However, since Xie Lian was feeling both overly nervous and overly guilty, his eyes were shut tight and he remained completely unaware.
The last time they had exchanged air, it was Hua Cheng who initiated it. He was domineering, and the kiss was deep.
Xie Lian didn't dare recall the event after the fact, only remembering that his lips had been swollen and numb. This time he was taking the lead, and he was very cautious—he placed his lips very softly upon Hua Cheng's, as if he was afraid he'd accidentally wake him if he used too much force.
But in retrospect, wasn't waking Hua Cheng his exact goal? If his kiss was too light and air leaked out between their lips, then wouldn't this be for naught?
Xie Lian kept his eyes closed and silently rattled off excerpts from Dao De Jing as he pulled away to take a breath, then pressed his lips against Hua Cheng's once more.
This time, the kiss was much deeper. Xie Lian fully captured Hua Cheng's thin, cool lips and gently blew in air.
His eyes were closed through the whole process, not daring to look. After delivering five or six breaths, he thought he should push down on Hua Cheng's chest a few times—but the moment he opened his eyes, he found himself staring squarely into Hua Cheng's own widened ones.
"..."
"..."
Xie Lian's hands still cupped Hua Cheng's cheeks, and their mouths had only just parted; soft, gentle numbness still remained on their lips. It was like the two had turned into stone statues, as if they would shatter with an errant breeze.
Xie Lian's petrification was expected. But Hua Cheng, who always stayed carefree when faced with all manner of things, was equally stunned.
Xie Lian didn't know how he managed not to drop dead on the spot from all the blood rushing to his head. It took him a good moment to say, "San Lang, you're awake."
Hua Cheng didn't speak.
Xie Lian dropped his hands from Hua Cheng's cheeks at once and leapt meters back.
"...No, no, no no, no no no! No, no, no, no, no! It's not what you think! I just wanted to…" T o what? Deliver air?! Did ghosts need air?! If he said that out loud, even Xie Lian himself wouldn't believe it!
Xie Lian was stumped. Hua Cheng quickly pushed himself up and extended a hand toward him, looking as though he was also forcing himself to keep steady.
"...Your Highness, you…just calm down first."
Xie Lian clutched his head. He was a mess from head to toe. Finally, he put his hands together as if in prayer and gave Hua Cheng a deep, abrupt bow.
"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!"
Having shouted his apologies, he turned around and bolted, fleeing the scene. Hua Cheng finally snapped out of it and scrambled to his feet to chase after him, shouting as he did.
"Your Highness!"
Xie Lian covered his ears and screamed his penitence as he ran. "I'm sorry!"
Die! Just die! If I can't die, just dig a hole somewhere and pretend to be dead!
His mad dash carried him into the depths of the forest.
As he ran, something resembling a sharp arrow came flying at him. Xie Lian might have been rattled to the core, but his skill did not suffer for it. With a sweep of his hand, he caught a bone spur. He came to an abrupt stop and looked to where the attack had come from—but there was nothing there, only rustling shrubs. With danger lurking in the bushes, he calmed at once and whirled around to hurry back.
"San Lang!"
Hua Cheng had been trailing close behind, and Xie Lian's sudden change of direction almost sent him right into his arms. Xie Lian grabbed Hua Cheng's hand and dashed out of the woods.
"Run—there's something in the forest!"
Hua Cheng had at first been chasing after him, and he was now being dragged back where they came. Once they made it back to the beach, Xie Lian let out a breath of relief.
"We weren't followed, phew. Thank goodness."
"Mmm. There are some little things on this island, but don't worry, they won't follow us here," Hua Cheng commented.
Hearing this, Xie Lian suddenly realized: how could Hua Cheng possibly be afraid of those things? He looked down and found that he was still clutching his companion's hand.
Xie Lian froze once more, then hurriedly let go and jumped away.
Now that there was some distance between them, they fell silent for a moment. Then, Hua Cheng sighed and tugged at his collar.
"Thank goodness gege rescued me earlier. Human bodies really are quite inconvenient. I end up choking down mouthfuls of salty water just from taking a dip in the sea.
