The silver butterfly flew off to the side and disappeared. Gu Zi opened his eyes wide and replied, "I...I need to pee!"
Qi Rong scoffed, "Children just poop and pee!" He ignored her. Gu Zi moved aside and whispered, "Brother Rag, Brother Rag!"
Xie Lian said from the rooftop, “…Just call me Taoist Priest. That’s a bit strange, Brother Raglan, hahaha… Guzi. Those people your father captured are pathetic, and they’re subordinates of other families. Those other masters would chase your father and beat him up. Can you help release them?”
Guzi nodded and said, "I know! It's from the immortal family riding the big black bull!" He scratched his hair and said, "I want to release it too... but my father is sick, and he says he must eat human flesh to get better. Eating human flesh is a very normal thing. I'm still young and don't understand it. You can teach me when I grow up. But I don't think it's a good idea..."
...This is more than just not good!
Xie Lian thought, "What a close call!" He'd been with Qi Rong for too long, and Gu Zi had already begun to develop a tendency to go astray. If he continued to be led astray, he might even become accustomed to it and accept the idea that eating human flesh was nothing special. He hurriedly said, "This is very bad! Eating human flesh can cause serious illness, and the ghosts of those eaten will haunt you and your father. Your father isn't sick, he's just greedy and won't stop. You must find a way to stop him from eating human flesh, or you'll become a fatherless child!"
Gu Zi said: "Then, what should we do?"
Hua Cheng said to Xie Lian, "Brother, I'll do it."
He spoke a few words to Yindie, while Guzi listened and tried to remember them. When he was done, Huacheng looked up again and said to Xie Lian, "We need to lure Xuanji away first."
Inside the house, Xuan Ji said to Qi Rong, "I still find this man suspicious. He says he's a subordinate of the Rain Master, but he's full of ghostly aura. I think he's probably not telling the truth. I'll ask him again."
Seeing Gu Zi slip away, Qi Rong took the opportunity to turn his back and continue chewing his hand, mumbling, "Whatever you want."
Don't think Xuan Ji went crazy when she met Pei Ming. Otherwise, she was more cautious and suspicious than Qi Rong. After all, she was a woman. Furthermore, Gu Zi was a little afraid of her. With her around, it would be even easier to expose the truth. Xie Lian nodded and asked, "How do we divert them?"
The two looked at each other and said in unison again: "General Pei."
Xie Lian clasped his hands together and said, "There's no other way. Please sacrifice yourself for now, General Pei. Everyone will thank you when they're saved."
Hua Cheng laughed and said, "Thank you, brother."
As he spoke, another undead butterfly emerged from the pattern on his silver wristband and flew to Xie Lian's ears. A man's voice rang out, none other than Pei Ming. It turned out that Hua Cheng had left behind a few silver butterflies before leaving, carrying the voice back. Xie Lian listened intently for a moment, then whispered, "Okay, okay. Let's capture some of it. Let's just pick out these few lines..."
Xuan Ji turned her back to the window, staring intently at Yin Yu and questioning him. Yin Yu spoke honestly, "In Yushi Township, I'm responsible for helping hungry ghosts with nowhere else to go. When they wander to my door, I give them a handful of rice and send them on their way. That's why I have a ghost aura on me..."
The remaining captives were the true farmers of Yushi Township. While there were indeed such benefactors in Yushi Township, they were certainly not Yinyu. Knowing this man was talking nonsense, no one said a word. Qi Rong shouted, "Haha! I'm a hungry ghost too, why don't you help me? You're chasing me after I've only eaten a few people, you stingy little ghost, why are you pretending to be so generous?" Xuan Ji disagreed, saying, "There are so many hungry ghosts in the world, how can you help them all? You're just pretending."
At that moment, a silver butterfly, its light concealed, silently flew behind her and vanished in a flash. All the captives witnessed this, but remained composed and tacitly pretended not to notice. Xuan Ji was about to ask another question when she faintly heard a man's voice: "...In that case, first... do you have any more...? Come..."
The original sentence in this paragraph is "In that case, let's roast this rat first. Do you have any snakes? Give me a few."
When Xie Lian heard Pei Ming say this, he was shocked and sympathetic. A cadaver rat must have crawled over there and was killed by Pei Ming, mistaken for an ordinary rat, to be used as a snack for Pei Su. Is it okay to eat this rat? It seems that he must go back and stop it quickly. However, after Hua Cheng blurred a few words, the effect was very confusing. It seemed to have some meaning, but it also seemed that the meaning was incomprehensible. Xuan Ji shuddered and turned around suddenly. However, the silver butterfly was very cunning and agile. It didn't shine in the first place. When she turned around, it had already fluttered away and hidden to the side.
