Xie Lian never expected that someone would actually hand him a wine glass.
Blame him for reacting too quickly, accepting the drink without a second thought, and then being stunned. However, looking at the person who handed the drink, the other person was also stunned—it was Ming Yi.
It turned out that the wine glass had just been passed to Shi Qingxuan, who, for fun, had deliberately passed it to Mingyi. Mingyi, absorbed in her food and drink, passed it without even glancing. Only after the glass was passed did she realize what had happened and was speechless. At the same time, the thunder ceased abruptly, leaving the two of them staring at each other in bewilderment.
Although it was Xie Lian who accepted the wine cup, everyone's eyes were fixed on Feng Xin and Mu Qing. It was understandable why. Xie Lian had been largely unknown for over eight hundred years. Eight hundred years ago, there were certainly many books about him, but they had long been lost. Furthermore, no one would even bother setting up a stage specifically for him on this particular day. So, if one absolutely had to find a play featuring the character "Prince Xianle," it would have to be one with Feng Xin or Mu Qing as the protagonists.
Because, when folk operas were weaving stories about these two priests, Xie Lian would occasionally be mentioned, usually as a supporting character, a minor role, or even, to make the drama more exciting, outright villain, with gags like bullying Mu Qing, a lonely and helpless woman, or stealing Feng Xin's love. If such a scene were actually performed at a Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, regardless of whether the protagonists enjoyed it or not, the rest of the spectators would surely be delighted. Xie Lian held the small jade cup, and a priest was already urging him to open it: "Your Highness, come on, come on, drink!"
A few more people urged him to drink, and Feng Xin said from a distance: "Your Highness the Crown Prince cannot drink."
Everyone said, "It's just one cup! It's no big deal."
Jun Wu had been resting his hand on his forehead, remaining silent. He then rose slightly, as if about to speak. Shi Qingxuan asked, "Can you do this? If not, forget it. I'll help you with the curtains for 100,000 merits."
"..." Xie Lian was afraid that he would really squander the 100,000 merits in an impulsive moment. Even if he was generous, he wouldn't be so generous. Besides, he had seen all kinds of plays, so he didn't care about anything. He hurriedly said, "No, no, one glass should be fine." After saying that, he drank the wine in one gulp.
The wine flowed down his throat, first cool, then warm. Xie Lian felt a little dizzy, but after a moment's rest, he overcame the nausea. The curtains on all four sides of the small building slowly rose, and everyone shifted their gaze, ready to focus on the show.
The first sight was astonishing. There were two people standing on the stage. One was dressed in white, his face powdered, covered in dust, and he carried a bamboo hat. It was undoubtedly Xie Lian. The other was dressed in red, with jet-black hair, handsome and lively, with a sharp gaze. A long snake coiled in his hand, and when "Xie Lian" snatched it away, the red-dressed man immediately snatched the snake away, then held "Xie Lian's" hand tightly and wouldn't let go. His expression was as if he had been stabbed in the heart.
This scene stunned the priests who had been waiting for the show, and of course, Xie Lian himself was also confused. At this time, Jun Wu, who was at the head of the banquet, laughed and said, "What kind of book is this? Why does it look like I've never seen it before?"
Lingwen immediately sent someone to check and said, "This play seems to be called 'A Strange Journey to the Half Moon Kingdom'. It's a new adaptation, so I haven't seen it before. Tonight is the first time it's being performed on earth."
Shi Qingxuan said to Xie Lian, "This must have been written by someone from the group of merchants from Ban Yue Kingdom who returned home. It saves merit, so there's no need to draw the curtain."
Xie Lian remained noncommittal. The only people in the world who knew about the affairs of the Half Moon Kingdom were the merchants. He remembered that a young man named Tiansheng in the caravan had indeed expressed gratitude and offered him sacrifices. Could it be that Tiansheng had paid someone to write this play? However, he hadn't told Tiansheng his name, and it wasn't certain that a mere boy like him would be capable of such a feat.
Elsewhere, although the priests didn't see the drama they imagined, the drama before them was certainly more exciting. After all, if the rumors were true, then the man in red was playing Hua Cheng!
