Xie Lian’s eyes suddenly widened.

He looked incredulous, and Sanlang asked, "What's wrong?"

Xie Lian was speechless. The shame, anger, sadness and hot blood of being deceived and played around rushed to his head. He slammed his palm on the table and said word by word through gritted teeth: "...So it was you!"

The tabletop couldn't bear his blow at all, and it broke into pieces on the spot. Fortunately, there was no one else on the second floor of the tavern except them, otherwise they would have been frightened and run around. Xie Lian had no weapon in his hand, and he slashed out with his palm again. Sanlang was still sitting on the chair, but he just turned his head slightly.

The palm smashed into the wall behind him, and the broken stones fell down, but he didn't move at all. He hugged his arms, raised his eyelids slightly, and said, "Master, what do you mean by this?" @Infinite good articles, all in Jinjiang Literature City

Xie Lian’s face was burning so much that no one knew how red it had become. The joints of his other hand were crackling as he angrily said, “You… stop pretending. You know exactly what you did to me.”

Sanlang raised his eyelids a little more and said, "Unfortunately, I really don't know what I did to make you so angry? Can you give me some advice?"

“…”

This person actually let him speak with an innocent look on his face. How could he speak? In broad daylight, he would say that kind of thing? ! Xie Lian had never seen such a person before. He was so angry that he was shaking from his shoulders to the tip of his heart. His face was getting redder and redder. He cursed incoherently: "Shut up! You... I will beat you to death, you shameless... obscene... despicable... you..."

San Lang sighed and said, "Master, I didn't expect that my sincerity would be responded to in this way. How shameless and despicable am I?"

Xie Lian finally regained some composure and said, “Don’t try to lie to me again! The red string on your hand has proven that you are the one… the one…”

"Oh?" Sanlang raised his hand calmly and said, "What are you talking about? Is there something wrong with this red line?"

When Xie Lian saw the red line, he felt as if he had been stabbed. He said, “I saw it. At that time, you…had this red line on your hand…”

Sanlang asked: "When?"

“…”

For a moment, Xie Lian really wanted to beat him to death.

It's rude of you to ask questions when you already know the answer!

But for some reason, no matter how angry he was, he couldn't move his hands. And it wasn't because he was restrained by the talent, but because his own body wouldn't let him move!

At this moment, several people came running up the stairs, saying, "What are you two doing? How can you just smash things?"

Xie Lian turned around and said, “It’s dangerous here! You guys go first…” Unexpectedly, after seeing this, he was stunned again.

Those people all had a red string tied on their hands!

Xie Lian blurted out, “What’s going on with the red lines on your hands?”

One person said: "Red line? A red line is just a red line, what's so strange about it? It's not the same thing... it's not the same thing."

Xie Lian was confused. Could it be that tying a red string on one’s wrist was a common fashion trend here?

He turned around, and Sanlang seemed to see through his thoughts and said, "The Taoist guess is right. Tying the finger with a red string is the custom here. If you don't believe me, please look at the crowd below."

Xie Lian looked down at the restaurant and saw that, indeed, among the endless stream of people, many had a red string tied on their hands, and some even had several. He asked, “What kind of custom is this?”

San Lang smiled slightly and said, "Well, this is related to Hua Cheng."

"ah?"

"Because he and his beloved tied a red string on their hands. So many people followed suit, hoping to find a marriage partner or express their love."

Xie Lian was stunned when he heard this. He said, “So… Hua Cheng is actually a very remarkable person? There are actually so many people who are keen on imitating him…”

San Lang said, "It's amazing, it depends on who you are comparing yourself to. By the way, Taoist Priest, it seems like something has fallen on the ground, can you let me pick it up and have a look?"

Xie Lian finally realized that he had been maintaining this attacking posture. It turned out to be another misunderstanding. His anger disappeared completely and he quickly withdrew his hand, saying, “I’m sorry, Sanlang, I’m really… I’m really sorry. I got impatient and misunderstood you again…”

Sanlang remained calm, bent down to pick up something, and said, "It's okay. Taoist priest, is this something you dropped?"

He pulled out a gold leaf from the mess on the ground, which probably slipped from his sleeve when Xie Lian attacked him just now. Xie Lian was about to speak, but he saw San Lang holding the gold leaf in front of his eyes, squinting his eyes, and said: "Hey, this gold leaf looks a little familiar."