Xuan Ji was shocked and confused. She turned around and asked the captives, "Did you hear anything just now? Did you see anything?"
Yinyu was the first to shake his head, and the other captives followed suit, all looking completely obedient. Qi Rong turned around with blood in his mouth and asked, "What did you hear?"
Xuan Ji was slightly confused and said, "I seemed to...hear Pei Ming's voice."
Qi Rong said, "Ah? Are you hallucinating? I didn't hear anything." The silver butterfly was close to Xuan Ji, so no one else could hear the voice it transmitted. Xuan Ji asked suspiciously, "Really? I have a feeling... he might be nearby." She was stunned for a moment, sighed, and said, "Perhaps this is what they call telepathy... My lord, how about I go out and take a look?"
I didn't expect it to go so smoothly. Xie Lian secretly clenched his fists and smiled at Hua Cheng. Hua Cheng smiled back. But Qi Rong poured cold water on him, saying, "Hey! Didn't you just go out? What telepathy? I think it's just hallucination. You think about him eight hundred times a day, no matter what, so of course it's easy to hallucinate."
Xuan Ji seemed somewhat convinced by him, and half-heartedly gave up her plan to leave. Despite his failure, Xie Lian remained undeterred, having intercepted a few sentences and retained them. Just as Xuan Ji was about to question Yin Yu again, she heard Pei Ming's voice again: "...You little fool! Come here, I'll teach you."
Then, a young girl's voice came out: "...Forget it, General Pei, I've done it once, I have experience, I'll do it..."
Of course, it was Pei Ming instructing Banyue on how to roast a cadaver rat for Xiao Pei to eat. However, when Xuan Ji heard it, it was completely different. The original disgust and speechlessness turned into tenderness and helplessness, and the depression and rejection turned into shyness and timidity. Xuan Ji screamed, her eyes instantly bloodshot, and the ghost fire above her head surged, burning like the jealous fire in her heart. She tore at her hair and said, "It's him!!! Yes, it must be him, he's right here, I can sense it, my heart can sense it!!! Pei Ming! You're like this again, what kind of woman are you this time? I'm going to kill you!!!"
She screamed and "dang dang dang dang" while dragging her two broken legs. Qi Rong cursed, "Hey! Xuan Ji? Damn it! Running so fast with a broken leg! Is it worth it just for a stallion?"
Xie Lian watched Xuan Ji's stumbling, crooked figure vanish, feeling a faint pity. Hua Cheng, perhaps assuming he was worried about the safety of the people back at the temple, said, "Don't worry. The undead butterflies will lead her in the opposite direction. Even if she goes there, with Ruo Xie protecting her, she won't be able to get inside. Let's make a quick decision here."
Xuan Ji left, and it was Gu Zi's turn. He stood up and wiped his muddy hands on his buttocks. Xie Lian was still a little worried and asked, "Is everything really okay?"
Hua Cheng said calmly, "Brother, trust me. If this trick doesn't work, then there's a backup plan. At worst, we can make sure Qi Rong can't speak again forever, and then slowly find a way to extinguish his ghost fire."
“…”
When Guzi entered the house, Qi Rong had already swallowed all the blood off his hands. Seeing him, he said, "Son, come here and give your father a leg massage!"
So Guzi went up to him and massaged his legs. After doing so for a while, he said, "Dad, why are these people in the corner not tied up yet so afraid to move?"
This question intensified Qi Rong's enthusiasm: "Hehe, of course I'm afraid of you! I'm so scared that my legs are weak and I can't even walk!"
“…”
Gu Zi's eyes and mouth opened wide, and he said, "So amazing?!"
Qi Rong's vanity was greatly satisfied. He said, "That's right! Listen carefully. Today I'll let you know how powerful I am! See that fire? As long as I give the order, they will all be burned to death. Of course they are afraid of me! Also, there are two little devils. Remember them." Gu Zi nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. Qi Rong said, "One of them is called Huacheng and the other is nicknamed Heishui. They are two incompetent people. They are just a bunch of bad guys who got lucky and succeeded. In fact, they don't live up to their reputation at all. Do you know what "not living up to their reputation" means? Let me teach you, it's an idiom. It means that they look powerful on the surface, but in terms of strength, they are no match for me!"
“…………”
Gu Zi seemed to understand, and said, "Oh..."
Qi Rong continued, "Aren't they just lucky? If I had their luck, I'd be ten times more prosperous than them! Just wait! This time, I'm going to make it through this and slap them in the face! No one can look down on me anymore. I'm the only one who can look down on others!"
