Seeing that he seemed to be in a state of despair, Xie Lian thought for a moment and then tried to comfort him, “Actually, this isn’t a big deal…”

Mu Qing sneered and said, "I was right! Is it interesting? You are happy to watch my performance, right? Huh? "

Let's be frank, tear off the fake and reveal the real thing. Nanfeng, no, Fengxin, who was standing by, was also slightly embarrassed at first, but couldn't stand his words anymore and said, "What's with that tone?"

Mu Qing was pale and thin-skinned, but the rush of blood was so intense that it was blinding. His entire face flushed red. He turned around and said, "What's that tone? Don't forget that you're also part of the joke. You've been providing him with so much fun for so long without any complaints. I'm not as tolerant as you!"

Xie Lian said, “I didn’t mean to make fun of you.”

Feng Xin also said: "Don't think that others are as petty as you are. When you got into that trouble and were put in the Heavenly Prison, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince still wanted to help you..."

Mu Qing said, "Ha, thank you so much. But wasn't it your son who caused me to be in prison? What? You want to fight? You dare to give birth and not let anyone say anything!"

Feng Xin truly wanted to beat him to death when he mentioned his son, but unfortunately, all three of them were now entangled in spider silk, unable to move. Their composure vanished, and they could only exchange insults. Seeing Feng Xin's face flush with rage, Xie Lian feared he might unleash his martial arts curses. With some effort, he twisted and rolled over, rolling to Mu Qing's side. "Mu Qing, Mu Qing? Can you please turn a little?" he asked.

Mu Qing stopped cursing and took a breath, then asked, "What do you want to do?"

Xie Lian said, “Feng Xin is too far away for me to roll over. Since these spider silk threads can be bitten through with my teeth, I’ll try to untie your hands first.”

Mu Qing stared at him for a long while, then his expression suddenly turned cold. He looked up at the sky and said, "No need."

Xie Lian said helplessly, "I really want to help."

Mu Qing said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is worth a fortune. I cannot afford to trouble you."

Feng Xin cursed, "Fuck me! Why are you still acting like a demon at this hour? Does he owe you for saving you?!"

Mu Qing suddenly looked up and asked, "Who wants his help? Xie Lian! Why do you always show up at times like this?!"

Xie Lian was slightly startled, then vaguely remembered that Mu Qing had asked him this question a long time ago. What had he said then? He couldn't remember. He said, "What's wrong with showing up at a time like this?"

Mu Qing lay back down and said, "I don't need your help anyway."

Xie Lian asked, “Why? Sometimes you just need help from others to get through it.”

Feng Xin said, "Ignore him. He's acting so arrogantly and feels embarrassed to ask you for help."

Over there, Mu Qing Feng Xin was pinching his fingers as a faint silver-glowing undead butterfly fluttered leisurely around Xie Lian. He remembered something and immediately changed the subject, saying, "Stop arguing. It would be a joke if someone saw us. Someone will come looking for us later."

Mu Qing said, "This is a damn place where no one can help. Who would come to save us? Unless..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he thought of someone and got stuck. Feng Xin then asked directly, "Did Xueyu Tanhua come with you?"

Mu Qing asked doubtfully, "Do you trust him so much? Will he come?"

Xie Lian said confidently, “He will come.”

Although Hua Cheng's behavior had been somewhat strange, and he had almost suspected that the person beside him was a fake Hua Cheng, his intuition told him that was impossible. Mu Qing then asked, "Even if he comes, can he find this pit?"

Feng Xin suggested, "How about we roar a few more times? More people will roar louder."

Xie Lian said, “No need. We can just sit, no, lie down and wait. Because there’s a red line between Huacheng and me…”

Before he could finish his words, he saw Feng Xin and Mu Qing's faces twitching, as if a bug had crawled into their ears. Xie Lian: "...Why are you looking at me like that? Don't get me wrong, the red thread I'm talking about isn't some fancy 'red thread of fate' or anything like that. It's a magic weapon, nothing more than that."

The two men finally stopped twitching. Feng Xin said, "Oh, so that's how it is." Mu Qing asked suspiciously, "What kind of magic weapon is that? What's its use?"

Xie Lian said, “It’s quite useful. It’s like a red thread, tied between our two hands, with an invisible connection between us. One person can follow this red thread to find the other person, and as long as there is breath left, the red thread will never break…”

Before he could finish, the two men couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted him, saying, "Is this any different from that 'red thread of fate'? It's basically the same thing!"

