“Gege, you played me.” Hua Cheng accused.
Xie Lian picked up the brush and plank and said, “Don’t turn this on me, San Lang played me first. Let me guess… you’ve been around ever since I broke the stove, right?”
Hua Cheng complimented, “Ah, that’s indeed the case. Gege, how did you know? You’re so amazing!”
Hua Cheng in Yin Yu disguise hold Hua Ying up kisiing his face biting the chubby cheek.
Xie Lian waved his hand, “What, amazing? San Lang, if you want to disguise yourself as someone else, don’t be so lazy. It’d really be amazing if I couldn’t tell. And here I thought A-Ying start to fond of… ahem, but, “Who’s the handsomest? Who’s the strongest? Who’s the richest? Who do you admire the most?” Hahahaha…”
“…Gege, please forget that ever happened.” Hua Cheng said softly. Not only Xie Lian who laugh his all out but little Hua Ying also look entertained by the scene before.
Xie Lian refused resolutely, “No. I will remember this forever.”
Hua Cheng said woefully, “Gege, although I’m happy you’re so happy, but, is it really that funny? My my even my little baby love to see his A-Die being humiliated by his A-Niang humm? ”
"Waaaa! "
Xie Lian hugged his belly, “Of course! Only after having met you did I rediscover that it’s
such a simple thing to be happy, hahaha…”
Hearing this, Hua Cheng blinked, and Xie Lian’s laughter quieted a bit, realizing what he just said was a little too revealing. Now that he’d calmed down, even he thought it was a little sappy. Clearing his throat softly, Xie Lian rubbed at the corner of his eyes and forced himself to school his own expression, “Alright, enough playing around. Where’s the real Yin Yu? No wonder Qi Ying didn't hang around you to much. Why are you disguised as him? Bring him back now.”
Hua Cheng replied languidly, “He need to run some errand.”
He nodded and was about to speak again when the wooden door creaked open. Ling Wen walked
out from within Puqi Shrine with her hands at her sides, “Your Highness.”
Hua Cheng had no intention of revealing his identity so Xie Lian didn’t mention it either,
pretending he was still Yin Yu in front of others. Seeing Ling Wen’s solemn expression, Xie Lian unconsciously became serious too, his smile completely gone, “What is it? The Brocade Im… Is something wrong with Bai Jing?”
“No. There’s nothing wrong with him.” Ling Wen said, “It’s just, there seems to be a
weird smell coming from the kitchen. Is Your Highness cooking something?”
Xie Lian quickly replied, “Oh, I am. I’m cooking.”
After some thought, Ling Wen used a courteous tone to say very discourteously, “Please clean it away, Your Highness. Whatever you’re cooking, it’s probably ruined by now.”
“…”
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA WAAAAAAAAAAAA! "Little Hua Ying can't accept what Ling Wen say to his A-Niang shout in high pic as Xie Lian take him hugging the little baby saying it's fine.
After handling Hua Ying little tantrum, Hua Cheng put his son to sleep after having his porridge mad by Hua Cheng. As he walk towards the table he sit and eat the meatball made by Xue Lian follow by Quan Yizhen.
Just then, a series of clinkling, clinkling, crisp sound of bells entered Xie Lian’s ears.
Hua Cheng frowned slightly. Xie Lian looked through the cracks of the window and saw
a middle aged cultivator with a bell in his hand, swaying as he approached the entrance
to Puqi Village.
That cultivator had donned a cultivation robe that was luxurious, a treasure chest carried on his back, and the chest was covered with yellow charms. That bell rang as he walked. Xie Lian had an eye for these things, and recognized it was a good tool. If there were any normal monsters and demons about, their heads would throb when they hear the sound of that bell, and would back away themselves. Before the cultivator got closer, a few other large, white browed and yellow robed monks joined him with staffs in their hands.
Soon, a crowd of fifty to sixty gathered as if they had all planned this meeting. Unsurprised to see one another present, they surrounded Puqi Shrine.
That band wasn’t just for show, their bodies were hung with various spiritual tools, their hands and feet steady, very obviously skilled. Heavenly officials take spiritual power from the offerings of their worshippers, and some cultivators and monks could also receive spiritual power from the heavenly officials they worship. These monks and
cultivators might even possess great spiritual powers than Xie Lian the heavenly official.
