This time, Hua Cheng's smile wasn't fake—on the contrary, it was very bright indeed. Stunned, the state preceptor pointed at him.
"You, you, you… It's you? That child—you are that child?!"
Both his finger and his voice were practically shaking. Hua Cheng wore a cheerful expression, and although he made no reply, the truth was clearly written on his face: "That's right! I'm the one who almost burned down Mount Taicang—the Star of Solitude himself!"
The state preceptor turned to Xie Lian and demanded, "Your Highness…what's going on? Can you explain?"
Xie Lian spread his hands open and shrugged, giving a shy smile.
"It's…just as you see."
The state preceptor was utterly gobsmacked. He slapped the back of his right hand into his left palm a few dozen times. It was a moment before he could finally speak.
"You see! You see, you see, you see, I told you so! I told you Supreme Ghost Kings shouldn't be so carelessly provoked. He's been coming on to you from such a young age—such ghastly persistence! It's been, what, eight hundred years? Eight hundred years! He's been stalking you for eight hundred years! Scary, too scary! My fortune-telling is just too accurate!"
"Please, Master… Please, drop it. Let's not talk about this anymore…" Xie Lian pleaded.
You haven't even seen the Cave of Ten Thousand Gods and all its divine statues, Xie Lian thought to himself. If the state preceptor had seen it, he'd probably decide Hua Cheng was a savage beast or fierce flood, some mad demon or sick ghost—and then he'd tuck Xie Lian under his arm and run away.
The state preceptor still hadn't recovered from his shock. "No, he's too terrifying. What the heck? Such obsession—and so calculating! Your Highness, you must be absolutely careful; you'll be easily taken advantage of like this. Be careful of his lies!"
"San Lang wouldn't do anything like that," Xie Lian said.
Hua Cheng dryly confirmed the statement. "My Lord5 thinks too much.
I'd lie to anyone but His Highness."
The state preceptor leaned over and began to argue with Hua Cheng.
"You sly boy! You're taking advantage of the fact that His Highness isn't very experienced in this aspect of life—don't think I can't tell! Why don't you tell me right now, to my face, how to lend spiritual power? How many ways can it be lent, and how do you lend it? What did you tell His Highness?"
"…" Hua Cheng made no comment.
Xie Lian started yelping and making random noises. "Ha ha ha ha… All right, all right! Let it go, the page has already been flipped; as long as it's been lent, it doesn't matter how, right?! Ha ha ha, it's all the same, all the same!"
If they continued to discuss this, he was going to start flapping like a drowning duck being boiled in a pot. Xie Lian quickly changed the subject, turning serious.
"Let's discuss more crucial matters. Right now, he's locked us up, but he hasn't made a move yet. What is he planning?"
"Probably arranging another test for you," Hua Cheng said.
"What kind of test, though?" Xie Lian wondered.
"That's hard to say," the state preceptor said. "To be honest, anything is possible. But Your Highness, don't change the subject! I'm giving you advice. Don't allow lust to confound your mind, and don't be deceived by pretty words. I say he's—" "Gege, someone's coming," Hua Cheng interrupted, his tone dark.
"Don't think you can lie to me," the state preceptor said. "Unlike His Highness, I'm not so easily deceived."
But Xie Lian said, "Master, he's not lying to you—someone really is coming! Let's hide!"
As he spoke, he and Hua Cheng lightly pushed off with their feet and leapt onto the ceiling beam to hide together. It wasn't long before frantic footsteps could be heard outside the chamber, and shortly after that, a man kicked the door open, cackling with pleasure.
"WAH HA HA HA HA HA, THE HEAVENLY REALM IS NOTHING! In the end, it still submits to the heel of this ancestor's boot!"
"…" "…" "…" All three were struck speechless at the sound of that voice.
A man in green robes swaggered into the room—it was, of course, Qi Rong, who they hadn't seen in ages! Not only had Jun Wu locked up all the heavenly officials, he'd apparently also let loose all the nefarious creatures sealed in heaven's prison. Those creatures could now freely roam the streets of the Heavenly Capital and rampage across the realm—reason was standing on its head. It was bizarre to see!
