentless, Xie Lian explained warmly, “I did use water
to stew, you’re right. But because there was a little problem with controlling the fire and
time, the entire pot was boiled dry, so I added new seasonings and made meatballs
instead.”
Hearing this, Ling Wen praised wholeheartedly, “Your Highness truly thinks outside the
box, incomparable in all of history, this servant is steeped in deep respect.”
“Thank you, thank you, your praise is too high.” Xie Lian said.
“It’s not.” Ling Wen said, “At least, I believe, there will definitely not be another in history
who can create a dish called “Incorruptible Chastity Meatballs”.”
Xie Lian passed the chopsticks around, “Who knows, who knows. Everyone, please.”
Ling Wen and Quan Yizhen took the chopsticks with their right hand, and their left
reached for the cold buns sitting at the edge of the table at the same time. Only Hua
Cheng reached for an Incorruptible Chastity Meatball, delivering it to his own mouth,
and after a moment, he remarked, “Pretty good.”
Seeing this, Quan Yizhen’s eyes widened. Hua Cheng then added, “The flavour’s a bit
light.”
“Ok. Duly noted.” Xie Lian said.
Watching with wide-eyes the boy covered in bandages next to him eat several glowing,
smooth like cement meatballs and give such sincere feedback, Quan Yizhen seemed to
be completely persuaded. After some thought, he also reached for a meatball.
Xie Lian maintained his smile. He smiled and watched Quan Yizhen swallow it. He
smiled as his face turned pale. He smiled as he fell to the ground, unable to get back
up. Xie Lian continued smiling as he asked, “Is something the matter?”
Hua Cheng answered, “Probably ate too fast and choked.”
Ling Wen grinned. Just then, Xie Lian suddenly heard a familiar voice rang in his ear,
“Gege.”
It wasn’t the mumbling voice of Lang Ying, and it wasn’t the crisp and lazy voice of boy
Hua Cheng either, but the voice of the usual Hua Cheng. He was speaking to Xie Lian
through their private communication array. Xie Lian raised his lashes slightly and
responded, “What is it?”
“Ling Wen is someone cruel and cunning, heartless and merciless. Now that you’ve
brought her back, things might not end so easily.”
This was the first time Xie Lian had ever heard anyone make such comments about
Ling Wen. After some pondering, he replied, “It seems to me she harbours some good
will towards that Brocade Immortal, that shouldn’t be false.”
“Harbouring good will and being merciless don’t conflict. She’s the number one civil god
in the heavens, her eyes and ears are everywhere and her arms are far-reaching. Gege
needs to guard against her looking for helpers.”
“General Pei?” Xie Lian asked.
“Shouldn’t be him,” Hua Cheng replied, “If the Water Tyrant was still around then she
would definitely ask the Water Tyrant to suppress the matter, because Shi Wudu always
aids relations and not logic. But if it was Pei Ming, as long as you tell him the truth of
everything, he might not choose to aid corruption. Gege, be careful.”
“Alright, I will be careful.” Xie Lian said, “Good thing a day goes by fast.”
However, Hua Cheng’s voice in his ear was dark, “No. Gege, you’ve misunderstood. I’m
telling you to be careful of something else. Someone’s here.”
Just then, a series of clinkling, clinkling, crisp sound of bells entered Xie Lian’s ears.
Hua Cheng frowned slightly. Xie Lian looked through the cracks of the window and saw
a middle aged cultivator with a bell in his hand, swaying as he approached the entrance
to Puqi Village.
That cultivator had donned a cultivation robe that was luxurious, a treasure chest
carried on his back, and the chest was covered with yellow charms. That bell rang as he
walked. Xie Lian had an eye for these things, and recognized it was a good tool. If there
were any normal monsters and demons about, their heads would throb when they hear
the sound of that bell, and would back away themselves. Before the cultivator got
closer, a few other large, white browed and yellow robed monks joined him with staffs in
their hands.
Soon, a crowd of fifty to sixty gathered as if they had all planned this meeting.
Unsurprised to see one another present, they surrounded Puqi Shrine.
That band wasn’t just for show, their bodies were hung with various spiritual tools, their
hands and feet steady, very obviously skilled. Heavenly officials take spiritual power
from the offerings of their worshippers, and some cultivators and monks could also
receive spiritual power from the heavenly officials they worship. These monks and
cultivators might even possess great spiritual powers than Xie Lian the heavenly official.
To have so many come all of a sudden, it must not be anything good. Xie Lian knitted
his brows slightly, sensing the newcomers didn’t come in peace.
Hua Cheng put down his bowl and chopsticks and rose to his feet. Xie Lian heard his
humph in the private communication array, “Old monks and foul cultivators dare chase
me all the way here. I’m sorry to have brought troubles to your door, gege, I’ll go divert
them away.”
Xie Lian grabbed him, “Don’t move.”
Ling Wen was bewildered, “What’s going on?”
Xie Lian spoke to Hua Cheng through the private communication array, “Don’t go. Tell
me honestly, is the reopening of Mount TonLu really affecting you?”
“No.” Hua Cheng replied.
Xie Lian stared at the eyes behind the bandages intently, “Stop lying. You’re the
Supreme Ghost King. You had no need to be afraid of mortals like them, so why
wouldn’t you just beat them down and chase them away directly, and would rather divert
them away? You weren’t playing a prank at all changing to this form, right?”
With the reopening of Mount Tong’lu, the stronger the ghosts and demons, the more
they felt the effects. The first time the ghosts were aroused, Xie Lian had witnessed with
his own eyes just how much misery Hua Cheng suffered. And as the date to the
reopening of the gates approached, the tremors would only grow. Under these
circumstances, if it was Xie Lian himself, he would choose to temporarily seal his own
true from and transform into a small creature, store his spiritual powers, and avoid going
berserk, waiting for the official opening of the gates to be over before removing the seal.
Thus, although this could avoid the torment of aggravation, but because his powers
were sealed, this gave others the opportunity to ambush him. Xie Lian cussed, “Qi
Rong, you…”
That night, Qi Rong had threatened that he was going to bring forth all the cultivators
and monks that were aggrieved against Hua Cheng, but he hadn’t imagined it wasn’t a
bluff. Hua Cheng shook his head lightly, “Gege, they’re only here for me. It’ll be fine
once I’m gone. Although in my current form I can’t kill them with just a move, but I can at
least still make them get lost.”
However, Xie Lian threatened, “If you leave now, don’t ever come back to see me
again.”
“…”
“Your Highness!” Hua Cheng cried.
Hua Cheng had always been carefree but meticulously mindful. In the past, he had
helped Xie Lian multiple times, and now that Xie Lian finally had the chance to help him,
how could he possibly allow Hua Cheng to leave by himself?
Xie Lian said darkly, “Sit down. I’ll go meet with them.”
Quan Yizhen opened his eyes with great difficulties, and asked whilst in a haze, “Did…
someone come? Do you… need me to beat them down?”
“…”
His voice was hoarse. Xie Lian helped close his eyes, “Qi Ying, just keep lying there.
Also, you can’t beat mortals like that, it’ll cost you merits.”
Xie Lian pressed himself against the wooden door to listen for any movements outside.
Some villagers who were still out and about who only just finished their work for the day
and hadn’t yet gone home for dinner were surprised to see so many cultivators and
monks so suddenly, and they asked, “What’s all the masters doing gathering here? Are
you all here for Xie Daozhang?”
A monk filled with murderous intent clapped his hands together in prayer, “Amitabha
Buddha. Dear donor, did you all know that this place has been invaded by wicked
creatures?”
“What?!” The villagers were shocked, “WICKED CREATURES??? WHAT KIND OF
WICKED CREATURES?”
Another monk replied mysteriously, “A one of a kind Ghost King who brings chaos to the
world!”
“W-what should we do?!” The villagers exclaimed.
The cultivator dressed in luxurious robes who was the first to arrive said, “Leave it to us!
Today, all of us who walk the same paths are gathered here for this very reason, the
chance of a lifetime to capture that evil thing!” Then he was about to walk up when the
village head pushed him back. That cultivator glared, “Who are you? What are you
doing?”
The village head said, “Um, masters. I’m the village head of this village. We’re very
thankful you’re all here, but, hehe, to tell the truth, you all look very expensive…”
“…”
That luxuriously dressed cultivator said, “We’ve come to defeat evil, did you think we’re
here for rewards?!” Then he was about to charge ahead again, but the villagers all
stopped them again. The monks and cultivators were growing irritated but they couldn’t
forcefully break people up either, so they demanded impatiently, “What now?!”
The village head rubbed his hands, “If it’s free then that’s great, thank the masters for
coming here to defeat evil on a benevolent heart. But… it’s just, work here in this village
are all taken cared of by Xie Daozhang. It’s hard on me as the village head if the
masters are here to rob Xie Daozhang’s work.”
The band of monks and cultivators looked at each other, “Xie Daozhang?”
Thus, they gathered around to discuss, “Was there any well known, capable cultivation
house with the name Xie in this trade?”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
“Either way I’ve never heard of him. Probably some nobody.”
“If we haven’t then he’s not well known. Forget it.”
After their discussion, that luxuriously dressed cultivator turned back around, “The Xie
Daozhang you speak of, is he the one living in this place?”
The villagers answered, “Yea.” Then they shouted, “Xie Daozhang! Xie Daozhang! Your
fellow tradesmen are here! There’s so many of them! Are you home?”
A yellow robed old monk put his hands together in prayer, “Amitabha Buddha. It doesn’t
matter if that Xie Daozhang isn’t here. But that wicked creature is hiding in this house
right now!”
The villagers were stunned, “HUH???!”
Just then, Xie Lian pushed the door out and came out leisurely. “I’m here. What’s going
on, everyone?”
The villagers immediately exclaimed, “Daozhang, these eminent monks and cultivators
all say that in your house, there’s a… a… ghost…”
Xie Lian smiled, “Eh? You all can tell?”
“What a fast admittance!”
Xie Lian threw out a pot, “That’s right, there really is a ghost!”
That luxuriously dressed cultivator caught the pot and was delighted at first, but when
he opened it, his smile collapsed, “A Half Maquillage Woman?”
Then he tossed the pot back, looking very obviously displeased, “Don’t play pretend, my
friend. A vulgar monster like this can’t even be considered as a ‘Fierce’! You know
exactly what we’re referring to.”
Xie Lian caught the pot and felt the strength of this man’s throw wasn’t weak, definitely
someone who had cultivated arduously for years, and someone considerable. A number
of monks said to the luxuriously dressed cultivator, “Dao-Xiong, this cultivator looks to
be bursting with the essence of evil from his body, could he maybe be…”
That luxuriously dressed cultivator said, “Whether if he is or not, I, Heaven’s Eye, can
tell with but a look!”
Then, he gave a loud shout, bit his finger and drew a line on his forehead, and a
seeming third eye grew on his face. Seeing his skill, Xie Lian also praised mentally, and
he leaned against the door, admiring his performance. That luxuriously dressed
cultivator glared, and stared at him intently for a moment, “I knew it… There’s essence
of evil! SUCH A HEAVY ESSENCE OF EVIL!!! GHOST KING! YOU DID CHANGE
FACE AFTER ALL!”
Xie Lian was stunned.
How could he, an esteemed, titled heavenly official, have essence of evil on him? He
was just thinking this man might have some skill but how did he turn around and start
spewing nonsense so quickly?
Hearing him, the fifty to sixty masters in the gathering all looked like they were about to
face a great enemy, and each of them struck their fighting stance. Hua Cheng said to
Xie Lian in the private communication array, “Those people are so annoying.”
“It’s fine. It’s alright. You just sit.” Xie Lian replied.
A moment later, that luxuriously dressed cultivator spoke up again but confused,
“…That’s not right?”
The monks next to him asked, “What’s not right?”
That luxuriously dressed cultivator rubbed that blood mark on his forehead, “This is
weird. I’m looking at this man, but he’s sometimes covered in the essence of evil,
sometimes glowing with spiritual light, and sometimes dim and listless… this is really
weird.”
“Huh? How can that be? Dao-xiong, can you really do this? If you can’t, let us handle
this.”
“Yea, how can he be that strange?”
That luxuriously dressed cultivator said angrily, “What? Think I can’t do this? If I can’t,
you think you can? I, Heaven’s Eye, has been running in the trade for so many years,
and I’ve rarely gotten anything wrong!”
Xie Lian rubbed his forehead, shook his head and asked gently, “Then, why don’t you
take a look and tell me which part of me has the strongest essence of evil?”
Heaven’s Eye rubbed his forehead hard, and after looking again for a moment, he
exclaimed firmly, “YOUR LIPS!”
“…………….”
———
●[玉潔冰清] ‘Clean as Jade; Clear like Ice’ is the idiom that means Incorruptible
Chastity. It’s usually an idiom used to describe girls. Xie Lian is using the idiom’s
imagery to describe his cute little meatballs.
●MXTX Author Notes: Something like Essence of Evil can’t be washed away so
easily with just brushing teeth and gargling water… Holy water has to be used.
(Very bitter and very peculiar)
My amusement in allowing Xie Lian create new recipes weapons is just a teeny
bit less than letting Hua Hua change new clothes.
——–
Ch.135: My Puqi Shrine Will Collapse Supremely
“That’s right, it’s your lips!”
Heaven’s Eye proclaimed with such certainty yet all the monks and cultivators were
perplexed, “Why is it the lips?”
“How can the essence of evil only be on the lips? A Lip Balm Spirit?”
Xie Lian’s hands instantly flew to cover his mouth without thinking.
He hadn’t thought that the essence Hua Cheng had stained on him after having
embraced and kissed an entire night at Qiandeng Temple hadn’t faded.
