Xie Lian unconsciously stepped forward to stand in front of San Lang.
"I know better than anyone where my place is," Xie Lian replied.
"Then how dare you still stand next to him?!" Fu Yao shouted.
"Because…if I stand next to him, the snakes won't come," Xie Lian answered earnestly.
"…"
Hearing the response, San Lang pfft-ed and laughed out loud. Fu Yao grew grimmer.
"You—"
Grimmer and grimmer, his face suddenly turned completely black. It wasn't just his face but Xie Lian's entire view that dimmed into darkness.
The screen of flames and the ring of fire created by Fu Yao were suddenly completely extinguished!
Within the darkness, Xie Lian heard San Lang snicker and say "Useless trash!" Then he felt San Lang grip his shoulders to pull him close. Soon after, Xie Lian heard a sudden downpour of endless battering above them, like a thunderstorm hitting an umbrella.
Needless to say, now that the defense barrier was gone, the snake deluge came pouring down like mad. The open umbrella was blocking the downpour, and Xie Lian could smell the thick, foul stench of blood. He was about to fight, but San Lang stopped him.
"Don't move. No lowlifes will dare approach."
His tone was confident; the first sentence was soft and gentle, the second arrogant. Xie Lian wasn't worried, but hearing Fu Yao's angry roars across the pit, sounding like he was getting bombarded by snakes, he called out, "San Lang!"
"No," San Lang instantly replied.
Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "How did you know what I was going to say?"
"Don't worry so much, he can't die," San Lang said.
Just then, another roar came from ahead of them in the pit. "Banyue! If you want me to die, have them bite and kill me in one go! What the hell is this?!"
"It's not me!" Banyue cried.
It seemed that Kemo had awoken after the punch, discovered himself submerged in countless snakes, and believed it to be Banyue's doing.
"Fu Yao, can you light another fire? Do it again!" Xie Lian shouted.
Fu Yao gritted his teeth. "That cad next to you is restricting my powers, I can't light anything!"
Xie Lian felt dread, and San Lang said, "It's not me."
"I know it's not you," Xie Lian said. "But that's precisely what's wrong. Both Banyue and Kemo are bound by the Immortal-Binding Rope, so they can't use their powers. My powers are depleted, and you're not restricting anyone. Meaning there's a sixth person in this pit!"
"Have you lost your mind?" Fu Yao demanded. "What sixth person? No one else came down!"
"Who's there?" Banyue suddenly said.
"Banyue, what's happening? Is someone over there?" Xie Lian asked.
"Someone—" Banyue's voice cut off; whether her mouth was sealed shut or she lost consciousness they didn't know.
Xie Lian called out again, "Banyue?!"
Fu Yao was still fighting snakes, and brief flashes of white light blasted in waves in the darkness. "Be careful! She might be tricking you!"
"Not necessarily," Xie Lian shouted. "I'm going to save her first!"
Xie Lian was about to run into the snake deluge when he heard San Lang's voice next to his ear. "All right."
Xie Lian felt the hand gripping his shoulders tighten, and in a flash, they were dashing forward. Xie Lian realized in awe that the youth was advancing and attacking at the same time, but with an umbrella in one hand and him in the other. In the darkness, silver shimmers flashed about once more, clanking and clinking, when suddenly, the sharp sound of two swords clashing rang in everyone's ears.
"Oh?" San Lang said. "There really is a sixth person. Interesting."
Xie Lian had no idea how San Lang was controlling the weapon, or what kind of weapon it was. But whatever it was, it most certainly did crash head-to-head into another!
His opponent remained silent, and Xie Lian could only hear metal scraping metal as the fight intensified. From time to time there would be sparks flashing in the dark, but each flash was so short-lived it was hard to see the other's face.
Xie Lian listened to the fight while calling out, "Banyue, are you still conscious? Can you respond?"
No one responded. Fu Yao exclaimed, "Maybe the one fighting now is her!"
"No. That is definitely not Banyue!" Xie Lian said.
While both times were in the dark, when San Lang fought Kemo, he was light-footed and messing about, toying with the man. This fight, however, Xie Lian could tell San Lang was taking more seriously. The opponent was extremely skilled in martial arts and weaponry. Banyue was small and weak; from the look of her limbs alone, it was obvious that strength and weaponry were not her forte, so it was impossible for her to be the one fighting San Lang. But who was this sixth person? When did they appear?!
