Even if Lan Chang said at this time, "The one who killed me is you", the effect would not be more shocking than this sentence.
Xie Lian was practically stunned by her and asked, "Me?!"
Jun Wu's hand, resting on his forehead on the throne above, seemed to slip. The priests were silent for a moment, then all looked at him. Jun Wu straightened his hand again, resting it on his forehead in this profound gesture. Then all the priests turned their gazes to Xie Lian.
Is it finally here? The much-anticipated third demotion!
Xie Lian felt as if his entire heart and soul were trembling, and he forced himself to swallow back the words, “I’m impotent,” that were about to burst out of habit.
It was just a casual excuse, not to be brought up at this moment. Furthermore, there was a widely circulated joke within the Upper Heavens about the Martial Gods' attitudes toward women: Feng Xin kept a respectful distance from them; Lang Qianqiu blushed at the sight of a woman; Mu Qing refused to see an ugly woman; Pei Su remained expressionless when he saw a woman, and it was unclear what he was thinking; Quan Yizhen had no thoughts about women at all; and Pei Ming's mind was completely filled with women. If he had spoken out, he would probably have been included in this summary in the future. Xie Lian said earnestly, "Miss Lan Chang, calm down. This is absolutely not the case."
Lan Chang's eyes widened as they grew larger than copper bells as she said, "Yes. It's you, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Xianle Kingdom!"
“…”
Although the woman's death was later than his ascension, roughly coinciding with the time of his ascension, how could Xie Lian not know whether he had met her? Amidst the whispers, Xie Lian restrained his expression and spoke seriously, "Young lady, while I'm no saint, I do know how to be devoted. If I didn't truly love someone, I would never do anything beyond my rights. If I did, I would sell everything I had to collect scrap and perform street art to support my family rather than let this person suffer even the slightest injustice. This is the Divine Martial Palace, so please don't speak without thinking."
Shi Qingxuan also said, "If it was really His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who did this, why would he take the initiative to bring this ghost girl up to confront him? And why did this Miss Lan Chang only recognize him now? Just thinking about it, it's obvious that something is wrong."
Something was clearly amiss. However, when there was something exciting to watch, no one cared, and everyone remained reserved. One priest even speculated, "Could it be that the Crown Prince has lost his memory and doesn't remember what he did?"
"To be honest, I'm more inclined to believe that he's so bold that he thinks people won't recognize him anymore after eight hundred years."
Xie Lian was speechless and warned, "To prove one incredible fact by fabricating another even more incredible fact, isn't this a bit dangerous?"
Feng Xin seemed to want to say something, but paused, unsure, and ultimately didn't say anything. Jun Wu coughed lightly and said, "Xianle, how many gold belts did you have before?"
Xie Lian covered his forehead and said, “…That’s too many. At least ten…”
Mu Qing said calmly, "More than forty. Each one has a different pattern and color."
As soon as he said that, he realized something was wrong and stopped talking, because someone immediately remembered that Mu Qing was once Xie Lian's close attendant, who was responsible for Xie Lian's daily life, so he knew such details so well. The priests thought to themselves, there are more than forty gold belts alone, this prince was really extravagant and pampered back then. Not only others, but also Xie Lian felt ashamed when he thought about it. At that time, he changed into a set of gorgeous clothes every day, and the combination of the belt also changed according to the different clothes. It's not like now, he only changes and wears three sets of clothes over and over again in a whole year. These three sets of clothes are exactly the same. Just looking at them, you would think he is so poor that he only has one piece of clothing to wear. Jun Wu said again: "Do you still remember where you put it?"
Xie Lian and Feng Xin both choked secretly.
Xie Lian rubbed his brow and said, “Ahem, I don’t really remember. After all, these things are over eight hundred years old, and I don’t know where they disappeared.”
It wasn't just because he was forgetful; the main reason was that he and Feng Xin often pawned things when they were short of money. They had pawned so many things that they couldn't remember if they had the belt. Although Feng Xin didn't want to discuss the topic, he still said, "It's possible that this gold belt was given to me as a gift, or I might have found it."
Jun Wu didn't seem to have much hope that Xie Lian would remember, so he said, "Xianle, I remember that the technique you practice requires you to remain a virgin. Otherwise, your magical power will plummet."
Xie Lian said, “Yes.”
Shi Qingxuan said casually, "Wow, the moment I saw His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, I knew he must be cultivating this type of cultivation, and it turns out to be true. If that were the case, he probably wouldn't even have held hands with anyone, let alone had children."
Just as Xie Lian was about to blurt out "yes," his mind suddenly conjured up a pale, slender hand, veiled by a crimson wedding veil, as cool as jade. A thin red string was tied around the third finger. The word "yes" became lodged in his throat, unable to escape. Everyone in the hall was staring intently at him, and it was clear at a glance that this stuck hand meant "no"!
However, "never held hands" was too low a bar. Even if they had, it wouldn't have been a big deal. Shi Qingxuan immediately changed his words and said, "Even if they had held hands, they definitely hadn't even kissed anyone else."
