Update
Hello, hello! Are you ready, kids? Oohhh~
...
...Is it too late now to stop or am I in too deep?
Well, just start preparing your hearts.
PS: To all Tiktok users who edit Beefleaf and Shi siblings' angst, thank you for being such an inspiration :)
Ch.107: Gods and Ghost Hear the Tale of the Blood-Soaked Fire Social
"I'm assuming the title is pointing towards our two couples but what is the blood-soaked fire social?" Pei Ming mused, having forgotten its mention in the previous video due to the shock of seeing the bloodied festival.
Ling Wen sighed, "Have you forgotten the previous video?"
"It's the parade they saw by chance," Wu Du added without the usual bite or heat in his words.
Ling Wen and Pei Ming exchanged slightly worried glances as they helplessly watched a friend break more and more out of worry.
Meanwhile, Xie Lian simply sighed, knowing that Pei Ming wouldn't change his words no matter what and decided to accept it. Well, as long as San Lang is okay with being paired up with Xie Lian. After all, Xie Lian was no fool. He knew San Lang liked him enough to be friendly even if the ghost scorned and attacked heaven and the officials. Now, all he had to do was wait until San Lang grew bored of him and leave him behind ̶(̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶r̶y̶o̶n̶e̶ ̶e̶l̶s̶e̶)̶.
Qing Xuan simply laughed a little as she teasingly grinned at He Xuan who rolled his eyes as if he was annoyed at the thought.
Hua Cheng, as usual, simply smiled while looking unbothered by everything.
Xie Lian immediately rose to this feet. Shi Qingxuan, too, stomped a foot down on the table, rolling up his sleeves as if ready to charge right down.
"Qing Xuan, please, stop being reckless," Wu Du's eye twitched.
Really, what would his sibling do without him?
He slightly glanced at He Xuan who, as always, stayed beside the wind master before turning back to the screen.
Well, at the very least, he knows his sibling is in good hands once he passes away.
Yes, "once" and not "if".
Wu Du was not foolish enough to believe that his past would never catch up to him.
He just hopes his past would leave Qing Xuan alone.
̶H̶e̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶a̶r̶r̶o̶g̶a̶n̶t̶,̶ ̶h̶o̶p̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶s̶o̶m̶e̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶n̶e̶v̶e̶r̶ ̶g̶a̶v̶e̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶n̶o̶c̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶c̶h̶i̶l̶d̶ ̶w̶h̶o̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶u̶n̶l̶u̶c̶k̶y̶ ̶e̶n̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶h̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶s̶i̶b̶l̶i̶n̶g̶'̶s̶ ̶n̶a̶m̶e̶.̶
Xie Lian hastily held him back and said, "It's nothing, don't worry, Lord Wind Master, please calm down."
"IS IT NOTHING EVEN WITH EYEBALLS SQUEEZED OUT???" Shi Qingxuan was alarmed.
"Please, stop mentioning it," Qian Qiu said with a queasy look as the screen zoomed in on the mentioned eyes.
"Yes, future me, stop mentioning the appearances," Qing Xuan agreed with closed eyes, trying to not vomit all over herself and He Xuan who was beside her.
"It's nothing." Xie Lian reiterated. "What a rare chance that we can witness a Bloody Fire Social here!"
"Why does his highness sound so excited?"
"I've never seen it before so I am naturally curious," Xie Lian responded.
"Why would you want to see such a thing?" Qi Rong looked at his cousin weirdly before remembering that his cousin wasn't completely sane anymore.
Well, to be more accurate, he was never sane at all. He was only able to appear so because of the mask he carefully crafted as the gentle crown prince of Xian Le.
Well, that's what Qi Rong believed anyway.
Shi Qingxuan immediately dropped the leg that was on the table and asked, "Bloody Fire Social? What's that?"
Many leaned in, curious for more information. They knew it was a festival for the common people but what else? Why are they celebrating such a sick scene? Briefly, they wondered if the common people are sick in the head to enjoy such festivities.
