It had been centuries since Xie Lian last felt such chills down his spine.
Mei Nianqing had declared that White No-Face was standing before him. He'd assumed his master was referring to him, but he failed to realize— although Xie Lian was indeed standing in front of Mei Nianqing, Jun Wu was standing behind Xie Lian!
The only thing was…he had never suspected Jun Wu in the slightest.
The revelation startled him so badly that his hair stood on end. Xie Lian struggled a bit but couldn't loosen Jun Wu's powerful grip on him in the slightest.
He said, in spite of himself, "You… Your face…" Jun Wu seemed to pay it no mind, sounding like he had just noticed a trifling mistake. "Ah. A moment's carelessness and they're out again."
Another wave of excruciating pain coursed through Xie Lian's wrist, and he finally couldn't grip the sword anymore. His fingers went slack, and the longsword dropped to the ground with a clear, resounding clang.
However, it was too late. Many of the nearby heavenly officials had seen the horrifying face reflected in Hongjing, just as Xie Lian had!
A blanket of dead silence covered the great hall. Almost every heavenly official was stunned, including Feng Xin, who stood the closest and had seen everything clearly. Mei Nianqing used this chance to break free of his hold and grabbed Hongjing from the ground, raising it with both hands to stand it in front of Jun Wu.
"Everyone, look closely! Look at the face of the man standing here!"
Some of the martial gods finally came to their senses. Brandishing his sword, Pei Ming rushed forward and shouted, "Who are you?!"
The heavenly officials standing farther away didn't understand what was happening, and they started calling out.
"What's going on?!"
"Who is General Pei talking to?"
"How could he point a sword at the Emperor?!"
Mei Nianqing glared unblinkingly at Jun Wu. He enunciated each word as he stated, "He is White No-Face!"
Mu Qing was dumbstruck. "How could he be White No-Face? Is White No-Face impersonating the Emperor? Where's the real Emperor?"
That made Xie Lian wonder if there had been a clandestine switch at some point—but then how long had the supposed substitute been around?
Why hadn't he noticed anything amiss? The Heavenly Emperor wasn't like the elusive, low-key Earth Master—an imposter couldn't have gone unnoticed by the entire Upper Court!
Mei Nianqing was just about to speak again when Jun Wu raised his hand with a sigh.
"You've disappointed me again."
Mei Nianqing's face abruptly dropped, and it seemed like he had been seized in a choke hold. Lang Qianqiu picked up his greatsword and slashed out a flurry of gales, but he was sent flying backward with a single glancing look from Jun Wu.
In the next moment, Pei Ming, Lang Qianqiu, Feng Xin, Mu Qing, Quan Yizhen, and almost all the martial gods inside the Palace of Divine Might surged forward to surround and attack Jun Wu.
An incense time later, every one of those gods lay sprawled on the ground, defeated. Jun Wu was still gripping Xie Lian's wrist.
The floor of the Great Hall was littered with martial gods who had lost their spiritual powers; only Jun Wu and Xie Lian remained standing. Mu Qing hacked up a mouthful of blood and shouted angrily at Xie Lian, who stood frozen and silent in place.
"Move! Do something! What are you zoning out for?! Are you waiting to be killed?!"
But he didn't know—it wasn't that Xie Lian didn't want to move, it was that he couldn't move, not a bit! Although Jun Wu was merely gripping him with a single hand, Xie Lian thought he would notice and immediately stop him should he even slightly curl a finger—retaliation was completely out of the question. From whichever angle he judged, the best plan was to remain still and cautious.
Such was the power of the number one martial god of all three realms!
The heavenly officials standing at the room's outer edges had scattered in fear. It was a moment before they remembered to escape, and, faces pale, they attempted to rush out of the Palace of Divine Might. They only made it to the entrance before the heavy, glamorous doors closed on their own, leaving the officials to slap at them futilely. The nearly one hundred heavenly officials inside the hall either couldn't get out or couldn't get up; pure chaos reigned.
An unseen force yanked Mei Nianqing's body forward, and Jun Wu grabbed ahold of his collar, smiling as he did.