To have so many come all of a sudden, it must not be anything good. Xie Lian knitted his brows slightly, sensing the newcomers didn’t come in peace.
Hua Cheng put down his bowl and chopsticks and rose to his feet. Xie Lian heard his humph in the private communication array, “Old monks and foul cultivators dare chase me all the way here. I’m sorry to have brought troubles to your door, gege, I’ll go divert them away.”
Xie Lian grabbed him, “Don’t move.”
Ling Wen was bewildered, “What’s going on?”
Xie Lian spoke to Hua Cheng through the private communication array, “Don’t go. Tell me honestly, is the reopening of Mount TonLu really affecting you?”
“No.” Hua Cheng replied.
Xie Lian stared at the eyes behind the bandages intently, “Stop lying. You’re the Supreme Ghost King. You had no need to be afraid of mortals like them, so why wouldn’t you just beat them down and chase them away directly, and would rather divert them away? You weren’t playing a prank at all changing to this form, right?”
With the reopening of Mount Tong’lu, the stronger the ghosts and demons, the more they felt the effects. The first time the ghosts were aroused, Xie Lian had witnessed with his own eyes just how much misery Hua Cheng suffered. And as the date to the reopening of the gates approached, the tremors would only grow. Under these circumstances, if it was Xie Lian himself, he would choose to temporarily seal his own true from and transform into a small or more weak creature, store his spiritual powers, and avoid going berserk, waiting for the official opening of the gates to be over before removing the seal.
Thus, although this could avoid the torment of aggravation, but because his powers were sealed, this gave others the opportunity to ambush him. Xie Lian cussed, “Qi Rong, you…”
That night, Qi Rong had threatened that he was going to bring forth all the cultivators and monks that were aggrieved against Hua Cheng, but he hadn’t imagined it wasn’t a bluff. Hua Cheng shook his head lightly, “Gege, they’re only here for me. It’ll be fine once I’m gone. Although in my current form I can’t kill them with just a move, but I can at least still make them get lost.”
However, Xie Lian threatened, “If you leave now, don’t ever come back to see me and A-Ying again.”
“…”
“Your Highness!” Hua Cheng cried.
Hua Cheng had always been carefree but meticulously mindful. In the past, he had helped Xie Lian multiple times, and now that Xie Lian finally had the chance to help him, how could he possibly allow Hua Cheng to leave by himself?
Xie Lian said darkly, “Sit down. I’ll go meet with them.”
Quan Yizhen opened his eyes with great difficulties, and asked whilst in a haze, “Did…
someone come? Do you… need me to beat them down?”
“…”
His voice was hoarse. Xie Lian helped close his eyes, “Qi Ying, just keep lying there. Also, you can’t beat mortals like that, it’ll cost you merits.”
Xie Lian pressed himself against the wooden door to listen for any movements outside.
Some villagers who were still out and about who only just finished their work for the day and hadn’t yet gone home for dinner were surprised to see so many cultivators and monks so suddenly, and they asked, “What’s all the masters doing gathering here? Are you all here for Xie Daozhang?”
A monk filled with murderous intent clapped his hands together in prayer, “Amitabha Buddha. Dear donor, did you all know that this place has been invaded by wicked creatures?”
“What?!” The villagers were shocked, “WICKED CREATURES??? WHAT KIND OF WICKED CREATURES?”
Another monk replied mysteriously, “A one of a kind Ghost King who brings chaos to the world!”
“W-what should we do?!” The villagers exclaimed.
The cultivator dressed in luxurious robes who was the first to arrive said, “Leave it to us! Today, all of us who walk the same paths are gathered here for this very reason, the chance of a lifetime to capture that evil thing!” Then he was about to walk up when the village head pushed him back. That cultivator glared, “Who are you? What are you doing?”
The village head said, “Um, masters. I’m the village head of this village. We’re very thankful you’re all here, but, hehe, to tell the truth, you all look very expensive…”
“…”
That luxuriously dressed cultivator said, “We’ve come to defeat evil, did you think we’re here for rewards?!” Then he was about to charge ahead again, but the villagers all stopped them again. The monks and cultivators were growing irritated but they couldn’t forcefully break people up either, so they demanded impatiently, “What now?!”