Heaven’s Eye pointed at him, “Well, well, well, do you all see? He’s conscious of his
guilt!”
Xie Lian immediately dropped his hands, and forced himself to suppress the urge to turn
around and see what expression Hua Cheng wore after having heard, even though his
face was covered in bandages and nothing could be mustered anyway. He explained
gently, “Um, my fellow Dao friend, you’ve mistaken. Actually, it’s because my living is a
little strained, so each household item is used for various purposes, like this pot.”
He raised the clay pot in his hand and said earnestly, “Although I use this to catch
ghosts sometimes, but normally I use it to pickle vegetables. The pickles pickled in this
pot have a unique flavour, once you eat it you’ll naturally… if you don’t believe me, you
can all try it yourself.”
…Technically, this wasn’t impossible. The monks and cultivators were all somewhat
doubtful, but the villagers all covered their mouths too, “HUH? Xie Daozhang, do you
mean to say that all the pickles you gave us from before were pickled like this too?”
“Then won’t our mouths all be full of the essence of evil too?”
Usually when the villagers offered him fruits and vegetables, he would return his
gratitude by giving them his pickled vegetables. He quickly waved his hand, “Don’t
worry, the jars I use to pickle for everyone are different!”
Heaven’s Eye said angrily, “Are you dumb in the head?! Aren’t you afraid eating stuff
like this will cut down your lifespan? Stop wasting your breath, there’s still people hidden
in your shrine and it’s not just one person! Move aside!”
This time, afraid that the village head will stop him again, before he even finished
speaking he charged forward. Seeing the situation change so quickly, Xie Lian hurriedly
backed into the house, picked up the passed out Quan Yizhen from the ground, madly
shook his collar and cried next to his ear, “Qi Ying! Listen well! I am going to feed you
that Incorruptible Chastity Meatball!”
Hearing this, Quan Yizhen’s eyes suddenly flashed open. At the same time, Heaven’s
Eye who just charged in shrieked, covered his forehead, and leapt back out. “DON’T
ANYONE GO IN! THERE’S AN AMBUSH!”
Sure enough, the crowd of monks and cultivators didn’t dare to move, and they
gathered around to shield him, “Heaven’s Eye-xiong, what did you see?”
Heaven’s Eye said, “I didn’t see anything, only an immense, blinding white light!”
“Oh no, Dao-xiong! Your heaven’s eye is smoking!”
Heaven’s Eye felt his forehead, and sure enough, that red mark on his forehead had
turned into a black mark, and it was emitting a soft waft of white smoke like that of a
blown out candle. Shocked and dismayed, he exclaimed, “What… WHAT?!”
Ling Wen lazily put down her half eaten steamed bun and wondered, “It’s so noisy
outside, what’s going on?”
A monk said, “Heaven’s Eye-xiong, look, there are two children and a woman plus this
cultivator inside that shrine. There are four people. Which one is ‘him’?”
Heaven’s Eye rubbed hard at his forehead, but he just couldn’t reopen his eye. That ball
of white light was the spiritual aura of Quan Yizhen. When a heavenly official sensed
themselves about to face extreme danger and their lives challenged, the spiritual aura
shielding their body would explosively expand. Xie Lian was using that moment of when
that blinding, strong light exploded to blind that cultivator Heaven’s Eye. It wasn’t like
Xie Lian ruined ten years of his cultivation, he just wouldn’t be able to open his eye in
the next few days, that’s all. Then, Xie Lian picked up the plate holding the meatballs.
Quan Yizhen was fully awake now, and he grabbed Xie Lian’s hand forcefully, croaking,
“I won’t eat it.”
Xie Lian reversed the hold and held his hand, “Don’t be scared, this isn’t for you!”
The band of masters heavily surrounding Puqi Shrine all shared looks with each other,
and almost uniformly shouted, rushing forward. However, before Xie Lian could meet
them, they were bounced away by an invisible barrier.
From the skies above, a deep voice sounded, “You old monks and foul cultivators are
like flies, have you all become obsessed with harassment? You dare pursue me all the
way here, are you all tired of living?!”
“Hua, Hua, Hua…”
He stuttered ‘Hua’ several times but in the end, Heaven’s Eye still succumbed to Hua
Cheng’s might and didn’t dare call him by his full name. Instead he stammered, “…HUA
CHENGZHU! Stop, stop bluffing. We all know that you’ve been affected by the imminent
opening of Mount Tong’lu and sealed away your powers. You can’t possibly be as
insolent as you usually are right now. Sur, sur, surrender yourself…”
Although the more he spoke the less strength there was in his words, still Xie Lian could
sense Hua Cheng was really angry now, and immediately, he rushed back inside to pick
him up. He whispered, “Don’t say anymore! Stop wasting your powers, store your
strength. Leave everything to me!”
Hua Cheng’s body was tense at first, but after he was picked up, he seemed to have
calmed down slowly, and replied with a low voice, “Alright.”
Holding him, Xie Lian could sense that Hua Cheng’s age seemed to have shrunken
again, and was probably no more than a child of twelve or thirteen, and he couldn’t help
but be worried. With one arm holding Hua Cheng, and the other hand clutching Fang
Xin, he walked out, “Have you all never thought that the Green Ghost Qi Rong was
deceiving you all?”
Yet unexpectedly, when they heard him, the monks and cultivators all looked confused.
Heaven’s Eye asked, “Green Ghost Qi Rong? Deceive us what? Why would he deceive
us?”
Xie Lian frowned slightly, “Wasn’t it him who told you all to come here?”
Heaven’s Eye clicked his tongue, “Who do you think we are? That we need a ‘Savage’
to pass us information? Why would we float on the same boat as him?!”
It wasn’t Qi Rong? Then how did information leak?
Before he could think on it more, the monks and cultivators had already started their
attacks. With a swing of his sword, Xie Lian warded off a number of swords and several
staffs. A monk questioned, “Amitabha Buddha, why must this Dao friend protect this
creature of evil?”
Xie Lian wouldn’t back down an inch and replied, “Master, no matter what, it’s not nice
to ambush people when they’re down.”
Heaven’s Eye shouted, “He’s a ghost, not a person! Don’t twist rotten logic you
immature young’un!”
Spiritual staffs and treasured swords and blades all came attacking at once, and if Xie
Lian used Fang Xin he might just hurt mortals. By creed of justice, mortals could hit
heavenly officials but heavenly officials could not hit mortals, because they must be
tolerant, generous, compassionate, and loving towards mortals, not fighting with them. If
one dared hit a mortal then merits would be taken. Xie Lian wasn’t as unrestrained and
wealthy as Quan Yizhen; he didn’t have too many merits in the first place, if more is
taken away he’d be going in the negatives. Thus, he put away his sword and shouted,
“RUOYE, COME! QI YING, WATCH LING WEN!”
When Ruoye bound men it was always aggrieved, but when it bound women it’d change
face. Xie Lian had to call for it twice before it reluctantly peeled itself off of Ling Wen’s
hands. The next second, a white flash whipped past the hands of tens of people, and
when their strength became unsteady they could no longer hold on to their spiritual
tools. Bewildered, they all wondered, “What spiritual tool is that?”
“Was that a spiritual tool? …How come it looks like a white cloth for hanging to me? It
reeks of evil…”
“Whaddayaknow, this brat actually has a couple moves!”
Unexpectedly, just as Xie Lian was in the midst of fending off those masters, Ling Wen
shook her head, cleaned her sleeves and rose to her feet, “Thank you for your warm
hospitality. I will take my leave now.”
Xie Lian was taken aback, “Ling Wen, the day’s not over yet! Where are you going? Are
you going to break your vow?”
“That’s right. I’m going to break my vow.” Ling Wen said.
Her voice was confident and determined, like she was saying she was about to slay evil
by heaven’s will. Xie Lian couldn’t retaliate. A brief moment later, he stated, “The one
who leaked information wasn’t Qi Rong, it was you.”
Ling Wen smiled, “I may not be a martial god and was bound by Ruoye, but one can
accomplish much with just the communication array.”
He knew it! But, how did Ling Wen know that bandaged boy was Hua Cheng? She
barely spoke to him, barely saw him, even Xie Lian hadn’t figured it out as fast as she
did!
Seeing that she was about to take her stately leave but Xie Lian still couldn’t get away,
he shouted, “QI YING! DON’T LET HER GET AWAY!”
Although he ate an Incorruptible Chastity Meatball earlier, but Quan Yizhen can move
himself off the ground now, his strength returning. Besides, Ling Wen was a civil god,
she was powerless and Quan Yizhen could stop her using not even a finger. Hearing
Quan Yizhen acknowledge “OK!” From afar, Xie Lian relaxed and went back to fighting
the crowd. A moment later, there was a sudden rumble, and the roof of Puqi Shrine was
punched through, the silhouette of a figure blown high into the air.
Xie Lian looked back around, shocked, and shouted to the interior of the shrine, “QI
YING! DON’T FIGHT LIKE THAT!”
It’s nothing for martial gods to get tossed around; martial gods all grew up getting
beaten. But no matter how you look at it Ling Wen was a lady heavenly official, and a
civil god at that, if Quan Yizhen fought so ruthlessly, she’d be pulverized!
Yet, the figure who walked out leisurely said, “Bai Jing, don’t fight like that.”
That voice was cold and crisp, very obviously belonging to Ling Wen. Yet in the moment
she walked out, Xie Lian felt he saw a fleeting illusion, like the one who came out wasn’t
Ling Wen, but an extremely tall young man, his aura of vengeance roaring to the
heavens. However, when Xie Lian focused his eyes, it was still the lone figure of Ling
Wen.
Ling Wen was a civil god, that’s for certain. If she had hidden her strength intentionally
in the past, she still couldn’t deceive Xie Lian, so how could she suddenly blow Quan
Yizhen into the sky???
Hua Cheng whispered, “Gege be careful, she’s put on that robe.”
So that’s it! Although on the surface it looks like Ling Wen was still clad in black, but a
layer of simmering black aura was shielding her, seeming like she had changed into a
completely different person. The killing intent was running wild but her blanched face
was extremely calm, and this formed a peculiar contrast. Xie Lian tried testing the
waters by lunging at her with his sword, and Ling Wen deflected the blow by a wave of
her sleeve. Coincidentally, Quan Yizhen came crashing down from above, and fell to the
ground with a bang just in time to witness this scene. Instantly, his eyes lit up,
“Beautiful!”
Xie Lian’s eyes lit up too and also exclaimed, “Beautiful!”
Ling Wen’s move just now was truly a beautiful one. No, it should be said, the move the
Brocade Immortal used to help Ling Wen block the attack!
When that Brocade Immortal was donned on others, either they lose their minds or their
blood was sucked dry. However, when donned on Ling Wen, not a single weapon could
pierce through, and she could even attack proactively, instantly allowing a civil god blow
a Martial God of the West away. No one’s ever heard that Brocade Immortal had this
incredible ability before. Who would’ve thought that after she’s chopped off the head
and limbs of the Brocade Immortal, it would still allow itself to be used by her?
Now, not only the villagers of Puqi village were shocked, even the band of monks and
cultivators were stunned. Heaven’s Eye exclaimed, “What, beautiful?! Is it so good to be
hit? Is there anyone normal inside that shrine? I think not a single soul there is human!”
Quan Yizhen was itching to spar, and he leapt to his feet to attack once more. Ling Wen
said in a low voice, “I said, don’t linger around!”
Those words were directed at the Brocade Immortal, but her body wouldn’t listen to her,
and her elbow blocked Quan Yizhen’s punch before they proceeded to start an all-out
brawl. Fighting and parrying, parrying and fighting, the blows of fists and palms shocked
the old walls of Puqi Shrine and it shook like it was ready to collapse. As expected of
the Brocade Immortal with the potential to ascend; Quan Yizhen was falling behind. Xie
Lian couldn’t help but cry, “Um… excuse me, can you both fight further away? Further
away please!”
But before he finished his sentence, those monks and cultivators came surrounding him
again, some forty to fifty blades, swords, axes, staffs, all crashing forward, and Xie
Lian’s face dropped, raising his hands, “WAIT, DON’T! NOOO!!!”
And amidst that tragic wail, the Puqi Shrine that had withstood countless battering but
still remained standing finally, truly, completely, collapsed.
Xie Lian was dumbfounded, desolation filled his heart. “I just knew none of my houses
would last for over half a year. Now I really need to beg for donations for
reconstruction…”
“Gege, don’t be sad. It’s just a house, there’s plenty around.” Hua Cheng comforted.
Xie Lian tried to make himself stay strong, but then Heaven’s Eye came stumbling over,
his hand covering his forehead, and he pointed at him, “You young’un with nothing but
tricks! You dare ruin my cultivation! Who’s your master? What generation do you belong
to? Which temple are you registered under? What sort of god do you worship?!”
Xie Lian whipped his head over, and a biting chill flashed before his face. He
straightened and stated solemnly, “You ask who I am? LISTEN WELL! — I, AM THE
EMINENT HIGHNESS THE CROWN PRINCE! You riotous radicals, BOW DOWN
BEFORE ME!”
His voice roared like thunder in clear skies, and there were actually a few who almost
fell to their knees, and didn’t snap out of it until their companions pulled them up, “What
are you doing? Are you actually kneeling?”
“Th-that’s weird, I did it before I realized it…”
Xie Lian proclaimed sharply:
“I, AM OVER EIGHT HUNDRED. OLDER THAN ALL OF YOU COMBINED. I’VE
CROSSED MORE BRIDGES THAN ALL THE ROADS YOU’VE WALKED.”
