Novel Name : Heaven Official’s Blessing
Heaven Official’s Blessing Chapter 171-180 - End of Book 3
Chapter 171-180
Ch.171: The Last Princess; Throat Slit Before Palace Gates
“I’ve never had the fortune to meet the Rain Master, so I didn’t know the Rain Master is a
princess…” Xie Lian said.
On the other side, Xuan Ji gritted her teeth, “What… did you do… why… can’t… I move?!”
The Rain Master pulled her eyes away from Pei Ming and said gently, “I’ve brought the YuLong*
Sword.”
“The YuLong Sword?” Xie Lian wondered.
“It’s the sacred guardian sword of the Kingdom of YuShi, wielded by all of its rulers in history.
After the Rain Master ascended, she forged it as a spiritual device, and, naturally, possessed
the power to stupefy the people of YuShi. Xuan Ji was a traitor, fear and guilt still consumed her
heart, so of course she could do naught but obey.
The Rain Master told her not to move, and so she couldn’t move. Rong Guang exclaimed, “If
you can’t move, I’ll do it myself!” Then, just as he was about to stab Pei Ming again, before his
blade even pierced half an inch there was an explosion of red smoke, and CLUNK! The sword
that pierced Pei Ming’s chest disappeared. A tiny blade no longer than a finger fell to the
ground, and Rong Guang yelled furiously, “WHAT’S GOING ON? WHY CAN’T I MOVE
EITHER??”
Xie Lian and the others finally stopped watching from afar, and walked out. Hua Cheng glanced
at that tiny toy-like MingGuang sword on the ground and smirked, “Much better.”
“Let him go, Xuan Ji.” The Rain Master said.
Xuan Ji’s hands started to drop uncontrollably from Pei Ming’s neck, but she refused to yield,
her hands quivering, “I WON’T! I ALREADY CAUGHT HIM, I WON’T LET HIM GO!”
“If you must grab hold of something to feel better, why not pick up what you’ve tossed away, and
hold it in your hands anew?” The Rain Master said.
The powers of that sacred guardian sword was too strong after all, and Xuan Ji was forcibly
yanked off, falling back to the ground, unkempt and miserable, “What right do you have to
discipline me? Do you really take yourself for the ruler of the kingdom? I think you’ve forgotten
how your queenship came to be! I WON’T ACKNOWLEDGE YOU! I WON’T!”
The Rain Master was silent. On the side, Ban Yue snatched the opportunity and hurled out a
pot, sucking Xuan Ji in instantly, and swiftly sealed it!
And so, the source of all the mess was finally subdued. Xie Lian approached Pei Ming’s side
and helped him up, “General Pei’s alright?”
“This won’t kill me.” Pei Ming said. “I say, Your Highness, did you all perhaps arrive for a while
already?”
Xie Lian, “…Haha, what do you mean.”
Pei Ming picked up the tiny little sealed Ming Guang sword now in his hand, “Crimson Rain
Sought Flower, how tough is your seal? It won’t just break with some pressure, would it?”
“Of course not.” Hua Cheng replied, “Unless you hold the hilt and apply spiritual powers, and
mentally give it permission for it to be released, otherwise the seal won’t break by accident or by
deception no matter what.”
Only then did Pei Ming heave a long sigh. As for the farmers who escaped Qi Rong’s capture,
they all rushed forward, “LORD RAIN MASTER!”
The ones on this side turned around. Xie Lian inclined his head in a bow, “Queen YuShi.”
The Rain Master had dismounted the black ox, rope in hand, and she also bowed her head to
return the courtesy, “Your Royal Highness.”
During this greeting, Xie Lian inadvertently saw her neck and was slightly taken aback, but then
soon said, “Back then during XianLe’s draught, that my lord would lend me your Rain Master
Hat and aid me in my time of need, I was never able to thank you in person, and now my wish
has come true today.” Then, he bent forward and bowed deeply. The Rain Master stood there,
still, and waited until his bow was over before she said, “I had thought, if I didn’t let Your Royal
Highness bow this once, my lord might never relax. Now that it’s over, let us forget this affair.”
The tone of her voice was clear and serene, slow and calm with a bit of a smile, looking
particularly tranquil. Suddenly, a voice called out, “Hey Pei Ming, isn’t this embarrassing?
Needing a woman to save you, and it’s that Yu Shi Huang no less! Hehehahahaha…”
The Rain Master’s demeanor remain unchanged, still very at ease, but Pei Ming didn’t look that
comfortable anymore. Xie Lian noticed this and quickly slapped a talisman on that little sword to
seal its mouth. The ox held by the Rain Master also suddenly started blowing harsh breaths in
Pei Ming’s direction, shaking its head and swinging its tail. Although it wasn’t aiming at Hua
Cheng, but Xie Lian knew that when bulls saw red they’d get angry, and recalled the many
painful experiences of having been chased and struck, so he quickly blocked in front of Hua
Cheng, afraid that ox would be further provoked by the red colour of Hua Cheng’s robes. Pei
Ming had to say something at this point, thus, he scratched his nose, and said politely, “My
thanks to Queen YuShi for rescuing Little Pei.”
The Rain Master was also courteous, “It’s nothing.”
Ban Yue came over and tugged on the Rain Master’s sleeve, “Lord Rain Master, Pei Su gege
passed out from hunger…”
Hua Cheng looked up and swept a look, “Let’s go back up first.”
Ban Yue’s problem was most effectively solved by people of YuShi Country. Since the Rain
Master ruled agriculture, food often never left their persons. Once they were back above
ground, night had passed and the sun had come out. The Rain Master instantly retrieved seeds
from the satchel on the ox, found a field, and planted them on the spot. It didn’t take long before
a small field of crops were grown. Those who had been starving all cheered.
Xie Lian remembered that Gu Zi probably hadn’t eaten well in the past few days either, and
woke him up. However, the first thing Gu Zi asked for when he woke up was where his dad was,
and had thought his dad deserted him again. He cried and sobbed for a good while, and Xie
Lian had no choice but to give him that extremely ugly daruma doll to hold. When Gu Zi heard
this was his dad, it was like he was given treasure and stopped crying, hugging it tightly as he
ate.
Meanwhile, Xie Lian, Hua Cheng, the Rain Master, and Pei Ming stood on the side to discuss
serious business.
They could already see that ‘Kiln’ up ahead. Upon closer look, the lower half of the mountain
was large patches of crimson red like that of blood, and the upper half was covered with harsh
layers of snow. Xie Lian spoke up, “Not just General Pei Junior, but Ban Yue, Gu Zi, and the
others must all stay here. They can’t go onwards anymore. If the need arises, we might have to
climb the snowy mountain.”
Pei Ming was dabbing medicinal smoke from a small bottle over his wounds, shaking his head
as he sighed, “I’ve been unlucky this entire way, hurdles after hurdles.”
Those words really did describe his journey thus far, incredibly unfortunate, and he was feeling
quite miserable. The Rain Master was sitting poised next to Xie Lian, and after some
contemplation, she said, “Your Highness, your mission this time is to subdue all monsters and
ghosts who possess the potential to become a Supreme. Then, there is one that you may need
to watch out for.”
Xie Lian became excited, “Did Lord Rain Master run into something on the road?”
The Rain Master nodded slightly, “Yes. On the way here, I’ve met a young man dressed in
white.”
Xie Lian let out a soft “ah” and said, “The one my lord speak of, we’ve also caught wind of him
on the road. Many of the monsters and ghosts were afraid of him, and we almost ran into him
too. Have my lord seen him in person? How did you get away?”
“Much ashamed.” The Rain Master said, “If it wasn’t for this Protection Steed’s astounding leg
power and that young man’s lack of interest in disputes, it would’ve been difficult to say how the
meeting would’ve ended.”
“How did he look like?” Xie Lian pressed.
“It wasn’t clear,” The Rain Master said, “Because his head was wrapped in bandages.”
Head wrapped in bandages?!
Xie Lian was dumbfounded, “Was it Lang Ying?!”
Pei Ming frowned, “Your Highness knows him?”
“I’m not too sure.” Xie Lian replied, then instantly turned to Hua Cheng, “San Lang, Lang Ying is
in the Ghost City for sure, right?”
Hua Cheng also looked serious, and only answered after a pause, “He was, but whether if he is
still is hard to say. Gege, why don’t you verify further?”
Xie Lian thus continued his questions, “Lord Rain Master, you said this white clad young man
had his head wrapped in bandages, was he about ten years of age, or maybe a bit older? Either
way, a scrawny boy.”
Yet unexpected, the Rain Master replied, “No. That young man was about sixteen or seventeen,
and his body type was close to that of Your Highness.”
“Huh?” Now this was completely out of Xie Lian’s expectations. “Sixteen, seventeen? Lang Ying
isn’t that old.”
So was it him? Based on the current information, nothing could be concluded. Pei Ming tossed
that little medicinal bottle aside after he was done and said, “Either way, we’ll all end up in the
Kiln in the end, so let’s just wait and see.”
He was a martial god after all, and his recovery speed was curiously fast. With just a bottle of
medicine, that severe wound was already pretty much healed. The Rain Master inclined her
head, “Why doesn’t General Pei have a sword?”
Pei Ming hadn’t expected that she would actively ask himself that question, and hadn’t figured
out how to best respond, and on the side, Pei Su who was finally conscious, answered while
eating a roasted sweet potato, “General, Pei’s, sword was, snapped.”
When the Rain Master heard this, she contemplated for a moment before removing her own
sword, and handed it to Pei Ming in both hands.
There wasn’t anything off about her expression, and both her words and actions were very
well-mannered. However, Pei Ming’s face changed slightly, looking as if she was giving him a
poisonous snake. After some hesitation, he said, “Thanks, but this is the Rain Master’s sacred
guardian sword. It’s probably inappropriate wielded in my hands.”
“General Pei is a martial god, a skilled swordsman.” The Rain Master said, “Since we are here
to prevent the birth of a new ghost king, then this sword would be more effective if wielded by
you rather than me.”
Pei Ming hesitated for another good while but in the end still very politely declined, “Pei thanks
Queen YuShi for her kindness. But there’s no need.”
Seeing this, the Rain Master no longer pushed. The few of them then chatted for a bit, and the
Rain Master also inquired whether if they had any news of the Wind Master. Only then did Xie
Lian learn that the Rain Master had also sent for a search, but it was fruitless, and he couldn’t
help but sigh.
The group of them decided that they shall rest for another two hours before continuing on their
way. Xie Lian walked off for a bit and had wanted to just find a tree to lean against and lie down
for a bit, but Hua Cheng dug out a bunch of ropes and cloth from who knows where, and set up
two swinging hammock beds between two trees. The two of them climbed in, and there was
ample space, very comfortable to lie in. After lying for a bit, Xie Lian had his arms pillowing the
back of his head, and wondered in confusion, “San Lang, why won’t General Pei take Lord Rain
Master’s sword?”
A martial god lost his weapon but he’s not anxious to find another one? Was he waiting to be
beat?
Hua Cheng also pillowed his arms behind his head and replied leisurely, “Someone like Pei
Ming, while he loves women, he might not think highly of women. Since he had to be saved, and
by a woman, and one he knew in the past no less, he must be quite frustrated, thinking it’s
embarrassing. Besides, the Rain Master had disciplined his descendant before, so perhaps he
felt the Rain Master was trying to make fun of him. How could he possibly take the sword?”
“Sigh, what nonsensical pride.” Xie Lian commented. “By the way, San Lang, did you see?
There’s an old scar on Lord Rain Master’s neck.”
“I don’t need to see to know.” Hua Cheng said, “She’s the ‘Princess Who Slit Her Throat’ after
all.”
Xie Lian pulled himself up slightly, “I knew it.”
Hua Cheng rose too, “Did gege notice that the Rain Master speaks slowly? That’s also caused
by the old scar on her neck.”
“Ah! And here I thought it was because of her personality.” Xie Lian said, “As a princess, why
did she have to slit her own throat? Xuan Ji’s “Have you forgotten how your queenship came to
be” also makes one curious. How did her queenship come to be?”
“It’s a long story, but I’ll make it short.” Hua Cheng replied.
Turns out, while Yu Shi Huang certainly was of royal descent from the Kingdom of YuShi, but,
first, she was daughter; second, she was born from a concubine of the lowest rank, so her
status wasn’t high. With her introverted personality and awkwardness, the fifteen older brothers
and sisters above and the younger brothers and sisters below, each and every one of them was
more in favour than she was.
The Royal Cultivation Hall of the Kingdom of YuShi was the Temple of YuLong, and throughout
history, every ruler would select a royal descendant to go and cultivate, to pray for prosperity
and peace to express sincerity to the heavens. It sounded grand, but in truth it was hard labour.
The method of cultivation the Temple of YuLong practiced was hard labour; no servants or any
item of comfort was permitted, and once they’re there they had to do manual labour too. In the
past, this position was pushed around, and some would even spend an impressive fortune to
find a replacement. However, when this generation came around, there was no selection
process. Yu Shi Huang was decided on from the get go.
“No wonder Xuan Ji sounded like she didn’t think highly of the Rain Master.” Xie Lian remarked.
“Of course.” Hua Cheng said, “Xuan Ji might not be a princess, but she also came from an
impressive background with many suitors. She was much more valued in the eyes of royalty
and nobility.” However, now that Xuan Ji had ruined herself like this, no wonder she couldn’t
stand the Rain Master who still planted fields so tranquilly. The Rain Master urged her to let go,
but in Xuan Ji’s eyes, her words were probably seen as condescendingly sarcastic.
Xie Lian shook his head. While they were both from a royal background and both entered the
royal cultivation halls, the Rain Master’s experience was completely different than his.
In an case, after that, the Rain Master spent her days in peace and cultivation in the Temple of
YuLong. Until one day, a few esteemed guests came to from the Kingdom of XuLi.
XuLi and YuShi didn’t immediately fall out; there was some forced civility and false courtesy at
first. In order to maintain the bogus peace, the Kingdom of XuLi sent a few royalties, generals,
and civil officials to attend the national banquet of the Kingdom of YuShi, and pay a visit to
YuShi’s royal cultivation hall while they were at it.
That day, Yu Shi Huang was cleaning the shingles on the roof of the temple, and when she was
about to come down, she found someone had taken the ladder away.
The people at the bottom saw someone stuck on top of the roof, unable to come down, and all
thought it funny, and even the princesses and princes of YuShi were snickering with their
mouths covered. Only a general of XuLi who, after chuckling, leapt up and brought her down.
This general was of course Pei Ming. Just then, a voice spoke up suddenly, “That guy Pei Ming,
he’s like that no matter where he goes, like a dog that needs to piss and mark his territory
everywhere.”
Xie Lian was instantly pulled back to the present by that malicious and vulgar comparison.
When he looked back, he picked up the unbelievably shrunken little sword and said, “General
Rong, when did you break free of the mouth sealing talisman? It seems you really want to talk.”
“Let this ancestor speak!” Rong Guang said, “I know every sordid affair Pei Ming has had, three
days and three nights won’t be enough to tell it all! He knew XuLi was going to invade YuShi but
still he went and seduced all the princesses in the most favour, and they were all crazy for him,
fighting each other over jealousy. Don’t you think that’s a little immoral?”
It certainly wasn’t nice. To smile and laugh with me yesterday, then invade and trample my
home today. Xie Lian felt a little sorry. “Did Queen YuShi and General Pei share a good
relationship back then too?”
“There was no relationship.” Rong Guang said, “That guy Pei Ming has only ever met Yu Shi
Huang twice. There were too many beauties in YuShi; he’d forgotten her the next day.”
In this world, it wasn’t only women who fall out fast; men fall out even faster, the only difference
being the end result. When women fell out, it might be over after some slaps or scratching, but
when men fell out, the end could very well be your death. When XuLi no longer wished to
maintain a false peace, they made up some excuse to invade, and Pei Ming lead the army and
charged all the way to the Palace Gates, forcing the king of YuShi at the time to hide deep
within the palace, holding on to the very last line of defense. However, Pei Ming only needed to
apply a bit of pressure and he could crack that snail shell-like, delicate layer of protection that is
the palace.
But, he didn’t crush them so simply, and instead, did something else under Rong Guang’s
suggestion.
The XuLi troops brought over hundreds of felons on the death row from YuShi, dressed them up
as normal civilians, and dragged them before the palace gates. Then, he told King YuShi if he
should come out himself and kowtow three times to show penance for oppressing his people,
kill himself in atonement, then he would let those civilians go and not lay a single finger on any
of the remaining members of the royal house. If he should refuse, Pei Ming would chop off those
civilians’ heads. He gave the royalties three days time, and every day in the three days, a new
group would be killed. After three days pass, they would invade the palace to kill the royals then
kill the rest of the civilians.
“General Rong, what a shrewd but beautiful move.” Xie Lian remarked.
Rong Guang wasn’t mad and was even pleased, “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
The reason XuLi used to invade YuShi became thus: “The King of YuShi was negligent and
oppressive in his rule, and out of justice, XuLi shall save and rescue the suffering YuShi
people”, a beautiful move.
If King YuShi refused to come out, then, he was selfish and didn’t love his people. The awkward
thing was, King YuShi had always publicized that he loved his people like his children, so if his
words and actions didn’t match, it would for sure produce resentment in the people, thinking
they’ve been deceived, “Didn’t you say you loved your people like your children? Why would
you turn around and have the civilians be sacrificed for the sake of royalty?” This would then
destroy their loyalty to the YuShi royalty.
After killing that group of ‘civilians’, they could then announce that they were felons already on
the death row anyway, doomed to die, and they were only used to reveal the lies and
selfishness of YuShi royalties. Such an immense contrast, it would surely calm the growing
fears in the hearts of the YuShi people, which would make things so much easier for XuLi’s
subsequent takeover.
However, if King YuShi really did come out and killed himself, whatever, there’d be no
difference, it’d save them the hassle. Besides, they firmly believed that King YuShi would never
come out to kill himself in atonement. Or rather, no monarch would be willing to end their life in
humiliation. To bow before civilians and enemy troops, admit one’s own mistakes then go die?
Dream on!
Yet unexpectedly, after only one day, just as Pei Ming was about to order for the execution of
the first group of ‘civilians’, the ruler of YuShi actually did emerge.
The palace gates opened, the monarch with the sacred guardian sword ‘YuLong’ hung at the
waist had walked out, kneeled before the people and kowtowed three times, then the sword was
pulled, slashing the throat, splashing the gates with blood.
Xie Lian could already guess what had happened, “Was it Lord Rain Master who had come
out?”
“It was.” Hua Cheng replied.
Later, it was after thoroughly interrogating the palace attendants and others of royal descent that
they found out what happened. Pei Ming and Rong Guang, and other soldiers were yelling
outside the palace, pacing back and forth, laughing nonstop, exceedingly arrogant. Within the
palace on the other hand, was utter chaos, crying and wailing filled the air. There was naturally
no way King YuShi would go out to kill himself, and he sat upon his throne, his face grim and
pale. Meanwhile, after all the brothers and sisters who usually fought each other so hard to gain
favours howled and wailed for so long, when they still didn’t see the king move a muscle, they
each began to very carefully try to persuade him. There were all kinds of reasons; what ‘this is
for the people”, “even if you die your name will go down in history”, “if this keeps up, the people
are doomed”, everything came out. Yet, nothing worked, and soon, a day was going to pass.
Some of the sons were growing anxious and they roared at their father in their agitated state.
The king hadn’t even died yet, and he was instantly outraged, swinging his staff out to beat
them. If this was before, then those sons and grandsons would surely never retaliate, but now
that they were in a critical state, no one cared. Thus, one of the princes couldn’t endure it and
fought back. Yet the back punch was too powerful, knocking the sixty some years old king down,
his head covered with blood, unable to get back up.
The group of princes and princesses were stupefied at first, but soon after, they realized they
were still angry, and restarted discussing how to drag the unconscious king out, and how to
complete the difficult request of kowtowing and atoning. Even ridiculous ideas like to hang him
like stringed puppets to control him were part of the heated discussion, and the king’s eyes
reddened from rage as he listened. After, they then decided that they’ll find two people to carry
the old king out to complete the atonement. However, now there was a new problem. Who
should those two people be? It was a dangerous position to be in; who knows if that Pei Ming
would just shoot an arrow and kill them dead if he wasn’t happy.
The dispute and arguments went on and on, on and on. Suddenly, the sixteenth princess who
had always stood there silently and unnoticeably, said something to the old king who was lying
on the ground.
Yu Shi Huang said, “Please pass the throne to me.”
King YuShi watched this daughter he barely looked at in all his life, and in the corner of his eye,
a crummy drop of tear finally rolled down.
However, it was only the one drop.
Thus, in less than an hour, in the crudest and most rushed succession ceremony in the history
of the Kingdom of YuShi, the monarch who was the least likely to become queen was born.
The new Queen of YuShi slit her own throat, and blood poured like a fountain, no doubt beyond
saving. Pei Ming had never thought things would progress like this, and he was completely
stunned at the time. Rong Guang cursed loudly, yelling how did things turn out like this? How
could they do this! To have someone insignificant die, not only could they not destroy the
people’s loyalty, they couldn’t kill the old crook either.
Although even the soldiers of XuLi couldn’t bear to watch anymore and rushed to save the
queen, in the end her injury was too great, and the medical officers all said she couldn’t be
saved. Thus, in the end, they could only keep their promise, and not touch the civilians nor
temporarily lay fingers on the royalty. They sent this ‘monarch’ to the Temple of YuLong, to have
her breathe her last before burying her in the royal mausoleum at the Temple of YuLong.
Yet no one had imagined, that very night, in that moment when Yu Shi Huang took in her last
breath, the divine statue of the Rain Master over her head sighed.
Thunder roared and lightning crackled; the new Rain Master had ascended.
Xie Lian mused, “No wonder General Pei looked like that when he saw that sword.”
——-
●[雨龍] YuLong - means the Rain Dragon
——-
Ch.172: Ride the Black Ox; Flying Hooves Mount the Kiln
That was the sacred guardian sword Yu Shi Huang used to slash her own throat, so of course! It
was a spiritual device for sure, but it was also a weapon. Rong Guang said, “Yu Shi Huang sure
is generous, otherwise she was doing it on purpose to scare him. Think he’d dare use YuLong?
Hahaha…”
Xie Lian couldn’t contain it anymore, “I don’t think so. There wasn’t any need to be so shrewd?”
Then he slapped on another talisman to seal Rong Guang’s mouth. It just so happened that
right then, Pei Ming also called out from the distance, “Your Highness, Crimson Rain Sought
Flower, are you two rested? Time to put the beds away and let’s get on the road.”
The resting time wasn’t that long in the first place, and time passed while they were chatting.
The others stayed behind while Xie Lian, Hua Cheng, and Pei Ming set off. The Rain Master
had a steed, and offered to give them a ride to send them to the foot of the Kiln mountain. Xie
Lian thanked her graciously. That black ox shook and transformed, and became three times
bigger than its previous size, now with room to carry six people on its back. Its front legs
lowered to the ground, laying his body low, and the Rain Master mounted, riding at the very
front. Pei Ming was next, but he left a large space between the two of them. The last were Xie
Lian and Hua Cheng.
Xie Lian mounted and that black ox rose to its feet, now incredibly tall in height. Xie Lian felt that
smooth and shiny black coat and was amazed, “Lord Rain Master’s steed truly is magical. San
Lang, I think you might’ve mentioned it before, but how did it come to be again?”
The black ox spread its four hooves and started running, the landscapes on either sides quickly
disappearing behind, incredibly fast and steady. Hua Cheng was sitting behind Xie Lian, lightly
hugging his waist, as if afraid he might fall, “It was the door knocker of one of the side doors at
the Temple of YuLong, the royal cultivation hall of YuShi.”
Turns out, there was a small custom at the Temple of YuLong: when one saw a golden beast
upon the door knocker, one would rub it to add a bit of the aura of life. When devotees visited,
what they usually rubbed were mostly dragons, tigers, herons, and other such holy beasts;
people didn’t typically rubbed oxen, so it was rather deserted and lonely. Thus, while Yu Shi
Huang was cultivating at the Temple of YuLong, every time when she went to seek water and
passed that door, she would rub the head of that ox. The door knocker soaked in her essence of
life, and when the Rain Master ascended, the ox ascended with her. As for the others, she
appointed no one else.
The black ox sped rapidly, and Xie Lian’s body was leaning back slightly from the force, almost
like he was sitting in Hua Cheng’s embrace, and he smiled as he listened, “There sure isn’t
anything San Lang doesn’t know, it’s like no tales or classics can trip you up.”
Hua Cheng smiled too, “Is there anything else gege wants to know? I’ll tell you everything if it’s
within my knowledge.”
Pei Ming sat in front of them and didn’t try to chat with the Rain Master, so he was listening in on
them, “Indeed, Lord Ghost King. Your Highness, why don’t you ask about Crimson Rain Sought
Flower’s background? See if he’ll answer you?”
Xie Lian’s smile faltered.
To inquire after the background of a Ghost King was quite rude. To raise an inappropriate
example, in Xie Lian’s mind, this kind of personal secret was no different than asking for the size
of a man’s manhood. He instantly changed the subject, “General Pei!”
“What?” Pei Ming asked.
“There’s bumps up ahead, watch out!” Xie Lian exclaimed.
“What are you talking about?”
Just as the words left his lips, the black ox carrying the four of them mooed a long cry as deep
as a bell, and Pei Ming was flung off.
He was stupefied, “What the heck?”
This was truly never heard of nor seen. Flinging aside, mistakes happen after all, but, why not
fling off the one at the front or the back, and it just had to be the one in the middle? Was that
even possible?
The ox never paused in its steps, and Xie Lian looked back from ahead, his hollers trailing back,
“Didn’t I say there were bumps ahead and to watch out, General Pei…”
Throughout the entire journey, Pei Ming was flung seven to eight times, and the four riding the
Rain Master’s protection steed finally arrived at the foot of the Kiln mountain.
The Kiln used to be a lusciously green mountain sitting in the heart of the royal capital, its
sceneries beautiful and elegant, much like Mount TaiCang, and at its foot was the majestic royal
capital, the most prosperous imperial city.
This imperial city used to be buried deep underground, but it probably resurfaced after going
through many earthquakes, emerging back above ground. Xie Lian sat on the black ox and his
eyes roamed the surroundings for a moment and was about to dismount when he saw Hua
Cheng was standing there with his hand out towards him. Xie Lian’s heart skipped a beat and
gave him his hand before hopping down, “There must be a divine temple here in the imperial
city too, right?”
“There certainly is.” Hua Cheng replied.
Although Pei Ming fell seven to eight times during the ride, but, as expected of a martial god, he
was very sturdy and when he walked he didn’t limp even once, and even reached out to pat the
ox’s neck. He piped up, “The tallest building in the city must either be the palace or the divine
temple, I’m guessing.”
Hua Cheng replied, “No. The WuYong Temple in the imperial city is on top of the mountain.
He pointed. Sure enough, halfway up the deep crimson mountain was a corner of an eave
peeking out, but the majority of the building itself was hiding behind the misty red shadow. Xie
Lian wondered, “Why is that mountain red…”
He didn’t get to finish his question when suddenly, that ox roared and threw its head back. They
were already moving ahead, but startled, they looked back. That ox was already rolling on the
ground, and the rope was tightly gripped in the Rain Master’s hand never loosened, “What’s
going on?”
That ox let out a human scream, “AAAAHHHHHHHH–!!!”
Xie Lian was further away and hadn’t seen clearly what was happening, but he did see the Rain
Master, who upon hearing that cry, pulled out YuLong and struck down towards the black ox!
The shine of the blade flashed, and something black and furry was flung away, crashing against
a wall on the street, splashing a large, astringent red flower. It was a corpse-eating rat!
What screamed earlier wasn’t that black ox, but that corpse-eating rat who climbed onto the ox
when no one was looking and bit into it. Although the rat was at the brink of death, it was still
screaming, “Your Royal Highness – Your Highness Your Highness Your Highness! SAVE ME
SAVE ME SAVE ME!”
BOOM!
Xie Lian’s heart lurched, his ears ringing, and Hua Cheng instantly pulled him behind his
person, raised his hand and that corpse-eating rat was instantly blown to a ball of misty blood.
Yet, the little eyes still stuck on the wall was still shimmering in madness.
“Lord Rain Master, I suggest you check over your steed.” Hua Cheng said.
The Rain Master felt and turned over the black ox’s hair and said, “It’s just a scratch.”
However, there were more and more human voices rising from all around.
“Cough, cough cough, take me away, take me away!”
“I should’ve fled a long time ago…”
“We shouldn’t have believed his nonsense, what a wrongful death!”
“Gege, gege? Your Highness!”
That last line was particularly clear and it was Hua Cheng’s voice. Only then did Xie Lian
snapped out of it, “Sorry!”
Hua Cheng looked serious, “Did you understand what they were saying again?”
Xie Lian nodded. Hua Cheng reached out and covered his ears, “Don’t listen to them. Those
words weren’t directed at you.”
“I know.” Xie Lian said.
Thousands upon thousands of corpse-eating rats came swarming towards the four of them,
pouring in like black tide. This was the imperial city, the population much denser than the city
before, which meant there were more deceased, providing a more abundant meal for the rats.
Thus, their numbers were quite impressive. They were being heavily surrounded. Pei Ming was
growing serious, a thin layer of protection aura covered him, “You all leave first, I’ll lead them
away…”
Yet unexpectedly, before he finished, that large, ocean-like flock of rats screeched and dashed
in a particular direction – they were running towards the Rain Master!
Before anyone had noticed, the Rain Master had already remounted her black ox, and was
running away in the opposite direction. That ox had already made a distance of some tens of
meters away, but it wasn’t going too fast; it was fast enough that the corpse-eating rats couldn’t
keep up, but slow enough that the rats still kept her in sight, keeping the perfect distance to lead
them away without them catching up. Yu Shi Huang called out from the distance, “My lords
please go forth on your way, I can lead them away.”
As the Rain Master moved riding her ox, she scattered white and full grains of rice along the
way. Rats loved rice by nature after all, and who knows how many years it’d been since they
last saw such full and white large grains of rice, and they rushed after her. What Pei Ming had
wanted to do was robbed by the Rain Master, and his expression was conflicted. Hua Cheng
dropped his hands and said, “Gege, let’s go.”
When Xie Lian heard the voices of those corpse-eating rats his head would throb, so when the
voices were gone he let out a breath of relief and nodded. However, Pei Ming turned to them,
“You’re going to leave just like that?”
“Yea?” Hua Cheng said.
Pei Ming frowned, “The Rain Master can’t possibly take care of that on her own, it’s crazy to run
off like that.” Then after some thought, he finally came to a decision, “Your Highness, you both
go on first. If I can catch up after then we’ll meet up at the divine temple!” Then he turned
around and went off to chase after the Rain Master.
Xie Lian was perplexed, “How come General Pei doesn’t think the Rain Master can take care of
herself? Wasn’t the situation just now more than obvious that Lord Rain Master is more than
capable?”
Hua Cheng laughed, “He probably can’t stand being protected by a woman.”
Without wasting any time, the two crossed through the imperial city and the innumerous empty
shelled stone people, and ran towards that big mountain.
They finally set foot on the Kiln.
The reason why this mountain looked like it was dyed in the colour of blood was because the
forests on this mountain were all red. They weren’t maples, but they were crimson like maples,
the colour of blood. Xie Lian could also smell the stench of blood. It seemed, the nutrients of the
plants here were plenty of resentment and human blood.
This fourth WuYong Temple was built halfway up the Kiln, the largest of the four temples, and in
comparison, also the most well maintained. Within the halls were also many stone people, their
poses and expressions all different. The two ran straight for the grand hall, and when they
entered, sure enough there was a mural. However, after Hua Cheng swept a look. He said, “It
appears someone’s come before us.”
Within the grand hall was only one mural. The other two walls, while the walls themselves were
fine, but their surfaces were already slashed and destroyed.
This was the first time they’ve encountered this. Xie Lian was slightly dumbfounded, “Who
could’ve done this?”
They didn’t even know who painted the murals, and now they had to add the mystery of the
mural destroyer into the mix. Still, they were short on time, so they studied the mural that was
left. With just one glance, not even a close examination, and all the hairs on Xie Lian’s back
were raised.
“WHAT IS THIS?!”
This mural was completely different than those of the other three temples. There was only one
person in the painting, however, the colours were dark, the lines and faces were extremely
twisted, the appearance of the person couldn’t be discerned at all, only that it was a civilian in
tattered clothing.
But that was nothing. What made Xie Lian shrink back in chills was, this person appeared to be
in excruciating pain, he’s ripped his own clothing, and exposed his own flesh.
Upon his body there were three faces, and each one was as contorted as his own!
It was the human face disease!
Under such a shock, Xie Lian unconsciously hugged his head and mumbled, “…It’s the same.
It’s exactly the same!”
The Crown Prince of WuYong had also encountered the human face disease!
Why was this person’s experience almost exactly the same as his?!
Hua Cheng saw how quickly things were going downhill and he steadied him, “Your Highness,
don’t look anymore.”
After some hesitation, he pulled Xie Lian over and pressed him into his embrace, the tone of his
voice firm but gentle, “…Alright! Your Highness, listen to me. Listen to me… All the murals
before were shown chronologically; the last one had the Crown Prince of WuYong build a sky
bridge, so the next one should’ve been an event that came right after. But, this mural doesn’t
connect to the last one at all, the timeline doesn’t make sense, isn’t that right?”
Just now, Xie Lian was overly shaken by the image of the human face disease, its shadows too
great in his heart, which was why he was petrified. However, he also came around really fast,
and instantly began thinking, “You’re right… there must be something missing in between.
Someone had destroyed the previous two murals before we came.”
“Since this person destroyed the other two murals, then why didn’t they destroy this one too?”
Hua Cheng asked, “Why did they leave just this one? And it just had to be the one of the human
face disease?”
“There are two possibilities.” Xie Lian said, “First, they might have thought leaving this mural
behind was inconsequential, and it didn’t matter if it remained. They were more concerned with
us seeing the other two.”
“And the second?” Hua Cheng asked.
Xie Lian said slowly, “This person actually destroyed all three murals and this one was painted
on afterwards. It’s fake.”
“En.” Hua Cheng replied, “It could very well be that all the murals we’ve seen along the way are
fake. We’re already very close to the answer, so before that, don’t start overthinking things on
your own, alright?”
Having been buried in his arms for so long, Xie Lian finally, completely tossed out that mural
from his brain, and only then did he notice the position the two of them were in, and was about
to pull himself away from the hold, “How embarrassing San Lang, I got overly agitated just
now…”
However, Hua Cheng didn’t allow him to break away, and instead pulled him in closer, smiling,
“Nothing to be embarrassed about, but…”
He lowered his head and said, “There’s actually a third possibility.”
The bottom half of Xie Lian’s face was still buried in his shoulder, and Hua Cheng’s voice was
right next to his ear, extremely, extremely soft, and other than Xie Lian, no one else could hear.
Xie Lian’s breath hitched slightly, and he heard Hua Cheng whisper, “The third possibility is, it
wasn’t that this person didn’t want to destroy all the murals, but they didn’t make it in time. Just
as they were destroying the other two, we’d come, so now, they’re hiding in the grand hall this
very moment.”
——
Ch.173: Cave of Ten Thousand Gods; Faces of Ten Thousand Gods Hidden
Hua Cheng’s breath was warm but his words made one’s heart cold.
Hiding in the grand hall?
A thought flashed, and Xie Lian instantly hugged Hua Cheng back.
Of course he wasn’t hugging him because he was afraid. If there really was someone hiding
there and they haven’t noticed, then that meant this was someone powerful. If that person
should notice anything off, then they might be forced to make a move. Thus, if it was only Hua
Cheng hugging him, being so intimate, then it would easily arouse suspicious. If both of them
were embracing each other, then it might appear more normal. Xie Lian scanned their
surroundings inconspicuously, and whispered, “Where do you think that person is?”
There was only one giant door to the grand hall, and that was where they entered. It was
completely empty within the hall, nothing out of place, and not even a stage or box for hiding
anyone. Other than them, there were only the temple attendants that were turned into stone.
The two whispered at the same time, “The shells.”
The insides of those stone people were all hollow, which meant, they served as hiding spots.
Humans couldn’t hide there, but ghosts certainly could!
After confirming that fact, Xie Lian sensed something and looked up. When he saw a stone
person about 6 meters behind Hua Cheng, his pupils shrank.
That seemed to have been a young man who had a higher status and was fairly calm. Since
what these statues recorded were the deaths of the WuYong people, most were hugging their
heads wailing or curled into balls, and this was one of the very few who were standing.
However, what made Xie Lian notice him wasn’t his pose but his face.
Although the face was blurry, but he could still see on the face of that stone person, the left side
was a crescent smile and the right side was a crying face!
Xie Lian blurted, “IT’S THAT ONE!” Then he pulled out his sword and struck as Hua Cheng
called out, “Gege?”
That stone person was slashed into pieces, leaving broken fragments of the shell all over the
floor, however, there was nothing inside. Xie Lian didn’t dare to let it slide, and turned over every
piece of the shards. Hua Cheng caught his hand, “Gege! What did you see just now?”
Xie Lian picked up and showed him a few of the fragments, “San Lang, this stone person, his
face… was the White No-Face’s mask.”
Hua Cheng’s face changed slightly but still he said, “Wait a moment.”
Then he gathered and put together all the pieces, reconstructing a complete face. When the two
looked, they were silent.
Just now, what Xie Lian saw was clearly a half crying, half smiling demon mask, but this head
that Hua Cheng had put together was a blurred face, not unlike the other stone statues.
Was it a hallucination? Or did he fall for an illusionment spell?
Sitting around wouldn’t get them answers, and the two searched all over the hall, smashing
every stone person. After some thought, they felt that perhaps someone had rushed to climb the
mountain before them, and decided not to stick around to wait for Pei Ming, and instead went
straight towards the summit.
The mountain body of the Kiln seemed to have a peculiar gravity, grounding them and
forbidding them from keeping light on their feet to fly. Thus, they could only climb by foot. The
higher they hiked, the steeper the path became, and the colder the air grew. First, it was a thin
layer of snow. Then, as they went up, the snow became thicker, and could almost swallow half a
boot. After four hours, the accumulated snow finally went past their knees, making climbing
more and more arduous.
Since they were walking nonstop, Xie Lian didn’t feel cold, and was instead covered with a thin
sheen of sweat, his face powdery white with red cheeks. He wiped away his sweat with the back
of his hand and looked back, about to talk to Hua Cheng when suddenly, his step fell hollow,
and his entire person dropped short by two feet!
His body sank into the heavy snow, and thankfully Hua Cheng had been following close behind
him, and quite naturally pulled him up, “Gege, be careful.”
Xie Lian stood next to him and looked back to see where he sank, and a large chunk of that
spot had caved in, revealing a dark, deep hole leading to who knows where. If Xie Lian didn’t
grab hold of the edge in time or if Hua Cheng moved too slow, then he would’ve fallen in for
sure. Hua Cheng added, “There are many hollow ditches in this area. I still remember their
general locations so just follow close to me. Take your time and it’ll be fine. Gege walked too
fast just now.”
So it turns out, the body of the mountain beneath the snow was quite weak, and there were
large and small holes everywhere, but just how many and how deep was unknown. However,
Hua Cheng actually remembered where they all were as they climbed. Xie Lian puffed a breath,
“Alright. Let’s stick closer together. We can’t yell or make loud noises on a snowy mountain
anyway, so if anything happens, it wouldn’t be easy to call for help either…”
Yet unexpectedly, just as the words left his mouth, angry roars came from up ahead, “ARE YOU
DONE–!!”
“…”
Which good brother dared to yell like this on such a steep and perilous snowy mountain?!
Xie Lian looked towards the sound feeling dumbfounded, and saw within that world covered with
snow, there were two little black dots currently in a brawl. One of them held a longbow, shooting
arrows nonstop. The other held a sabre, swinging like a tiger, striking down every single arrow.
Both the blade and the arrows held a sheen of spiritual light. Both parties were shouting curses
at the other, and that man holding the blade yelled, “I ALREADY SAID THAT LITTLE BASTARD
WASN’T KILLED BY ME, I’M LOOKING FOR THEM TOO!”
It was Nan Feng and Fu Yao!
Without going into why they were here too, Xie Lian was about to blurt out “shut up!” but then,
his reacted in time and swallowed it before he yelled too. If he roared the same way they did,
and the three of them screamed at each other, how could all the snow on the mountain still be
bound???
Hua Cheng hugged his arms and cocked an eyebrow, “Don’t they know that yelling on a snowy
mountain would cause an avalanche?”
“They can’t be that foolish?!” Xie Lian said, “Maybe they know, but they’re like that… when
they’re angry they stop caring for anything!”
Nan Feng and Fu Yao were both extremely pissed off, cursing while fighting, but because they
were too far away, their words were broken and what they were fighting over couldn’t be heard,
and they completely did not notice there were others who had come.
Xie Lian wanted to rush up to pull them apart, but with the heavy snow dragging down his pace
and deep holes under, there was no way he could immediately make it there to stop them. Xie
Lian ran for two steps before he stepped into another hole, and he stopped, “We can’t just let
them keep fighting like this!”
Just as he said so, a silver butterfly flew by like a sharp arrow, and Xie Lian was startled at first,
but soon after he relaxed.
Good idea! If neither of them could make it there in time, then why not just let a wraith butterfly
fly up and pass word first?
That silver butterfly’s speed was extremely fast as expected, and it only took three shouts
before it made it to the other side. However, before Xie Lian had tried to pass word, he saw Hua
Cheng’s expression grew cold. He noticed something wrong and asked, “What’s wrong?”
The smile on Hua Cheng’s lips had disappeared completely, replaced by a face that was as
frigid as this snowy mountain. Xie Lian pressed, “San Lang, what’s going on?”
Hua Cheng’s lips twitched and didn’t answer before Xie Lian suddenly felt panic for some
reason, and whipped his head around to look to the top, his eyes widening.
Up ahead by the snowy bluffs, a giant chunk of white mountain body trembled, then collapsed.
On the other end, Nan Feng and Fu Yao who were in the heat of the fight also sensed this
soundless pressure, and both looked up, and finally noticed what was about to happen.
The next moment. That mountain mass was like a thousand mile embankment, when it broke it
broke completely, carrying with it a wave of snow tsunami, rumbling and rolling as it pushed
down towards them!
They really caused an avalanche!!!
Xie Lian grabbed Hua Cheng’s hand, turned and ran. But after making his first couple steps he
remembered the other two further up ahead were much closer to the charging avalanche and
stopped in his steps abruptly, looking back. Sure enough, the other two had ceased fire to flee
together. Fu Yao didn’t run for very far before stepping into a hole, over half of his body sunken,
and snow buried over his chest. Nan Feng ran faster than him but also looked back, hesitating
for a moment seeming to want to save him. However, that wave of snow had already attacked!
The moment right before they were going to be swallowed, Xie Lian released RuoYe. That white
silk bandage leapt out into the distance and took no time to accurately looped around Fu Yao
and Nan Feng, yanking them up. Hua Cheng said darkly, “Gege! Leave them, don’t bother!”
Xie Lian held onto RuoYe tightly, dragging the two as he ran, “I can’t! They might fall into a hole
and get buried by snow!”
“Too late!” Hua Cheng said.
“What?! So fast??” Xie Lian exclaimed.
He looked up, and that overbearing shadow came crashing down overhead.
When Xie Lian turned back to save Nan Feng and Fu Yao, that moment he delayed and the
wave of snow swallowed him whole. The cold and heavy wave of snow surged without rest,
breaking him and Hua Cheng apart. Xie Lian was falling all over from the force, tumbling down
with the white wave, but still managed to keep struggling somehow. However, there was too
much snow, the surge too powerful,, and time and time again covered over Xie Lian’s head,
bringing series of sudden suffocation. In the end, Xie Lian shouted, “SAN LANG!”, unable to
hang on, and was buried down after all, disappearing within the icy snow current.
…
An unknown amount of time had passed before the snowy mountain was finally calmed.
A good moment later, in that field of flattened snow, a hand suddenly bursted out!
This hand felt all around the snow, then, an arm poked out, then a shoulder, then finally, a head.