Xie Lian was stunned for a moment, then said, "No way. It's different!"

Mu Qing said: "Think about it yourself, what's the difference? They're very similar, okay!"

Xie Lian thought about it carefully, and then he realized, it was true! The more he thought about the definition and function of this magic weapon, the more he felt it was similar to the so-called "red thread of destiny." Just when he felt that he couldn't think about it anymore, a voice came from above, saying, "Brother? Are you down there?"

Upon hearing this voice, Xie Lian felt relieved. He immediately looked up and said, "Sanlang! I'm here!"

Then he lowered his head and said to the other two people at the bottom of the pit, "Look, I told you he would come."

Seeing him smiling, Feng Xin and Mu Qing's expressions were very subtle. Hua Cheng didn't stick his head out, but the three of them could hear his helpless voice: "Brother, I told you not to run around. What should we do now?"

Hearing his tone, Xie Lian was startled, then his joy faded. He said, “Ah, is this spider silk really that tricky? Even Evil Life can’t cut it?”

He seemed to faintly hear Hua Cheng say, "It's not this thread that's the problem..." but he wasn't sure if he had said it. After a while, Hua Cheng said calmly, "E Ming isn't in a good state right now."

Xie Lian felt strange. E Ming was quite energetic last time, so why was he in such bad shape now?

Mu Qing snorted, "You don't need to ask him. How could Scimitar Eternity be in such a bad state? He's clearly just trying to find an excuse not to help."

Xie Lian said, "Don't say that." Rather, he thought it was more likely that E Ming had been taught a lesson, that Hua Cheng had forbidden it from coming out. Just as he was thinking this, a dark shadow flashed overhead, and the next moment, a figure in red landed silently beside Xie Lian, leaning down and holding his hand. Xie Lian took a closer look and hurriedly said, "Sanlang, why did you jump down too? Watch out for those spider silks!"

As expected, white silk from the bottom of the pit surged forward. Without even turning his head, Hua Cheng casually waved his hand, and hundreds of silver butterflies formed a butterfly array behind him, engaging the ferocious spiders. Hua Cheng tore through the white silk that bound Xie Lian, wrapped his left arm around his waist, and with his right, he flung out a red umbrella, saying, "Let's go!"

The remaining two were stunned when they saw that he had no intention of coming to rescue them: "Did you forget something?"

Before Xie Lian could say anything, Hua Cheng turned around and said, "Oh, I forgot."

After saying this, her heart, wrapped in thick spider silk, flew straight towards him and landed in his hands. Hua Cheng handed the sword to Xie Lian and said, "Brother, this is your sword."

“…”

The "forgotten" thing turned out to be this. Feng Xin and Mu Qing said, "Hey!!!"

Hua Cheng hugged Xie Lian tighter, swung his right hand, opened the red umbrella, and said, "Brother, hold on to me!" The umbrella actually took them both up in the air. Xie Lian hugged him tightly as he was told, and flew two feet above the ground. Hearing the two people below shouting, he was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and said, "I won't forget it!" He threw Ruo Xie out with his right hand. The white silk wrapped several times around the two large white cocoons at the bottom of the pit, and carried them out of the pit together. Feng Xin shouted again in mid-air, "Wait! Wait! I left something down there!"

Xie Lian shouted from above, “What is that?”

Feng Xin said: "A sword! It fell in the corner!"

Xie Lian looked down and, sure enough, he could vaguely see a sword hilt hidden in the white silk in the corner. He then had Ruo Xie extend a little further, wrapping the sword around it and bringing it out with her. At this point, all four of them were finally back on the ground.

Ruo Xie dropped the two thick cocoons to the ground and immediately curled herself back around Xie Lian's wrist, seemingly frightened by the white silk that looked vaguely like her, but far more ferocious and sinister. She trembled. Xie Lian soothed her while, with a cautious heart, severing the silk from the two. Feng Xin and Mu Qing, once able to move, leaped to their feet and plucked at the silk. Xie Lian handed Feng Xin the sword Ruo Xie had brought with her. Glancing down, he asked curiously, "Is this... a red mirror? Nan Feng, has your general repaired this sword?"

