"Congratulations!"
"Your Highness, congratulations!"
The newly built Puqi Monastery was bustling with activity, people coming and going. Xie Lian walked among several long, overflowing tables, serving bowl after bowl of steaming noodles, golden soup, and fragrant white rice. He was busy, yet still had to deal with the guests. He took a moment out of his busy schedule to say, "Thank you very much. Please sit down!"
The Puqi Temple, which unfortunately collapsed during the fight, was rebuilt.
After the reconstruction, it was much more impressive than the original, dilapidated house, and even had a newly built courtyard. It wasn't Xie Lian or Hua Cheng who rebuilt it, but the villagers of Puqi Village. After Xie Lian's escape that day, they dug through the ruins and unexpectedly found a box of gold bars. Naturally, it was the pile that Quan Yizhen had been stuffing into his merit box every day.
The villagers had never seen so much gold before and were nearly terrified. After regaining consciousness, the village chief took some and used it to rebuild the Puqi Monastery. He didn't dare touch the rest, leaving it there for Xie Lian's return.
Therefore, when Xie Lian returned with Hua Cheng, he was greeted not only by the villagers' enthusiastic calls of "Master" and "Little Flower", but also by a brand new Taoist temple and a box of heavy gold bars.
He had intended to return the gold bar to Quan Yizhen, but Quan Yizhen refused to take it. It was not until Huacheng told him that if he didn't take the gold bar back, he would never know the correct way to nourish his soul that the kid honestly changed his habit of blindly giving gold bars to others.
After greeting everyone, several priests headed by Mu Qing stepped into the courtyard with dignity. Suddenly they looked up and saw the whole picture of the Taoist temple. They were speechless for a moment.
Blind.
So blind!
The festive red and green colors and the extravagant clay statues weren't the scariest thing. The scariest thing was the plaque.
What exactly is written or painted on that plaque?
The completion of the new pavilion was a cause for celebration, but the new pavilion was so utterly in such bad taste and vulgarity, with a single, desperate plaque that was so difficult to praise, that they completely forgot their intended congratulatory words.
However, Xie Lian didn't mind. Instead, he thought it was a good thing. At least it was no longer a dangerous building that could collapse at any time. He greeted him again, "Please sit down?"
The priests didn't seem too eager to sit down. Their congratulations were probably just a formality, so they quickly put down their gifts and left. Xie Lian asked Mu Qing, "Why are they leaving in such a hurry?"
Mu Qing: "Is this even a question?"
Xie Lian: “Use it.”
Mu Qing said unhappily, "Then go ask your good Sanlang."
It turned out that upon Hua Cheng's return, the first to know was Xie Lian, and the second was Shang Tianting, who hadn't yet warmed up to the new Xianjing. Not only was the Lantern Festival they had so diligently organized just a short while ago, similar to the Mid-Autumn Festival, shattered to dust by Hua Cheng's sudden appearance and a wave of his hand, but also, from that night on, the bell had been ringing frantically, its warning echoing throughout Shang Tianting, as if to remind them: the nightmare of the immortals and gods had returned!
With the nightmare right before their eyes, ordinary priests naturally didn't dare approach. However, the rumors circulating in the Heavenly Court about Hua Cheng and Xie Lian were already so strong that they didn't even need to be exaggerated. They still wanted to build a relationship with Xie Lian and ask for some mercy from Hua Cheng in the future.
Xie Lian listened, remembering Hua Cheng's request to report his achievements to the Heavenly Court for a whole year, and laughed, "Naughty."
Mu Qing said, "This is more than just mischief. You should ask him to stop. It's outrageous. Now the bell is so loud every day that it makes people panic. It's impossible to work in the Heavenly Palace. It also falls and hits people from time to time. The New Immortal Capital, which was rebuilt with great difficulty, must not be destroyed because of something like this."
Xie Lian said, “Alright, I’ll talk to him later. By the way, would you like to try some?” He pointed to the rice and noodle soup on the table in the yard and added, “I didn’t make it.”
