Chapter 28 Reuniting with an Old Friend at Springtime 2 "Clang clang clang clang clang..."

"Clang clang clang clang clang clang—!!! I, Bangling, am back!"

The voice of the spirit appeared out of nowhere. Of the four, only Mi Qing looked around in confusion, wondering what was speaking.

Yao Xu looked at Mi Qing, spread his hands, and said, "This is just an ugly thing that doesn't dare to show its face and is a bit sick. You'll get used to it."

"Who are you calling an ugly thing?!"

"I haven't even said you guys aren't focusing on solving the case, all you do is eat and eat!!!"

Yan Chao said somewhat innocently, "Plants need soil to nourish them, animals need to hunt for food, and monks need to eat grains. If we don't eat our fill, how can we have the energy to investigate cases? I think you're just jealous of us because you can't eat enough!"

Lianxi yawned and said, "If you don't like us, you can go find someone else. Anyway, I don't like you either." His tone was full of disdain and indifference. If Bangling suggested replacing us, he would be more than happy to do so.

"......"

Mi Qing was even more confused. What exactly was the "Bangling"?

After a moment of silence, Bangling spoke again: "Fine, fine! It's just his true form! What's wrong with looking at it! Didn't I say he'd show himself once everyone was gathered? Are you young people deaf or brainless?!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a gust of wind arose from the ground, and suddenly a beam of light descended from the sky. A round figure floated out from the light, and what was initially thought to be a fat old man with a white beard turned out to be a chubby little kid!

Yao Xu immediately rolled his eyes and deliberately said loudly, "It's like an old lady putting on powder—trying to look young."

Bangling's face immediately darkened. He flew to Yaoxu's side and slammed his chubby little fist hard on Yaoxu's head, saying, "How can you talk to an old man like that! Don't you know what it means to respect the elderly and care for the young... Hey, wait a minute! Why are you grabbing me... Hey!"

Before Bang Ling could finish speaking, Lian Xi picked him up with one hand, shook him up and down and side to side, and pinched his chubby cheeks with her other hand, as if she were playing with a toy. She laughed and said, "Hmm, not bad. You, such a weirdo, have the nerve to tell us to respect the elderly and care for the young?"

Bangling shouted, "I am the Heavenly..." He suddenly paused, glared fiercely at Lianxi, then turned to a mournful face and said resentfully, "The world is going to the dogs!!! Why are all the young people these days so hard to manage!!!"

Mi Qing suddenly leaned closer, looked him up and down with curiosity, and said, "You're the spirit of the Heavenly Ranking."

Upon hearing this, Bang Ling immediately changed his expression and said with a smile, "It is indeed I! As expected, the newcomer is more polite."

Upon hearing this, all three people present, except for Mi Qing, were taken aback.

Yao Xu asked, "Are you saying that Mi Qing is the last person chosen by the Heavenly Ranking?"

Bang Ling said, "That's right! Surprised? Unexpected?"

For a moment, no one spoke. The four of them had different expressions, and they all had the same guess in their hearts, but none of them said it out loud.

Yan Chao spoke first: "Mi Qing, I am Liu Taohua. From now on, let's eat, drink, and have fun together! Let's put the investigation on hold for later!"

Mi Qing took Yan Chao's arm and smiled, "Okay. I don't know why, but I feel a sense of familiarity with you the moment I see you, as if we've known each other for a long time."

Yan Chao said meaningfully, "Me too. Maybe we really did know each other before."

Lianxi casually tossed Bangling aside and said, "Jiangyu's birthday is just a few days away, let's celebrate together as a group of four."

Yao Xu chuckled and said, "It's surprising you still remember my birthday. So, the same old place again this year?"

Lianxi hummed in agreement, looked at Yan Chao, and asked, "How is it, peach blossoms?"

Yan Chao smiled and said, "Of course I'll go. But I need to prepare a birthday gift for him first."

Upon hearing that there was a gift, Yao Xu's eyes lit up. Just as he was about to speak, Lian Xi said, "He's not young anymore, there's no need to prepare a gift. Your presence is enough to give a gift."

Yao Xu twitched the corner of his mouth, rolled his eyes at him, and said, "You're really overpraising me."

The long-ignored spirit suddenly appeared among the four and said, "...Aren't you all being a bit disrespectful to me?"

Mi Qing said, "You must be quite busy. If we invited you, would you really go?"

