The child seemed to be only about seven or eight years old, really small and skinny. Falling from such a height, the tiny body trembled in his arms, like a newborn animal. Yet, through the gaps of the messy bandages on his head, a large black eye peeked out, reflecting a snow-white figure, staring unblinkingly at him as if nothing else existed.
Suddenly, gasps echoed from all around, and Xie Lian slightly lifted his head, but his heart sank. Because, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of something golden lying on the ground not far ahead.
The golden mask covering his face had fallen off.
Xie Lian landed in the middle of Divine Martial Street, with the procession behind him a few yards away, not yet reaching this spot. The sudden incident disrupted the steady steps of the warriors, and the flower-scattering maidens showed signs of panic.
The golden carriage halted, several tall white horses neighed and raised their hooves, and the harmonious music was interrupted by a few discordant notes. People moved, some stayed, unable to quickly unify their steps, and the scene seemed about to spiral out of control.
The crowd on both sides of the street hadn't reacted yet, but the King of Divine Joy Kingdom stood up in the high building, looking at his son's figure with concern and seriousness.
As he stood, none of the other nobles dared to remain seated and stood up in a panic. The national teacher had just warmed his seat, but now it was cold again, as he quickly considered whether he should immediately kneel and apologize. Qi Rong, however, had already jumped onto the railing, rolled up his sleeves, and shouted angrily, "What's going on again? Why is the procession in chaos? What are these useless people doing? Can't even hold a horse?!"
The queen, pale-faced and with furrowed brows, quickly had someone pull him down. Seeing the crowd beginning to stir, a major upheaval was about to break out, and at this moment, Xie Lian suddenly stood up.
Usually, the noble Crown Prince was hidden deep within the Imperial Palace or secluded in the royal dojo, rarely having the chance to show himself before the people. This was a groundbreaking first, and so everyone was involuntarily drawn to him, looking over. At this glance, they all instinctively held their breath. The young man had long eyebrows and bright eyes, extremely handsome, radiating glory, dazzling and making people dare not look directly. He held the child in one hand, and with the other hand, he slowly raised a sword, pointing towards the grand stage.
The demon, originally overlooking the situation from the stage, paused for a moment upon seeing this action, then suddenly leaped.
The crowd gasped as the demon's figure, like a black cloud, swept across the sky, landing on the pillar where the long knife had been embedded, grasped the handle, pulled it out with cracks and flying stones, then flipped and landed in the middle of the street, in front of the warrior.
Seeing him instantly understand his intention and come over to cooperate, Xie Lian quietly praised, "Good, Mu Qing!"
Now, both the Divine Harmony Warrior and the demon had descended from the stage. One in black, one in white, one with a knife, one with a sword, they finally faced off again, and the crowd's blood surged, boiling once more. On the high building, the nobles' expressions also relaxed, looking somewhat better.
The demon pretended to slash at the child in the warrior's arms, holding the knife with both hands, swinging it horizontally towards Xie Lian. The two of them went through the motions of a few moves, then flew back to the grand stage. Feng Xin took advantage of the crowd's distraction, rolled across the street, grabbed the mask, and rushed into the procession, whispering, "Don't mess up the formation! Just act like nothing happened and keep going! Finish this round and return to the palace!"
Several people in the procession quickly calmed themselves, returned to their positions, and regrouped. Meanwhile, back on the stage, Mu Qing's attacks became fiercer, and Xie Lian parried several blows. At this moment, the child in his arms let out a cry, probably frightened by the flashing swords and blades. Xie Lian tightened his hold and said in a deep voice, "Don't be afraid!"
Hearing this, the child clung tightly to his chest, as if holding onto a lifeline. Xie Lian, holding a child in one arm and wielding a sword with the other, moved with ease. After a while, he felt the child tremblingly raise a hand and cling to his shoulder, as if holding onto a lifeline, and said again, "It's okay, nothing will hurt you."
After saying this, he shouted, "Mu Qing!"