Soon after, a person crawled out. He shook out his head and heaved a long sigh. It was Xie
Lian.
To forcibly dig himself out of that heavy layer of accumulated snow felt about the same as
digging himself out of a grave. Xie Lian’s face and hands were all red from frostbite, pretty much
numb, but he only rubbed his face a couple times before looking up, looking lost.
In that blanket of whiteness, there was not a trace of red.
However, Xie Lian couldn’t just yell randomly either. If he caused another avalanche then
everything would be over, so he could only rise to his feet, walking aimlessly alone in that snowy
world, and called out in a small voice as he walked, “San Lang? Nan Feng? Fu Yao?”
He was clearly going in the same direction they were going before, but now, it seemed to be
much colder than when he and Hua Cheng walked together. RuoYe was also unwrapped from
his hand. Xie Lian was puzzled; RuoYe shouldn’t have unwrapped. Even if he let go, RuoYe
would still bind itself to him, so what happened?
He knew something was wrong but he couldn’t tell what, and continued walking in a daze.
Suddenly from within the snowy winds ahead, someone had emerged. White robes black hair,
his sleeves flapping in the wind as he walked over slowly with his head down.
Seeing this traveler, Xie Lian was delighted and went forward, “My friend! You…”
But just as those words left his lips, that man looked up. On his face, was a white and chilling
mask, half of it smiling, the other half crying.
It was like someone had stabbed him with a blade, and Xie Lian screamed.
And after he screamed, he opened his eyes and shot up. It was after taking in some harsh
breaths before he shakenly noticed that at that moment, he wasn’t walking in the snowy
mountain at all, but was lying in a dark, shadowy place.
So it was a dream.
No wonder. Something always felt off in dreams, and Xie Lian exhaled a long breath as he
relaxed, wiping away the cold sweat on his forehead. After feeling things about for a bit, he
found beneath him was rocks covered with a blanket of grass, Fang Xin hung at his waist and
RuoYe was clearly wrapped around his arm. Xie Lian steadied himself and ignited a palm torch,
illuminating the place he was sitting in, calling out at first moment, “San Lang? Are you there?”
Yet unexpectedly, the moment the flames brightened the place, he instantly noticed right next to
him in the darkness stood another person, soundless and silent.
This was no small surprise, and Xie Lian was instantly covered in sweat, his hand on Fang Xin
immediately. That someone should be standing at such a close distance to him, there was no
way he couldn’t have noticed!
However, when he looked closer, that cold sweat went away. Turns out, it wasn’t alive, but a
stone statue.
And, it wasn’t the same as those stone statues of the victims fallen in the volcano eruption; this
was clearly a sculpture, and it was that of a divine statue.
With the palm torch in hand, Xie Lian went around once and verified that the place he laid was a
cavern. Within this cavern, a divine statue was erected and worshipped, its pose elegant, the
folds of its robes and flowing lines were all sculpted exquisitely. However, there was something
peculiar.
The face of this divine statue was covered by a light veil.
That light veil flowed like mist, and while it covered the face of the divine statue, quite strange,
but it wasn’t ugly. Instead, it added a mysterious beauty. However, Xie Lian had never seen a
heavenly official whose statues had faces covered, and he reached out unconsciously to pull
that light veil off when a voice came from behind, “Gege.”
Xie Lian whipped around and saw at the entrance of the cavern was a figure in red who
appeared out of nowhere. It was Hua Cheng. The face of that divine statue was instantly tossed
to the back of his mind and he rushed up, “San Lang! Thank goodness, I was just wondering
where you were. Are you alright? Are you hurt? That avalanche just now was too sudden.”
Hua Cheng walked in, “I’m fine. How’s gege?”
“Nothing is ever the matter with me.” Xie Lian said, “What is this place?”
After exiting the cavern did Xie Lian notice there was a long corridor outside. It didn’t seem
short, and who knows where it lead to. It seemed, this was a fairly large underground space. Xie
Lian was already used to Hua Cheng having the answers to everything, yet this time, Hua
Cheng replied, “I don’t know. Most likely under the snowy mountain.”
Xie Lian was amazed, “And here I thought it was a shelter San Lang found. I can’t believe not
even you know where this is?”
“No.” Hua Cheng said.
Well this was a first.
Hua Cheng had memorized where every ditch was on the mountain path but he didn’t know
what this place was. This cave wasn’t small either, had he never discovered it before?
Xie Lian couldn’t help but feel a little perplexed but didn’t press on, and instead raised his palm
torch higher, “How did we get here?”
Hua Cheng also summoned a few silver butterflies, letting them flutter about with faint light, and
replied softly, “Maybe we all made a misstep and fell through a ditch. It can’t have been
someone who put us here intentionally.”
Hearing him say so, Xie Lian couldn’t help but recall that dream he had just now, and a slight
chill went down his spine. Recalling another thing, he asked, “We’re here, then where’s Nan
Feng and Fu Yao?”
Hua Cheng replied unsympathetically, “Probably buried in the snow. Who cares, they’re
heavenly officials. This won’t kill them.”
Xie Lian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “Even if this won’t kill them, if no one could help dig
them out, then it still doesn’t feel great buried for a few decades. Maybe they’ve fallen in here
too? Let’s search for them. Oh by the way, San Lang, when your silver butterfly went forward
earlier, what did you hear them say?”
Hua Cheng snickered, “It’s just meaningless arguments, what else can it be?”
Xie Lian didn’t think it was that simple, otherwise Hua Cheng’s sudden change of expression
when that wraith butterfly flew over couldn’t be explained. Even now, while Hua Cheng was
snickering, his eyes were unkind. However, if he wasn’t going to tell, then Xie Lian wasn’t going
to ask. The two walked along the long corridor of the stone cave.
Only having walked for a while did they discover that the formation of this stone cave
underneath the snow was much more complex than they thought. It wasn’t just the one path
going all the way, but there were many forks in the road going to various other caverns, big and
small.
Within every cavern there was a divine statue; some tall, some short, some boyish some
youthful, the robes were ever changing, the poses all different: reposing, standing, sitting
composedly, sword wielding, dancing, all sorts. The level of skill were different too; some of the
sculpting work was rough and unrefined while others were so extraordinarily exquisite they
could be called otherworldly. They probably weren’t sculpted by the same person.
As Xie Lian looked along the way, he couldn’t help but exclaim in awe, “This… this place is a
Cave of Ten Thousand Gods. The one who built this cave must be an incredibly devout
believer.”
However, all the divine statues had the same peculiarity. All of their faces were covered by a
light veil.
Some had their entire bodies covered, exceedingly strange. Xie Lian really was quite curious,
and wanted to pull off the veil of one of the divine statues to see its face, but Hua Cheng spoke
up behind him “Gege, I suggest you don’t.”
Xie Lian looked back and asked, “Why not? I think these statues are a bit weird.”
Hua Cheng approached him and explained, “It’s precisely because it’s weird that it’s best you
don’t. If this face was covered, then there’s a reason why it’s covered. The head is the place
where a person’s spiritual energy is gathered, so if the veil is removed, who knows what would
happen with all the spiritual energy gathered by these weird statues.”
His speech sounded pretty out there, but it made sense. If the veil was removed and woken
something within those statues, then things wouldn’t be funny anymore. Xie Lian contemplated
then dropped his hand in the end, “I was only curious which deity this is, that’s all.”
Hua Cheng said lightly, “This is the Kingdom of WuYong, so it’s probably the Crown Prince of
WuYong. Nothing amazing.”
However, Xie Lian said, “I don’t think so.”
“Oh? What do you mean?” Hua Cheng asked.
Xie Lian gazed at him, “From all the murals we’ve seen along the way, the style of dress of the
Crown Prince of WuYongAnd the people of WuYong are very different from the style of dress of
these divine statues. So, I think these statues probably have nothing to do with the Crown
Prince of WuYong. In fact, this might not have been sculpted by someone of WuYong.”
Hua Cheng smiled brightly at him, “Is that right? Gege really has an eye for detail.”
Xie Lian also smiled, “Nah. It’s just, the style of these statues, whether it be the sculpting, the
dress, the details in which the flowing lines are carved, they all look more the style of the later
periods. For example… XianLe’s style.”
Hua Cheng raised his brows, “It seems, gege is also deeply gifted in this area.”
“Nah. One would gain some knowledge after seeing so much of something like statues, it’s
nothing.” Xie Lian said.
Although he couldn’t quite put his fingers on it, but his instincts told him that since earlier, there’s
been something off about Hua Cheng. And after having talked to this point, Hua Cheng was
starting to become subtly nervous.
————
Ch.174: Cave of Ten Thousand Gods; Faces of Ten Thousand Gods Hidden 2
However, he still didn’t press on it, “Since San Lang thinks it’s best not to look at them, then let’s
stay cautious.”
Hua Cheng nodded lightly and the two continued onwards. Just then, they came to another fork
in the road, and Hua Cheng went straight for the left. Xie Lian paused in his step and didn’t
follow. Hua Cheng looked back, “What is it?”
“San Lang’s never come to this cave before, right?” Xie Lian asked.
“Naturally.” Hua Cheng replied.
“Then how come San Lang is so sure we should go left?” Xie Lian questioned.
“Not so much sure,” Hua Cheng said, “I’m just going blindly.”
“Since you’ve never come here before, how can you go blindly? Shouldn’t we consider which
way to go more carefully?”
Hua Cheng smiled, “It’s precisely because I’ve never come before that we should go blindly.
Either way we know nothing of the formation of this place, so we might as well boldly bet on our
luck, and my luck has always been better.”
Although that certainly made sense, but actually, every time the two went out, he had always let
Xie Lian decide the way. It wasn’t often that Hua Cheng took the initiative to lead. Xie Lian
nodded and the two were just about to enter the tunnel on the left when suddenly, Xie Lian
spoke up, “Wait! – San Lang, do you hear that?”
“What?” Hua Cheng asked.
“On the right,” Xie Lian said, “There are voices.”
Hua Cheng face changed subtly, and after listening intently for a while, he said, “Gege, I think
you’ve heard wrong. There’s nothing.”
“There is!” Xie Lian exclaimed, “Listen closely, it’s a man’s voice!”
Hua Cheng tried listening again and frowned, “I really don’t hear anything.”
Xie Lian was taken aback and he wondered to himself, ‘Am I hallucinating again?’
“Your Highness, this is fishy, there might be tricks.” Hua Cheng said, “I suggest we talk after
getting out first.”
Xie Lian hesitated for a moment but in the end still said, “No! It might be Nan Feng and Fu Yao,
I best go take a look after all!”
Then he ran off down the path while Hua Cheng called after him, “Gege! Don’t run off!”
However, hearing that faint yelling, the other party must’ve fallen into an extremely dangerous
state and couldn’t allow any delay. Xie Lian didn’t dare to be careless either, and quickly ran
down the path to the right. The deeper he went down the tunnel, the clearer the angry roars of a
man could be heard. Xie Lian was delighted, ‘It really is Nan Feng and Fu Yao!’
Xie Lian didn’t know how long he spent going down the winding tunnel, but in the end he finally
found the source of the voices, and it was a giant cave. There were no divine statues in this
cave but a deep pit instead, and that was where Nan Feng and Fu Yao’s voices were coming
from. It seemed, they were both trapped at the bottom of the pit unable to climb up. However,
they were still energetically yelling at each other, so there shouldn’t be any life threatening
troubles for the moment. It was too dark down below to see anything clearly, and Xie Lian
cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted from above, “HEY–!! WHAT’S HAPPENED TO
YOU GUYS?”
When the two at the bottom of the pit heard someone was here, they instantly stopped their
arguing, and Fu Yao’s voice came, “YOUR HIGHNESS? IS THAT YOU? HURRY AND PULL US
UP!”
Nan Feng on the other hand, didn’t speak. Xie Lian was puzzled, “You guys can’t climb up on
your own? This pit isn’t that deep though, what’s happening down there?”
It might be because he’s been fighting the entire way, so Fu Yao was full of fire at the moment,
“RUBBISH! IF WE COULD CLIMB UP ON OUR OWN WE WOULD’VE DONE IT ALREADY!
YOUR HIGHNESS, DON’T YOU HAVE EYES?”
Xie Lian squinted, “I can’t see that clearly. Do you still have spiritual power? Can you light a
palm torch so I can see what the situation is down there? If you can’t then I’ll throw a fireball
down…” Yet unexpectedly, before he finished his sentence, the two at the bottom yelled in
unison, “DON’T!!!”
The sound of of them stopping him was close to alarm and terror. Fu Yao then yelled,
“ABSOLUTELY DO NOT LIGHT ANY FIRES!”
If he couldn’t light fires, then he’d have to use other ways to illuminate the place. Xie Lian’s first
reaction was looking back, “San Lang…”
However, San Lang didn’t follow after him. There was no one behind him. Xie Lian was slightly
taken aback; at first he felt slightly worried, then after, it was confusion. He couldn’t have lost his
way?
Ever since they’ve entered this Cave of Ten Thousand Gods, Hua Cheng had been acting quite
strange, but Xie Lian couldn’t quite put his fingers on exactly how. He looked to his left and right
and suddenly discovered that on his own shoulder rested a tiny little silver butterfly, and he tried
touching it lightly, “…Hello?”
When that wraith butterfly felt his touch, it fluttered its wings a couple times but didn’t fly away,
and only seemed to be showing him its flapping. On this journey, Xie Lian had heard Hua Cheng
tell him that his silver butterflies were divided into various categories. He didn’t know what
category this one belonged to, what it was responsible for, but whatever it was made for, it could
at least shine some light. Thus, he asked, “Can you go down to take a look for me?”
Sure enough, that silver butterfly flapped its wings and flew down. Xie Lian called out, “Thank
you!” and waited until it reached the bottom of the pit. Once the soft silver light illuminated the
situation below, Xie Lian couldn’t help but widen his eyes.
At the bottom of the dark pit was a field of haunting white, the entire hole covered with a thick
layer of a bed of silk!
Nan Feng and Fu Yao were both wrapped into two cocoons among the silk chrysalis, like two
little flies stuck in a spider web. They were both black and blue in the face, their heads covered
in blood, but who knows if that was caused by their mutual beatings earlier. Xie Lian couldn’t
help but pat himself on the back for not doing things recklessly, otherwise if he did throw a torch
down, the entire pit would probably be set ablaze instantly.
“What’s going on?” Xie Lian asked, “Is that cobweb? Could this be the nest of a spider spirit?”
“WHO KNOWS!” Fu Yao yelled, “EITHER WAY WE CAN’T BREAK FREE!”
It seemed he was desperate to escape. Nan Feng on the other hand, had an unreadable
expression, and looked as if he was going to call for help at first too, but when he saw the one
who’d come was Xie Lian, he stifled and swallowed his words and said instead, “Don’t come
down yet, this silk is really tough. Once it gets on to you it’ll be hard to break free.”
“I won’t come down.” Xie Lian said.
After deliberating for a moment, Xie Lian tied one end of RuoYe to the hilt of Fang Xin and was
going to lower the sword down to try and see. Yet unexpectedly, RuoYe only snuck down
halfway through before those cobwebs discovered it and rapidly shot upward, as if ready to
show what they’re made out of. RuoYe backed away in terror, yet, it was still too late, and those
cobwebs caught on, tied a knot, and yanked it down, pulling Xie Lian down as well.
He had never imagined that this cobweb was actually this strong and sharp!
The moment Xie Lian fell into the pit, those white strings of silk instantly charged forward and
tied him up nicely. The rest of the cobwebs were then slowly crawling about, further securing the
‘cocoon’ on Nan Feng and Fu Yao’s bodies. Fu Yao was going mad with rage, “How come you
fell too? Now look at us, three dumb fools! Let’s all just die here together!”
“What are you griping about?” Nan Feng shot back, “This only happened because he was trying
to save us!”
Xie Lian on the other hand, was tumbling, “Hahaha, hahaha, hahahaha…”
The other two looked at him dumbfoundedly, and Fu Yao said, “Did you hurt your brain on the
way down? Have you lost your mind?”
Tears were rolling down from the corners of Xie Lian’s eyes, and he said with much difficulty,
“N… No, hahaha… what’s with these cobwebs… what are they… so ticklish, I can’t…
hahahaha…”
When he fell down, that silk bed very gently caught him, and the cobwebs that came to bind him
were also very gentle and tame, and while they were apprehending him, they brushed softly
here and there, like they were tickling him. Xie Lian curled into a ball, tenaciously fighting back,
“No, don’t, wait! Stop! Stop! I give! STOP
!!!” Only then did the white silk bind his hands behind his back and stopped. Nan Feng and Fu
Yao watched him, and a moment later, Fu Yao said grumpily, “How come those cobwebs were
so tough in binding us but so loose when binding him? Not even his face is covered.”
Xie Lian finally caught his breath and said, “Aren’t, aren’t your faces uncovered too?”
Fu Yao rolled his eyes and replied, “They were covered, but after we came to we used our teeth
to bite them through, otherwise there would’ve been no way we could make noise.”
Xie Lian tried struggling for a bit but that cobweb was indeed tough and unyielding. Plus, he was
laughing too hard earlier, his ribs were in pain, so he was temporarily out of commission, and
decided instead to relax a bit, lying himself down flat, “So how did you two end up here?”
“Don’t know.” Fu Yao replied, “When the avalanche happened, snow came covering down like
the sky was collapsing, and by the time we woke up we were already here.”
“No no no,” Xie Lian said, “I meant why did you both come to Mount TongLu?”
When this subject was raised Fu Yao became enraged, “I was pursuing that female ghost Lan
Chang and that fetus spirit, who knows why HE’s here!”
“Me?! I’m here to chase after that mother and child too…” Nan Feng answered.
Fu Yao spat, “Then why didn’t you go chase them? Why did you hit me?? I… My general
already said that fetus spirit has got nothing to do with him, he didn’t kill them! His good heart
taken for a donkey’s liver, truly, there’s no point in being a good person!”
Xie Lian mediated out of habit, “Alright, alright, stop arguing, I understand the situation now.
Stop fighting for now, stop your arguing. You even caused the avalanche just now, so can you
just take a break? Let’s think of a way out together.”
However, Nan Feng was also incensed, “Does your general not know what he’s usually like? He
has no reason to complain if people are suspicious of him!”
Fu Yao glared, “What did you say?! I dare you say that again!”
Nan Feng was glaring harder than him, “I DO DARE! I’ll say it again: it wasn’t like you had any
good intentions, you only want to show benevolence to those you can’t stand so you can be all
pleased with yourself in secret. You’re just satisfying yourself and waiting to watch others make
a fool of themselves. Don’t give me that “good heart taken for donkey liver”, and don’t think
yourself a good person! Genuinely good people aren’t like you, YOU’VE NEVER BEEN ONE!”
Veins popped on Fu Yao’s forehead, his lips twitching, “THIS IS ALL YOUR IMAGINATION,
PURE NONSENSE!”
Nan Feng shouted, “WHETHER OR NOT IT’S NONSENSE YOU KNOW BEST, HOW WOULD I
NOT KNOW YOU!”
Fu Yao’s veins were now popping all the way down to his neck, “WHAT RIGHT DO YOU HAVE
TO LECTURE ME? LOOKING DOWN ON PEOPLE FROM SO HIGH UP, CAREFUL YOU
MIGHT FALL AND BREAK A LEG!”
“I’M STRONGER THAN YOU IN EVERYTHING!” Nan Feng yelled back, “DID YOU THINK NO
ONE KNOWS OF THAT SHITTY DEED YOU’VE DONE?!”
Just the mention of it and Fu Yao seemed to be even more furious, “…YES! I ADMIT I DID IT!
BUT HOW MUCH STRONGER ARE YOU THAN ME? TAKING YOURSELF FOR THE MODEL
OF LOYALTY, DIDN’T YOU DITCH THE BOSS WHEN THE WIFE CAME ALONG? THE WIFE
AND THE SON BECAME MORE IMPORTANT?! EVERYONE’S DOING THINGS FOR
THEMSELVES, IT’S THE SELF THAT’S PRIORITY! AREN’T YOU EMBARRASSED HANGING
ON TO THAT OLD SHITTY DEED OVER MY HEAD?”
When he heard “wife and son”, Nan Feng was completely outraged, “YOU FUCKING… YOU! …
I? You?”
Although the two couldn’t move, they were already at each other’s throats, and did not realize
the way they addressed each other had already went from “your general” “my general” to “you”
“me”, and because they were overly aggravated, they completely did not notice if they were
exposing something, and only now did they come around. Xie Lian had long stopped talking.
Nan Feng and Fu Yao both whipped their heads over to look in Xie Lian’s direction, and saw Xie
Lian silently flipped on the silk bed, turning over and only showed them his back, “Um… I saw
nothing. I meant, I didn’t hear anything.”
“…”
“…”
Xie Lian faced the stone wall and said gently, “Are you two going to keep going? Um, as for
what you were discussing, I won’t comment on anything else, but I actually do think that the wife
and the son are the most important. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s basic human
sentiment. These are all really old gripes, so let’s not stew ourselves in it and think of a way to
escape first….”
Fu Yao cut him off, “…You already knew?”
Since it didn’t seem he could get away with it any longer, Xie Lian could only concede, “Yea…”
Fu Yao said in disbelief, “When did you find out? How did you find out?”
Xie Lian didn’t have the heart to tell the truth and said instead, “I’ve forgotten.”
The real answer was, a very, very long time ago. Since Mount YuJun he already had a faint
suspicion, and by the time they made it to the BanYue Pass, he had already verified the truth.
What junior martial officials from the Middle Court? They didn’t exist. “Nan Feng” and “Fu Yao”
were only little clones created by Feng Xin and Mu Qing!
It was like Fu Yao couldn’t believe his real identity was so easily seen through, and was
relentless, “When exactly did you find out? How did you find out? There must’ve been
something that gave it away, what was the flaw?!”
“…”
Xie Lian really couldn’t bear to tell the truth. There wasn’t anything to give away, since those two
had flaws all over!
The three technically grew up together after all, how could Xie Lian not be familiar with the way
they behaved and spoke? From the sloppy fake names to the never-changing personalities, it
was too easy to guess. If he couldn’t guess who were under those two skins, then he would’ve
lived all those years for nothing.
But, some things were best not to be said by the person himself, and some things were best not
to be done. For example, in minding the appearance of a heavenly official, one couldn’t easily
roll eyes or cuss, but in a different identity, he could be much more open and relaxed. Thus, Xie
Lian never felt the need to expose them.
Fu Yao, no, now he should be called Mu Qing. Mu Qing gritted his teeth and said chillingly,
“…So, you had already known who we were for a long time, but you never said anything, and
was only watching us play acting quietly, right?”
————-
Ch.175: Cave of Ten Thousand Gods; Faces of Ten Thousand Gods Revealed
Seeing that he was taking things quite hard, Xie Lian contemplated and in the end went with the
guidance route, “Actually, it’s not that big of a deal…”
Mu Qing sneered, “I knew I was right! Is it fun? Were you enjoying watching me act? HM???”
Now that they’re being honest with each other, Mu Qing was now tearing him a new but real
one. On the side, Nan Feng, no, Feng Xin was also looking rather awkward at first, but he really
couldn’t stand listening to Mu Qing anymore, “Watch your tone!”
Mu Qing is pale faced and thin skinned, and when blood rushed to his face it was very obvious,
and his entire face was flustered. He whipped his head around, “What tone? Don’t forget you’re
one of the jokes! I’m not so generous as you, having been someone’s entertainment for so long
and still have no complaints!”
“I wasn’t trying to watch you guys make fools of yourselves.” Xie Lian said.
Feng Xin also added, “Stop thinking people are as narrow-minded as you. Even when that shitty
deed of yours landed you in Heaven’s Prison His Highness still tried to help you…”
“HA! Well thanks so much. But me ending up in Heaven’s Prison was all thanks to your son!
WHAT! WANNA FIGHT?! NOT AFRAID TO HAVE A SON BUT AFRAID OF TALK??”
Feng Xin really wanted to knock him dead for having raised the subject of his son.
Unfortunately, all three of them were bound into balls by that cobweb at the moment so they
couldn’t move a muscle and could only curse at each other, all manners and class gone.
Xie Lian saw Feng Xin was getting red in the face from anger, and was afraid the moment he
got aggravated he would start his whole martial god cursing the streets act, so he tried wiggling
a bit, rolled a few times, and rolled to Mu Qing’s side, “Mu Qing, Mu Qing? Can you try turning
around a bit?”
Mu Qing stopped his yelling and took a breath, “What do you want?”
“Feng Xin is too far, I can’t roll over, but since these cobwebs can be ripped apart by teeth, I
want to try and see if I can break the bind on your wrists.” Xie Lian explained.
Mu Qing glared at him for a moment, his expression suddenly cold like a dead fish watching the
heavens, “No thanks.”
“I really do want to help.” Xie Lian said helplessly.
“Your Highness possesses the body of a thousand gold, I can’t possibly trouble your greatness.”
Mu Qing said coldly.
Feng Xin cussed, “WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK! WHAT ARE YOU BEING ALL SARCASTIC
FOR AT A TIME LIKE THIS?? HE’S HELPING YOU TRYING TO SAVE YOU, SO HOW DOES
HE OWE YOU ANYTHING HUH!”
Mu Qing’s head shot up, “Who asked him for help? Xie Lian! Why must you always show up at
a time like this??”
Xie Lian was a little taken aback, and suddenly remembered vaguely that Mu Qing seemed to
have asked him the same thing a long time ago. How did he answer then? He couldn’t
remember. “Is there something wrong with showing up at times like these?”
Mu Qing laid back down, “Either way I don’t need your help.”
“Why?” Xie Lian questioned, “Sometimes one does need the help of others in order to get by.”
“Don’t bother with him anymore.” Feng Xin said, “He’s just a show-off and thinks you helping
him would make him lose face.”
Mu Qing and Feng Xin were choking each other’s throats on the side while that wraith butterfly
danced leisurely around Xie Lian, shimmering its faint silver light, unhurried and calm, and it
made Xie Lian remember something so he immediately changed the subject, “Stop arguing, you
two. It’s more a joke if others were to see you like this. There’ll be someone coming to get us
out in a bit.”
Mu Qing said derisively, “None in the heavens nor earth will heed calls in this hellish place,
who’s gonna come save us? Unless it’s…”
Before he finished he thought of a person, and the end of his thought stopped abruptly. Feng
Xin however, asked directly, “Crimson Rain Sought Flower’s come with you?”
Mu Qing was doubtful, “You trust him that much? You sure he’s gonna come?”
Xie Lian was confident, “He will come.”
Although Hua Cheng had been behaving oddly this entire way, and there were several times he
was almost suspicious that the one next to him was a fake Hua Cheng, but, instincts also told
him that was impossible. Mu Qing added, “Even if he came, how would he find this cave?”
Feng Xin suggested, “Why don’t we holler some more? The more people the louder the voices.”
“No need.” Xie Lian said, “We only need to sit and wait. No, just lie down and wait. Because
Hua Cheng and I are joined by a red string…”
Before he even finished his sentence he could see Feng Xin and Mu Qing’s faces twitching, like
some worm had crawled into their ears. “…What’s with those faces?” Xie Lian asked, “Don’t get
me wrong. The red string I’m talking about isn’t something so frivolous as the ‘red string of fate’,
it’s a spiritual device. Just a spiritual device.”
Only then did the two stopped their twitching. Feng Xin replied, “Oh, I see.” Mu Qing on the
other hand, was doubtful, “And what kind of spiritual device is that? What does it do?”
“It’s quite useful.” Xie Lian said. “It’s a red string tied on both our hands with an invisible
connection in between. One can use this red string to find the other, and as long as one is still
breathing, the red string will never break…”
Before he even finished the other two couldn’t listen anymore and cut him off, “HOW IS THAT
DIFFERENT THAN THE ‘RED STRING OF FATE’? IT’S EXACTLY THE SAME THING!”
Xie Lian was taken aback, “No, I don’t think so… it’s different!”
“Think a bit for yourself how it’s different, will you? It’s very much the same thing, alright?!” Mu
Qing exclaimed.
Xie Lian pondered over it and discovered, it’s true! The meaning and function of this spiritual
device really was quite similar to that ‘red string of fate’ the more he thought about it. Just as he
thought he shouldn’t ponder more on it anymore, a voice came from above, “Gege? Are you
down there?”
The moment he heard that voice, Xie Lian felt himself relax and instantly looked up, “SAN
LANG! I’M DOWN HERE!”
Then he turned to the other two in the pit, “You see? I told you he’d come.”
Seeing how happy he looked, both Feng Xin and Mu Qing wore complicated expressions. Hua
Cheng didn’t peek a head over the edge, but they could all hear his helpless voice, “Gege, I said
not to run off. Now what should we do.”
Hearing his tone of voice, Xie Lian was taken aback and his delight faltered, “Huh? Is this
cobweb difficult to deal with? Can E-Ming not slash through it either?”
He seemed to have heard Hua Cheng say faintly, “What’s difficult isn’t this silk…” But he wasn’t
sure if Hua Cheng actually said it. A brief moment later, Hua Cheng said softly, “E-Ming’s not in
a good state right now.”
XIe Lian thought it strange, wasn’t E-Ming perfectly fine and energetic the last time? How was it
in a bad state now?
Next to him, Mu Qing humphed, “No need to ask him anymore. How can the scimitar E-Ming be
in a bad state? He’s clearly looking for an excuse not to help.”
“Don’t say that.” Xie Lian said. He felt it was more possible that E-Ming was being disciplined
and Hua Cheng wouldn’t allow it to come out. Just as he was thinking this, a black shadow
flashed from above, and the next moment, a red clad figured soundlessly landed right by Xie
Lian’s side, and he leaned down to hold his hand. Xie Lian turned his gaze on him and hurriedly
said, “San Lang, why did you jump down too? Watch out for those cobwebs!”
Sure enough, the white silk strings at the bottom of the pit came attacking. Hua Cheng didn’t
bother looking back. He casually waved his hand and hundreds of silver butterflies shielded his
back, forming a butterfly armour, and started fighting with those cobwebs ruthlessly. Hua Cheng
ripped off the white silk binding Xie Lian and hugged his waist with his left arm while his right
hand shook out a red umbrella, “Let’s go!”
The other remaining two saw he had zero intention of saving them and was completely
dumbfounded, “Have you two forgotten something?”
Xie Lian hadn’t yet spoken but Hua Cheng looked back, “Oh, that’s right.”
Then, the heavily wrapped Fang Xin went flying straight into his hand. Hua Cheng handed the
sword to Xie Lian, “Gege, your sword.”
“…”
That was what was forgotten?! Feng Xin and Mu Qing both cried, “HEY!!!”
Hua Cheng hugged Xie Lian closer, flinging his right hand to open that red umbrella, “Gege,
hold on tight to me!” And that umbrella started flying up, taking the two of them with it. Xie Lian
hugged him tightly as instructed, and just as they were about six meters off the ground, the cries
of the other two started and Xie Lian didn’t know whether to cry or laugh, “I won’t forget!” Then
he released RuoYe from his right hand.
That white silk bandage wrapped itself around the two giant cocoons a few times and pulled
them out of the pit together. Halfway up, Feng Xin called out, “WAIT! Wait! I’ve left something
behind!”
“What is it?” Xie Lian called back from above.
“A sword!” Feng Xin shouted, “It’s fallen to the corner!”
Xie Lian looked down and sure enough, in the corner of all that white silk, the hilt of a sword was
somewhat visible. Thus, he made RuoYe extend another stretch and wrapped that sword too,
taking them all out together. Finally, the four all made it back to above ground.
RuoYe threw the two thick cocoons onto the ground, and instantly wrapped itself back onto Xie
Lian’s wrist, like it was terrified of that white silk that was so much like itself but much more
aggressive and evil, trembling slightly. Xie Lian soothed it while cutting off the cobwebs on the
two with Fang Xin. The moment Feng Xin and Mu Qing could move, they both leapt to their feet
and ripped at the rest of the cobwebs. Xie Lian handed Feng Xin the sword RuoYe helped bring
up, but when he looked down, he was amazed, “This is… HongJing? Nan Feng, your general
repaired the sword?”
It was an offhand comment, but the moment the words left his lips he realized how bad it
sounded. Feng Xin and Mu Qing were still in the forms of “Nan Feng” and “Fu Yao” at the
moment, so Xie Lian had accidentally forgotten that their identities were already exposed, and
was still going along with their acts subconsciously. While the original intent was to be
considerate, but the effect of this consideration wasn’t great, and the two fell into a strange
silence.
Feng Xin couldn’t hide his expression and awkwardness floated onto his face. He transformed
back to his real self and took the sword, “…Yes, it’s repaired. There are plenty of ghosts on
Mount TongLu after all, so using it to flash around makes things somewhat easier.”
Xie Lian peeked at the main culprit who shattered HongJing next to him and cleared his throat
softly, “Sorry for the trouble.” After all, it really wasn’t easy to repair a sword shattered to bits.
Mu Qing also transformed back to his real self and dusted off the rest of the cobwebs, “It’s good
that it’s fixed. After all, so many of the monsters and demons are adept at disguises, so if one
isn’t good at using the brain, one could only escape being deceived using HongJing.”
Feng Xin was pissed, “Who are you calling brainless so passive-aggressively? Think I can’t
tell?”
Here they go again. Xie Lian shook his head and turned to Hua Cheng, “San Lang, I ran off too
quickly earlier, sorry for leaving you behind.”
Hua Cheng tucked that umbrella away and replied, “Don’t worry. As long as gege doesn’t run off
like that again.”
Xie Lian grinned, but just as he was about to speak, he suddenly saw Mu Qing glance at Hua
Cheng, his gaze stopped and stared, his expression odd, so Xie Lian said instead, “Mu Qing?
What’s with you?”
Hearing his question, Mu Qing immediately snapped out of it, and gave him a look, “Nothing.
I’ve never seen Crimson Rain Sought Flower like this and thought it was curious, that’s all.”
Xie Lian couldn’t fully believe in this explanation. While this certainly should be the first time Mu
Qing had seen Hua Cheng’s true appearance, but it wasn’t like he hadn’t seen Hua Cheng in his
sixteen, seventeen year old form, and the two skins weren’t that different, so why that look?
The four left that cave, and after only a few steps, Feng Xin was astonished, “…What is this
place?”
Mu Qing was also stunned, “What’s going on?”
They were trapped at the bottom of the cobweb pit earlier, so they never had the chance to
investigate the situation outside, which was why the moment they came out, they were quite
shocked to see that beneath this great snowy mountain, there was actually such a mysterious,
otherworldly place with cave after caves filled with innumerous differing divine statues.
“This is a Cave of Ten Thousand God’s.” Xie Lian explained.
Mu Qing scanned around their surroundings and mumbled, “Who knows how manys years and
how much blood and sweat it’d take to build something like this. This really is… really is….”
He seemed at a loss in finding words to describe it. Xie Lian could understand his feelings. After
all, a stone cave was meant for cultivation and worshipping gods, and back then, his parents
had also constructed caves for him. What heavenly official wouldn’t be astounded by such a
gigantic Cave of Ten Thousand Gods? If one of their own statues was to be worshipped in such
a place, surely their divine state would be greatly benefitted.
Feng Xin was confused, “What god is worshipped in this cave? Why are the faces all veiled?”
“Naturally, it’s to prevent us future passersby to see.” Xie Lian replied.
“Now that’s strange.” Mu Qing said, “They could’ve just smashed the heads of the statues, so
why must they go through this trouble? If you really wanted to see it, a thin veil like this can’t
prevent anything.”
As he spoke, he went up to peel away the veil of the nearest divine statue. Xie Lian hadn’t yet
have the chance to stop him when there was a chilling flash, and the tip of a silver blade hung
not inches away from Mu Qing’s fingers.
This sudden murderous intent instantly made the air among the four tense. Feng Xin was
alarmed, “What are you doing?”
Even with the blade before him, Mu Qing didn’t appear scared at all, “Your scimitar looks just
fine, so why the “it’s not in a good state”?”
Hua Cheng was right behind him, and said lazily, “Didn’t anyone teach you not to touch things
randomly while in other people’s territory?”
“It’s not your territory so what justice are you upholding?” Mu Qing countered.
Hua Cheng said flatly, “I just don’t want to cause unnecessary trouble. This is Mount TongLu
after all, who knows what would happen if the veils are removed.”
“I can’t believe there’d be a day that an arrogant character like Crimson Rain Sought Flower
would be afraid to cause unnecessary trouble.” Mu Qing said. Then, his hand moved downward,
trying again to touch the robe of that statue. The scimitar E-Ming followed after and pointed at
him once more.
“This time I’m only trying to feel the material of the stone, not removing the veil, so why is
Crimson Rain Sought Flower stopping me again?” Mu Qing questioned.
Hua Cheng smiled fakely, “I’m stopping you from starting trouble.”
Xie Lian put himself between the two and said, “Stop, stop. It’s not like we have to see what god
is being worshipped here. We shouldn’t stick around for too long, let’s leave first. Don’t forget,
we still have a mission to accomplish.”
Hua Cheng stared at Mu Qing’s hand, “Since gege says so, then, have him put his hand away
and I’ll let this go.”
“Mu Qing, back off, alright?” Xie Lian pleaded.
Mu Qing glared at him, “Are you nuts? Why isn’t it him who backs off first? What if I back off and
he doesn’t?”
Between a heavenly official and a ghost, Feng Xin would naturally choose to stand on the side
of the heavenly official, “At most we’ll accept having both sides back off at the same time.”
Hua Cheng showed no signs of backing off, “You wish.”
Seeing that neither side would back down, Xie Lian rested his hand on Mu Qing’s arm and
urged gently, “Mu Qing, drop it. After all, you’re the one who started this first, so you should be
the first one to let go, alright? Think of it as giving me some face? I swear if you back off San
Lang will keep his promise.”
Although Mu Qing wasn’t too willing, but after staying in stalemate for a brief moment, he still
slowly dropped his hand, and they returned to the road. Finally, that taut string was relaxed, and
Xie Lian also sighed a breath of relief. It just so happened that they’ve come to another fork in
the road, and he turned to Hua Cheng, “Which way do you think we should go this time?”
Hua Cheng seemed to have casually picked a path, “Then, this way.”
Feng Xin and Mu Qing were walking behind them and seemed to be at each other’s throats
again, but between their arguments, Mu Qing demanded, “How did you two pick? Why this
way?”
The two in front turned their heads back, “It’s random.”
Feng Xin frowned, “How can you pick randomly? Let’s not go blindly lest we drop into some pit
again.”
Hua Cheng smiled, “Even if we drop into a pit I have ways to take His Highness out. You can
follow if you want, if you don’t then you can go off by yourselves. But to be honest, I don’t want
to rescue you again.”
“YOU–!”
But, that was the way Hua Cheng spoke, and no matter if there was a smile on his face and his
tone was endlessly polite, it still sounded more than fake. The more he smiled fakely, the more it
enraged people, so much so that Feng Xin tucked an arrow upon his bow. Xie Lian knew that he
wouldn’t actually shoot and said, “Sorry about this, Feng Xin. But in our current situation, it really
makes no difference which way we go.”
Hua Cheng laughed heartily, “Ooh, I’m scared. Looks like I best stay far away from you.” He
said as he flicked his brows at Xie Lian and really did walked further away. Xie Lian knew he
was only trying to leave the other two behind and smiled as he shook his head, ready to follow
after him when suddenly, Mu Qing reached out and pulled him to a stop. Xie Lian looked back,
bewildered, “Mu Qing? What is it?”
Yet unexpectedly, Mu Qing didn’t answer. He grabbed Xie Lian and ran straight for the other
path, shouting, “NOW!”
Ahead, Hua Cheng also noticed something wrong and turned back to look. Yet, Feng Xin had
already punched the stone wall, and boulders rumbled as they crashed, blocking the road. The
two swiftly went forward and in the flash of a second, slapped on fifty or so talismans on the
rocks. Thus, Hua Cheng and the three of them were now separated by this pile of boulders.
Turns out, the two of them weren’t fighting behind earlier, and were actually discussing how to
conduct this sudden attack! Xie Lian was dumbfounded, “What are you guys doing?”
He struggled free of Mu Qing and wanted to check up on Hua Cheng who was blocked behind
but Feng Xin tripped him, and together with Mu Qing, they each grabbed one of his arms and
started dragging him away, running as he exclaimed, “Let’s get away, quick! Those talismans
won’t last for too long!”
Mu Qing reprimanded, “And you had to ask what we’re doing? Can’t you tell just how weird he
was being?”
“How is he weird?” Xie Lian questioned.
“I think you’ve really gone stupid. Weird is written all over him, you’re the only blind one!” Mu
Qing exclaimed.
Feng Xin roared, “STOP TALKING AND RUN!!! FUCK, I THINK THE WRAITH BUTTERFLIES
HAVE CAUGHT UP!”
Mu Qing shouted, “BLOCK THE CAVE ENTRANCE!”
Thus, Feng Xin punched as he ran, and many of the cave entrances were wholly blocked by the
giant rocks knocked down. The two dragged Xie Lian and fled through the endlessly winding
long, underground corridor, and Xie Lian was going dizzy from all the turns. He shouted, “STOP!
STOP!”
After having run a long way, those two finally stopped to catch their breaths. Taking advantage
of this break, Xie Lian said, “No, I meant, what did you two suddenly drag me away? Did you
notice something?”
Feng Xin still had both his hands on his knees supporting himself up, breathing harshly, “Let
him, tell you again.”
Mu Qing straightened up and turned to Xie Lian, “It’s so obvious but you didn’t see? That pearl!
Do you still remember that pearl?”
“What pearl?” Xie Lian asked.
Mu Qing enunciated each word, “That pair of deep red coral pearls earrings that made part of
the God-Pleasing Martial Warrior costume for the ShangYuan Heavenly Ceremony, that pearl
you lost!”
“…”
It took Xie Lian a long while but he still couldn’t remember, and he tugged at his earlobe, looking
lost, “Were my earrings at the time red coral pearls? Did I lose one?”
The corners of Mu Qing’s lips twitched and he said furiously, “You two even wrongfully accused
me of stealing that pearl, how can you not remember something like this?”
“It’s been eight hundred years after all…” Xie Lian said, but Feng Xing rebuked, “Stop making
shit up, no one wronged you, you’re the one who imagined things all by yourself!”
Xie Lian waved his hand, “Stop fighting, stop fighting. Why are you suddenly talking about that
pearl now?”
“Because that pearl’s been found!” Mu Qing exclaimed, “Did you not see that red bead tied in
Hua Cheng’s hair?”
Xie Lian widened his eyes, “Are you saying…”
Mu Qing stated with conviction, “I am!”
“…”
So that was why Mu Qing had that weird look in his eyes when he saw Hua Cheng earlier. Xie
Lian questioned, “Why would he have that red coral pearl? You sure you didn’t remember
wrong?”
Mu Qing cut him off, “I searched for that pearl for a whole year, and I’ve never stopped looking
for it. Anyone can remember wrong but me!”
Xie Lian crossed his arms and tucked them in his sleeves, contemplated, and furrowed his
brows, “I still think you might’ve been mistaken. There’s no reason for that pearl to be in his
hands? Don’t high quality red coral pearls all look pretty much the same? Besides, San Lang
has always liked collecting rare treasures. He’s even got antiques that are thousands of years
old.”
Mu Qing nodded, “Fine. Very well. You think I’m wrong? Fine. Then look at this.”
He was standing right next to a divine statue, and as he spoke, he yanked off the veil off of the
face of that statue, “Why don’t you take a look at what this is? Surely this can’t be a mistake
either!”
The moment that veil was pulled off and Xie Lian swept a look, instantly his pupils shrank.
The face of that divine statue wasn’t anything deformed to scary. It was a smiling young man in
high spirits, his brows gentle and kind. However, when Xie Lian saw this face, there was an
instant chill that sped down his spine and raised all his hairs.
How could it not be shocking? That face was practically from the same mould as Xie Lian’s own!
To look at this divine statue so up close, it was like staring in a mirror, and even that supposedly
kind smile now appeared disturbing, and Xie Lian couldn’t help but get goosebumps, “This…”
Mu Qing said coldly, “Are you still going to tell me I’ve been mistaken?”
