Three Gods One Ghost; Reverend Nowhere in Sight

Shi Qingxuan continued seriously, "I want to try and see if I can take care of that thing myself. Your Highness has more experience, so are you free? If not, don't force yourself."

Shi Qingxuan had helped Xie Lian out many times in the past. Now that he had an emergency and came to him for assistance, there was no way Xie Lian could decline and say he had the heart but not the power. However, Hua Cheng came from far away as a guest, and hadn't even stayed for more than a few days. If he left, who was going to host Hua Cheng? Although, it wasn't like he was a very good host himself.

Just as he was considering his options, Hua Cheng supported his chin with one hand and smiled.

"Is gege going to try and catch a glimpse of that Reverend of Empty Words? If it wouldn't be a bother, will you bring me along? It's a rare monster, after all, I've never seen it myself either."

Xie Lian thought to himself, "Much ashamed, but San Lang understands me."

Filled with gratitude for his consideration, he nodded. Shi Qingxuan didn't say anything on the subject. Of course he knew Hua Cheng coming along wasn't to help him, but at least he also wouldn't be messing with him, so whether Hua Cheng came meant nothing to him.

Xie Lian then said, "That Reverend of Empty Words is a mysterious creature; who knows when or where it would appear again?"

Shi Qingxuan replied, "I don't know either. If anything, I plan on going to the imperial capital and reserving the best room at the best restaurant to drink for eighty or a hundred days, and put on plays and set off firecrackers every day. It'll come out eventually."

"That's one way to do it," Xie Lian said. "However, even if it comes out, we might not be able to capture it. The best way to win a battle is to know oneself and the enemy inside and out. Has Lord Wind Master investigated what its prey has been in the past? How does it operate? See if there's any pattern."

"Of course my brother had already investigated this," Shi Qingxuan said. He took out a scroll from his sleeve, spreading it open.

Xie Lian scooted closer to take a look, and was in awe in spite of himself. "Amazing. Amazing."

What a guy! That creature really only fished for the big ones. The series of names on that scroll were pretty much all big names in the mortal realm; each of them a character of notoriety, almost all of them having tragic ends. Each one of those tragic ends were suicides after breakdowns.

There were those who slit their own throats after their armies were ruined like fallen mountains, those who cleanly offed themselves with a three-meter-long white bandage after their amassed fortune disappeared overnight, and those who sunk into the depths of despair after having spent their entire lifetimes seeking influence and affluence but achieving nothing. They weren't necessarily defeated by the hand of the Reverend of Empty Words, they were defeated by the fear of loss in their own hearts.

However, there weren't any emperors or kings on that list. As heaven's sons, true kings had a protective aura, and evil could not invade easily. Generally speaking, those who had the potential to ascend would also have a natural spiritual shield covering their bodies that would force demons and monsters to stand down. So, Xie Lian felt whatever it was that attached itself to Shi Qingxuan wasn't something so simple. Perhaps there was someone behind the scenes, purposely coming for him. If that was the case, whoever it was must be quite formidable. However, Shi Qingxuan was marked when he was but a baby; how did he attract such a character?

Just then, Hua Cheng spoke up. "Gege, may I take a look?"

Xie Lian passed the scroll over to him. "Here."

Hua Cheng swept a passing look over it, then questioned, "Who put this scroll together?"

"My brother. What?" Shi Qingxuan replied.

Hua Cheng tossed the scroll back on the table, and said, "Nothing. Just that it's crap, and full of mistakes. I suggest your brother try again."

Hearing him, Shi Qingxuan was going to throw a fit. "CRIMSON RAIN SOUGHT FLOWER!"

Xie Lian immediately held him down, and said apologetically, "Lord Wind Master, please sit down. Sit down. Let it go, San Lang always talks like this. He doesn't mean it."

Shi Qingxuan sat down, sounding doubtful. "Always like this?"

Xie Lian turned to Hua Cheng and asked, "San Lang, you said it's full of mistakes. How so?"

Hua Cheng shuffled over, and the two sat much closer than before. Hua Cheng pointed at a few names and said, "These ones are wrong."

