Ch.16: Maple-Red Clothes; Snow-White Skin 4

Xie Lian was stunned right there and then. He watched as the lanky youth walked away with his

giant bag of junk as if it was the most natural thing to do in the world, and it made him mutter

“forgive my sins” inwardly. San Lang strode a few steps over and walked out. Xie Lian was

about to follow him, but remembered at the last second that the old driver was still asleep in the

ox cart. He went back around and woke the old man, advising him to keep the incident tonight a

secret. After witnessing his powers, the old man didn’t dare to say no, and hurriedly dragged his

Old Huang home.

There was only a roll of straw mat left on the cart. Xie Lian carried it on his back, turned around,

and saw that San Lang had already started climbing the hill towards Puqi Shrine with his bag of

random junk.

Nearing the crooked, shaky shack that was Puqi Shrine, San Lang lowered his head and puffed

out a laugh, as if seeing something amusing. Xie Lian approached and saw that he was looking

at his sign requesting for donations, and cleared his throat.

“As you see, that’s it really. That’s why I said you might not be comfortable here.”

“It’s not too bad,” San Lang said.

In the past, it had always been Xie Lian who told others “it’s alright; not too bad.” Hearing it from

someone else for the first time made him feel rather complicated. The Puqi Shrine door had

already long gone rotten, so Xie Lian had torn it down and replaced it with some curtains.

He lifted the drapes and said, “Come on in.”

And San Lang entered the shrine with him.

There wasn’t much in the small shrine; only a long altar table, two small stools, a small cushion,

and a donation box. Xie Lian reached for the bag in San Lang’s hands, took out the fortune

shaker, incense burner, some paper and miscellaneous stationary, and placed them on the altar

table. Then he lit up a used red candle someone had stuffed into his hand while he was

collecting junk, and the shrine brightened instantly.

San Lang picked up the fortune shaker, playfully gave it a shake and then put it down. “So…is

there a bed?”

Xie Lian silently took down the straw mat from his back and unrolled it to show him.

San Lang raised his brows and asked, “There’s only one?”

Of course Xie Lian didn’t think he needed more than one, since he had only met the boy on his

way back. So he said, “If you don’t mind, we can squeeze a bit for the night.”

“That works too,” San Lang said.Xie Lian then reached for the broom and swept the floor while San Lang looked around some

more. “Gege, aren’t you missing something in this shrine?”

Xie Lian had just finished sweeping and was kneeling down on the mat when he heard this. He

answered as he padded their bedding, “Other than followers, I don’t think there’s anything

missing.”

San Lang crouched down too, a hand propping up his chin. “What about the divine statue of the

god?”

His words reminded Xie Lian. How did he forget the most important thing for a shrine—a god’s

statue??

A shrine without its idol is no shrine. Although one could say the god himself was present, he

couldn’t possibly just sit up on the altar all day every day. Xie Lian contemplated for a moment,

and came up with a solution.

“I bought some paper and ink today. I’ll paint a portrait tomorrow.”

Painting a portrait of himself to hang in the shrine he built for himself to pray to himself. If the

heavenly court caught wind of this, they’d probably laugh at him for another ten years. But the

cost of commissioning a sculpture was rather hefty, and that took time, too. So Xie Lian would

rather be laughed at for ten years and save money instead.

Unexpectedly, San Lang spoke up, “A portrait? I know how to paint one. Need my help?”

Startled, Xie Lian smiled. “Thanks, but I’m afraid you don’t know how to paint the Prince of

Xianle, am I right?”

After all, most of his portraits were burnt and destroyed eight hundred years ago. No matter how

many were left now, not many people would have seen them before.

San Lang replied, “Of course I do. Weren’t we talking about him earlier on the cart?”

Xie Lian remembered the conversation. That was indeed the case. Earlier, he had said, “you

probably haven’t heard of him before”, but San Lang did not respond. Hearing him speak now,

Xie Lian was surprised. He finished with the bedding and sat up straight.

“San Lang, don’t tell me you really know him?”

San Lang sat down on the mat and replied, “I do.”

Xie Lian thought that when San Lang spoke, his expression and tone of voice were quite

fascinating. He was always smiling and laughing, but one could never tell whether his smiles

were genuine or were actually mocking the other party for being an idiot. Having listened to him

on the way back, Xie Lian was rather interested in San Lang’s appraisal of him. Xie Lian moved to sit next to him and asked, “So, what do you think about this Prince of

Xianle?”