The state preceptor also hadn't expected the interloper would be Qi Rong, and he stiffened at the sight of him. Qi Rong pointed at him and began to shout.
"Friggin' State Preceptor! Friggin' old man, friggin' ancient fossil!
Heh! Remember how you looked down on me and refused me as a disciple?
What do you think about me now? It's a slap in the face, right? But that's just karma—this is the ending you deserve!"
A timid little head peeked out from behind him—it was Guzi. This was probably the first time he'd ever entered such a sumptuous building, and he stared at his surroundings with wide eyes. He seemed to secretly want to touch the jade brick flooring but didn't dare do it.
"My good son, do you see?" Qi Rong said, proud and happy. "This here is the Heavenly Realm, and now it's your daddy's domain!"
"Really, Dad?" Guzi said, awe in his voice. "This place is so big…" "Of course!" Qi Rong exclaimed. "If you don't believe me, watch— PTOOEY, PTOOEY, PTOOEY! I spit wherever I please, and who'd dare tell me off?!"
The state preceptor had no words.
Guzi hesitated for a moment, but he still whispered, "Dad, it's not good to spit on the ground. It's so beautiful and clean here—you'll dirty the floor."
Qi Rong was stumped.
The state preceptor couldn't resist commenting either. "Take a look at yourself! What are you teaching that child? You're how old now, and you still don't know how to be a good role model? Even that boy is more mature than you!"
As he was lectured from both sides, Qi Rong's embarrassment turned into anger, and he jumped to his feet spewing a barrage of curses.
"FRIGGIN' OLD MAN, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW?! Pretending to be some elder! I won't allow either of you to discipline me! And you! How dare you speak to your daddy like that, you ungrateful brat!"
After the scolding, Guzi didn't dare make any further comments. When Qi Rong was done yelling, he guiltily wiped at the spit on the floor with his feet, then dragged Guzi out of the room while pretending that nothing had happened, cursing and cussing as he went. Before he left, however, he drew an enormous scrawl of graffiti upon the most conspicuous wall of the Palace of Ling Wen: "GREEN GHOST QI RONG #1 GHOST KING OF THE 3 REALMS WAS HERE!"
After Qi Rong exited the Palace of Ling Wen, the blue budaoweng doll Xie Lian had tucked away in his sleeve slipped out on its own and fell to the ground. It landed in front of the wall that had been defaced with those enormous characters and the spit mark Qi Rong had messily wiped away. The budaoweng spun wildly, like it was losing its mind with rage. Once he and Hua Cheng leapt down from their hiding spot, Xie Lian picked it back up.
The state preceptor shook his head. "Prince Xiao Jing truly is… unrelentingly immature. He's shown no growth whatsoever, and his taste is still incredibly bad."
Hua Cheng glanced at the wall, too lazy to even show disdain. He simply said one word: "Hideous."
The state preceptor finally found a reason to agree with him. He tucked his hands into his sleeves as he stated, "Extremely hideous. I have never seen anything uglier in all my years…aside from that hellish mess of entrance couplets on the doors of the Gambler's Den in Ghost City. That handwriting is over ten times worse than this!"
Hua Cheng had no comment.
Xie Lian, on the other hand, was desperately trying to laugh off the state preceptor's words. "Ha ha ha ha ha… Master, I've seen the entrance couplets you're talking about, but I thought the handwriting was pretty good.
It had lots of unique style—I rather liked it."
The state preceptor was puzzled. "Your Highness, how could you say that? You were taught calligraphy by world-class experts—how do you not know the difference between beautiful and hideous? That handwriting is the absolute worst in all three realms; not even the best teachers could salvage it.
What exactly do you like about it? Has your taste fallen apart too?"
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Master! Please don't say any more!" Xie Lian begged.
"Gege," Hua Cheng suddenly called. "Jun Wu is making a move. He's heading to the Palace of Xianle right now, probably to seek you out."
