Some stuff about the translation:

● This is a rough translation. I’ve reread this 20 times, but still catch mistakes each time!
Translation notes are explained using the ​footnotes f​ eature.
● This chapter contains spoilers past Ch. 53 in general, related to Xie Lian’s past. Other ​major
spoilers past this point have been blocked with a grey thing you can highlight to see underneath.
The spoilers aren’t relevant to the overall chapter.
● P.S. Hua Cheng’s birthday is June 10th, and Xie Lian’s is July 15th.

CH 252: The Ghost King’s Birthday

Recently, something important and urgent has come up.

Because of this, the City of Ghosts has been anxious. When Xie Lian found out what it was, he
was just as startled as the ghosts who secretly told him, his heart filling with worry, “birthday?”

“Indeed!”

Indeed. The City of Ghosts’ Chengzhu1 Hua Cheng - however old he’s turning, his birthday is
coming!

Xie Lian was unprepared. Feeling indescribably nervous, he says, “this, t-t-this… what did San
Lang do on his birthdays in the past?”

The ghosts eagerly answered in chaos, “they’re super lively!!!”

“Nothing much, we just pointlessly make a scene…”

“But Chengzhu doesn’t care at all?”

Hearing this, Xie Lian says, “what do you mean he doesn’t care?”

A ghost replies, “Chengzhu the old man never celebrates his birthday.”

“Yah, he never cares about what we do on his birthdays. He has never even bat an eye at the
gifts people send him. Every year it’s just us fooling around, having fun by ourselves.”

1
Chengzhu = city governor, sovereign, overseer, etc.
 “Chengzhu the esteemed old man forgets a lot of things. It’s like he never remembers when he
was born in the first place!”

Xie Lian thought for a bit, and immediately made up his mind. Since Hua Cheng didn’t care about
his previous birthdays, this time Xie Lian has to come up with a way to make this birthday out of the
ordinary - a little more interesting, so he can be happy on that day. But what’s the difference between a
Hua Cheng birthday with Xie Lian, versus one without? Aren’t they the same?

First of all, he has to give him a birthday present. Xie Lian was deep in thought - what should he
give?

The ghosts glared at him, “Xie Daozhang2, are you thinking about what gift to get Chengzhu?”

Xie Lian, “Mm. I’m ashamed to say this, but… I’m not sure what your Chengzhu will like. I’m
afraid I might give him something not to his taste…”

The pig butcher says, “yo, what’re you worrying so much for. If it’s something that Granduncle…3
Xie Daozhang is giving, I think our Chengzhu will be happy beyond belief.”

“Yeah. I bet that even if you give him a piece of scrap paper he’d be delighted. How could
Grand… Xie Daozhang’s gift be compared to anyone else’s!”

Xie Lian dryly laughs a bit, thinking that this attitude might be a bit too narcissistic and frivolous,
lacking sincerity, “we can’t say that. Choosing a gift has to be done carefully and thoughtfully. Do you all
have any suggestions?”

After all, Hua Cheng has been hanging around the City of Ghosts for many years; maybe the
ghosts will have a better understanding of what he likes. With a little brainstorming, if Xie Lian thinks
harder, he will find a suitable and outstanding gift. And indeed, the ghosts all said, “We do, we do, we do!”

As they spoke, dozens of chicken talons, pig feet, octopus legs and such were all brought over,
creating a pile of assorted things. Xie Lian isn’t familiar with any of these things. Being surrounded by
them, he thought it was spectacular. He offhandedly takes what looks like a mysterious and elegant jade
bottle and asks, “oh? What is this?”

The presenter of the bottle replies, “it’s a top notch seductive medicine! You just have to apply a
few drops, and I guarantee that the victim’s passion and love will skyrocket, falling head over heels for the
poisoner! And it doesn’t have any side effects!”

2
​Suffix for Taoist priests
3
​Xie Lian is old
 “... …”

Xie Lian sternly replies, “thank you for the suggestion. However, love should come naturally from
the heart. How could we use concoctions to control it? It’s best that no one uses this from now on.”

The ghost who gifted the bottle spoke with fear, “yesyesyes, l-let’s not use it. But we actually don’t
this anyway, I only got this because Xie Daozhang asked for suggestions ah!”

Xie Lian cries and laughs internally, thinking, “why would you think I have to gift Hua Cheng
seductive medicine?”. He smiles, “I’m afraid your Chengzhu won’t have any use for this medicine either.”

All the other ghosts frantically pushed that ghost away, shouting, “Exactly! If Chengzhu wants
someone, would he need to use drugs? Seriously!”.

Xie Lian thinks, this is a big truth. For example, with himself - he doesn’t even need the poison -
he falls head over heels pretty much the instant he sees Hua Cheng. What a shame.

To stop his embarrassing thoughts from manifesting into a blush, he quickly grabs another box.
He opens it, “and what’s in here? Pearls? Panacea?”

The ghost who donated it replies, “this is a child-bearing pill!”

“... …”

Xie Lian doesn’t even have to ask what this pill does. He immediately closes the box with a “pa”,
helplessly saying, “this is all…”

How could he give something like this to Hua Cheng?

At any rate, with the help he’s getting, Xie Lian knows he won’t get any helpful suggestions. He
tells the ghosts to secretly plan something for the ghost king’s birthday to give Hua Cheng a surprise,
while he leaves on his own to keep thinking.

---

Perhaps he’s thinking too much about this - his distress is showing on his face. Today, he was
helping Hua Cheng practice calligraphy and thinking of ideas when suddenly a voice comes from beside
him: “Gege.”

Xie Lian stops thinking, tilting his head, “what is it?”

 Hua Cheng was gazing at him. He puts his brush down, “Am I mistaken? Gege seems to be
worried about something. Do you want to say what it is, so San Lang can share your worries?”

Xie Lian’s heart tenses. He immediately puts on a stern face. He warns, “You can’t put your brush
down. Don’t be lazy. Pick up your brush and continue.”

Hua Cheng chuckles, and picks up his brush again, leisurely sighing, “you caught me”.

Seeing that he went back to work, Xie Lian sighed. Who knew, after writing two lines, Hua Cheng
casually says, “But recently, Gege has been a bit unusual”.

Xie Lian tenses again, his face remaining calm, “Oh? How so?”

Hua Cheng thoroughly looks at him for a bit, smiling, “he seems… too obedient”.

Xie Lian smiles, “haven’t I always been like this?”

Xie Lian is desperately running out of birthday gift ideas. He decides to take a risk - he’ll first ask
some useless things to see if there’s something Hua Cheng is missing, then play it off. With a nonchalant
face, Xie Lian says, “San Lang, let me ask you something”.

Hua Cheng, “Mm? What is it?”

Xie Lian, “Do you think there’s something missing somewhere?”

Hua Cheng, “Missing? What is Gege referring to? Are you missing something?”

Xie Lian, “Oh, no… I’m talking about you. Just asking…”

Too bad he doesn’t dare be too direct, like asking “what do you like, what do you want” kinds of
questions. To prevent Hua Cheng from realizing that something’s up, he could only beat around the bush.
But doing that makes it harder to find what Hua Cheng wants. It’s making Xie Lian rather nervous.