Fu Yao griped, "Someone who would betray her own country is no different from Xuan Ji. Why on earth do you still believe in her?"
"Fu Yao, can you not be so irritated all of a sudden?" Xie Lian said. "You…wait. What did you just say?"
Fu Yao struck out another palm and blew away a bunch of snakes. "I said, why on earth would you believe in her, like you believe in that cad next to you?!"
"No, not that—you said Xuan Ji. You mentioned Xuan Ji's name, didn't you?" Xie Lian said.
"Yeah, so what?! She's completely irrelevant!"
Xie Lian, however, held his breath. A moment later, he called out, "Stop fighting, there's no more need to hide. I know who you are!"
The sound of blades clashing never halted; the other was unmoved. But Xie Lian wasn't worried.
"Did you think I was bluffing when I said I already know who you are? General Pei Junior?"
"Who are you talking to?" Fu Yao was dumbstruck. "General Pei Junior? Don't be crazy. Who do you think he is? If he descended, everyone would know!"
"You're very right," Xie Lian said. "But what if it wasn't his true self that descended?"
In the darkness, the fighting weapons faltered for a split second, then picked up anew.
Xie Lian continued, "It took me too long to figure this out. I should've known from the beginning.
"I knew that for close to two hundred years there was something causing havoc, but none of the heavenly officials cared, and no one dared to speak of it. So there had to be someone no one wanted to offend keeping this scandal under wraps. Since I wasn't familiar with many of the officials, I didn't dare boldly pin this on anyone, and never tried to boldly deduce which heavenly official it could be."
It was Fu Yao's mention of Xuan Ji that reminded him.
It wasn't hard to connect the subject of Xuan Ji to the two Generals Pei, and the north was their territory. Fu Yao once said in passing that prior to his ascension, General Pei Junior slaughtered a city.
Which city?
It could very well be the Kingdom of Banyue!
The Upper Court wouldn't bat an eyelash at something like this; everyone needed to spill some blood if they wanted to do great things. But slaughtering a city wasn't anything glorious, after all. If the story spread too far, it would affect the number of new believers, so of course there would be some cover-ups after ascension. Thus, even if everyone knew something of the sort happened, they probably didn't know the details, or didn't care to know. Besides, unless someone possessed some sort of deep grudge, who would have had the time or motivation to dig up his past and offend the support behind his back?
Xie Lian spoke slowly, "That mud face said there was someone among us who visited this city fifty or sixty years ago. At first, I thought he was lying to deceive us into getting closer, but his words may very well have been true.
"Before, in that group of people, the one I was the most suspicious of was you. The caravan followed you, and you could take them anywhere. I had never seen a single scorpion-snake in the years I lived near Banyue, and now, while randomly seeking shelter from the sandstorm, they just happen to show up?
"I asked you to come search for the shanyue fern with us, but just before we left, you gave the directions to the ruins to the others so they could follow in our footsteps if they could no longer sit still. Earlier, on top of the walls, I already said that if anything were to happen, I would go forward first. You, who was always calm, suddenly jumped and died a meaningless death."
Xie Lian continued after a pause, "Your actions were strange and illogical at every turn. That it took me until now to realize who you are really is too late. Isn't that right, General Pei Junior? Or should I use your current name, A-Zhao?!"
Abruptly, everything became still.
It was a moment before a frigid voice spoke. "Did you not suspect that the mud face might have been talking about the red-clothed boy next to you?"
Just as he spoke, a stream of flames suddenly lit up across the Sinner's Pit.
Under the light, two bloody silhouettes were revealed. One was San Lang, dressed in red, standing properly and with his weapon already tucked away. The other was a plainly clothed young man with a sword tightly in hand, still brandished at the ready.
The plain-clothed young man was covered in blood, looking like he was also dressed in red. His expression was cold and reserved, and he was carrying someone over his shoulders. It was indeed A-Zhao.
To be fair, whether it was General Pei Junior himself or A-Zhao, that composed, calm, and collected aura never changed. Only Xie Lian never thought in that direction, so he hadn't connected the two until now.
The one he was carrying over his shoulders was Banyue. It seemed he had called forth the snakes in order to steal her away during the chaos. Now that his identity was revealed, he no longer needed to create havoc, and the snake deluge ceased its bombardment. He sheathed his sword and gently laid Banyue on the ground.
