The scimitar trembled even more miserably. Xie Lian was a little flustered, gently stroking the blade's back. "I'm sorry, I didn't see it was you just now. I won't do that again."
After a few strokes, Erming narrowed his eyes, and the trembling finally stopped. Xie Lian asked again, "Where's your master?"
Suddenly, a voice came from behind: "Ignore it."
Xie Lian looked back and suddenly stood up, surprised and delighted. He asked, "Sanlang? Why are you here?"
The young man strolling leisurely behind him was none other than Hua Cheng. His black hair was tied back into a sideways ponytail, and he wore a light white top, a red shirt tucked in at the waist, his sleeves rolled up, revealing his pale yet sturdy arms and the tattoos on them. The silver chains on his boots jingled as he walked, and he was casual, like a 29-year-old boy next door, yet also quite unrestrained. He gnawed on a small piece of wild grass and smiled at Xie Lian, "Brother."
Xie Lian had originally planned to find Hua Cheng to solemnly thank him after settling the two children, but he had come alone. Hua Cheng walked slowly over to him, unsheathed the silver scimitar stuck in the ground with one hand, examined it, and heaved it over his shoulder, saying, "Brother's busy here, so there's no need for you to go all the way, so I came here on my own. Have you forgotten this?"
He was actually carrying a bamboo hat on his back, which he took off and gave to Xie Lian. Xie Lian had left it there, and Xie Lian was startled. He quickly said, "I forgot it. Thank you so much."
After saying this, he suddenly remembered that after something happened last night, he had said to Huacheng, "I'm looking for my bamboo hat, my bamboo hat is missing." That was just nonsense he said in a daze, but Huacheng actually went to help him find the bamboo hat. He suddenly felt embarrassed, afraid that Huacheng would make fun of this. Fortunately, Huacheng didn't mention it at all. He smiled and changed the subject, saying, "Brother, did you pick up two more children?" As he said this, he rubbed Guzi's head, making his hair messy. Guzi seemed to be very afraid of him and hid behind Xie Lian. Xie Lian said, "It's okay, this brother is a good person."
Hua Cheng said, "No, no. I'm just a bad guy." As he said this, he flipped his hand, and a small silver butterfly flew out from his sleeve. It fluttered its wings and flew slowly in front of Gu Zi. Gu Zi's dark eyes widened, and he stared at the little silver butterfly for a while, finally unable to resist reaching out to catch it.
This significantly reduced his vigilance towards Huacheng. Then, Huacheng glanced at Langying with a seemingly nonchalant expression. Unlike the natural look he'd given Guzi, his gaze on Langying was cold and sharp, not particularly friendly. Langying lowered her head and, anxiously, shrank behind Xie Lian.
Xie Lian took the bamboo hat in his hand and said, "You came just like that. Why did you have to sweep the Puqi Temple again?"
Hua Cheng said, "I was just cleaning up the house. Don't you think it would be refreshing to clear out all the trash?"
"..." Xie Lian remembered the missing Qi Rong and wondered if Hua Cheng had discarded him like trash. Suddenly, a scream came from behind the Puqi Temple: "Go to hell, you damned dog Hua Cheng! Murder, Hua Cheng, murder!!!"
Guzi yelled, "Daddy!" and ran over on his short legs. Xie Lian hurried to catch up. Behind the Puqi Monastery was a stream, where Xie Lian usually washed clothes and rice. Qi Rong was also soaking in the water, still tightly bound to Ruo Xie. He struggled to lift his face out of the water and roared, "I won't get out! I won't get out! I'm going to stay in this body until he dies! I won't give in!!!"
Hua Cheng spat out the weed and said, "Do you think you're some kind of heroic fighter? You're just trash."
Xie Lian said helplessly, "...I caught this one a few days ago on a mountain. He's possessed someone and won't come out. This person isn't dead yet, and if I forcibly rip their soul away, they'll have to destroy their body. Seriously...Sanlang, do you have any ideas?"