Disgusting."
Xie Lian wasn't that stupid—he knew Hua Cheng was giving him an easy way out—but he went along with it, of course. "It's nothing, don't worry about it," he mumbled vaguely, head bowed.
After a pause, Hua Cheng added, "But gege didn't do it correctly."
Flustered, Xie Lian asked awkwardly, "Did I not? I…I thought I only needed to blow in some air."
"Yeah. That's not the correct method," Hua Cheng replied. "Don't do this to anyone else in the future, otherwise…" Otherwise, not only wouldn't he save a life, but he might just end a life. Hua Cheng spoke so seriously that Xie Lian felt rather ashamed. Good thing he'd never tried doing this before or else he really would have committed a sin.
"I won't, I won't," he hurriedly swore.
Hua Cheng nodded, then grinned. Although Xie Lian really wanted to ask Hua Cheng for instructions on how it should be done, he dared not dwell any longer on the subject and made a mental note of it instead. He looked around.
"Is this island really deserted? No trace of humans at all?"
"Of course," Hua Cheng replied. "This is Black Water Island, at the heart of the Black Water Demon Lair."
He stated that with complete confidence. Crimson Rain Sought Flower and Ship-Sinking Black Water…the two supremes seemed to know each other.
"San Lang, have you been here before?" Xie Lian asked.
Hua Cheng shook his head. "Never. But I know of this island."
Xie Lian knitted his brows. "I wonder where Lord Wind Master and the others drifted. Perhaps they're here as well."
This was the Black Water Demon Lair located in the South Sea; it was someone else's territory. Pei Ming's main domain was in the north, the Earth Master wasn't a martial god, and there was no need to elaborate on the Wind Master's condition. If anything happened and they incurred the ire of Black Water Demon Xuan, the only one who could fight back was the Water Master…and there was no knowing when Shi Wudu's Heavenly Tribulation would hit. The current situation wasn't looking good.
"San Lang, does Black Water Demon Xuan have a temper?" Xie Lian asked. "What would he do if heavenly officials accidentally intruded on his domain and entered his home?"
"Hard to say," Hua Cheng said. "But gege has surely heard the saying, 'Crimson rules the land; Black masters the waters.' Even I have to watch my step in the Black Water Demon Lair."
This wasn't simply because it was the heart of Black Water's domain but also because they were both supremes— it was best for Hua Cheng to give his fellow ghost king some face so they could remain cordial.
"Then we'd best leave as quickly as possible," Xie Lian said.
Though they didn't reenter the forest, they did a circuit of the island's edge. Xie Lian called out a few times, but he didn't hear any response from the Wind Master or anyone else.
"They probably didn't drift here," Hua Cheng surmised.
The two returned to the beach. The surface of the sea was still heavy with gloom. Xie Lian picked up a piece of wood and threw it far into the distance. The wood should've floated, yet it instantly sank upon impact with the water.
Xie Lian looked back at the dense forest. "It seems like it'd be useless to build a boat. The teleportation array won't work here either. How are we going to leave the island?"
"Who says it would be useless?" Hua Cheng said.
"But only coffin wood that's housed the deceased can float in the Black Water Demon Lair…" He trailed off when he realized it. Coffin wood. There were trees everywhere, and there was a deceased person right before his eyes.
Sure enough, Hua Cheng smiled. "Won't it work fine once I settle inside?"
Although he smiled, Xie Lian's heart was squeezed strangely by the statement.
Hua Cheng flattened his palm, and the scimitar Eming appeared in his hand. Having committed to the endeavor, they went straight to work collecting materials. They didn't venture deep into the woods, so they didn't encounter anything hiding in the shadows. It took no time at all for them to chop down a number of trees. A whole day of labor went by in the blink of an eye, and the sky grew dimmer overhead.
The two divided the work but competed with each other to scoop up more tasks, so their efficiency was amazingly high.
By evening, the coffin was essentially complete.
