Xie Lian never expected that..,
That someone would actually hand him the wine cup.
It was his fault for reacting too quickly..,
He took it without thinking and was stunned when he took it. However, when he looked at the person who handed the wine, the other party was also stunned. It was actually Ming Yi.
It turned out that the wine cup had been passed to Shi Qingxuan just now,
Shi Qingxuan, for fun..,
Deliberately handed it to Ming Yi. As for Ming Yi, he drank and ate,
He didn't even look at it and casually passed it. After passing it, he only realized what had happened,
He was also speechless. At the same time..,
The thunder also stopped abruptly, leaving the two of them looking at each other in dismay.
Although Xie Lian was the one who took the wine cup..,
Everyone's eyes were focused on Feng Xin and Mu Qing. It was not difficult to understand the reason..,
Xie Lian had been silent for more than 800 years. 800 years ago..,
Naturally, there were many books about his beautiful stories, but they had long been lost.
Moreover, no one would specially set up a stage for him on this day. Therefore, if they had to find a play with the character of "Xian Le Crown Prince"..,
Then there was only a play with Feng Xin or Mu Qing as the main character.
Because..,
When the folk dramas were making up stories for these two priests, they would occasionally use Xie Lian. Usually, they would use him as a foil, playing a small role.
In order to make the scene more exciting, they directly changed Xie Lian into a villain, arranging for him to bully Mu Qing who was lonely and helpless, or snatch away Feng Xin's love, and so on. If this kind of play really happened at the Mid-Autumn Banquet, regardless of whether the protagonists of the story were happy or not, the rest of the spectators would definitely be happy. Xie Lian held the small jade cup. A priest had already urged him to open it, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, come, come. Let's drink!"
There were a few more people urging him. Feng Xin said from afar, "Your Highness the Crown Prince can't drink."
Everyone said, "It's just a cup! It's okay. "
Jun Wu had been supporting his forehead with one hand and did not say a word. At this moment, he stood up slightly as if he was about to speak. Shi Qingxuan also asked, "Can you do it? If you can't, then forget it. I'll help you pull the curtain with 100,000 merit points. "
"… …" Xie Lian was afraid that if he really did act impulsively, he would throw away a hundred thousand Merit Points. Even if he was a forthright person, he shouldn't be this forthright. Furthermore, no matter what kind of show it was, Xie Lian had seen it all, so he wasn't particular about it. Thus, he hurriedly said, "No need, no need. One cup should be fine." After he finished speaking, he drank the wine in one gulp.
When the fine wine entered his throat, it first cooled and then warmed up. Xie Lian felt a little dizzy, but after a moment of preparation, he suppressed the dizziness. The curtains on all four sides of the building were slowly pulled up. Everyone shifted their gazes and prepared to watch the show.
He was surprised to see that there were two people standing on the platform. One of them was dressed in white, his face was powdered, his body covered with dust, and he wore a bamboo hat on his back. Without a doubt, this was Xie Lian. The other person was dressed in red, his hair as black as ink, handsome and quick-witted, his eyes full of spirit. A long snake coiled around his hand was snatched away by 'Xie Lian'. The red clothed person immediately snatched the snake from his hand and threw it away, grabbing 'Xie Lian's' hand and not letting go. His expression was as if his heart had been stabbed by a knife.
This scene stupefied all the Heavenly Officials who were waiting to watch a good show. Of course, Xie Lian himself was also stupefied. At this moment, Jun Wu, who was sitting at the head of the banquet table, laughed and said, "What kind of book is this? Why does it look like I've never seen it before? "
Ling Wen immediately ordered people to investigate and said, "This play seems to be called 'Travels of the Wonders of the Half Moon Country'. It's a new play, so I've never seen it before. Tonight is the first time it's being performed in the human world."
Shi Qing Xuan said to Xie Lian, "Last time, the group of merchants from the Half Moon Country went back and found someone to write it. This saves merit points, there's no need to pull the curtains. "
Xie Lian declined to comment. In the human world, the only people who knew about the matters of the Half Moon Country were those merchants. He remembered that there was a young man in the caravan called Tian Sheng. He had indeed said something about thanking him or worshipping him. Could it be that this play was written by someone Tian Sheng paid for? However, he didn't tell Tian Sheng his name. A young man like him might not have the ability to do this.
