Xie Lian was carried in Hua Cheng's arms.
They walked into the dark depths of the grotto.
The light source beside the two of them.
There was only that silver Necromancer Butterfly dancing in the air. Xie Lian couldn't see the expression on Hua Cheng's face, but he could feel that Hua Cheng's arms and body were stiff.
It wasn't that Hua Cheng hadn't hugged him before, but it was obvious.
Something was different now.
Hua Cheng didn't even touch his neck or hands. Xie Lian kept looking at Hua Cheng's face.
He blinked hard, but Hua Cheng avoided his eyes.
He didn't meet his gaze.
He went to a grotto. There was a stone bed in the grotto.
He immediately put Xie Lian on it. He was about to let Xie Lian lie down.
He suddenly sensed something and checked Xie Lian's back.
"Did they cast a curse on you?"
Xie Lian was overjoyed. He was finally discovered!
However, he only noticed that something was wrong with Xie Lian now.
It could be seen that Hua Cheng was caught off guard. Xie Lian was waiting for Hua Cheng to help him erase the Life Obeying Talisman.
Who knew?
Hua Cheng's hand had already reached out, but he stopped halfway.
In the end, he took back his hand and placed Xie Lian on the stone bed.
Probably to let Xie Lian not worry, he said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, don't worry. I won't kill those two trash for the time being. Even though I really want to kill them. "
The stone bed was still covered with a thick layer of soft new grass. Xie Lian was lying on top of it, not the slightest bit uncomfortable. However, his internal organs were so burnt that they were emitting smoke. He was extremely puzzled as to why the curse wasn't lifted. Just as he was struggling with all his might, he saw Hua Cheng's hand reach towards the belt on his waist and untie it.
Coincidentally, at this moment, Xie Lian felt the effect of the Life Obeying Talisman on his back begin to fade. He moved his leg forcefully and let out an "Ah!"
Although it looked like a dead fish suddenly struggling on its deathbed and making a protest, Hua Cheng immediately froze and retracted his hand. He said, "I won't!"
As if he felt that his tone was too harsh and was afraid of scaring Xie Lian and making him resist, Hua Cheng took a few steps back and slowed down his tone. His expression was uncertain, cautious and patient. He said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, I won't do anything. You … don't be afraid. "
Xie Lian understood.
Hua Cheng was not sure what kind of response he would get from Xie Lian after he undid the curse, so he simply ignored the response.
Hua Cheng seemed to be restraining some sort of impulse. Once again, he used a swearing tone and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, trust me."
Although this "trust me" didn't sound very confident compared to what he had said in the past. Xie Lian still wanted to answer him, but he couldn't. He struggled, but he was afraid that he would misunderstand even more. He could only lie flat on the ground, motionless, and obediently wait for the Fate Talisman's power to pass. Seeing that Xie Lian was no longer 'resisting', Hua Cheng walked up to him once more, reached out, and with a rustling sound, untied Xie Lian's belt.
Xie Lian thought to himself, "San Lang???"
Of course, he completely believed that Hua Cheng wouldn't take advantage of him. However, this development was completely out of his expectations, and he couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly. Although Hua Cheng untied Xie Lian's clothes, he tried his best not to touch his body, so he didn't do it too quickly. After a long time, he finally took off his outer clothes, and then his inner clothes. It wasn't until a Necromancy Butterfly flew to Xie Lian's shoulder and perched on it that a warm and itchy feeling crawled up his skin. Using the corner of his eye, he noticed that his shoulder was slightly purple and swollen. Some areas were even slightly cracked. After the Necromancy Butterfly perched on it, his condition slightly improved.
It was actually frostbite left behind from crawling and rolling around in the ice and snow.
Xie Lian himself didn't notice it at all, because he wasn't very sensitive to pain anymore. If it was cold, then so be it. Even if he noticed it, he would probably just leave it there and wait for it to heal on its own. However, Hua Cheng knew better than him where he was injured. He still remembered this matter and insisted on treating his wound.
