Xie Lian stared at the young man in red and said, "You..."
He wanted to say something, but with countless eyes watching them and Hua Cheng's ambiguous attitude—seeming to know him yet not know him—Xie Lian wasn't sure if Hua Cheng was deliberately pretending not to know him in the ghost market. So, he simply said, "Thank you."
Lang Qianqiu said, "Why thank him? This place is his; he had bad intentions from the start."
Xie Lian whispered, "Crown Prince, please stop talking and let's leave quickly."
Staying any longer might lead to Lang Qianqiu saying something else, and they had other matters to attend to. Xie Lian glanced at Hua Cheng several times and pushed Lang Qianqiu to leave. Just then, Hua Cheng called out from behind, "Hold on."
Hearing this, Xie Lian stopped and turned back. Among the ghosts, a voice said, "City Lord, you can't just let them go like that!"
"This person is suspicious, very strong, and probably not simple. I think we should keep him here for questioning."
"Right, he could be a spy sent by someone to cause trouble in our territory!"
That last comment hit close to home. They were indeed from the Heavenly Court, but their intention wasn't to cause trouble—just to check things out. Xie Lian wasn't sure if Hua Cheng had noticed the flash of spiritual light Lang Qianqiu had accidentally let out earlier, and he wasn't confident Hua Cheng would let them go if he had seen it. His heart was a bit uneasy. Then he heard Hua Cheng say leisurely, "Aren't you going to leave your bet behind?"
Xie Lian was slightly taken aback and asked, "Bet?"
Lang Qianqiu stood in front of him protectively and said, "Are you going back on your word?"
Xie Lian thought, "San Lang never goes back on his word. There must be another reason." So he stepped out from behind Lang Qianqiu and said, "But we already gambled, and I won, didn't I?"
Hua Cheng said, "Indeed, you did win against me earlier. But don't forget, you lost a round before that."
Xie Lian was puzzled and said, "But you said it didn't count."
Even though it seemed cheeky to say losing didn't count but winning did, Xie Lian still asked. Hua Cheng replied, "The rounds you played with me don't count. I'm talking about the first round you played downstairs."
Xie Lian suddenly remembered that Hua Cheng was referring to the time he rolled two sixes when he was trying his luck.
Lang Qianqiu said seriously, "I knew he had bad intentions and wouldn't let us leave so easily. I won't be caught again this time."
Hearing that Lang Qianqiu seemed ready for another fight, Xie Lian quickly stopped him, saying, "No need to be tense, there's no need to fight."
Hua Cheng tilted his head and asked, "So, do you admit it, brother?"
Having no choice but to accept a loss, Xie Lian nodded and said, "I admit it."
Hua Cheng extended his left hand and said, "Then, give me the agreed-upon bet."
...The agreed-upon bet?
After hesitating for a moment, Xie Lian reached into his left sleeve with his right hand, fumbled around, and pulled out half a steamed bun. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he handed it over and asked, "Is this what you meant?"
Honestly, when he pulled out that half-eaten bun, Xie Lian felt as if his eight-hundred-year-old composure was suddenly wavering, barely holding on.
The ghosts around had long been speechless, quietly watching. The city lord had never gambled before, and the agreed bet was a half-eaten bun. Maybe it was just for fun, but the city lord was seriously asking for that half bun. Some ghosts even had a bold thought: either there was a huge secret hidden in that bun, or this person was truly the city lord's brother!
Hua Cheng, however, took it with a smile, lifted it up to take a look, shook it in his hand, and said, "I received the bet."
Seeing him actually accept it, Xie Lian didn't know what to say. After a while, he said, "It's cold. It seems a bit hard now."
Hua Cheng replied, "It's fine. I don't mind."
With that, Xie Lian had nothing more to say. He turned around and walked out. The ghosts in the gambling house made way for him, initially because he was the first to step forward, showing courage. This time, they made way with a mix of respect and curiosity. As Xie Lian walked a few steps, he heard the ghosts behind him asking, "City Lord, where are you going next?"