He was full of energy and enthusiasm, raising his arms and shouting loudly. Although Gu Zi had no idea who he was talking about or what he meant, he still said respectfully, "Dad, you can do it!"
“………………”
Xie Lian was on the roof, covering his face with his hands.
Qi Rong's eloquent remarks were truly speechless. Thinking that Qi Rong was his cousin after all, he felt truly ashamed and said to Hua Cheng, "Sanlang, this...he...I..."
Hua Cheng gave a fake smile and said, "Brother, don't worry about it. He has so many golden words, this is just the tip of the iceberg."
Honestly, since ancient times, there has been no man who doesn't love to brag. If a gust of wind blew the handkerchief of a girl from Piaoxiangyuan into his hand, he'd turn around and claim to be stalked by a stunningly beautiful courtesan. Carrying shoes and polishing stools for the concubine of the emperor's concubine's uncle's grandson's cousin's concubine would inevitably lead to him becoming an important official in the imperial family, a position of immense importance. Therefore, men who don't like to brag are truly rare and precious.
A man who loves to brag, first, likes to brag to women, and second, likes to brag to his sons. I still remember that when Xie Lian was a child, his father often told him about his various great achievements in government affairs in various obscure or not-so-obscure ways. Because of this, he was convinced from a young age that his father was an extremely wise monarch who would be remembered forever. Later, when he found out that he was not, he felt that "you are just like me". The huge gap led to his rebellious heart when he grew up. Thinking of this, Xie Lian shook his head and couldn't help laughing: "Why would I compare Qi Rong with my father?"
It was truly baffling. Perhaps it was because they all loved to brag about themselves in front of their sons. However, whether it was his father or others, the boasting was at least within normal limits. Qi Rong's boasting had reached a point of being shameless and self-righteous. No wonder even the usually low-key He Xuan despised him, finding an excuse to beat him up whenever they met. Xie Lian found it a bit strange. Why did he only curse others and never himself? Had he changed his personality?
However, Xie Lian seemed to understand a little more about why Qi Rong hadn't eaten the millet yet. If he boasted to a normal person, or someone with a bit of age and experience, they might not buy it. Even if they even superficially agreed, it might still come across as insincere or overly flattering, as evidenced by the reactions of Qi Rong's underlings in the past. But Gu Zi's praise was different; every word came from the heart. He truly believed that his "father" was the best in the world!
Qi Rong hadn't played the flute so thoroughly in a long time. Finally satisfied, he threatened, "You have to be obedient, okay? If you don't, I'll put a will-o'-the-wisp on you too!"
Gu Zi was indeed frightened. He quickly covered his head and said, "No, I don't want to wear it... Oh, Dad." He remembered what Hua Cheng and Xie Lian had taught him and said tremblingly, "Once you put this green fire on, you won't be able to take it off, right?"
What if he asked, "Once it's on, can you still get it off?" Qi Rong might not have told the truth, but what he was asking was, "You can't get it off, right?" This question was questionable, and of course, it was taught by Hua Cheng and Xie Lian. Qi Rong kicked the hollow head of a petrified man away on the spot and said, "Bullshit! I can lock it if I want, and I can unlock it if I want! Watch! I'm going to unlock one for you to see!"
After saying that, he pointed at a farmer and shouted, "Damn Xie Lian!"
Xie Lian: “…”
Huacheng: “…”
The will-o'-the-wisp above the farmer's head went out, and he leaped up. However, after a few steps, Qi Rong pouted and spat out another ball of green will-o'-the-wisp from his mouth, covering the farmer's head. Qi Rong laughed heartily, patted Gu Zi on the head, and said, "Well, I'm awesome, aren't I?"
Xie Lian wiped his sweat on the rooftop. Hua Cheng, seemingly indifferent but with a chilling tone, said, "This loser wants to be ruined even more thoroughly."
His knuckles seemed to crackle, and Xie Lian said, “Not bad, not bad. It came out easier than I thought!”
They'd even taught Guzi a bunch of catchphrases to respond, but it looked like they were no longer necessary. No wonder Qi Rong hadn't scolded Xie Lian just now; it wasn't a change of character, but rather a way of unlocking his password with the very phrase he used most often. His emotions were truly profound. At this point, the two of them no longer needed to hide; they immediately broke through the roof and leaped down!
A loud bang frightened Qi Rong, and he fell off his chair. "Who is it?! Who is it?!" He looked closely and said, "Dog, dog..." He was about to curse, but then he remembered that this was an important command and quickly covered his mouth. The farmers in the corner said, "He seems to have shouted the command just now. Why don't we try to unlock each other?"