On the side, Kemo was shocked. "Who are you? Didn't you fall to your death?!"
A-Zhao didn't spare a look at Kemo, instead staring intently at San Lang. "Kemo, you really haven't changed in hundreds of years," he said simply in the Banyue tongue.
Perhaps this maddeningly calm tone was overly familiar. Kemo's face immediately scrunched up in rage.
"…It's you!! Pei Xiu?!"
If not for the Immortal-Binding Rope solidly tying him down, Kemo would've lunged at him to fight to the death.
"General Pei Junior," Xie Lian said, "those scorpion-snakes listened to more than one command, didn't they? You controlled all the snakes that Banyue said no longer obeyed her, and took them out to do harm, correct?"
"Nn. It was me."
"Did Banyue teach you how to control the scorpion-snakes?" Xie Lian questioned.
"She didn't," Pei Xiu said. "But I easily learned for myself how she does it."
"General Pei Junior is exceedingly intelligent after all," Xie Lian commented.
After a pause, he then asked, "When did you two meet? How did you two meet?"
Pei Xiu, however, gave him a look. "General Hua."
Xie Lian was puzzled. "Why are you calling me by that title too?"
Pei Xiu asked quietly, "Do you not recognize me, General Hua?"
"…"
Now Xie Lian did.
The beginning was kind of blurry. Banyue was bullied and ignored by other Banyue children when she was younger, and only a young boy of Yong'an would sometimes pay attention to her. Like Banyue, that boy didn't talk very much. Quite a number of children living on the border were from military families, and many also enlisted in the army when they grew older. Could it be…
"It's you?!" Xie Lian was surprised. "I…I can't believe it took me this long to realize it was you."
Pei Xiu nodded. "It's me. I've only just recognized the general too."
No wonder. So it turned out Banyue and the enemy general had already known each other since childhood!
"Did Banyue really heed your order to open the city gates?" Xie Lian asked.
On the other side, Kemo spat and yelled, "Despicable Pei Xiu. Untie these ropes, let me fight him to the death!"
Pei Xiu said coolly, "First of all, we already had a battle to the death two hundred years ago, and you lost. Second of all, how am I despicable?"
Kemo exclaimed, "How could we have lost if you two hadn't colluded?!"
"Kemo, don't deny it," Pei Xiu said. "Even though I only had a troop of two thousand, for me, breaking through the city gates was only a matter of time."
Xie Lian couldn't help but interrupt. "Wait a sec, you only had two thousand under you, and you were sent to invade a country? Why was that? Isn't that no different from sending you to your death? Were you, perhaps, even more elbowed-out in the army than I was?"
"…"
Pei Xiu stopped talking. It seemed Xie Lian had hit it on the head. Xie Lian then asked, "If you knew it was a sure win, why did you have Banyue open the city gates?"
"Because I needed to slaughter the city," Pei Xiu replied.
"What do you mean?" Xie Lian asked. "Since you were already going to win, why did you have to slaughter the city?"
It couldn't be his hobby!
"It was precisely because victory was at hand that we had to wipe out the city," Pei Xiu said. "And it had to be as soon as possible. Immediately. Leaving none behind."
That "leaving none behind" sounded ghastly.
Xie Lian pushed, "And the reason was?"
Pei Xiu answered, "On the night before the invasion, many of the leaders of Banyue's major clans gathered for a meeting and decided on a secret plot."
"What plot?"
"The people of Banyue were fierce in nature and hated Yong'an to the core," Pei Xiu said. "Even knowing they were about to be defeated, they wouldn't submit. So the entire population of the kingdom, the young and the old, the women and the men, all banded together to assemble something."
"What was that something?" Xie Lian could guess, but he wasn't sure. The word that came out of Pei Xiu's mouth confirmed his suspicions.
"Explosives!" Pei Xiu slowly enunciated each word: "They decided that if the kingdom was to fall, the citizens would all carry explosives on their bodies, escape to Yong'an, mix into large, crowded areas, and blow themselves up to cause riots. Meaning, if they had to die, then they would drag as many Yong'an people down with them as they could. If the kingdom should fall, then they would terrorize the country that brought their downfall!"
Which was why they had to be annihilated before those civilians had the time to flee…
Xie Lian instantly turned to Kemo, roughly summarized for him in the Banyue language and asked, "Is this true?"
