Xie Lian whispered to Hua Cheng, ”I don’t know what’s going on with Mu Qing, but Feng Xin is
looking for Jian Lan and the fetus spirit. They couldn’t have…”
He couldn’t have stayed behind in the Heavenly Capital, not leaving with the other heavenly
officials, and ended up colliding in that series of going up and down the heavens and the earth,
the flooding and burning?
Or perhaps worse. Maybe, the both of them are currently in the hands of Jun Wu!
Just then, Guoshi walked over from the side, ”Your Highness, there’s no need to keep
searching. If he’s here then there’s no reason to hide. There might be a lot of people here, but
there aren’t many worth paying attention to. Since he’s not here, then he could only have gone
to one place, and, it’s a place he’d want you to follow him to.”
Xie Lian understood, ”Is it Mount TongLu?”
Guoshi nodded, ”Perhaps he’d activated the Distance Shortening Array. Besides the Heavenly
Capital, that’s the domain where he’s the most powerful.”
“Huh? You’re going to Mount TongLu?” Shi Qing Xuan exclaimed, ”That horrifying place???”
“We’ve already gone once.” Xie Lian said, ”It’s alright, not that scary. Maybe Feng Xin and Mu
Qing are there too.”
However, Guoshi warned, ”Don’t lower your guard. When you go this time, it won’t be the same
things waiting for you there.” After a pause, he said, ”I think I’ll go with the both of you. Best if
you could also find a few dependable martial gods to help. No one injured. If they’re injured then
they’d be dragging you down even if they went.”
Then, that was a real challenge. ”Dependable martial god?” Xie Lian wondered. Maybe there
were several dependable martial gods before, but now, there weren’t many left. Fallen, charred,
some missing, some with a child hugging his leg wailing. Hua Cheng spoke up, ”There’s no
need to look for any helpers, they’re all useless. Gege and I are enough.”
“It definitely won’t be enough.” Guoshi said.
Pei Ming objected from afar, ”Crimson Rain Sought Flower, can you please not say something
like ”They’re all useless” with such a confident, believable tone!”
Shi Qing Xuan also laughed heartily, ”General Pei, you’re so incredibly burnt, and you didn’t
even cut down as many rats as Lord Rain Master, so what are you complaining about!”
He hadn’t seen Pei Ming in a long time, but when they saw each other, Shi Qing Xuan still found
pleasure in taunting him. Having been stabbed where it hurt, Pei Ming couldn’t do anything and
only became more depressed. Just then, a voice suddenly came, ”Wait, me too, I’ll go too.”
The crowd parted to see, and only then did they notice that the one who spoke was actually Mu
Qing. Since who knows when, he had been standing at the very back of the crowd. Xie Lian saw
him emerged and breathed in relief, ”Mu Qing? When did you come? Where did you go earlier?
I thought you went missing too.”
However, Mu Qing said, ”I’ve always been here.”
Hua Cheng crossed his arms, giving him a side-eyed look, ”Always been here, but you didn’t
speak and you didn’t help either, huh?”
Mu Qing replied dryly, ”I said I’ve always been here. It’s just that I didn’t speak, and none of you
saw me, that’s all.”
However, there were several occasions when they needed people and he was never found, and
even when he was called he never answered, which was why everyone thought General Xuan
Zhen had gone missing. Xie Lian was still hopeful that perhaps Feng Xin would still be in the
crowd too, but they didn’t find him after a search, and Feng Xin really wasn’t there, so he could
only say, ”Alright. You’re coming along to help? That’s great, there’s finally someone useful.”
Thus, Mu Qing approached. Seeing he was coming along, both Guoshi and Hua Cheng’s
expressions were amazingly the same for once. Both of them had disliked Mu Qing from a long
time ago; there was no need to speak on Hua Cheng’s case, but Guoshi hadn’t quite wanted to
take Mu Qing for a disciple from the beginning, and just by the looks of things it could easily be
guessed that instead of having a helper like Mu Qing, he’d rather not have any helpers at all. Mu
Qing couldn’t have been ignorant of their attitudes at all either, but after he approached he still
bowed to the Guoshi and said quietly, ”Master.”
Guoshi nodded and didn’t say much either. After all, it wasn’t like Mu Qing had done anything
heinous and criminal either, and since he was coming to help, there was no reason to stop him
from going. He turned to Shi Qing Xuan, ”His Highness’ divine statue will guard this place. The
resentful spirits still need a few days to be purified, and since there’s so many hands here,
watch over the array well yourselves.”
Shi Qing Xuan nodded, ”But of course! But wait, elder, I’ve asked you this many times already,
but will you please answer me, just who are you?”
