"How is it?" Xie Lian asked.
Thud!
Ming Yi collapsed onto the altar table facedown as if she'd lost consciousness. Next to her, two lines of silent tears streamed down Shi Qingxuan's face.
"…" Xie Lian hesitantly pressed them, "My Lords, how is it exactly? Can you collect your thoughts and give me some constructive criticism using your words?"
Shi Qingxuan snapped out of it. He wiped away his tears, then clutched Xie Lian's hands, squeezing them with force. He said, nigh unintelligibly, "Your Highness…"
Xie Lian reversed the hold and clutched Shi Qingxuan's hands back. "What?"
Shi Qingxuan was lisping and couldn't speak. A moment later, he let out a sob and pushed Ming Yi.
"Ming-xiong…Ming-xiong! Ming-xiong, what's wrong? Get ahold of yourself, wake up!" Ming Yi lay unmoving on the table. Shi Qingxuan could never stand anyone ignoring him, so one thing led to another until he was strangling Ming Yi, shaking her violently.
Xie Lian couldn't watch this anymore, and he gently pointed out, "Lord Wind Master, why don't you put down the broom and we can talk things out?"
Shi Qingxuan was busy strangling that broom, and he whipped his head around to shout, "Hah? Your highness, what did you say?! I can't hear you!"
Feeling a little helpless, Xie Lian yelled into his ear, "Lord Wind Master! The thing in your hands is not Lord Earth Master! Lord Earth Master is here! Here!"
Just then, Ming Yi sat bolt upright. He returned to his male form in a flash. His face was as dark as iron, and his words bore down on Xie Lian oppressively.
"My heart has been overtaken by inner demons. Please exorcise them for me."
A spoonful of stew could cause a demon infestation of the heart?! Xie Lian was shocked to the core. He mumbled, "That can't be possible…"
Shi Qingxuan pointed at Ming Yi, his eyes round and bulging. "Hold it! You! What manner of evil are you, to dare flaunt your petty tricks before this Wind Master? Where's Ming-xiong?! Quick, I'll shield you! Let's take it down together!"
Broom in one hand, She Qingxuan flung out the Wind Master fan in the other. If he attacked with that fan, then the entire roof would be blown away for sure! Xie Lian hastily rushed over to hold him down.
"Don't, don't, don't! My Lords, please, will you both snap out of it?!"
"Ha ha ha ha, he he he he he, eh he, eh he, hue hue hue hue…!" Qi Rong slammed his fists on the ground outside as he shrieked with laughter. "Y'all deserved it! Damn officials! Go die and ascend! THIS IS FUCKING GREAT! I FEEL SO VINDICATED!"
The two officials inside fell over themselves and groaned nonstop. Hua Cheng leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. Xie Lian looked at him, then at the Wind Master and Earth Master, who were curled up into balls on the ground and clutching their heads.
"Is it maybe because I didn't add enough water after all…?" he murmured. "Why are their reactions stronger than Qi Rong's?"
Hua Cheng arched his eyebrows. "I think it's fine. It's probably a problem with their taste buds. It happens."
Xie Lian had never thought much about the difference between Qi Rong's usual diet and that of heavenly officials, but comparing the two now made clear an obvious disparity in taste. It was only logical that a heavenly official's shock in this case would be greater, which meant their reactions were naturally far stronger.
Of course, it never crossed Xie Lian's mind that anything could have been added to the pot after it passed through Hua Cheng's hands…
Feeling both depressed and guilty, Xie Lian fed Shi Qingxuan and Ming Yi seven or eight bowls of water apiece before they slowly came around. Although their complexions were sickly green like Qi Rong's, and their eyes dead, at least they were conscious and their speech returned. The only lingering problems were the unstoppable tears streaming down Shi Qingxuan's face, and that when he spoke, he occasionally accidentally bit his tongue. Other than that, there weren't any real issues.
After all that ruckus, two hours later, the four finally sat down around the altar table properly. Ming Yi still had his face down on the altar, still like a corpse.
Xie Lian schooled his expression and inquired solemnly, "Lord Wind Master, you said there was something important you wanted my help with. What is it exactly?"
Shi Qingxuan, looking haggard, flung a soundproofing spell on the door to ensure that no one outside could hear a word of their discussion.
"…It's like this," he croaked with a hoarse voice. "Ahem, ahem. Ahem, ahem. Your Highness, you've been living in the bustling world of mortals, cultivating within their realm for eight hundred years. You've
walked and seen much, so you must have encountered a vast number of nefarious beings, right?"
