The man in red had a long silver curved knife hanging from his waist. It was Hua Cheng. He walked and said, "Brother, you made me look for you so hard."

He was the same when he came back as when he left, except that the scimitar that was originally hanging on his waist had been unsheathed and hung on the bright red hem of his clothes with the scabbard. It jingled as he walked, and was extremely arrogant. The silver eye on the handle of the Evil Life Sword was closed. Xie Lian breathed a sigh of relief, paused, and said slowly: "I wanted to go see Ying, but your house was too big, so I took the wrong road."

He originally wanted to tell Huacheng what had just happened, but when the words came to his lips, he turned around and swallowed them.

The masked man's movements were strange, of course, to hide from others. However, whose eyes and ears were he hiding? Others? Hua Cheng's? Or...his?

Xie Lian had not forgotten that he came to the ghost market to find out the whereabouts of the missing priest. He could not let go of any strange clues, so he decided not to alert the enemy for the time being and first find a way to enter this door to take a look. If it was not related to this matter, he would immediately inform Hua Cheng of the unusual movement of his subordinate; and if it was related to this matter...

He was still thinking, while Hua Cheng led him back, saying: "If you still want to see the young man, I will send someone to bring him up. You just need to go back to the Paradise Palace and wait."

Perhaps because he was hiding something from the other party, Xie Lian's tone when speaking to Hua Cheng softened involuntarily, and he asked, "You've finished dealing with things so quickly?"

Hua Cheng said with a hint of disdain, "It's done. But it's just another bunch of rubbish embarrassing themselves."

When he heard him say “trash”, his tone sounded very familiar, so Xie Lian guessed, “Green Ghost Qi Rong?”

Hua Cheng smiled and said, "That's right. Didn't I say that everyone wants to visit my place? Qi Rong has wanted to visit the Ghost Market for more than a year or two, but he can only think about it at best. He is so jealous that he often sends trash like him to mess things up. It's nothing new."

The two of them talked as they walked. This time, Xie Lian memorized the route carefully. After returning to the Paradise Palace, not long after, Ying was brought up by two girls again.

After a quick wash and tidying up, he put on clean clothes and snow-white bandages. Although his head and face were still tightly wrapped, he looked a bit brand new. From this point of view, this young man had slender limbs and a thin body. He should have been an excellent candidate. However, now he looked timid, with his waist bent and his head lowered, not daring to raise his head. Xie Lian couldn't help but feel sad.

He pulled the young man to sit down and said, "Miss Xiaoying's last words before she died meant that she was entrusting you to me, and I agreed to her request. However, I still have to ask you about your wishes. From now on, are you willing to practice with me?"

The young man looked at him blankly, as if he couldn’t believe that someone was willing to take him to practice. Xie Lian said again: “Although the conditions over there are not good, I can guarantee that you won’t have to hide around, steal food, or get beaten up anymore.”

When he said this, he didn't notice that Hua Cheng beside him was squinting his eyes and staring coldly at the young man, his eyes full of scrutiny.

Ying's eyes were filled with hesitation and expectation. Xie Lian knew that he might not believe it for a while, so he thought it would be better to talk more and take it slowly. He patted his shoulder, thought for a moment, and said in a gentle voice: "Remember Miss Ying, and name yourself Ying. This is good, but it still lacks a surname. The surname of Yong'an is Lang, so why don't you get a new name from now on, Lang Ying?"

When asked this question, the young man nodded slowly. As he nodded, he heard a gurgling sound from his stomach. He immediately lowered his head as if embarrassed. Seeing this, Xie Lian felt even more sad: "This child must be several hundred years old. I don't know what coincidence it was that turned him into a living ghost and stayed in this world. I don't know whether it is to extend his life or to teach him to suffer." Just as he was about to find him something to eat, he saw many beautiful girls pouring into the outside of the Paradise Palace.

