Before Xie Lian could answer, Lang Qianqiu, who had heard the suggestion immediately cried out, "No!"
Shi Qingxuan looked at him, "Why not?"
Lang Qianqiu replied in a serious tone, "Prince Xianle, do you really know Crimson Rain Sought Flower? I heard your conversation earlier, it seems you two are friends."
Xie Lian nodded.
"Then of course that plan is not feasible!" Lang Qianqiu said. "Even though a ghost king is no saint, but the fact that he went easy on you must mean that he sees you as a friend. If it's so, then one must not lie to a friend."
Shi Qingxuan could feel an oncoming headache, "My god, Qianqiu, you dimwit!"
Yet Xie Lian laughed and nodded, "What His Highness Tai Hua said is right."
Lang Qianqiu beamed, "You agree with me too, right?"
Shi Qingxuan, "How is that right? We are three heavenly officials. If we were to report back empty handed, people would say that our success rate is even lower than Ling Wen Palace's, and that would be an utter embarrassment."
Xie Lian smiled and just when he was about to speak, the sound of cries and howls that came from behind made them turn around. Just outside of the alley, a group of demons and ghosts ran past, shouting, "Where's that brat with the bandaged face? Where the hell is he?"
Seeing the other two gods' alarm, Xie Lian reassured, "Don't worry, they're not after us."
Just as the words left his lips, their ears were pierced by a shrill, deafening cry.
The cry of desperation made Xie Lian's heart drop. Without a second thought, he ran off in that direction, and there, a bunch of oddly-shaped silhouettes gathered in a circle outside the alley, yelling one after another, "He's caught!" "Beat him again!" "Fuck! However much this little scumbag stole from me, I'm going to slice it off of him one by one!"
Shi Qingxuan caught up to him, "Your Highness, what's going on?"
Xie Lian didn't respond, but walked towards the group step by step. His pace grew in speed, and soon he broke into a run. He forcefully pushed past a couple of ghosts on the outside and saw that the person who was getting beaten by was a ragged boy.
He looked about fifteen or sixteen of age, curled up on the ground, trembling uncontrollably. Even though he tightly clung onto his head, one could still see the layers of bandages that were messily wrapped around his head. The bandages were the same as his hair, stained with dirt.
Wasn't this the same bandaged boy that Xie Lian had met at Mount Yujun and that had gone missing and couldn't be found? No wonder Ling Wen Palace said they couldn't find any traces of him a couple of days ago. How could Heaven's Ling Wen Palace find him in the mortal realm if the boy had escaped to the ghost's territory?
In a moment of fury, the couple of ghosts that got pushed aside by Xie Lian pulled him out once more. One ghost yanked on the bandages, "Look at how desperate he wants to keep his bandages on, I bet you this little beggar might even be uglier than me..."
Lang Qianqiu was furious and shouted, "What are you doing!" as he threw out a few ghosts off to the side. Shi Qingxuan didn't have the time to stop him and could only wave around with his fan, "Qianqiu, I thought we agreed on not to do things on impulse!"
This time around, Qianqiu had riled up more ghosts. They roared "And who do you think you are!!" and lunged at him.
"I'm sorry Lord Wind Master," Lang Qianqiu called, "This will be the last time!" and he jumped into the fight, whacking the ghosts about. Shi Qingxuan let out an exasperated sigh, "Ugh, I'm never going out with you again!" before joining the brawl.
Because they couldn't expose their spiritual energy, they could only resort to fighting with their fists and feet. The other smaller group that was beating up the boy was forcibly separated by Xie Lian. He kneeled down, wanting to help the boy get up, "Are you okay?"
Upon hearing that voice, the boy shuddered and took a peek at him from his fetal position. Now that he had gotten a better look, Xie Lian discovered that the bandages that were wrapped around the boy's face were soaked with blood. With patches of black and red, it was a frightening sight, the appearance even scarier than when they had last parted. The two big eyes that emerged from the gap between the bandages were clear as day, black iris against the white, yet those dark eyes that reflected Xie Lian's silhouette were filled with fear.
Xie Lian took the boy by the arm, "Come, stand up. It's going to be okay." To his surprise, the boy screamed, pushed Xie Lian away, and bolted.
Since this boy had once been infected with the Human Face Disease, he must be connected to the kingdom of Xianle. The moment Xie Lian saw him, he could feel a tug in his heart and his mind became scattered. Caught off guard by the force of the push, even his straw hat had fallen off. After the initial shock, he called out, "Wait!"