Xie Lian crossed his arms. "I've met some."
"Then I want to ask, have… Have you ever encountered a Venerable of Empty Words?"
Xie Lian was taken aback. "A Venerable of Empty Words—the creature that mourns at feasts?"
"That's right!" Shi Qingxuan's voice had dropped to a hush.
Xie Lian felt a hair-raising, cold breeze blow up his spine, swishing his locks. At the same time, someone seemed to be next to his ear, giggling and humming an exceedingly creepy tune. Little Puqi Shrine was always awash in the warmth of sunlight peeking through its windows and cracks, but even this had dimmed, as if the entirety had been enveloped by a great shadow. Xie Lian's limbs and fingers grew as cold as iron.
"…"
"…"
"…"
Xie Lian clutched his robes tight in spite of himself and felt the need to voice his concern.
"I have to ask… Who's laughing? Who's singing? Who's blowing cold air up my back? Who made the shrine this dark?"
Shi Qingxuan wiped away his tears. "Oh, that's all me. It's just a little spell, don't mind it. Just setting the mood."
The other three at the altar table were speechless. Moments later, Xie Lian put his hand to his forehead in exasperation.
"…Lord Wind Master, how about we stop with the breeze? None of us are wearing layers in this weather. Besides, the mood before was perfectly fine…until the cold air and music ruined it."
"Huh? Really?" Shi Qingxuan asked. With a wave of his hand, the cold air blowing up everyone's backs dispersed. "But I think it'll be good if the shrine remains this dark. Let me light a candle, the ambiance will be even better."
As he spoke, he really did take out a candle and light it. The flickering candlelight illuminated two snow-white complexions and two pale greenish faces. The mood improved considerably; the haunting atmosphere was exceptional. Perhaps even Qi Rong, still tied up outside, would squawk and scream in fright.
The other three were no longer inclined to make further commentary. Hua Cheng leaned back, and Ming Yi remained like a stiff corpse.
"Let's continue… Where were we?" Xie Lian rubbed his forehead. "The Venerable of Empty Words? Why didn't you just say 'jinx monster'? It took me a moment to realize what you were talking about when you called it that."
"Your Highness, what guts you have!" Shi Qingxuan exclaimed in shock. "It's not very considerate to refer to it as such, is it?"
The Venerable of Empty Words had been bequeathed a respectful title, but people only addressed it as "venerable" for show. If its given name were too unseemly, people feared that the creature would overhear and retaliate. The truth was, everyone wished they could curse it as "the foul-mouthed immortal" or "the jinx monster." The worse the moniker, the better, because it really was abominable in the extreme.
That's right, normal nefarious creatures were frightening, but this one was abominable. If someone was happy, in their moment of joy, it would appear to dump a bucket of cold water over their head—a killjoy in the most literal of terms. Consider, for a moment, the following scenario: this creature appears at the reception for a pair of newlyweds to gobble up the feast and suddenly declare, "It won't be long before the two of you divorce!" Or as another example: this creature appears just as the master of a household receives a promotion in office and cries out in the midst of all the congratulations, "In just a few years, you'll be cuffed and sent to jail!"
If it latched itself on to someone, it would become like their shadow, endlessly predicting future misery whenever a joyous occasion should occur. Truly abominable, especially for the superstitious sort who feared ominous signs; if they ran into the thing, they'd surely die from distress alone. No one wanted to be haunted by a monster like this, but if one were unfortunate enough to cross paths with it, one could only accept their fate. After all, the means by which it selected its prey was a mystery.
It seemed Shi Qingxuan was quite wary of the creature, but Xie Lian didn't think the beastly thing was such a big deal.
"Don't worry. It's nothing to be scared of."
Such a creature was significantly more likely to be scared of Xie Lian, to be exact.
Shi Qingxuan perked up.
"So Your Highness has met one? Is there any way to exterminate it completely?"
Thinking it over for a moment, Xie Lian replied, "Over the years, I bumped into two, but after our encounters, they never showed themselves again. I don't know for sure whether they were completely exterminated, but in my experience, it's not that difficult to deal with them."
Shi Qingxuan was overjoyed. "Two?! You managed to deal with two?! I've really come to the right person! So what happened?"
Thus Xie Lian began his tales. The first one went like this: Many years ago, Xie Lian passed through a small town. There, a wealthy merchant was sending his daughter to the imperial capital to study, and because of his daughter's outstanding skill, he made a big show of publicly commending her. It was a joyous occasion, but who could have predicted that joy would brew tragedy?