Kemo looked dauntless and made no attempt to conceal the facts. "It's true!"
San Lang quirked his brow at this and commented, "How vile." He said those words in the Banyue tongue, though whether it was intentional was unknown.
Kemo replied angrily, "Vile? What right do you have to call us vile? If it wasn't for your assaults, we wouldn't have been forced to make that move. You ruined us, so we sought revenge. How is that wrong?!"
Pei Xiu responded, "Really now. How about we lay everything out in the open, then? How many times did Banyue citizens start riots near the border? How many caravans and travelers going to the Western Regions from Yong'an were ambushed by Banyue? You intentionally sheltered the bandits that terrorized Yong'an and killed our soldiers sent to exterminate them under the pretense of illegal border crossing. How is that not vile?"
Pei Xiu spoke unhurriedly, and his tone was calm, but each word was as sharp as a knife.
Kemo argued, "But it's because you forcibly occupied our land first that we had no choice but to retaliate."
"The border had always been ambiguous, so how can you say we forcibly occupied your land?" Pei Xiu countered.
"The lines were clearly drawn! It was you who didn't keep to the agreements!"
"The lines were drawn by Banyue, and Yong'an never agreed to them. Your so-called drawn border was nothing but pushing us into the desert and keeping the oasis all for yourselves, how ridiculous."
Kemo countered furiously, "The oasis was always ours! Our forefathers, generation after generation, the Banyue had always lived in the oasis!"
Both sides had their stories; just listening to them argue befuddled Xie Lian. This hostility was making him remember how badly he got beaten up, stuck in between both sides, and he could feel the pain on his face resurface.
Pei Xiu seemed to have had enough of quarreling with Kemo, and he turned to Xie Lian. "So you see, there are many things in the world that simply cannot be clearly defined or resolved. You can only fight."
Xie Lian sighed. "I'll agree to the first part."
San Lang, on the other hand, said, "Hm. I'll agree to the second part."
Kemo's anger was somewhat curbed, and he suddenly said, "The majority of Yong'an people were shameless, but you were the most shameless I'd ever met. Pei Xiu, you're a coldhearted man. You didn't kill us for your country, and it wasn't to save your people."
Pei Xiu fell silent at this.
Kemo continued, "You were the son of an exiled man, looked down on by all. You only wanted to secure your footing in the Yong'an army and keep climbing up, so you had to win that battle. So sad that Banyue still thought you were good and let you use her, and betrayed us for the likes of you."
"But isn't General Pei Junior a descendant of General Pei?" Xie Lian wondered. To have such a renowned ancestor watching over him, how could he have fallen so astray?
"He's not a direct descendant of General Pei," San Lang said. "He's from however many branches out."
So that was it. That meant that, had he not ascended, he probably wouldn't have had any chance of being blessed by the old ancestors.
Pei Xiu said quietly, "Banyue had always been my subordinate and only infiltrated the Kingdom of Banyue under my command. She is from both Banyue and Yong'an; once she chose her side, she had to be loyal to that side, and there was no such thing as betrayal. The Banyue people were evil; I have no regrets about killing them."
Suddenly, a voice came from above.
"No regrets about killing—well said! Will you say the same about all the travelers who you misled to this pass and who lost their lives in this pit?"
That voice had come from above everyone's heads, and Xie Lian instantly looked up. "Which great master is here among us?"
There wasn't a response, but a sudden strange noise. Whoosh whoosh, it was like the bellowing of wild winds. When that sound finally came near, Xie Lian could finally say with certainty: it definitely was the bellowing of wild winds!
This abrupt gale entered the Sinner's Pit from above, swept all the way to the bottom, and rolled everyone into the air!
Xie Lian immediately grabbed for San Lang, who was the closest to him, and cried, "Watch out!"
San Lang caught him too, face unchanging. Xie Lian only felt a spinning whirl, their bodies swiftly rising, and after a pause, they started plunging down. Xie Lian quickly tossed out Ruoye and coaxed in the midst of this chaos.
"All right, all right, everything's over. Hurry, my good Ruoye, come out and give us a hand!"
