At this moment, there was another explosion in the depths of the cave behind the two of them. In the distance, white light pierced the darkness, and bursts of silver butterflies were heard screaming.
They both looked up, their expressions changing slightly. Xie Lian released his grip on Hua Cheng's sleeve and said, "We'll talk later!"
So, the two of them continued to move forward, but this time, they held each other's hands tightly.
Xie Lian's face was still burning, but he forced himself to remain calm and nonchalant, "Sanlang, how did you find out those Feng Xin and Mu Qing were fakes? How are the real ones now?"
Hua Cheng was in a similar state. He said, "I left two undead butterflies guarding those two bastards. How could there be two more? Don't worry, Your Highness. They're fine. They won't die!"
Xie Lian said, “We need to free Feng Xin and Mu Qing from their cocoons first. Otherwise, if he hits them and they’re powerless to fight back, it’ll be disastrous!”
Hua Chengdao: "This way, follow me!"
This Pantheon Cave was truly his domain. Even if there were five or six forked roads at an intersection, he could instantly and accurately determine which path to take, and in no time at all, he was back where they'd split up. From afar, he could hear the two men blaming each other again: "Why did you let His Highness run?! Now he's been taken away!" "You didn't run? You stayed here and waited for him to kill you?!" "What? You just wanted him to lead you to Flower City!"
Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The two giant white cocoons on the wall were biting and cursing at each other. When they saw him coming back, they were so shocked that they forgot to spit out the white silk in their mouths. They asked, "How did you escape?"
Xie Lian's bamboo hat still lay on the ground. He quickly picked it up and slung it onto his back. Heavy White Silk released the two men and retreated into the darkness. Feng Xin and Mu Qing, both battered and bruised, barely touched the ground. Hua Cheng emerged from the darkness behind Xie Lian. Perhaps anticipating another beating and a potential trouble, his face twitched. Feng Xin was about to grab Xie Lian's arm to pull him back, but Xie Lian grabbed Hua Cheng first.
Feng Xin: "??? Your Highness the Crown Prince?"
Hua Cheng has already started to lead the way: "Brother, go this way."
How could the two dare to follow him? Feng Xin said, "Your Highness, why are you still with him?"
Mu Qing said, "I just said that he was bewildered and lost his mind, right?"
Xie Lian didn't argue with them. He simply gently but firmly pulled Hua Cheng back and said, "There's no time to explain. Let's all go. There are enemies chasing us!"
Hua Cheng was pulled by him, his eyes flickering slightly. After a moment, he smiled and said, "I suggest you stop talking nonsense and just follow me. I'm in a good mood, so I won't bother with you for now."
Seeing this, both of them were filled with indescribable disbelief. Their minds couldn't fathom how Xie Lian could remain so nonchalant as to walk with such a terrifying figure who had spied on him for over eight hundred years and whose mind was constantly occupied with unspeakable matters. He was simply playing with fire. Mu Qing was half-convinced, but ultimately chose another key point, asking, "You said there were enemies? This Ten Thousand Gods Cave is his territory, what enemies could there be? Was that wound on his face inflicted by an enemy? There aren't many people in the world who could injure even the Blood Rain Scholar."
Xie Lian said, “It’s Bai Wuxiang.”
Upon hearing this name, Feng Xin and Mu Qing's expressions changed. Without a word, they followed Xie Lian and left.
Because, they all knew perfectly well that while Xie Lian could use anything to joke or deceive, he would never do that to this person. He would never admit his mistake. The group had just been battling bloody battles in the Pantheon Cave, but now they were all running wildly. Mu Qing asked, "What the hell is going on?!"
Xie Lian then told them about the man in white transforming into them. The two were stunned, “Transformed into our appearance?! How is that possible?”
Xie Lian said, “Absolutely true! Although I was in such a hurry that I didn’t look closely, at first glance it was you two!”
Feng Xin was stunned and asked, "But how could Bai Wuxiang still be alive? Wasn't he killed by the Emperor?"
Mu Qing said, "It's easy to imagine how easy it is to kill something like this. Maybe it was killed at the time, but it can still come back to life if it gets the chance!"
Xie Lian remembered something and turned to Hua Cheng, "Sanlang! Shortly after we entered Tonglu Mountain, you suddenly woke from your deep sleep and urged us to immediately evade something. Was it him you sensed then?"
Hua Cheng nodded slightly and said, "It's him."
Xie Lian murmured, "Sure enough! He later chose the western fork in the road. The one on the east side who killed thousands of demons and monsters was also him. He was reborn, but still a little weak. He needed to kill the demons and monsters that entered Tonglu Mountain as a stepping stone to accumulate magic power... Now, he has recovered, and he is probably even stronger."