It was with much effort that Xie Lian finally squeezed out, “…Why would there be one of my
divine statues here?”
Mu Qing however, said, “One? Not just one. Look closely.”
Then, he yanked off the veil from the face of another divine statue. That face was also
undoubtedly Xie Lian’s face!
Pulling off the veils from the faces of five to six divine statues, and they were all exactly the
same!
“This is certainly a Cave of Ten Thousand Gods,” Mu Qing said, “But in fact, there’s only one
god being worshipped here!”
And it was all him!
All around them were his own face, it was as if Xie Lian had sunken into a mysterious and
bizarre dream. He felt dizzy and lost for a good while and suddenly realized something, “Wait.
Mu Qing. You didn’t get a chance to see the faces of these statues earlier, right? You were
going to remove the veils but you were stopped.”
Mu Qing humphed, “I don’t need to see the faces of these statues to know what’s sculpted is
you.”
“What do you know?” Xie Lian asked.
Mu Qing rolled all the silk veils into a ball and tossed it to the side, his veins slightly popping,
“How do I know? Because all the clothes, accessories, daily living were all my part of my
responsibilities back then. I washed for you, I fixed for you, there is nothing in your wardrobe
that is exactly the same under the sky, and these statues are too detailed, everything is there,
exactly the same, completely! Of course I knew who the face belonged to when I saw the
clothes!”
“…” Xie Lian covered his forehead, and started thinking back on all of Hua Cheng’s odd
behaviours along the way. Next to him, Feng Xin said, “The fact that he won’t let us look at
those statues only comes to show he knew exactly what’s weird about them. That whole thing
about how we all dropped in by accident after the avalanche was probably all nonsense. He
must know what this place is.”
Mu Qing added, “Not just that. I bet he was the one who threw us into that pit full of cobwebs.
He must really want to kill us.”
“But… Just what is with those statues?” Xie Lian wondered.
Looking closely, every single statue here were carved as if they were alive, the details more
than detailed, almost to the point of frightening. It was easy to see just how closely the sculptor
had observed the subject of his divine statues. Xie Lian dared say that even the most renown of
sculptors of XianLe back then would not be able to carve to this level of excellence. It was as if
the sculptor’s mind was completely filled with this person, and his eyes only saw this person.
The three of them were surrounded by the statues who all bore the same face, and Feng Xin
shuddered violently, “Honestly… what the fuck… too creepy… too fucking realistic.”
And they were in such great numbers too.
“I suspect these statues are some sort of components needed for some wicked spell, let’s
destroy them.” Mu Qing said. Then he moved to chop one with his hand. Xie Lian’s mind was
instantly pulled back to the present and he stopped him, “STOP!”
Mu Qing looked at him, “Are you sure? This wicked spell could be aimed at you.”
Xie Lian pondered over it, but in the end still said, “Let’s not act too recklessly. I think the
possibility of it being a wicked spell is very small.”
“I think it’s quite big.” Feng Xin said, “Honestly, what the fuck…. Doesn’t looking at these things
scare you?”
Mu Qing stared at Xie Lian who stared right back, “And what’s the basis of your claim?”
“Nothing.” Xie Lian said, “But, these divine statues are carved really nicely, very meticulously
sculpted. If we destroy them before knowing anything, we may end up with regrets.” After a
pause, he added, “San Lang… might have lied to me about something, but, I believe, it’s not
anything that’d be harmful to me.”
Mu Qing could not believe his ears, “…Did he actually cast something on you to confound your
mind? I think even if he was to write ‘suspicious’ on his face you’ll suddenly become illiterate.”
While the two were talking, Feng Xin suddenly appeared as if he was about to face a great
enemy, “WATCH OUT!”
Xie Lian and Mu Qing both tensed, and demanded, “What is it?”
“That cobweb is coming at us again!” Feng Xin exclaimed.
Sure enough, the palm torchlight illuminated the stone walls ahead, and upon it were large
patches of dense white silk, and the three cursed ‘oh crap’ mentally, gearing themselves up for
another clash. Yet unexpectedly, that while silk wasn’t as aggressive as the ones in the pit
earlier, and it didn’t move nor did it attack, and was only no different than a normal gecko. The
three waited for a while and Xie Lian said, “Those silk nets don’t seem alive.”
“If it’s not alive then what is it for?” Feng Xin questioned.
Since Xie Lian was now bothered, he went up to study it for a bit, and afterwards he confirmed,
“I think it’s covering something.”
The three came before the stone wall. Xie Lian tried pulling and ripped off a large piece of the
white silk. That white silk was expectedly tough and it wasn’t easy to tear down, but it wasn’t
completely impossible either.
What the veils covered was the true face of those divine statues, then what was hidden on the
stone walls?
The other two also joined in on the tearing of those cobweb nets, each taking care of different
areas. Soon after, a piece of stone wall was revealed on Xie Lian’s side, “It’s a mural!”
Upon the stone wall, what those cobwebs were securely hiding, was a giant mural painting. The
entire surface of the wall was filled thick with lines, colours, and little figures. They were divided
into small sections, each with different styles; some coarse and wild, some elegant, some
exquisite, some peculiar. After studying it for a while, Xie Lian said, “…He painted this.”
“He?” Mu Qing echoed, “Hua Cheng? Are you sure?”
Xie Lian said softly, “Yes. There are words on here, and those words were written by him.”
He pointed at a blood red little figure on the wall, and right next to it were a bunch of messy,
indiscernible twisted characters, like they were written in a state of a trance or extreme suffering
and the author was venting. Based on those characters, Xie Lian could guess that this painted
blood red little figure was Hua Cheng himself, but for some unknown reason, he painted himself
really ugly and disfigured. Feng Xin glanced at it and couldn’t help but comment, “This writing…
it’s so ugly I’m blinded. I dare say even I write better than him.”
A writing uglier than Feng Xin’s was truly ugly beyond saving. Xie Lian’s eyes were
overwhelmed by all the colours; there was so much he didn’t even know where to even start
looking, but once he confirmed this was Hua Cheng’s penmanship, it was like he suddenly
discovered a huge treasure trove, and even his fingertips were slightly trembling. Just then, Mu
Qing seemed to have discovered something not far away and called, “…Your Highness, come
quick. Come quick and see!”
Only then did Xie Lian snap out of it, “What is it?”
Feng Xin and Mu Qing were already rendered speechless, and could only point at one of the
paintings on the wall. That painting was considerably large on this wall, and right at the centre
was a tall city fortress tower. Below it was a sea of people surrounding a glamourous stage. The
lines were simple, yet with only a few strokes, it captured the scene exactly.
Mu Qing pointed at the centre of the painting and said with a trembling voice, “So… this… this
was him?”
Xie Lian was also staring at that point.
The entire painting was colourless, and within it only two figures had colours. At the bottom
there was a little figure, pure white, and seemingly to be glowing, looking towards the sky with
his hands extended, about to catch the other little figure falling from the fortress tower.
And that little figure was blood red, blood red.
Mu Qing murmured, “…Is that him? Is that him? That little kid who fell during the ShangYuan
Heavenly Ceremonial Parade? How could it be him? I can’t believe? Crimson Rain Sought
Flower? Is him???”
Feng Xin patted them madly and pointed to the side, “There’s more in the back!”
Xie Lian walked over and saw in the other painting, there was a dilapidated little shrine, and
upon the altar was a divine statue, also glowing faintly in white light. It held a sword in one hand
and in the other was a red umbrella being handed downwards. At the bottom was an ugly little
blood red figure, its hands cupped a small flower and was offering it to the statue.
Xie Lian suddenly felt his head ache, his hand flying to his temple that was now throbbing and
continued to look.
The next painting seemed to be depicting a battlefield. Large bands of soldiers were fixing their
armours ready to attack, and in the sky floated a little white figure, a long sword in one hand,
mighty and glorious. Below, among the dark and thick troops was another little blood red figure,
its head raised, watching the one in the sky.
Xie Lian was lost in thought when Feng Xin’s disbelieving voice rang, “This red one, it’s all one
person, right? It’s all him??? It’s Hua Cheng? Holy fuck… he’s been following you all this time?!”
Mu Qing was also looking incredulous, “It’s not just following, he’s also watching. Watching very
closely. Very close. He’s everywhere! Look, this here is the main street, the Buyou forest, what’s
this? BeiZi Hill? My god… was he the one who carved those divine statues?!”
Feng Xin was practically getting chills looking through those murals, “My fucking god… who the
hell is he? He’s been watching you since eight hundred years ago?! And he is still, even now?
What the fuck! This is terrifying! Is he bewitched? What the hell does he want? Normal
worshippers won’t even do this much, just what the hell does he want??”
“There must be a plot… there must be!” Mu Qing exclaimed, “Let’s keep looking, there must be
some sort of a clue!”
Xie Lian was already completely shaken.
He stared at that blood red little figure on the wall, unable to wrap his mind around it, and only
felt there were many, many memories that weren’t forgotten but never took heart were fighting
to rush into his brain, pouring in so fast his breathing almost couldn’t keep up anymore. Just
then, he heard the other two on the other side yell, and Xie Lian snapped out of it. “What is it
now?”
Feng Xin and Mu Qing were both standing before a stone wall, looking like they saw something
egregious. When they saw he was moving towards them, Feng Xin quickly turned around and
stopped him, pushing him away, “Holy fuck, DON’T LOOK!”
“? What?” Xie Lian was bewildered, “What was it? Why can’t I look?”
Mu Qing’s face was also dark as he exclaimed, “… Let’s stop looking. There’s nothing good
here, let’s just get out of here as soon as possible!”
The two of them each grabbed one of his arms and started bolting again the entire way. Xie Lian
complained as he was getting dragged along, “What are you both doing? I wasn’t done looking
at those murals!!”
Feng Xin yelled angrily as he ran, “THERE’S NO NEED TO LOOK ANYMORE! THOSE
THINGS SHOULDN’T BE SEEN! MY FUCKING GOD! I HAVE NEVER WITNESSED
ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN MY FUCKING LIFE! SUCH A PERSON!!!”
Xie Lian was completely confused, “What have you never witnessed? What’s with San Lang?”
Mu Qing admonished, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING STILL CALLING HIM SAN LANG? STOP IT!
YOU CAN’T GET AWAY FAST ENOUGH! DON’T GO CLOSE TO HIM ANYMORE IN THE
FUTURE EITHER, HE’S NOT NORMAL, HE’S MENTAL, HE’S CRAZY!!!”
Xie Lian couldn’t listen anymore, “Why are you two cursing him like this? None of us are really
that normal, okay?”
“STOP ASKING!” Feng Xin cried, “YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND! HE’S NOT LIKE US! HE’S
CRAZY! TOWARDS YOU, HE, HE… HE…”
“Towards me what?” Xie Lian demanded, “Please let me go. Let me go back and see for myself,
alright?”
One wanted to go back, the other two were pulling, and the three were stuck in a stalemate
when suddenly, ahead of them came a chillingly cold voice, “Didn’t I say not to touch things
randomly in someone else’s territory?”
The three of them froze and turned their heads to look. Ahead stood a red clad figure. Hua
Cheng was leaning against the stone wall, blocking their way, and he smiled, “Otherwise, I can’t
say exactly what would happen.”
While his face was smiling, his eyes had not a trace of mirth, and was instead dark and
muddied. He hugged one of his arms while the other hand was idly twiddling something small.
It was that deep red coral pearl tied on that thin lock of hair. The gentle red luster of that coral
was as bright and dazzling as the red affinity knot between his fingers.
————-
Ch.176: Cave of Ten Thousand Gods; Faces of Ten Thousand Gods Revealed 2
Those hundreds of charmed talismans and heavy piles of boulders couldn’t stop him at all!
Feng Xin and Mu Qing both reacted swiftly; Feng Xin shot out his arrows one after the other
while Mu Qing swung his sabre, sending an air strike towards him, then grabbed Xie Lian and
ran. Feng Xin then employed the same tricks and struck wildly at the rocks as he yelled, “WHAT
THE FUCK! HOW DID HE FIND US SO FAST?”
“How should I know??” Mu Qing yelled back, “…The red string! The red string! His finger is still
tied with that red string!!”
When it dawned on the two of them, they both turned back to seize Xie Lian’s hand. As if Xie
Lian would let them. His other hand reached out and held to protect that hand with the red knot
and exclaimed, “YOU CAN’T!”
Feng Xin exclaimed, “You highness, if you’re tied with this red string, he’ll find us. If you don’t
want him to catch up then it must be untied!”
However, Xie Lian held on to his own hand and said, “Even if he catches up I’m not afraid? I…
want to ask him about this directly.”
Mu Qing’s eyes widened, “You want to talk to him still? I think he’d have to devour you
completely for you to fully understand just how powerful he is.”
“But I already know he’s powerful.” Xie Lian countered, “You guys won’t tell me what that mural
was and you won’t let me go near him. You can’t convince me of anything like this.”
“He’s a ghost king, his behaviours are abnormal. Normally people would stay far away with just
these two points without needing anyone to convince them of anything!”
Xie Lian extended two fingers, “Two choices: either you let me go back and ask him to explain,
or you let me go back to look at that mural.”
Feng Xin and Mu Qing seemed to have recalled something terrifying, and one had his lips
twitching while the other’s brows could not furrow and deeper, and they both blocked in front of
him, yelling at the same time, “WE’LL ALLOW NEITHER!”
Thus, Xie Lian rolled up his sleeves, “Since you both said no, then let’s solve this with our fists!
Who’s first? Or will you both come at me together?”
Mu Qing turned to Feng Xin, “You first!” Then he backed away to the side. Feng Xin looked like
he wasn’t too sure if he could win against Xie Lian, but in order to rescue a lost youth, he would
give it his best shot, so he gripped his bow, “VERY WELL! Your Highness, pardon the
insolence!”
Xie Lian also returned, “Pard…” Yet unexpectedly, before he even finished the opening
courtesy, something hot was tapped onto his back, and someone behind him shouted, “STAY
STILL, DON’T TALK!” And his entire person froze into an iron board.
Not just that, his voice couldn’t come out anymore either!
Mu Qing came out from behind Xie Lian and said to Feng Xin, “Let’s drag him away. This
talisman can suspend him temporarily, but it won’t last too long.”
Feng Xin was slightly dumbfounded, “Why did you ambush him? Didn’t we agree on a one on
one?”
Xie Lian hadn’t imagined that Mu Qing would immediately go back on his word either. If it wasn’t
because he wholly trusted both of his once subordinates, he wouldn’t have been deceived so
easily either.
“Who has the time for you to go one on one right now?” Mu Qing said, “He’s doing it on
purpose. It’s easy to see he’s dragging time out for Hua Cheng to catch up. Do you not see the
state he’s in right now? Completely infatuated! No matter what you tell him right now nothing will
go through. Maybe once they meet, Hua Cheng will only need to humour him with a couple of
sweet words and he’ll believe him, just like one enchanted by a fox spirit*”
Feng Xin contemplated and felt what Mu Qing said made some sense and sighed, “Your
Highness, it’s not that we’re deceiving you intentionally, but how he is towards you really is…
unseemly. I really can’t say it out loud! Please just come with us.”
“Let’s go.” Mu Qing said too.
Mu Qing’s words weren’t a suggestion or a plead, but a command. What he slapped on on Xie
Lian’s back earlier must be a commanding spell talisman drawn with his blood. The Command
Talisman could make the target obey the castor’s orders, but in truth, it could only realize simple
commands such as “do not speak”, “walk”, “stop”, “run”, etc. The more complicated commands
were harder to execute, and the talisman couldn’t confound the mind either. Only powerful
ghosts like the Brocade Immortal could perform such a thing.
The two speed walked with Xie Lian in tow again but was suddenly stopped by a pile of rubble
blocking the way. Feng Xin saw the path was cut off and wondered, “Why are there rocks here
blocking the way? We can go anymore?”
“Weren’t you the one who knocked down those rocks? Why are you asking me?” Mu Qing said.
Feng Xin questioned, “You were the one leading the way, so you’re the one who messed up. If
we’ve passed through here before, why did we come around back?”
Mu Qing refused to be questioned, “What a joke, I don’t know the roads here at all, how can I
possibly lead? Weren’t we just running without direction earlier?”
It looked as if they were about to get into another argument, and Feng Xin waved his hand,
“Nevermind, I’ve got not time to waste my breath on you. Let’s just dig through this!”
Hua Cheng was pursuing them from behind, so they could only go forward. Retreat was not an
option, otherwise they would run into each other. Blocking roads was easy but digging through
one was much harder. The two made Xie Lian stand obediently in the corner while Feng Xin
punched randomly and Mu Qing, popping veins on his forehead, swung his sabre impressively,
and it was no time before the path was dug through. Rubbles rolled and dust clouded. They
were just about to call Xie Lian over when unexpectedly, once all the dust cleared away, what
stood before them was a red clad figure. Xie Lian’s eyes instantly lit up. It was Hua Cheng!
His eyes were cold and he stood with hands behind his back, silent and wordless. Feng Xin
blurted on the spot, “WHY WON’T YOU GO AWAY?!”
He was truly the very definition of persistence. He was clearly left behind in the dust earlier, so
how did he suddenly appear ahead of them the next second??? And who knows how long he
had been standing there, waiting soundlessly as they cleared away the obstacle blocking their
way to offer themselves up. Was this not incredibly persistent and creepy?
Feng Xin and Mu Qinginstantly backed away for a long stretch. Hua Cheng didn’t look at them.
Hie eyes moved to the side and took a step in Xie Lian’s direction. Feng Xin and Mu Qing
realized who he was here for, and instantly flashed to Xie Lian’s side to block before him,
shouting together, “DON’T COME ANY CLOSER!”
Hua Cheng’s face was extremely dark.
Usually, if there was anyone who told Crimson Rain Sought Flower not to go over, he wouldn’t
give a damn, and it’d be more weird if he didn’t laugh and go over anyway. However, this time, it
was as if he was genuinely wary, and didn’t dare to move recklessly, pausing in his step.
After a brief moment, he finally spoke up, his words slow, “What do you two mean by this.”
By his tone he sounded fairly calm. Feng Xin however, was much more straightforward, “You
don’t need to pretend anymore, we know this is your old lair. We’ve already seen what’s with
those divine statues, and those paintings, we’ve seen everything!”
Hua Cheng wasn’t facing them directly, standing sideways, and hearing him, the hands behind
his back seemed to have jerked, two of the fingers curling up stiffly.
“…”
He inclined his head and questioned softly, “His Highness, also saw?”
His voice was very, very low, and while it still sounded unfazed, it was a little cracked, obviously
off. Xie Lian cried mentally, ‘No!’
Truthfully, he didn’t see a lot, but, Xie Lian could’t move nor speak at the moment, and could
only lean dutifully against the stone wall in the corner, looking like he was hiding behind the
other two, afraid to face Hua Cheng and refusing to speak with him. Feng Xin pulled his bow,
“That’s right. We’ve now understood what… intentions… you have. In respect of you as a ghost
king, if you should still have some dignity, please don’t come near His Highness again.”
In this moment, Xie Lian’s feelings were like a cottage on fire, black smoke heavy and thick.
Hua Cheng should’ve noticed that there was something wrong with him, and Xie Lian could only
hope that Hua Cheng would question him to notice. But, Hua Cheng seemed to not be in the
mind to notice anything and only said coldly, “Don’t go near him? And what right and position do
you two have to say that to me?”
No waiting for their response, Hua Cheng’s eyes flashed dangerously, “But you have reminded
me that we still have unfinished business to settle!”
The moment his words ended, countless silver butterflies shot forth towards the two of them,
shrieking.
Facing such a storm-like attack, the only option was to use spiritual shield. Feng Xin and Mu
Qing both cried, “SHIELD!”
That butterfly deluge was blocked by a formless spiritual shield, and shattered into shimmering
silver light in the air, then they rapidly recrystallized into new silver butterflies, and attacked once
more, completely unstoppable. They backed away as they blocked, and Hua Cheng steadily
moved forward step by step. The whirlwinds raised by his spiritual aura stirred his raven hair
and it danced wildly with the gusts; and under the blinding light of the silver butterflies, the mad
fury and violence brimming in his eyes were completely exposed. To just keep shielding like this
was too passive, and Feng Xin and Mu Qing exchanged a look, agreeing to attack directly, and
they held the spiritual shield as they charged, each flashing their own weapon. The three thus
started fighting in this narrow stone corridor. Feng Xin engaged with the wraith butterflies while
Mu Qing faced Hua Cheng. Hua Cheng flung out an arm and the scimitar E-Ming appeared in
his left hand, ready to strike back!
This was the first time Xie Lian witnessed E-Ming fight seriously. The scimitar was long and
slender, chillingly murderous, its silver light threatening – It was indeed, genuinely a wicked
blade overflowing with evil!
This battle was truly exciting; Hua Cheng stood his ground in a one against two faceoff, and Xie
Lian watched unblinkingly with held breath, and soon, the tip of the E-Ming blade flicked,
sending Mu Qing’s sabre into the rocks. Although Mu Qing still had the hilt in his grip, he
couldn’t pull his weapon out. In his moment of shock, Hua Cheng already swung his fist and
punched him squarely in the jaw, sending his entire person practically flying in the air, the hilt
finally loosened from his grip. On the other end, each of the arrowheads of Feng Xin’s arrows
were snapped by the wraith butterflies’ sharp wings, and there were ultimately too many in
numbers, difficult to deal with!
Victory and defeat were obvious at this point, and from the corners, countless white silk
slithered out, and wrapped those two into two giant cocoons once more; the more they
struggled, the tighter the bind, and Mu Qing tore at that silk as he yelled, “I KNEW IT WAS YOU
WHO THREW US INTO THAT PIT!”
Feng Xin exclaimed, “This isn’t spider silk! This is…!”
It dawned on Xie Lian too. It was butterfly silk!
Before cocoons were broken through for butterflies to emerge, pupas were formed. Those
spider silk-like strange white silk was completely of Hua Cheng’s making, and it was probably
linked to those exceedingly aggressive wraith butterflies!
With the match decided, Hua Cheng withdrew the scimitar and jeered, “I threw you in to save
you from disaster. At the end of the day, if it wasn’t for your loud yelling that caused the
avalanche, there would’ve been no chance of you entering this Cave of Ten Thousand Gods.
Why don’t you thank me for saving your puny little lives?”
Hua Cheng’s original plan was probably waiting out the avalanche, and once the snowy
mountain had quieted down he would take Xie Lian out, leaving Feng Xin and Mu Qing behind
to their own devices. Yet unexpectedly, those two had gnawed through the cocoon and made
noise, leading Xie Lian into discovering them, which consequently caused all the incidents that
followed after. If it wasn’t for all that, Xie Lian might have really just followed Hua Cheng straight
out without looking at a single divine statue.
Yet now, things had evolved into the worst case scenario. Every secret was pulled out and
exposed under the sun.
Xie Lian’s heart was anxious but his body still sat obediently in the same spot. The cold in Hua
Cheng’s eyes was growing heavier, and he looked down on Mu Qing from above, asserted in a
light voice, “It seems, the one with the talent for sabres is me. Not you.”
Mu Qing’s throat was bound by a few bands of white silk, his face alternating between blue and
red from the strangling, foam leaking at the corners of his lips, and he choked out, “You! …
you…? I see, I get it…”
Feng Xin was also gritting his teeth, “…What… did you get?”
Mu Qing said, “I get… why this bastard hates me so much now… it’s probably the same reason
for you!”
“Wh… cough, what reason?” Feng Xin demanded.
Mu Qing said hatefully, “Because he’s mad! Have you forgotten what was on that mural? He’s
that… that young soldier His Highness wanted to promote after returning from BeiZi Hill. His
Highness had said, his sword work was good, well suited for the sabre… cough, cough.”
“What’s that got to do with the hatred he has for you??” Feng Xin questioned.
However, Mu Qing stopped talking. BAM! Hua Cheng’s punch landed on his face, and he smiled
chillingly, answering for him, “Because, he booted me from the army.”
Mu Qing had done something like that?!
Feng Xin was astonished, “…WHAT THE FUCK?! WHY DID YOU BOOT HIM FROM THE
ARMY? DID HE PISS YOU OFF??”
Mu Qing replied, his face covered in blood, “I only made him go home, it’s not like fighting a war
is a good thing! How should I know he’d end up this crazy, holding grudges until now!…”
Before he finished another forceful punch landed, BAM!, and his face was almost contorted.
Hua Cheng smiled, “Think I can’t guess why you booted me back then? Hm?”
Mu Qing’s eyes flashed. Hua Cheng then snickered, “Isn’t it more than obvious now who the
useless trash is?”
“…”
It was as if Mu Qing was stabbed where it hurt and he spat out a mouthful of blood, then he
said, spitefully slow, “Thank goodness I kicked you out, otherwise if we kept you in the army and
allowed you to get closer to His Highness, were you just going to watch him all day with your
mind full of unspeakable filth? Disgusting!”
Xie Lian’s heart violently squeezed. By Mu Qing’s last line, Hua Cheng already had his fist
raised, but when the word “disgusting” was spat out, the hand in mid air froze, and veins popped
on the back of that pale hand. The fingers clenched and loosened, loosened then clenched.
A brief moment later, Hua Cheng said chillingly, “I won’t argue with you on that for the moment.
You just tell me now, honestly, was what you both were yelling about before the avalanche
true?”
Mu Qing’s eyes abruptly widened and he looked over to Feng Xin. Feng Xin also looked over to
them, his eyes round and bulging.
Neither of them knew how to respond. Hua Cheng said sharply, “My patience is limited. Answer
me on the count of three. One! Two!”
That he would actually act in such a sweeping manner! Just then, Mu Qing thought of an idea
amidst his panic and he cried, “Your Highness, RUN!!!”
The moment that command came out, Xie Lian, whose back was taped with a blood talisman,
instantly responded and moved to flee. Hua Cheng immediately turned around, and from the
corners two bands of white silk shot out, forcibly binding Xie Lian, and before he even took more
than two steps, he fell to the ground.
In this situation, it looked as if he was shaken and shocked this whole time, or was having
difficulties accepting the truth, or unwilling to intercept the fight, standing there in a daze and
finally decided to flee but did not succeed. But the truth was, he had never thought of running
away!
Both Xie Lian’s hands and feet were tightly bound by heavy white silk, and he laid sprawled on
the ground, his black hair and white sleeves scattered all over the ground, his bamboo hat rolled
to the side. Hua Cheng turned around slowly, and after a long pause, he walked towards him.
He didn’t take more than a few steps before Feng Xin couldn’t hold back and yelled, “HUA
CHENG!”
Hua Cheng paused in his step and turned his head slightly.
Feng Xin forced himself to plead, “Let… Let His Highness go! He’s already suffered enough.
Don’t, to him…”
Hua Cheng didn’t speak. He came by Xie Lian side, put his hands behind Xie Lian’s knees and
back and swept him up, securing Xie Lian in his carry.
Xie Lian leaned against his arm and could see behind the expressions on those two giant white
cocoons. Feng Xin looked like he was witnessing a lamb entering the mouth of a tiger, like Xie
Lian was going to be ripped apart and devoured, and he started yelling. Mu Qing began trying to
use his teeth to bite at the white silk again, but due to the harsh angle, it was all work for
nothing. Hua Cheng knew the paths of the Cave of Ten Thousand Gods like the back of his
hand, and after many turns and corners, the figures of those two soon disappeared along with
their voices.
————–
●Fox spirits in Asian folktales are seductresses, known to enchant and charm innocent
people, and make them fall helplessly in love with the spirit.
————–
Ch.177: Cave of Ten Thousand Gods; Faces of Ten Thousand Gods Revealed 3
Xie Lian was carried in Hua Cheng’s arms as they moved deeper into the darkness of the cave’s
innermost dens.
The only source of light around them was the softly fluttering silver wraith butterflies. Xie Lian
couldn’t see the expression on Hua Cheng’s face clearly, but, he could feel Hua Cheng’s arms
and his entire body were stiff.
It wasn’t like Hua Cheng had never held him before in the past, but it was very obvious that now,
something had changed, and Hua Cheng wouldn’t touch even his neck or hands directly. Xie
Lian kept eyeing Hua Cheng’s face, blinking with force, but Hua Cheng kept avoiding his eyes,
refusing to meet them, and entered a cavern chamber as he willed. There was a stone bed
within the cavern chamber and he immediately brought Xie Lian over to set him down. Just as
he was laying Xie Lian down, he suddenly noticed something, checked Xie Lian’s back and
spoke up, “They cast a spell on you?”
Xie Lian was overjoyed. He’s finally discovered it!
However, that it took Hua Cheng this long to notice something off about Xie Lian only came to
show just how caught off guard Hua Cheng had been earlier. Xie Lian was waiting for Hua
Cheng to remove the Command Talisman from his back, yet unexpectedly, even though Hua
Cheng had already reached out, his hand paused halfway, and in the end, withdrew said hand
and laid Xie Lian flat on the bed.
Maybe it was so Xie Lian wouldn’t worry, he said quietly, “Your Highness, don’t worry. I won’t kill
those two useless trash for now. Even though I really want to murder them.”
Also laid upon that stone bed was a layer of thick but soft fresh hay, and Xie Lian was lying on
top of it limply, not a bit worried but so anxious his innards were smoking, and he just couldn’t
understand why Hua Cheng wouldn’t release him from the spell. Just as he was trying
desperately to struggle, he saw Hua Cheng reach out towards the sash belt around his waist,
and untied that belt.
Right then, in that inopportune coincidence, Xie Lian could feel the Command Talisman on his
back starting to fade, and his leg jerked hard while an “ah!” escaped his lips.
Although it looked like nothing more than a dead fish that twitched for a second in its last
attempt at life, expressing its objection without any real power, but Hua Cheng still froze
immediately, and instantly withdrew his hand, “I won’t!”
As if Hua Cheng felt his own tone was too harsh and was afraid he might have scared Xie Lian,
making him feel repulsed, Hua Cheng backed away for a few steps and softened his voice, his
expression unreadable, cautious and resigned as he said quietly, “Your Highness, I won’t do
anything to you. Don’t… be scared.”
Xie Lian finally understood.
Hua Cheng still wasn’t sure just what kind of response he would receive from Xie Lian upon
releasing the spell, so he was refusing to hear the response altogether.
Hua Cheng seemed to be holding back some sort of impulse, and once again employed a voice
full of assurance, speaking softly, “Your Highness, trust me.”
But this “trust me” sounded weak compared to the times before when he said the same thing.
Xie Lian wanted to answer him but he couldn’t, and didn’t dare to struggle anymore lest the
misunderstanding deepened, so he could only lie there flatly without moving, waiting for the
power of the Command Talisman to pass. Seeing that Xie Lian didn’t “resist” anymore, Hua
Cheng approached again, reached out and gingerly untied Xie Lian’s belt.
‘San Lang???’ Xie Lian called out mentally.
He of course believed wholeheartedly that Hua Cheng wouldn’t take advantage of people when
they’re down, but this development was also completely out of his expectations, and he couldn’t
help but widen his eyes. While Hua Cheng loosened Xie Lian’s robes, he still tried his best not
to make contact with his body so he took his time, and it was a long time before Xie Lian’s outer
robes were removed, then the under robes. It was only when a wraith butterfly flew to the tip of
Xie Lian’s shoulder and perched, and a warm and tingling feeling crawled up his skin did Xie
Lian realize that his shoulders were red and slightly swollen, skin in some areas cracked even,
and only started to heal after the silver butterfly had perched.
They were frostbite injuries leftover from crawling and tumbling all over the frozen mountains.
Xie Lian himself hadn’t noticed at all since he wasn’t too sensitive to pain anymore. If he’s
frostbitten then he’s frostbitten, and even if he noticed these injuries he would probably leave
them to heal on their own. However, Hua Cheng knew better than him where he was hurt, kept it
on his mind, and had to address the injuries no matter what.
Just as he was spacing out, Hua Cheng held and raised his arm. There were even more
frostbites on his hands and feet, and because of all the desperate running and pulling, many
places were already bleeding. Xie Lian wasn’t afraid of pain, but he was ticklish. Moreover,
many broken memories of the years past floated into his mind in spite of himself. In a dark cave,
the trembling and heated hands of a boy, random panicked touches, irregular breathing and
heart racing…
Those memories were originally so diminished they couldn’t be any fainter, and he had long
since sealed them up, thrown them away into a corner. Now that the memories were
resurfacing, they held a surprisingly different taste, making one want to hold the head and
scream. Especially now that Hua Cheng was right in front of him, doing practically the same
thing. Both Xie Lian’s face and mind were going to burn up. He was scared Hua Cheng might
see, but Hua Cheng didn’t look at him at all, keeping to his promise completely, never crossing
the line, and he kept his head slightly turned, averting his gaze from that half exposed white
shoulder.
Yet unexpectedly, right then, a voice suddenly popped up from behind Hua Cheng, “Hua Cheng!
You madman, what do you think you’re doing to His Highness?! You’re disgusting!”
Hua Cheng whipped his head around, and Xie Lian also looked past him, moving his eyes to the
entrance of the cavern chamber. The one who spoke was Mu Qing!
Feng Xin was also next to him. The two were only just wrapped into giant cocoons by Hua
Cheng earlier, but they somehow broke free and found this place.
When they saw the scene inside the cavern, their faces paled. Xie Lian’s face paled too.
Truly, what an awful sight!
Feng Xin pointed at Hua Cheng, then pointed at Xie Lian whose clothes were half peeled, and it
was a good moment before he could squeeze out, “YOU… YOU… LET HIM GO RIGHT NOW!”
Hua Cheng instantly pulled Xie Lian’s clothes up and said coldly, “You two useless trash dare
seek us out, I think you’re tired of living.”
Mu Qing sneered, “Move your filthy hands. You ugly toad wants a taste of swan meat?
Nevermind you dreaming of it for eight hundred years, even if you hope for another thousands
of years, don’t you dare touch a single finger of His Highness’.”
Hearing this, Xie Lian’s heart jerked, but in between annoyance, he could sense something was
wrong.
What was with those two? Even if Hua Cheng beat them to a pulp earlier, they shouldn’t be this
rude facing him, especially Mu Qing. It was like they were trying to provoke Hua Cheng on
purpose. There was no benefit to provoking Hua Cheng, they couldn’t beat him either, so what
was their goal? Moreover, they were subtly pointing the spear in Xie Lian’s direction in their
tone, like they were begging for chaos to descend, like they were afraid Hua Cheng wouldn’t do
something to Xie Lian if he should be enraged.
Sure enough, Hua Cheng was outraged, and his blanched face was flashing with darkness. He
threatened softly, “Since you both came with the intention to die–”
Xie Lian could see that naked murderous intent in his eyes and horror filled his heart, “DON’T!!!”
Too late. The scimitar was unsheathed, and E-Ming’s cold shimmer flashed.
Feng Xin and Mu Qing were both startled, and they unconsciously lowered their heads.
Fortunately, there were no injuries on their bodies.
Yet unexpectedly, before they had the chance to breathe relief or return any kind of retaliation,
the next second, their upper half bodies crashed down from their lower half bodies in a THUD!
Blood spouted and gushed like mad, spilling to and flooding the ground.
Xie Lian had never expected things to develop like this and was already completely dumbstruck,
lying limply on that stone bed.
Hua Cheng – he actually slashed Feng Xin and Mu Qing at the waist!
Those two hadn’t yet died completely, and they rolled down on the ground, one gritting his teeth,
the other yelling furiously, a sight too tragic to see. Hua Cheng’s expression was frigid as he
sheathed the scimitar, only a small half of his face was spotted with a bit of blood, that tinge of
red matching with the aura of evil between his brows, making him appear even more striking.
He stood in that pool of blood for a moment, then he looked back and walked towards Xie Lian.
Xie Lian watched with eyes wide open at Hua Cheng’s approach with a grim expression, and
only then did Xie Lian snap out of it. By then Hua Cheng had already come to his side and
clutched one of his hands, pulling him up and pressing him hard into his own embrace,
whispering, “…How can I possibly let go.”
Xie Lian was wrapped tightly in his arms, unable to speak, and Hua Cheng whispered
something else in his ears. His heart pounded wildly, like it was going to jump out of his chest,
and suddenly felt his body loosen.
The Command Talisman Mu Qing drew up and taped onto his back was finally released.
Even though Hua Cheng said he wouldn’t let go, after he released Xie Lian from the Command
Talisman, Hua Cheng still loosened his hold slightly and let Xie Lian go. Xie Lian inhaled deeply,
leapt to his feet, and charged to the pool of blood on the ground, “Feng Xin? Mu Qing? Are you
two alright?!”
Mu Qing’s injuries were greater, and the corner of his lips was streaming blood, the light in his
eyes faded. Feng Xin still had a breath left, and he grabbed tightly onto Xie Lian’s hand, “Your…
highness…”
Xie Lian clutched his hand back, “What? What did you want to say?”
Feng Xin swallowed a mouthful of blood and gritted, “Watch out… of Hua Cheng… Don’t go
near him… He… is a monster!”
He looked like he used up all he had to give him this warning before his death, yet
unexpectedly, the expression on Xie Lian’s face gradually calmed, “Monster?”
He let go of Feng Xin’s hand and rose to his feet, “I’m curious. Is he more of a monster than you
two?”
Hearing this, Feng Xin was taken aback. Yet right after those words were spoken, Xie Lian
pulled out Fang Xin in the flash of a second and pierced through Feng Xin’s heart, nailing him
dead onto the ground!
Feng Xin was full of disbelief, “Your Highness, you! …” But before he could finish, his breathing
stopped. Xie Lian then pulled Fang Xin out from his heart, shaking it clean of blood, before
retreating to Hua Cheng side, the tip of his sword pointing at the corpses of the two on the
ground, “Since blood has spilt, there’s no more need to keep talking through those skins?”
“Hahaha…”
A chilling laugh suddenly came from the ground. Mu Qing, whose body was sliced in half at the
waist, twisted his neck over and laughter was coming from his mouth.
His upper half body was sprawled on the ground, and even if he wanted to turn his head, at
most half of his face would be pressed against the ground. However, this head was turned
completely around and off the ground, laughing towards Xie Lian!
As suspected. Those two were not the real Feng Xin and Mu Qing, but were instead two
imposters that came from who knows where.
The real Feng Xin and Mu Qing were still trapped in giant white cocoons trying to gnaw
themselves free somehow. When Hua Cheng was helping Xie Lian release the Command
Talisman just now, this was what he whispered about.
Their faces were pale not because they were shocked or horrified, but because they weren’t
human in the first place!
Xie Lian was already flashing his sword, and “Feng Xin” and “Mu Qing” both smiled chillingly,
speaking in unison, “Just as you wish.”
Then, they melted into two puddles of something that resembled thick blood. Hua Cheng moved
to shield in front of Xie Lian, and those two puddles of thick blood flowed and solidified, bubble
bubble, bubbling like it was boiling, and soon formed into the shape of a man. Watching that ball
of something contort itself to materialize bit by bit, a series of chills went up Xie Lian’s spine
from his waist to his neck.
Soon after, “Feng Xin” and “Mu Qing” before them disappeared, and what replaced them was a
tall and slender white clad young man.
Judging by his form, this young man was about seventeen or eighteen years of age, and he was
wearing a mask, half of it crying, half of it smiling. While his face couldn’t be seen, a crisp and
bright voice of a youth came from behind his mask.
He said warmly, “How are you, Xie Lian.”
Xie Lian’s lips twitched unconsciously, his mind going numb. Hua Cheng, who was shielding in
front of him, raised his blade and lunged!
Against the wicked sharpness of the scimitar E-Ming, that white clad man was completely
unafraid, and he sidestepped, the blade missing him by mere millimeters. Then, in the breath of
a second, he flashed behind Hua Cheng, his hand out, reaching for Xie Lian, looking as if he
wanted to touch his face. A silver light streaked by, and Hua Cheng blocked him, shielding in
front of Xie Lian once more, his voice cold, “Move your filthy hands.”
Hua Cheng actually returned the same phrase back to him. That white clad man’s right hand
was chopped off by E-Ming and it fell to the ground. However, that did not affect him one bit, and
he shook out that expansive sleeve, hiding the broken limb, then, shaking the sleeve back
again, a new hand was grown from where the wound was. His fingers stiffened into claws and
went straight for Hua Cheng’s right eye!
That entire process only took the blink of a second. Hua Cheng also dodged swiftly, however,
two bloody scratches were still left on the side of a cheek.
This was the first time ever that Hua Cheng could not overtake the other in speed. His eyes
turned sharp and changed tactics on the spot, calling forth millions of wraith butterflies and they
lunged at the man like crazy. A myriad of butterflies wrapped that white clad man into a silver,
shimmering, human shaped cocoon, but that probably wouldn’t last for long. Hua Cheng was
about to grab for Xie Lian when those silver butterflies shrieked, exploding into millions of
scintillating silver powder!
Seeing Hua Cheng’s face change, Xie Lian knew that things weren’t good, having so many
wraith butterflies destroyed at once. The white clad man who blew apart the wraith butterflies
hid behind the silver powder splattering haphazardly in the air, and struck out with that newly
grown hand, aiming straight for Hua Cheng’s right eye again!
This time, it was Xie Lian’s turn to pull our Fang Xin, and he struck down! His strike didn’t just
chop off that white clad man’s entire arm, it practically slashed half of his body. Using this
chance, Hua Cheng called out, “Your Highness, let’s go!”
Xie Lian also knew they shouldn’t remain to fight, so he withdrew and the two rushed out of the
cavern together, bolting down the dark tunnel without any obstacles in their way. Xie Lian
exclaimed as he ran, “It’s him! He… really didn’t die!”
Hua Cheng was the one leading the way, his speed faster but much more at ease, and was
setting up butterfly formations and silk along the way, creating heavy obstacles, “That might not
be the original one.”
Xie Lian came to an abrupt stop and hugged his head, “No… I can feel it. It must be the original
one! Not only did he not die, he’s become even stronger. Something’s made him to be reborn…
otherwise how could he transform into Feng Xin and Mu Qing’s appearances so easily? It’s very
difficult to impersonate heavenly officials, it should be nearly impossible to create their fake
skins!”
Hearing his tone was going awry, Hua Cheng also stopped and turned around to clutch his
hand, “Your Highness! Don’t be scared. It might not be that he’s become stronger. There’s
another possibility, and it’s that he is very familiar with Feng Xin and Mu Qing! That’s why he
could make their fake skins. This must be someone you all…”
Before he finished, Xie Lian’s gaze had fallen to the hand that was clutching his own. Seeing
this, both Hua Cheng’s voice and expression froze. He paled, withdrew his hand, tucking it
behind his back, and turned around to continue onwards. Xie Lian however, didn’t follow. “San
Lang.” He called out.
Hua Cheng’s body stiffened and he paused in his step, but he did not look back and only
acknowledged, “Your Highness.”
His voice sounded like he was fairly calm. Xie Lian stood behind him and said, “A lot of things
happened just now, and everyone’s all confused and messed up.”
“En.” Hua Cheng answered.
Xie Lian continued, “Although we’re all still kind of messed up right now, but, I still want to take
this chance to ask you a question, and I hope you’ll answer me honestly and seriously.”
“…”
“Alright.” Hua Cheng said.
Xie Lian questioned solemnly, “Just who is that ‘noble, gracious, special someone’?”
Hua Cheng’s hand that was tied with the red affinity knot twitched a couple times unnoticeably.
He was silent for a while before slowly answering, “If Your Highness has already found out, then
why ask.”
Xie Lian nodded, “I see. So I didn’t misunderstand you. It really is true.”
Hua Cheng didn’t speak.
After a pause, Xie Lian asked, his voice flat, “You… don’t want to know… how I feel about this?”
“…”
Hua Cheng turned his head slightly like he wanted to look back, but at the same time, afraid to
look Xie Lian in the eyes, so only the two streaks of blood on his cheek could be seen, “Will
Your Highness… not tell me?”
Even his voice was cracked. Xie Lian said, “I’m sorry. Something like this has to be said clearly.”
Hua Cheng didn’t need to breathe, but when he heard this he still sucked in a deep breath.
Although his face was tragically pale, he still smiled and replied courteously, “That’s true. That’s
for the best.”