After a couple of pets, Ruoye finally flew out. However, with nothing in the air to grab on to and a giant Sinner's Pit below, Ruoye flew around once and shrank back. Feeling resigned, Xie Lian could only adjust his form for landing. If this was like previous incidents, he would've cratered headfirst three feet into the ground. But this time, just before they hit the ground, San Lang reached out and gave him a pull, and he actually landed with his feet flat on the ground! When his boots firmly touched down, he was even a little incredulous. But that feeling went away very quickly when a black-clad silhouette came stumbling before him.
Xie Lian saw who it was and called out in delight, "Nan Feng!"
It was Nan Feng indeed, but a disheveled Nan Feng. It looked as if he were rolled in dirt a dozen times before getting thrown into a rambunctious den of beasts to spend the night. His clothes were tattered and frayed, unkempt to the max. Hearing Xie Lian's call, he only waved and quietly wiped at his face, unable to even speak.
Xie Lian helped him to his feet. "What happened? Did those two ladies beat you up?"
Before he finished, two figures appeared behind Nan Feng and walked over. One of them was the female cultivator in white with a whisk in her arms, and she greeted Xie Lian cheerfully.
"How do you do, Your Royal Highness?"
Although Xie Lian didn't know who this was, proper etiquette must still be followed; but he didn't know how to address her, so he could only smile back and wave. "Greetings, fellow cultivator."
The lady in black standing to the side glanced coldly at Xie Lian but didn't seem to care about him. When her eyes moved on to San Lang, however, she seemed to think he was a dubious figure and stopped for a moment.
The gusts earlier had blown everyone out of the pit, and the two ladies walked past Xie Lian, heading straight for Pei Xiu. He saw them approach and didn't appear surprised; after all, he had already seen them in town when he was still playing the part of A-Zhao. He knelt where he was, bowed his head to the lady cultivator in white, and greeted her quietly.
"Lord Wind Master."
Xie Lian was stunned hearing those words.
And here he'd thought she was some menacing ghost or monster— who knew she was actually a heavenly official? And she was the Wind Master, the one who was giving out ten thousand merits in one go in the communication array!
But now that he thought about it in detail, there wasn't anything out of place. At the time, she had said something along the lines of "Now where did they go? Do I have to dig them out and kill them one by one?" and made him think she was after them. In reality, this "they" might not have
meant their group; she could have meant the Banyue soldiers. Xie Lian thought he was alone in this investigation, and thus naturally thought the lady cultivators were strange and wicked.
Xie Lian couldn't help but feel a nameless reverence toward a heavenly official who could easily hand out ten thousand merits. He turned to Nan Feng. "Why didn't you tell me this was the Wind Master sooner? And here I thought she might be some sort of snake or scorpion spirit. Such impropriety!"
Nan Feng's expression darkened. "I didn't know it was the Wind Master. I've never seen the Wind Master like this before. The Wind Master had always been…never mind."
Xie Lian understood. This was probably a fake appearance the Lord Wind Master donned, so he didn't dig into it. He asked, "Why did the Wind Master come to the Banyue Pass?"
"To help out," Nan Feng said. "When we saw them strolling in the streets earlier, they were actually looking for those Banyue soldiers."
Xie Lian recalled now the first time he asked about the Banyue Pass in the communication array. In the midst of that silent awkwardness, it was resentful spirits and disperse their resentment; it was no doubt murder by proxy.
"Your General Pei wouldn't have ever done something like this," the Wind Master said. "This time, I'm afraid you've crossed the line."
The fact that he would release a clone to cause havoc at the Banyue Pass for almost two hundred years and lure innumerous passersby down the wrong path and into the ruins to die in the mouths of Banyue soldiers: for a heavenly official, this was no small issue whatsoever.
Pei Xiu had his head bowed low. "This junior knows."
The Wind Master swept her whisk. "As long as you understand. Reflect on yourself and think on it. We'll talk in the heavens."
"I understand," Pei Xiu said quietly.
Having finished talking with Pei Xiu, the Wind Master stuffed the whisk into the back collar of her robe, stood up, and smiled at Xie Lian.
"Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I've heard much about you."
To Xie Lian, "heard much about you" really wasn't a compliment. But nonetheless, it was just meaningless pleasantries, so he smiled back. "I'm sure it's nothing. I've heard much about you as well, Lord Wind Master."
"Sorry about before, by the way," the Wind Master said.
Xie Lian paused. "Before? What happened before?"
"Didn't you all run into a windstorm in the desert?"