Xie Lian had only eaten half a steamed bun during this entire journey and was bitterly starving. But the sooner the coffin was made, the sooner they could leave, so he only excused himself to catch some fish after the coffin had taken basic shape. Yet how could there be fish within the waters of the Black Water Demon Lair? Returning empty-handed, Xie Lian instead went to the edge of the forest and picked some wild fruit from the safer areas. But to his surprise, by the time he got back, Hua Cheng had already started a small campfire;
he sat by the fire with one hand supporting his cheek and the other holding a stick with a wild hare forked on it, which he was roasting over the fire.
He'd already cleaned the wild hare, and it was roasted perfectly—dripping with juice, crisp and golden, the smell fragrant and incredibly alluring. Once he noticed Xie Lian, Hua Cheng smiled and passed the stick over. Xie Lian traded him some wild fruit for it.
"These are all edible."
Both were still wet and dripping; they were soaked in seawater and sweat. However, there was a tacit understanding between them, and neither even suggested stripping out of their clothes to dry them.
The meat of the wild hare was crispy on the outside but tender on the inside; Xie Lian could feel the lingering heat from the fire in his teeth as he took a tentative bite but quickly found that he couldn't stop eating. He savored the flavor that lingered on his lips. Even as he stuffed himself, Xie Lian conscientiously divided the meat in half and gave Hua Cheng his due portion.
"San Lang has such amazing skills," he sighed in awe.
Hua Cheng laughed. "Really? I thank gege for the compliment."
"It's true," Xie Lian said. "I've never met anyone better than you at anything, whether it's carpentry or cooking. That noble, gracious, special someone really lucked out."
As he said that, he acted like he was very focused on eating, though there wasn't any response from Hua Cheng. It was a while before Hua Cheng replied quietly.
"That I got to meet that person…I'm the one who lucked out."
"..."
Xie Lian didn't know what to say and tried to focus even harder on eating. Only after several minutes did he register that Hua Cheng was calling him.
"Gege, gege."
Dazed, Xie Lian replied, "Huh?"
Hua Cheng passed him a handkerchief, and Xie Lian suddenly realized he'd been chomping too hard on the meat —his mouth and chin were covered in grease, and he looked extremely silly. He felt quite embarrassed as he took the handkerchief to wipe himself clean.
Hua Cheng passed him the other half of the roast hare as well.
"Gege must be starving. Don't rush yourself."
Xie Lian took it. Though he was a little dismayed, he still broached the subject in the end.
"San Lang, just what kind of person is your special someone?" he asked. "Why haven't you won them over yet?"
He genuinely believed that if Hua Cheng wanted someone, there was no one on earth who could resist his advances. But that day, Hua Cheng had said he hadn't won them over yet. Xie Lian couldn't help but feel rather glum, and an odd feeling grew toward this individual the ghost king fancied. It was probably because he thought the other party lacked taste. Or perhaps he thought they were taking Hua Cheng for granted.
"It's all right if gege finds it funny," Hua Cheng replied.
"But, truth is, I'm afraid."
Whether it was out of a sense of injustice or a fear that Hua Cheng was putting himself down, Xie Lian responded in a serious tone. "What's there to be afraid of? You're the Supreme Ghost King, Crimson Rain Sought Flower."
Hua Cheng laughed out loud. "What a shitty 'Ghost King.' If I was really that formidable, I wouldn't have been so powerless when people strung me up and beat me centuries ago, ha ha ha ha…" "You shouldn't say it like that," Xie Lian said. "Everyone has to go through trials to grow up..."
But even as he said that, he realized that he'd never experienced humiliation of that sort before his first ascension.
He cleared his throat lightly.
"That person saw me at my worst," Hua Cheng said.
"Then I'm very envious of that," Xie Lian replied.
Hearing him say so, Hua Cheng gazed over.
Xie Lian stopped eating and said gently, "But I can sort of understand…your feelings."
After a pause, he continued, "There was a period in my own life that wasn't easy. Back then, I'd always think about how wonderful it would be if someone could still love me for who I was, even if they saw me rolling in the dirt and couldn't get up. Though I don't know if there's anyone out there like that. And I'm scared of showing that part of myself too.
