Technically, people shouldn't know what their backs look like, but Xie Lian is different. He knows his own back very well.
After the fall of the Divine Joy Kingdom, people, in their anger, burned down his eight thousand Crown Prince Halls, toppled all the statues of the Crown Prince, stole the jewels from the sword hilts, and scraped off the gold from his clothes. But even that didn't satisfy their anger. So, someone came up with a new idea: they started making these kneeling statues.
They sculpted the once-revered Crown Prince into a kneeling position, as if confessing, and placed these statues in busy areas. People were encouraged to spit on or hit these wooden statues to get rid of bad luck. Or even worse, they made statues in a prostrating position to replace doorsteps, so that thousands could step on them. In the twenty years after the fall of the Divine Joy Kingdom, many towns and villages had these statues. How could Xie Lian not be familiar with what his back looked like when kneeling?
At this moment, a young man's voice said, "That little stray dog Pei Su only got into the heavenly realm by clinging to Pei Ming's leg. Does he really think he's something? Now he's just a stray dog in exile. If he dares to mess with me, I'll make sure he dries up in the wind, and no one will dare to collect his corpse!"
Before the person arrived, the insults did. Xie Lian glanced over and saw a man in a flowing green robe entering. For some insignificant reason, Xie Lian couldn't help but look at the top of his head first. Seeing that he wore a mask and had no light above him, he felt a slight disappointment. A group of little green-clad ghosts surrounded this man, like candles around a person. This must be the infamous Green Ghost Qi Rong, one of the four great nuisances of the ghost realm.
From the first time Nan Feng mentioned Qi Rong's name, Xie Lian had been curious if this "Qi Rong" was the same Qi Rong he knew. But because of the common belief that demons and ghosts hide their real names and past lives, he thought it might not be the same person, just a coincidence. However, now he was about ninety percent sure. After all, if it wasn't the Qi Rong he knew, why would another Qi Rong be so obsessed with those kneeling Crown Prince statues? And why did his voice sound somewhat familiar?
The group of little green ghosts surrounded Qi Rong, shouting and chattering. Xie Lian listened and got the gist of it. It turned out Qi Rong had sent some trusted followers to the ghost market to cause trouble, but they were defeated by Hua Cheng.
So, he was planning to try again. But before he could even start the second round, they ran into the exiled Pei Su on the way. Even though Pei Su had been demoted to the mortal realm, he was once a god official and had nothing else to do, so he casually cleaned them up, defeating them again.
After losing two groups of his trusted followers in such a short time, Qi Rong was furious and cursed continuously, "Like grandfather, like grandson. That diseased horse Pei Ming should have his and Pei Su's rotten things chopped off and hung in front of their temple. Whoever worships them will rot like them!"
Listening to this, Xie Lian really felt like covering his ears. Feng Xin, when provoked, also cursed, but even at his worst, it was clear he didn't really mean it. Qi Rong's way of cursing, on the other hand, left no doubt that he truly wished for those he cursed to die as filthy and disgusting as he described. He was utterly shameless.
The little green ghosts echoed loudly. Qi Rong, perhaps thinking of his capable subordinate, said, "It's a pity about Xuan Ji, such a fierce woman, caught by those shameless Pei family dogs and suffering greatly, and we still can't rescue her!"
Xie Lian couldn't agree with that. While Xuan Ji might be pitiable, it wasn't entirely General Pei's fault, as she was the one who kidnapped and killed those brides. Fierce, yes; a good woman, debatable.
And as for him saying Pei Su only ascended by clinging to General Pei's leg, Xie Lian couldn't agree with that either. After all these years, he could say this: having talent doesn't guarantee ascension, but if someone ascended, they definitely have their skills. Without personal strength, no matter how much help they get, they can't pass the heavenly tribulation.
Xie Lian didn't have much interaction with Pei Su, but he could see that Pei Su's martial skills were slightly above Lang Qianqiu's. However, having great skills doesn't always mean having a high position; luck is also a factor. Otherwise, Pei Su would have had his own hall long ago.
But Qi Rong didn't consider these things. He cursed everyone under the sun, calling Pei Ming a diseased horse, Pei Su a leg-clinger, Jun Wu a hypocrite, Ling Wen a dead b*tch, Lang Qianqiu an idiot, Quan Yizhen dog sh*t, the Water Master black-hearted, the Wind Master a cheap woman—he probably didn't know Shi Qingxuan was actually a man.
If Xie Lian hadn't heard it himself, he couldn't imagine someone having so much resentment. Finally, Qi Rong focused his curses on Hua Cheng and the low-key Black Water Sinking Boat, daring them to look down on him. He vowed to make them kneel before him one day.
Xie Lian, unable to imagine such a ridiculous scenario, felt more amused than angry, and couldn't help but glance at Hua Cheng. Hua Cheng showed no reaction, his eyes still fixed on the kneeling statue. Finally, thank heavens, Qi Rong seemed to have vented enough and changed the topic, asking, "How's the thing I asked you to do going?
Did Quan Yizhen and that diseased horse Pei start fighting?"
As he spoke, he leaned back on a luxurious long bench, lifting his boots to rest on the statue's shoulders, using it as a footrest.
Xie Lian, holding Hua Cheng's arm, felt him take a slight step forward and quickly pulled him back. Feeling that just pulling wasn't enough, he wrote a word in Hua Cheng's palm: "Thanks."
Hua Cheng recognized the word, looked down at him, and Xie Lian's eyes were full of gratitude, thanking him for his good intentions. Then, he gently shook his head and wrote "listen" and "heaven" in his palm.
