Xie Lian pinched his earlobe and said, "One of my earrings is missing."
In the Divine Joy Kingdom, it is believed that the ultimate goal of Daoist cultivation is to achieve a perfect state of "harmony of yin and yang" and "being both male and female." The gods can transform endlessly and are not bound by gender, so they can be male or female.
This belief is reflected in the design of the Divine Harmony Warrior's attire. Every generation of Divine Harmony Warriors wears clothing that combines elements of both male and female attire, including details like earrings and bracelets. When Xie Lian played the role of a Divine Harmony Warrior, he wore earrings and a pair of earrings.
These earrings were a pair of exquisite deep red coral beads, with a bright and glossy appearance, extremely rare. However, when Xie Lian was arranging his hair, he realized that one of the red coral beads was missing.
As soon as he mentioned the loss, Mu Qing's relaxed expression suddenly stiffened, though the other two didn't notice. Feng Xin immediately started searching inside and outside the room, returning empty-handed. He said, "You're so careless, even losing something worn on your ear. I didn't see it in the Divine Joy Palace area, so I'll check the road outside. Hopefully, it wasn't lost during the festival parade."
Xie Lian was puzzled but not too worried. He said, "It's possible. If it can't be found, then it's lost."
Mu Qing, however, took his usual broom and said calmly, "That bead is very valuable, so it's worth looking for. Check if it fell under the bed or cabinet." He began sweeping. Xie Lian suggested, "Maybe we should get more people to help look."
Feng Xin casually remarked, "Too many people might make it worse, and someone might pocket it."
Mu Qing, who had been silently checking under the bed, suddenly turned pale at these words. He stood up abruptly, snapping the broom in his hand. Xie Lian was taken aback.
Since leaving the Divine Martial Hall, Feng Xin had been holding back his complaints about Mu Qing. Seeing Mu Qing react first, he said angrily, "Why are you breaking things all of a sudden? Who upset you?"
Mu Qing replied coldly, "If you have something to say, just say it. Why beat around the bush? The missing bead has nothing to do with me."
Feng Xin, known for his straightforwardness, was accused of being indirect for the first time. He laughed in anger, "Why don't you tell that to yourself! What did I say? I didn't accuse you of stealing, so why are you acting guilty?"
Xie Lian realized things were going wrong. He sat up and said, "Feng Xin, stop!"
Mu Qing's forehead veins bulged. Feng Xin, genuinely confused, asked, "What did I do?"
Xie Lian couldn't explain to him, so he turned to Mu Qing, "Don't misunderstand, Feng Xin was just speaking casually, not targeting you."
Mu Qing clenched and unclenched his fists but eventually didn't continue the argument. His eyes turned red as he looked at Xie Lian and said, "You... broke your promise."
Xie Lian replied, "No, I didn't!"
Mu Qing took a few deep breaths, glared at Feng Xin, and left without another word. Xie Lian jumped off the bed to chase after him but was pulled back. Feng Xin said, "Your Highness, you're barefoot! You can't go out looking like this."
Xie Lian said, "Stop him for me!"
Feng Xin replied, "Get dressed and fix your hair first. Why bother with him? He's always so moody, who knows what set him off this time."
Mu Qing had already disappeared, and Xie Lian realized he couldn't catch up. He quickly tied his hair with a ribbon and sighed, "He's not having a fit, you just accidentally said the wrong thing."
Feng Xin took Xie Lian's usual white robe from the wardrobe and tossed it to him, "What did I say wrong?"
Xie Lian, while putting on his boots, said, "I can't tell you. But you should come with me to find him and explain it was a misunderstanding, not aimed at him."
Feng Xin frowned, "What can't you tell me?"
Xie Lian remained silent. Feng Xin grew more suspicious, recalling Mu Qing's resentful look earlier, and suddenly said, "Did he really steal something from you?"
Xie Lian hurriedly gestured for silence, "No! No!"
Seeing him like this, Feng Xin became more convinced, "So that's it! No wonder his face changed so suddenly, it hit a nerve. When did he do this?"
Xie Lian said, "You shouldn't speak so loudly!"
Feng Xin lowered his voice, "You never told me about this! Tell me."