He was like a criminal on death row waiting for his sentence and he closed his eyes. Yet
unexpectedly, his eyes weren’t closed for long before they abruptly blinked open.
A pair of arms had circled around him from behind, and hugged him with force all of a sudden.
Xie Lian had buried his face in his back and also didn’t speak. Though nothing was said, but, it
was enough.
It was a good while before Xie Lian felt the person he was hugging turn around, returning the
hold, engulfing him in a tight embrace.
He heard Hua Cheng’s staggering voice coming from above, “…Your Highness. You really… will
be the death of me.”
————
Ch.178: Cave of Ten Thousand Gods; Faces of Ten Thousand Gods Revealed 4
Right at that moment, there was the sound of an explosion in the deep recesses of the cave,
and in the far distance there was a blinding white light slashing through the darkness followed
by the shrieking of silver butterflies.
The two both looked up, their faces changed. Xie Lian loosened his grip on Hua Cheng’s
sleeves and said, “Let’s talk later!”
Thus, the two continued forward. Only, this time, there was the added action of tightly holding
onto the other’s hand.
Xie Lian’s face was still hot, and he spoke with forced calm like nothing was the matter, “San
Lang, how did you discover that those two Feng Xin and Mu Qing were imposters? Where are
the real ones?”
Hua Cheng’s in pretty much the same state as him and replied, “I left two wraith butterflies to
monitor those two useless trash, so how could there suddenly be two more? Don’t worry Your
Highness, they’re fine, they won’t die!”
“Then we have to go release Feng Xin and Mu Qing from the cocoons first.” Xie Lian said,
“Otherwise, it’d be bad if he finds them and they have no power to fight back!”
Hua Cheng answered, “This way, follow me!”
This Cave of Ten Thousand Gods was indeed his territory, and even when they came across
over five to six different forks in the road, he could immediately and accurately determine which
path to take, and it didn’t take long before they returned to where they first parted. Even at a
distance they could hear those other two were pointing fingers at each other and yelling, “WHY
DID YOU TELL HIS HIGHNESS TO RUN?? NOW YOU’VE DONE IT, HE’S BEEN CARRIED
AWAY!”
“WHAT, AND HAVE HIM STAND AROUND TO BE BUTCHERED??”
“HUH? YOU JUST WANT HIM TO DISTRACT HUA CHENG AND HAVE HIM LEAD AWAY, AM
I WRONG??”
Xie Lian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The two giant white cocoons on the wall were both
simultaneously gnawing at the silk and yelling at each other, and when they saw him return,
they were so surprised they even forgot to spit out the white silk from their mouths, “How did
you escape?”
Xie Lian’s bamboo hat was still on the ground where he dropped it, and he quickly picked it up
and tied it around his back. The heavy white silk released those two, retreating back into the
shadows, and Feng Xin and Mu Qing, who were both beaten black and blue, tumbled to the
ground. When they saw Hua Cheng emerge from behind Xie Lian, they probably thought they
were about to go through another beating, that things were going to get rough again, and their
faces twitched. Feng Xin was just grabbing for Xie Lian’s arm to pull him back but Xie Lian
grabbed hold of Hua Cheng first.
“??? Your Highness?” Feng Xin was shocked.
Hua Cheng was already starting to lead the way, “Gege, this way.”
As if those two dared to follow him. Feng Xin questioned, “Your Highness, why are you still with
him?”
Mu Qing then said, “Didn’t I say he’s lost his mind? Completely infatuated.”
Xie Lian didn’t fight them, and only very gently but firmly held on to Hua Cheng, “There’s no time
to explain now. In any case, let’s get out of here first, there’s an enemy chasing us from behind!”
Having been held onto in place like this, Hua Cheng’s eyes were twinkling, and a moment later,
he smiled, “I suggest you both hold your tongue and just follow. I’m in a good mood so I won’t
fight you for now.”
Seeing this, the two wore complicated expressions and were in complete disbelief. In their
thinking, they just couldn’t figure out why Xie Lian could still so nonchalantly walk alongside
such a terrifying bastard ghost who had stalked him for over eight hundred years with a mind full
of unspeakable things. This was practically like playing with fire and getting burnt. Mu Qing was
suspicious, but in the end finally chose to talk about the other point and asked, “You said there’s
an enemy? This Cave of Ten Thousand Gods is his territory so what kind of enemy can there
possibly be? That scratch on his face is also slashed by the enemy? I don’t think there are that
many in the world who can hurt Crimson Rain Sought Flower?”
“It’s the White No-Face.” Xie Lian replied.
Hearing this name, Feng Xin and Mu Qing’s faces both changed too, and immediately, without
another world, followed after Xie Lian. Since, they were both more than clear that Xie Lian could
joke and lie about anything except the one person. Xie Lian would never lie about him and he
would never mistaken him either.
This group were just fighting each other to the death in the Cave of Ten Thousand Gods earlier,
and now they were all fleeing together. “Just what is going on??” Mu Qing demanded.
Xie Lian thus gave them an account of that white clad man who had transformed into their
appearances, and they were both stunned, “Disguised as us?! How is that possible!”
“It’s true!” Xie Lian said, “Even though everything was too much of a rush and I didn’t look
closely, but in a glance it was absolutely you two!”
Feng Xin was dumbfounded, “But how can the White No-Face still exist in this world? Wasn’t he
killed by the Emperor?”
“It’s easy to imagine that that creature isn’t so easily killed.” Mu Qing said, “Maybe it was killed
at the time, but with the right chance it can certainly revive itself!”
Xie Lian recalled something and turned to Hua Cheng, “San Lang! Before, just after we entered
Mount TongLu, you suddenly woke up from your hibernating state and urged us to immediately
hide away from something. What you sensed back then, was it him?”
Hua Cheng nodded lightly, “It was him.”
Xie Lian mumbled, “I knew it! We later chose the path to the west, but the one who killed
thousands of monsters and demons from the east was also him. He’s reborn but still a little
weak and needed to kill the monsters and demons who entered Mount TongLu to use them as
his stepping stone… and now, he’s recovered, and possibly even stronger than before.”
After all, he was the world’s first Supreme Ghost King!
Just as they were talking, Mu Qing noticed something wrong, “Your Highness, do you know
where he’s taking us? I don’t think this is the way out?”
However, it was Hua Cheng who replied, “Of course this isn’t the way out, because there’s no
way out right now.”
Feng Xin was shocked, “What? Isn’t this cave your territory? You can’t be lost either?”
“Of course not…” Xie Lian replied, and Hua Cheng answered, “Because the White No-Face is
blocking the path leading to the exit of this cave. If you think you can defeat him in your current
state then by all means, don’t follow me, and I won’t stop you. Please, go ahead.”
Feng Xin and Mu Qing were both from XianLe after all, and like Xie Lian, they was an
indistinguishable shadow towards that creature in their hearts, and unless absolutely necessary,
they absolutely did not want to face him. Feng Xin gazed upwards, “Can we punch through the
top of the cave directly and get out?”
Hua Cheng mocked, “It’s the snowy mountain outside, do you want to start another avalanche?”
Too bad they left the Earth Master shovel to Yin Yu for emergencies and they didn’t have it on
hand. None of them studied on how to used it either, so they couldn’t soundlessly dig
themselves out. “Then why are we running around aimlessly for?”
“As long as we run around aimlessly, he will chase after us and therefore leave the path leading
to the exit.” Xie Lian explained, “By then the rest of you can use that chance to escape.”
Mu Qing was sharp and said, “Wait, “the rest of you”? You mean to split? One group be the bait
to lead him away while the other group escape by themselves?”
“That’s it exactly!” Xie Lian said, “The Emperor must be informed that the White No-Face has
reappeared in the world. Once you both get out, find a way to bring this news to the heavens…”
Mu Qing cut him off, “Wait, wait! You’ve already decided who’s going to be bait and who’s going
to leave?”
Xie Lian shook his head, “I didn’t decide this, White No-Face did.”
Mu Qing understood and didn’t speak anymore. It really wasn’t up to them to decide who gets
pursued. If they must choose the one among them that the White No-Face would be the most
interested in pursuing, then, it was for sure Xie Lian!
Feng Xin declared without hesitation, “I will stay with you to face him.”
In the past, if there was any incident, Mu Qing would always be the one Xie Lian send back to
report while Feng Xin would always be the one staying behind to assist him. Now, it seemed the
circumstances were going to repeat. However, Xie Lian glanced at Hua Cheng and said,
“Thanks! But, there’s no need. San Lang will stay with me.”
Feng Xin blurted, “How can he be the one to stay? He…”
Hua Cheng’s brows furrowed threateningly but Xie Lian replied, “He’s fine. I trust him.”
His voice was gentle but his demeanour was exceedingly determined, and Feng Xin was
stunned in spite of himself, “Your Highness.”
Xie Lian patted his shoulder, “You two go together. Mount TongLu has now closed its gates, so
it’s difficult to say if you can even charge out. Besides, don’t you still need to search for… Lan
Chang and the child?”
With his reminder, Feng Xin’s face grew ashened. A wraith butterfly flew out from the
engravings on the vambrace around Hua Cheng’s wrist, and Hua Cheng said, “Follow it.”
The two looked at Hua Cheng, then at Xie Lian, and in the end, Mu Qing tossed out, “You two
watch yourselves.” Then he turned around to follow after that silver butterfly, dashing into
another tunnel. A brief moment later, Feng Xin followed too.
The four thus parted at this fork in the road, and just as Xie Lian was watching their retreating
backs, in the distance came another series of exploding rumbles. The remaining two exchanged
a look and Hua Cheng said darkly, “He’s here.”
“Take me away.” Xie Lian said.
That white clad man came charging after Xie Lian as expected. Hua Cheng continued to set up
wraith butterfly arrays to form obstacles in order to ensure that white clad man will always be
kept at a distance from them, while at the same time, monitor the situation in various paths.
Every time there was an explosion and the shrieks of wraith butterflies however, his expression
would grow grimmer, and Xie Lian also ached as he listened. They winded and turned, rounding
corners after corners, and came to a cavern chamber. He couldn’t help but sigh, “I can’t
believe… this many silver butterflies are lost.”
While those wraith butterflies didn’t have a good reputation in the external world, but in Xie
Lian’s eyes, they were no more than clever and precious little spirits, and to so vigorously
commit suicidal attacks without stopping if only to delay the steps of the enemy for one moment,
Xie Lian couldn’t help but ache for them. Hua Cheng however, only snorted, appearing as if his
eyes could see through the thick rocky walls and said darkly, “Don’t worry. If he kills one, I’ll
make ten more. Fast and furious like the storms, I will never back down. Let’s see who’s the one
left standing in the end.”
Xie Lian’s heart skipped a beat for some reason and he mumbled inwardly, ‘… Oh no, this is
bad.’
Even though Hua Cheng’s expression was subconsciously displayed, but Xie Lian really was
quite weak to this aggressive and rebellious confidence of his.
After another moment, Hua Cheng slowed his pace, and appeared as if he received some sort
of signal, and he turned to Xie Lian, “He’s been lead away. Those two are almost out.”
“Great!” Xie Lian said, “Now we can take our time to think of a way.”
“En. There’s no rush now.” Hua Cheng said, “He’s been left behind for a long distance away, so
we can hide here for now and think of a battle plan.”
“…”
Yet unexpectedly, the mood between the two of them suddenly became a little awkward.
It wasn’t the kind of awkwardness that came with embarrassment, but just a bit of unknown
shyness. They were being chased closely by that creature behind them at first, and Feng Xin
and Mu Qing were both present at the time, so this feeling wasn’t obvious. Although he did say
“let’s talk later”, but now that they’ve caught their breaths and it’s already “later”, he had no idea
what to say.
Xie Lian coughed lightly twice to clear his throat, raising a finger to scratch at his cheek, but felt
no matter what things were a little uncomfortable. He wanted to speak but then worried if it
would sound too abrupt, or too silly, or overly intentional, and in the end he hoped Hua Cheng
would be the first to say something. However, Hua Cheng’s expression was also strained,
appearing like he was thinking very seriously over their battle plans. But, whether if he was
actually thinking was hard to tell, because the hands clenched behind his back seemed to be
shaking slightly.
Just then, the two walked past a divine statue. Most of the divine statues within the Cave of Ten
Thousand Gods were all about the same size as the real person himself; this one was more
rough in craftsmanship and its size was also shrunken by half. When Xie Lian passed it, he
casually peeled off the veil that was also covering its head, and his eyes lit up, “San Lang, did
you carve this one too?”
Hua Cheng looked over and fell silent. It was a moment before he replied, “It’s work from
beginner years. Gege, don’t look anymore.”
That must absolutely be the truth, since this divine statue really was extremely ugly. Even
though it was easy to see that the sculptor had done his utmost to carve that perfect form in his
heart, but the skill was limited, his wish unfulfilled, and while it couldn’t be said to be cockeyed
or crooked, it could still be said this little figure was disproportionate and smiled like it was
mentally challenged.
Still, despite all that, he still managed to complete every single detail without fault. Thus, Xie
Lian could tell that this was a God-Pleasing Crown Prince statue. Even that pair of red coral
pearl earrings were dotted.
Xie Lian silently covered his mouth and turned away. In order to appear natural, he even rubbed
hard at his face. Hua Cheng didn’t know what to say and so he pleaded again, “Your Highness,
please don’t look anymore.” He said as he tried to cover that statue again with a veil. Xie Lian
quickly said, “Don’t misunderstand! I really think it’s very cute!” But then he thought, wasn’t the
one Hua Cheng sculpted him? To praise that this thing was cute, wasn’t it just him praising
himself as cute? Not only was he lying with his eyes wide open, it was also incredibly thick
skinned, so Xie Lian couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Seeing this, Hua Cheng also bowed his
head and lowered his lashes as he started to chuckle too.
Thus, with the both of them laughing, much of that unknown, anxiously stiff mood was washed
away.
They continued forward and passed another statue that was lounging, lying on a stone bed, but
its entire body was covered with a layer of smoke light white satin. Xie Lian was very curious
and was just about to uncover the white veil on that divine statue’s body when Hua Cheng
seized his wrist all of a sudden, “Your Highness!”
Ever since they entered this Cave of Ten Thousand Gods, Hua Cheng called him “Your
Highness” a majority of the time. Xie Lian looked at him, and Hua Cheng let go of the hand that
was gripping him, looking like he was still a little uncomfortable.
“I already know it’s a statue of me, can I still not look?” Xie Lian asked.
“If gege wants to look at statues, the best one I’ve sculpted still remains to be seen. I’ll show you
some other time. Don’t look at any of the ones in this cave anymore.” Hua Cheng said.
Xie Lian didn’t understand, “Why? I think all the divine statues in this Cave of Ten Thousand
Gods are all carved really well, really, really well. I’ll think it a shame if I can’t see them.
Speaking of, those murals…”
Yet unexpectedly, Hua Cheng instantly said, “I’ll go destroy them.”
Seeing that he actually was about to move, Xie Lian hastily grabbed him, “Don’t don’t dont! Why
destroy them? Just because I saw? Fine fine fine… I’ll tell you the truth. I’ve only actually seen a
little bit, like the ShangYuan Heavenly Ceremonial Procession, the army and the like. I haven’t
seen most of it because Feng Xin and Mu Qing wouldn’t let me, so I have absolutely no idea
what you painted. Don’t go and destroy them!”
“…”
Only then did Hua Cheng turn around to face him, “Really?”
Xie Lian held on to him and replied with the utmost sincerity, “Really. If you don’t want me to
look then I won’t.”
Hua Cheng seemed to have sighed in relief quietly and smiled, “It’s not anything good to look at
anyway. If you want to see anything, just have me paint it directly.”
A reaction like this, Xie Lian was now even more curious. But, he didn’t want to drive Hua
Cheng to destroy those precious murals himself either, so he could only force down his own
desires. After taking a few steps, Xie Lian suddenly frowned, “…Something’s not right.”
————–
Ch.179: Cave of Ten Thousand Gods; Faces of Ten Thousand Gods Revealed 5
“What is it?” Hua Cheng asked.
He turned around to look at Hua Cheng, “White No-Face. Why would he come to Mount
TongLu?”
“Perhaps his powers haven’t recovered completely and wants to borrow the Kiln to be reborn
into this world.” Hua Cheng replied.
“If that’s the case, that would mean the him now is not… a Supreme?” Xie Lian wondered.
“That’s not entirely impossible.” Hua Cheng said.
Earlier, White No-Face impersonated Feng Xin and Mu Qing and suddenly charged out, his
abrupt appearance both shocking and terrifying. On top of that, Xie Lian’s first reaction was “he
can’t be defeated, run away!”, so he grabbed Hua Cheng and fled. The two didn’t actually face
him for too long, so, they weren’t able to gauge just what exactly was White No-Face’s current
true strength.
Was it all just a bluff? Or was he stronger than he seemed? Exchanging rough blows for no
more than the flash of a second, nothing could be determined. Xie Lian muttered, “I
subconsciously thought he was stronger when I only saw those two fake skins, but maybe… he
hasn’t completely recovered right now, and maybe he’s currently at his weakest? Otherwise why
would he come to Mount TongLu? Maybe… I can give it a shot.”
See if he could take him down!
Hua Cheng immediately replied, “Good. I’ll go fight him”
Xie Lian instantly snapped out of it and hastily said, “No, don’t. Don’t face him straight on. Just
me giving it a shot is enough!”
Usually, Supreme Ghost Kings would never face each other in combat so easily, just as how
Ship-Sinking Black Water and Crimson Rain Sought Flower coexisted in peace. The Ghost
Kings weren’t like the heavenly officials of the heavens where their strengths, how big their
palaces, how many worshippers, the parameters of their powers were all well known by anyone
who cared to keep track; they would hide their true strength the same way they hide their pasts.
Since they possessed no knowledge of each other’s strengths and no one knew what the
consequences would be if two Supremes should start fighting, if things could be kept at a
balance then they shall be kept that way.
“No need to worry.” Hua Cheng said, “Victory or defeat hasn’t been decided yet. Unless gege
actually believes I would let you face him by yourself?”
“…”
Xie Lian shook his head, “It’s not that, San Lang, We’re not the same. He… won’t kill me, I can
swear it.”
“Why?” Hua Cheng questioned.
After a moment of hesitation, Xie Lian still chose not to answer and only said, “You don’t know
just how terrifying that creature is… “
Hua Cheng cut him off grimly, “Your Highness! – I know.”
Only then did Xie Lian remember that Hua Cheng had also joined the XianLe army once, and
had experienced personally the XianLe battlefield, seen with his own eyes the tragedy of fields
piled with corpses. But, Hua Cheng wasn’t like him. He had never personally seen that shocking
battle between Jun Wu and White No-Face. He had also never crossed paths with White
No-Face before.
Having thought this, Xie Lian shook his head with force, “It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just, I
just… I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Hearing this, Hua Cheng’s eyes twinkled. A moment later he smiled, “Gege, don’t worry. I’m
already dead, so it won’t be so easy for me to die again. Besides, have you forgotten what I’ve
told you before? As long as he doesn’t find my ashes, he can do nothing to me.”
Only with his reminder did Xie Lian recall there was such a thing and quickly said, “Wait! The
other things aside. San Lang, your… are you ashes properly hidden away?”
“A long time ago.” Hua Cheng replied.
Xie Lian nodded, but after a pause, he still couldn’t help but double check, “Are you sure it’s
properly hidden? That place is secure enough? It won’t be found?”
Hua Cheng answered leisurely, “To me, it’s the safest place in the world.”
Xie Lian however, didn’t think there’s anything that was absolute in this world and pressed,
“You’re absolutely sure?”
Hua Cheng smiled cheerfully, “If its hiding place is destroyed, then, there’s no need for me to
exist either. Of course I’m sure.”
Although Xie Lian really minded what “no need to exist” meant, but they weren’t situated in a
safe place at the moment, and who knows if there were any ears listening, so it wasn’t the right
place to go deeper into this subject and he stopped talking about it. But having talked thus far,
Xie Lian really wanted to ask Hua Cheng – just how did he die?
He really wanted to know, but at the same time he didn’t know how to ask. When mortals die,
the reason why souls could remain in the corporeal earth was all because of obsessive
attachment. In most cases, anguish and resentment were the strongest of their fixation, and in
order to become a Supreme Ghost King, their obsession would have to be even stronger than
most. He was afraid that should he ask, Hua Cheng wouldn’t be able to handle it, like if a scar
was stabbed. Xie Lian himself might not be able to bear it either. These past eight hundred
years, just how had Hua Cheng endured it?
Having thought thus far, a horrifying thought suddenly appeared in Xie Lian’s mind and he was
instantly covered in cold sweat. He immediately turned to Hua Cheng, “San Lang!”
“What is it?” Hua Cheng answered.
Xie Lian’s fingers were twitching slightly, “I… I’ve another question I want to ask you.”
“By all means.” Hua Cheng replied.
Xie Lian stared at him, “In the past eight hundred years, other than having met me in XianLe,
have you met me anywhere else at any other point in time?”
“…”
Hua Cheng turned his head slowly, “Unfortunately, even though I’ve never given up and did my
utmost to find you, I haven’t.”
Xie Lian pressed on, “Really?”
Hua Cheng looked him in the eyes, “Really. Why does gege ask?”
Xie Lian softly sighed a breath of relief and forced a smile, “Nothing, it’s just, in these past
years, how I passed my earlier days wasn’t the prettiest sight, it was all muddled and very much
a failure. I just thought if you had witnessed it it wouldn’t be good.”
Hua Cheng laughed, “How could that be?”
Xie Lian however, didn’t laugh at all, “It’s not a joke, I really was quite the failure.”
Hearing this, Hua Cheng withdrew his smile and turned solemn, “That’s okay too. Didn’t Your
Highness already say it yourself?”
“Me?” Xie Lian was confused, “What did I say?”
Hua Cheng recited languidly, “To me, the one basking in infinite glory is you, the one fallen from
grace is also you. What matters is ‘you’, and not the state of you.”
He stared at Xie Lian and blinked meaningfully, cocking an eyebrow, “I feel the same way.”
“…”
Xie Lian was stunned for a good moment when suddenly he PA! and slapped his hands to cover
his face, feeling his entire head burning up, “Did, did I say that?!”
“You did!” Hua Cheng said, “Gege, don’t deny it.”
Xie Lian used his arm to block his face, “I, I don’t think so!”
“Gege, do you want to watch it? I’ll find it for you.” Hua Cheng said.
Xie Lian’s head shot up, “??? You… did you… No way… San Lang, you… did you record
everything?!”
“I’m joking, joking.”
“I honestly don’t believe you…”
“Gege, trust me.”
“I don’t trust you anymore!”
The two came to a fork in the road, and just then, there was suddenly a breeze and Hua Cheng
tilted his body, blocking in front of him, raising an arm as if meaning to shield him.
The breeze actually wasn’t anything and naturally didn’t require any sort of blocking at all, but
Hua Cheng’s action came completely naturally. As the wind passed, strands of hair fluttered
irritatingly, and Xie Lian suddenly noticed that when Hua Cheng wasn’t looking at him, his
expression and the contours of his face were all cold. Beautiful in his nonchalance, Hua Cheng
didn’t even realize he moved without hesitation, as if protecting Xie Lian was an innate ability.
Xie Lian blurted again, “San Lang!”
Hua Cheng tilted his head to look at him, and only then did he flash a smile, “What is it, Your
Highness?”
Xie Lian felt, Hua Cheng probably didn’t notice himself smiling.
A clear and powerful voice in his heart told him that this man really took him for a god.
Xie Lian’s fingers quietly clenched, “Once we’re out of Mount TongLu, there are many things I
want to tell you.”
Hua Cheng nodded lightly, “Alright. I look forward to it.”
“Have Feng Xin and Mu Qing gotten out?” Xie Lian asked.
“They’re already out.” Hua Cheng replied.
“Then White No-Face?” Xie Lian asked, “He didn’t catch up to us and he didn’t go to stop them?
Where is he now? How far is he away from us?”
Hua Cheng replied, “He’s…”
He hadn’t finished but his face changed, and he pressed two fingers lightly against the brow of
his right eye. A moment later, he said “…He’s disappeared.”
Xie Lian was shocked, “How could he have disappeared?”
Hua Cheng was still rather calm and he searched with focus, “He’s disappeared into thin air.”
Even as a ghost it was impossible to just disappear in thin air within the Cave of Ten Thousand
Gods surrounded by wraith butterflies!
Xie Lian blurted, “Let me see?” Then he gripped Hua Cheng’s shoulders with his hands and
tipped his feet slightly, touching his forehead with his. Hua Cheng’s hand lowered to rest on his
waist for a moment. There was a small hesitation like he was going to pull away, but in the end
the hand remained and hugged him even tighter.
The scenes that Hua Cheng saw moments earlier swiftly flashed before Xie lian’s eyes. That
white clad man came languidly before a stone cavern, and countless wraith butterflies once
again rushed towards him, wrapping him into a shimmering human shaped cocoon. After a
frozen moment, they were shocked away, silver light exploded, crackled, and the silver
butterflies were blown into scintillating glitters. However, after that silver light had settled, he
disappeared!
Following that, Hua Cheng’s right eye carried his sight and swept across the situation in
countless many other tunnels but that white clad figure was nowhere to be seen. Xie Lian was
puzzled and pulled away slightly, “Did he leave?”
But, others might not know, but Xie Lian was more than clear that if White No-Face saw him he
would no doubt harass him persistently.
“Maybe our speculation before was right.” Hua Cheng said, “His first objective is to use the Kiln
to regain his Supreme status so he left first.”
This voice was pressed right against his ear and only then did Xie Lian come to and realize Hua
Cheng’s face was cupped in his hands and he had pulled him to bend slightly at the waist. Xie
Lian quickly let go and cried, “Stop him!”
Their mission coming to Mount TongLu this time was to prevent any candidates that had the
potential to become a Supreme. The two had been avoiding that white clad man the entire time
earlier, but now that the situation had been cleared, they were now going through the countless
divine statutes in search of him. It didn’t take them long before they came to the place where
that white clad man had disappeared.
Sure enough, besides a few divine statues, there was no a single soul. Silver shimmers covered
the ground, and the little silver butterflies that weren’t completely destroyed by the shockwave
were fluttering their broken wings. Xie Lian bent down, and thought he didn’t know whether if it’d
work, he still wanted to cup them up. Right then, he heard Hua Cheng’s voice coming from
behind, “…Gege, come here by my side.”
That voice was laced with suppressed anger, but the rage wasn’t directed at him.
Xie Lian looked up and found Hua Cheng’s blazing eyes were staring at a divine statue ahead.
It was a divine statue that was covered from head to toe with white veil, unmoving, and its
general contour could be seen. It seemed to pointing a sword and so, one end was protruded
sharply.
However, at this very moment, at the sharp tip of the sword’s point, a patch of astringent red
was exuding, spreading nonstop, staining and soaking that white silk.
There was blood on the sword!
Anyone who witnessed this sight could tell there was something strange with this divine statue.
Perhaps, at this moment, what was under the white silk was no longer the original divine statue
but something else. Xie Lian leapt to his feet and stood side by side with Hua Cheng, the sword
Fang Xin pointed at that divine statue. With a dark expression, Hua Cheng waved his hand, and
that white veil was uncovered.
Xie Lian’s pupils instantly shrank.
Under the white veil was a divine statue of him. This was a God-Pleasing Crown Prince statue,
a sword in one hand, flower in the other, smile hung on the face. Only, there was a trace of
blood on that smile.
The source of that blood was the sword gripped in its hand. There was a youth pierced upon the
blade, his head wrapped full of bandages, his body covered in blood. It was Lang Ying!
————
Ch.180: From the Sealed Kiln One Supreme Shall Emerge
His head was dropped to the side as if he had lost consciousness. When Xie Lian saw it was
Lang Ying, he subconsciously moved to save him but quickly stopped in his step, his mind
coming around: There was clearly no one else but White No-Face here earlier, so why would
Lang Ying suddenly appear?
Seeing that the pure and holy statue of the God-Pleasing Crown Prince was corrupted by
dripping blood, Hua Cheng was obviously enraged, his expression radiating dark fury, and the
scimitar E-Ming exuded a chilling aura. “Get the hell down.” He said.
As expected, “Lang Ying’s” drooping head righted itself, blinking open his eyes, and slowly
“pulled” himself down from the sword, dropping to the ground.
Earlier, when White No-Face blew up that wave of silver butterflies that surrounded to attack
him, he used that moment of blinding silver light to hide himself under the white veil of this
divine statue and transformed into the appearance of Lang Ying. Since he could disguise
himself as Lang Ying, it meant he must’ve seen Lang Ying before somewhere.
“Where’s the real Lang Ying?” Xie Lian demanded.
“Your Highness, maybe there was never a ‘real Lan Ying’.” Hua Cheng said.
If, since the beginning, ‘Lang Ying’ had never existed, and it was only White No-Face in his
unrecovered form, then everything could be easy to explain. But, when Xie Lian remembered
the little girl Xiao Ying who died on Mount Yu Jun, he would rather this explanation be illogical.
He then swiftly thought of another possibility and said slowly, “Or perhaps… he devoured Lang
Ying.”
Hearing this, the “Lang Ying” before them started growing taller, his body pulling upwards, the
bandages on his face unwrapping and shedding, revealing that mask inside, and he slightly
lifted his head, seeming to be smiling, “You guessed right.”
So that was indeed it.
White No-Face was certainly pulverized and dispersed by Jun Wu. However, he clung on and
left a wisp of a broken soul drifting in the mortal realm. Who knows how long he drifted, who
knows when it happened, but he found Lang Ying who possessed the same ghost body. He
must’ve used some way to seduce or deceive Lang Ying into making Lang Ying agree to hosting
him on his own body, otherwise, by his remaining weak soul, he might not have had the ability to
devour Lang Ying. He stayed glued on Lang Ying’s body and slowly recovered, and the end
result was what was before Xie Lian and Hua Cheng now, ghost devouring ghost, White
No-Face ate his host Lang Ying. Just as how He Xuan devoured the Reverend of Empty Words,
Lang Ying ironically became his slave.
It only took a few words before “Lang Ying” had completely transformed into the appearance of
White No-Face. Hua Cheng eyed him, “Why would Lang Ying agree to letting you borrow his
spirit body?”
A request like this was no different than a stranger asking “Please open your doors and let me
in to live in your house and eat your food”. Lang Ying was still a ghost who lived for hundreds of
years after all, and while he was timid and hesitant, he shouldn’t be this foolish. White No-Face
replied warmly, “I can of course answer your question. But, are you sure the one next to you
would want me to say it here?”
Hua Cheng looked to his side. Xie Lian’s expression was slightly strange and didn’t notice his
gaze at all. White No-Face then said, “Surname Lang, YongAn, the human face disease. Why
did he agree to let me eat him? Can you not guess why?”
Xie Lian’s face was instantly paled by a shade, the veins on the back of his hands popped and
he slashed with his sword, shouting, “SHUT UP!”
White No-Face sidestepped and avoided the strike, but CLANG! The attack sliced through the
sword gripped in the hands of his own divine statue. Now he’d done it; the God-Pleasing Crown
Prince statue wielded a broken sword, and the statue itself thus became a ruined artefact. Xie
Lian instantly snapped out of it, like he was suddenly drenched by a bucket of cold water. It was
as if the wraith butterflies were outraged and they swarmed over. White No-Face laughed
emotionlessly, casual and at ease, and using his sleeve to cover his face, he no longer
persisted and swiftly disappeared into the darkness. Xie Lian stared at that broken stone sword
on the ground and subconsciously muttered to Hua Cheng, “I’m sorry…”
However, Hua Cheng said, “Gege don’t be silly. Why apologize to me? He’s gone. Now what?”
Xie Lian pulled himself together somewhat and replied, “Did he flee? We can’t let him enter the
Kiln!”
The two chased out of the Cave of Ten Thousand Gods and hiked onto the snowy mountain
once more. Right as they came out, they could feel the earth quake the mountains shake. They
looked upwards and waves of avalanche were crashing down. Compared to the one they
experienced before, this roaring avalanche was only bigger not smaller. It was as if something
buried under the heavy snow was awakened and was roaring. “Can we still make it up there?!”
Xie Lian wondered.
Hua Cheng clutched his hand firmly and said, “We can if you follow me!”
The two went up against the crashing current of ice and snow. Sure enough, while it was difficult
and extremely dangerous, and every step they took they had to take three back, still they
avoided the most violent of the snow and rubble flow and countless pits, creating a path up the
mountain from their tireless charging.
Finally, they hiked to the highest point; ice sealed the mountaintop, so thick who knows how
deep and how many layers were frozen beneath. Xie Lian felt if he tried going even a bit faster
he would slip, but Hua Cheng held his hand and moved forward with steady steps, completely
unafraid. The two came to the mouth of the volcano, and that opening looked like a giant mouth
shouting to the heavens, exceedingly impressive. Looking downwards, it was complete
darkness below. Maybe it was his imagination, but in the deepest recesses there seemed to be
a terrifying red light flashing in intervals, sometimes there, sometimes not. Xie Lian felt slight
panic for some reason, and he held down the bamboo hat on his head, making sure it didn’t get
blown away by the snowy winds, “Did he go in already?”
Hua Cheng only took a glance before his expression turned grim, “Yes.”
“How do you know?”
“The Kiln is closing.”
Xie Lian was taken aback and instantly felt caught off guard, “What’s going on? Why is it closing
so soon? Don’t there need to be at least several ghosts inside before the slaughtering can
begin?”
“That’s the usual case,” Hua Cheng said, “However, if the Kiln believes the entrant has
extremely high potential of breaking through the Kiln, then as long as that ghost makes the
mountain-sealing request, it will close.” After a pause, he added, “That’s what I did back then.”
“So is he a Supreme or not?” Xie Lian asked, “What will happen If a Supreme Ghost King enters
the Kiln again?”
“It’s the same thing as what would happen to an ascended heavenly official who have gone
through another Heavenly Calamity.”
Which meant, if he was already strong, he will become even stronger!
If they allow White No-Face to cross the obstacle, then the consequences would be
unimaginable.
And after he exited the mountain as a Supreme, the first one he would seek would surely be Xie
Lian.
Eyeing that bottomless, infinite abyss for a while, Xie Lian said slowly, “San Lang, I… I might
need to go down there to resolve things.”
“Go. I’ll come with you.” Hua Cheng replied quietly.
Xie Lian looked up and gazed at him. Hua Cheng looked up too and met his eyes, cocking an
eyebrow as he smirked, “It’s just going down to kill an eyesore and breaking through the Kiln
again, that’s all. It’s not like it’s anything hard.”
Seeing him so relaxed, Xie Lian’s tensed emotions seemed to have loosened some too, and he
smiled. An instant later, Hua Cheng said, “However, there is one thing.”
Xie Lian: “?”
He tilted his head and one of Hua Cheng’s arms suddenly snaked around his waist and brought
him into his arms, the other hand lifted his chin gently. Then, his lips were enveloped.
They kissed and embraced for a long time in the snowstorm before their lips parted slowly. Xie
Lian was dazed for a good moment before he jolted, came to, and became flustered, widening
his eyes, “…Wh-What’s this all of a sudden?!”
Although it wasn’t the first time they had done something like this, but before they had always
used grand and dignified reasons like “lending spiritual powers”, “transferring air”, “accident”, to
justify their actions. Now that some things had come out into the open, these excuses were
suddenly exposed of their falsehoods, and the meaning of these actions became much more
significant. He nearly didn’t know where to put his hands; to hold on Hua Cheng’s arms or push
against Hua Cheng’s chest? Should he hold back or block Hua Cheng’s face?
Next to his ear, Hua Cheng seemed to have puffed a breath and he whispered, “…I’ll, lend a bit
of spiritual powers to Your Highness in case of emergencies… will you accept it?”
Xie Lian unconsciously swallowed and he stuttered, “Th-This is a bit? It seems too much… I
haven’t, I haven’t paid you back for all the times before…”
“It’s not much. There’s no rush. Take your time to pay back, the account will clear one day.” Hua
Cheng said.
Xie Lian “En, en, en”-ed randomly a couple times, and was just about to run away when Hua
Cheng pulled him to a stop, pointing out, “Your Highness! Where are you running to? You’re
going in the wrong direction.”
Only then did Xie Lian discover he was running back the way they came and immediately turned
back around, even slipping on the ice once. He quickly pressed down on his bamboo hat,
“N-No. I, I’m just a little cold, thought I’d jog around a bit, warm up…”
He put the bamboo hat on but then carried it on his back to carry, then wore it again. Finally, he
held onto Hua Cheng’s hand, gripping it tightly. The two stood side by side and watched that
immense abyss below.
Hua Cheng’s voice was casual, “After this is all resolved, I’ll show gege my proudest sculpted
statue.”
“Okay.” Xie Lian replied.
Then, the two jumped down together.
The gusts of wild winds shaved past his ears, a force so strong it was like the crashing waves,
but their hands weren’t separated by that power, and instead they held on even harder.
Yet unexpectedly, halfway in the air, Xie Lian’s grip turned empty.
It wasn’t that his hand slipped or Hua Cheng let go; the hand held in his palm disappeared all of
a sudden, no more substance.
Xie Lian’s heart lurched and he shouted, “SAN LANG?!”
He was falling rapidly, and his cry a moment ago was already over ten miles above his head, his
voice sounding unreal. It was a long time before Xie Lian finally landed steadily. He immediately
rose to his feet and called out, “San Lang?”
There was no answer. Only a hollow echo told him just what an immense, empty space he was
currently standing in.
It was darkness all around except for above, and Xie Lian looked up. Above, there was a snow
white sky and it was gradually shrinking. That must be the mouth of the volcano of the Kiln
slowly closing.
But, where did Hua Cheng go?
Crackle whoosh, and Xie Lian lit up a palm torch, hoping to illuminate and see just what things
were like down here. However, the darkness was immeasurably deep, and this little bit of flames
couldn’t show anything, the firelight itself seeming to be coldly absorbed by the dark void.
Moreover, he accidentally didn’t control his powers well and the flames erupted a little too high,
almost burning his own head, so he quickly tossed that fire onto the ground. Coincidentally, that
firelight brightened the back of a faint white silhouette not far away. Xie Lian was instantly
alarmed, “WHO IS IT?!”
That white silhouette turned around and answered quietly, “You know who I am.”
Although he answered, but the muscles on that man’s face did not move an inch. Naturally.
Since, it wasn’t the face of a man, but that of a half crying, half smiling mask.
Xie Lian blurted, “SAN LANG!”
Even if he would get uncontrollable chills and terror when he saw this face, but this call wasn’t
because he was scared, but because he was worried. Of course, there was still no one who
answered, and that crying-smiling mask had come closer by another step, “No need to yell
anymore. The Kiln is now sealed shut. There is now only you and me in here, no third person.”
Xie Lian looked up again subconsciously. Earlier there was still a small snowy white scene of
the sky, but now, that little bit of light was completely swallowed by the darkness around them.
Which meant, the Kiln truly has sealed the mountain.
Xie Lian had never expected things would turn out like this. Him, and White No-Face, the two of
them, locked inside the Kiln.
Just them two? Why them two?!
Xie Lian gripped Fang Xin and pointed the sword at him, “What is going on here? Are you
meddling again? Where is he? Where is he right now?”
White No-Face clamped the edge of the sword with two fingers, and the other hand flicked upon
the blade, the CLUNG! Clear and crisp, “He’s gone.”
Xie Lian watched this move of his and his eyes turned cold, “Explain yourself clearly. What do
you mean “gone”?”
“He doesn’t want to follow you anymore. He left. Dead. What do you think?” White No-Face
said.
“…”
Xie Lian first felt his heart drop, then immediately after a violent rage rolled up, and he struck,
“STOP YOUR NONSENSE!”
White No-Face once again caught that blade effortlessly, “Fine, fine. I was talking nonsense.
Don’t worry, I’ve already sent him outside the Kiln, so even if he wants to rush over now it’d be
too late.”
Xie Lian really didn’t mind whether if Hua Cheng could make it, as long as he was okay, and he
quietly sighed a breath of relief. White No-Face continued, “But, it’s probably for the best that he
doesn’t come in. Otherwise, even if he doesn’t think so now, later when he sees the state of
you, who knows if he’ll still want to be with you.”
Xie Lian couldn’t stand him anymore and swung his sword again, yelling, “SHUT UP! I’VE HAD
ENOUGH OF YOU! WHAT DO YOU WANT? JUST WHAT DO YOU WANT?? HOW LONG ARE
YOU GOING TO KEEP CLINGING TO ME???”
White No-Face easily dodged every single one of his strikes, and Xie Lian cried in rage, “Why
haven’t you died? WHY DID YOU COME TO THE Kiln?”
“Because of you!” White No-Face replied.
Xie Lian’s movement faltered, and he huffed a breath, “What do you mean?”
White No-Face answered languidly, “Because you’ve come. So, I’ve come too.”
Hearing an answer like this, Xie Lian’s face was going twisted.
However, not matter how enraged he was, how strong his murderous intent, it was as if White
No-Face could forever predict what his next strike would be and avoid each attack by mere
millimeters. The more Xie Lian struck, the more he understood a cruel fact:
He couldn’t win!
“That’s right.” Like he could read his mind, White No-Face said, “You can’t win.”
The moment those words left his lips, a blade was pierced through Xie Lian’s wrist. Excruciating
pain spread throughout his body, and Xie Lian involuntarily loosened his grip on the sword. The
next second, his hair was grabbed, forcibly yanked back then bashed into the ground!
His ears were ringing, his nose and mouth were filled with the astringence of blood, and his
head concussed.
It was a while later before Xie Lian felt a hand pull his head out from the shattered ground, and
a voice came from above, “So sad, so pitiful.”
Xie Lian choked out a mouthful of blood. White No-Face said, “Every time I meet Your
Highness, you always look like this. Makes one ache. Makes one excited.”
Xie Lian bit back another mouthful of blood, refusing to let it be coughed out, and he croaked,
“…Don’t be too pleased. I might not be able to win against you right now, but… someone can.
Even if you can emerge from the Kiln, Jun Wu can very well kill you again.”
Besides, there’s still Hua Cheng!
Yet unexpectedly, White No-Face replied, “Who says the one who will emerge from the Kiln
would be me?”
Hearing this, Xie Lian was taken aback.
Not him? Who else could it be if not him?
White No-Face lifted his face to look at his eyes, and he said warmly, “Your Highness, I think,
you might have misunderstood. There certainly will be a Supreme who will emerge from this
Kiln, but, it won’t be me. It would be you.”
Xie Lian was shaken to the core, “…What did you say? I’m not…”
Before he even finished he understood and instantly his body was covered in cold sweat from
the shock.
White No-Face said, “That’s right. That’s exactly it. Congratulations, you’ve finally understood
my real objective. Isn’t this your favourite ‘Third Path’?”
Currently in the Kiln, there was only one supreme and one god, and by the looks of things, there
was only two paths to take. Either White No-Face killed him and emerge from the Kiln; or the
two could be trapped within the Kiln forever, escaping an erstwhile dream.
However, there was actually a third path.
As long Xie Lian kill himself right now, become a ghost and kill White No-Face, then he can
become a Supreme and break through the Kiln!
Xie Lian finally snapped out of his shock, “DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! Are you crazy? Just
what do you want? Why must you do this?? Have me become a Supreme? I’m not as crazy as
you! Even if you want me to kill you there was no way I can defeat you, the Kiln won’t recognize
such a Supreme!”
It was the honest truth. To excel as a person didn’t mean one could excel as a god; and to be
able to become god didn’t mean one could become a ghost. However, White No-Face said,
“Really? Don’t be so sure.”
Then, his other hand reached out. With the firelight not too far away, Xie Lian could see that a
mask appeared in that other hand. The exact same one as the one on White No-Face’s face.
“Do you remember this cry-smiling mask?” White No-Face asked, “It suits you.”
Xie Lian’s eyes bulged, and terror was like a tide of insects, dense and packed as they crawled
into his mind. He forced out weakly, “…Take it away, take it away… TAKE IT AWAY!”
White No-Face started laughing, “It seems, Your Highness’ memory isn’t that great. If that’s the
case, let me help you remember, hm?”
Then, without giving him a chance to protest, that tragically pale cry-smiling mask melted with
the infinite darkness as it was heavily pressed onto Xie Lian’s face.