After saying this, he slowly took out something from his waist, also a gold leaf.

The two gold leaves are exactly the same!

Xie Lian blurted out, “So this is yours?”

San Lang said: "Well, I did lose something, so I went back to look for it..."

Hearing this, Xie Lian was afraid that he might misunderstand, so he hurriedly said, “Sanlang, let me explain.”

Sanlang said: "Don't be nervous, I will naturally listen to your explanation, Taoist priest."

Xie Lian breathed a sigh of relief and said, “It’s like this. I just picked up this gold leaf on the road. I wanted to wait for the owner to come back and give it back, but I waited for more than an hour and no one came to look for it. And I really…”

At this point, he felt a little ashamed, lowered his head, and whispered, "So, I... took the initiative to borrow a little first, and wanted to buy something to eat, that steamed bun... I was planning to return it in multiples in the future, but no matter what, I ended up taking it without asking. Sorry."

Sanlang smiled and said, "Master, why do you have to be like this? Isn't this human nature? Not to mention that I originally wanted to invite you to drink together, didn't I eat the bun in the end? Don't take it to heart. Don't you think it's wonderful? It's a coincidence that the person who found the thing I lost is the master. This is really a fate that brings us together."

Xie Lian felt relieved after hearing his forgiveness, and said, “But, Sanlang, you have to be careful too. It fell so clearly on the road, and you didn’t even notice it. Don’t be so careless next time.”

At this time, the waiters who were cowering on the side said, "My two guests, are you calm now? If you are calm, let's settle the bill for the broken table!"

Xie Lian: “…”

In the past, he would have no problem paying any amount, but now, he couldn't even afford a steamed bun. Sanlang said, "It's okay. It's all mine."

It was clearly he who attacked San Lang first, but San Lang offered to help him pay for the things he broke. Xie Lian was so moved by his gentleness and thoughtfulness that he was speechless. His Adam’s apple moved and he said, “You…”

The waiters didn't know what was going on, and even though the shop was smashed, they still came over happily to help them change to a more luxurious table. The two sat down again, and Xie Lian couldn't help but feel guilty and grateful, but he felt that thousands of words were difficult to express. Sanlang asked again with concern: "Master, from what you said just now, it seems that there is something hidden. What's going on? Master, who did what to you?"

“…”

How could Xie Lian say something like that? His face, which had just calmed down, turned red again. He stammered, “…Nothing, nothing.”

Sanlang said, "If you don't mind, could you tell me something? I might be able to help you a little."

Although he had good intentions, Xie Lian was chased by him and had no way to escape. He felt uneasy and said helplessly: “…It’s really nothing. Sanlang, can you please stop asking…”

It's hard to say.

In that case, San Lang did not force it and said, "Okay. Where were we talking about just now? You want to see Hua Cheng, right?"

Xie Lian collected his thoughts and said seriously, “Yes. Does Sanlang know a solution?”

San Lang said, "Of course I know. But, Hua Cheng can't be seen these days."

"Why?" @Infinite good articles, all in Jinjiang Literature City

Sanlang used chopsticks to arrange the vegetables on the plate into a big smiling face and said, "It is said that his beloved has been ill in recent days, so he wants to accompany her. Apart from that, he is not free at all."

Xie Lian thought, as expected, this Hua Cheng is a sentimental person, very sentimental, so he admired him even more and said, “I see. Then, when can I see him again?”

"At most five days, at least three days. My suggestion, Taoist priest, is not to be anxious. Before that, you should rest peacefully."

Just as Xie Lian was thinking about the fact that he had no place to stay, he heard San Lang say, “If you don’t have a place to stay, why don’t you stay at my place? My house is big and there aren’t many people living there.”

Xie Lian couldn’t hold it in any longer and whispered, “San Lang, you are so… so nice.”

It was the first time for him to praise someone with such straightforward words, and he felt a little embarrassed, but other than that, he really couldn't find any words that fit his mood better. Sanlang seemed to be very pleased, and said with a smile: "Who made me and you hit it off right away? Oh, by the way, there is another question, I forgot to ask, how old are you this year?"

Xie Lian said, “Seventeen.”

Sanlang said, "Ah, seventeen, that's younger than me."

Indeed, he looked about 20 years old. Sanlang said casually, "So, the Taoist priest should call me brother."

