When Xie Lian was led to Paradise Manor in Ghost City, he had also heard singing, but the graceful songs of the charming female ghosts at Paradise Manor were enticing and beautiful—intoxicating like soft whispers from the Land of the Tender7 But the singing that they heard now was more like the chaotic caterwauling of demons, disorderly and awful. The two were nothing alike.
Xie Lian couldn’t help but ask, “San Lang, what is this place?”
“Shh,” Hua Cheng quietly shushed him.
Xie Lian’s question was already spoken in a near whisper; hearing the shush, he practically held his breath entirely. He soon discovered why they needed to be silent. Several floating green ghost fires drifted over from farther down the path, and when the balls of flame came close, he saw they were little ghosts dressed in green.
On the head of each little ghost there was a small torch light, as if each one was a big green candle. There was nowhere to hide in this cave, and the path was narrow. Xie Lian was about to reach for Fangxin, but upon deciding Ruoye would be better suited for this situation, he dropped his hand again.
But as the little ghosts passed them, they didn’t bat an eyelash before moving on, still whispering amongst themselves. It wasn’t that they didn’t see them but more that they didn’t think it strange to see them. Xie Lian looked at Hua Cheng, but the one standing next to him wasn’t the exceptionally handsome red-clad ghost king he knew but rather another pale little ghost with a green flame on his head.
So it seemed that Hua Cheng had changed them into fake skins without Xie Lian noticing. Thinking that he must be bearing a green flame upon his head as well, Xie Lian couldn’t help but raise a hand to feel around.
“Why must we…”
Why must they change their appearance into something so bizarre?
Although he trailed off, Hua Cheng obviously knew what he wanted to say. “I mentioned that the Green Ghost Qi Rong’s tastes are vulgar. All of his lackeys have to dress like this.”
Xie Lian hadn’t expected Hua Cheng to bring him to the Green Ghost Qi Rong’s territory.
Whenever the Heavenly Realm or the Ghost Realm mentioned Green Ghost Qi Rong, they all had to comment on how uncouth he was, and Xie Lian couldn’t fathom why. But now that he’d learned that all of his little ghost subordinates had to dress uniformly like this, he could finally understand somewhat. If he only judged him by that self-given title of his, there was some peculiar form of elegance to the sound of “Night-Touring Green Lantern.” But to literally have these “green lanterns” wandering around at night, there was indeed a gap between his initial impressions and reality.
“Didn’t you already destroy his lair?” Xie Lian asked.
“I did, but he escaped,” Hua Cheng replied. “Escaped for fifty years and built a new one.”
Xie Lian hugged the Lang Qianqiu budaoweng doll close to his chest and—after making sure no one was around—whispered, “San Lang, are you here to find the Green Ghost? Why don’t you undo Qianqiu’s spell and let him go before that, and then I’ll accompany you?”
Hua Cheng obstinately refused. “No, bring him with you. I need Lang Qianqiu to meet someone.”
Xie Lian was curious. Hua Cheng didn’t act like he cared much for Lang Qianqiu, so why would he take him specially to meet anyone? But things were awkward on both sides, so he couldn’t speak any more on the subject. When the two finally emerged from the cave and the tunnel opened to a wider space, only more caves appeared to greet them.
There seemed to be caves and tunnels dug all over this mountain; caves connecting caves, tunnels leading to more tunnels. Each entrance had many ghosts with green lanterns on their heads going in and out, like a giant beehive or an anthill. If Xie Lian had come in by himself, there was no way he’d remember the path. And yet Hua Cheng acted like he was at home and traversed the various tunnels and caves without hesitation, exceedingly at ease, like he knew the paths by heart.
The two of them both wore their little green-flamed ghost skins, so no one stopped them on their journey. Xie Lian exhaled in relief, but Hua Cheng thought he was sighing and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Xie Lian said. “I thought you would attack the lair head-on instead of sneaking in. I’m not too good with fighting, so I’m relieved.”
He meant it when he said he wasn’t “good with fighting.” While he was skilled in combat, he had trouble dealing with the aftermath. Hua Cheng seemed to puff out a laugh.