———–
End of Book 3
Ch.171: The Last Princess; Throat Slit Before Palace Gates
“I’ve never had the fortune to meet the Rain Master, so I didn’t know the Rain Master is a
princess…” Xie Lian said.
On the other side, Xuan Ji gritted her teeth, “What… did you do… why… can’t… I move?!”
The Rain Master pulled her eyes away from Pei Ming and said gently, “I’ve brought the YuLong*
Sword.”
“The YuLong Sword?” Xie Lian wondered.
“It’s the sacred guardian sword of the Kingdom of YuShi, wielded by all of its rulers in history.
After the Rain Master ascended, she forged it as a spiritual device, and, naturally, possessed
the power to stupefy the people of YuShi. Xuan Ji was a traitor, fear and guilt still consumed her
heart, so of course she could do naught but obey.
The Rain Master told her not to move, and so she couldn’t move. Rong Guang exclaimed, “If
you can’t move, I’ll do it myself!” Then, just as he was about to stab Pei Ming again, before his
blade even pierced half an inch there was an explosion of red smoke, and CLUNK! The sword
that pierced Pei Ming’s chest disappeared. A tiny blade no longer than a finger fell to the
ground, and Rong Guang yelled furiously, “WHAT’S GOING ON? WHY CAN’T I MOVE
EITHER??”
Xie Lian and the others finally stopped watching from afar, and walked out. Hua Cheng glanced
at that tiny toy-like MingGuang sword on the ground and smirked, “Much better.”
“Let him go, Xuan Ji.” The Rain Master said.
Xuan Ji’s hands started to drop uncontrollably from Pei Ming’s neck, but she refused to yield,
her hands quivering, “I WON’T! I ALREADY CAUGHT HIM, I WON’T LET HIM GO!”
“If you must grab hold of something to feel better, why not pick up what you’ve tossed away, and
hold it in your hands anew?” The Rain Master said.
The powers of that sacred guardian sword was too strong after all, and Xuan Ji was forcibly
yanked off, falling back to the ground, unkempt and miserable, “What right do you have to
discipline me? Do you really take yourself for the ruler of the kingdom? I think you’ve forgotten
how your queenship came to be! I WON’T ACKNOWLEDGE YOU! I WON’T!”
The Rain Master was silent. On the side, Ban Yue snatched the opportunity and hurled out a
pot, sucking Xuan Ji in instantly, and swiftly sealed it!
And so, the source of all the mess was finally subdued. Xie Lian approached Pei Ming’s side
and helped him up, “General Pei’s alright?”
“This won’t kill me.” Pei Ming said. “I say, Your Highness, did you all perhaps arrive for a while
already?”
Xie Lian, “…Haha, what do you mean.”
Pei Ming picked up the tiny little sealed Ming Guang sword now in his hand, “Crimson Rain
Sought Flower, how tough is your seal? It won’t just break with some pressure, would it?”
“Of course not.” Hua Cheng replied, “Unless you hold the hilt and apply spiritual powers, and
mentally give it permission for it to be released, otherwise the seal won’t break by accident or by
deception no matter what.”
Only then did Pei Ming heave a long sigh. As for the farmers who escaped Qi Rong’s capture,
they all rushed forward, “LORD RAIN MASTER!”
The ones on this side turned around. Xie Lian inclined his head in a bow, “Queen YuShi.”
The Rain Master had dismounted the black ox, rope in hand, and she also bowed her head to
return the courtesy, “Your Royal Highness.”
During this greeting, Xie Lian inadvertently saw her neck and was slightly taken aback, but then
soon said, “Back then during XianLe’s draught, that my lord would lend me your Rain Master
Hat and aid me in my time of need, I was never able to thank you in person, and now my wish
has come true today.” Then, he bent forward and bowed deeply. The Rain Master stood there,
still, and waited until his bow was over before she said, “I had thought, if I didn’t let Your Royal
Highness bow this once, my lord might never relax. Now that it’s over, let us forget this affair.”
The tone of her voice was clear and serene, slow and calm with a bit of a smile, looking
particularly tranquil. Suddenly, a voice called out, “Hey Pei Ming, isn’t this embarrassing?
Needing a woman to save you, and it’s that Yu Shi Huang no less! Hehehahahaha…”
The Rain Master’s demeanor remain unchanged, still very at ease, but Pei Ming didn’t look that
comfortable anymore. Xie Lian noticed this and quickly slapped a talisman on that little sword to
seal its mouth. The ox held by the Rain Master also suddenly started blowing harsh breaths in
Pei Ming’s direction, shaking its head and swinging its tail. Although it wasn’t aiming at Hua
Cheng, but Xie Lian knew that when bulls saw red they’d get angry, and recalled the many
painful experiences of having been chased and struck, so he quickly blocked in front of Hua
Cheng, afraid that ox would be further provoked by the red colour of Hua Cheng’s robes. Pei
Ming had to say something at this point, thus, he scratched his nose, and said politely, “My
thanks to Queen YuShi for rescuing Little Pei.”
The Rain Master was also courteous, “It’s nothing.”
Ban Yue came over and tugged on the Rain Master’s sleeve, “Lord Rain Master, Pei Su gege
passed out from hunger…”
Hua Cheng looked up and swept a look, “Let’s go back up first.”
Ban Yue’s problem was most effectively solved by people of YuShi Country. Since the Rain
Master ruled agriculture, food often never left their persons. Once they were back above
ground, night had passed and the sun had come out. The Rain Master instantly retrieved seeds
from the satchel on the ox, found a field, and planted them on the spot. It didn’t take long before
a small field of crops were grown. Those who had been starving all cheered.
Xie Lian remembered that Gu Zi probably hadn’t eaten well in the past few days either, and
woke him up. However, the first thing Gu Zi asked for when he woke up was where his dad was,
and had thought his dad deserted him again. He cried and sobbed for a good while, and Xie
Lian had no choice but to give him that extremely ugly daruma doll to hold. When Gu Zi heard
this was his dad, it was like he was given treasure and stopped crying, hugging it tightly as he
ate.
Meanwhile, Xie Lian, Hua Cheng, the Rain Master, and Pei Ming stood on the side to discuss
serious business.
They could already see that ‘Kiln’ up ahead. Upon closer look, the lower half of the mountain
was large patches of crimson red like that of blood, and the upper half was covered with harsh
layers of snow. Xie Lian spoke up, “Not just General Pei Junior, but Ban Yue, Gu Zi, and the
others must all stay here. They can’t go onwards anymore. If the need arises, we might have to
climb the snowy mountain.”
Pei Ming was dabbing medicinal smoke from a small bottle over his wounds, shaking his head
as he sighed, “I’ve been unlucky this entire way, hurdles after hurdles.”
Those words really did describe his journey thus far, incredibly unfortunate, and he was feeling
quite miserable. The Rain Master was sitting poised next to Xie Lian, and after some
contemplation, she said, “Your Highness, your mission this time is to subdue all monsters and
ghosts who possess the potential to become a Supreme. Then, there is one that you may need
to watch out for.”
Xie Lian became excited, “Did Lord Rain Master run into something on the road?”
The Rain Master nodded slightly, “Yes. On the way here, I’ve met a young man dressed in
white.”
Xie Lian let out a soft “ah” and said, “The one my lord speak of, we’ve also caught wind of him
on the road. Many of the monsters and ghosts were afraid of him, and we almost ran into him
too. Have my lord seen him in person? How did you get away?”
“Much ashamed.” The Rain Master said, “If it wasn’t for this Protection Steed’s astounding leg
power and that young man’s lack of interest in disputes, it would’ve been difficult to say how the
meeting would’ve ended.”
“How did he look like?” Xie Lian pressed.
“It wasn’t clear,” The Rain Master said, “Because his head was wrapped in bandages.”
Head wrapped in bandages?!
Xie Lian was dumbfounded, “Was it Lang Ying?!”
Pei Ming frowned, “Your Highness knows him?”
“I’m not too sure.” Xie Lian replied, then instantly turned to Hua Cheng, “San Lang, Lang Ying is
in the Ghost City for sure, right?”
Hua Cheng also looked serious, and only answered after a pause, “He was, but whether if he is
still is hard to say. Gege, why don’t you verify further?”
Xie Lian thus continued his questions, “Lord Rain Master, you said this white clad young man
had his head wrapped in bandages, was he about ten years of age, or maybe a bit older? Either
way, a scrawny boy.”
Yet unexpected, the Rain Master replied, “No. That young man was about sixteen or seventeen,
and his body type was close to that of Your Highness.”
“Huh?” Now this was completely out of Xie Lian’s expectations. “Sixteen, seventeen? Lang Ying
isn’t that old.”
So was it him? Based on the current information, nothing could be concluded. Pei Ming tossed
that little medicinal bottle aside after he was done and said, “Either way, we’ll all end up in the
Kiln in the end, so let’s just wait and see.”
He was a martial god after all, and his recovery speed was curiously fast. With just a bottle of
medicine, that severe wound was already pretty much healed. The Rain Master inclined her
head, “Why doesn’t General Pei have a sword?”
Pei Ming hadn’t expected that she would actively ask himself that question, and hadn’t figured
out how to best respond, and on the side, Pei Su who was finally conscious, answered while
eating a roasted sweet potato, “General, Pei’s, sword was, snapped.”
When the Rain Master heard this, she contemplated for a moment before removing her own
sword, and handed it to Pei Ming in both hands.
There wasn’t anything off about her expression, and both her words and actions were very
well-mannered. However, Pei Ming’s face changed slightly, looking as if she was giving him a
poisonous snake. After some hesitation, he said, “Thanks, but this is the Rain Master’s sacred
guardian sword. It’s probably inappropriate wielded in my hands.”
“General Pei is a martial god, a skilled swordsman.” The Rain Master said, “Since we are here
to prevent the birth of a new ghost king, then this sword would be more effective if wielded by
you rather than me.”
Pei Ming hesitated for another good while but in the end still very politely declined, “Pei thanks
Queen YuShi for her kindness. But there’s no need.”
Seeing this, the Rain Master no longer pushed. The few of them then chatted for a bit, and the
Rain Master also inquired whether if they had any news of the Wind Master. Only then did Xie
Lian learn that the Rain Master had also sent for a search, but it was fruitless, and he couldn’t
help but sigh.
The group of them decided that they shall rest for another two hours before continuing on their
way. Xie Lian walked off for a bit and had wanted to just find a tree to lean against and lie down
for a bit, but Hua Cheng dug out a bunch of ropes and cloth from who knows where, and set up
two swinging hammock beds between two trees. The two of them climbed in, and there was
ample space, very comfortable to lie in. After lying for a bit, Xie Lian had his arms pillowing the
back of his head, and wondered in confusion, “San Lang, why won’t General Pei take Lord Rain
Master’s sword?”
A martial god lost his weapon but he’s not anxious to find another one? Was he waiting to be
beat?
Hua Cheng also pillowed his arms behind his head and replied leisurely, “Someone like Pei
Ming, while he loves women, he might not think highly of women. Since he had to be saved, and
by a woman, and one he knew in the past no less, he must be quite frustrated, thinking it’s
embarrassing. Besides, the Rain Master had disciplined his descendant before, so perhaps he
felt the Rain Master was trying to make fun of him. How could he possibly take the sword?”
“Sigh, what nonsensical pride.” Xie Lian commented. “By the way, San Lang, did you see?
There’s an old scar on Lord Rain Master’s neck.”
“I don’t need to see to know.” Hua Cheng said, “She’s the ‘Princess Who Slit Her Throat’ after
all.”
Xie Lian pulled himself up slightly, “I knew it.”
Hua Cheng rose too, “Did gege notice that the Rain Master speaks slowly? That’s also caused
by the old scar on her neck.”
“Ah! And here I thought it was because of her personality.” Xie Lian said, “As a princess, why
did she have to slit her own throat? Xuan Ji’s “Have you forgotten how your queenship came to
be” also makes one curious. How did her queenship come to be?”
“It’s a long story, but I’ll make it short.” Hua Cheng replied.
Turns out, while Yu Shi Huang certainly was of royal descent from the Kingdom of YuShi, but,
first, she was daughter; second, she was born from a concubine of the lowest rank, so her
status wasn’t high. With her introverted personality and awkwardness, the fifteen older brothers
and sisters above and the younger brothers and sisters below, each and every one of them was
more in favour than she was.
The Royal Cultivation Hall of the Kingdom of YuShi was the Temple of YuLong, and throughout
history, every ruler would select a royal descendant to go and cultivate, to pray for prosperity
and peace to express sincerity to the heavens. It sounded grand, but in truth it was hard labour.
The method of cultivation the Temple of YuLong practiced was hard labour; no servants or any
item of comfort was permitted, and once they’re there they had to do manual labour too. In the
past, this position was pushed around, and some would even spend an impressive fortune to
find a replacement. However, when this generation came around, there was no selection
process. Yu Shi Huang was decided on from the get go.
“No wonder Xuan Ji sounded like she didn’t think highly of the Rain Master.” Xie Lian remarked.
“Of course.” Hua Cheng said, “Xuan Ji might not be a princess, but she also came from an
impressive background with many suitors. She was much more valued in the eyes of royalty
and nobility.” However, now that Xuan Ji had ruined herself like this, no wonder she couldn’t
stand the Rain Master who still planted fields so tranquilly. The Rain Master urged her to let go,
but in Xuan Ji’s eyes, her words were probably seen as condescendingly sarcastic.
Xie Lian shook his head. While they were both from a royal background and both entered the
royal cultivation halls, the Rain Master’s experience was completely different than his.
In an case, after that, the Rain Master spent her days in peace and cultivation in the Temple of
YuLong. Until one day, a few esteemed guests came to from the Kingdom of XuLi.
XuLi and YuShi didn’t immediately fall out; there was some forced civility and false courtesy at
first. In order to maintain the bogus peace, the Kingdom of XuLi sent a few royalties, generals,
and civil officials to attend the national banquet of the Kingdom of YuShi, and pay a visit to
YuShi’s royal cultivation hall while they were at it.
That day, Yu Shi Huang was cleaning the shingles on the roof of the temple, and when she was
about to come down, she found someone had taken the ladder away.
The people at the bottom saw someone stuck on top of the roof, unable to come down, and all
thought it funny, and even the princesses and princes of YuShi were snickering with their
mouths covered. Only a general of XuLi who, after chuckling, leapt up and brought her down.
This general was of course Pei Ming. Just then, a voice spoke up suddenly, “That guy Pei Ming,
he’s like that no matter where he goes, like a dog that needs to piss and mark his territory
everywhere.”
Xie Lian was instantly pulled back to the present by that malicious and vulgar comparison.
When he looked back, he picked up the unbelievably shrunken little sword and said, “General
Rong, when did you break free of the mouth sealing talisman? It seems you really want to talk.”
“Let this ancestor speak!” Rong Guang said, “I know every sordid affair Pei Ming has had, three
days and three nights won’t be enough to tell it all! He knew XuLi was going to invade YuShi but
still he went and seduced all the princesses in the most favour, and they were all crazy for him,
fighting each other over jealousy. Don’t you think that’s a little immoral?”
It certainly wasn’t nice. To smile and laugh with me yesterday, then invade and trample my
home today. Xie Lian felt a little sorry. “Did Queen YuShi and General Pei share a good
relationship back then too?”
“There was no relationship.” Rong Guang said, “That guy Pei Ming has only ever met Yu Shi
Huang twice. There were too many beauties in YuShi; he’d forgotten her the next day.”
In this world, it wasn’t only women who fall out fast; men fall out even faster, the only difference
being the end result. When women fell out, it might be over after some slaps or scratching, but
when men fell out, the end could very well be your death. When XuLi no longer wished to
maintain a false peace, they made up some excuse to invade, and Pei Ming lead the army and
charged all the way to the Palace Gates, forcing the king of YuShi at the time to hide deep
within the palace, holding on to the very last line of defense. However, Pei Ming only needed to
apply a bit of pressure and he could crack that snail shell-like, delicate layer of protection that is
the palace.
But, he didn’t crush them so simply, and instead, did something else under Rong Guang’s
suggestion.
The XuLi troops brought over hundreds of felons on the death row from YuShi, dressed them up
as normal civilians, and dragged them before the palace gates. Then, he told King YuShi if he
should come out himself and kowtow three times to show penance for oppressing his people,
kill himself in atonement, then he would let those civilians go and not lay a single finger on any
of the remaining members of the royal house. If he should refuse, Pei Ming would chop off those
civilians’ heads. He gave the royalties three days time, and every day in the three days, a new
group would be killed. After three days pass, they would invade the palace to kill the royals then
kill the rest of the civilians.
“General Rong, what a shrewd but beautiful move.” Xie Lian remarked.
Rong Guang wasn’t mad and was even pleased, “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
The reason XuLi used to invade YuShi became thus: “The King of YuShi was negligent and
oppressive in his rule, and out of justice, XuLi shall save and rescue the suffering YuShi
people”, a beautiful move.
If King YuShi refused to come out, then, he was selfish and didn’t love his people. The awkward
thing was, King YuShi had always publicized that he loved his people like his children, so if his
words and actions didn’t match, it would for sure produce resentment in the people, thinking
they’ve been deceived, “Didn’t you say you loved your people like your children? Why would
you turn around and have the civilians be sacrificed for the sake of royalty?” This would then
destroy their loyalty to the YuShi royalty.
After killing that group of ‘civilians’, they could then announce that they were felons already on
the death row anyway, doomed to die, and they were only used to reveal the lies and
selfishness of YuShi royalties. Such an immense contrast, it would surely calm the growing
fears in the hearts of the YuShi people, which would make things so much easier for XuLi’s
subsequent takeover.
However, if King YuShi really did come out and killed himself, whatever, there’d be no
difference, it’d save them the hassle. Besides, they firmly believed that King YuShi would never
come out to kill himself in atonement. Or rather, no monarch would be willing to end their life in
humiliation. To bow before civilians and enemy troops, admit one’s own mistakes then go die?
Dream on!
Yet unexpectedly, after only one day, just as Pei Ming was about to order for the execution of
the first group of ‘civilians’, the ruler of YuShi actually did emerge.
The palace gates opened, the monarch with the sacred guardian sword ‘YuLong’ hung at the
waist had walked out, kneeled before the people and kowtowed three times, then the sword was
pulled, slashing the throat, splashing the gates with blood.
Xie Lian could already guess what had happened, “Was it Lord Rain Master who had come
out?”
“It was.” Hua Cheng replied.
Later, it was after thoroughly interrogating the palace attendants and others of royal descent that
they found out what happened. Pei Ming and Rong Guang, and other soldiers were yelling
outside the palace, pacing back and forth, laughing nonstop, exceedingly arrogant. Within the
palace on the other hand, was utter chaos, crying and wailing filled the air. There was naturally
no way King YuShi would go out to kill himself, and he sat upon his throne, his face grim and
pale. Meanwhile, after all the brothers and sisters who usually fought each other so hard to gain
favours howled and wailed for so long, when they still didn’t see the king move a muscle, they
each began to very carefully try to persuade him. There were all kinds of reasons; what ‘this is
for the people”, “even if you die your name will go down in history”, “if this keeps up, the people
are doomed”, everything came out. Yet, nothing worked, and soon, a day was going to pass.
Some of the sons were growing anxious and they roared at their father in their agitated state.
The king hadn’t even died yet, and he was instantly outraged, swinging his staff out to beat
them. If this was before, then those sons and grandsons would surely never retaliate, but now
that they were in a critical state, no one cared. Thus, one of the princes couldn’t endure it and
fought back. Yet the back punch was too powerful, knocking the sixty some years old king down,
his head covered with blood, unable to get back up.
The group of princes and princesses were stupefied at first, but soon after, they realized they
were still angry, and restarted discussing how to drag the unconscious king out, and how to
complete the difficult request of kowtowing and atoning. Even ridiculous ideas like to hang him
like stringed puppets to control him were part of the heated discussion, and the king’s eyes
reddened from rage as he listened. After, they then decided that they’ll find two people to carry
the old king out to complete the atonement. However, now there was a new problem. Who
should those two people be? It was a dangerous position to be in; who knows if that Pei Ming
would just shoot an arrow and kill them dead if he wasn’t happy.
The dispute and arguments went on and on, on and on. Suddenly, the sixteenth princess who
had always stood there silently and unnoticeably, said something to the old king who was lying
on the ground.
Yu Shi Huang said, “Please pass the throne to me.”
King YuShi watched this daughter he barely looked at in all his life, and in the corner of his eye,
a crummy drop of tear finally rolled down.
However, it was only the one drop.
Thus, in less than an hour, in the crudest and most rushed succession ceremony in the history
of the Kingdom of YuShi, the monarch who was the least likely to become queen was born.
The new Queen of YuShi slit her own throat, and blood poured like a fountain, no doubt beyond
saving. Pei Ming had never thought things would progress like this, and he was completely
stunned at the time. Rong Guang cursed loudly, yelling how did things turn out like this? How
could they do this! To have someone insignificant die, not only could they not destroy the
people’s loyalty, they couldn’t kill the old crook either.
Although even the soldiers of XuLi couldn’t bear to watch anymore and rushed to save the
queen, in the end her injury was too great, and the medical officers all said she couldn’t be
saved. Thus, in the end, they could only keep their promise, and not touch the civilians nor
temporarily lay fingers on the royalty. They sent this ‘monarch’ to the Temple of YuLong, to have
her breathe her last before burying her in the royal mausoleum at the Temple of YuLong.
Yet no one had imagined, that very night, in that moment when Yu Shi Huang took in her last
breath, the divine statue of the Rain Master over her head sighed.
Thunder roared and lightning crackled; the new Rain Master had ascended.
Xie Lian mused, “No wonder General Pei looked like that when he saw that sword.”
——-
●[雨龍] YuLong - means the Rain Dragon
——-
Ch.172: Ride the Black Ox; Flying Hooves Mount the Kiln
That was the sacred guardian sword Yu Shi Huang used to slash her own throat, so of course! It
was a spiritual device for sure, but it was also a weapon. Rong Guang said, “Yu Shi Huang sure
is generous, otherwise she was doing it on purpose to scare him. Think he’d dare use YuLong?
Hahaha…”
Xie Lian couldn’t contain it anymore, “I don’t think so. There wasn’t any need to be so shrewd?”
Then he slapped on another talisman to seal Rong Guang’s mouth. It just so happened that
right then, Pei Ming also called out from the distance, “Your Highness, Crimson Rain Sought
Flower, are you two rested? Time to put the beds away and let’s get on the road.”
The resting time wasn’t that long in the first place, and time passed while they were chatting.
The others stayed behind while Xie Lian, Hua Cheng, and Pei Ming set off. The Rain Master
had a steed, and offered to give them a ride to send them to the foot of the Kiln mountain. Xie
Lian thanked her graciously. That black ox shook and transformed, and became three times
bigger than its previous size, now with room to carry six people on its back. Its front legs
lowered to the ground, laying his body low, and the Rain Master mounted, riding at the very
front. Pei Ming was next, but he left a large space between the two of them. The last were Xie
Lian and Hua Cheng.
Xie Lian mounted and that black ox rose to its feet, now incredibly tall in height. Xie Lian felt that
smooth and shiny black coat and was amazed, “Lord Rain Master’s steed truly is magical. San
Lang, I think you might’ve mentioned it before, but how did it come to be again?”
The black ox spread its four hooves and started running, the landscapes on either sides quickly
disappearing behind, incredibly fast and steady. Hua Cheng was sitting behind Xie Lian, lightly
hugging his waist, as if afraid he might fall, “It was the door knocker of one of the side doors at
the Temple of YuLong, the royal cultivation hall of YuShi.”
Turns out, there was a small custom at the Temple of YuLong: when one saw a golden beast
upon the door knocker, one would rub it to add a bit of the aura of life. When devotees visited,
what they usually rubbed were mostly dragons, tigers, herons, and other such holy beasts;
people didn’t typically rubbed oxen, so it was rather deserted and lonely. Thus, while Yu Shi
Huang was cultivating at the Temple of YuLong, every time when she went to seek water and
passed that door, she would rub the head of that ox. The door knocker soaked in her essence of
life, and when the Rain Master ascended, the ox ascended with her. As for the others, she
appointed no one else.
The black ox sped rapidly, and Xie Lian’s body was leaning back slightly from the force, almost
like he was sitting in Hua Cheng’s embrace, and he smiled as he listened, “There sure isn’t
anything San Lang doesn’t know, it’s like no tales or classics can trip you up.”
Hua Cheng smiled too, “Is there anything else gege wants to know? I’ll tell you everything if it’s
within my knowledge.”
Pei Ming sat in front of them and didn’t try to chat with the Rain Master, so he was listening in on
them, “Indeed, Lord Ghost King. Your Highness, why don’t you ask about Crimson Rain Sought
Flower’s background? See if he’ll answer you?”
Xie Lian’s smile faltered.
To inquire after the background of a Ghost King was quite rude. To raise an inappropriate
example, in Xie Lian’s mind, this kind of personal secret was no different than asking for the size
of a man’s manhood. He instantly changed the subject, “General Pei!”
“What?” Pei Ming asked.
“There’s bumps up ahead, watch out!” Xie Lian exclaimed.
“What are you talking about?”
Just as the words left his lips, the black ox carrying the four of them mooed a long cry as deep
as a bell, and Pei Ming was flung off.
He was stupefied, “What the heck?”
This was truly never heard of nor seen. Flinging aside, mistakes happen after all, but, why not
fling off the one at the front or the back, and it just had to be the one in the middle? Was that
even possible?
The ox never paused in its steps, and Xie Lian looked back from ahead, his hollers trailing back,
“Didn’t I say there were bumps ahead and to watch out, General Pei…”
Throughout the entire journey, Pei Ming was flung seven to eight times, and the four riding the
Rain Master’s protection steed finally arrived at the foot of the Kiln mountain.
The Kiln used to be a lusciously green mountain sitting in the heart of the royal capital, its
sceneries beautiful and elegant, much like Mount TaiCang, and at its foot was the majestic royal
capital, the most prosperous imperial city.
This imperial city used to be buried deep underground, but it probably resurfaced after going
through many earthquakes, emerging back above ground. Xie Lian sat on the black ox and his
eyes roamed the surroundings for a moment and was about to dismount when he saw Hua
Cheng was standing there with his hand out towards him. Xie Lian’s heart skipped a beat and
gave him his hand before hopping down, “There must be a divine temple here in the imperial
city too, right?”
“There certainly is.” Hua Cheng replied.
Although Pei Ming fell seven to eight times during the ride, but, as expected of a martial god, he
was very sturdy and when he walked he didn’t limp even once, and even reached out to pat the
ox’s neck. He piped up, “The tallest building in the city must either be the palace or the divine
temple, I’m guessing.”
Hua Cheng replied, “No. The WuYong Temple in the imperial city is on top of the mountain.
He pointed. Sure enough, halfway up the deep crimson mountain was a corner of an eave
peeking out, but the majority of the building itself was hiding behind the misty red shadow. Xie
Lian wondered, “Why is that mountain red…”
He didn’t get to finish his question when suddenly, that ox roared and threw its head back. They
were already moving ahead, but startled, they looked back. That ox was already rolling on the
ground, and the rope was tightly gripped in the Rain Master’s hand never loosened, “What’s
going on?”
That ox let out a human scream, “AAAAHHHHHHHH–!!!”
Xie Lian was further away and hadn’t seen clearly what was happening, but he did see the Rain
Master, who upon hearing that cry, pulled out YuLong and struck down towards the black ox!
The shine of the blade flashed, and something black and furry was flung away, crashing against
a wall on the street, splashing a large, astringent red flower. It was a corpse-eating rat!
What screamed earlier wasn’t that black ox, but that corpse-eating rat who climbed onto the ox
when no one was looking and bit into it. Although the rat was at the brink of death, it was still
screaming, “Your Royal Highness – Your Highness Your Highness Your Highness! SAVE ME
SAVE ME SAVE ME!”
BOOM!
Xie Lian’s heart lurched, his ears ringing, and Hua Cheng instantly pulled him behind his
person, raised his hand and that corpse-eating rat was instantly blown to a ball of misty blood.
Yet, the little eyes still stuck on the wall was still shimmering in madness.
“Lord Rain Master, I suggest you check over your steed.” Hua Cheng said.
The Rain Master felt and turned over the black ox’s hair and said, “It’s just a scratch.”
However, there were more and more human voices rising from all around.
“Cough, cough cough, take me away, take me away!”
“I should’ve fled a long time ago…”
“We shouldn’t have believed his nonsense, what a wrongful death!”
“Gege, gege? Your Highness!”
That last line was particularly clear and it was Hua Cheng’s voice. Only then did Xie Lian
snapped out of it, “Sorry!”
Hua Cheng looked serious, “Did you understand what they were saying again?”
Xie Lian nodded. Hua Cheng reached out and covered his ears, “Don’t listen to them. Those
words weren’t directed at you.”
“I know.” Xie Lian said.
Thousands upon thousands of corpse-eating rats came swarming towards the four of them,
pouring in like black tide. This was the imperial city, the population much denser than the city
before, which meant there were more deceased, providing a more abundant meal for the rats.
Thus, their numbers were quite impressive. They were being heavily surrounded. Pei Ming was
growing serious, a thin layer of protection aura covered him, “You all leave first, I’ll lead them
away…”
Yet unexpectedly, before he finished, that large, ocean-like flock of rats screeched and dashed
in a particular direction – they were running towards the Rain Master!
Before anyone had noticed, the Rain Master had already remounted her black ox, and was
running away in the opposite direction. That ox had already made a distance of some tens of
meters away, but it wasn’t going too fast; it was fast enough that the corpse-eating rats couldn’t
keep up, but slow enough that the rats still kept her in sight, keeping the perfect distance to lead
them away without them catching up. Yu Shi Huang called out from the distance, “My lords
please go forth on your way, I can lead them away.”
As the Rain Master moved riding her ox, she scattered white and full grains of rice along the
way. Rats loved rice by nature after all, and who knows how many years it’d been since they
last saw such full and white large grains of rice, and they rushed after her. What Pei Ming had
wanted to do was robbed by the Rain Master, and his expression was conflicted. Hua Cheng
dropped his hands and said, “Gege, let’s go.”
When Xie Lian heard the voices of those corpse-eating rats his head would throb, so when the
voices were gone he let out a breath of relief and nodded. However, Pei Ming turned to them,
“You’re going to leave just like that?”
“Yea?” Hua Cheng said.
Pei Ming frowned, “The Rain Master can’t possibly take care of that on her own, it’s crazy to run
off like that.” Then after some thought, he finally came to a decision, “Your Highness, you both
go on first. If I can catch up after then we’ll meet up at the divine temple!” Then he turned
around and went off to chase after the Rain Master.
Xie Lian was perplexed, “How come General Pei doesn’t think the Rain Master can take care of
herself? Wasn’t the situation just now more than obvious that Lord Rain Master is more than
capable?”
Hua Cheng laughed, “He probably can’t stand being protected by a woman.”
Without wasting any time, the two crossed through the imperial city and the innumerous empty
shelled stone people, and ran towards that big mountain.
They finally set foot on the Kiln.
The reason why this mountain looked like it was dyed in the colour of blood was because the
forests on this mountain were all red. They weren’t maples, but they were crimson like maples,
the colour of blood. Xie Lian could also smell the stench of blood. It seemed, the nutrients of the
plants here were plenty of resentment and human blood.
This fourth WuYong Temple was built halfway up the Kiln, the largest of the four temples, and in
comparison, also the most well maintained. Within the halls were also many stone people, their
poses and expressions all different. The two ran straight for the grand hall, and when they
entered, sure enough there was a mural. However, after Hua Cheng swept a look. He said, “It
appears someone’s come before us.”
Within the grand hall was only one mural. The other two walls, while the walls themselves were
fine, but their surfaces were already slashed and destroyed.
This was the first time they’ve encountered this. Xie Lian was slightly dumbfounded, “Who
could’ve done this?”
They didn’t even know who painted the murals, and now they had to add the mystery of the
mural destroyer into the mix. Still, they were short on time, so they studied the mural that was
left. With just one glance, not even a close examination, and all the hairs on Xie Lian’s back
were raised.
“WHAT IS THIS?!”
This mural was completely different than those of the other three temples. There was only one
person in the painting, however, the colours were dark, the lines and faces were extremely
twisted, the appearance of the person couldn’t be discerned at all, only that it was a civilian in
tattered clothing.
But that was nothing. What made Xie Lian shrink back in chills was, this person appeared to be
in excruciating pain, he’s ripped his own clothing, and exposed his own flesh.
Upon his body there were three faces, and each one was as contorted as his own!
It was the human face disease!
Under such a shock, Xie Lian unconsciously hugged his head and mumbled, “…It’s the same.
It’s exactly the same!”
The Crown Prince of WuYong had also encountered the human face disease!
Why was this person’s experience almost exactly the same as his?!
Hua Cheng saw how quickly things were going downhill and he steadied him, “Your Highness,
don’t look anymore.”
After some hesitation, he pulled Xie Lian over and pressed him into his embrace, the tone of his
voice firm but gentle, “…Alright! Your Highness, listen to me. Listen to me… All the murals
before were shown chronologically; the last one had the Crown Prince of WuYong build a sky
bridge, so the next one should’ve been an event that came right after. But, this mural doesn’t
connect to the last one at all, the timeline doesn’t make sense, isn’t that right?”
Just now, Xie Lian was overly shaken by the image of the human face disease, its shadows too
great in his heart, which was why he was petrified. However, he also came around really fast,
and instantly began thinking, “You’re right… there must be something missing in between.
Someone had destroyed the previous two murals before we came.”
“Since this person destroyed the other two murals, then why didn’t they destroy this one too?”
Hua Cheng asked, “Why did they leave just this one? And it just had to be the one of the human
face disease?”
“There are two possibilities.” Xie Lian said, “First, they might have thought leaving this mural
behind was inconsequential, and it didn’t matter if it remained. They were more concerned with
us seeing the other two.”
“And the second?” Hua Cheng asked.
Xie Lian said slowly, “This person actually destroyed all three murals and this one was painted
on afterwards. It’s fake.”
“En.” Hua Cheng replied, “It could very well be that all the murals we’ve seen along the way are
fake. We’re already very close to the answer, so before that, don’t start overthinking things on
your own, alright?”
Having been buried in his arms for so long, Xie Lian finally, completely tossed out that mural
from his brain, and only then did he notice the position the two of them were in, and was about
to pull himself away from the hold, “How embarrassing San Lang, I got overly agitated just
now…”
However, Hua Cheng didn’t allow him to break away, and instead pulled him in closer, smiling,
“Nothing to be embarrassed about, but…”
He lowered his head and said, “There’s actually a third possibility.”
The bottom half of Xie Lian’s face was still buried in his shoulder, and Hua Cheng’s voice was
right next to his ear, extremely, extremely soft, and other than Xie Lian, no one else could hear.
Xie Lian’s breath hitched slightly, and he heard Hua Cheng whisper, “The third possibility is, it
wasn’t that this person didn’t want to destroy all the murals, but they didn’t make it in time. Just
as they were destroying the other two, we’d come, so now, they’re hiding in the grand hall this
very moment.”
——
Ch.173: Cave of Ten Thousand Gods; Faces of Ten Thousand Gods Hidden
Hua Cheng’s breath was warm but his words made one’s heart cold.
Hiding in the grand hall?
A thought flashed, and Xie Lian instantly hugged Hua Cheng back.
Of course he wasn’t hugging him because he was afraid. If there really was someone hiding
there and they haven’t noticed, then that meant this was someone powerful. If that person
should notice anything off, then they might be forced to make a move. Thus, if it was only Hua
Cheng hugging him, being so intimate, then it would easily arouse suspicious. If both of them
were embracing each other, then it might appear more normal. Xie Lian scanned their
surroundings inconspicuously, and whispered, “Where do you think that person is?”
There was only one giant door to the grand hall, and that was where they entered. It was
completely empty within the hall, nothing out of place, and not even a stage or box for hiding
anyone. Other than them, there were only the temple attendants that were turned into stone.
The two whispered at the same time, “The shells.”
The insides of those stone people were all hollow, which meant, they served as hiding spots.
Humans couldn’t hide there, but ghosts certainly could!
After confirming that fact, Xie Lian sensed something and looked up. When he saw a stone
person about 6 meters behind Hua Cheng, his pupils shrank.
That seemed to have been a young man who had a higher status and was fairly calm. Since
what these statues recorded were the deaths of the WuYong people, most were hugging their
heads wailing or curled into balls, and this was one of the very few who were standing.
However, what made Xie Lian notice him wasn’t his pose but his face.
Although the face was blurry, but he could still see on the face of that stone person, the left side
was a crescent smile and the right side was a crying face!
Xie Lian blurted, “IT’S THAT ONE!” Then he pulled out his sword and struck as Hua Cheng
called out, “Gege?”
That stone person was slashed into pieces, leaving broken fragments of the shell all over the
floor, however, there was nothing inside. Xie Lian didn’t dare to let it slide, and turned over every
piece of the shards. Hua Cheng caught his hand, “Gege! What did you see just now?”
Xie Lian picked up and showed him a few of the fragments, “San Lang, this stone person, his
face… was the White No-Face’s mask.”
Hua Cheng’s face changed slightly but still he said, “Wait a moment.”
Then he gathered and put together all the pieces, reconstructing a complete face. When the two
looked, they were silent.
Just now, what Xie Lian saw was clearly a half crying, half smiling demon mask, but this head
that Hua Cheng had put together was a blurred face, not unlike the other stone statues.
Was it a hallucination? Or did he fall for an illusionment spell?
Sitting around wouldn’t get them answers, and the two searched all over the hall, smashing
every stone person. After some thought, they felt that perhaps someone had rushed to climb the
mountain before them, and decided not to stick around to wait for Pei Ming, and instead went
straight towards the summit.
The mountain body of the Kiln seemed to have a peculiar gravity, grounding them and
forbidding them from keeping light on their feet to fly. Thus, they could only climb by foot. The
higher they hiked, the steeper the path became, and the colder the air grew. First, it was a thin
layer of snow. Then, as they went up, the snow became thicker, and could almost swallow half a
boot. After four hours, the accumulated snow finally went past their knees, making climbing
more and more arduous.
Since they were walking nonstop, Xie Lian didn’t feel cold, and was instead covered with a thin
sheen of sweat, his face powdery white with red cheeks. He wiped away his sweat with the back
of his hand and looked back, about to talk to Hua Cheng when suddenly, his step fell hollow,
and his entire person dropped short by two feet!
His body sank into the heavy snow, and thankfully Hua Cheng had been following close behind
him, and quite naturally pulled him up, “Gege, be careful.”
Xie Lian stood next to him and looked back to see where he sank, and a large chunk of that
spot had caved in, revealing a dark, deep hole leading to who knows where. If Xie Lian didn’t
grab hold of the edge in time or if Hua Cheng moved too slow, then he would’ve fallen in for
sure. Hua Cheng added, “There are many hollow ditches in this area. I still remember their
general locations so just follow close to me. Take your time and it’ll be fine. Gege walked too
fast just now.”
So it turns out, the body of the mountain beneath the snow was quite weak, and there were
large and small holes everywhere, but just how many and how deep was unknown. However,
Hua Cheng actually remembered where they all were as they climbed. Xie Lian puffed a breath,
“Alright. Let’s stick closer together. We can’t yell or make loud noises on a snowy mountain
anyway, so if anything happens, it wouldn’t be easy to call for help either…”
Yet unexpectedly, just as the words left his mouth, angry roars came from up ahead, “ARE YOU
DONE–!!”
“…”
Which good brother dared to yell like this on such a steep and perilous snowy mountain?!
Xie Lian looked towards the sound feeling dumbfounded, and saw within that world covered with
snow, there were two little black dots currently in a brawl. One of them held a longbow, shooting
arrows nonstop. The other held a sabre, swinging like a tiger, striking down every single arrow.
Both the blade and the arrows held a sheen of spiritual light. Both parties were shouting curses
at the other, and that man holding the blade yelled, “I ALREADY SAID THAT LITTLE BASTARD
WASN’T KILLED BY ME, I’M LOOKING FOR THEM TOO!”
It was Nan Feng and Fu Yao!
Without going into why they were here too, Xie Lian was about to blurt out “shut up!” but then,
his reacted in time and swallowed it before he yelled too. If he roared the same way they did,
and the three of them screamed at each other, how could all the snow on the mountain still be
bound???
Hua Cheng hugged his arms and cocked an eyebrow, “Don’t they know that yelling on a snowy
mountain would cause an avalanche?”
“They can’t be that foolish?!” Xie Lian said, “Maybe they know, but they’re like that… when
they’re angry they stop caring for anything!”
Nan Feng and Fu Yao were both extremely pissed off, cursing while fighting, but because they
were too far away, their words were broken and what they were fighting over couldn’t be heard,
and they completely did not notice there were others who had come.
Xie Lian wanted to rush up to pull them apart, but with the heavy snow dragging down his pace
and deep holes under, there was no way he could immediately make it there to stop them. Xie
Lian ran for two steps before he stepped into another hole, and he stopped, “We can’t just let
them keep fighting like this!”
Just as he said so, a silver butterfly flew by like a sharp arrow, and Xie Lian was startled at first,
but soon after he relaxed.
Good idea! If neither of them could make it there in time, then why not just let a wraith butterfly
fly up and pass word first?
That silver butterfly’s speed was extremely fast as expected, and it only took three shouts
before it made it to the other side. However, before Xie Lian had tried to pass word, he saw Hua
Cheng’s expression grew cold. He noticed something wrong and asked, “What’s wrong?”
The smile on Hua Cheng’s lips had disappeared completely, replaced by a face that was as
frigid as this snowy mountain. Xie Lian pressed, “San Lang, what’s going on?”
Hua Cheng’s lips twitched and didn’t answer before Xie Lian suddenly felt panic for some
reason, and whipped his head around to look to the top, his eyes widening.
Up ahead by the snowy bluffs, a giant chunk of white mountain body trembled, then collapsed.
On the other end, Nan Feng and Fu Yao who were in the heat of the fight also sensed this
soundless pressure, and both looked up, and finally noticed what was about to happen.
The next moment. That mountain mass was like a thousand mile embankment, when it broke it
broke completely, carrying with it a wave of snow tsunami, rumbling and rolling as it pushed
down towards them!
They really caused an avalanche!!!
Xie Lian grabbed Hua Cheng’s hand, turned and ran. But after making his first couple steps he
remembered the other two further up ahead were much closer to the charging avalanche and
stopped in his steps abruptly, looking back. Sure enough, the other two had ceased fire to flee
together. Fu Yao didn’t run for very far before stepping into a hole, over half of his body sunken,
and snow buried over his chest. Nan Feng ran faster than him but also looked back, hesitating
for a moment seeming to want to save him. However, that wave of snow had already attacked!
The moment right before they were going to be swallowed, Xie Lian released RuoYe. That white
silk bandage leapt out into the distance and took no time to accurately looped around Fu Yao
and Nan Feng, yanking them up. Hua Cheng said darkly, “Gege! Leave them, don’t bother!”
Xie Lian held onto RuoYe tightly, dragging the two as he ran, “I can’t! They might fall into a hole
and get buried by snow!”
“Too late!” Hua Cheng said.
“What?! So fast??” Xie Lian exclaimed.
He looked up, and that overbearing shadow came crashing down overhead.
When Xie Lian turned back to save Nan Feng and Fu Yao, that moment he delayed and the
wave of snow swallowed him whole. The cold and heavy wave of snow surged without rest,
breaking him and Hua Cheng apart. Xie Lian was falling all over from the force, tumbling down
with the white wave, but still managed to keep struggling somehow. However, there was too
much snow, the surge too powerful,, and time and time again covered over Xie Lian’s head,
bringing series of sudden suffocation. In the end, Xie Lian shouted, “SAN LANG!”, unable to
hang on, and was buried down after all, disappearing within the icy snow current.
…
An unknown amount of time had passed before the snowy mountain was finally calmed.
A good moment later, in that field of flattened snow, a hand suddenly bursted out!
This hand felt all around the snow, then, an arm poked out, then a shoulder, then finally, a head.
Soon after, a person crawled out. He shook out his head and heaved a long sigh. It was Xie
Lian.