At the send-off feast, a voice bellowed: "Your daughter's carriage will overturn on the road, and she will crash down into the valley and die!"
The wealthy merchant jumped to his feet in a rage, set on catching the one who would say such a thing, but that person ducked under the table immediately and disappeared into thin air!
Afterward, everyone was fearful. Fortunately, Xie Lian went to the merchant's household that day to collect junk. He managed to get some leftovers from the feast and was about to head back when he heard what
had happened. He immediately knew what the creature was and told the wealthy merchant not to worry. He then asked the wealthy merchant to hire twenty-some guards, and with Xie Lian himself included, they carefully and safely escorted the little lady to the capital. He guarded the girl for a while, biding his time. A month later, the little lady won first place in a beauty contest, and an opportunity arrived.
That night, a feast was held at a restaurant in the capital to celebrate the little lady. Sure enough, again a voice from the crowd bellowed:
"You will be—"
The moment Xie Lian heard its voice, he immediately seized the creature from the crowd, choking it by the neck to stop it from uttering even a single word. Then he used a talisman to seal its body, and following this, he beat it to a bloody pulp. Next, he ordered a carriage and took it to the valleys to run wildly astray. At a winding corner of a mountain pass, the reins snapped, and the carriage crashed down the cliff, fulfilling its own curse.
"That's it?" the other three asked.
"That's it," Xie Lian said. "To deal with the jinx—all right, the 'Venerable of Empty Words'—there are three ways to handle it. The first is to not let it open its mouth; cut it off before it can speak. This works in the moment but not in perpetuity, so you need to remain vigilant at all times.
"Second, if it should speak, don't let the subject of its curse hear. Anyone would be frightened to hear someone cursing them at the height of their joy, and that creature feeds on fear; it revels in it. The more frightened you are, the happier it becomes. If you should lose yourself to terror and ruin your own affairs in accordance with its words, its powers increase significantly. But unless you're deaf, you'll definitely hear it speak sooner or later. To be honest, not even the deaf can escape; some have cut off their own ears in an attempt to do so, but in the end, it was still useless.
"However, if you pay no mind to however it tries to curse you or rain on your parade, then it can't do anything to you. So, the most effective method is the third—surround yourself with happy occasions and ignore it completely. Let it choose to speak or remain silent, but forget everything it says. Make yourself stronger and continue down your path according to your own will, and not in accordance with the tragedy it predicted for you. If it can draw no despair from you, it will eventually leave on its own with its tail between its legs… Of course, it could still very well be lying low, waiting for its next chance to strike."
Although the third method was the most effective, it was also the most difficult to accomplish. After all, who in the world could truly build such a heart of stone and feel not a single ripple of fear?
The more Shi Qingxuan listened, the harder his brow furrowed.
"Then what about the second time? Did you take care of it the same way then?"
"The second time might not be useful as a reference," Xie Lian explained. "It was a unique situation, after all."
"How was it unique?"
"The individual it latched on to was me," replied Xie Lian.
Many years ago, Xie Lian himself encountered a Venerable of Empty Words.
At the time, he had just finished constructing a small hut by his own handiwork. He was standing there, admiring his new abode, when suddenly a tiny voice came from one of the corners, "This dwelling of yours will collapse in two months!"
"So what did you do?" Shi Qingxuan asked.
"Nothing," Xie Lian replied. "I said, 'Two months? If it's still standing in seven days, then it'll be a real miracle.'"
"…"
Hua Cheng's lips curved slightly, but that smile quickly faded.
The Venerable of Empty Words hid in the shadows, waiting to feed on Xie Lian's fear, frustration, insecurity, and other such negative emotions. However, its jaws gnawed on nothing but empty air. Even when Xie Lian finished cleaning and fell asleep in his new house, it still hadn't managed to suck anything out of him.
Although Xie Lian never saw its form, he could sense that it was probably quite angry.
Not even a few days later, lightning struck and the entire hut was scorched. The Venerable of Empty Words was most pleased, probably thinking "scorched" wasn't any different from "collapsed"; the curse had technically been fulfilled! Xie Lian surely had to be afraid now. Yet this was not so, and still it couldn't manage to absorb anything from him to fill its stomach. Refusing to give in, it followed Xie Lian and waited for the next joyous occasion to arise.
But who could've known that it would wait for over half a year? In that half a year, Xie Lian experienced not a single joyous occasion!