Guoshi didn’t answer. The group followed Hua Cheng and walked to the front of a mansion on
the side. Hua Cheng easily tossed a dice and was just about to open the door when
unexpectedly, he took a casual glimpse, and his colours changed slightly.
Xie Lian was sharp and caught it, ”What is it, San Lang? Is the Distance Shortening Array not
activating?”
Hua Cheng snapped back and smiled, ”No. It’s just, it’s rare for me to roll out this kind of
results.”
He opened his palm to Xie Lian. Xie Lian pressed close to look and was also taken aback.
Upon the pale white palm was a lonesome dice, and what it showed was one dot.
When Hua Cheng rolled it was always six bright red dots, and snake eyes truly was very rare.
The tip of Xie Lian’s heart trembled, ”…What does this roll mean? Did you roll a mistake?”
“Based on past experiences, this probably means there’s something extremely dangerous
waiting for me ahead.” Hua Cheng said.
“…”
Xie Lian’s heart lurched a little bit. Behind them, Guoshi spoke up, ”Sigh, haven’t I told you
young people so many times that gambling is bad, and to break that bad habit! Your Highness,
do you see, what sort of bad habit he’s picked up!”
A bad omen, but Hua Cheng still looked unperturbed, and he tucked the dice away, smiling, ”It’s
just a reference, it doesn’t matter what I roll. Whether if it’s dangerous or not is my say.” Then he
opened the door, ”Let’s go, gege.”
He turned and was just about to cross the threshold when Xie Lian subconsciously reached out
and pulled him back, almost blurting, ”Don’t go anymore”, but even without thinking Xie Lian
knew that was impossible. In the end, he only said softly, ”Let’s go. But, don’t leave my side. If
anything should happen I will protect you.”
Hearing this, Hua Cheng was stunned.
It was a good moment before the corners of his lips curled, and he gave a big smile, ”Alright.
Gege, remember to protect me.”
“…” Mu Qing watched on the side, his eyes unreadably upset or disgusted. The moment Hua
Cheng opened the door, a wave of scorching heat came lunging at his face, putting out any
strange expressions.
The volcano erupted not long ago, and the flying dust and ashes covering the skies hadn’t yet
dispersed. Where there used to be forests and earth was now ablaze, the fires devouring all that
was alive, looking like fiery hell, crimson all over. Mount TongLu had lost all of its former
appearances.
Xie Lian and company emerged from a rocky cave that was sitting on a higher hill, and the
moment they came out they were almost suffocated by the ashes in the air, ”Is he really here?”
“Probably somewhere near the Kiln.” Mu Qing said.
“The volcano’s erupted, there’s probably nowhere near the Kiln to stay.”
However, Guoshi said, ”I know where he is. If that place wasn’t destroyed, then just follow me,
and you’ll see when we get there.”
The group followed after him, descending from the tall hill, and Hua Cheng walked in front of Xie
Lian the entire way. Where there were rubble and tall weeds that made steps difficult, he’d go up
first to flatten the path before turning around to reach for Xie Lian, helping him down. Otherwise,
Xie Lian probably would’ve descended much faster – slipping from the tallest point of the hill
and roll all the way to the bottom.
Yet unexpectedly, Xie Lian didn’t slip but another person did – Mu Qing was bringing up the
rear, and he lost his footing, his figure swaying. Xie Lian was closest to him, and with a fast
hand, he caught him, ”Watch out!”
Mu Qing jolted slightly before seeming to return to his senses, ”I know.”
Xie Lian let go, thinking Mu Qing certainly was behaving oddly. He turned his head and
suddenly remembered something, and in a quick jog he came to Hua Cheng’s side, whispering
his question, ”By the way, San Lang, back at the top of the snowy mountain when Feng Xin and
Mu Qing were fighting, what did you hear them say? Why were you suddenly so angry?”
Hearing this brought up, Hua Cheng’s face turned slightly cold but it was concealed a moment
later, ”Oh, that. They were just talking without thinking, and said some disrespectful things about
gege, that’s all.”
“Huh?” Xie Lian asked, ”Like what?”
“Gege doesn’t need to know.” Hua Cheng said, ”It’ll dirty your ears. Come, we’re down.”
The four of them had descended from the tall hill, and after walking for a bit, their path was
blocked by a river. What was flowing in the river wasn’t clear water, but crimson red fluids that
was still bubbling – it was scorching lava!
With this burning temperature, normal people didn’t need to drop in, just going near and they’d
die from the heat wave. Fortunately none of them were mortals so they could endure this
bone-melting land. Guoshi kept wiping at the sweat on his face, ”It should be right across. This
place used to be a moat, but now that it’s become like this we won’t be able to cross.”
“We’ll probably need something to help cross the river with.” Xie Lian said.
——–