There are many plays about the Blood Rain and the Flower Hunting in the human world. However, they are usually the kind of dramas that make people in the heavens cry silently after watching the "Red-clothed Ghost Fire burns the thirty-three temples and the heavens dare not fart" and "The Blood Rain and the Flower Hunting defeat the Civil and Martial Gods with one hand." I wonder what this script will be like? Anyway, the protagonist is Xie Lian. Everyone always has a sense of incompatibility with this person and does not classify him as one of the "insiders" of the heavens, so it doesn't hurt to watch it. Moreover, the stage of this play is exquisite, the production is excellent, and the actors in the play look very good. It is simply a conscientious masterpiece. Therefore, it is inevitable that people in the heavens are very excited and comment on it while watching:
"Really? You must be making this up. Huacheng would never talk to someone like that!"
"Nonsense, absolute nonsense!"
"What kind of portrayal has this play made of Hua Cheng? Wake up! This isn't some romantic drama, how dare you make it up like this!"
After all, it was a play written specifically for him, and Xie Lian watched it carefully. Honestly, it was quite good. The acting was good, the character was great. However, as the actor, he had one small complaint: the two protagonists seemed a little too close.
The actor who played him was quite skilled, but every time he called out "San Lang," even though his tone wasn't particularly dramatic or lingering, Xie Lian felt even more uneasy than when "Feng Shi Niang" had just called "Shui Shi Da" "Lang Jun" or "Husband." Furthermore, there seemed to be too many small gestures—handshakes, arms around shoulders, hugs—which always felt a little off.
But, thinking about it carefully, he did call Huacheng that, and it seemed he had indeed done those actions. It seemed fine at the time, and it should seem fine now. Looking at the other priests, even though they were cursing nonsense, they were still watching with rapt interest, their eyes fixed on the scene, so engrossed that he had no choice but to shut up. Suddenly, Shi Wudu asked, "What are those two servants at the back doing?"
When they heard the word "servant", Feng Xin and Mu Qing froze for a moment without noticing.
Ling Wen said, "Those aren't two servants. They're probably two junior military officers from the Zhongtian Court. Back then, they were recruited from Nanyang Palace and Xuanzhen Palace to help His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
The fact that someone from Nanyang Hall or Xuanzhen Hall would actually come to Xie Lian's aid was truly bizarre. It sounded as incredible as Pei Ming righteously and politely rejecting a stunning beauty's advances. All the priests looked over. Lingwen added, "They went of their own accord."
Xie Lian smiled and said, “I forgot to ask, are Nanfeng and Fuyao okay? Why didn’t I see them hanging out today?”
Feng Xin said: "The south wind... is..."
Mu Qing said calmly, "Fuyao is in solitary confinement."
Feng Xin immediately said, "Nan Feng is also in confinement."
Xie Lian uttered an “Oh” and said, “Both are closed? What a shame.”
As they spoke, the show came to a brilliant end. While it was unanimously dismissed as the wishful thinking of ignorant believers, the sheer enjoyment of Huacheng's fantasy had earned it a standing ovation. However, Pei Su had been exiled precisely because of Banyue Pass, and after everyone had their fill, they couldn't help but devote some attention to Pei Ming. Shi Wudu asked, "General Pei, how is your little Pei doing now?"
Pei Ming poured himself a drink and shook his head, "What else can I do? He's not paying attention to the things he should be paying attention to. I can't control him."
Shi Qingxuan couldn't stand it any longer and chuckled, "So, in General Pei's eyes, what should we care about? Your future is just your future, but that's not the future of the girl, right?"
His tone was bad, and Shi Wudu glanced over and said, "Qingxuan, you are not allowed to be rude!"
As soon as he rebuked him, Shi Qingxuan lowered his head in embarrassment. Seeing this, Pei Ming laughed heartily and said, "Brother Shui, your brother is quite capable, and only you can manage him. It's okay if he provokes me now, but if he provokes someone he shouldn't in the future, he won't be as respectful as I am."
