He was still smiling, and was about to come over to hold his hand. But when Xie Lian saw him, his hair stood on end, and he shouted, "Don't come over here!!!"
He stopped talking as soon as he shouted. Sanlang paused, his expression unchanged, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Xie Lian clenched his fists and said coldly, "Who the hell are you? What do you want to do?"
Sanlang said, "I thought we had a good discussion yesterday and didn't care about these minor issues anymore."
Xie Lian said, "You lied to me."
After a moment of silence, Sanlang said, "Do you already know?"
Xie Lian said, “I already know. Now it is…” Eight hundred years later.
He wouldn't have noticed something was wrong so late, but this person had been deliberately hiding it from him, confusing him to the point of losing his way. Otherwise, how could he have discovered the truth only after a day?
Sanlang took a step toward him and said, "Your Highness."
Xie Lian took several steps back and shouted, “Don’t come any closer! I’ll hit you if you come any closer!”
His voice and body were trembling. Xie Lian was terrified.
He wasn't afraid of demons or monsters, nor of the man before him, who was both celestial and demonic, but of this entire unfamiliar world. In this world, he had no pride or glory, no loyal subordinates, no loving parents, no country, no adoring believers. Nothing, nothing, nothing!
Sanlang still took a step towards him and said, "Don't be afraid, Your Highness."
“…”
Upon hearing this, Xie Lian’s expression changed.
He suddenly remembered the man who whispered in his ear, "Don't be afraid, Your Highness," in those fragmented memories.
How come he didn't notice?
Their tone and voices are exactly the same!
Xie Lian was shaking with anger, saying, “It’s you…it’s really you…”
Thinking of how this man had tricked him into submission, yet he was still filled with gratitude and affection, constantly calling him "brother," Xie Lian felt an unbearable surge of rage. He struck out with a palm, shouting, "You liar!"
This palm strike hit Sanlang right in the chest. Xie Lian was about to strike him again, but found that he could not move at all.
It was his own body that stopped him!
Xie Lian didn't understand what was going on, but San Lang grabbed his hand. Startled, Xie Lian said word by word, "Don't touch me! You liar, you lied to me. I will never trust you again. You..."
Sanlang said in a deep voice: "Your Highness, believe me."
Xie Lian angrily shouted, “I don’t believe it!!! I!…”
However, just like the stopped attack, the following "I don't believe" could not be shouted out.
The concern and pain in this man's eyes were genuine. Anyone who saw someone look like that at another person would never doubt their sincerity.
As if to separate Xie Lian from this strange world that frightened him, San Lang finally pulled him into his arms, his lips gently kissing his hair as he spoke softly, "Don't be afraid, Your Highness. It's over. Your Highness. You've made it through this."
“…”
After a long while, Xie Lian's body finally softened.
Now, putting aside his shame and annoyance, he thought carefully. In those fragmented fragments of his dream, the man's voice calling him had always been extremely gentle, without any force.
As for himself… although he did beg for mercy and sob, he could tell that he wasn't unwilling at all. It was just that he had been unwilling to face it before, so he didn't notice it.
Xie Lian finally understood why he had been so drawn to trusting this man the moment he laid eyes on him. Perhaps eight hundred years later, his relationship with Sanlang... was far from simple.
He completely gave up resisting his body and let himself follow his heart. He buried his face in Sanlang's arms and said in a muffled voice: "We..."
Sanlang said, "Yeah."
After a long silence, Xie Lian murmured, "Why... did I suddenly forget everything that happened in the past eight hundred years?"
Sanlang said, "It's my fault. The day before yesterday, you suddenly received a prayer in the dead of night, and I left in such a hurry that I didn't help you recover your magic power, nor did I have time to tell you that if you were bitten by that monster, it would devour your memory."
Xie Lian said, “Then this isn’t your fault at all. It’s my own carelessness.”
Sanlang said, "Your Highness will never be bad."
Xie Lian forced a smile, then said dejectedly, "Then, Sanlang, how could I...let Xianle destroy the country?"
He clearly cherished his people so much, and once had the ambition to make the music of heaven continue for another thousand years.
Sanlang hugged him tighter and said firmly, "It's not your fault."
Xie Lian murmured, "How could I be such a failure? How could I become like this?"
Who doesn't initially dream of accomplishing something earth-shattering, groundbreaking, and legendary, leaving a legacy for eternity? Even though perhaps only one in a million people could truly achieve their wish, Xie Lian never doubted that he was that one in a million.