Xie Lian looked at the names closely; they were all vengeful, malevolent tyrants. "How do you know?"

"Because I killed them," Hua Cheng said.

"..."

"Doesn't this say they all died by suicide?" Xie Lian said.

"Before I would make my move, I'd send messengers to greet them first, and they'd end themselves," Hua Cheng replied. "So, perhaps that doesn't count as my kill?"

Who knows whether that counted as his kill, but at least he was honest. Shi Qingxuan coughed a few times uncomfortably, his lips twitching.

"Can ghosts please not so plainly describe how they kill people in front of heavenly officials? Can ghosts please not discuss these types of questions openly with other heavenly officials in front of other heavenly officials?"

Hua Cheng pointed at a few other names and said, "These ones are wrong, too."

"And who killed those ones?" Xie Lian asked.

"Black Water killed them," Hua Cheng said.

Xie Lian was taken aback. "That Black Water Demon Xuan? Doesn't he always lie low?"

"Doesn't mean he doesn't kill," Hua Cheng said. Then, he turned to Shi Qingxuan. "Your esteemed brother gave you a scroll that's inaccurate and full of mistakes. There's no heart in this investigation at all, and it only looks like a suspicious red herring, nothing but a bunch of rags. So, I suggest, you rip this up and rewrite another one."

Shi Qingxuan grabbed that scroll back and exclaimed, "My brother isn't like that!"

Although his words were weak, his tone was firm. Shi Wudu wouldn't be so careless when it came to his own younger brother, so there could only be one possibility.

Xie Lian asked, "Every profession has its own niche. Lord Water Master would've borrowed another's expertise in his investigation. May I ask who was the one who actually put the scroll together?"

After some hesitation, Shi Qingxuan replied, "Ling Wen."

Xie Lian rubbed his forehead and stopped speaking. Although the other heavenly officials all cursed the Palace of Ling Wen for its inefficiency, it still shouldn't have made so many mistakes; it almost looked like this was nothing more than a rough draft. The Tumours looked like they shared a good relationship, at least on the surface. What was underneath, outsiders would probably never know.

Hua Cheng shuffled back and continued, "Let me tell you another way to tell the difference between what's true and fake: once the Reverend of Empty Words sets its sights on a prey, it will pull the weed out by the roots. Not only will its prey suffer breakdowns and die, the families and friends of said prey will all be affected. So, those who only died by themselves on this scroll, whose friends and families are alive and well, those names are all wrong too."

Hearing this, Shi Qingxuan's face paled by another shade. Soon after, he regained his cheer and laughed weakly at Ming Yi.

"Ming-xiong, doesn't that mean you're in danger too? You're my best friend, after all!"

Ming Yi shifted to sit further away from him, his entire face written with the sentiment "can I not have you as a best friend, please". This move brought him closer to Xie Lian, and Hua Cheng's eyes swept over him, sharp as knives. Seeing Shi Qingxuan still hadn't forgotten to joke around even in times like these, Xie Lian couldn't help but smile. Nevertheless, he could faintly tell Shi Qingxuan was anxious. Or rather, it was because he was anxious that he had to use extra cheer to push it down.

Shi Qingxuan flashed his Wind Master fan and fanned five, six times faster than usual, his black hair flying wildly in the wind.

"Then let's go right now! To the fanciest, tallest tower to drink ourselves into oblivion! I gotta see for myself if it'd dare come out with so many of us around. We've got the numbers, HAHAHAHahahahaha..."

"...Lord Wind Master, please calm yourself," Xie Lian said. "Wait for me for a moment, I've got some little things to take care of in the shrine still."

Who knows how many days this trip would take? With two children; two mouths plus a godforsaken ghost possessing a man, he couldn't just leave them be. He thought about finding someone reliable in the village to help watch other them, but it seemed Hua Cheng knew his worries and spoke up.

"If gege must go, then go without a worry. I've got hands. While you're gone, there'll naturally be people to watch over the shrine."

