Xie Lian suddenly remembered something. That day, in the Shenwu Hall, Lan Chang had randomly pointed at a large group of people, but she hadn't pointed at Feng Xin, who was standing in a very conspicuous position.
Jianlan immediately denied: "No!"
Fuyao also looked incredulous. Apparently, he hadn't previously known Feng Xin's connection to this woman, and he was equally stunned. Only then did he finally come to his senses and said, "He hasn't even asked what it is yet, how did you answer so quickly?"
Jianlan said, "Nonsense! You can already guess what he wants to ask. I tell you, it's not!"
Feng Xin looked at the fetal spirit and said, "What did you call him? Cuocuo?"
This name seemed to have some special meaning. Jianlan opened her mouth, then stopped arguing and said angrily, "How can a grown man like you have so much nonsense? If it's not his, then it's not his! How can you be so eager to claim him as your son?"
Feng Xin said angrily: "What are you talking about? If that's the case, of course I..."
Jianlan said: "Of course you are like that? Do you recognize him? Do you raise him?"
Feng Xin said: "I..."
After saying "I," he got stuck. He looked down at the deformed little monster hanging from his hand. The fetus seemed to have a particularly deep hatred for him, biting and tearing at him desperately. Feng Xin screamed and screamed. He couldn't fight it, nor could he not fight it. His right hand was clenched into a fist, covered in blood.
Seeing that he was stuck and seemed a little bit unable to accept it, Jianlan immediately spat, "I already told you it's not your fault, why are you still asking? It has nothing to do with you. Don't worry now!"
Qi Rong shouted, "Quibbling! Of course! I'm not wrong, isn't it the livelihood of the lowly people? Come and think of this, everyone. Feng Xin's own son was cut out of his mother's womb and turned into a little ghost. Hehe, how dare someone still worship this bullshit 'Send a Child to Nanyang'? Be careful if you keep worshipping, or you give birth to a son..."
Xie Lian raised his hand, and Ruo Xie silenced Qi Rong. Jian Lan then stomped on his head several times, causing him to curse. At this moment, Gu Zi woke up from his sleep, saw Qi Rong being stepped on, and rushed over, saying, "No... Don't step on my father..."
Seeing Guzi holding Qi Rong's head, Jianlan couldn't move her feet anymore. Instead, she grabbed the two pale short legs of the fetus and ran away, shouting angrily, "I told you to stop biting! You're so disobedient!"
Feng Xin was lost in thought and couldn't catch them immediately. Xie Lian instinctively said, "Ruo Xie, chase them!"
Ruo Xie had indeed gone after him. However, once the white silk had escaped, Xie Lian remembered it was still tied to Qi Rong. Looking back, Qi Rong had indeed leaped up with the grain on his head, triumphantly announcing, "I'm free again!"
Seeing Feng Xin finally react, Xie Lian changed his tone and said, "Ruo Xie, you should come back."
Ruo Xie then leaped back and slapped Qi Rong across the face with a loud "slap". Qi Rong had just turned over and was singing to himself when he was slapped again, spinning three times in place and falling to his face. He lay on the ground for a moment before suddenly going berserk and grabbing Ruo Xie, shouting, "You dare even a piece of rag like you hit me!!!"
This time, Ruo Xie was grabbed by him, twisting and turning, but unable to break free. Qi Rong seemed to suddenly gain a surge of strength. Xie Lian was about to go up and deal with him himself when Qi Rong realized there was a child on his head. He quickly pulled down the grain and held it in front of him like a shield, saying, "Don't come over here! If you come over, I'll strangle him to death! Hey, hey, hey, look behind you! Gou Huacheng is going to die!"
Xie Lian was startled and turned around abruptly. Hua Cheng’s brows were indeed furrowed, and his lowered hands were trembling slightly, as if he was trying to hold back something. But when he saw him looking at him, he immediately said, “I’m fine!”
Thousands of ghosts are restless!
This time the commotion was stronger than any other time. Xie Lian decisively chose to go over and hug him. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Qi Rong quickly grabbed Gu Zi and ran away. Jian Lan also seemed to have a severe headache and covered her ears. The fetal spirit was stimulated by the commotion and bit more fiercely. Feng Xin was bitten more than a dozen times and bleeding, but still did not dare to hit him. He held Jian Lan's arm tightly with one hand. The fetal spirit was merciless and waved his hand to strike Feng Xin in the face with a claw. This claw was extremely dangerous. Feng Xin uttered a low cry and covered the wound. He didn't know if he was scratched in the eye. Xie Lian was terrified and wanted to scold Ruo Xie to go over there to save the situation, but Jian Lan stomped her feet and said, "If you do this again, I will be angry!!!"
After hearing the mother's scolding, the fetus finally jumped back into her arms and curled up obediently. Jianlan glanced at Fengxin and gritted her teeth, "It has nothing to do with you. I'm warning you, leave us alone!" Covering her head with one hand and holding it with the other, the mother and child ran away. Seeing this, Fuyao said, "Let me go!"