Thinking back, Xie Lian could almost taste the mouthfuls of sand. He replied, "Yes?"
"I started that," the Wind Master said.
"…"
The Wind Master explained, "That windstorm was meant to stop you all from going near the Kingdom of Banyue, but not only did you not get blown away, you went around and ended up in Banyue anyway."
The longer Xie Lian listened, the more he felt that something wasn't right. First she used a windstorm to stop them from getting to Banyue Pass, and now this whole thing was suddenly out in the open. What did it mean?
Xie Lian didn't respond, biding his time to see what the other would say. The Wind Master then continued, "But in regard to this whole ordeal, it would be best if Your Highness got no further involved."
Xie Lian stole a look at Banyue curled up on the ground and felt his dread rise.
He was already worried that if this scandal were to reach the Upper Court, the officials could easily muck up the truth, add strokes where they shouldn't, and have Banyue take all the blame while Little Pei ran off scot-free. With Wind Master's sudden appearance, telling him not to get further involved, didn't this cement that they would protect Little Pei?
Without any change in expression, Xie Lian stepped forward to stand in front of Banyue, hiding her behind him, and said warmly, "But I'm already further involved, so telling me to leave it now is fairly pointless, no?"
The Wind Master flashed a smile. "Don't worry. You can take the state preceptor of Banyue away with you."
Now that was unexpected. Xie Lian was slightly taken aback, and the Wind Master continued. "While you were all in the pit, we heard everything from up here. Although the state preceptor has turned into a wrath, when I roamed the city, I saw that she had drawn the array to trap the Banyue soldiers and released all the captured mortals. She didn't hurt anyone and even saved people. The only ones I'm taking are General Pei Junior and Kemo; you don't have to worry about me placing undue blame on anyone."
Xie Lian relaxed. "Much ashamed! I was suspicious."
"It's normal to worry," the Wind Master said. "There's certainly an unpleasant culture in the Upper Court, after all."
The lady in black looked as if she couldn't stay for a moment longer and spoke up. "Are you done? If you're done, let's go."
The Wind Master rebutted, "Tsk! What's the rush? The more you rush the more I wanna talk!" Still, she turned her head and smiled, taking out a folding fan from her waist. "Your Royal Highness, if there's nothing else, we'll see you in the Upper Court?"
Xie Lian nodded, and the Wind Master opened her fan. On the fan was the word for wind, "Feng," on a slant, and three inclined lines like wind on the back. That had to be the Wind Master's spiritual device. She fanned forward three times, and backward three times. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew from out of nowhere.
The wind drew dust and sand, and Xie Lian raised his sleeve to block the debris. When the wind died down, the two ladies, Pei Xiu, and Kemo had all disappeared, leaving behind only Xie Lian, San Lang, Nan Feng, and the curled-up Banyue on the ground.
Xie Lian dropped his sleeve, still a little dazed. "What just happened?"
San Lang casually strolled over. "A pretty good thing."
Xie Lian looked at him. "Is it?"
"Yeah. The Wind Master was trying to help you by telling you not to get involved."
Nan Feng walked over too. "That's right. You've dug too deep into this business already. The only thing left to do is to file a complaint to the Heavenly Emperor. Don't get yourself any more involved."
Xie Lian got it. "Is it because of General Pei?"
"Correct," Nan Feng said. "This time you have thoroughly offended him."
Xie Lian laughed. "I knew I was going to offend someone one of these days, I guess it doesn't matter who."
Nan Feng furrowed his brows. "Don't think I'm joking. After the Palace of Divine Might, the next most powerful martial palace is Ming Guang. General Pei thinks very highly of Little Pei and has long been trying to oust Quan Yizhen. He's gonna come knocking, looking for trouble."
"Quan Yizhen is the martial god that rules the West, right?" Xie Lian asked.
"That's the one," Nan Feng replied. "Quan Yizhen is also a new official. He ascended around the same time as Pei Xiu. He's young, and a little, um…but very powerful. General Pei intended for Pei Xiu to take over all the devotees of the west, and he's done well for himself, especially these past few years. Now with you dragging this scandal out into the open, it's not looking good for Pei Xiu; maybe he'll even be banished. If he gets banished, your luck is gonna turn for the worse too."
Xie Lian rubbed his forehead, mentally taking note that from now on he would have to be more mindful when eating, drinking, and walking.
