Xie Lian could only pause in his step. Mu Qing humphed again, "You're right. We're alike. You think me odd, I think you rather weird too."
He looked Xie Lian in the eyes, "Since we've come to this point, I might as well just tell it to you straight. I've got lots of opinions of you."
"Uh... well... I knew this already. A long time ago." Xie Lian said.
Mu Qing said coldly, "Oh really? Then did you know, that I often think that you only depended on your status, that even though you're His Highness the Crown Prince and you had good fortune, but your skills aren't that much better than mine?"
"..."
"I also think, that you only like doing all those good deeds in order to show off to others, so you can enjoy praises and flattery. In fact, you helping me was all because of this reason, because I'm the perfect subject for you to demonstrate your sympathies and kindness. To be honest, I haven't changed some of those beliefs even now. Maybe they'll never change. Even if I were to suppress them for a while, after a period of time they'll still resurface."
Xie Lian didn't know whether to sweat drop or what at this point, "There's no need to tell those things in such detail to the man himself?!"
Yet unexpectedly, Mu Qing continued with, "But more often than not, I'm still... rather in awe of you."
Xie Lian was taken aback.
Mu Qing gathered his courage, looking like someone was choking his neck, forcing him to speak, and he said stiffly, "Isn't that normal? You... certainly... are rather amazing. You're... also... a better person... than me. Long story short, I... very much wanted... to become your f-f-friend."
"..."
Xie Lian had never in a million years imagined that there'd be one day he'd hear those words uttered from Mu Qing's lips. While they were stuttered, unwilling, and stiff, but those were such honest, sincere, and sensible words!
His eyes widened subconsciously, "You..."
Mu Qing had finally squeezed those words out through the cracks of his teeth, and he exhaled a breath, "That incident during that time after Xian Le's fall, whether right or wrong, whether or not if I was in a difficult situation, I still owe you an apology nonetheless."
Xie Lian was stumped for a moment, "...It's all bygones, so let it go. Rather than this, let's get out of here first!"
Mu Qing raised his voice, "He told me, that if I was suspicious, then even if you knew I didn't do it, you would still go with the flow and not save me. Because you hate me, you wouldn't believe in me."
"He?" Xie Lian understood who this "he" was.
Mu Qing continued, "Even though I didn't agree to help him, but everything he's said, I've thought of it too. I've always thought deep down, you hated me, that you despised me, so I, I've always... Anyway, you don't actually think that. I'm glad."
Another pillar of fire roared to the skies, and Xie Lian backed away a few steps to dodge it, moving further away from Mu Qing. As for Mu Qing, rage swarmed up, and he sprawled down, violently slapping his palm down on the surface of the bridge. Xie Lian's pupils shrank, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING??"
As expected, that stretch of the bridge caved, taking Mu Qing along as it crashed down. Mu Qing shouted towards him in mid air, "HELPING YOU CLEAN OUT TRASH!"
The broken bridge slammed into the pool, exciting a surge of tall waves, and those molten resentful spirits were swarming over happily ready to drag him down at first, yet unexpectedly, a rumbling blast swept over, and dissipated a large field of them. Amidst the wailing of ghosts, Mu Qing stood in the centre of that broken bridge, the spiritual light enveloping him blazing to the brightest, and he sneered, "You band of trash from the gutters of the shadows, feeling good setting off unscrupulous fires? WELL I'VE COME, DON'T YOU RUN AWAY NOW!!"
Now, his blasts could finally reach those molten resentful spirits!
Mu Qing raised his blood red palms, madly sweeping at the resentful spirits, killing to his heart's content, so savage the resentful spirits further downstream who were just watching the show all scattered, screaming, swimming away in all directions. Fire had started to catch on his sleeves and hems, and Xie Lian hung over the edge above, "MU QING? HOW HIGH CAN YOU JUMP?"
Mu Qing shouted, "WHY DO YOU HAVE SO MUCH RUBBISH TO SAY, WHY HAVEN'T YOU LEFT???"
Xie Lian argued back, "THAT'S NOT MY PROBLEM. YOU'VE FINALLY SAID SOMETHING SENSIBLE IN YOUR LIFE, AND THEN YOU FELL OFF JUST LIKE THAT, HOW CAN I LEAVE NOW!?"
