However, Xie Lian was too nervous and too guilty, so he kept his eyes tightly closed and was completely unaware.

The last time they breathed in the water, Hua Cheng took the lead. His movements were too aggressive and his kiss was too heavy. Xie Lian didn't dare to recall it afterwards, and only remembered that his lips were swollen, painful and numb. This time, he took the lead, but he was very careful, just pressing lightly, not daring to use more force, as if he was afraid of waking Hua Cheng up. But then he thought again, wasn't his original purpose to wake Hua Cheng up? And if the kiss was too shallow, the lips wouldn't fit tightly together, and the breath would leak out, wouldn't it be in vain?

So, Xie Lian still closed his eyes, silently reciting the Tao Te Ching in his mind at a high speed, while slightly separating his lips, taking a light breath, and pressing them together again.

This time, the kiss was deeper than the previous one. Xie Lian held Hua Cheng’s two slightly cool thin lips and slowly let in the air.

During the process, he kept his eyes closed, not daring to look any further. After taking five or six breaths, he thought he should press Hua Cheng's chest again. Unexpectedly, when he opened his eyes, he was met with Hua Cheng's eyes that were wide open.

“…”

“…”

Xie Lian still held Hua Cheng's cheeks with his hands, and their lips had just separated, and there was still a soft and tingling touch on both lips. In an instant, both of them turned into stone statues, as if they would be shattered by a gust of wind. Xie Lian was of course stunned, and Hua Cheng, who usually remained calm even when faced with a catastrophe, was also stunned.

Xie Lian simply didn’t know why he didn’t die from a brain hemorrhage on the spot. After a long while, he said, “Sanlang, you’re awake.”

Huacheng said nothing.

Xie Lian suddenly let go of his hands and leaped back several feet: “…No no no no no no no! No no no no! It’s not what you think! I just wanted to give you…”

What to give him? Give him some energy?

Do ghosts need to be breathed in? Even he himself said this and no one believed it!

Xie Lian was stuck, and Hua Cheng sat up all of a sudden. He stretched out a hand towards him, as if trying to calm himself down, and said, “…Your Highness, you, calm down first.”

Xie Lian held his head with both hands, his whole body was shaking. Finally, he put his hands together, bowed fiercely to Hua Cheng, and said, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!!!”

After shouting, he turned around and ran away. Hua Cheng finally came to his senses, got up and chased after him, shouting behind him: "Your Highness!"

Xie Lian covered his ears and ran while shouting out his regret: “I’m sorry!!!”

Die! Die quickly! If you don’t want to die, dig a hole and pretend to be dead!

He ran very fast and rushed into the depths of the dense forest in an instant. As he was running, something like a sharp arrow suddenly flew towards him. Although Xie Lian was greatly stimulated at the moment, his physical reaction was not slow at all. He grabbed a bone spur with a flick of his hand. He suddenly stopped and looked in the direction of the attack, but he saw nothing but clusters of rustling bushes. There was danger everywhere, so he calmed down and turned around and ran back. He said, "Sanlang!"

Hua Cheng had been following him closely, and when he turned around, he almost ran into Hua Cheng’s arms. Xie Lian grabbed his hand and ran out of the jungle, saying, “Run, there’s something in the forest!”

Hua Cheng, who had been chasing him, was dragged back by him. When they got back to the beach, Xie Lian heaved a sigh of relief and said, “Fortunately, fortunately, he didn’t follow me.”

Hua Cheng also said: "Well, there are some small creatures on the island, but it's okay, they won't follow us."

After hearing this, Xie Lian suddenly remembered why Hua Cheng would be afraid of such a thing. He looked down and saw that he was still holding his hand, which was stiff again. He quickly let go and jumped away.

There were several feet between them, and they were silent for a while. Hua Cheng sighed, tugged at the collar of his clothes, and said, "Thank you so much, brother, for saving me just now. There are so many inconveniences in life. I drank a few sips of water when I went into the sea. It was so salty."

