Xie Lian was held in Hua Cheng's arms and walked towards the dark depths of the cave.
The only light source around them was the faint fluttering of a silver undead butterfly. Xie Lian couldn't see the expression on Hua Cheng's face, but he could sense that his arms and body were stiff.
It's not like Huacheng hadn't held him before, but something was clearly different now. Huacheng didn't even touch his neck or hands. Xie Lian kept staring at Huacheng's face, blinking hard, but Huacheng avoided his gaze, not meeting his gaze. He went straight to a cave, where there was a stone bed, and immediately carried Xie Lian to it. He was about to let Xie Lian lie down when he suddenly realized something. He checked Xie Lian's back and said, "Did they put a curse on you?"
Xie Lian was overjoyed: I was finally discovered!
However, the fact that he only just realized something was wrong with Xie Lian showed how caught off guard Hua Cheng had been. Xie Lian was waiting for Hua Cheng to help him erase the obedience talisman, but Hua Cheng had already reached out, then froze mid-stride. Finally, he withdrew his hand and laid Xie Lian flat on the stone bed.
Perhaps to reassure Xie Lian, he said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I won't kill those two bastards for now. Although I really want to."
The stone bed was covered with a thick layer of soft new grass. Xie Lian lay flat on it, feeling no pain at all, but his internal organs were burning and smoking. He was extremely confused as to why the curse was not lifted for him. As he was struggling, he saw Hua Cheng reach out to the belt around his waist and untie it.
As luck would have it, at this moment, Xie Lian felt the effect of the obedience talisman on his back begin to fade. He moved his legs vigorously and let out a cry of "Ah!"
Although it looked like a dead fish suddenly thrashing about in its last moments, a protest that had no deterrent effect, Hua Cheng still froze immediately, withdrew his hand, and said, "I won't!"
As if feeling his tone was too harsh, and fearing that it might frighten Xie Lian and make him resist, Hua Cheng took a few steps back, slowing his tone. His expression shifted, cautious and forbearing, as he said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, I won't do anything. You... don't be afraid."
Xie Lian understood.
Hua Cheng was still unsure about what kind of response he would get from Xie Lian after the curse was lifted, so he simply ignored it.
Hua Cheng seemed to be suppressing some impulse, and once again, in a low voice, as if swearing, he said, "Your Highness, believe me."
Although, compared to his previous statements, "Trust me," this one didn't sound quite as confident. Xie Lian still wanted to answer him, but he couldn't. He was afraid that if he struggled, he would misunderstand him even more. He could only lie flat on his back, motionless, and wait patiently for the power of the obedience talisman to wear off. Seeing that he had given up his "resistance," Hua Cheng approached again, reached out his hand, and rustled, untied Xie Lian's belt.
Xie Lian said: "Sanlang???"
He had no doubt Hua Cheng wouldn't take advantage of someone in need, but this development was completely unexpected, and he couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly. Although Hua Cheng undressed Xie Lian, he tried not to touch his torso, so he was slow. It took him a long time to remove his outer garment, then his undergarment. It wasn't until a dead butterfly landed on Xie Lian's shoulder and settled there, a warm, itchy sensation crawling across his skin. He glanced out of the corner of his eye and realized his shoulder was slightly purple and swollen, with some spots cracked. Only after the silver butterfly settled did the situation improve slightly.
It turned out to be frostbite caused by crawling and rolling in the snow.
Xie Lian himself hadn't noticed at all, as he was no longer sensitive to pain. He'd just let it go, and even if he'd noticed the injury, he'd probably just let it heal on its own. However, Hua Cheng knew exactly where he was injured, and he remembered it, insisting on tending to it.
Just as he was lost in thought, Huacheng lifted his arm again. His hands and feet were frostbitten, and from the intense running and stretching, some were already bleeding. Xie Lian wasn't afraid of pain, but he was ticklish. Furthermore, fragments of events from many years ago kept coming back to his mind. The pitch-black cave, the boy's trembling, burning hands, his panicked, random touches, his chaotic breathing and heartbeat...
