The location that the demon-masked man mentioned was not complicated,
It was in a cave on a mountain a few miles south. Xie Lian was also confident,
The speed of an ordinary person could not keep up with his current speed, he would definitely arrive faster than San Lang's subordinates.
Sure enough, after two hours, he killed his way to that place. He rushed into the mountain and fought wildly,
Until the mountain elf and the night cat wailed and howled,
Finally,
He found that cave on a certain mountain.
Although that demon was quite powerful, with three to four hundred minions guarding the door for it,
To Xie Lian,
It was no different from three or four minions guarding the door. At first, he was worried that the enemy's strength was great, so he did not act rashly,
But after patiently guarding the cave for a while,
Listening to the idle chatter of the minions, he realized that the demon had been having a hard time these past few days.
"... Yes, yes,"
It wasn't easy for the Mountain Lord to escape from the hands of a stinky Taoist priest, and he was scared half to death,
He went back with injuries, and as soon as he got back, he abandoned his original cave in fear,
He escaped here. "
"So that's how it is! I was wondering why he suddenly summoned everyone away. So it was because he was afraid that the Taoist priest would come to take revenge! "
"There's no need to be afraid,
That Taoist priest was bitten a few times by the Mountain Lord. Even if he could wake up now, he would definitely be confused and lost. "
"How can he not be afraid? After all, the Mountain Lord is a well-known great demon that is hundreds of years old,
It is said that the Taoist priest suddenly appeared out of nowhere and hit him with two palms until his nose and eyes were crooked. If it wasn't for the fact that the Taoist priest seemed to have some injuries on his body and let him take a few bites, I'm afraid that the Mountain Lord would not have been able to return. "
"Oh my, where did this wild Taoist priest come from? He's so powerful!"
Hearing this, Xie Lian felt that it was about time, so he calmly walked out and greeted them warmly, "Hello."
The little demons were shocked and jumped up, "Who is it!"
"Where did this pretty boy come from?"
Xie Lian smiled slightly and did not have time to explain. He directly charged into the cave. He casually grabbed a few of them and threw them hundreds of feet away. Even if he did not have magic power, he was still so scared that the minions could not stop screaming, "What's wrong with this pretty boy!!! He looks so gentle! Why are you so violent!!! "
Just like that, Xie Lian stepped into the cave unimpeded, as if he was plucking weeds from the ground. Xie Lian had originally prepared himself for a great battle with a well-known great monster, but who knew that after he entered, he would see a monster in human form rolling on the ground, hugging its stomach and crying out 'Aiyo, aiyo, wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
At first, Xie Lian thought it was just putting on an act. However, when he looked again, it didn't seem like it was faking it. Its stomach was bulging out, as if it had swallowed something very powerful. Thus, Xie Lian squatted down and asked, "What's wrong?"
The monster was probably delirious from the pain. As soon as he saw Xie Lian, he shouted, "You came at the right time! You! I'm not eating anymore! I don't dare to eat anymore! I won't dare to do it again! I will return to you what I swallowed! I can't digest it, I can't digest it! "
Xie Lian said, "You must have mistaken me for someone else, right? You didn't swallow anything of mine, so what are you giving me? "
The demon rolled on the ground in pain, unable to answer his question. Xie Lian didn't understand, so he casually drew a talisman and put it away first. Miraculously, when the talisman hit the monster, it unexpectedly turned into a plump roly-poly doll. Its stomach was even bigger than other roly-poly dolls, making it look extremely comical. Xie Lian found it both funny and surprising. He looked at the talisman he drew and wondered how it had become like this. Did he draw it wrong somewhere?
However, this wasn't a big problem. This battle was extremely easy. By the time Xie Lian left the mountains, the sky was already bright. He put the roly-poly doll into his sleeve and hurried back to the city.
He had finally done something for San Lang. Xie Lian was in a good mood and had already started thinking about how he was going to show the captured monster to San Lang later. He secretly warned himself that if San Lang revealed a surprised expression, he had to be reserved and not reveal a happy expression. After rushing all night, his legs were a bit tired. Thus, Xie Lian casually found a stall to sit down and made a bowl of free tea to drink.
