In the past, the former master became a laughingstock with no incense offerings, no temple, and no followers.
Yet, the two attendants under him both passed the heavenly tribulation and ascended to become mighty martial gods.
This situation made everyone think.
If Xie Lian had to choose between Feng Xin and Mu Qing, he would say, "They're both fine!"
But if others had to choose, they might prefer to see Xie Lian fight with Feng Xin or Mu Qing.
After all, there were plenty of reasons for a good fight, making it hard to decide.
So, when Feng Xin didn't respond for a long time and simply disappeared, everyone was disappointed.
Xie Lian wrapped things up, gave himself a few metaphorical slaps, and said, "I didn't expect things to turn out like this. I didn't mean it, and I'm sorry for the trouble."
Mu Qing said coldly, "Oh, what a coincidence."
Indeed, Xie Lian also thought it was quite a coincidence.
How could he have just happened to hit Mu Qing and then dismantled Feng Xin? It seemed like he was deliberately seeking revenge.
But that's how it was.
He was the kind of person who would pick the poisoned cup out of a thousand, no matter what.
But what others thought, he couldn't control.
So Xie Lian could only say, "I will do my best to repair the damage to your halls and other losses. Please give me some time."
Even with just a flick of a feather duster, it was clear that Mu Qing wanted to keep blowing cold air, but since his hall wasn't damaged, and the bell that hit him was split by him, pressing further would be unseemly and beneath his dignity. So, he too went silent. Seeing that the mess had resolved itself, Xie Lian quickly left.
He was seriously considering how to gather the 8,888,000 merits when Ling Wen invited him to the Ling Wen Hall the next day.
Ling Wen was the god in charge of human affairs, overseeing smooth careers and promotions.
The entire hall was filled with documents and scrolls from floor to ceiling, an overwhelming sight.
As Xie Lian walked in, every god coming out of the Ling Wen Hall was carrying stacks of documents taller than themselves, looking either utterly defeated or completely numb.
Inside the hall, Ling Wen turned and got straight to the point, "Your Highness, the Emperor has a request. Are you willing to lend a hand?"
There are many True Lords and Primordial Lords in the Heavenly Court, but only one can be called Emperor.
If this person wanted to do something, they never needed to ask for help. So Xie Lian was taken aback and asked, "What is it?"
Ling Wen handed him a scroll and said, "Recently, a group of major believers in the north has been praying frequently. It seems things are not peaceful."
Major believers generally fall into three categories: first, wealthy people who pay for incense, rituals, and temple construction; second, those who can preach and teach others; and third, those who fully embody their beliefs.
The first category is the largest, as the wealthier people are, the more they fear gods and ghosts, and there are many wealthy people in the world.
The third category is the smallest because if someone reaches this level, their spiritual state is high, and they are close to ascension.
The ones mentioned here are clearly the first category.
Ling Wen said, "The Emperor is currently unable to attend to the north. If you are willing to go on his behalf, all the merits offered by these major believers when they fulfill their vows will be given to your altar. What do you think?"
Xie Lian accepted the scroll with both hands and said, "Thank you."
This was clearly Jun Wu helping him, but he turned it around to ask if Xie Lian was willing to help himself. Xie Lian could see through it, but couldn't find better words to express his thoughts.
Ling Wen said, "I just handle the tasks. If you want to thank someone, wait until the Emperor returns and thank him yourself. By the way, do you need me to borrow any magical treasures for you?"
Xie Lian said, "No need. Even if you gave me a treasure, I wouldn't have any power to use it once I descend."
Xie Lian had been cast down twice, losing all his power. In the Heavenly Court, it was fine since it was a place full of celestial palaces with abundant spiritual energy, but once back in the human world, he would be powerless. To fight, he would have to borrow power from others, which was inconvenient.
Ling Wen thought for a moment and said, "Then it's best to borrow a few martial officers to help you."
The current martial gods either didn't know him or didn't like him, and Xie Lian knew this well. He said, "No need. You won't be able to borrow anyone."
Ling Wen had her own considerations and said, "Let me try."
Whether she tried or not didn't matter to Xie Lian. He neither agreed nor disagreed, letting her do as she wished. So Ling Wen entered the Spirit Communication Array and said loudly, "Everyone, the Emperor has urgent business in the north and needs people. Which martial god can send two officers from their halls?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Mu Qing's voice floated out, "I heard the Emperor isn't in the north right now. It's probably for the Crown Prince."