Mu Qing was outraged, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'FINALLY SOMETHING SENSIBLE'..." Before he finished, that piece of broken bridge under his feet sank a few notches. Both their faces changed.
At this point, he really was going to be buried at the bottom of the lava pool, his bones dissolving into air!
Mu Qing was so full of spirit earlier but now his face paled, and he raised his palms, closing his eyes, looking as if he was going to smash through his own skull first before he got burnt to death, so he could die more straightforwardly. Xie Lian hastily cried, "WAITWAITWAITWAIT DON'T YOU BE RASH! I-I-I-I-I'VE GOT A PLAN!"
Mu Qing opened his eyes again, "WHAT PLAN?"
Although RuoYe couldn't reach the very bottom, but it could go halfway, and Xie Lian tossed it down, "JUMP WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT! JUMP AND CATCH IT! I'LL PULL YOU UP!"
Mu Qing's face was turning even paler, "IF I COULD JUMP, WOULD I NEED TO THINK OF A WAY?!" Then he prepared to fill himself with courage again to smack himself dead when Xie Lian exclaimed, 'WAITWAITWAITWAIT! REALY, WAIT!!! I'LL THINK OF A WAY SOON!"
"WELL, SPEAK, THEN!"
A way. A way. Quick, think of a way!
THERE'S NOTHING!!!
The two were practically at the end of their ropes and Mu Qing raised his hand again. Yet unexpectedly, right then, another hand PA! And slapped his hand away before catching him.
Then, dangling a near blank-minded Mu Qing in his hold, the man leapt!
Xie Lian felt the other end of the white silk band tighten, and when he looked down, he was both surprised and overjoyed, "FENG XIN??"
That broken piece of crippled bridge Mu Qing had been standing on had thoroughly sunken into the depths of the lava stream, bubbling. And, at the end tips of the white silk band, Feng Xin was gripping RuoYe with one hand while the other was holding on to a steel-faced Mu Qing, and he shouted towards him, "Your Highness, QUICK, PULL US UP!"
There were more Empty-Shelled mutants paddling over down below, and it seemed, Feng Xin was riding them, floating over from the upstream. Xie Lian had no time to ask questions, and hurriedly found an area of the bridge that was somewhat wider and sturdier before pulling them up. The two were being lifted steadily, but down below, a new band of molten resentful spirits gathered gradually, maliciously looking upwards, grumbling as they huddled, and soon, another pillar of fire was shot up!
Feng Xin and Mu Qing were hung in mid air, unable to dodge, and Xie Lian picked RuoYe up and moved several steps away to evade this attack. But nowhere else on the bridge was as spacious or stable as this area, so after dodging that blow, he could only return. Feng Xin was almost burnt by that pillar of fire, and he shouted in outrage, "WHAT'S WITH THIS BAND OF DOG SHITS, ATTACKING PEOPLE WHILE THEY'RE DOWN, SO VILE! FUCK YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY!"
Xie Lian responded, "IF THEIR ENTIRE FAMILIES ALL LOOK LIKE THAT, YOU SURE YOU WANT TO FUCK THEM??"
The resentful spirits hadn't given up, giggling as they appeared ready to continue their ambush. Feng Xin was at the height of his temper, and he raised Mu Qing up, grunting, "Hold on to this!"
Mu Qing had thought he was actually going to die earlier, the shock was too great, so even now his reaction was a little dull, and he followed the order to grab on to RuoYe. Without the need to hold him, Feng Xin freed up a hand, and pulled out the longbow carried on his back as well as several wooden sticks he picked up from who knows where. Using sticks as arrows, he held the bow with one hand and used his teeth to bite back the bowstring and fletching. Setting the arrow onto the string, he pulled back steadily — WOOSH WOOSH WOOSH WOOSH, four arrows were let fly at once!
The arrows struck into the lava pool, erupting blossoms of waves, and the molten resentful spirits rolled over themselves in terror, scattering once again. Feng Xin finally felt gratified, and he cussed, "SEE THAT! I SAID I'LL FUCK YOU UP! FUCKING DOG SHITS! THIS ANCESTOR CAN BLOW YOU ALL UP WITH JUST ONE HAND!"
At last, the three finally stood together upon the Heaven Crossing Bridge. Xie Lian wiped at his sweat many times, and his heart was still thumping, "Feng Xin, how have you come?"