Xie Lian wasn’t that stupid. He knew that Hua Cheng was trying to save his face, so he had no choice but to go along with it. He lowered his head and said vaguely, “No, no.”

After a pause, Hua Cheng continued: "However, what my brother did was a little wrong."

Xie Lian was stunned and said awkwardly, “Isn’t that right? I… thought that just passing the Qi would be enough.”

Hua Cheng said: "Hmm. That's not right. Don't do this to others casually in the future, otherwise you might..."

Otherwise, not only might he fail to save someone’s life, but he might even kill someone. He said this seriously, and Xie Lian felt ashamed. He was secretly glad that he had never done this before, otherwise he would have been really guilty. He quickly promised, “I won’t do it again, I won’t do it again.”

Hua Cheng nodded and smiled. Although Xie Lian really wanted to ask Hua Cheng how to transfer Qi, he didn't dare to dwell on this issue any more. He first took note of it, looked around, and said, "Is this island really a deserted island with no human habitation?"

Hua Cheng said: "Of course. This is the center of the Black Water Demon Den, Black Water Island."

He was very sure. Blood Rain Scholar and Black Water Boat, these two must know each other. Xie Lian asked, "Has Sanlang been here before?"

Hua Cheng shook his head and said, "I've never been here. But I know there is such an island."

Xie Lian frowned and said, “I wonder where Master Feng and the others have drifted to, and whether they are on the island.”

This is the Black Water Ghost Den in the South China Sea. It is someone else’s territory. Pei Ming’s home turf is in the north. The Earth Master is not a martial god, not to mention the Wind Master. If something goes wrong and the Black Water Mysterious Ghost is provoked, the only one who can fight against it is the Water Master. But it is still unknown when the Heavenly Tribulation of Master Wudu will come, and the situation is really not optimistic. Xie Lian asked, “Sanlang, does the Black Water Mysterious Ghost have a bad temper? What will he do if a priest accidentally enters his territory and enters his home?”

Hua Cheng said: "It's hard to say. But brother should have heard that saying. I am the king on land, and he is the boss in the water. In the black water ghost den, I have to be a little bit cautious."

Not only was it not his home ground, but as both were the best of the world, he had to give the other a little face so that they could meet again in the future. Xie Lian said, “Then we have to leave quickly.”

After walking around the island briefly, the two of them did not go deep into the forest. Xie Lian called out for a while, but did not hear any response from Feng Shi and the others. Hua Cheng said, "Maybe they did not drift to Blackwater Island."

The two of them came to the beach again. The sea was dead and gloomy. Xie Lian picked up a piece of wood on the way and threw it far away. Such a piece of wood should float on the water, but after landing on the water several feet away, it sank instantly. Xie Lian looked back at the dense forest and said, "It seems that cutting wood into boats is absolutely impossible. The shrinking technique is also useless. How can we leave this island?"

Hua Cheng said, "Who said no?"

Xie Lian said, “But, only the coffin wood that has been used to collect the dead can float in the Black Water Ghost Den…” Before he finished, he immediately remembered, coffins, there are trees everywhere here, and the dead, aren’t they right in front of us?

As expected, Hua Cheng smiled and said, "Can't I just lie down in there?"

Although he was smiling, Xie Lian felt an inexplicable pang in his heart.

Hua Cheng spread his palms, and the curved knife Er Ming appeared in his palms. They did what they said, and they began to pick up wood. Because they did not go deep into the forest, they did not encounter anything lurking in the dark, and they cut down several trees in a short time. In a blink of an eye, they worked hard for a day and it was getting dark. The two divided the work and cooperated, rushing to do any work, with extremely high efficiency. In the evening, the coffin was almost built.