Perhaps that was why Saburo hadn't let him realize it was already eight hundred years later.
Sanlang said: "You did not fail."
Xie Lian shook his head and said, "But I don't have any believers anymore."
Sanlang said, "You have it."
Xie Lian felt sad when he thought about it. He said, "I'm the Tattered Immortal, a rag collector. No one considers me a believer, and no one considers me a god. Who would respect a rag collector?"
This is totally different from his dream.
But Sanlang said, "Didn't I tell you that you have a believer?"
Xie Lian raised his head, and Sanlang smiled at him, "Your Highness, I told you that you would see Huacheng soon. Now, you have."
“…”
Xie Lian raised his head, staring at his face, and asked with a hint of bewilderment, "Sanlang, when... did you first meet me?"
Hua Chengdao: "From a long time ago, before you ascended."
Xie Lian blinked slowly.
Hua Cheng continued, "Your Highness, perhaps you now feel that you will be a failure eight hundred years from now. Perhaps you will be disappointed and unable to accept it, but please believe me, it is not like that."
His bright left eye stared at Xie Lian, the light in it as gentle as his voice.
He said, "You saved me. I have been watching you.
"There are countless people in this world who are more 'successful' than you, but none of them can save me like you did, nor can any of them do what you did—
“You don’t know how much courage you gave me to become who I am today.
"In my heart, you will always be the only god."
Xie Lian said, "And you will always be my most loyal believer."
As soon as he finished speaking, he realized that he had just said this subconsciously, as if he had heard such a precious promise somewhere before. Hua Cheng smiled, took his hand, kissed the back of it, and said, "Yes."
“…”
After a long moment, Xie Lian seemed to have made up his mind. He pulled out the monster's tumbler from his sleeve and asked, "Is this the monster that swallowed my memory?"
Hua Cheng took the monster and said, "It is indeed you, Your Highness, who destroyed his new nest."
Xie Lian nodded and said, "If we want to restore our memories, we have to start with this, right?"
The tumbler opened its mouth in Hua Cheng's palm, and a few firefly-like points of light flew out of it, dancing around Xie Lian. Hua Cheng said, "Catch them, and you can regain His Highness's memories of the past eight hundred years."
Xie Lian listened and reached out to them. However, just as he was about to touch them, he stopped.
Restoring the memories of the past eight hundred years is like traveling through time again for eight hundred years, and experiencing everything again: the pain of having one's heart pierced by hundreds of swords, the shame of total defeat, and the anger of feeling powerless.
Although he knew it was only a moment, his fingertips still trembled slightly.
Hua Cheng stood behind him, making him feel as if he was leaning against a solid wall. He heard Hua Cheng's voice from behind: "Don't be afraid, Your Highness."
Xie Lian tilted his head slightly, and Hua Cheng put his arm around his waist, saying, "Trust me. No matter how long it takes, I will always be waiting for you. You will meet me again."
Yes. It will happen again.
So, Xie Lian reached out his hand towards those points of light.
Starlight mingled with his fingertips, and he felt a bright light before his eyes, as if something scorching hot was approaching. Before the bright light arrived, Xie Lian said, "I'm so glad to have met you."
After saying this, the tiny specks of light merged into his body and vanished. Xie Lian slowly fell forward, and was caught by Hua Cheng.
After a while, Xie Lian slowly woke up. As soon as he opened his eyes, Hua Cheng whispered, "Brother?"
Xie Lian slowly broke into a faint smile, stretched out his hand, caressed Hua Cheng's face, and said, "...I meet you again."
Hua Cheng also smiled and said, "I told you, believe me."
Xie Lian sighed, “Does this mean we’ve been waiting for each other for another eight hundred years?”
Hua Chengdao: "Didn't I tell you that no matter how long it takes, I will always wait for you. But..."
He pulled Xie Lian to his feet. They stood face to face. Hua Cheng squeezed his hand tightly and said with a smile, "I don't want to be apart from you for even a moment now."
The past cannot be changed.
Eight hundred years ago, seventeen-year-old Xie Lian, a child of destiny, had no idea what awaited him in the future. Fate had presented him with two doors: a fleeting glimpse of the Divine Martial Dao, and a bridge of thought where he encountered demons and immortals. He opened both.
After that, he would be left alone in the turmoil of an irreversible situation, struggling through long, agonizing years. Pain, anger, disappointment, hatred, despair, madness. A heartbroken despair.