Anyone else would've given up. However, creatures known as Venerables of Empty Words possessed a unique trait, and that was obstinance. They were relentless in their pursuit of their chosen prey, and so it starved pathetically for that half year.
Finally, an opportunity came to pass. One day, Xie Lian managed to collect a large bundle of junk and made a small fortune. The Venerable of Empty Words was overjoyed. Having been thwarted for so long, it passionately launched into a long and rambling string of curses: after Xie Lian struck it rich, he would waste his fortune on gambling and drink, only to fall sick and be trailed by an endless string of debt, and so on. Xie Lian counted his money and listened with indulgent amusement. Afterward, he washed up as he'd always done and went to bed. The Venerable of Empty Words drank nothing.
That night, Xie Lian's pile of junk caught fire.
After the fire was put out, Xie Lian turned to the Venerable of Empty Words and sighed, his face black with ash. "What a shame! It's all burnt. Not a single scrap left. I didn't even get the chance to experience that lifetime of riches, or any of those other drunken dreams you spoke of. I think the things you say are quite interesting; how about you tell me more?"
Similar incidents occurred again and again, over and over. Toward the end of their time together, Xie Lian would prompt the Venerable of Empty Words for its input before it even spoke. "Do you have anything to say? Do you want to say something?" Finally, the Venerable of Empty Words couldn't take it anymore and fled.
To Venerables of Empty Words, a God of Misfortune like Xie Lian was an extremely unfavorable target. Either he experienced no happy occasions and they waited fruitlessly for years, or he had already grown
accustomed to all the bad luck and suffered neither fear nor anxiety. His luck was so bad it defied the imagination of the Venerable of Empty Words, so Xie Lian thought nothing of its curses, and in fact treated them as well-wishes or daydreams.
In any case, after that, Xie Lian never ran into any Venerables of Empty Words. He suspected perhaps that his Venerable of Empty Words fled back to its own kind and griped to them about Xie Lian's general vileness.
Shi Qingxuan listened up to that point and couldn't manage to hold it in; he snorted a laugh.
"Is it very funny?" Hua Cheng asked quietly.
Shi Qingxuan knew it was inappropriate and instantly schooled his expression. "Sorry, Your Highness," he apologized solemnly.
Xie Lian smiled. "Don't worry. I think it's pretty amusing too." He concluded, "The Venerable of Empty Words draws power from fear in
people's hearts. With this power, it manipulates its victims to realize its predictions and then makes new ones; the cycle continues until the person is thoroughly broken and their mind is lost to despair. The more unsteady one's heart, the more disadvantageous their position; the more one has, the more one fears loss."
After a pause, he suggested, "Did one of Lord Wind Master's devotees request his help after receiving such a curse? You're the God of Wind, so something like this isn't within your jurisdiction. If you received such a prayer, you can pass it on to a martial god."
"It wasn't a devotee who ran into it," Shi Qingxuan replied. "It was me."
Now Xie Lian was even more amazed. "You? Venerables of Empty Words usually don't dare target heavenly officials. Even if they tried, an esteemed heavenly official such as yourself need not fear them."
Shi Qingxuan sighed. "If I'd run into it after my ascension, then of course there would be nothing to worry about, but…it's a long story."
Many hundreds of years ago, when the Wind and Water Masters were still mortal, they were born and raised in an affluent, prosperous merchant household.
Shi Qingxuan was the second son, and when he was born, the entire family rejoiced. They gave him the baby name "Xuan." For the sake of building up good luck for the new child, they widely distributed congee and such fare to the hungry and performed acts of compassion. At the time, there was a fortune-teller who, as he ate the congee, saw the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes. He asked for the details of his birth, then said:
"Since I've taken a meal from your household, I will tell you this: That son of yours might have a good life, but it's difficult to explain the whole story. If you want to keep him safe, know that he must be kept low profile. Don't raise him to be the ostentatious type, don't give him the chance to shine, and build up an inheritance for him in subtle silence. Thiswill ensure he lives a life of peace. Be sure to never host any celebratory feasts in his name, or you will invite something bad along with them."
Now those were terribly unpleasant words, and very much like something a Venerable of Empty Words would say. The Shi family was a merchant household, and all the qualities the fortune-teller described wereespecially valuable to them. The fortune-teller was shooed away on the spot with a frown, and his words were naturally dismissed. A few days later, a feast was held in Shi Qingxuan's honor. The lanterns shone and the banners flew; drums thundered and gongs sounded.
At the feast, the guests hollered their congratulations, singing songs of praise to the second young master of the Shi family, wrapped in swaddling clothes.