On the other side of the stage, although the Heavenly Officials didn't see the play they imagined, the play in front of them was naturally even more exciting. After all, if the rumors were true, then this red clothed person was playing the role of Hua Cheng!
There were many plays of "Blood Rain Tanhua" in the human world. However, it was usually something like "The Red Clothed Ghost Burned Thirty-Three Temples, Heaven Realm Didn't Dare to Let Out a Fart" or "Blood Rain Tanhua Beat Wen Wu Shen with One Hand". This kind of play that made the people of Heaven Realm silently cry. Who knew how this play would be written? In any case, the main character was Xie Lian. Towards this person, everyone always felt that he was out of place. They didn't consider him as one of Heaven Realm's "own people".
So there was no harm in watching it. Moreover, the stage of this play was exquisite, the production was excellent, and the acting of the people in the play was excellent. It was simply a work of conscience. Thus, they couldn't help but exclaim in their hearts. As they watched, they commented:
"Really? It must be made up. How could Hua Cheng talk to people like this! "
"Nonsense, simply nonsense!"
"What did this play make of Hua Cheng? Wake up! It's not a romance play, how dare you make it up! "
After all, this was a play that was specially written for him. Xie Lian also watched it seriously. Frankly speaking, this play was not bad. The acting was good, and the play was good. However, as the person being played, he had a small opinion: The two main characters seemed to be a little too intimate.
The one who played himself was quite skilled. However, every time he opened his mouth to call out "San Lang", although his tone wasn't really up and down and lingering, Xie Lian felt that it was even more unsettling than when "Feng Shi Niang" called "Naval Master Daren" with "Lang Jun" and "Husband". Moreover, there seemed to be a little too many small movements. Hooking his hand, hugging his shoulder, hugging him. He kept feeling that something wasn't quite right.
However, thinking about it carefully, when he called out to Hua Cheng, he did indeed call him that. These movements seemed to have been done before. At that time, he didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Looking at it now, logically speaking, there shouldn't be anything wrong with it. He looked at the other Heavenly Officials. Although they were scolding him for talking nonsense, they were still watching with great interest. Their eyes were fixed on the play, and they were in full swing. He could only shut up. As he watched, suddenly, Shi Wudu said, "What are the two manservants at the back doing?"
Hearing the two words "manservants", Feng Xin and Mu Qing both unconsciously stiffened.
Ling Wen said, "Those aren't two manservants. They should be two small military officials from the Middle Heaven. At that time, they were recruited from Nan Yang Palace Hall and Xuan Zhen Palace Hall to help His Highness the Crown Prince in an emergency. "
There were actually people from Nan Yang Palace Hall and Xuan Zhen Palace Hall who came to Xie Lian's rescue. This was truly a strange story. It sounded as inconceivable as if Pei Ming had righteously and sternly rejected a beautiful woman who threw herself at him. All the Heavenly Officials looked over. Ling Wen then added, "They went willingly."
Xie Lian smiled and said, "I forgot to ask. Are Nan Feng and Fu Yao doing well? Why haven't I seen them come out to play today? "
Feng Xin said, "Nan Feng … is …"
Mu Qing indifferently said, "Fu Yao is in confinement."
Feng Xin immediately said, "Nan Feng is also in confinement."
Xie Lian made an 'oh' sound and said, "Both of them are in confinement? That's too bad. "
As they spoke, the curtain fell on the splendid play. Although it was unanimously thought to be the fantasies of ignorant believers, because it was really satisfying to fantasize about Flower City, it actually won the applause of the entire hall. However, Pei Su was exiled because of the Ban Yue Gate. After everyone had their fill, they couldn't help but give some attention to Pei Ming. Shi Wudu said, "General Pei, how is your Xiao Pei now?"
Pei Ming poured himself a cup and drank by himself. He shook his head and said, "What else can he do? He doesn't put his heart on what he should be paying attention to. I can't control him anymore. "
On this side, Shi Qingxuan couldn't listen anymore. He chuckled and said, "So, in General Pei's eyes, what is the thing that you should be paying attention to? Your Xiao Pei's future is a future. Isn't that the little girl's? "
His tone wasn't good. Shi Wudu's gaze swept over and he said, "Qing Xuan is not allowed to be rude!"