Hua Cheng, “Me? What does Gege think I’ll be missing?”

…… That’s true. Xie Lian can’t help but feel embarrassed.

Hua Cheng speaks again, “why is Gege asking me this?”

Xie Lian was afraid he’d be found out. Throwing caution to the wind4, he pushes hard with his
hand. Hua Cheng never keeps his guard up to Xie Lian, and so he was pushed with a “boom”, leaning

4
​being like, "screw it!"
against the divan5 with his eye wide open - not that he minded. He smiles, “what’s Gege doing? Being this
eager, you…”

Without waiting for him to finish his sentence, Xie Lian boldly walks over, stopping his words.

And just like that, Hua Cheng was no longer in the mood to keep asking questions. He holds him
with his arm and flips them both over - whatever Xie Lian was doing that was so unusual no longer
mattered.

---

Thinking alone seemed completely useless, so Xie Lian could only ask for assistance. And the
first people he asked for help, were of course his two competent ex-subordinates.

The three sat in a secretive and unknown broken temple. After a moment of awkward silence,
Feng Xin asks, “what are you staring at me for?”

The other two people were staring at him, not uttering a word.

They can’t help it. ​Out of the three, Feng Xin was the only one with a wife.6 Logically speaking, he
should know what makes his loved ones happy the most. But Feng Xin’s face was turning grim from their
staring. He says, “... … looking at me is useless. I’ve only given ​her​ one thing”. It was a golden belt, the
one that Xie Lian gave him.

Mu Qing found it unbelievable that Xie Lian would drag him over to ask him such a thing - it’s
already very courteous of him to limit his eye-rolling. He wanted to quickly get this ordeal over with, saying
“That’s a good idea ah. Belts are good. Why don’t you also give him a golden belt ah?”

Xie Lian automatically ignored the weird tone in his voice, saying “I’ve lost all of mine a long time
ago”. They’re all gone!

Mu Qing’s peculiar tone got even weirder, “aren’t you in a good place right now? The streets are
filled with your shrines and worshippers. Just show up in their dreams asking for a belt and they’ll make
you one.”

Xie Lian, “That’s meaningless. If I have to ask a worshipper to make my gift, isn’t that too
careless?”

5
Divan = ​ancient Chinese low-rising bed-chair-couch hybrid
6
​Spoilers past book 3 (?)
 Seeing that his weird tone of voice has no effect on Xie Lian, Mu Qing’s tone returned to normal,
saying, “why are you so troublesome? Make one for him yourself.”

Xie Lian quickly replies, “what a good idea! But I don’t know how”.

“You can learn”.

Xie Lian, “right. From who?”

Mu Qing impatiently says, “how would I know? You can just…”

Before he finished his sentence, Mu Qing realized that this time, the other two were staring at
him.

After two shichen7, Xie Lian’s hands and fingers have been poked dozens of times, bandaged
heavily so that his hands wouldn’t be covered in blood. In his hand is a band-shaped thing with unclear
shape and intent.

Mu Qing can’t stand this anymore. “What is this?”

Xie Lian sighs, “a belt”.

Mu Qing, “I know this is a belt. What I’m asking is, what have you sewn onto the belt? What’s the
meaning behind those two beans you’ve sewn on?”

Xie Lian, “these are not beans! Can’t you see? They are two people”. To let them see clearly, he
even drew it out, “two people’s faces - this is the eye, the mouth goes here…”

After seeing that they are two heads, Mu Qing says unbelievably, “why would anyone sew two big
heads on a belt? Can this be worn outside? Your taste in fashion isn’t too awful, how come such a thing
can come out of your hands?”

Xie Lian couldn’t help it either. He’s much better off fixing houses and building wells and walls. He
could do it quickly and do it well. But it seems that from birth he was never good at household chores
geared towards women- once he holds a needle and thread or a cooking pot, the situation spirals out of
control. He stares at his hand, wrapped like a zongzi - even though it doesn’t hurt, he’s not getting any
better at sewing. He can’t help but feel helpless, saying, “... I’ll change the design”.

7
Two shichen = 4 hours
 But the wood plank has already become a boat8, how could he change it? He added a bunch of
petals around the two heads, turning them into two intimate and awkward flower heads. Feng Xin and Mu
Qing’s faces were visibly miserable.

Green veins appeared on Mu Qing’s face, “I could even teach pigs. How come you’re so clumsy?
Are you sewing your palms?”

Feng Xin, “when have you ever taught a pig? Saying a bunch of baseless lies!”

Without any manners, Mu Qing says to Xie Lian, “just give up. You don’t have talent for this”. It’s
not every day that he gets to say “you don’t have talent” to Xie Lian - saying it with such confidence feels
quite good. Feng Xin can’t listen to this any longer, saying, “can you speak a little less? You didn’t
compliment Dianxia9 a single bit just now; wearing clothes and making clothes are two separate things!
It’s not even that bad - the belt can be worn”.

Mu Qing, “okay then, why don’t we give the belt to you. If you dare wear it I’ll be convinced10”.

Before Feng Xin could reply, Xie Lian quickly hid that embarrassing and hideous belt, “this can’t
be used. I’ll just keep it, okay!”

This kind of thing, really can’t be used as a gift!

---

Feng Xin and Mu Qing didn’t help much, so Xie Lian turned to another person.

“A gift? Taizi Dianxia11, you really asked the right person. Thinking about back then, *I*12... …
what kind of precious treasure haven’t I seen before?”

The two crouched on the side of the street. Shi QingXuan - with his disheveled hair, excited
character, and a talkative mouth - one could tell he is an expert in this field with just a glance. Xie Lian
humbly accepts his teachings. Shi QingXuan confidently says, “there are unclaimed treasures out there,
but if you want to get them, you have to put in a lot of work”.

Xie Lian quickly says, “that’s fine. It’s exactly what I wanted”. The more effort it takes to obtain
something, the more precious it must be, so doesn’t that mean it’s more sincere of a gift? The best

8
​Chinese idiom: the raw material has already become a finished product
9
​Suffix for royal people. "Your/his highness"
10
​服气: "i'll admit that you were right", and "i'll give you leeway/ respect you"
11
​Your highness the prince
12
*I*: ​he wanted to refer to himself with an esteemed "I" pronoun that's different from the normal "I", but
corrects himself
treasure to get would be one that’s the hardest to get in this world - one that not a single person has ever
succeeded in obtaining. If he gets it for Hua Cheng, it will make a meaningful gift. Imagining that his gift
can make Hua Cheng raise his eyebrows or smile a bit, Xie Lian couldn’t suppress his excitement and
anticipation, and was eager to try this idea.

Shi QingXuan thinks for a bit, then says, “The Xingtian Hu!13 Taizi Dianxia should have heard of it
before right? This hu is precious. If you put it under the night sky, the stars and moon will be reflected in
the wine, and it will absorb the spiritual energy of the sky, earth, sun, and moon. It’s not only elegant, it
can also help with cultivation…”

Who knew, the more Xie Lian listened, the more he had a bad feeling in his chest, and he quickly
interrupts, “wait”.

“What’s up?”

Xie Lian gestured a size comparison, saying, “QingXuan, what you’re talking about, is it a black
jade hu about this big? Within the jade are hints of starlight?”