San Lang, however, didn't think it was a big deal. "Don't worry. Pei Ming is too proud. He won't do anything underhanded."
Nan Feng gave him a look.
"What about the Wind Master?" Xie Lian asked. "She told me not to get involved, meaning she's the one who will file the complaint. In that case, wouldn't she become the one offending General Pei? I can't have that. Let's call her back. Nan Feng, do you know the password to her personal communication array?"
"You needn't worry about the Wind Master," Nan Feng said. "General Pei can hurt you, but he won't touch her. She may be younger than you, but she's much more successful in the heavens."
"…" Xie Lian wasn't shocked into silence but was instead thinking, Who in the heavens is more of a failure than me? I don't think there's anyone.
San Lang laughed. "With that backing, of course she's successful."
"Are you talking about the lady in black? She looks to be a strong character too," Xie Lian remarked.
"No," San Lang replied. "But she must also be one of the five elemental masters that make up 'Wind, Water, Rain, Earth, and Thunder.' I recommend not offending her."
The Wind Master could start a twister from nowhere, which was obviously powerful. But the lady in black was stronger. Xie Lian kept thinking that the lady had noticed something in San Lang and felt rather concerned.
"I agree."
Still, there were words that Xie Lian thought didn't need to be said, so he swallowed them. He thought, Even someone with a strong backing may not be successful. Back in the day, the crown prince of Xianle had the support of the Heavenly Emperor who ruled all three realms for a thousand years. He was still a failure.
Xie Lian picked up his fallen bamboo hat, dusted it off, and sighed in relief upon seeing that it wasn't flattened. He tied it back around his neck and looked at Nan Feng. "You weren't pursued and beaten up by those two ladies the whole time, were you?"
"Yes. We fought the whole time," Nan Feng replied, face dark.
Xie Lian patted his shoulders. "Thanks for your hard work." Suddenly, he remembered another hard worker and turned around. "Where's Fu Yao?"
"Wasn't he watching the bitten man?" Nan Feng responded.
Xie Lian didn't recall seeing Fu Yao after getting blown out of the Sinner's Pit. Actually, ever since A-Zhao revealed himself, there had been no sight of him. If he didn't leave then, he must've left when the wind blew.
Xie Lian wasn't actually that worried. He figured Fu Yao didn't want to get mixed up in this mess, so he ran off. But, having heard Nan Feng say "bitten," he snapped out of it, and they both cried at the same time: "The shanyue fern!"
"The sky is only just lightening, no rush," San Lang said.
However, there was no such thing as "no rush" when it came to saving lives. Even if they were far from the twenty-four-hour deadline, who knew if anything had happened in all this time? Xie Lian had no time to think about Fu Yao. He hurriedly lifted Banyue onto his back and ran toward the palace grounds.
Once at the palace, Xie Lian laid Banyue down and immediately picked a few large bundles of the shanyue fern. That mud face was still on the ground, its face a bloody mess among its white bones.
In the past, Xie Lian would've buried it, but first of all, he was in a hurry to save people, and second, that man had been buried in the ground for fifty or sixty years, he must not want to go back. But the corpse of the dead merchant was missing, and Xie Lian stopped, puzzled.
Just then, San Lang emerged from the palace with a small clay pot. When Xie Lian saw, he immediately called out, "Good, San Lang, thank you."
Banyue was weak and they couldn't rouse her, so Xie Lian shrank her and tucked her into the pot. With the ferns collected, the group rushed back. It had been about eight hours since they left.
Returning to where Fu Yao had drawn the circle, Xie Lian saw that many were still sitting properly within it, too scared to venture out. The old man who had taken Nan Feng's pill was doing all right, and after applying the herb to his wound and having him eat the plant, he was able to stand and walk after resting for a while. Xie Lian didn't think there was any need to tell them what the herb used to grow on.
After some time, the merchants settled down, and they began to worry.
"Where's Tian Sheng? Why haven't the others returned yet?"
Xie Lian had been too busy picking herbs to find him earlier, plus there was not a single Banyue soldier left in the ruins, so he hadn't bothered with Tian Sheng and the others. He was just thinking about going back to search for them when he heard the voice of a boy yelling as he ran closer and closer. Xie Lian turned his head, and sure enough, it was Tian Sheng. The boy had a large bundle of the shanyue fern in his arms, and behind him were two other merchants, all huffing and puffing.