Realizing that Feng Xin would find out sooner or later, Xie Lian reluctantly said, "It's not really stealing, but... let me start from the beginning. Do you remember, two years ago, shortly after I joined the Royal Extreme Temple, I lost a piece of gold leaf?"
Hearing this, Feng Xin's eyes widened, and he slapped his thigh, "That time?!"
Three years ago, Xie Lian had finally persuaded his parents to let him practice at the Royal Extreme Temple before his coming of age. After a year, he happily went up the mountain when the Divine Joy Palace was completed.
Xie Lian didn't bring much luggage when he went up the mountain—just two carts of books and two hundred famous swords. But the Empress, worried about her son's loneliness and hardship on the mountain, later sent twenty servants and four carts of the Crown Prince's favorite items to the mountain. Among these was a set of 108 pieces of gold leaf.
Gold leaf palaces were a game popular among the Divine Joy Kingdom's nobility. When this luxurious item was brought to the mountain, it caused some minor gossip. The Royal Extreme Temple was full of serious practitioners who didn't know the Crown Prince's personality. Although they didn't dare say much openly, they whispered behind his back: Is the Crown Prince here to practice or to play around? What can a royal noble achieve by joining us?
Feng Xin heard these comments and wanted to refute them, but Xie Lian told him to ignore them, saying, "It's human nature. They'll see in time whether I'm just playing around and who is truly the top disciple of the Royal Extreme Temple."
However, soon after, something happened.
Xie Lian sent back the servants and carts arranged by the Empress and, while checking his belongings, found that one of the 108 pieces of gold leaf was missing.
The gold leaf had never left the Divine Joy Palace after being brought up the mountain, so it was either lost on the way or stolen. Since it wasn't found on the road, Xie Lian casually mentioned it to the national teacher.
The national teacher, thinking it might have been stolen and that someone in the Royal Extreme Temple might have been tempted by the gold, was furious and decided to find the missing piece at all costs. If it was found with someone, they would be severely punished.
Thus, the entire Royal Extreme Temple, over three thousand people, dropped everything to search, room by room.
After a huge fuss and a lot of effort, halfway through the search, Xie Lian suddenly changed his story, apologizing for the trouble and saying he remembered that the set of gold leaf had already been missing a piece while still in the palace. In other words, there were originally only 107 pieces.
The Royal Extreme Temple went through a lot of trouble that night, only for the Crown Prince to suddenly say this, making all previous efforts in vain and causing many fellow disciples to complain. They said things like, "Who can argue with the Crown Prince? Whatever he says goes.
Let's hope he remembers important things next time before we start searching." Feng Xin was furious hearing this, but Xie Lian told him to wait patiently. Later, Xie Lian indeed outshone all three thousand disciples, becoming the undisputed top disciple of the Royal Extreme Temple.
Because he was genuinely friendly and didn't abuse his power, his reputation among his fellow disciples gradually improved. Feng Xin, being forgetful, had forgotten this episode. Who knew that bringing it up today would make him realize, shocked and angry, "That piece of gold leaf was taken by Mu Qing?!"
Xie Lian said, "Shh!"
Once sure no one was around, he explained, "The gold leaf had fallen off during the bumpy ride up the mountain. Mu Qing found it in the grass while fetching water. He kept it under his mat, unsure what to do with it, and then the national teacher suddenly ordered everyone out for a search that night. I didn't know him at the time, just noticed a servant looking uneasy. Later, when he brought me tea, he quietly admitted it to me, and I understood what happened."
Feng Xin said, "Not reporting it is stealing, isn't it? So you covered for him by saying the gold leaf was lost in the palace?"
As they spoke, Xie Lian finished dressing and headed out, "That's what happened."
Feng Xin was furious, following him out, "Your Highness, do you know how many people talked behind your back when you first came to the Royal Extreme Temple?"
Xie Lian said, "Keep your voice down. He looked really bad at the time, pale as a sheet. The others at the Royal Extreme Temple already didn't like him. If I had exposed him, his life would have been ruined. Our situations in this matter were completely different, and the consequences couldn't be compared."
At this moment, a few young Daoists approached, respectfully greeting them with smiles, "Crown Prince!" Xie Lian smiled back, and as they passed, he said to Feng Xin, "See, I said to wait patiently, and now I'm getting along well with my fellow disciples. Who dares to talk behind my back?"