After all, he is the world's first desperate ghost king!
As he was speaking, Mu Qing noticed something was wrong and said, "Your Highness, do you know where he is taking us? It seems we are not on the way out?"
Hua Cheng said, "This is certainly not the way out, because there is no way out now."
Feng Xin was shocked and said, "What? Isn't this cave your territory? You are not lost either, are you?"
Xie Lian said, "Of course not..." Hua Cheng continued, "Because Bai Wuxiang is currently blocking the path out of this cave. If you think you can defeat him in your current state, then don't follow me. I will definitely not stop you. Please."
Feng Xin and Mu Qing were both Xianle people, after all. Like Xie Lian, they also had an indelible shadow over that thing. They absolutely did not want to confront it unless absolutely necessary. Feng Xin looked up at the cave and said, "Can we just break through the ceiling and get out?"
Hua Cheng mocked, "There's a snowy mountain above. Do you want another avalanche?"
Unfortunately, the geomancer had left the shovel for Yinyu in case of emergency, so they didn't bring it with them. None of them had studied how to use it, otherwise they could have dug it out silently. Feng Xin said, "Then why are we wandering around now?"
Xie Lian said, “As long as we wander around, he’ll catch up and leave the necessary path out. Then the rest of us can take advantage of the opportunity to escape.”
Mu Qing asked sensitively, "Wait, the rest of the people? Do you mean to split up into two groups? One group will act as bait to lure him away, and the other group will escape on their own?"
Xie Lian said, “That’s right! The Emperor must be informed of Bai Wuxiang’s reappearance. After you leave, find a way to bring this news to the Heavenly Palace…”
Mu Qing interrupted him and said, "Wait a minute! Have you already decided who will be the bait and who will leave?"
Xie Lian shook his head and said, "It wasn't me who decided this, it was Bai Wuxiang who decided this."
Mu Qing understood but remained silent. It wasn't really up to them to decide who to pursue. If they had to choose the one Bai Wuxiang was most interested in pursuing, it would definitely be Xie Lian!
Feng Xin said without hesitation: "I will stay and help you deal with him."
In the past, whenever something happened, Mu Qing was always the one Xie Lian sent back to report the news, and Feng Xin was always the one who stayed behind to assist him. Now, it seemed like this scene was about to happen again, but Xie Lian looked at Hua Cheng and said, "Thank you! But it's not necessary. San Lang will stay."
Feng Xin blurted out: "How could he stay? He..."
Hua Cheng's brow furrowed slightly, but Xie Lian said, "He can do it. I believe him."
His tone was gentle, but his attitude was extremely firm. Feng Xin couldn't help but be stunned and said, "Your Highness."
Xie Lian patted his shoulder and said, “You two should go together. Tonglu Mountain is closed now, so it’s hard to say whether we can get out. Besides, don’t you still want to find… Lan Chang and her son?”
Feng Xin's face darkened at his reminder. A dead butterfly flew out from the totem on Hua Cheng's wristband. Hua Cheng said, "Follow it."
The two looked at Huacheng, then at Xie Lian. Finally, Mu Qing said, "Be careful," and turned to follow the silver butterfly into another cave. A moment later, Feng Xin followed.
The four of them split up at this fork in the road. Just as Xie Lian watched their backs disappear, another burst of explosions could be heard in the distance. The remaining two exchanged glances, and Hua Cheng said in a deep voice, "Here they come."
Xie Lian said, “Take me away.”
As expected, the man in white charged straight at Xie Lian. Hua Cheng set up numerous undead butterfly formations along the way, creating an obstacle course to ensure he always maintained a distance from the man in white and the others. He also monitored several different roads. With each explosion and the shriek of the undead butterflies, his expression grew more serious, and Xie Lian felt a slight pang of pain in his chest. After many twists and turns, they finally reached a cave. He couldn't help but exclaim, "To think... we've lost so many silver butterflies."
While those undead butterflies may have a bad reputation outside, Xie Lian sees them as nothing more than adorable little spirits. He can't help but feel heartbroken by the sight of them launching suicidal attacks one after another, just to hold the enemy back for a moment. Hua Cheng sneered, his gaze penetrating the rocky walls as he said in a deep voice, "Don't worry. If he kills one, I'll create ten more. As fierce as the storm, we'll never retreat. Let's see who gives in first."
Xie Lian felt an inexplicable stir in his heart, and thought to himself, “…Oh no, oh no.”
Although Hua Cheng's expression was only revealed unintentionally, he was really unable to withstand this kind of confidence that was laced with ruthlessness and rebellion.