Just as he was slightly lost in thought, Hua Cheng once again lifted his arm. There were more frostbite on his hands and feet, and because of the intense running and pulling, some areas were already bleeding. Xie Lian wasn't afraid of pain, but he was afraid of itchiness. Moreover, in his mind, he couldn't help but recall fragments from many years ago. In the pitch-black cave, the youth's trembling and scalding hands, his flustered and careless touching, his messy breathing and heartbeat …
These memories had already been diluted to the point where they couldn't be any more diluted. He had long sealed them away and thrown them into a corner. Now that he recalled it, it actually had a completely different feeling. It made him want to hug his head and scream, especially now that Hua Cheng was almost doing the same thing in front of him. Xie Lian's face and brain were about to burn up. He was really afraid that Hua Cheng would see it. However, Hua Cheng didn't look at him. As expected, he kept his promise and didn't cross the line. He slightly turned his head, not looking at the half exposed shoulder.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, a voice suddenly came from behind Hua Cheng, "Hua Cheng! You lunatic, what do you want to do to His Highness the Crown Prince?! This is too disgusting! "
Hua Cheng suddenly turned his head. Xie Lian also walked past him and looked at the entrance of the cave. The one who spoke was actually Mu Qing!
Feng Xin was also beside him. The two of them were wrapped like a cocoon by Hua Cheng just now. It was unknown how they broke free and found this place. When they saw the scene in the cave, their faces all turned pale. Xie Lian's face also turned pale.
This scene was too terrible!
Feng Xin pointed at Hua Cheng, then pointed at Xie Lian who was half-undressed. After a while, he finally squeezed out a few words, "You … you … let go of him!"
Hua Cheng quickly pulled Xie Lian's clothes back up and said coldly, "You two pieces of trash still dare to come here. Are you tired of living?"
Mu Qing mocked, "Take your dirty hands off me. You're a toad lusting after swan meat. Not to mention that you've been dreaming for eight hundred years, even if you yearn for another thousand or ten thousand years, don't even think about touching a finger of the Crown Prince! "
Hearing this, Xie Lian's heart thumped. At the same time he was slightly angry, he also faintly felt that something was wrong.
What was going on with these two people? Even if Hua Cheng had beaten them up just now, there was no need for them to speak so viciously. Especially Mu Qing, it was as if he was deliberately angering Hua Cheng. Angering Hua Cheng would not end well for them. They couldn't beat him, so what was their purpose? Moreover, their words vaguely pointed the spearhead at Xie Lian, as if they were afraid that the world would not be in chaos, afraid that Hua Cheng would not do something to Xie Lian out of anger.
As expected, Hua Cheng was enraged. His pale face turned black. He said softly, "Since you're courting death …"
Xie Lian saw the undisguised killing intent in his eyes and was greatly shocked, "Don't!!!"
It was too late. The scimitar was unsheathed, and a fatal cold light flashed past!
Feng Xin and Mu Qing were both startled, and subconsciously lowered their heads. Luckily, there were no wounds on their bodies.
Who knew, before they had the time to heave a sigh of relief or counterattack, in the next moment, their upper bodies fell to the ground with a thud.
Fresh blood spurted out, covering the ground.
Xie Lian did not expect things to turn out this way. He was paralyzed on the stone bed, stunned.
Hua Cheng had actually chopped Feng Xin and Mu Qing in half!
The two were not completely dead yet. They rolled on the ground, one gritting his teeth, the other roaring in anger. The scene was too horrible to look at. Hua Cheng put away the scimitar with a cold expression. Only a small part of his face was stained with blood, and the wisp of red made the demonic aura between his brows even more eye-catching.
He stood in the pool of blood for a moment, then turned around and walked towards Xie Lian. Seeing Hua Cheng walk closer and closer with a gloomy expression, Xie Lian finally came back to his senses. At this time, Hua Cheng was already in front of him. He grabbed one of his hands and forcefully pulled him into his embrace. He said in a low voice, "… How can I let go."
Xie Lian was hugged tightly by him and couldn't speak. Hua Cheng whispered something into his ear. His heart was beating wildly, as if it was about to jump out of his chest. Suddenly, he felt his body relax.
The Life Obeying Talisman that Mu Qing had drawn on his back was finally erased.
