Xie Lian immediately stood up and said, "The Immortal in Brocade Clothes?!"
Of course, the silhouette didn't respond, nor did it move, simply standing there motionless. Xie Lian held the other two people down with his hands, one on each side, and whispered, "Don't move."
After a while, a gust of night wind blew by, and the silhouette seemed to sigh, disintegrating and vanishing with the wind. Xie Lian suddenly stood up. At this moment, there was an abrupt knock on the dyeing workshop's door. The three of them turned to look, and Xie Lian asked, "Who is it?"
A male voice said from outside: "Your Highness, it's me."
Xie Lian went to open the door. A man with a clear face and a dignified demeanor walked in from the dyeing workshop. He stood with his hands behind his back. Xie Lian was slightly surprised and asked, "Lingwen, why did you come in person?"
Lingwen straightened his sleeves and said, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince, you sounded so daunting that ordinary priests might not be able to handle it, so I came here to take a look. Hello, Your Highness Qiying, why are you sitting on the ground? What's wrong? Why do you look like that?"
It was indeed a male-shaped spiritual text. Xie Lian walked over to the curtain and lifted it. Sure enough, it was empty. After a moment, he turned back and said, "The Brocade-Robed Immortal has revealed himself."
Ling Wenqi asked, "What?"
Xie Lian said, "That's definitely it. It's a young man, quite tall, probably two inches taller than me. Judging by his skeletal structure, he must be a skilled warrior."
Ling Wen hesitated slightly and said, "Your Highness, are you sure? In all these years, I've never heard of the Jinyixian appearing in public. Besides, didn't you say that none of these ninety-eight ghost clothes were genuine? Could it be that someone is playing tricks and deceiving people?"
Xie Lian said, "I'm afraid not. After the recent commotion, to prevent the ghost clothes from escaping and harassing mortals again, we closed the doors and windows and set up a formation. Nothing inside can escape, and nothing outside can enter. There are only three of us in this dyeing workshop. Who could possibly be a ghost?"
After pondering for a moment, Lingwen said, "So, the real thing encountered a special situation? Or, the silhouette you saw was the wronged spirit that possessed another ghost garment?"
Lang Ying and Quan Yizhen squatted on the ground, seemingly in a daze. Xie Lian and Lingwen stood aside, their arms folded, like adults, discussing the matter seriously for a while. Finally, Lingwen suggested, "I think, why don't we take these ghost clothes to Lingwen Hall and let someone over there take a look? If that doesn't work, we can ask them at the next meeting. There are always experts in the Heavenly Court."
After a moment's thought, Xie Lian nodded and said, "That's fine. However, this is a mission entrusted to us, so I want to complete it thoroughly. Since the authentic Jinyixian artifact is inside, I'll try it again. If there's no result by tomorrow, I'll hand over these ninety-eight ghost robes to you." After all, this matter wasn't originally under the jurisdiction of Lingwen Hall. Lingwen said, "Your Highness, why are you being so polite? By the way, if you're delivering it tomorrow, let's send one hundred and one."
Xie Lian was startled. “Why are there three extra pieces?” Then he realized, “Do you suspect there’s something wrong with these three pieces of clothing we’re wearing?”
Ling Wen said: "It's not impossible."
Xie Lian held up the cuff of his frayed Taoist robe and said, "I've worn this robe for four or five years, so it's definitely fine. The one Langying is wearing is new, but he doesn't obey me, so it should be fine too." He told Langying not to work, but Langying chopped wood anyway; he told her to stay home, but Langying followed him out anyway. Lingwen shook his head, "That's not what I meant. Your Highness, you don't know, but this Jinyixian has a strong evil aura. With one of them here, it will spread to other ordinary clothes. In short, to be safe, you should not wear the clothes you are wearing today. Get rid of them."
Hearing this, Xie Lian hurriedly took off Lang Ying and Quan Yizhen's coats and said, "Don't wear them anymore! Take them off, all of them. Then, I'll pack the clothes and send them to Lingwen Hall tomorrow."
Lingwen said, "Shall I send someone to get it?"
Xie Lian said, “No, no. I’m sorry to trouble you so much already, and now I want you to come all the way here in person. You guys are so busy over there, I’ll do it myself.”
The next day, Xie Lian indeed painstakingly packed a large pile of clothes, and went to Xianjing alone, carrying several huge bags.
Lingwen had been waiting in the hall for a long time. Today, the hall was not as busy and crowded as usual, and he was fascinated. Xie Lian unpacked several large bags of ghost clothes, and the colorful clothes burst out and spread all over the floor. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. Lingwen walked over leisurely and asked, "Did you find anything?"
Xie Lian sighed helplessly, "Shame on me, I found nothing. My apologies, I'm alone, so it's inevitable I'll lose things. Yesterday, a huge pile of clothes was scattered all over the place, and I don't know if anything got lost. I always feel like I left one or two out, but I'm not entirely sure."