Xie Lian had only eaten half a steamed bun on the way, and was already starving, but he wanted to finish the coffin as soon as possible and leave as soon as possible. After seeing the coffin was completed, he found an excuse to go fishing. But how could there be fish in the water of the Black Water Devil's Den? He returned empty-handed and went to the edge of the forest to pick some wild fruits in a less dangerous area. Unexpectedly, when he came back, Hua Cheng had already built a bonfire and sat by the fire, holding his chin with one hand and holding a branch with the other hand, roasting a wild rabbit on a fork.

The hare had been cleaned and roasted until its skin was slightly charred and golden, with the aroma of meat filling the air, making it extremely tempting. Seeing Xie Lian coming back, Hua Cheng smiled slightly, moved his hand away, and handed it to him. Xie Lian took it, handed him the fruit, and said, "You can eat it all."

Both of them were soaked in water. Besides being soaked in the sea water, their clothes were also soaked by sweat. However, they both tacitly agreed not to take off their clothes to dry them. The wild rabbit meat was indeed crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. A light bite made the teeth burn, but they could not stop eating. The fragrance lingered on their lips and teeth. Xie Lian still divided it in half and sighed, "Sanlang's cooking skills are very good."

Hua Cheng smiled and said, "Really? Thank you for the compliment, brother."

Xie Lian said, “Yes. Whether it’s carpentry or cooking, I’ve never seen anyone better than you. That noble lady must have earned a lot of blessings.”

When he said this, he seemed to be concentrating on eating the rabbit, and he didn't hear Hua Cheng's voice. After a while, he heard Hua Cheng say calmly: "It took me several lifetimes to meet him."

“…”

Xie Lian didn’t know what to say, so he seemed to concentrate on chewing. After a while, he realized that Hua Cheng was calling him, “Brother, Brother.”

Xie Lian asked blankly, “What?”

Hua Cheng handed over a handkerchief, and Xie Lian realized that he had bitten the rabbit too hard, and half of his face was covered with oil, which was extremely funny. He was embarrassed and took the handkerchief to wipe it off. Hua Cheng handed over the other half of the rabbit and said, "Brother, I think you are very hungry, don't worry."

Xie Lian took it and was slightly stunned for a moment, but he couldn’t help but asked, “Sanlang, what kind of person is that noble man? How come you can’t catch up with him?”

He sincerely felt that if Hua Cheng wanted to get someone, no one in the world could resist his attack. But Hua Cheng said that day that he hadn't caught up yet, and he couldn't help feeling a little depressed. He had a strange feeling towards the ghost king who was trying to get him. Maybe he felt that the other party was very short-sighted, or didn't know how to appreciate the blessings he had. Hua Cheng said: "I'm not afraid of being laughed at by my brother. I dare not."

Whether it was out of a desire to defend the weak or because he was afraid that Hua Cheng would underestimate himself, Xie Lian said seriously, “What are you afraid of? You are the Ghost King of Desperate Situation, the Blood Rain Scholar.”

Hua Cheng laughed out loud: “What a bullshit Ghost King! If I were really that powerful, I wouldn’t have been hung up and beaten hundreds of years ago and unable to do anything. Hahahaha…”

Xie Lian said, “Well, you can’t say that. Everyone has trained this way…” After saying that, he remembered that before he ascended to heaven, he didn’t seem to have experienced the stage of being hung up and beaten. He coughed lightly. Hua Cheng said, “He has seen me at my most miserable.”

Xie Lian said, “Then I’m really envious.”

Hearing him say this, Hua Cheng looked over. Xie Lian stopped eating and said in a gentle voice, "I think I can understand your idea."

After a pause, he said, "I also had a period of time when I was unhappy. At that time, I often thought that if someone could see me rolling in the mud and unable to get up, they would still love me. But I don't know if there is such a person, and I dare not show it to others.

"However, since you are the person that Sanlang longs for, I think that even if he saw you at your most miserable, he would not say, 'Ah, this person is not that good,'"

He concentrated and said, "To me, you are the one who is in glory and you are the one who falls. The key is 'you', not 'how' you are.

