Xie Lian said, "Bring him here right away."
Feng Xin brought his right index and middle fingers together, pressed them against his temple, and communicated with Mu Qing. On the other side, Qi Rong spat, "So, you came from that corner of Eternal Peace, huh? Truly, poor mountains and evil waters breed unruly people. Just because you're poor, you think you can steal from the gods?"
Lang Ying replied, "Then I won't steal. I'll worship the god you're offering to, kneel and kowtow, and beg him to save my hometown. Will he save us?"
Qi Rong choked for a moment, thinking if he said yes, would this person just take the money and run off? So he said, "The Crown Prince is a god now, and gods are busy to death. Who has time to deal with unruly people like you!"
Hearing this, Lang Ying slowly nodded and said, "I thought so too. We've prayed before, and it was useless, wasn't it? Those meant to die still die."
Xie Lian's heart shook. A daoist shouted, "How dare you speak such disrespectful words in the shrine! Aren't you afraid of divine punishment?"
Lang Ying replied, "It doesn't matter anymore. If punishment comes, so be it. I'm already not afraid of him not saving us, why would I be afraid of punishment?"
Qi Rong waved his hand, and a group of waiting attendants rushed forward, surrounding the young man and beating him. Feng Xin, amidst them, subtly reduced the force of their blows, so Lang Ying, though seemingly beaten, looked confused, not dodging or avoiding, only occasionally shielding the bag on his back.
Qi Rong, munching on sunflower seeds and shaking his leg, said, "Hit him hard for me!" Truly the behavior of a villain. Hearing his self-proclamation, Lang Ying suddenly looked up and asked, "You're a king?
What kind of king? Do you live in the palace? Can you see the ruler?"
Qi Rong casually spat, "I'm your grandpa! Do you still hope to see the ruler? The ruler is busy with a million things, who has time for you?"
Lang Ying twisted his neck, stubbornly asking, "Why doesn't anyone have time for me? The gods don't, the ruler doesn't, then who does? Who should I go to? Does the ruler know that many people in Eternal Peace have died? Do the people in the capital know? If they know, why do they prefer to throw money away rather than give it to us?"
Qi Rong sneered, "It's our money, we can spend it however we want, even if it's throwing it away, it's none of your business. Just because you're poor, you think you're right?"
Though there's some truth to his words, it's really not appropriate to say them now. Xie Lian was about to think of a way to shut Qi Rong up when a young man in black rushed out from the back of the hall and said, "Your Highness, why did you call for me?"
Xie Lian waved him over, "Mu Qing, come quickly. Have you heard any news about the drought in Eternal Peace in the prayers you've received lately?"
Mu Qing was also taken aback and said, "I haven't heard anything."
Feng Xin, in the midst of his busy work, blurted out, "How could you not? Refugees from there have fled here!"
His tone was so certain that it made Mu Qing's face stiffen a bit, and he said stiffly, "I'm telling the truth, there really hasn't been any. Are you suggesting I'm deliberately withholding information? Have you received any? If there really were prayers from Eternal Peace about the drought, the Crown Prince Hall is under my watch in odd months and yours in even months. It's impossible that all the drought-related prayers are in odd months and you know nothing."
Feng Xin was stunned, thinking it was indeed reasonable, and said, "I didn't say you did it on purpose. You're overthinking."
Seeing that they seemed about to start arguing again, Xie Lian made a "pause" gesture, saying, "Alright, Feng Xin didn't mean that. Stop it immediately."
The two stopped arguing at once. Just then, Qi Rong, having grown tired of watching his men beat Lang Ying, took a small bag to collect the sunflower seed shells and said, "Take this thief to the dungeon." The attendants said, "Yes, sir!" Several people lifted Lang Ying. Xie Lian said, "Let's solve the immediate problem first, save this person, and then I'll properly ask him about Eternal Peace."
Mu Qing softened his expression and cautiously asked, "Your Highness, how do you plan to solve this? You can't reveal your divine powers carelessly."
After ascending, one rule Xie Lian found hard to understand was this. Gods were supposed to help the world, yet they had to maintain an air of superiority, not revealing their powers casually, which often left Xie Lian feeling tied down and frustrated. Fortunately, he had many strategies. Without thinking, he pushed forward. Those in front noticed a shadow swaying on the ground and turned around in confusion. The next moment, Qi Rong screamed, "Cousin Crown Prince—"
Xie Lian had pushed over his own statue!
The golden statue, holding a sword and flower, elegant and handsome, slowly tilted to one side. Qi Rong looked as if he'd seen his mother hanging herself, completely forgetting about Lang Ying, and rushed over to hug the statue's leg, desperately holding it up, shouting, "What are you all waiting for! Help me hold him up! Don't let Cousin Crown Prince fall!! He can't fall!!!"
While Qi Rong was frantic, Xie Lian calmly brushed past him and walked out of the Crown Prince Hall. Feng Xin and Mu Qing were stunned. After a while, Feng Xin said, "Your Highness! That's your statue!"
Toppling a statue is considered a bad omen, something to be avoided. A god pushing over his own statue was unheard of, a true oddity in the three realms. Xie Lian said, "It's just a big piece of gold. Without doing this, their attention wouldn't be diverted. You two hold down that golden statue, don't let them free themselves, I'll go meet this person."
Though speechless, Feng Xin and Mu Qing had no choice but to obey, standing beside the statue, each pressing a finger against it. With just that bit of effort, it was enough; despite several people using all their strength, they couldn't lift it, only barely managing to hold it steady, gritting their teeth, "…No wonder it's real gold, it's really heavy!"