Mu Qing's expression, grim and full of rejection, returned to normal after hearing the last part. Just then, Feng Xin arrived. He entered the courtyard and brushed past several young priests on their way out. They greeted him and whispered, "It's General Nanyang."
"It's him. So pitiful, his wife and son ran away with someone..."
Feng Xin's forehead veins bulged, and he immediately erupted in curses: "Fuck you! Are you guys done yet?! You've been harping on about this for months?! And! It's 'ran away'! Not 'ran off with someone'! You're just spreading rumors!"
Those gossipy little priests were so frightened that they quickly fled. Mu Qing, holding his sleeves with his hands, said, "Your explanation is worse than no explanation at all. It just sounds more embarrassing."
Feng Xin was furious and grabbed a nearby broom and threw it at Mu Qing. Mu Qing caught it and said, "Old trick. This trick won't work on me now."
Feng Xin was about to curse again when Xie Lian walked over and handed him a broom, saying, "That's good that it's useless. So, how about this, both of you help me sweep this yard. I just set off a few strings of firecrackers, and the ground is covered with red residue. You've worked hard. If you're bored, you can also catch a dragon."
“???”
Half an hour later, a noisy voice came from outside the temple, getting closer and closer.
A few people in the yard looked outside, and after a while, a large group of people poured into the Puqi Temple's courtyard, shouting, "Is this the place?" "Yes, it is! Wow, it's quite grand." "There's really rice, lots of rice!" "And meat!"
The ground Feng Xin and Mu Qing had just swept clean was trampled by a large group of muddy legs, making it a horrible sight. Mu Qing held the broom, as if he had been infected with fleas, his eyes wide open: "...What's wrong with these beggars?"
The beggars were led by a man with disheveled hair and dirty clothes. It was Shi Qingxuan. He limped over and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, I'm sorry to bother you! How about our last agreement? Do we still stand?"
Xie Lian smiled and said, "You're most welcome. Of course it counts! Please take a seat, please take a seat."
Mu Qing said: "There are too many people."
Shi Qingxuan said, "Not many! All the gentlemen who helped guard the human formation in the imperial city last year are here."
Back when they were guarding the formation, Shi Qingxuan and the others had agreed to treat everyone to chicken drumsticks after the mission was accomplished. However, after the mission was accomplished, no one was found, so naturally, they didn't get to enjoy the chicken drumsticks. Today, however, they were finally able to fulfill their promise. Bowl after bowl of chicken drumstick noodles were served, and Shi Qingxuan said, "Everyone, don't worry about it today. Enjoy!"
The beggars were forced to sit down on the floor from the table, cheering loudly. Then they picked up their large bowls and began to slurp and grunt. As they ate, one of them suddenly said, "No, there's an evil aura!"
Everyone turned around and saw that the group was actually Tianyankai and the others. Xie Lian felt a slight headache and asked, "Why are you here too?"
Tianyankai said, "We also helped last time, why can't we come?" He raised the bowl high and said seriously, "Everyone, listen to me, I am absolutely not mistaken! The food in this bowl has an evil aura, I'm afraid it's not good, it's very strange! Put it down!"
No one paid any attention to him. The beggars had already finished their round and raised their empty bowls: "Another bowl!"
Feng Xin and Mu Qing, fighting with brooms, swept up the red firecracker debris that littered the yard. Seeing the others enjoying their meals, they sat down and picked up their bowls. Just then, Tianyan opened his mouth and said, "Why don't you listen to others?" He was about to get up and go to the kitchen, but Shi Qingxuan held him back and said, "Master, you really think too much. This is the territory of the Blood Rain Scholars. It's normal for there to be some demonic aura. Okay, okay, you're worried, right? I'll go check. Just sit back and don't be impulsive."
He actually got up, walked to the kitchen, lifted the curtain and said, "Look, there's nothing strange about it—"
Xie Lian said, “Wait a moment, I want to take a look too…”
However, when he, Shi Qingxuan, Feng Xin, and Mu Qing looked over, they were all shocked.