“I, POSSESS SHRINES AND TEMPLES ACROSS THIS LAND; MY DEVOTEES AND
WORSHIPPERS ARE SPREAD TO ALL FOUR SEAS. IF YOU DON’T KNOW MY
NAME, IT’S BECAUSE YOU ARE IGNORANT AND UNLEARNED OF THE WORLD!”
“I, DO NOT WORSHIP GODS.”
“I, AM GOD!”
When the mob heard this speech that was so shameless yet spoken with an
incomparably impressive air, they were all stunned, and subconsciously dropped their
jaws. “…HUH???”
Xie Lian made up all that nonsense because he was waiting for this very moment. He
flung that plate in his hand, and all those white little meatballs shot out through the air
like iron pellets, scattered in all directions, and without any misses, they were hurled
right into the open mouths of all those people in shock. Then he wiped away his sweat,
“Will everyone please forget everything I just said. I’m actually only just a scrap
collector!”
Everyone who ate a meatball instantly dropped their faces, “HUH?! WE, WE’VE BEEN
HAD!”
A few who were quicker on their feet stopped the meatball with their swords, but when
they brought the swords before their eyes, those meatballs were actually still spinning
rapidly, creating sparks with the blades from the friction. The mob were terrified,
“WHAT… WHAT IS THIS HIDDEN WEAPON?!?! Incomparably solid with a peculiar
shine, could this be? The legendary…”
“That’s right!” Xie Lian claimed, “It’s the legendary Incorruptible Chastity Pellets!
Exceedingly poisonous, and if eighty-one cups of clean water aren’t drunken within a
day to detox, then they will explode in your stomach!”
Although no one had ever heard of such a thing before, but the mob grew even more
horrified, “OI! IS IT REALLY THAT POISONOUS?”
“Either way we gotta go drink water! The antidote is only water! Let’s get outta here! GO
FIND WATER!!!”
In an instant, a large number of the crowd who fell for the trick fled.
On the other side, Ling Wen was fighting more and more aggressively, and she actually
had both her hands strangling Quan Yizhen as she picked him up. Obviously having the
upper hand but Ling Wen didn’t look pleased at all, and she barked with a low voice,
“Bai Jing! Are you going to kill him? There’s no need to fight anymore, let’s just go!!!”
Fortunately, Xie Lian had one meatball left, and just as Ling Wen said the word “go”,
with his swift hands he lobbed a meatball into her mouth.
Instantly, the light in Ling Wen’s eyes was extinguished, like it was sucked out by the
thing she swallowed, and the black aura surrounding her person also lightened a shade.
With an expression like she was forcing back the urge to vomit, she glanced at Xie Lian,
her lips soundlessly quivering, then after enduring for a while, she threw Quan Yizhen
onto the ground, and left with her hand supporting her temple.
Quan Yizhen jumped to his feet, chasing after her. Xie Lian had wanted to follow after
them too, but that mob of monks and cultivators blocked his way and they shouted,
“EVERYONE, HANG ON! MORE REINFORCEMENTS ARE ON THEIR WAY!”
More?! He couldn’t stay in Puqi Village any longer, he best leave first and think later. In
hot pursuit of Ling Wen, Quan Yizhen soon disappeared. Xie Lian cradled Hua Cheng in
his arms and said, “Hold on tight to me!” Then, tipping his feet to bolt, he surpassed the
mob and fled.
Hua Cheng followed his instruction and embraced him tightly. For some reason, this
scene felt familiar to Xie Lian, but, he had no time to reminisce the past; this affair
needed to be reported to court as soon as possible. Without thinking, he sent a
message to the private communication array: “Ling Wen, something’s happened! I…”
Ling Wen: “…I know.”
Xie Lian: “…So sorry to bother you.”
An instant later, it was Ling Wen who cut off the communication first.
Xie Lian was speechless too. In the past, he had always communicated with Ling Wen
directly, and now that it was Ling Wen herself who was the problem, he hadn’t yet had
the time to wrap his head around it, and actually reported the incident to her, so he
didn’t know whether to laugh or cry either. Xie Lian entered the public communication
array and yelled as he dashed with Hua Cheng in his arms, “EVERYONE! PLEASE
ALERT THE WHOLE COURT! LING WEN’S RUN AWAY WEARING THE BROCADE
IMMORTAL!!!”
———–
Ch.136: My Puqi Shrine Will Collapse Supremely 2
Yet unexpectedly, no one in the spiritual communication array was listening to him. It
was like something big had happened, and every heavenly official was blabbering
noisily. Xie Lian heard Feng Xin yell, “Your Highness? DID YOU SAY SOMETHING?
IT’S REALLY CHAOTIC HERE RIGHT NOW…”
Xie Lian raised his voice, “FENG XIN! I SAID, LING WEN WAS THE ONE WHO
CREATED THE BROCADE IMMORTAL! SHE’S RUN AWAY WEARING IT, WATCH
OUT FOR HER!”
“WHAT?!” Feng Xin shouted, “THAT’S HAPPENED?!”
Xie Lian was about to expand on the details when the noise by his ear abruptly stopped,
and nothing more could be heard. Taken aback, he tried calling again, “Everyone? Is
everyone still there?”
He called a couple times but no one answered. Hua Cheng spoke up, “It’s no use. The
spiritual communication array of the Upper Court was set up by Ling Wen, she must’ve
broken it up just now. It’ll need to be rebuilt.”
“Whatever shall we do then?” Xie Lian gaped. Usually when he communicated with the
Upper Court, it was either through the spiritual communication array or through Ling
Wen directly, or the Wind Master. He didn’t know the verbal password of any of the
other heavenly officials. Now that he could no longer depend on Ling Wen or the Wind
Master, and the communication array was destroyed, what should he do?”
Hua Cheng seemed to see through his worries and said, “Don’t worry, didn’t gege
already report the key issue? Not all the heavenly officials of the Upper Court are idiots,
and Jun Wu is also in the Heavenly Court right now. It’ll be fine once the message
passes through.”
Xie Lian thought that too and nodded. After his mad dash, they’ve already crossed
through several mountains tops, leaving those masters far behind them, but it seemed
they wouldn’t be able to keep up with the Brocade Immortal and Quan Yizhen after all.
Hua Cheng added, “If gege still wants to investigate the Brocade Immortal, you’ll have
to hurry.”
However, Xie Lian shook his head. “That was before. Qi Ying’s already chasing after
Ling Wen, so right now we’ve got more important matters in our hands. San Lang.” He
stared intently at the Hua Cheng in his arms, “Your form… it seems to have changed
again.”
Before when Hua Cheng was disguised as Lang Ying, he was still in the appearance of
a fifteen to sixteen year old boy and it wasn’t easy for Xie Lian to carry him. Even if he
could it didn’t look good. But now, Hua Cheng’s body seemed to have shrunk in size,
looking to be at most eleven or twelve, and Xie Lian could carry him singlehandedly and
have him perch on his arm. Be that as it may, Hua Cheng’s air of steady calm never
changed. “It’s a non issue. Changing form is only a temporary plan. After the whole
thing is over my old self will return.”
He unwrapped the bandages on his head as he spoke. On that snow white face, a pair
of deep, black eyes watched Xie Lian, and between his brows were still shadows of that
handsome young man. It was clearly the face of a child, but his air and expression was
the laid backness he always assumed.
Xie Lian watched him dazedly, not speaking a word.
Hua Cheng frowned slightly, “Your Highness, you…”
Suddenly, Xie Lian’s other hand reached out and squeezed his cheek.
This was so out of the blue, Hua Cheng widened his eyes as his face changed shape
from the squishing, “…GEGE!”
Xie Lian laughed, “Hahahahahaha… Sorry San Lang, but you’re too cute I can’t help
myself, hahahaha…”
“…”
Xie Lian squished him tenderly as he said gently, “Then, San Lang, are you going to
keep changing? Are you going to turn into a toddler of five or six? Or even better, a little
baby?”
Hearing his hopeful voice, Hua Cheng replied helplessly, “I’m afraid I will have to
disappoint gege.”
Xie Lian dropped his hand and grinned, “Nonsense. San Lang has never disappointed
me. I’m really happy to have this chance to protect you.”
However, Hua Cheng said glumly, “I’m not happy.”
“How come?” Xie Lian asked.
Hua Cheng voice turned cold, “I.. hate looking like this!”
Xie Lian could detect a trace of loathing in his voice and was slightly taken aback. Hua
Cheng lowered his head, “I don’t want you to see me in such a helpless form, and I
absolutely didn’t want you to have to protect me!”
Maybe it was because Hua Cheng’s age had diminished that even his emotions
seemed to be rippling. Xie Lian felt his heart stir and hurriedly hugged him in his
embrace, lightly patting his back as he laughed, “Then according to you, I might as well
just die since you saw me in a mess so many times. Besides, it’s not like you’re
completely useless right now, you’re just temporarily storing your powers, that’s all.”
“…” Hua Cheng buried his face in his shoulder and grumbled in a muffled voice, “It’s not
the same. Your Highness, I have to be the strongest. I have to make myself stronger
than anyone else. Only then can I…”
Although his voice was young and tender at the moment, there was still a faint trace of
fatigue. Xie Lian soothed, “You’ve always been the strongest. But, you don’t need to be
every waking moment of every day. Just… think of this as giving me some face, and let
me protect you this once. Please? Ok?”
It was a long time before Hua Cheng lifted his head from his hug, and he placed his
hands on Xie Lian’s shoulders, watching him, “Your Highness, wait for me.”
“Alright, I’ll wait for you.” Xie Lian promised.
Hua Cheng assured again very seriously, “Give me a little time, I’ll be back very soon.”
Xie Lian smiled, “No rush. Go at your own pace.”
The next day, the two came to a small town.
Xie Lian was holding Hua Cheng’s hand, and the one adult and one child strolled along
the streets, chatting leisurely. Xie Lian asked, “With the reopening of Mount Tong’lu, all
the preceding Ghost Kings are affected by the tremors. So does this mean that Black
Water is the same?”
Hua Cheng had one hand courted behind his back as he held hands with Xie Lian with
the other and replied, “Yes. But our situation’s different, our training methods are
different, so naturally our ways of resisting provocations are also different.”
“For example?” Xie Lian asked, “How does he resist aggravation?”
“Hibernation, probably.” Hua Cheng replied.
The words “Eat when hungry, sleep when full” appeared in Xie Lian’s mind.
Hua Cheng continued, “When Black Water was a mortal, he suffered the torment of jail.
With only one meal every three days, even if he was given swills he must swallow.
Hunger ruined his stomach; sometimes he’d feed nonstop, sometimes he’d reject eating
anything at all.”
“No wonder he was so impressive in devouring everything.” Xie Lian mused.
In truth, in He Xuan’s situation he could focus on devouring hungry ghosts, because he
possessed that attribute by nature, so hungry ghosts should be more to his taste. Yet in
all the five hundred some ghosts and demons devoured by Black Water Demon Xuan,
the majority were water ghouls. It must be because he remembered the face of Shi
Wudu, and in order to break his water magic, He Xuan did so intentionally. And when he
swallowed too much, after a while he would need to slumber to digest.
“Indeed.” Hua Cheng said, “I might as well mention that Qi Rong feasting on human
flesh was him trying to imitate He Xuan on purpose.”
Xie Lian was speechless for a moment and thought, ‘How can feeding on humans be
the same as feeding on ghosts?’ Then after pondering, he asked, “Then that forest of
upside down corpses? Could it be he was trying to imitate you?”
“Correct.” Hua Cheng replied. “Because he wanted to achieve the same bloody rain
sceneries but didn’t know how I did it, so, he simply and vulgarly hangs rows of dead
bodies in the air.”
“…”
Today, Xie Lian could finally understand completely why every time Qi Rong was
mentioned, no one knew what to say. He had all the appearances but none of the class.
Xie Lian sighed as he thought, ‘Qi Rong had taken Guzi away, who knows if the poor
child was eaten or abandoned. Wind Master… who knows if Black Water took him
away. Pray they’re both safe.’ Then he asked, “What about your Ghost City? Won’t
anyone go stir up trouble there?”
Hua Cheng replied, “I’ve locked up the Ghost City when I left, and leaked some false
information of my whereabouts. Even if anyone tries to start trouble, if they can’t find me
they won’t be too hard on them. But I’m sure there are plenty of eyes watching that
place right now.”
Hua Cheng couldn’t return to the Ghost City and Xie Lian couldn’t take him to the
heavens either, lest he be exposed by a heavenly official, so the two frolicked in the
crowds of the mortal realm without a destination in mind.
Xie Lian slightly knitted his brows, “You leaked false information, but Ling Wen leaked
real information. I still don’t understand how she was able to see through your Lang
Ying disguise.”
“What I don’t understand is something else.” Hua Cheng said.
“What?” Xie Lian asked.
“That foul cultivator Heaven’s Eye, I’ve played him a couple times, his skills aren’t bad.”
Hua Cheng said.
Xie Lian agreed, “En. It’s true. He’s really got the talent and put in the effort.”
“Yea. So, why would he say that gege’s lips are covered in the essence of evil?” Hua
Cheng questioned.
“…”
Xie Lian’s hands instantly clenched, but when he remembered he was still holding
hands with Hua Cheng, he immediately loosened his grip. Hua Cheng pressed with a
low voice, “Gege, don’t blow me off with words you’d use to placate idiots. Tell me just
what exactly did I do to you that night.”
“…”
‘It’s not what you did to me, more like what I did to you…’ Xie Lian thought. Suddenly,
his eyes lit up, “Wait, San Lang, look over there.”
“Gege?” Hua Cheng questioned.
But Xie Lian was already pulling him into a luxurious and lavish store on the road. The
owner at the counter looked the pair of them up and down, the curious combination of a
cultivator and a layman, and asked, “What can I do for you, daozhang?”
