Xie Lian was stunned on the spot. Seeing that young man with a slender figure, he helped him carry a large bag of rags, and he was so calm, which made him repeatedly say sin in his heart. Sanlang took a few steps and walked out. When Xie Lian was about to catch up with him, he suddenly remembered that the old man driving the cart was still lying on the cart. He turned back and stretched out his hand to wake him up, and told him not to tell anyone about what happened tonight. The old man saw his ability on the way, and he dared not to repeat what he said. He nodded repeatedly and took Lao Huang home quickly.

The only thing left on the cart was a roll of mat, so Xie Lian picked it up. Looking back, he saw San Lang already carrying the huge bag of messy things on one hand and walking up the hillside leisurely.

When they arrived in front of the crooked Puqi Temple, Sanlang lowered his head and chuckled, as if he had seen something interesting. When Xie Lian got closer, he realized that he was looking at the sign asking for donations for the dilapidated building. He coughed lightly and said, "You see, that's it. That's why I said just now that you might not be able to get used to living here."

Sanlang said, "Very good."

In the past, Xie Lian always said "It's OK" to others. Today was the first time he heard someone say that to him. It was hard to describe how he felt. The original wooden door of the Puqi Temple had long since decayed. Xie Lian dismantled it and replaced it with a curtain. He walked forward and lifted it up, saying, "Come in." Sanlang followed him in.

The furnishings in this small wooden house were clear at a glance. There was only a rectangular altar, two small wooden stools, a small cushion, and a merit box. Xie Lian took the things from Sanlang's hand, placed the fortune stick, incense burner, paper and pen, etc. on the altar, and lit a red candle that someone had put in when he was collecting junk. The room suddenly became bright. Sanlang picked up the fortune stick, shook it, put it down, and said, "So, is there a bed?"

Xie Lian turned around, silently put down the mat on his back, and handed it to him to see.

San Lang raised an eyebrow and said, "Only one, right?"

Xie Lian had just met this young man on his way back from town, so naturally he hadn’t thought of buying an extra ticket in advance. He said, “If you don’t mind, we can squeeze in tonight.”

Sanlang said, "That's fine."

Xie Lian took the broom and swept the floor again. San Lang looked around the temple and said, "Brother, is there something missing in your temple?"

Xie Lian had just finished sweeping the floor and was squatting on the ground spreading out the mats. When he heard this, he said as he spread out the mats, “I think, apart from the believers, there shouldn’t be anything missing.”

Sanlang also squatted down, holding his chin with one hand, and asked, "Where is the statue?"

After he reminded him, Xie Lian suddenly remembered that he had actually forgotten the most important thing - the statue!

What kind of temple is it without a statue of the deity? Although the deity is here, we can’t let him sit on the altar every day.

After thinking for a while, Xie Lian found a solution and said, "I just bought some paper and pen. I'll draw a portrait and hang it up tomorrow."

If he painted his own portrait and hung it in his own temple, he would probably be laughed at for another ten years if the news reached the heavens. However, carving a statue of a god is both expensive and time-consuming. In comparison, Xie Lian chose to be laughed at for ten years. Unexpectedly, Sanlang said, "Drawing? I can do it. Do you want help?"

Xie Lian was startled, then smiled and said, "Thank you in advance. However, I'm afraid you can't paint a portrait of Prince Xianle." After all, almost all of his portraits were burned eight hundred years ago, and no matter how many survived today, I'm afraid not many people have seen them. San Lang said, "Of course. I can. Weren't we just talking about this prince in the car?"

Xie Lian remembered. That was indeed the case. Just now on the road, he said, "You probably haven't heard of him," but San Lang didn't answer. Now he was a little surprised to hear him say that. He spread the mat, stood up, and said, "Don't tell me, San Lang, you really know him?"

Sanlang sat on the mat and said, "I know."

The expression and tone of the young man's speech were very interesting. He often smiled, but it was really hard to tell whether his smile was sincere or mocking the other person for being unworthy of mention. Xie Lian listened to him talking all the way and was quite interested in his comments. He also sat down next to him and said, "So, what do you think of this Xianle Prince, Sanlang?"

The two looked at each other under the lamp, the red candlelight flickering slightly. Sanlang had the candlelight on his back, his black eyes sunk into the shadows, his expression unclear.

After a while, he said, "I think Jun Wu must hate him very much."

Xie Lian didn’t expect such an answer. He was stunned and asked, “Why do you think so?”

San Lang asked, "Otherwise, why was he demoted twice?"

Hearing this, Xie Lian smiled slightly and thought to himself, “That’s really how a child thinks.”

He lowered his head and slowly untied his belt while saying, "This has nothing to do with whether I hate it or not. There are many things in the world that cannot be simply explained by hate or like."

Saburo said, "Oh."

Xie Lian turned around, took off his white boots, and said, “Besides, if you do something wrong, you should accept the punishment. The Emperor only fulfilled his duty twice.”

Sanlang did not comment and said, "Maybe."