Xie Lian asked them what had happened and learned that while on top of the walls of the Sinner's Pit, Banyue swept the soldiers down and captured Tian Sheng and the merchants. They were terrified, but Banyue only led them down from the pit and directed them where to go before sending them on their way. They escaped, picked the herbs, buried the dead merchant's body, and rushed back as fast as they could, yet they were still slower than Xie Lian.
In any case, Xie Lian escorted the caravan out of the Gobi Desert and ended this journey at last.
Before they bid farewell, Tian Sheng snuck out to find him and whispered mysteriously, "Gege, I have a question for you."
"Ask away," Xie Lian said.
"You're actually a god, aren't you?"
"…"
Xie Lian was astonished. But also, a little touched.
In the past, there was a time when he'd holler and announce to the world, "I'm a god! I am the Crown Prince, His Royal Highness!" and no one would believe him. This time, he hadn't even said anything, and the other party asked if he was a god. It made him both astonished and moved.
Tian Sheng added immediately, "I saw you use spells! Don't worry, I won't tell."
How would you even tell? No one would believe you… Xie Lian thought.
Tian Sheng continued, "If not for you, I would've gotten thrown into that pit by that bunch of ugly ghost soldiers. When I get home, I'll build you a temple and worship you."
Xie Lian watched him pat his chest and make "very big, very big" hand gestures, and couldn't help but let out a laugh. He smiled.
"Then thank you."
San Lang was standing to the side, and he chuckled lightly for some unknown reason. Xie Lian didn't think it was because he thought a child's naive words were ridiculous.
Although children had no idea just how much work went into constructing a temple, receiving such a promise, whether it would be fulfilled or not, was nevertheless a happy occasion.
After much hassling, he made up a random title, "The Scrap Immortal," to leave behind, then he waved and walked off in the opposite direction. Nan Feng drew another teleportation array and sent them all back to Puqi Shrine.
Opening the door, Xie Lian took the straw mat out, laid it open on the ground, and collapsed on it like a dead body. This was done all in one breath. San Lang sat down next to him and watched him, a hand propping up his chin.
Xie Lian sighed. "How long were we gone?"
"About three, four days," San Lang replied.
Xie Lian sighed again. "Only three, four days. Why am I so tired?"
Ever since he ascended, he was worked to the bone like a dog, no lie. After he was done sighing, Xie Lian looked up.
"Hnn? Nan Feng? Why haven't you gone to report back yet?"
"Report back where?" Nan Feng asked.
"Aren't you an official of Nan Yang Palace? Won't your general miss you after three, four days?"
"My general isn't in the palace right now, so he won't miss me," Nan Feng replied.
Xie Lian rolled over and got up. "All right. It'll be good too, if you stay."
"What are you doing?" Nan Feng asked.
Xie Lian looked at him cheerfully. "I'm going to cook you a meal. As a reward for your hard work."
Nan Feng's face dropped drastically. He raised his hand, pressed two fingers together, and touched his temple as if receiving someone's private communication. He got up and turned.
"There's an emergency at the palace, I'll see you later."
Xie Lian raised his hand. "What? Nan Feng, don't go! How can there suddenly be an emergency? I really want to thank you for everything…"
"There's an emergency!!" Nan Feng roared and ran out the door.
Xie Lian sat back down on the mat and looked at San Lang. "I guess he's not hungry."
There was a loud bang before San Lang could reply, and it was Nan Feng who'd run back, blocking the doorway. "You two…"
Xie Lian and San Lang were sitting together on the mat, and they both looked up at him. "What about us two?"
Nan Feng pointed his finger at San Lang, then at Xie Lian, words stuck in his throat, unable to speak. Then finally, "I'll be back!"
"You're welcome any time," Xie Lian said.
Nan Feng gave San Lang one last stink eye before closing the door and leaving.
Xie Lian crossed his arms and tilted his head like San Lang and said, "Looks like there really is an emergency."
He turned to look at the youth next to him and smiled cheerfully. "He's not hungry, how about you?"
San Lang smiled cheerfully back. "I'm starving."
Xie Lian grinned and stood up again, before turning around and casually tidying the altar table.
"All right, then. What do you want to eat, Hua Cheng?"
Behind him, there was silence. Then chuckling.
"I still prefer the name 'San Lang.'"