Hua Cheng lazily replied, "I'm in a good mood today, heading to the Elysium Pavilion."
Upon hearing this, the hall erupted in cheers, as if it were a festival. Xie Lian couldn't help but look back again, just in time to see Hua Cheng turn around, holding the half bun, tossing it up and down, and casually taking a bite while glancing over.
Seeing this, Xie Lian paused slightly, feeling that he really couldn't stay in this place any longer. He quickened his pace, pulling Lang Qianqiu along as they hurried out.
The two of them ran out of the gambling house, sprinting for a long distance, nearly knocking over various vendor stalls along the way. They finally reached a slightly quieter alley, where Shi Qingxuan appeared and joined them. Shi Qingxuan shook his fan wildly, messing up his hair, and said, "That was close, my goodness, I was so scared my face turned white."
Perhaps they had rushed too much, as Xie Lian's heart was also pounding. Lang Qianqiu said, "Yes, Wind Master, I think your face is still very white."
Shi Qingxuan touched his face and laughed, "Really? Hahaha, that's not from fear, that's just how I am... Ahem! Ahem, Qianqiu, you're a martial god in charge of a region, how can you be so impulsive? We're in their ghost realm territory. If you got caught and your identity was exposed, it would be reported as a Heavenly Court official sneaking into the ghost market, disrupting the peace of the three realms. How would we explain that to the Emperor?"
Lang Qianqiu lowered his head and admitted his mistake, "Sorry, I was impulsive just now." Then he looked up and said, "But those gamblers were too heartless. If that man had opened the cup, regardless of winning or losing, it wouldn't have been good. Either his daughter would suffer, or his colleague would. I got angry and smashed the cup."
Shi Qingxuan said, "But you shouldn't have just rushed out like that."
Lang Qianqiu was puzzled and asked, "Then what should I have done, Wind Master? If I didn't rush out, no one else would have."
He asked earnestly, and Shi Qingxuan was a bit troubled, using his fan to tap his temple, saying, "Well..."
Xie Lian smiled slightly and said, "It's fine."
Lang Qianqiu looked up at him. Xie Lian continued, "I think even if Prince Taihua were caught, no matter how much they interrogated, he wouldn't reveal his identity. But to avoid giving away any clues through words, Your Highness should be careful in the future and try not to get caught."
Lang Qianqiu nodded and said, "Alright! I understand."
Shi Qingxuan said, "Let's not talk about it anymore. Oh, by the way, Crown Prince..."
At the mention of "Crown Prince," both Xie Lian and Lang Qianqiu turned to look at him. Shi Qingxuan said, "Oh, I meant the older one."
"…"
Xie Lian felt a bit frustrated, rubbing his forehead, thinking, "Older... Well, I am older, but not by much. Why does it always sound like they're talking about an old man when they mention me?"
Shi Qingxuan said, "Crown Prince, have you and Prince Taihua met before in the Divine Martial Hall? If not, let me introduce you. This is Lang Qianqiu, Crown Prince of the Eternal Peace Kingdom, the martial god of the east. And this is Xie Lian, Crown Prince of the Divine Joy Kingdom, a god official... greatly valued by the Emperor."
The word he stumbled over didn't need to be said; Xie Lian knew it was supposed to be "trash collector"! But he changed it halfway, not even caring about the awkward sentence structure. Lang Qianqiu listened, looked at Xie Lian, and said curiously, "Are you the Crown Prince who ascended three times?"
It seemed that during the Divine Martial Hall meeting, Lang Qianqiu had slept through the whole thing, not even remembering who Xie Lian was. If anyone else said this in front of Xie Lian, it would surely be a mockery. However, coming from Lang Qianqiu, Xie Lian completely believed that the boy was genuinely just amazed at the rarity of ascending three times. He smiled and said, "Yes, that's me."