"But if it's someone San Lang yearns for…I think that even if they saw you at your worst, they wouldn't say something like, 'ah, you're not so great after all.'" His face grew solemn.
"T o me, the one basking in infinite glory is you; the one fallen from grace is also you. What matters is you, not the state of you.
"I…admire San Lang very much. I want to understand your everything, so I'm very envious that someone has already met that version of you so early on. That kind of affinity can only come by chance; it can't be begged for. And whether that bond should live on is three parts fate and seven parts courage!"
The campfire crackled, and the two remained silent for a good while. Xie Lian softly cleared his throat as he rubbed his forehead.
"Have I said too much? How embarrassing."
"No, what you said was good. Very right," Hua Cheng replied.
Xie Lian let out a breath of relief and quickly returned to eating the meat.
"It's not just that. There are many other reasons," Hua Cheng added.
Despite Hua Cheng's assurance, Xie Lian felt he'd said far too much and wanted to stop discussing this subject immediately. He couldn't understand it—why did he ramble on like that, and why did he encourage Hua Cheng to bravely pursue his beloved? It wasn't like he was the heavenly official who presided over marriage. He could only give a mumble as a reply.
"Mmm…" After his speech, the air between the two seemed rather delicate, and they quickly finished eating to continue their labor. Soon, the coffin was officially complete.
Hua Cheng pushed the newly constructed coffin into the water and hopped in to sit inside. Although it was a long, heavy chunk of wood, it really did float, not sink. They didn't make the coffin particularly wide, and as Xie Lian lifted his robes to step in, he felt like there wasn't enough space to sit.
Muffled roars of thunder boomed above them, and steely clouds rolled. Violet flashes of lightning streaked from the skies, and their explosive noise startled the ears. Thin threads of rain began to fall, and the downpour only grew heavier by the minute. It seemed a storm was approaching.
Fortunately, the two didn't slack off while building and had crafted a cover for the coffin as well. Otherwise, it wouldn't have taken long for it to flood with rainwater and sink into the depths.
The two met eyes, and Xie Lian softly mumbled, "Sorry."
Hua Cheng didn't say anything more and lay down inside the coffin. Xie Lian climbed in fully and pulled the cover over them. As if a candle had been blown out, they sank into darkness.
The coffin floated into open water and drifted errantly for a while. Pouring rain beat down on the cover, and the two spoke not a word inside. Their bodies were pressed hard against one another, but it couldn't be helped—they were squished into such a narrow space. The waves pushed and pulled them, flipped and flopped them. Xie Lian used one hand to push against the edge of the coffin to steady himself, trying his best to make more room. His head knocked lightly against the wood with the motion, and Hua Cheng reached out to cradle the back of his head with one hand, shielding it from further bumps. He rested the other hand on his back and pressed him to his chest. Xie Lian didn't even dare to breathe harshly.
"San Lang…how about we switch it up?"
"Switch what?" Hua Cheng asked.
"...You on top and me on the bottom," Xie Lian replied.
"T op, bottom; isn't it all the same?" Hua Cheng asked.
Xie Lian was afraid he was too heavy. "Our journey will take at least a day. Your body is only seventeen or eighteen right now, isn't it? And I'm a martial god; I'm very heavy…" Before he could finish his sentence, he was forced to exclaim, "San Lang, don't…don't just suddenly turn big!"
Although it was hard to see in the dark, they were pressed together so tightly that Xie Lian could feel Hua Cheng's body transform. While the change was minute, he still sensed it and assumed Hua Cheng had probably transformed back to his true form. Sure enough, when Hua Cheng spoke again, his laugh was deeper; truly his real voice.
Xie Lian lay helplessly on his chest, but after the change, the nebulous awkwardness lightened a bit. Hoping to shift his body and change position, he raised his leg slightly, but Hua Cheng abruptly stopped laughing.
"Don't move," he said grimly.
Xie Lian froze. There was a loud noise, and the coffin sank violently.
Xie Lian was bewildered. "What's going on?!"
