Chapter 56 The Statue The statue opened its eyes.

After an incense stick has burned.

Jin Huan collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. A dark blue barrier surrounded him, trapping him within. He waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "I'm not running away anymore, I'm not running away anymore, ceasefire."

Hua Xun withdrew her spiritual power, walked up to him with a smile, as if the fight had never happened: "What are you doing here?"

“I’ve always been here,” Jin Huan said irritably, tearing off his disheveled white robe. “After I was caught stealing the Demon Guard’s token, I was imprisoned for over a hundred days before being banished to this place.”

Hua Xun was slightly taken aback, recalling Baili Sheng's appearance as Jin Huan, and asked, "Was it two years ago?"

"How did you know?" Jin Huan asked, puzzled. He glared at her, annoyed. "You jinx, are you really a jinx? And that Demon Lord, the supreme ruler of a clan, actually interrogated me personally..."

Hua Xun glanced at him silently without saying a word.

"Hey," Jin Huan suddenly remembered something, his eyes lit up, and he quickly dusted himself off and stood up. "How did your cultivation improve so quickly? Where did you cultivate?"

Hua Xun honestly and frankly replied, "It was taught by the Divine Lord."

"God-King?" Jin Huan asked, puzzled.

Hua Xun nodded: "Divine Lord".

"The Divine Lord Yisheng Zhaohui?"

"yes."

Jin Huan paused for a moment, then burst into laughter: "You little demon, could it be that ever since we parted ways at the Temple of the Divine Lord, you've been fantasizing that you've found the real Divine Lord? Or have you been burning incense and worshipping gods so much that you've gone mad from the smoke of incense?"

Despite being mocked by him, Hua Xun remained unperturbed and stood there with a smile.

Over the past six months, many people have asked her "who her teacher is," and each time she has frankly said that she was personally taught by the Divine Lord.

Perhaps because she was too honest, no one believed her. They simply assumed that she admired the gods and used them as motivation for her cultivation, and let it go with a laugh.

Just like Jin Huan at this moment.

After laughing enough, Jin Huan wiped away non-existent tears from his eyes: "Do you know that the Divine Lord has been in seclusion for more than half a year?"

Hua Xun paused for a moment: "Seclusion?"

For the past six months, to avoid being detected, she has not even approached the Temple of the Divine Lord.

Although Lord Luohe said that the Aurora Hairpin could conceal her aura for decades, he was, after all, a Lord, and she dared not take the risk.

“You don’t even know this, yet you claim that the God-King bestowed magic upon you.” Jin Huan clicked his tongue twice.

"Why is the Divine Lord in seclusion?" Hua Xun asked.

"How would I know?" Jin Huan spread his hands. "But I've heard that it seems that during the earthquake at the Divine Tree Jianmu, the Divine Lord's soul was injured. Some people also say that the Immortal Clan angered the Divine Lord, and the divine blessings were cut off, which is divine punishment."

Hua Xun was slightly taken aback, standing there motionless for a long time without uttering a word.

"Hey, hey!" Jin Huan patted the barrier around them when she didn't speak. "Little demon, why don't you remove the barrier? I promise I won't run away."

Hua Xun suddenly came to her senses, paused for a moment, and shook her head: "I still have something to ask you."

Having lost out in skill, Jin Huan readily admitted defeat, nodding repeatedly: "Go ahead and ask."

Hua Xun glanced at the tightly closed door. Just now, when Jin Huan tried to escape, she let Zhu Yun and her family into the house. Now that everything was alright, she reached out and opened the door.

Having witnessed Hua Xun's abilities firsthand, Zhu Yun and the others cautiously stepped forward upon seeing Jin Huan trapped. They approached Hua Xun and bowed again, pleading, "Please, young lady, save my child!"

Hua Xun quickly helped the three of them up and turned to look at Jin Huan.

Jin Huan shrank back guiltily and muttered under his breath, "I haven't received the money yet."

Hua Xun asked about something else: "Do you know where that child is?"

Back when he was at the Shenjun Temple, although he loved money, he would also help the nearby villagers with some demon-catching tasks.

Now, he probably has a way of getting things done, which is why he took the initiative to come to him, hoping to get money and avoid trouble.

Jin Huan remained silent for a long time, then finally scratched his head in frustration: "Fine, I'll tell you then."

"Do you know of the Hundred Fragrance Pavilion in the eastern part of Ningyan City?"

Hua Xun nodded: "Of course I know."

Bai Xiang Lou is a shop that sells flower dew. Its proprietress is named Qing Yan, who is beautiful and is actually a flower fairy who has lived for thousands of years. She can extract dew from thousands of flowers, and its fragrance lasts a long time.

However, more than half a year ago, Baixianglou suddenly closed its doors, and no one knows why to this day.

“Since Baixianglou closed down, its flower dew has become priceless on the black market, with a small bottle of condensed dew worth a thousand taels of silver,” Jin Huan said while praising. “I thought that Baixianglou must still have some stock after being open for so long, so I couldn’t resist sneaking in at night.”