Shi QingXuan was puzzled, “Eh? How did Taizi Dianxia know? You’ve seen it before?”

“... …”

He didn’t just see it. Last month, he was trying to pour himself some water to drink. Because he
forgot that his hand was hurt, he lost his grip, and shattered that exact hu.

At that time, Hua Cheng immediately came to ask about the injury on his arm. Xie Lian, seeing
how beautiful that hu was, asked Hua Cheng what to do and whether it could be fixed. Hua Cheng
instead said that it’s nothing, that it was just a plaything. He didn’t even look at the shattered pieces
before telling his subordinates to sweep up the hu bits and throw them out, and took Xie Lian away to
take care of his arm.

Now that he thought about it, wasn’t the hu he broke the one that Shi QingXuan referred to as the
rare precious treasure - the Xingtian Hu?!

Xie Lian felt his heart go cold, “this… might not be too suitable. How about another treasure?”

“Oh”. Shi QingXuan didn’t get what just happened, so he grabbed his hair, thinking for a bit before
saying, “then the next one would be the BaHuang14 brush! This brush is unbelievable. The hairs used for

13
​Star-sky Hu. The Hu = vessel for holding alcohol (or other beverages)
14
BaHuang = ​Eight Directions (?) fancy name
the brush were extracted from the tip of an ancient beast’s tail. The handle was made from a branch at
the top of a Yuzhu15 tree. If the brush isn’t being used, it will grow…”

Xie Lian says, “green Yuzhu leaves?”

Shi QingXuan, “correct! Taizi Dianxia, how did you know this too? You’ve seen it before as well?”

How could he have not seen it. That’s the brush that Hua Cheng practices his calligraphy with
every day. He’d blame his unpleasant handwriting on the brush being bad, and throw it on the floor.
Sometimes he kicks it to who knows where. Xie Lian would often have to search for that poor brush, pick
it up and wipe it clean before putting it in a safe place.

“ … …” Xie Lian says, “this one... might not be too suitable either. How about a different one?”

As Shi QingXuan listed off dozens of suggestions, Xie Lian realized that the legendary and rare
treasures that he was talking about are all so familiar. And they’re all so pitiable - they’re either the stools
Hua Cheng is using as footrests or the carpet on his floor. If it’s not playthings he’s using for his
amusement, they’re things he’s thrown away, lost and gone.

That makes sense. What treasures on this world would still exist that Hua Cheng hasn’t seen and
hasn’t been able to obtain?

And so getting a gift for the ghost king will not work using this idea.

---

Like a desperate doctor using every treatment he knows16, Xie Lian almost asked everyone he
could. However: Quan Yizhen only knows how to give gold bars - Hua Cheng isn’t lacking money; Pei
Ming - this person only knows how to give women gifts. If you asked him what to give a man, he couldn’t
say anything proper; Ling Wen - even though she had a few other heavenly officials to help, that the
heavens couldn’t function without her, ​and that she was no longer locked in a prison17 - she was buried in
paperwork to the point of almost passing out. She no longer knows how to do anything except processing
official documents, ​and would rather have some quiet in a prison cell​.

No one could help, and Hua Cheng’s birthday was in 2 days. Xie Lian really has no ideas.

15
Yuzhu = ​lit. translation: jade bamboo. Scientific name: polygonatum odoratum
16
​Idiom: doing whatever one can do fix an issue
17
Book 5 spoiler
 He stayed awake for the whole night, his eyes red. At least when the sky was almost dawn, he
thought of something to give.

Once his mind was clear, he quietly rose from the divan, looking beside him at the peacefully
sleeping Hua Cheng.

Hua Cheng’s hair was as dark as a crow, and his eyelashes were like lacquer. With both his eyes
closed, you couldn’t tell he was missing an eye. His handsome face and naturally hostile expression are
dampened by his sleep. Looking at him now, he looks gentle, somehow.

Xie Lian’s heart was touched. He couldn’t help but extend his right hand, hovering it over Hua
Cheng’s face. But because he was afraid he’d wake him up, he retracted his hand.

Who knew, before he even got off the divan, his waist tensed, and he was held back by an arm. A
lazy voice came from behind, “Gege, what are you up so early for?”

Hua Cheng woke up!

His voice was low, a bit hoarse, like he was half dreaming, half awake. Xie Lian was caught off
guard and scooped back onto the divan. Feeling immensely guilty, he calmly replies, “oh, someone sent
their prayers”.

Hua Cheng moved closer to him, and kissed his ear, saying, “the sun’s not even out. Who goes to
pray this early in the morning? Are they looking for trouble?”.

Perhaps it’s his guilty conscience, but when Xie Lian listened to the voice beside his ear, his face
felt hot, “I didn’t just receive the prayer. It’s piled up from a while ago...”

As he spoke, he felt that talking in his current position is rather difficult. When he tried to get up
again, Hua Cheng also sat up, wrapping his arms around his neck, resting his head on his shoulder, “if it’s
already piled up, then why not put it off a little longer? Gege overworked himself last night. Sleep a little
more”.

Xie Lian struggled against that person’s arms and alluring voice, barely being able to do so, “I…
… already put it off for a long time, I can’t delay any more…”

Hua Cheng, “Oh. Then I’ll go with you?”

Xie Lian quickly says, “No need. I won’t take long. I’ll be right back. You should get some rest!”

Hua Cheng, “You really don’t need me to go?”

 Xie Lian, “No need! You can’t come with me. Absolutely, absolutely cannot come with!”

Hua Cheng opened his eye18 slightly, “Why?”

“... …” Xie Lian choked. In an instant, he rapidly turns around, holds onto both of Hua Cheng’s
arms and looks at him, solemnly saying, “you. Have to practice calligraphy”.

Hua Cheng innocently looks at him, blinking his eye. Xie Lian forcefully says, “you must stay in
this temple today to practice calligraphy. I will check it when I come back!”

Hua Cheng looks more and more innocent, tilting his head. But in the end he obediently replies,
“Okay”.

Xie Lian struggled to finally overcome this situation, frantically tumbling off the bed. Hua Cheng
slightly leaned on the divan, squinting at Xie Lian’s back view as he panicked and fled from the room. Hua
Cheng smiled and lied down again, using his arms as pillow.

---

Xie Lian first went to a barren wasteland to retrieve what he wanted, then went to Tonglu.

Within Tonglu mountain’s forest is a small house. Going inside, Xie Lian sees Guoshi19 at a table
he put up, with three shell-people by his side, playing mahjong with a solemn face. Without uttering
another word, Xie Lian turns around to leave, but once Guoshi saw him his eyes lit up, shouting, “stay
right there!”

Xie Lian knows that there’s only one situation in which Guoshi would tell him to ‘stay right there’
when he’s in the middle of mahjong. Indeed, at the next instant Guoshi retracted the table, saying, “let’s
stop playing, I have something to do so I have to go! Taizi come back! Do you need me for something?”

Turning his head, Xie Lian sees the three shell people lying down on the floor, knowing full well
that Guoshi must’ve been on the verge of losing the game. He falsely says, “it’s actually not something
that important”.