"Did you think I didn't have a plan if you changed your mind last minute and opened your mouth in front of everyone? Did you think they would pose a threat to me once they knew and joined forces? I could annihilate them all with a single hand."
It seemed that Jun Wu hadn't brought Mei Nianqing up first just to give Xie Lian a chance to say goodbye to Hua Cheng. He had threatened Mei Nianqing with something, which was why the state preceptor had allowed himself to be interrogated in the hall without resistance or complaint. Who could've guessed that he would change his mind at the last second?
He clutched Jun Wu's sleeves and shouted to Xie Lian, "Your Highness, run away! He's gone mad!"
"State Preceptor!" Xie Lian exclaimed.
A moment later, Mei Nianqing couldn't speak another word—it was as if something was choking him. But he was always dressed in robes that covered his neck, so Xie Lian couldn't clearly see what was wrong.
"You silly fool," Jun Wu sighed. "That was no different from throwing them into a pit of fire. This affair had nothing to do with them, but now no one will leave the Heavenly Capital alive."
With things this dire, Xie Lian called into the spiritual communication array, "San Lang!"
He had never recited Hua Cheng's verbal password to access his private communication array before, but he didn't have time to worry about being shy in such dangerous circumstances. And yet, even after reciting it a few times, he received no response; there was nothing but silence on the other end.
Just as it had been in Mount Tonglu's domain, spiritual communication was blocked!
With only a glance, Jun Wu could tell what he was thinking. "No need to keep trying. You cannot reach him if I do not allow it."
The Heavenly Capital was built on Jun Wu's power; this was his domain, and he reigned supreme within it. Of course he could do whatever he wanted here, which also meant the entire Upper Court—indeed, the entire Heavenly Capital—had become thoroughly isolated. Truly, they were now "Crying for the heavens in vain; crying for the earth to no avail." 2 Suddenly, the doors of the Palace of Divine Might burst open. The heavenly officials regained their spirit and were about to rejoice, but they were shocked again when they saw who was standing in the entrance. A tall, black-clad man stood outside the hall, blocking everyone's way out. His aura was chilling and unapproachable. It was Ling Wen wearing the Brocade Immortal!
The heavenly officials had no idea what to do as Ling Wen crossed the threshold and entered the hall, bending one knee to the ground before Jun Wu.
"My Lord," he said with solemn respect.
"Rise and get to work," Jun Wu ordered. "You know what to do."
Ling Wen inclined his head and smiled. "Of course."
Mu Qing struggled to his feet using the wall as support, both shocked and dubious upon seeing this display. "Wasn't Ling Wen still at large in Mount Tonglu territory?"
"That is correct," Jun Wu replied. "However, Ling Wen is very useful —much more useful than most heavenly officials. She is a rare talent. Her actions were nothing but an insignificant mistake, so I have summoned her back."
Indeed, Ling Wen's mistake in creating the Brocade Immortal was truly "insignificant" compared to what the White-Clothed Calamity had done. And now, both Ling Wen and the Brocade Immortal were "Jun Wu's" subordinates. A small white shadow leapt forward in a flash and latched onto Jun Wu's foot, then started nuzzling his boot.
When he recognized it, Feng Xin cried angrily, "What are you doing?!
Get back here!"
That thing was the fetus spirit. Not only did it disobey the words of its own father, but it even maliciously snaked its tongue at him. Feng Xin had just been beaten to the ground by Jun Wu, spewing blood, and now his own son was hugging the leg of the enemy who had wounded him like it had no idea who its dad was. He was so furious that he could puke up blood again.
A troop of expressionless martial gods poured into the hall soon after.
They were officials Jun Wu had personally appointed, and they only obeyed his command. Ling Wen received control of them from Jun Wu and gave them their orders.
"Escort all of the heavenly officials to their palaces and monitor them."
Pei Ming was sitting nearby, his expression complicated. "Ling Wen, how heartless of you."
Ling Wen patted his shoulder. "You've known of my heartlessness since the day we met. How about it, wanna join us? You're always welcome."
Pei Ming gave a dry chuckle but didn't reply.
Once again, Xie Lian received special treatment—Jun Wu would personally escort him back to the Palace of Xianle.