When he reprimanded, Shi Qingxuan lowered his head in embarrassment. Seeing this, Pei Ming laughed and said, "Senior Martial Brother Shui, this little brother of yours is really amazing. Only you can control him. It's fine if he provokes me now, but if he provokes someone he shouldn't provoke in the future, he won't give you face like I do. "
Shi Wudu opened his fan and continued to scold his brother. He said, "Did you hear what General Pei said? Also, how many times have I told you not to always walk around like this outside? What a scandal. I don't care what you like, you have to use your original appearance when you're outside! "
Even though Shi Qingxuan loved female appearances and was very unconvinced, he still didn't dare to talk back to his brother. Xie Lian thought, 'Master Feng said that he's not afraid of his brother, but that might not be the case.' Who knew that Shi Wudu said in the end, "What if we meet someone like General Pei who has strong mana but has bad intentions?"
Ling Wen laughed and laughed. Pei Ming almost spat out another mouthful of wine. He said, "Senior Martial Brother Shui! If you continue to be like this, we won't be able to talk anymore. "
After a round of eating, they finally welcomed the last round of lanterns.
In Immortal Capital, all the candles and bright lights were extinguished. Other than the moonlight, it was dark. The banquet was held near the lake. The smoke and mist on the surface of the lake was dispersed. Through the clear flowing lake water, one could see the pitch-black world below.
On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the lanterns were the number of eternal prayer lamps that were consecrated in the largest and most famous temple of a god official. One eternal prayer lamp was hard to find, and it would not be extinguished for a long time. The order of the lanterns was from the least to the most. When it was a god official's turn, the lamp consecrated by his believers would float up from below and illuminate the endless night. It was incomparably beautiful.
This year, the Divine Martial Hall had 961 eternal lamps, which was close to a thousand. It was unprecedented, and all the god officials felt that next year, it would definitely break the thousand. However, this was not the main point. If the first place was always the first, then the first place would lose its meaning. Therefore, everyone had automatically eliminated the Divine Martial Hall in this round of lanterns.
What made people not know whether to laugh or cry was that when the lanterns started, the first person in line was actually the Rain Master. When Xie Lian saw a small bright lamp slowly and crookedly rising into the sky, and then heard 'Rain Master Hall, one lamp!' At that time, he even suspected that he was actually drunk and had not sobered up. No matter what, there shouldn't be only one lamp. In order to confirm that he wasn't drunk, he asked Shi Qingxuan, "Is there no mistake?"
Shi Qingxuan said, "No. There's really only one lamp. There's only one lamp, and it was provided by the cow in the Rain Master's house to support the scene. "
Providing for oneself, this kind of behavior was really intimate. Xie Lian thought about it, the Rain Master was in charge of rain, so he was also the God of Farming. He guessed, "Could it be because the Rain Master has many believers who are farmers, so he doesn't have enough to offer?"
However, Shi Qingxuan said, "Your Highness, what misunderstanding do you have about farmers? Many farmers are very rich, okay? Actually, it's because the Rain Master said that having money to provide lamps is better than farming, so the believers have always provided fresh fruits and vegetables. "
Hearing this, Xie Lian was really envious, and thought to himself, "There's such a beautiful thing."
However, Shi Qingxuan said again, "Later on, the Rain Master said not to waste, so the believers usually take the offerings back to eat after two days."
"…"
In front, there were only a few small god officials, and the eternal lamps ranged from a few to dozens. No one was interested. However, the more they went, the brighter the light of time every time the lamp was raised, and everyone became more focused. If it wasn't for the special god officials announcing, one could tell the number at a glance. The densely packed array of lamps flew up together, and it was impossible to count how many there were. Xie Lian wasn't clear about anything, so he didn't make any comments. He focused on admiring the beautiful scenery of the lamps illuminating the dark night, and at the same time, listening to the analysis of the others on the current lantern situation. Although he felt that there was nothing to analyze about this kind of thing. After about the time it took for two incense sticks to burn, the finale finally arrived. The Mid-Autumn Banquet lantern competition began, and the last ten battles began.
The last of the ten, Xie Lian heard the announcing god official say loudly, "Extraordinary Heroic Hall, 421 lamps!"