Feng Xin half-knelt on the ground, covering half of his face. Xie Lian crouched beside him, holding Hua Cheng in his arms, and asked, "Are you okay? Let me see if you're injured. Are you scratching your eyes?"
Blood dripped from between his fingers. Feng Xin closed his eyes and said, "...No. Don't ask me."
Xie Lian asked, “Feng Xin, Lan Chang…what exactly did Miss Jian Lan say…?”
Unexpectedly, before he could finish his words, Feng Xin suddenly punched out with a loud bang, breaking the tree next to him, and roared: "I told you not to ask me!"
This sentence was surprisingly tinged with resentment. Furthermore, Xie Lian could sense that the resentment was directed at him, and he was startled.
Hua Cheng said coldly, "Whoever turned your wife and son into ghosts should vent his anger on the one who deserves it."
Hearing this, Feng Xin raised his head slightly, his eyes slightly red as he looked at Fu Yao. Fu Yao was stunned, then angrily shouted, "Why are you looking at me? You don't really think it was my... general who did this? What bad luck! He only helped her because he saw that the woman was also a Xianle survivor and had some connection to the royal family. He wanted to free the fetal spirit, but who knew it was stubborn and refused to leave, and even turned violent. Instead of getting good, I got covered in shit. I should have left it alone! That little ghost doesn't even know who gave birth to it, how can you expect it to remember who killed it?!"
Perhaps because of the recent troubles he'd been dealing with, even his words had become quite rude. Hua Cheng asked, "So your general is considered unlucky? Then wouldn't anyone even more unlucky than him deserve to die?"
Feng Xin shook his head and murmured, "...How could this happen? How could this be?"
Xie Lian said, “You…or else you should treat your wound first. Do you have any medicine?”
Feng Xin glanced at him and said in a deep voice, "I'm fine. Leave me alone!"
He covered the wound on his head, but didn't bother to treat it. He stood up and stumbled away. Xie Lian and Fu Yao called out to him several times from behind, asking if he was going back to Heaven or chasing after someone. He ignored them and quickly disappeared. Fu Yao struggled a few more times, angrily saying, "Your Highness! If you don't chase after me, can't I?"
Xie Lian came back to his senses, pondered for a moment, and said, "Okay." As expected, he let him go.
Fuyao hadn't expected him to actually agree. She stretched her wrist muscles and snorted, "Why are you willing to let go now?"
Xie Lian rubbed his brow and said, "The situation in Heaven is probably even worse than I imagined... Sigh, I now think that instead of asking your general to return, it would be better to let him roam freely outside."
After a pause, he continued, "What are you going to do now? I think the fetal spirit isn't just making false accusations to get away; there might be someone behind this."
Fuyao brushed the dust off his sleeves and said, "No matter what happens, it's heading to Tonglu Mountain. Let's catch it first!"
With that, he hurried off. The inn, once a gathering place for several groups of people, suddenly became deserted. Xie Lian turned around and examined the collapsed hut, lifting the wooden beams and thatch to take a look. He saw that the monks and Taoists were indeed only unconscious and would probably wake up soon. Reassured, he also left.
After walking for a while, they left the wild mountains and wilderness and finally found a real inn, where they rested.
Xie Lian felt the past few days had been a complete mess, and he sat on the window sill, lost in thought. Ruo Xie curled up in his hand, rubbing it back and forth, as if humming a little. Xie Lian's fingers rubbed it.
Suddenly, Hua Cheng walked to the window, shared the moonlight with him, and said, "It has nothing to do with you."
Xie Lian was startled for a moment, then understood what he meant. He shook his head and said, “I don’t know if it really has nothing to do with me… Feng Xin must have met Miss Jianlan after the fall of Xianle Kingdom and before his own ascension. Calculating the time, it was during the years when I was first demoted.”
Hua Cheng said: "That doesn't mean that you are wrong for them becoming like this now."
After thinking for a moment, Xie Lian said, "Sanlang, I haven't told you about the things that happened when I was demoted, right?"
Hua Cheng said: "No."
Xie Lian said, “I haven’t told anyone else about this. I just pulled you over here to ramble on a few things. I hope you don’t mind.”
Hua Cheng gently pressed the window frame and sat on it, saying, "No, you say."
Xie Lian reminisced, "Back then, Feng Xin was the only follower left of mine, and life was very difficult. I had pawned all my belongings from my time as a Martial God and a Crown Prince."
Hua Cheng smiled and said, "Including Hong Jing, right?"
Xie Lian smiled and said, "Hahaha... That's right. Jun Wu can't know about this. Remember to keep it a secret for me. And those dozens of gold belts of mine, I've pawned them all."
Hua Cheng said, "Well, so Feng Xin took your gold belt and gave it to Lan Chang?"
Xie Lian shook his head and said, "That shouldn't be the case. Feng Xin wouldn't take my things carelessly. I asked him to sell them so he could keep the money for himself."