"Come," Jun Wu beckoned.
Xie Lian glanced back at Mei Nianqing. Just what is going on? Who are you? What did you want to achieve? Who is this person—is he Jun Wu or White No-Face? What is he planning? There were far too many questions he wanted to ask, but the answers would need to be given in great detail and in private. Only Mei Nianqing could provide the information, but Jun Wu would hardly give him the chance.
The moment they left the Palace of Divine Might, Xie Lian was shocked. Nefarious clouds rolled across the gloomy skies above the great avenue of the Heavenly Capital. All had changed in the blink of an eye, and the once-scintillating brightness was no more. Only the martial guard under Jun Wu's direct command still acted as they usually did as they escorted every heavenly official back to their palaces. There was a choking aura of somber unease. The junior officials who had been rushing about were now sprawled unconscious across the ground.
Needless to say, this had to be Jun Wu's doing. From afar, the bell tolled again and again—dong, dong. It seemed to be the source of the problem here.
They walked slowly along the great avenue of the Heavenly Capital toward the Palace of Xianle. On the way, Xie Lian racked his brain trying to think of a way to escape. But he was no match for Jun Wu, and any clever tricks he could think of would be completely useless against the Emperor.
Besides, Jun Wu didn't just have martial might—he could always see through Xie Lian and understand exactly what he was thinking.
By the time they entered the Palace of Xianle, Xie Lian still hadn't come up with anything, and he told himself to let it go. It didn't matter if he couldn't think of anything. If he didn't contact Hua Cheng, he'd definitely notice that something was amiss soon…as long as things didn't get out of hand before that happened.
However, as soon as the doors shut, Jun Wu suddenly asked, "Are you thinking about Crimson Rain Sought Flower?"
"…" Jun Wu's words made Xie Lian's pounding heart jump to his throat, and he didn't know how to respond. If he said yes, would Jun Wu do something to Hua Cheng? But Jun Wu might not believe him if he said no.
At his lack of a response, Jun Wu smiled. "No need to fret; I know you must. I'm sure you really want to talk to him."
The way he spoke to Xie Lian was the same as it had ever been: warm, tolerant, composed, dependable. There was no change. But the more he acted like this, the more confused and terrified Xie Lian became.
"If you really miss him, then why not connect with him for a bit to chat?" Jun Wu continued.
"…" He had guessed what Xie Lian was thinking when they entered the palace. Everything was within his grasp!
Jun Wu's smile remained unchanged. "Xianle, you know what to say to him. Do not let him worry. And I am sure that Crimson Rain Sought Flower of yours will be very happy you took the initiative to reach out to him."
Then he placed a hand on Xie Lian's shoulder. Xie Lian felt a subtle wave of movement, and he knew Jun Wu had cast some sort of spell that allowed him to hear every word said in their communication array. Even if Jun Wu couldn't speak directly, he could still listen in, and Xie Lian already knew what he wanted to hear him say to Hua Cheng.
After a pause, Xie Lian gathered his courage and boldly said Hua Cheng's verbal password out loud. Jun Wu seemed to find it funny—he even chuckled a bit. However, Xie Lian had no time to be embarrassed or shy. It only took a moment for Hua Cheng's voice to ring out next to Xie Lian's ears.
"Gege, gege," he sighed. "It's been so long. You've finally remembered San Lang."
Xie Lian exchanged a look with Jun Wu. "San Lang, it hasn't even been two hours since I left."
"To me, the point is that you left, not that you've only been gone two hours," Hua Cheng said. "Even for an instant, separation is separation."
Jun Wu was listening in right next to him, you know! Even taking his perilous circumstances into account, Xie Lian still managed to feel some genuine embarrassment.
"Unfortunately, he will have to wait longer than two hours," Jun Wu said. "Continue. Tell him that he will not be able to see you until the vengeful spirits have been taken care of. Do not attempt to give any roundabout hints. I can hear everything."
It would take seven days and seven nights to dispose of the vengeful spirits. After a pause, Xie Lian said, "If you can't even wait for two hours, what will you do if I need to be away for longer?"
