Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 2(30)

Xie Lian felt his sight go dark, and he blurted out, “Have you ever met White-Clothed Calamity?”

White-Clothed Calamity. The origin of plagues. The symbol of misfortune.

He was the nightmare of the previous generation of gods, before Crimson Rain Sought Flower was born. If not for Jun Wu, who personally exterminated him, that nightmare would’ve probably continued even to this day.

That supreme was always dressed in snow-white funeral garb, his expansive sleeves fluttering, and he wore a cry-smiling mask on his face. The mask was called that because the right half of it was smiling and the left half was crying—half joyous, half sad. If he was seen somewhere, it meant that place would soon be doomed to ruin and that chaos would befall the land.

In the last battle before the fall of his kingdom, Xie Lian stood upon the towering city walls of Xianle’s imperial capital. His face was covered in grime and tears and written with a lost and bemused expression as he gazed down at his kingdom. In his blurred vision, there stood a white silhouette among the fields of corpses just outside the city walls, his giant white sleeves fluttering, his figure distinct. Xie Lian dropped his head to look down at him, and the white apparition raised his head to look at Xie Lian—and waved directly at him.

That cry-smiling mask was the nightmare Xie Lian couldn’t chase away, even after hundreds of years.

The boy didn’t seem to know what the “White No-Face” was and only watched Xie Lian with a blank expression. All of a sudden, he let out a loud cry of “Aah!”

It turned out that Xie Lian had unconsciously grabbed his shoulder and gripped too hard. It wasn’t until the shout that Xie Lian snapped out of it and hurriedly released his grip.

“I’m sorry.”

Hua Cheng spoke in a low voice, “You’re tired. Go rest.”

As soon as he said those words, two dainty girls entered the hall from a small door on the side wall and took the boy away. He frequently looked back at Xie Lian as he was being led off, and Xie Lian comforted him.

“Don’t worry. I’ll come find you again in a bit.”

Hua Cheng turned to Xie Lian. “Sit down and relax, and leave him for now. If you have any questions for him, I have my ways of prying open his lips.”

“Prying open his lips” sounded rather horrifying, and Xie Lian hurriedly replied, “No, that’s all right. If he couldn’t say anything, then let it go. We’ll take this slow.”

Hua Cheng sat down next to Xie Lian. “What are your plans for the boy?”

Xie Lian gave the question some thought. “Keep him with me and bring him along.”

“He’s a ghost, not a human,” Hua Cheng said. “Why don’t you leave him here in Ghost City? I’ll have no trouble feeding another mouth.”

Xie Lian replied earnestly, “San Lang, truly, thank you. But…when I said I would bring him along with me, it’s not just for the purpose of keeping him around.”

Ghost City was indeed Hua Cheng’s territory, and if he was willing to protect the boy, then no one could harm him, nor would he go hungry. However, the most important thing was to actually guide the boy, to help him organize his mind and speech so that he could look and behave normally. Ghost City was a bustling place, but it was chaotic and wild and unsuitable for such counseling. Xie Lian couldn’t think of anyone who would have the patience to undertake this task, besides himself.

Xie Lian replied, “I’m already immensely grateful that you found him for me. I can’t trouble you any more with the aftermath.”

Hua Cheng appeared to disagree but didn’t push further. He said plainly, “It’s really no trouble. While you’re here, just let me know if you need anything, and you’re free to go wherever you want.”

Just then, Xie Lian noticed movement. The scimitar on Hua Cheng’s waist seemed to have gone through a sudden change.

Xie Lian looked down and was instantly amazed. It turned out there was a silver eye crafted on the hilt of that scimitar. The pattern of the eye was formed by a mere few silver strokes, but although simple, it looked vivid enough to be alive. He didn’t notice it at first because the eye was closed in a thin line, but just now, the eye fluttered open and revealed a crimson, gem-like pupil, rattling as it spun once.

Hua Cheng noticed it too and said solemnly, “Gege, I need to leave for a bit. I’ll be right back.”

“An alarm?” Xie Lian asked. Could Lord Wind Master and Qianqiu have shown their true selves here in Ghost City? Xie Lian rose too. “I’ll come with you.”

Hua Cheng gently pushed him back down. “Don’t worry, it’s not His Highness Tai Hua or the other one. Gege, just sit here. There’s no need for you to go.”

Since Hua Cheng made it that clear, Xie Lian couldn’t keep insisting on going along. Hua Cheng turned and left the main hall, waving from the doorway. The beaded curtain parted automatically as he approached, and once he exited, it let itself back down, clacking as it did.

Seated on the black jaded divan, Xie Lian relaxed briefly and thought about the bandaged boy. Remembering the objective of his trip, however, he rose to his feet. He passed through the small door the girls had left from and came to a small garden. The vermilion corridor cutting across the garden was empty of life.

Xie Lian was still wondering which way he should go when suddenly a black shadow flashed by.