Xie Lian noted mentally, If there’s a chance, do tell Jun Wu to watch for any discord between those two heavenly officials that others might have sown.
When Qi Rong finished talking business, he lay back, and his long legs resting on the statue changed position. The little ghosts immediately knew what to do and went to the small band of humans to pick out the best cuts. The one child in the group was probably not even ten years of age and wasn’t very aware of his predicament. He blinked his large eyes and held on tight to his father’s shirt, tugging at it the more scared he became. His young father’s face was ashen pale, shuddering while trying to comfort him: “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared.” Yet it was obvious he himself was terrified to the bone.
One of the little green ghosts saw there was a child and was delighted, reaching out to grab at him. The young father yelped and jolted. Xie Lian started moving before he knew what he was going to do, but then he felt the figure next to him dart out. Xie Lian turned his head to see, and Hua Cheng had stepped out from within the crowd.
Since Hua Cheng had come specifically to seek out the Green Ghost, he should’ve lifted his disguise now that he’d found Qi Rong. Xie Lian had no doubt that Hua Cheng was powerful enough to destroy everything in sight, and all would be powerless to stop him. Yet Hua Cheng did not reveal his true form and maintained the skin of that normal-looking young man as he lazily walked forward.
A number of little green ghosts raised their weapons and shouted in alarm, “Stop! What are you doing?!”
Qi Rong asked curiously, with his feet still up, “What’s with that guy? Seize him.”
Hua Cheng laughed. “Won’t you all show a little respect in the presence of Xianle royalty?”
Qi Rong wasn’t the only one shocked by those words—even Xie Lian was taken aback.
Instantly after, Qi Rong shot to his feet and snorted beneath his mask as if he’d laughed out of sheer anger. “What fucking audacity! To make such a joke before me?! Tell me then, what branch of the Xianle royal tree are you from? Which one?!”
Hua Cheng replied leisurely, “Prince An Le.”
Xie Lian felt the Lang Qianqiu budaoweng doll in his arms jerk once.
Prince An Le was a descendant of Xianle royalty from the same generation as Lang Qianqiu. He was even said to have been friends with Lang Qianqiu.
Qi Rong’s derisive laugh could be heard from under the mask. “Prince An Le? I think you’re seeking your own death! Who told you to start shit in front of me? The person who sent you didn’t teach you any history? Prince An Le was the last of the royal family of Xianle, and that family died out with him! Who are you to pretend to be Xianle royalty before me?”
Hua Cheng raised his brow. “Oh? Died out? How?”
Qi Rong shouted, “SEIZE HIM! SEIZE THAT WEIRD GUY!”
At his command, a large number of little green ghosts poured in from all around the cave, yelling. In the midst of that pandemonium, Hua Cheng only smirked faintly.
His expression had been nonchalant, but in a moment it was like a layer of frost had fallen upon his face. His form suddenly flickered and disappeared, then reappeared in a blink behind Qi Rong.
He grabbed the back of Qi Rong’s head with one hand and smacked it down hard like a child playing with a ball.
“And who the fuck are you to be so insolent before me?!”
A loud BANG, and that magnificent throne was suddenly hidden by flying debris, with dust filling the air. Xie Lian tugged the young child behind his body to shield him and blocked a few small flying rocks.
When the dust settled, Qi Rong had disappeared. But on closer inspection, he hadn’t disappeared; rather, his entire head was deeply embedded in the ground after Hua Cheng’s strike.
Humans and ghosts alike screamed and dispersed.
“Don’t run away!” Xie Lian shouted.
If the people alerted all the ghosts within the cave, they’d be killed for sure! But of course, as always, no one listened to him. Xie Lian dropped his hands helplessly.
In these circumstances, he had no time to worry about others. Across the cave, Hua Cheng slowly knelt down; he used one hand to grab a fistful of Qi Rong’s hair and pried his bloodied head out of the large hole in the ground. With that motion, the body was extracted along with it. After a brief moment of observation, Hua Cheng seemed extremely amused and burst out laughing.
Although he was laughing, the light in his eyes was off by a million watts, eerie and terrifying. Ruoye flew out and struck away a few of the little green ghosts who were trying to cut down the escaping humans. Xie Lian then turned his head, his instincts telling him that something was wrong.