These were naturally arranged by Hua Cheng. Each girl held a jade plate in her hand, which contained various delicacies, fine wines, fresh fruits, and snacks. They walked around the hall in a revolving lantern-like manner, and when each of them passed by the black jade couch, they would present the jade plate in their hands and place it on the table. Lang Ying just watched but did not dare to touch it, so Xie Lian pushed a few plates in front of him, and he slowly took them and started to eat.

Looking at this boy, a scene suddenly appeared in Xie Lian’s mind. It was also a boy with a face full of bandages, dirty all over, squatting on the ground, holding an offering plate in his hands, lowering his head and secretly eating the fruit on the plate.

This was a scene he had seen many years ago. Perhaps it was because it was somewhat similar to the scene before him that he remembered it again at this moment. Xie Lian shook his head gently, as if trying to expel this scene from his mind. At this moment, a slender girl in a purple gauze dress brought a wine cup. Hua Cheng raised his hand, poured him a cup, and said, "Have a drink?"

Xie Lian was distracted by something on his mind, so he took the wine and put it into his mouth. As soon as he took a sip, he realized it was wine, and turned his eyes back. Who would have thought that when he turned his head, he happened to see the girl who brought the wine behind Hua Cheng, throwing him a wink.

He burst out laughing on the spot: "Puff——"

Fortunately, he had already swallowed the wine, and nothing came out. He just choked himself and kept coughing. Lang Ying was also startled by him, and the cake in his hand fell on the table. Xie Lian coughed and said to him, "It's okay. It's okay."

Hua Cheng patted his back gently and said, "What's the matter? Is this wine not to your taste?"

Xie Lian hurriedly said, “No! Wine is good. It’s just that I suddenly remembered that to cultivate my way, I must give up drinking.”

Hua Cheng said: "Oh? That's my fault. I didn't consider this and made my brother break his rules."

Xie Lian said, “It’s none of your business. I forgot.”

He rubbed his brows, turned around, and glanced inconspicuously towards the center of the hall.

The girl who brought the wine cups had her back to him and walked forward gracefully. Her posture and gait were truly charming. Hua Cheng was only busy with his own work or concentrating on watching him. He didn't even look at these beautiful girls, and naturally didn't pay attention to their faces. However, Xie Lian's unintentional glance just now was very clear.

Could it be that the girl delivering the wine is Wind Master Qingxuan?

In order to sneak into the Paradise, Master Feng actually disguised himself as a woman... Xie Lian was really shocked by that seductive look, and thought to himself, "You should bring me some wine to calm me down." At this time, Hua Cheng said a few words casually, "Practicing Taoism, I used to think it was about being free and happy. If you have to give up this and that, it's better not to practice. What do you think?"

Xie Lian calmed down very quickly and answered as if nothing had happened, saying, "That depends on what kind of Tao you practice. Some sects don't care about these things. But for those who practice my Tao, the custom is to abstain from alcohol and sex. You can drink alcohol occasionally, but the latter is something you must never violate."

When he mentioned the word "abstain from lust", Hua Cheng's right eyebrow slightly raised. It was hard to say whether he looked pleased or a little troubled.

Xie Lian added, “In fact, there is another thing that we should avoid: anger. For example, when you are in a casino, you are easily angered by extreme joy or sorrow, so you should avoid that. But if you can control your mind and not be surprised by winning or losing, then you don’t need to deliberately give up gambling.”

Hua Cheng laughed after hearing this and said, "No wonder brother is still interested in going to the gambling house."

After going around in circles, Xie Lian finally brought the topic to the word "gambling" and said, "Speaking of which, Sanlang's gambling skills are truly amazing."

Hua Cheng said with a grin: "Nothing special, just good luck."

“…”

After hearing this, Xie Lian couldn’t help but feel sad when comparing himself to him. He coughed lightly and said, “Look, I just…” He waved his hand and said, “I’m really curious. I wonder if there is really any secret method to rolling the dice?”

If not, Hua Cheng would not have let him get whatever he wanted in the gambling house. The masked man would not have been able to roll two sixes in one go. Hua Cheng smiled and said, "Of course there is a secret method, but it is not something that can be achieved overnight."