As he drank, he suddenly heard someone shout at him from behind, "Xie Lian!"
Xie Lian immediately put down the teacup.
Who was so daring as to directly call out his name on the street? It should be known that even the people of the imperial family would rarely be so disrespectful. Who didn't respectfully and reverently call him Your Highness the Crown Prince?
Turning his head to look, he saw that the person was actually a commoner. He carried a large wooden chest and strode over, shouting, "Wait! Hurry and wait! You forgot about Xie Lian! Bring him along! "
So it wasn't him, but someone with the same name as him. Xie Lian found it even stranger. Although he didn't care about avoiding names, he was still surprised that someone dared to have the exact same name as him.
He immediately knew that the "Xie Lian" the person spoke of wasn't a person.
There was another man sitting near Xie Lian. The person carrying the chest walked over to the man and sat down. Patting the wooden chest, he said, "I brought Xie Lian. Remember to deliver it to the person your family is offering today! Don't doubt me. If these two aren't placed together, they'll be in big trouble! "
"Of course, of course. Of course I know … … "
Xie Lian couldn't bear it anymore and opened his mouth, "Excuse me … …"
Those two people simultaneously turned their heads to look at him. Xie Lian said, "Forgive this one for being presumptuous. Excuse me, what's inside this chest? "
That person said, "Didn't I say it already? The one inside is Xie Lian. "
Xie Lian was puzzled, "But … … isn't Xie Lian the Crown Prince, his Royal Highness?"
Those two people seemed to find it funny and said, "No one said he wasn't the Crown Prince. He was originally. Take a look! "As they spoke, they opened the chest.
Xie Lian's eyes widened. That wooden chest was actually a small shrine. Inside the shrine was an ash-colored statue of a God. It was a Daoist dressed in white with a bamboo hat on his back.
He didn't recognize him.
"… …" Xie Lian was completely unable to understand. "Are you saying that this statue of God is the Crown Prince of Xian Le, Xie Lian?"
"Otherwise?"
The other people also surrounded him one after another. Half of them were looking at him with curiosity. "You, young man, are really strange. You look like a Daoist priest. How can you not even know such a simple thing?"
Half of them were looking at this' statue of God '. "Wow! This tattered statue of an immortal isn't bad! It's really depressing. "
"That's right, it's so depressing. Just one look and I think it's unlucky!"
"Good, good, good! The uglier it looks now, the better it will look when that person breaks it open. At most, it will be placed together for eight days before the effect will be seen. "
"… …"
Xie Lian said blankly, "Tattered immortal? How did it become a tattered immortal?? "
Everyone said, "This Daoist priest, you are really strange! Xie Lian has always been a trash collector! "
"… …"
Xie Lian wasn't a person who got angry easily. At this moment, he was slightly annoyed.
Anyone who heard others ridicule him as a trash collector would not be happy. He suddenly stood up and said in a deep voice, "Does everyone have any dissatisfaction with the Xian Le Royal Family? Even if there is, insulting the Crown Prince like this is not very appropriate. "
Everyone looked at each other and laughed. "What are you saying? What country's etiquette is this? The Xian Le Country was destroyed more than eight hundred years ago! "
… …
Two hours later, Xie Lian walked on the street, still somewhat muddle-headed.
It was too scary. Everything he had just received was too terrifying for him.
"How could the Xian Le Country be destroyed? My Imperial Father and Imperial Mother are clearly still alive and well? And how could I be the one to destroy it? I lost the war? I destroyed the country? I was demoted twice? I've become a rag-and-bone collector? "
He questioned himself over and over again, and told himself over and over again that it was impossible. Impossible. Impossible ah!
He tried to convince himself, "This is not true. There must be someone behind the scenes playing tricks."
