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 were 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 was 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 having 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. 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, instinct 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 stop 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 figure 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 remaining two saw he had zero intention of saving them, and were 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 Fangxin 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, trembling slightly, like it was terrified of that white silk that was so much like itself but much more aggressive and evil. Xie Lian soothed it while cutting off the cobwebs on the two with Fangxin. 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 act subconsciously. While the original intent was to be considerate, 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 Tong'lu, 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 he 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, 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 cave filled with innumerous differing divine statues.
"This is a Cave of Ten Thousand Gods," Xie Lian explained.
Mu Qing scanned around their surroundings and mumbled, "Who knows how many 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 from seeing," 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 had 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 Tong'lu, 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, after staying in a 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'd 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. 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 flicked his brows at Xie Lian, and really did walk 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 them 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. Together with Mu Qing, they each grabbed one of his arms and started dragging him away, running.
Feng Xin 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, why 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 pearl 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 began, but Feng Xing rebuked him.
"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 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 as well!"
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 or 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. Xie Lian couldn't help but get goosebumps.
"This…"
Mu Qing said coldly, "Are you still going to tell me I'm 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, 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."
"How 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 your clothes, accessories, and daily living were 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 behaviour along the way.
Next to him, Feng Xin said, "The fact that he won't let us look at those statues only goes 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 was 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 renowned 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 component 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'd 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. The three cursed "oh crap" mentally, gearing themselves up for another clash. Yet unexpectedly, that while silk wasn't as aggressive as the silk in the pit earlier; it didn't move nor did it attack, and was 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. 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 daresay 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 glamorous 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 seeming to be glowing. He was 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 it? 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 it 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 armour 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, there 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. He felt there were many, many memories that weren't forgotten but had never taken heart, that 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 ANY MORE! 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. 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 eye 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.