Forbidden Read!
Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Inside the Pu Qi Temple, the Strange Story of BanYue Pass

"What's wrong?" xie Lian asked, surprised.

San Lang remained seated in his chair and nonchalantly also asked, "What's wrong?"

Fu Yao furrowed her brows and asked in a demanding tone, "Who are you?"

Xie Lian replied, "He is my friend. Do you know each other?"

San Lang, with a completely innocent looking face, asked, "Gege, who are they?"

Hearing San Lang call Xie Lian "gege" made Nan Feng's lips spasm and Fu Yao's eyebrows twitch. Xie Lian raised her hand and said to San Lang, "It's nothing, don't worry."

But next to him Nan Feng shouted, "Don't talk to him!"

"What's? Do you two know him?" Xie Lian asked again.

"..."

"No." Fu Yao coldly replied.

"If not, why are you..." Xie Lian had yet to finish her sentence as she looked at the flash of light next to her. The other two newly arrived people had made balls of Divine energy in their palms at the same time and Xie Lian grabbed them worriedly, "Stop! Just stop! Don't be rash!"

That ball of divine energy was pulsating, static and dangerous-looking, definitely not something a normal person could do. San Lang clapped his hands several times in appreciation while showing a polite feeling. "Looky! It's really magical." It was the most sarcastic compliment.

Xie Lian finally caught the arms of Nan Feng and Fu Yao to stop them from launching a ball of divine energy in each of their hands. Nan Feng turned to her angrily and asked, "Where did you meet her? What's-her-name? Where does he live? Where'd it come from? Why is she with you?"

Xie Lian replied, "We met on the street, his name is San Lang. I didn't know anything else about him, it was just that he had nowhere to go, so I let him stay. Can you two please stop?"

"You―!" Nan Feng could not speak, as if he wanted to shout at Xie Lian but forcibly swallow her words back. "You let him in despite not knowing anything about him?! Aren't you afraid that she might be planning something?"

Xie Lian thought Nan Feng's tone somewhat sounded like a father. If it was another heavenly official or someone else, if they heard a younger person say something in such a way, they would probably explode in anger. But first, Xie Lian had gotten used to all the mocking and scolding that everyone had done to her so that she felt nothing; and secondly she knew that these two people were well-meaning, good-natured, and just saying all of that was because of their concern for her, so she didn't mind.

At that moment, San Lang cut, "Gege, are they both your servants?"

Xie Lian smiled warmly, "The term 'servant' seems a bit imprecise. Maybe more precisely a maid?"

San Lang smiled back, "Really?"

The teenager stood up, grabbed an object, and threw it towards Fu Yao. "Then why don't you help?"

Fu Yao did not see clearly what was thrown at her before she caught it, but once it was in her hands and she saw what it was, her anger exploded like a volcano.

The boy threw a broom at him!!!

Fu Yao looked like she wanted to smash the broom in her hand and the teenager went into powder, and Xie Lian hurriedly took the broom from Fu Yao's hand. "Calm down. Calm. I only have one sweep―" Xie Lian's words were interrupted by the burst of white energy that came out of Fu Yao's hand as she shouted, "SHOW THE REAL YOU!"

San Lang remained where he was and still crossed hands in a relaxed position, but he slightly tilted his head as a ball of energy shot towards him and smashed one of the legs of the altar table. The table collapsed with a loud noise and all the dishes fell to the floor. Xie Lian rubbed her temple and thought this should be stopped. He released Ruoye and tied Nan Feng and Fu Yao. Nan Feng shouted, "What are you doing?"

Xie Lian gestured for the two of them to calm themselves down first, "We'll talk outside. Outside of." Then he waved his hand and Ruoye flew dragging the two people behind him.

"I'll be right back." Xie Lian said to San Lang, then closed the door behind him.

In front of the temple, Xie Lian called Ruoye back, took the sign at the entrance, and placed it in front of the two junior officials. "Don't say anything, and read what's written here."

Fu Yao read out loud, "Please donate to the renovation of this temple to collect the merit reward." He looked at Xie Lian, "Dollateral for renovation? You wrote this??"

Xie Lian nodded, "Yes, I wrote it. If you guys keep fighting inside then I'll ask for donations for construction, not renovations."

Nan Feng pointed towards the temple, "Your Majesty! You don't think in the slightest that that brat looks weird?"

"Of course I think so" said Xie Lian.

"You know he's dangerous but you still let him stay by your side?" nan Feng said with a demanding tone.

Xie Lian placed the sign near the door and replied, "Nan Feng, that's where you're wrong. There are so many different types of people in the world; strange does not mean dangerous. Lookatme. I look weird in everyone's eyes, but do you think I'm dangerous?"

"..."

Nan Feng really could not defy that logic. Xie Lian obviously had the holy appearance of a god, but she was still collecting trash all day. If it's not strange, then there's nothing strange.

Fu Yao said, "Are you not afraid that he has ulterior motives?"

He slowly asked, "Do you think I have something worthy enough to make him plan something against me?"

Nan Feng and Fu Yao fell silent.

Indeed, planning something against others was usually because someone wanted his precious treasure, and tragically, honestly the two of them could not think of what precious treasure Xie Lian possessed. He had no money and no valuables. That brat couldn't possibly pay attention to the trash he collects every day, right?

Xie Lian continued, "In addition, it doesn't mean I haven't tested it."

The two junior officials looked at him, "And?? How did you test it?"

Xie Lian explained what she had done before, "The results were inconclusive. I've done a lot of things. If he's not human, then there's only one other possibility."