The demon across from him nodded almost imperceptibly, and Xie Lian thrust his sword forward.
Thus, before the eyes of all, the Divine Harmony Warrior finally pierced the demon's heart with a sword, slaying it on the spot!
Mu Qing, wearing the demon mask, clutched his "wound," staggered back a few steps, struggled for a moment, and finally fell to the ground with a thud, motionless.
Qi Rong laughed heartily from above, clapping his hands, "Dead! Dead! The Crown Prince cousin killed the demon!"
Meanwhile, the grand procession continued towards the Imperial Palace, having wrapped up and preparing to enter the palace gates. Due to the timely recovery and the exciting turn of events, the people were not only not complaining about the unexpected incident but were even more enthusiastic. Countless people shouted "Your Highness" and "Heavenly God," following the grand stage, thousands upon thousands, surging towards the palace. Several soldiers had to send out many more warriors and soldiers to intercept these overly excited people. However, they ultimately couldn't stop them, and the crowd broke through the defenses and swarmed forward.
The King of Divine Joy Kingdom called from the high building, "Guards! Warriors!"
At this moment, the entire procession of hundreds had already entered the palace gates, and the vermillion gates closed behind the grand stage, the fluttering flags no longer waving. The people lunged forward, hitting the door, the sound of knocking and cheers deafening.
Inside the tightly closed palace gates, on the grand stage, with two clangs, the white-clad Divine Harmony Warrior and the black-clad demon both dropped their weapons and collapsed heavily to the ground.
Xie Lian, covered in sweat, tore open his layers of ornate divine robes, exhaling a long breath, "That was close, that was close. I'm exhausted."
Mu Qing also removed the heavy demon mask, silently exhaling, but didn't complain about being tired.
He turned his head and saw Xie Lian still holding the child, frowning silently. Feng Xin, however, ran alongside the grand stage, saying, "Your Highness, why did you bring this child in too?"
The child lay stiffly against Xie Lian's chest, not daring to move or breathe. Xie Lian sat up and said, "If I didn't bring him in, should I just leave him outside? The street is so chaotic, he's so small, if I put him down, he'd be trampled to death in no time."
After saying this, he picked up the child, patted the little head a couple of times, and casually asked, "Little one, how old are you?"
The child didn't blink and didn't make a sound. Xie Lian continued to coax him, "How did you fall down just now?"
Mu Qing said, "Your Highness, this child is probably too scared to speak, petrified."
Xie Lian patted the child's head a couple more times, finding him dull and uninteresting, stopped patting, and commented, "Silly. Feng Xin, later find someone to take him out through the side gate, see if he's injured, his face is wrapped in bandages."
Feng Xin reached out, "Alright. Hand him over."
Xie Lian lifted the child to hand him over, but surprisingly, couldn't. Feng Xin said, "Your Highness, why aren't you letting go?"
Xie Lian, puzzled, said, "I did let go?" Looking down, he couldn't help but laugh. It turned out the child's small hands were tightly clutching his clothes, not letting go.
The group was taken aback, then burst into laughter. Xie Lian, cultivating at the Royal Extreme Temple, had many devout followers, some out of curiosity, others out of faith, who would go to great lengths to see the Crown Prince just once, and after seeing him once, wanted to see him a second time, wishing to become monks with him. Unexpectedly, this little friend, despite his young age, also had this tendency. Many young monks guarding the stage laughed, "Crown Prince, this child doesn't want to leave!"
Xie Lian laughed, "Really? That won't do, I still have my own things to do, little one, go home."
Hearing this, the child finally slowly let go of his grip, no longer holding onto his clothes, and Feng Xin immediately scooped him up. The child, in Feng Xin's hand, still stared intently at Xie Lian with his big, bright black eyes, looking almost possessed. Seeing this, many monks felt uneasy. Xie Lian, however, didn't spare another glance at the child, only telling Feng Xin, "Don't carry him like you're picking up trash, you'll scare the child."