Yet, Guoshi quickly says, “No, no, I see how stern your face is. It must be something incredibly
important! The game can wait, let Weishi20 help you!”

“... …”

18
​S/N: Chinese doesn't differentiate "eye" and "eyes"
19
​Xian Le Guoshi - adviser to the Xian Le Kingdom. Mei Niang Qing.
20
​Weishi = "me, your teacher". The I/me pronoun for esteemed teachers
 But when Xie Lian explained why he’s here, Guoshi changed his expression. The two sat at a
crude-looking bench as Xie Lian listened to Guoshi lecture him, “it’s not such an important event. Just a
birthday - yet you spent so long thinking about it, running around, personally getting those kinds of
things!”

Xie Lian knows that there isn’t a way for him to explain himself to this person, and even if he did,
this person wouldn’t understand his intentions. He rubbed the space between his eyebrows until it turned
red, “I already got the materials. I just don’t remember anymore how to make the Xian Le-style Longevity
Lock that I was given as a child. I wanted to ask Guoshi for advice - you don’t have to do anything, I will
make it myself”.

Guoshi seemed to still not understand him, saying, “you don’t have to prepare any birthday gift.
You’re already showing up to his door, what other presents would he even want???”

“... …”

This is saying “you yourself are the best gift”, right? Xie Lian absolutely can’t stand this kind of
logic; he doesn’t even want to think about it, slapping his hand against his forehead, thinking, “I’m not that
narcissistic”.

Seeing him shake his head in earnest protest, Guoshi says, “you’re really a good-for-nothing.
You, are the only deity in the heavens to ascend three times! Flower crown martial deity! Xian Le Taizi!
Who at the age of 17 had the nerve to declare to the whole world that you’ll save the common people! At
the age of 18…”

Xie Lian immediately says, “Guoshi! Stop! Guoshi! Don’t say that anymore! Stop!”

There’s nothing about this gloomy history to be proud of!

Guoshi looks at him with a complicated expression, seemingly upset that the iron hasn’t been
forged into steel21, he says, “Taizi Dianxia, you really don’t have to put yourself down that much.”

Xie Lian, “I’m not putting myself down, it’s just…”

It’s just that, when it comes to the person you admire, you’d naturally want to give them what’s
best in the world. But you can’t help but sometimes think that you’re still not good enough.

21
​Upset that Xie Lian hasn't learned his lesson
 Seeing him in such a predicament, Guoshi sighs. He puts his hands in his sleeves, thinking for a
bit, “making the Longevity Lock, right? Wait, I’ll think about it. It’s been so long, I don’t dare say I
remember all the crafting and ceremonial procedures”.

Xie Lian, “It’s not important. If you don’t remember, I’ll make it following what I remember. With
enough faith, it will work out”.

Suddenly, Guoshi looks at him, “why don’t you ask him?”22

“... …”

He didn’t say the name, but Xie Lian knows who “he” is.

Jun Wu is being suppressed by Tonglu, deep underground.

After being silent for a while, Xie Lian still shook his head.

---

After staying in Tonglu for much of the day, Xie Lian returned to the City of Ghosts.

At this time, there was only a few shichen before Hua Cheng’s birthday would come. The ghosts
and Xie Lian agreed beforehand that they would pretend nothing is happening, and secretly decorate the
city. Xie Lian walks into a small shop. Not long after, a group of ghosts also came, anxiously and
chaotically asking, “how is it? how is it?”

Xie Lian thinks that they’re almost acting like thieves, “how is your Chengzhu? Has he found
anything unusual yet?”

The ghosts reply, “no, no. Chengzhu has been inside Qiandeng23 temple all day”.

Xie Lian finds that a bit odd, “for the whole day?”

“Yeah! Chengzhu’s mood seems pretty good today. Grand… Xie Daozhang, did you prepare a
birthday gift for Chengzhu yet?”

Xie Lian feels at ease now, taking out from his sleeves the Longevity Lock he spent so much
effort into making, smiling, “it’s ready”.

22
​Spoiler past book 4. Major spoiler character, but not relevant to this chapter
23
Qiandeng temple = ​Thousand lights temple
 The ghosts celebrated. They talked about how to prepare for the birthday celebration tomorrow
before Xie Lian returned to Qiandeng temple. Inside, Hua Cheng was, in fact, practicing his handwriting.

To think that without Xie Lian’s urging, Hua Cheng would practice calligraphy on his own - this
was extremely rare. It seems like he really is in a good mood. Looking at that poor Bahuang brush in his
hands being used to write such distorted, ugly characters, Xie Lian found this almost funny, shaking his
head. Hearing that Xie Lian has returned, Hua Cheng put down the brush, releasing it from its agony. He
gently smiles, “Gege has come back? Perfect timing, come look at what I did today”.

Xie Lian smiles, “okay”. He walks forward. Just then, his face freezes. He pauses his steps,
frowning.

Hua Cheng immediately sensed that something was wrong. In the next instant, he was beside Xie
Lian, “what’s wrong?”

Xie Lian’s expression shortly returns to normal. “It’s nothing”.

It wasn’t nothing. Just now, he felt a slight pain in his heart.

Hua Cheng never lets him be careless, and walked up to him to hold his wrist, “where did you go?
Did you get hurt again?”

Xie Lian, “no”.

This is the truth - he didn’t get hurt. The past few days he spent running around went smoothly,
and he didn’t encounter anything dangerous. Hua Cheng ponders for a bit, and lets go when he doesn’t
find anything abnormal24. Xie Lian also checks himself, but couldn’t find anything either, thinking that the
pain might’ve been an illusion. He smiles, “perhaps it was a sprained muscle25 ah. Let me see what you
did today?”

Hua Cheng then smiles, taking his hand, “come here”.

Before Xie Lian could reply, his heart suddenly hurt again.

This time, it was definitely not an illusion! He clearly felt that, if the first time was like a pin prick,
the second time was a pain like a sharp nail scratching through. If Hua Cheng hadn’t coincidentally looked
away, Xie Lian might not have been able to say “it’s nothing” this time.

24
​I believe he checked his pulse the same way ancient Chinese doctors would check them to look at one's vitals. In
dramas they can even check pulses to detect pregnancy...
25
Sprained muscles sound like a big deal, but I couldn’t word it concisely otherwise. Xie Lian really meant, “a tendon
or muscle somewhere did a wonky thing for a little bit mayhaps”
 Xie Lian doesn’t want to startle Hua Cheng for now. After the two played around in Qiandeng
temple for a while he found an excuse to leave and examine himself more carefully.

He put down his hand afterwards, looking serious.

There was in fact nothing wrong with him, otherwise Hua Cheng would’ve found out when he held
his wrist.

So then why would his heart hurt out of nowhere?

After pondering, Xie Lian guessed that it might’ve been a curse or some kind of poison, but he
didn’t fret - at least, not for now. Hua Cheng’s birthday will be here in just a bit. If something happens now,
Hua Cheng wouldn’t be in the mood to celebrate it, and instead be curing his injury. Xie Lian is used to
holding in pain, so it’s not like he hasn’t experienced these kinds of weird things. He decided not to think
about it now, and wait until after this day was over before quietly fixing this on his own.