Having this brought up, Feng Xin immediately clutched his head, "How have I come? The three of you all jumped, what else was I to do? I almost fucking went crazy! I could only find a way to go around to the bottom of that cliff, then drifted all the way here. I only found you two after hearing all that rumbling and voices. What were you both doing, jumping into the lava pool! Madness!"
Mu Qing had finally come to his senses and exclaimed, "I was dragged down!"
Imagining that Feng Xin had cursed the entire way in distress, Xie Lian replied, "Alright alright alright, you calm down. No matter what, you were truly a godsend, a major help! You know what they say, sometimes, people really... really need someone to help pull them up in order to get by, really!"
The three were all scared half to death, and after a mess of sorting themselves out, panting with steeled faces, they didn't dare to stick around. Feng Xin carried Mu Qing on his back and they continued to leap forward down the Heaven Crossing Bridge. Having leapt for a stretch and exchanged the things they saw, Xie Lian learned that Feng Xin hadn't seen Hua Cheng either, and his heart couldn't help but tighten. Just where was Hua Cheng? They couldn't only keep going along down the bridge to keep searching.
Just then, Feng Xin said to Mu Qing who was on his back, "By the way, those words you were screaming earlier, I've heard a bit. The first part was enraging, makes me want to beat you up, but I hadn't imagined that in the end, you little bastard actually think all that in your heart!"
"..."
Mu Qing's face darkened completely. Feng Xin turned to Xie Lian, "Didn't I already tell you? This guy, his feelings are more twisted than the resentful concubines of the deep harem, completely unfathomable!"
"..." Xie Lian could see Mu Qing's face was now completely shrouded, and he waved his hand madly at him. Feng Xin was entirely oblivious and turned to Mu Qing, "If you had wanted to be friends with His Highness, then just say so! Going around making people sick with all that sarcasm just because you thought His Highness despised you so you couldn't be friends anymore, I really don't know what your brain is thinking?"
Xie Lian gave up and waved dismissively, "Isn't he like this since we were young? Don't scold him anymore, look, his face is all red."
"..."
Mu Qing couldn't endure any longer and roared, "WHAT THE FUCK! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!! CAN YOU TWO JUST SHUT UP??"
Xie Lian reminded him, "You seem to have caught Feng Xin's vocabulary. And also, it's not very good to swear."
Feng Xin piped up, "You said it yourself, you very much wanted to be His Highness' f-f-friend!"
He even purposely imitated Mu Qing's teeth-gritting stutter, and Mu Qing's face had become savage, his hand already sneaking to his back to find his sabre. Feng Xin added, "Alright, now everything's out in the open. Anyway, just you remember this: His Highness never thought you so filthy in his mind. Other than that time you crossed the line and he got mad, but afterwards, he's never said a single bad word about you in front of me! You, just act like a normal person from now on, talk normally, express yourself normally, if you're going to be sarcastic again I'm gonna yell at you!"
Mu Qing listened to the first part while hanging his head, his lips sealed unspeaking, but as he listened to the latter half he rolled his eyes, "Haven't you already yelled at me for hundreds of years?"
Xie Lian reminded him, "Mu Qing, you're a heavenly official, you've gotta watch your impression, alright? You can't roll your eyes so easily, if your devotees catch it they'll have opinions."
"Please." Mu Qing said, "This guy curses all day in the Upper Court."
Feng Xin humphed, "That's because you deserved it."
"Stop bringing up old quarrels with me." Mu Qing said, "Didn't you also ditch His Highness to go have a son?"
Veins were also now popping on Feng Xin's forehead, and he rolled up his sleeves, "You looking for a fight?"
Mu Qing sneered, "Fight yourself. If it wasn't you talking crap about me to His Highness all day, do you think I would have thought he looked down on me, and get all weird?"
The subject was about to sink into the forbidden again, and Xie Lian spoke up, "Will you both not air out each other's dirty laundry at a time like this? What's the point in hurting each other..."
Mu Qing rolled his eyes again, "Besides, look at you, freaking out back then. So what if he robbed? If I was His Highness, at that point, I'd rob eighteen wealthy, prominent households and would never bat an eye. And to think you're the helping hand, chasing after His Highness to demand what happened."
Sweat rolled down Xie Lian's forehead and he looked back, "Wait a sec, there's no need to air mine out either? In any case, find San Lang, help me find San Lang! Hahahaha..."