Xie Lian took off his coat, folded it and prepared to put it on the altar. He wanted to say something else, but when he turned around, he saw Sanlang's eyes fixed on his feet.

The gaze was very strange. It was cold, yet it felt hot and piercing. It was hot, yet it was faintly cold. Xie Lian lowered his head and understood. The young man was looking at a black cursed yoke on his right ankle.

The first cursed shackle was tightly encircled around the neck, and the second cursed shackle was tightly tied around the ankles. Both cursed shackles were locked in the wrong place, and there was no cover. In the past, if others asked about it, Xie Lian would usually answer casually that it was necessary for practicing martial arts, but if San Lang asked, I'm afraid he wouldn't be so perfunctory.

However, San Lang just stared at his ankle for a while without saying anything. Xie Lian didn't dwell on it and lay down. The young man also lay down beside him obediently, fully clothed. He was probably not used to sleeping on the floor without clothes. Xie Lian thought that he would have to get a bed later, so he said, "Rest."

With a gentle blow, the red candle goes out.

The next morning, Xie Lian opened his eyes and found San Lang was not lying next to him. When he looked up, he was shocked. There was a portrait hanging above the altar.

This portrait depicts a man in gorgeous clothes and a golden mask, holding a sword in one hand and a flower in the other. The brushwork and color are excellent.

It was a picture of "The Prince of Fairyland Pleased with God".

Xie Lian hadn't seen this painting for many years. He stared at it for a long time, then stood up, put on his clothes, and lifted the curtain. Sanlang was outside the house, leaning in the shadows, spinning a broom in his hands and looking at the sky boredly.

This young man really didn’t seem to like sunlight. The way he looked up at the sky, it was as if he was thinking about how to pull the sun down and stomp it to pieces. There was a pile of fallen leaves outside the door, all swept up and piled together. Xie Lian went out and asked, “Did you have a good rest last night?”

Sanlang still leaned against the wall, turned his head and said, "Not bad."

Xie Lian walked over, took the broom from his hand, and said, “Sanlang, was that the portrait in the temple painted by you?”

Sanlang said, "Yeah."

Xie Lian said, “This is a really good painting.”

San Lang raised the corner of his mouth, but said nothing. Perhaps because he had slept a messy night, his hair was tied even crooked today, loose and casual, but in fact, it looked very nice, casual but not messy, and a bit playful. Xie Lian pointed at his hair and said, "Do you want me to help you?"

Sanlang nodded, and went into the temple with Xie Lian. When he sat down, Xie Lian untied his hair, held the black hair in his hand, and examined it carefully without making any expression.

Even if the palm prints and fingerprints are done perfectly, there will always be a loophole for the demons and ghosts. A living person has countless hairs, and each one is very fine and clear. However, the hair of many fake skins forged by demons and ghosts is either a black cloud, or stuck together into a large piece, like a piece of cloth, or... just pretending to be bald.

After confirming the palm prints and fingerprints last night, Xie Lian had already let down his guard, but the portrait he saw this morning made him suspicious again.

It's not that the painting is bad, but that he finds it strange because it is too good.

However, he gently stroked Sanlang's hair with his fingers, slowly exploring it. The boy's black hair was long and straight, and there was nothing wrong with it. After a while, maybe because he was tickled by his touch, Sanlang smiled, tilted his head slightly, glanced at him sideways, and said, "Brother, are you helping me tie my hair, or are you thinking of doing something else?"

His long hair was down, and he was still handsome, but for some reason he looked a little more evil. Asking this question seemed like a joke, so Xie Lian smiled and said, "Okay." He quickly helped him tie up his hair.

Who would have thought that after finishing the ceremony, San Lang glanced at the basin beside him, turned around, and raised his eyebrows at Xie Lian. Xie Lian looked at him, coughed lightly, and rubbed his eyebrows.

This hair was crooked when it was tied up just now, and it is still crooked now.

Although Sanlang didn’t say anything and just looked at him, Xie Lian felt that he hadn’t been so embarrassed for at least hundreds of years. He put down his hand and was about to say “Come over here and let’s do it again”, when he heard a commotion outside the door, the sound of voices and footsteps, and several loud shouts: “Great Immortal!!!”

Xie Lian was shocked when he heard this, and rushed out to take a look. He saw a large crowd of people blocking the door, all of them were excited and their faces were red. The village chief, who was in the lead, rushed over and grabbed his hand, saying, “Great Immortal! A living immortal has come to our village. This is great!!!”

Xie Lian: “???”

The rest of the villagers had already gathered around him: "Great Immortal, welcome to our Puqi Village!"

"Great Immortal! Can you help me find my wife?!"

"Great God! Can you bless my family to give birth to a baby soon?!"

"Great Immortal! I have fresh water chestnuts here! Want to eat some?!"

The villagers were too enthusiastic. Xie Lian was forced to retreat again and again, groaning inwardly. Last night, that old man was such a big mouth. I had clearly told him not to tell anyone, but this morning, the news spread throughout the village!