After a while, Hua Cheng slowed down his pace, as if receiving some signal. He said to Xie Lian, "We've led him away. Those two are almost out."
Xie Lian said, "Excellent! We can slowly figure out a solution."
Hua Cheng said, "Yeah. No need to rush. We've already left him a long way behind. We can hide here and think of a countermeasure."
“…”
Unexpectedly, suddenly, the atmosphere between the two became a little awkward.
It wasn't the kind of embarrassment I'd felt after losing face, but rather a strange sense of embarrassment. Previously, with the pursuit so intense, and Feng Xin and Mu Qing present, this feeling hadn't been as pronounced. Although I'd just said "talk about it later," now that I'd breathed a sigh of relief, it was already "later," and I didn't know what to say.
Xie Lian coughed lightly twice and scratched his cheek with a finger, feeling that his posture was somehow wrong. He wanted to speak, but was worried that his introduction would be inappropriate, boring, or too deliberate. He could only hope that Hua Cheng would speak first. However, Hua Cheng's face was also stern, as he seemed to be seriously considering a strategy to deal with the enemy. However, it was hard to tell whether he was truly thinking, because his hands behind his back seemed to tremble slightly.
At this moment, the two passed by a statue. Most of the statues in the Cave of the Gods were life-size, but this one was crudely crafted, and its size was shrunk by half. As Xie Lian passed by, he casually removed the veil covering its head. His eyes lit up, and he asked, "Sanlang, did you make this, too?"
Hua Cheng looked at it and fell silent. After a while, he said, "It's a work from my early years. Brother, please don't read it."
This is absolutely true. This statue is utterly ugly. Although it's clear that the sculptor did his utmost to recreate the perfect image he envisioned, his craftsmanship was limited and unsatisfactory. While it can't be said to be crooked or misshapen, it can certainly be said that the statue's head and body are mismatched, and its smile makes it seem as if it has a mental disability.
However, despite this, he still meticulously completed every detail. Therefore, Xie Lian could tell that this was a statue of Prince Yue. Even his pair of red coral bead earrings were decorated.
Xie Lian silently covered his mouth and turned his head away. In order to appear as natural as possible, he rubbed his face vigorously. Hua Cheng was speechless and said again: "Your Highness, please stop looking." As he spoke, he was about to put the veil back on. Xie Lian hurriedly said: "Don't get me wrong! I really think it's cute!" But think about it, wasn't the sculpture Hua Cheng made of him? Praising this thing as cute, wouldn't that be praising himself as cute in disguise? He was lying with his eyes open, which was really shameless, but he couldn't help laughing. Seeing this, Hua Cheng also lowered his head and laughed.
In this way, when both of them smiled, the inexplicably awkward atmosphere that made people uneasy was diluted a lot.
Continuing forward, they passed another reclining statue, sprawled across a stone bed, its entire body shrouded in a layer of white gauze that resembled a wisp of smoke. Xie Lian was deeply curious and was about to lift the gauze covering the statue to take a look, when Hua Cheng suddenly grabbed his wrist and said, "Your Highness!"
Since entering the Cave of the Gods, Hua Cheng had mostly been calling him "Your Highness." Xie Lian looked at him. Hua Cheng had loosened his grip on his hand again, still looking a little uncomfortable.
Xie Lian asked, “I already know this is my statue, so why can’t I look at it?”
Hua Cheng said, "Brother, if you want to see a statue of a deity, I have the best one you haven't seen yet. I'll show it to you later. Don't look at the ones in this cave."
Xie Lian asked, puzzled, “Why? I think you’ve carved all the statues in this Cave of the Gods beautifully, truly beautifully. I’d be so sorry if I couldn’t see them. Speaking of which, those murals…”
Unexpectedly, Hua Cheng immediately said, "I'll destroy it."
Seeing that he was actually about to leave, Xie Lian quickly grabbed him and said, “No, no, no! Why are you destroying it? Is it because I saw it? Fine, fine… I’ll be honest. I only saw a little bit, just the Lantern Festival and the military camp scenes. I didn’t finish watching most of it because Feng Xin and Mu Qing wouldn’t let me see it, so I have no idea what you drew. Don’t destroy it!”
“…”
Hua Cheng then turned around and asked, "Really?"
Xie Lian pulled him aside and said sincerely, "Seriously. If you don't want me to see it, then I won't."
Hua Cheng seemed to be slightly relieved and smiled, saying, "There's nothing to see. Just let me draw whatever you want to see."
Xie Lian's reaction only intensified his curiosity. But he didn't want to force Huacheng to destroy those precious murals, so he forced himself to restrain himself. After taking a few steps, he suddenly frowned and said, "...something's wrong."
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