He said it casually, then realized something was wrong the moment he said it. Feng Xin and Mu Qing were still disguised as "Nan Feng" and "Fuyao," but Xie Lian had forgotten their identities were exposed and was subconsciously playing along. While his intentions were considerate, it didn't work well at the moment, and both of them fell into a mysterious silence.

Feng Xin couldn't hide his expression, and an embarrassed look appeared on his face. He transformed back into his original form, took the sword, and said, "...It's fixed. After all, there are many ghosts in Tonglu Mountain, so it will be more convenient to use it to take a look."

Xie Lian glanced at the culprit who had shattered the red mirror, coughed lightly, and said, "It's hard for you." After all, it was not easy to repair it after it was broken into pieces.

Mu Qing also transformed back into his true form, brushed off the spider silk on his sleeves, and said, "It's fixed. After all, most demons and monsters can disguise themselves. If you don't like to use your brain, you can always use a red mirror to look at yourself to avoid being deceived."

Feng Xin was unhappy: "Who are you secretly calling brainless? Do you think I can't hear it?"

Here we go again. Xie Lian shook his head and said to Hua Cheng, "Sanlang, I ran too fast just now and left you behind. I'm sorry."

Hua Cheng put away the umbrella and said, "Nothing. I just hope brother doesn't have to run like this again."

Xie Lian smiled, then suddenly saw Mu Qing glance at Hua Cheng, his eyes fixed, his expression a bit strange. He changed his words and said, "Mu Qing? What's wrong with you?"

When he asked this, Mu Qing immediately came back to his senses, looked at him, and said, "Nothing. I've never seen Xueyu Tanhua like this before, so it's just a strange thing."

Xie Lian didn't quite believe this explanation. While this was certainly Mu Qing's first time seeing Hua Cheng in his full form, it wasn't like he hadn't seen a sixteen or seventeen-year-old Hua Cheng before. The difference between the two Hua Cheng appearances wasn't that big, so why would he have such a look in his eyes?

The four of them left the cave and took a few steps before Feng Xin asked in astonishment, "...What is this place?"

Mu Qing was also confused and asked, "What's going on?"

They had just been trapped at the bottom of the spider silk pit and had no chance to explore the outside world. Therefore, when they came out and saw the caves and statues one after another, they were extremely shocked to think that there was such a mysterious place under the snow-capped mountains.

Xie Lian said, “This is a cave of all gods.”

Mu Qing looked around and murmured, "I wonder how many years and how much effort it took to build this cave. It's really... really..."

He seemed to have run out of words to describe his feelings. Xie Lian understood his feelings. After all, the grottoes were for spiritual practice and worship. His parents had opened a grotto for him back then, and no priest could fail to be struck by the sheer scale of the Ten Thousand Gods Grotto. If he could enshrine a statue of himself in such a place, it would surely greatly enhance his realm.

Feng Xin wondered, "What kind of deity is enshrined in this grotto? Why do all of them cover their faces?"

Xie Lian said, “Of course, it’s because he doesn’t want to be seen by later comers like us.”

Mu Qing said, "That's strange. You could just smash the statue's head, so why do this? If you really want to see, a thin veil won't stop you at all."

As he spoke, he was about to unveil the nearest statue. Before Xie Lian could speak to stop him, a flash of cold light appeared, and a curved silver blade hovered less than half an inch in front of his finger.

The sudden murderous intent instantly made the atmosphere between the four people tense. Feng Xin asked cautiously, "What's the purpose of this?"

Although the blade was in front of him, Mu Qing showed no fear at all. He said, "Isn't your scimitar in good condition? How can it be 'in bad condition'?"

Hua Cheng stood behind him and said slowly, "Hasn't anyone taught you not to mess around when you're on someone else's property?"

Mu Qing said: "It's not your territory, how can you be fair?"

Hua Cheng said calmly, "I just don't want to cause any more trouble. After all, this is Tonglu Mountain. No one knows what will happen once the veil is lifted."

Mu Qing said, "Even a man as arrogant as Xueyu Tanhua would be afraid of complications one day." As he spoke, he lowered his wrist, intending to touch the lapel of the statue again. The blade of the scimitar, E'ming, also moved downward, once again engaging the statue.

Mu Qing said, "I'm not trying to uncover his face this time. I just want to take a look at the stone. Why is Xueyu Tanhua trying to stop me?"

Hua Cheng smirked and said, "Stop you from getting into trouble."