The two went to Mu Qing's room but didn't find him, so they left to continue searching. Feng Xin said, "I always found it strange that you never mentioned losing a piece in the palace. You kept this from me for two years and told me you met him while he was sweeping!"
Xie Lian said, "He asked me not to tell anyone. Since I promised, I couldn't tell anyone, not even you. Now that you know, it's already a breach of trust. But you absolutely can't tell anyone else."
Feng Xin said, "This isn't a breach of trust. You didn't tell me; he exposed himself. So when did he do this?"
Xie Lian said, "You must swear not to tell anyone, or I'll cut ties with you, and you'll never find a wife."
Feng Xin laughed, "You'll cut ties with me? The day after, the whole Divine Joy Kingdom will know that the Crown Prince fainted while dressing because of his sock garter—fine! I won't tell. Who cares about gossip?"
He paused and added, "He probably thinks I target him because I know he took the gold leaf, but I just don't like his type. Always thinking too much, suspicious of you telling me. Even the palace concubines aren't as scheming as him, it's annoying."
Xie Lian said, "It's not as bad as you say. The Royal Extreme Temple never had thefts before, so it was probably his first time. It's mostly because of his mother... Anyway, he promised me he'd never do it again, and he hasn't. Plus, today, if he hadn't cooperated when that child fell, the festival parade wouldn't have ended so well."
Feng Xin scoffed, "You've already achieved your goals and made history, so of course, he won't cause more trouble. Your Highness, I don't believe a word he said in the Divine Martial Hall today. Everyone knows the national teacher is ruthless when playing cards. He chose that moment to speak and refused to say whose orders he followed, acting like he had no choice."
Xie Lian shook his head slightly, seriously saying, "Actually, in this matter, I might not have thought it through. I know Mu Qing isn't well-liked, and I wanted him to help me more, thinking people would be nicer to him knowing he's my attendant. But I didn't realize how much people already disliked him. Not only did things not work out, but my people suffered. If you look at it from another angle, his strange temper is understandable."
Feng Xin disagreed, "That's his problem, why are you taking it on yourself? You're the Crown Prince, you can lift anyone up, but you owe no one. I really don't understand why you value him so much."
Xie Lian smiled, "Feng Xin, do you know that many people in this world, in my eyes, are like stubborn stones?"
Feng Xin was puzzled. Xie Lian continued, "Stubborn stones are common, but beautiful jade is rare. Over the years, I've only seen two people in martial arts who can be called beautiful jade. One is you. The other is him."
He suddenly stopped, turned around, and his eyes shone brightly, "I truly believe Mu Qing is a very talented person. Such a piece of beautiful jade, should it be hidden and not allowed to shine just because of his background and personality?"
Xie Lian resolutely said, "No! I believe that's wrong. You ask why I value him? It's the same reason I value you. Those who should shine, I will make sure they do. And I don't believe kindness will lead to bad results."
Feng Xin stopped as well, scratched his head, and said, "As long as you know what you want, it's your choice."
Xie Lian said, "Yes. So, where did Mu Qing run off to?"
At this moment, a few more young Daoists approached, carrying baskets and playing around. Seeing Xie Lian, they cheerfully greeted, "Crown Prince!"
Xie Lian smiled back. They came over, offering the baskets, "Does Your Highness want some cherries? They've been washed in spring water, very clean and sweet."
The baskets were full of bright red cherries, looking very cute. Xie Lian and Feng Xin took a few and found them deliciously sweet. One of the young Daoists asked, "We heard Your Highness asking about Mu Qing earlier, are you looking for him? We came from the cherry grove and think we saw him there."
Xie Lian said, "Is that so? Thank you for letting me know."
So, the two headed towards the cherry grove. On Mount Tai Cang, besides the maple forests, there were many fruit trees, including cherry trees. The fruit trees were nourished by mountain springs, bathed in mountain mist and sunlight, and produced fruits rich in spiritual energy.
Besides offerings to the palace, the excess was for the temple disciples to enjoy after practice, and they were hard to find outside the Royal Extreme Temple. The cherry trees, with their new green leaves, bore clusters of fruit resembling red coral beads, very beautiful.
Xie Lian and Feng Xin walked for a while, searching for Mu Qing in the grove, and soon heard the sound of an argument ahead, causing them to stop in their tracks.