At night, as it’s almost time, Xie Lian returned to Qiandeng temple. Hua Cheng was still inside
being bored to death, pretending to be seriously practicing his calligraphy as he haphazardly scribbles on
the paper, creating garbage. Xie Lian couldn’t help but laugh, but before he could even laugh he felt the
heartache again. Using his finger to massage his chest doesn’t do anything either. He thinks, “looks like
this thing is pretty powerful…... I’ll bear it longer”.

He inhales, walking out as he gently says, “San Lang? There’s something I need your help with”.

Hua Cheng puts down the brush, “what is it?”

Xie Lian, “please close your eyes”.

Hua Cheng raised his eyebrow, but didn’t ask any further. He closed his eye. Xie Lian takes both
of his hands, smiling, “follow me”.

This is like the reverse of what happened at Jun mountain. Hua Cheng smiles, “okay”.

Xie Lian guides both of his hands as they slowly walk to the door. “Be careful of the door frame”.

Who knows how long Hua Cheng has walked around Qiandeng temple already- he naturally
doesn’t need to be guided around the building. But he still waited for Xie Lian to remind him before lifting
his foot. The silver chains on his boots chimed as the two exit through the large door, arriving at the main
street.

After walking for a while, Xie Lian says, “okay, open your eyes”.
 Hua Cheng did as he was told. At that instant, that pitch black iris was like a candle being lit up,
glowing in an instant.

The street was covered with lanterns, looking much cleaner than it did in the past. It was as if
every household worked hard to clean up, replacing everything broken with new installations. The roofs
were also glowing as if they were new. The ghosts surrounded them quietly, not daring to make a sound
before. Once Hua Cheng opened his eye they frantically made noise, messily yelling “happy birthday
Chengzhu ah!” plus some other phrases mixed in like “may you live a long and happy life together” and
“may you soon give birth to children”. It was extremely obnoxious!

Seeing such a disastrous outcome, Xie Lian slapped his forehead. They had practiced for so long
and managed to be synchronized before; how come now it sounds like a mess?!

Hua Cheng was expressionless, looking almost completely unmoved. He raised an eyebrow,
“what are you all doing? You’re annoying people to death”.

The ghosts have already given up everything they’ve practiced, saying “if it’s annoying to death,
then to death it is! There’s nobody here anyways ah!”

Hua Cheng sneers. Turning around, he sees Xie Lian behind him, his hands hiding behind his
back. “San Lang, I heard… today is your birthday?”

Hua Cheng looked as if he was waiting for this, crossing his arms and tilting his head. Looking at
Xie Lian, he smiles, “mm. Yup.”

Xie Lian gently coughs a couple times, then suddenly jumps up, putting the Longevity Lock
pendant on Hua Cheng’s neck. “This… I made this in a rush, but I hope you don’t mind it!”

That Longevity Lock is engraved with the same kinds of patterns on his wrist braces - maple
leaves, butterflies, ferocious beasts, etc. It was extremely refined, and contains very strong spiritual
power. One could tell from a glance that it was an extraordinary item. The ghosts excitedly exclaimed,
“wow! It looks way too good! What kind of treasure is this!?”

“Ah! Only Chengzhu is fit for this kind of treasure! And only this kind of treasure is fit for
Chengzhu!”

Their cheers were exaggerated to the extreme. Xie Lian doesn’t know if he wanted to laugh or cry
- he was getting more and more nervous, but doesn’t know if he should ask Hua Cheng what he thinks of
the gift. Hua Cheng didn’t say anything either, but his eyes were very bright, and he looked like he wanted
to smile. He picks up the lock, as if wanting to speak.
 Who knew, at this instant, something happened.

Xie Lian’s knees suddenly went weak, and he starts to fall.

This was very sudden. The ghosts who were cheering just now suddenly made noises of horror.
Hua Cheng’s smile instantly faded, quickly catching him mid fall. He says, “Gege? What is it?”

Xie Lian’s face paled. He shook his head, forcing a smile, “It’s noth…”

Without finishing his words, his throat shuts.

Damn, it’s back again!

That heartache is coming out of nowhere again. And this time, the pain was worse than ever
before. It was as if his heart was being blown apart.

Xie Lian’s luck is bad, but he never expected that this pain would come so suddenly with each
appearance more painful than the one before, and happening right now - at such a bad time!

He’s still calm, but that pain kept going. It felt as if someone grabbed a walnut dowel and
hammered it again and again into his heart. Xie Lian was in so much pain he could hardly breath. He
couldn’t put his head up, and his forehead broke into cold sweat. Hua Cheng’s expression thoroughly
changed. “Dianxia?!”

He grabs Xie Lian’s wrist, but couldn’t find anything wrong. “Dianxia! Where did you go
yesterday?!”

There was terrified howling everywhere. Xie Lian opened his mouth, and, as if something was
nailed to his throat, he couldn’t even speak.

The arm Hua Cheng was holding him with trembled. Seeing Hua Cheng’s face that was calm no
matter what turn into one that looked so impatient and terrified, Xie Lian’s heart felt as if it was being
crushed by a large hammer. Finally unable to bear it, he falls unconscious.

Before he lost consciousness, his mind was filled with the words, “I’m sorry”.

After all, today is Hua Cheng’s birthday.

---

After an unknown amount of time, Xie Lian abruptly woke up. Catching his breath, he stared at
the ceiling in thought, thinking hazily, “this is… Qiandeng temple? How did I… fall asleep?”
 He was slowly waking up when suddenly an arm was propping him up. Hua Cheng’s voice was
nearby. “Dianxia?”

Xie Lian raised his head and saw his face. His expression was cauterizing. Xie Lian was startled;
just as he was about to speak, he felt an intense pain in his heart again.

This woke him up entirely. His whole body curled, and his fingers were about to claw into his
chest with immense strength as if to dig his own heart out. Hua Cheng immediately held down his wrists,
saying, “Dianxia!”

If Hua Cheng hadn’t acted quickly, Xie Lian might’ve really dug five bloody holes into his chest.
Just then, a voice from nearby says, “I think there’s something wrong here, why don’t you let go of him
first!”

Mu Qing is here. Hua Cheng says, “what’ll we do if I let go and he hurts himself?!”

Feng Xin’s voice immediately came up, “I’ll hold onto him for you! If we don’t hurry up and find out
what’s wrong, his pain won’t stop!”

Xie Lian’s body bent, and he felt another hand holding onto his wrists. After hearing this, Hua
Cheng’s movements stagnated, and he let go.

Strangely enough, once he let go of Xie Lian, the pain went away quite a lot. Xie Lian could move
now, and as he flipped himself over, he saw Feng Xin and Mu Qing near the divan. They were probably
called over to help. Hua Cheng was standing nearby, staring at him.

Looking at him, Xie Lian’s pain came back again. Mu Qing, seeing his change in facial
expression, says to Hua Cheng, “stand further away! It looks like he feels pain if he’s near you or looking
at you!”

Hearing this, Hua Cheng freezes, his face looking very terrifying. Not knowing what to say, he
quickly walked away, leaving the building. Once he disappeared from Xie Lian’s sight, the pain in his
heart also quickly subdued.