Xie Lian lifted Hua Cheng up and smiled, “It’s not for me. It’s for him.”
Hua Cheng tilted his head in his arms.
An incense time later, Hua Cheng emerged from the back of the store.
Lang Ying’s clothes fit for a fifteen, sixteen year old from before no longer fit the current
Hua Cheng, so Xie Lian picked out a new outfit especially for him. The moment he
emerged, Xie Lian’s eyes brightened.
What a skin as white as snow little young master!
Donned in a robe as red as maple fire, and a pair of deer leather boots hung with silver
chains, Hua Cheng was both handsome and spirited. His raven locks were loose, and
before he only had a thin braid next to his right cheek, but Xie Lian couldn’t help but
braid another one on his left too to match, making him look even more sprightly. What’s
really too much however, was his expression; his eyes were vivacious and bright, his air
calm and steady, looking nothing like a child! Such a contrast, it made one hard to look
away. The ladies shopping in the store were all stunned, and they gathered around in a
circle, their hands clutching their hearts as they cried “Aiyoh aiyoh” in appreciation.
Hua Cheng leisurely approached Xie Lian, and Xie Lian clapped lightly, “I knew it. San
Lang looks best in red after all.”
Hua Cheng helplessly pulled at the little braid on his left and grumbled, “As long as
gege is happy.”
Xie Lian lowered his arm to seize his hand, and smiled as they went to the storefront,
ready to pay. Hua Cheng’s outfit wasn’t cheap, and Xie Lian didn’t have much money to
spare so usually he wouldn’t have entered such a store. However, he had saved up a
small fortune for renovating the shrine, and now that there’s nothing left to renovate, he
could buy Hua Cheng some clothes first before he worried about anything else. Just as
he was counting out his coins one by one, Hua Cheng squished over to his side, and
PA!, slapped a gold foil on the counter.
Xie Lian: “…”
The owner: “…”
The ladies: “…”
“There’s no need for change.” Hua Cheng said, “Gege, come on, let’s go.”
He tugged at the corner of Xie Lian’s sleeve then exited the store with his hands at his
sides. Xie Lian smiled and took a few steps too when suddenly, Hua Cheng backtracked
and came back in, bumping into his arms. Xie Lian held his shoulders and asked,
“What’s wrong?” Then he looked up and saw the shadows of a figure in the flowing
crowd on the streets, and his heart lurched too. Coincidentally, the store owner asked,
“Would you two still like to purchase something else?”
Xie Lian raised his hand, “Yes. Please bring me that robe!”
———-
●MXTX Author Note:
Hua Hua: That day, His Highness took me to a lavish store to buy brand names
(Huh???
The crown prince is good at making pickled veggies. Because eating steamed
buns and porridge all need pickles to match, he’s practiced this for centuries so
he’s experienced. Besides, a majority of the time you don’t need to mind pickles
when making pickles; just leave them in a corner and let chemistry do its work.
Most of his failures come from his intense desire to create something new.
———–
Ch.137: Upon Barren Hills; Rioting the Black Hearted Inn
The store owner was taken aback, “Huh? That one? Daozhang are you sure you’re not
mistaken?”
Xie Lian confirmed, “Yes, that one!”
Then he just rushed up himself to grab for that robe, picked Hua Cheng up and dashed
to the back of the store, slipping behind a set of curtains. This clothing store was a
daring one and an innovative one at that. There was a small stall inside for changing, so
those who came to purchase clothes could try them on on the spot. The crowd was
taken aback. A moment later, a luxuriously dressed cultivator walked past the clothing
store, grumbling as he rubbed his forehead, and behind him followed a mob of
malicious looking, strange monks and cultivators. When they saw the clothing store had
a large gathering, he barked, displeased, “What are you lookin’ at?!”
“Sigh, forget it, let’s hurry. I need to go to the toilet again!”
“Wait, Heaven’s Eye-xiong, there’s plenty of people here, why not ask them if they
saw?”
“My lady donors, have you all seen a white clad cultivator with a small child covered in
bandages pass by?”
The crowd was silent but there were some who unconsciously glimpsed to the back of
the store. The mob grew cautious, and made the hand gesture of ‘go over and see’.
Heaven’s Eye strode inside, held his breath, and slowly approached those curtains. A
moment later, he yanked it open. Instantly there was a shriek.
Behind the curtains sat a woman, her long raven hair hung a loose bun, her neck
slender and white with a black choker and a thin silver chain circled around. Her robe
was half stripped, revealing her snow white shoulder and a small bit of her back, looking
to drape and fall, making one’s face burn and heart race.
When the curtains were pulled, the figure of that woman trembled, covering her face
with her sleeves, and whimpered softly, as if she was shocked and terrified by such a
sudden and brutish act. Heaven’s Eye instantly dropped the curtains, “I-I-I-I-I-I’M
SORRY!!!”
The band of monks and cultivators who followed after Heaven’s Eye all screamed too,
“WHAT A SIN, WHAT A SIN!” And they all covered their own eyes. Using this chance,
that ‘woman’ whipped around – who else could it be but Xie Lian? Hua Cheng was
sitting in his arms and was only blocked from view by Xie Lian’s body. Although Xie Lian
was a man and his shoulders were wider than the average woman, but he only pulled
down half of his robe to expose the best angle, creating the perfect effect.
With one arm full of Hua Cheng, Xie Lian lifted the skirt with his other hand and dashed
past those screaming monks and cultivators with their eyes covered, fleeing away like
the wind. The store owner and the ladies were all dumbfounded, and seeing him flee,
the store owner had wanted to stop him, but opening and closing his mouth, he looked
down at that gold foil that could easily buy two sets of clothing and more, he shrugged
and stopped caring.
Xie Lian dashed madly the entire way with Hua Cheng in his arms, leaving nothing but
clouds of dust. The passersby on the streets only saw the blurry shadows of a ‘woman’
holding a child fly by, as lithe and ferocious like a jaguar, creating clouds of suffocating
dust, and they choked and coughed, their eyes unbelieving. A small food stall on the
side of the road was covered and the owner started cussing, “WHAT’S WRONG WITH
YOU!”
Xie Lian spared the time to turn his head and shouted loudly, “EVERYTHING’S
WRONG! I’M SORRY! I’M SORRY!” Just then, he heard wild hollering from behind him,
“STOP RIGHT THERE—!!!”
He looked back, and it was that mob who had charged out of the clothing store. ‘I really
wonder what’s on the minds of people who yell ‘stop right there’. It’s obvious the one
they’re yelling to won’t stop. Instead they would just hold their breath and run faster!’ Xie
Lian thought, and he immediately put his mind to it, dashing away faster.
This large fanfare of a crowd running down the streets, dust flew and covered the air,
and now the food stall owner couldn’t even curse anymore, flipping his own pot from
anger, “WHY THE FUCK DO I EVEN BOTHER!”
After chasing for four hours, sure enough, the monks and cultivators who were yelling
as they ran were finally losing their breaths, their steps slowing. As for Xie Lian who was
experienced in the art of escape soundlessly persevered to the very end. Once they’ve
lost their tail completely, Xie Lian put Hua Cheng down and stood on the side of the
road gasping for breath. Hua Cheng held his shoulders and said in a low voice, “Don’t
breathe too harshly, you’ll hurt yourself.”
Xie Lian looked up and saw Hua Chen’s small frown but still with the face of a child, he
couldn’t help but laugh out loud, “HAHA, HAHAHA… Ah!”
He laughed too abruptly; a sharp pain shot up from his ribs so he held his sides. Seeing
that Hua Cheng was looking dismayed, he waved his hand, “It’s nothing… eh? Is that
an inn over there?”
Sure enough, not far in the distance within the steadfast blues of the evening was an inn
peeping with warm yellow glow as if beckoning travelers to go. Xie Lian straightened up
and said, “Let’s go in and rest.”
“Alright,” Hua Cheng said.
Xie Lian clutched his hand and the two strolled towards the small building. When they
came before the entrance, Xie Lian realized that this inn had two levels, much more
lavish than it appeared from afar. The doors were closed, and Xie Lian raised his hand,
knocking lightly, “Anyone there? We’re here to stay the night.”
Soon enough, someone called from the inside, “Coming, coming!”
A moment later, the door opened, and several attendants came forward to greet, their
faces full of smiles, “Good si…”
They had wanted to say ’good sir’, but seeing the person before them was wearing
women’s robes, they changed, “Mis…”
Before the word left their lips, Xie Lian emerged fully from the darkness with Hua Cheng
in hand. If there’s a child, then it wasn’t an unmarried lady, so they changed again,
“Mada…”
‘Madam’ was still half on their lips and Xie Lian’s face was fully illuminated by the light
within the inn. Although this person was dressed in women’s robes and had a gentle
countenance, if they must be honest, no matter how they looked it was the face of a
man. The attendants all became mute, and it was a good moment before they went
back to their original greeting, “Good sir, please come inside.”
Xie Lian smiled as he nodded. The him now was very practiced wearing anything, and
there was not a drop of mental or physical discomfort. With Hua Cheng in hand, he
crossed the extremely low threshold, and sat down at a table in the corner of the lobby.
Other than those attendants in the inn, there was no one else. The moment they
entered, the attendants immediately closed the door and gathered around, piling smiles
on their faces. It was more those smiles that were making Xie Lian uncomfortable.
He took the menu card and said, “It’s not easy to find an inn in the wild like this, I’m
amazed!”
The attendants responded, “It’s not easy to have customers in the wild like this either!”
For some reason, although they were smiling, those smiles looked like they were
painted on, quite fake. Xie Lian didn’t move a muscle or change his expression. He
flipped the menu card, ordered a few dishes, before the attendants merrily left to bring
their orders to the kitchen.
Hua Cheng was playing with his chopsticks, “Gege, we’ve entered a shady
establishment run by ghosts.”
“En.” Xie Lian acknowledged.
If it wasn’t anything weird, then a small inn with one level and a couple of attendants in
the wild like this was already quite amazing; why was there such a lavish establishment
with so many attendants?
Of course, this wasn’t any strong evidence. The main reason was because the moment
Xie Lian entered the inn, he could smell the thick, fresh, stench of blood.
Normal people probably wouldn’t notice this stench of blood, but for someone as
experienced and senses as sharp as Xie Lian, the heaviness had reached the point
where he couldn’t ignore it. Xie Lian said, “There’s more people on the second level, I
hear their footsteps. I wonder if they’re travelers who are also here staying the night.”
If they were, then they must be rescued. The two sat across from each other and put
their faces together, talking in whispers for a long while when the attendants finally
brought their dishes. “Coming!”
Xie Lian was about to speak but caught a slight movement from the outside. He
immediately rose to his feet, “We’re going to go rest in our rooms, can I trouble you to
bring our food upstairs?”
“No problem, no problem!”
Xie Lian held Hua Cheng’s hand and lifted his skirt with his other hand with practiced
ease and they went upstairs. He looked back, “Oh, by the way, if anyone asks about us,
please tell them you’ve never seen us.”
“No problem, no problem!”
Xie Lian hurried up the stairs. It wasn’t long before the brash sound of someone
knocking the doors came and a gruff voice called, “Open up, open up!”
The attendants opened the door with smiles on their faces. The crowd who poured in
was Heaven’s Eye and that mob of relentless monks and cultivators!
Xie Lian and Hua Cheng had already entered their room on the second level by then.
As they shut the doors behind them, they could hear people who had just entered the
inn yelling “TOILET TOILET TOILET!” and running for the stalls while others demanded,
“BOSS! DO YOU GOT WATER?!”
Seeing so many people come in all at the same time, the attendants were overjoyed,
“There is, there is, please wait, it’s coming!”
“Sigh, I’m so stuffed!” Heaven’s Eye complained, “Unbelievable. That whatsmacallit
‘Incorruptible Chastity Pellets’ really is some tenacious poison. I’ve only drunken some
twenty cups, how long will it take before I reach eighty-one?”
“…”
Xie Lian hadn’t imagined that those monks and cultivators were actually so honest. He
told them to drink eighty-one cups of water and so they really planned on drinking
exactly eighty-one cups of water. One of the monks replied, “Amitabha Buddha. This
monk has already drunken twenty-five cups of water, and I have to say, it’s been very
effective as an antidote. This monk is feeling much better already.”
Hearing this, Xie Lian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and he fumbled around
looking to see if there might be any cracks he could peek through. He saw Hua Cheng
half crouched on the ground by the side calling him, “Gege, look over here.”
Xie Lian crouched down too and looked to where he was pointing on the ground but
there wasn’t anything wrong with it. “What’s over here?”
Suddenly, Hua Cheng poked, and a small hole instantly appeared on the solid floor, a
thin ray of light coming through. “Here. Now we can see.”
“…”
Xie Lian leaned down and peeked down through that hole. The mob was gathered at a
long table in the middle of the lobby, and Heaven’s Eye slapped the table, “HMPH! We
were too careless this time. Next time if we see that evil cultivator, we won’t give him
any chance to take advantage of us! We must take down Hua, Hua, Hua Chengzhu,
and eradicate evil in the name of heaven!”
Xie Lian whispered, “San Lang, just how have you offended them?”
Hua Cheng didn’t answer, but someone had already asked for Xie Lian, “That’s right, I
never asked, but how come you’re all here to catch that ghost king? What’s the story?”
Thus, the mob began a meeting to exchange condemnation.