Soon after, there was another roaring sound, and the two were forcibly tossed around inside the coffin. It seemed their vessel had rolled over. Thank goodness there weren't any leaks, but that couldn't be guaranteed if they were attacked again.
Hua Cheng pressed him down. "Something's got its eye on this coffin boat."
As soon as he spoke, the two felt a familiar weightlessness, and their positions abruptly changed from lying to upright—the coffin boat rose up, then swiftly plunged, flipping over once more!
Hua Cheng's arms were locked in a vice grip around Xie Lian's waist, with one hand still shielding his head. "Hold on tight to me!" he shouted.
If they were in an open space, Xie Lian could manage even if the spinning were three times as violent; the problem was they were trapped inside a narrow, tight space. They couldn't stretch out their limbs, and they had no idea what was happening outside.
All he could do was tense in alert while anxiety roiled within. "What if the coffin breaks?" Xie Lian wondered.
"Don't worry. Even if it breaks, I'm here. You won't sink," Hua Cheng reassured.
They were firmly pressed against each other, and Hua Cheng nearly brushed his lips against his hair when he spoke.
Xie Lian could even feel the slight tremble of his Adam's apple. It made his mind start to wander, but his attention was stolen again by another wave of violent rolling. The boat was like a toy being jostled about by a toddler, and it shook and swung ceaselessly. With no other choice, Xie Lian embraced Hua Cheng tightly with one hand, bracing the other on the coffin wall.
Through the chaos, the two were hoisted and dropped, flipped and flopped into who-knows-how-many different positions. Their bodies collided and rubbed together in countless ways. Even though Hua Cheng had the appearance of a young man, only after this tumble did Xie Lian realize that Hua Cheng was solid and hard from top to bottom. Xie Lian was seeing stars from the torment. When the shaking finally eased for a moment, he found that Hua Cheng was now on top of him. He pressed down heavily and crushed the breath out of him.
Xie Lian managed to raise his hand and grabbed on to the strong forearm beside his body that Hua Cheng was using to prop himself up. His head spun, and he groaned softly. "Is it over yet…" For some reason, Hua Cheng didn't respond. Before Xie Lian finished his thought, his breathing hitched. He had very suddenly noticed that a certain part of his body had experienced a somewhat unusual shift.
"..."
In that split second, Xie Lian felt more incredulous than if he'd seen an iron tree bloom—and at least his mind wouldn't be so blank in such a scenario.
Mortifying shame and embarrassment battered him more violently than the tempest battering the coffin outside.
Xie Lian closed his knees in panic, but that didn't appear to be the right move; it seemed he'd touched something he shouldn't have, and it elicited a brusque grunt from Hua Cheng.
"Don't move!"
The grunt was deep and sharp, and Xie Lian hurriedly flattened his legs again. If he didn't close his knees, he was scared Hua Cheng might notice his body's reaction—in which case he might as well just smash his head against the coffin and die. He could've explained it away as an "unavoidable natural reaction," but there was already that awkward incident on the island. He could say it was unintentional once or twice, but how could he possibly explain himself after the third or fourth time?!
Trapped in such a dire situation, Xie Lian blurted, "No!
San Lang, don't…don't touch me!"
There was a brief silence, then Hua Cheng said gravely, "Very well. Let's break out of here."
It was like he had been absolved. Xie Lian cried, "Go!"
With another vicious attack of weightlessness, the coffin that contained the two was thrust into the air!
Just as it was, Hua Cheng and Xie Lian smacked their palms on either side of the coffin in unison, and it shattered instantly. The two broke free and leapt out under the moonlight. Xie Lian looked back and saw a giant water dragon dangling the broken pieces of the coffin from its mouth. It let out a roar beneath the pouring rain, baring its sharp teeth as if raging at the empty coffin it had presumed was full of food. This water dragon must've been thrashing the coffin boat about with its mouth, snapping it here and twisting it there.
The coffin boat had drifted at sea for a while, but the water dragon had dragged it back inland. The two landed back on Black Water Island. There were two new figures on the beach—Water Master Wudu and General Pei. Shi Wudu's hands were still in a seal, and he faced the storm like he was trying to call the water dragon over. Pei Ming patted his shoulder.
