However, Xie Lian was so nervous and guilty that he kept his eyes tightly closed, completely unaware.
The last time they'd breathed underwater, Huacheng had been the one initiating the process. His movements had been too forceful, his kiss too heavy. Xie Lian didn't dare dwell on it afterward, only remembering the swelling, pain, and numbness in his lips. This time, he was in charge, but he was cautious, pressing only gently, not daring to apply even a little more pressure, as if afraid of waking Huacheng. But then again, wasn't his primary goal to wake Huacheng? And if the kiss was too shallow, with lips loosely pressed together and breath leaking out, wouldn't that be a futile effort?
So, Xie Lian still kept his eyes closed, reciting the Tao Te Ching in his mind at a high speed, while slightly separating his lips, taking a deep breath, and pressing them together again.
This time, the kiss was deeper than the previous one. Xie Lian held Hua Cheng's two slightly cool thin lips and slowly let in the air flow.
During the process, he kept his eyes closed and didn't dare to look any further. After taking five or six breaths, he thought he should press Hua Cheng's chest again. Unexpectedly, when he opened his eyes, he was met with Hua Cheng's eyes that were wide open.
“…”
“…”
Xie Lian's hands were still cupping Hua Cheng's cheeks, their lips having just parted, the soft, tingling touch still lingering on each other's lips. In an instant, both of them were reduced to stone statues, as if shattered by a gust of wind. Xie Lian was undoubtedly stunned, but wasn't Hua Cheng, who usually remained calm even in the face of adversity, also stunned?
Xie Lian had no idea why he hadn't died instantly from a brain hemorrhage. After a long pause, he finally said, "Sanlang, you're awake."
Huacheng said nothing.
Xie Lian suddenly let go of his hands and leaped back several feet: "...No no no no no no no! No no no no! It's not what you think! I just wanted to give you..."
Give him what? Give him some energy?
Do ghosts need to be breathed in? Even he himself said this and no one believed him!
Xie Lian was stuck, and Hua Cheng suddenly sat up, extending a hand towards him, as if forcing composure, and said, "...Your Highness, you, calm down first."
Xie Lian held his head in his hands, his entire body trembling. Finally, he clasped his hands together, bowed fiercely to Hua Cheng, and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!!"
After shouting, he turned around and ran away. Hua Cheng finally came to his senses, stood up and chased after him, shouting after him: "Your Highness!"
Xie Lian covered his ears and ran while shouting out his regret: "I'm sorry!!!"
Die! Die quickly! If you don’t die, dig a hole and pretend to be dead!
He ran at breakneck speed, instantly plunging into the depths of the dense forest. As he ran, something like a sharp arrow suddenly flew towards him. Although Xie Lian was immediately shocked, his reflexes were impeccable. With a flick of his hand, he grabbed a bone spur. He abruptly stopped and looked in the direction of the attack, but saw nothing but rustling bushes. He felt the danger lurking around him, and he calmed down and turned to run back. "Sanlang!"
Hua Cheng had been following him closely, and when he turned around, he nearly bumped into Hua Cheng's arms. Xie Lian grabbed his hand and ran out of the jungle, saying, "Run! There's something in the forest!"
Hua Cheng, who had been chasing him, was dragged back by him. When they reached the beach, Xie Lian breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Fortunately, fortunately, he didn't follow me."
Hua Cheng also said: "Yes, there are some small creatures on the island, but it's okay, they won't follow us."
Hearing this, Xie Lian suddenly remembered why Hua Cheng was afraid of such a thing. He looked down and saw that he was still holding his hand, but it froze again. He quickly let go and jumped away.
There were several feet between them, and they were silent for a while. Hua Cheng sighed, tugged at the collar of his clothes, and said, "Thank you so much, brother, for saving me just now. Being human really has so many inconveniences. I even drank a few sips of the sea water when I went down. It was so salty."
Xie Lian wasn't that stupid. He knew Hua Cheng was trying to save his own skin, so he had no choice but to go along with it. He lowered his head and mumbled, "No, no."