With the pain coming and going, Xie Lian was about to be driven mad. Catching his breath, he
speaks with difficulty, “this… just… what is going on ah?”

Mu Qing and Feng Xin were holding him down together, stopping him from seeing Hua Cheng.
Mu Qing says, “that’s our question to you! What’s up with you? You must’ve caught something!”
 Xie Lian, “... … If I’d caught something, how would I not know?”.

Besides, Hua Cheng had checked him as well. Mu Qing, “Then have you gone somewhere
strange these past few days?”

Xie Lian, “Recently, I’ve only gone to Tonglu mountain, and… Guoshi Grave”.

Mu Qing knits his brows, “What? Guoshi Grave? What Guoshi Grave?”

Hua Cheng was standing outside, yet he understood, “Fang Xin Guoshi Grave?”

Xie Lian, “San Lang, you should come in…”

Hua Cheng’s solemn voice came in, “Gege should heal. I’ll go take a look.”

Xie Lian immediately says, “I’ll go too!”, But as he got up, he felt so painful he had to lie down
again. He didn’t hear Hua Cheng say anything more after, so he must’ve already left. Xie Lian wanted to
force himself up again. Mu Qing, “I think you should stop scampering around. Don’t even walk anymore!”

Xie Lian was being held down by four hands, struggling, “It’s not like I’ve never felt pain before. I’ll
get used to it after a while”. Just because he’s in pain, doesn’t mean he’ll let that stop him from seeing
Hua Cheng ah.

However, Mu Qing says, “you’re willing to bear the pain, but your San Lang isn’t willing”.

Xie Lian was startled. He thought about what Hua Cheng’s face looked like the moment before he
fainted, then thought about what Hua Cheng’s face looked like when he realized that he’d be in pain
whenever he went near him. His breathing stagnated and his heart bursted in pain, his face instantly
turning pale. Feng Xin and Mu Qing both looked at him. Stunned, Feng Xin says, “Didn’t Xueyu Tanhua26
leave already? Why is he still in pain?”

Mu Qing was very sharp-minded, “Did you think of him just now?”

Xie Lian gritted his teeth, bearing the pain for a while before forcefully replying, “what… is it that…
I can’t even think about him?”

Mu Qing, “Don’t think. The more you think, the more you suffer. I’ll get you water to drink”.

Xie Lian didn’t even have the strength to shake his head. Mu Qing got up to pour him water, and
he closed his eyes, barely calming his heart. But the calmer his heart, the more he worried. He doesn’t
know what kind of cursed thing latched onto him that neither him nor Hua Cheng could find out what it

26
Xueyu Tanhua = ​血雨探花 - blood rain, searching flower
was. To think that Hua Cheng is going alone to find out, Xie Lian couldn’t rest assured. At this time, Mu
Qing hands him a tea cup.

That snow white tea cup is refined. Hua Cheng was just using it last night. Thinking of this, Xie
Lian’s face was once again drained of color, and he lied down without a word. With one glance Mu Qing
could tell who his mind flew to again. With the tea cup still in his hand undelivered, Mu Qing’s face
darkened, “why does everything remind you of him? Do you want to die?!”

Xie Lian, “... … how could I control that?”.

If ‘not thinking of a person’ was something as easy to do as it was to say, people in this world
would be much less frustrated.

Mu Qing, “I say we just knock him out. Saves him the effort of controlling his thoughts”.

However, being Xie Lian’s ex-subordinate, Feng Xin absolutely will not hit Xie Lian. Of course, he
won’t let anyone else hit Xie Lian around him. He immediately says, “No! I say you talk to him more,
distract him, so he’d stop thinking about Xueyu Tanhua”.

Mu Qing, “what can I talk to him about? As if he wouldn’t start thinking about Xueyu Tanhua
regardless of what I say? Knocking him out is better!”

Feng Xin, “You cannot hit him! He can’t think of anything else if we’re all playing Chengyu Jielong
27
, right? I bet he can’t. I’ll start, ‘Shoubi nanshan (Lifespan as long as the southern mountain)’!”

Mu Qing absolutely hated this game, but he still miserably played the next turn, “... … ‘Shanqiong
Shui’e (Mountains barren, waters vicious) 28’.”

There wasn’t anything Xie Lian could do. Weakly, he plays next, “... … ‘E’zi duoju’ (Vicious purple
replaces the righteous red) 29 … …”

Just as he finished his turn, he curled up again. Mu Qing was baffled, “how can this make you
think of him? It’s not even partially related!”

Xie Lian thinks, how could it not be related? Red. Red color. Crimson clothing. If he thinks of
crimson clothing, how could he not think of Hua Cheng?

27
Chengyu Jielong: dictionary says: game where the last word of one Chinese idiom (chengyu) is the first word of the next. Each
chengyu usually comes in four words.
28
Dictionary: to describe an inhospitable environment
29
​Google: describing something evil that has replaced something good, or is presented as something good. Confucius hated the
color purple and loved red, associating colors with bad and good character
 Being so tormented, he couldn’t stand it anymore. With a burst of power, he struggles free from
the two holding him down, and rolls down from the divan with a “bam”. Feng Xin and Mu Qing knew he
had extraordinary explosive strength, so they had conserved their own powers. But even that wasn’t
enough to hold him down. Seeing him escape, the two rushed to subdue him, but Xie Lian gave them a
slap that sent them back onto the ground, unable to get up. Mu Qing raised his head, seeing Xie Lian
escaping through the door. “Where are you going? Don’t run around!”

But Xie Lian was already running as fast as he could. He takes out two exquisite dice from his
sleeves, throws them, and clumsily rushes himself through a door.

Hua Cheng had once said, if Xie Lian wanted to see him, he’d be able to no matter what numbers
he get from the dice. Rushing through the door, Xie Lian didn’t even know where the dice would take him,
but once he fell through the door, he fell into an embrace. Hua Cheng’s voice came from above his head,
slightly shocked, “Dianxia!”

Xie Lian quickly holds him, as if afraid he’d disappear. “San Lang! Don’t go alone. I… with you…”

Hua Cheng seemed to want to immediately hug him, but his arms froze midway. Barely
restraining himself, he says, “Dianxia, go back. Your pain will get worse”.

But Xie Lian gritted his teeth, hugging him harder, his voice shaking, “If it hurts then so be it!!!”

Hua Cheng, “Dianxia!”

If he was going to sit somewhere else, dying of pain from thinking about Hua Cheng, then why
not die of pain while embracing Hua Cheng tightly. The more he hurt, the tighter his arms were around
him. Xie Lian’s head beaded with sweat, his words disjointed, “Just wait for me. Just for a bit. I will get
better. I will get used to it. I’m really good at bearing pain. If you’re beside me, I can bear the pain. If you
left, then… ... I really can’t bear it…...”

Hearing this, Hua Cheng was startled for a long time . He quietly speaks, “Dianxia ah……”

His voice was a mixture of sighing and being in pain, and he seemed even more tormented than
Xie Lian. Xie Lian held onto him, waiting for that unbearable torment to pass.

Just as he was calming his breath, a voice came from behind, “this is forged using your mask as
a casting?”
 Amidst his dizziness, Xie Lian just realized where they were. It was a desolate, sinister grave -
the Guoshi Grave he had visited two days ago. The person standing behind them, tall in stature, was
Lang Qianqiu.