The state preceptor jolted. "What?! Your Highness, you must hurry back! Crimson Rain Sought Flower, hide yourself well—you must absolutely not let him discover that you two have met up. My three friends' mountain bodies are trapped within the domain of Mount Tonglu, but they are currently trying to break free. No matter what course of action we take, we'll have a greater chance of success once they're out. Remember, do not act recklessly!"
Naturally, Xie Lian knew that. After they bid the state preceptor farewell, the pair left the Palace of Ling Wen and stealthily rushed through the capital, evading countless guards and nefarious creatures along the way.
They were still four blocks away from the Palace of Xianle when Hua Cheng spoke up again.
"Gege, he's only one block from the Palace of Xianle."
Alarmed, Xie Lian touched the silver butterfly that was monitoring the situation from afar. A scene flashed before his eyes. Sure enough, there was Jun Wu, walking alone with his hands clasped behind his back—and he would reach the gates of the Palace of Xianle in a mere hundred more steps.
What should they do?! At this rate, they'd get there after Jun Wu, or even cross paths on the way. And worse, the guards at the Palace of Xianle's gates were still petrified by Hua Cheng's spell!
Suddenly, the gates of the divine palace behind Jun Wu opened. The person standing there greeted him.
"My Lord."
Jun Wu paused in his step and looked back. "Rain Master? What is it?"
The one who stopped him was indeed the Rain Master. There were no nefarious creatures to be seen near the Rain Master's residence, only the heavenly guards—probably because Jun Wu had instructed irrelevant individuals to steer far clear.
"My Lord, there is something I have forgotten to give you," she said very politely. "Might I ask you to step inside for a moment?"
Jun Wu inclined his head. "Very well."
And sure enough, he turned back around. Xie Lian sighed a breath of relief.
"Thank goodness for Lord Rain Master!"
He decided then and there that he'd burn eighteen tall incense sticks for the Rain Master once he returned to the Mortal Realm!
Seizing this opportunity, they dashed the last four blocks and reached the Palace of Xianle before Jun Wu. As they entered, Hua Cheng released the spell on the guards at the gates with a casual wave of one hand. Although they were confused for a moment, they did not notice anything amiss.
Xie Lian sprinted back to the inner chambers, but his expression changed again before he had a chance to sigh in relief—for the guards at the gates had entered to announce Jun Wu's arrival.
He'd come so quickly!
It seemed the Rain Master hadn't stopped him for long. The two exchanged a look. Without a single word needing to pass between them, Hua Cheng turned and hid himself behind the curtains while Xie Lian hopped into the bed to pretend to be asleep, his back facing the door. Just as he pulled the covers up, Jun Wu entered.
He slowly walked over to the table and was quiet for a moment before he spoke. "Xianle, are you resting?"
Xie Lian didn't respond. He heard Jun Wu sit down and set something he'd been carrying onto the table before pouring himself a cup of tea.
"Xianle, I made you stay here for your own good," he said gently.
"There are many things that would have ended much better if you had listened to me."
Xie Lian didn't move; he still lay there facing away from him. His mind was like a raging sea as he remembered all the state preceptor had told him. What expression could he possibly wear if he was forced to look directly at Jun Wu, who—for the moment—was still being kind and gentle?
Behind him, Jun Wu continued languidly, "But not only did you sneak outside to play, you even brought someone back with you and hid them in your room. It seems you really do not listen to me anymore."
A chill shot down Xie Lian's back, and all his hair stood on end. The terror he felt seemed so similar to what the state preceptor must have experienced on the night he snuck into Jun Wu's room and removed his mask.
He heard Jun Wu rise from his seat at the table and slowly approach where Xie Lian lay beneath the sheets…and where Hua Cheng was standing behind the curtains next to the bed!
Xie Lian had hidden Fangxin beneath the pillow when he leapt into bed, and he grasped its hilt tightly with one hand. Although he lay in wait for the right moment, he doubted any such opportunity would come.