The two sat down anew and Xie Lian explained, "Different regions have different kinds of Fire Socials, and the Bloody Fire Social belongs to a special type, extremely rare. I've only heard about it too, I've never seen it before. Since their performances are gruesome and freakish, and their makeup artistry is an untold secret that isn't passed down, there's less and less of them."
"Well, I have to say, the makeup painted all over the people's faces are really realistic," Pei Su said.
"It's really fascinating," Ban Yue agreed. "I wonder how they made it like that? Have they seen a dead body before their eyes?"
"It is hard to create such an authentic look without seeing it in real life."
"T-they're probably just really skilled," someone weakly stuttered, shaken at the thought of people dying so brutally. No one knew who it was exactly as the voice was too soft for most to identify.
Shi Qingxuan was stunned, "Makeup artistry? That's all fake? Th-th-th... That's just too real, and here I thought it was something transformed by evil!"
Some nodded in agreement while a specific few that shared the sentiment didn't out of pride and not wanting to look stupid.
His words weren't exaggerated, and Xie Lian sighed in awe too, "There are many extraordinarily talented people in the world."
"Of course," Ling Wen nodded, sounding both agreeing and irritated if that was possible. "If there aren't, then heaven wouldn't be so full."
"Is that even something accurate?" Qi Rong rolled his eyes.
"There are a lot of irresponsible people in heaven," Hua Cheng bluntly said. "So they shouldn't be the standard."
"There are a lot of talented individuals," He Xuan added with an unreadable face. "However, most live unfortunate lives which result in unworthy people claiming glory."
Qing Xuan noticed his off mood and lightly held his hand while whispering, "Are you okay?"
He Xuan didn't reply but also didn't remove the wind master's hand.
Watching these videos was disrupting his emotions so he needed something to solidify him, to anchor him, even if his anchor is someone he dislikes.
̶H̶e̶ ̶d̶i̶d̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶n̶t̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶g̶e̶t̶ ̶l̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶o̶u̶g̶h̶t̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶r̶t̶ ̶r̶e̶g̶r̶e̶t̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶a̶c̶t̶i̶o̶n̶s̶.̶
Watching those performers in the parade, not only did they have weapons "deeply embedded" in their skulls, some also had exposed innards, missing limbs, crawling on the ground, crying and howling; there were a few carrying a large wooden stack, a woman hung on one of the beams, a rope wrapped around her neck as if she was hung to death; and then came two who were dragging the two legs of a woman,
"OKAY ENOUGH!" Feng Xin shouted as he stood up with a dark face.
"What's wrong?" Xie Lian asked with a small frown, worried that the man was sick or something.
Feng Xin turned to him with a disturbed look, "Your highness, aren't you bothered by the sight before us?"
Xie Lian blinked in confusion, not understanding what the man meant.
'It reminds me of the fall of Xian Le,' Feng Xin wanted to clarify but couldn't, not when it brought out so many dark memories. So, with a defeated sigh, he sat back down and simply replied, "I don't like the bloody scenes."
"Aren't you a martial god?" Qi Rong mockingly asked as he rolled his eyes. "What a coward."
Feng Xin resisted the urge to maim the ghost as he spoke with a resigned voice, "Let's just continue and get on with it."
and that woman herself had clothes all ripped into rags, her face down dragged along the road the entire way leaving long trails of blood. This was truly a very real sight of hell.
'You don't even know the half of it,' He Xuan thought while doing his best to calm his raging heart. However, he soon pursed his lips to avoid smirking as he realized something.
'This is good, my anger to those two is starting to rekindle,' he thought with a satisfied look, glad he wasn't becoming soft to his sworn enemies.
Even though it was clearly a performance done by humans, it was more horrifying than the ghosts of Ghost City. In comparison, Ghost City was almost like a bustling human market.