Xie Lian stepped between them and said, "Stop, stop. They built a grotto here to worship some deity, and we don't have to see it. We can't stay here for long. Let's get out first. Don't forget, we all have important matters to attend to."

Hua Cheng stared at Mu Qing's hand and said, "Since brother said so, then if he stops first, I won't make a fuss about it."

Xie Lian said, “Mu Qing, stop it.”

Mu Qing glared at him and asked, "Are you kidding me? Why didn't he stop first? What if I stop and he doesn't?"

Between the priest and the ghost, Feng Xin naturally chose to side with the priest and said, "At most, we can only accept both sides withdrawing at the same time."

Hua Cheng refused to budge, saying, "You're just wishful thinking."

Seeing that neither side was willing to back down, Xie Lian placed his hand on Mu Qing's arm and said gently, "Mu Qing, let it go. After all, you were the one who started it, so you should let it go first, okay? Just give me some face? I promise that if you let go, San Lang will definitely keep his promise."

Although Mu Qing wasn't convinced, after a brief pause, he slowly withdrew his hand and returned to the road. At this point, as if a taut bowstring had finally loosened, Xie Lian breathed a sigh of relief. There was another fork in the road ahead, and he asked Hua Cheng, "Which way do you think we should go this time?"

Hua Cheng seemed to choose a road at random and said, "This way."

Feng Xin and Mu Qing walked behind them, and they seemed to be arguing again. During the break, Mu Qing asked, "How did you choose? Why are you going this way?"

The two people in front turned around and said, "Just pick it at random."

Feng Xin frowned and said, "How can we just choose randomly? It's better not to walk around blindly, or we might get led into a trap again."

Hua Cheng smiled and said, "Even if we fall into a trap, I have a way to get His Highness out. You can follow me, or you can leave on your own. But to be honest, I don't really want to rescue you again."

"you……!"

Hua Cheng spoke like that. No matter how polite his smile was, it always felt fake. The more fake his smile, the more infuriating his tone. Feng Xin was so angry that he drew his bow. Xie Lian knew he wouldn't actually fight him, so he said, "I'm sorry, Feng Xin. But in this situation, it doesn't matter which side we go."

Hua Cheng laughed heartily and said, "Terrible, terrible. Looks like I need to walk away." He raised an eyebrow at Xie Lian and, as expected, walked away. Xie Lian knew that he just wanted to get away from the two people behind him, so he smiled and shook his head. Just as he was about to follow, Mu Qing suddenly raised her hand and grabbed him. Xie Lian turned around and asked curiously, "Mu Qing? What's going on?"

Unexpectedly, Mu Qing didn't answer. Instead, he grabbed Xie Lian and ran towards another road, shouting, "Attack!"

Hua Cheng, who was ahead, also sensed something was wrong and turned back. Feng Xin had already punched the rock wall, sending several large rocks crashing down, blocking the path. The two of them quickly stepped forward, instantly casting over fifty talismans onto the fallen rocks. Thus, Hua Cheng and the other three were separated by the pile of rocks.

It turned out that the two of them weren't fighting each other just now, but had planned to launch a surprise attack! Xie Lian asked in astonishment, "What are you doing?"

He broke away from Mu Qing and tried to see Hua Cheng, who was trapped inside by them, but Feng Xin tripped him. He and Mu Qing each grabbed one of his arms and dragged him away, saying as they ran, "Hurry up! Those talismans won't last long!"

Mu Qing scolded, "Why are you still asking?! Can't you see that he's weird?!"

Xie Lian asked, “What’s so strange about that?”

Mu Qing said, "I think you're really stupid. He has the word weird written all over him, but you're blind and can't see it!"

Feng Xin yelled, "Stop talking and run! Damn, it looks like the Death Butterfly is chasing us!"

Mu Qing shouted, "Seal the hole!"

Feng Xin fought and ran, blocking several cave entrances with the rocks he knocked down. The two men dragged Xie Lian through the winding underground corridors at high speed. Xie Lian was almost dizzy from the journey and shouted, "Stop! Stop!"

After running a long way, the two stopped to catch their breath. Taking advantage of this pause, Xie Lian asked, "No, you two, why did you suddenly drag me along? Did you discover something?"

Feng Xin, still holding his knees with his hands and breathing heavily, said, "Tell him to tell you again!"