Unexpectedly, Jun Wu didn't go for the curtains, but instead came to the bedside and lifted the sheets covering Xie Lian's body. A chill washed over Xie Lian, and he shot upright, staring hard at Jun Wu.
Jun Wu eyed him, calculating. "That robe doesn't suit you," he said mildly.
"…" Only then did Xie Lian remember—he was still wearing the Brocade Immortal! It had turned into a white cultivation robe, but of course Jun Wu wouldn't be fooled so easily. He watched Xie Lian for a moment, then sighed.
"You simply will not listen to me. You went out to cause trouble again, didn't you?"
As Xie Lian watched him, uncertain, his gaze briefly fell on the table.
A gift box had been placed there, already unwrapped to display its contents: a few cabbages, several potatoes, and some white radishes.
"…" So when the Rain Master stopped Jun Wu and said she'd forgotten to give him something, she meant souvenirs from Yushi Country… Behind Jun Wu, Hua Cheng silently moved an edge of the curtain to reveal his face. His gaze cut across the space behind Jun Wu and met Xie Lian's. He seemed to be deliberating on whether to make a move then and there, and his hand crept to rest on the hilt of the silver scimitar at his waist— however, Xie Lian didn't think it was the right moment. He shook his head, an action easily disguised as a sign that he didn't want to talk to Jun Wu.
"Where did you hide Ling Wen?" Jun Wu asked.
He couldn't hand over Ling Wen, of course. The moment he saw her, he wouldn't even need to ask her what had happened; her budaoweng doll form would be a dead giveaway that Hua Cheng had infiltrated the Heavenly Capital. But Xie Lian couldn't help but wonder—did Jun Wu really not realize that Hua Cheng was the one who'd snuck in?
"Xianle, your expression is telling me that something is wrong," Jun Wu continued. "What is it? Are you hiding something or someone else in addition to the Brocade Immortal?"
In fact, Xie Lian's expression hadn't changed at all. Jun Wu simply knew him very well.
Silently exchanging a look with Hua Cheng behind Jun Wu's back, Xie Lian steadied himself. "Think whatever you want," he said coolly. "No one can leave here, and there's nothing I can do about that. Do whatever you please, your elderliness."
Then he lay down again, pulling the covers over his head. As for Jun Wu, he turned around and started pacing leisurely within the chamber.
Although he took his time searching the room, he found nothing. Jun Wu pondered the matter for a moment, and sure enough, he turned toward the curtains and reached for them.
When he lifted the curtain, there was nothing there.
Pausing for a moment, Jun Wu dropped the curtain and returned to the table anew. As for Xie Lian, who was still lying in bed, his reeling heart still hadn't relaxed—because Hua Cheng was right next to him under the covers and their faces were pressed extremely close. Xie Lian's heart was pounding thunderously loud, his entire body tense and taut.
Hua Cheng smiled, then mouthed soundlessly, "Don't be afraid, Your Highness."
When Jun Wu turned away, Hua Cheng had moved the curtains aside.
After Jun Wu walked past him, he'd effortlessly slipped out and silently darted to Xie Lian's bedside. Xie Lian had yanked him onto the bed and stuffed him under the covers, and Jun Wu had turned around again just as Hua Cheng rolled beneath the sheets. The timing was seamless, the positioning was intricate, and Jun Wu saw nothing but a pile of messy blankets.
Finally, Jun Wu said, "Xianle, get out of bed. You are not really sleeping. Get up and come with me."
Xie Lian actually did want to laze around in bed and not get up, but he was afraid that Jun Wu would come over again to lift the covers. He could only hide his arm beneath the pillow to secret away the blue budaoweng inside his sleeve, then drag himself out of bed.
As Jun Wu had already left the bedchamber, Xie Lian looked back and saw that Hua Cheng had gotten out of the bed. His gaze was dark, and he was clearly ready to come to Xie Lian's side, but Xie Lian hurriedly waved to signal that he mustn't expose himself—that everything was fine.