Shi Wudu fanned himself and continued to lecture his brother, saying, "Did you hear what General Pei said? Also, how many times have I told you not to walk around like this? It's unbecoming. I don't care how you look, but you must show your true form when you go out!"
Although Shi Qingxuan was deeply devoted to the female form and deeply dissatisfied, he still didn't dare to contradict his brother. Xie Lian thought, "Master Feng said he wasn't afraid of his brother, but that might not be entirely true." Unexpectedly, Shi Wudu finally said, "What if we encounter someone as powerful as General Pei with ulterior motives?"
Lingwen laughed out loud, and Pei Ming nearly spit out his drink again. "Senior Brother Shui! If you keep doing this, we won't be able to talk anymore."
After a round of eating, we finally welcomed the final Dou Lantern Festival with toasts and conversation.
In the Immortal Capital, all candles and bright lights were extinguished, leaving only the moonlight in a gloomy darkness. Feasting by the lake, the mist and clouds above the surface were parted, and through the clear, flowing water, one could see the dark, abyssal world below.
The Lantern Competition refers to the number of ever-burning prayer lanterns enshrined in a priest's largest and most prestigious temple on the Mid-Autumn Festival. A single ever-burning prayer lantern is priceless, and it endures for eternity. The order of the lantern competition is from fewest to most. When it is a priest's turn, the lanterns offered by his followers float from below to the heavens, illuminating the long, dark night with unparalleled splendor.
This year, the Shenwu Hall boasted 961 eternally burning lanterns, nearly a thousand in number, an unprecedented number. The priests all felt that the number would surely surpass 1,000 next year, but that wasn't the point. If first place always held first place, then first place would lose its meaning. Therefore, everyone had automatically eliminated the Shenwu Hall from the lantern competition.
Ironically, when the Lantern Festival began, the first person to appear was the Rain Master. When Xie Lian saw a small, bright lantern slowly and crookedly ascend to the sky, and heard, "Rain Master Hall, one lantern!", he almost suspected he was still drunk. There was no way there would be only one lantern. To confirm he wasn't drunk, he asked Shi Qingxuan, "Did you report it correctly?"
Shi Qingxuan said, "No. It's really just one. Just this one, and it was provided by Master Yushi's cow to support the event."
Offering to oneself—this act was truly kind. Xie Lian thought about it. The Rain Master was in charge of rain, and therefore also the god of agriculture. He speculated, "Could it be that because most of the Rain Master's followers are farmers, there's not enough to offer him?"
Shi Qingxuan said, "Your Highness, do you have any misunderstandings about farmers? Many farmers are very wealthy, okay? In fact, it is because Master Yu said that having money to offer lamps is not as good as farming, so believers always offer fresh fruits and vegetables."
After hearing this, Xie Lian was filled with envy, thinking, "There's such a wonderful thing."
However, Shi Qingxuan added, "Later, Master Yu said not to waste anything, so generally the offerings would be left for two days before the believers took them home and ate them themselves."
“…”
There were a few scattered figures up front, all minor priests, with lanterns ranging from a few to dozens, and no one showed much interest. However, as time went on, the light grew brighter with each raising of the lanterns, and everyone became more focused. If it weren't for the dedicated priests announcing the number, the number of lanterns could be seen at a glance. The dense array of lanterns flying up was impossible to count. Xie Lian didn't understand anything, so he made no comment, concentrating on admiring the beauty of the bright lanterns illuminating the dark night and listening to others' analysis of the current lantern battle situation. Although he felt that there was nothing to analyze about this matter. About two incense sticks later, the finale finally arrived. The Mid-Autumn Festival Lantern Festival, the final battle of the top ten began.
At the end of the tenth class, Xie Lian heard the announcing priest loudly say, "Qiying Hall, four hundred and twenty-one lamps!"
Quan Yizhen had already left the scene, and the other priests couldn't help but sigh in delight upon hearing this number. This Western Martial God was still young, yet he possessed immense momentum. For a priest of his age, two hundred Eternal Lamps would have been considered a large number, but he had more than double that. Lang Qianqiu, who had ascended slightly longer than him, had slightly fewer Eternal Lamps, which was truly remarkable. But Xie Lian felt that this young man wasn't particularly popular in the Upper Heavens, because aside from himself and Shi Qingxuan, few were genuinely impressed by his impressive feat.