In the kitchen, a massive pig butcher was chopping furiously on a chopping block. If it weren't for the pig legs hanging behind him, one would have thought he was chopping a human. Next to him, a huge vat burned under a huge fire. Inside, a long-necked, chicken-like man was scrubbing himself vigorously. When he noticed someone outside, he screamed and covered his chest with his hands.
Xie Lian was overwhelmed and hurried inside, whispering, "Didn't I tell you not to do this?"
Ji Jing patted his chest and assured, "Dabogong, we took a bath before coming here, so we're very clean! And this soup base has the effect of prolonging life, so it won't harm you if you don't drink it! It's worth it! Don't worry about it!"
“…”
Shi Qingxuan silently lowered the curtain, while Feng Xin and Mu Qing immediately threw their bowls away, snorting, "You might as well do it!"
Xie Lian rubbed his brows and said with a mixture of amusement and resignation, "They insisted on helping me. There's nothing I can do about it. They mean well."
At this moment, Tianyankai, seemingly finally realizing that the group was acting suspiciously, approached. Xie Lian quickly stopped him, "What's going on?"
He was afraid that Tianyankai would see the pig butcher and start a fight again. However, Tianyankai didn't come to the kitchen, but to him. He circled around Xie Lian a few times, wondering, "Strange..."
Xie Lian asked, “What’s wrong?”
Tianyankai seemed puzzled and said, "That's not right, Taoist Xie, why is the ghost energy on you even more serious than last time?"
“…”
Xie Lian coughed lightly. Mu Qing snorted, "Of course, hanging out with the Ghost King all day is getting worse."
Tianyankai said, "That's not right. Even if that's the case, it shouldn't be like this, right?"
Feng Xin said, "What's this and that?"
After being puzzled for a long time, Tianyankai finally spoke directly.
He said, "How did this ghost energy on you become something that comes from within? This... this is completely emanating from your body."
“…”
"You've been through a lot. What happened to you? Why are you so sick?"
“…”
Xie Lian couldn't even cough. His entire face was flushed with blood.
Feng Xin and Mu Qing didn't understand what was going on at first, but when they finally caught on, they both looked at Xie Lian and fell silent: "..."
Only Shi Qingxuan was confused and asked, "What's wrong? So what? What's going on? Your Highness, are you really sick? Does Xueyu Tanhua know about this? He didn't treat you, okay?!"
No, no, no. It's because of him that this happened!
Xie Lian stammered, “Well, actually. It’s not like that. You guys shouldn’t… I think, why not, um…”
His mind was a jumble of chaotic images, and he spoke a bunch of meaningless words. Suddenly, he felt someone's chest lean against him. A silver-clad arm wrapped around him, and a familiar voice said with a smile, "I think it's best if you all go back to your seats, eat your food, and forget about anything else. How about that?"
In this situation, Xie Lian didn’t know whether to feel pardoned or even more embarrassed. He said, “Sanlang!”
Upon seeing Hua Cheng emerge, Feng Xin and Mu Qing were both indescribable. But with Xie Lian in front of them, they couldn't say anything. Only Shi Qingxuan asked seriously, "Xueyu Tanhua, have you examined the Crown Prince?"
Xie Lian covered his forehead with his hands, hoping he wouldn't ask any more questions. At this moment, the beggars started shouting, "Another bowl!" "Add more meat!" "This chicken soup is tasteless, add more salt!"
Mu Qing couldn't bear to watch any longer and said, "Do you know that this is a Taoist temple and that it houses a priest? Could you please be a little more reserved?"
The beggars, however, were unaware of this. Last time, they had joined forces with many priests to strengthen the human formation, and had witnessed some priests trembling and fleeing in the face of danger. They were no better than them, and knowing Shi Qingxuan, they couldn't help but think that this was just how immortals were. When it came to their lives, they seemed no different from them, and they didn't seem so high and mighty, so inviolable.
Suddenly, a scream came from the kitchen: "Who is it?"
Hearing the noise, Xie Lian's heart tightened. He rushed into the kitchen, only to see the Pig Butcher and the Chicken Spirit yelling inside. He hurriedly tried to appease them, "Calm down! Calm down! What's wrong?"
