Before his knees touched the ground, Jun Wu reached out and held up his elbows, preventing him from kneeling. He sighed, "Xianle."

Xie Lian stood up straight again, bowed his head and said, “I’m sorry.”

Jun Wu looked at him and said, "Do you think you know you are wrong?"

Xie Lian said, “I know I’m wrong.”

Jun Wu said: "Then tell me, what is your fault?"

Xie Lian said nothing. Jun Wu shook his head and said, "You don't know either."

He tilted his head slightly, motioning for Xie Lian to follow him, and the two of them walked slowly toward the back of the Shenwu Hall. Jun Wu walked in front with his hands behind his back, saying as he walked, "Xianle is now grown up."

After he said that, Xie Lian naturally didn’t dare to respond. Jun Wu continued, “You’ve been flying up for so many days, and you haven’t come to the Shenwu Hall to report once. If someone else was so disrespectful, the Lingwen Hall could directly hold them accountable.”

After Xie Lian ascended to heaven for the third time, he never dared to go to the Shenwu Hall to meet Jun Wu. He just didn't know what expression to use to face this emperor, so he simply delayed. However, the "I'm sorry" he just said was of course not referring to this. Jun Wu naturally knew it well, and said, "If your sorry is still an apology for the past, then forget it, I won't accept it. You said it yourself, forget it when you should forget it."

Xie Lian smiled bitterly and said, “How could I forget this?”

Jun Wu said calmly: "Then look forward, there are still many things that need you."

Xie Lian rubbed his brows and said, “Xianle is just a rag-and-bone god right now. He has no magical power and is not needed by anyone. I just hope he won’t cause any more trouble.”

Jun Wu said: "Why do you have to belittle yourself? Didn't you do well the last two times?"

Xie Lian said, “It’s just that I might have offended General Pei.”

Jun Wu said, "Mingguang is fine, you don't have to worry." But when it comes to General Pei, Huacheng has to be mentioned again. Jun Wu turned around and said, "The curved knife is a fate, and the blood rain is a flower. Tell me, who did you offend this time?"

Xie Lian coughed lightly and said, “Emperor, I swear I really didn’t do anything. I just happened to meet a very interesting kid on the road one day, and I spent some time with him, but I didn’t think much of it.”

Jun Wu nodded and said, "It's an accident, little friend, the Ghost King of Despair. Xianle, do you know what the consequences would be if Mingguang had continued to ask questions and you had said these things in front of other priests?"

Xie Lian said helplessly, “Xianle knows. But the fact is this. I am telling the truth, and there is nothing I can do if others don’t believe me. I don’t dare to tell the truth in front of others. I have to thank the Emperor for saving me in time.”

Jun Wu said: "Of course I know you won't deliberately collude with the ghost world."

Xie Lian said, “Thank you, Emperor, for your trust.”

Jun Wu said, "But if that's the case, I'm afraid I can't send you there because I have an important matter on hand."

Xie Lian asked, “What’s the matter?”

At this time, the two had arrived at the back of the Shenwu Hall. The front hall and the back hall were separated by a tall mural. On the front of the mural, there was a golden hall standing on the top of the sea of ​​clouds, with a white light shining brightly. On the back of the mural, there was a picture of mountains and rivers stretching thousands of miles.

Xie Lian looked up. This huge map was inlaid with many tiny pearls, like stars. These were the signs of the location of the Shenwu Temple on earth. If there was a pearl inlaid here, it meant that there was a Shenwu Temple here. Eight hundred years ago, when Jun Wu led Xie Lian to this place for the first time, the starlight was not so dense. On the map, the glittering pearls almost evenly covered the entire field of vision, which was beautiful and shocking.

Jun Wu stood in front of the mountain and river map and said, "Seven days ago, many people saw with their own eyes that a fire dragon suddenly rose into the sky near a forest in the east."

Hearing this, Xie Lian’s expression grew serious.

Jun Wu put one hand behind his back and tapped a spot on the picture with the other hand, saying, "The fire dragon burned two sticks of incense before it went out. Do you know what this means?"

Xie Lian said, “The Fire Dragon Roars to the Sky technique, although the flames are strong, they won’t hurt anyone. This is a cry for help.”

Jun Wu said: "Yes. He is asking for help. Moreover, it is a priest from the Heaven who is asking for help."

Xie Lian said, “Moreover, this is a cry for help from someone who has been forced into a desperate situation.”

Because the Fire Dragon Roaring Sky method has extremely strong flames, but it cannot hurt people, it will inevitably explode a part of the priest's mana. If he is not careful, perhaps all of his mana will explode and he will die directly. Therefore, unless it is absolutely necessary, I am afraid no one will use this method to ask for help. Since it has appeared, it means that a priest is already in a desperate crisis.

Xie Lian asked, “Has any of the priests in the Upper Heaven Court been missing recently?”

Jun Wu said: "This time, all the priests were summoned back not only for the matter of the Half Moon Pass, but more importantly, to take this opportunity to check the whereabouts of all the priests. Except for a few who have not appeared for many years, such as the Rain Master and the Earth Master, all the other priests responded even if they were unable to return in time."

