The Ninth Floor was completely silent. The painters had all left Mogao Grotto. It was the end of the year, so they all boarded the motorcade and headed back to Hexi to celebrate the New Year.
In the evening, Li Jinglong was the first to wake up. Hongjun slept soundly, unconsciously hugging Li Jinglong. Footsteps sounded outside. Mo Rigen quickly walked in and gestured to Li Jinglong. Li Jinglong narrowed his eyes. Knowing that something important had happened, he quietly got up.
"How is it?" Mo Rigen asked in a low voice.
"Let's talk when he wakes up," Li Jinglong replied. "What is it?"
"The Ghost King is leaving," Mo Rigen replied.
Li Jinglong quickly walked out of the Ninth Floor. The Ghost King and his guards were waiting outside to bid him farewell.
"There's still something I haven't asked for your advice. Please stay for a few more days," Li Jinglong said hurriedly.
The Ghost King seemed to have guessed what Li Jinglong wanted to ask and replied, "I don't know what that Phoenix from Dazzling Gold Palace wants, but I'm sure it's not a coincidence that the Mind's Lamp is on you."
Li Jinglong, "!!!"
The Ghost King pressed a hand on Li Jinglong's shoulder and said, "Xie Yu isn't dead. Liu Fei hasn't been avenged, but it's still unknown whether Tianma will come back to life."
Li Jinglong seemed to catch a glimpse of hope and asked, "Can the demonic seed in Hongjun's body be suppressed?"
The Ghost King spread his hands and replied, "I can't answer this question for you."
Li Jinglong muttered to himself for a moment. The Ghost King said, "Humans and demons are ultimately different. With my status, I can't provide you with much help. But you and I can make a temporary exchange. "
Li Jinglong raised his eyes and looked at the Ghost King. The Ghost King replied, "In this battle, the corpses and ghosts are a threat to the human world. Although they are controlled by Bai Lu's inner demon, Liu Fei and I cannot escape the blame."
Li Jinglong replied, "The sin is on Xie Yu, not on you."
"But how are you going to explain to the imperial court when you return to the human world?" The Ghost King said, "Will the border generals who guard the human world ignore the 200,000 ghouls sleeping in Yadan?"
Li Jinglong pondered for a moment and then said, "Liu Fei is dead. He has already atoned for his sins."
The Ghost King nodded. Li Jinglong said, "As for Yadan, I have my own ways to ensure that no one will disturb your sleep. His Majesty once granted me a fief. I chose Yadan and asked Hongjun's uncle to guard it in front of the Jade Gate Pass. Naturally, no one will come again."
"In that case." The Ghost King said, "You can keep it."
The Ghost King handed Li Jinglong a rusty piece of armor and said, "I will do my best to help you avenge Xie Yu. In addition, you can also command the army under my command to fight for you once. "
Li Jinglong accepted the armor and hurriedly cupped his fists in thanks. The Ghost King didn't say anything else. He mounted his horse and left, disappearing into the sunset with a group of guards.
Li Jinglong returned to the Ninth Floor. Everyone woke up and yawned.
Li Jinglong glanced at everyone and said, "Everyone is actually here."
Even he was a bit surprised. Qiu Yongsi lazily leaned on the couch and said, "It's the New Year, and I still came to help my brothers fight. Do you think it's easy for me?"
Li Jinglong remembered that it was the end of the year and said, "Alright, let's not care about other things. Let's cook and celebrate the New Year!"
Atay laughed and said, "The last time we celebrated the New Year was five years ago. Do you have wine?"
Li Jinglong had already made arrangements and assigned tasks to everyone. At this time, Lu Xu came and everyone looked at him.
Lu Xu looked at Li Jinglong uneasily. Mo Rigen patted the side, indicating for him to sit down.
"He's fine." Lu Xu looked at Li Jinglong and knew that he wanted to ask about Hongjun. He replied, "If you have something to say, you can ask him face to face. It's better than asking me."
Li Jinglong nodded and said, "I'll go kill the chicken. I'll wake Hongjun up later and let him sleep a little longer."
Immediately, the Exorcism Division moved. Atay went to find Ashina Chong to make noodles and prepare to have a sumptuous meal at the end of the year. Mo Rigen and Lu Xu sat in the courtyard and peeled chestnuts, preparing to make a chestnut roast chicken. Li Jinglong went to kill the chicken, while Qiu Yongsi and the Carp Demon were in charge of taking care of the bowls and chopsticks.
"Sigh, why did a bunch of men come to this barren place to celebrate the New Year?" Qiu Yongsi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He said to the Carp Demon, "They really can't think straight."
The Carp Demon replied, "That's right. There's not even a single fish."
Qiu Yongsi was reminded and remembered. He asked, "Oh, right? Then what if there are fish every year? "
The Carp Demon was speechless.
Mo Rigen and Lu Xu sat opposite each other in silence. Mo Rigen's hands were strong. He cracked the chestnut shell with his fingers and threw it to Lu Xu. Lu Xu casually peeled it.
