At first, he had only planned on keeping the suspicious ghost robes and thoroughly
examine them again himself, but he hadn't realized that with Ling Wen's one offhanded
comment, he would catch this huge fault in her lies. The moment Xie Lian wrapped his
head around it, he went with the flow and tricked her the entire way. In the end, he
actually blew apart Ling Wen's armour.
Ling Wen stood there frozen. Xie Lian said, "Of course, you can deny all this. But it'd be
easy to prove whether it's real or fake. Once I bring forth that robe and present it to the
Great Martial Hall, have it change its form before the Heavenly Emperor then ask you
whether or not you can tell what it looks like, everything will become clear."
When that Brocade Immortal roamed the mortal realm it had sucked the blood of over
five hundred people; it was an object of great evil. If Ling Wen had only broken into the
Great Martial Temple to steal the brocade robe and hadn't had the chance to use it to
harm anyone, then it wasn't a crime too great that it couldn't be forgiven. However, Ling
Wen was first appointed as a deputy general before she ascended. The earliest time
when stories of the Brocade Immortal first broke out was much later than the years Ling
Wen spent as a deputy general.
Which meant, this was after Ling Wen had entered her duties in the heavenly realm;
that she created the Brocade Immortal as a heavenly official!
That a heavenly official whose duty was to protect mortals turned around, seduced and
murdered a mortal should already call for a severe sentence. The mortal who was
seduced and murdered was also a future heavenly official. Alas, this affair would not be
so forgivingly handled. Ling Wen sighed, "Your Highness, you really are..."
After a pause, she said, "Maybe it's just my bad luck that this mission was given to you.
Although there's only the two of us here in Ling Wen Hall today and we've got centuries
of friendship between us, but, I think, if I pleaded for you to keep an eye closed on this
based on our years of friendship you probably won't agree to it, and would instead
encourage me to turn myself in to the Great Martial Hall, am I right?"
Xie Lian sighed too. Although he and Ling Wen had known each other for centuries, it
had always been pure business, and they had never become closer. Their relationship
wasn't bad, and even when he ascended for the third time, while everyone taunted him
as the Rubbish God, Ling Wen never looked down on him. On the contrary, she had
given him even more assistance and took care of him. But this Brocade Immortal
mission just had to land on his head, and once the truth was revealed, while it was hard
to report it, it was even more impossible not to report it.
Xie Lian replied earnestly, "My luck is bad too,"
Ling Wen crossed her arms and shook her head, "Your Highness, someone like you...
sometimes you're smart, but sometimes you're not very smart either; sometimes you're
soft-hearted, but sometimes you're cold-hearted too."
After a pause, she asked, "So where is that robe now?"
"It's in my keep." Xie Lian replied, "I will personally deliver it to the Great Martial hall
after."
Ling Wen nodded, seemingly having nothing more to say. Xie Lian added, "So, can you
tell me, how come when Lang Ying wore the Brocade Immortal its effects didn't work?"
"I can probably guess." Ling Wen said, "But, if Your Highness wants to know the answer,
will you first agree to a request?"
"What is it?" Xie Lian asked.
"Will you let me see it?" Ling Wen said, "The Brocade Immortal."
Xie Lian was taken aback. Ling Wen continued, "I only need one day's time. After all, if I
am to turn myself in to the Great Martial Hall, there may not be any opportunities to see
it after. Don't be mistaken. I'm not going to do anything. It's just, yesterday when you
said it showed itself, I was shocked."
She shook her head, her eyes unfocused. "...It's been so many years, yet I have never
seen Bai Jing appear."
"So the name of that young warrior is Bai Jing?" Xie Lian asked.
Ling Wen seemed to snap out of it, "Oh. Yes. But, people usually call him Xiao Bai*."
"Xiao Bai?" Xie Lian wondered, "That sounds like..." Like they were calling a dog, or like
they were calling an idiot. Ling Wen chuckled, "It's the meaning you're thinking of. I gave
him the name Bai Jing. No one ever calls him that, so not many knew this name. But, if
you call him by that name, he'll be happy."
In the legend of the Brocade Immortal, the way the girl that young man loved treated
him only made one think it cruel and horrid; if there wasn't any bone-deep hatred, then it
was pure cold-bloodedness. Yet, when Ling Wen talked of that young man, her tone
was friendly; there was neither affection nor hatred. "So will you? If Your Highness is
worried I'll run away, you can have Ruoye bind me. I'm not a martial god, I won't be able
to escape."