To forcibly dig himself out of that heavy layer of accumulated snow felt about the same as
digging himself out of a grave. Xie Lian’s face and hands were all red from frostbite, pretty much
numb, but he only rubbed his face a couple times before looking up, looking lost.
In that blanket of whiteness, there was not a trace of red.
However, Xie Lian couldn’t just yell randomly either. If he caused another avalanche then
everything would be over, so he could only rise to his feet, walking aimlessly alone in that snowy
world, and called out in a small voice as he walked, “San Lang? Nan Feng? Fu Yao?”
He was clearly going in the same direction they were going before, but now, it seemed to be
much colder than when he and Hua Cheng walked together. RuoYe was also unwrapped from
his hand. Xie Lian was puzzled; RuoYe shouldn’t have unwrapped. Even if he let go, RuoYe
would still bind itself to him, so what happened?
He knew something was wrong but he couldn’t tell what, and continued walking in a daze.
Suddenly from within the snowy winds ahead, someone had emerged. White robes black hair,
his sleeves flapping in the wind as he walked over slowly with his head down.
Seeing this traveler, Xie Lian was delighted and went forward, “My friend! You…”
But just as those words left his lips, that man looked up. On his face, was a white and chilling
mask, half of it smiling, the other half crying.
It was like someone had stabbed him with a blade, and Xie Lian screamed.
And after he screamed, he opened his eyes and shot up. It was after taking in some harsh
breaths before he shakenly noticed that at that moment, he wasn’t walking in the snowy
mountain at all, but was lying in a dark, shadowy place.
So it was a dream.
No wonder. Something always felt off in dreams, and Xie Lian exhaled a long breath as he
relaxed, wiping away the cold sweat on his forehead. After feeling things about for a bit, he
found beneath him was rocks covered with a blanket of grass, Fang Xin hung at his waist and
RuoYe was clearly wrapped around his arm. Xie Lian steadied himself and ignited a palm torch,
illuminating the place he was sitting in, calling out at first moment, “San Lang? Are you there?”
Yet unexpectedly, the moment the flames brightened the place, he instantly noticed right next to
him in the darkness stood another person, soundless and silent.
This was no small surprise, and Xie Lian was instantly covered in sweat, his hand on Fang Xin
immediately. That someone should be standing at such a close distance to him, there was no
way he couldn’t have noticed!
However, when he looked closer, that cold sweat went away. Turns out, it wasn’t alive, but a
stone statue.
And, it wasn’t the same as those stone statues of the victims fallen in the volcano eruption; this
was clearly a sculpture, and it was that of a divine statue.
With the palm torch in hand, Xie Lian went around once and verified that the place he laid was a
cavern. Within this cavern, a divine statue was erected and worshipped, its pose elegant, the
folds of its robes and flowing lines were all sculpted exquisitely. However, there was something
peculiar.
The face of this divine statue was covered by a light veil.
That light veil flowed like mist, and while it covered the face of the divine statue, quite strange,
but it wasn’t ugly. Instead, it added a mysterious beauty. However, Xie Lian had never seen a
heavenly official whose statues had faces covered, and he reached out unconsciously to pull
that light veil off when a voice came from behind, “Gege.”
Xie Lian whipped around and saw at the entrance of the cavern was a figure in red who
appeared out of nowhere. It was Hua Cheng. The face of that divine statue was instantly tossed
to the back of his mind and he rushed up, “San Lang! Thank goodness, I was just wondering
where you were. Are you alright? Are you hurt? That avalanche just now was too sudden.”
Hua Cheng walked in, “I’m fine. How’s gege?”
“Nothing is ever the matter with me.” Xie Lian said, “What is this place?”
After exiting the cavern did Xie Lian notice there was a long corridor outside. It didn’t seem
short, and who knows where it lead to. It seemed, this was a fairly large underground space. Xie
Lian was already used to Hua Cheng having the answers to everything, yet this time, Hua
Cheng replied, “I don’t know. Most likely under the snowy mountain.”
Xie Lian was amazed, “And here I thought it was a shelter San Lang found. I can’t believe not
even you know where this is?”
“No.” Hua Cheng said.
Well this was a first.
Hua Cheng had memorized where every ditch was on the mountain path but he didn’t know
what this place was. This cave wasn’t small either, had he never discovered it before?
Xie Lian couldn’t help but feel a little perplexed but didn’t press on, and instead raised his palm
torch higher, “How did we get here?”
Hua Cheng also summoned a few silver butterflies, letting them flutter about with faint light, and
replied softly, “Maybe we all made a misstep and fell through a ditch. It can’t have been
someone who put us here intentionally.”
Hearing him say so, Xie Lian couldn’t help but recall that dream he had just now, and a slight
chill went down his spine. Recalling another thing, he asked, “We’re here, then where’s Nan
Feng and Fu Yao?”
Hua Cheng replied unsympathetically, “Probably buried in the snow. Who cares, they’re
heavenly officials. This won’t kill them.”
Xie Lian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “Even if this won’t kill them, if no one could help dig
them out, then it still doesn’t feel great buried for a few decades. Maybe they’ve fallen in here
too? Let’s search for them. Oh by the way, San Lang, when your silver butterfly went forward
earlier, what did you hear them say?”
Hua Cheng snickered, “It’s just meaningless arguments, what else can it be?”
Xie Lian didn’t think it was that simple, otherwise Hua Cheng’s sudden change of expression
when that wraith butterfly flew over couldn’t be explained. Even now, while Hua Cheng was
snickering, his eyes were unkind. However, if he wasn’t going to tell, then Xie Lian wasn’t going
to ask. The two walked along the long corridor of the stone cave.
Only having walked for a while did they discover that the formation of this stone cave
underneath the snow was much more complex than they thought. It wasn’t just the one path
going all the way, but there were many forks in the road going to various other caverns, big and
small.
Within every cavern there was a divine statue; some tall, some short, some boyish some
youthful, the robes were ever changing, the poses all different: reposing, standing, sitting
composedly, sword wielding, dancing, all sorts. The level of skill were different too; some of the
sculpting work was rough and unrefined while others were so extraordinarily exquisite they
could be called otherworldly. They probably weren’t sculpted by the same person.
As Xie Lian looked along the way, he couldn’t help but exclaim in awe, “This… this place is a
Cave of Ten Thousand Gods. The one who built this cave must be an incredibly devout
believer.”
However, all the divine statues had the same peculiarity. All of their faces were covered by a
light veil.
Some had their entire bodies covered, exceedingly strange. Xie Lian really was quite curious,
and wanted to pull off the veil of one of the divine statues to see its face, but Hua Cheng spoke
up behind him “Gege, I suggest you don’t.”
Xie Lian looked back and asked, “Why not? I think these statues are a bit weird.”
Hua Cheng approached him and explained, “It’s precisely because it’s weird that it’s best you
don’t. If this face was covered, then there’s a reason why it’s covered. The head is the place
where a person’s spiritual energy is gathered, so if the veil is removed, who knows what would
happen with all the spiritual energy gathered by these weird statues.”
His speech sounded pretty out there, but it made sense. If the veil was removed and woken
something within those statues, then things wouldn’t be funny anymore. Xie Lian contemplated
then dropped his hand in the end, “I was only curious which deity this is, that’s all.”
Hua Cheng said lightly, “This is the Kingdom of WuYong, so it’s probably the Crown Prince of
WuYong. Nothing amazing.”
However, Xie Lian said, “I don’t think so.”
“Oh? What do you mean?” Hua Cheng asked.
Xie Lian gazed at him, “From all the murals we’ve seen along the way, the style of dress of the
Crown Prince of WuYongAnd the people of WuYong are very different from the style of dress of
these divine statues. So, I think these statues probably have nothing to do with the Crown
Prince of WuYong. In fact, this might not have been sculpted by someone of WuYong.”
Hua Cheng smiled brightly at him, “Is that right? Gege really has an eye for detail.”
Xie Lian also smiled, “Nah. It’s just, the style of these statues, whether it be the sculpting, the
dress, the details in which the flowing lines are carved, they all look more the style of the later
periods. For example… XianLe’s style.”
Hua Cheng raised his brows, “It seems, gege is also deeply gifted in this area.”
“Nah. One would gain some knowledge after seeing so much of something like statues, it’s
nothing.” Xie Lian said.
Although he couldn’t quite put his fingers on it, but his instincts told him that since earlier, there’s
been something off about Hua Cheng. And after having talked to this point, Hua Cheng was
starting to become subtly nervous.
————
Ch.174: Cave of Ten Thousand Gods; Faces of Ten Thousand Gods Hidden 2
However, he still didn’t press on it, “Since San Lang thinks it’s best not to look at them, then let’s
stay cautious.”
Hua Cheng nodded lightly and the two continued onwards. Just then, they came to another fork
in the road, and Hua Cheng went straight for the left. Xie Lian paused in his step and didn’t
follow. Hua Cheng looked back, “What is it?”
“San Lang’s never come to this cave before, right?” Xie Lian asked.
“Naturally.” Hua Cheng replied.
“Then how come San Lang is so sure we should go left?” Xie Lian questioned.
“Not so much sure,” Hua Cheng said, “I’m just going blindly.”
“Since you’ve never come here before, how can you go blindly? Shouldn’t we consider which
way to go more carefully?”
Hua Cheng smiled, “It’s precisely because I’ve never come before that we should go blindly.
Either way we know nothing of the formation of this place, so we might as well boldly bet on our
luck, and my luck has always been better.”
Although that certainly made sense, but actually, every time the two went out, he had always let
Xie Lian decide the way. It wasn’t often that Hua Cheng took the initiative to lead. Xie Lian
nodded and the two were just about to enter the tunnel on the left when suddenly, Xie Lian
spoke up, “Wait! – San Lang, do you hear that?”
“What?” Hua Cheng asked.
“On the right,” Xie Lian said, “There are voices.”
Hua Cheng face changed subtly, and after listening intently for a while, he said, “Gege, I think
you’ve heard wrong. There’s nothing.”
“There is!” Xie Lian exclaimed, “Listen closely, it’s a man’s voice!”
Hua Cheng tried listening again and frowned, “I really don’t hear anything.”
Xie Lian was taken aback and he wondered to himself, ‘Am I hallucinating again?’
“Your Highness, this is fishy, there might be tricks.” Hua Cheng said, “I suggest we talk after
getting out first.”
Xie Lian hesitated for a moment but in the end still said, “No! It might be Nan Feng and Fu Yao,
I best go take a look after all!”
Then he ran off down the path while Hua Cheng called after him, “Gege! Don’t run off!”
However, hearing that faint yelling, the other party must’ve fallen into an extremely dangerous
state and couldn’t allow any delay. Xie Lian didn’t dare to be careless either, and quickly ran
down the path to the right. The deeper he went down the tunnel, the clearer the angry roars of a
man could be heard. Xie Lian was delighted, ‘It really is Nan Feng and Fu Yao!’
Xie Lian didn’t know how long he spent going down the winding tunnel, but in the end he finally
found the source of the voices, and it was a giant cave. There were no divine statues in this
cave but a deep pit instead, and that was where Nan Feng and Fu Yao’s voices were coming
from. It seemed, they were both trapped at the bottom of the pit unable to climb up. However,
they were still energetically yelling at each other, so there shouldn’t be any life threatening
troubles for the moment. It was too dark down below to see anything clearly, and Xie Lian
cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted from above, “HEY–!! WHAT’S HAPPENED TO
YOU GUYS?”
When the two at the bottom of the pit heard someone was here, they instantly stopped their
arguing, and Fu Yao’s voice came, “YOUR HIGHNESS? IS THAT YOU? HURRY AND PULL US
UP!”
Nan Feng on the other hand, didn’t speak. Xie Lian was puzzled, “You guys can’t climb up on
your own? This pit isn’t that deep though, what’s happening down there?”
It might be because he’s been fighting the entire way, so Fu Yao was full of fire at the moment,
“RUBBISH! IF WE COULD CLIMB UP ON OUR OWN WE WOULD’VE DONE IT ALREADY!
YOUR HIGHNESS, DON’T YOU HAVE EYES?”
Xie Lian squinted, “I can’t see that clearly. Do you still have spiritual power? Can you light a
palm torch so I can see what the situation is down there? If you can’t then I’ll throw a fireball
down…” Yet unexpectedly, before he finished his sentence, the two at the bottom yelled in
unison, “DON’T!!!”
The sound of of them stopping him was close to alarm and terror. Fu Yao then yelled,
“ABSOLUTELY DO NOT LIGHT ANY FIRES!”
If he couldn’t light fires, then he’d have to use other ways to illuminate the place. Xie Lian’s first
reaction was looking back, “San Lang…”
However, San Lang didn’t follow after him. There was no one behind him. Xie Lian was slightly
taken aback; at first he felt slightly worried, then after, it was confusion. He couldn’t have lost his
way?
Ever since they’ve entered this Cave of Ten Thousand Gods, Hua Cheng had been acting quite
strange, but Xie Lian couldn’t quite put his fingers on exactly how. He looked to his left and right
and suddenly discovered that on his own shoulder rested a tiny little silver butterfly, and he tried
touching it lightly, “…Hello?”
When that wraith butterfly felt his touch, it fluttered its wings a couple times but didn’t fly away,
and only seemed to be showing him its flapping. On this journey, Xie Lian had heard Hua Cheng
tell him that his silver butterflies were divided into various categories. He didn’t know what
category this one belonged to, what it was responsible for, but whatever it was made for, it could
at least shine some light. Thus, he asked, “Can you go down to take a look for me?”
Sure enough, that silver butterfly flapped its wings and flew down. Xie Lian called out, “Thank
you!” and waited until it reached the bottom of the pit. Once the soft silver light illuminated the
situation below, Xie Lian couldn’t help but widen his eyes.
At the bottom of the dark pit was a field of haunting white, the entire hole covered with a thick
layer of a bed of silk!
Nan Feng and Fu Yao were both wrapped into two cocoons among the silk chrysalis, like two
little flies stuck in a spider web. They were both black and blue in the face, their heads covered
in blood, but who knows if that was caused by their mutual beatings earlier. Xie Lian couldn’t
help but pat himself on the back for not doing things recklessly, otherwise if he did throw a torch
down, the entire pit would probably be set ablaze instantly.
“What’s going on?” Xie Lian asked, “Is that cobweb? Could this be the nest of a spider spirit?”
“WHO KNOWS!” Fu Yao yelled, “EITHER WAY WE CAN’T BREAK FREE!”
It seemed he was desperate to escape. Nan Feng on the other hand, had an unreadable
expression, and looked as if he was going to call for help at first too, but when he saw the one
who’d come was Xie Lian, he stifled and swallowed his words and said instead, “Don’t come
down yet, this silk is really tough. Once it gets on to you it’ll be hard to break free.”
“I won’t come down.” Xie Lian said.
After deliberating for a moment, Xie Lian tied one end of RuoYe to the hilt of Fang Xin and was
going to lower the sword down to try and see. Yet unexpectedly, RuoYe only snuck down
halfway through before those cobwebs discovered it and rapidly shot upward, as if ready to
show what they’re made out of. RuoYe backed away in terror, yet, it was still too late, and those
cobwebs caught on, tied a knot, and yanked it down, pulling Xie Lian down as well.
He had never imagined that this cobweb was actually this strong and sharp!
The moment Xie Lian fell into the pit, those white strings of silk instantly charged forward and
tied him up nicely. The rest of the cobwebs were then slowly crawling about, further securing the
‘cocoon’ on Nan Feng and Fu Yao’s bodies. Fu Yao was going mad with rage, “How come you
fell too? Now look at us, three dumb fools! Let’s all just die here together!”
“What are you griping about?” Nan Feng shot back, “This only happened because he was trying
to save us!”
Xie Lian on the other hand, was tumbling, “Hahaha, hahaha, hahahaha…”
The other two looked at him dumbfoundedly, and Fu Yao said, “Did you hurt your brain on the
way down? Have you lost your mind?”
Tears were rolling down from the corners of Xie Lian’s eyes, and he said with much difficulty,
“N… No, hahaha… what’s with these cobwebs… what are they… so ticklish, I can’t…
hahahaha…”
When he fell down, that silk bed very gently caught him, and the cobwebs that came to bind him
were also very gentle and tame, and while they were apprehending him, they brushed softly
here and there, like they were tickling him. Xie Lian curled into a ball, tenaciously fighting back,
“No, don’t, wait! Stop! Stop! I give! STOP
!!!” Only then did the white silk bind his hands behind his back and stopped. Nan Feng and Fu
Yao watched him, and a moment later, Fu Yao said grumpily, “How come those cobwebs were
so tough in binding us but so loose when binding him? Not even his face is covered.”
Xie Lian finally caught his breath and said, “Aren’t, aren’t your faces uncovered too?”
Fu Yao rolled his eyes and replied, “They were covered, but after we came to we used our teeth
to bite them through, otherwise there would’ve been no way we could make noise.”
Xie Lian tried struggling for a bit but that cobweb was indeed tough and unyielding. Plus, he was
laughing too hard earlier, his ribs were in pain, so he was temporarily out of commission, and
decided instead to relax a bit, lying himself down flat, “So how did you two end up here?”
“Don’t know.” Fu Yao replied, “When the avalanche happened, snow came covering down like
the sky was collapsing, and by the time we woke up we were already here.”
“No no no,” Xie Lian said, “I meant why did you both come to Mount TongLu?”
When this subject was raised Fu Yao became enraged, “I was pursuing that female ghost Lan
Chang and that fetus spirit, who knows why HE’s here!”
“Me?! I’m here to chase after that mother and child too…” Nan Feng answered.
Fu Yao spat, “Then why didn’t you go chase them? Why did you hit me?? I… My general
already said that fetus spirit has got nothing to do with him, he didn’t kill them! His good heart
taken for a donkey’s liver, truly, there’s no point in being a good person!”
Xie Lian mediated out of habit, “Alright, alright, stop arguing, I understand the situation now.
Stop fighting for now, stop your arguing. You even caused the avalanche just now, so can you
just take a break? Let’s think of a way out together.”
However, Nan Feng was also incensed, “Does your general not know what he’s usually like? He
has no reason to complain if people are suspicious of him!”
Fu Yao glared, “What did you say?! I dare you say that again!”
Nan Feng was glaring harder than him, “I DO DARE! I’ll say it again: it wasn’t like you had any
good intentions, you only want to show benevolence to those you can’t stand so you can be all
pleased with yourself in secret. You’re just satisfying yourself and waiting to watch others make
a fool of themselves. Don’t give me that “good heart taken for donkey liver”, and don’t think
yourself a good person! Genuinely good people aren’t like you, YOU’VE NEVER BEEN ONE!”
Veins popped on Fu Yao’s forehead, his lips twitching, “THIS IS ALL YOUR IMAGINATION,
PURE NONSENSE!”
Nan Feng shouted, “WHETHER OR NOT IT’S NONSENSE YOU KNOW BEST, HOW WOULD I
NOT KNOW YOU!”
Fu Yao’s veins were now popping all the way down to his neck, “WHAT RIGHT DO YOU HAVE
TO LECTURE ME? LOOKING DOWN ON PEOPLE FROM SO HIGH UP, CAREFUL YOU
MIGHT FALL AND BREAK A LEG!”
“I’M STRONGER THAN YOU IN EVERYTHING!” Nan Feng yelled back, “DID YOU THINK NO
ONE KNOWS OF THAT SHITTY DEED YOU’VE DONE?!”
Just the mention of it and Fu Yao seemed to be even more furious, “…YES! I ADMIT I DID IT!
BUT HOW MUCH STRONGER ARE YOU THAN ME? TAKING YOURSELF FOR THE MODEL
OF LOYALTY, DIDN’T YOU DITCH THE BOSS WHEN THE WIFE CAME ALONG? THE WIFE
AND THE SON BECAME MORE IMPORTANT?! EVERYONE’S DOING THINGS FOR
THEMSELVES, IT’S THE SELF THAT’S PRIORITY! AREN’T YOU EMBARRASSED HANGING
ON TO THAT OLD SHITTY DEED OVER MY HEAD?”
When he heard “wife and son”, Nan Feng was completely outraged, “YOU FUCKING… YOU! …
I? You?”
Although the two couldn’t move, they were already at each other’s throats, and did not realize
the way they addressed each other had already went from “your general” “my general” to “you”
“me”, and because they were overly aggravated, they completely did not notice if they were
exposing something, and only now did they come around. Xie Lian had long stopped talking.
Nan Feng and Fu Yao both whipped their heads over to look in Xie Lian’s direction, and saw Xie
Lian silently flipped on the silk bed, turning over and only showed them his back, “Um… I saw
nothing. I meant, I didn’t hear anything.”
“…”
“…”
Xie Lian faced the stone wall and said gently, “Are you two going to keep going? Um, as for
what you were discussing, I won’t comment on anything else, but I actually do think that the wife
and the son are the most important. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s basic human
sentiment. These are all really old gripes, so let’s not stew ourselves in it and think of a way to
escape first….”
Fu Yao cut him off, “…You already knew?”
Since it didn’t seem he could get away with it any longer, Xie Lian could only concede, “Yea…”
Fu Yao said in disbelief, “When did you find out? How did you find out?”
Xie Lian didn’t have the heart to tell the truth and said instead, “I’ve forgotten.”
The real answer was, a very, very long time ago. Since Mount YuJun he already had a faint
suspicion, and by the time they made it to the BanYue Pass, he had already verified the truth.
What junior martial officials from the Middle Court? They didn’t exist. “Nan Feng” and “Fu Yao”
were only little clones created by Feng Xin and Mu Qing!
It was like Fu Yao couldn’t believe his real identity was so easily seen through, and was
relentless, “When exactly did you find out? How did you find out? There must’ve been
something that gave it away, what was the flaw?!”
“…”
Xie Lian really couldn’t bear to tell the truth. There wasn’t anything to give away, since those two
had flaws all over!
The three technically grew up together after all, how could Xie Lian not be familiar with the way
they behaved and spoke? From the sloppy fake names to the never-changing personalities, it
was too easy to guess. If he couldn’t guess who were under those two skins, then he would’ve
lived all those years for nothing.
But, some things were best not to be said by the person himself, and some things were best not
to be done. For example, in minding the appearance of a heavenly official, one couldn’t easily
roll eyes or cuss, but in a different identity, he could be much more open and relaxed. Thus, Xie
Lian never felt the need to expose them.
Fu Yao, no, now he should be called Mu Qing. Mu Qing gritted his teeth and said chillingly,
“…So, you had already known who we were for a long time, but you never said anything, and
was only watching us play acting quietly, right?”
————-
Ch.175: Cave of Ten Thousand Gods; Faces of Ten Thousand Gods Revealed
Seeing that he was taking things quite hard, Xie Lian contemplated and in the end went with the
guidance route, “Actually, it’s not that big of a deal…”
Mu Qing sneered, “I knew I was right! Is it fun? Were you enjoying watching me act? HM???”
Now that they’re being honest with each other, Mu Qing was now tearing him a new but real
one. On the side, Nan Feng, no, Feng Xin was also looking rather awkward at first, but he really
couldn’t stand listening to Mu Qing anymore, “Watch your tone!”
Mu Qing is pale faced and thin skinned, and when blood rushed to his face it was very obvious,
and his entire face was flustered. He whipped his head around, “What tone? Don’t forget you’re
one of the jokes! I’m not so generous as you, having been someone’s entertainment for so long
and still have no complaints!”
“I wasn’t trying to watch you guys make fools of yourselves.” Xie Lian said.
Feng Xin also added, “Stop thinking people are as narrow-minded as you. Even when that shitty
deed of yours landed you in Heaven’s Prison His Highness still tried to help you…”
“HA! Well thanks so much. But me ending up in Heaven’s Prison was all thanks to your son!
WHAT! WANNA FIGHT?! NOT AFRAID TO HAVE A SON BUT AFRAID OF TALK??”
Feng Xin really wanted to knock him dead for having raised the subject of his son.
Unfortunately, all three of them were bound into balls by that cobweb at the moment so they
couldn’t move a muscle and could only curse at each other, all manners and class gone.
Xie Lian saw Feng Xin was getting red in the face from anger, and was afraid the moment he
got aggravated he would start his whole martial god cursing the streets act, so he tried wiggling
a bit, rolled a few times, and rolled to Mu Qing’s side, “Mu Qing, Mu Qing? Can you try turning
around a bit?”
Mu Qing stopped his yelling and took a breath, “What do you want?”
“Feng Xin is too far, I can’t roll over, but since these cobwebs can be ripped apart by teeth, I
want to try and see if I can break the bind on your wrists.” Xie Lian explained.
Mu Qing glared at him for a moment, his expression suddenly cold like a dead fish watching the
heavens, “No thanks.”
“I really do want to help.” Xie Lian said helplessly.
“Your Highness possesses the body of a thousand gold, I can’t possibly trouble your greatness.”
Mu Qing said coldly.
Feng Xin cussed, “WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK! WHAT ARE YOU BEING ALL SARCASTIC
FOR AT A TIME LIKE THIS?? HE’S HELPING YOU TRYING TO SAVE YOU, SO HOW DOES
HE OWE YOU ANYTHING HUH!”
Mu Qing’s head shot up, “Who asked him for help? Xie Lian! Why must you always show up at
a time like this??”
Xie Lian was a little taken aback, and suddenly remembered vaguely that Mu Qing seemed to
have asked him the same thing a long time ago. How did he answer then? He couldn’t
remember. “Is there something wrong with showing up at times like these?”
Mu Qing laid back down, “Either way I don’t need your help.”
“Why?” Xie Lian questioned, “Sometimes one does need the help of others in order to get by.”
“Don’t bother with him anymore.” Feng Xin said, “He’s just a show-off and thinks you helping
him would make him lose face.”
Mu Qing and Feng Xin were choking each other’s throats on the side while that wraith butterfly
danced leisurely around Xie Lian, shimmering its faint silver light, unhurried and calm, and it
made Xie Lian remember something so he immediately changed the subject, “Stop arguing, you
two. It’s more a joke if others were to see you like this. There’ll be someone coming to get us
out in a bit.”
Mu Qing said derisively, “None in the heavens nor earth will heed calls in this hellish place,
who’s gonna come save us? Unless it’s…”
Before he finished he thought of a person, and the end of his thought stopped abruptly. Feng
Xin however, asked directly, “Crimson Rain Sought Flower’s come with you?”
Mu Qing was doubtful, “You trust him that much? You sure he’s gonna come?”
Xie Lian was confident, “He will come.”
Although Hua Cheng had been behaving oddly this entire way, and there were several times he
was almost suspicious that the one next to him was a fake Hua Cheng, but, instincts also told
him that was impossible. Mu Qing added, “Even if he came, how would he find this cave?”
Feng Xin suggested, “Why don’t we holler some more? The more people the louder the voices.”
“No need.” Xie Lian said, “We only need to sit and wait. No, just lie down and wait. Because
Hua Cheng and I are joined by a red string…”
Before he even finished his sentence he could see Feng Xin and Mu Qing’s faces twitching, like
some worm had crawled into their ears. “…What’s with those faces?” Xie Lian asked, “Don’t get
me wrong. The red string I’m talking about isn’t something so frivolous as the ‘red string of fate’,
it’s a spiritual device. Just a spiritual device.”
Only then did the two stopped their twitching. Feng Xin replied, “Oh, I see.” Mu Qing on the
other hand, was doubtful, “And what kind of spiritual device is that? What does it do?”
“It’s quite useful.” Xie Lian said. “It’s a red string tied on both our hands with an invisible
connection in between. One can use this red string to find the other, and as long as one is still
breathing, the red string will never break…”
Before he even finished the other two couldn’t listen anymore and cut him off, “HOW IS THAT
DIFFERENT THAN THE ‘RED STRING OF FATE’? IT’S EXACTLY THE SAME THING!”
Xie Lian was taken aback, “No, I don’t think so… it’s different!”
“Think a bit for yourself how it’s different, will you? It’s very much the same thing, alright?!” Mu
Qing exclaimed.
Xie Lian pondered over it and discovered, it’s true! The meaning and function of this spiritual
device really was quite similar to that ‘red string of fate’ the more he thought about it. Just as he
thought he shouldn’t ponder more on it anymore, a voice came from above, “Gege? Are you
down there?”
The moment he heard that voice, Xie Lian felt himself relax and instantly looked up, “SAN
LANG! I’M DOWN HERE!”
Then he turned to the other two in the pit, “You see? I told you he’d come.”
Seeing how happy he looked, both Feng Xin and Mu Qing wore complicated expressions. Hua
Cheng didn’t peek a head over the edge, but they could all hear his helpless voice, “Gege, I said
not to run off. Now what should we do.”
Hearing his tone of voice, Xie Lian was taken aback and his delight faltered, “Huh? Is this
cobweb difficult to deal with? Can E-Ming not slash through it either?”
He seemed to have heard Hua Cheng say faintly, “What’s difficult isn’t this silk…” But he wasn’t
sure if Hua Cheng actually said it. A brief moment later, Hua Cheng said softly, “E-Ming’s not in
a good state right now.”
XIe Lian thought it strange, wasn’t E-Ming perfectly fine and energetic the last time? How was it
in a bad state now?
Next to him, Mu Qing humphed, “No need to ask him anymore. How can the scimitar E-Ming be
in a bad state? He’s clearly looking for an excuse not to help.”
“Don’t say that.” Xie Lian said. He felt it was more possible that E-Ming was being disciplined
and Hua Cheng wouldn’t allow it to come out. Just as he was thinking this, a black shadow
flashed from above, and the next moment, a red clad figured soundlessly landed right by Xie
Lian’s side, and he leaned down to hold his hand. Xie Lian turned his gaze on him and hurriedly
said, “San Lang, why did you jump down too? Watch out for those cobwebs!”
Sure enough, the white silk strings at the bottom of the pit came attacking. Hua Cheng didn’t
bother looking back. He casually waved his hand and hundreds of silver butterflies shielded his
back, forming a butterfly armour, and started fighting with those cobwebs ruthlessly. Hua Cheng
ripped off the white silk binding Xie Lian and hugged his waist with his left arm while his right
hand shook out a red umbrella, “Let’s go!”
The other remaining two saw he had zero intention of saving them and was completely
dumbfounded, “Have you two forgotten something?”
Xie Lian hadn’t yet spoken but Hua Cheng looked back, “Oh, that’s right.”
Then, the heavily wrapped Fang Xin went flying straight into his hand. Hua Cheng handed the
sword to Xie Lian, “Gege, your sword.”
“…”
That was what was forgotten?! Feng Xin and Mu Qing both cried, “HEY!!!”
Hua Cheng hugged Xie Lian closer, flinging his right hand to open that red umbrella, “Gege,
hold on tight to me!” And that umbrella started flying up, taking the two of them with it. Xie Lian
hugged him tightly as instructed, and just as they were about six meters off the ground, the cries
of the other two started and Xie Lian didn’t know whether to cry or laugh, “I won’t forget!” Then
he released RuoYe from his right hand.
That white silk bandage wrapped itself around the two giant cocoons a few times and pulled
them out of the pit together. Halfway up, Feng Xin called out, “WAIT! Wait! I’ve left something
behind!”
“What is it?” Xie Lian called back from above.
“A sword!” Feng Xin shouted, “It’s fallen to the corner!”
Xie Lian looked down and sure enough, in the corner of all that white silk, the hilt of a sword was
somewhat visible. Thus, he made RuoYe extend another stretch and wrapped that sword too,
taking them all out together. Finally, the four all made it back to above ground.
RuoYe threw the two thick cocoons onto the ground, and instantly wrapped itself back onto Xie
Lian’s wrist, like it was terrified of that white silk that was so much like itself but much more
aggressive and evil, trembling slightly. Xie Lian soothed it while cutting off the cobwebs on the
two with Fang Xin. The moment Feng Xin and Mu Qing could move, they both leapt to their feet
and ripped at the rest of the cobwebs. Xie Lian handed Feng Xin the sword RuoYe helped bring
up, but when he looked down, he was amazed, “This is… HongJing? Nan Feng, your general
repaired the sword?”
It was an offhand comment, but the moment the words left his lips he realized how bad it
sounded. Feng Xin and Mu Qing were still in the forms of “Nan Feng” and “Fu Yao” at the
moment, so Xie Lian had accidentally forgotten that their identities were already exposed, and
was still going along with their acts subconsciously. While the original intent was to be
considerate, but the effect of this consideration wasn’t great, and the two fell into a strange
silence.
Feng Xin couldn’t hide his expression and awkwardness floated onto his face. He transformed
back to his real self and took the sword, “…Yes, it’s repaired. There are plenty of ghosts on
Mount TongLu after all, so using it to flash around makes things somewhat easier.”
Xie Lian peeked at the main culprit who shattered HongJing next to him and cleared his throat
softly, “Sorry for the trouble.” After all, it really wasn’t easy to repair a sword shattered to bits.
Mu Qing also transformed back to his real self and dusted off the rest of the cobwebs, “It’s good
that it’s fixed. After all, so many of the monsters and demons are adept at disguises, so if one
isn’t good at using the brain, one could only escape being deceived using HongJing.”
Feng Xin was pissed, “Who are you calling brainless so passive-aggressively? Think I can’t
tell?”
Here they go again. Xie Lian shook his head and turned to Hua Cheng, “San Lang, I ran off too
quickly earlier, sorry for leaving you behind.”
Hua Cheng tucked that umbrella away and replied, “Don’t worry. As long as gege doesn’t run off
like that again.”
Xie Lian grinned, but just as he was about to speak, he suddenly saw Mu Qing glance at Hua
Cheng, his gaze stopped and stared, his expression odd, so Xie Lian said instead, “Mu Qing?
What’s with you?”
Hearing his question, Mu Qing immediately snapped out of it, and gave him a look, “Nothing.
I’ve never seen Crimson Rain Sought Flower like this and thought it was curious, that’s all.”
Xie Lian couldn’t fully believe in this explanation. While this certainly should be the first time Mu
Qing had seen Hua Cheng’s true appearance, but it wasn’t like he hadn’t seen Hua Cheng in his
sixteen, seventeen year old form, and the two skins weren’t that different, so why that look?
The four left that cave, and after only a few steps, Feng Xin was astonished, “…What is this
place?”
Mu Qing was also stunned, “What’s going on?”
They were trapped at the bottom of the cobweb pit earlier, so they never had the chance to
investigate the situation outside, which was why the moment they came out, they were quite
shocked to see that beneath this great snowy mountain, there was actually such a mysterious,
otherworldly place with cave after caves filled with innumerous differing divine statues.
“This is a Cave of Ten Thousand God’s.” Xie Lian explained.
Mu Qing scanned around their surroundings and mumbled, “Who knows how manys years and
how much blood and sweat it’d take to build something like this. This really is… really is….”
He seemed at a loss in finding words to describe it. Xie Lian could understand his feelings. After
all, a stone cave was meant for cultivation and worshipping gods, and back then, his parents
had also constructed caves for him. What heavenly official wouldn’t be astounded by such a
gigantic Cave of Ten Thousand Gods? If one of their own statues was to be worshipped in such
a place, surely their divine state would be greatly benefitted.
Feng Xin was confused, “What god is worshipped in this cave? Why are the faces all veiled?”
“Naturally, it’s to prevent us future passersby to see.” Xie Lian replied.
“Now that’s strange.” Mu Qing said, “They could’ve just smashed the heads of the statues, so
why must they go through this trouble? If you really wanted to see it, a thin veil like this can’t
prevent anything.”
As he spoke, he went up to peel away the veil of the nearest divine statue. Xie Lian hadn’t yet
have the chance to stop him when there was a chilling flash, and the tip of a silver blade hung
not inches away from Mu Qing’s fingers.
This sudden murderous intent instantly made the air among the four tense. Feng Xin was
alarmed, “What are you doing?”
Even with the blade before him, Mu Qing didn’t appear scared at all, “Your scimitar looks just
fine, so why the “it’s not in a good state”?”
Hua Cheng was right behind him, and said lazily, “Didn’t anyone teach you not to touch things
randomly while in other people’s territory?”
“It’s not your territory so what justice are you upholding?” Mu Qing countered.
Hua Cheng said flatly, “I just don’t want to cause unnecessary trouble. This is Mount TongLu
after all, who knows what would happen if the veils are removed.”
“I can’t believe there’d be a day that an arrogant character like Crimson Rain Sought Flower
would be afraid to cause unnecessary trouble.” Mu Qing said. Then, his hand moved downward,
trying again to touch the robe of that statue. The scimitar E-Ming followed after and pointed at
him once more.
“This time I’m only trying to feel the material of the stone, not removing the veil, so why is
Crimson Rain Sought Flower stopping me again?” Mu Qing questioned.
Hua Cheng smiled fakely, “I’m stopping you from starting trouble.”
Xie Lian put himself between the two and said, “Stop, stop. It’s not like we have to see what god
is being worshipped here. We shouldn’t stick around for too long, let’s leave first. Don’t forget,
we still have a mission to accomplish.”
Hua Cheng stared at Mu Qing’s hand, “Since gege says so, then, have him put his hand away
and I’ll let this go.”
“Mu Qing, back off, alright?” Xie Lian pleaded.
Mu Qing glared at him, “Are you nuts? Why isn’t it him who backs off first? What if I back off and
he doesn’t?”
Between a heavenly official and a ghost, Feng Xin would naturally choose to stand on the side
of the heavenly official, “At most we’ll accept having both sides back off at the same time.”
Hua Cheng showed no signs of backing off, “You wish.”
Seeing that neither side would back down, Xie Lian rested his hand on Mu Qing’s arm and
urged gently, “Mu Qing, drop it. After all, you’re the one who started this first, so you should be
the first one to let go, alright? Think of it as giving me some face? I swear if you back off San
Lang will keep his promise.”
Although Mu Qing wasn’t too willing, but after staying in stalemate for a brief moment, he still
slowly dropped his hand, and they returned to the road. Finally, that taut string was relaxed, and
Xie Lian also sighed a breath of relief. It just so happened that they’ve come to another fork in
the road, and he turned to Hua Cheng, “Which way do you think we should go this time?”
Hua Cheng seemed to have casually picked a path, “Then, this way.”
Feng Xin and Mu Qing were walking behind them and seemed to be at each other’s throats
again, but between their arguments, Mu Qing demanded, “How did you two pick? Why this
way?”
The two in front turned their heads back, “It’s random.”
Feng Xin frowned, “How can you pick randomly? Let’s not go blindly lest we drop into some pit
again.”
Hua Cheng smiled, “Even if we drop into a pit I have ways to take His Highness out. You can
follow if you want, if you don’t then you can go off by yourselves. But to be honest, I don’t want
to rescue you again.”
“YOU–!”
But, that was the way Hua Cheng spoke, and no matter if there was a smile on his face and his
tone was endlessly polite, it still sounded more than fake. The more he smiled fakely, the more it
enraged people, so much so that Feng Xin tucked an arrow upon his bow. Xie Lian knew that he
wouldn’t actually shoot and said, “Sorry about this, Feng Xin. But in our current situation, it really
makes no difference which way we go.”
Hua Cheng laughed heartily, “Ooh, I’m scared. Looks like I best stay far away from you.” He
said as he flicked his brows at Xie Lian and really did walked further away. Xie Lian knew he
was only trying to leave the other two behind and smiled as he shook his head, ready to follow
after him when suddenly, Mu Qing reached out and pulled him to a stop. Xie Lian looked back,
bewildered, “Mu Qing? What is it?”
Yet unexpectedly, Mu Qing didn’t answer. He grabbed Xie Lian and ran straight for the other
path, shouting, “NOW!”
Ahead, Hua Cheng also noticed something wrong and turned back to look. Yet, Feng Xin had
already punched the stone wall, and boulders rumbled as they crashed, blocking the road. The
two swiftly went forward and in the flash of a second, slapped on fifty or so talismans on the
rocks. Thus, Hua Cheng and the three of them were now separated by this pile of boulders.
Turns out, the two of them weren’t fighting behind earlier, and were actually discussing how to
conduct this sudden attack! Xie Lian was dumbfounded, “What are you guys doing?”
He struggled free of Mu Qing and wanted to check up on Hua Cheng who was blocked behind
but Feng Xin tripped him, and together with Mu Qing, they each grabbed one of his arms and
started dragging him away, running as he exclaimed, “Let’s get away, quick! Those talismans
won’t last for too long!”
Mu Qing reprimanded, “And you had to ask what we’re doing? Can’t you tell just how weird he
was being?”
“How is he weird?” Xie Lian questioned.
“I think you’ve really gone stupid. Weird is written all over him, you’re the only blind one!” Mu
Qing exclaimed.
Feng Xin roared, “STOP TALKING AND RUN!!! FUCK, I THINK THE WRAITH BUTTERFLIES
HAVE CAUGHT UP!”
Mu Qing shouted, “BLOCK THE CAVE ENTRANCE!”
Thus, Feng Xin punched as he ran, and many of the cave entrances were wholly blocked by the
giant rocks knocked down. The two dragged Xie Lian and fled through the endlessly winding
long, underground corridor, and Xie Lian was going dizzy from all the turns. He shouted, “STOP!
STOP!”
After having run a long way, those two finally stopped to catch their breaths. Taking advantage
of this break, Xie Lian said, “No, I meant, what did you two suddenly drag me away? Did you
notice something?”
Feng Xin still had both his hands on his knees supporting himself up, breathing harshly, “Let
him, tell you again.”
Mu Qing straightened up and turned to Xie Lian, “It’s so obvious but you didn’t see? That pearl!
Do you still remember that pearl?”
“What pearl?” Xie Lian asked.
Mu Qing enunciated each word, “That pair of deep red coral pearls earrings that made part of
the God-Pleasing Martial Warrior costume for the ShangYuan Heavenly Ceremony, that pearl
you lost!”
“…”
It took Xie Lian a long while but he still couldn’t remember, and he tugged at his earlobe, looking
lost, “Were my earrings at the time red coral pearls? Did I lose one?”
The corners of Mu Qing’s lips twitched and he said furiously, “You two even wrongfully accused
me of stealing that pearl, how can you not remember something like this?”
“It’s been eight hundred years after all…” Xie Lian said, but Feng Xing rebuked, “Stop making
shit up, no one wronged you, you’re the one who imagined things all by yourself!”
Xie Lian waved his hand, “Stop fighting, stop fighting. Why are you suddenly talking about that
pearl now?”
“Because that pearl’s been found!” Mu Qing exclaimed, “Did you not see that red bead tied in
Hua Cheng’s hair?”
Xie Lian widened his eyes, “Are you saying…”
Mu Qing stated with conviction, “I am!”
“…”
So that was why Mu Qing had that weird look in his eyes when he saw Hua Cheng earlier. Xie
Lian questioned, “Why would he have that red coral pearl? You sure you didn’t remember
wrong?”
Mu Qing cut him off, “I searched for that pearl for a whole year, and I’ve never stopped looking
for it. Anyone can remember wrong but me!”
Xie Lian crossed his arms and tucked them in his sleeves, contemplated, and furrowed his
brows, “I still think you might’ve been mistaken. There’s no reason for that pearl to be in his
hands? Don’t high quality red coral pearls all look pretty much the same? Besides, San Lang
has always liked collecting rare treasures. He’s even got antiques that are thousands of years
old.”
Mu Qing nodded, “Fine. Very well. You think I’m wrong? Fine. Then look at this.”
He was standing right next to a divine statue, and as he spoke, he yanked off the veil off of the
face of that statue, “Why don’t you take a look at what this is? Surely this can’t be a mistake
either!”
The moment that veil was pulled off and Xie Lian swept a look, instantly his pupils shrank.
The face of that divine statue wasn’t anything deformed to scary. It was a smiling young man in
high spirits, his brows gentle and kind. However, when Xie Lian saw this face, there was an
instant chill that sped down his spine and raised all his hairs.
How could it not be shocking? That face was practically from the same mould as Xie Lian’s own!
To look at this divine statue so up close, it was like staring in a mirror, and even that supposedly
kind smile now appeared disturbing, and Xie Lian couldn’t help but get goosebumps, “This…”
Mu Qing said coldly, “Are you still going to tell me I’ve been mistaken?”
It was with much effort that Xie Lian finally squeezed out, “…Why would there be one of my
divine statues here?”