Hua Cheng said, "Hmm? Are you asking how to make him suffer a fate worse than death? There are plenty of ways."
This was a threat, and Qi Rong cursed: "You two! You are such a rotten pot and a rotten lid! You have such a vicious heart! Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle..." He didn't finish his words and sank back into the stream. Although Xie Lian thought of his mother's body that turned into ashes when he saw him, and he felt angry and sad, but this body belonged to someone else, and he had to keep it, so he lifted him up from the stream and put him at the entrance of Puqi Temple. Qi Rong hadn't eaten for a day and a night, and he was so hungry that his stomach was sticking to his back. After being beaten up by Huacheng, he was exhausted. Guzi fed him the meat pie that he secretly brought back from a rich merchant, and he ate it so voraciously that the crumbs fell off. It was really hateful and pitiful. Xie Lian shook his head and found that Qi Rong's limbs were stiff. It was not because of Ruo Xie's binding. It was probably because Huacheng cast some magic to freeze his body, so he said: "Ruo Xie, come back."
Ruo Xie had been tied up with Qi Rong for several days and was already feeling extremely aggrieved. With a swish, she came down and wrapped herself around Xie Lian like a white snake. Xie Lian opened the door and, while soothing her, untied her from his body. "Alright, alright. I'll give you a bath later. Don't be sad. Go play over to the side first."
Ruo Xie swam listlessly to the side. Hua Cheng also casually tossed E Ming aside, and E Ming found a respectable position and landed on his feet. Ruo Xie, facing the wall, suddenly noticed a gleaming silver scimitar leaning against the side and approached cautiously. The eye on E Ming's hilt also swung over and studied it. Fang Xin, on the other hand, remained motionless and lifeless, without any expression.
Xie Lian had been concentrating on studying cooking these days and felt that he had made some progress. It was the time when his confidence was growing. He wanted to show off his skills and treat Hua Cheng well, so he asked him to stay for dinner, and Hua Cheng naturally agreed. When Xie Lian came back from the town, he bought a lot of vegetables, and now he piled them all on the altar. He picked up the kitchen knife and started banging the pots and chopping boards. This altar can be used as a desk or a kitchen table. It can hold bowls and chopsticks and sit children. It can be said that it can be used for many purposes. Hua Cheng leaned against the wall and watched for a while. Finally, he couldn't bear it anymore and said, "Do you need help?"
Xie Lian, working furiously, said, "No need. Ruo Xie will be enough to help." He tossed over several bundles of unchopped firewood. With a snap, like a king cobra striking, the white silk lashed across the wood, instantly splitting the calf-thick logs into thin pieces.
After Ruo Xie showed off this skill, she made an extremely exaggerated pose in front of E Ming and Fang Xin, as if to show off her strength and beauty. Before she could show off for a while, Xie Lian put another plate on the ground and threw a large cabbage over. Ruo Xie was about to meet it, but E Ming's eyes suddenly became stern, and he flew up, dancing in the air with dazzling silver light. Instantly, the sky was full of vegetables, and when it landed, the large cabbage had been chopped into a plate of neat and shredded pieces. Xie Lian squatted down, picked up the plate, took a look, and praised: "You are really good at cutting, even better than Ruo Xie."
Ruo Xie suddenly pressed against the wall, as if she had taken several steps backward, backed up against it, with nowhere to retreat. E Ming's eyes rolled wildly, revealing a look of contentment, as if she were already floating in ecstasy. With each cut of the sword and the silk, her heart remained unmoved. Xie Lian paid no attention to the small battle between the magic weapons. While simultaneously adding seven or eight different side dishes to the pot, he turned and asked, "By the way, Sanlang, how long will you be here this time?"
Hua Cheng watched his movements the entire time, seemingly about to remind him of something, but stopped himself and smiled, "It depends. If there's nothing going on over there, I'll just hang around for a few days. If I stay here, I hope you won't be disgusted."