These memories, already washed away beyond comprehension, had long since been sealed away, cast into a corner. Recalling them now, they felt a completely different sensation, one that made him want to scream, especially now that Huacheng was right in front of him, doing almost the same thing. Xie Lian's face and brain felt like they were on fire, and he was terrified of him seeing them. However, Huacheng didn't look at him either, true to his promise, never crossing the line. He tilted his head slightly, avoiding the half-exposed white shoulder.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, a voice suddenly emerged from behind Hua Cheng: "Hua Cheng! What do you want to do to His Royal Highness, you lunatic?! This is disgusting!"
Hua Cheng turned around abruptly, and Xie Lian also looked past him, gazing at the cave entrance. The person who spoke was actually Mu Qing!
Feng Xin was beside him. The two had just been wrapped like cocoons by Hua Cheng, and it was unknown how they had escaped and found their way here. Upon seeing the scene in the cave, their faces paled. Xie Lian's face paled as well.
This scene is terrible!
Feng Xin pointed at Hua Cheng, then at Xie Lian, whose clothes were half-undressed. After a long pause, he managed to squeeze out a few words: "You...you...let him go!"
Hua Cheng quickly pulled Xie Lian's clothes on and said coldly, "How dare you two losers come here? Do you think your life is too long?"
Mu Qing mocked, "Take your dirty hands away. You're a toad dreaming of swan flesh. Don't even think about dreaming of it for eight hundred years. Even if you dream of it for another thousand or ten thousand years, you won't be able to touch His Royal Highness the Crown Prince even once!"
Hearing this, Xie Lian's heart skipped a beat. While feeling slightly angry, he also vaguely sensed something was amiss.
What was wrong with these two? Even if Hua Cheng had just beaten them up, they wouldn't have been so harsh in their words. Especially Mu Qing, it was as if she was deliberately trying to provoke Hua Cheng. There was no good outcome for them if they angered Hua Cheng, and they couldn't win the fight anyway, so what was the point? Furthermore, their words were subtly pointing the finger at Xie Lian, as if they were desperate for chaos, afraid that Hua Cheng wouldn't do something to Xie Lian in a fit of rage.
Hua Cheng was indeed enraged, a dark aura flickering across his pale face. He whispered, "Since you're so determined to die—"
Xie Lian saw the murderous intent in his eyes, which he hadn’t concealed in the slightest, and was horrified: “Stop!!!”
It was too late. The scimitar was unsheathed, and a flash of fatal cold light passed by!
Feng Xin and Mu Qing were both startled and subconsciously lowered their heads. Fortunately, there were no wounds on their bodies.
Unexpectedly, before they had time to breathe a sigh of relief or fight back, the next moment, their upper bodies fell off from their lower bodies with a "bang".
Blood spurted out, covering the ground.
Xie Lian had never expected things to develop like this. He collapsed on the stone bed, stunned.
Huacheng, unexpectedly, cut Feng Xin and Mu Qing in half!
The two men weren't completely dead yet, and they rolled to the ground, one gritting their teeth, the other roaring in anger. The scene was horrific. Hua Cheng sheathed his scimitar with a stern expression. Only a small part of his face was stained with blood, a streak of crimson that made the demonic aura between his eyebrows even more dazzling.
He stood in the pool of blood for a moment, then turned and walked towards Xie Lian. Watching Hua Cheng approaching with a sullen expression, Xie Lian finally came to his senses. By then, Hua Cheng had already reached him, grasping one of his hands and pressing him tightly into his arms, whispering, "...How could I possibly let you go?"
Xie Lian was held tightly by him, speechless. Hua Cheng whispered something in his ear. His heart was pounding wildly, as if it was about to burst out of his chest, but suddenly he felt his body relax.
The talisman of obedience that Mu Qing drew on his back was finally erased.