"Yeah, just curse. Even though it feels like I'm being unfair to this guy called Xie Lian, he's not here, so it shouldn't be a big deal!"
Hua Cheng raised an eyebrow slightly and looked over. Yin Yu's forehead dripped with sweat. "Well... regardless of whether he's here or not, I suggest you all refrain from shouting this. Otherwise, the consequences will surely be even more serious than they are now..."
Over there, Qi Rong grabbed the grain and used it to shield himself, then changed his tone, "Xie Lian, you dog! You're shameless! Eavesdropping! Despicable!"
Xie Lian said gloomily, “What the hell is this dog-possession thing?”
Qi Rong became complacent again: "But, hey, even if you knew the password, it would be useless! Are you really going to curse yourself? Huacheng, you can't curse yourself either, right?"
Upon hearing this, Hua Cheng's face darkened, and his knuckles cracked twice more. Xie Lian, oblivious, didn't notice, and said, "Yes. What's the big deal?" Without hesitation, he repeated the command five or six times. Each person repeated it once. The captives knew he was the one being cursed, and they couldn't help but give him a thumbs-up in their hearts: "He's brave enough to humiliate himself. What a man!"
However, the ghost fire locks above their heads remained unlocked. Xie Lian's expression changed slightly, and he laughed wildly, "Hahahahaha! You've been fooled! I'm telling you, it's useless if I don't unlock it myself! Your scolding was in vain! Hahahahaha..."
A silver butterfly flew past Gu Zi's eyes, and he fluttered twice, his eyelids fighting each other, and soon he fell asleep. Qi Rong was still laughing wildly, when suddenly a sleeve whipped him around, spinning him eighteen times and embedding him in the wall. He blurted out, "Damn Xie Lian!"
After he finished cursing, the ghostly fire above Yin Yu's head vanished, and Yin Yu leaped up and dodged a distance. Qi Rong realized he had let something slip and immediately covered his mouth. Xie Lian said with a pleasant expression, "Come on, come on, it's okay. Don't suppress yourself. Unleash your true nature and continue cursing."
While he spoke so amiably, he rolled up his sleeves and grabbed Qi Rong. It was hard to tell what he was going to do. Qi Rong shouted at the top of his lungs, "Hit me! I'll never curse like that again, even if you kill me!"
But then he heard Hua Cheng's voice say in a stern voice, "That's exactly what I want."
Qi Rong looked back and saw Hua Cheng giving him a fake smile that disappeared in a flash.
The next moment, his head was slammed three inches into the ground.
“…”
Hua Cheng pulled his head out of the ground. Qi Rong roared, "How dare you do this to me! I'm going to burn everyone to ashes! We'll all die together! You dog Hua Cheng! Burn!"
It seemed that the phrase "Dog Flower City" was paired with another command to burn and kill. However, after he shouted it, he didn't hear anyone scream. Puzzled, he opened his eyes and saw the group of farmers standing across from him, watching him. Qi Rong was stunned: "What's going on? Why aren't you dead yet? Die quickly, die! Who unlocked you?!"
Xie Lian said, "Yourself." He pointed to a silver butterfly nearby. The butterfly roared in unison, "You're cursing for nothing! Hahahaha..."
It turned out that the Undead Butterfly had completely recorded and copied Qi Rong's voice, including his command. Just one curse could unlock unlimited powers. Hua Cheng said coldly, "Go on your own. I won't keep you company."
Another critical hit, Qi Rong was slapped into the center of the earth by him.
After the smoke slowly dissipated, the farmers gathered around, looked at it for a while, and said, "This... can this be salvaged?"
Yinyu jumped into the deep pit that Huacheng had created. After a while, he jumped out, holding a green tumbler in his hand, and said, "City Lord, Your Highness, the Green Ghost Qi Rong has been recovered."
The green tumbler bared its teeth, rolled its eyes, and stuck out its long tongue, as if mocking someone or risking its life to attract attention. In short, it was in extremely poor taste, and even a child would throw it aside in disgust. It's unclear whether it was his inherent characteristics that dictated his behavior, or if Huacheng deliberately made him like this. Huacheng said, "Don't give us this kind of thing. Just keep it at a distance."
Yinyu said, "Yes."
To be honest, Xie Lian didn't really want to hold this thing, so he picked up the grain from the ground. A few undead butterflies flew in from the other side and landed on the back of Hua Cheng's hand. He looked down and said, "We have to get back to the temple quickly."
Xie Lian turned his head sharply and asked, "Something happened at the temple?"
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