"Lu Xu." Mo Rigen said, "Are you still angry at me?"
After hearing Hongjun's explanation in the painting, Mo Rigen realized that Lu Xu had followed him all the way and begged him to save him. At some point in time, the Grey Wolf had become Lu Xu's last hope when he was trapped in the painting.
"I swore before." Lu Xu said casually, "When they weren't paying attention, I went to the Amitabha Pure Land and made a vow."
"What vow did you make?" Mo Rigen looked up at him.
"I made a vow that I would follow whoever saves me for the rest of my life." Lu Xu lowered his head and looked at the white chestnut in his hand. He threw it into the basket.
Mo Rigen was speechless.
Lu Xu looked up at Mo Rigen without saying a word.
"I didn't know at that time," Mo Rigen said.
"Now you know," Lu Xu replied.
Mo Rigen said in a low voice, "Lu Xu, my life's mission was to find you."
Lu Xu said, "I don't care what your f * cking mission was. Anyway, you didn't come in the end."
Mo Rigen replied, "That's not fair! I didn't know it was you! "
"How would Hongjun know?" Lu Xu asked.
Mo Rigen cracked the chestnut and frowned. "That's not fair!"
Lu Xu continued, "You only came to find me because I'm the reincarnation of the White Deer, right? I'm the White Deer. It doesn't matter to you who the White Deer is. "
Mo Rigen said, "It's not the same. It's not the same, Lu Xu!"
Mo Rigen looked at Lu Xu. He had a lot to say, but for some reason, he couldn't say it.
Mo Rigen said, "I thought the White Deer was a beautiful girl."
"I'm neither beautiful nor a girl," Lu Xu replied.
Mo Rigen said, "I thought maybe she didn't know she was the White Deer. Then I came. I would love her and take care of her …"
Lu Xu raised his eyebrows and motioned for Mo Rigen to open the chestnut. He had been waiting for a long time. Mo Rigen could only throw the chestnut to him and said, "… But on the way here, everything happened so fast that I didn't have time to think clearly. I never thought that the two of us would … be men. I also didn't think that you would be the White Deer."
"What are you trying to say?" Lu Xu asked.
"The two of us are fated to be together!" Mo Rigen finally said.
"How come I didn't know that?" Lu Xu looked at Mo Rigen and said, "Who wants to be fated to be with you!"
Mo Rigen said, "Why else would you go to Yulin to find me?"
"I was muddle-headed then!" Lu Xu said, "Can't I be sober now?"
Mo Rigen finally couldn't take it anymore and said, "What do you mean? I also risked my life to save you. You can't just … because Hong Jun was the one who brought you out in the end … "
"Yo, the two of you peeled so many chestnuts. How many dishes are you going to make?" Ashina Chong, whose hands were full of flour, said as he looked at the whole barrel of chestnuts in front of the two of them.
"Shut up!" Lu Xu and Mo Rigen said in unison. Lu Xu got up and left.
Hongjun was half asleep when he was woken up by the struggling chicken outside. Li Jinglong had never killed a chicken before. He held the chicken down and cut its neck to let it bleed. Unfortunately, he didn't cut the right spot. The chicken screamed crazily, flapped its wings, tilted its head, and ran around with blood all over the ground.
Hongjun shouted irritably, "Can you be quiet?!"
He opened his eyes and sleepily walked to the railing. He saw that Li Jinglong was chasing after the chicken on the next floor. He immediately threw a flying knife. The chicken made a "coo" sound and fell to the ground. The world was finally quiet.
Li Jinglong's hands were covered in blood. He immediately raised his head and said, "Hongjun!"
Hongjun disappeared from the third floor. Li Jinglong quickly went up. Hongjun went down to the second floor and picked up the chicken. Li Jinglong followed him down. The two of them looked at each other. Li Jinglong was a little embarrassed.
"What are you doing?" Hongjun frowned.
"It's the New Year." Li Jinglong replied.
Hongjun nodded and didn't say anything. Li Jinglong boiled water and plucked the chicken's feathers in the courtyard on the side of the ninth floor.
Li Jinglong's right hand was still trembling. Last night, he seemed to have been bitten by Xie Yu. The injury was in his meridians. Hongjun thought about it again and again. In the end, he didn't ask.
He couldn't help but size up Li Jinglong. In these past few days, Li Jinglong seemed to have realized that he was estranged from him, and now, Li Jinglong had become a little cautious, as if he was afraid that he would be angry no matter what he said.
There were still bruises on his eyes from Hongjun's beating. Hongjun suddenly felt a little apologetic.
"Are you still angry with me?" Li Jinglong buried his head in plucking the chicken's feathers and said.
When Hongjun heard this, he suddenly felt a little sad.
Li Jinglong said again, "I'm useless. Are you still upset?"
Li Jinglong looked up at Hongjun. Hongjun replied, "I'm not upset. Why are you so worried about me? You should worry about yourself. "
Li Jinglong turned the chicken over and continued to pluck the feathers. "Isn't it good to care about you?"