Both men looked at each other under the lamp. The flame of the red candle flickered slightly.

San Lang had his back to the candle light, and it was hard to see his exact expression with his

eyes immersed under the shadows.

After a moment, he replied, “I think the Heavenly Emperor must not like him.”

Xie Lian wasn’t expecting this answer, and paused. “Why do you think that?”

“Why would he have banished the prince twice, then?” San Lang replied.

Xie Lian smiled a little and thought, “Indeed the thinking of a child.”

He lowered his head and slowly removed his belt. “I don’t think this has anything to do with like

or dislike. There are many things in this world that can’t be explained through like and dislike.”

“Hn.”

Xie Lian turned around, removed his white boots, and continued, “Besides, one needs to be

punished for making mistakes. The Heavenly Emperor was simply doing his duty.”

“Perhaps,” San Lang responded noncommittally.

Xie Lian took off his outer robes, folded them, and was ready to place them on the altar table.

Wanting to say more, he turned around, only to see San Lang’s eyes staring at his ankles.

It was hard to describe that gaze; it was icy but searing, scorching but with a hint of chill. Xie

Lian looked down and immediately understood. On his right ankle was a black cursed shackle.

The first curse was around his neck, and the second, around his ankle. Both curses were placed

in areas not easily concealed. In the past, if anyone asked, Xie Lian would lie and say it was for

training purposes, but that answer probably wouldn’t deceive San Lang.

Thankfully San Lang didn’t say anything, and looked away after a while. Xie Lian laid down on

the mat, and the youth obediently laid down too without removing a single article of clothing. Xie

Lian figured he was probably not used to sleeping on the floor like this, and thought perhaps

he’d find a way to get a bed after all.

“Let’s rest.”

Xie Lian softly blew out the candle and all became dark once more.

The next morning, when Xie Lian opened his eyes, San Lang wasn’t next to him. He raised his

head and stopped, stunned. On top of the altar, there hung a portrait. It was a portrait of a man with a golden mask, dressed glamorously in extravagant attire. There

was a sword in one hand, a flower in the other. It was a beautifully and vividly-painted portrait of

the God-Pleasing Prince of Xianle.

It had been years since Xie Lian saw a painting of himself like that, and he stared at it blankly

for a long time before getting up. He got dressed, then pulled back the curtain. San Lang was

just outside, hiding in the shadows alongside the shrine, twirling the broom in his hand and

watching the sky with a bored expression.

It seemed this youth really didn’t like the sun. The way he was watching the sky was as if he

wanted to pluck the sun and smash it into pieces. All the fallen leaves around the shrine had

been swept into a mound next to the entrance.

Xie Lian went out of the door and asked, “Did you sleep well last night?”

San Lang was still leaning on the wall, but turned his head over and said, “Not bad.”

Xie Lian walked over, took the broom from his hands, and asked, “San Lang, did you paint that

portrait in the shrine?”

San Lang replied, “Uh-huh.”

“It’s really well done,” Xie Lian praised.

San Lang’s lips lifted, but he didn’t say anything. Maybe because he slept all over the place last

night, his ponytail this morning seemed to be even more crooked, loose and casual. It actually

looked quite nice; casual but not messy, rather playful.

Xie Lian pointed at his own hair and asked, “Want me to help you with that?”

San Lang nodded and went back inside with Xie Lian. When San Lang sat down, Xie Lian let

down his black hair and quietly started examining it.

Even if the palm prints and fingerprints were perfectly detailed, ghosts always had one flaw in

their body creation. The hair of a living person was uncountable, and it came in individual

strands that were intricate and distinct. The fake bodies created by ghosts had hair that was

either a black blur, or a pasted mass like long strips of fabric. Sometimes...they just went bald.

Xie Lian had checked his palm prints and fingerprints the night before, and he had initially

already lowered his guard. But seeing the portrait this morning raised his suspicions again.

How could an average man know how to paint this portrait?

Yet when he combed his fingers gently through San Lang’s hair, Xie Lian couldn’t find anything

amiss. After a while, San Lang let out a laugh as if he was ticklish from the touch. He turned his

head slightly, and looked at him out of the corner of his eye. He said, “Gege, are you going to tie my hair? Or are you thinking of doing something else?”

