Xie Lian collected the beads and looked down. Several priests came out of the simple shed hall and asked, "What happened to General Nanyang?"

All I heard was Feng Xin saying, "Look what I caught!"

He rushed out of the forest and came running up, holding a man in black in his hand. The priests were shocked: "Lingwen!"

The object in Feng Xin's hand was Ling Wen. Feng Xin said to Xie Lian, "As you expected, Ling Wen really went to get Jin Yi Xian!"

After removing the cursed shackles, Xie Lian's magic power surged to the point where he could compete with Jun Wu, and the Jinyi Fairy naturally could no longer do anything to him. Ling Wen was beaten into a tumbler by Hua Cheng, and lost in the battle. After a while, the magic on her body would automatically unlock and she disappeared. But Xie Lian thought that she would most likely come to take the Jinyi Fairy, and that the Tian Shang Tian Court's unclear accounts needed someone to deal with them, so he took off the clothes and spread the word that she would come to take it herself. Sure enough, Ling Wen took the bait.

Lingwen, as a fugitive, was arrested and taken to the temporary meeting hall, but she did not panic. Pei Ming pressed her shoulders and made her sit down at the table, saying in a deep voice: "Finally found you!"

“…”

A dozen priests also gathered around, each with eyes like wolves and tigers, expressions like hunger and thirst, almost ferocious.

Lingwen then felt something was wrong: "...What do you want to do?"

With a loud bang, a stack of documents nearly as tall as a person fell in front of her, shaking the table and chairs. Pei Ming slapped the documents with his palm: "Deal with these."

“…”

Lingwen seemed to be relieved. However, before he could completely relax, he heard "bang bang bang bang bang bang!"

After seventeen or eighteen loud bangs, seventeen or eighteen stacks of documents taller than a person were thrown towards her, surrounding her.

The priests all said at once: "Come and help with the accounting!" "Deal with these as well." "Remember to fill in the missing parts." "It's best to sort out our pile within an hour!"...

Lingwen: “…”

After a day and a night, Lingwen was finally released from the temporary meeting hall.

After a day and a night of hard work, the messy files had been processed and neatly sorted. The priests were overjoyed and each of them led their own halls to check, while Lingwen's face was already livid, and the dark circles under his eyes that had disappeared for a while reappeared. After everyone finished checking, they all said happily: "Sure enough, Lingwen Hall is more efficient! Now we can match it up!"

"I understand! Thank you so much, Master Lingwen!"

As a prisoner, Ling Wen laughed while being surrounded by many priests, "I don't deserve it."

Seeing this, the priests who had not handed over the files yesterday and were still in a mess today could no longer sit still and gathered around and said, "Well, I have a few files here too, you can take a look or you can..."

Lingwen: “…”

Xie Lian squatted outside the temporary meeting hall and ate a steamed bun. After he finished, he clapped his hands and finally rescued Lingwen from his suffering: "Everyone, let's calculate it later. Let Lingwen catch his breath first."

In the past, no one would take his words seriously, but now it was different. Several people said, "Your Highness is right." No one dared to say anything more. Ling Wen sat on the chair, closed her eyes and held her forehead. After the other priests had left and the meeting hall was deserted, she said to Xie Lian, "Congratulations, Your Highness, your Dharma body has been restored. It's a great plan. I never thought that even ghosts are your followers and will obey your orders."

Xie Lian said, “Those aren’t my believers. They’re my friends in the Ghost Market. I just asked them for help.”

Lingwen nodded, his expression clear. Xie Lian said, "Lingwen, I have a question for you."

Ling Wen said, "Your Highness, just ask."

Xie Lian said, “San Lang, I mean City Lord Hua. He wore your Jin Yi Xian, but it didn’t work on him. Do you know why?”

Ling Wen said: "So this is the problem. I thought Your Highness the Crown Prince already knew it?"

Xie Lian was stunned for a moment, and asked, “Would you like to hear the details?”