Many nodded in agreement, remembering the city so lively it could have been mistaken as a normal human city if not for the residences.
"How ironic," Ling Wen couldn't help but comment. "For a human city to feel more like a ghost city compared to the true ghost city."
Just how was all the makeup done? Even if Xie Lian had heard of this tradition, at first glance he'd also almost thought it was the coming of ghosts.
"Agreed."
"True."
"I'm still doubting that those aren't really ghosts."
"Yeah, it's hard to believe."
'Of course they look down on mortals,' He Xuan thought as he looked at Wu Du.
There were quite a few women and children who tried to squeeze in the front of crowd to spectate out of curiosity, but screamed from fright after having actually seen and backed away.
"At least they have common sense," Mu Qing whispered.
Yushi Huang pursed her lips as she whispered, "I wonder why they allow children to see and participate in such events."
Some parts of her understands why but the other parts of her hated the reasoning and wanted to know just why.
Surely the children's sanity is more important than anything?
Shi Qingxuan commented, "Your Highness, didn't you say that the point of FIre Socials was to celebrate? Who celebrates like this? People are running scared, and those little girls are going to have nightmares. Do people really feel happy watching these kinds of performances?"
Many agreed with the future wind master. Who would want to attend such festivals?
He Xuan frowned, "Instead of blindly guessing why people celebrate such things, why don't we just continue watching to understand? Such idiots."
Many frowned at his words but didn't protest, simply because they knew he was right. After all, why should they continue guessing and wasting their breaths when the answer will, as usual, be revealed?
Naturally, not everyone thinks rationally as a specific few spoke up, angered and irritated. Unfortunately for them, He Xuan simply rolled his eyes.
It really was hard to tell whether if people would feel happy after watching such performances. However, in truth, slaughter and the sight of blood did create excitement in people.
"True, I've met some," Pei Ming agreed with a look of disgust as he briefly recalled a couple of generals (from both his and his enemies' camp) who joined the war just to see blood.
"I really wonder how people enjoy seeing blood," Qing Xuan said out loud.
Qi Rong simply laughed maniacally.
Whether or not there was fear, after the initial shock was over, a rush of adrenaline would be produced in many's heart. There seemed to be a slang for Bloody Fire Socials such as this called "Stabbing Ecstacy", and Xie Lian figured it meant: once a person was stabbed violently to death, the heart would be filled with ecstasy.
"..."
"Can we skip this part?"
"Yeah, what does it have to do with the wind and water masters?"
"We want to learn more about the reverend, not people's random addiction with blood."
"...Am I the only one curious if that's true or not?"
"Get stabbed and find out."
There's a thirst for 'slaughter' deep in the hearts of people.
Of course, Xie Lian didn't say that much on the subject and only watched intently for a while.
"There's really not much you can say about that," Pei Su said.
"Yeah, it's not like you can say 'I've been stabbed and loved the feeling so I made sure to experience it over a hundred times'," Mu Qing sarcastically uttered.
Xie Lian looked away.
In that impressive parading troupe, there was a pale-faced man dressed in black, his form tall but skinny as a twig, his hand gripped a weapon, and he was striking towards the head of one of the lavishly dressed performer. That knife instantly penetrated through the other's skull, and he took out a long spear right after, hoisting the other up and hung the other in the air, cruel and gruesome, as if it was a real murder happening right there, and the crowd screamed in waves of horror though some also cheered.
"What a bloody scene," Hua Cheng commented without a care. "I wonder what made that man go crazy and kill them."
"Are we sure he's the good guy and not the bad guy?"
"Nope, who knows?"
"I'm guessing they're enacting a tale." Xie Lian said, "That black clad man should be the protagonist and the people he killed should be the antagonists, the villains. This entire story is expressing the defeat of evil and the proclamation of good."
"Yes, his highness said so."
"...Have you forgotten that you just replied no just moments prior?" Wu Du asked Pei Ming who laughed.