Mu Qing straightened up and said to Xie Lian, "It's so obvious, and you haven't noticed yet? The bead! Do you remember that bead?"

Xie Lian: "What beads?"

Mu Qing said word by word: "The Lantern Festival, the God-pleasing Warrior Clothes, and the pair of crimson coral bead earrings, the one bead you lost!"

“…”

Xie Lian couldn’t remember for a long time. He pinched his earlobe and asked confusedly, “Were my earrings red coral beads back then? Did I lose them?”

Mu Qing's mouth twitched, and he said angrily, "You two wrongly accused me of stealing the beads. How could you not remember such a thing?"

Xie Lian said, “After all, it’s been eight hundred years…” Feng Xin retorted, “Stop talking nonsense! No one is wrongly accusing you of stealing. It’s you who’s being paranoid!”

Xie Lian waved his hands and said, “Stop arguing. Why are you suddenly telling me about that bead?”

Mu Qing said, "Because the bead was found! Did you see the red bead that Hua Cheng used to tie his hair?"

Xie Lian’s eyes widened. “You mean that’s…?”

Mu Qing said firmly: "That's right!"

“…”

So this was the reason Mu Qing had looked so strange when he saw Hua Cheng. Xie Lian asked, "Why did he have that red coral bead? Are you sure you remembered it correctly?"

Mu Qing interrupted him and said, "I have been looking for that pearl for a whole year, and I have been looking for it ever since. I will not make any mistakes even if others do!"

Xie Lian folded his hands over his sleeves, thought for a moment, then frowned. "I still think you might have seen it wrong. There's no reason for him to have that pearl in his possession. Don't all good red coral pearls look pretty much the same? And Sanlang has always enjoyed collecting rare and precious treasures; he even has antiques that are thousands of years old."

Mu Qing nodded and said, "Okay, okay. You think I saw it wrong, right? Okay, then take a look at this."

He was standing next to a statue, and as he spoke, he suddenly pulled down the veil on the statue's face and said, "Look at what this is. You can't be mistaken, right?"

The moment the veil was pulled down, Xie Lian glanced over and his pupils suddenly contracted.

There was nothing monstrous or deformed about the statue's face. It was that of a smiling young man, his features warm and cheerful. Yet, when Xie Lian looked at that face, a chill suddenly rose to his spine.

How could it not be terrifying? That face was practically cut from the same mold as Xie Lian's!

Facing the statue face to face at such a close distance was like looking into a mirror. Even the originally innocent smile became strange and eerie. Xie Lian's scalp tingled, and he said, "This..."

Mu Qing said coldly: "Are you still saying you were wrong?"

Xie Lian finally managed to utter, "...Why is there a statue of me here?"

Mu Qing said, "One? More than that. Just watch carefully."

As he spoke, he pulled off the veil from the other statue's face. This face also bore the features of Xie Lian!

I pulled off the veils on the faces of five or six statues in a row, and they were all exactly the same!

Mu Qing said, "This is indeed a cave of all gods, but in fact, there is only one god enshrined here."

It's all him!

His own face was everywhere, and Xie Lian felt as if he were trapped in a psychedelic and bizarre dream. After a long moment of disorientation, he suddenly remembered something and said, "Wait, Mu Qing. You haven't had the chance to see the faces of these statues before, have you? Didn't he stop you when you were about to pull off the veil just now?"

Mu Qing snorted, "I don't even need to look at the faces of these statues to know they're of you."

Xie Lian asked, “How do you say that?”

Mu Qing crumpled up the veils and threw them aside. A vein popped in his forehead as he spoke, "Why? Because back then, I was responsible for all your clothes, accessories, and daily life. I washed and mended your clothes, and none of your clothes were alike. These stone statues are so meticulously carved, with everything engraved on them, making them exactly the same. Of course, I know whose face it is as soon as I see the clothes!"

"..." Xie Lian covered his forehead, recalling Hua Cheng's strange behavior along the way. Feng Xin said, "He won't let us see these statues, which means he's well aware of their strangeness. I'm afraid the story about them accidentally falling in during an avalanche is just nonsense. He definitely knows where this place is."

Mu Qing said, "Not only that, I think he might have thrown us into that pit full of spider silk. He really wanted to kill us."

Xie Lian asked, “But…what’s going on with these statues?”