“Just talking about it brings anger to my heart! Twenty years ago, there was a village
where a pig monster went mad, and overthrew the master’s house. The house
collapsed, the whole family’s dead. That pig fled to the Ghost City. I’d only just entered
the trade at the time so I went after it, but was beaten to a pulp by a bunch of ghosts
and had no choice but to escape. What humiliation! He also sent a lackey to tell me that
there was no reason why you can eat a whole family of pigs but a pig can’t slaughter a
whole family in revenge. If the pig didn’t seek revenge then it’s your lucky day, if it did
then you deserved it. Now tell me, what is that rotten logic!”
“What a coincidence! Our sect experienced something similar, but it was over a rooster
spirit!”
“Our story’s simple. Because the god we worshipped in our sect was one of the one’s
he listed for that challenge, so no matter how many temples we build he’d burn them
down. What an outrage! Absolutely unreasonable!”
“Me too, me too. You all know of my shixiong, right? Talented with infinite future! He only
had one small vice: he loved playing women. Decades ago, a little prostitute ghost
seduced my shixiong and sucked him dry into a human jerky, and that Hua, Hua, Hua,
that ghost king dared shelter her.”
The criticisms were flaming down below, but above them, Hua Cheng looked bored, not
even bothering to give a taunting smirk. Heaven’s Eye said, “I think I’ve heard of your
shixiong before. Wasn’t he that guy who under the pretense of conducting rituals and
ceremonies would confound and force himself on married women? The one who was
locked up for three months?”
“Ahem ahem ahem!”
It just so happened that at that moment the attendants brought their food over, and
crowd hurriedly diverted attention, “Food’s here, food’s here, come come come, let’s say
no more, Heaven’s Eye-xiong, let’s eat.”
Xie Lian straightened up, glanced at the dishes the inn attendants brought over, and
Hua Cheng said, “No need to keep looking, they’ll keel over the moment they eat that
stuff.”
Xie Lian said in a low voice, “This is going to be troublesome.”
Although that mob of monks and cultivators were relentless and extremely annoying,
still they couldn’t just let them croak in this peculiar, shady establishment. Yet it wasn’t a
good idea to raise alarm either. Just then, Heaven’s Eye spoke up, “Stop!”
He stared at those dishes and blocked the others, his eyes sharp and flashing. Xie Lian
praised mentally, ‘He does have some skill!”
The others wondered, “Heaven’s Eye-xiong, what’s wrong?”
Heaven’s Eye reached out with one finger and wiped around the edges of a plate, then
he raised that finger high in the air, yelling in rage, “SO MUCH GREASE FROM JUST
ONE WIPE OF A FINGER! The plates aren’t washed clean, what kind of business are
you guys running around here?!”
“…”
Xie Lian had thought he noticed something off, but he hadn’t imagined it was a different
kind of off. Although he was a little speechless, but the results were all the same. The
moment Heaven’s Eye complained, the others began to gripe too, “My gosh, it’s true!
What is this, it’s all sticky like spit… wait! THERE’S HAIR IN THIS DISH!”
Someone reached out with their chopsticks to stir around, and sure enough a few
strands of black hair were stirred out, “HOLY SHIT WHAT’S GOING ON WITH YOUR
KITCHEN? WHO THE HELL’S IN THE BACK?”
The attendants rubbed their hands and smiled, “Um… we recently butchered a few pigs,
so those are probably pig hairs!”
Yet, when the chopsticks picked at those hairs, the more they pulled the longer the hairs
became, longer and longer, “WHAT KIND OF PIGS HAVE HAIRS THIS LONG? IS
YOUR BOSS LADY WASHING HER HAIR IN THE KITCHEN?!”
“Take this all away and redo them!”
“Yessir yessir!” The attendants hurriedly acquiesced, “We’ll redo everything,
immediately! My Lords please drink water, drink water.”
‘Drinking water won’t be good either,’ Xie Lian thought, ‘There must be something in the
water too!’
Before the attendants walked away, when water had just about reached the lips of the
mob, Heaven’s Eye called out again, “Get back here!”
The attendant returned, smiling apologetically, “Does My Lord daozhang need anything
else?”
“Let me ask you, have you seen a very bizarre woman with a small child come by?”
Heaven’s Eye asked.
So he did inquire after all. ‘Thank goodness I’ve instructed for them not to tell him.’ Xie
Lian thought. Yet who knew, just as he was thinking this, that attendant responded
without pause, “Oh, I have!”
Xie Lian: “???”
The mob was shocked, and they put down their waters, lowering their voice, “Where are
they?”
That attendant also lowered his voice, “Upstairs!”
The mob were instantly on high alert, their gazes whipping upwards. Xie Lian swiftly
blocked that hole Hua Cheng poked out with his finger. A moment later, there were
creeping sounds of a group of people who were coming upstairs. Xie Lian skulked to the
door, listening to the footsteps, and it seemed that attendant had lead that mob up,
sneaking towards them. His left arm held Hua Cheng, his sword clutched in his right
hand, Ruoye next to his person shielding them, all weapons at the ready, he was tense
and on guard. However, those footsteps passed right by their door and continued deep
into the long hallway. Puzzled, Xie Lian pressed against the door and looked out
through the cracks. That mob passed by this room and was surrounding the entrance to
another room.
Inside that room seemed to be a person; faint light filtered through the papered windows
and reflected the silhouette of a woman sitting by the tableside.
———
Ch.138: Upon Barren Hills; Rioting the Black Hearted Inn 2
He would’ve never imagined that the attendant would actually keep their word and didn’t
give them away. It was someone else they spoke of.
It seemed, other than the two of them, there was another ‘very bizarre woman’ with a
small child that had come to this inn to lodge for the night.
Heaven’s Eye and his group eyed each other and made hand gestures almost uniformly
around, ready to kick the door open. Suddenly, the light inside the room was
extinguished and the silhouette disappeared. Following right after was “thud, thud, thud”
a series of fast and hurried footsteps and a woman yanked the door open, cussing,
“WHAT ARE Y’ALL STINKIN’ MEN DOING GATHERED OUTSIDE MY DOOR IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT? YER GRAND MAMA WANTS TO TAKE A BATH, WHAT
ARE Y’ALL PLANNING? HUH?!”
This woman was slender and sensuous in figure, her unpainted face heavenly; although
she had the air of a fighting cock, she was nonetheless wholly a woman. She clicked
her tongue, rolled up her sleeves and continued cussing, “AND IT’S A BUNCH OF
MONKS AND CULTIVATORS TOO. AREN’T Y’ALL RELIGIOUS PRIESTS? WHAT
HAPPENED TO ALL YER CHASTITY VOWS?!”
Some of the monks mumbled, “It’s a misunderstanding, it’s a misunderstanding…”
That woman raised her brows impossibly high, raising her hands as if ready to strike, “I
DON’T CARE IF IT’S A MISUNDERSTANDING OR A MEETING, LEAVE NOW OR
THIS GRAND MAMA WILL GRANT Y’ALL A NICE TUB OF BATH WATER!”
“OI OI OI, LADY DONOR, HOW CAN YOU BE LIKE THIS? WATCH YOUR VIRTUES!”
“Let’s get outta here…”
Although Xie Lian didn’t recognize that woman’s face, he still felt her voice and her aura
were extremely familiar. A moment later, he exclaimed in a whisper, “Lan Chang?”
“That’s right. It’s her.” Hua Cheng responded.
Seeing the crowd disperse, Lan Chang seemed to let out a sigh of relief, glanced
around and hurriedly went back to her room, shutting the door. She wasn’t covered in
heavy makeup, showing the world a plain face, and while there were quite a number of
wrinkles around her eyes, her age apparent, she was unexpectedly somewhat elegant,
and Xie Lian almost didn’t recognize her. If she had presented herself like this that day
at the Great Martial Hall, Pei Ming’s claim to innocence might not be as convincing.
Before when Mount Tong’lu reopened and the ghosts were aroused for the first time,
there were a significant number of monsters and demons that escaped their seal from
all around, and Lan Chang and the fetus spirit were among them. If the ‘very bizarre
woman’ the attendant meant was Lan Chang, then didn’t that mean the child she had
with her was…
Xie Lian whispered to Hua Cheng, “The fetus spirit must be with her. That creature is
too dangerous, we can’t let them run loose like this.”
However, the inn they were in was already a shady one, and there was that band of
mortal masters in pursuit of Hua Cheng. It wasn’t going to be easy for them to capture
them under these circumstances.
That crowd of monks and cultivators made it to the staircase, and the attendant asked,
“So? Was it not the person My Lords are searching for?”
“It’s not!” Heaven’s Eye replied, “Sigh! Let me ask you then, have you seen a cultivator
with a small child?”
The attendant gave it a thought and said, “There isn’t a child, but there is a cultivator
who’s by his lonesome.”
Hearing this, the mob were spirited once more, and they asked in a low voice, “Where is
he?”
That attendant replied in a low voice too, “Over here.”
This time, he was pointing a different room. The crowd eyed each other again, and once
again skulked over with his lead.
Yet unexpectedly, this time, when they were still but three feet away from the door, there
was suddenly a sharp sound that broke through the air, and a yellow talisman shot out
from the cracks of the door, brushing past Heaven’s Eye’s cheek and nailed to the wall
behind him. Stunned, the crowd all went to take a look at that talismans, and found it
was half embedded into the wall like a steel plate.
Several of them were about to charge into the room but Heaven’s Eye stopped them,
“It’s not him! But it’s still someone impressive, don’t anyone be rash and start things.”
Then he courted his hand in greeting and called, “Sorry to have disturbed you, skilled
master. This is but a misunderstanding.”
The one inside the room didn’t respond, truly the style of a skilled master. The crowd
backed away and someone asked, “Dao-xiong, why did you say it’s not him inside the
room? Wasn’t the hands of that rubbish cultivator who hurled hidden weapons just as
forceful?”
Rubbish cultivator… Xie Lian had to really think about it before it dawned on him that
the ‘hidden weapon’ was his Incorruptible Chastity Pellets. ‘Well, alright…’
Heaven’s Eye replied in a low voice, “Of course it’s not him. They both hurled hidden
weapons, but the hands and strength of the one inside the room was slightly weaker
than that rubbish cultivator…”
He hadn’t finished his words before another seven or eight yellow talismans came
shooting from behind them, nailing onto the doors and walls like arrows. The crowd was
terrified and fled downstairs without another word. Seeing everyone had gone, Xie Lian
stealthily opened the door, pulled out a yellow talisman from the wall, and returned to
the room. Hua Cheng used two fingers to ignite that yellow talisman, and with just a
glance, he lightly tossed it away. “Heaven’s Eye’s eye really isn’t too bad.”
On the surface of that yellow talisman was a layer of spiritual aura, which was why it
was as sharp as knives, strong as steel when it shot out, and deeply cut into the wall.
Earlier however, Xie Lian hurled those meatballs with so much might that they shot like
iron pellets, and it was all released through his own control of strength without any
added spiritual powers. After all, he had spent centuries without spiritual might, and had
long gotten used to depending on himself for doing anything instead of depending on
spiritual powers. Heaven’s Eye had used this to determine the difference in strength.
Xie Lian couldn’t help but wonder, ‘Just how many different kinds of people are gathered
in this inn? Why is there even a cultivator lodging here? Could he also be here for
defeating evil? It’s normal if those mundane monks and cultivators noticed nothing, but
with this individual’s skill level, how can he not sense anything weird about this inn?
Either way, now I absolutely cannot let those monks and cultivators discover San Lang
is here. If they start talking and that individual in the room overhears, that might add one
more to the chase. This one might not be as easy to deal with as the group of them.’
The mob went back downstairs and returned to the lobby, sitting back down at that long
table. Xie Lian peeked through that hole Hua Cheng created and that attendant said, “I’ll
go have the kitchens prepare your orders again right away, pray My Lords please wait a
bit longer, hehehe.”
“WAIT! Take the waters away too. Wash your cups properly before serving them.”
“Of course, of course. Hehehe.”
That attendant left with a face full of smiles, and was probably headed for the kitchens.
Xie Lian seemed to recall that the kitchen was located behind the inn, so he picked up
Hua Cheng, flipped out of the window to land outside the inn. He circled to the back and
picked up a few small pebbles, clutching them in his hand in case he’d need to use
them later.
He skulked to the wall outside the kitchen. Hua Cheng poked again, and a small hole
appeared on the wall, as if the wall was made of tofu. Xie Lian pressed close to see just
what kind of owner this shady establishment had.
The light from the kitchen was dim, only a few dying lamps were lit, and no one could be
seen. But listening carefully, there were crunching sounds coming from some place.
Xie Lian changed a couple angles and finally discovered that the sound was coming
from below the stove. His vision was blocked by the stove itself, but next to the stove
counter was a human leg. Obviously the man was already dead, but it was still twitching
along with the sound of munching and savouring.
Just then, several of the attendants entered the kitchen, “My king…”
Behind the stovetops, a disheveled, grimy man suddenly raised his head, his mouth
chewing, and he replied blearily, “WHAT?!”
That man’s lips were covered with fresh blood, his eyes emitting a green glow, and in
his mouth dangled the hand of a human like it was chicken feet. As much as that
expression and figure were horrifying, but it could still be easily seen – it was the man
Qi Rong possessed!
With stuffed cheeks, he sucked in the fingers of that hand not yet fully eaten, and a
moment later, he spat out a few bones, hitting squarely on the faces of those
attendants. He cussed, “You useless trash born from a pile of shit! Crying like you’re
mourning, and here I thought you’re bringing this ancestor food. Well? Where’s the
humans? Where’s the meat? DIDN’T I GIVE YOU THE POISON ALREADY, WHY ARE
THEY STILL STANDING?”
It seemed, the one lying on the ground and was currently being munched on was either
the original owner of this establishment or some other traveler who passed by.