"Water Master-xiong! Just take it easy, will you? This round is over, but who knows when the next will come? Save your energy for now."
T urned out, the sudden pouring rain was the accompaniment to Shi Wudu's Heavenly Tribulation. The storm was calming down, and Shi Wudu whirled around with a flick of his sleeves to regard Hua Cheng and Xie Lian.
"What's with you two?" he questioned.
"..."
Pei Ming just had to give his input as well. "Yeah, Your Highness. Why don't you two explain yourselves? What's going on? What were you two doing in there?"
When the coffin boat exploded, their tight embrace was put on display for all to see. Xie Lian blinked. He was about to speak when he abruptly realized that after tumbling around inside the narrow coffin boat, their hair was mussed and their clothes were disheveled. The two of them looked as improper as one could imagine. Xie Lian wiped the rain off his face and found that his cheeks were burning.
Hua Cheng took a step forward to shield him. A moment later, Xie Lian softly cleared his throat.
"...Nothing's going on. Just…the coffin was too small."
Shi Wudu was puzzled. "I wasn't asking about that."
Pei Ming pointed at all the leftover wood pieces they left behind on the beach. "You made that coffin yourselves, right?
Why didn't you build a bigger one?"
"..."
The coffin boat was designed by both Hua Cheng and Xie Lian, and it seemed neither of them had considered making it bigger at the time. Xie Lian could only laugh awkwardly.
"You're right. Ha ha, ha ha. Did My Lords only just drift to this island?"
"Yes," Pei Ming replied. "Water Master-xiong battled the current of the Black Water Demon Lair, and we only just made it here. Didn't expect to see a coffin sailing the waters of the Black Water Demon Lair; what a curious sight."
Xie Lian could feel himself tense, and he forced a smile.
"Curious indeed."
"You." Shi Wudu turned to Hua Cheng and narrowed his eyes. "On the ship, didn't you say that the only thing that doesn't sink in the Black Water Demon Lair is wood that has carried the dead?"
Pei Ming drew his sword. "Yeah," he said leisurely.
"There's the wood, but where's the dead?"
Hua Cheng smiled too. "If you're so concerned with who's dead here, I suggest you go kill yourself."
Pei Ming pointed his blade at him. "Such arrogance. As expected of Crimson Rain Sought Flower!"
As suspected, he had already guessed. Hua Cheng burst out laughing, and seeing that a fight was about to start, Xie Lian stepped protectively in front of Hua Cheng.
"My Lords, please calm yourselves. You can be completely assured that San Lang is on this journey out of generosity alone."
"'San Lang'?" Pei Ming wondered. "I've never heard of Lord Crimson Rain Sought Flower ranking among the boys of some house. And generosity? Your Highness, are you sure that's the word to describe his intentions?"
Shi Wudu had to stand in the spotlight at all times, so he pushed Pei Ming aside. "Are you the one who's been meddling this entire trip?" he demanded sharply. "What is your intention in luring us here to the Black Water Demon Lair? Where's Qingxuan?"
"This is someone else's territory. Do you think I want to be here?" Hua Cheng answered.
Xie Lian was already used to these kinds of situations and changed the subject with practiced ease. "Has Lord Wind Master not been found yet? Didn't General Pei go looking for him and the Earth Master?"
Pei Ming shrugged. "I almost fished them up, but one of Water Master-xiong's waves came along and washed them away."
"Mind your misleading tongue, Pei-xiong," Shi Wudu snapped. "If I didn't raise waves and simply allowed those things in the water to keep attacking over and over, you wouldn't have been able to find them in the first place!"
"Calm down, calm down," Xie Lian soothed quickly.
"Um…Lord Wind Master is with Lord Earth Master, so there shouldn't be any need to worry."
Shi Wudu humphed. "Earth Master? What good is that Earth Master?! Mediocre and unaccomplished. He's not a martial god either, and his spiritual powers aren't as strong as Qingxuan's..."
He trailed off when he seemed to remember that Shi Qingxuan no longer possessed any spiritual powers. His face fell, and he grew silent.