Then a singsong voice suddenly rang out from the floor.
"WRETCHED BEGINNING, WRETCHED END!"
That voice came from below the ground, but it overtook the voices of everyone present. The crowd was dumbfounded with shock.
The feast ended with apprehension thick in the air. That very night, baby Shi Qingxuan burned with fever, crying and dry-heaving nonstop. The fever wouldn't break no matter what was done, and the entire family was terrified out of their wits. The Shi family remembered that strange fortune-teller who they had kicked out not long ago, and they hastily searched all over to invite him back.
"I told you to keep a low profile, but you didn't listen," the fortune-teller scolded them. "Now that the child has caught the eye of the Reverend, his life will be filled with endless peril. This bout of fever is nothing, and it will subside on its own. But this—it's nothing more than a welcoming gift!"
Of course, he was talking about a Venerable of Empty Words. But this wasn't a typical Venerable of Empty Words that could be chased away so easily—it was most ancient indeed, and strong in cultivation. How strong? Even without joyous occasions, it could still mourn. This was how it came to be called the Reverend of Empty Words.
The sale of a single expensive item can feed a business that is otherwise quiet for years, and the Reverend was the very embodiment of this concept. Its eyes were viciously sharp, and it had a taste for prey of legendary character and earthshaking destiny. Some managed to win against it, but their entire lives were devoted to the fight and their constant struggles provided it with rich meals. Some were utterly destroyed and became its fuel. Having hoarded power for close to a thousand years, its foundation was deep and solid. It had finally awoken after a century's rest and had decided it was time to stretch its legs…and when it next opened its mouth to feed, it was eager to take a large bite.
Shi Qingxuan had just been born and was incidentally exactly to its taste. Thus he was "reserved" by the Reverend—although the tiny baby couldn't understand its predictions even if he heard them, there would come a day when he could comprehend, just as there would come a day he knew fear. Once this fear was planted during the boy's childhood, it would burrow deep and become impossible to uproot.
Fortunately, spirits and monsters like these didn't have much in the way of brains, and their way of thinking was bizarre. The fortune-teller plotted out a way to trick it, and the Shi family put the plot into action. They sent Shi Qingxuan away and pretended he'd been given to another family, then dressed their son to look like a female baby before bringing him back. The family then claimed that the female babe was an adopted daughter and raised the little young master as a little young mistress instead. As long as the Reverend of Empty Words could not find the male baby it had reserved, it surely wouldn't be able to remember who it had picked after some time passed.
It was with this plot that Shi Qingxuan matured to ten years of age in peace.
Over those ten years, the once-wealthy merchant household gradually declined. The parents of the two elemental masters passed away, and internal conflicts over inheritance raged. Shi Wudu tired of it all, so the year he turned sixteen, he left home and brought with him the little Shi Qingxuan, who was younger by many years.
The brothers depended on each other to survive. Shi Wudu was the first to enter the mountains to cultivate under a master, and he settled his little brother in a town at the foot of the mountain. Every day, he cultivated and trained until late, not returning home until it was deep into the night.
There was also nothing to eat in the mountains, so he could only take meals at home.
One fateful evening, Shi Wudu was caught up in sparring with another disciple and lost track of time. Shi Qingxuan waited and waited, but still his brother didn't come home. Worried that his brother was surely hungry by now, Shi Qingxuan decided to go up the mountain to deliver food.
Shi Qingxuan was still a child at the time and didn't know how to hike the dark, rugged paths at night. After walking for a long time with the food box, he could no longer ignore the pressing need to relieve himself. Urgently, he pulled up his skirt at the side of the road.
Just then, a figure cloaked in shadow approached from the far end of the mountain road. "Is it Xuan-er up ahead?"
Hearing someone call his baby name, Shi Qingxuan thought his brother had sent someone to find him. He hurriedly dropped his skirt and answered.
"It's me!"
That unfamiliar voice asked, "Were you born in such year, at such month, such day, such time?"
Shi Qingxuan was surprised. Why the sudden request for his birth information? And furthermore, that person had it all correct. So he answered: "That's right! How did you know? Who are you? Do you know my brother?"
That voice didn't respond to his questions. It finally said, "Come here and let me see your face properly."
That sounded like a command. At this point, Shi Qingxuan finally sensed something amiss.
He clutched the food box close to his chest and bolted. As he ran, he heard whirling wild winds behind him, cackling madly. That thing was chasing him, and it was close behind!
It shouted, "YOU'RE GOING TO FALL THIS INSTANT!"
