Out of nowhere, Xie Lian suddenly felt a surge of courage. After Lang Qianqiu left, his steps had been slow and his back slightly hunched. This newfound courage seemed to straighten him up without him even realizing it. He stood still, and Shi Qingxuan came up, patting his shoulder, saying, "That guy is quite something. Crown Prince, I don't know how you became friends with him, but you're really lucky."
This was the first time Xie Lian heard someone say he was lucky. He glanced at Shi Qingxuan, smiled slightly, and said, "Really? Maybe. I think so too."
Behind them, Feng Xin continued silently wiping his face. When the two turned around, they saw him with a face full of white fluff, and it was hard not to laugh. Xie Lian said, "Sorry about that."
This was an apology on behalf of Hua Cheng. Feng Xin finally managed to pull off all the white fluff and said, "I'm just not as skilled. Nothing more to say."
The three of them searched the nest again to make sure there were no more trapped people or any missed threats. Only then did they ride the wind back to the Immortal Capital.
After passing through the Ascension Gate, they saw many lesser officials from the middle Heavenly Court blocking the street, coming and going as if facing a great enemy, checking every palace along the street. When they reached the Divine Martial Hall, it was already packed with upper Heavenly Court officials, and they could hear arguments from afar. The first thing they heard was, "Hua Cheng actually has the nerve to accuse us of planting spies in the ghost market. It's utterly ridiculous. Does our Heavenly Realm need to plant spies under his watch?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Lian and Shi Qingxuan both lightly coughed. The matter of planting spies in the ghost market was probably not a lie. Shouting about it without understanding the situation might just end up shooting themselves in the foot if it turned out to be true.
The three entered the hall, with Shi Qingxuan leading. As soon as people saw him, they greeted, "Wind Master is back?" "Thank you for your hard work!" But their eyes were all on Xie Lian. Before they could ask more, they saw Feng Xin, looking like he just crawled out of a blood pool, walking in with a stern face. Everyone froze and quickly looked away. After all, no one wanted to hear his booming voice echoing in the quiet hall. Only Mu Qing didn't avoid it, instead deliberately looking over, making his intentions obvious.
Xie Lian looked up and saw Jun Wu sitting at the head, supporting his forehead with one hand, pressing his temples, eyes closed, looking slightly tired. Xie Lian could understand.
In the past, they might not have a meeting for a month or two, but recently, incidents kept happening, and the Divine Martial Hall was packed several times in a short period, as if there were issues every day, needing meetings twice a day. If it were Xie Lian, he would be tired too.
Moreover, there were many people wanting to express their opinions, all talking at once. A god official said, "He comes and goes as he pleases, connecting the Divine Joy Palace to other places.
It's terrifying.
Now he can easily grab the Crown Prince who offended him, and tomorrow he might grab other officials. This must not be tolerated, it must be stopped in time!"
In the mortal world, it would be like a rebel digging a tunnel into the palace, coming and going freely, naturally making people uneasy. No wonder the middle Heavenly Court officials were on high alert, checking everywhere. Mu Qing, however, didn't focus on this, saying calmly, "Hua Cheng has so many followers and owns a ghost market. Burning a mere Elysium Pavilion means nothing to him. It might not be because the Crown Prince offended him that he broke into the Immortal Capital."
Shi Qingxuan immediately said, "General Xuan Zhen, what you said isn't right. Everyone heard Hua Cheng admit it himself. By the way, whose turn is it to guard the court this month? The door of the Divine Joy Palace was enchanted to connect elsewhere, and no one noticed. Isn't that negligence?"
Pei Ming, who was standing with arms crossed, said, "Me."
Shi Qingxuan had mistakenly thought it was Mu Qing's turn, and it was awkward to have blamed Pei Ming. Pei Ming, however, didn't shirk responsibility and said, "It's my turn this month. It was indeed my negligence."
A god official who was on good terms with him immediately tried to smooth things over, "I think we should handle one thing at a time, let's first clarify the bloodbath at the Gilded Banquet!"
At this moment, Ling Wen, who was standing in front of the hall, suddenly said, "Prince Taihua has sent a message."
Jun Wu finally opened his eyes and said, "What did he say?"
Ling Wen paused for a moment and said, "He said there's more to the Gilded Banquet incident in the Eternal Peace Kingdom, and he will handle it with the Crown Prince himself, without others intervening. But please make sure the Crown Prince does not succeed in self-deprecation, these are two separate matters."
Mu Qing frowned and said, "What's the inside story?"
Ling Wen said, "He didn't say more, no further messages."
Unexpectedly, just as a major conflict seemed imminent, it ended with a light thud, leaving the god officials a bit disappointed. Lang Qianqiu was the victim, and if he wasn't seeking revenge, what was there for others to watch? Moreover, Lang Qianqiu wasn't talking, and Xie Lian didn't seem like he would either, leaving nothing to chew on.
Next, Jun Wu assigned Feng Xin and Mu Qing to assist Pei Ming in strengthening security, arranged some other matters, and waved everyone off. Xie Lian stayed behind and overheard someone saying, "As expected, every time he causes trouble, the Emperor says he'll investigate, but nothing ever happens..."
"Can't recognize a great Buddha when you see one, better be careful with your words in the future."
...
Once everyone had left, Xie Lian approached the front of the hall and bowed, saying, "Sorry for the trouble."
Jun Wu said, "This isn't much trouble. If you had insisted that you were responsible for the bloodbath at the Gilded Banquet, that would have been troublesome."
After hesitating for a moment, Xie Lian explained everything that had happened.
After listening, Jun Wu commented, "Xian Le, what you did was truly thankless, pleasing no one."