Looking closely, each statue here is incredibly lifelike, with details so exquisite they're practically creepy. It's easy to imagine the meticulous attention the sculptor paid to the deity himself. Xie Lian dared to say that even statues crafted by the most renowned artisans of Xianle Country back in the day couldn't achieve this level of detail. It was as if the artisan's mind was completely occupied with this person, their eyes only seeing this person.

The three of them were surrounded by these statues with identical faces. Feng Xin felt a chill on his face and said, "Honestly... I'm f*cking... creeped out... They look so f*cking similar."

Moreover, there were so many of them. Mu Qing said, "I suspect these statues are props for some sorcery. Let's destroy them first." He was about to chop them down with his sword, but Xie Lian's thoughts were suddenly drawn back, and he stopped him, saying, "Stop!"

Mu Qing looked at him: "Are you sure? This evil spell might be aimed at you."

Xie Lian thought for a moment, then said, "Let's not act rashly. I think the possibility of it being a sorcery is very small."

Feng Xin said, "I think it's pretty big. I'm really freaking out... Aren't you scared looking at these things?"

Mu Qing and Xie Lian looked at each other and asked, "What's the basis?"

Xie Lian shook his head and said, "There's no basis for this. It's just that these statues are so well carved and so carefully crafted. I'm afraid it would cause regret if I rashly destroyed them before I've figured it out." He paused, then added, "Sanlang... maybe he's hiding something from me, but I don't think it's anything harmful."

Mu Qing was incredulous: "...Have you really been bewitched by some kind of bewitching spell he cast on you? I think even if he wrote the word 'suspicious' on your face, you would become illiterate."

As the two were talking, Feng Xin suddenly acted as if he was facing a formidable enemy and shouted, "Be careful!"

Xie Lian and Mu Qing were both alert and asked, "What's wrong?"

Feng Xin said: "That spider silk is coming again!"

As expected, the palm flame illuminated the stone wall ahead, revealing a dense mass of white silk clinging to it. The three of them were all worried, fearing another fierce battle. Unexpectedly, the white silk wasn't as ferocious as the one at the bottom of the pit. It remained motionless, and didn't attack, acting like any other creeper. After waiting for a while, Xie Lian said, "These silk nets don't seem alive."

Feng Xin said: "If it's not alive, what's the use of it?"

Xie Lian had something in mind. He walked forward and examined it for a moment before confirming it. He said, “They seem to be covering something.”

The three of them arrived in front of the stone wall. Xie Lian tried to pull at it, tearing off a large piece of white silk. The white silk was indeed very tough, not easy to tear, but not completely impossible to tear off.

The true face of the statue is hidden under the veil, so what is hidden on the stone wall?

The other two also joined the team tearing the spider web apart. The three of them were responsible for different areas. Soon, a piece of stone wall was exposed on Xie Lian's side. He said, "It's a mural!"

On the stone wall, heavily obscured by spiderwebs, were vast expanses of murals. The entire wall was densely packed with lines, colors, and tiny figures, divided into numerous small sections, each painted in a different style: some rough, some graceful, some delicate, and some eerie. After examining them for a while, Xie Lian said, "...He painted this."

Mu Qing asked, "Him? Huacheng? Are you sure?"

Xie Lian said softly, “Yes. There are words on it, and they were written by him.”

He pointed to a blood-red figure on the wall. Next to it was a jumble of distorted, incomprehensible words, as if written to vent a moment of unconsciousness or extreme pain. From the words, one could probably guess that the blood-red figure was Hua Cheng himself, though for some unknown reason, he had drawn himself grotesquely. Feng Xin took one look and couldn't help but exclaim, "This handwriting...it's so ugly it blinds me. I dare say I can write better than him."

Even uglier than Feng Xin's writing, it was truly hopelessly ugly. Xie Lian was dazzled, not knowing where to begin. But once he confirmed it was Hua Cheng's handwriting, it was as if he had suddenly discovered a huge treasure, and his fingertips trembled slightly. At this moment, Mu Qing seemed to have discovered something not far away and said, "...Your Highness, come here quickly. Come and see!"

Xie Lian finally came to his senses and asked, "What's wrong?"

Feng Xin and Mu Qing were speechless, pointing to a painting on the wall. It was one of the largest paintings on the entire wall, depicting a tall city tower in the center, with a sea of ​​people below, surrounding a magnificent platform. The lines were simple, yet with just a few strokes, the shape was captured with pinpoint accuracy.