The village head rubbed his hands, “If it’s free then that’s great, thank the masters for coming here to defeat evil on a benevolent heart. But… it’s just, work here in this village are all taken cared of by Xie Daozhang. It’s hard on me as the village head if the masters are here to rob Xie Daozhang’s work.”
The band of monks and cultivators looked at each other, “Xie Daozhang?”
Thus, they gathered around to discuss, “Was there any well known, capable cultivation
house with the name Xie in this trade?”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
“Either way I’ve never heard of him. Probably some nobody.”
“If we haven’t then he’s not well known. Forget it.”
After their discussion, that luxuriously dressed cultivator turned back around, “The Xie Daozhang you speak of, is he the one living in this place?”
The villagers answered, “Yea.” Then they shouted, “Xie Daozhang! Xie Daozhang! Your fellow tradesmen are here! There’s so many of them! Are you home?”
A yellow robed old monk put his hands together in prayer, “Amitabha Buddha. It doesn’t matter if that Xie Daozhang isn’t here. But that wicked creature is hiding in this house right now!”
The villagers were stunned, “HUH???!”
Just then, Xie Lian pushed the door out and came out leisurely. “I’m here. What’s going on, everyone?”
The villagers immediately exclaimed, “Daozhang, these eminent monks and cultivators all say that in your house, there’s a… a… ghost…”
Xie Lian smiled, “Eh? You all can tell?”
“What a fast admittance!”
Xie Lian threw out a pot, “That’s right, there really is a ghost!”
That luxuriously dressed cultivator caught the pot and was delighted at first, but when he opened it, his smile collapsed, “A Half Maquillage Woman?”
Then he tossed the pot back, looking very obviously displeased, “Don’t play pretend, my friend. A vulgar monster like this can’t even be considered as a ‘Fierce’! You know exactly what we’re referring to.”
Xie Lian caught the pot and felt the strength of this man’s throw wasn’t weak, definitely someone who had cultivated arduously for years, and someone considerable. A number of monks said to the luxuriously dressed cultivator, “Dao-Xiong, this cultivator looks to be bursting with the essence of evil from his body, could he maybe be…”
That luxuriously dressed cultivator said, “Whether if he is or not, I, Heaven’s Eye, can tell with but a look!”
Then, he gave a loud shout, bit his finger and drew a line on his forehead, and a seeming third eye grew on his face. Seeing his skill, Xie Lian also praised mentally, and he leaned against the door, admiring his performance. That luxuriously dressed cultivator glared, and stared at him intently for a moment, “I knew it… There’s essence of evil! SUCH A HEAVY ESSENCE OF EVIL!!! GHOST KING! YOU DID CHANGE FACE AFTER ALL!”
Xie Lian was stunned. "Can you lower your voice my baby are trying to sleep. And..."
How could he, an esteemed, titled heavenly official, have essence of evil on him? He was just thinking this man might have some skill but how did he turn around and start spewing nonsense so quickly?
Hearing him, the fifty to sixty masters in the gathering all looked like they were about to
face a great enemy, and each of them struck their fighting stance. Hua Cheng said to Xie Lian in the private communication array, “Those people are so annoying.”
“It’s fine. It’s alright. You just sit.” Xie Lian replied.
A moment later, that luxuriously dressed cultivator spoke up again but confused,
“…That’s not right?”
The monks next to him asked, “What’s not right?”
That luxuriously dressed cultivator rubbed that blood mark on his forehead, “This is weird. I’m looking at this man, but he’s sometimes covered in the essence of evil, sometimes glowing with spiritual light, and sometimes dim and listless… this is really weird.”
“Huh? How can that be? Dao-xiong, can you really do this? If you can’t, let us handle this.”
“Yea, how can he be that strange?”
That luxuriously dressed cultivator said angrily, “What? Think I can’t do this? If I can’t, you think you can? I, Heaven’s Eye, has been running in the trade for so many years, and I’ve rarely gotten anything wrong!”
Xie Lian rubbed his forehead, shook his head and asked gently, “Then, why don’t you take a look and tell me which part of me has the strongest essence of evil?”
Heaven’s Eye rubbed his forehead hard, and after looking again for a moment, he
exclaimed firmly, “YOUR LIPS!”
“Nyang... "