Ling Wen said, "No problem." He lowered his head and nodded, then said, "Indeed, it was missed. Your Highness, it seems that the one worn by the little ghost next to you yesterday was not collected?"
Xie Lian clenched his right fist and gently hammered his left palm. "Ah, you're right! I remember now. Lang Ying got used to wearing that dress, and I forgot to put it away. I'll go get it now."
Lingwen smiled and said, "No hurry, Your Highness, take your time."
However, Xie Lian didn't leave. Instead, he stood still, his expression growing increasingly serious. Ling Wen was about to order his priests to come up and take the ghost robe, but when he turned around and saw that he was still there, with only the two of them in the hall, he asked curiously, "Your Highness, is there anything else you need?"
Xie Lian looked at her with a complicated expression and said, "Nothing. I'm just wondering, if I brought the real Jinyixian here, would you take the real thing and hide it the moment I turned my back?"
“…”
Lingwen's smile faded slightly, but he remained extremely polite and asked, "Your Highness?"
Xie Lian looked at her calmly and said, "From the very beginning, I had a vague idea."
Lingwen said calmly: "What idea?"
Xie Lian said, “Ordinary people and common demons wouldn’t dare to trespass into the Divine Martial Palace. If anyone is familiar enough with the Divine Martial Palace to steal the objects guarded there without being caught, I’m afraid it would be you, True Lord Lingwen, besides Jun Wu himself.”
After all, Lingwen Hall travels between various halls all year round, and is extremely familiar with other people's territories.
Ling Wen smiled and said, "Your Highness, you're taking things for granted. 'Whoever is easiest to do is the most suspicious.' According to your line of thought, isn't it more likely that the Emperor stole the property?"
Xie Lian nodded and said, "I admit, I took it for granted. But, what started to make me feel something was amiss was that half-made-up woman."
Lingwen asked, "What happened to the half-face makeup girl?"
Xie Lian said, "It took a fake Jinyixian and just happened to show up at my door. How could it be such a coincidence? Furthermore, it was practically as if suspicion was written all over its face, as if it was afraid I wouldn't suspect something was up with it. Its motive was truly clear."
"Oh? What's the purpose?"
Xie Lian said, “Didn’t she already say it? ‘Trade old for new.’ What she wants are the old clothes from my Puqi Monastery!”
On the other hand, when the Jin Yi Xian was stolen, the Shen Wu Temple discovered it quickly and reacted quickly, starting the investigation right after the theft. Therefore, the thief might not have dared to keep it in their hands and hid it first. So, where is the most difficult hiding place to be found?
Hiding leaves in the forest.
If Xie Lian wanted to hide the Brocade-Robed Fairy, he would have disguised it as an inconspicuous, ordinary linen garment, thrown it into a mortal market, and stared at it from afar. Normally, no one would want to buy such a crude garment. But Xie Lian's life defied common sense. He had been wearing a frayed Taoist robe for four or five years, and his money only allowed him to afford such clothing. Furthermore, his current clothing requirements were simply to keep him warm and clean; he wasn't picky. Furthermore, he had a knack for finding the most dangerous piece of clothing among countless heavily discounted items, so he happily purchased the legendary Brocade-Robed Fairy for a remarkably low price.
Ling Wen said, "Your Highness, you are being too harsh. After all, you are a descendant of a martial god. You can easily imagine that the half-made-up woman who comes to your door will be subdued by you immediately. No matter whether her clothes are new or old, she won't be able to take them away."
Xie Lian asked, “She certainly can’t take everything with her, but who says she has to? If nothing unexpected happens, how will they handle it in the end?”
If Xie Lian thought that the half-made-up woman was holding the real Jinyixian, he would definitely report it to Lingwen. Then, Lingwen would most likely come down personally and tell Xie Lian, as he did yesterday, that to be on the safe side, all the clothes present should be taken back to Lingwen Hall for disposal.
Unfortunately, Quan Yizhen was also present at the time. Furthermore, he had gained experience after wearing it once, and was so certain that the brocade garment was fake. Therefore, Lingwen's plan to take away all the clothing from Puqi Temple was not so logical.
All of Xie Lian's information came from Lingwen, and she could ask questions openly and keep up to date with Xie Lian's movements. After the half-made-up woman was exposed, Lingwen immediately sent a new telepathic message to Xie Lian, telling him that many counterfeit goods had been leaked from the Ghost Market and needed to be dealt with. She then gave him a new task, leaving him no time to ponder the mystery. Xie Lian said, "I don't know if those counterfeit goods came from you, but you did tell me the news. This move is probably to transfer me away from Puqi Monastery so that they can take action against Lang Ying."
Unexpectedly, Lang Ying also followed out.
"I don't know if you expected the Jinyixian to suddenly appear, but it's not difficult for you to adapt to the situation."
With so many ghost clothes, no one knows whether they are real or fake. In the chaos, there is always a chance to steal the real Jinyixian. When Jinyixian shows up, Lingwen can also show up in person and take away the clothes of everyone present openly. In the end, how to verify and judge whether there is a real one, and how to explain the silhouette, are all decided by a word from Lingwen Palace.
