Xie Lian knew it from the fleeting moment of air. This question might not have been the right one.
Although the two of them had been enjoying each other quite pleasantly these days, since he hadn't revealed his true face, and hadn't shed this facade even after revealing his true identity, there must have been a reason for this, one that couldn't be shared with outsiders. Without waiting for his response, Xie Lian smiled and said, "I was just saying it casually. Don't take it too seriously."
Hua Cheng closed his eyes for a moment, then smiled and said, "I'll show it to you someday when I have the chance."
If someone else had said that, it would naturally be a casual remark, a "sometimes there's a chance" equivalent to "forget about it, forget it." However, since Hua Cheng had said it, Xie Lian felt that if he said "sometimes there's a chance," it would definitely happen. Instead, his interest piqued, and he smiled, "Alright. Then show me when you think you're ready. Now, rest."
After tossing and turning until late at night, he had long since forgotten about cooking and lay down on the mat again. Huacheng followed suit. No one pondered why, after their respective identities had been revealed, a priest and a ghost could still lie on the same tattered mat, bantering and chatting idly.
There were no pillows on the straw mat, so Huacheng rested his head on his arm. Xie Lian followed suit and casually said, "You guys in the ghost world seem really relaxed. Don't you even have to report?"
Hua Cheng not only rested his head on his arm but also propped up his legs. He said, "Why report in? We are all independent and no one can control anyone else."
It turns out the ghost world is just a chaotic, disorganized bunch of wandering ghosts. Xie Lian wasn't surprised. He said, "I see. I thought you were all united like the Heavenly Court. So, have you ever met any other ghost kings?"
Hua Chengdao: "I have seen it."
Xie Lian asked, “Has Qi Rong also seen the Green Ghost?”
Hua Chengdao: "Are you talking about that low-quality piece of trash?"
Xie Lian thought, “How am I supposed to answer this?” Fortunately, he didn’t need to. Hua Cheng said, “I said hello, and he ran away.”
Xie Lian had a hunch that this "greeting" wasn't a normal one. Sure enough, Hua Cheng said leisurely, "And then, incidentally, I got the title 'Blood Rain Searching for Flowers'."
“…”
It turns out that when he mentioned destroying another ghost's lair, he was referring to the Green Ghost Qi Rong. And this "greeting" meant a bloodbath. Xie Lian thought this greeting was truly extraordinary. Touching his chin, he asked, "Does the Green Ghost Qi Rong have any grudge against you?"
Hua Cheng said, "Yes. He's an eyesore."
Xie Lian was at a loss for words, wondering if you had challenged the thirty-three priests because you found them annoying. Ultimately, he didn't ask, simply saying, "A priest in Heaven said he was of low rank and that even the ghost world despised him. Could that be true?"
Hua Cheng said, "Really? Hei Shui also dislikes him."
Xie Lian asked, “Who is Heishui?” Then he realized what was happening and said, “Is it the one with ‘Heishui Chenzhou’?”
Hua Chengdao: "That's right. It's also called Black Water Mysterious Ghost."
Xie Lian remembered that this Black Water Mysterious Ghost was also a "master," while the Green Ghost Qirong was only "nearly master." He asked with interest, "Are you familiar with this Mysterious Ghost?"
Hua Cheng said lazily, "I'm not familiar with them. I don't know many people in the ghost world."
Xie Lian was a bit surprised. He said, "Is that so? I thought you had a lot of subordinates. So maybe we have a different definition of 'familiar'."
Hua Cheng raised an eyebrow and said, "That's right. In the ghost world, if you are not 'Jue', you have no right to talk to me."
It was an extremely arrogant statement, yet he spoke it with such confidence, as if it were natural. Xie Lian smiled faintly and said, "Even if we're not familiar, you already know everything. Your ghost world is pretty good, with only a few big ones. Unlike the Celestial Realm, where I can barely remember all the priests in the Upper Heaven, and the Middle Heaven, where those waiting to ascend, is a vast ocean." But if he couldn't remember people's names every time, he'd inevitably offend them. After chatting for a while, Xie Lian stopped discussing the differences between the two realms, fearing the topic might stray into sensitive territory. He glanced at the closed wooden door and said, "I wonder when Ban Yue will be back?"
Thinking of the resounding words "I want to save the people," a chaotic stream of images surged through his mind, but he forced them back down. Then, he heard Hua Cheng say, "That's a good line."
Xie Lian asked, “What?”
Hua Cheng said leisurely, "'I want to save the people.'"
“…”
Xie Lian felt as if he had been struck hard.
He rolled over, curled up like a shrimp, and wanted to cover his face with one hand and his ears with another, groaning, "...Sanlang."
Hua Cheng seemed to move closer, standing behind him, and said seriously, "Hmm? Is there anything wrong with that?"
He kept asking, and Xie Lian couldn't get over it, so he turned back and said helplessly, "Silly."
Hua Cheng said, "What are you afraid of? I sincerely admire those who dare to speak for the people, whether they want to save them or to kill them all. The former is much more difficult than the latter, so of course I admire them even more."
Xie Lian shook his head in a mixture of laughter and tears, saying, "You have to be brave enough to say it, and you have to be able to do it."
He covered his eyes, lay down, and said, "Oh, okay, it's nothing, what Banyue said is not bad. When I was younger, I said even stupider things."
Hua Cheng smiled and said, "Oh? What kind of words are they? Tell me."
After a moment of daze, Xie Lian smiled faintly as he recalled the past, "Many, many years ago, there was a man who told me he couldn't live anymore. He asked me what he was living for and what the meaning of life was."