The chicken spirit was so frightened that he got goose bumps all over his body: "Dabogong! It's haunted! There's a ghost, it ate up all the food and soup we made! I just dived in, and when I got up there was not even a bowl left! It's haunted!"
The pig butcher spat, "What are you afraid of? You are a ghost yourself!"
Xie Lian was slightly stunned. “How could that be? I clearly saw you guys just made over fifty bowls.”
"yes!"
But when I looked again, I found that the more than 50 bowls were empty, even the soup had been drunk up!
Xie Lian was just wondering when he suddenly thought of someone. Turning around, he saw Hua Cheng leaning against the door and asked, "Sanlang, could it be that?"
Hua Cheng said calmly, "Eighty to ninety times."
“Hmm…” Xie Lian said, “He should be here to congratulate us, right? He should be welcome, but he eats a bit too much… Now he’s finished all the food by himself, what should I do?”
Hua Cheng smiled and said, "No big deal. Just add interest."
The troubled ghosts of the Ghost Market resigned themselves to their fate and began to cook again. At this moment, a commotion erupted from the main hall and courtyard, as if someone was arguing with someone else. Xie Lian was about to go out to mediate, but Hua Cheng grabbed his hand and led him out the other side.
The two walked out of Puqi Monastery hand in hand. There were trees blocking the way, and it would have been easier if they had let go of each other's hands and walked separately, but neither of them wanted to let go of the other's hand, so they twisted and turned, circling back and forth. As they circled around, Xie Lian asked, "Sanlang, where are we going now?"
Hua Cheng said, "It's too noisy here. Let them fight and make noise. We'll leave first."
Xie Lian looked back as he walked, a little worried, "Should we just ignore them? Puqi Monastery was just rebuilt. What if it collapses again?"
Hua Cheng said nonchalantly, "It collapsed, so we can just build another one. Brother, if you want, we can have as many as you want."
“Hahahahahahahaha…”
·
At night, in Qiandeng Temple, Xie Lian, after bathing, wore a thin, snow-white undershirt and leaned on the jade table, writing stroke by stroke.
He was copying a calligraphy piece for Huacheng. Huacheng was leaning against him, also wearing only a shirt with the collar slightly open, and was playing with the red coral bead at the end of his hair, bored.
Under the dimly warm jade-like light, he stared at Xie Lian for a long while before narrowing his eyes as if satisfied and sighing, "Brother, stop doing that. Come and rest."
Xie Lian had already suffered enough and was determined not to be fooled again. The tone of voice made his ears burn. He forced himself to remain calm and continued writing, saying seriously, "No. Sanlang, someone said your handwriting is ugly again today. You must practice hard, otherwise, I don't want anyone to know that I taught you."
Hua Cheng sat up slightly and raised his eyebrows, saying, "Brother, I remember you once said you really liked my calligraphy."
Since Hua Cheng's return, Xie Lian had been almost obedient to him, fulfilling his every request for a long time. Perhaps because of this, he had finally spoiled him and his evil intentions had increased. Xie Lian finished writing, put down his pen, and became more serious: "Stop talking nonsense. I'm done, come over and practice."
So, Hua Cheng lazily slid up behind Xie Lian, hugged his waist, bent slightly, and rested his head on his shoulder. He took his red coral bead from the end of his hair and placed it on the paper, letting it chase Xie Lian's bead around, rolling back and forth, deliberately preventing Xie Lian from writing properly.
He was so playfully and forcefully asserting his presence that Xie Lian remembered Tianyankai's words about him radiating a ghostly aura "from head to toe, from the inside out." That was Huacheng's aura. He couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. He struggled slightly and whispered, "...Write well."
Hua Cheng said: "Okay, I'll listen to my brother."
He picked up his pen, wrote two lines, and then put it down. Xie Lian looked at it, shook his head, and said to himself for the umpteenth time, "It's hopeless." He paused, then picked up his pen and helped him finish the last two lines.
After finishing, Xie Lian blew gently and picked up the paper. The two of them looked at the poem they had written together.