Xie Lian was a member of the royal family, a very noble prince, and he shouldn't be on a brotherly basis with others. Not many people could bear that. But this San Lang really made Xie Lian feel good. He had never addressed others as his brother before, so he was very curious and smiled, "So it's Brother San Lang."

“…”

He didn’t know if it was an illusion, but after he called “brother”, the smile on Sanlang’s face suddenly became a little weird.

It was really hard to describe. Sanlang’s left eye seemed to suddenly burn, so hot that Xie Lian could feel his skin burning. He blinked and asked, “What’s wrong?”

The terrifying heat passed in an instant, and Sanlang immediately returned to normal, smiling, "Nothing, I'm just too happy. There's no one younger than me in my family, and I've never heard anyone call me that."

Xie Lian said, “If Sanlang doesn’t mind, then…I’ll call you this, okay?”

Sanlang smiled with his eyes twinkling, but he still declined: "Oh, of course I definitely won't mind, that depends on whether the Taoist priest minds or not."

Xie Lian said, “No, of course I don’t mind. Brother Sanlang, shall we go back to your house now?”

Sanlang put down his chopsticks and said, "Well, follow me now."

Sanlang’s residence was an extremely spacious and magnificent mansion. When Xie Lian entered, he felt that it was no less magnificent than some of the palaces in the Xianle Palace, which made him even more convinced that Sanlang was no ordinary man.

At night, lying alone in bed, Xie Lian tossed and turned.

He always felt like something was missing next to him, and he couldn't feel stable no matter how he tossed and turned. In addition, he felt a little uncomfortable, and when he lay on his back, his waist ached; when he turned over and lay on his stomach, he felt as if something was pressing on his back.

He was half asleep and had many messy dreams. He wanted to move, but was held down firmly. The voice whispered in his ear again, sometimes it was a man, sometimes it was a boy; sometimes it called him brother, brother, sometimes it called him Your Highness, and told him not to be afraid, Your Highness.

Extremely gentle, extremely evil, but also extremely cherishing.

He suddenly woke up, his clothes were soaked with sweat. Xie Lian panted and clenched his fists. He angrily and helplessly hammered on the bed, inserting his fingers into his slightly damp hair, thinking: "...When will I forget this kind of thing! When I catch this shameless bastard, I will definitely..."

At this moment, he found a set of clothes placed beside his pillow. Although it was also white, the style was what he liked. Xie Lian felt as if he had been pardoned, and hurried to the back of the house to take a quick shower.

After taking off his clothes and soaking in the water, he suddenly found that he was wearing a thin silver chain around his neck.

At the end of the chain was a crystal clear ring. He had worn it for an unknown period of time, but he hadn't noticed it at all. He was even curious: "Do I have a pendant like this?"

This ring was so beautiful that he was almost fascinated by it, but he did not lose his vigilance. Suddenly, he noticed a flash of silver light and shouted, "Who!"

He hit the water with one blow, and the water splashed like steel balls, hitting the wall with crackling sounds. However, what he hit out was not a person, but... a knife? !

Xie Lian was holding onto the hard knife, very confused. Suddenly, a silver line on the knife handle parted, as if an eye had opened, and the eyeballs began to roll around. Xie Lian was even more shocked.

What is this strange thing?!

The blade of the scimitar was long and slender, as if it had life, and it rushed towards his arms with great enthusiasm. Xie Lian was caught off guard and let it get the upper hand. He cried out "wow" from the cold and shivered all over.

But probably because he didn't sense the murderous intent, he intuitively felt that the scimitar was not dangerous, and apart from pushing it away with difficulty, he didn't want to do anything more violent to it, such as slapping it into the sky. At this time, a red shadow flashed, snatched the scimitar, and said grimly: "So you are here..."

Looking closely, Sanlang was already standing by the bathtub, holding the knife in his hand. Although he was still smiling, veins on his forehead were faintly bulging. He slapped the knife with his hand very rudely and said, "Didn't I tell you not to come over now?"

Xie Lian asked, “Sanlang, is this knife your…magic weapon?”

Sanlang turned to him, the veins on his forehead disappeared instantly, and he was calm and composed again, saying: "You are just a useless thing, brother... brother, I am sorry to make you laugh."