However, there was something wrong with everything. The strange accents, the strange clothes, and the strange buildings, as well as the strange Feng Xin and Mu Qing, all told him that this was not a nightmare, nor was this an illusion. No demon or ghost could create such a huge and realistic illusion.
It really had been eight hundred years.
How could eight hundred years have passed?
How did he become like this after eight hundred years?
The Xian Le Country was destroyed. Imperial Father and Imperial Mother died. Feng Xin and Mu Qing ascended. He became a rag-and-bone man.
How could this be?
It can't be like this. It shouldn't be like this!
Xie Lian walked faster and faster until he finally started running. It was as if there was a boundless darkness behind him that wanted to swallow him up. Suddenly, a red shadow flashed. A tall figure blocked his way and said, "Daozhang, where did you go? You made me look for you for a while. "
It was San Lang. He was still smiling as he walked over to hold Xie Lian's hand. When Xie Lian saw him, all the hairs on his body stood up. He shouted, "Don't come over!!!"
He stopped after shouting. San Lang's figure paused, but his expression didn't change. "What's wrong?"
Xie Lian clenched his fists and coldly said, "Who are you? What do you want? "
San Lang said, "I thought we already had a good talk yesterday and didn't care about these small problems."
Xie Lian said, "You lied to me."
After a moment of silence, San Lang said, "You already know?"
Xie Lian said, "I already know. It's already …" Eight hundred years later.
Originally, he wouldn't have discovered that something was wrong so late. However, this person had been deliberately hiding it from him, confusing him. Otherwise, how could he only discover the truth after a day?
San Lang took a step towards him and said, "Your Highness."
Xie Lian took a few more steps back and shouted, "Don't come over!!! If you come any closer, I'll hit you! "
His voice and body were both trembling. Xie Lian was extremely afraid.
He wasn't afraid of any demons or ghosts, nor was he afraid of this man who was both immortal and evil. Instead, he was afraid of this entire unfamiliar world. In this world, he had no glory to be proud of, no loyal subordinates, no loving parents, no country of his own, no believers who loved him. Nothing, nothing, nothing!
San Lang still took a step towards him and said, "Don't be afraid, Your Highness."
"… …"
Hearing this, Xie Lian's expression changed.
He suddenly remembered that in those fragmented memories, the man who whispered in his ear, "Don't be afraid, Your Highness."
How could he not have noticed?
Their tone and voice were exactly the same!
Xie Lian was so angry that he trembled. "It's you … … It's really you … …"
When he thought of how this person had deceived him, and how he had even shed tears of gratitude towards him, and how he had called him "older brother" over and over again, Xie Lian couldn't bear it anymore. Striking out with his palm, he said, "You liar!"
This palm struck San Lang squarely in the chest. Xie Lian wanted to strike again, but he found that he couldn't move.
It was his own body that was blocking him!
Xie Lian didn't understand what was going on, but San Lang grabbed his hand. Xie Lian was startled. Then, word by word, he said, "Don't touch me! You liar, you lied to me. I will never believe you again. You … … "
However, San Lang said in a low voice, "Your Highness, believe me."
Xie Lian angrily said, "I don't believe you!!! I! … … "
However, just like the attack that had been stopped, he couldn't shout out the words "I don't believe" no matter how hard he tried.
The concern and pain in this man's eyes were absolutely real. Anyone who saw someone show such an expression to another person would never doubt his sincerity again.
As if to separate Xie Lian from this foreign world that terrified him, San Lang finally pulled him into his embrace. His lips kissed Xie Lian's hair as he softly said, "Don't be afraid, Your Highness. It's already over. Your Highness. You've already endured it. "
"… …"
After a long time, Xie Lian's body finally softened.
Now, he cast aside his shame and anger and carefully thought about it. In those fragmented fragments of his dreams, this man's voice had always been extremely gentle and without the slightest bit of coercion.
As for himself … … although he had indeed begged for mercy and sobbed, he could hear that there wasn't the slightest bit of unwillingness. It was just that he had always been unwilling to look at it, so he hadn't realized it.