Hearing this, Lingwen gestured to pause and said, "Your Highness, can you please stop for now? So, you think Lang Ying is called that, right? Do you think the thing he's wearing is the Jin Yi Xian? Don't forget, after he put it on, he didn't obey you, did he? You said that yourself. You know, the Jin Yi Xian is extremely powerful, even if he encounters the Ghost King, he will not be spared."
Xie Lian said, “You also said, ‘We encountered a special situation.’ As for what that special situation was, I think you know better than I do. I hope you can explain it to me.”
Lingwen frowned slightly, put his hands behind his back, and said softly, "Your Highness, have you already determined that I am a clothes thief? With all due respect, this makes me a little... unhappy."
Xie Lian bowed slightly and said, "I apologize."
Ling Wen said, "I accept. However, Your Highness, if you insist, it's not impossible to produce evidence. After all, at this point, it's still speculation."
Xie Lian said slowly, “I didn’t have any evidence before today, and even before I stepped into the Lingwen Hall. But, since just now, I have it.”
Lingwen made an inviting gesture and said, "Please."
Xie Lian said, “The evidence is that just now, you didn’t even count the number of these ghost robes.”
Ling Wen's expression barely changed, but his brows knitted slightly. Xie Lian said, "It's true that the ghost clothes I sent you are missing, but not just one. In fact, I only sent you eighty-eight, a full ten less!"
"I withheld all the items of clothing I found suspicious, but you didn't notice the number was wrong. You immediately noticed that Lang Ying's item was missing. So, how did you notice that one item was missing?"
Lingwen raised his hand and said, "Please wait a moment."
She calmly counted the ghost clothes on the ground again and found that it was indeed 88. She remained calm and said, "I think this can be explained by 'a hundred precautions can lead to mistakes.'"
Xie Lian said, “Alright. Since you’ve been so careful and have probably looked at everything, let me tell you something: Didn’t you notice just now? The dress Lang Ying wore yesterday is clearly among these eighty-eight ghost clothes!”
Ling Wen said, "Your Highness, what does this mean?"
Xie Lian squatted down and dug out a piece of clothing from the pile on the floor. He shook it open, revealing a plain white linen shirt. He asked, "This is what Langying was wearing yesterday. Isn't it right here? Why didn't you find it after checking it out?"
Lingwen said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince should also know that this linen shirt is not very eye-catching. I didn't see it in such a hurry. You can't blame me for being blind."
Xie Lian said, "Indeed, it's unremarkable. Then, with the meticulousness and prudence of True Lord Lingwen, how could you rashly conclude that such an insignificant piece of clothing wasn't here without first counting the items?"
Lingwen smiled and said, "There are so many clothes that my eyes are dazzled; there are so many files that I am stunned."
Xie Lian said, "You're not dazzled. Quite the contrary. You have incredibly good eyesight. Let me tell you another thing: I didn't bring the dress Lang Ying wore yesterday. The one I have in my hand is just a replica of that one—though, my imitation was very careful and detailed. How did you tell at a glance that Lang Ying's original dress wasn't here?"
Ling Wen was puzzled and said, "Actually, whether it's real or not, I haven't seen it. Your Highness, have you been overwhelmed with official duties and can't help but think too much on a daily basis? Why would you spend so much time and energy making a replica for no reason?"
Seeing that she had avoided the attack, Xie Lian said, "It's not over yet. I'll tell you one last thing."
He held up the white linen shirt and whispered, "...This shirt is just something I picked out randomly. 'I copied it exactly like the original' and 'carefully and meticulously' - that's all nonsense. As you said, why would I make a replica if I had nothing to do? You've been fooled. It's not even the same color as the one Lang Ying wore yesterday. I showed it to you and asked, didn't you notice anything wrong?"
“…”
Xie Lian stared at Ling Wen and said, "Ling Wen, right now, I just need you to answer a very simple question: What color was the dress Lang Ying was wearing yesterday?"
Lingwen did not speak immediately, but slowly raised his eyes.
The white linen robe fell to the ground. Xie Lian said, "As the foremost literary god, you handle tens of thousands of documents in the Heavenly Court every day, no matter how big or small. You shouldn't have such a bad memory. How come you can't even remember the color of the dress Lang Ying was wearing yesterday?"
"You can't answer because you're worried I might trick you again, and you don't dare answer easily. You don't even know what color it is. And yesterday, you saw him wearing nothing but a ragged cloth bag without a head or sleeves!"
He said word by word, "The Jinyixian's ever-changing forms are nothing more than a powerful deception. However, no matter how powerful this deception is, it will never work against one person—the person who created it.
"No matter how it changes, the one who created it always sees its true form. Just now, when you glanced at the eighty-eight ghost clothes and didn't see that strange, headless, sleeveless cloth bag inside, you immediately concluded that the Jinyixian wasn't there!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