Then it revived.
But, that’s all in the past.
·
"Brother, welcome back."
"Um……"
"See, I told you you'd meet me again, didn't I?"
Xie Lian glanced at Hua Cheng and said, "Really?"
Hua Cheng smiled and said, "Of course, when have I ever lied to Your Highness? Brother, I..."
“…”
“…”
Xie Lian reached into Hua Cheng's arms, pulled out a piece of paper, and read: "Thank you, Brother Sanlang, for your care. I have no way to repay you. I would like to do my best to help you with your worries and difficulties. I will be away for a while. Brother Sanlang, don't worry. I will be back soon."
Hua Cheng raised an eyebrow, his hands clasped behind his back, and remained silent. Xie Lian finished his recitation, then imitated him and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Brother Sanlang, good brother. You are truly kind."
Hua Cheng laughed heartily and said, "Brother, don't you already know whether I'm good or not?"
Xie Lian blushed slightly and mumbled, "...I'm not sure what you're talking about. Anyway, you've been going too far these past few days. Reflect on this."
Hua Cheng said seriously, "Brother, you can't do this. I've been treating you with courtesy these past two days, and it's been very hard for me."
Xie Lian said, "How could you treat me with any respect? You clearly... clearly..." You clearly had a blast teasing him. Thinking of how he'd become the innocent, naive, spoiled seventeen-year-old he'd been tossed around by Hua Cheng these past two days, Xie Lian remembered the entire process so vividly that he couldn't even look at himself. He groaned and covered his forehead. Hua Cheng said seriously, "Really? Even if my brother calls me a despicable, shameless, and vulgar bastard, Sanlang has no regrets."
“…”
"If my brother is unhappy, he can scold me again. It's okay, Sanlang."
Xie Lian couldn't bear to listen any longer.
He covered his forehead and quietly slipped away. Hua Cheng turned his head and saw that he had disappeared. He said, "Brother? Don't run. Okay, it's my fault, brother!"
Don’t call me brother anymore!
250|The Ghost King's Bedtime Story
Huacheng is sick.
Although it was just a minor illness, it was amazing that the King of Ghosts could also get sick.
So, when Xie Lian returned to Qiandeng Temple and went to check Hua Cheng's calligraphy practice as usual, he was very worried when he saw Hua Cheng's slightly red face.
After pushing Hua Cheng onto the altar—yes, they spent all day rolling around on this spacious altar, since there wasn't a statue there anyway—Xie Lian reached out and felt his cheek and forehead, his concern growing. "It's so hot."
Hua Cheng smiled and said, "It's natural that it gets hot when you see me. It gets even hotter when I touch you."
Xie Lian was stunned at first, then quickly tried to pretend that his face was red from anger, saying, "Even though you're sick, you're still so dishonest."
Hua Cheng said innocently, "Did I say anything? I'm very honest. Brother, don't worry, it's just a small matter, nothing serious."
Xie Lian could tell his voice was deeper and hoarser than usual, and there was a hint of fatigue between his brows. He said, “Then you should rest and recuperate. I’ll be here with you for the next few days until you’re better.”
After saying this, he took the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone for calligraphy practice to the altar. Hua Cheng patted his side and said, "Brother, won't you come up to the stage and accompany me?"
Once you're on stage, how can you get off? Forget about resting for the next few days. Xie Lian said politely, "No, I'm afraid of tiring Sanlang."
Hua Cheng smiled and said, "No, if it were my brother, why would Sanlang be afraid of hard work?"
Xie Lian stopped arguing and focused on his calligraphy. Hua Cheng rolled over, resting his chin on one hand, staring at his face.
No matter how many times Xie Lian was met with this kind of gaze, his face would always turn red. He said uncomfortably, “…Sanlang, look at the calligraphy, not me.”
Hua Cheng sighed, "Brother, to be honest, I get a headache whenever I see this thing, but since it's written by you, I can't bear to look at it. Maybe this disease of mine is caused by looking at too many calligraphy works."
Xie Lian said, “There’s no such disease.”
Hua Cheng said with a chuckle, "Why not look at my brother? He's much better looking than the copybook. Maybe if he looks at me a few more times, I'll be fine."
Xie Lian felt helpless yet amused. He put down his pen, shook his head, and said, "Why are you talking nonsense more and more now... You're so unruly. Okay, I get it. I'll listen to you and stop reading posts. So what can I do?"