"What did you discover?" Hua Xun pressed.

“Children,” Jin Huan said mysteriously, “there is more than one child imprisoned in Baixiang Tower.”

Hua Xun was taken aback and turned to look at Zhu Yun: "Are there other missing children here?"

Zhu Yun also looked bewildered: "I haven't heard of any child going missing. Besides, the proprietress of Baihualou is known for her kindness and has helped many beggars and charitable organizations in the city..."

Her mother-in-law seemed to remember something, her expression changed, and she said cautiously, "There used to be many little beggars in the city, and I would occasionally give them some dry food. It's been quite a while since I've seen them."

Zhu Yun's face turned pale: "An'er and those beggars..."

Hua Xun looked at Jin Huan and realized that she had to go and explore Bai Xiang Lou again.

Jin Huan felt uneasy under her gaze and took a half step back: "Why are you looking at me like that? I'm not going on any adventures with you..."

"In that case, your charlatanry will just land you in the Zhen'an Division." As Hua Xun spoke, the spiritual light of the barrier transformed into a rope, binding him tightly.

"Alright, alright, I'm scared of you," Jin Huan struggled a couple of times, "but we need to agree on three rules beforehand."

"Um?"

Jin Huan: "Going to Baixianglou is fine. But if you find the flower dew, it belongs to me, and the child belongs to you."

Hua Xun pondered for a moment, then nodded: "It's a deal."

Jin Huan was satisfied and lowered his head to struggle: "Hurry up and untie the ropes."

This time, Hua Xun did not hesitate and untied the rope with a wave of her hand.

Jin Huan rubbed his forearm, his eyes darting around: "Hua Xun, where did you learn your magic? Since we're so destined to meet, why don't you tell me?"

Hua Xun smiled and said, "I've already told you, it was taught by the Divine Lord."

"If you don't want to talk about it, then don't..." Jin Huan muttered to himself.

*

Since it was a clandestine investigation, it was necessary to go at night.

At midnight, Hua Xun and Jin Huan appeared together outside Bai Xiang Lou.

Perhaps it was the aroma that permeated the air, for as soon as you approached this exquisite three-story building, you could smell a faint floral fragrance, which was quite pleasant.

Hua Xun took a light breath and immediately felt her mood brighten.

No wonder Jin Huan said that this flower dew is priceless and unavailable.

Hua Xun and Jin Huan exchanged a glance, indicating that since he had been here before, he should lead the way.

Although Jin Huan was unwilling, he was reasonable enough to tiptoe through the door.

The building was pitch black; you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

However, it was nothing to the two who were cultivating. Jin Huan pointed to the second floor and then carefully jumped up the stairs first.

Hua Xun followed closely behind.

Unexpectedly, as soon as I grabbed the second-floor railing, the pinkish-purple barrier began to ripple.

Hua Xun quickly withdrew her hand and looked at Jin Huan beside her, who refused to touch the railing no matter what. The latter shrugged innocently at her and pointed to the corridor not far away, signaling her to follow.

After wandering through the long corridor for a long time, Jin Huan finally entered an ordinary-looking room.

The room was small but empty, with a few tattered cushions piled in the corner. A long, sandalwood-colored table stood to the east, its surface covered with crisscrossing, twisted scratches.

There seemed to be a human figure on the high platform, but it was completely covered by a piece of black cloth, which was covered with a layer of dust.

At first glance, it looks exactly like a pile of discarded waste.

Hua Xun looked up at the tall object covered by a black cloth, and for some reason her breath hitched. Just as she was about to step forward, she heard Jin Huan whisper behind her, "Little demon, come here quickly."

Hua Xun stopped, glanced behind her again, and finally walked towards Jin Huan.

Jin Huan opened the door a crack: "This is the place."

Hua Xun peered out through the crack, puzzled, and then realized with astonishment that there was no barrier here, and the children were right outside.

The children, the oldest being eight or nine and the youngest three or four, were gathered together, being watched by three vine spirits who had not yet fully taken human form, and were... eating.

The vine spirit placed the food mixed with ginseng, goat milk, and flower dew in front of the children one by one, and most of the children immediately picked up the bowls and wolfed it down.

The few who complained that the food was too bad and refused to eat it were left alone by the vine demon, who would scratch his head and half-coax and half-force them to drink it all.

Hua Xun stared at the strange and eerie scene, her brow furrowing slightly.

"Bring the new child here." A woman's clear, melodious voice suddenly came from the corridor outside the room.

Hua Xun was startled and, without looking any longer, grabbed Jin Huan and hid in a dark corner, setting up an invisibility barrier.

The door was opened the next instant.

A woman in a pomegranate-red silk dress walked in; she was slender and graceful, with a beautiful profile like a flower petal falling to the ground.

Her trailing skirt was adorned with tiny petals, which swirled like clouds and flowers as she moved, dazzling the eye.

It was Qingyan, the proprietress of Baixianglou.

However, it wasn't until she turned around that Hua Xun could see clearly that there was a dark mark on her left cheek.