Fu Yao sneered, "Who knows. Maybe he is the Supreme Class."

Xie Lian said softly, "Do you think the High Rank Demon King is so idle like us that he came to a small village like this to collect trash with me?"

"..."

"We're not unemployed!"

"Well, fine, fine........."

On top of a small hill, outside of the temple, the three Heavenly Officials could hear the voice of the juvenile moving comfortably without worry, inside the temple, as if he was not the slightest bit worried about anything. Xie Lian patted the other two Heavenly Officials on the shoulders and said, "I'm fine and quite familiar with this brat. Since we have a good relationship, and I'm not worthy enough to be the victim of a scam, don't worry too much and let it go."

"No." Nan Feng said in a low voice, "We still need to do something to find out if he is a Fascist or not."

Xie Lian knew she couldn't stop them and rubbed her forehead, "Please and try it, but don't overdo it. You are still Heavenly Officers; what if he turns out to be a young master from a runaway noble family? Don't oppress him."

"Don't oppress him." those words made Nan Feng twist his face, and Fu Yao rolled her eyes all the way to the back of her head. Xie Lian nagged them a little more before reopening the temple door. San Lang was examining the broken leg of the table, and Xie Lian cleared her throat to get his attention. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," San Lang smiled, "Just check to see if we can still fix this table leg."

"Everything that happened before was a misunderstanding, please don't mind them" Xie Lian said.

"Because you say that, I won't mind. Maybe they think I look familiar to them."

Fu Yao smirked, "Yes. Pretty familiar. Maybe that's why I misidentified you with someone else."

San Lang grinned, "What a coincidence! I also think you two look quite familiar!"

"..."

Despite appearing wary, Nan Feng and Fu Yao no longer reacted violently.

Nan Feng grimly said, "Give me some space, I'll make a Distance Shortening array."

The Distance Shortening Array was a spell that could shorten a distance of up to thousands of miles into just one step, very convenient. However, to create each array requires immense spiritual power.

Xie Lian rolled up the mat, their bed last night, which was on the floor and said, "Why don't you draw it here?"

With all the commotion earlier, Fu Yao did not have the opportunity to pay attention to the temple properly. Now that he had spent some time in this dilapidated hut, he looked around with an extremely uncomfortable feeling. He furrowed his brows, "You live in a place like this?"

Xie Lian grabbed a chair for her to sit down and replied, "I've always stayed in a place like this."

After hearing those words, Nan Feng paused for a while, then returned to drawing the array. Fu Yao did not sit down, but her expression also turned a little complicated. He looked surprised, but there was also a hint of pride on his face. He quickly neutralized his expression.

"Where's the bed?"

"It." Xie Lian replied, hugging her straw mat.

Nan Feng looked up to stare at the mat, then lowered his head again. On the other hand, Fu Yao glanced at San Lang who was standing at the side, "The two of you sleeping together and next to each other?"

"Is there a problem?" Xie Lian asked sharply.

Finally, Nan Feng and Fu Yao could not think of anything else to say, so they did not say anything more. Xie Lian turned to San Lang to continue their previous conversation, "Sorry our conversation was interrupted earlier. San Lang, what happened in BanYue, tell me."

San Lang had only been staring at them, with an expression deep in his mind, his eyes darkened, he only realized after hearing Xie Lian call out his name. She smiled slightly at Xie Lian, "Alright."

San Lang reassembled his thoughts, and spoke, "The BanYue Magician is the Head Priest of the ancient Kingdom of BanYue, one of the Two Demon Cultivators."

"Two means they have two. Who's the other one?" Xie Lian asked.

San Lang, having all the answers, replied, "Another demon cultivator from the Central Plains, is named Fang Xin."

Xie Lian widened her eyes, but did not say anything and still listened.

The Ban Yue people were a race of brutal warriors who often enjoyed carrying out land invasions near their territory. They controlled an important point between the Central Plains and the Western Regions, and the two kingdoms were constantly fighting over the border. Wars, small battles, conflicts never end. Their Head Priestess studied the cultivation of demons, and the BanYue warriors trusted him with all their heart, until they were willing to follow that Head Priest to the end.

However, two hundred years ago, the dynasty of the Central Plains finally sent troops to invade and invade the Kingdom of BanYue.

Although BanYue Kingdom ended up losing, the hatred of the BanYue soldiers did not disappear. They still haunt the place. The BanYue Kingdom used to be a kingdom filled with greenery, but after turning into a BanYue Pass, it seemed like the evil energy had damaged the once fertile landscape and was slowly being consumed by the Gobi Desert around it.

It is said that at night, people can still see the shadow of the BanYue soldiers, who look big and scary, clutching their oversized sticks, as they explore the Gobi Desert, patrol the place that used to be the BanYue gate, to hunt down prey.

Originally, the place had tens of thousands of inhabitants. However, they all gradually become unable to survive, so they migrate and leave. At the same time, the legend, 'every time a group of people passed the BanYue Pass, more than half would be lost' began to spread. As long as they were the people from the Central Plains passing through the place, they all had to leave half of them as their illegal 'tolls' —live humans!

Fu Yao smiled fakely, "This young master really knows a lot."

San Lang smiled back, "It's nothing. You know very little, that's all."

"..."

Xie Lian held back a laugh, comforted by San Lang's sharp tongue. San Lang continued lazily, "But it's all just rumors and hearsay. Who knows if the BanYue Witch really exists. Or maybe, the BanYue Kingdom doesn't actually exist."

Seriate...