Xie Lian, however, was in awe, his eyes brightening. He grabbed the hem of his red shirt and said, “No no no, Brother Sanlang, you are so amazing! You can actually create a magical weapon with its own spiritual consciousness!”

The knife had just been hit by Sanlang, and it frowned in grievance. When it heard Xie Lian's praise, its eyes rolled around and it became proud, sneaking towards him. Sanlang ruthlessly hit it again.

This time it refused to give in. It fell to the ground with a thump, rolling around like a child who rolled on the ground and cried loudly after being hit by an adult. Xie Lian could almost hear its howling next to his ear. He felt a little distressed and quickly stood up and said, "Wait, Sanlang! Forget it, don't hit it. I think it was just naughty for a while and wanted to show its good will. There's no need to be so harsh on it."

But as soon as he came out of the water, he remembered that he was naked underwater, his face turned red again for some reason, and he sank back down in embarrassment. But Sanlang had already turned around very naturally and walked out.

Xie Lian hurriedly climbed out of the water and changed into new clothes. He felt that the material of the underwear was very fine. Finally, his skin was no longer rubbed and felt uncomfortable. He was even more grateful. He left the house and came to the elegant hall for guests. Sanlang was already waiting at the seat of honor.

I don’t know how he taught that knife a lesson. Now it is obediently worn on Sanlang’s waist. When it is not moving, it is very cold and murderous. It is impossible to imagine that it was rolling on the ground and crying. Seeing Xie Lian coming, Sanlang smiled and said, “Are you up? Did you sleep well last night?”

Xie Lian answered truthfully, “I didn’t know why I kept dreaming in the first half of the night…but I slept well in the second half.”

Sanlang said: "I am too tired."

The two chatted a little and exchanged a few words, and the day was almost over. They would probably continue to get along like this until Hua Cheng was free.

However, at night, Xie Lian was lying in bed alone and had that restless dream again.

He was tossing and turning in his dream and became unbearable. He woke up suddenly, sweating profusely. Angry and helpless, he had to get up and go out, wanting to walk a few laps to calm down, but suddenly he heard a sound coming from the other side of the room in the distance.

That was Sanlang's master's room. The room was well soundproofed, so the sound was very small, but Xie Lian's five senses were very sharp, and he caught it. He held his breath and concentrated, and walked silently to the outside of the room.

Looking inside through the crack in the door, I saw Sanlang sitting on a seat in the middle of the room, holding a purple hair brush in his hand, seemingly writing. His expression was completely different from the cold and stern look when he faced him. There was also a man in black clothes and a ghost face next to him, bending over and reporting in a low voice.

Somehow, the ghost-faced man’s presence was very low, and one might not notice it if he wasn’t careful. Just as Xie Lian was about to listen carefully, the man had already finished his report. He only vaguely heard scattered sentences, such as “That monster has been causing trouble for a long time,” “I think they received a request to deal with it and something went wrong,” and “This is the direction we just explored.”

He was combing his hair slowly when he heard San Lang say, "I have to accompany him now and can't get away. Bring me that monster before tomorrow night."

The ghost-faced man whispered, "Yes. Do you want to keep it alive?"

Sanlang put down his pen and took a look at what he had written. He seemed unsatisfied, so he crumpled it into a ball and threw it away. Then he said slowly, "Leave a few more bites for it to spit out, and then slowly crush its dog head."

The look and tone of his voice when he said this were chilling. But Xie Lian was not at all disgusted or wary. The ghost-faced man responded and was about to leave, but Xie Lian immediately dodged and hid back.

Back in his room, Xie Lian couldn’t sleep any more. He paced back and forth a few times, wondering, “Who on earth is San Lang? What kind of monster is he talking about?”

It sounded as if something important had been swallowed by a monster that had been causing trouble for a long time, and Sanlang was quite angry. But because he had to accompany him at the moment, he could not spare the time to smash the monster's head.

Thinking of this, Xie Lian felt very embarrassed. This San Lang really treated him with the utmost sincerity.

Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind: Why should he sit there like this? Anyway, he couldn't see Huacheng for the time being, and he had always wanted to do something for his good brother Sanlang. Why not help him capture the monster?

Xie Lian made up his mind and left a letter immediately, saying, "Don't worry, brother Sanlang, I'll be back soon." Then he jumped up and quietly left this magnificent house.