Quan Yizhen had already left, and when the other god officials heard this number, they didn't bother to hide the sound of clicking their tongues. This Western Martial God was still young, but his momentum was extremely fierce. For the god officials with the same qualifications as him, it was already considered a lot to have 200 eternal lamps, but he had more than double it. Lang Qianqiu, who had ascended slightly longer than him, had slightly fewer eternal lamps than him. It could be said that he was outstanding. However, Xie Lian felt that this youth was indeed not very popular in the celestial heavens, because other than himself and Shi Qingxuan, there was almost no one who was truly amazed by this.
Next, Earth Master Hall, 444 lamps. Other than drinking two more mouthfuls of soup, Ming Yi didn't have any other expression, but Shi Qingxuan was even more excited than him, saying repeatedly, "Lower, lower." As everyone wasn't very familiar with the Earth Master, they clapped their hands as a form of congratulation. Next, it was Shi Qingxuan's turn, Wind Master Hall, 523 lamps.
It was really easy to see whether a person was popular or not. After reporting the number of eternal lamps in Wind Master Hall, before Shi Qingxuan could say anything, the applause at the banquet suddenly became louder, and there were "congratulations" and "well-deserved" everywhere. Shi Qingxuan was very pleased, he stood up and cupped his hands, shouting to Shi Wudu, "Brother, I'm eighth this year!"
It was as if he was looking for his parents to ask for a reward after being praised by Teacher. Xie Lian couldn't help but laugh, but Shi Wudu scolded, "It's just eighth, what's there to be happy about!"
His words were actually very arrogant. In the entire Upper Celestial Heavens, who was ordinary? Five hundred eternal lamps, ranked eighth, but in his mouth, it was said to be 'just', then wouldn't the God Officials ranked behind the eighth not even be comparable to 'just'? It wasn't that he didn't know that these words were inappropriate, but he just had to say it because he wasn't afraid. Shi Qingxuan's face fell, Shi Wudu waved his fan, and said reluctantly, "However, there are more lamps than last year, there must be more next year."
Hearing this, Shi Qingxuan stretched his arms and laughed. In the entire banquet, only Ming Yi had an indifferent expression as he buried his head in eating, not cheering for him, so Shi Qingxuan patted him twice, wanting to find him to congratulate him. Ming Yi didn't want to bother with him at all, he continued to focus on eating. Shi Qingxuan was furious, he wanted him to clap for him, Xie Lian was laughing so hard at the side, not mentioning it.
Next, Ling Wen Hall, 536 lamps.
Among the Gods of Literature, Ling Wen was considered the champion, but there weren't many Gods of Literature supporting him, instead, it was mainly the Martial Gods who gave him face. Xie Lian congratulated him from afar, on this end he heard Shi Wudu and Pei Ming asking him to set up a banquet, on the other end he heard some God Officials muttering that Ling Wen had a lot of followers, it was nothing more than because he turned into a man, Ling Wen saw that the current Martial God was powerful, he tried his best to curry favor with the Martial Gods, ignoring the Gods of Literature, Ling Wen was the God Officials of the Upper Celestial Heavens who loved to treat, it was said that Ling Wen sometimes treated people to brothels and so on. He shook his head, there was only one thought in his mind, 'It's really not easy being a Goddess Official.'
Next, it was Nan Yang Hall and Xuan Zhen Hall, 572 lamps and 573 lamps respectively. Mu Qing's brows relaxed, Feng Xin wasn't happy or angry, he didn't seem to care. Xie Lian was puzzled, how could the numbers be so close? Wasn't this too much of a coincidence? He asked Shi Qingxuan in a low voice, only then did he find out that because these two people were of similar birth, territory, and strength, plus they didn't have a good relationship with each other, the followers of both sides held their breath and wanted to win, they swore that they would definitely offer more lamps in the other's temple. They didn't seek to be first, they just wanted to be higher than the other party. They went all out, and every year, there would be victories and defeats. This year, at the last moment, Xuan Zhen Hall finally managed to squeeze out an extra lamp, winning against Nan Yang Hall. Now, it was as if they had won a battle, and they were celebrating. After hearing this, Xie Lian couldn't help but think, "Outside, they are fighting until their heads bleed for an extra lamp, don't these people go home to celebrate? Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. "
Next, Ming Guang Hall, 580 lamps.