Xie Lian wanted to say "yes" again, but this time, strings of crystal-bead-like bubbles suddenly rose before his eyes. The crystals dispersed, and behind them appeared an extremely handsome face with closed eyes. There was a small widow's peak on the forehead, which was very beautiful.
This time, not only did he not squeeze out a word, but his whole face turned red.
“…”
“…”
“…”
All the priests in the hall understood instantly, and a dry cough filled the air. Shi Qingxuan began to regret his actions. He tapped his head with his fan and whispered to Xie Lian, "Your Highness, I'm sorry. I was just trying to convince everyone that you truly possessed a pure heart and few desires. I didn't expect you weren't. So you've had this kind of experience before, but I couldn't tell!"
The words "I didn't expect you weren't" shattered Xie Lian's resolve. He struggled to reply, "Don't say it. It was, an accident..."
Jun Wu clenched his fist and put it in front of his mouth, coughed even harder, and said, "That's good. You haven't broken any rules in these years, have you?"
Xie Lian finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Yes.”
Jun Wu said, "That's easy. I have a sword here called 'Yan Zhen'. It has a magical effect: if a boy's blood flows on it, it won't leave any marks. The more you wash it, the brighter it becomes. Take a drop of blood and you'll know."
Although everyone has known about Jun Wu's hobby of collecting all kinds of strange and bizarre swords for many years, the priests still wondered in their hearts: "Why do you have so many messed-up swords? What are you going to do with them..."
Xie Lian found this situation truly baffling and just wanted it to end quickly. As soon as Ling Wen retrieved the slender "Yan Zhen" sword, he immediately raised his hand and scraped the blade. Countless eyes were fixed on this, and Shi Qingxuan clapped his hands and said, "Alright. Case solved!"
The blood droplet slid across the blade, leaving no trace. The evidence was irrefutable, and everyone dispersed, saying, "Ah, so that's how it is." "Then who is it?" They all showed little interest, a touch of disappointment.
Lingwen said politely, "Miss, please tell me the truth. Which priest is this? If the spirit in your womb is still so restless, and you don't have enough magical power, I'm afraid only your father, who is related to it by blood, can gently teach it. I..."
Unexpectedly, before she finished speaking, Lan Chang pointed at Ling Wen and said, "You! That person is you!"
“…”
Lingwen: “???”
Lingwen, who had probably just arrived from the temple to attend the meeting, was a man at the time. Suddenly, Lan Chang pointed out that he was the father of the child, and he looked confused and shocked. The other priests erupted in outrage. Pei Ming said, "Jie Qing, have you finished reviewing the documents? Then go down and find a girl to bear your child. Hahahahahahahahahahahaha..."
This was probably what was called retribution in this life. Ling Wen shook his head, declining Shi Wudu's kind offer to give his "nephew" a red envelope. He regained his composure and said, "I haven't finished reviewing it yet. I don't have time."
After all this fussing, and having already made several people suspicious, naturally no one would believe it anymore. Feng Xin couldn't stand it any longer and said angrily, "I understand. This female ghost is completely crazy. She's here to cause trouble and is biting and harassing people."
Lan Chang chuckled, looking even more like a madwoman. If this continued, who knew if she would be the next person to accuse him? The priests changed their tone, saying, "Yes, who knows if she stole the gold belt..."
"To be honest, I have more than one gold belt. I'm not sure how many I have, and I can't remember if I've kept them all properly."
Lan Chang refused to give in. She put her hands on her hips and said, "Why, you want to clear yourself now? It's too late! No way! It's you, you, and you!"
It was as if he was pointing fingers without even looking at them. Even Mingyi, who was standing quietly in the corner, chewing something with an indifferent yet focused expression, was forced to acknowledge him as her father. The hall was in chaos, and everyone was pushing and running: "Drag her away, drag her away!" "Stop her talking nonsense!" "Sister, I don't like girls like you, don't accuse me!" "It's really outrageous!"
Jun Wu waved his hand, and a junior priest came in and escorted Lan Chang away. She was dragged out of the Shenwu Hall, still laughing shrilly the entire way. The priests inside, still terrified, returned to their seats, each one agonizing. They'd initially thought it was none of their business, just watching the fun, but now they were worried they might be caught off guard. Maybe the next time they were performing their new show in the human world, they'd inexplicably have a heavily made-up female ghost lover and a murderous ghost son. Suddenly, a sense of crisis gripped them, and they all threw their hands up, saying, "There's no way to investigate this!"
"I think she's just mentally ill. Don't bother investigating. It's a waste of time. Just shut her down."
"It's also very likely that the ghost world deliberately sent them to muddy the waters."
Xie Lian disagreed, saying, "On the way here, Miss Lan Chang was clearly normal and lucid. How could she become like this upon arriving at the Divine Martial Hall? I'm afraid she can't be explained away by simply saying 'crazy'."