Xie Lian finally knew why he couldn't help but want to trust this man the moment he saw him. Perhaps, 800 years later, his relationship with San Lang … … wasn't simple.
He completely gave up resisting his body and allowed himself to follow his heart. Burying his face in San Lang's embrace, he said in a muffled voice, "We … …"
San Lang said, "Mhm."
After being silent for a long time, Xie Lian muttered, "Why … … did I suddenly forget everything that happened in the past 800 years?"
San Lang said, "It's my fault. The day before yesterday, you suddenly received a wish in the middle of the night and left in a hurry. I didn't have time to help you recover your powers, and I also didn't have time to tell you that if you were bitten by that monster, it would swallow your memories. "
Xie Lian said, "Then this isn't your fault at all. It's my own carelessness."
San Lang said, "Your Highness will never be bad."
Xie Lian forced a smile, then gloomily said, "Then, San Lang, how could I … … let Xian Le's country be destroyed?"
He clearly cherished his people so much and once had the lofty ambition to let Xian Le continue for another thousand years.
San Lang hugged him even tighter and confidently said, "It's not your fault."
Xie Lian muttered, "How could I be such a failure? How could I become like this? "
Who didn't want to do an earth-shattering and spectacular undertaking in the beginning and leave their names in the annals of history? Even if one in a million people might not be able to achieve their wishes, Xie Lian had never doubted that he was that one in a million.
Perhaps this was the reason why San Lang didn't want him to discover that it was already eight hundred years in the future.
San Lang said, "You didn't fail."
Xie Lian shook his head and said, "But I don't have any more believers."
San Lang said, "You do."
Xie Lian felt sad when he thought about it. He said, "I'm a rag-and-bone immortal, a rag-and-bone collector. No one is my believer, and no one treats me as a god. Who would respect a rag-and-bone collector immortal? "
This was completely different from his dreams.
However, San Lang said, "Didn't I tell you? You have a believer. "
Xie Lian raised his head. San Lang smiled at him and said, "Your Highness, I said that you would soon see Hua Cheng. Now, you've met him. "
"… …"
Xie Lian raised his head and gazed at his face. With a slightly perplexed expression, he said, "San Lang, you … … when did you meet me?"
Hua Cheng said, "A long, long time ago, before you ascended."
Xie Lian slowly blinked his eyes.
Hua Cheng then said, "Your Highness, perhaps the current you will feel that the you eight hundred years later is a failure. Perhaps you will be disappointed and unable to accept it, but please believe me, it's not like this."
His bright left eye gazed at Xie Lian. The light in his eyes was as soft as his voice.
He said, "You saved me. I've always been watching you.
"There are countless people in this world who are more 'successful' than you, but none of them could save me like you did, and none of them could do what you did — —
"You don't know how much courage you gave me to make me who I am today.
"In my heart, you will forever be my only god."
Xie Lian said, "And you will forever be my most loyal believer."
As soon as he finished speaking, he reacted. Just now, he had subconsciously said those words in a daze, as if he had heard such a precious promise somewhere before. Hua Cheng smiled, picked up his hand, and kissed the back of it. He said, "Yes."
"… …"
After a long time, Xie Lian seemed to have made up his mind about something. He took out the monster's roly-poly toy from his sleeve and said, "Was this the monster that swallowed my memories?"
Hua Cheng took the monster and said, "Sure enough, it was Your Highness who destroyed its new nest."
Xie Lian nodded and said, "If I want to recover my memories, I have to start with it, right?"
In Hua Cheng's palm, the roly-poly toy opened its mouth wide. From its mouth, several firefly-like specks of light flew out and danced around Xie Lian. Hua Cheng said, "Catch them, and you can take back Your Highness's memories from these eight hundred years."
When Xie Lian heard this, he reached out his hand towards them. However, just as he was about to touch them, he stopped his movements.
Recovering these eight hundred years of memories was as if he had to go through another eight hundred years. Once again, he had to experience everything. The pain of a hundred swords piercing his heart, the humiliation of being utterly defeated, and the anger of being powerless.