This number was quite considerable. However, Pei Ming didn't look happy, because compared to last year, Ming Guang Hall actually had fewer lamps this year. What happened to Pei Su, the assistant deity, was a blow. This year, there were nearly 100 lamps less. If it wasn't for Pei Ming's strong foundation, he would have lost even more lamps. Shi Wudu and Ling Wen didn't congratulate him, they only patted his shoulder.
At this point, Xie Lian realized that the number of lamps of these few God Officials were all very densely packed. There were tens of lamps, as if there was no way to pull apart the difference. In other words, everyone was actually about the same, no one was the absolute winner. Just as he was thinking this, he heard the announcing God Official say, "Navy Hall, 718 lamps!"
At the banquet, there was a commotion, and exclamations sounded everywhere.
All the God Officials reacted and began to fight to be the first to congratulate him. Shi Wudu just sat and didn't get up. His expression wasn't arrogant, it was just that it was natural. This was probably the closest the number of lamps of the second God Official and the Divine Martial Hall had been in the past few hundred years. Xie Lian's first ascension was too far away, and at that time, a lamp of blessing was even more difficult to find than one today. Naturally, they couldn't be compared in the same way. However, as the saying goes, "people die for wealth, and birds die for food." People's love for wealth would never decrease. He was worthy of being called the God of Wealth!
Shi Qingxuan was even more excited than if he had lit up 700 lamps himself. He vigorously clapped his hands and said to Xie Lian, "My brother! It's my brother! "
Xie Lian smiled and said, "I know, it's your brother!"
In the entire banquet, only Mingyi was eating with all her might, as if she was out of place. In fact, Xie Lian felt that out of everyone, he was the only one who treated this banquet as a banquet seriously. He came to eat, as if he hadn't had enough to eat after being undercover in the Ghost City for so many years, and wanted to eat to his heart's content tonight. Thinking of the snacks sold at the stalls on the streets of the Ghost City, Xie Lian could understand it very well. He couldn't help but wonder, does Hua Cheng usually stroll around the streets of the Ghost City?
The most exciting riddle had been revealed. Tonight, all the God Officials had watched enough and talked enough. Satisfied, they prepared to leave the banquet one after another. Unexpectedly, Shi Wudu suddenly frowned and closed his fan, saying, "Wait."
If others said wait, they probably wouldn't have such a strong deterrent force. But this Shi Wudu really lived up to his nickname, "Water Traversing the Heavens". It was as if he was used to giving orders. Once he opened his mouth, people couldn't help but listen. Everyone sat back down and asked, "The top ten have been decided. Is there anything else, Lord Navy?"
Xie Lian thought, "Don't tell me I'm going to lose my merit too?"
Shi Wudu waved his fan and said, "The top ten have been decided?"
Everyone didn't know what he meant by this question, but Shi Qingxuan said in shock, "… That's not right. No, no, no. The top ten haven't been decided! Including the Divine Martial Hall, there were only nine that were reported just now! "
All the Heavenly Officials were shocked and said, "Only nine came out?"
"It's true. I counted, there really are only nine!"
"There's actually another person in front of Lord Navy???"
"What? Who else could it be? I don't have any impression of it? "
At this moment, in the dark night, a burst of light that was as bright as day suddenly exploded.
That light was a lamp.
Like millions of fish swimming across the sea, countless bright lamps slowly rose up.
They shone brightly in the dark night, like floating souls and magnificent dreams. It was magnificent to the extreme, illuminating the pitch-black world. Such a miraculous scene was indescribable. The only thing left was a frozen breath and broken speech.
Xie Lian stared at the bright lamps that filled the sky. It was as if he was suffocating and couldn't hear anything. He was in a daze for a while. After a while, he finally realized what was wrong.
At the banquet, all the God Officials cast their gazes over. It turned out that the reporting God Official pointed at him with his trembling hand.
Xie Lian was stunned and said, "… What's wrong?"
No one answered. Xie Lian pointed at himself and said, "… Me?"
Shi Qingxuan, who was at the side, patted his shoulder and said, "… Yes. You. "
"…"
Xie Lian was still stunned and said, "Me what? What's wrong with me? "
That reporting God Official swallowed with difficulty and finally opened his mouth again.
Thus, the hundred God Officials present all heard a trembling voice of disbelief.
"Thousand Lantern Monastery, Crown Prince Palace, three … three …