Although he said he wouldn't let go, after helping him remove the obedience talisman, Hua Cheng loosened his grip slightly and let go of Xie Lian. Xie Lian took a deep breath, leaped up, and threw himself onto the ground in a pool of blood. He asked, "Feng Xin? Mu Qing? What happened to you two?!"
Mu Qing's injuries were even more severe, blood already oozing from the corners of his mouth, and his eyes were unfocused. Feng Xin, still breathing, clutched his hand tightly, saying, "Crown Prince... Your Highness..."
Xie Lian also held his hand tightly and asked, "What? What do you want to say?"
Feng Xin swallowed a mouthful of blood and gritted his teeth, "Be careful... Huacheng... don't get close to him... he... is a monster!"
He seemed to be risking his life to utter this warning before dying, but Xie Lian's expression gradually calmed down and he said, "Monster?"
He let go of Feng Xin's hand, stood up, and said, "I'm curious, is it weird like you guys?"
Feng Xin was stunned when he heard this. But as soon as he finished speaking, Xie Lian plucked out his heart with lightning speed, piercing Feng Xin's heart and nailing him to the ground!
Feng Xin, with a look of disbelief on his face, said, "Your Highness, you!..." He was already dead before he could finish. Xie Lian ripped the heart from his chest, dropping it to the ground in a pool of blood. He retreated to Hua Cheng's side, pointing his sword at the two bodies on the ground. "Now that we've seen the blood, why don't you stop talking to us like that?"
"Hahaha……"
Suddenly, a sneer came from the ground. It was the corpse of Mu Qing, who was cut in half, who turned his head and laughed.
His upper body was lying on the ground. Even if he wanted to turn his head, only half of his face could touch the ground. However, his head turned completely around and he was smiling at Xie Lian from the front!
As expected, these two weren't the real Feng Xin and Mu Qing at all, but two imposters who appeared out of nowhere.
The real Feng Xin and Mu Qing were still trapped in the cocoon, trying to tear their way out. This was what Hua Cheng had whispered in Xie Lian's ear when he came to help him untie the obedience talisman.
Their pale faces were not due to surprise or fear, but because they were not human!
Xie Lian had already drawn his sword. Feng Xin and Mu Qing both smiled grimly and said in unison, "As you wish."
With that, they transformed into two pools of pus and blood. Hua Cheng stepped in front of Xie Lian, and the two pools of pus and blood flowed and merged on the ground, bubbling and boiling, and gradually solidified into a human shape. Watching this mass gradually twist and form, growing larger and larger, a chill ran from Xie Lian's waist to his back.
In a moment, "Feng Xin" and "Mu Qing" in front of them disappeared, and were replaced by a young man in white clothes with long hair.
Judging from his figure, the boy was about seventeen or eighteen years old. He wore a mask on his face, half crying, half smiling. Although his face could not be seen, a clear young voice came from behind the mask.
He said gently, "Hello, thank you."
Xie Lian's lips moved unconsciously, and his entire scalp went numb. Hua Cheng stepped in front of him and slashed with his sword!
Facing the threatening blade of the scimitar, the man in white showed no fear. He dodged the attack by a hair's breadth and flashed behind Hua Cheng in an instant, reaching out towards Xie Lian, as if to touch his face. A flash of silver light passed, and Hua Cheng once again blocked his path, coldly saying, "Take your dirty hands away from me."
The white-clothed man's right hand was severed by E Ming and fell to the ground. But this had no effect on him at all. He flicked his wide sleeve, covering the broken arm. Then, a brand new hand sprouted from the broken arm, its fingers forming claws, and it reached directly for Hua Cheng's right eye!
The entire process took place in the blink of an eye. Hua Cheng dodged extremely quickly, but still, two bloody marks were left on one side of his cheek.
