Xie Lian was silent for a long moment.
Although Hua Cheng had only swept a glance over the crowd, Xie Lian wholeheartedly trusted that he hadn't counted wrong. He had spoken in a hushed voice, so no one could have overheard.
Xie Lian also swiftly scanned the circle. Everyone was holding hands, so when did an extra person join? Could Shi Qingxuan have counted wrong?
"Are you sure you've got the right number? You didn't miss anyone?"
Xie Lian asked him.
"Nope! Didn't you say headcount is important? I've been keeping count all this time, even deducted the ones who left halfway through. There's exactly 148 of us," Shi Qingxuan confidently confirmed. "What is it? Is something wrong?"
It wouldn't be good to explain right then; doing so recklessly would only start an unnecessary panic. Xie Lian couldn't have people point out anyone they didn't recognize either, as there were too many people present and most didn't know each other in the first place.
Thus, Xie Lian replied, "No, I'm just verifying."
It was even less likely that the spiritual masters miscounted— everyone had reported the headcount of their own group to Heaven's Eye, and he added them all together. There was no way they didn't know exactly how many had come from their schools.
"When did an extra person join us? What are they planning?" Xie Lian whispered.
"They either snuck in at the start or mixed in when the spiritual masters joined. But they are human for certain."
At least it definitely wasn't a ghost. Everyone in the circle had to be a living human, otherwise they wouldn't be able to restrain the vengeful spirits.
The mystery person mustn't have wanted to be exposed yet. Since they were already part of the circle, the entire array would collapse if they let go without warning and left a hole. But the array remained stable, which meant they were keeping to their role as an "iron bar" properly.
Consequently, there was even more reason for Xie Lian to act with caution. If the person realized that their presence had been discovered, they might flee. It also meant it would be quite difficult to find the person without attracting their notice and pick them out without disrupting the circle.
It didn't take long for Xie Lian to come up with an idea, though, and he turned to Hua Cheng.
"San Lang, can you make your wraith butterflies chase the vengeful spirits without killing them? I mean, could they herd the spirits in a particular direction?"
Hua Cheng immediately understood what he wanted to do. "Yes, I can."
Since the person had joined of their own volition, they were likely no simple character—they had no fear of the vengeful spirits. If Hua Cheng ordered the wraith butterflies to herd the vengeful spirits to the edges of the circle, the spirits would surely attempt to escape by searching for leaks.
Almost any mortal could become a crack in the array, but one person would not—the one who had joined willingly!
"But this plan is risky," Xie Lian said. "We might accidentally scare the others into letting go. We'd be shooting ourselves in the foot."
"Don't worry," Hua Cheng said. "I'll kill the vengeful spirits before that happens."
The two formulated their plan, then Xie Lian raised his voice to speak to the crowd. "Everyone, watch out! The vengeful spirits have grown stronger! Just hold on and don't be scared!"
"What?! Why would they get stronger all of a sudden?!" Heaven's Eye exclaimed.
Hua Cheng didn't move from his spot, but the wraith butterflies started chasing the foul mass of vengeful spirits, sending them scrambling away in a chaotic flurry. The beggars couldn't tell what was going on, but the spiritual masters noticed something was amiss.
Heaven's Eye was outraged. "Hua Cheng…zhu! What are you doing?!"
The two inside the circle had no time to mind him; they intently watched the pursuit. Sure enough, amidst the scrambling current of black smog that filled the air, there was one person the vengeful spirits didn't even try to approach. The area before him was conspicuously empty.
That was their man!
Xie Lian darted forward and grabbed the man's hands, at the same time bridging the hands of the two on either side, then plucked him out of the array.
Heaven's Eye and his party were growing restless. "What's going on?!"
"It's none of your business," Hua Cheng answered brusquely.
He was already at Xie Lian's side the moment he finished his statement, guarding him in case the mysterious man tried anything funny. Xie Lian restrained the man firmly and twisted him around. When he came face-to-face with the man, Xie Lian's eyes grew wide. The question "Who are you?" died in his throat.
"State Preceptor, it really was you…" Xie Lian mumbled as he stared at that face.
The man was shocked as well, and it took him a moment to mumble, "Your Highness…" His face should've been incredibly familiar, but instead it was incredibly foreign. The state preceptor was older than thirty in Xie Lian's memories and had a rather poised disposition; he could fool anyone with a sweep of his sleeves and his aloof air. However, the man before him now looked not much older than he did, perhaps only twenty-five or twenty-six.
Even though Xie Lian had heard his voice inside the mountain spirit's body at Mount Tonglu, he'd been wondering since then whether he'd been mistaken—despite also thinking that the Emperor wasn't mistaken when he said, "Your master is no ordinary character. If you do encounter him, be extremely careful!" Either way, there was no doubt that the man before him was his master—the last State Preceptor of Xianle, Mei Nianqing!
The three of them stared at each other. The air inside the circle of three-hundred-some people seemed frozen.
When Mei Nianqing finally snapped out of it, he did something unexpected. While Xie Lian was still stunned, his master lunged forward to seize his throat with both hands!