The ink on the paper forms four lines of poetry that reach heaven and earth:
Once you have seen the sea, all other waters are but puddles; once you have seen Mount Wu, all other mountains are but mounds.
I am too lazy to look back at the flowers, half because of my cultivation and half because of you.
Even E Ming was at the table, his eyes wide open, watching intently, as if he was deeply impressed. Hua Cheng smiled and said, "A masterpiece. Brother, come and sign your name. This calligraphy will surely amaze future generations and be passed down through the ages."
Xie Lian had already written Hua Cheng's name at the bottom, but after hearing what he said, he couldn't bring himself to add his own. Hua Cheng had laughed enough and said in a serious tone, "Brother, are you embarrassed? I'll help you."
As he spoke, he took Xie Lian's hand and quickly wrote a few words. Of course, if it weren't for the foreground, no one would have been able to tell that these were two words, nor would it have been possible to tell that it was Xie Lian's name...
Xie Lian watched his subordinate write something like this, feeling both amused and annoyed, tilting his head against Hua Cheng's chest. Suddenly, he felt that these words looked familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere before.
After a while, he remembered something, his eyes lit up, and he said, "Sanlang, it's in your hand!"
He grabbed Hua Cheng's forearm, pulled up his sleeve, and said happily, "This is it!"
One day, during the time they lived together at Puqi Monastery, Xie Lian saw a tattoo on his hand that looked like some kind of foreign language. He'd pondered it at the time, but he never imagined it wasn't some "foreign language" at all; it was simply his name!
Hua Cheng also looked at his arm and said with a smile: "Brother finally recognized it?"
Xie Lian said, “I should have recognized it earlier, but…”
However, Hua Cheng's calligraphy was truly a work of genius. Needless to say, Hua Cheng guessed what he was thinking and burst into laughter. He put his arm around Xie Lian's waist, kissed him on the forehead, and said, "It doesn't matter. As long as your handwriting is beautiful, I'll be ten thousand times happier than if mine were beautiful."
Xie Lian's hand touched the tattoo. It was deeply engraved, and one could imagine how painful it must have been. He whispered, "Did you get this tattoo when you were a child?"
Hua Cheng smiled slightly, pulled down his sleeves and nodded.
He must have tattooed it himself. Imagine a little boy secretly carving the name of someone he admires on his arm. So childish, so brave.
Fingers clasped tightly together, red threads entwined. Xie Lian suddenly recalled the scene of Hua Cheng transforming into a butterfly and scattering on Tonglu Mountain a year ago.
At that last moment, Huacheng said something.
Although it was silent, Xie Lian knew exactly what he said.
That was a sentence that Huacheng had been practicing since he was a child and had been practicing until his death.
"I will always be your most loyal believer."
·
·
·
————————————————《Folk Tales》————————————————————
·
According to folklore, there is such a tattered immortal.
Although he is known as the Rags and Scraps Immortal, the one he most often blesses is not the rag collectors, but peace on earth. This is because he is also the most powerful martial god.
There is no devil that cannot be broken, no evil that cannot be slain. Possessing the power to destroy the world, yet still cherishing the flowers,
However, worshipping gods is always subject to taboos and etiquette. If you come across a temple dedicated to this immortal, you must not worship casually.
It's said that this tattered immortal has a peculiar physique that brings bad luck. If you don't believe me, get a dice, touch the immortal statue's hand, and then roll a dice. Your luck is guaranteed to be terrible.
Therefore, praying to a tattered gray statue of an immortal may make you more unlucky. Even drinking cold water will cause your teeth to get stuck, and even wearing a Taoist robe will make you see ghosts.
·
There is also a folk legend that there is such a ghost king in red.
Although this Ghost King is no longer a human, he has countless followers. People often secretly set up a statue of the Ghost King at home, worship it day and night, and pray for good luck.
This is because this Ghost King is not only invincible, it is said that he has never been defeated so far, and his luck is extremely strong and invincible.
If you don't believe me, pay your respects to him before rolling the dice. If he helps you, your next roll will be a success.
However, ghosts are not like gods, so they naturally have more taboos. Although this ghost king has great abilities, his temperament is extremely strange and extreme.