Mu Qing pointed at the center of the screen and said in a trembling voice, "So... it's... it's him?"

Xie Lian was also staring there.

The entire painting is colorless, with only two figures in color. Below is a small figure, white and seemingly glowing, looking up at the sky with hands outstretched, about to catch a small figure falling from the city wall.

And that little man was blood red.

Mu Qing murmured, "...Is it him? Is it him? The child who fell during the Lantern Festival? How could it be him? Unexpectedly? Blood Rain Scholar? It's him???"

Feng Xin patted the two of them frantically and pointed to the side, saying, "There's more behind!"

Xie Lian walked over and saw another painting. It depicted a small, dilapidated temple. Atop the altar sat a statue, its body shrouded in a faint halo of white light. In one hand, it held a sword, and in the other, it held a red umbrella, extending it downwards. Below, an ugly, blood-red figure also held a bouquet of flowers in its hands and offered it to him.

Xie Lian suddenly felt a slight headache. He pressed his throbbing temples with one hand and continued reading.

The next painting seemed to depict a battlefield. Large groups of soldiers stood ready for battle. A small white figure hung in the sky, sword in hand, awe-inspiring. And below, amidst the vast army, a small, blood-red figure gazed up at the figure in the sky.

Xie Lian was watching in fascination when Feng Xin's voice rang out in disbelief. "This red one, they're all the same person, right? It's all him? It's all Huacheng? Holy shit... he's been following you this whole time?!"

Mu Qing also looked puzzled. "Not only was he following us, he was also watching us. He was watching us closely. He was everywhere! Look, there's a main street and the Buyou Forest, and what is this? Beizipo? Oh my god... Could he have carved those statues too?!"

Feng Xin was horrified as he watched the whole scene unfold. He said, "Fuck... who is this guy? He's been watching you for over eight hundred years?! He's still following you today? Holy shit! This is too horrifying! Is he possessed?! What does he want to do? An ordinary believer wouldn't do this, right? What on earth does he want to do?!"

Mu Qing said, "There's a conspiracy... there must be a conspiracy! Keep reading, you'll definitely find clues here!"

Xie Lian was stunned.

He stared at the blood-red figure on the wall, still unable to react. He felt a cacophony of memories, both not forgotten and unnoticed, rushing into his mind, making it difficult for him to breathe. Then, he heard two people shouting over there. Xie Lian shuddered and asked, "What's going on?"

Feng Xin and Mu Qing were both standing in front of a stone wall, seemingly seeing something extraordinary. Seeing him about to approach, Feng Xin quickly turned around, stopped him, and pushed him back, saying, "Fuck you, don't look!"

Xie Lian: "? What's wrong? What is that? Why can't I see it?"

Mu Qing's face also darkened. He said, "...Don't look at it. There's nothing to see. Run!"

The two men each grabbed one of his arms and rushed off again. Xie Lian was dragged along by them, and he asked, "What are you doing? I haven't even finished looking at that mural yet!"

Feng Xin ran while cursing angrily: "Don't watch it! You can't watch that kind of thing! Fuck it! I've never seen such a thing! Such a person!!!"

Xie Lian was baffled. "What have you never seen before? What happened to San Lang?"

Mu Qing scolded, "Why are you still calling me Sanlang? Stop it! It's too late to run! Don't get close to him again. He's not normal. He's sick. He's a lunatic!!!"

Xie Lian couldn't stand it any longer and said, "Why are you scolding him like that? I'm telling you, everyone's not acting right, okay?"

Feng Xin said: "Don't ask! You don't understand! He is different from us! He is crazy! He, he treats you... treats you..."

Xie Lian asked, “What’s wrong with me? Could you please put me down and let me go back and look for myself?”

One wanted to take it back, two wanted to pull it away, and the three of them were in a stalemate when a cold voice suddenly came from the front: "Didn't I tell you not to touch things when you are on someone else's territory?"

The three of them froze and turned to look. They saw a figure in red standing before them. Hua Cheng was leaning against a rock wall, blocking their path. He smiled and said, "Otherwise, I can't say what the outcome will be."

Although he was smiling, his eyes were dark and cloudy instead of smiling. He folded one arm, and with the other hand he was casually playing with a small object.

It was the deep red coral bead that bound that thin strand of hair. The shimmering red of the coral, combined with the red thread between his pale fingers, was equally dazzling and bright.