Outside, Lang Ying, who had been sitting on the ground, saw no one paying him any mind anymore. After staring at the glittering statue for a while, he stood up, dusted off his clothes, and ran away with his bag. Xie Lian followed him, waiting until he had run a good distance and entered a lush forest. After looking around, Lang Ying sat down under a tree to rest. Xie Lian hid behind a tree, casually made a hand sign, and transformed into a small white-clad daoist.
After changing his appearance, he looked himself over to ensure there were no flaws, flicked his dust whisk, and was about to think of a non-awkward way to appear when he saw Lang Ying squatting by a puddle, digging a hole in the ground with his hands.
"…"
The young man's hands were large, and each scoop was wide and deep, sending dirt flying like a lean black wolf dog. Xie Lian was puzzled as to why he was suddenly digging a hole, but then saw him wipe his hands on his pants and scoop a handful of water from the puddle to drink.
Seeing this, Xie Lian couldn't hide any longer. He quickly stepped out, stopped his hand, and took a water bottle from his sleeve, handing it to him.
Lang Ying had already taken a mouthful of the puddle water, cheeks bulging as he swallowed it. He looked at the suddenly appearing daoist, not surprised, not refusing, took the bottle, and drank it all in one go. After drinking, he said, "Thanks."
Since he had already appeared abruptly, Xie Lian didn't bother with a natural opening line. He tried to flick his dust whisk to appear dignified and trustworthy, and said, "Friend, where are you from, and where are you going?"
Lang Ying replied, "We came from Lang'er Bay in Eternal Peace, originally heading to the palace. But I've changed my mind, I'm not going anymore."
Xie Lian was stunned, "We?"
Lang Ying nodded, "We. Me, and my son."
Xie Lian grew even more confused, but felt a chill rising in his heart. Lang Ying took off his bag, opened it, and said, "My son."
Inside his bag was the body of a small child!!!
The child's body was tiny, looking only two or three years old, with a sallow complexion, sunken cheeks, a few sparse yellow hairs on his forehead, and some heat rash. His little face was twisted into a strange expression, as if about to cry but not, looking extremely uncomfortable. His eyes were closed, his mouth open, but he could no longer make any sound.
Xie Lian's pupils shrank, his heart shook, and he was speechless. No wonder he had always felt something was off about this young man. He couldn't pinpoint it, just felt he wasn't like a normal person. Speaking and acting without considering consequences, charging ahead recklessly. Now it made sense; what consequences did this person have left to consider?
Lang Ying showed him his son, then wrapped the child back up, carefully tucking in the edges. Watching his focused expression and actions, Xie Lian felt a wave of sorrow. It was his first time seeing the body of such a small child, and he stammered, "Your… your son, how did he die?"
Lang Ying put the bag back on and said blankly, "How did he die… I don't know either. Thirst, hunger, sickness, maybe a bit of everything."
He scratched his head and said, "When we first left Eternal Peace, he would still cough a few times, calling me from behind. Later, he slowly stopped making noise, just coughed. Then he stopped coughing too, and I thought he was asleep. When I found something to eat and tried to wake him, he wouldn't wake up."
The child had died on the road while fleeing.
Lang Ying shook his head and said, "I don't know how to take care of kids. My wife will scold me to death if she finds out our son died."
After a moment of silence, he added, "I wish my wife could still scold me."
His expression remained calm, like a dead tree or a blackened pond, unable to stir any life or ripples. Xie Lian's throat tightened, and after a while, he whispered, "You… you… should bury him."
Lang Ying nodded, "Yeah. I want to find a better place, this spot is nice, with trees for shade and water. I'll bury him and then go back. Thanks for the water."
He coughed a few times, then bent down to continue digging. Xie Lian, however, murmured, "No. Don't thank me… don't thank me, please don't."
At that moment, Feng Xin and Mu Qing arrived. Seeing one digging and the other dazed, they were puzzled. Xie Lian, not in the mood to explain, repeated himself several times, and after a while, remembered that just giving water wasn't enough; this person still needed to return to Eternal Peace. So he reached into his sleeve, fumbled for a while, and finally pulled out something, handing it to him, "Take this with you."
Lang Ying paused his digging, carefully examining the item in Xie Lian's hand. It was a small deep red bead, no larger than a fingernail, with a lustrous, smooth, and mesmerizing appearance. Even if one didn't know what it was, just a glance would tell you it was priceless.
This was the last remaining earring from the pair of red coral beads Xie Lian had worn during the Lantern Festival three years ago. Mu Qing, having a vivid memory of the bead, immediately recognized it and his expression changed slightly. Lang Ying didn't refuse; it seemed he had lost all normal social etiquette and concerns, and he took it without hesitation, saying, "Thanks."
He carefully stored the bead in his belt, took off his bag, and gently placed it in the hole, saying, "Dad will come back to see you soon."
With that, he solemnly pushed the dirt over the fabric bundle with his hands. Xie Lian covered his forehead, closing his eyes. After a while, the young man strode away. Feng Xin asked in surprise, "Your Highness, what did he bury? He said 'dad'? Did he bury a person?"
Mu Qing was concerned about something else, saying, "Your Highness, I just went to check, and I've figured things out. Eternal Peace isn't wealthy, and there are few temples there. Plus, there's a local rule that only those who offer can enter the temples to pray, so those who come to the Crown Prince Hall are from wealthy families, while the disaster-stricken poor never go…"
Xie Lian didn't answer, saying in a deep voice, "You two, go to Eternal Peace and see what's going on. I will see the national teacher and find out what's happening."
His expression was unprecedentedly grim, and the two attendants dared not take it lightly, responding in unison and setting off immediately. Xie Lian turned and headed toward Mount Tai Cang.
It seemed the disaster in Eternal Peace was not small. Even if he couldn't hear the prayers, the palace couldn't possibly be unaware!