"Your Highness Qiying? Your Highness? Are you listening?"
Xie Lian waved his hand in front of Quan Yizhen. Quan Yizhen seemed lost in thought, but then he came back to his senses and said, "Oh."
It looked like he wasn't listening. Xie Lian didn't know what to say, so he said, "Then our most urgent task right now is to find this brocade robe. Its prototype is..."
Quan Yizhen continued, "A bloody piece of clothing that was sleeveless, headless, and looked like a sack."
Xie Lian smiled and said, "Isn't that correct? I thought you hadn't seen the scroll. However, because this dress is a demonic object, it is extremely magical and ever-changing. There are millions of clothes in the world, and finding a dress like this is like looking for a needle in a haystack."
Quan Yizhen said: "Oh. What should we do then?"
Xie Lian said, "The demons and monsters who obtain this garment usually disguise themselves as merchants and go to crowded places asking if anyone wants to buy it or trade it in. But that happened hundreds of years ago. If someone were to do the same thing today, it would be somewhat strange. However, their habits and ways of thinking won't change so easily anytime soon. Anyway, let's go to the city first and keep an eye out for any news on this matter."
Ghosts were more interested in this sort of thing than humans, and the ghost world was more informed than the mortal realm. In other words, asking Hua Cheng directly would definitely save a lot of trouble. But Xie Lian had just recently told him they wouldn't meet for the time being, so it wouldn't look good to ask him for something and then immediately go back. Besides, the Jin Yi Xian had just been stolen, so the thief wouldn't dare use it to harm anyone so soon. Quan Yizhen nodded, stood up, and followed him for a few steps. Xie Lian noticed Lang Ying had also followed him and said, "You can stay here."
Lang Ying shook his head. Before Xie Lian could say anything, he heard a loud thud behind him and fell down again.
Xie Lian turned around suddenly and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
The purple air on Quan Yizhen's face rose again. After holding it in for a while, he finally couldn't hold it in anymore. He turned over and knelt on the ground. With a "wow" sound, he vomited all over the floor.
“…”
After vomiting, Quan Yizhen turned over, facing the sky, and exhaled soul smoke from his mouth. Xie Lian asked, "Qiying...can you still walk?"
Quan Yizhen stretched out his arms and legs and said, "I don't think I can do this anymore."
“…”
Helplessly, Xie Lian had no choice but to drag Quan Yizhen, who had lost his fighting ability, aside, covered him with a quilt, and let him rest for a while.
The next day, Quan Yizhen's complexion improved slightly. Xie Lian didn't dare let him eat anything else, so he borrowed some porridge from the village chief and brought it back for the two of them. Quan Yizhen sat in Huacheng's usual seat. For some reason, Lang Ying kept staring at him, seemingly unfriendly. Xie Lian placed the porridge in front of the two of them and casually said, "Sanlang..."
As soon as he finished speaking, both of them looked at him. Xie Lian froze for a moment before realizing what he had just blurted out. He coughed lightly and said, "Everyone, continue."
The two drank porridge at the altar while Xie Lian, axe in hand, went outside. As he chopped wood, he recalled the clues provided by the scroll: "The Jinyixian was originally imprisoned in a Shenwu Temple. The seal of the Shenwu Temple is extremely strong, and the palace is heavily guarded and full of experts. A simple rampage of ghosts probably wouldn't have allowed it to escape on its own. Someone must have seized the opportunity and stolen it away during the chaos..."
Huacheng used to chop wood, but when it was his turn, he felt for some reason he couldn't chop as well as Huacheng. Quan Yizhen sipped a few mouthfuls of porridge miserably before collapsing into sleep at the Puqi Monastery. Lang Ying came out, as if offering to help, but Xie Lian said, "No need. San... Lang Ying, boil some water later so you can take a bath."
He remembered that Lang Ying seemed to have not bathed in ages. Ghosts certainly don't have grease, sweat, or dirt, but being outside all day means they're bound to be covered in dust. He couldn't say it directly, though, or it would hurt her pride. Lang Ying seemed stunned for a moment, not responding. Xie Lian had already brought the firewood inside to boil water. He said, "Yesterday I went to town to sell some rags and bought you two autumn clothes. After you wash them, take a look and see if they fit you."
Lang Ying had just put on his new clothes when, upon hearing this, he turned and left without a word. Xie Lian held him back, saying earnestly, "Don't go! You absolutely must bathe. Don't worry, I won't remove the bandages on your face."
Lang Ying still refused, going out to chop wood and refusing to come in. Xie Lian had no choice but to gather some wood, boil some water, and then undress himself. Ruo Xie peeled her clothes off his chest one by one, and Lang Ying came in with another load of firewood. Seeing him shirtless, her eyes widened. Xie Lian tested the water temperature with his hand and found it just right. He sat down in his pants, and when he saw him come in, he said, "Oh, you've come just in time. Please hand me the scroll under the bamboo hat hanging on the wall over there."