Mu Qing however, said, “One? Not just one. Look closely.”
Then, he yanked off the veil from the face of another divine statue. That face was also
undoubtedly Xie Lian’s face!
Pulling off the veils from the faces of five to six divine statues, and they were all exactly the
same!
“This is certainly a Cave of Ten Thousand Gods,” Mu Qing said, “But in fact, there’s only one
god being worshipped here!”
And it was all him!
All around them were his own face, it was as if Xie Lian had sunken into a mysterious and
bizarre dream. He felt dizzy and lost for a good while and suddenly realized something, “Wait.
Mu Qing. You didn’t get a chance to see the faces of these statues earlier, right? You were
going to remove the veils but you were stopped.”
Mu Qing humphed, “I don’t need to see the faces of these statues to know what’s sculpted is
you.”
“What do you know?” Xie Lian asked.
Mu Qing rolled all the silk veils into a ball and tossed it to the side, his veins slightly popping,
“How do I know? Because all the clothes, accessories, daily living were all my part of my
responsibilities back then. I washed for you, I fixed for you, there is nothing in your wardrobe
that is exactly the same under the sky, and these statues are too detailed, everything is there,
exactly the same, completely! Of course I knew who the face belonged to when I saw the
clothes!”
“…” Xie Lian covered his forehead, and started thinking back on all of Hua Cheng’s odd
behaviours along the way. Next to him, Feng Xin said, “The fact that he won’t let us look at
those statues only comes to show he knew exactly what’s weird about them. That whole thing
about how we all dropped in by accident after the avalanche was probably all nonsense. He
must know what this place is.”
Mu Qing added, “Not just that. I bet he was the one who threw us into that pit full of cobwebs.
He must really want to kill us.”
“But… Just what is with those statues?” Xie Lian wondered.
Looking closely, every single statue here were carved as if they were alive, the details more
than detailed, almost to the point of frightening. It was easy to see just how closely the sculptor
had observed the subject of his divine statues. Xie Lian dared say that even the most renown of
sculptors of XianLe back then would not be able to carve to this level of excellence. It was as if
the sculptor’s mind was completely filled with this person, and his eyes only saw this person.
The three of them were surrounded by the statues who all bore the same face, and Feng Xin
shuddered violently, “Honestly… what the fuck… too creepy… too fucking realistic.”
And they were in such great numbers too.
“I suspect these statues are some sort of components needed for some wicked spell, let’s
destroy them.” Mu Qing said. Then he moved to chop one with his hand. Xie Lian’s mind was
instantly pulled back to the present and he stopped him, “STOP!”
Mu Qing looked at him, “Are you sure? This wicked spell could be aimed at you.”
Xie Lian pondered over it, but in the end still said, “Let’s not act too recklessly. I think the
possibility of it being a wicked spell is very small.”
“I think it’s quite big.” Feng Xin said, “Honestly, what the fuck…. Doesn’t looking at these things
scare you?”
Mu Qing stared at Xie Lian who stared right back, “And what’s the basis of your claim?”
“Nothing.” Xie Lian said, “But, these divine statues are carved really nicely, very meticulously
sculpted. If we destroy them before knowing anything, we may end up with regrets.” After a
pause, he added, “San Lang… might have lied to me about something, but, I believe, it’s not
anything that’d be harmful to me.”
Mu Qing could not believe his ears, “…Did he actually cast something on you to confound your
mind? I think even if he was to write ‘suspicious’ on his face you’ll suddenly become illiterate.”
While the two were talking, Feng Xin suddenly appeared as if he was about to face a great
enemy, “WATCH OUT!”
Xie Lian and Mu Qing both tensed, and demanded, “What is it?”
“That cobweb is coming at us again!” Feng Xin exclaimed.
Sure enough, the palm torchlight illuminated the stone walls ahead, and upon it were large
patches of dense white silk, and the three cursed ‘oh crap’ mentally, gearing themselves up for
another clash. Yet unexpectedly, that while silk wasn’t as aggressive as the ones in the pit
earlier, and it didn’t move nor did it attack, and was only no different than a normal gecko. The
three waited for a while and Xie Lian said, “Those silk nets don’t seem alive.”
“If it’s not alive then what is it for?” Feng Xin questioned.
Since Xie Lian was now bothered, he went up to study it for a bit, and afterwards he confirmed,
“I think it’s covering something.”
The three came before the stone wall. Xie Lian tried pulling and ripped off a large piece of the
white silk. That white silk was expectedly tough and it wasn’t easy to tear down, but it wasn’t
completely impossible either.
What the veils covered was the true face of those divine statues, then what was hidden on the
stone walls?
The other two also joined in on the tearing of those cobweb nets, each taking care of different
areas. Soon after, a piece of stone wall was revealed on Xie Lian’s side, “It’s a mural!”
Upon the stone wall, what those cobwebs were securely hiding, was a giant mural painting. The
entire surface of the wall was filled thick with lines, colours, and little figures. They were divided
into small sections, each with different styles; some coarse and wild, some elegant, some
exquisite, some peculiar. After studying it for a while, Xie Lian said, “…He painted this.”
“He?” Mu Qing echoed, “Hua Cheng? Are you sure?”
Xie Lian said softly, “Yes. There are words on here, and those words were written by him.”
He pointed at a blood red little figure on the wall, and right next to it were a bunch of messy,
indiscernible twisted characters, like they were written in a state of a trance or extreme suffering
and the author was venting. Based on those characters, Xie Lian could guess that this painted
blood red little figure was Hua Cheng himself, but for some unknown reason, he painted himself
really ugly and disfigured. Feng Xin glanced at it and couldn’t help but comment, “This writing…
it’s so ugly I’m blinded. I dare say even I write better than him.”
A writing uglier than Feng Xin’s was truly ugly beyond saving. Xie Lian’s eyes were
overwhelmed by all the colours; there was so much he didn’t even know where to even start
looking, but once he confirmed this was Hua Cheng’s penmanship, it was like he suddenly
discovered a huge treasure trove, and even his fingertips were slightly trembling. Just then, Mu
Qing seemed to have discovered something not far away and called, “…Your Highness, come
quick. Come quick and see!”
Only then did Xie Lian snap out of it, “What is it?”
Feng Xin and Mu Qing were already rendered speechless, and could only point at one of the
paintings on the wall. That painting was considerably large on this wall, and right at the centre
was a tall city fortress tower. Below it was a sea of people surrounding a glamourous stage. The
lines were simple, yet with only a few strokes, it captured the scene exactly.
Mu Qing pointed at the centre of the painting and said with a trembling voice, “So… this… this
was him?”
Xie Lian was also staring at that point.
The entire painting was colourless, and within it only two figures had colours. At the bottom
there was a little figure, pure white, and seemingly to be glowing, looking towards the sky with
his hands extended, about to catch the other little figure falling from the fortress tower.
And that little figure was blood red, blood red.
Mu Qing murmured, “…Is that him? Is that him? That little kid who fell during the ShangYuan
Heavenly Ceremonial Parade? How could it be him? I can’t believe? Crimson Rain Sought
Flower? Is him???”
Feng Xin patted them madly and pointed to the side, “There’s more in the back!”
Xie Lian walked over and saw in the other painting, there was a dilapidated little shrine, and
upon the altar was a divine statue, also glowing faintly in white light. It held a sword in one hand
and in the other was a red umbrella being handed downwards. At the bottom was an ugly little
blood red figure, its hands cupped a small flower and was offering it to the statue.
Xie Lian suddenly felt his head ache, his hand flying to his temple that was now throbbing and
continued to look.
The next painting seemed to be depicting a battlefield. Large bands of soldiers were fixing their
armours ready to attack, and in the sky floated a little white figure, a long sword in one hand,
mighty and glorious. Below, among the dark and thick troops was another little blood red figure,
its head raised, watching the one in the sky.
Xie Lian was lost in thought when Feng Xin’s disbelieving voice rang, “This red one, it’s all one
person, right? It’s all him??? It’s Hua Cheng? Holy fuck… he’s been following you all this time?!”
Mu Qing was also looking incredulous, “It’s not just following, he’s also watching. Watching very
closely. Very close. He’s everywhere! Look, this here is the main street, the Buyou forest, what’s
this? BeiZi Hill? My god… was he the one who carved those divine statues?!”
Feng Xin was practically getting chills looking through those murals, “My fucking god… who the
hell is he? He’s been watching you since eight hundred years ago?! And he is still, even now?
What the fuck! This is terrifying! Is he bewitched? What the hell does he want? Normal
worshippers won’t even do this much, just what the hell does he want??”
“There must be a plot… there must be!” Mu Qing exclaimed, “Let’s keep looking, there must be
some sort of a clue!”
Xie Lian was already completely shaken.
He stared at that blood red little figure on the wall, unable to wrap his mind around it, and only
felt there were many, many memories that weren’t forgotten but never took heart were fighting
to rush into his brain, pouring in so fast his breathing almost couldn’t keep up anymore. Just
then, he heard the other two on the other side yell, and Xie Lian snapped out of it. “What is it
now?”
Feng Xin and Mu Qing were both standing before a stone wall, looking like they saw something
egregious. When they saw he was moving towards them, Feng Xin quickly turned around and
stopped him, pushing him away, “Holy fuck, DON’T LOOK!”
“? What?” Xie Lian was bewildered, “What was it? Why can’t I look?”
Mu Qing’s face was also dark as he exclaimed, “… Let’s stop looking. There’s nothing good
here, let’s just get out of here as soon as possible!”
The two of them each grabbed one of his arms and started bolting again the entire way. Xie Lian
complained as he was getting dragged along, “What are you both doing? I wasn’t done looking
at those murals!!”
Feng Xin yelled angrily as he ran, “THERE’S NO NEED TO LOOK ANYMORE! THOSE
THINGS SHOULDN’T BE SEEN! MY FUCKING GOD! I HAVE NEVER WITNESSED
ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN MY FUCKING LIFE! SUCH A PERSON!!!”
Xie Lian was completely confused, “What have you never witnessed? What’s with San Lang?”
Mu Qing admonished, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING STILL CALLING HIM SAN LANG? STOP IT!
YOU CAN’T GET AWAY FAST ENOUGH! DON’T GO CLOSE TO HIM ANYMORE IN THE
FUTURE EITHER, HE’S NOT NORMAL, HE’S MENTAL, HE’S CRAZY!!!”
Xie Lian couldn’t listen anymore, “Why are you two cursing him like this? None of us are really
that normal, okay?”
“STOP ASKING!” Feng Xin cried, “YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND! HE’S NOT LIKE US! HE’S
CRAZY! TOWARDS YOU, HE, HE… HE…”
“Towards me what?” Xie Lian demanded, “Please let me go. Let me go back and see for myself,
alright?”
One wanted to go back, the other two were pulling, and the three were stuck in a stalemate
when suddenly, ahead of them came a chillingly cold voice, “Didn’t I say not to touch things
randomly in someone else’s territory?”
The three of them froze and turned their heads to look. Ahead stood a red clad figure. Hua
Cheng was leaning against the stone wall, blocking their way, and he smiled, “Otherwise, I can’t
say exactly what would happen.”
While his face was smiling, his eyes had not a trace of mirth, and was instead dark and
muddied. He hugged one of his arms while the other hand was idly twiddling something small.
It was that deep red coral pearl tied on that thin lock of hair. The gentle red luster of that coral
was as bright and dazzling as the red affinity knot between his fingers.
————-
Ch.176: Cave of Ten Thousand Gods; Faces of Ten Thousand Gods Revealed 2
Those hundreds of charmed talismans and heavy piles of boulders couldn’t stop him at all!
Feng Xin and Mu Qing both reacted swiftly; Feng Xin shot out his arrows one after the other
while Mu Qing swung his sabre, sending an air strike towards him, then grabbed Xie Lian and
ran. Feng Xin then employed the same tricks and struck wildly at the rocks as he yelled, “WHAT
THE FUCK! HOW DID HE FIND US SO FAST?”
“How should I know??” Mu Qing yelled back, “…The red string! The red string! His finger is still
tied with that red string!!”
When it dawned on the two of them, they both turned back to seize Xie Lian’s hand. As if Xie
Lian would let them. His other hand reached out and held to protect that hand with the red knot
and exclaimed, “YOU CAN’T!”
Feng Xin exclaimed, “You highness, if you’re tied with this red string, he’ll find us. If you don’t
want him to catch up then it must be untied!”
However, Xie Lian held on to his own hand and said, “Even if he catches up I’m not afraid? I…
want to ask him about this directly.”
Mu Qing’s eyes widened, “You want to talk to him still? I think he’d have to devour you
completely for you to fully understand just how powerful he is.”
“But I already know he’s powerful.” Xie Lian countered, “You guys won’t tell me what that mural
was and you won’t let me go near him. You can’t convince me of anything like this.”
“He’s a ghost king, his behaviours are abnormal. Normally people would stay far away with just
these two points without needing anyone to convince them of anything!”
Xie Lian extended two fingers, “Two choices: either you let me go back and ask him to explain,
or you let me go back to look at that mural.”
Feng Xin and Mu Qing seemed to have recalled something terrifying, and one had his lips
twitching while the other’s brows could not furrow and deeper, and they both blocked in front of
him, yelling at the same time, “WE’LL ALLOW NEITHER!”
Thus, Xie Lian rolled up his sleeves, “Since you both said no, then let’s solve this with our fists!
Who’s first? Or will you both come at me together?”
Mu Qing turned to Feng Xin, “You first!” Then he backed away to the side. Feng Xin looked like
he wasn’t too sure if he could win against Xie Lian, but in order to rescue a lost youth, he would
give it his best shot, so he gripped his bow, “VERY WELL! Your Highness, pardon the
insolence!”
Xie Lian also returned, “Pard…” Yet unexpectedly, before he even finished the opening
courtesy, something hot was tapped onto his back, and someone behind him shouted, “STAY
STILL, DON’T TALK!” And his entire person froze into an iron board.
Not just that, his voice couldn’t come out anymore either!
Mu Qing came out from behind Xie Lian and said to Feng Xin, “Let’s drag him away. This
talisman can suspend him temporarily, but it won’t last too long.”
Feng Xin was slightly dumbfounded, “Why did you ambush him? Didn’t we agree on a one on
one?”
Xie Lian hadn’t imagined that Mu Qing would immediately go back on his word either. If it wasn’t
because he wholly trusted both of his once subordinates, he wouldn’t have been deceived so
easily either.
“Who has the time for you to go one on one right now?” Mu Qing said, “He’s doing it on
purpose. It’s easy to see he’s dragging time out for Hua Cheng to catch up. Do you not see the
state he’s in right now? Completely infatuated! No matter what you tell him right now nothing will
go through. Maybe once they meet, Hua Cheng will only need to humour him with a couple of
sweet words and he’ll believe him, just like one enchanted by a fox spirit*”
Feng Xin contemplated and felt what Mu Qing said made some sense and sighed, “Your
Highness, it’s not that we’re deceiving you intentionally, but how he is towards you really is…
unseemly. I really can’t say it out loud! Please just come with us.”
“Let’s go.” Mu Qing said too.
Mu Qing’s words weren’t a suggestion or a plead, but a command. What he slapped on on Xie
Lian’s back earlier must be a commanding spell talisman drawn with his blood. The Command
Talisman could make the target obey the castor’s orders, but in truth, it could only realize simple
commands such as “do not speak”, “walk”, “stop”, “run”, etc. The more complicated commands
were harder to execute, and the talisman couldn’t confound the mind either. Only powerful
ghosts like the Brocade Immortal could perform such a thing.
The two speed walked with Xie Lian in tow again but was suddenly stopped by a pile of rubble
blocking the way. Feng Xin saw the path was cut off and wondered, “Why are there rocks here
blocking the way? We can go anymore?”
“Weren’t you the one who knocked down those rocks? Why are you asking me?” Mu Qing said.
Feng Xin questioned, “You were the one leading the way, so you’re the one who messed up. If
we’ve passed through here before, why did we come around back?”
Mu Qing refused to be questioned, “What a joke, I don’t know the roads here at all, how can I
possibly lead? Weren’t we just running without direction earlier?”
It looked as if they were about to get into another argument, and Feng Xin waved his hand,
“Nevermind, I’ve got not time to waste my breath on you. Let’s just dig through this!”
Hua Cheng was pursuing them from behind, so they could only go forward. Retreat was not an
option, otherwise they would run into each other. Blocking roads was easy but digging through
one was much harder. The two made Xie Lian stand obediently in the corner while Feng Xin
punched randomly and Mu Qing, popping veins on his forehead, swung his sabre impressively,
and it was no time before the path was dug through. Rubbles rolled and dust clouded. They
were just about to call Xie Lian over when unexpectedly, once all the dust cleared away, what
stood before them was a red clad figure. Xie Lian’s eyes instantly lit up. It was Hua Cheng!
His eyes were cold and he stood with hands behind his back, silent and wordless. Feng Xin
blurted on the spot, “WHY WON’T YOU GO AWAY?!”
He was truly the very definition of persistence. He was clearly left behind in the dust earlier, so
how did he suddenly appear ahead of them the next second??? And who knows how long he
had been standing there, waiting soundlessly as they cleared away the obstacle blocking their
way to offer themselves up. Was this not incredibly persistent and creepy?
Feng Xin and Mu Qinginstantly backed away for a long stretch. Hua Cheng didn’t look at them.
Hie eyes moved to the side and took a step in Xie Lian’s direction. Feng Xin and Mu Qing
realized who he was here for, and instantly flashed to Xie Lian’s side to block before him,
shouting together, “DON’T COME ANY CLOSER!”
Hua Cheng’s face was extremely dark.
Usually, if there was anyone who told Crimson Rain Sought Flower not to go over, he wouldn’t
give a damn, and it’d be more weird if he didn’t laugh and go over anyway. However, this time, it
was as if he was genuinely wary, and didn’t dare to move recklessly, pausing in his step.
After a brief moment, he finally spoke up, his words slow, “What do you two mean by this.”
By his tone he sounded fairly calm. Feng Xin however, was much more straightforward, “You
don’t need to pretend anymore, we know this is your old lair. We’ve already seen what’s with
those divine statues, and those paintings, we’ve seen everything!”
Hua Cheng wasn’t facing them directly, standing sideways, and hearing him, the hands behind
his back seemed to have jerked, two of the fingers curling up stiffly.
“…”
He inclined his head and questioned softly, “His Highness, also saw?”
His voice was very, very low, and while it still sounded unfazed, it was a little cracked, obviously
off. Xie Lian cried mentally, ‘No!’
Truthfully, he didn’t see a lot, but, Xie Lian could’t move nor speak at the moment, and could
only lean dutifully against the stone wall in the corner, looking like he was hiding behind the
other two, afraid to face Hua Cheng and refusing to speak with him. Feng Xin pulled his bow,
“That’s right. We’ve now understood what… intentions… you have. In respect of you as a ghost
king, if you should still have some dignity, please don’t come near His Highness again.”
In this moment, Xie Lian’s feelings were like a cottage on fire, black smoke heavy and thick.
Hua Cheng should’ve noticed that there was something wrong with him, and Xie Lian could only
hope that Hua Cheng would question him to notice. But, Hua Cheng seemed to not be in the
mind to notice anything and only said coldly, “Don’t go near him? And what right and position do
you two have to say that to me?”
No waiting for their response, Hua Cheng’s eyes flashed dangerously, “But you have reminded
me that we still have unfinished business to settle!”
The moment his words ended, countless silver butterflies shot forth towards the two of them,
shrieking.
Facing such a storm-like attack, the only option was to use spiritual shield. Feng Xin and Mu
Qing both cried, “SHIELD!”
That butterfly deluge was blocked by a formless spiritual shield, and shattered into shimmering
silver light in the air, then they rapidly recrystallized into new silver butterflies, and attacked once
more, completely unstoppable. They backed away as they blocked, and Hua Cheng steadily
moved forward step by step. The whirlwinds raised by his spiritual aura stirred his raven hair
and it danced wildly with the gusts; and under the blinding light of the silver butterflies, the mad
fury and violence brimming in his eyes were completely exposed. To just keep shielding like this
was too passive, and Feng Xin and Mu Qing exchanged a look, agreeing to attack directly, and
they held the spiritual shield as they charged, each flashing their own weapon. The three thus
started fighting in this narrow stone corridor. Feng Xin engaged with the wraith butterflies while
Mu Qing faced Hua Cheng. Hua Cheng flung out an arm and the scimitar E-Ming appeared in
his left hand, ready to strike back!
This was the first time Xie Lian witnessed E-Ming fight seriously. The scimitar was long and
slender, chillingly murderous, its silver light threatening – It was indeed, genuinely a wicked
blade overflowing with evil!
This battle was truly exciting; Hua Cheng stood his ground in a one against two faceoff, and Xie
Lian watched unblinkingly with held breath, and soon, the tip of the E-Ming blade flicked,
sending Mu Qing’s sabre into the rocks. Although Mu Qing still had the hilt in his grip, he
couldn’t pull his weapon out. In his moment of shock, Hua Cheng already swung his fist and
punched him squarely in the jaw, sending his entire person practically flying in the air, the hilt
finally loosened from his grip. On the other end, each of the arrowheads of Feng Xin’s arrows
were snapped by the wraith butterflies’ sharp wings, and there were ultimately too many in
numbers, difficult to deal with!
Victory and defeat were obvious at this point, and from the corners, countless white silk
slithered out, and wrapped those two into two giant cocoons once more; the more they
struggled, the tighter the bind, and Mu Qing tore at that silk as he yelled, “I KNEW IT WAS YOU
WHO THREW US INTO THAT PIT!”
Feng Xin exclaimed, “This isn’t spider silk! This is…!”
It dawned on Xie Lian too. It was butterfly silk!
Before cocoons were broken through for butterflies to emerge, pupas were formed. Those
spider silk-like strange white silk was completely of Hua Cheng’s making, and it was probably
linked to those exceedingly aggressive wraith butterflies!
With the match decided, Hua Cheng withdrew the scimitar and jeered, “I threw you in to save
you from disaster. At the end of the day, if it wasn’t for your loud yelling that caused the
avalanche, there would’ve been no chance of you entering this Cave of Ten Thousand Gods.
Why don’t you thank me for saving your puny little lives?”
Hua Cheng’s original plan was probably waiting out the avalanche, and once the snowy
mountain had quieted down he would take Xie Lian out, leaving Feng Xin and Mu Qing behind
to their own devices. Yet unexpectedly, those two had gnawed through the cocoon and made
noise, leading Xie Lian into discovering them, which consequently caused all the incidents that
followed after. If it wasn’t for all that, Xie Lian might have really just followed Hua Cheng straight
out without looking at a single divine statue.
Yet now, things had evolved into the worst case scenario. Every secret was pulled out and
exposed under the sun.
Xie Lian’s heart was anxious but his body still sat obediently in the same spot. The cold in Hua
Cheng’s eyes was growing heavier, and he looked down on Mu Qing from above, asserted in a
light voice, “It seems, the one with the talent for sabres is me. Not you.”
Mu Qing’s throat was bound by a few bands of white silk, his face alternating between blue and
red from the strangling, foam leaking at the corners of his lips, and he choked out, “You! …
you…? I see, I get it…”
Feng Xin was also gritting his teeth, “…What… did you get?”
Mu Qing said, “I get… why this bastard hates me so much now… it’s probably the same reason
for you!”
“Wh… cough, what reason?” Feng Xin demanded.
Mu Qing said hatefully, “Because he’s mad! Have you forgotten what was on that mural? He’s
that… that young soldier His Highness wanted to promote after returning from BeiZi Hill. His
Highness had said, his sword work was good, well suited for the sabre… cough, cough.”
“What’s that got to do with the hatred he has for you??” Feng Xin questioned.
However, Mu Qing stopped talking. BAM! Hua Cheng’s punch landed on his face, and he smiled
chillingly, answering for him, “Because, he booted me from the army.”
Mu Qing had done something like that?!
Feng Xin was astonished, “…WHAT THE FUCK?! WHY DID YOU BOOT HIM FROM THE
ARMY? DID HE PISS YOU OFF??”
Mu Qing replied, his face covered in blood, “I only made him go home, it’s not like fighting a war
is a good thing! How should I know he’d end up this crazy, holding grudges until now!…”
Before he finished another forceful punch landed, BAM!, and his face was almost contorted.
Hua Cheng smiled, “Think I can’t guess why you booted me back then? Hm?”
Mu Qing’s eyes flashed. Hua Cheng then snickered, “Isn’t it more than obvious now who the
useless trash is?”
“…”
It was as if Mu Qing was stabbed where it hurt and he spat out a mouthful of blood, then he
said, spitefully slow, “Thank goodness I kicked you out, otherwise if we kept you in the army and
allowed you to get closer to His Highness, were you just going to watch him all day with your
mind full of unspeakable filth? Disgusting!”
Xie Lian’s heart violently squeezed. By Mu Qing’s last line, Hua Cheng already had his fist
raised, but when the word “disgusting” was spat out, the hand in mid air froze, and veins popped
on the back of that pale hand. The fingers clenched and loosened, loosened then clenched.
A brief moment later, Hua Cheng said chillingly, “I won’t argue with you on that for the moment.
You just tell me now, honestly, was what you both were yelling about before the avalanche
true?”
Mu Qing’s eyes abruptly widened and he looked over to Feng Xin. Feng Xin also looked over to
them, his eyes round and bulging.
Neither of them knew how to respond. Hua Cheng said sharply, “My patience is limited. Answer
me on the count of three. One! Two!”
That he would actually act in such a sweeping manner! Just then, Mu Qing thought of an idea
amidst his panic and he cried, “Your Highness, RUN!!!”
The moment that command came out, Xie Lian, whose back was taped with a blood talisman,
instantly responded and moved to flee. Hua Cheng immediately turned around, and from the
corners two bands of white silk shot out, forcibly binding Xie Lian, and before he even took more
than two steps, he fell to the ground.
In this situation, it looked as if he was shaken and shocked this whole time, or was having
difficulties accepting the truth, or unwilling to intercept the fight, standing there in a daze and
finally decided to flee but did not succeed. But the truth was, he had never thought of running
away!
Both Xie Lian’s hands and feet were tightly bound by heavy white silk, and he laid sprawled on
the ground, his black hair and white sleeves scattered all over the ground, his bamboo hat rolled
to the side. Hua Cheng turned around slowly, and after a long pause, he walked towards him.
He didn’t take more than a few steps before Feng Xin couldn’t hold back and yelled, “HUA
CHENG!”
Hua Cheng paused in his step and turned his head slightly.
Feng Xin forced himself to plead, “Let… Let His Highness go! He’s already suffered enough.
Don’t, to him…”
Hua Cheng didn’t speak. He came by Xie Lian side, put his hands behind Xie Lian’s knees and
back and swept him up, securing Xie Lian in his carry.
Xie Lian leaned against his arm and could see behind the expressions on those two giant white
cocoons. Feng Xin looked like he was witnessing a lamb entering the mouth of a tiger, like Xie
Lian was going to be ripped apart and devoured, and he started yelling. Mu Qing began trying to
use his teeth to bite at the white silk again, but due to the harsh angle, it was all work for
nothing. Hua Cheng knew the paths of the Cave of Ten Thousand Gods like the back of his
hand, and after many turns and corners, the figures of those two soon disappeared along with
their voices.
————–
●Fox spirits in Asian folktales are seductresses, known to enchant and charm innocent
people, and make them fall helplessly in love with the spirit.
————–
Ch.177: Cave of Ten Thousand Gods; Faces of Ten Thousand Gods Revealed 3
Xie Lian was carried in Hua Cheng’s arms as they moved deeper into the darkness of the cave’s
innermost dens.
The only source of light around them was the softly fluttering silver wraith butterflies. Xie Lian
couldn’t see the expression on Hua Cheng’s face clearly, but, he could feel Hua Cheng’s arms
and his entire body were stiff.
It wasn’t like Hua Cheng had never held him before in the past, but it was very obvious that now,
something had changed, and Hua Cheng wouldn’t touch even his neck or hands directly. Xie
Lian kept eyeing Hua Cheng’s face, blinking with force, but Hua Cheng kept avoiding his eyes,
refusing to meet them, and entered a cavern chamber as he willed. There was a stone bed
within the cavern chamber and he immediately brought Xie Lian over to set him down. Just as
he was laying Xie Lian down, he suddenly noticed something, checked Xie Lian’s back and
spoke up, “They cast a spell on you?”
Xie Lian was overjoyed. He’s finally discovered it!
However, that it took Hua Cheng this long to notice something off about Xie Lian only came to
show just how caught off guard Hua Cheng had been earlier. Xie Lian was waiting for Hua
Cheng to remove the Command Talisman from his back, yet unexpectedly, even though Hua
Cheng had already reached out, his hand paused halfway, and in the end, withdrew said hand
and laid Xie Lian flat on the bed.
Maybe it was so Xie Lian wouldn’t worry, he said quietly, “Your Highness, don’t worry. I won’t kill
those two useless trash for now. Even though I really want to murder them.”
Also laid upon that stone bed was a layer of thick but soft fresh hay, and Xie Lian was lying on
top of it limply, not a bit worried but so anxious his innards were smoking, and he just couldn’t
understand why Hua Cheng wouldn’t release him from the spell. Just as he was trying
desperately to struggle, he saw Hua Cheng reach out towards the sash belt around his waist,
and untied that belt.
Right then, in that inopportune coincidence, Xie Lian could feel the Command Talisman on his
back starting to fade, and his leg jerked hard while an “ah!” escaped his lips.
Although it looked like nothing more than a dead fish that twitched for a second in its last
attempt at life, expressing its objection without any real power, but Hua Cheng still froze
immediately, and instantly withdrew his hand, “I won’t!”
As if Hua Cheng felt his own tone was too harsh and was afraid he might have scared Xie Lian,
making him feel repulsed, Hua Cheng backed away for a few steps and softened his voice, his
expression unreadable, cautious and resigned as he said quietly, “Your Highness, I won’t do
anything to you. Don’t… be scared.”
Xie Lian finally understood.
Hua Cheng still wasn’t sure just what kind of response he would receive from Xie Lian upon
releasing the spell, so he was refusing to hear the response altogether.
Hua Cheng seemed to be holding back some sort of impulse, and once again employed a voice
full of assurance, speaking softly, “Your Highness, trust me.”
But this “trust me” sounded weak compared to the times before when he said the same thing.
Xie Lian wanted to answer him but he couldn’t, and didn’t dare to struggle anymore lest the
misunderstanding deepened, so he could only lie there flatly without moving, waiting for the
power of the Command Talisman to pass. Seeing that Xie Lian didn’t “resist” anymore, Hua
Cheng approached again, reached out and gingerly untied Xie Lian’s belt.
‘San Lang???’ Xie Lian called out mentally.
He of course believed wholeheartedly that Hua Cheng wouldn’t take advantage of people when
they’re down, but this development was also completely out of his expectations, and he couldn’t
help but widen his eyes. While Hua Cheng loosened Xie Lian’s robes, he still tried his best not
to make contact with his body so he took his time, and it was a long time before Xie Lian’s outer
robes were removed, then the under robes. It was only when a wraith butterfly flew to the tip of
Xie Lian’s shoulder and perched, and a warm and tingling feeling crawled up his skin did Xie
Lian realize that his shoulders were red and slightly swollen, skin in some areas cracked even,
and only started to heal after the silver butterfly had perched.
They were frostbite injuries leftover from crawling and tumbling all over the frozen mountains.
Xie Lian himself hadn’t noticed at all since he wasn’t too sensitive to pain anymore. If he’s
frostbitten then he’s frostbitten, and even if he noticed these injuries he would probably leave
them to heal on their own. However, Hua Cheng knew better than him where he was hurt, kept it
on his mind, and had to address the injuries no matter what.
Just as he was spacing out, Hua Cheng held and raised his arm. There were even more
frostbites on his hands and feet, and because of all the desperate running and pulling, many
places were already bleeding. Xie Lian wasn’t afraid of pain, but he was ticklish. Moreover,
many broken memories of the years past floated into his mind in spite of himself. In a dark cave,
the trembling and heated hands of a boy, random panicked touches, irregular breathing and
heart racing…
Those memories were originally so diminished they couldn’t be any fainter, and he had long
since sealed them up, thrown them away into a corner. Now that the memories were
resurfacing, they held a surprisingly different taste, making one want to hold the head and
scream. Especially now that Hua Cheng was right in front of him, doing practically the same
thing. Both Xie Lian’s face and mind were going to burn up. He was scared Hua Cheng might
see, but Hua Cheng didn’t look at him at all, keeping to his promise completely, never crossing
the line, and he kept his head slightly turned, averting his gaze from that half exposed white
shoulder.
Yet unexpectedly, right then, a voice suddenly popped up from behind Hua Cheng, “Hua Cheng!
You madman, what do you think you’re doing to His Highness?! You’re disgusting!”
Hua Cheng whipped his head around, and Xie Lian also looked past him, moving his eyes to the
entrance of the cavern chamber. The one who spoke was Mu Qing!
Feng Xin was also next to him. The two were only just wrapped into giant cocoons by Hua
Cheng earlier, but they somehow broke free and found this place.
When they saw the scene inside the cavern, their faces paled. Xie Lian’s face paled too.
Truly, what an awful sight!
Feng Xin pointed at Hua Cheng, then pointed at Xie Lian whose clothes were half peeled, and it
was a good moment before he could squeeze out, “YOU… YOU… LET HIM GO RIGHT NOW!”
Hua Cheng instantly pulled Xie Lian’s clothes up and said coldly, “You two useless trash dare
seek us out, I think you’re tired of living.”
Mu Qing sneered, “Move your filthy hands. You ugly toad wants a taste of swan meat?
Nevermind you dreaming of it for eight hundred years, even if you hope for another thousands
of years, don’t you dare touch a single finger of His Highness’.”
Hearing this, Xie Lian’s heart jerked, but in between annoyance, he could sense something was
wrong.
What was with those two? Even if Hua Cheng beat them to a pulp earlier, they shouldn’t be this
rude facing him, especially Mu Qing. It was like they were trying to provoke Hua Cheng on
purpose. There was no benefit to provoking Hua Cheng, they couldn’t beat him either, so what
was their goal? Moreover, they were subtly pointing the spear in Xie Lian’s direction in their
tone, like they were begging for chaos to descend, like they were afraid Hua Cheng wouldn’t do
something to Xie Lian if he should be enraged.
Sure enough, Hua Cheng was outraged, and his blanched face was flashing with darkness. He
threatened softly, “Since you both came with the intention to die–”
Xie Lian could see that naked murderous intent in his eyes and horror filled his heart, “DON’T!!!”
Too late. The scimitar was unsheathed, and E-Ming’s cold shimmer flashed.
Feng Xin and Mu Qing were both startled, and they unconsciously lowered their heads.
Fortunately, there were no injuries on their bodies.
Yet unexpectedly, before they had the chance to breathe relief or return any kind of retaliation,
the next second, their upper half bodies crashed down from their lower half bodies in a THUD!
Blood spouted and gushed like mad, spilling to and flooding the ground.
Xie Lian had never expected things to develop like this and was already completely dumbstruck,
lying limply on that stone bed.
Hua Cheng – he actually slashed Feng Xin and Mu Qing at the waist!
Those two hadn’t yet died completely, and they rolled down on the ground, one gritting his teeth,
the other yelling furiously, a sight too tragic to see. Hua Cheng’s expression was frigid as he
sheathed the scimitar, only a small half of his face was spotted with a bit of blood, that tinge of
red matching with the aura of evil between his brows, making him appear even more striking.
He stood in that pool of blood for a moment, then he looked back and walked towards Xie Lian.
Xie Lian watched with eyes wide open at Hua Cheng’s approach with a grim expression, and
only then did Xie Lian snap out of it. By then Hua Cheng had already come to his side and
clutched one of his hands, pulling him up and pressing him hard into his own embrace,
whispering, “…How can I possibly let go.”
Xie Lian was wrapped tightly in his arms, unable to speak, and Hua Cheng whispered
something else in his ears. His heart pounded wildly, like it was going to jump out of his chest,
and suddenly felt his body loosen.
The Command Talisman Mu Qing drew up and taped onto his back was finally released.
Even though Hua Cheng said he wouldn’t let go, after he released Xie Lian from the Command
Talisman, Hua Cheng still loosened his hold slightly and let Xie Lian go. Xie Lian inhaled deeply,
leapt to his feet, and charged to the pool of blood on the ground, “Feng Xin? Mu Qing? Are you
two alright?!”
Mu Qing’s injuries were greater, and the corner of his lips was streaming blood, the light in his
eyes faded. Feng Xin still had a breath left, and he grabbed tightly onto Xie Lian’s hand, “Your…
highness…”
Xie Lian clutched his hand back, “What? What did you want to say?”
Feng Xin swallowed a mouthful of blood and gritted, “Watch out… of Hua Cheng… Don’t go
near him… He… is a monster!”
He looked like he used up all he had to give him this warning before his death, yet
unexpectedly, the expression on Xie Lian’s face gradually calmed, “Monster?”
He let go of Feng Xin’s hand and rose to his feet, “I’m curious. Is he more of a monster than you
two?”
Hearing this, Feng Xin was taken aback. Yet right after those words were spoken, Xie Lian
pulled out Fang Xin in the flash of a second and pierced through Feng Xin’s heart, nailing him
dead onto the ground!
Feng Xin was full of disbelief, “Your Highness, you! …” But before he could finish, his breathing
stopped. Xie Lian then pulled Fang Xin out from his heart, shaking it clean of blood, before
retreating to Hua Cheng side, the tip of his sword pointing at the corpses of the two on the
ground, “Since blood has spilt, there’s no more need to keep talking through those skins?”
“Hahaha…”
A chilling laugh suddenly came from the ground. Mu Qing, whose body was sliced in half at the
waist, twisted his neck over and laughter was coming from his mouth.
His upper half body was sprawled on the ground, and even if he wanted to turn his head, at
most half of his face would be pressed against the ground. However, this head was turned
completely around and off the ground, laughing towards Xie Lian!
As suspected. Those two were not the real Feng Xin and Mu Qing, but were instead two
imposters that came from who knows where.
The real Feng Xin and Mu Qing were still trapped in giant white cocoons trying to gnaw
themselves free somehow. When Hua Cheng was helping Xie Lian release the Command
Talisman just now, this was what he whispered about.
Their faces were pale not because they were shocked or horrified, but because they weren’t
human in the first place!
Xie Lian was already flashing his sword, and “Feng Xin” and “Mu Qing” both smiled chillingly,
speaking in unison, “Just as you wish.”
Then, they melted into two puddles of something that resembled thick blood. Hua Cheng moved
to shield in front of Xie Lian, and those two puddles of thick blood flowed and solidified, bubble
bubble, bubbling like it was boiling, and soon formed into the shape of a man. Watching that ball
of something contort itself to materialize bit by bit, a series of chills went up Xie Lian’s spine
from his waist to his neck.
Soon after, “Feng Xin” and “Mu Qing” before them disappeared, and what replaced them was a
tall and slender white clad young man.
Judging by his form, this young man was about seventeen or eighteen years of age, and he was
wearing a mask, half of it crying, half of it smiling. While his face couldn’t be seen, a crisp and
bright voice of a youth came from behind his mask.
He said warmly, “How are you, Xie Lian.”
Xie Lian’s lips twitched unconsciously, his mind going numb. Hua Cheng, who was shielding in
front of him, raised his blade and lunged!
Against the wicked sharpness of the scimitar E-Ming, that white clad man was completely
unafraid, and he sidestepped, the blade missing him by mere millimeters. Then, in the breath of
a second, he flashed behind Hua Cheng, his hand out, reaching for Xie Lian, looking as if he
wanted to touch his face. A silver light streaked by, and Hua Cheng blocked him, shielding in
front of Xie Lian once more, his voice cold, “Move your filthy hands.”
Hua Cheng actually returned the same phrase back to him. That white clad man’s right hand
was chopped off by E-Ming and it fell to the ground. However, that did not affect him one bit, and
he shook out that expansive sleeve, hiding the broken limb, then, shaking the sleeve back
again, a new hand was grown from where the wound was. His fingers stiffened into claws and
went straight for Hua Cheng’s right eye!
That entire process only took the blink of a second. Hua Cheng also dodged swiftly, however,
two bloody scratches were still left on the side of a cheek.
This was the first time ever that Hua Cheng could not overtake the other in speed. His eyes
turned sharp and changed tactics on the spot, calling forth millions of wraith butterflies and they
lunged at the man like crazy. A myriad of butterflies wrapped that white clad man into a silver,
shimmering, human shaped cocoon, but that probably wouldn’t last for long. Hua Cheng was
about to grab for Xie Lian when those silver butterflies shrieked, exploding into millions of
scintillating silver powder!
Seeing Hua Cheng’s face change, Xie Lian knew that things weren’t good, having so many
wraith butterflies destroyed at once. The white clad man who blew apart the wraith butterflies
hid behind the silver powder splattering haphazardly in the air, and struck out with that newly
grown hand, aiming straight for Hua Cheng’s right eye again!
This time, it was Xie Lian’s turn to pull our Fang Xin, and he struck down! His strike didn’t just
chop off that white clad man’s entire arm, it practically slashed half of his body. Using this
chance, Hua Cheng called out, “Your Highness, let’s go!”
Xie Lian also knew they shouldn’t remain to fight, so he withdrew and the two rushed out of the
cavern together, bolting down the dark tunnel without any obstacles in their way. Xie Lian
exclaimed as he ran, “It’s him! He… really didn’t die!”
Hua Cheng was the one leading the way, his speed faster but much more at ease, and was
setting up butterfly formations and silk along the way, creating heavy obstacles, “That might not
be the original one.”
Xie Lian came to an abrupt stop and hugged his head, “No… I can feel it. It must be the original
one! Not only did he not die, he’s become even stronger. Something’s made him to be reborn…
otherwise how could he transform into Feng Xin and Mu Qing’s appearances so easily? It’s very
difficult to impersonate heavenly officials, it should be nearly impossible to create their fake
skins!”
Hearing his tone was going awry, Hua Cheng also stopped and turned around to clutch his
hand, “Your Highness! Don’t be scared. It might not be that he’s become stronger. There’s
another possibility, and it’s that he is very familiar with Feng Xin and Mu Qing! That’s why he
could make their fake skins. This must be someone you all…”
Before he finished, Xie Lian’s gaze had fallen to the hand that was clutching his own. Seeing
this, both Hua Cheng’s voice and expression froze. He paled, withdrew his hand, tucking it
behind his back, and turned around to continue onwards. Xie Lian however, didn’t follow. “San
Lang.” He called out.
Hua Cheng’s body stiffened and he paused in his step, but he did not look back and only
acknowledged, “Your Highness.”
His voice sounded like he was fairly calm. Xie Lian stood behind him and said, “A lot of things
happened just now, and everyone’s all confused and messed up.”
“En.” Hua Cheng answered.
Xie Lian continued, “Although we’re all still kind of messed up right now, but, I still want to take
this chance to ask you a question, and I hope you’ll answer me honestly and seriously.”
“…”
“Alright.” Hua Cheng said.
Xie Lian questioned solemnly, “Just who is that ‘noble, gracious, special someone’?”
Hua Cheng’s hand that was tied with the red affinity knot twitched a couple times unnoticeably.
He was silent for a while before slowly answering, “If Your Highness has already found out, then
why ask.”
Xie Lian nodded, “I see. So I didn’t misunderstand you. It really is true.”
Hua Cheng didn’t speak.
After a pause, Xie Lian asked, his voice flat, “You… don’t want to know… how I feel about this?”
“…”
Hua Cheng turned his head slightly like he wanted to look back, but at the same time, afraid to
look Xie Lian in the eyes, so only the two streaks of blood on his cheek could be seen, “Will
Your Highness… not tell me?”
Even his voice was cracked. Xie Lian said, “I’m sorry. Something like this has to be said clearly.”
Hua Cheng didn’t need to breathe, but when he heard this he still sucked in a deep breath.
Although his face was tragically pale, he still smiled and replied courteously, “That’s true. That’s
for the best.”
He was like a criminal on death row waiting for his sentence and he closed his eyes. Yet
unexpectedly, his eyes weren’t closed for long before they abruptly blinked open.