Bangling crossed her arms, raised her head, and said arrogantly, "I'm not going."

Lianxi said, "That's perfect. I wasn't planning on bringing you anyway. Now that this case is over, you can go back to where you came from."

Bangling: "..."

"I don't care! I'm leaving!" Just as he was about to leave, the spirit said earnestly, "Now that everyone is here, let's investigate the case properly. Don't forget, the answer you're looking for is still to come." After saying that, he turned into a wisp of smoke and disappeared.

Yan Chao smiled slightly and said, "That won't affect my eating, drinking and having fun."

After Bangling left, Miqing needed to return to Tiandu to report the matter to the Emperor. Yaoxu accompanied her, and the four agreed to meet at their usual place five days later.

Now only Lianxi and Yanchao remain.

Yan Chao asked, "Have you known each other for a long time?"

Lianxi said, "Yes, it's been a long time."

Yan Chao asked again, "Then should I call you Young Master Lian?"

After a moment of silence, Lianxi chuckled softly and said, "Does it feel similar?"

Yan Chao smiled and said, "It's the real deal."

Lianxi seemed intrigued and asked, "How did you find out?"

Yan Chao analyzed logically: "First, your name. Legend has it that when Gongzi Lian attained enlightenment, lotus flowers bloomed with every step he took, hence the name. Second, your magical power. While the magical power of the fish in the poplar forest is limited, it doesn't affect you at all. Third, your body temperature. Your hands are very cold, which is not the temperature a human should have. Fourth, you like the portrait of Gongzi Lian very much. Among all the ghosts and gods in heaven and earth, who can be as omniscient as you and seem to have everything under control? It must be that mysterious Ghost King Gongzi Lian."

Yan Chao suddenly leaned closer, blinked, and said, "It's more of an intuition for me, but you didn't really intend to hide it, did you?"

Lianxi stared at Yan Chao, remained silent for a while, and then said, "Taohua is indeed clever. I'll take what you just said as a compliment. Also, I really like that portrait."

Yan Chao took two steps back, took out the pendant and handed it to him, saying, "Since you like it, I'll give it to you."

Lianxi put away the pendant, glanced at the tattoo on her palm, and said, "Actually, besides this, you've given me other things before."

Yan Chao thought it was the dried apricots she had given him before, but she unexpectedly caught a glimpse of the tattoo on his palm. She remembered that he had this tattoo on his palm when Ye Zi was drawing Noba, but she hadn't noticed it then. Now, looking at it closely, it seemed very familiar.

Yan Chao grabbed his hand, examined it closely, and exclaimed in surprise, "This is Ji Chunchao?"

Lianxi asked, "Does it look familiar?"

Yan Chao replied without hesitation, "Of course I'm familiar with it! Didn't I just plant one?"

Lianxi chuckled, a mix of helplessness and anticipation in her voice.

Yan Chao then asked, "Lianxi, is that your real name?"

Lianxi didn't speak, but instead took her hand and wrote two characters "Feng Xi" on her palm before saying, "Feng Xi, that's my name."

Yan Chao stared at her palm for a long time, then suddenly laughed, as if she had discovered some treasure. She looked up at Feng Xi, her eyes sparkling, and said with a sly smile, "So this is your name. It's quite nice."

Feng Xi raised an eyebrow and said, "But your smile is strange."

Yan Chao said in a serious tone, "I'm so excited! One of the three great unsolved mysteries of the Three Realms is the appearance of the Ghost King Prince Lian. I not only know Prince Lian's name, but I also know what he looks like. Isn't that something to be excited about?"

Among the prominent figures in the Three Realms, besides the previous Four Gentlemen of Tianji, there are three current unsolved mysteries: Gongzi Lian, Gongzi Huo, and Chunshan Louzhu.

Gongzi Lian is the ruler of the Ghost Realm after Feng Yi. He single-handedly created the two Ghost Realm cities—Wangsheng City and Wangsheng City; he also set up the Nian Bridge and the Wangsheng Tree, making great contributions to the Ghost Realm and having tens of thousands of believers.

But he always wore a wolf and fox mask, and no one knew his appearance or name. They only knew that he was born in the Yancha Field of the Ghost Realm, and because lotus flowers bloomed with every step he took when he ascended, people called him Young Master Lotus.

After that, four more ghost kings appeared in the ghost realm. Although they ruled their own territories, Gongzi Lian was still the leader.

