Just from the way the air froze for a moment, Xie Lian knew that perhaps he shouldn't have asked that question.
Even though he and Hua Cheng had been getting along quite well lately, it didn't mean they were close enough to make such requests.
Before Hua Cheng could answer, Xie Lian quickly laughed it off, saying, "I was just speaking casually, don't take it too seriously."
Hua Cheng closed his eyes for a moment and then smiled, "I'll show you when there's a chance in the future."
If anyone else had said that, it would have been just a way to brush things off, like saying "forget about it."
But since it was Hua Cheng, Xie Lian felt that when he said "in the future," he really meant it. This piqued Xie Lian's interest even more, and he smiled, "Alright. Then when you feel it's okay, show me. For now, let's just rest."
Having been up half the night, he had long since abandoned the idea of cooking and lay back down on the mat. Hua Cheng lay down beside him. Neither of them bothered to question why, after revealing their identities, a god and a ghost could still lie on the same worn-out mat, joking and chatting idly.
There was no pillow on the straw mat, so Hua Cheng used his arm as a pillow, and Xie Lian followed suit. Casually, he asked, "Your ghost world seems really laid-back. Don't you have to report in or anything?"
Hua Cheng, not only using his arm as a pillow but also propping up a leg, replied, "Report to whom? I'm the biggest there. Everyone does their own thing; no one can control anyone else."
So the ghost world was just a bunch of chaotic, disorganized wandering souls. Xie Lian said, "I see. I thought you all were organized like the Heavenly Court. So, have you met other ghost kings?"
Hua Cheng replied, "I have."
Xie Lian asked, "Have you met the green ghost Qi Rong?"
Hua Cheng said, "You mean that tasteless fool?"
Xie Lian thought, "How do I respond to that? Yes? No?" Luckily, he didn't need to respond, as Hua Cheng continued, "I greeted him once, and he ran away."
Xie Lian instinctively felt that this "greeting" wasn't a normal greeting. Sure enough, Hua Cheng leisurely added, "And that's how I got the title 'Blood Rain Seeks Flower.'"
"......"
So when he said he took over another ghost's lair, he was talking about the green ghost Qi Rong. And this "greeting" meant a massacre. Xie Lian thought this was quite a unique way to greet someone, rubbed his chin, and asked, "Do you have a grudge against Qi Rong?"
Hua Cheng replied, "Yes."
"What kind of grudge?"
"He annoys me."
Xie Lian couldn't help but laugh, thinking, "Did you challenge the thirty-three gods because they annoyed you too?" He said, "Some gods in the Heavenly Court say he has bad taste and even the ghost world dislikes him. Is that true?"
Hua Cheng said, "It's true. Even Black Water dislikes him."
Xie Lian asked, "Who is Black Water?" Then he realized, "Is it the 'Black Water Sinking Boat'?"
Hua Cheng replied, "That's right. Also known as Black Water Demon."
Xie Lian remembered that this Black Water Demon was also a "Supreme," while the green ghost Qi Rong was just a near-Supreme. He asked with interest, "Are you familiar with this Demon?"
Hua Cheng lazily replied, "Not really. I don't know many in the ghost world."
Xie Lian was a bit surprised and said, "Is that so? I thought you'd have many followers. Maybe we have different ideas about what 'familiar' means."
Hua Cheng raised an eyebrow and said, "In the ghost world, if you're not a 'Supreme,' you don't have the right to speak to me."
It was an extremely arrogant statement, but Hua Cheng said it as if it were the most natural thing. Xie Lian smiled slightly and said, "Your ghost world is quite simple, with only a few big ones. Unlike the Heavenly Court, where even I can't remember all the gods, and the middle court is just a vast sea of those waiting to ascend."
Hua Cheng said, "What's worth remembering? Don't bother; it's a waste of brainpower."
Xie Lian laughed, "If you keep forgetting people's names, it might offend them." Gods are very concerned about their reputation. Hua Cheng snorted, "If such a small thing can offend them, they must be narrow-minded fools."
After chatting for a while, fearing the conversation might touch on sensitive topics, Xie Lian stopped talking about the differences between the two realms. He glanced at the tightly closed wooden door and said, "I wonder when that Half Moon kid will come back?"
Thinking of the earlier declaration "I want to save the world," a flood of chaotic images surged in his mind, which he forcibly suppressed. At this moment, Hua Cheng said, "That was a good line."
Xie Lian asked, "What?"
Hua Cheng leisurely said, "'I want to save the world.'"
"......"
Xie Lian felt as if he'd been hit.
He turned over, curling up like a shrimp, covering his face with his hands, wishing he had more hands to cover his ears, and groaned, "...San Lang."
Hua Cheng seemed to move closer and said seriously from behind him, "Hmm? Is there something wrong with that line?"
He kept pressing, and Xie Lian couldn't resist, so he turned back, helplessly saying, "It's silly."
But Hua Cheng said, "What's there to fear? Whether it's to save the world or destroy it, I admire those who dare to speak of it. The former is much harder than the latter, so of course, I admire it more."
Xie Lian shook his head with a smile, lying flat, "Daring to say it is one thing, but you also have to dare to do it and be able to do it."
He covered his eyes with one hand, "Sigh. Well, actually, it's nothing. What Half Moon said was already okay. When I was younger, I said even sillier things."
Hua Cheng laughed, "Oh? What kind of things? Tell me."
Lost in thought for a moment, Xie Lian recalled with a slight smile, "Many, many years ago, someone once told me they couldn't go on living and asked me what the point of living was."