Feng Xin placed the child on the ground, "Stop laughing. The national teacher is going to go crazy, Your Highness, you better think about how to explain later."
Hearing this, everyone indeed stopped laughing.
Half an hour later. Royal Extreme Temple, Divine Martial Peak, Divine Martial Hall.
Incense clouds swirled, and the sound of chanting echoed. The national teacher and three assistant national teachers sat on one side of the hall, faces full of worry, with Mu Qing in front of them. Xie Lian was also kneeling. However, he was kneeling in the direction of no one, just the golden statue of the Divine Martial Emperor. Feng Xin followed suit, kneeling behind him.
The national teacher picked up the intricately carved golden mask, sighed deeply, and said, "Crown Prince, oh Crown Prince."
Even kneeling, Xie Lian knelt straight, head held high, "Present."
The national teacher, heartbroken, said, "Do you know, in the history of Divine Joy Kingdom, with so many Lantern Festival processions held, there has never been one where the ceremonial platform only circled the city three times. Three times!"
Every ritual and arrangement in the Lantern Festival procession has its symbolic meaning. One circle of the platform around the city symbolizes a year of peace and prosperity prayed for the country. Therefore, the number of circles in the last Lantern Festival procession indicates how many years before another grand event of this scale is needed. Not only is it a good omen, but it also saves money. Three circles, doesn't that mean only three years of peace???
Moreover, the crucial issue was that the golden mask on the Divine Harmony Warrior's face fell off during the ceremony.
The people of Divine Joy have always believed that the spiritual energy of the human body gathers in the facial features, and the face is where a person's soul resides, so the best must be offered to the heavens. Therefore, during the ceremony, the warrior must wear a golden mask to cover his face, as his face is only for the celestial gods to admire, not for mere mortals to see.
The national teacher, frustrated, said, "In the past, the Divine Harmony Warriors could at least guarantee five circles, at most lasting fifteen or sixteen circles. You? You could walk fifty circles with your eyes closed! A hundred circles! But you strangled yourself on the third circle—why didn't you strangle me, your master, first??? Now, Crown Prince, you're going to make history, and I'm going to make history with you!"
In the hall, no one dared to speak. Xie Lian, however, remained calm, saying, "National teacher, why not look at it this way. If that child had fallen and died without anyone catching him, blood would have splattered during the procession, wouldn't that also be an ominous sign? The ceremony would have been interrupted anyway. Now, at least it ended more decently, which is already the best outcome. Such an event can only be considered an accident, right?"
The national teacher was speechless for a moment, then said, "You child! There were so many royal warriors present, any one of them could have caught him. Even if they couldn't catch him perfectly, maybe breaking an arm or a leg, but not dying. You could have walked a few more steps, fought beautifully, and soon no one would care about what fell just now."
Xie Lian raised an eyebrow, "National teacher, you know. In that situation, besides me, there couldn't have been a second person who could react in time, nor a second person who could catch him unharmed. Not catching him would have resulted in one death, catching him would have resulted in two."
His tone was matter-of-fact, very certain. The national teachers also knew he was speaking the truth, so they couldn't refute him. Seeing him kneeling before the statue, yet not taking it seriously, they felt both curious and amused, and a sense of pride. This precious disciple was so valuable that they couldn't really get angry with him, and could only pull at their hair to cover the sadness in their hearts. After a pause, the national teacher said, "And!"
Xie Lian slightly lowered his head, "Disciple is listening."
The national teacher said, "You did well on stage today. But no matter how well you did, you can't suddenly change things without prior notice. Today, His Majesty and Her Majesty were both scared enough by you. Do you know what would happen if you missed the timing?"
Xie Lian, with long eyebrows raised, said curiously, "National teacher, didn't I ask you about this before today?"
The national teacher was also taken aback, "You asked me? Before today? When?"
Hearing this, Xie Lian frowned, looking to the side, "Mu Qing?"