But Hua Cheng was standing right next to them—how could he possibly allow Mei Nianqing to succeed? Hua Cheng barely moved, but Mei Nianqing was flung over a dozen meters away.
The sudden commotion surprised everyone holding hands in the circle.
"Why did they start fighting?!"
"What's going on?!"
"Who are they hitting?!"
"Gege! Are you all right?" Hua Cheng exclaimed.
"I'm fine!" Xie Lian replied.
In fact, it was the state preceptor who didn't look fine. Mei Nianqing coughed up blood from the blow and crawled to his feet before stumbling away, trying to escape the circle.
When Shi Qingxuan saw the man running toward him, he cried out anxiously, "What are you up to?! Hey, I'm warning you! Don't you dare come over here! Your Highness! He's trying to break the circle!"
"Return!" Xie Lian shouted.
Ruoye answered his command and shot forth! However, before it could wrap itself around Mei Nianqing, a sword plunged from the sky and pierced the ground before the state preceptor, blocking his way. White light flashed from the sky, shooting down in bright rays. Heralded by that shining curtain, a martial god clad in white armor descended from the heavens. Mei Nianqing's path of retreat had been fully sealed!
Blocked both in front and behind, Mei Nianqing had nowhere else to run. When he whirled around, he came face-to-face with Ruoye, which seemed to dance in mad joy as it bound him tightly and tripped him to the ground.
Xie Lian took a step forward. "My Lord? Why have you come here personally?"
Jun Wu rose to his feet, his expression solemn. "Mount Tonglu has been temporarily stabilized. I came to see how things were going on your end."
"How did you manage to stabilize it?" Xie Lian asked.
"I created a new barrier," Jun Wu replied. "The mountain spirits and other human creatures have been temporarily trapped."
But Xie Lian didn't care about the mountain spirits or other unrelated minions. "And…White No-Face?"
Jun Wu shook his head slowly. "I did not find him at Mount Tonglu. I am afraid he has long since escaped elsewhere."
Xie Lian looked at the screen of blinding light that surrounded them and separated them from the three-hundred-some people holding hands—the mortals outside the screen could not see what was going on within. He then looked down at the state preceptor, who had rolled around to face Jun Wu.
Mei Nianqing likely remembered the vicious fight the two had in the past— he looked both shocked and furious, but wisely remained silent even as he raged inside.
Jun Wu inclined his head, watching him commandingly from above.
"Long time no see, State Preceptor of Xianle," he commented languidly.
Looking nonchalant, Hua Cheng approached and gave Mei Nianqing a brief look. "The state preceptor looks pretty weak. How did he manage to escape back then?"
"It was not by his own strength," Jun Wu said. "There were three helpers at his side at the time: the Deputy State Preceptors of Xianle."
Xie Lian couldn't hold back any longer.
"State Preceptor… Who are you, exactly?"
Mei Nianqing watched Jun Wu with a dark expression, his hands clenched into tight fists with veins bulging on the back. It was hard to tell whether he was furious that Jun Wu had ruined his plans or that Xie Lian had exposed him.
He paused for a moment before speaking under his breath.
"Haven't you already guessed, Your Highness?"
He was one of the Four Guardians of the Crown Prince of Wuyong!
"And the Crown Prince of Wuyong?" Xie Lian pressed. "Is he White No-Face?"
Jun Wu was taken aback when he heard this. "Xianle," Jun Wu asked, "who is the Crown Prince of Wuyong?"
Only then did Xie Lian remember he hadn't yet had the chance to report to Jun Wu about Wuyong. Having finally captured the state preceptor, Xie Lian had many things to report and many questions to ask—but none of that business should be conducted here.
"My Lord, let's talk when we return to the Upper Court."
"That may be best," Jun Wu said. He hummed for a moment, then added, "However, most of the vengeful spirits from Mount Tonglu were sent here to the royal capital, and they will not be suppressed quickly. It will take at least seven days and seven nights to do so, even if I am the one performing the purification."
Would he have to wait seven days to interrogate the state preceptor? It would be far too late at that point—White No-Face was still at large! Xie Lian was contemplating what to do when Hua Cheng spoke up.
"Leave the mess here to me. You can go wherever you will."
Xie Lian turned his gaze on him, but Hua Cheng had already guessed what he was going to say next.
"There's no need to say anything else. I'll wait for you down here. If gege really wants to thank me, just return to me quickly when you're done."
"Will that be all right?" Jun Wu said.
Xie Lian broke into a wide smile. "Mmm. Yes."
A silhouette flickered outside the screen of light, and someone came charging in from outside, hobbling and hopping and shouting. "Your Highness! Your Highness, what are you doing in here? Is everything all right?"
It was Shi Qingxuan. When Jun Wu had descended and pulled the screen of light around them, no one outside knew what was happening and they were all scared to death. Shi Qingxuan had bravely stepped up and charged inside to see what was going on. If anyone else had tried, they might have been blocked. But he had worked as a heavenly official, so the screen of light recognized him and allowed him to enter.
As soon as he made it inside, he froze in shock. "M-M-M-M-My Lord?! Why'd you…come here personally?!"
When Jun Wu saw him, he gave a light smile. "Lord Wind Master.