Every profession has its experts, Xie Lian thought.
Although Ming Yi wasn't a martial god and his spiritual powers weren't terribly strong, he wasn't as bad as the Water Master described. Besides, the skills the Earth Master demonstrated at Banyue Pass weren't bad at all. Even if he wasn't the best, he wasn't the worst either.
"Don't worry too much yet," Pei Ming assured as well.
"Lord Earth Master should be able to take care of things as long as they don't run into Demon Xuan."
Hua Cheng laughed. "Your Heavenly Tribulation has pursued you all the way to the Black Water Demon Lair. You guys have already made a huge mess of his territory. Do you really think the master of the domain hasn't noticed?"
Shi Wudu's face twitched, and he retrieved a golden longevity lock pendant from underneath the collar of his robes.
"Water Master-xiong, did something happen?" Pei Ming asked.
The golden longevity lock vibrated in Shi Wudu's palm.
"Qingxuan is close by…and he's injured!"
Xie Lian took a look at the golden pendant. It looked exactly the same as the one Shi Qingxuan had been wearing that day—the one he removed to build the protection array and left behind in the end.
"Is Lord Wind Master still wearing his longevity lock? I remember he removed it before."
"I picked it up and put it on him again," Shi Wudu said.
The two longevity locks had been forged by the brothers' golden essence. When they were near one another and one was hurt, the locks would call out to each other; the closer they were, the stronger the resonance. This was a natural attribute of the locks and not a spell, so it was unaffected by the Demon Lair's spiritual field. Shi Wudu removed the longevity lock pendant from his neck and dangled the chain from his hand. He held his arm out straight and slowly turned in a circle. When he faced a certain direction, the vibration of the golden lock abruptly grew stronger.
It was calling them into the forest—toward the unfathomably deep heart of the lonely island.
"Looks like Qingxuan is here," Shi Wudu said grimly.
With that, he strode into the forest with large strides.
Naturally, Pei Ming followed along. Xie Lian thought about their present situation. Since the Wind and Earth Masters were both on the island and the Wind Master seemed to be injured, finding them should be their priority. They could worry about the rest later.
"My Lords, there are little ghost minions hiding in the forest. Be careful of ambushes."
Hua Cheng came along as well. Xie Lian wanted to grab his hand, but he remembered his disgraceful state in the coffin boat, and his outstretched hand shrank back in spite of himself. In the end, he tugged a corner of Hua Cheng's sleeve, not daring to look at his face. Pei Ming, however, looked back frequently and appeared to be very interested.
"Your Highness and Crimson Rain Sought Flower—the two of you sure are stuck together like glue. A ghost king like yourself, following us so openly—aren't you even going to try to avoid suspicion?"
"What is General Pei saying?" Xie Lian replied easily.
"Under these circumstances, it's much less suspicious if he comes along. If My Lords run into any danger, you may suspect him—how else can he hope to clear his name?"
"He made it to the rank of supreme, so what difference does it make if he's with us or not? Wouldn't it be easy for him to create a clone?" Pei Ming said.
He had just spoken when a sharp sound tore through the air. Pei Ming raised his hand and caught an arrow.
"So there is something. That was close! Water Master-xiong, be careful…" Before he could finish, there were more swishing sounds, and several more arrows came flying toward him. Cling clang.
Pei Ming swept his sword and wondered, "What the heck?"
Shi Wudu laughed out loud. "Pei-xiong, I think you'd best watch yourself instead!" Then he quickened his pace.
An ambush of arrows was nothing to be afraid of; it was simply an annoyance. Pei Ming irritably flattened a patch of shrubbery and soon plucked out a few more little minions.
"You guys got guts!"
The ghosts were scrawny and sallow-skinned, the lowest of lackeys. They were terrified of the general and cowered in little balls as they hung from his hand, begging for mercy nonstop. They were gatekeepers after all, so attacking intruders was what they had to do. Pei Ming let them go after a few threats.