Instead of coming over, Lang Ying retreated to the door and slammed it shut with a loud bang. Xie Lian was baffled. After a moment, Lang Ying seemed to remember something and suddenly kicked the door open. Xie Lian hurriedly said, "Don't kick this door! This door is..."
Lang Ying, however, ignored him and walked straight inside, picking up Quan Yizhen, who lay sprawled on the ground, and dragging him out. Quan Yizhen seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep, only the most jarring noises could awaken him. He was dragged along like this, unconscious. Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said, "What are you doing? It's okay, you're not a girl. Come in."
It wasn't like he hadn't bathed at Puqi Monastery before when Huacheng wasn't around. After all, Puqi Monastery was incredibly small, and living conditions were harsh. Having a water tank to bathe in was a plus, not a large, screened-off, ten-foot-square bathtub where he could row and playfully wash. However, whether intentionally or not, Xie Lian had never done so in front of Huacheng. But since the person in front of him wasn't Huacheng, but someone else, he didn't think it was a big deal.
“…”
Lang Ying turned Quan Yizhen over and placed a pile of tangled clothes on his head. She lowered her head and handed him the scroll Xie Lian had requested, then continued to sit in the corner. Xie Lian opened the scroll, frowning as he studied it, letting his hair down.
The heat made his face slightly pink, and his long hair and eyelashes became darker and wet. After a while, he suddenly felt the thin silver chain on his chest, at the end of which was a diamond ring.
Xie Lian gripped the ring, tightening his grip slightly. Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a small flower placed in the corner of the altar.
He subconsciously picked up the flower and held it to his eyes, but his mind was still hazy, like the heat that filled the air before his eyes, and he needed a hand to wave it away to clear away the fog. At this moment, there was a sudden knock on the door.
The sound brought him back to his senses. Xie Lian put the flower back and was about to ask who it was, but he realized that the knock was not on the door of Puqi Monastery, but on the door of the village chief next door.
There was a knock on the door, and a sweet female voice said, "Is anyone home? Old for new, old for new. I have a brand new robe that I've outgrown, and I'd like to exchange it for an old one I like. I wonder if the owner of this house is willing to do so? Is anyone home?"
He didn't have to go out to look for it, this thing actually came to him!
She knocked on every door and asked, however, no one came out to open the door for her. Of course, when Xie Lian was not collecting scrap, he would give lectures in Puqi Village, preaching hundreds of tips on identifying demons and monsters to all the aunts, uncles, and uncles. No villagers would pay any attention to such an obviously abnormal uninvited guest in the middle of the night. People nowadays are not as easy to fool as they were in ancient times. The thing knocked in a circle, but no one paid attention. Finally, it arrived at the door of Puqi Temple. Xie Lian held his breath and waited intently. Who knew that the thing could sense that this was not the place she was supposed to come before it knocked on the door? With a cry of "Ouch", the footsteps seemed to be going away. Xie Lian immediately said, "Wait! I need to change." Then, he whispered to Lang Ying, "Open the door quickly, don't be afraid, it's okay!"
Lang Ying wasn't afraid at all and went forward to open the door. Standing outside was a young woman with a graceful figure. Looking at the lower half of her face, she looked quite charming. But she was wearing a headscarf that covered the upper half of her face, making it look as if she had no eyes, which was a bit unsettling.
She glanced into the room, covered her mouth and smiled, "Master, what old clothes do you want to exchange for my new clothes?"
Xie Lian remained in the water tank, just to lower its guard. He smiled and said, "That depends on what your new clothes look like."
The young woman reached out her hand and gently shook it, releasing a shimmering brocade garment from her bundle. It was magnificent, but the style seemed a bit old-fashioned, and it exuded a strange aura. Xie Lian praised, "Nice garment, nice garment. Lang Ying, give this girl the dress I brought back from town."
Lang Ying handed the clothes over with one hand. The girl handed over the new clothes, giggled, took the old clothes, and was about to turn around, but suddenly her face changed, as if something pricked her hand. She screamed and threw the old clothes to the ground. Ruo Xie, who had slipped in at some point, coiled up in the linen clothes that fell to the ground, and came out from the collar, like a white poisonous snake, spitting its tongue at the girl. And that "girl" was not a girl at all. After screaming and jumping just now, her headscarf was pecked to the ground by Ruo Xie who suddenly attacked. Although the lower half of her face was extremely charming, the upper half was covered with wrinkles and looked extremely old, forming a very scary contrast - this was not a "girl" at all, but clearly an old woman in her seventies or eighties!
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