Those attendants were aggrieved, “My king, it’s not that we’re useless, but that mob of
monks and cultivators kept pushing and making everything difficult. First they scorned
the plates for being too greasy, then they scorned hairs in the dishes. They refuse to eat
anything we’re serving.’
Qi Rong chewed and crunched, then sucked on the blood of those ten fingers, “WHAT?
WHAT THE FUCK?! THIS ANCESTOR WILL PERSONALLY COOK THEM AN
EXECUTION MEAL. They should already be crying tears of joy for not making them
kneel and lick off the ground, WHO the FUCK gave them the right to scorn? They
should try eating what cousin crown prince makes, THAT SHIT’S WORSE THAN SHIT,
THOSE FUCKERS SHOULD KNOW TO KNEEL BEFORE THIS ANCESTOR IN
GRATEFULNESS!”
Xie Lian: “…”
“…Gege, don’t pay any mind to what a useless trash says,” Hua Cheng comforted.
“…Yea.”
“IT’S ALL CUZ YOU’RE ALL USELESS TRASH, CAN’T EVEN WASH A PLATE
CLEAN!”
Qi Rong jumped to his feet and cussed as he beat up those attendants. His anger
satisfied, Qi Rong rolled up his sleeves, cleaned his blood-covered lips with a wipe of
his hand, and took up the spatula, clinking and clanking the iron wok, cursing as he
ordered, “GET OVER HERE!!! Open your shitty eyes, I’ll let you witness the skills of this
ancestor! See if you all have anything shitty to say after!”
Flames roared to the skies, and soon after, he indeed remade another set of dishes,
and he ordered those attendants to serve them.
What a set indeed; the meat was abundant, the vegetables fresh, aromatic and alluring.
Xie Lian returned to the guestroom on the second level and peeked down below, and
those monks and cultivators were all in awe, “This looks good!”
“Yea! This is so well done, especially this salt and pepper chicken feet, fat and tender…
isn’t it a little too fat and tender? I’ve never seen chicken feet this long?”
The attendants explained, “Oh! This is our house specialty, it’s not your typical chicken
feet, but a rare, white phoenix chicken feet especially selected with claws removed.
Don’t they look soft and delicate like a girl, seductive and tempting?”
“You’re right. But I fancy this fried pig’s skin best; the pig skin is lightly crispy and tender,
the fire controlled just right… wait, why does this pork have tattoos?”
The attendants explained, “Oh! It’s because our chef wanted to demonstrate his godly
carving skills, so this was intentionally etched to show off a little trick, that’s all.”
“This sweet and sour ribs doesn’t seem cooked through and the sauce is too thick,
you’re not trying to cover up anything funny with all the sweet and sour flavour, are
you?”
The attendants explained, “Oh! Nothing of the sort. Everything in this establishment is
butchered and sold on the day of, it’s just our chef has a stronger taste, that’s all.”
“…”
Seeing how they were praising the dishes endlessly and were about to dig in, Xie Lian
really couldn’t hold back anymore and threw a small pebble he picked up earlier, flinging
it out of that small hole.
This shot hit the hand Heaven’s Eye was using to raise the tea cup he was going to
drink from to “detox”, and his arm shuddered, spilling the water from the cup. This spill
splashed squarely on the face of one of the attendants who kept smiling.
That water wasn’t hot, but it was like boiling water had spilled on that attendant, and it
covered its face wailing, “AAHHH!!!”
Now everyone at the table was bewildered, and they all raised their weapons, “WHAT’S
GOING ON?!”
Heaven’s Eye seized the hand of that attendant and yanked it aside. The crowd
“AH”-ed. The facial features of that attendant were half melted, as if water had spilled on
a blank sheet of paper and the ink smudged. Blurry and hazy, trails of ink spread along
the cheeks and rolled down.
His features and smiles were drawn with a brush!
“…”
Without missing a beat, the mob flipped the table, and instantly started a brawl with the
attendants.
Those attendants were hugging their heads as they were beaten, howling, “MY
LORDS!!! PLEASE STOP! UM, THAT UM, THAT VERY BIZARRE WOMAN WITH A
SMALL CHILD YOU’RE ALL LOOKING FOR!!! THAT STRANGE CULTIVATOR! HE’S
UPSTAIRS! THEY’RE UPSTAIRS! GO FIND THEM! LET US GO! WE’RE ONLY
PART-TIMERS!!!”
“P’TUI! PART-TIMERS? WHO’RE YOU KIDDING?”
“TRYIN’ TO DECEIVE US? THINK WE’RE THAT EASY? IT’S TOO LATE NOW!”
The attendants were aggrieved, “We’re not lying! It’s true!”
The brawl downstairs was growing wild, and seeing those masters had the
overwhelming upper hand, Xie Lian shook his head. He stopped caring and was about
to capture Lan Chang and the fetus spirit amidst this chaos instead when unexpectedly,
before the door was even opened, a shriek came from the corridor. The terrified voice of
Lan Chang rang, “No… I beg you, I don’t want to go! Please, I beg you, let us go! I’ll
kneel and kowtow!”
The angry voice of a young man said, “Who cares about your prostrating? If you leave,
then what should I… my general do? Fuck, you pair of mother and child really did him in
this time! Enough useless talk, you’re coming with me!”
Hearing that voice, Xie Lian whipped the door open, “It’s you?!”
In the long corridor, a black clad youth was standing there blocking in front of Lan
Chang, his expression dark. The moment Xie Lian emerged, he looked up slightly and
was flabbergasted, “It’s you?!”
Xie Lian came out the door, “Fu Yao? Why are you here?”
Lan Chang saw him and widened her eyes, “…The crown prince?”
“…” Fu Yao looked him up and down for a moment, his lips twitching, but at least his
eyes didn’t roll. He asked back, “Why are you here too?”
Xie Lian looked down at himself and hurriedly stripped off the woman’s robe and replied,
“It’s a long story.”
Just then, Fu Yao noticed Hua Cheng standing by his side, and his pupils shrank.
——–
Ch.139: Upon Barren Hills; Rioting the Black Hearted Inn 3
Fu Yao blurted, “…YOU?!”
Hua Cheng humphed coldly and ignored him. As for Lan Chang, the moment she saw
them she turned to bolt. Fu Yao noticed and whipped around, “STOP RIGHT THERE!”
He hadn’t yet stepped out when a long white silk band flew out and strapped her ankle.
Lan Chang immediately tumbled to the ground, hugging her belly as she flipped over. It
seemed that fetus spirit was hidden in her belly again. Xie Lian said as he pulled Ruoye
back, “If you wanted her to stop, you should’ve done this… just shouting is pointless. By
the way, you were talking about your general earlier, what’s happened to your general?”
Fu Yao didn’t respond. He humphed and went up to seize Lan Chang’s arm, looking like
he really was furious now. Not only did he forcefully grab a woman, his action
unforgiving and hard, but he actually cursed “fuck” earlier; this was not the Fu Yao they
knew from before. Yet unexpectedly, before he was able to pull Lan Chang up, her belly
suddenly swelled up like a balloon, a white figure shot out and shrieked as it lunged at
Fu Yao’s face.
It was the fetus spirit!
Every time it returned to its mother’s womb it would save up another round of energy.
Thus, this strike was treacherous, and Fu Yao had to focus to fight it, whipping up his
hand to smack. That fetus spirit was beaten back like a ball and hit the wall with a bang,
then it shot towards Xie Lian.
“Catch it! Don’t let it run away!” Fu Yao shouted.
Before Xie Lian had even moved, Hua Cheng was already shielding in front of him. That
ball like fetus spirit braked abruptly in front of him, and charged Fu Yao once again. This
bundle of ghost ball was ricocheting and rampaging about the corridor, but it was also
complete mayhem downstairs. They could hear down below the cries of those
‘attendants’ begging for mercy: “My Lords, please be magnanimous! Us lowly ones are
also only doing this for a bite to eat!”
“Yea, we won’t do this anymore! Truth to be told, at most we’d only steal some chickens
nearby to eat, it’s all that green… Green Old Master, who forced us to be his underlings
that we did this, he’s in the kitchen right now!”
Seeing that the situation had now fallen to complete chaos, Xie Lian suddenly
remembered something and leapt down from the second floor. Qi Rong was in the
kitchen, his legs crossed, picking at his teeth cheerfully while waiting for his ‘meal’ to
serve themselves. Suddenly, there was a large rumbling sound; a figure had kicked
through the wall and leapt in aggressively, “Qi Rong! Where’s Guzi?”
This classic martial god entrance shocked Qi Rong to his feet, “YOU?! Why are you
here? CAN’T YOU KNOCK LIKE A NORMAL PERSON?!”
Without missing a beat, Xie Lian went up and smacked him down, pressing him over the
top the chopping board like a duck, “Cut the nonsense! What did you do to the child?”
Qi Rong grinned a smile full of teeth, “Hehehe, look, isn’t the ground piled with them?”
What’s the ground piled with? Human bones!
Fury blazed in Xie Lian’s heart, and he squeezed harder with force. Qi Rong then
started wailing and howling, “OW OW OW OW ARM! MY ARM’S BROKEN! BROKEN
BROKEN! COUSIN CROWN PRINCE WAIT! OK, OK, OK, I’LL BE HONEST, I LIED, I
DIDN’T EAT HIM! I DIDN’T! I WAS GOING TO BUT I HAVEN’T YET!”
“Where is he now?” Xie Lian demanded.
“STOP CRUSHING, STOP CRUSHING! I’ll tell you, that little Feet-Dragger is locked up
in the shed on the side, JUST TAKE A LOOK AND YOU’LL SEE!”
Xie Lian ordered Ruoye to bind Qi Rong, and opened a small door on the side of the
kitchen. Sure enough, Guzi was curled up inside. Xie Lian felt his breath under his nose
and his breathing was steady, his little face red and flushing, looking to be sound
asleep. However, when Xie Lian lifted the child up, he could feel the child’s body was
hot to touch like he was feverish, and Xie Lian’s heart tensed.
Just then, those monks and cultivators poured in too, and the moment they entered the
kitchen they stepped on that ground piled with human bones and almost slipped. The
scene was shocking and horrifying, and they all cried, “HUH? IT’S A SHADY
ESTABLISHMENT!”
“SO ALL THOSE DISHES OUTSIDE… THEY’RE ALL… MADE OF HUMAN FLESH?!”
“I told you I’ve never seen chicken feet that long!”
Right at the same time, there was another loud rumbling, and a new hole was punched
through the ceiling, a bundle of white ball crashing down. “WHAT’S THAT?!” The mob
cried.
Soon after, Fu Yao jumped down from that hole too, hurling out over ten yellow
talismans from the swing of his hand, yelling, “GET LOST! DON’T GET IN THE WAY
OF MY WORK!”
“AH! IT’S THE SKILLED MASTER!” The mob cried.
Then, Lan Chang dragged herself and rolled down too, “STOP HITTING HIM!”
“WHA-! A WOMAN!” The mob cried again.
Those yellow talismans were shooting like iron nails, like flying blades, and while Xie
Lian dodged with just a slight shift of his body, Qi Rong couldn’t get away, and they all
stabbed squarely onto his back. He wailed pathetically, “GHOST MURDER!!!”
The mob swarmed over and gathered around him to examine the talismans, gasping in
awe, “Wow, what incredible skill in shooting talismans…”
A good ol’ kitchen was suddenly squished and crowded, loud and noisy. Fu Yao was
chasing that fetus spirit leaping up and down, Lan Chang was chasing after Fu Yao like
she had gone mad. Half of Qi Rong’s face changed shape by the way Xie Lian was
pressing him down on the chopping board, his back turning into a target for those yellow
talismans Fu Yao hurled while being observed by a crowd, and Lan Chang would step
on him from time to time. He lamented pathetically, “WHY? WHY ARE THERE SO
MANY PEOPLE? WHO ARE YOU? AND WHO ARE YOU? IS NO ONE GONNA LET
ME FUCKING EAT??? WHY IS IT ALWAYS LIKE THIS NO MATTER WHERE I GO???
WHAT DO Y’ALL HAVE AGAINST ME??”
As he wailed, his eyes spun and saw through the collapsed wall of the kitchen to the
outside of the inn. Hua Cheng looked like he hadn’t noticed the mayhem inside, and
was sitting calmly under a tree with enough leisure to build a golden foil palace. Who
knows how long he’d been playing around, but before him, there was already a
sumptuous little mansion made of over ten gold foils.
Qi Rong instantly changed his tune and yelled at the top of his lungs, “EVERYONE
LOOK OUTSIDE, QUICK! THE CRIMSON RAIN SOUGHT FLOWER TURNED INTO A
BRAT!!! IF YOU HOLD GRUDGES AGAINST HIM GO NOW!!! DON’T MISS THIS
CHANCE, IF YOU PASS THROUGH THIS VILLAGE THERE WON’T BE ANOTHER
SHOP…!!!”
Before he finished, a chilling, glistening, bloody butcher knife was thrusted into his
mouth between his teeth. The handle of the butcher knife was gripped in Xie Lian’s
hand.
Xie Lian smiled, “Hm? What are you yelling about?”
Qi Rong did not see how Xie Lian was able to thrust that knife into his mouth; he could
only feel chill on his lips and the tip of his tongue sensing there was a sudden new,
extremely sharp object. Although he wasn’t hurt, but if he tried moving even an inch his
mouth was going to bleed, and his voice died in his throat.
However, the crowd had already seen the Hua Cheng who was stacking a golden foil
palace far outside the inn, “IS THAT HIM?!”
“PROBABLY!”