Jun Wu called out to him from outside the room. "What is wrong?
Why are you dallying? Is there something keeping you in bed?"
Xie Lian dashed back and grabbed the box of souvenirs on the table, then went back out, closing the door behind him. He grabbed a carrot from the box and took a loud bite.
"It's nothing," Xie Lian said tonelessly. "Am I not allowed to be hungry?"
Jun Wu glanced at the thing in his hand. "If you like those, I have more," he said warmly. "I will send you some another time."
Xie Lian couldn't think of a response to that.
After they had walked for a few streets, they could hear a ruckus from afar and the sound of cackling.
"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! Feng Xin, you dog! This ghost king is trampling your palace right now, and what're you gonna do about it?! C'mon!
C'mon! Come fight me! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
It was Qi Rong again!
As they approached, they could see that he had brutally vandalized all the golden palaces nearby; that giant, ugly "QI RONG WAS HERE" was scrawled everywhere. Qi Rong even hopped onto the roof and pulled up the tiles to better holler smugly at the heavenly officials inside. By his side was Guzi, who looked greatly troubled—he clearly wanted to speak up but was holding himself back.
Although Qi Rong was jumping and stomping all over the Palace of Nan Yang, Feng Xin's troubled thoughts left him with no mind to pay attention to him. Qi Rong got bored after yelling for a while, so he went over to Mu Qing's palace and repeated the process. The only response he received to his antics was Mu Qing rolling his eyes a few times, and Qi Rong stomped all over the roof in anger before he hopped to the roof of Quan Yizhen's palace. Yet before he could even open his mouth, a divine statue carved with a head of copious curls burst out of the palace and collided with Qi Rong, the impact sending him flying off the roof. He plummeted to the ground headfirst and landed with a crash. An enraged Quan Yizhen had used his own divine statue as a weapon, hurling it directly at Qi Rong!
Guzi was stupefied. As he clung to the edge of the roof, he cried, "Dad! Are you all right?!"
Qi Rong was furious. "QUAN YIZHEN, YOU SHAMELESS DIMWIT! You dare use such despicable means to ambush me?!"
Although he hesitated for a moment, Guzi still asked with confusion, "Dad, how was that a despicable ambush?"
After all, Quan Yizhen had thrown that divine statue at him very openly.
"STUPID SON! Anything he does is despicable if he manages to win against me!" Qi Rong yelled. "How could he possibly win against this ancestor without resorting to tricks?!"
"Oh…" Guzi replied.
"…" Regardless of circumstances, Qi Rong was still his little cousin, so Xie Lian couldn't help but cover his face in embarrassment. Jun Wu paused in his step.
"Green Ghost."
When Qi Rong heard Jun Wu's voice, his face stiffened. He crawled to his feet and looked over cautiously—he seemed very wary of Jun Wu. When they looked, both "father" and "son" naturally saw Xie Lian as well.
"Scrap Cultivator-gege!" Guzi exclaimed happily.
Qi Rong, on the other hand, only snorted derisively. "My! Who's this?
If it ain't Cousin Crown Prince?!"
Xie Lian didn't acknowledge him in the slightest, which set him off.
He came over to harass him, circling Xie Lian and jeering.
"You were so high and mighty before—when you looked down on me with two mountains backing you up. So why do you look like a lost dog now?"
Xie Lian was puzzled. Two mountains? He abruptly realized that one was Hua Cheng, and the other was Jun Wu. A myriad of emotions stirred in him as he glanced at Jun Wu, who was standing in front of him.
He suddenly recalled that night a long time ago, when he had asked Hua Cheng what he thought Jun Wu was like. At the time, he'd said that Jun Wu must really hate Xie Lian.
"Oh ho ho!" Qi Rong cackled. "You only managed to ambush me that time because you used that fucker Hua Cheng as backup. But before I could settle the score with you, someone else got to you first! What good karma!"
"Green Ghost, stop talking nonsense to Xianle," Jun Wu said, unperturbed. "You can let your subordinates out now."