Just when Xie Lian was about to give chase, the few ghosts that he had pulled away earlier had grabbed onto him. The boy headed down the street that was livelier than ever. At the rate that he was effortlessly weaving through the groups of ghosts and ghosts with his small frame, the boy would disappear soon. It would be difficult for Ruoye to track down a person in this kind of setting, so in that split moment of urgency, Xie Lian called out, "My lords, I'll leave this matter with you. Let's separate for now. Go hide and we'll meet here again in three days latest!"
Ruoye slid out and sent those ghosts flying in the direction of the other two officials. He bent over slightly, picked up his straw hat and set off running in the direction of the boy.
He squeezed through the crowd with immense difficulty while shouting, "Excuse me! Excuse me!" Yet because the boy had spent most of his life hiding in the mortal realm, escaping was practically second nature to him. First there was a head, then there was a shadow, after that, there was nothing; he was getting farther and farther away.
Xie Lian didn't know if it was his imagination but he felt that the crowds on the street were getting thicker by the minute. With humans and ghosts alike pressed against each other, it really made it difficult for him to pass through. In the midst of all that chaos, Xie Lian's mind was tumultuous and knocked over a number of stalls, and he cried "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" as he continued to run.
Ghosts weren't ones to be crossed easily however, and they yelled after him, "Sorry does shit! Catch him!"
Xie Lian felt a coldness on his back all of a sudden, as if a hand had grabbed him, and he immediately knocked it back, "Who is it?!" It was hard to tell where the hand came from, but all the ghosts surrounded him, their voices screeching and terrible, "Oi! Let's teach this little pale face a thing or two! How dare he start shit in our Ghost City!"
A large crowd of monsters and spirits poured into the horde, and seeing that he was about to lose that boy in the crowd, Xie Lian did his best to throw off the hand that caught him, "Everyone! I'm really sorry, I don't mean any harm. Let me go to find someone and I'll be back to pay you all back!"
The horde of ghosts were relentless, "As if!" In the midst of all the pushing and pulling, that boy had disappeared completely. Xie Lian slowed to a stop and stood where he was, dazed. Truthfully, he really couldn't be sure what he was feeling. Was it disappointment in not being able to catch the other, or was it relief that a nightmare had passed?
Suddenly, there was a commotion amongst the ghost crowd, and they immediately parted to the sides, forming a path, as if someone of importance was about to arrive. Xie Lian came to and saw a tall silhouette of a black clad figure walked straight towards him through the path created by the mob. He yelled, "Settle down. Let him go!"
The black clad figure, like most of the ghosts, wore a mask. It was a funny mask with a face as if it was smiling woefully. The mob muttered under their breaths, "It's the XiaXianYue Officer!" and they released their hold on Xie Lian. It seemed this black clad figure was someone significant in the Ghost City.
The moment he approached Xie Lian, he bowed, "Greetings cultivator. The Lord wishes to see you." "Um. Me?" Xie Lian pointed at himself. The XiaXianYue Officer replied, "That's correct. The Lord has been waiting for you at the Paradise Manor."
All around them the mob sucked in their breaths, "The Lord wants to see him? Did I hear this wrong?" "Paradise Manor? That's the Lord's sanctuary, it's never seen guests!" Some pointed out, "Wait a sec, wasn't he the one who won against the Lord today at the Gambler's Den? No, the one the Lord educated?!"
All eyes were now focused on Xie Lian, each pair bigger than the next. Xie Lian couldn't help but raise his straw hat to hide his face. XiaXianYue Officer made a gesture, "This way please." Xie Lian nodded and followed behind him. The crowd parted once more, and the ghost officer led Xie Lian through the path. No one dared to follow, and after an incense time, the two left the bustling street behind, going further and further into the backwoods.
During their walk, the two didn't converse. Xie Lian felt that XiaXianYue Officer walked like he was going to disappear into the shadows and followed closely. Subconsciously, his eyes swept past the officer's wrist and noticed that upon it was a black cursed circle. It was something he was more than familiar with. A cursed shackle?! He widened his eyes but was silent in his shock.
Just then, the ghost officer spoke up, "We're here."