If he is happy, he will help you without you having to pray to him; if he is unhappy, he will ignore you even if he spends a lot of money; and if he is extremely unhappy, he may even take your life.
So, for the same reason, it is better to stay away from it.
·
However, if people worship the two statues of the god and the ghost together, they can turn decay into magic.
The red-robed ghost king will dispel the bad luck that has entangled the tattered immortal and reveal his true face.
People will be surprised to find that the original color of the tattered fairy is not grayish white, but golden.
·
Legends usually have a basis. But this is probably a very long story, perhaps starting from eight hundred years ago, and it might take a very long time to tell. People may not have the patience to listen.
But what is certain is that if you want these two to exert their strongest power, you must worship them together.
In this way, you can get double the luck and double the invincibility.
God bless you, no taboos!
The author has something to say: I am too tired. I will post the postscript tomorrow and take a few days off before continuing to update the extra chapters.
245|Lantern Riddles, Lantern Festival
It’s a wonderful night on Lantern Festival.
It was early spring, winter not far behind, and the wind was still chilly. Xie Lian, carrying a large bag, walked slowly along the roadside, his face slightly flushed by the wind.
The bag contained a bunch of random things he had just collected, and he didn't know if they were useful. Anyway, whether they were useful or not, he would have to rely on them to make a living from now on.
After a while, he passed by a street stall.
The stall was called "He Ji Snacks," selling snacks. The owner and his family of three seemed to be sitting at a small table in the back. A slender, attractive woman was busy among the tables. The owner called out to her to stop and sit down, but she ignored him, saying, "I'll be right there," in a voice as melodious as a nightingale. Other tables were occupied by a few customers, but they seemed to have come just to see the young woman. They sat and chatted for a while, then went home. After all, today was the Lantern Festival.
There was a small pot in front of the stall, and the sight of a bunch of white, round, steaming little creatures in the pot made him slow down.
Xie Lian thought to himself, “Lantern Festival.”
When he was a child, every Lantern Festival, the King and Queen of Xianle Kingdom would share a meal with him. Xie Lian was a very picky eater and disliked Yuanxiao. Even when a renowned chef presented him with exquisite morsels of food in golden bowls and jade cups, he wouldn't eat them, finding them too sweet. He'd eat anything with this filling, then that, and would simply finish them in two bites.
Later, when he grew up, he went to Taicang Mountain to practice, and sometimes he didn't come back for the Lantern Festival, so he didn't eat much. Now thinking about it, he couldn't even remember what Yuanxiao tasted like.
Xie Lian glanced cautiously at the stall for a few times, then carefully lowered the ugly big bag from his shoulder, and finally, stepped in cautiously.
He took off his bamboo hat, held it in his hand and said, "Boss, please give me a bowl of Yuanxiao. Do you have any?"
The boss, who looked quite elderly, glanced at him, but before he could reply, the slender woman smiled and said, "Yes, please come in and sit down!" She then got up and began to get ready. Xie Lian sat down, but saw the boss shake his head, which made him feel strange. He wondered if he had gotten dirty somewhere and that was why he was displeased. He glanced down at his sleeves, confirming that they were not dirty. Feeling a little relieved, he asked, "What's wrong?"
He thought if the boss didn't like him bringing the bag in, he could just leave it outside. But the boss looked at him again, shook his head and said, "That's miserable. That's really miserable."
Xie Lian asked, “Ah? What did you say?”
The boss said, "It's too miserable for a person to eat Yuanxiao in the cold weather outside at a stall during the Lantern Festival."
“…” Xie Lian said, “You can’t do this. Are you still doing business…”
The boss didn't speak to him and went to get his bowl. After sitting for a while, Xie Lian felt that people were looking at him. Or rather, they were looking at him and the unusually large bag next to him.
The boss's daughter also slinked over, squatting on the ground and prodding at the bag with her fingers, seemingly curious about what was bulging inside. She was called back several times by her mother before she went back. Xie Lian, who hadn't yet developed the impenetrable thick skin he would later develop, couldn't help but kick the large bag under the table, trying to tuck it away where no one could see it. Unfortunately, the stall was small, and the tables, chairs, and benches were also small; there was no way to hide anything. Xie Lian could only cough softly, trying to ignore the gazes of others.