"I didn't," he denied, hiding a smirk when Wu Du rolled his eyes as he exchanged nods with Ling Wen.
They might not be extremely close but they were still friends so Wu Du's solemn attitude disturbed them.
Having said that, something clicked in Xie Lian's mind and he said, "Lord Wind Master, watch closely."
"What did you figure out?" Qian Qiu wondered with a curious look, having not noticed or realized anything.
'Aren't we just watching a random festival? What's its connection to the reverend?' he thought.
Xie Lian turned to him, having also figured out what his future self saw, and replied, "Just wait and see."
"I am watching." Shi Qingxuan said.
"No, I'm telling you to watch for the story." Xie Lian explained, "Watch for the characters they're performing, and the kind of story this is. There must be a reason why that Reverend of Empty Words brought you here, and picked today of all days. Maybe it was so you'd watch this Bloody Fire Social."
Qing Xuan frowned, not seeing the connection but trusted the prince so she carefully watched the scene.
Wu Du and He Xuan did the same. The former out of worry and the latter out of curiosity.
'Will they be able to learn the truth,' He Xuan wondered. 'Without me revealing it?'
That black clad man had a deep frown, looking to be in severe agony, 'butchering' hundreds of 'villains' in the troupe by himself, and he himself was also pierced by all sorts of weapons all over his body.
"How painful," Qing Xuan mumbled with sad eyes. "I hope he gets a happier life in the future."
"Is reincarnation real?" Banyue asked in confusion, never really having learned much during both her time as the preceptor and a ghost.
Xie Lian gently answered and explained everything she wanted to know.
At the end, he carried a number of mangled 'corpses' with white bandages around their throats and lowered his head,
Xie Lian twitched as Hua Cheng glanced at him before turning to Ruoyue which was innocently wrapped around Xie Lian.
unmoving. It was an ending where all perished together. As one troupe went past, another troupe followed and continued to perform, and the parade cycled around thus.
"What a sad story," Yizhen commented with a bored tone. "But what's its importance?"
A snap was heard as everyone turned to the source – Qing Xuan who had broken her fan in half.
"If someone asks that question one more time," she said through gritted teeth. "I. Will. Hit. Them."
Qing Xuan had tried to ignore everything except the video currently being played in front of them in hopes of finding a clue to defeat the reverend. However, as time went on with the people complaining about every little thing on the screen, she found her patience depleting until it finally emptied with Yizhen's question that has been repeated over and over again before.
"Let's continue," Qing Xuan smiled as Lynn shakily handed her a new fan, the silence in the room deafening until the screen turned on again.
"Have you all figured out what the story was about?" Xie Lian asked.
Shi Qingxuan knitted his brows and said, "No. I don't think I understand. He's doing nothing but killing people."
Pei Ming opened his mouth but quickly shut it, looking at Wu Du who shook his head.
Wu Du, although glad that his sibling is becoming more open with his emotions ever since the viewing started, desperately wanted to know how everything will end.
No, he knew how it would end – with his death – but he wanted to see how his sibling would end. Would Qing Xuan live carefreely without the reverend or would Qing Xuan die because Wu Du was a failure of a brother and couldn't kill the reverend in time.
Next to Xie Lian, Hua Cheng said lazily, "Seems it's not a widely known story. Ask a local and see if it's someone of renown from around here."
Coincidentally, that waiter came by again to bring their orders and inquired, "Honoured guests, how's the show? Is it exciting?"
"What perfect timing, it seems you four are lucky," Jun Wu smiled.
"It seems so," Xie Lian agreed. "It's fortunate that the three of you are extremely lucky."
'It cancels out my bad luck,' Xie Lian didn't say as he immediately saw the small frown on Hua Cheng's face, obviously not liking the fact Xie Lian didn't include himself. Xie Lian pursed his lips. 'Really, I wonder why he cares for me so much. I'm nothing but a failure of a god and a prince.'