Shi Qingxuan was scared out of his wits, and when it said "fall," he indeed tripped and fell, shattering the food box as he did. Rice spilled all over the ground. Just as the creature was about to pounce, Shi Wudu arrived.
The Reverend of Empty Words vanished from sight when it saw someone had come. Shi Qingxuan's face was filthy with blood and rice from the fall, and Shi Wudu hugged his little brother close. Both of them were terrified and panicked.
It had found him!
Its prey was in its claws after so many years of searching, and the Reverend of Empty Words finally had its first taste of sweetness. From then on, it appeared regularly, each time more calculating than the last. The creature's cultivation was too strong; the Shi family fortune was already depleted, and the cultivators that Shi Wudu managed to hire could do nothing. He lacked the power to throw a million merits to have his voice heard directly by the heavens. Although the creature never demanded Shi Qingxuan's life, the two brothers knew that it was only biding its time, waiting until its prey had been fattened before the butchery. For the time being it was gently slapping his face as a reminder to be afraid, but there would come a day when the slap would truly hurt. It was like a hunter who refused to kill their prey with a single arrow and instead grazed it over and over to thoroughly relish its terror.
This was very much like a death by a thousand cuts.
Fortunately, a turning point finally came. After years of aggressive training, Shi Wudu ascended. The moment he ascended, he immediately brought Shi Qingxuan to the Middle Court and aggressively showered him with rare spiritual treasures and divine riches. A few years later, Shi Qingxuan also successfully ascended. The Reverend of Empty Words thus quieted and disappeared.
Shi Qingxuan very naturally assumed that the creature knew it hadbeen beaten, and had finally given up and backed off. But it seemed he was too optimistic. A few days prior, he was out drinking with a large group of friends, and in the midst of his drunkenness he suddenly heard a ferocious voice in his ear.
"YOU'LL NEVER SEE YOUR BROTHER AGAIN!"
That voice was exceedingly familiar—from the age of ten on, he had heard it at least once or twice every year until he finally ascended. The fear of that voice ran deep in his bones, and it was like thunder crashing in his ear. Shi Qingxuan sobered up instantly. Gripped with terror, he rushed to Pei Ming's domain and only relaxed when he personally saw Shi Wudu alive and well, socializing with Ling Wen and Pei Ming.
He wondered if that voice had simply been his own delusion; after all, the creature had scarred him profoundly when he was young. But he was still worried, so he set out on a mission to find Xie Lian and ask for his assistance, and dragged Ming Yi along for the ride. He hadn't expected to bump into Hua Cheng at Puqi Shrine; when it comes to enemies, the road is truly narrow.
After listening to the story, Xie Lian commented, "So the one Lord Wind Master met and the ones I met are on completely different levels."
Briefly thinking it over, he turned to Hua Cheng. "San Lang, have you ever seen the Reverend of Empty Words?"
Hua Cheng was toying with a pair of chopsticks in his hand. "Hmm? I've never seen it personally, but I know someone who has."
Although Xie Lian was curious as to who this "someone" was, he didn't ask after them. He only said, "How strong is its cultivation, exactly? Is it really that powerful?"
Hua Cheng tossed the chopsticks and replied lazily, "Very strong."
Hearing this, Shi Qingxuan and Ming Yi's expressions grew somber and grave.
"It's not a typical little minion," Hua Cheng added. "Certainly difficult to deal with."
Although he said "difficult to deal with," his expression remained unchanged, like he was only saying it out of courtesy. Regardless, it was not easy to elicit such a comment from Hua Cheng.
"Lord Wind Master, this problem doesn't seem like a trifling matter,"Xie Lian said. "Why not tell Lord Water Master?"
Shi Qingxuan waved his hand. "No, no. You have to know, my brother is about to undergo another Heavenly Tribulation. What if he goes off and fights the Reverend of Empty Words only to lose focus? I have to keep this a secret; no one must know. I didn't say a word to anyone, not even to officials who have a good relationship with my brother."
Heavenly officials could undergo multiple Heavenly Tribulations; they weren't necessarily once-in-a-lifetime events. The more Tribulations passed, the greater one's divine rank, the more unshakable one's status, and the stronger one's spiritual power. Shi Wudu had triumphed over two Tribulations already, and Xie Lian had heard in the spiritual communication array's leisurely chatter that he was waiting for the third to occur any day now. It certainly wouldn't be good for him to lose focus—after all, failing to pass a Tribulation meant, in turn, that one's divine rank would plummet.