Xie Lian had expected this answer to some extent. He had not held out much hope in the first place, and was about to think of another way, when he heard Hua Cheng say, “However, I can tell you a quick way that will work for you. Brother Bao will be able to do it with ease and win every battle.”

Xie Lian asked, “What method?”

Hua Cheng raised his right hand. The red string tied to the third finger was on this right hand. The red string was tied into a small butterfly knot on the back of the hand, which was very bright. He stretched out this hand and said to Xie Lian, "Give me your hand."

Xie Lian didn't understand what was going on, but since Hua Cheng told him to give it to him, he gave it to him. Hua Cheng held his hand for a while, smiled slightly, flipped his hand and threw out two dice, saying, "Try it?"

Xie Lian suddenly realized something. He silently chanted "double six" in his mind, took out the dice and threw them. Sure enough, they were two bright red "sixes".

Looking up again, Xie Lian said, “It turns out that luck, like magic power, can also be borrowed.”

Hua Cheng smiled and said, "Next time, brother, if you want to gamble with someone, come to me first. I will lend you as much as you want."

It seemed that there was no daytime in the ghost market all year round, and it was always dark. The two of them played dozens of games facing each other. Xie Lian said that he was a little tired, so Hua Cheng got up and asked someone to settle Lang Ying first, and then personally took Xie Lian to the guest house. He was so considerate, but Xie Lian thought about exploring the secrets in the Paradise Square later. Looking at the back of the red-clothed figure slowly walking away, he always felt particularly guilty. He closed the door, sat at the table, held his forehead, and thought to himself: "I hope this matter really has nothing to do with Sanlang. After finding out the truth, I will immediately confess and apologize to him."

After sitting for a while, I heard someone calling faintly outside the door: "Your Highness... Your Highness..."

Upon hearing the voice, Xie Lian immediately went to open the door, and the person outside the door suddenly jumped in. It was Shi Qingxuan.

She was still dressed as a ghost girl, wearing a thin gauze dress with a slim waist. As soon as she came in, she fell to the ground and turned back into a man. She covered her chest and said, "Suffocation! Suffocation! My God, I'm going to be strangled to death by this thing!"

Xie Lian closed the door with his backhand, and when he turned around, he saw a man wearing an enchanting purple gauze dress, lying on the ground, tearing off his bra and corset. He couldn’t bear to look at it, and covered his eyes and said, “Master Wind Master…Master Wind Master! Can’t you change back into your original Taoist robe?”

Shi Qingxuan said, "Am I stupid? Wearing a bright white Taoist robe in the dark night, I want to be a target for others to shoot at?"

Xie Lian thought, “No… In a sense, you’re a more conspicuous target when you’re dressed like this…”

He didn't see Lang Qianqiu, so he squatted down and asked, "Where's His Highness Taihua? You left him outside alone, don't let anything happen to him again."

Shi Qingxuan tore off his chest binder, finally caught his breath, and collapsed on the ground, saying, "Don't worry, I ordered him not to move again as a senior, so nothing will happen again."

Although Xie Lian was still a little worried, he didn't care about that anymore. He quickly told Shi Qingxuan about the masked man and the secret door that required a double six to enter. When Shi Qingxuan heard that the masked man had a cursed shackle on his wrist, he exclaimed, "Ah," and said, "In these years, there have been only a few priests who have been demoted to heaven. I roughly know who this person is."

Xie Lian asked, “Who?”

Shi Qingxuan got up from the ground and said, "The person you saw is probably the former Western Martial God, His Highness Yinyu."

Xie Lian was startled and asked, “The original one? Are you talking about the previous Western Martial God before Quan Yizhen?”