With Guzi in one arm and pulling Ruoye with the other, Xie Lian dashed out to get
before the others. Qi Rong was still bound by Ruoye, and he shrieked as he was
dragged along on the ground, “XIE LIAN YOU DOG FUCKER YOU MUST BE DOING
THIS ON PURPOSE I’VE NEVER SEEN ANYONE AS EVIL AS YOU YOU FAKE
WHITE LOTUS AAAAAAHHHHHHHH–”
The mob gathered around, “Do we… charge?”
“Watch out for trickery. How about we observe first?”
Right at the same time, Hua Cheng finished building the little golden palace, and he
rose to his feet, raising his brows as he side eyed the little building he constructed, and
gently kicked.
Flop, flop, flop, the golden palace collapsed.
And that inn also rumbled as it crumbled.
The illusion was broken. Xie Lian turned back and looked, and behind wasn’t some inn,
but a collapsed little cottage, the kind that was normal in barren hills such as this. The
inn earlier was created by an illusionment spell.
That crowd of monks and cultivators who hadn’t yet decided whether to charge out were
all crushed under, knocked out by rotten logs and ragged straws. Xie Lian jogged to
Hua Cheng’s side, “San Lang, won’t using powers like this affect you?”
Hua Cheng waved his hand composedly and those gold foils all disappeared into thin
air. “Don’t worry, gege, something small like this is nothing.”
Just then, a piece of a broken roof moved, and Fu Yao poked out pushing a batch of
hay away, exclaiming angrily, “YOU’RE NOT BOTHERED, I’M BOTHERED!”
He had finally captured that fetus spirit, yet his vision suddenly went dark, and when he
looked up, that rotten roof was splitting and caving in, crumbling right on top of him,
what a disaster! Fu Yao plucked a piece of straw from his hair and stomped out before
Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, glaring at the Hua Cheng who was shorter than him right now
and raged, “YOU… You did this on purpose!”
Hua Cheng blinked but didn’t rebuke, but he didn’t taunt either, only raising his inky
black eyes to look at Xie Lian. Xie Lian immediately dropped his arm, grasped his
shoulder and pulled him behind his person, “No no, surely not. Kids don’t know how to
control themselves… so sorry, Fu Yao.”
Fu Yao watched him in disbelief with his head full of mussed up hair, “…Kids? You
highness, do you really think I’m so blind as to not recognize who this is?”
Xie Lian replied innocently, “What are you talking about? This is a very normal little kid.”
“…”
Fu Yao stared at Hua Cheng and narrowed his eyes, but then behind them came faint
creaking sounds, and it seemed Lan Chang also pushed up a piece of roof and crawled
out. Fu Yao turned back to her. Xie Lian sighed a breath of relief, putting Guzi on the
ground, but as he was doing so, a hesitant voice rang by his ears, “…Your Highness?”
Xie Lian immediately straightened up, “…Feng Xin?”
It really was Feng Xin on the other end, and it sounded like he also sighed in relief,
“Thank goodness! Your verbal password hasn’t changed after all.”
Xie Lian soundless gave a dry laugh. Eight hundred years ago when he activated the
verbal password for the first time, it was “Just recite the Ethics Sutra a thousand times”;
eight hundred years later, it never changed, and Feng Xin actually remembered. Xie
Lian remembered the way Feng Xin laughed until he was hoarse when he first heard
that verbal password all those years back, and couldn’t help but feel nostalgic even
though it wasn’t the right time.
“Yes, it hasn’t changed. How is it in the Upper Court? Is the Heavenly Emperor informed
of the affair with Ling Wen?”
Hua Cheng heard he was talking to a heavenly official of the Upper Court and
consciously stepped away, placing his hand on Guzi’s forehead to check if he was sick.
On the side, Feng Xin’s voice grew serious, “It’s not good. He knows. The entire Upper
Court is in chaos right now.”
Xie Lian sighed, “All the coordination and arrangement of Upper Court affairs had
always been managed by Ling Wen, so it couldn’t be helped. Could no other civil gods
take her place?”
“They have but they’re not effective.” Feng Xin said, “Usually they’re the most diligent in
scorning the Palace of Ling Wen, like they could do the job way better if they had the
position. Now that we need them to take up the task, not a single one can do even half
of what she does. Just the organization and management of news and information
alone made them dizzy; a number of civil gods all dropped and declined the position.”
Xie Lian shook his head and Feng Xin added, “And not just Ling Wen, but something
happened to Mu Qing too. He was locked up at first, but he beat up and injured the
guarding official and escaped.”
“What?!”
Hearing this, on impulse Xie Lian instantly looked to Fu Yao. That black clad youth was
just saying something to Lan Chang, and while there was displeasure on his face, there
was more disquiet. Xie Lian walked further away and lowered his voice, “What
happened to Mu Qing? How did it come to this???”
“He wasn’t just locked up, the entire Palace of Xuan Zhen has been suspended awaiting
investigation.” Feng Xin replied, “It was all because of that fetus spirit.”
Xie Lian’s voice grew softer, “What happened with the fetus spirit? Was he really related
to the case?”
“En.” Feng Xin said, “All the demons and monsters sealed everywhere have escaped
this time; Mu Qing was responsible for the female ghost Lan Chang and that fetus spirit,
but he didn’t manage to capture them, letting them get away. But during the pursuit, that
fetus had pointedly recognized Mu Qing and said, the one who carved it out from its
mother’s womb and molded it into a little ghost was Mu Qing.”
“That’s impossible!” Xie Lian blurted, “No way! Even though Mu Qing is someone…
Well, he had no reason to do something like this?”
“Who knows.” Feng Xin said, “But apparently, there’s a wicked cultivation method
involving the use of dead babies to accelerate ascension. Now there’s a number of
people suspecting whether if his ascension was also problematic, so they planned to
lock him up at first before taking their time to thoroughly investigate all his past actions,
yet who knew he couldn’t sit still and ran away himself. Now everyone believes he’s
guilty and escaped because of the crime.”
“Wait, wait, wait, wait.” Xie Lian said, “This, really isn’t right. If Mu Qing was the
perpetrator, then why didn’t that fetus spirit and Lan Chang recognize him at the Great
Martial Hall at first, and had to accuse him during capture? Isn’t this very obviously
slander?”
“By the time I’ve found out things have already progressed to this point, so I’m not sure
what’s really happened either.” Feng Xin said, “It seems Lan Chang and the fetus spirit
didn’t know who the spellcaster was either, but when the little ghost was first molded
and emerged, it had a random moment of clarity, broke free of control, and left a scar on
that individual. When that fetus spirit was fighting with Mu Qing, it saw there was also a
bite mark on Mu Qing’s arm, and it was an old wound of hundreds of years.”
“…did this bite mark match the cavity of that fetus spirit?” Xie Lian asked.
“A complete match.” Feng Xin replied.
“And how did Mu Qing explain this scar?” Xie Lian asked solemnly.
“He’s admitted that he’d seen the fetus spirit before,” Feng Xin said, “But he doesn’t
admit himself to be the perpetrator, that he saved that fetus spirit out of benevolence but
was bitten by it. A confession like this, he might as well not have tried to explain
anything.”
That was true, only because “helping out of kindness”, “love and protect children”, “do
good without leaving name”, in everyone’s minds, were all things Mu Qing would never
do. Mu Qing had always been ‘lonesome’, never having shown any unnecessary
kindness, and didn’t really make any intimate friends in the heavens. Now that
something’s happened, no one would believe him even if he tried to argue, and naturally
there was no one to speak on his behalf. This was probably why he chose to run away
and investigate the truth himself.
“Things are still out of control here, Your Highness,” Feng Xin said, “Where are you?
The Heavenly Emperor said the gathering of ghosts is probably unstoppable by now.
Hurry back and join the assembly!”
“I’m currently…” Xie Lian started.
Before he continued however, Fu Yao’s cold voice suddenly sounded from behind him,
“Who are you talking to?”
——–
Ch.140: Sharp Tongues and Pointed Teeth; Winds Swallowed and Arrows
Shredded
Xie Lian heaved a sigh and turned around, “Sigh, I wanted to talk to someone, but now
that the spiritual communication array of the Upper Court is in shambles and I don’t
know any other heavenly official’s verbal password, I can’t say anything even if I wanted
to. Fu Yao, do you remember any heavenly official’s verbal password? Just so I can
send some news back and let them know I’m here, and request for some assistance.”
He looked at ease and natural, extremely persuasive, and the gloomy clouds on Fu
Yao’s face dispersed. He placated, “Don’t know. The entire heavens is a mess right
now, everyone’s busy. Take care of things yourself.”
Just then, Hua Cheng spoke up from the side, “Gege, this child has been starving for
two days, and he’s burning up.”
Xie Lian walked over to check, and sure enough, Guzi’s forehead was so hot an egg
could be fried. Instantly he pulled Qi Rong up and demanded, “How on earth do you
take care of kids?”
Qi Rong spat with his face covered in blood, “It’s not like this ancestor’s his real dad! It’s
already incredibly compassionate of me not to have eaten him! Mark me down for
merits, quick!”
“I think it’s more like he wouldn’t taste good feverish that you hadn’t eaten him.” Xie Lian
commented.
On the side, Lan Chang hesitated for a moment before speaking up, “Is that child sick?
How about I take a look?”
She was also covered in cuts and bruises from the collapsed beams of that dilapidated
cottage, but she felt sorry for the child and crawled over, cradled Guzi in her arms and
placed her palm over his head, seeming to be using her chilling body to cool Guzi’s
fever. Fu Yao walked over with the fetus spirit wrapped in a ball by a talisman in his
hand, “Time to go.”
Lan Chang obviously didn’t want to leave, but her son was in his hands so she was
helpless. Xie Lian spoke up, “Wait, don’t leave yet. Fu Yao, are you able to
communicate with your general right now?”
Fu Yao looked at him, “What do you want?”
Xie Lian chewed on his words, “Actually…”
Before he fully said the word, his hand suddenly stretched out and fast like lightning, he
instantly twisted Fu Yao’s arms behind and restrained in a deadly grip before he
continued, “Actually, I already knew he’s in trouble!”
Fu Yao was careless and allowed himself to be caught, and he was both shocked and
furious, “YOU! YOU SLY–!”
“No, no. This is all by my own strength alone. You can try ambushing me the same way
and see if you can hold me down.”
Hua Cheng politely clapped, “I agree.”
Fu Yao was going to roll his eyes from anger, “THEN WHY DON’T YOU LET ME GO
SO I CAN TRY, HUH??”
Xie Lian straightened his expression, “Next time, if there’s a chance. Right now we’ve
got more important things to worry about. Fu Yao, will you help me advise your general
to return to the Upper Court?”
“…Return?”
Fu Yao’s anger was forcefully suppressed into a low voice, “That’s easy for you to say! If
the one stuck in the situation was you, would you go back? What would you say if
others urge you to return? Go back to be wronged and wait for a conviction? Go back to
wait for death?!”
“Don’t get riled up, I’m being serious.” Xie Lian said, “I’m not being sarcastic. Your
general and I are different, his situation isn’t so hopeless to the point of no return; the
real bad was him running away. If you can connect with him, tell him I can help him
investigate.”
Fu Yao was stunned, “You. Help him investigate?”
“Yea. I’ve done a lot of investigations, so I’m somewhat experienced. More experienced
than him anyway.” Xie Lian said.
“Your Highness, need I remind you that after you returned to the heavens, how many
heavenly officials have you investigated?” Fu Yao said, “And how many of those
heavenly officials have fallen after you’ve investigated?”
Xie Lian cleared his throat softly, “That’s different. The problem doesn’t lie with me. If he
really didn’t commit any crimes, then of course I can prove his innocence.”
Fu Yao puffed a laugh from exasperation and cut him off, “That’s enough! It’s not like no
one knows of the personal grudges between you two. Help him investigate? Would he
even have the chance to flip this around then? If you want to use this chance to drag
him down and laugh at him, just say so instead of acting all fake.”
Hearing this, Hua Cheng’s face grew dark. A moment later, he smiled, “Nevermind,
gege. This guy doesn’t know how to recognize goodness when he sees it, so why waste
your breath? Some people are simply born ungrateful, and gauges the heart of a man of
integrity with their own wretched closed mindedness. He doesn’t trust you, and well, I
don’t have the time to care for him anyway. Let him struggle and figure things out for
himself.”
Fu Yao glanced at him and taunted, “‘Kid’?”
Hua Cheng returned his respects and also mocked, “‘Junior Official’?”
Fu Yao’s face dropped slightly. Xie Lian tightened his hold and said gently, “Well, this
and that are two completely different matters, personal affairs and business shouldn’t be
mixed together. It’s one thing if he and I have a personal grudge, whether if he’s
committed a crime is another thing. Someone like Mu Qing, even though he’s
narrow-minded, petty, sensitive and skeptical, has a bad personality, constantly
guessing, doesn’t say nice things, likes to nag, always offending people and a lot of
people dislike him, has no friends, can remember small, unimportant details for a long
period of time…”
“…”
Xie Lian went on in one breath with a straight face, but in the end he concluded with,
“…But I’ve known him since we were kids after all, he’s still got principles.”
“…”
Xie Lian continued, “He might spit in the cup of someone he doesn’t like, but he would
never poison the water to harm others.”
“…”
Hua Cheng commented flatly, “Really? That’s still gross though.”
Fu Yao was popping veins, “NO! He would never spit either!”
“Laxatives then.” Xie Lian said.
Fu Yao seemed to be suppressing himself, “You… must you describe him this way? Are
you speaking for him or against him?”
“Sorry, I just couldn’t think of any better examples at the moment.” Xie Lian apologized.
Fu Yao struggled a bit but couldn’t loosen the hold and demanded in alarm, “Were you
snitching to someone in the heavens earlier?”