For some reason, Xie Lian felt he should trust Ling Wen. After humming for a moment,
he nodded his head slowly. "Very well."
The two left the Palace of Ling Wen like nothing was the matter. When they strolled
down the Great Martial Avenue, they still greeted other passing heavenly officials as
usual. Ling Wen looked the same as always, giving nothing away that the hands in her
sleeves were tied firmly by Ruoye. They didn't go very far when they bumped into the
Pei Ming who had just returned from his street patrol, and the two greeted each other,
standing on the side of the road making perfunctory greetings and snide comments. Pei
Ming stared at Xie Lian the entire time, and Xie Lian was slightly alarmed, "Why is
General Pei looking at me like that?"
Pei Ming rubbed his chin and replied earnestly, "Not gonna lie, Your Highness, every
time I see you now I feel anxious and my body tenses, like whoever walks next to you
will have something happen to them. So when I see you walking with Ling Wen, my
heartbeat quickened. Ling Wen, you best be careful the next little while."
Ling Wen laughed, "How can that be? General Pei, please stop joking." Xie Lian
however, didn't know whether to laugh or cry. On some level, Pei Ming's instincts were
quite accurate.
Once back at Puqi Shrine, from afar as they approached they could see Lang Ying was
leaning against the old tree in front of the shrine, his left hand playfully spinning the
broom without care, and a mound of golden fallen leaves piled next to his feet. Xie Lian
squinted and watched him for a good while before putting weight into his steps to
purposely make himself heard. Lang Ying didn't look back, but he must've noticed their
presence and very naturally changed his pose, continuing to sweep before turning
around and acting like he only just saw Xie Lian and Ling Wen approach. Xie Lian
lightly cleared his throat, "Sweeping again?"
Lang Ying nodded. Seeing him like this, Xie Lian couldn't hold back and patted his head
like an elder would and praised, "What a good child."
Lang Ying accepted the gesture simply. Ling Wen watched them without comment, and
Xie Lian led her as he opened the door to Puqi Shrine, "It's in here..."
Yet unexpectedly, the moment he opened the door he saw a figure crouched in front of
the donation box, once again sneakily stuffing gold bars in. Xie Lian quickly ran up to
drag him away, "Qi Ying, stop stuffing it, that's really enough. I haven't even taken out
the ones you stuffed in last time, it's all stuck."
Ling Wen nodded, "Greetings, Your Highness Qi Ying."
Qi Ying acknowledged her too, "Hi."
There was a wooden rack standing right in the centre of Puqi Shrine, and upon the rack
hung a plain hemp robe. Of course, that was only what Xie Lian sees. Ling Wen
approached, looked at it solemnly for a while, but that robe did not react. She turned her
head slightly, "My Lords, I want to look at it alone, is that alright?"
"That's fine." Xie Lian said.
Ruoye had her hands bound and she wasn't a martial god, so technically she couldn't
start anything. Xie Lian wasn't that worried, and he laid a hand on Quan Yizhen's
shoulder, "Let's go out."
At least this case was considered closed, and Xie Lian was relaxing. It just so happened
the neighbours all gifted him a batch of fruits and vegetables, so Xie Lian took them to
the kitchen, ready to cook. This was what they called an undefeated spirit. After so
many days, Quan Yizhen seemed to have taken his Puqi Shrine as some sort of happy
farm, leaping up and down, sometimes climbing trees, sometimes stealing squashes,
sometimes snagging fish, sometimes catching frogs. In a moment of Xie Lian's
carelessness, Quan Yizhen snuck into the kitchen and swiped a yam. Feeling the spot
empty on the counter, Xie Lian turned his head and saw Quan Yizhen had the yam
dangling in his mouth slipping out, hurrying away like a fish who escaped the net. Xie
Lian cried, "It's not cooked yet, don't eat it!"
Yet it was precisely because it wasn't cooked that it had to be eaten quickly. Once Xie
Lian cooked it it wouldn't be edible anymore. Xie Lian shook his head, then he saw
Lang Ying walking over and his eyes turned crescent, "Lang Ying, are you free? Come
help me chop some vegetables."