When they ran into more cunning and vicious minions later on, Pei Ming squashed those ghoulies into a ball and dribbled it as they made their way. The four of them brushed away branches and pushed their way through bushes, hiking through the dense forest for what seemed like ages. As they walked, the resonant cries of the golden lock in Shi Wudu's hand grew louder and louder.
Finally, they reached a large clearing at the heart of the forest. At the center of it was a lake, and the four walked toward it.
Suddenly, Pei Ming spoke up. "Crimson Rain Sought Flower, if you continue with these pranks, I won't tolerate you much longer."
Both Hua Cheng and Xie Lian looked at him, then at each other. Pei Ming frowned.
"If you want to fight, then challenge me like a man. I'm not like those thirty-three heavenly officials; I'm not afraid of you. Shoving me around is pointless."
Hua Cheng arched his brows. "Gege, you have to believe me. I've got nothing to do with this."
Xie Lian intervened. "General Pei, he doesn't play meaningless pranks like that."
Pei Ming was doubtful. "Really?"
Xie Lian grew alarmed. "Be careful, something else on this island might be stirring up trouble."
Pei Ming stopped talking. Right then, Shi Wudu slowed his pace.
"It's here."
The golden longevity lock seemed to cry hardest here, meaning Shi Qingxuan was somewhere close. But this area was open with nowhere to hide—there was nothing here besides the lake.
"Could there be an underground palace?" Pei Ming wondered.
Shi Wudu stared at the surface of the water, and Xie Lian said, "Or it could be at the bottom of the lake."
But a lake on Black Water Island shouldn't be entered carelessly, lest one never come up again. The surface of the lake was calm and unrippled. It looked like a giant mirror, reflecting the blanched moon that hung high in the starless, cloudless night sky. The four circled the edge of the lake. Xie Lian was still weighing options about how to investigate the lake bottom when a terrified scream ripped through the night air.
Shi Wudu was leading the group, and Pei Ming was bringing up the rear. The three in front looked back to see that the screamer was the little ghost that Pei Ming had captured on the road. Its scrawny, bony body stood in place, but its head was gone, and black blood spurted almost three meters from its neck. Its head was flying through the air, screeching.
"General Pei, why did you kill it so suddenly?" Xie Lian asked.
Pei Ming, however, exclaimed, "No!"
Before he could explain, his body crumpled, and he dropped to one knee.
Hua Cheng laughed. "There's no need for such a grand apology."
Pei Ming's expression was stark bewilderment. "Water Master-xiong, watch out!" he shouted.
Watch out for what, though? Other than the four of them by the lake, there was nothing here!
It was as if Pei Ming had been bound by something invisible. Shi Wudu was rushing over to help when a chilling light flashed in front of him. He dodged just in time, though the attack still managed to draw a trail of blood across one of his cheeks. He wiped it with his hand, and his face changed.
Xie Lian stood firm in front of Hua Cheng to shield him.
"An invisibility spell?!"
Pei Ming finally broke free of his formless constraints.
"Gather around! Don't split up!" he shouted.
But Shi Wudu didn't care. The moment he heard the longevity lock start crying again, he charged around the lake, frantically calling out for his brother.
"Qingxuan! Qingxuan!"
It was mayhem, but amidst the ruckus Xie Lian noticed something quite peculiar.
The area along the lakeshore was open and empty, with no notable landmarks to be seen. But the shore reflected on the lake's surface showed a different story.
In the reflection, a charcoal-black building loomed on the edge of the water. The building was cold and sinister, more like a prison than a place where someone lived. It had no door, only a set of windows set high in the walls and sealed by unforgiving iron bars. A pale white hand reached from between those iron bars, waving desperately like it was begging for help.
Xie Lian's head shot up, and he looked to the shore opposite him; there was nothing there aside from Shi Wudu darting around with the longevity lock. When he looked down again, the reflection clearly showed a sinister iron prison. Shi Wudu was right in front of the building, but he couldn't see it.
"My Lords!" Xie Lian blurted out. "I found it! Look…" Just then, his pupils shrank. Something new was reflected within Black Water Lake.
A shadowy figure had appeared soundlessly behind him and Hua Cheng.