The mark stretched diagonally from below the brow bone to the jaw, about the width of a finger joint, with jagged edges as if torn by sharp claws, bearing a color of dark brown and dark purple, like dried blood scabs, or like withered tree bark embedded in snow-white skin.

Like a crack on a beautiful jade.

Qingyan finally stopped in the center of the room, looked up at the object that was tightly covered by a black cloth, and stared at it for a long time.

It wasn't until she heard a child crying loudly outside the door that Qingyan suddenly came to her senses. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and she murmured, "You're the one who ruined them."

"For the sake of this face, I have done good deeds for a hundred years. I have helped those beggar children, donated grain to the poor, and provided relief to charitable organizations several times."

"I have never hurt anyone or taken a life. I have worn down my demonic aura to the point that I am cleaner than a human."

“For hundreds of years, these disgusting scars really never appeared again. I thought I could finally get rid of those nightmares, but what about you? Fukuzawa cut them off so easily, and these nauseating lines have started to haunt me again.”

"I can't help it. You hurt them, not me..."

Her voice was very soft, and later it became almost inaudible.

The door was opened, and a vine spirit carried the child inside.

Hua Xun's dazed expression suddenly sharpened, her gaze falling on the child's left neck. Zhu Yun said, "Liu An has a small mole there."

This is Liu An.

Hua Xun looked towards the exit, mentally calculating an escape route.

Qingyan looked at the child in front of her, whose eyes were filled with fear: "Are you afraid of me?"

"Unfortunately, it's still not enough..."

Her last words were spoken very softly.

Just as Hua Xun was puzzled, Qingyan's face suddenly transformed into a hideous, blood-red fleshy flower. Several petals opened, and the pale white stamens resembled sharp teeth, about to swallow the child's head whole.

The four- or five-year-old child was already terrified, standing there pale-faced, before letting out a sharp scream.

At that moment, a pale purple light emanated from Qingyan's fingertips, and she drew a wisp of bluish-white light from between the child's eyebrows and swallowed it.

The child's face withered like a flower petal, becoming visibly thinner before he fainted.

Qingyan had already regained her human form, and the horrific scars on her face were gradually fading away.

She looked at the child wearily, and after a long while, she took a drop of saliva from his mouth, a drop of blood from his heart, and a tear the size of a bean from his face, which, together with the dew, condensed into a transparent drop of condensation.

Dewdrops fell onto the child's brow, and Qingyan channeled her magic into his body.

The emaciated child gradually regained his youth, though his face remained as pale as paper.

Hua Xun stared in astonishment at the scene, and subconsciously touched the already dim soul bead through the purse.

"Take him away." Qingyan turned her head and looked away.

The vine spirit quickly entered, picked up the fallen child, and was about to leave.

Before they could even step out of the room, a beam of eerie blue light suddenly appeared like lightning. Accompanied by Jin Huan's wail of "Hua Xun, you've dragged me down so badly!", the vine demon was knocked aside, and the unconscious child was taken over, held firmly in Hua Xun's arms.

"Who are you?" Qingyan asked in alarm. With a wave of her hand, she unleashed a blade of light towards Huaxun.

Hua Xun nimbly dodged and tossed the child to Jin Huan: "Quick, take him and leave first."

Jin Huan glanced at her, then flew out the door without looking back.

Hua Xun turned around and stopped Qingyan, who was about to chase after him.

She had just observed that although Qingyan was a thousand-year-old demon, her complexion was weaker than usual after absorbing that wisp of blue-white light.

For a time, Hua Xun gained the upper hand.

Just as she repelled Qingyan again and was about to turn and flee, a vine with several blood-red roses on it, wrapped in deep purple light, swept heavily towards her.

Hua Xun was slightly startled and hurriedly leaned back to avoid the attack. The vines brushed past her clothes and cut the black cloth not far away in half.

The heavy black cloth slowly slid back, revealing the object that had been covered.

—A statue of a god, ten feet tall, gradually appeared.

The gilded statue looked down at the two people in the room. Its body had become mottled and worn, with only a few traces of gold embedded in the wood chips. The name of the deity carved on the shrine was also blurred and illegible.

The black cloth rolled up dust, raising a choking cloud of dust, as if even the lingering warmth of the gods was covered by this desolation.

Hua Xun stared blankly at the tall statue.

Although I had some suspicions, I never imagined that the statue of the God-King would turn out like this.

The sharp vines attacked Hua Xun once again.

Hua Xun tried to dodge, but then heard a "snap" in her hair as the Aurora Hairpin broke in two and fell to the ground.

The dilapidated statue, seated on the high platform, suddenly opened its eyes.

*

Meanwhile, on the White Mist Cliff, shrouded in eternal night, every blade of grass, every tree, and every living thing fell into a long stagnation as the gods fell silent.

In the silent temple, on the lotus platform, as the Aurora Hairpin broke, the face of the Divine Lord Jiuqing paled for a moment before he slowly opened his eyes.