Ling Wen raised his clothes, sat upright and said, "Your Highness, have you heard of the legend of the Jinyi Fairy?"

Xie Lian said, “I’ve heard of it. You did it yourself.”

Ling Wen said: "You can say that. Although I never thought that the resentment condensed in this dress would turn it into such a monster, it is true that I killed Bai Jin in order to accelerate the destruction of Xuli Kingdom."

Xie Lian listened attentively. Ling Wen continued, "This dress has passed through countless hands in the human world, and countless people have chosen to use it to kill, harm, and deceive others. Although this can also eliminate its resentment, Bai Jin is not such a person.

"He doesn't like being used by these people and hates it. So when he meets a wearer similar to him and a specific cloth giver, he will not feel resentful but happy."

Xie Lian asked, “What is the difference between approximate and specific?”

Ling Wen said: "You put Jin Yi Xian on Xue Yu Tan Hua, but you don't have the slightest hatred or intention to harm Xue Yu Tan Hua, and you trust him wholeheartedly; and Xue Yu Tan Hua feels the same way about you, no, it should be said that it is even more so - the thing that really resonates with Xue Yu Tan Hua is that even if he doesn't wear Jin Yi Xian, he will do anything for you without hesitation. Including dying for you."

“…”

Ling Wen said: "This is also the reason why I could guess that the young man next to you was the transformed Blood Rain Scholar. Although I don't know much about your affairs, I can't think of another person who would do this."

Xie Lian asked, “Why?”

Ling Wen raised his finger and asked, "Your Highness, what is that hanging around your neck?"

Xie Lian was startled, and his hand involuntarily touched it.

Lingwen said: "I have seen something similar before. It was the ashes of the lovers given by those desperate ghosts."

In fact, Xie Lian had already guessed it, but after hearing Lingwen say it, he still tightly grasped the crystal clear ring.

Lingwen said: "This is a rare and exotic thing, but because it is so beautiful and usually very tragic, it leaves a deep impression on us."

The Lingwen Palace had handled countless files, so it was not surprising to see such a thing. Xie Lian asked, “What do you mean by usually tragic?”

Lingwen said: "If you let love cloud your mind and hand over matters concerning your life to others, many tragic and terrible things will happen.

"Sincerity and the like are always abused. Some of these tokens made from burned ashes were taken away by others, and some were broken by their owners. Basically, they all had a bad ending. However, Your Highness, you are an exception. You have preserved it very well, and it is almost leak-proof."

After a long silence, Xie Lian said, “You said ‘similar’ and ‘resonant’. So, is General Bai Jin also such a person?”

Lingwen smiled slightly and said, "Otherwise, how could you be deceived by me?"

Xie Lian said, “It’s not really a lie. You wouldn’t have guessed that I deliberately leaked the news, but you still came to get it.”

Lingwen said: "It's a weapon for self-defense."

Xie Lian said, “If it was just a weapon for self-defense, you wouldn’t have taken such a big risk to steal it, and after failing, you wouldn’t have taken it to Tonglu Mountain.”

Ling Wen said indifferently: "What else can we do if we don't go to Tonglu Mountain? Because we have been exposed. Your Highness, the Crown Prince has caught us red-handed."

Xie Lian said, “Actually, if you want to find an excuse to cover it up, it still makes sense. If you make some arrangements, even if you are demoted and have your merits reduced, you won’t become a fugitive. The main thing is that you want to help General Bai Jin become a great man.”

Lingwen smiled and said, "Your Highness, please don't make it sound like I don't care about anything else and just want to take it away. After all, I am a person who doesn't recognize my relatives."

"is that so?"

"Is that so?"

·

Xie Lian cleaned up the ruins of the Taizi Peak of the Huangji Temple and built a simple hut as a temporary residence. This place was quite remote, so when there was something to do, he would go to the temporary meeting hall to help out, and when there was nothing to do, he would stay alone.