Hua Cheng said: "Actually, you don't have to do anything. Just stay with me like this, and I'll be fine in no time."
Xie Lian touched his forehead once more. Though he had a handsome face, he was now acting so coquettishly, which reminded him of a child tucked into a warm blanket in winter, their rosy cheeks peeking out. He felt a pity for them. After a moment's thought, he said, "Well, it just so happens that I received something today."
He rummaged through his sleeves and pulled something out. "This is an old book I collected today that no one wanted. I was just about to read it. Let me read you a story."
In his hand was a very old booklet, tattered and with yellowed pages, carrying a strange scent of books and ink, which must have been read countless times.
Hua Cheng said, "I won't listen."
Xie Lian asked curiously, “Why?”
Hua Cheng said lazily, "Anyway, they're all just stories about other priests. I know exactly what's going on with their trivial affairs. What's so good about them? Why would I bother reading them to me?"
That's right. After all, Huacheng is a man who knows the dark histories of many powerful people in the Three Realms. Huacheng said, "Brother, if you really want to read, why not read something else? For example, your own story."
Xie Lian smiled and said, "Is there anyone who knows more about my affairs than you, or who has seen more?"
Hua Cheng said, "Tell me more. I want to hear it. No matter how much I hear, it won't be enough."
Xie Lian knew he was serious, and carefully smoothed the hair by his cheek. Then, casually glancing at it again, he suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Sanlang, it seems like there's something about you and me written here."
"Really?"
Xie Lian flipped through the book again and said, "Really? It has a lot of descriptions of red-robed ghost kings and tattered immortals. That's you and me, right?"
Hua Cheng also became interested and asked, "Oh? What's it about?"
Xie Lian was also curious about how ordinary people would spin the story of him and Hua Cheng, so he opened the collection of stories and read to Hua Cheng: "Long, long ago, there lived a great ghost king who loved to wear red clothes. Although the ghost king was extremely powerful and owned mountains of gold and silver, he was not happy. He was very lonely and missed his wife terribly..."
“…”
Xie Lian burst out laughing, feeling a bit lost for words as he said, “The Lonely Ghost King is staying in an empty nest… Hahahaha… Hahahaha…”
Hua Cheng raised an eyebrow and said, "You're right. I was very lonely when my brother was away."
Xie Lian’s face flushed as he continued reading.
Long ago, there lived a great ghost king who loved to wear red clothes. Although he was extremely powerful and possessed mountains of gold and silver, with endless money to spend, he was not happy. He was very lonely and missed his wife terribly.
But he waited for hundreds of years but still didn't see his beloved, so he went to ask an old immortal who was very good at fortune-telling, "Where is my wife?"
The old immortal told him: "You and the person you are waiting for will meet again on a mountain. Your wife will come to marry you in her wedding dress and in a sedan chair."
The Great Ghost King was determined to find his wife, so he went to the mountain and waited patiently.
And far, far away, there is a tattered immortal.
The Rags Immortal collects rags, so he is the poorest among the priests, even poorer than many mortals.
Although he was very poor, he was very kind. One day, the immortal was returning from collecting scraps when he saw a girl crying on the roadside. He asked, "Girl, what makes you so sad?"
The girl cried and said, "I am getting married, but on the day of the wedding we have to cross a mountain. There lives a ghost groom on the mountain who specializes in snatching brides passing by. Only a few have been rescued, but I will be snatched away and killed!"
The Tattered Immortal felt very sympathetic and was determined to rid the people of the evil, so he decided to marry the girl in her place and kill the monster.
The Tattered Immortal had two good friends, one of whom was irritable and the other stingy. They were known as the Angry Immortal and the Stingy Immortal. While beating each other up, they told him, "That ghost bridegroom is a great ghost king. He has a bad temper and is very cunning. He hates the gods the most. Don't take any risks, or you'll definitely get eaten!"
But the immortal insisted on going, so they made a sedan chair for him. On the day of his wedding, the immortal wore a beautiful wedding dress borrowed from the Wind Master, pretended to be a bride, and got into the sedan chair. The two friends who had been fighting each other all the way were carried up the mountain.
In the dark night, a strong wind blew. When the sedan chair was carried to the mountain, no one was left. The immortal waited and waited, and finally the groom came to pick him up.
When the immortal lifted the veil, he was surprised to find that the Great Ghost King was actually an extremely handsome young man.