Xie Lian bowed his head and said, "I know."
Jun Wu said, "Never mind. You're always like this. Taihua's attention is now diverted, chasing the Green Ghost. Once he catches up, he'll surely come for you. Have you thought about how to handle it?"
Xie Lian said, "I haven't thought about it. But for now, I want to think about something else."
Jun Wu laughed and said, "What are you thinking about? Is it something interesting that might cheer me up too?"
Xie Lian said, "Did you send the Earth Master to the ghost market as a spy?"
Jun Wu calmly said, "Yes."
Xie Lian said, "Why?"
Jun Wu slowly said, "Because Hua Cheng first planted his spies in the Heavenly Realm."
Xie Lian was taken aback. Jun Wu stood up and said, "For many years, Hua Cheng's information has been too quick. Moreover, he knows things he shouldn't, in great detail. He knows exactly what can be done, what can't, where the bottom line is, and how to push the limits. This time, he directly opened a passage to your Divine Joy Palace, indirectly proving that there is indeed an insider he planted in the upper Heavenly Court. Otherwise, it wouldn't be possible."
Actually, Xie Lian had somewhat sensed this, as Hua Cheng truly knew too much, so Jun Wu's words weren't unbelievable. He said, "Do you have evidence?"
Jun Wu slowly shook his head and said, "It's precisely because there's no evidence, yet oddities keep occurring, that I sent Ming Yi to infiltrate the ghost world. Unexpectedly, the Heavenly Court's mole hasn't been caught, and Ming Yi fell into his hands. Although he wasn't lost to him, thanks to you saving him, finding his spy is now even more difficult."
Xie Lian said, "Is the problem in the upper Heavenly Court or the middle Heavenly Court?"
Jun Wu said, "Hard to say. Assume anyone but you could be a suspect. Maybe just one, maybe more."
No wonder Jun Wu didn't send others to investigate Ming Yi's whereabouts in the ghost market. If anyone could be a suspect except him, Xie Lian couldn't help but think, "Could it be that Wind Master, Qianqiu, Feng Xin, they all could be suspects too?"
At this moment, Jun Wu said, "Xian Le, I know you must have a good impression of Hua Cheng now. You have your own judgment, and others shouldn't interfere with your friendships. But when necessary, be cautious of Hua Cheng, don't reveal everything to him."
Upon hearing this, Xie Lian collected his thoughts. Jun Wu said, "Anyone who becomes a Supreme has endured unimaginable pain. It's either a meteoric rise or eternal damnation. The two Supreme Ghost Kings from Bronze Furnace Mountain, Black Water and Hua Cheng, are far more terrifying than you imagine."
Xie Lian bowed his head, neither refuting nor agreeing. Jun Wu said, "I don't know his purpose or direction, yet he knows the Heavenly Court's purpose and direction clearly. This is very disadvantageous."
Hearing him say "this is very disadvantageous," Xie Lian looked up and blurted out, "San Lang he..." Seeing Jun Wu's look, he paused and corrected himself, "Hua Cheng, he probably won't do anything too extreme. After all, with his power, if he wanted to cause chaos, wouldn't he have done so long ago? Since he didn't before, as long as nothing major happens, he probably won't in the future either."
Jun Wu said, "I hope so, but you know I can't take that risk."
Leaving the Divine Martial Hall, Xie Lian walked slowly through the streets of the Immortal Capital.
When he passed by the Divine Joy Palace, he stopped and looked at it for a while.
This was the palace granted to him by Jun Wu, luxurious, brand new, yet very unfamiliar. The bright red door with rows of shiny door nails was already sealed with two strips of paper full of spells, forming a large cross, striking to the eye.
Before leaving the Divine Martial Hall, Shi Qingxuan had told him that since the door was enchanted to connect elsewhere, his palace was temporarily sealed, and he could rest at his hall. However, after staring at this "Divine Joy Palace" for a while, Xie Lian suddenly turned away. He didn't go to the Wind Master's hall nor did he attend to what he was originally going to do, instead, he headed straight out of the Ascension Gate and jumped down.
Passing through the vast sea of clouds, he landed at Mount Tai Cang.
On this Mount Tai Cang once stood the royal Taoist temple of the Ancient Celestial Music Kingdom—Huang Ji Temple.
Huang Ji Temple was a vast complex of Taoist temples covering the entire Mount Tai Cang, with numerous temples and shrines dedicated to various gods and immortals, shining together. The main god was the Divine Martial Emperor, with the golden hall at the highest peak. The Crown Prince Hall on the second highest peak was also once very prosperous.
Eight hundred years ago, Mount Tai Cang was covered in fiery maple forests, a famous scenic spot, with worshippers crowding the paths. But after the fall of the Celestial Music Kingdom, many former worshippers rushed up the mountain to burn the Crown Prince Hall, sparking a fire that burned most of Mount Tai Cang, leaving it a wasteland.
Burned land, like land with buried bodies, seemed more fertile. Later, seeds fell on this wasteland, growing into new trees. Hundreds of years later, the mountain was once again lush and green, but the red leaves were gone, a completely different landscape from eight hundred years ago.
There used to be a wide and flat bluestone path up the mountain. On the path, you could see pilgrims or young Taoists carrying water and firewood. Now, this path had long disappeared, buried under fallen rocks and dead branches. Xie Lian climbed the mountain using his legs, cutting through brambles and weeds with his Fangxin Sword when they blocked his way.
Halfway up the mountain, Xie Lian felt a bit tired and leaned against a dead tree to rest for a moment. Suddenly, a black object fell from the tree, making a "crackling" sound, and rushed towards him.