When Xie Lian first arrived he was already delirious, so he didn’t notice that there was a third
person here. Noticing now, he couldn’t be bothered to feel embarrassed, either. At this time, Feng Xin and
Mu Qing also caught up. Mu Qing was just slapped by him so hard that he couldn’t get up from the floor,
and is so angry that the green veins on his forehead might just never disappear. He shouts, “what are you
running for! Two people, four hands - couldn’t stop you! ---- what in purgatory is this place? It’s like a
grave!”

Feng Xin was also looking around, “this is a grave, right? One that someone has dug through
before. So this is Fang Xin Guoshi’s grave?”. He sees Lang Qianqiu. Stunned, Feng Xin says, “why is
Taihua Dianxia30 here as well?”

Lang Qianqiu doesn’t look too good, replying, “I sensed something strange happening in Guoshi
Grave, so I came to take a look”.

He came to take a look, and coincidentally bumped into Hua Cheng and Xie Lian. He ponders
about something, not bothering to say his greetings or explain any further. Staring at Xie Lian, he asks
again, “did you use that silver mask to forge the Longevity Lock? Did you come by two days ago, and take
the mask away?”

Hesitating, Xie Lian nods.

When he was in Yong’an Kingdom appointed as Guoshi a long time ago, he always wore a silver
mask. The silver on his mask was very rare, crafted from half a jin31 of a silver demon. Not only did it
cover his face - its real power was that it could reflect spells and protect him. After Fang Xin Guoshi
“died”, the mask was buried with him, placed into the same coffin.

To give someone a gift, the gift must be something that was incredibly precious to oneself. Xie
Lian thought very hard, and finally remembered that he once had a treasure like this. It was extremely
useful, helping him several times. He loved that mask, but didn’t take it with him when he crawled out of
the coffin, so he hurried over to Guoshi Grave in the middle of the night, dug out his own grave, and got
the mask back. He melted the mask into silver metal again, and re-forged it into a Longevity Lock of Self-
Protection.

30
Taihua Dianxia = Lang QianQiu, prince of Yong'an Kingdom
31
​1 jin = 0.5 kg
 Everyone had weird expressions. After all, no one ever visited Guoshi Grave - the weeds have
grown to several feet tall. Even though he came back, Xie Lian didn’t even sweep the grave, instead
excavating his own tomb…… there’s no one else who could do such a thing!

After a moment of staying quiet in embarrassment, Xie Lian sees Lang Qianqiu’s peculiar
expression, explaining, “I didn’t take that mask from your family. I used a silver demon I’d subdued myself
to forge it…”

If it’s something that’d belonged to the Yong’an imperial family, he really wouldn’t melt it and turn
it into Hua Cheng’s birthday gift. He didn’t know that Lang Qianqiu was still looking over Guoshi Grave -
he thought that after burying him, Lang Qianqiu would have left and never cared about the grave again. If
he’d known, he’d at least put the dirt he’d dug up back into the grave so that Lang Qianqiu wouldn’t be
startled enough to come check up on what happened.

Lang Qianqiu stares blankly, then angrily says, “I’m not fussing with you over that!”

Hua Cheng shot him a look, his eyes slightly cold. Lang Qianqiu’s face flashed a scared
expression. When Xie Lian looked at that silver lock, he suddenly frowned as if he thought of something.

Looking at Lang Qianqiu, he realized that he had a similar expression. Hua Cheng naturally
noticed. “The problem is on this lock, right? Dianxia, do you know what it is? ”

Xie Lian did have a clue. He could guess what was going on, but didn’t know how to say it.
However, Lang Qianqiu spoke up on his behalf, his face turning blue.

He says, “it’s himself”.

Hua Cheng coldly says, “what do you mean?”

Xie Lian frantically interjects, “Qianqiu!”

Lang Qianqiu looks at him, but continues, “After the Liujin Banquet, I brought him here”.

Xie Lian, “Stop talking”.

Lan Qianqiu looks at him, and stops talking, probably because he also doesn’t know how to
explain what’s next. But even if he doesn’t speak, the other people present could continue the
explanation.
 After the Liujin Banquet, Yong’an Taizi Lang Qianqiu seized Fang Xin Guoshi32. As revenge, he
nailed him to his coffin alive. The coffin was situated in the deserted countryside, and everyone was
forbidden from visiting his grave to pay respects. Of course, there weren’t that many people who would
come to visit in the first place.

At that time, as the walnut dowel pierced through Xie Lian’s heart, the blood from it stained the
silver mask red. The sinister energy from the silver demon saved that blood - even if it left his body, it
never died. And when Xie Lian came back to dig up his own tomb and took that mask out to make the
Longevity Lock, he woke up that blood, and it returned to his body.

No wonder why when Hua Cheng and himself checked his vitals, they couldn’t sense anything
out of the ordinary - the source of the problems came from his body - his own blood. Of course they
couldn’t detect it as being strange!

Hua Cheng makes a move. Xie Lian couldn’t see his expression clearly, frantically holding him
back. “San Lang!”

Lang Qianqiu killed him for revenge. The Yong’an Emperor did indeed die in his hands, and in
return, he was nailed to his coffin. Xie Lian’s breath shortened. With his heart once again in pain, he let
out a groan he couldn’t suppress. Hua Cheng’s expression became fiery again. “Dianxia?”

Lang Qianqiu hesitates, seeing that Xie Lian’s face was as white as paper, he asks, “I… do you
need my help?”

Xie Lian knew that he would ask, quickly replying, “it’s nothing, it’s nothing. I don’t need your help,
Qianqiu. This isn’t your business, and it’s not your problem. I was just careless. You don’t have to involve
yourself.”

Mu Qing also thinks that Lang Qianqiu, being both the victims’ family and the culprit in this
scenario, is in a rather awkward spot. He says, “indeed. Taihua Dianxia you don’t have to be responsible
for him. Go home”.

A moment of quiet passes before Lang Qianqiu replies, “okay”.

Even though he said ‘okay’, he still hasn’t left. No one else could care about that though, because
Xie Lian was in pain to the verge of rolling on the floor. Yet, even in his state of pain, he was embracing

32
​The excessive romanization may be confusing: After the banquet, Lang Qian Qiu seized Xie Lian, who was the head priest, and
nailed him to his coffin alive.
Hua Cheng with a death grip, unwilling to let go. Feng Xin says, “let’s deal with this problem first! …
Dianxia? How are you doing??”

Xie Lian was just furiously struggling. After a “ka” sound rung from elsewhere, he quieted down.
His face was covered in cold sweat as he lay on Hua Cheng, not moving.

Hua Cheng held him with strength, his voice quiet, “okay, Dianxia. The pain stopped, didn’t it?”

It was then that everyone realized that in his hand was a crystalline silver powder. The Longevity
Lock he so treasured and worn near his heart had disappeared.

If the Longevity Lock was destroyed, then Xie Lian’s blood that had been stained with sinister
energy would also calm down. So Hua Cheng held that Longevity Lock and gently crushed it into pieces.