Xie Lian said hurriedly, "How could that be? As long as you don't mind my small place, that's all that's fine." He rambled on, including the story of the female ghost pointing fingers and making a scene at the Shenwu Temple. However, he naturally omitted the incident of him being accused of something and Yan Zhen's bloodshed. But then he remembered what Jun Wu said about Hua Cheng having spies in the heavens, and wondered if he had already known about it. Fortunately, whether Hua Cheng knew or not, he didn't show that he knew, but just seemed to be thinking about it. Xie Lian said, "Sanlang, who do you think the father of this fetal spirit is?"
Hua Cheng raised his head, smiled faintly, and said, "It's hard to say. Maybe she really just picked up the gold belt."
This vague answer was unlike Hua Cheng's usual style. Xie Lian felt a little strange, but soon, the bubbling pot stole his attention.
After two incense sticks, the pot was opened.
Qi Rong had always eaten the offerings the villagers gave to Xie Lian. It was just steamed buns, pickles, flatbread, eggs, and sour wild fruits, but at least it was human food. As soon as the pot was opened, the stench drifted out of the Puqi Monastery. Outside the door, he cursed, "God damn Xie Lian! Black-hearted Xue Lian! You might as well have killed me with a knife! You pretended to pull me out, only to torture me like this! I see you for what you are!!!"
Before opening the pot, Xie Lian was full of confidence. After removing the lid, he began to doubt himself again. He had put so much thought into making such a pot of food, and Hua Cheng was still standing there watching. He didn't know what to do. Was he really going to let Hua Cheng eat this? Hearing Qi Rong's screams and howls, he became even more troubled. Hearing the sound, Hua Cheng folded his arms and was about to walk out. Xie Lian raised his hand to stop him, saying, "Forget it."
He sighed, scooped a bowl from the pot, and said to Huacheng, "Don't eat this. Wait a moment." He went out, called Guzi and Langying to fetch water, and then moved away from the scene. Then he squatted down with the bowl in hand and said in a friendly manner, "Cousin, it's time to eat."
Qi Rong was horrified and said, "What are you doing? What are you doing? What do you want to do?! Xie Lian, I'm warning you. I'm a human being now, so think carefully! Whoever can eat this thing of yours will transcend the constraints of the Three Realms and escape the Six Paths of Reincarnation. There will be no..."
Before he finished speaking, he saw Hua Cheng standing by the pot in the room. He picked up a spoon and scooped a bowl of soup himself. He sat down at the altar and took a bite. His expression remained calm and steady. He was instantly shocked. A thought he had never thought of before flashed through his mind -
It’s really amazing!
Xie Lian brought the bowl close to his face and said calmly, "It's okay if you don't want to eat. Come out now."
That was even more impossible. Qi Rong gritted his teeth, but Xie Lian cracked his jaw open and poured the liquid in.
The next moment, screams resounded over Puqi Village.
The bowl in Xie Lian's hand was empty, and Qi Rong, lying on the ground, had a crooked nose and squinting eyes. Even his voice was hoarse like an old man on his deathbed. He groaned, "...I...hate..."
Seeing that he refused to take out the food even after being forced to eat it, Xie Lian didn't know whether to feel happy or sad. Although he really wanted to force Qi Rong to come out, since he failed, it seemed to indirectly confirm that the food he had carefully prepared was not that difficult to swallow. It seemed to be something worth being happy about. Turning around, he saw Hua Cheng also holding a bowl, eating slowly while looking at him. His bowl was almost empty. His eyes lit up, and he stood up and said, "Sanlang, are you done?"
He originally felt that it was not well prepared and was embarrassed to give it to Huacheng, but Huacheng ate it himself. Huacheng smiled and said, "Yes."
“…” Xie Lian asked cautiously, “How do you like the taste?”
Hua Cheng drank the soup as well and smiled, "Not bad. A bit thick, maybe a little lighter next time."
Xie Lian breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "Okay, I'll remember that. Thank you for your advice."
Qi Rong: "Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!!!!"
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