After a moment of silence, Xie Lian said, “Is it possible that it’s not this year’s priest, but a retired priest from the past?”

Jun Wu said: "If so, then the scope is very large. Many retired priests have not been heard from for many years, and it is impossible to infer which one is in danger."

I'm afraid that the civil officials of the Lingwen Temple have been busy with this matter recently, so it's no wonder that they can't spare the time to investigate the whereabouts of the plague-stricken boy on Junshan Mountain. Xie Lian said, "If a priest can be forced to explode and ask for help, the person must be powerful. Is there any den or gathering place of demons and monsters around here?"

Jun Wu said: "Yes."

He turned to Xie Lian and asked slowly, "Do you know the Ghost Market?"

Xie Lian thought for a moment and said, “I’ve heard of it.”

The ghost market is the most prosperous place in the ghost world, located at the junction of the human world and the ghost world. Ghosts gather here to trade, and demons dance wildly. Some alchemists with some cultivation often go in to do some business and get some information. Even some priests in the heavens will disguise themselves and go in for a look out of curiosity or ulterior motives. Occasionally, living people who know nothing will mistakenly enter. If so, they will probably be eaten alive or scared to death.

Ghost markets have existed since ancient times, and there are many legends about them. Xie Lian once heard a story about a man traveling at night who saw a bustling market in front of him, with big red lanterns and colorful lights. He happily went in, but found that everyone around him was either wearing a mask, wearing a turban, or was extremely ugly. He felt very strange, but did not think much about it. He bought a bowl of noodles, sat down to eat, and put the chopsticks into his mouth. As he ate, he felt something was wrong. He took another look and realized that it was not noodles at all, but a bowl of squirming black hair!

Pulling his thoughts back, Jun Wu said, "After seeing the pillar of fire, I immediately sent priests to search the forest, but it seemed that they were quickly transferred and no clues were found. I'm afraid the other party will be more defensive. So, this time, I need someone to secretly go down to the world and explore the ghost market."

Xie Lian said, “We can’t alert the enemy and force them to move again, so we can’t tell the gods in the Shenwu Hall and let too many people know, right?”

Jun Wu said: "That's right."

Xie Lian said, “Then Emperor, Xianle, please allow me to take your orders.”

Jun Wu said: "The first person I thought of was you. But I'm afraid it's not convenient for you to do this."

Xie Lian asked, “What’s the inconvenience?”

Jun Wu said: "First, the East is where Lang Qianqiu is stationed. If you want to go, you have to cooperate with him."

What does this matter? Xie Lian said, "I have no problem with this. Please rest assured."

Jun Wu said: "Second, do you know whose territory the Ghost Market is now?"

Xie Lian was slightly startled and asked, “Could it be Hua Cheng?”

Jun Wu nodded slowly. Xie Lian's premonition came true, and he rubbed his brows, suddenly thinking of something else.

The pillar of fire in the Eastern Forest started seven days ago. And Hua Cheng left Puqi Monastery seven days ago. The timing is too tight. Is there any connection between these two events?

Jun Wu said: "It seems that you have a good relationship with him. If you bump into him there by chance, you can get along well. I am afraid that he is involved in this matter. If you are embarrassed, don't force it. If you have any other suggestions, you can tell me."

After a moment of hesitation, Xie Lian said, “I’ll go.”

Jun Wu looked at him and said, "Xianle, I know you know your limits. But I also know that you always think the best of everyone."

Hearing him say this, Xie Lian smiled and said, “Please don’t make me sound like a little princess who has never been out of the house, okay? Now this sentence really doesn’t apply to me at all.”

Jun Wu shook his head and said, "I shouldn't say much about your friends, but I'll say one more thing. Be careful Huacheng."

Hearing this, Xie Lian lowered his head slightly, closed his eyes and remained silent.

He should have replied with a "yes"; he was already very familiar with saying "yes." However, for some reason, he didn't want to say this "yes."

Jun Wu added: "Be especially careful of his magic sword, Er Ming. Don't let it leave any scars on your body."

Xie Lian asked curiously, “What happened to the knife?”

Jun Wu said: "The scars left by the demon sword Er Ming are all curses. Even if they are healed, as long as Hua Cheng wants, he can make the wound bleed again at any time."

Xie Lian didn’t know where the confidence came from. He thought that San Lang would not cut me with a knife, but he still said, “Xianle understands.”

Jun Wu nodded slightly and said, "I am naturally most relieved to leave this matter to you. It would be great if you have no difficulties. But I am afraid it will be difficult for you to do it alone. Which priest do you want to go with you?"

After thinking for a while, Xie Lian said, "Whatever. But it would be better if I have a more friendly personality. It would be better if I have more magic power, so I can lend it to me at any time."

Jun Wu smiled and said, "For the first one, you should just ban Nanyang and Xuanzhen."