Although he said he would not let go, after removing the Life Obeying Talisman, Hua Cheng still loosened his grip slightly and let go of Xie Lian. Xie Lian took a deep breath and jumped into the pool of blood on the ground. He said, "Feng Xin? Mu Qing? How are the two of you?! "
Mu Qing's injuries were even more serious. Blood was already flowing from the corner of his mouth, and his gaze was unfocused. Feng Xin still had a breath left. He tightly grabbed his hand and said, "Crown Prince … Your Highness …"
Xie Lian also tightly grabbed his hand. He said, "What? What are you trying to say? "
Feng Xin swallowed a mouthful of blood and gritted his teeth. "Be careful … Hua Cheng … Don't go near him … He … He's a monster!"
He seemed to have risked his life to say this warning before he died. Unexpectedly, Xie Lian's expression gradually calmed down. He said, "Monster?"
He let go of Feng Xin's hand and stood up. He said, "I'm very curious. Is he as strange as you?"
Hearing this, Feng Xin was startled. Just as he finished speaking, Xie Lian pulled out her heart with lightning speed and pierced it through Feng Xin's chest, nailing him to the ground!
Feng Xin's face was full of disbelief. He said, "Your Highness, you …" Before he could finish his sentence, he stopped breathing. Xie Lian pulled out the heart from his chest, causing blood to fall. He retreated to Hua Cheng's side and pointed the tip of his sword at the two corpses on the ground. He said, "You've already seen blood. Don't talk with these two skins, okay?"
"Hahaha …"
On the ground, a burst of cold laughter suddenly came. It was Mu Qing's corpse, which had been cut into two at the waist. He turned his head and laughed.
His upper body was lying on the ground. Even if he wanted to turn his head, he could only touch half of his face on the ground. However, his head was completely turned around, and he was laughing at Xie Lian with his face facing upwards!
As expected. These two were not the real Feng Xin and Mu Qing at all. Instead, they were two imposters who had appeared out of nowhere.
The real Feng Xin and Mu Qing were still trapped in the big white cocoon, trying to bite their way out. Just now, when Hua Cheng came over to help Xie Lian remove the Fate Obeying Talisman, he had whispered in his ear about this matter.
Their pale faces weren't because of shock or fear, but because they weren't human in the first place!
Xie Lian had already unsheathed his sword. "Feng Xin" and "Mu Qing" both smiled eerily and said in unison, "As you wish."
After saying that, they turned into two puddles of pus and blood. Hua Cheng stood in front of Xie Lian. The two puddles of pus and blood flowed on the ground and fused together. Gurgling, gurgling, it was as if they were boiling. Then, they gradually condensed into a human shape. Watching this lump of matter twist and take shape bit by bit, "growing" bigger and bigger, a chill ran from Xie Lian's waist to his back.
In a flash, the "Feng Xin" and "Mu Qing" in front of them disappeared. In their place was a tall and slender youngster dressed in white.
Looking at his figure, this youngster was about seventeen or eighteen years old. He wore a mask on his face. Half of his face was crying, and the other half was smiling. Although his face couldn't be seen, a clear and bright voice of a youngster came from behind the mask.
He warmly said, "Hello, Xie Lian."
Xie Lian's lips unconsciously moved. His entire scalp felt numb. Hua Cheng stood in front of him and slashed at him with his sword!
Facing the demonic edge of the curved blade, Misfortune, that person in white was completely fearless. He dodged it by a hair's breadth and instantly appeared behind Hua Cheng. He extended his hand towards Xie Lian, as if he wanted to touch his face. A silver light flashed and Hua Cheng once again stood in front of him. He coldly said, "Take your filthy hand away."
He actually returned the same words. That person in white's right hand was cut off by the Misfortune Blade and fell to the ground. However, this didn't affect him at all. With a shake of his wide sleeve, he covered his severed arm. With another hand, a brand new hand grew out of the severed arm. His fingers formed a claw as he directly reached towards Hua Cheng's right eye!
The entire process happened in the blink of an eye. Hua Cheng also dodged extremely quickly. However, two bloody marks were still left on one side of his face.