Xie Lian’s breathing returned to normal. Tilting his head, he could see the glistening silver
seeping through Hua Cheng’s fingers. He looked at Hua Cheng, and for some reasons, his heart hurt a
little again.

He murmurs, “mm… it doesn’t hurt anymore”.

---

After finally breaking the curse, Xie Lian bid farewell to Feng Xin, Mu Qing, Lang Qianqiu and the
others. With Hua Cheng, they walked slowly in the direction of the City of Ghosts.

As the two walked shoulder to shoulder, Xie Lian’s face felt hot during the entire trip back.

This was Feng Xin and Mu Qing’s fault.

Right before the two groups parted ways, Feng Xin wiped his sweat and couldn’t help but ask, “so
why exactly does Dianxia become like this whenever he looks at Xueyu Tanhua? What’s up with that
sinister blood? Does it want him to suffer?”

Xie Lian himself knows exactly why. Hearing him ask this question, he interjects, “don’t think too
deeply about this!”

Feng Xin suspiciously asks, “why not think deeper? What if this happens again? We should at
least understand why”.
 Mu Qing snorts, “can’t you see? That blood left his body for too many years. After returning to the
body, it needed to re-adjust, so it did all kinds of strange things. If his heart was calm and composed, then
he’d be fine…”

However, if his heart was restless and his heartbeat increased, that blood will get excited and
bring him immense pain. It will make him re-live the pain of having a walnut dowel driven through his
heart.

Xie Lian couldn’t tell what expression Hua Cheng had at the time, but he could only think that
he’d be losing face in front of Hua Cheng for the rest of his life.

What Mu Qing said - doesn’t it just mean that whenever he looks at or thinks about Hua Cheng,
his heart would race with infatuation? So that’s why he’d be in so much pain!

Thinking of this, Xie Lian’s heart raced furiously again.

Luckily, no matter how fast his heart beat now, he won’t be in pain.

Hua Cheng, who’d been quiet for a long time, suddenly says, “Dianxia”.

Xie Lian immediately responds, “what is it?”

Hua Cheng, “how long were you in the tomb?”

Xie Lian was startled. He replies, “I don’t remember clearly anymore”.

At any rate, it was for a very, very long time. So long that he didn’t even want to count. Pain,
starvation, blood loss, hallucinations. At first he wouldn’t move, but then he’d regret it, and furiously hit the
outer coffin to break it and escape. But he’d eventually let himself sink back into the infinite darkness.

It wasn’t as intense as the inescapable, damning pain of being pierced a hundred times. But33 ​it
was a constant pain that seemed to last forever.

He sighs. Hua Cheng immediately asks, “what is it Dianxia? Are you still in pain?”

Xie Lian shakes his head. After a while, he sorrowfully says, “San Lang, I’m sorry ah.”

Hua Cheng strangely questions, “why are you apologizing to me?”

Pausing in his footsteps, Xie Lian says, “today was your birthday. I wanted you to celebrate it
well, but instead made you waste a day trying to break the curse”.

33
​Book 4 spoilers
 He originally hoped to bear it until the birthday was over, but in the end he couldn't.

Xie Lian, “even the gift I prepared for you had to be destroyed to break my curse”.

In fact, it had to be shattered by Hua Cheng’s own hands. Thinking about this from the start, Xie
Lian thought that today was absolutely no good. He felt extremely dejected.

Yet, Hua Cheng said softly, “Dianxia”.

He stopped his footsteps, “I’ve already gotten your gift to me”.

Xie Lian, shocked, “what did I give you?”

Please don’t say something like ‘you’re the best gift’, that’d be even more embarrassing.

Hua Cheng stares at him, speaking in a low voice, “Dianxia said that, even if it brings him pain, he
still wants to see me. Even if it hurts him that much, he doesn’t want to leave.”

“... …”

Hua Cheng, “I’m delighted”.

Thinking back to how pitiable he looked like when he was grabbing onto Hua Cheng and
declaring those words, Xie Lian coughed, pretending to naturally cover his own face. Yet Hua Cheng
suddenly pulled him, embracing him tightly.

Startled, Xie Lian presses against his chest, hearing it vibrate as he spoke in a low voice.

Hua Cheng, “really, I’m very happy”.

I’m also very happy ah, Xie Lian thinks.

In the hundreds of years that have passed, even if it hurt, Hua Cheng never once thought of
giving up on him.

Xie Lian, who had realized this, should be the one who felt happiest.

Hua Cheng, “but even if I’m happy, I don’t want to see you bear that kind of pain ever again”.

---

The two returned to the City of Ghosts. The ghosts were anxious for the entire day. Seeing the
two peacefully returning, they immediately went from being in turmoil to celebrating feverishly. Hua Cheng
remained the same, not bothering to care, and went inside Qiandeng temple with Xie Lian. But when they
went inside, they found that there were a lot more things inside. Hua Cheng, “who put these in here?”

Xie Lian takes a look --- checking the things, he says, “Eh? They look like presents? This one is
from Yushi Daren34 right, such fresh produce… This is from QingXuan? … … This must be from General
Pei… …”

He lists for a while, smiling, “San Lang, these are birthday gifts for ghost king Gexia35 ah.”

Even though he didn’t mention whose birthday it would be when he spent the past few days
asking around for advice on what birthday gift to get, everyone could pretty much guess exactly who it
was.

On the other hand, Hua Cheng had absolutely no interest, “don’t look, Gege. Throw it all out later.
They take up space”.

Looks like he really intended to get someone to throw them away. Xie Lian quickly says, “why
don’t we keep them. They are sending their kind regards after all ah… Wait, why are these here, who
gifted them???” Xie Lian could see the seductive potion and child-bearing pill among the pile of gifts. He
didn’t know if he should laugh or cry, throwing them to the side as if they were hand-scorching yams. Hua
Cheng seemed to be interested in these things, picking them up for a look, “what are these?”

Xie Lian rapidly blocked his path, “nothing good at all! Don’t look!”

---

In the end, after conflicting for a while, Xie Lian gave Hua Cheng the belt he had handmade to
replace the Longevity Lock.

When Hua Cheng saw it, he laughed to the point of almost not being able to breathe -- even
though ghosts never needed to breathe in the first place. At any rate, he held him and kissed him for a
while, praising him non-stop, praising Xie Lian until he was embarrassed beyond belief, lying on the bed
pretending to die.

What made Xie Lian want to pretend to die even more was that, the next day, Hua Cheng really
wore it, getting ready to leave as if nothing was wrong. When Xie Lian saw that, he almost fainted,
immediately getting off the divan and clinging to him. He begged him for half a day before Hua Cheng

34
Daren = esteemed title for any official. Lit. translation "big person"
35
​Gexia = esteemed title for someone who's a ruler. Google translate: "your mightiness", vs. Dianxia "your
highness"
extremely forcefully promised to flip the belt over so that the side with the embroidery would be hidden
from the public. And so Xie Lian barely escaped the fate of having his handicraft be publically humiliated.

But because Hua Cheng made what happened that day a big deal, the heavens and purgatory all
knew that Xie Lian fainted from pain on his birthday. Once they found out the reason behind it all, the
heavens and purgatory now all know that Xie Lian has deeply fallen head over heels for Xueyu Tanhua.
At least, this was the final word to that story.