Xie Lian let out a breath of relief. "Thank goodness for San Lang. It'd be better if there's someone here to watch over things."

Hua Cheng smiled too. "Yeah. There needs to be someone watching over things."

Their "watch over" obviously meant different things. However, no one pried about it. Ming Yi moved the altar table away, and started drawing the Distance-Shortening array on the ground. Shi Qingxuan's fan was fanning so rapidly, its form was no longer seen.

"By the way, Your Highness, I forgot to ask earlier. Just who is that outside the door? How did I piss him off, to have such rude words come out of his mouth?"

To be asked about only at the end and in such an offhand manner, if Qi Rong heard, he'd no doubt suffer heartburn again. It really was rude, Xie Lian thought, as he packed up Ruoye and Fangxin leaning against the corner.

"Didn't he already announce his own title?"

"What, that really was the Green Ghost?" Shi Qingxuan was surprised. "That face with that attitude? You really gotta see things for yourself, indeed!"

Xie Lian rubbed his forehead and briefly gave an account of things; reminding him to keep it a secret, especially to Lang Qianqiu. During their exchange, Ming Yi finished drawing the Distance-Shortening array. The one Nan Feng drew the last time was crude and rough, and it took him a long time. Ming Yi was the complete opposite: his hands were swift and precise, completing the drawing with but one line; the circle he drew was cleaner and more accurate than if one was to use a ruler. The characters were also neat and orderly, as if they were pressed prints. Xie Lian couldn't help but secretly gape in awe.

With the array finished, Ming Yi said, "Let's go."

Shi Qingxuan sucked in a breath and blew gently, extinguishing the candlelight.

Hua Cheng took the lead, and was the first to push the door. The little door creaked open, and it was pitch-black outside. As if the door was connected to an old house that had been abandoned for many years, the air was thick with mold and dust.

Following behind Hua Cheng was Xie Lian, who softly thanked Hua Cheng as he crossed through for taking the initiative to open the door. Then came Shi Qingxuan, and the last one was Ming Yi. Once he crossed over, he closed the door behind him.

The moment that door was shut, within the darkness came a voice from behind the door, gloomy and chilling, "The place you wish to go, will become the nightmare you wish to never remember!"

The instant Xie Lian heard the voice, his foot kicked out.

That door instantly collapsed from his kick. But once that array was used, it would lose its effect; behind the door was no longer Puqi Shrine, but rather a pile of trash. That intense action roused

thick clouds of dust. Xie Lian coughed, a little glad that he didn't break the door Hua Cheng made.

He said with his sleeve covering his face, "Was that the Reverend of Empty Words?"

Shi Qingxuan was gripping his whisk and his Wind Master fan tightly, and replied, "That's its voice! Has...has it been following me?"

Xie Lian waved away the dusty air and said, "No. There were three heavenly officials and one ghost king earlier; if something was following you, how would we not know? Clearly it'd only just come."

Ming Yi said too, "Calm down."

Shi Qingxuan exclaimed, "I'm calm. I'm very calm. I've been calming!"

Hua Cheng, however, stood ahead and said leisurely, "Calm is good. But there's definitely something going on. Does anyone know where we are?"

Xie Lian looked around, and wondered too. "Weren't we going to the nicest restaurant in the imperial capital?"

No matter how he looked, this old abandoned house looked nothing like that restaurant Shi Qingxuan spoke of. The four of them explored around and found the entrance, but it was locked by giant locks! Xie Lian kicked again and the locks broke, opening the doors. Once the doors opened, what appeared before the four were neither hellish fires nor mysterious landscapes of evil. It was a perfectly normal, indistinct little town.

Hua Cheng raised his brows. "The imperial capital shouldn't look like this."

Xie Lian agreed wholeheartedly. The aura of an imperial capital could not be compared to such a small town, and he turned around.

"Lord Earth Master, did you make a mistake in your array?"

Ming Yi however, said, "I didn't make any mistakes. The original destination wasn't here."

Xie Lian immediately understood. This meant that the creature had meddled. They were sent by it to this place.