He glanced at Huacheng and said, "Do you know how I answered?"
Maybe it was an illusion, but there seemed to be a glimmer in Hua Cheng's eyes. He whispered, "What's your answer?"
Xie Lian said, "I told him, 'If you don't know how to live, then live for me!'
"'If you don't know the meaning of your life, then consider me as the meaning of your life, as the pillar that supports you to live.'"
"Ha ha……"
As Xie Lian pondered and spoke, he suddenly couldn't help laughing. He shook his head and said, "I still don't understand what I was thinking at the time. Why did I have the courage to say something like, 'Becoming someone else's purpose in life?'"
Hua Cheng remained silent. Xie Lian continued, "It was only then that I could say such words. Back then, I truly believed I was omnipotent and fearless. Now, if you ask me to say such words, I can no longer utter them."
He said slowly, "I don't know what became of that person. To be the meaning of someone's existence is already a very heavy thing, let alone saving the world."
There was a long silence in the Puqi Temple. After a while, Hua Cheng said calmly, "It doesn't matter what happens when it comes to saving the people. However, although it's brave, it's also foolish."
Xie Lian agreed, “Yes.”
However, Hua Cheng added: "Although stupid, he is very brave."
Hearing this, Xie Lian smiled and said, "Thank you so much."
Hua Cheng said, "You're welcome."
The two of them stared at the small, broken roof of the Puqi Temple for a while. Hua Cheng said, "But we've only known each other for a few days. Is it okay for you to tell me so much?"
Xie Lian sighed, waved his hand, and said, "What's the problem? It's all right. Even if you've known each other for decades, it only takes a moment to become strangers. Just say whatever you want to say. We met by chance, gathered and parted. If we're compatible, we'll gather, if not, we'll part. Let's just be casual."
Hua Cheng seemed to chuckle softly, and after a moment, he suddenly said, "What if."
Xie Lian turned around and asked, “What if?”
Hua Cheng wasn't looking at him, but at the tattered roof of the Puqi Monastery. Xie Lian could only see the left half of the young man's handsome face.
He said calmly, "I don't look good."
Xie Lian asked, “Huh?”
Hua Cheng then turned his head slightly and said, "If my original appearance is not good-looking, would you still want to see it?"
Xie Lian was stunned for a moment, then said, “Really? Even though there’s no reason, I still feel like your original appearance couldn’t have been too bad.”
Hua Cheng said half-seriously, "That's not certain. What if I were to become green-faced, with fangs, my features disorganized, as ugly as a Rakshasa, as evil as a Yaksha? What would you do?"
Xie Lian had initially found this amusing: So, even the Demon King, the overlord of the ghost realm, feared by all the gods and immortals, would be concerned about whether his true appearance was good-looking? But after thinking about it more deeply, he no longer found it amusing.
He vaguely remembered that among the myriad origin stories in Huacheng, there were rumors of someone being "deformed from childhood." If that were true, he must have been discriminated against for this reason throughout his life, perhaps even from a young age. Perhaps it was for this reason that he was particularly sensitive to his true appearance.
So, Xie Lian considered his words for a moment before saying, “Well…”
He spoke sincerely in the gentlest tone, "Actually, I want to see your true appearance simply because, we can be considered friends now, right? Look, we're already like this... Well, since we're friends, of course we should be honest with each other. So, I said I want to see your true face. What does this have to do with whether you look good or not? Of course, it's not... Why are you laughing? I'm speaking the truth."
As Xie Lian finished his last few words, he felt the young man beside him tremble slightly. He was stunned for a moment, thinking, "Is what I said really that good? It moved him so much?" But he was too embarrassed to turn around to see what was going on. A moment later, a very low laugh escaped him. Xie Lian felt very depressed. "Sanlang... why are you laughing like that?"
Hua Cheng stopped trembling instantly, turned around, and said, "No, what you said makes sense."
Xie Lian only felt more depressed after hearing him say this. He said, “You’re so insincere…”
Hua Cheng said, "I swear, you won't find anyone more sincere than me in heaven or on earth."
Xie Lian didn't want to talk anymore. He swung Ruo Xie aside, letting the white silk flutter over them both. He then turned around, his back to Hua Cheng, and said, "Forget it, go to sleep. Sleep well and don't talk."
Hua Cheng chuckled again and said, "Next time."
Although he had already decided to go to sleep, when Hua Cheng opened his mouth, Xie Lian couldn't help but interrupt: "What do you mean by next time?"
Hua Cheng whispered, "Next time we meet, I will come back to see you in my original form."
There was a lot to ponder about this sentence, and Xie Lian should have asked more questions. However, after a night of sleep, he couldn't hold it back any longer, so he fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Xie Lian woke up and stood up, only to find that the room beside him was empty.
Perhaps it was the strong wind and sand, but Xie Lian felt a slight headache. He stumbled to his feet and wandered around the Puqi Monastery in a daze. He opened the door, but saw no one outside. As expected, the young man had already left.
However, the fallen leaves had already been swept into a pile, and a small clay pot stood beside them. Xie Lian went out and brought the pot in, placing it on the altar. Meanwhile, a bit of yellow sand had fallen onto the table, the sand he had brought back from the Gobi Desert. Xie Lian closed the door, took off his clothes, and prepared to change. As he was busy undoing his belt, he suddenly noticed something on his chest. He touched it and discovered that beneath the cursed shackles, there was a very thin chain.
The chain was loose, so Xie Lian quickly removed it from his neck. It was a silver chain, so thin and light that he didn't even notice it. And beneath it, a crystal-clear ring dangled.
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