"Did Jun Wu stuff a big bunch of missions into your arms?" Hua Cheng asked.
"Yeah," Xie Lian replied.
"Let me help," Hua Cheng said.
"Tell him that I will permit you to take a three-year break after you complete your missions," Jun Wu directed.
"There's no need," Xie Lian said. "San Lang, you've already been a great help guarding the array for me. Just let me handle everything else. The Emperor already said that I can have a three-year break after I complete the missions; I won't have to do anything else."
"Only three years?" Hua Cheng asked.
"Is three years not enough?" Xie Lian said. "It's already a perk."
"All right, fine. But…" Hua Cheng continued languidly, "Gege, that's your perk. What about mine?"
"Wh…what perk?" Xie Lian asked.
"What do you think?" Hua Cheng asked back.
When Hua Cheng asked that question, Xie Lian could practically see his quirked brow and curved lips. What could he possibly say to that?
"Speaking of which, gege still owes me quite a bit of spiritual power, am I wrong?" Hua Cheng continued.
"No," Xie Lian replied cautiously.
"Then has gege thought of how he'll repay me?" Hua Cheng asked.
"Not really…" Xie Lian said.
Hua Cheng huffed a laugh. "Since you haven't thought of anything, then why don't you let me decide? Once everything is over and done with and you're on your vacation, gege can take his time to pay me back. How's that sound?"
Xie Lian was forced to defend against his attacks while sneaking glimpses at Jun Wu like a guilty thief. He answered with random affirming noises. "Oh, mmm, yeah…" Having slyly guided him to this point step by step and receiving the answer he wanted to hear, Hua Cheng was finally satisfied and temporarily let him off the hook. "So what can I do for you? It's so rare for gege to seek me out through spiritual communication."
Jun Wu eyed Xie Lian. The reason he had allowed him to communicate with Hua Cheng was to keep the Ghost King out of this—to make him think everything was fine and get him to stay obediently in the Mortal Realm.
Xie Lian knew what kind of answer Jun Wu wanted to hear, so he replied slowly, "Actually, it's not really anything. I was just afraid that you'd be worried after I'd been gone for so long."
"Hmm?" Hua Cheng wondered. "Didn't gege say it yourself? You haven't even been gone two hours. Why would you worry that I'd be worried?"
Xie Lian was getting dizzy from going around in circles with him. He felt a little anxious but also a little amused.
Suddenly, Hua Cheng said, "Oh, I get it."
Xie Lian's breath hitched. "What do you get?"
Hua Cheng seemed to chuckle on the other end. A moment later, he replied leisurely, "Gege, maybe you're the one who's missing me so keenly after being apart for such a short while?"
"…" Even if Xie Lian managed to cover up their feelings with ambiguity earlier, this line was too honest and exposed, and he couldn't pretend to reply casually. Under Jun Wu's watchful gaze, Xie Lian's face grew hot.
A moment later, he replied softly, "…Yes."
Hua Cheng's reply was soft as well. "Me too. I really want to go up there right now and whisk you away."
While Xie Lian's heart was warmed by this, it also felt like it was suspended in the air. His eyes met Jun Wu's. If Hua Cheng really did come to the Heavenly Capital, how would things end? How would Jun Wu handle him?
Xie Lian suppressed his emotions and did his best to sound natural.
"Nah, it's okay. It's a mess up here in the heavens right now. If you come, they'll probably lose their heads. Just wait a bit longer."
"I understand, gege. I won't show up and scare them," Hua Cheng replied lazily. "I hate that glaring light in the Heavenly Capital, and I still have to watch over this circle of people. I'll just wait here nicely for gege to come back."
Xie Lian couldn't tell if he had sighed in relief or broken out in a cold sweat. "Yes, be good."
"But," Hua Cheng said, "if I'm going to be good, gege can't come back empty-handed. I need a reward."
"Of course, of course," Xie Lian replied.
The two exchanged a few more casual words, ambiguous and questionable, unable to part. They bade each other farewell repeatedly before finally ending the communication.
Xie Lian softly huffed a breath, and Jun Wu commented, "It seems Xianle has been living an exciting life down below."