Xie Lian thought, "Are you in the Spirit Communication Array all day long?"
Ling Wen had the same thought and wanted to slap Mu Qing out of the array for hindering her work. She laughed and said, "Xuan Zhen, I've seen you in the array a lot these days. It seems you've been enjoying some leisure time lately. Congratulations."
Mu Qing replied coolly, "My hand is injured, resting."
The gods thought, "Your hand can split mountains and seas, how could it be hurt by a silly bell?"
Ling Wen had hoped to trick a couple of them into helping first, but Mu Qing guessed it right away and even said it out loud. Now there was no chance of finding anyone. As expected, there was silence for a while. Xie Lian wasn't surprised and said to her, "See, I told you no one would come."
Ling Wen said, "If Xuan Zhen hadn't spoken, we could have borrowed someone."
Xie Lian laughed, "Your words were so vague, like seeing flowers through mist, beautiful but unclear. People thought it was for the Emperor, so of course, they would come. But if they found out it was to work with me, they might cause a fuss. How could we work together then? I'm used to being alone, and I've never been short of arms or legs. Let's leave it at that. Thank you, I'll be on my way."
Ling Wen had no choice but to bow and said, "Very well. I wish you smooth sailing. May the gods bless you."
Xie Lian replied, "No taboos!" and waved as he left.
Three days later, in the human world, in the north.
By the roadside, there was a small tea shop. The shop wasn't big, and the staff was simple, but it had a great view. There were mountains, water, people, and a city.
Everything was there, not too much, not too little, just right. In this scenery, if you happened to meet someone here, it would surely become a wonderful memory. The tea master in the shop was very leisurely.
When there were no customers, he would sit at the door, watching the mountains, water, people, and city, smiling as he saw a white-robed Taoist walking from afar, covered in dust, as if he had been traveling for a long time.
As he passed the shop, he suddenly stopped, slowly backed up, adjusted his hat, and looked at the sign, smiling, "‘Meeting Place,’ what an interesting name."
Although this person looked a bit tired, he was smiling, making others want to smile too. He asked, "Excuse me, is Yu Jun Mountain nearby?"
The tea master pointed him in the direction, "It's around here."
The person exhaled, almost as if he was about to exhale his soul, thinking, "Finally here."
It was Xie Lian.
When he left the Immortal Capital, he had planned to land near Yu Jun Mountain. But as he left gracefully, a cloud caught his sleeve, and he tumbled down, not knowing where he landed. After walking for three days, he finally arrived at his intended location, feeling a mix of emotions.
Inside the shop, Xie Lian picked a table by the window, ordered tea and snacks, and just as he settled down, he heard crying and the sound of drums outside.
He looked out onto the street and saw a group of men and women, young and old, surrounding a large red bridal sedan chair, walking down the road.
This procession had an air of strangeness. At first glance, it looked like a wedding procession, but upon closer inspection, the expressions on their faces were serious, mournful, angry, and fearful, but not joyful. No matter how you looked at it, they didn't seem to be celebrating, yet they were all dressed in red, with flowers, making noises. It was truly bizarre. The tea master, holding a copper kettle, also saw this scene and just shook his head before going back inside.
Xie Lian watched the strange procession go by, thinking for a moment, and was about to take out the scroll Ling Wen gave him to look at it again when he noticed something shiny flash by.
He looked up and saw a silver butterfly flying past him.
The silver butterfly was crystal clear, leaving a dazzling trail in the air. Xie Lian couldn't help but reach out to it. The butterfly, full of spirit, wasn't frightened and even landed on his fingertip, its wings shimmering, beautiful yet mysterious, like a fragile dream in the sunlight. After a while, it flew away.
Xie Lian waved at it as a farewell, and when he turned back, two more people were sitting at his table.
The table had four sides, and these two occupied one side each. Both were young men, about eighteen or nineteen years old. The one on the left was taller, with deep and striking features, and a rebellious look in his eyes. The one on the right was very pale, delicate, and scholarly, but his expression was too cold and indifferent, as if he was unhappy. In fact, both of them didn't look pleased.
Xie Lian blinked and asked, "Who might you two be?"
The one on the left said, "Nan Feng."
The one on the right said, "Fu Yao."