Gongzi Huo is a figure whose identity is unknown, whether he is a god or a ghost. He got his name because Gongzi Lian took him to heaven when he ascended to the heavens. He wears a black robe, his long hair is half-draped, and he wears a long crimson necklace around his neck. The tattoos on his chest and arms are faintly visible, making him alluring and seductive, hence the name Gongzi Huo (Prince Bewilderment).

He and Gongzi Lian fought three hundred rounds with the gods in Tiandu that day. Afterwards, Gongzi Lian leaped back to the Ghost Realm to become the Ghost King, but Gongzi Huo disappeared without a trace.

Like the ephemeral beauty of the night-blooming cereus, it appears and disappears in a flash. Its name and identity are unknown, whether it is a god or a ghost, where it came from, or whether it will ever return.

As for the Master of Chunshan Pavilion, there's no need to elaborate further.

In short, all three of them carry various secrets.

Suddenly, another serious matter popped into Yan Chao's mind. Before Feng Xi could answer, he quickly asked, "Is the river fish...?"

Lianxi said, "Yes. His name is Yaoxu."

Yan Chao exclaimed "Wow!" and shook his head in disbelief, saying, "Then he's not only Young Master Huo, but also a plague god?"

Lianxi replied, "Yes."

Yan Chao found it unbelievable, yet also felt it made perfect sense; her earlier guess was now confirmed in her mind. After the initial surprise, she felt a long-lost joy, an indescribable emotion filling her heart.

Yan Chao didn't know how to describe this complicated feeling. She was a little happy and a little sad. Her eyes felt sore. She lowered her head, took a deep breath, and after a while, she finally looked up at Feng Xi and said, "It's so good."

Feng Xi asked, "What?"

Yan Chao said, "It's so good to know you all."

Feng Xi didn't know why her mood changed so quickly, but seeing that she was genuinely happy, she didn't ask any more questions.

Feng Xi said, "Didn't you say you wanted to go to Wangsheng City? Yao Xu's birthday is either in the Ghost Domain or in his Cloud Valley every year. This year he's in the Ghost Domain, so I can take you around Wangsheng City."

Yan Chao clapped his hands and laughed, "Great! I've long wanted to see the splendor of the Twin Cities of the Ghost Realm, and now I'm finally able to benefit from Lord Feng Xi's presence!"

Feng Xi said, "I still prefer you to call me by my name, Feng Xi or Lian Xi."

Yan Chao also felt something was off, so he called him by his name: "Feng Xi".

Whether it was Yan Chao's imagination or not, she always felt that after calling his name, the distance between them seemed to have shortened a bit, as if something was different from before.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Neither of them spoke, and they stood facing each other, silently gazing at one another.

Feng Xi's eyes held emotions that Yan Chao couldn't understand. His gaze lingered on Yan Chao's reflection, as if he wanted to see right through her.

Yan Chao coughed, awkwardly touched his earlobe, and said, "I should go. I promised to prepare a birthday gift for Jiang... no, Yao Xu."

Feng Xi glanced at the string of sandalwood beads on her wrist and said, "You can wear that bracelet. Five days later, just shake it and my people will come to pick you up."

Yan Chao said, "Okay."

The two parted ways at the foot of the snow-capped mountain. Yan Chao rushed back to Xingfeng Xiaozhu day and night, eager to tell Ming Qi about her trip.

But she forgot that the storyteller's "New Tianji Chronicle - The Contractual Chapter" had already been printed and presented to Ming Qi at the end of their story.

So when Yan Chao returned to Xingfeng Xiaozhu and saw Ming Qi, he was holding the latest volume of "The New Biography of Tianji" and enjoying flowers, reading, and drinking tea in the courtyard.

Yan Chao swallowed back all the words he had to say. After hesitating for a long time, he finally said, "You already know?"

Ming Qi put down his book, beckoned to her, and Yan Chao sat down beside him. She took the tea that Ming Qi offered, smiled at him, and said, "I know... Chao Chao, thank you."

Ming Qi affectionately patted Yan Chao's head and said, "Chao Chao, I hope that no matter what happens in the future, you, and all of you, will be well."

Yan Chao threw herself into Ming Qi's arms, her voice muffled, and said, "You must take good care of yourself too."

Ming Qi paused for a moment, then said gently, "Okay."

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Author's Note: Sorry!!! Something came up and I was delayed, so sorry! Now, the main characters' real names have all been revealed! But they still have pseudonyms!