Seven or eight days later, Mu Qing finally mended Ruo Xie and brought it to Xie Lian. As soon as Xie Lian opened the door, he saw a white thing flying towards him. He stretched out his hand to pull the thing off. Ruo Xie started to twist the silk again, as if to show him her new beautiful body. Xie Lian said, "Don't twist it just after it was mended. Be careful not to break it again."

Mu Qing was dissatisfied when she heard this: "How is this possible? Which piece of clothing I mended for you is torn again?"

Xie Lian said, “That’s true.” He grabbed Ruo Xie, who was twisted into a water weed, and examined her carefully. It was indeed well mended, with almost no signs of tearing. He praised, “Your craftsmanship is still so good.”

Mu Qing said: "I won't be happy if you praise me for something like this. This is just one time and I won't do it again."

Xie Lian thought to himself, “You’re obviously quite proud of yourself…”

Mu Qing muttered a few words and said, "Okay, I'm done, I'm leaving. I'm busy ordering things and people from Xuanzhen Palace."

Xie Lian said, “You’re leaving too? Okay, I’ll go over and help you later. Tell me when you leave, and I’ll see you off.”

After capturing the spiritual text, checking for leaks and filling in the gaps, and clearing up all the messy accounts, the gods decided to start rebuilding the Immortal Capital, and the temporary meeting hall on Mount Taicang could be left idle. Mu Qing waved his hand, neither refusing nor agreeing. After walking a few steps, he stopped and turned back and said, "You...are you still going to stay in Mount Taicang?"

Xie Lian nodded and said, “Yes.”

After hesitating for a moment, Mu Qing said, "Otherwise, you should come with us."

Xie Lian smiled and said, “No, I need to wait for someone.”

Mu Qing said: "You can also wait at the Shangtian Court in Xinxianjing."

Xie Lian shook his head and said, “I think he might come here first when he comes back, so I can see him first. If not here, he might go to Qiandeng Temple in the Ghost Market. It’s not far from the Ghost Market, so it’s more convenient than New Xianjing.”

“…”

Mu Qing seemed to have been holding back for a long time, and asked with a complicated expression: "Do you really believe that he will come back?"

Xie Lian said as a matter of course: “I believe it.”

·

People came like a tide and left like a tide. Taicang Mountain returned to its desolate and lonely state.

There used to be large tracts of maple forests on Mount Taicang, but they were burned to ashes by a fire and reborn thousands of years later. They were no longer the same trees that Xie Lian had practiced thousands of years ago, but the scenery was the same.

Xie Lian often walked alone in the maple forest. The fiery red maples all over the mountains made him feel as if he was in a huge and warm embrace.

He had lived alone for more than 800 years and was used to it. When he had something to do, he would go down the mountain to answer prayers and collect scraps. When he had nothing to do, he would plant vegetables and cook.

However, the strange thing was that living alone like this, which he had clearly taken for granted before, now became somewhat unbearable, and it took Xie Lian a long time to get used to it again.

If a person eats bitter food all the time, he will get used to the bitter taste. But one day, someone gives him a bite of sweet food, and he remembers what sweet tastes like, and he will frown when he eats bitter food again.

In the past, when Xie Lian was alone, he always secretly hoped that someone would come to him to talk or ask for help. But now, he doesn't like it so much.

Because when he heard a knock on the door, he would always feel overjoyed and full of anticipation. But when he ran to the door and opened it, the person inside or outside the door was never the one he was waiting for.

Sometimes it was Feng Xin, sometimes it was Mu Qing, sometimes it was Shi Qingxuan, and sometimes it was the ghosts from the Ghost Market who came to "honor him".

Everyone was fine. But, it wasn't the person he was waiting for.

·

In the first month, Xie Lian brought back a few flowering trees and planted them at the door, trying to beautify the environment and cover up the shabbyness of the shabby house. He thought that maybe they would bloom when Hua Cheng came back.