Next up, Earth Master Hall, four hundred and forty-four lamps. Mingyi, aside from taking two more sips of soup, didn't express any other emotion. Shi Qingxuan, however, was even more excited, repeatedly saying, "Lower, lower." Since no one was familiar with the Earth Master, they clapped their hands in a routine manner, treating it as a congratulation. Then it was Shi Qingxuan's own turn, Wind Master Hall, five hundred and twenty-three lamps.
It's easy to tell whether someone is popular or not. After announcing the number of Eternal Lanterns in the Wind Master's Hall, Shi Qingxuan hadn't even spoken when the applause at the banquet suddenly grew louder, with cries of "Congratulations!" and "Well-deserved!" Shi Qingxuan was incredibly proud, standing up and bowing to everyone, then shouting to Shi Wudu, "Brother, I'm number eight this year!"
He looked like he was asking his parents for a reward after being praised by the Master. Xie Lian couldn't help laughing at him, but Shi Wudu scolded him, "It's only eighth. What's there to be happy about?"
His words were actually quite arrogant. In the entire Upper Heaven, who was an ordinary person? Five hundred eternal lamps, ranking eighth, were described as "just so" by him. Then, wouldn't the priests ranked after eighth be even worse than "just so"? He knew that this statement was inappropriate, but he said it anyway, because he was not afraid. Shi Qingxuan's face fell. Shi Wudu shook his fan and said reluctantly, "However, there are more lamps than last year, so we must have even more next year."
Hearing this, Shi Qingxuan burst into laughter again. Mingyi was the only one at the banquet, seemingly indifferent, buried in his food, refusing to applaud him. So Shi Qingxuan clapped his hands twice, demanding congratulations. Mingyi ignored him completely, continuing to eat voraciously. Shi Qingxuan flew into a rage, demanding he applaud. Xie Lian, listening to him, nearly choked with laughter, but that was out of the question.
Next one, Lingwen Hall, five hundred and thirty-six lamps.
Among the literary gods, Lingwen was considered the winner. However, not many of them showed their support; instead, it was mainly the martial gods who showed their respect. Xie Lian congratulated him from afar. On one side, he heard Shi Wudu and Pei Ming asking him to host a banquet. On the other side, he heard a priest muttering that Lingwen had many followers simply because he had assumed a male form, that Lingwen, seeing the current Martial God's dominance, was currying favor with him and ignoring the literary gods, that Lingwen was the most enthusiastic priest in the Upper Heaven Court about entertaining guests, and that Lingwen was said to sometimes even treat prostitutes. Shaking his head, he had a single thought: Being a female priest is not easy.
Next came the Nanyang Hall and the Xuanzhen Hall, with 572 and 573 lanterns respectively. Mu Qing's brows relaxed, while Feng Xin showed no joy or anger, as if they didn't care. Xie Lian was puzzled, how could the numbers be so close? How could this be a coincidence? He whispered to Master Qingxuan and found out that because these two people had similar origins, territories, and strengths, and their relationship was not good, the believers on both sides were determined to win, and vowed to offer one more lantern for every number offered in the other's temple. They didn't seek to be first, but only to be better than the other. They tried their best and risked everything, and every year they would win and lose. This year, at the last minute, the Xuanzhen Hall finally squeezed out one more lantern, surpassing the Nanyang Hall. Now it seemed as if they had won a battle and were celebrating. After hearing this, Xie Lian couldn't help but think to himself, "They are fighting over one more lantern for the other side, and they won't go home for the holidays? Today is Mid-Autumn Festival."
Next one, Minguang Hall, five hundred and eighty lamps.