It was very intriguing as Xie Lian inwardly hoped the viewing would show the reason as to exactly why San Lang kept insisting on staying by his side.
"It's good. Very exciting." Xie Lian responded, "May I ask, who is the character this town's Bloody Fire Social is enacting?"
Sure enough, that waiter said, "Oh, outsiders usually don't know and always had to ask. The Fire Social of our town Fu Gu enacts the story of a legendary character. This was passed down through word of mouth, but many centuries ago, there was a scholar here named He."
"A scholar named He who is a legend?" Feng Xin mused out loud before turning to Ling Wen. "Do you know someone like that?"
"I don't recall any He scholar that ascended," Ling Wen replied. "I assume he died before ascending."
"It seems the play we just watched depicted the scholar's final moments," Mu Qing said.
"What a tragic ending."
"I wonder how he became a legend, though."
"Indeed. I'm actually surprised the bloodied man was supposed to be a scholar and not a warrior," Pei Su couldn't help but comment as he recalled the way the actor portrayed the scholar – fierce and vengeful, someone who practices the way of the sword and not the mind.
"This He Sheng, although his family was very, very poor, he was quite the man of talents. He was scarily intelligent since his youth, and picked things up fast and precise. He was also known everywhere as a good son; there's really nothing bad to say about the guy. Unfortunately for him, he's just very unlucky, and nothing good ever lasts."
Hua Cheng, Mu Qing and Feng Xin couldn't help but glance at Xie Lian who looked at the screen with an unreadable look.
"He studied hard and took national exams, and even though he clearly did well, the best of them all, because he didn't pay up a greeting gift to the examiner, he offended the officials and they hid his test scrolls, exchanging them for blank ones, and for years he couldn't land a rank.
Many had frowns but didn't speak up, too used to meeting those kinds of people.
That didn't stop some from voicing their righteous anger, however.
"Those trashes!" Qian Qiu immediately yelled in anger.
"How petty," Ban Yue frowned.
"How dare they do such underhanded tricks," Ling Wen had darkened eyes.
He got engaged, his fiancee was a childhood friend, beautiful like flowers, kind and compassionate, but both his wife and little sister were kidnapped by a wealthy household who turned them into bed attendants; one wouldn't obey and was beaten to death, the other couldn't bear the shame and committed suicide. He went to quarrel but the other turned around and accused him of committing adultery instead. He was locked up in jail and almost died from starvation. His old ma and pa of seventy years begged for mercy for him, kowtowed their heads an entire night, but no use. He was jailed for two years before he was released. His mom had no one to take care of her and was long dead from illness, and his dad had to labour for the family by himself and had only but a breath left. He couldn't study anymore and got into business, but because he was too good at it, the other merchants ganged up on him to suppress him. All the money he made was cleaned away and instead he owed an entire string of debt."
"If this is how his life was, it's no wonder he killed them all," Xie Lian remarked.
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," Hua Cheng briefly glanced at the stoic He Xuan. "and blood for blood no matter what."
"What a tragic life," Qing Xuan mumbled with teary and angry eyes. "I hope that man at least inflicted the same amount of pain he was given to those bullies."
"Hopefully he will be able to do it with no regrets," He Xuan commented with an unreadable tone.
"Why would he have any regrets?" Qing Xuan asked before realizing something and nodded in agreement. "Oh, that's right! He does sound like a good and hardworking man so it must have been hard for him to extract his revenge by killing and harming others, right?"
"Exactly," Hua Cheng replied with a smile as he looked at He Xuan who sat stiffly on his seat.
"Wind Master is correct," Xie Lian nodded with a faraway gaze. "It must have been hard for the scholar."
"..."
"So what do y'all think?" That waiter sighed, "How can anyone be so unlucky?"
Wu Du briefly wondered if Qing Xuan's life would be similar to the scholar if he didn't switch fates.
'There's no use in thinking about it,' he shook the thought off.
Xie Lian cleared his throat quietly and said earnestly, "Yea."