Xie Lian thought, "I wasn't asking for your names..."
At this moment, Ling Wen suddenly sent a message.
She said, "Your Highness, two young martial officers from the Middle Heavenly Court have agreed to assist you. They should have arrived by now."
The so-called Middle Heavenly Court, of course, was in contrast to the Upper Heavenly Court.
The gods in the Heavenly Court could be roughly divided into two categories: those who ascended by themselves, and those who hadn't.
The Upper Heavenly Court was filled with self-ascended gods, extremely precious, while those in the Middle Heavenly Court were "appointed" and technically should be called "associate gods," but people often omitted the "associate" part.
So, is there a Lower Heavenly Court?
No.
In fact, when Xie Lian first ascended, there really was one. Back then, it was divided into the Upper and Lower Heavenly Courts. But later, people realized a problem: introducing oneself as "I'm from the Lower Heavenly Court" sounded bad.
Having the word "lower" made it feel inferior, even though among them were many talented individuals with strong powers, just one tribulation away from true godhood. So someone suggested changing a word to "I'm from the Middle Heavenly Court," which sounded much better, even though it meant the same thing.
After the change, it took Xie Lian a while to get used to it.
Looking at these two young martial officers, whose faces were as sour as could be, Xie Lian couldn't help but ask, "Ling Wen, they don't seem like they're here to help me. They look more like they're here to take my head. Did you trick them?"
Unfortunately, it seemed this message didn't get through, and he couldn't hear Ling Wen's voice anymore. He figured it was because he had been away from the Immortal Capital for too long and his power was depleted. Xie Lian had no choice but to smile at the two young officers and say, "Nan Feng and Fu Yao, right? Thank you for coming to help."
Both of them nodded slightly, with an air of importance, clearly from the halls of renowned martial gods. Xie Lian had the tea master bring two more cups, lifted his tea, and casually asked, "Which hall do you belong to?"
Nan Feng said, "Southern Sun Hall."
Fu Yao said, "Profound Truth Hall."
"......"
This was truly alarming.
Xie Lian swallowed his tea and asked, "Did your generals send you?"
Both replied, "Our generals don't know we're here."
Xie Lian thought for a moment and asked, "Do you know who I am?"
If these two young officers were tricked by Ling Wen and helped him, only to be scolded by their generals later, it wouldn't be worth it.
Nan Feng said, "You are the Crown Prince."
Fu Yao said, "You are the righteous path of the world, the center of the universe."
Xie Lian choked a bit and asked Nan Feng, "Did he just roll his eyes?"
Nan Feng said, "Yes. Tell him to get lost."
Southern Sun Hall and Profound Truth Hall didn't get along.
This wasn't a secret, and Xie Lian wasn't surprised when he heard about it.
Feng Xin and Mu Qing never got along well in the past either.
Back then, Xie Lian was their master, and he would say, "Don't fight, be friends," so they would hold back and only use words to poke at each other.
But now, they didn't need to pretend anymore. So even their followers in the southeast and southwest didn't think much of each other, and the Southern Sun Hall and Profound Truth Hall were long-time rivals.
These two were typical examples.
Fu Yao sneered, "True Lord Ling Wen said anyone willing can come. Why should I get lost?"
The word "willing," said with his expression, wasn't convincing. Xie Lian said, "Let me confirm. Are you really willing? Don't force yourself if you're not."
Both said, "I am willing."
Looking at their gloomy faces, Xie Lian thought, "What you really want to say is 'I am suicidal,' right?"
"In any case—"
Xie Lian said, "Let's get to business. You know why we're here in the north, so I won't start from the beginning..."
Both said, "We don't know."
"......"
Xie Lian had no choice but to take out the scroll and said, "Then I'll start from the beginning."
Years ago, at Yu Jun Mountain, a couple was getting married.
The couple was deeply in love.
The groom waited for the bridal procession to arrive, but after a long time, the bride didn't show up.
Worried, the groom went to the bride's family, only to be told she had already left.
Both families reported it to the authorities and searched everywhere, but couldn't find her.
Even if a wild beast had eaten her, there would be some remains. How could she just vanish? Naturally, some suspected the bride didn't want to marry and conspired with the procession to escape. But a few years later, when another couple was getting married, the nightmare repeated.
The bride vanished again. But this time, there was a clue. On a small path, they found a foot left uneaten by something.