Although Qi Rong freely cursed Jun Wu behind his back in the past, he glumly tucked in his tail when the man himself was present. While his expression showed how unwilling he truly was, he hopped onto the roof without another word, picked Guzi up, and scurried off to do his assigned errands.
Jun Wu turned to Xie Lian. "Let's go."
Xie Lian looked at the route Jun Wu was leading him down and wondered, We're heading toward…Qi Rong's subordinates? Could that mean…?
After a while, they turned a corner, and a martial god's magnificent palace stood before them.
The Palace of Ming Guang!
There were already angry roars and incoherent shouts coming from inside. Startled, Xie Lian stopped caring about following Jun Wu and ran inside ahead of him.
It certainly was a mess in there!
Pei Ming's face was ashen. This was because Xuan Ji had coiled herself in firm, constricting loops around him like a viper, like she was desperate to tie herself to him in knots. With her hair loose, her face savage, and her eyes wide and glaring, she looked like she was mere moments away from tearing out Pei Ming's throat with her teeth—but, at the same time, she herself was being choked and pulled away by Banyue. A broken sword was about to pierce Pei Ming's neck, stayed only by Pei Xiu dragging it backward and preventing it from following through.
Kemo's fists were in mid-swing behind Banyue and Pei Xiu, but the ashen-faced Pei Ming dragged him down to interrupt the blow. Had he not, Kemo's enormous, hammer-like fists would've surely squashed Pei Xiu and Banyue flat. Xuan Ji and Rong Guang screamed and tore at each other as they argued about who would have the privilege of choking or stabbing Pei Ming to death.
"Get lost! Pei Ming's shit life is mine, mine, it's all mine!" Xuan Ji shrieked.
Rong Guang, who was possessing the Mingguang sword, yelled back, "You get lost! What an ignorant wench! There are at least eight hundred women who Pei Ming doesn't want anymore, if not a thousand—and do you really think you rank high on that list?! I'm the one who gets to end Pei Ming's shit life!"
Veins popped violently on Pei Ming's forehead. "You're…both… insane! Get lost, all of you!"
Xie Lian felt endless sympathy. This was a prime example of the misfortune borne of extreme popularity. "…General Pei, hang on!"
Before he could move to rescue the unfortunate general, a hand rested on his shoulder.
"Xianle, you cannot think I brought you here to do good deeds," Jun Wu said from behind him.
From the middle of their bruising brawl, Pei Ming and company also noticed them.
"General Hua!" Banyue called out joyously.
With that hand pressing down on him, Xie Lian couldn't move a muscle. "Then why did you bring me here?"
His hand still on Xie Lian's shoulder, Jun Wu pushed him along into the palace. The tangled mob slumped to the ground the moment they entered like their strength had been sucked away; only one or two could still flop around.
"Ming Guang," Jun Wu said.
Now that Xuan Ji wasn't strangling him anymore, Pei Ming's complexion was back to normal. He sighed in relief.
"My Lord, really…thank you for that."
While his tone wasn't sarcastic, the words themselves were laced with irony. Jun Wu didn't seem to mind, though, and he smiled.
"No need to thank me so early, Ming Guang. I came here to get your help with something."
"What is it?" Pei Ming asked.
"In the royal capital, in the lower realm," Jun Wu began, "there is a human array."
Xie Lian had known he was plotting something!
"Break it and I will reinstate you as the Martial God of the North," Jun Wu finished, his tone flat and indifferent.
Pei Ming glanced at Xie Lian and chuckled dryly. "Isn't Crimson Rain Sought Flower guarding the array? I may not be able to break it by force alone."
"Of course you cannot break it by force," Jun Wu said. "But I did not say you had to use such methods."
It would actually be very easy for Pei Ming to break the array, as Shi Qingxuan would surely let him in as long as he pretended to be there to help.
After he entered, he could ruin it in an instant if he left the circle without warning! And Hua Cheng wouldn't be able to fix it—because he wasn't actually guarding the royal capital right now!