Xie Lian hid the uneasiness and pity that entered his bones.
How can anyone be so unlucky other than him!
Xie Lian nodded in agreement.
Right! How can someone be more unlucky than him?
At least he only lost his kingdom, his people and his loved ones but the scholar lost his family, his wife and his life after what seems to be thorough suffering.
After having lamented, that waiter's face changed, looking cheery and alive, "And then that man went crazy, going completely mad. One night, the day before the last day of Autumn just like today, he took up a bunch of weapons and butchered everyone who hurt him! It was a bloody sight, flesh and gore flying all over, extremely satisfying! Since all those he killed bullied all the people in town for ages, everyone cheered for him. So that's why, every year on the day before the last day of Autumn, the town would commemorate him with a Bloody Fire Social, pray Lord He Sheng would watch over us and kill all the villains."
"I...at least we now know why they celebrate such a festival," Feng Xin said.
"Deserved," Pei Ming laughed.
"Yeah, they should have known karma will hit them back."
"You reap what you sow," Ling Wen nodded with a small smirk.
Qi Rong let out a large sigh. "I wanted to see more blood."
Although it was supposed to be the defeat of evil and the proclamation of good, it seemed like neither ended well.
"Considering he probably died after killing his bullies, it's really a shame he didn't get a happy ending," Ban Yue said with a sigh.
"Truly an unfortunate soul," Jun Wu agreed.
That waiter went away and Xie Lian saw Shi Qingxuan had on a face of contemplation so he asked, "Lord Wind Master, do you have any thoughts?"
He Xuan and Wu Du immediately paid attention, curious.
Shi Qingxuan snapped out of it and said, "I'm having some baffling thoughts, but... it's too confusing so I can't put my finger on it. What about you, Your Highness?"
"I'm thinking, could the Reverend of Empty Words be this He Sheng in its past life?"
In between their exchanges the next troupe had started performing the same story again and Shi Qingxuan looked over, "His past life?"
"His past life?" many echoed.
"But why would he attack the wind master?" Qian Qiu wondered. "Wouldn't it have been better to haunt those that offended him?"
No one really knew the answer.
"That's right." Xie Lian said, "Monsters that are similar to humans are usually born from the extreme grudge or obsession of some person. For example, I hear there's a monster in Dongying called 'The Bridge Princess", and it was formed by the grudge of women. They say it was from the grief of women who waited for husbands that never returned, and others say it was the madness of jealousy. If, the Reverend of Empty Words came from the misfortune of someone, it's not impossible to say it was formed by that person's jealousy of another's fortune or the hatred of his fate?"
"That...that makes sense," many nodded in agreement.
Qing Xuan frowned, "That's cruel. Why would he take away the luck of another person when he experienced it in the past?"
"Who knows?" He Xuan bluntly replied. "Perhaps it's deserved."
Qing Xuan blinked, "I never did anything to anyone though?"
"Not you," Xie Lian responded, realizing what the earth master meant. "It's possible someone close to you, like your parents, did something to scholar He and so he took revenge by targeting you."
Qing Xuan frowned at the thought of her parents harming another as Wu Du twitched, skimming through his memories.
"Check for landmarks. Match the timeline." Ming Yi said.
"Right. This needs to be verified." Xie Lian said.
To find out if this theory stood, they must investigate how many hundreds of years ago this "He Sheng" character appeared. If his appearance was later than the earliest record of the Reverend of Empty Words than this theory would not hold. Shi Qingxuan nodded, pondered, but still said, "And another thing..."
Just then, a booming voice suddenly came from below, laughing heartily, "JUST WAIT! YOUR CLOSEST FAMILY, YOUR BESTEST FRIEND, THEY WILL ALL DIE TRAGICALLY BECAUSE OF YOU!"
Qing Xuan twitched, biting her lip as she glared at the screen. How dare that reverend curse not only his best friend but also his family?!
She'll make sure to kill it when she sees it in the future.