You'll get used to it. It's no big deal.
Suddenly, he remembered something and quickly reached into his chest to feel around. His face suddenly changed as he thought, "This is even worse! Not only do I have to eat Yuanxiao dumplings alone in the freezing cold on Lantern Festival, but I still don't have enough money!!!"
He wanted to leave quickly, but at that moment, the boss came over with a large porcelain bowl, put it on the table, and said, "Five cents."
“…”
Xie Lian felt a little suffocated and said, "Uh... I..."
He coughed several times, put his fist to his mouth, and listened to the boss say, "Is there nothing?"
Xie Lian was just about to bite the bullet and stand up to leave when he saw a large porcelain bowl slammed down on the table in front of him.
He was stunned, then heard the boss say, "Forget it, seeing how miserable you are, I'll give you a bowl. After you finish eating, I will also close the stall, so hurry back. Today is Lantern Festival, it's time to be together!"
“…”
Xie Lian sat back down. Although he was thinking that he had nowhere to go after finishing this bowl of Yuanxiao, he still whispered, "Thank you."
The boss put down his bowl and went back. He brought the small pot of leftover Yuanxiao in front of the stall to the small table. The little girl tilted her head and bit her spoon and said, "When will my brother come back? I want to wait until he comes back before eating."
The boss also said: "It's too late. It's really outrageous to come back so late on the Lantern Festival!"
The woman said, "He's worked hard, too. He'll be back soon. Don't scold him later. Miao'er, Miao'er, don't be so busy. I really feel bad for always asking you to come and help. Come and eat with us."
The young girl said, "I'm not busy!" Finally, she cleared a table and sat down to share the Yuanxiao with them.
The four of them seemed to be waiting for someone else to return home for a reunion, chatting and laughing. Xie Lian watched them, picked up his own bowl, scooped a piece of rice with his spoon, and took a sip of the sweet soup.
But I still don’t know what it feels like.
·
"Brother, brother?"
Xie Lian finally came to his senses. Hua Cheng was staring at him from the side. His red dress made his features appear even more vibrant, and the light from the lamp cast a soft hue on his pale, lifeless face. Xie Lian was slightly distracted by what he saw and asked, "What?"
Hua Cheng said, "Brother, are you tired? Or can't walk anymore?"
Xie Lian nodded casually. Hua Cheng said, "I'm sorry. I went too far last night."
After a while, Xie Lian finally realized what he meant and quickly waved his hands, "...What are you talking about? It's not like that at all! It's totally fine!"
Hua Cheng raised an eyebrow and said, "Really? If that's completely okay, then that means I wasn't too extreme yesterday? So I can...?"
“…”
Xie Lian suddenly remembered that he was still in the Ghost Market. He looked around with a start. Sure enough, a multitude of misshapen creatures had suddenly filled the streets. Those with long ears pricked up, those with short ears stretched their necks out. Almost every one of them stared at them with their eyes wide open, stunned beyond words. Finally, they said, "Sanlang!"
Hua Cheng smiled slightly, put his hands behind his back and said, "Okay, okay. It's my fault, I won't talk about it anymore."
Xie Lian had already withdrawn his gaze from the Lantern Festival demon stalls along the street. Both sides of the Ghost Market were hung with bright red lanterns, each covered in riddles. The ghosts shouted, "Guess the riddles! Guess the riddles! Guess the prizes! Big prizes!!!"
Hua Cheng said to Xie Lian, "Brother, would you like to try? There are prizes."
Xie Lian walked up and said, “Want to try?”
The ghosts were all excited, pushing each other: "Shh! Shh! Dabogong is going to guess the lantern riddles! Dabogong is going to guess the lantern riddles!!!"
"..." The overwhelming shouting sounded as if he were about to perform a shamanic act. Xie Lian was both amused and annoyed. Just as he was about to pick one at random, a tentacle suddenly extended from nowhere and enthusiastically presented him with a lantern, saying, "Please come in! Please come in!"