What surprised him even more was that the young groom was very polite, looked well-educated, gentle and considerate. He neither shed his human skin to reveal his true face with green face and fangs, nor did he force him to do anything bad. He was nothing like the terrifying ghost king in the legend.
The mountain was huge. The Ghost King brought the immortal to his cave and said to him, "From this moment on, I am your husband, and you are my beloved wife. This entire mountain is mine and yours. You are free to explore it. But remember, there are two caves in the back mountain. Don't go there."
The immortal asked, "Why?"
The Ghost King Bridegroom replied, "That is my secret. You don't need to know it. However, even if you wanted to go, you couldn't, because there are barriers in front of the two caves. You need something from me to pass through the barriers."
The immortal continued to ask: "What is it?"
The ghost king replied, "One cave contains filthy garbage, which can only be opened with something I can touch, and there are many of them. Another cave contains a powerful magic weapon, which can only be opened with something I can't touch, but is very hot."
Of course the immortal did not listen to him. Although he pretended to be very obedient in front of the big ghost king, he climbed the eaves and walls and quietly went to the back mountain.
Sure enough, he heard horrible howling and cries for help coming from the cave where the dirty waste was hidden. The immortal suspected that the missing brides were imprisoned here, so he decided to steal something from the Big Ghost King and open the cave.
But what to steal?
The Great Ghost King had long, shiny black hair, sometimes left it loose, sometimes tied up askew. The immortal first wanted to steal a few strands of his hair every day, so he asked, "Excuse me, can we live in the same room?"
The ghost groom said politely, "Of course. We are husband and wife."
So they moved into the same room. Although they slept in the same bed, the immortal did not allow the groom to take off his clothes, and the great ghost king also politely did not touch him.
However, the immortal soon discovered that his groom's hair did not fall out at all. Every morning when he combed his hair, or every night when he went to bed, there was not a single hair on the pillow, bed, floor, or comb!
This was a real headache for the immortal. He grabbed a pair of scissors and tried to secretly snip a lock of the ghost king's hair while he slept. But the ghost king was wary and opened his eyes as soon as he approached. The immortal, caught red-handed, remained calm. To dissuade the ghost king from suspicion, he immediately cut off a lock of his own hair and gave it to him.
The Great Ghost King was very happy after receiving it.
Soon, the clever immortal thought of another way. He said to the ghost groom, "Excuse me, can I kiss you?"
The ghost groom said happily, "Of course. We are husband and wife."
So the immortal took the initiative to hug the ghost bridegroom and kissed him hard for a long time. Finally, he tasted a little bit of the ghost bridegroom's flavor, then quickly closed his mouth and ran to the cave in the back mountain.
But when he got there, he realized that this still didn't work. He asked for a lot, but he got too little. He couldn't get in completely. He could only stick his head into the cave, but his body couldn't get in no matter what.
The Tattered Immortal was a little frustrated. He had thought it would be easy to steal something from the Ghost King, but he hadn't expected it to be so difficult.
He thought of his good friend, the Wind Master, and so he went to visit the Feng Shui Temple and asked, "How else can I get the same thing I can touch, and in large quantities, from the Great Ghost King?"
The Wind Master said, "Hey! That's too easy. Just put on a female form and spend the wedding night with him!"
The Tattered Immortal quickly shook his head. The immortal method he practiced had a rule that if one lost their virginity, their magical powers would be greatly reduced. How could this method work?
At this time, the navy commander came back and heard this. He shouted angrily, "How can you say such immoral things?"
When the Water Master got angry, he would hit people with money and kill them. The Tattered Immortal quickly ran away. As he ran, he thought of his other two good friends, the Angry Immortal and the Stingy Immortal, and went to ask them what to do.
The Angry Immortal and the Stingy Immortal were fighting each other again, and while they were fighting, they told him a terrible news: because too many people were captured, the priests were about to attack the mountain and capture the ghost bridegroom!
The immortal was startled and worried. After spending many days with him, he felt that the young ghost king would not do such a bad thing. Perhaps there was a misunderstanding, or perhaps the people imprisoned in the back mountain were not the brides, but something else.
However, because the rag-and-bone immortal was very poor and had no status, no one listened to him. The immortal was very anxious. If he didn't find out the truth, the Great Ghost King might be besieged by the priests!
There was no other choice but for the immortal to run back and ask the ghost bridegroom: "Excuse me, can you spend your wedding night with me?"