With his hair down, San Lang still looked handsome, but there was an added air of wickedness.

His teasing brought Xie Lian out of his momentary musing.

Xie Lian smiled and said, “Alright, alright,” and quickly finished tying his hair. But after that was

done, when San Lang looked at his own reflection in the bucket of water in the corner, he turned

back to Xie Lian with quirked brows. Xie Lian took a look and coughed.

The ponytail was lopsided before. After Xie Lian re-tied it, it was still crooked.

Although San Lang didn’t say anything and merely stared at him, Xie Lian felt he hadn’t felt this

embarrassed in centuries. He put down his hands and was just about to suggest they try again

when suddenly there was commotion outside. Sounds of footfalls approached and several loud

bellows rang out.

“GREAT IMMORTAL!!!”

Bewildered, Xie Lian ran to the door just in time to see his shrine surrounded by a large crowd,

everyone’s faces red and excited. The village chief sped ahead towards Xie Lian and grabbed

his hand.

“A GOD! A GOD HAS DESCENDED UPON OUR SMALL VILLAGE! WE ARE SO

THANKFUL!!!”

Xie Lian: “????”

The rest of the villagers also followed the chief and surrounded Xie Lian.

“Welcome to Puqi Village, Great Immortal!”

“My lord! Can you bless me with a wife?”

“My lord! Can you bless my wife with a child?”

“My lord! We have fresh water chestnuts for you! Do you want water chestnuts?! After eating,

can you conveniently bless me with a good harvest this year?!”

The villagers were so enthusiastic and passionate that Xie Lian had to take a few steps back,

and he sweated. It seemed that old driver from the night before had a big mouth! Xie Lian had

told him not to tell, but the instant morning arrived, news had already spread all around the

entire village!

The villagers had not a clue the kind of god worshipped in Puqi Shrine, but still they all crowded

in wishing to light incense in prayer. It didn’t matter who it was, a god was a god, and prayers do

no harm. Xie Lian had initially expected tumbleweeds and crows at the shrine, with only a few

coming to offer prayers, so he didn’t think to prepare a lot of incense. Who knew that with such hubbub, all the incense was gone in a second. The little incense burner was filled to the brim, its

heavy smoke enveloped the shrine. Xie Lian had not smelled this scent in a long time and

choked on it.

As he choked, he said, “Everyone, this shrine doesn’t bless you with wealth, really, please stop

wishing for wealth! The result will be unpredictable…

“I’m sorry, this shrine doesn’t bless you with a good marriage either…

“No no no, it doesn’t grant pregnancies either…”

San Lang stopped caring about his sloppy hair and sat next to the donation box, one hand

propping up his chin, the other grabbing water chestnuts to eat. Many village girls saw him and

blushed.

They said to Xie Lian, “Um, do you grant…”

Xie Lian didn’t know what they were going to ask, but felt instinctively that it must be stopped

immediately, and cried “No!”

At last when the crowd dispersed, the altar was filled with fruits and vegetables, even rice and

noodles. No matter how this had happened, it was still a good abundance of offerings. Xie Lian

swept the floor and took out the trash and San Lang followed him out.

“The shrine is doing pretty well.”

Xie Lian shook his head and kept sweeping around. “This was an unexpected turnout. Normally,

there shouldn’t be more than one or two passersby every month.”

“How can that be?” San Lang asked.

Xie Lian glanced at him and smiled. “This was probably thanks to your good luck.”

Saying so, he recalled that he wanted to change the door curtains, so he took out a new curtain

to drape the front entrance. He stepped back to look at his work and noticed San Lang stood

still before it.

“What’s wrong?”

San Lang stared at the curtains thoughtfully. Following his gaze, Xie Lian realized he was

looking more at the seal drawn onto the fabric.

It was a seal that Xie Lian had drafted in passing before, complex and rigid. Originally, it was for

warding off evil and to shield from intrusions, but since it was Xie Lian himself who drew it, who

knew if it might attract bad luck instead. Since there was no door though, it was still safer to

have a protection ward just in case. Seeing this boy fixed in place before the curtain with the seal, Xie Lian’s mind stirred.

He called out, “San Lang?”

Could it be that the seal had blocked San Lang out of the door, preventing him from entering the

shrine?

TBC

*two updates today hope you like it bye*

2647 words :)

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