After a pause, Hua Cheng continued, "However, what my brother did was a little wrong."
Xie Lian was stunned and said awkwardly, “Isn’t that right? I…thought that just transferring Qi would be enough.”
Hua Cheng said: "Hmm. That's not right. Don't do this to others casually in the future, otherwise you might..."
Otherwise, instead of saving someone's life, he might have ended up killing them. He spoke so seriously that Xie Lian felt a pang of shame, secretly thankful he had never done such a thing before, as it would have been a real sin. He quickly promised, "I won't do it again, I won't do it again."
Hua Cheng nodded and smiled. Although Xie Lian wanted to ask Hua Cheng how to properly transfer Qi, he didn't dare dwell on the question any longer. He first made a mental note, looked around, and said, "Is this island truly deserted? Is there no one living there?"
Hua Chengdao: "Of course. This is the center of the Black Water Demon Den, Black Water Island."
He was certain. Blood Rain Scholar and Black Water Boat—these two must be acquaintances. Xie Lian asked, "Has Sanlang been here before?"
Hua Cheng shook his head and said, "I've never been here. But I know there is such an island."
Xie Lian frowned and said, “I wonder where Master Feng and the others have drifted to, and whether they are still on the island.”
This was the Blackwater Demon Den of the South China Sea, their territory. Pei Ming's home turf was in the north, and the Earth Master wasn't a Martial God, let alone the Wind Master. If anything went wrong and the Blackwater Mysterious Ghost was provoked, only the Water Master could contend. However, it was still unknown when Master Wudu's tribulation would arrive, and the situation was far from optimistic. Xie Lian asked, "Sanlang, does the Blackwater Mysterious Ghost have a bad temper? What would he do if a priest mistakenly entered his domain and his home?"
Hua Cheng said, "It's hard to say. But brother, you should have heard that saying. I am the king on land, he is the boss in the water. Even in the Black Water Demon Cave, I have to be wary of him."
Not only was this not his home turf, but as both were peerless masters of their time, he had to at least give the other a little face so they could meet again in the future. Xie Lian said, "Then we must leave quickly."
After a brief walk around the island, the two of them didn't venture too far into the forest. Xie Lian called out for a while, but heard no response from Wind Master and the others. Hua Cheng said, "Perhaps they didn't drift to Blackwater Island."
The two of them reached the beach again. The sea was lifeless. Xie Lian picked up a piece of wood on the way and threw it far away. A piece of wood like this should have floated on the water, but after landing on the water several feet away, it sank instantly. Xie Lian looked back at the dense forest and said, "It seems that cutting wood into boats is absolutely impossible. Even shrinking the earth a thousand miles is useless. How are we going to leave this island?"
Hua Cheng said, "Who said no?"
Xie Lian said, “But, only the coffin wood that has been used to collect the dead can float in the Black Water Ghost Den…” Before he finished, he immediately remembered, coffins, there are trees everywhere here, and the dead, aren’t they right in front of us?
As expected, Hua Cheng smiled and said, "Can't I just lie down in there?"
Although he was smiling, Xie Lian felt an inexplicable pang of pain in his heart.
Hua Cheng spread his palms, and the scimitar, E Ming, appeared within them. Immediately, the two began to pick up the wood. Since they hadn't ventured deep into the forest, they encountered nothing lurking in the shadows, and they soon felled several trees. In a blink of an eye, a busy day passed, and dusk gradually approached. The two divided the work, rushing to do whatever was available, working with remarkable efficiency. By evening, the coffin was almost complete.
Xie Lian had only eaten half a steamed bun on the way, and was already starving. However, he wanted to finish the coffin as soon as possible, so he found an excuse to go fishing once the coffin was complete. But how could there be fish in the Black Water Devil's Lair? Returning empty-handed, he went to the edge of the forest and picked some wild fruit in a less dangerous area. Unexpectedly, when he returned, Hua Cheng had already built a bonfire and was sitting by it, one hand resting on his chin, the other holding a branch, roasting a wild rabbit on a fork.