So, they split into two factions once again, and after some debate, the conclusion was the age-old "wait and see." After the meeting, Xie Lian said goodbye to his teacher Qingxuan and verbally agreed to go play in a few days. Leaving the Shenwu Hall, he sighed, "They say the Lingwen Hall is inefficient, but there's nothing we can do about it. Every time we gather to discuss something, there's so much rambling and divergent opinions, and the final result is often still mediocre and lukewarm. How can the Lingwen Hall be so decisive?"
At this moment, he felt someone following him from behind. He turned around and saw it was Feng Xin. He was slightly startled. Before he could even say hello, Feng Xin quickly whispered, "Be careful, Mu Qing."
Xie Lian also lowered his voice and asked, "Mu Qing?"
Feng Xin said, "The ghost girl looked strange when he entered the hall, as if she were a little afraid of him. I don't pry into other people's private affairs, but you should be on your guard." With that, he hurried away. Xie Lian stood still, waiting until he was far away before slowly starting to walk.
Although it was not easy to notice on the surface, Xie Lian had actually been secretly paying attention to the subtle expressions of each priest and Lan Chang's reactions, and naturally he did not miss Mu Qing.
However, he thought it unlikely that the fetal spirit's father was Mu Qing. Xie Lian simply couldn't imagine Mu Qing doing such a thing. In fact, Mu Qing was completely devoted to martial arts cultivation, expanding his followers and building his territory. He practiced the same path as him and wouldn't let a woman ruin his cultivation. However, Mu Qing's knowledge of Lan Chang was a reasonable possibility. Shaking his head, Xie Lian felt the clues were too few and left the Heavenly Palace.
Although the fetal spirit had been subdued, and Lang Ying and Gu Zi were housed in a wealthy merchant's house, with food and drink, and nothing to worry about, it wasn't good for him to be away for too long. The merchant, having not seen him for a long time, was probably starting to get suspicious, so Xie Lian headed straight for Puqi Town. The merchant, upon seeing him, shook his hands tightly and said excitedly, "Master! Master, master! You slept in my wife Ru's room last night, and we locked the door. When I opened it this morning, I can't believe it, you vanished out of thin air! You're so powerful! How's it going? Did you catch that monster?"
Xie Lian said, “We’ve caught him. Don’t worry, he’s alright now. How are the two children I was taking care of?”
The wealthy businessman was as if he had been pardoned. He was overjoyed and said, "Very good, very good! I didn't eat much! Taoist priest, where is your Qiandeng Temple? I want to donate and fulfill my vow! From today on, I want to be a nominal disciple of your temple. No one can compete with me!"
Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But after all, he had gained a follower, and a wealthy one at that, so he was very pleased. He preached to the wealthy businessman in a mysterious way, admonishing him to avoid women in the future, to be single-minded, and to love his wife and family. Finally, he told him to visit Puqi Monastery another day, and then he left with Lang Ying and Gu Zi.
The three of them returned to Puqi Village. Arriving in front of Puqi Monastery, Xie Lian placed the sign soliciting donations for the dilapidated buildings in a more prominent spot, secretly hoping the wealthy businessman would see it and then push the door open. Unexpectedly, the moment he pushed the door open, he sensed something different inside the room.
As soon as I entered the temple, I saw a complete change. The floor had been swept, the altars and chairs wiped, the dust swept away, and the dirty garbage in the corners cleared away. It was as if the place had been visited by the Snail Girl; it was incredibly clean.
Because even Qi Rong is missing!
As soon as he disappeared, the whole room seemed to suddenly become spacious and brighter, and even the air seemed to have become a little fresher. Gu Zi, holding the meat pie he had brought back from town, looked out and saw no one, so he asked anxiously, "Big Brother, where's my dad?"
Xie Lian turned immediately. Before he even stepped out of the doorway, he felt a dangerous flash of cold light approaching. He drew his sword and struck it with his backhand. With a clang, the cold light was instantly sent flying, landing dozens of feet away.
He drew his sword as fast as lightning and put it away as fast as lightning. Her heart instantly returned to its place. She let out a breath and immediately felt puzzled: Why was there no next move after that flash of cold light?
Looking at the cold light again, after being sent flying by him, it stuck crookedly in the ground far away. Looking at the curved arc of silver light from afar, Xie Lian felt that it looked more and more familiar. He walked over with the two children, took a look, and quickly squatted down, saying, "This...isn't this Er Ming? What's wrong with you?"
Asking a knife what's wrong with you is a truly bizarre sight. Passing farmers also gave Xie Lian strange looks, secretly nudging each other: "Look, look at this guy, he's talking to a knife..." "I see, just ignore it and walk away..." However, Xie Lian had to ask this because the entire blade of Erming, and the eye outlined in silver on the handle, were trembling uncontrollably, as if suffering from a terminal illness, the trembling getting worse and worse. Xie Lian couldn't help but reach out his hand and said, "Did I hurt you when I hit you just now?"
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