For the first time in history, Hua Cheng couldn't completely outspeed his opponent. His eyes flashed, and he immediately changed his strategy, summoning tens of thousands of undead butterflies, which swooped down frantically. Countless silver butterflies enveloped the man in white, transforming him into a shimmering silver humanoid chrysalis, but it seemed unlikely to last long. Just as Hua Cheng was about to pull Xie Lian back, he heard the silver butterflies shriek and explode into a myriad of shimmering silver powder!
Seeing Hua Cheng's expression change slightly, Xie Lian knew that destroying so many undead butterflies at once was a bad sign. The man in white, who had blasted the undead butterflies away, hid behind the scattered silver powder and suddenly extended his newly formed hand, digging at Hua Cheng's right eye again!
This time, it was Xie Lian's turn to pull out his heart and cut it down! This sword not only severed the white-clothed man's arm, but also almost cut off half of his body. Taking this opportunity, Hua Cheng said, "Your Highness, let's go!"
Xie Lian knew he couldn't fight, so he decided to quit while he was ahead. Together, they rushed out of the cavern, sprinting through the pitch-black tunnel, unimpeded. As they ran, Xie Lian exclaimed, "It's him! He... really isn't dead!"
Hua Cheng led the way, running faster but more calmly. While setting up numerous obstacles along the way with butterfly formations and cocoon silk, he said, "It may not be the original one."
Xie Lian stopped in his tracks, clutching his head slightly. “No… I can sense it, it must be the original one! Not only is he not dead, he’s even stronger. Something has revived him… otherwise, how could he have directly transformed into Feng Xin and Mu Qing’s appearances? It’s extremely difficult to impersonate an ascended priest. It’s nearly impossible to create a fake version of them!”
Hearing something wrong in his tone, Hua Cheng also stood still, turned around and pulled him, saying: "Your Highness! Don't be afraid. It doesn't necessarily mean that he is stronger. Another possibility is that he is very familiar with Feng Xin and Mu Qing! That's why he can create their fake skins. You must all know this person..."
Before he finished speaking, Xie Lian's eyes fell on the hand he was holding. Seeing this, Hua Cheng's words and expression froze, his expression darkening. He withdrew his hand, clasping it behind his back, and turned to continue walking. Xie Lian did not follow him, saying, "Sanlang."
Hua Cheng froze and stopped walking, but he didn't turn around. He just replied, "Your Highness."
His voice sounded relatively calm. Xie Lian stood behind him and said, "A lot happened just now, and everyone was a bit flustered."
Hua Cheng said: "Yeah."
Xie Lian continued, "Although I'm still very flustered, I still want to take this opportunity to ask you a question. Please answer me truthfully and seriously."
“…”
Hua Cheng said: "Okay."
Xie Lian said solemnly, “Who exactly is this ‘noble lady of golden branches and jade leaves’?”
The finger that Huacheng tied with the red string twitched twice imperceptibly.
After a long silence, he slowly said, "Your Highness, since you already know, why ask again?"
Xie Lian nodded and said, "I see. I didn't wrong you. It really is like that."
Huacheng said nothing.
After a pause, Xie Lian continued in a calm tone, "You, don't you want to know what I think about this?"
“…”
Hua Cheng tilted his head slightly, as if he wanted to look back, but he seemed afraid to look directly at Xie Lian. He only revealed the two bright red bloodstains on his face and said, "Your Highness, please don't tell me."
His voice was hoarse. Xie Lian said, "I'm sorry. I can't not explain this matter clearly."
Huacheng didn't need to breathe, but after hearing this, he still took a deep breath.
Although his face was extremely pale, he still smiled and said gracefully, "That's right. That's good too."
He closed his eyes like a prisoner awaiting sentencing, but after a short while, they suddenly opened again.
Suddenly, a pair of hands came up from behind and hugged him tightly.
Xie Lian buried his face in his back, also silent. Although he said nothing, it was enough.
After a long moment, Xie Lian felt the person he was hugging turn around, taking the initiative and hugging him tightly.
He heard Hua Cheng's stammering voice coming from above: "...Your Highness. You are truly...trying to kill me."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
