Feng Xin’s face went dark. “No. I’ve never run into the Green Ghost himself and had always assumed the name was just a coincidence. What kind of dumbass would run around flaunting his real name? That’s crazy!”
But the moment the words left his mouth, he instantly remembered that Qi Rong was indeed crazy. His eyes met Xie Lian’s, and both fell silent in mutual understanding.
Since long before the two ascended, Feng Xin had despised Qi Rong. Qi Rong was the son of the younger sister of Xie Lian’s mother, the last queen of Xianle. He grew up in the royal palace and spent his days clinging to Xie Lian, and as Xie Lian’s personal guard, Feng Xin of course saw Qi Rong frequently. Qi Rong was young, immature, bullheaded, energetic, extreme, and worst of all, royalty. Thus, no one dared to educate or discipline him, and it was easy to imagine just how lawless he became.
The words that always used to hang upon his lips were “My cousin the crown prince is perfect!” “My cousin something something.” If anyone was even remotely disrespectful to Xie Lian, or gave him a sliver of a problem, it didn’t matter who it was, Qi Rong would surely bag that person with a sack and beat them until they shat themself. In his mind, there was never any care or respect for the old or young. There was even an incident where Xie Lian saved a child not even ten years of age from Qi Rong’s clutches; the poor boy had been beaten to a bloody pulp, miserable to the bone. Yet Xie Lian was sympathetic to Qi Rong’s circumstances, plus he was genuinely on Xie Lian’s side, so even Xie Lian never disciplined him physically. But if it was only lectures awaiting him, Qi Rong wouldn’t change no matter how many times he was scolded. He was truly a headache.
Feng Xin was a much more straightforward person, abrasive in his speech and not as patient as Xie Lian. Thus, he was constantly in dispute with Qi Rong or disobeying his commands. Because of that, Qi Rong also despised him and would always come up with new ways to get him in trouble, such as ordering him to run unreasonable errands. After Xie Lian ascended, Qi Rong became even more preposterous. For example, if anyone spat before the Palace of the Crown Prince, he would try to force burning hot coal down their throat. Feng Xin had to descend frequently to clean up after him and prevent him from going too far. Truly aggravating!
He’d always tell Xie Lian, “Qi Rong is ill in the head, and he’s gonna incite chaos one day!”
“If that’s really him, then it’s no surprise that he did it,” Feng Xin said.
Shi Qingxuan was curious. “What, do you all know the Green Ghost?!”
Xie Lian nodded. “He’s my little cousin.”
Shi Qingxuan was shocked and crossed his arms. “Well, ain’t that something else.”
“He is definitely something else,” Xie Lian agreed.
“I’m not talking about him,” Shi Qingxuan said. “I’m talking about you! Your Highness, look at you: the martial gods of the southeast and southwest are both your old buddies, the Martial God of the East is your disciple, that Night-Touring Green Lantern is your little cousin, Crimson Rain Sought Flower is your sworn brother, and I, Lord Wind Master, am your friend. Ain’t that something?”
Xie Lian smiled, thinking that the Wind Master certainly had a breezy character befitting his title; the moment the wind blew, all the gloomy clouds dispersed. However, when Hua Cheng and Feng Xin heard “Crimson Rain Sought Flower is your sworn brother,” both looked like they disagreed. Hua Cheng raised his brows, and Feng Xin knitted his.
After a moment, Feng Xin turned to Xie Lian. “If there’s nothing else, you’d better hurry back to the Heavenly Court. Many of the heavenly officials have no idea what happened in that ruckus, and they’re still waiting for news above. Jun Wu should have been informed by now. You need to report back and give them a proper account.”
Hua Cheng laughed out loud at his words.
“What’re you laughing at?” Feng Xin demanded.
“And here I was marveling at how straightforward you are, but it turns out you like to beat around the bush too,” Hua Cheng said. “You just don’t want His Highness to associate with the likes of demons and ghosts like me, so why not say so openly? Think it’s not your place?”
Xie Lian cleared his throat softly. “San Lang…”
“As long as you’re aware that he shouldn’t be associating with the likes of demons and ghosts,” Feng Xin said coldly.
Hua Cheng made no indication that he agreed or disagreed with that sentiment, and Xie Lian intercepted, responding to Feng Xin quietly.