After all, no one threatens her loved ones!
She'll make sure of it, even if it scares her.
Huh, it seems watching these videos have made her bolder and more confident.
Hearing this, Shi Qingxuan's face immediately changed. He slapped down on the table with his left hand and leapt down the restaurant, light as a feather.
That voice had come from the parading troupes!
"So it's there?" Wu Du made sure to memorize everything.
No one will ever harm his sibling, not when he can prevent it.
He tried ignoring his sibling's reckless action, knowing that no matter how many times he scolded her, she would not be able to change her future self's actions.
He believed he had scolded her enough times now so he can ignore this part.
Xie Lian yelled from atop the building, "LORD WIND MASTER! COME BACK!"
Shi Qingxuan landed in that crowd of bloody, live dead people and raged, "COME THE HELL OUT! COME OUT!!!"
"Wind master, please don't be so careless," Pei Ming suddenly spoke up. Qing Xuan frowned, about to voice her opinion but saw Pei Ming looking at her constipated-looking brother.
Feeling bad as she knew it was her fault he looked so stressed, she simply nodded and promised to be more careful in the future.
He Xuan inwardly enjoyed the water master's suffering.
However, those performers all bore wooden expressions; no one cared for him, and they continued to march like they were in a dream state.
'Are they possessed or hypnotized?' some thought with narrowed eyes. 'Or are they simply fulfilling their job?'
Shi Qingxuan was getting pushed around all over by the flowing crowd, and couldn't figure out just who looked fishier; this one looked suspicious, and he'd whip out his Wind Master fan to knock at them, but then another over there would look more suspicious. If he hit wrong, then it'd be a life on his hands.
Many felt bad for the wind master who was clearly trying her best to find the reverend but kept getting pushed all over the place.
"You can do it!" some cheered.
Hua Cheng pushed the veggies he hadn't touched on his plate into a smiley face, never having looked up once, "It's useless. It's too easy for a thousand-year old monster to hide its foxtails."
Qing Xuan slumped on her chair, "I know but..."
"It's alright, wind master, you just felt frustrated and irritated," Xie Lian comforted her.
Amidst such a freakish parade, it was too easy for anything unhuman to infiltrate. Besides, the Venerables of Empty Words already took on the forms of humans, nevermind the Reverend who was the strongest among them all?
"Honestly, we should create something that helps detect negative energy or something similar," Feng Xin looked irritated. "It would make life so much easier."
"It still doesn't exist? I thought I just never heard of it."
A moment later, Ming Yi jumped down too and pulled Shi Qingxuan out.
"It seems I had to rely on you again, Ming-xiong," Qing Xuan laughed. "Thank you."
He Xuan didn't reply.
The group of them left the main street, walking towards that Temple of Wind and Water. Shi Qingxuan's hand that gripped his Wind Master fan was still trembling, but rather than from fear like earlier, it was more from anger.
Xie Lian and some others felt worried for the wind master who kept getting mad these past few hours in both the room and the screen.
"Here," Xie Lian gave Qing Xuan a cup. "It will help calm you down."
Qing Xuan blinked, took the cup and smiled, "Thank you."
She drank the drink as her features slowly loosened.
A small pot of wine from the restaurant hung from his hand, and after walking for a while, he took a long drink from the pot before the seething redness of his eyes faded away. "Ming-xiong, maybe you shouldn't be my best friend for the time being. Wait til I've killed that thing first!"
"I doubt that would work."
"But it's sweet the wind master really cared for the earth master."
"Of course, they're best friends."
Ming Yi however, instantly said without holding back, "Who's that. I've never been."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Many were speechless.
"Deja vu, anyone?"
"..." Shi Qingxuan was outraged, "MING-XIONG THAT'S TOO MUCH. CAN YOU NOT TURN YOUR BACK ON PEOPLE SO FAST WHEN THINGS GET TOUGH???"