Lang Qianqiu said, "Thank you so much earlier! Otherwise..." He suddenly remembered something and quickly tucked in his belt, tying it tightly, looking a bit relieved. He clearly hadn't thought much about the history between the Divine Joy Kingdom and Eternal Peace Kingdom, and Shi Qingxuan felt the introduction was sufficient. He turned to Xie Lian and asked, "Crown Prince, doesn't that Blood Rain Flower know you? Why did he pretend not to know you earlier?"
Lang Qianqiu, adjusting his belt, asked, "Was that really the Blood Rain Flower? The real one?"
Before Xie Lian could respond, Shi Qingxuan said, "How could it be the real one? Hua Cheng must have changed his appearance a hundred times; no one knows what he really looks like. Last time I saw him at Half Moon Pass, he looked similar, so it must be a fake appearance. Fake, fake."
However, Xie Lian remembered Hua Cheng's words at the Pugilistic Shrine, "Next time we meet, I'll show you my true form," and thought, "It's real."
Of course, he didn't say this out loud. Seeing that everyone else believed it was a fake appearance, only he knew it was the true form of the Blood Rain Flower, it felt like he had discovered a significant secret. Then he thought, "San Lang's appearance isn't much different from before, just a bit older and taller. So, when he first met me, he was almost using his true form." This thought brought him a small sense of joy.
Shi Qingxuan continued, "Everyone says Hua Cheng has a strange temperament, and it seems true. He was clearly letting you off easy, yet pretended not to know you. Who knows what he's up to? Maybe he wants us to lower our guard?"
Hearing this, Xie Lian coughed several times. Indeed, it was obvious to everyone that Hua Cheng was letting them off easy in the gambling house. No wonder, it wasn't just letting off easy; it was like opening the floodgates. Only Lang Qianqiu didn't see it, frowning and asking, "Did he let us off easy? Why?"
The other two patted his shoulder, choosing not to explain further, leaving Lang Qianqiu to ponder why Hua Cheng would let Xie Lian off easy and if it was because they knew each other. The two turned away, and Xie Lian said, "Now that our cover is blown, what should we do next? Should we change disguises and come back? I don't recommend changing disguises; it's useless. After Prince Taihua's strike, the ghost market will likely tighten security."
Shi Qingxuan said, "Honestly, I expected we might get exposed, but I didn't think it would happen so quickly."
Xie Lian sighed, "I understand, I understand."
Shi Qingxuan said, "Since we're exposed, why not just go openly?"
Xie Lian had a feeling he knew what "openly" meant. Sure enough, Shi Qingxuan continued, "If you want to cover it up, you can only go to Hua Cheng openly and say you came specifically to see him. He knows you're a Heavenly Court official, right? If so, bringing a few Heavenly Court followers makes sense."
Unexpectedly, Lang Qianqiu said, "No!"
Shi Qingxuan asked, "Why not?"
Lang Qianqiu said seriously, "Crown Prince of Divine Joy, do you know the Blood Rain Flower? From what you're saying, you two are friends, right?"
Xie Lian nodded. Lang Qianqiu said, "Then it's definitely not okay. Although I don't think this ghost king is a good person, he let you off easy because he considers you a friend. In that case, you mustn't lie to a friend."
Shi Qingxuan sighed, "Oh, Qianqiu, you're so stubborn!"
Xie Lian, however, smiled and nodded, "That's good. Prince Taihua is right."
Lang Qianqiu smiled, "You agree with me, don't you?"
Shi Qingxuan said, "What's good about it? We're three officials; if we return empty-handed, they'll say we're even less efficient than the True Lord Ling Wen's hall. It's embarrassing."
Xie Lian chuckled, about to speak, when they heard a commotion behind them. All three turned to look. At the entrance of the alley, a group of monsters and ghosts were chasing and shouting, "Where's that little masked guy?"
Xie Lian saw the other two looking wary and said, "Don't worry, they're not looking for us."
Just as he finished speaking, a piercing scream cut through the air, sharply entering their ears.