In fact, this was a free gift to Feng Xin. Feng Xin had refused for a long time, but in the end, he couldn't resist and said, "I'll keep it for you for now."
Xie Lian said, “To be honest, I let him sell it for the money to use for himself. It wasn’t just out of guilt, but also fear.”
The followers dispersed, leaving only Feng Xin still treating him as the Flower Crown Martial God and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Xie Lian was startled to realize that they had grown up together, and that although Feng Xin was his trusted subordinate and personal guard, he had never received any significant rewards from him. Suddenly, he felt fear.
He feared that even Feng Xin would find life unbearable and stop following him. Therefore, the golden belt wasn't simply a reward, a gift, or a consolation; it also carried a hint of flattery or reward.
In the illusion created by the fetal spirit, Xie Lian saw a talisman, presumably given to Jianlan by Feng Xin. After the fall of Xianle Kingdom, Xie Lian's palaces, temples, and shrines were burned down. No one believed in Prince Xianle anymore, and his talismans were considered worthless. Yet Feng Xin still kept many of his talismans, constantly distributing them and giving them away, saying to Xie Lian, "Look, you still have believers." But Xie Lian knew in his heart that those talismans would most likely be thrown away.
Xie Lian said slowly, "In all these years, I've never known who Feng Xin has ever liked. I've never asked, and I haven't paid attention."
After all, he has been a favored child of heaven and a member of a noble family since he was young. It is natural that Feng Xin has everything revolving around him. How could he have his own life and little thoughts?
"Giving something someone else gave you as a gift may not sound nice, but at the time, that gold belt was truly the best gift Feng Xin could give us. After all, we often didn't even have enough to eat. And Feng Xin wasn't the type to spend money recklessly. So, you can imagine how much he loved Miss Jianlan back then. If he loved her so much... then why did they break up?"
Regardless of whether the fetal spirit was Feng Xin’s son or not, if Feng Xin missed the woman he loved because of his downfall, Xie Lian would feel bad no matter what.
Hua Cheng said, "If you like someone but end up breaking up, it only means that you just like them."
Xie Lian smiled and said, "Sanlang, you can't be so absolute. Sometimes, whether the road is easy or not is not something you can decide."
Hua Cheng said calmly, "Whether the road is easy to walk on, I may not be able to decide, but whether to walk on it or not is the only one I can decide."
Hearing this, Xie Lian was stunned for a moment, as if something in his heart had been opened. He stared at Hua Cheng without saying a word. Hua Cheng tilted his head and said, "Brother, am I wrong?"
Looking into his sparkling black eyes, Xie Lian suddenly grabbed him, placed him on his lap, and said, "Hahaha, Sanlang, you're absolutely right!"
“…”
Hua Cheng seemed stunned by his actions and allowed him to lift him high. Xie Lian laughed and said, "Shamelessly, the arrogance in San Lang's words just now really does remind me of my youth."
Hua Cheng seemed to have gotten used to being held like this. He raised his eyebrows and said, "That's really my dream."
The big and the small played around in the room for a while. Xie Lian threw Hua Cheng onto the bed and lay down on it himself, facing the sky. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Hua Cheng suddenly sit up, his pupils slightly constricted, and his sharp eyes cast across.
Xie Lian immediately sensed something was wrong and sat up. A cold sweat immediately broke out as he saw a figure had silently appeared in the room, sitting at the table. A pot of tea had already been brewed, and the aroma of tea filled the air. Yet, he hadn't noticed!
Xie Lian couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine, his heart trembling as he held his sword in front of him. "Who?!"
The man said gently, "Don't be afraid. Would you like some tea, Xianle?"
“…”
The figure and voice were both that of a young man, extremely familiar. Xie Lian finally breathed a sigh of relief and tucked his hair, which had been messed up during his earlier frolic, behind his ear. His heart was still pounding as he said, "Emperor..."
However, before he could completely relax, he suddenly pulled back the quilt, burying both Hua Cheng and himself inside, and asked, "...Why did you come down here?"
His hand clasped Hua Cheng's under the quilt, a gesture of reassurance. Jun Wu slowly poured three cups of tea before rising and saying, "Since you didn't come back, I had no choice but to come down and check on you myself."
As he spoke, he walked towards them with his hands behind his back, slowly emerging from the shadows. Xie Lian followed his white robe and saw that he was carrying a sword. Startled, he quickly jumped off the bed and said, "Emperor, I want to explain first..."
Unexpectedly, Hua Cheng pulled back the quilt behind him, sat cross-legged, and casually placed his elbows on his knees. He smiled and said, "I think it's not necessary."
The author has something to say: Xie Lian and Mu Qing practice the same path, they are both Taoist priests. However, Feng Xin has never entered the Huangji Temple to become a disciple. He is not a Taoist priest, he is just a grassroots martial god, so he does not need to abide by the precepts and rules that Xie Lian and Mu Qing need to abide by.
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