The hare had been cleaned and roasted until its skin was slightly charred and golden, and the aroma of the meat was overflowing, making it extremely tempting. Seeing Xie Lian return, Hua Cheng smiled slightly, moved his hand away, and handed it to him. Xie Lian took it, handed him the fruit, and said, "You can eat it all."
Both were dripping wet, their clothes soaked with sweat, not only from the seawater, but they both tacitly agreed not to mention removing their clothes to dry them. The wild rabbit meat was indeed crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. A gentle bite burned their teeth, yet they couldn't stop eating, the delicious flavor lingering on their lips and teeth. Xie Lian finally split it in half, sighing, "Sanlang's cooking is excellent."
Hua Cheng smiled and said, "Really? Thank you for the compliment, brother."
Xie Lian said, “Indeed. Whether it’s carpentry or cooking, I’ve never seen anyone better than you. That noble lady, born into a wealthy family, truly deserves the blessing of several lifetimes of hard work.”
As he spoke, he seemed so absorbed in eating his rabbit that he lost track of Hua Cheng's voice. After a long pause, he heard Hua Cheng say calmly, "Meeting him is the fruit of my countless lifetimes of hard work."
“…”
Xie Lian didn't know what to say, so he seemed to concentrate even more on his chewing. After a while, he realized Hua Cheng was calling him, "Brother, Brother."
Xie Lian asked in bewilderment, “What?”
Hua Cheng handed over a handkerchief. Xie Lian then realized that he had bitten the rabbit too hard, and half of his face was covered in grease. It was extremely funny. He was immediately embarrassed and took the handkerchief to wipe it off. Hua Cheng also handed over the other half of the wild rabbit and said, "Brother, I think you are very hungry. Don't worry."
Xie Lian took it, stunned for a moment, but couldn't help asking, "Sanlang, who exactly is that noble man? How could you not catch up?"
He truly believed that if Huacheng wanted someone, no one in the world could withstand his advances. But that day, Huacheng said he hadn't caught up yet, and he couldn't help but feel a little depressed. He felt a strange feeling towards the Ghost King's pursuit of a man. Perhaps he felt that the other party was extremely short-sighted, or perhaps he didn't know how to appreciate his good fortune. Huacheng said, "I'm not afraid of being laughed at by my brother. I dare not."
Whether it was out of a desire to stand up for the weak or perhaps to prevent Hua Cheng from underestimating himself, Xie Lian said seriously, "What are you afraid of? You're the Ghost King of Despair, the Blood Rain Scholar."
Hua Cheng laughed heartily, "What a bullshit Ghost King! If I were truly that powerful, I wouldn't have been hung up and beaten hundreds of years ago, unable to do anything. Hahahaha..."
Xie Lian said, "Well, that's not right. Everyone trains this way..." He then remembered that before his ascension, he hadn't experienced being hung up and beaten. He coughed lightly. Hua Cheng said, "He's seen me at my most miserable."
Xie Lian said, “Then I’m very envious.”
Hearing this, Hua Cheng looked over. Xie Lian stopped eating and said softly, "I think I can understand your way of thinking."
After a pause, he continued, "I also had some bad days. At that time, I often thought, if someone could see me rolling in the mud, unable to get up, and still love me, that would be great. But I don't know if there is such a person, and I don't dare to show it to others.
"However, since you are the person that Sanlang admires, I think that even if he saw you at your most miserable, he would not say, 'Ah, this person is not that great,'"
He concentrated and said, "To me, you are the one who rises to glory, and you are the one who falls to dust. The key is 'you', not 'how' you are.
"I really... admire Sanlang, so I want to know everything about you. So, I'm really envious that someone saw you like that so early on. This is a fate that can only be encountered by chance. And whether this fate can continue or not depends 30% on fate and 70% on courage."
The bonfire crackled for a long moment, and neither of them spoke. Xie Lian coughed lightly, rubbed his brow, and said, "Did I say too much? Sorry."