That is, the current Feng Xin and Mu Qing, neither of whom has a good personality, can be said to be easy to get along with. Xie Lian also laughed. Jun Wu asked again: "How are you with them? Haven't you talked yet?"

Jun Wu had never been in any spiritual formation, so naturally he didn’t know what they were talking about in the formation all day. Xie Lian said, “They said a few words.”

Jun Wu said, "It's been so many years, and you still only said a few words? By the way, I heard that when you ascended to heaven this time, you smashed the golden palaces of many immortals, including the one in Nanyang."

Xie Lian coughed lightly and changed his tone to defend himself, “I have paid it back! I have paid back all 8.88 million merits. I also have to thank the Emperor for giving me the opportunity to go to Yujun Mountain.”

Jun Wu said, "You should thank Nanyang in your heart. I heard from Lingwen that he later took the initiative to find Lingwen Temple privately and said that he didn't need to repay him for the merits of rebuilding the Golden Temple."

Xie Lian was stunned and said, “This… I have no idea.”

No wonder the 8.88 million merits were paid off as soon as they were said to be paid off. It turned out that such a large amount of water was released. At that time, the damage to Nanyang Palace was the most serious. It is said that half of the golden roof collapsed. Jun Wu said: "Nanyang asked Lingwen not to tell you, so you naturally didn't know. Since he doesn't want you to know, you should continue to pretend that you don't know."

Xie Lian didn’t know what to feel. All the ups and downs melted into his heart. In the end, he just sighed silently and thought about something else: “The ‘never tell anyone’ in this world is really all empty talk.”

Jun Wu thought for a moment, and then said: "Nanyang and Xuanzhen are not suitable, then, how about Fengshi?"

Xie Lian thought for a moment and said, “Master Feng is very kind, but I don’t know if she is willing to go on a tour with me.”

Jun Wu said: "The Wind Master has great magical powers, a lively personality, and loves to make friends. He is easy to get along with, as you said. Last time he came to see me, he gave me a good evaluation. In my opinion, it is okay. If you don't have any more questions, you can go down to the world with the Wind Master this time and go to the ghost market to find out. And."

Xie Lian asked, “What’s the matter?”

Jun Wu said slowly: "You can try hard, but don't force yourself too much."

Hearing this, Xie Lian was stunned for a while, then smiled and said, “What are you talking about? I didn’t force you.”

Jun Wu patted his shoulder and said no more.

The two briefly discussed some matters, and Jun Wu went to send someone to inform the Wind Master. He asked Xie Lian to leave first, and Xie Lian left the Shenwu Hall. He stood at the door of the hall for a while, looked back, and then walked out of the Heavenly Palace along Shenwu Street.

He came to the heavenly steps of the lower world and wandered there, waiting for the person from the Divine Martial Hall to notify the Master of Wind. Unexpectedly, he waited for a long time, but the white-robed nun did not appear, but a white-robed Taoist priest appeared.

This Taoist looked very energetic, with an air of immortality floating all over his body. He was the Qing Xuan from the Shenwu Palace just now. He flicked his whisk and said with a smile: "Hello, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Xie Lian also smiled and said, “Daoyou, too!”

In fact, he really wanted to ask who the other party was, but he felt that it would be rude to do so. He was just about to secretly flip through the scroll to see which priest's name was Qingxuan, when the Taoist in white came over and said, "Let's go! Let's go down together."

Xie Lian was startled and said, “Daoyou, I am here waiting for someone.”

After hearing this, the other party inserted his whisk into the back of his robe, turned around and asked curiously, "Who are you waiting for?"

Xie Lian said, “I’ll wait for Master Feng.”

The Taoist in white was even more puzzled and asked, "Am I not right here?"

“…”

Xie Lian’s eyebrows twitched, and he asked, “Are you a wind master?”

The other party spread out his folding fan and shook it while saying, "I am a wind master. Is there any need to doubt this? Don't you know who I am? Haven't you heard of my name, Wind Master Qingxuan? "

He spoke in a matter-of-fact and self-righteous tone, as if it was impossible for Xie Lian not to know him. The word "风" was written on the front of the folding fan, and three flowing lines of breeze were drawn on the back. Wasn't it the one that the lady in white was waving that day?

Xie Lian suddenly remembered: Fuyao had said that some of the gods in the heavens were in special need and were good at transforming; and at the Banyue Pass, Nanfeng had also said something like this: “The Wind Master has always been…”

Always? What is it?

A man?!

Xie Lian was dragged a few steps by the other party, but he still couldn’t fully accept it. He said, “This… Master Feng, you, you, why did you dress up as a nun last time???”

The Wind Master asked, "Why? Doesn't it look good?"

Xie Lian said, “Looks good? But…”

The Wind Master smiled and said, "It's good-looking, what else is there but? It's good-looking, isn't it? Of course, I want to dress up because I look good."

At this point, he seemed to suddenly remember something. He folded his folding fan and looked Xie Lian up and down. After a moment, he said, “Come to think of it, we are going to the ghost market this time and we also need to conceal our identities, right?”

“…”

Xie Lian: “???”