Xie Lian replied heavily, “Not yet. I was just chatting. Don’t worry, I won’t harm your
general. If he really doesn’t want to go back, then why not join me and we can act
together? That way, there’s a witness for anything he’d do, otherwise he wouldn’t be
able to clear himself and things would get worse…”
Just then, there was suddenly a roar of crude laughter from behind them. Qi Rong was
staring at Lan Chang’s face and suddenly went mad, “HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA I
WONDERED WHO THIS WAS! ISN’T THIS, ISN’T THIS MY LADY JIAN LAN?”
Lan Chang was holding Guzi in her arms at first, cooling his temperature, but hearing
him, she shuddered and her eyes widened, “Who are you? How come you also…”
Qi Rong snickered, “How do I know? PLEASE! You almost had to call me little cousin!
What, so everyone’s turned into a ghost? Fucking around here and there and it’s all
familiar faces, this world really is small and lively, hehe!”
Xie Lian frowned, “Qi Rong, have you gone mad again? Who’s Jian Lan?”
“Heh, cousin crown prince, are you blind or are you playing stupid?” Qi Rong taunted,
“Look closely at who this is, it’s the number one maiden of our Xian Le – the Lady Jian
Lan! Her family’s all politicians and merchants, indescribably grand and glorious. Her
looks are so-so, but her name will be on the charts every time there’s a Xianle beauty
appraisal. So proud her eyes are grown on top of her head; she saw and cared for no
one. She almost entered the harem and was almost elected as a concubine!”
“What?”
Xie Lian’s eyes flew to Lan Chang’s face unconsciously. Back then, the king and the
queen did indeed have the intention of electing a concubine for him and summoned a
number of exquisitely selected girls to enter the palace for a banquet just to let him see
if there was anyone who he might fancy. However, young Xie Lian had his whole heart
focused on cultivation, and left the banquet after making only one round, never even
bothering to remember the faces and names of those girls, so he could recall nothing.
Lan Chang glanced at Fu Yao but Fu Yao only humphed, “My general said nothing of
this. This woman is also a remnant citizen of Xianle, so she must’ve seen you before in
the past.”
Xie Lian turned to Hua Cheng, and he didn’t look surprised either, so it didn’t seem like
it was something he only just found out. Xie Lian turned to Lan Chang and mumbled,
“Were you really…”
However, Lan Chang hurriedly covered her ears and cried, “Don’t say it! Don’t say it out
loud! DON’T USE THAT NAME TO ADDRESS ME!!! I’ve… long since changed names.”
Xie Lian was taken aback at first, but dropped his arm and sighed heavily.
The daughter from a noble family of bygone years was now a prostitute in the ghost
realm. She changed her name probably because she was afraid to bring shame to her
dead family and wouldn’t admit that the her now was herself.
This woman was once his devotee, his citizen, so how could he not sigh.
Just then, he suddenly felt warmth on his hand, and when he looked down, it was Hua
Cheng who wasn’t looking at him, but held his hand.
Although he was currently in the form of a small child and his body temperature was
cool, but when this small, cool hand held his, it was infinitely warm.
Qi Rong however, didn’t have any sympathies at all, and clicked his tongue, “Who
would’ve thought the lady Jian Lan who was so out of reach in the past would turn into
such an old and ugly hag now! I never thought you looked that beautiful, and now, my
eyes are certainly sharp, you really don’t look that great! I might as well ask, who’s the
dad of this mutt you gave birth to?”
His words were extremely classless, and Jian Lan’s face was growing pale. Qi Rong
continued, “It can’t be cousin crown prince? No no, that cousin of mine probably can’t
even get it up, that’s why he spends all this time pretending he’s all chaste with no mind
for women, what a faker. How can he have a son? Oh-OH! How could I forget? After
Xian Le fell wasn’t my lady sold to that kind of place? It must be the seed of some
Yong’an pleb!”
Xie Lian couldn’t stand this anymore and was about to go make him shut up but Jian
Lan exploded faster than he did, and slapped Qi Rong soundly, “WHAT’S ALL THAT
GARBAGE YOU’RE SPEWING?!”
Qi Rong’s nose bled from that slap and he glared, “YOU’RE NOTHING MORE THAN A
FIERCE OR A SEVERE, A NOBODY LIKE YOU DARE HIT ME WHO’S ALMOST A
SUPREME?!”
Jian Lan spat on his face, then choking his neck, she slapped him twice again, “WHAT
SHITTY SUPREME! YOU SURE KNOW HOW TO BLOW YOURSELF UP! WHO DO
YOU THINK YOU ARE, THINK YOU’RE EVEN WORTH TO BE THOUGHT OF AS
EQUALS WITH THE OTHER THREE SUPREMES? WHAT ARE YOU EVEN GOOD
AT? YOUR THICK SKIN? OF COURSE I DARE HIT YOU!”
Her words stabbed Qi Rong where it hurt, and Qi Rong became frustrated too, yelling
with his spit flying everywhere, “FOUL SLUT LET GO OF YOUR CHICKEN CLAWS!
THIS ANCESTOR THINKS YOU’RE DIRTY! UGH UGH UGH!!!”
The two twisted into a fight, however, it was Jian Lan who was pounding Qi Rong single
sidedly; Qi Rong was bound by Ruoye and couldn’t move a muscle, and he howled,
“XIE LIAN! HOW COME YOU WON’T STOP THIS FIGHT THIS TIME?? WHERE’S
YOUR SAINTLY HEART??”
Xie Lian had Fu Yao caught in one hand, and had his head lowered talking to Hua
Cheng, looking like he hadn’t heard Qi Rong’s shrieks. Jian Lan kicked at Qi Rong, her
eyes going red, and spat angrily, “Even if this ol’ mistress is wasted by plebs I don’t
want a worm like you touch a single finger! A creature like you unwanted by everyone,
TRASH! Think you’re good enough to call other people plebs! Who are you calling
plebs??”
Qi Rong was outraged, “Unwanted? ME, TRASH?! A HUSSY WHO’S ROTTEN TO
THE BONES LIKE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO SAY THAT TO ME? Who else but plebs
would appreciate looks like yours?! …WAIT!!! PUT DOWN THAT BOULDER!!!”
As they fought, a wave of rumbling roared from the skies. They all looked up at the
same time, and Fu Yao demanded, “Didn’t you say you didn’t snitch and was only
chatting?”
Hua Cheng frowned slightly, humphing, “Coming uninvited.”
A crackle exploded in the night sky, and everyone shut their eyes from that sudden
lightning flash. When they blinked open, not far away was a tall, black clad heavenly
official with a longbow carried on his back who was approaching them in long strides.
“Your Highness!”
Xie Lian dropped his sleeve and surreptitiously pushed Hua Cheng behind him, “Feng
Xin! Why did you come?”
Feng Xin quickly walked up, “You suddenly stopped responding, so I made inquiries and
found your whereabouts through ripples in spiritual energy.” Then he knitted his brows,
“What’s going on here? What a mess. Did you run into something?”
Xie Lian was about to answer when Feng Xin noticed the Fu Yao seized in his hand and
the Hua Cheng who was standing behind his person.
It was a picture completely outside his imagination, and he seemed to not know what to
be more surprised at, “What…”
Finally, he pointed at Hua Cheng after all and asked, “…What’s with this child?”
Xie Lian laughed drily, “Cute, right?”
Feng Xin glared, and watched Hua Cheng’s whose expression didn’t match Xie Lian’s
comment at all and asked doubtfully, “…Cute? But, why do I think he looks a lot like…”
Xie Lian replied easily, “Like my son, right?”
“??? When did you have a son?” Feng Xin was shocked.
Xie Lian smiled, “I haven’t yet. I’m just saying, that if I do have a son, he must be just as
cute, right?”
Hua Cheng held his hand and smiled, “Right.”
Feng Xin: “…”
Fu Yao: “…”
“Hahahaha… eh? My lady Lan Chang, don’t run away!” Xie Lian called.
Feng Xin turned around and saw a woman’s shadow jump away from Qi Rong’s side,
running away wildly, and without a moment of hesitation, he aimed his arrow and locked
on to her legs.
Yet unexpectedly, perhaps it sensed its mother was in danger, the fetus spirit that was
tied into a ball by a yellow talisman in Fu Yao’s hand suddenly started quivering, then it
blew up the talisman and shrieked as it lunged at Feng Xin. Jian Lan seemed to have
run away with her head cut off from panic, and only when she heard its voice did she
remember her son was still in the hands of another. She turned around and cried,
“CUOCUO*!”
This was the first time Xie Lian learned of that fetus spirit’s name. So it was called
Cuocuo. Feng Xin’s arrow changed course, and shot towards that snow white fetus
spirit. However, there was only a crunching sound, and that fetus spirit flipped a couple
times in the air, hopped on to a nearby tree. It had bitten between its teeth that arrow,
and everyone had the chance to see its appearance clearly.
Rather than say it was a fetus, it was more like a deformed little monster. Its skin was
blanched white like it was brushed with a layer of powder; its eyes were abnormally big,
shining a peculiar light, and on top of its head were a few yellowing strands. Two rows
of razor-sharp fangs gnawed at Feng Xin’s arrow, biting it clean into two, then spat out
that shimmering arrowhead, nailing it next to Feng Xin’s boots. Then a long, dark red
tongue like that of a snake slithered out of its mouth like it was making provocations.
Without another word, Feng Xin reached for another arrow and locked on to it. That
fetus spirit was crawling up and down the tree like a lizard, exceedingly agile, no wonder
Fu Yao couldn’t catch it so easily. Jian Lan cried anxiously, “Don’t fight him, RUN!!!”
Only blood parents could care for such disgusting monsters. Feng Xin locked on,
loosened the bowstring and the arrow flew. The little leg of that fetus spirit was nailed
through, and it shrieked, unable to crawl any longer. Jian Lan dashed back, reaching out
to pull that arrow out, but because her class was too low, when she touched the
fletchings she was rebounded back and there was even sparks from the blow. She
backed away a couple steps but kept going back to pluck relentlessly, erupting splashes
of sparks.
Feng Xin put away his bow and approached, “Alright, time to go back. Don’t add
anymore to our work pile… JIAN LAN?!”
Jian Lan, who was rebounded again, shuddered when she heard his voice and stopped
moving, quickly turning away. However, Feng Xing pulled her back and asked again,
“Jian Lan?”
“…” Xie Lian could sense trouble and asked, puzzled, “What’s going on?”
Jian Lan mumbled vaguely with her head down, “You’ve got the wrong person.”
“What are you talking about? How can I mistake you for anyone else?” Feng Xin
exclaimed, “You look very different now, but I would still not…”
But words got stuck in his throat, because before when Jian Lan was Lan Chang and
covered herself in heavy makeup, looking like a wench, he really didn’t recognize her.
It couldn’t be helped. Feng Xin still looked exactly the same as he did once upon a time,
but Jian Lan’s transformation truly was too great.
Looks, makeup, manners, speech, class… even if her blood parents were to stand
before her they might not recognize their precious daughter.
Feng Xin was astonished, “…It’s you. It really is you. It has to be you! …I thought you
married, and was living well. How did you… how did you become this way…”
Listening to this point, Jian Lan suddenly turned around and shoved him, cussing, “YOU
MOTHER FUCKER!”
Feng Xin backed away a few steps from her shove, unable to speak. Jian Lan continued
to shove him, pushing his chest back forcefully while she screamed, “I ALREADY SAID
I’M NOT THAT HAG, DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND HUMAN WORDS? ARE YOU
DUMB IN THE HEAD?! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT “YOU, IT’S YOU, IT’S REALLY
YOU”?! CAN YOU NOT PRETEND TO NOT KNOW ME? CAN YOU NOT PRETEND
TO NOT RECOGNIZE ME?! OLD MASTER, PLEASE I BEG YOU, LEAVE ME SOME
FACE, YEA? ALRIGHT??”
Acting like this, she was no different than a shrew on the streets, and this was probably
too different than the Jian Lan in Feng Xin’s memories, so he only looked at her dumbly,
unable to speak. Xie Lian was the same. Qi Rong was the one delighted, rolling on the
ground laughing, “HAHAHAHHAHA OH MY FUCKING GOD! COUSIN CROWN
PRINCE! DO YOU SEE WHAT’S HAPPENING? YOU GOT CUCKED BY YOUR MOST
LOYAL DOG!!!”
Jian Lan violently stomped on Qi Rong a few times, “DOG! A DOG! YOU’RE THE
MOST LIKE A DOG!”
Strictly speaking, Jian Lan was once selected with the heavy hope of her family on her
shoulders but she had never formally entered the harem, and was thus never elected as
a concubine, so Qi Rong’s delight made no sense. However, Xie Lian really didn’t know
what to say anymore.
He had never imagined that Feng Xin, who would never speak to a woman if he could
help it, would actually…
Just then, that fetus spirit shredded the arrow nailing it down with a crunch, and lunged
at Feng Xin once more. In a moment of carelessness, Feng Xin allowed his arm to be
deeply chomped down and blood immediately seeped out, pouring nonstop.
The right arm was the arm Feng Xin used habitually. To a martial god, a habitually used
arm getting injured was nothing, and Feng Xin raised his left hand ready to strike when
Jian Lan cried, “DON’T HIT IT!”
Feng Xin’s hand abruptly stopped in mid air, and suddenly a terrifying thought was born.
It wasn’t just him; everyone present all came to think the same thing. Feng Xin allowed
that fetus spirit to gnaw at his arm like a piranha as he looked to Jian Lan, “… Is…
this…?”
————
●‘C’ sound in Chinese is pronounced ‘Tss’, so “Cuocuo” sounds like “Ts-woh
ts-woh”. “Cuo” means “wrong” or “a mistake”. Doubling a word in a name usually
makes it cute or kiddish.
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