A pair of arms had circled around him from behind, and hugged him with force all of a sudden.
Xie Lian had buried his face in his back and also didn’t speak. Though nothing was said, but, it
was enough.
It was a good while before Xie Lian felt the person he was hugging turn around, returning the
hold, engulfing him in a tight embrace.
He heard Hua Cheng’s staggering voice coming from above, “…Your Highness. You really… will
be the death of me.”
————
Ch.178: Cave of Ten Thousand Gods; Faces of Ten Thousand Gods Revealed 4
Right at that moment, there was the sound of an explosion in the deep recesses of the cave,
and in the far distance there was a blinding white light slashing through the darkness followed
by the shrieking of silver butterflies.
The two both looked up, their faces changed. Xie Lian loosened his grip on Hua Cheng’s
sleeves and said, “Let’s talk later!”
Thus, the two continued forward. Only, this time, there was the added action of tightly holding
onto the other’s hand.
Xie Lian’s face was still hot, and he spoke with forced calm like nothing was the matter, “San
Lang, how did you discover that those two Feng Xin and Mu Qing were imposters? Where are
the real ones?”
Hua Cheng’s in pretty much the same state as him and replied, “I left two wraith butterflies to
monitor those two useless trash, so how could there suddenly be two more? Don’t worry Your
Highness, they’re fine, they won’t die!”
“Then we have to go release Feng Xin and Mu Qing from the cocoons first.” Xie Lian said,
“Otherwise, it’d be bad if he finds them and they have no power to fight back!”
Hua Cheng answered, “This way, follow me!”
This Cave of Ten Thousand Gods was indeed his territory, and even when they came across
over five to six different forks in the road, he could immediately and accurately determine which
path to take, and it didn’t take long before they returned to where they first parted. Even at a
distance they could hear those other two were pointing fingers at each other and yelling, “WHY
DID YOU TELL HIS HIGHNESS TO RUN?? NOW YOU’VE DONE IT, HE’S BEEN CARRIED
AWAY!”
“WHAT, AND HAVE HIM STAND AROUND TO BE BUTCHERED??”
“HUH? YOU JUST WANT HIM TO DISTRACT HUA CHENG AND HAVE HIM LEAD AWAY, AM
I WRONG??”
Xie Lian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The two giant white cocoons on the wall were both
simultaneously gnawing at the silk and yelling at each other, and when they saw him return,
they were so surprised they even forgot to spit out the white silk from their mouths, “How did
you escape?”
Xie Lian’s bamboo hat was still on the ground where he dropped it, and he quickly picked it up
and tied it around his back. The heavy white silk released those two, retreating back into the
shadows, and Feng Xin and Mu Qing, who were both beaten black and blue, tumbled to the
ground. When they saw Hua Cheng emerge from behind Xie Lian, they probably thought they
were about to go through another beating, that things were going to get rough again, and their
faces twitched. Feng Xin was just grabbing for Xie Lian’s arm to pull him back but Xie Lian
grabbed hold of Hua Cheng first.
“??? Your Highness?” Feng Xin was shocked.
Hua Cheng was already starting to lead the way, “Gege, this way.”
As if those two dared to follow him. Feng Xin questioned, “Your Highness, why are you still with
him?”
Mu Qing then said, “Didn’t I say he’s lost his mind? Completely infatuated.”
Xie Lian didn’t fight them, and only very gently but firmly held on to Hua Cheng, “There’s no time
to explain now. In any case, let’s get out of here first, there’s an enemy chasing us from behind!”
Having been held onto in place like this, Hua Cheng’s eyes were twinkling, and a moment later,
he smiled, “I suggest you both hold your tongue and just follow. I’m in a good mood so I won’t
fight you for now.”
Seeing this, the two wore complicated expressions and were in complete disbelief. In their
thinking, they just couldn’t figure out why Xie Lian could still so nonchalantly walk alongside
such a terrifying bastard ghost who had stalked him for over eight hundred years with a mind full
of unspeakable things. This was practically like playing with fire and getting burnt. Mu Qing was
suspicious, but in the end finally chose to talk about the other point and asked, “You said there’s
an enemy? This Cave of Ten Thousand Gods is his territory so what kind of enemy can there
possibly be? That scratch on his face is also slashed by the enemy? I don’t think there are that
many in the world who can hurt Crimson Rain Sought Flower?”
“It’s the White No-Face.” Xie Lian replied.
Hearing this name, Feng Xin and Mu Qing’s faces both changed too, and immediately, without
another world, followed after Xie Lian. Since, they were both more than clear that Xie Lian could
joke and lie about anything except the one person. Xie Lian would never lie about him and he
would never mistaken him either.
This group were just fighting each other to the death in the Cave of Ten Thousand Gods earlier,
and now they were all fleeing together. “Just what is going on??” Mu Qing demanded.
Xie Lian thus gave them an account of that white clad man who had transformed into their
appearances, and they were both stunned, “Disguised as us?! How is that possible!”
“It’s true!” Xie Lian said, “Even though everything was too much of a rush and I didn’t look
closely, but in a glance it was absolutely you two!”
Feng Xin was dumbfounded, “But how can the White No-Face still exist in this world? Wasn’t he
killed by the Emperor?”
“It’s easy to imagine that that creature isn’t so easily killed.” Mu Qing said, “Maybe it was killed
at the time, but with the right chance it can certainly revive itself!”
Xie Lian recalled something and turned to Hua Cheng, “San Lang! Before, just after we entered
Mount TongLu, you suddenly woke up from your hibernating state and urged us to immediately
hide away from something. What you sensed back then, was it him?”
Hua Cheng nodded lightly, “It was him.”
Xie Lian mumbled, “I knew it! We later chose the path to the west, but the one who killed
thousands of monsters and demons from the east was also him. He’s reborn but still a little
weak and needed to kill the monsters and demons who entered Mount TongLu to use them as
his stepping stone… and now, he’s recovered, and possibly even stronger than before.”
After all, he was the world’s first Supreme Ghost King!
Just as they were talking, Mu Qing noticed something wrong, “Your Highness, do you know
where he’s taking us? I don’t think this is the way out?”
However, it was Hua Cheng who replied, “Of course this isn’t the way out, because there’s no
way out right now.”
Feng Xin was shocked, “What? Isn’t this cave your territory? You can’t be lost either?”
“Of course not…” Xie Lian replied, and Hua Cheng answered, “Because the White No-Face is
blocking the path leading to the exit of this cave. If you think you can defeat him in your current
state then by all means, don’t follow me, and I won’t stop you. Please, go ahead.”
Feng Xin and Mu Qing were both from XianLe after all, and like Xie Lian, they was an
indistinguishable shadow towards that creature in their hearts, and unless absolutely necessary,
they absolutely did not want to face him. Feng Xin gazed upwards, “Can we punch through the
top of the cave directly and get out?”
Hua Cheng mocked, “It’s the snowy mountain outside, do you want to start another avalanche?”
Too bad they left the Earth Master shovel to Yin Yu for emergencies and they didn’t have it on
hand. None of them studied on how to used it either, so they couldn’t soundlessly dig
themselves out. “Then why are we running around aimlessly for?”
“As long as we run around aimlessly, he will chase after us and therefore leave the path leading
to the exit.” Xie Lian explained, “By then the rest of you can use that chance to escape.”
Mu Qing was sharp and said, “Wait, “the rest of you”? You mean to split? One group be the bait
to lead him away while the other group escape by themselves?”
“That’s it exactly!” Xie Lian said, “The Emperor must be informed that the White No-Face has
reappeared in the world. Once you both get out, find a way to bring this news to the heavens…”
Mu Qing cut him off, “Wait, wait! You’ve already decided who’s going to be bait and who’s going
to leave?”
Xie Lian shook his head, “I didn’t decide this, White No-Face did.”
Mu Qing understood and didn’t speak anymore. It really wasn’t up to them to decide who gets
pursued. If they must choose the one among them that the White No-Face would be the most
interested in pursuing, then, it was for sure Xie Lian!
Feng Xin declared without hesitation, “I will stay with you to face him.”
In the past, if there was any incident, Mu Qing would always be the one Xie Lian send back to
report while Feng Xin would always be the one staying behind to assist him. Now, it seemed the
circumstances were going to repeat. However, Xie Lian glanced at Hua Cheng and said,
“Thanks! But, there’s no need. San Lang will stay with me.”
Feng Xin blurted, “How can he be the one to stay? He…”
Hua Cheng’s brows furrowed threateningly but Xie Lian replied, “He’s fine. I trust him.”
His voice was gentle but his demeanour was exceedingly determined, and Feng Xin was
stunned in spite of himself, “Your Highness.”
Xie Lian patted his shoulder, “You two go together. Mount TongLu has now closed its gates, so
it’s difficult to say if you can even charge out. Besides, don’t you still need to search for… Lan
Chang and the child?”
With his reminder, Feng Xin’s face grew ashened. A wraith butterfly flew out from the
engravings on the vambrace around Hua Cheng’s wrist, and Hua Cheng said, “Follow it.”
The two looked at Hua Cheng, then at Xie Lian, and in the end, Mu Qing tossed out, “You two
watch yourselves.” Then he turned around to follow after that silver butterfly, dashing into
another tunnel. A brief moment later, Feng Xin followed too.
The four thus parted at this fork in the road, and just as Xie Lian was watching their retreating
backs, in the distance came another series of exploding rumbles. The remaining two exchanged
a look and Hua Cheng said darkly, “He’s here.”
“Take me away.” Xie Lian said.
That white clad man came charging after Xie Lian as expected. Hua Cheng continued to set up
wraith butterfly arrays to form obstacles in order to ensure that white clad man will always be
kept at a distance from them, while at the same time, monitor the situation in various paths.
Every time there was an explosion and the shrieks of wraith butterflies however, his expression
would grow grimmer, and Xie Lian also ached as he listened. They winded and turned, rounding
corners after corners, and came to a cavern chamber. He couldn’t help but sigh, “I can’t
believe… this many silver butterflies are lost.”
While those wraith butterflies didn’t have a good reputation in the external world, but in Xie
Lian’s eyes, they were no more than clever and precious little spirits, and to so vigorously
commit suicidal attacks without stopping if only to delay the steps of the enemy for one moment,
Xie Lian couldn’t help but ache for them. Hua Cheng however, only snorted, appearing as if his
eyes could see through the thick rocky walls and said darkly, “Don’t worry. If he kills one, I’ll
make ten more. Fast and furious like the storms, I will never back down. Let’s see who’s the one
left standing in the end.”
Xie Lian’s heart skipped a beat for some reason and he mumbled inwardly, ‘… Oh no, this is
bad.’
Even though Hua Cheng’s expression was subconsciously displayed, but Xie Lian really was
quite weak to this aggressive and rebellious confidence of his.
After another moment, Hua Cheng slowed his pace, and appeared as if he received some sort
of signal, and he turned to Xie Lian, “He’s been lead away. Those two are almost out.”
“Great!” Xie Lian said, “Now we can take our time to think of a way.”
“En. There’s no rush now.” Hua Cheng said, “He’s been left behind for a long distance away, so
we can hide here for now and think of a battle plan.”
“…”
Yet unexpectedly, the mood between the two of them suddenly became a little awkward.
It wasn’t the kind of awkwardness that came with embarrassment, but just a bit of unknown
shyness. They were being chased closely by that creature behind them at first, and Feng Xin
and Mu Qing were both present at the time, so this feeling wasn’t obvious. Although he did say
“let’s talk later”, but now that they’ve caught their breaths and it’s already “later”, he had no idea
what to say.
Xie Lian coughed lightly twice to clear his throat, raising a finger to scratch at his cheek, but felt
no matter what things were a little uncomfortable. He wanted to speak but then worried if it
would sound too abrupt, or too silly, or overly intentional, and in the end he hoped Hua Cheng
would be the first to say something. However, Hua Cheng’s expression was also strained,
appearing like he was thinking very seriously over their battle plans. But, whether if he was
actually thinking was hard to tell, because the hands clenched behind his back seemed to be
shaking slightly.
Just then, the two walked past a divine statue. Most of the divine statues within the Cave of Ten
Thousand Gods were all about the same size as the real person himself; this one was more
rough in craftsmanship and its size was also shrunken by half. When Xie Lian passed it, he
casually peeled off the veil that was also covering its head, and his eyes lit up, “San Lang, did
you carve this one too?”
Hua Cheng looked over and fell silent. It was a moment before he replied, “It’s work from
beginner years. Gege, don’t look anymore.”
That must absolutely be the truth, since this divine statue really was extremely ugly. Even
though it was easy to see that the sculptor had done his utmost to carve that perfect form in his
heart, but the skill was limited, his wish unfulfilled, and while it couldn’t be said to be cockeyed
or crooked, it could still be said this little figure was disproportionate and smiled like it was
mentally challenged.
Still, despite all that, he still managed to complete every single detail without fault. Thus, Xie
Lian could tell that this was a God-Pleasing Crown Prince statue. Even that pair of red coral
pearl earrings were dotted.
Xie Lian silently covered his mouth and turned away. In order to appear natural, he even rubbed
hard at his face. Hua Cheng didn’t know what to say and so he pleaded again, “Your Highness,
please don’t look anymore.” He said as he tried to cover that statue again with a veil. Xie Lian
quickly said, “Don’t misunderstand! I really think it’s very cute!” But then he thought, wasn’t the
one Hua Cheng sculpted him? To praise that this thing was cute, wasn’t it just him praising
himself as cute? Not only was he lying with his eyes wide open, it was also incredibly thick
skinned, so Xie Lian couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Seeing this, Hua Cheng also bowed his
head and lowered his lashes as he started to chuckle too.
Thus, with the both of them laughing, much of that unknown, anxiously stiff mood was washed
away.
They continued forward and passed another statue that was lounging, lying on a stone bed, but
its entire body was covered with a layer of smoke light white satin. Xie Lian was very curious
and was just about to uncover the white veil on that divine statue’s body when Hua Cheng
seized his wrist all of a sudden, “Your Highness!”
Ever since they entered this Cave of Ten Thousand Gods, Hua Cheng called him “Your
Highness” a majority of the time. Xie Lian looked at him, and Hua Cheng let go of the hand that
was gripping him, looking like he was still a little uncomfortable.
“I already know it’s a statue of me, can I still not look?” Xie Lian asked.
“If gege wants to look at statues, the best one I’ve sculpted still remains to be seen. I’ll show you
some other time. Don’t look at any of the ones in this cave anymore.” Hua Cheng said.
Xie Lian didn’t understand, “Why? I think all the divine statues in this Cave of Ten Thousand
Gods are all carved really well, really, really well. I’ll think it a shame if I can’t see them.
Speaking of, those murals…”
Yet unexpectedly, Hua Cheng instantly said, “I’ll go destroy them.”
Seeing that he actually was about to move, Xie Lian hastily grabbed him, “Don’t don’t dont! Why
destroy them? Just because I saw? Fine fine fine… I’ll tell you the truth. I’ve only actually seen a
little bit, like the ShangYuan Heavenly Ceremonial Procession, the army and the like. I haven’t
seen most of it because Feng Xin and Mu Qing wouldn’t let me, so I have absolutely no idea
what you painted. Don’t go and destroy them!”
“…”
Only then did Hua Cheng turn around to face him, “Really?”
Xie Lian held on to him and replied with the utmost sincerity, “Really. If you don’t want me to
look then I won’t.”
Hua Cheng seemed to have sighed in relief quietly and smiled, “It’s not anything good to look at
anyway. If you want to see anything, just have me paint it directly.”
A reaction like this, Xie Lian was now even more curious. But, he didn’t want to drive Hua
Cheng to destroy those precious murals himself either, so he could only force down his own
desires. After taking a few steps, Xie Lian suddenly frowned, “…Something’s not right.”
————–
Ch.179: Cave of Ten Thousand Gods; Faces of Ten Thousand Gods Revealed 5
“What is it?” Hua Cheng asked.
He turned around to look at Hua Cheng, “White No-Face. Why would he come to Mount
TongLu?”
“Perhaps his powers haven’t recovered completely and wants to borrow the Kiln to be reborn
into this world.” Hua Cheng replied.
“If that’s the case, that would mean the him now is not… a Supreme?” Xie Lian wondered.
“That’s not entirely impossible.” Hua Cheng said.
Earlier, White No-Face impersonated Feng Xin and Mu Qing and suddenly charged out, his
abrupt appearance both shocking and terrifying. On top of that, Xie Lian’s first reaction was “he
can’t be defeated, run away!”, so he grabbed Hua Cheng and fled. The two didn’t actually face
him for too long, so, they weren’t able to gauge just what exactly was White No-Face’s current
true strength.
Was it all just a bluff? Or was he stronger than he seemed? Exchanging rough blows for no
more than the flash of a second, nothing could be determined. Xie Lian muttered, “I
subconsciously thought he was stronger when I only saw those two fake skins, but maybe… he
hasn’t completely recovered right now, and maybe he’s currently at his weakest? Otherwise why
would he come to Mount TongLu? Maybe… I can give it a shot.”
See if he could take him down!
Hua Cheng immediately replied, “Good. I’ll go fight him”
Xie Lian instantly snapped out of it and hastily said, “No, don’t. Don’t face him straight on. Just
me giving it a shot is enough!”
Usually, Supreme Ghost Kings would never face each other in combat so easily, just as how
Ship-Sinking Black Water and Crimson Rain Sought Flower coexisted in peace. The Ghost
Kings weren’t like the heavenly officials of the heavens where their strengths, how big their
palaces, how many worshippers, the parameters of their powers were all well known by anyone
who cared to keep track; they would hide their true strength the same way they hide their pasts.
Since they possessed no knowledge of each other’s strengths and no one knew what the
consequences would be if two Supremes should start fighting, if things could be kept at a
balance then they shall be kept that way.
“No need to worry.” Hua Cheng said, “Victory or defeat hasn’t been decided yet. Unless gege
actually believes I would let you face him by yourself?”
“…”
Xie Lian shook his head, “It’s not that, San Lang, We’re not the same. He… won’t kill me, I can
swear it.”
“Why?” Hua Cheng questioned.
After a moment of hesitation, Xie Lian still chose not to answer and only said, “You don’t know
just how terrifying that creature is… “
Hua Cheng cut him off grimly, “Your Highness! – I know.”
Only then did Xie Lian remember that Hua Cheng had also joined the XianLe army once, and
had experienced personally the XianLe battlefield, seen with his own eyes the tragedy of fields
piled with corpses. But, Hua Cheng wasn’t like him. He had never personally seen that shocking
battle between Jun Wu and White No-Face. He had also never crossed paths with White
No-Face before.
Having thought this, Xie Lian shook his head with force, “It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just, I
just… I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Hearing this, Hua Cheng’s eyes twinkled. A moment later he smiled, “Gege, don’t worry. I’m
already dead, so it won’t be so easy for me to die again. Besides, have you forgotten what I’ve
told you before? As long as he doesn’t find my ashes, he can do nothing to me.”
Only with his reminder did Xie Lian recall there was such a thing and quickly said, “Wait! The
other things aside. San Lang, your… are you ashes properly hidden away?”
“A long time ago.” Hua Cheng replied.
Xie Lian nodded, but after a pause, he still couldn’t help but double check, “Are you sure it’s
properly hidden? That place is secure enough? It won’t be found?”
Hua Cheng answered leisurely, “To me, it’s the safest place in the world.”
Xie Lian however, didn’t think there’s anything that was absolute in this world and pressed,
“You’re absolutely sure?”
Hua Cheng smiled cheerfully, “If its hiding place is destroyed, then, there’s no need for me to
exist either. Of course I’m sure.”
Although Xie Lian really minded what “no need to exist” meant, but they weren’t situated in a
safe place at the moment, and who knows if there were any ears listening, so it wasn’t the right
place to go deeper into this subject and he stopped talking about it. But having talked thus far,
Xie Lian really wanted to ask Hua Cheng – just how did he die?
He really wanted to know, but at the same time he didn’t know how to ask. When mortals die,
the reason why souls could remain in the corporeal earth was all because of obsessive
attachment. In most cases, anguish and resentment were the strongest of their fixation, and in
order to become a Supreme Ghost King, their obsession would have to be even stronger than
most. He was afraid that should he ask, Hua Cheng wouldn’t be able to handle it, like if a scar
was stabbed. Xie Lian himself might not be able to bear it either. These past eight hundred
years, just how had Hua Cheng endured it?
Having thought thus far, a horrifying thought suddenly appeared in Xie Lian’s mind and he was
instantly covered in cold sweat. He immediately turned to Hua Cheng, “San Lang!”
“What is it?” Hua Cheng answered.
Xie Lian’s fingers were twitching slightly, “I… I’ve another question I want to ask you.”
“By all means.” Hua Cheng replied.
Xie Lian stared at him, “In the past eight hundred years, other than having met me in XianLe,
have you met me anywhere else at any other point in time?”
“…”
Hua Cheng turned his head slowly, “Unfortunately, even though I’ve never given up and did my
utmost to find you, I haven’t.”
Xie Lian pressed on, “Really?”
Hua Cheng looked him in the eyes, “Really. Why does gege ask?”
Xie Lian softly sighed a breath of relief and forced a smile, “Nothing, it’s just, in these past
years, how I passed my earlier days wasn’t the prettiest sight, it was all muddled and very much
a failure. I just thought if you had witnessed it it wouldn’t be good.”
Hua Cheng laughed, “How could that be?”
Xie Lian however, didn’t laugh at all, “It’s not a joke, I really was quite the failure.”
Hearing this, Hua Cheng withdrew his smile and turned solemn, “That’s okay too. Didn’t Your
Highness already say it yourself?”
“Me?” Xie Lian was confused, “What did I say?”
Hua Cheng recited languidly, “To me, the one basking in infinite glory is you, the one fallen from
grace is also you. What matters is ‘you’, and not the state of you.”
He stared at Xie Lian and blinked meaningfully, cocking an eyebrow, “I feel the same way.”
“…”
Xie Lian was stunned for a good moment when suddenly he PA! and slapped his hands to cover
his face, feeling his entire head burning up, “Did, did I say that?!”
“You did!” Hua Cheng said, “Gege, don’t deny it.”
Xie Lian used his arm to block his face, “I, I don’t think so!”
“Gege, do you want to watch it? I’ll find it for you.” Hua Cheng said.
Xie Lian’s head shot up, “??? You… did you… No way… San Lang, you… did you record
everything?!”
“I’m joking, joking.”
“I honestly don’t believe you…”
“Gege, trust me.”
“I don’t trust you anymore!”
The two came to a fork in the road, and just then, there was suddenly a breeze and Hua Cheng
tilted his body, blocking in front of him, raising an arm as if meaning to shield him.
The breeze actually wasn’t anything and naturally didn’t require any sort of blocking at all, but
Hua Cheng’s action came completely naturally. As the wind passed, strands of hair fluttered
irritatingly, and Xie Lian suddenly noticed that when Hua Cheng wasn’t looking at him, his
expression and the contours of his face were all cold. Beautiful in his nonchalance, Hua Cheng
didn’t even realize he moved without hesitation, as if protecting Xie Lian was an innate ability.
Xie Lian blurted again, “San Lang!”
Hua Cheng tilted his head to look at him, and only then did he flash a smile, “What is it, Your
Highness?”
Xie Lian felt, Hua Cheng probably didn’t notice himself smiling.
A clear and powerful voice in his heart told him that this man really took him for a god.
Xie Lian’s fingers quietly clenched, “Once we’re out of Mount TongLu, there are many things I
want to tell you.”
Hua Cheng nodded lightly, “Alright. I look forward to it.”
“Have Feng Xin and Mu Qing gotten out?” Xie Lian asked.
“They’re already out.” Hua Cheng replied.
“Then White No-Face?” Xie Lian asked, “He didn’t catch up to us and he didn’t go to stop them?
Where is he now? How far is he away from us?”
Hua Cheng replied, “He’s…”
He hadn’t finished but his face changed, and he pressed two fingers lightly against the brow of
his right eye. A moment later, he said “…He’s disappeared.”
Xie Lian was shocked, “How could he have disappeared?”
Hua Cheng was still rather calm and he searched with focus, “He’s disappeared into thin air.”
Even as a ghost it was impossible to just disappear in thin air within the Cave of Ten Thousand
Gods surrounded by wraith butterflies!
Xie Lian blurted, “Let me see?” Then he gripped Hua Cheng’s shoulders with his hands and
tipped his feet slightly, touching his forehead with his. Hua Cheng’s hand lowered to rest on his
waist for a moment. There was a small hesitation like he was going to pull away, but in the end
the hand remained and hugged him even tighter.
The scenes that Hua Cheng saw moments earlier swiftly flashed before Xie lian’s eyes. That
white clad man came languidly before a stone cavern, and countless wraith butterflies once
again rushed towards him, wrapping him into a shimmering human shaped cocoon. After a
frozen moment, they were shocked away, silver light exploded, crackled, and the silver
butterflies were blown into scintillating glitters. However, after that silver light had settled, he
disappeared!
Following that, Hua Cheng’s right eye carried his sight and swept across the situation in
countless many other tunnels but that white clad figure was nowhere to be seen. Xie Lian was
puzzled and pulled away slightly, “Did he leave?”
But, others might not know, but Xie Lian was more than clear that if White No-Face saw him he
would no doubt harass him persistently.
“Maybe our speculation before was right.” Hua Cheng said, “His first objective is to use the Kiln
to regain his Supreme status so he left first.”
This voice was pressed right against his ear and only then did Xie Lian come to and realize Hua
Cheng’s face was cupped in his hands and he had pulled him to bend slightly at the waist. Xie
Lian quickly let go and cried, “Stop him!”
Their mission coming to Mount TongLu this time was to prevent any candidates that had the
potential to become a Supreme. The two had been avoiding that white clad man the entire time
earlier, but now that the situation had been cleared, they were now going through the countless
divine statutes in search of him. It didn’t take them long before they came to the place where
that white clad man had disappeared.
Sure enough, besides a few divine statues, there was no a single soul. Silver shimmers covered
the ground, and the little silver butterflies that weren’t completely destroyed by the shockwave
were fluttering their broken wings. Xie Lian bent down, and thought he didn’t know whether if it’d
work, he still wanted to cup them up. Right then, he heard Hua Cheng’s voice coming from
behind, “…Gege, come here by my side.”
That voice was laced with suppressed anger, but the rage wasn’t directed at him.
Xie Lian looked up and found Hua Cheng’s blazing eyes were staring at a divine statue ahead.
It was a divine statue that was covered from head to toe with white veil, unmoving, and its
general contour could be seen. It seemed to pointing a sword and so, one end was protruded
sharply.
However, at this very moment, at the sharp tip of the sword’s point, a patch of astringent red
was exuding, spreading nonstop, staining and soaking that white silk.
There was blood on the sword!
Anyone who witnessed this sight could tell there was something strange with this divine statue.
Perhaps, at this moment, what was under the white silk was no longer the original divine statue
but something else. Xie Lian leapt to his feet and stood side by side with Hua Cheng, the sword
Fang Xin pointed at that divine statue. With a dark expression, Hua Cheng waved his hand, and
that white veil was uncovered.
Xie Lian’s pupils instantly shrank.
Under the white veil was a divine statue of him. This was a God-Pleasing Crown Prince statue,
a sword in one hand, flower in the other, smile hung on the face. Only, there was a trace of
blood on that smile.
The source of that blood was the sword gripped in its hand. There was a youth pierced upon the
blade, his head wrapped full of bandages, his body covered in blood. It was Lang Ying!
————
Ch.180: From the Sealed Kiln One Supreme Shall Emerge
His head was dropped to the side as if he had lost consciousness. When Xie Lian saw it was
Lang Ying, he subconsciously moved to save him but quickly stopped in his step, his mind
coming around: There was clearly no one else but White No-Face here earlier, so why would
Lang Ying suddenly appear?
Seeing that the pure and holy statue of the God-Pleasing Crown Prince was corrupted by
dripping blood, Hua Cheng was obviously enraged, his expression radiating dark fury, and the
scimitar E-Ming exuded a chilling aura. “Get the hell down.” He said.
As expected, “Lang Ying’s” drooping head righted itself, blinking open his eyes, and slowly
“pulled” himself down from the sword, dropping to the ground.
Earlier, when White No-Face blew up that wave of silver butterflies that surrounded to attack
him, he used that moment of blinding silver light to hide himself under the white veil of this
divine statue and transformed into the appearance of Lang Ying. Since he could disguise
himself as Lang Ying, it meant he must’ve seen Lang Ying before somewhere.
“Where’s the real Lang Ying?” Xie Lian demanded.
“Your Highness, maybe there was never a ‘real Lan Ying’.” Hua Cheng said.
If, since the beginning, ‘Lang Ying’ had never existed, and it was only White No-Face in his
unrecovered form, then everything could be easy to explain. But, when Xie Lian remembered
the little girl Xiao Ying who died on Mount Yu Jun, he would rather this explanation be illogical.
He then swiftly thought of another possibility and said slowly, “Or perhaps… he devoured Lang
Ying.”
Hearing this, the “Lang Ying” before them started growing taller, his body pulling upwards, the
bandages on his face unwrapping and shedding, revealing that mask inside, and he slightly
lifted his head, seeming to be smiling, “You guessed right.”
So that was indeed it.
White No-Face was certainly pulverized and dispersed by Jun Wu. However, he clung on and
left a wisp of a broken soul drifting in the mortal realm. Who knows how long he drifted, who
knows when it happened, but he found Lang Ying who possessed the same ghost body. He
must’ve used some way to seduce or deceive Lang Ying into making Lang Ying agree to hosting
him on his own body, otherwise, by his remaining weak soul, he might not have had the ability to
devour Lang Ying. He stayed glued on Lang Ying’s body and slowly recovered, and the end
result was what was before Xie Lian and Hua Cheng now, ghost devouring ghost, White
No-Face ate his host Lang Ying. Just as how He Xuan devoured the Reverend of Empty Words,
Lang Ying ironically became his slave.
It only took a few words before “Lang Ying” had completely transformed into the appearance of
White No-Face. Hua Cheng eyed him, “Why would Lang Ying agree to letting you borrow his
spirit body?”
A request like this was no different than a stranger asking “Please open your doors and let me
in to live in your house and eat your food”. Lang Ying was still a ghost who lived for hundreds of
years after all, and while he was timid and hesitant, he shouldn’t be this foolish. White No-Face
replied warmly, “I can of course answer your question. But, are you sure the one next to you
would want me to say it here?”
Hua Cheng looked to his side. Xie Lian’s expression was slightly strange and didn’t notice his
gaze at all. White No-Face then said, “Surname Lang, YongAn, the human face disease. Why
did he agree to let me eat him? Can you not guess why?”
Xie Lian’s face was instantly paled by a shade, the veins on the back of his hands popped and
he slashed with his sword, shouting, “SHUT UP!”
White No-Face sidestepped and avoided the strike, but CLANG! The attack sliced through the
sword gripped in the hands of his own divine statue. Now he’d done it; the God-Pleasing Crown
Prince statue wielded a broken sword, and the statue itself thus became a ruined artefact. Xie
Lian instantly snapped out of it, like he was suddenly drenched by a bucket of cold water. It was
as if the wraith butterflies were outraged and they swarmed over. White No-Face laughed
emotionlessly, casual and at ease, and using his sleeve to cover his face, he no longer
persisted and swiftly disappeared into the darkness. Xie Lian stared at that broken stone sword
on the ground and subconsciously muttered to Hua Cheng, “I’m sorry…”
However, Hua Cheng said, “Gege don’t be silly. Why apologize to me? He’s gone. Now what?”
Xie Lian pulled himself together somewhat and replied, “Did he flee? We can’t let him enter the
Kiln!”
The two chased out of the Cave of Ten Thousand Gods and hiked onto the snowy mountain
once more. Right as they came out, they could feel the earth quake the mountains shake. They
looked upwards and waves of avalanche were crashing down. Compared to the one they
experienced before, this roaring avalanche was only bigger not smaller. It was as if something
buried under the heavy snow was awakened and was roaring. “Can we still make it up there?!”
Xie Lian wondered.
Hua Cheng clutched his hand firmly and said, “We can if you follow me!”
The two went up against the crashing current of ice and snow. Sure enough, while it was difficult
and extremely dangerous, and every step they took they had to take three back, still they
avoided the most violent of the snow and rubble flow and countless pits, creating a path up the
mountain from their tireless charging.
Finally, they hiked to the highest point; ice sealed the mountaintop, so thick who knows how
deep and how many layers were frozen beneath. Xie Lian felt if he tried going even a bit faster
he would slip, but Hua Cheng held his hand and moved forward with steady steps, completely
unafraid. The two came to the mouth of the volcano, and that opening looked like a giant mouth
shouting to the heavens, exceedingly impressive. Looking downwards, it was complete
darkness below. Maybe it was his imagination, but in the deepest recesses there seemed to be
a terrifying red light flashing in intervals, sometimes there, sometimes not. Xie Lian felt slight
panic for some reason, and he held down the bamboo hat on his head, making sure it didn’t get
blown away by the snowy winds, “Did he go in already?”
Hua Cheng only took a glance before his expression turned grim, “Yes.”
“How do you know?”
“The Kiln is closing.”
Xie Lian was taken aback and instantly felt caught off guard, “What’s going on? Why is it closing
so soon? Don’t there need to be at least several ghosts inside before the slaughtering can
begin?”
“That’s the usual case,” Hua Cheng said, “However, if the Kiln believes the entrant has
extremely high potential of breaking through the Kiln, then as long as that ghost makes the
mountain-sealing request, it will close.” After a pause, he added, “That’s what I did back then.”
“So is he a Supreme or not?” Xie Lian asked, “What will happen If a Supreme Ghost King enters
the Kiln again?”
“It’s the same thing as what would happen to an ascended heavenly official who have gone
through another Heavenly Calamity.”
Which meant, if he was already strong, he will become even stronger!
If they allow White No-Face to cross the obstacle, then the consequences would be
unimaginable.
And after he exited the mountain as a Supreme, the first one he would seek would surely be Xie
Lian.
Eyeing that bottomless, infinite abyss for a while, Xie Lian said slowly, “San Lang, I… I might
need to go down there to resolve things.”
“Go. I’ll come with you.” Hua Cheng replied quietly.
Xie Lian looked up and gazed at him. Hua Cheng looked up too and met his eyes, cocking an
eyebrow as he smirked, “It’s just going down to kill an eyesore and breaking through the Kiln
again, that’s all. It’s not like it’s anything hard.”
Seeing him so relaxed, Xie Lian’s tensed emotions seemed to have loosened some too, and he
smiled. An instant later, Hua Cheng said, “However, there is one thing.”
Xie Lian: “?”
He tilted his head and one of Hua Cheng’s arms suddenly snaked around his waist and brought
him into his arms, the other hand lifted his chin gently. Then, his lips were enveloped.
They kissed and embraced for a long time in the snowstorm before their lips parted slowly. Xie
Lian was dazed for a good moment before he jolted, came to, and became flustered, widening
his eyes, “…Wh-What’s this all of a sudden?!”
Although it wasn’t the first time they had done something like this, but before they had always
used grand and dignified reasons like “lending spiritual powers”, “transferring air”, “accident”, to
justify their actions. Now that some things had come out into the open, these excuses were
suddenly exposed of their falsehoods, and the meaning of these actions became much more
significant. He nearly didn’t know where to put his hands; to hold on Hua Cheng’s arms or push
against Hua Cheng’s chest? Should he hold back or block Hua Cheng’s face?
Next to his ear, Hua Cheng seemed to have puffed a breath and he whispered, “…I’ll, lend a bit
of spiritual powers to Your Highness in case of emergencies… will you accept it?”
Xie Lian unconsciously swallowed and he stuttered, “Th-This is a bit? It seems too much… I
haven’t, I haven’t paid you back for all the times before…”
“It’s not much. There’s no rush. Take your time to pay back, the account will clear one day.” Hua
Cheng said.
Xie Lian “En, en, en”-ed randomly a couple times, and was just about to run away when Hua
Cheng pulled him to a stop, pointing out, “Your Highness! Where are you running to? You’re
going in the wrong direction.”
Only then did Xie Lian discover he was running back the way they came and immediately turned
back around, even slipping on the ice once. He quickly pressed down on his bamboo hat,
“N-No. I, I’m just a little cold, thought I’d jog around a bit, warm up…”
He put the bamboo hat on but then carried it on his back to carry, then wore it again. Finally, he
held onto Hua Cheng’s hand, gripping it tightly. The two stood side by side and watched that
immense abyss below.
Hua Cheng’s voice was casual, “After this is all resolved, I’ll show gege my proudest sculpted
statue.”
“Okay.” Xie Lian replied.
Then, the two jumped down together.
The gusts of wild winds shaved past his ears, a force so strong it was like the crashing waves,
but their hands weren’t separated by that power, and instead they held on even harder.
Yet unexpectedly, halfway in the air, Xie Lian’s grip turned empty.
It wasn’t that his hand slipped or Hua Cheng let go; the hand held in his palm disappeared all of
a sudden, no more substance.
Xie Lian’s heart lurched and he shouted, “SAN LANG?!”
He was falling rapidly, and his cry a moment ago was already over ten miles above his head, his
voice sounding unreal. It was a long time before Xie Lian finally landed steadily. He immediately
rose to his feet and called out, “San Lang?”
There was no answer. Only a hollow echo told him just what an immense, empty space he was
currently standing in.
It was darkness all around except for above, and Xie Lian looked up. Above, there was a snow
white sky and it was gradually shrinking. That must be the mouth of the volcano of the Kiln
slowly closing.
But, where did Hua Cheng go?
Crackle whoosh, and Xie Lian lit up a palm torch, hoping to illuminate and see just what things
were like down here. However, the darkness was immeasurably deep, and this little bit of flames
couldn’t show anything, the firelight itself seeming to be coldly absorbed by the dark void.
Moreover, he accidentally didn’t control his powers well and the flames erupted a little too high,
almost burning his own head, so he quickly tossed that fire onto the ground. Coincidentally, that
firelight brightened the back of a faint white silhouette not far away. Xie Lian was instantly
alarmed, “WHO IS IT?!”
That white silhouette turned around and answered quietly, “You know who I am.”
Although he answered, but the muscles on that man’s face did not move an inch. Naturally.
Since, it wasn’t the face of a man, but that of a half crying, half smiling mask.
Xie Lian blurted, “SAN LANG!”
Even if he would get uncontrollable chills and terror when he saw this face, but this call wasn’t
because he was scared, but because he was worried. Of course, there was still no one who
answered, and that crying-smiling mask had come closer by another step, “No need to yell
anymore. The Kiln is now sealed shut. There is now only you and me in here, no third person.”
Xie Lian looked up again subconsciously. Earlier there was still a small snowy white scene of
the sky, but now, that little bit of light was completely swallowed by the darkness around them.
Which meant, the Kiln truly has sealed the mountain.
Xie Lian had never expected things would turn out like this. Him, and White No-Face, the two of
them, locked inside the Kiln.
Just them two? Why them two?!
Xie Lian gripped Fang Xin and pointed the sword at him, “What is going on here? Are you
meddling again? Where is he? Where is he right now?”
White No-Face clamped the edge of the sword with two fingers, and the other hand flicked upon
the blade, the CLUNG! Clear and crisp, “He’s gone.”
Xie Lian watched this move of his and his eyes turned cold, “Explain yourself clearly. What do
you mean “gone”?”
“He doesn’t want to follow you anymore. He left. Dead. What do you think?” White No-Face
said.
“…”
Xie Lian first felt his heart drop, then immediately after a violent rage rolled up, and he struck,
“STOP YOUR NONSENSE!”
White No-Face once again caught that blade effortlessly, “Fine, fine. I was talking nonsense.
Don’t worry, I’ve already sent him outside the Kiln, so even if he wants to rush over now it’d be
too late.”
Xie Lian really didn’t mind whether if Hua Cheng could make it, as long as he was okay, and he
quietly sighed a breath of relief. White No-Face continued, “But, it’s probably for the best that he
doesn’t come in. Otherwise, even if he doesn’t think so now, later when he sees the state of
you, who knows if he’ll still want to be with you.”
Xie Lian couldn’t stand him anymore and swung his sword again, yelling, “SHUT UP! I’VE HAD
ENOUGH OF YOU! WHAT DO YOU WANT? JUST WHAT DO YOU WANT?? HOW LONG ARE
YOU GOING TO KEEP CLINGING TO ME???”
White No-Face easily dodged every single one of his strikes, and Xie Lian cried in rage, “Why
haven’t you died? WHY DID YOU COME TO THE Kiln?”
“Because of you!” White No-Face replied.
Xie Lian’s movement faltered, and he huffed a breath, “What do you mean?”
White No-Face answered languidly, “Because you’ve come. So, I’ve come too.”
Hearing an answer like this, Xie Lian’s face was going twisted.
However, not matter how enraged he was, how strong his murderous intent, it was as if White
No-Face could forever predict what his next strike would be and avoid each attack by mere
millimeters. The more Xie Lian struck, the more he understood a cruel fact:
He couldn’t win!
“That’s right.” Like he could read his mind, White No-Face said, “You can’t win.”
The moment those words left his lips, a blade was pierced through Xie Lian’s wrist. Excruciating
pain spread throughout his body, and Xie Lian involuntarily loosened his grip on the sword. The
next second, his hair was grabbed, forcibly yanked back then bashed into the ground!
His ears were ringing, his nose and mouth were filled with the astringence of blood, and his
head concussed.
It was a while later before Xie Lian felt a hand pull his head out from the shattered ground, and
a voice came from above, “So sad, so pitiful.”
Xie Lian choked out a mouthful of blood. White No-Face said, “Every time I meet Your
Highness, you always look like this. Makes one ache. Makes one excited.”
Xie Lian bit back another mouthful of blood, refusing to let it be coughed out, and he croaked,
“…Don’t be too pleased. I might not be able to win against you right now, but… someone can.
Even if you can emerge from the Kiln, Jun Wu can very well kill you again.”
Besides, there’s still Hua Cheng!
Yet unexpectedly, White No-Face replied, “Who says the one who will emerge from the Kiln
would be me?”
Hearing this, Xie Lian was taken aback.
Not him? Who else could it be if not him?
White No-Face lifted his face to look at his eyes, and he said warmly, “Your Highness, I think,
you might have misunderstood. There certainly will be a Supreme who will emerge from this
Kiln, but, it won’t be me. It would be you.”
Xie Lian was shaken to the core, “…What did you say? I’m not…”
Before he even finished he understood and instantly his body was covered in cold sweat from
the shock.
White No-Face said, “That’s right. That’s exactly it. Congratulations, you’ve finally understood
my real objective. Isn’t this your favourite ‘Third Path’?”
Currently in the Kiln, there was only one supreme and one god, and by the looks of things, there
was only two paths to take. Either White No-Face killed him and emerge from the Kiln; or the
two could be trapped within the Kiln forever, escaping an erstwhile dream.
However, there was actually a third path.
As long Xie Lian kill himself right now, become a ghost and kill White No-Face, then he can
become a Supreme and break through the Kiln!
Xie Lian finally snapped out of his shock, “DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT! Are you crazy? Just
what do you want? Why must you do this?? Have me become a Supreme? I’m not as crazy as
you! Even if you want me to kill you there was no way I can defeat you, the Kiln won’t recognize
such a Supreme!”
It was the honest truth. To excel as a person didn’t mean one could excel as a god; and to be
able to become god didn’t mean one could become a ghost. However, White No-Face said,
“Really? Don’t be so sure.”
Then, his other hand reached out. With the firelight not too far away, Xie Lian could see that a
mask appeared in that other hand. The exact same one as the one on White No-Face’s face.
“Do you remember this cry-smiling mask?” White No-Face asked, “It suits you.”
Xie Lian’s eyes bulged, and terror was like a tide of insects, dense and packed as they crawled
into his mind. He forced out weakly, “…Take it away, take it away… TAKE IT AWAY!”
White No-Face started laughing, “It seems, Your Highness’ memory isn’t that great. If that’s the
case, let me help you remember, hm?”
Then, without giving him a chance to protest, that tragically pale cry-smiling mask melted with
the infinite darkness as it was heavily pressed onto Xie Lian’s face.
———–
End of Book 3
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