This number was quite impressive. However, Pei Ming showed no sign of joy, because compared to last year, the number of eternal lanterns in Mingguang Hall had actually decreased this year. The incident with the Deputy God Pei Su was a blow, and nearly a hundred lanterns were missing this year. If it weren't for Pei Ming's strong foundation and stability, the number would have been even lower. Neither Shi Wudu nor Lingwen congratulated him, but simply patted him on the shoulder.
At this point, Xie Lian realized that the number of these priests' eternally burning lanterns was very close together, ranging from dozens to dozens, as if there was no significant difference between them. In other words, they were all equally matched, with no one truly and definitely superior. Just as he was thinking this, he heard the announcing priest say, "Water Master Hall, seven hundred and eighteen lanterns!"
There was a commotion at the banquet, with exclamations everywhere.
The priests reacted and began to rush to offer their congratulations. Shi Wudu remained seated, not rising. His expression wasn't particularly arrogant, but rather matter-of-fact. This was probably the closest the second-highest priest had come to holding the number of Eternal Lanterns in the Shenwu Hall in centuries. Xie Lian's first ascension was so long ago that a prayer lantern back then was far more difficult to obtain than one today, so the same cannot be generalized. However, as the saying goes, "People die for wealth, birds die for food." People's love for wealth will never diminish, making him worthy of being called the God of Wealth!
Shi Qingxuan was even more excited than if he had lit seven hundred lights. He clapped his hands vigorously and repeatedly said to Xie Lian, "My brother! My brother!"
Xie Lian smiled and said, “I see, it’s your brother!”
Throughout the entire banquet, Mingyi remained the only one diligently eating, seemingly out of place. In fact, Xie Lian felt that he was the only one who took the banquet seriously, coming just to eat, as if he'd been undercover in the Ghost Market for years, barely getting enough to eat, and tonight he was ready to eat his fill. Thinking of the snacks sold at the Ghost Market's street vendors, Xie Lian could understand why. He couldn't help but wonder if Huacheng usually strolled the streets.
The most exciting mystery had been revealed. Tonight, the priests had watched enough of the show and talked enough, and were satisfied. They were all preparing to leave. Unexpectedly, Shi Wudu suddenly frowned, put away his fan, and said, "Wait."
Others might say, "Wait a minute," perhaps because they didn't have such a strong deterrent effect. But Shi Wudu, true to his nickname, "Shui Hengtian," seemed born to give orders. Once he opened his mouth, people could not help but obey. Everyone sat back down and asked, "Ten groups have been dispatched. What else does Master Shuishi want?"
Xie Lian thought, “Could it be that I am also going to disperse my merits?”
Shi Wudu waved his fan and asked, "Has the tenth group come out?"
Everyone was confused as to what he meant by this question, but Shi Qingxuan exclaimed in surprise, "...No. No, no, no. The top ten haven't appeared yet! - Including the Divine Martial Hall, the ones just reported are only nine!"
The priests were shocked and asked, "Only nine came out?"
"Really, I counted them, there are really only nine!"
"There's actually another person in front of Master Watermaster???"
"What? Who else could it be? I don't remember."
At this moment, a light as bright as daylight suddenly burst out from the darkness.
That light is the lamp.
Like millions of fish swimming across the rivers and seas, countless bright lights slowly rise up.
They shimmered and sparkled in the darkness, like floating souls and magnificent dreams, magnificent and illuminating the pitch-black world. This wonder was beyond words, leaving only frozen breaths and broken words.
Xie Lian stared blankly at the sky filled with bright lights, feeling as if he were suffocating and unable to hear anything. He was dazed for a long time. After this moment, he realized that something was wrong.
At the banquet, all the priests' eyes turned to him. The announcing priest pointed at him with a trembling hand.
Xie Lian was confused and asked, “…What’s wrong?”
No one answered, so Xie Lian pointed at himself and asked, “…Me?”
Shi Qingxuan, who was standing by, patted his shoulder and said, "...Yes. You."
“…”
Xie Lian was still confused. “What about me? What’s wrong with me?”
The announcing priest swallowed hard and finally spoke again.
Then, all the hundred priests present heard an unbelievable and trembling voice.
"Qiandeng Temple, Prince's Palace, three... three...
"Three thousand lamps!"
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