Xie Lian didn't know how to answer that. Jun Wu patted Xie Lian's shoulder, then turned around. He was about to leave the Palace of Xianle when Xie Lian called to him.
"My Lord!"
Jun Wu paused in his step.
"Who exactly are you? Are you the Emperor? Or something else?" Xie Lian asked.
He'd struggled to accept it when he suspected a connection between the state preceptor and White No-Face. If Jun Wu and White No-Face were connected, his whole world would flip upside down. After all, Jun Wu was the number one martial god of the three realms, someone he respected and looked up to!
Jun Wu didn't answer him, just continued on his way. Now that Xie Lian was left to his own devices, he brainstormed plans for retaliation as he dragged his exhausted body to the inner chambers of the Palace of Xianle.
Although this palace had become a cage, it was a magnificent cage.
There was even a bathing pool made of white jade in the inner hall. Over the last few days, Xie Lian had battled the white ghost, entered the Kiln, crawled, tumbled, rolled, and fought. He was exhausted in both body and mind. He decided that he might as well take a bath to refresh himself—he wouldn't be going anywhere for a while anyway.
He stripped down and lowered himself into the warm water to soak.
Xie Lian leaned against the edge of the white jade pool, folding his clothes absentmindedly. Two tiny things came tumbling out of his pile of robes, clacking crisply as they did. Xie Lian looked closely and saw that they were two cute, exquisite little dice.
He picked up the dice and held them in his palm, remembering the words Hua Cheng had said to him: "If you want to see me, it won't matter what you roll. I will appear."
It was unusual that he was the one who initiated their spiritual communication, and perhaps Hua Cheng had noticed. But even if he realized something was wrong, he wouldn't be able to get here—the Heavenly Capital was now isolated from the world and completely under Jun Wu's control.
Xie Lian was fully aware of the reality of the situation. He knew he wouldn't get to see Hua Cheng, even if he rolled two sixes. But he still tried.
Clack, clack. The dice tumbled over the jade tiles on the edge of the bathing pool.
Snake eyes—his luck was terrible as always. And sure enough, there was not a single hint of movement.
Xie Lian sighed and turned around. He was just about to dunk his face and body into the water when he heard a voice.
"Gege."
Water splashed everywhere as Xie Lian abruptly stood up in the bath.
"San Lang?"
Had he actually summoned Hua Cheng?!
However, when he scanned his surroundings, he didn't see anyone's shadow. Still, that voice was definitely not a hopeful hallucination. Xie Lian's heart thumped when he heard another voice call out.
"Your Highness!"
"…" Only then did Xie Lian realize that the voice had come from his own mouth! It was his voice, but the sound had been obscured by the spacious bathing room's humid air and the noise of splashing water. Xie Lian was stunned for a moment, but then it dawned on him: the Soul-Shifting Spell!
"Lord Wind Master?!" he cried in surprise and delight.
From his lips came another person's overly excited words. "Yes, it's me! Ha ha ha ha, amazing, right? The Wind Master—no, I have spiritual powers again!"
It was previously mentioned that the Soul-Shifting Spell didn't see frequent use due to its exhaustive demands on spiritual power. Because it was much rarer and sketchier than typical spiritual communication spells, a random barrier was unlikely to deliberately block it. When Shi Qingxuan lost his spiritual powers, the door that connected him to Xie Lian had been blocked from one side. Xie Lian hadn't imagined that door would see use now.
"Qingxuan, the Soul-Shifting Spell burns a lot of spiritual power.
Where did you get it?" Xie Lian asked, though he quickly realized the answer. Where else could he have gotten it?
Sure enough, Shi Qingxuan replied, "It's a long story! Uh, well, it's not actually that long. That Crimson Rain Sought Flower of yours gave me a few black candies to eat; they're incredibly magical! I got an explosion of power after I ate them! Even though it's temporary, it'll still last for a while.
Communication won't be a problem. But they taste really bad, blech, blech, blech!"
"…" Xie Lian couldn't help but recall the Ghost Scent Candy that Pei Ming had eaten. But any spiritual power candies Hua Cheng provided would be high-end.