"I really... admire Sanlang, so I want to know everything about you. So, I'm really envious that someone saw you like that so early on. This is a chance encounter that can only be found once in a while. Whether the chance can continue or not depends on three parts of fate and seven parts of courage."

The bonfire crackled, and for a long while, neither of them spoke. Xie Lian coughed lightly, rubbed his brows, and said, "Did I say too much? Sorry."

Hua Cheng said: "No. You are right."

Xie Lian heaved a sigh of relief and quickly picked up the rabbit and started chewing it again. Hua Cheng said, “Not only that, there are many other reasons.”

Xie Lian felt that he had said too much and just wanted to end the topic quickly. Moreover, he couldn't understand why he had said so much just now. Wasn't he encouraging Hua Cheng to bravely pursue his beloved? He was not a priest in charge of marriage, so he just said: "Hmm..."

After the conversation, the atmosphere between the two became a little tense. They quickly finished their meal and continued to work. Soon, the coffin was officially completed.

Hua Cheng pushed the brand new coffin into the water, then climbed in and sat inside. Such a long and heavy piece of wood really floated on the water and did not sink. The coffin was not very wide, and Xie Lian stepped in holding up the hem of his Taoist robe, but felt that there was nowhere to sit. At this time, thunder was rumbling in the sky, dark clouds were rolling, and purple lightning flashed from time to time. You never know when a thunderbolt will explode in your ears. Fine raindrops fell from the sky, and it became more and more dense. It seemed that a rainstorm was coming.

Fortunately, the two men did not slack off while working and also tacked on the coffin lid. Otherwise, the coffin would have been pushed to the surface and would have been filled with rainwater in a short while, sinking to the bottom with a thud.

The two looked at each other, and Xie Lian whispered, "I'm sorry."

Hua Cheng didn't say much, and lay down in the coffin. Xie Lian also lay down in it, and closed the coffin lid. It was as if the lights were blown out, and it was plunged into darkness.

The coffin boat went out to sea, floating up and down for a while. Outside the coffin, the heavy rain pounded on the coffin lid. Inside the coffin, the two of them said nothing, squeezed in a small space, inevitably clinging to each other, drifting with the waves, tossing and turning. Xie Lian supported the edge of the coffin with one hand, trying to make as much room as possible. His head hit the wood lightly a few times, but Hua Cheng reached out one hand, put it on his back, pressed it against his chest, and protected his head with the other hand. Xie Lian didn't even dare to breathe too quickly, and said: "Sanlang...how about we switch?"

Hua Cheng said: "What to change?"

Xie Lian said, “…You’re on top, and I’m on the bottom.”

Hua Cheng said: "Aren't the top and bottom the same?"

Xie Lian was afraid of crushing him, so he said, “We’ll have to travel for at least a day. You look only seventeen or eighteen years old, and I’m a Martial God after all, so I’m very heavy…”

Before he finished speaking, he said, "Sanlang, you...don't suddenly grow bigger."

Although he couldn't see clearly in the darkness, he could feel that Hua Cheng, who was close to him, had changed. Although the change was extremely subtle, he was very keen to perceive it and guessed that Hua Cheng had probably changed back to his true form. Sure enough, Hua Cheng spoke, and that low laugh was indeed the voice of his true form. Xie Lian lay on his chest, helpless, but this also diluted the inexplicable embarrassment. He gently raised his legs, trying to move his position and change his posture, but Hua Cheng suddenly stopped laughing and said in a deep voice: "Don't move."

Xie Lian froze. At this moment, there was a loud noise, and the coffin boat they were riding in suddenly sank. Xie Lian was shocked and asked, "What happened?!"

Then, there was another loud noise, and the two of them suddenly turned over in the coffin. It turned out that the whole coffin boat turned over. Fortunately, it didn't leak, but if it hit a few more times, it couldn't be guaranteed. Hua Cheng pressed him and said, "Something is eyeing this coffin boat."