The ghost groom smiled and said, "Oh, of course. We are husband and wife."
Then, the immortal and the great ghost king had their wedding night.
On the way, the immortal was afraid that the Great Ghost King would not leave him many important things, so he hugged him tightly and shouted, "Can you give me all of them? Can you give me more?"
The ghost groom said very gently and considerately: "If you want."
The immortal replied: "I want..."
Thus, the resourceful immortal finally got what he had been looking for. After one night, his entire body was filled with the aura of the Ghost King.
The next day, the immortal brought the things he had asked from the ghost bridegroom to the cave where the dirty waste was hidden, and this time, he finally got in.
After walking for a while in the cave, the immortal discovered that there were many disheveled people in wedding dresses. They were actually the missing brides!
Although his hopes were dashed, the immortal had no time to feel sad. He was about to rescue the brides, but suddenly he found someone standing in front of him - the Great Ghost King had been standing there without him noticing when!
The immortal was shocked. He remembered what the Angry and Stingy Immortals had told him: the Great Ghost King was very cunning and hated immortals. Now that he had no magical power, could it be that the Great Ghost King had seen through his identity all along and had been deceiving him the whole time?
Furious and heartbroken, the immortal ran away, faster and faster. But when he reached the cave, he was stopped again. He ran too fast, and the gift the Ghost King had given him fell, preventing him from passing through the barrier.
The Ghost King caught up with him, hugged the immortal, and finally explained the whole story.
It turns out that the Ghost King didn't snatch the brides away; he was just waiting for his destined one. One day, a wedding procession accidentally bumped into him while he was walking in the mountains. He didn't mean to cause trouble, but the groom in the procession abandoned his bride and ran away, leaving the bride sitting there crying, thinking she was going to be eaten.
The ghost king released the bride, who said she didn't want to marry that kind of man. Instead of returning, she left on her own. This happened several more times, and the ghost king simply waited there, testing the newlyweds. If the groom dared to protect his bride from the demons and monsters, he would let them go without any difficulty.
If a groom pushed his bride into the monster's mouth to buy himself time to escape, he would be captured and imprisoned in the cave, where he would receive a minor punishment. Those in wedding attire were men, but their unkempt hair and dirty faces had caused the immortal to misjudge them. Some of their brides returned home, while others fled far away with their lovers, and were not eaten.
The Ghost King said, "I have waited for you for hundreds of years, brother, and finally I have you."
The immortal finally cleared up his misunderstanding, but then, a rumbling sound erupted from the sky. It turned out the priests, long fearful of the Great Ghost King, had seized this opportunity to finally attack him. The Tattered Immortal charged forward with a furious assault, repelling a wave of priests. However, the priests' blast crumbled the entire mountain, crushing the Great Ghost King beneath.
The mountain was too high, and the immortal was afraid of crushing the Great Ghost King, so he desperately used his shoulders to support it. At this moment, he suddenly remembered that there was a cave that had not been opened. This cave contained a powerful magic weapon that would definitely be able to overturn the mountain, so he rushed into the cave. As expected, it was a powerful magic weapon, and the Great Ghost King broke through the mountain!
Together, the two of them drove away the priests who came to cause trouble, and sat side by side on the top of the mountain to watch the clouds and stars left behind by the priests as they fled.
The immortal asked, "Didn't you say that the mountain where the magic treasure is hidden can only be opened with something that you can't touch but is very hot?"
The Ghost King smiled and said, "Yes. Didn't my brother get that thing a long time ago?"
The immortal knew that that thing was the heart of the Ghost King.
So, the Tattered Immortal and the Great Ghost King went to the bridal chamber happily together again, and they never separated again.
“…”
“…”
After the story was finished, Xie Lian was still confused. He said, "What's all this about? Isn't this story too much? No, no, no, this..."
What the hell is this? Is this even a story?
Hua Cheng had already collapsed on the couch laughing. Xie Lian was completely baffled. "This is completely wrong! What's the basis for this story? The incident with Junshan? That wasn't like that... It's completely twisted! Besides, is this really okay for children to read? It's not appropriate. Who wrote this??? And what about these characters who look so familiar yet subtly off-putting..."
A closer look revealed that while the stories in this booklet seemed innocent at first glance, like bedtime reading for children, they were actually quite intense, more than just the sheer intensity of the story itself. But by the end, Xie Lian felt strangely moved, and he began to wonder if something was wrong with him.