He glanced at Hua Cheng and said, "Do you know how I answered?"
Perhaps it was an illusion, but Hua Cheng's gaze seemed to flicker with a soft light. He softly asked, "How did you answer?"
Xie Lian said, "I told him, 'If you don't know how to go on living, then live for me.'"
"'If you don't know the meaning of your life, then please, for now, take me as your reason to live, take me as the pillar that supports you.'"
"Hahaha..."
As Xie Lian spoke, he suddenly couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head, "To this day, I still don't understand what I was thinking back then. How did I have the courage to say something like being the meaning of someone else's life?"
Hua Cheng didn't speak. Xie Lian continued, "Only when you're that young can you say such things. At that time, I really thought I was invincible and fearless. Now, you couldn't get me to say something like that."
He slowly said, "I don't know what happened to that person later. Being the meaning of someone's life is already a heavy burden, let alone saving the world."
In the Pugilistic Shrine, there was a long silence.
After a while, Hua Cheng said quietly, "It doesn't matter about saving the world. Saying such things at such a young age is brave, though foolish."
Xie Lian said, "Yes."
However, Hua Cheng added, "Though foolish, it's very brave."
"......"
Xie Lian smiled, "Thank you very much."
Hua Cheng said, "You're welcome."
The two of them lay there, staring at the small, broken ceiling of the Pugilistic Shrine. After a while, Hua Cheng said, "But, Your Highness, we've only known each other for a few days. Is it okay for you to tell me so much?"
Xie Lian said, "What's the problem? It doesn't matter. Even people you've known for decades can become strangers overnight. If you want to say something, just say it. People meet by chance, gather, and then part. If you get along, you gather; if not, you part. After all, there's no banquet in the world that doesn't end."
Hua Cheng seemed to laugh softly, and suddenly he said, "Suppose."
Xie Lian turned his head, "Suppose what?"
Hua Cheng didn't look at him, staring instead at the broken roof of the Pugilistic Shrine. Xie Lian could only see the left side of the young man's exceptionally handsome face.
He said quietly, "I'm not good-looking."
Xie Lian said, "Huh?"
Hua Cheng then slightly turned his head and said, "Suppose my original appearance isn't good-looking, would you still want to see it?"
Xie Lian was taken aback for a moment and said, "Is that so? Although there's no reason, I always feel that your original appearance wouldn't be too bad."
Hua Cheng half-joked, "That's not necessarily true. What if I have a face like a demon, with features all mixed up, ugly as a demon or fierce as a yaksha, what would you do?"
Hearing him say this, Xie Lian initially found it amusing: So the overlord of the ghost world, the troublemaker feared by all the heavenly gods, also cared about whether his real face was good-looking? But thinking more deeply, he didn't find it funny anymore.
He vaguely remembered that among the many stories about Hua Cheng's origins, there was one about him being a "deformed child" from a young age. If that were true, he must have faced discrimination for it even as a human, possibly from a very young age. Perhaps because of this, he was particularly sensitive about his true appearance.
So, Xie Lian carefully chose his words and said, "Well..."
He spoke in the gentlest tone, sincerely saying, "Actually, I want to see your original appearance because, you see, we're like this now..."
Hua Cheng said, "Hmm? Like what?"
Xie Lian said, "...We're friends now, aren't we? So, since we're friends, of course, we should be honest with each other. That's why I said I wanted to see your true appearance. What does it matter if your original form is good-looking or not? You asked what I would do, and of course, I would do nothing. Rest assured, as long as it's your true form, I will definitely... Why are you laughing? I'm speaking from the heart."
As he spoke the last few sentences, Xie Lian felt the young man beside him trembling slightly. At first, he was puzzled, thinking, "Did what I say really touch him so much?" But he was too embarrassed to turn and see what was going on. After a while, he heard a very low laugh, as if it had slipped out. Xie Lian felt a bit annoyed and pushed his shoulder, "San Lang... why are you laughing like that? Did I say something wrong?"
Hua Cheng immediately stopped trembling, turned around, and said, "No, you made a lot of sense."
Xie Lian felt even more annoyed, "You're not being sincere..."
But Hua Cheng said, "I swear, you won't find anyone more sincere than me in all the heavens and earth."
Xie Lian didn't want to talk anymore, turned over, and faced away from Hua Cheng, "Forget it, sleep. Sleep well, no more talking."
Hua Cheng chuckled softly for a while and then said, "Next time."
Even though he had decided to sleep, when Hua Cheng spoke, Xie Lian couldn't help but respond, "Next time what?"
Hua Cheng said in a low voice, "Next time we meet, I'll show you my original appearance."
This sentence had a lot to ponder, and Xie Lian should have asked more, but after a long night, he couldn't fight the overwhelming sleepiness anymore. So he drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Xie Lian woke up to find the space beside him empty.
He stumbled up and wandered around the Pugilistic Shrine in a daze. He opened the door, but there was no one outside either. It seemed true that the young man had left.
However, the fallen leaves had been swept into a pile, and there was a small clay pot standing nearby. Xie Lian brought the pot inside and placed it on the altar table. At that moment, he suddenly noticed something around his chest that wasn't there before.
Xie Lian reached up and found a very fine chain under the curse lock, hanging loosely around his neck.
He quickly took it off. It was a silver chain, so thin and light that he hadn't noticed it at all. And hanging from the chain was a clear, transparent ring.
Volume 1