·

In the second month, Xie Lian tore down the house and rebuilt it, and pulled out all the weeds on the entire mountain. Otherwise, when Hua Cheng came back and saw the mess, he would definitely send someone to help him clean it up again.

·

In the third month, the tree blossomed. The tree was full of red flowers. Xie Lian stood under the tree and looked up, admiring the flowers alone, thinking, now that they are in bloom, it is about time for me to come back.

·

In the fourth month, all the mountain paths were rebuilt, so that when Hua Cheng came back to find him, he could get up the mountain faster.

·

In the fifth month, Feng Xin and Mu Qing came to see him again and asked him if he wanted to leave here and go for a walk. Xie Lian treated them to a meal and they ran away.

·

In the sixth month, the flowering period is over.

…

Xie Lian didn’t get anxious, didn’t break down, didn’t cry bitterly, but instead felt that he was becoming calmer and more patient.

Think about it, who hasn’t experienced long years of being alone?

Huacheng has been waiting for him for more than eight hundred years. So what if he waits for Huacheng for another eight hundred years?

Even if it takes a thousand or ten thousand years, he will keep waiting.

Besides, it’s only been a year?

·

On this day, Xie Lian collected a large pile of junk as usual, filled the ox and cart he had just bought with his savings, and pulled them up the mountain.

Passing through the maple forest at night, walking on the path halfway up the mountain, Xie Lian turned around inadvertently and saw a few points of light floating in the quiet night sky.

He looked at it intently and found that it was an eternal lantern. He suddenly realized what was going on and said to himself, "So today is the Lantern Festival."

At this moment, the various priests in the heavenly court were probably competing with each other in the Lantern Festival. Xie Lian could not help but hold the rope, and stayed where he was, staring blankly at the bright lanterns.

He suddenly remembered that he and Huacheng met during the Lantern Festival.

That year, a child with a dirty and scarred face was crowded on the crowded city wall, looking down. The seventeen-year-old Xianle Prince Xie Lian was glowing all over. When he looked up, he saw a figure falling from the sky. Without thinking, he jumped up.

Lantern Festival, Shenwu Street. A glimpse of beauty will captivate you forever.

Xie Lian smiled, thinking, in the end, it wasn’t just one person who fell.

·

Turning around and lowering his head, Xie Lian prepared to continue walking up the mountain. The cart was pulled and creaked for a while, and suddenly, the front seemed to be illuminated by something in the distance.

Xie Lian raised his head again and opened his eyes wide.

That light is a lamp.

Like millions of fish swimming across the rivers and seas, countless bright lights slowly rise from the top of the mountain.

They sparkled and shone in the darkness, like floating souls, the most beautiful dreams, extremely magnificent, lighting up his way forward.

Xie Lian had seen this scene before, and seeing it again made his breathing and heartbeat stop. The car turned a corner, and Xie Lian saw the small shabby house he had built.

In front of the crooked little house stood a man in red, with a tall and slender figure and a silver scimitar hanging from his waist. He had his back to this side and was holding up the last eternal lantern in his hand, sending it flying into the sky.

Xie Lian sat there stiffly, wondering if he was still dreaming, or if this was an illusion. But as the wheels turned and got closer, the man turned around, and he could see more and more clearly.

In front of the three thousand bright lights that grew brighter as the night went on, that person turned around and looked at him. His clothes were redder than maple leaves, his skin was whiter than snow, and between his handsome brows there was still a wild and passionate spirit that was not extinguished but rather proud.

Although he was wearing a black eye mask, his eyes, bright as stars, were fixed on Xie Lian.

Xie Lian rolled down.

Without saying a word, both of them walked towards each other.

One step at a time, faster and faster, and then, he started running.

The man ran forward, tears falling behind him, remaining where he was. Xie Lian thought to himself, he believed it.

·

If you believe in this person, you will die for him again and again, and live for him again and again. Even if you fall into hell, you will break through it for your "belief" in him.

The last time they ran towards each other, it took eight hundred years.

This time, we will embrace each other in the next moment.