This was the first time that Hua Cheng actually couldn't completely crush his opponent in speed. His eyes trembled and he immediately changed his strategy. He summoned thousands of Dead Spirit Butterflies and crazily pounced towards his opponent. Countless silver butterflies wrapped that person in white into a shiny silvery humanoid cocoon. However, it probably wouldn't be able to last for long. Just as Hua Cheng was about to pull Xie Lian up, he heard those silver butterflies shriek and explode into thousands of sparkling silver powder!
Seeing the slight change in Hua Cheng's expression, Xie Lian knew that the situation was probably not good for him to destroy so many Dead Spirit Butterflies at once. After exploding the Dead Spirit Butterflies, the person in white hid behind the silver powder that was scattered all over the sky. He suddenly stretched out his new hand and once again dug towards Hua Cheng's right eye!
This time, it was Xie Lian's turn to pull out his heart and slash down! This slash didn't just cut off that person's arm, it almost cut off half of his body. Taking this opportunity, Hua Cheng said, "Your Highness, let's go!"
Xie Lian also knew that he couldn't continue fighting, so he stopped while he was ahead. The two of them rushed out of the stone cave together and sprinted in the pitch-black cave without any obstruction. Xie Lian said while running, "It's him! He … really didn't die! "
Hua Cheng was leading the way, so his speed was faster, but he was also calmer. Along the way, he set up layers of obstacles with the butterfly formation and cocoon silk. He said, "It might not be the original one."
Xie Lian stopped in his tracks and hugged his head slightly. He said, "No … I can feel it, it must be the original one! Not only did he not die, but he also became stronger. Something made him reborn … Otherwise, how could he directly transform into Feng Xin and Mu Qing's appearance? It's very difficult to impersonate an ascended Heavenly Judge. It's almost impossible to make their fake skin! "
Hearing that his tone was a little off, Hua Cheng also stopped in his tracks and turned around to pull him. He said, "Your Highness! Don't be afraid. It might not be that he became stronger. There's another possibility, which is that he is very familiar with Feng Xin and Mu Qing! That's why he could make their fake skin. This person, you must be … "
Before he finished speaking, Xie Lian's gaze fell on the hand that Hua Cheng was holding on to. Seeing this, Hua Cheng's words and expression froze. He restrained his expression, retracted his hand, and put it behind his back. He turned around and continued to walk forward. Xie Lian didn't follow. He said, "San Lang."
Hua Cheng's figure stiffened and he stopped in his tracks. However, he didn't turn around. He only responded, "Your Highness."
His voice sounded relatively calm. Xie Lian stood behind him and said, "Just now, a lot of things happened. Everyone was a little flustered."
Hua Cheng said, "Mhm."
Xie Lian continued, "Although we're still very flustered right now, I still want to take this opportunity to ask you a question. I ask that you answer me truthfully and seriously."
"… …"
Hua Cheng said, "Okay."
Xie Lian solemnly said, "Who is the 'noble person of golden branch and jade leaf'?"
Hua Cheng's finger, which was tied with the red knot, twitched unnoticeably twice.
After remaining silent for a while, he slowly said, "Since Your Highness already knows, why ask again?"
Xie Lian nodded and said, "So that's how it is. I didn't wrongly accuse you. It really is like that. "
Hua Cheng didn't say a word.
After pausing for a moment, Xie Lian said in a flat tone, "You, don't you want to know what I think about this?"
"… …"
Hua Cheng slightly tilted his head. It seemed like he wanted to turn his head, but it seemed like he still didn't dare to look Xie Lian in the eye. He only revealed the two bright red streaks of blood on his face as he said, "Your Highness, can you, not tell me?"
His voice was hoarse. Xie Lian said, "I'm sorry. This matter, if I don't explain it clearly, it won't do. "
Hua Cheng didn't need to breathe, but after hearing this sentence, he still took in a deep breath.
Although his face was extremely pale, he still smiled and said in a rather gentlemanly manner, "That's right. That's fine too. "
Like a prisoner on death row waiting to be sentenced, he closed his eyes. Who knew that not long after he closed his eyes, those eyes would suddenly open again.
Behind him, a pair of hands suddenly wrapped around him and hugged him tightly.
Xie Lian buried his face behind Hua Cheng's back and also didn't say a word. Although he didn't say anything, it was enough.
After a long time, Xie Lian felt the person he was hugging turn around. Turning from guest to host, the person tightly hugged him.