"Who called me gege just now?" Xie Lian asked.
"It was me!" Shi Qingxuan said.
Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Why did you call me that? And here I thought—" "I know," Shi Qingxuan said. "You thought it was Crimson Rain Sought Flower coming for you, right?"
Xie Lian cleared his throat lightly, and Shi Qingxuan continued, "He was the one who told me to call you that. He said that you'd know he was here if I did, and it'd be comforting for you."
That was true, Xie Lian supposed. Although he had been surprised when he heard "gege," it had been very reassuring.
"Is he next to you right now?" Xie Lian asked. "Is everything all right in the royal capital? The vengeful spirits aren't giving you trouble, are they?"
"Everything's fine here," Shi Qingxuan said. "The vengeful spirits are still being cleared out. It's just that, when you were having that conversation with Crimson Rain Sought Flower earlier, he was happily laughing and talking with you about random stuff, then, as soon as the communication ended, his face turned so dark it was terrifying. And then he called me over to see if I could shift my soul to you. Oh yeah—by the way, Your Highness, he wants me to pass on this message: 'Your Highness, please get dressed.' He's been nagging me about that for a while now. What's the problem? It's not like you'll catch a cold in the heavens."
Xie Lian nearly fainted, and he grabbed a robe to wrap around himself at the speed of lightning. "H-h-h-he… San Lang can see?!"
"Yeah," Shi Qingxuan replied. "It's pretty annoying to keep repeating things, so I've just been transmitting everything I see and hear right to him.
That way he knows everything you do or say. He just can't talk to you or control your body directly, that's all."
Dear Lord Wind Master…how clueless can you be?! Had Xie Lian known, he wouldn't have gotten into the bath! He'd assumed that he would have to think a while longer before an opportunity presented itself!
"It's fine, Your Highness," Shi Qingxuan said. "I didn't think you'd care so much about something like this. We're all men here—surely you've seen Hua-chengzhu like that before? Besides, I didn't see much…" He really was too clueless. Xie Lian slapped a hand to his forehead and quickly got dressed, then abruptly changed the subject as he grabbed the dice and left the inner hall.
"San Lang, how did you figure out that something was wrong?"
After a pause, Shi Qingxuan replied, "Crimson Rain Sought Flower says he knew the moment you sought him out. Oh, Hua-chengzhu wants me to tell you this: 'Gege is so shy, I knew he wouldn't recite my verbal password if it wasn't something major.'" "…" Just as he'd thought.
Shi Qingxuan seemed to be talking to Hua Cheng. "Okay, okay, okay, I won't waste any more time on nonsense, we'll talk business." Then he said, "Your Highness, what exactly is the situation over there? Is the Emperor not around?"
Xie Lian didn't know where to start. "It's precisely because he's around that things are like this!"
By the time Xie Lian had explained the key points, Shi Qingxuan was already shaken.
"My god, my god, my god! Your Highness, you're not delirious, are you?! It's the Emperor! We're talking about the Emperor here!"
"I can't be sure if it really is him anymore," Xie Lian said. "San Lang, what do you make of all this?"
A moment later, Shi Qingxuan replied, "Crimson Rain Sought Flower doesn't seem very shocked. He just said, 'Not surprised at all. I already couldn't stand him.'" For lack of anything to say to that, Xie Lian laughed. "Can you stand anyone?"
That question was directed to Hua Cheng, and Shi Qingxuan replied, "He says, 'Other than you, no.' Hey, Hua-chengzhu, that's not very nice. I'm standing right here, ya know! So you can't stand me either?! What's wrong with me?!"
"All right, all right, it was just a joke. In any case, the martial gods have all been beaten into submission, and every heavenly official is confined to their palace. The Heavenly Capital is isolated from the world right now, so there's no way to get in."
"Crimson Rain Sought Flower says there is a way in, but we'll need to enlist someone's help," Shi Qingxuan stated.
"Who?" Xie Lian asked, but a moment later, he shouted, "Who's there?!"
The latter question wasn't directed at Hua Cheng or Shi Qingxuan—it was voiced at an unusual movement behind him.
Someone had come!