Hongjun said, "I can take care of myself."
Li Jinglong suddenly said, "I'm afraid that you'll be upset, but you won't say anything to me. Even to Mo Rigen and Tegra. If I'm not wrong, when you see Yongsi later, you'll talk more than you do now." As he spoke, he looked up at Hongjun and said, "Even to Lu Xu, you're willing to talk to him. I don't understand. What did I do wrong? "
Hongjun looked at Li Jinglong in a daze. At that moment, he had the urge to tell him. But what was the use of saying it out loud? Li Jinglong had already forgotten the past. After knowing, would he feel guilty? What should he say?
"Lu Xu and I have known each other for a long time," Hongjun replied.
"He told me," Li Jinglong said lightly. "That's good." As he spoke, he turned the chicken over again. The two of them looked at the featherless chicken in Li Jinglong's hands.
"Ever since you woke up that time," Li Jinglong said again, "you've been angry with me because I hid it from you, right?"
"No," Hongjun replied.
Li Jinglong pointed at his bruised eye and tilted his head. "Should I punch you here again? I just don't want you to be afraid. I don't want you to feel like you're causing trouble for everyone. "
"It's really not," Hongjun insisted.
Li Jinglong said seriously, "Then what is the reason?"
Hongjun fell silent again. Li Jinglong plucked the chicken feathers, lowered his gaze, and said, "Hongjun, do you think I'm smart?"
"Very smart," Hongjun replied. "You're the smartest person I've ever met."
"But I can't guess why you're angry with me," Li Jinglong raised his eyes and looked at Hongjun. His eyes were filled with sadness.
"I'm not angry with you," Hongjun replied.
"You are," Li Jinglong said. "Ever since you woke up, you've become different. I admit that I'm useless. Ever since that day in Liangzhou City, I've been making mistakes. I wish I could turn back time to that night. I shouldn't have gone out. "
Hongjun was silent for a moment, then said, "I'm leaving."
"Where are you going?" Li Jinglong replied.
Hongjun replied, "Home."
Li Jinglong: "I promised you that I would accompany you to Dazzling Gold Palace."
Hongjun wanted to reject him. He really couldn't let go of that memory, but he couldn't open his mouth and could only remain silent.
"Yo," Ashina Chong looked down from the second floor and said, "Surnamed Li, how much longer are you going to pluck the chicken feathers? You're even cleaner than your imperial concubine's face. "
Li Jinglong: "…"
Hongjun stood up and left. Li Jinglong simply wanted to fight Ashina Chong.
Qiu Yongsi and the Carp Demon sat side by side in front of a frozen river. There was a hole in the river, and they each held a rod and fished in the ice hole.
The Carp Demon said, "Why do I have to fish even though I'm a fish?"
Qiu Yongsi said, "What else can we do? There's no fish for New Year's Eve dinner. It's simply bad luck. We can't possibly cook you, right? "
The Carp Demon had no choice but to remain silent.
That night, Li Jinglong set up the table. He was afraid that the appetizers in Mogao Cave would offend Bodhisattva, so he moved to the farthest side hall where the painters usually gathered for New Year's Eve dinner.
"How is it?" Mo Rigen asked Li Jinglong. He stepped forward and helped him move the table up. Li Jinglong's right hand was still trembling.
"He's still angry." Li Jinglong said, "I can't get an answer out of him. What about you?"
Mo Rigen said, "I haven't thought it through yet."
As he spoke, Lu Xu entered. He glanced at the two of them, and they immediately stopped talking.
Hongjun smelled the aroma. He hadn't eaten for a day and a night. He was so hungry that his heart was sticking to his back. Whatever demon seed, whatever nightmare, whatever demon or demon, they were all thrown to the back of his mind. He hurriedly sat down. Qiu Yongsi laughed heartily. He stepped forward and sat on Hongjun's shoulder. Hongjun shouted and pressed him down, wanting to beat him up.
"I missed you so much!" Qiu Yongsi laughed.
Hongjun said, "You actually made it too!"
Qiu Yongsi patted Hongjun's back. He hugged him affectionately and said, "Fortunately, I made it in time." Then he leaned over and whispered in his ear.
"Don't be afraid. No matter what happens, everyone will be with you."
Hongjun: "… …"
Hongjun looked up at Qiu Yongsi. Qiu Yongsi revealed a warm smile. He turned around and sat down at another table. Atay and Ashina Chong also came in. Atay gave Hongjun an ambiguous look. Hongjun laughed.
Everyone tactfully didn't mention anything about the demon seed. Lu Xu sat next to Hongjun. Li Jinglong said, "We cooked a lot of dishes today. There's no way to divide them. Let's put the dishes together and take what we need.
"Where's Zhao Zilong?" Hongjun asked.
"Here." The Carp Demon answered from the plate on the table.
Everyone: "… …"
The Carp Demon lay on the plate and moved its tail. There were some onions, ginger, and garlic on its body, but it wasn't steamed.
"There's more every year, just for the occasion."