Xie Lian looked up and realized he was led to a lake. There were a number of will-o-the-wisps floating above the waters, playing and chasing each other. Next to the lake was a towering pavillion. Both the heavens and the ghost realm have glamorous architecture. However, the distinguished buildings of the heavens put emphasis on prominence and prestige, whereas the buildings in the Ghost City were glamorous in their bewitchment and frivolity. Even the large letters of this pavillion 'Paradise Manor' emitted an evil aura.
After some thought, Xie Lian still entered. Raising a beaded curtain, a warm perfumed air came rushing to his face. Xie Lian moved his head slightly to avoid getting engulfed in that scent. Soon, he came to a large hall.
The inside of the hall was covered in a thick, snow-white carpet made from the fur of an unknown beast. Many beautiful and captivating women, barefooted and clad in light silk, were dancing and playing, sensual and beguiling. The music he heard came from them. The ladies were spinning seductively like bouquets of roses covered in thorns, blossoming in the midst of night. When they spun to Xie Lian they playfully teased him with their eyes. If any passerby of the night were to accidentally intrude upon this scene, surely they would be even more frightened or enchanted.
However, when Xie Lian was observing the main hall, his eyes went straight through those women. The first thing he saw was Hua Cheng who's seated in the very back of the main hall.
At the end of the hall was a large divan made of black jade, expansive in size and can probably fit over ten people. But there was only one sitting upon it, and it was Hua Cheng. There were a number of gorgeous ghost women dancing before him but he didn't spare them any looks, only lazily keeping an eye on what's before him.
In front of Hua Cheng was a small, golden palace. From afar, it looked like a heavenly palace, but on closer inspection, that little palace was built from thin sheets of gold foil stacked upon one another. Gold Foil Palace.
Xie Lian had played this game often when he was a child; it's a game that's no different than village kids stacking rocks to build houses. Yet because he disliked separation by nature when he was younger, it didn't matter what it was, as long as the objects were placed together Xie Lian would refuse to separate them.
After making a palace, he'd forbid anyone to touch it, wishing if only he could glue the fragile sheets together so that it'd never collapse. When he was even younger, if he saw his golden palace fall apart, he'd be depressed to the point of refusing food and sleep until the king and queen coaxed him from his shell.
The golden palace before him now was grand, layered in hundreds of foil sheets, fragile like an egg, as if a gentle breeze could blow it down. Xie Lian prayed mentally, 'Don't fall. Don't fall.' After a moment, however, Hua Cheng gazed at his work and flashed a smile, raised a finger and flicked at the top of the golden palace. The foils fluttered and collapsed into a heap. Gold foil bestrewn the ground, the golden palace was destroyed.
Having knocked it down, Hua Cheng appeared amused by his handiwork, like a child who'd pushed over a tower of building blocks. He mindlessly threw away a gold foil sheet that was still in his hand and jumped off the divan. The dancing women immediately stopped in their steps and backed off to the sides, silencing their songs. Stepping on the gold foils sheets, Hua Cheng walked towards the entrance, "Since gege is here, why not come in? Don't be a stranger after only parting for so many days."
Hearing his words, Xie Lian let down the beaded curtain, "Earlier in the Gambler's Den, it was San Lang who pretended not to recognize me."
Hua Cheng approached and stopped at Xie Lian's side, "Lang Qianqiu was there, so if I didn't put on an act, I'd be giving gege trouble."
'That was some really sloppy act...' Xie Lian thought. As for seeing through Lang Qianqiu's identity, Xie Lian wasn't the least bit surprised. In fact, Hua Cheng probably knew that Shi Qingxuan was mixed in the crowd too, so Xie Lian spoke without hesitation, "San Lang is knowledgeable as always."
Hua Cheng laughed, "Of course. So, is gege here especially to visit me this time?"
"..." If Xie Lian had to be honest with himself, had he known Hua Cheng was here he would've asked for leave so he could pay a visit. Alas, that wasn't the case. Hua Cheng however, didn't bother waiting for Xie Lian's response. He smiled, "Whether if you're here to see me or not, I'm still happy."
Xie Lian was startled by those words. He hadn't had a chance to respond when the women standing on the sides started giggling. Hua Cheng slighted his head and they all stopped at once, their heads bowed low, and soon filed out of the hall, leaving only the two of them in this expansive chamber.
"Come have a seat here, gege." Hua Cheng said.
Xie Lian followed him and watched as he walked, smiling, "So this is your real appearance.
Hua Cheng stopped in his step.
—●XiaXianYue translates to waning crescent moon—