Although he knew that it was only for an instant, his fingertips still trembled slightly.
Hua Cheng stood behind him, making him feel as if he was leaning against a solid wall. He heard Hua Cheng's voice coming from behind him, "Don't be afraid, Your Highness."
Xie Lian slightly tilted his head. Hua Cheng hugged his waist and said, "Trust me. No matter how long it takes, I will always wait for you. You will meet me again. "
That's right. He would still meet him.
And so, Xie Lian reached out his hand towards those specks of light.
The specks of starlight merged into his fingertips. He felt his eyes become extremely bright, as if something scorching hot was approaching. Before the light arrived, Xie Lian said, "I'm very happy to meet you."
After saying this, the specks of light merged into his body and disappeared. Xie Lian slowly fell forward and was caught by Hua Cheng.
After a while, Xie Lian slowly woke up. As soon as he opened his eyes, Hua Cheng said in a low voice, "Gege?"
Xie Lian slowly revealed a faint smile. He reached out his hand and caressed Hua Cheng's face, saying, "… … I met you again."
Hua Cheng also smiled and said, "I told you, trust me."
Xie Lian sighed and said, "Does this count as us waiting for each other for another eight hundred years?"
Hua Cheng said, "Didn't I tell you? No matter how long it takes, I will always wait for you. But … … "
He pulled Xie Lian up. The two of them stood face to face. Hua Cheng held his hand tightly and smiled, "Right now, I don't want to be apart for even a moment."
The past can't be changed.
Eight hundred years ago, the seventeen year old proud son of heaven, Xie Lian, still didn't know what was waiting for him in the future. The Mandate of Heaven gave him two doors. A glimpse of the Divine Martial Path, a glimpse of the immortals and demons on the Bridge of Thought. He opened them all.
After that, he would be alone in the raging waves of helplessness. He would struggle through the long and torturous years. Pain, anger, disappointment, hatred, despair, madness. His heart was like dead ashes.
Then he rose from the ashes.
However, those were all in the past.
·
"Gege, welcome back."
"Yeah … …"
"See, I said you would meet me again. I didn't lie to you, did I?"
Xie Lian glanced at Hua Cheng and said, "Really?"
Hua Cheng smiled and said, "Of course. When have I ever lied to Your Highness? Gege, I … … "
"… …"
"… …"
Xie Lian reached into Hua Cheng's chest and took out a piece of paper. He read, "'I am indebted to Brother San Lang for taking care of me. Lian has no way to repay you. I am willing to do my best to help you solve your problems. Brother San Lang, don't worry. Lian will be back soon. '"
Hua Cheng raised an eyebrow and didn't say anything. After Xie Lian finished reading, he imitated him and raised an eyebrow. "Brother San Lang, good gege. You're really good. "
Hua Cheng laughed and said, "Whether I'm good or not, doesn't gege already know?"
Xie Lian's face slightly reddened. He vaguely said, "… … I don't know what you're talking about. In short, you've been too excessive these past two days. Reflect on yourself. "
Hua Cheng solemnly said, "Gege, you can't be like this. I've been treating you with courtesy these past two days. It's been hard for me to endure it. "
Xie Lian said, "How are you treating me with courtesy? You clearly … … clearly … …" You clearly had a lot of fun playing with him. When he thought about how he had turned into an innocent, silly, and spoiled seventeen year old fool these past two days and how Hua Cheng had played with him over and over again, Xie Lian remembered the entire process clearly. He simply couldn't look straight at himself. He couldn't help but groan and cover his forehead. Hua Cheng said in all seriousness, "It's true. Even if gege scolds me as a despicable, shameless, and lowly bastard, San Lang will have no regrets. "
"… …"
"If gege is unhappy, you can scold me again. San Lang doesn't matter. "
Xie Lian really couldn't listen anymore.
He covered his forehead and quietly slipped away. Hua Cheng turned to the side and disappeared. He said, "Gege? Don't run. Okay, it's my fault, gege! "