From Qi Rong's words, it seemed he had sent someone to do something involving the two god officials from the Heavenly Court, and it wasn't something good. Xie Lian had to listen. As for the statue being used as a footrest, he thought, having been used as a doorstep, it didn't bother him. After all, it was just a stone, not him. Though he only wrote three short words, the two exchanged a look, and Xie Lian knew Hua Cheng understood. Hua Cheng slowly tightened his grip, turned his head, and his expression was hidden.
A little green ghost said, "As per your orders, we spread the news in the west that Pei Ming wants to support Pei Su as the Western Martial God. The rumors are getting bigger, and we used this as an excuse to disguise ourselves as followers of the Hall of Valor and smashed over a hundred Bright Light Temples in the north. No one suspected a thing. Haha! You wouldn't believe how stupid some followers are. When they saw us smashing, they joined in enthusiastically!"
Qi Rong praised, "Keep fanning the flames! Quan Yizhen might endure, but I don't believe that diseased horse Pei will!"
Regardless of whether what they spread was true or not, spreading such malicious rumors was already ill-intentioned, not to mention disguising themselves as humans to smash temples, damaging others' virtue. No wonder the god officials in the Heavenly Court found Qi Rong troublesome despite his limited abilities. Xie Lian noted to himself, "If there's a chance, I should inform Jun Wu, so those two god officials won't be misled."
After Qi Rong finished his business, he leaned back, resting his long legs on the statue's shoulders in a different position. The little ghosts knew what to do and approached the crowd, picking and choosing. Among the crowd was a child, about ten years old, who didn't quite understand what was happening. He blinked his big eyes, clinging to his father's clothes, and pulled on them whenever he was scared. The young man's face was ashen, trembling as he said, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid." But he himself was terrified.
A little green ghost, seeing the child, was delighted and reached out to grab him. The young man let out a cry and jumped up. Before Xie Lian could react, he sensed a shadow flash beside him. Looking back, he saw Hua Cheng stepping forward.
Since he was here to find the Green Ghost, seeing Qi Rong meant he should reveal himself. Xie Lian had no doubt that Hua Cheng alone could wreak havoc here, unstoppable. However, Hua Cheng did not reveal his true form but remained in the guise of an ordinary young man, walking forward.
Several little green ghosts drew their weapons, warning, "Stop! What are you doing?!"
Qi Rong, still lounging with his feet up, asked curiously, "What's up with this kid? Take him down."
Hua Cheng smiled and said, "The royal family of the Divine Joy Kingdom is here. Aren't you going to show some respect?"
Upon hearing this, not only Qi Rong but even Xie Lian was stunned.
After a moment, Qi Rong stood up abruptly, chuckling angrily, "You've got some nerve! Making jokes like this in front of me?! Who are you claiming to be from the Divine Joy royal family? Which branch?!"
Hua Cheng calmly replied, "Prince An Le."
Suddenly, Xie Lian felt the Lang Qianqiu doll in his arms struggle slightly.
Prince An Le was a descendant of the Divine Joy royal family, from the same generation as Lang Qianqiu. Prince An Le and Lang Qianqiu were considered friends.
Qi Rong's sneering voice came from under his mask, "Prince An Le? You're asking for death! Didn't whoever sent you here tell you? Prince An Le was the last surviving branch of the Divine Joy royal family, and even they died out long ago! What are you, daring to impersonate the Divine Joy royal family in front of me?"
Hua Cheng raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Died out? How did they die?"
Qi Rong shouted, "Take him down! Take down this strange kid!"
At his command, dozens of little green ghosts poured in from all sides of the cave, shouting. Amidst the chaos, Hua Cheng smiled slightly.
In the previous moment, his expression was like a gentle breeze, but in the next, a layer of cold frost covered his face. Without any visible movement, he suddenly appeared behind Qi Rong.
He grabbed Qi Rong's head with one hand, as if holding a child's toy ball, and slammed it down, saying, "What the hell are you, daring to seek death in front of me!"
With a loud "bang," the ground in front of the luxurious long bench exploded with dust and debris. Xie Lian shielded the child behind him from a few small stones. When the dust settled, Qi Rong was gone. On closer inspection, he hadn't disappeared; his entire head had been smashed deep into the ground by Hua Cheng's palm.
The cave was filled with screams and chaos. Xie Lian shouted, "Don't run around!" If the ghosts in the cave were startled and started killing, what then? Of course, no one listened to him. Xie Lian withdrew his hand, feeling helpless. But he couldn't worry about others now. Over there, Hua Cheng slowly crouched down, grabbed Qi Rong's hair with one hand, and pulled the bloody head from the cracked ground, lifting the body to examine it with interest, laughing loudly.
Though he was laughing, his expression was deeply unsettling, chilling to the bone. Ruoye flew out, knocking down a few green ghosts who were swinging their blades at fleeing humans. Xie Lian turned back, sensing something was wrong, and called, "San Lang? San Lang!"
Qi Rong's mask had cracked, pieces falling away. He spat out blood and shouted, "Someone! Stop him! Everyone, stop him!!"
Hua Cheng, who had been beating him to death, now seemed to have all the time in the world to chat about anything and everything, saying with a chuckle, "Ah, you don't know? Some things in this world can't be stopped. Like the sun setting in the west, like an elephant crushing an ant, like—I'm going to take your life!"
As he said the last sentence, his face twisted with malice, and he lifted Qi Rong's entire body, slamming it down again!
With another loud crash, Qi Rong's body hit the ground, turning into a mess worse than mud. His mask cracked with a light sound, revealing half of his face.
Anyone looking at this half of the face would discover a shocking truth:
The Green Ghost Qi Rong and the Divine Joy Crown Prince, these two vastly different beings, looked remarkably alike!