Hua Cheng said: "No. You are right."
Xie Lian breathed a sigh of relief and quickly picked up the rabbit and began to chew on it again. Hua Cheng said, "It's not just that, there are many other reasons."
Xie Lian felt like he'd said too much and just wanted to end the topic quickly. Furthermore, he couldn't understand why he'd said so much just now. Was he encouraging Hua Cheng to bravely pursue his beloved? He wasn't a priest in charge of marriage, so he just said, "Hmm..."
After their conversation, the atmosphere between them became slightly tense. They quickly finished their meal and continued working. Before long, the coffin was officially completed.
Hua Cheng pushed the brand-new coffin into the water, then slid in effortlessly. He sat inside. Such a long, heavy piece of wood truly floated on the surface, holding onto the water. The coffin wasn't very wide, and Xie Lian, holding up the hem of his Taoist robe, stepped inside, only to find there was nowhere to sit. Meanwhile, the sky was filled with rumbling thunder, dark clouds rolled in, and flashes of purple lightning appeared and disappeared, with the sudden, unpredictable crack of thunder piercing his ears. Fine raindrops drifted down from the sky, becoming denser and denser, a rainstorm looming.
Fortunately, the two men did not slack off while working and also tacked the coffin lid. Otherwise, when the coffin was pushed to the surface, it would have been filled with rainwater in a short time and would have sunk to the bottom with a thud.
The two exchanged glances, and Xie Lian whispered, "I'm sorry."
Hua Cheng said nothing more and lay down in the coffin. Xie Lian followed suit and closed the lid. It was as if a light had been blown out, plunging into complete darkness.
The coffin boat set out to sea, bobbing and sinking for a while. Outside, a torrential downpour pounded against the lid. Inside, the two spoke in silence, crammed into a small space, their bodies inevitably pressed together, drifting with the current, tossing and turning. Xie Lian braced himself on the edge of the coffin with one hand, trying to make as much room as possible. His head banged lightly against the wood a few times, but Hua Cheng reached out and placed one hand on his back, pressing it against his chest, while his other hand protected his head. Xie Lian didn't even dare to breathe too quickly. He said, "Sanlang...how about we switch?"
Hua Chengdao: "What do you want to change?"
Xie Lian said, “…You’re on top, I’m on the bottom.”
Hua Cheng said, "Isn't it the same up there or down there?"
Xie Lian was afraid of crushing him, so he said, “Our journey will take at least a day. You look only seventeen or eighteen years old, right? I’m a Martial God after all, so I’m very heavy…”
Before he finished speaking, he said, "Sanlang, you...don't suddenly grow bigger."
Although he couldn't see clearly in the darkness, he could sense a change in Hua Cheng, who was leaning against him. Although the change was extremely subtle, he was very perceptive and guessed that Hua Cheng had probably returned to his true form. Sure enough, Hua Cheng spoke, and that low laugh was indeed the voice of his true form. Xie Lian lay on his chest, helpless, but this also diluted the inexplicable awkwardness. He gently raised his leg, trying to move and change his position, but Hua Cheng suddenly stopped smiling and said in a deep voice, "Don't move."
Xie Lian froze. At that moment, there was a loud bang, and the coffin boat they were riding in suddenly sank. Xie Lian asked in astonishment, "What happened?!"
Then, there was another loud bang, and the two of them suddenly rolled around inside the coffin. It turned out that the entire coffin boat flipped over. Fortunately, it didn't leak, but if it hit a few more times, it wouldn't be guaranteed. Hua Cheng held him down and said, "Someone is targeting this coffin boat."
The author has something to say: I passed five or six mouths, which means I kissed five or six times at least!
The rabbit is so cute, of course it needs a lot of condiments to go with the wine...
Huahua often transforms into a human form, which means he usually has two eyes, so you don't have to keep counting how many eyes he has (.
The four characters "黑水鬼眮" are a whole, a proper name, written here as "眮"; and if abbreviated, it is the two characters "鬼域" (ghost domain), written here as "域". It is not a typo.
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