Hua Chengdao: "Hmm? It's not completely distorted. At least a few points are correct. For example, I did call my brother 'brother'. For another example, it was indeed me who went to pick up my brother's sedan chair at Yujun Mountain. For another example, on the wedding night, my brother did..."
Hua Cheng was not surprised. He said, "It must be that someone who knows the inside story let something slip, and then someone else fabricated it, made up some stories, and speculated on it again and again."
Although he knew that many fabricated folk tales were utterly different from their originals, and that after countless manipulations, they could be transformed into anything, seeing it with his own eyes was still incredibly shocking. Several times, he felt so embarrassed that he couldn't continue reading, but Hua Cheng forced him to continue, leaving him helpless. Xie Lian thought he had developed a thick skin over the years, but in front of Hua Cheng, he often blushed and said, "Besides this, nothing is right..."
Hua Cheng clapped his hands and said, "Well written, very talented. I feel a hundred times more energetic after listening to my brother read this story."
Xie Lian threw the story collection aside and said, “Stop reading this kind of messy, idle stuff. Get some rest.”
Hua Cheng asked, "Brother, please read another one."
"No."
"Brother, I have a headache."
"this……"
"elder brother."
"……All right."
Hua Cheng was also a rare case of a minor illness. Xie Lian was usually obedient to him and always acceded to his requests, so how could he resist at this moment? No matter how embarrassed he was, he had no choice but to suppress it. He picked up the yellowed booklet again and lay down beside Hua Cheng. He held his waist and he read it with all his heart.
"A long time ago, there was a handsome young prince who was cultivating in the mountains. One night, he met a mysterious guest..."
251|Oops! Pantheon
Smiling, he pushed Hua Cheng, who was pressing down on him so hard he could barely breathe, off him. With the heat still surging, Xie Lian suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh, Sanlang, the Cave of the Gods..."
Hua Cheng's arm rested on his chest again, playing with something unclear as he lazily asked, "Hmm? What happened to the Pantheon?"
Xie Lian said, “Nothing. I just suddenly remembered that if the copper furnace erupted, would all the statues in the Cave of the Gods be in danger?”
If that were the case, it would be a shame. After all, every statue inside was a labor of love, and he loved them all. Hua Cheng said, "No. I've already set up boundaries. Even if the entire copper furnace collapses, the cave will be safe."
Xie Lian was excited. “Really? That’s great! Everything must be alright then. I’d like to go check it out, is that okay?”
Hua Cheng seemed to freeze for a moment, but then he smiled and said, "Okay. If you want to see it, go ahead. What's wrong with that?"
Xie Lian's interest grew even higher. "Then let's go tomorrow. The Copper Furnace is open now, so we can go in anytime."
Hua Cheng raised an eyebrow and said, "Tomorrow? Okay."
He didn't object and didn't say much, but the next moment, he turned over again.
He didn't know if it was an illusion, but Hua Cheng tormented him more and more fiercely in the second half of the night. After only two rounds, Xie Lian was forced to call for his brother for help, and then he fell into a drowsy sleep.
He should have been able to sleep peacefully until dawn, but less than an hour later, Xie Lian felt a lightness beside him while he was sleeping. He opened his eyes and looked around, but the person was gone.
Xie Lian was startled, his sleepiness gone, and he sat up suddenly.
After cleaning up casually, he slowly got off the couch, pushed the door open and went out, thinking, "Where is Sanlang?"
This was the first time he had suddenly disappeared in the middle of the night. He walked around the Paradise Square but didn't see anyone. He remembered that there was a room inside the Paradise Square that was used for teleportation, so he went to take a look and found that the door of the room had been opened.
He remembered that the last time the gate's formation was painted differently. And at this moment, the cinnabar on the new gate hadn't even dried yet. Without a second thought, Xie Lian pushed the door open and walked in. When he emerged, the outside was no longer Paradise Place, but pitch black.
Xie Lian closed the door and raised a palm flame, illuminating the surroundings. He was stunned by the scene before him.
The place where this Thousand Miles Shrinking Formation leads to is actually a huge and eerie cave.
Pantheon Cave!
Why did Hua Cheng come to the Pantheon Cave alone in the middle of the night? Didn't they agree to come together tomorrow? Why did he come tonight?
Shaking his head, Xie Lian slowly walked around in the cool cave, holding the little flame.
The sound of footsteps echoed in the air, and the veils covering the faces of the statues were removed. In the darkness on all sides, there was
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