Shi Qingxuan finished tearing off his bra and was a brave man again. He covered his veil and sat opposite Xie Lian. He said seriously, "That's right. But I also heard about this. You just need to listen. The previous Martial God guarding the West was His Highness Yin Yu. He was Quan Yizhen's senior brother. After ascending to heaven, he appointed Quan Yizhen's general and helped him a lot. It is said that the relationship between the senior brothers has always been very good. However, not long after, Quan Yizhen himself ascended to heaven, and his momentum was very strong. He replaced his senior brother's position in the West."

Xie Lian said nothing. Shi Qingxuan continued, “There can’t be two tigers on one mountain. The two sides were originally very good, but Quan Yizhen overpowered his senior brother and became very popular in the west. The Yinyu sect gradually declined and the number of followers decreased. They were not very happy and thought that Quan Yizhen had done something dirty and deliberately tried to take his senior brother’s position. As a result, the brothers gradually became enemies.”

Xie Lian asked, “Then why was His Highness Yinyu demoted?”

Shi Qingxuan said, "I was just about to say that. It seems that later on, they were getting more and more aggressive in the West, and His Highness Yinyu was furious and wanted to do something vicious to Quan Yizhen? I'm not sure about the details, but it was exposed anyway. It was a big fuss at the time, and Yinyu was demoted by the Emperor, and then he disappeared. I didn't expect that he would end up in the ghost market..."

Xie Lian recalled that when Nan Feng evaluated the Western Martial God Quan Yizhen, he was vague and his tone was hard to describe. He wondered what kind of person he was, so he asked, “Master Feng, in your opinion, what’s going on with these two people?”

Shi Qingxuan tugged at the hem of her gauze dress and said, "How should I know? Although I am familiar with many people, I am not very familiar with the Westerners. I have only spoken a few words to them. But judging from these few words, I think His Highness Yinyu is a good person and quite humble. As for Quan Yizhen, he is relatively young and has a strange temper, but apart from not understanding the ways of the world, he doesn't seem to have any major problems. I won't tell you what happened. Apart from the two of them, who else knows what happened?"

Xie Lian shook his head and said, “It’s better not to say anything. Regardless of whether the masked man is His Highness Yin Yu or not, and regardless of why he is here, let’s go see if we can open the door and see what’s inside after we open it.”

The two of them left the house quietly. Xie Lian, who had lost his way once during the day, learned his lesson and carefully memorized the way. This time, it was relatively smooth. After walking around with a few vague memories, they successfully found the gorgeous little door after two incense sticks. Xie Lian came to the stone statue of the lady, took out two dice he brought from the room, held his breath for a moment, and threw them gently. There was a light "thump thump" sound, and sure enough, two bright red "sixes" appeared on one hand.

Xie Lian heaved a sigh of relief, but remembering that this luck was lent to him by Hua Cheng in the Paradise Palace, he felt even worse, thinking, “They are so kind to me, but I am running around like a thief in their house.”

Seeing his expression, Shi Qingxuan patted him on the shoulder and said, "Now that things have come to this, just let it go. But I see that this Xueyu Tanhua is really attentive to you. If I were you, I would not accept the emperor's request this time, so as not to make things difficult for me."

Xie Lian shook his head, thinking that Shi Qingxuan didn’t really understand Jun Wu, which was why he said that.

Xie Lian was indeed in a difficult situation, and Jun Wu also knew that he was in a difficult situation. According to Xie Lian's understanding of Jun Wu, in this case, Jun Wu would not mention this matter to him at all, but would directly send another priest to carry out the task.

But Jun Wu knew that he was in trouble, but he still asked him about his wishes. This can only mean one thing: Jun Wu couldn't find any other suitable person to make this trip, and he asked him as a last resort. In this case, Xie Lian naturally had no choice but to do it.

Moreover, the missing priest sent out a distress signal seven days ago, and Hua Cheng also left seven days ago. He could not ignore this coincidence no matter what.

Xie Lian sighed and thought to himself, “Sanlang, I wish I could have a chance to apologize to you.”

He put away the dice and pushed the door open. Behind the ornate little door was no longer the ordinary little room, but a dark cave, with stairs leading to the depths of the ground, and cold wind blowing from the bottom up.