Lang Ying was just about to snatch back that yam Quan Yizhen snagged, but hearing
Xie Lian's charge, he came over to help without a second thought. He picked up the
butcher knife on the cutting board, pressing down on the cabbage, he started cutting it
knife by knife, taking his task very seriously. Xie Lian watched him, then turned his head
over to wash the rice as he chatted, "Lang Ying, you've seen quite a number of gods
and ghosts that have come to our little Puqi Shrine now, right?"
Each of them more bizarre than the next. Lang Ying answered from behind him, "En."
Xie Lian continued, "Then, let me ask you: if you had to pick, who among those gods
and ghosts is the handsomest?"
Lang Ying was chopping the vegetables wordlessly, seeming to be thinking hard. Xie
Lian raised his brows slightly, "Tell me. Just say whatever's truth in your mind."
Thus, Lang Ying answered, "You."
Xie Lian laughed, "Besides me."
"The one in red." Lang Ying said.
Xie Lian was going to burst a gut trying to contain his laugh.
He responded with a serious voice, "En. I think so too."
After a pause, Xie Lian asked again, "Then, who do you think is the strongest?"
Lang Ying still answered with, "The one in red."
Xie Lian swiftly continued his questions without skipping a beat, "Who's the richest?"
"The one in red."
"Who do you admire the most?"
"The one in red."
"Who's the dumbest?"
"The one in green."
Those questions were coming one after the other without pause, but he was actually
able to change his answer in time, which came to show how fast his mind worked and
how fast his reactions were. Xie Lian commented, "It seems you quite like that gege
dressed in red. His name is Hua Cheng, do remember it. So, does this mean you think
he's a very good person?"
Unwittingly, the knife in Lang Ying's hand seemed to have increased a little in speed,
"Very good."
Xie Lian said, "Then, once we're free, do you think we should invite him over as a guest
again?"
"En. Of course. It's a must." Lang Ying replied.
"I think so too." Xie Lian said, "But, his subordinate said he's very busy lately, so he
must be very busy doing very serious things. I think it's best if we don't go disturb him."
After that comment, the crunching sound of Lang Ying chopping vegetables suddenly
became more heavy-handed. Xie Lian held onto the edge of the stove to support
himself, his guts spraining from holding back his laugh. Suddenly, Quan Yizhen poked a
head in from the window, taking a bite of the yam and swept a look. Then he said to
Lang Ying, "You've chopped it to shreds, it won't taste good anymore."
"Hm? What did you say?" Lang Ying threatened.
Xie Lian turned his head to look; the cabbage wasn't just shredded, it was nothing but
tiny scraps at this point. He cleared his throat softly, "My gosh, your knife work is really
bad."
"..."
Throwing all sorts of seasonings into the pot, Xie Lian clapped his hands and decided to
let it all simmer for two hours and left the kitchen. He glanced at Ling Wen; she was still
properly in the shrine, so he continued to do his chores. From the pile of logs he
fumbled out a larger piece of a plank, borrowed brush and ink from the village head's
house, then sat in front of the door, a hand holding the plank and the other holding the
brush, lost in thought. Lang Ying walked over too and Xie Lian looked up. He asked
warmly, "Lang Ying, can you read? Do you know how to write?"
"I do." Lang Ying replied.
"Then how's your writing?" Xie Lian asked.
"Mediocre." Lang Ying replied.
"That's alright," Xie Lian said, "As long as it's legible. Come give me a hand again."
He passed the plank and brush over to Lang Ying and smiled, "Our shrine doesn't have
an establishment plaque. How about you write one up for me?"
"..."
Under Xie Lian's urging, Lang Ying picked up the brush. That little brush in his hand
seemed to weigh a thousand tonnes, unable to be moved no matter what.
Finally, a moment later, he seemed to have conceded defeat and put down the brush
and plank. A helpless voice sounded from behind the bandages, "...Gege, I'm wrong."
That voice didn't belong to Lang Ying at all, it was clearly Hua Cheng. Only, it was more
crisp than normal, the sound of a boy. Xie Lian was leaning against the wall on the side
with his arms crossed, and having watched him struggle for so long and finally
surrendered, he really couldn't hold back anymore. Xie Lian dropped to the ground
laughing, "San Lang really is so busy!"
———
● 'Bai Jing' means White Brocade. The word white also means 'blank'. 'Xiao
Bai' Little White is like a pet name like 'Spot', and 'Bai Chi', one who is blank in
the mind, means idiot.