How have you been?"
"…" Shi Qingxuan was hesitant, shy, and rather embarrassed. After all, by now there was no way Jun Wu didn't know the whole sordid affair with Shi Wudu—how he had altered his younger brother's fate and sent him to the heavens. The story had surely spread and caused a riot. Now that he was face-to-face with his former boss, Shi Qingxuan's mind was consumed by shame and guilt. However, Jun Wu didn't mention the topic at all and treated him with utmost courtesy and full respect.
Xie Lian withdrew Ruoye, and Mei Nianqing slowly rose to his feet on his own.
After Shi Qingxuan was done being shy, he asked, puzzled, "Who's this? What's happening right now?"
Mei Nianqing glanced at him. "You're Shi Qingxuan, aren't you?"
"And who are you?" Shi Qingxuan replied in surprise. "How do you know my name?"
But a more important question would be: how did Mei Nianqing manage to recognize him as he looked now?!
Mei Nianqing scoffed. "Your name's terrible."
"Huh?" Shi Qingxuan was baffled.
However, Mei Nianqing didn't say another word. He willingly followed Jun Wu, seeming fairly obedient—probably because he knew that without any helpers at his side, there was no way he'd escape from Jun Wu's grasp, even unbound.
"Xianle, I will bring him to the heavens," Jun Wu said. "Will you be joining us shortly?"
"Yes," Xie Lian replied.
Jun Wu nodded at him, then he departed with his prisoner. Xie Lian turned to Hua Cheng, but before he could say anything, Hua Cheng spoke.
"Gege, you don't have to worry. It's only a matter of looking after the circle and making sure they don't mess up. It's not hard."
Shi Qingxuan chimed in. "Your Highness, are you gonna head up? Go, go. I'll keep an eye on things too—don't worry!"
Xie Lian nodded. "Thank you both for your hard work."
In the past, Hua Cheng would have likely replied with "It's nothing" or some other modest niceties. Yet this time, unexpectedly, he hugged his arms and sighed.
"It is rather hard work."
"…" Xie Lian sensed he was hinting at something.
Meanwhile, Shi Qingxuan sensed nothing, and he said excitedly, "Yeah, remember to reward us for our hard work afterward! How about throwing a feast at the royal capital's best restaurant? Ha ha ha…" Shi Qingxuan still couldn't forget about feasting at the city's finest establishment. Xie Lian thought, Lord Wind Master…please stop talking.
That wasn't what he meant at all… Hua Cheng shook his head. He quirked his eyebrows and absently played with the red coral pearl tied at the end of his small braid. "It would be fine if gege were here beside me," he said with apparent nonchalance. "But to think he's going up there again, leaving me down here all by myself, hmm… The work feels harder now."
Shi Qingxuan finally noticed that something sounded weird, but he still didn't get it. With a face full of smiles, he said, "Crimson Rain Sought Flower, you're so funny. It sounds like you're saying you're gonna be lonely now that His Highness is going back up to the heavens—like you're newlyweds or something! Ha ha ha…" "…" You're not wrong, Xie Lian thought. Isn't that exactly what he meant?!
Shi Qingxuan laughed stiffly for a while, and Xie Lian finally couldn't bear it any longer. He cleared his throat.
"Um, Lord Wind Master, will you…will you step outside? Just for a moment, okay?"
"Huh? Why?" Shi Qingxuan asked.
Xie Lian couldn't explain. "Just… Just step outside. We need to say our farewells."
Only then did Shi Qingxuan exit, confused. Now, it was just the two of them inside the screen of light, not another soul present.
Xie Lian turned around. Hua Cheng was still watching him with one eyebrow raised. He seemed to be waiting for him to say something—or do something.
Thus, Xie Lian gathered his courage, placed two stiff hands on Hua Cheng's shoulders, and steadied himself for a moment before he hopped up and pecked him on the cheek. After having done so, he looked around with a hollow conscience like a thief and only relaxed when he confirmed no one else was present. Yet unexpectedly, the next second, he felt something tighten around his waist—it was Hua Cheng, hugging him close.
"Gege, are you just placating me?"
His unhappy tone was half-serious, half-fake. It was somewhat worrying to hear.
Startled, Xie Lian quickly exclaimed, "I'm not!"
"Really?" Hua Cheng said. "But you weren't like this at all when you were borrowing spiritual power from me. Is this the sort of farewell I get now that I'm not lending you my power?"
"…" Now that he thought about it, Xie Lian worried that he wasn't being sincere. In a small voice, he said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."
But after apologizing, the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like that really was how he had come across. Alarms began to blare in his head. Scared he might be misunderstood, Xie Lian didn't wait for Hua Cheng's response; without another word, he moved to act. He jumped up and hugged Hua Cheng around the neck, throwing himself on him—and this time, he fully kissed Hua Cheng just where he wanted.
As luck would have it, Shi Qingxuan chose just that moment to interrupt. "Your Highness, I keep thinking about it, and the more I think the weirder it feels. If you two are just saying your farewells, there's no need to kick me out, you know? I'm just… Your Highness? Why'd he leave so fast?"
Xie Lian had fled the scene, fumbling and stumbling.