To Xie Lian, they were all the same. So he took the light and took a look. The riddle was four words: "Find the white head."
Xie Lian didn't even think twice before saying, "'I'."
Hua Cheng clapped his hands and praised, "Brother, that's amazing." The ghosts joined him in applause, howling like ghosts and wolves, and somersaulting black, unidentified objects in the air. It was a bit too exaggerated. Xie Lian blushed and said, "Actually, this... is really simple."
The tentacle brought over a second lamp and said, "Please come in! Please come in!"
Xie Lian took the lantern. This time, the riddle was "Spring Festival Day."
Without even thinking, Xie Lian gave the answer, "Husband."
Hua Cheng was about to raise his hand and clap again, but Xie Lian said, "No need, this is also very simple."
Hua Cheng smiled and said, "Really? But I really think brother is amazing."
Xie Lian thought to himself, “No way. If you had written the riddle on the lantern yourself and I had solved it, that would have been truly impressive…”
At this time, the tentacle sent a third lamp and sang: "Please come! Please come!"
Xie Lian glanced at the result and frowned slightly. Everyone around him said, "Wow! This is going to be difficult!"
Xie Lian nodded. As expected, this time the riddle couldn't be solved at first glance: "Bow your head shyly to show your affection."
Still, it wasn't too difficult. After a while, Xie Lian said, "'Hanxiu' means mimosa, so we take the grass part; 'diutou' means the top of the character 'diu'; 'biaoqingxin' means the center of the character 'qing'. Putting these three parts together, we get... 'hua'. The answer is 'hua'."
He covered his ears after saying this. Sure enough, as soon as he announced the answer, the demons began to dance wildly around him again, praising him without any bottom line, exaggerating to the extreme, making people feel sick. Hua Cheng looked at him with a smile and said, "Brother, this time, you are really amazing."
The tentacle, holding the lamp, quietly reached over again. Xie Lian smiled and said, "There's something even more powerful. This time, I can guess the answer without even looking at the riddle. Believe it or not."
Hua Cheng opened his eyes wide and said, "Oh, really? Brother actually has this unique skill?"
Xie Lian took the lamp and said, "Of course. I guess the answer this time is 'city'. The city in Huacheng, right?"
Lifting the lantern and taking a look, he saw, as expected, "When weapons stir, the south will be settled." Xie Lian said, "When weapons stir, the reversed "god" becomes "earth"; the "god" remains; and the "south will be settled" character is "fang" (south), with the "south" in the center being "earth" and "god" as "city." This should be the most difficult riddle to solve, but what a pity..."
Unfortunately, he guessed the pattern first. What is the answer to the four puzzles together?
The ghosts, having been exposed, stopped cheering and instead began coughing and looking up at the sky. Hua Cheng's gaze swept over them slowly. The ghosts were terrified. Some hid in the lamps, some burrowed underground, each holding their heads and crying, "City Lord, calm down!!! It wasn't my idea!!!" "It wasn't me either!" "Bullshit! You were the one who agreed the loudest!!!"
Hua Cheng said calmly, "Get lost."
In an instant, the street was completely deserted, like a whirlwind of smoke. Xie Lian hung the lamp back on its stand and said with a smile, "Let's go back."
The two walked side by side towards Qiandeng Temple. On the way, Hua Cheng said seriously, "Brother, don't look at me like that. I really didn't ask them to do that."
Xie Lian smiled and said, “I know. If it were you, you wouldn’t set up a riddle like that.”
Hua Cheng said, "Oh? Then, brother, how do you think I would set up the riddle?"
Xie Lian said without any defense, “Of course, ‘my husband Sanlang’…”
At this point, he realized that "the mouth can cause trouble" and quickly stopped talking. However, it was too late. Hua Cheng laughed and said, "Brother, you've been fooled! Beautiful!"
"...cunning, cunning..."
At this moment, the two returned to Qiandeng Temple. As soon as he entered the main hall, Xie Lian discovered that on the jade platform,
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