"How can I turn my back on you when we're not friends at all?" He Xuan asked.
Qing Xuan frowned at him but didn't say anything, believing that he was just joking.
After all, if they weren't friends then why would Ming-xiong stay with her all these years?
Surely it's because they were friends, right?
The two of them were bickering and noisy,
"How active," Hua Cheng drawled. "You act differently when I meet you."
"Hahaha," Xie Lian immediately let out an awkward laugh as he started talking with Hua Cheng, Qing Xuan doing the same thing to He Xuan.
The two definitely didn't want to bring up the past where it was revealed that He Xuan worked as a spy against Hua Cheng.
After all, that was the only way the two knew and made contact with each other, right?
and Xie Lian shook his head, bringing out two little objects from his sleeve, "Here, Lord Wind Master I think you best use these after all."
Shi Qingxuan took the objects, "Ear plugs?"
Xie Lian nodded, "The idea might be a little dumb and it doesn't help the root problem, but it still works for the time being. As long as you can't hear, that creature can't do anything to you. I casted an array, the verbal password is "By Heaven Official's Blessings, No Paths are Bound". Let's just talk in the array if we need to talk to you."
"Thank you once again, your highness," Wu Du said with gratitude, once again seeing how caring the prince was to his sibling.
Really, he was glad Qing Xuan met such a person before everything became too late.
A part of him felt pity that they only met recently, though.
Shi Qingxuan plugged his ears and sure enough, he could hear nothing after, and the four entered the array one after the other. Just then, Xie Lian suddenly heard Hua Cheng's voice floating next to his ears, "Gege, gege."
Xie Lian looked over and saw Hua Cheng was blinking at him. His lips weren't moving but his voice was still resounding next to his ears, "Didn't you say you wanted to talk to me? You won't come to me, so I'm reaching out to you."
Hua Cheng smiled at Xie Lian who looked at him in surprise before the latter let out a small fond smile.
"How smart, San Lang."
Xie Lian smiled and replied, "Well, you're the one who set your password to something like that."
Many really wanted to know the password.
"Fine, fine. My bad." Hua Cheng said.
Shi Qingxuan adjusted the ear plugs and saw the two of them were looking at each other smiling without saying a word, and asked in the communication array, puzzled, "Your Highness, Crimson Rain Sought Flower, what are the two of you doing? Did you exchange verbal passwords? And now you're exchanging secrets?"
"Bingo~" Pei Ming laughed as Qing Xuan grinned teasingly.
"I shouldn't have said anything," she sighed with a fake sad tone. "I disturbed you two."
Xie Lian cleared his throat and said in the communication array with a serious voice, "Nothing of the sort."
Hua Cheng raised his brows slightly and passed another message, "You liar."
Xie Lian's slipped in his step.
"Pfft!"
"Your highness, your body seems to always be against your words."
Xie Lian had no excuses.
Looking only straight ahead as he walked pretending to be serious, he replied, "San Lang, stop teasing me... I need your help with something."
"'Pretending,'" Pei Ming made air quotations in the air.
"It must have flustered you so much," Yushi Huang let out a small laugh as Xie Lian hid his slightly red face by drinking.
The two of them walked side by side, not looking at each other, and Hua Cheng asked, "What is it?"
Xie Lian replied, "Work with me to test and see if someone is the Reverend of Empty Words."
The atmosphere suddenly turned serious.
"Do you really think someone in the group is the reverend?" Qing Xuan sounded devastated.
"It could be someone else we've met," Xie Lian hurriedly reassured his friend. "It doesn't have to be one of us."
"It could be the waiter," Qian Qiu added. "I always knew he's suspicious with how happy he is when describing the murders!"
"..."
"Who's going to tell him?"
"I'm not."
"You will."
"What do we have to tell him?"
"How the waiter's reaction is justified. Who wouldn't feel gratified and joyful when the bullies who tortured and abused the town's people finally die?"
"...Yeah, I'm not telling him."
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