"Ahhhhhhh——"
The young man, half-conscious before, was jolted awake when Xie Lian severed his left leg. He screamed wildly, "My leg! My leg!"
Kneeling amidst a pool of blood, Xie Lian, his white robes stained with crimson, pressed down on the youth with effort and said, "It's alright now! Healers, stop the bleeding!"
Several healers hurriedly attended to the task. Unable to watch any longer, Mu Qing took out a small medicine bottle, and a faint mist wafted out, steadily halting the flow of blood. Xie Lian wrapped a layer of divine light over the youth's wound, while the severed leg lay alone on the ground. Strangely, it twitched and convulsed, as if still alive. Xie Lian waved a hand, igniting a blaze that reduced the leg to a dark, charred lump. The young man cried out in agony, "My leg!"
Xie Lian inspected the youth's waist and, seeing no sign of the human-face plague creeping upward, his eyes lit up as he exclaimed joyfully, "It's stopped! It's not spreading anymore!"
Only then did the young man stop his tears and asked, "Really? Is it really gone?"
A gasp swept through the crowd, and they buzzed with anticipation. After a moment of hesitation, someone shouted, "Your Highness, please help me too!"
A teenager's voice rang out from not far away, "Don't jump to conclusions! What if it resurfaces after a while?"
This reminder brought Xie Lian back to his senses as well. "Right. We can't be certain yet; we need to observe a bit longer."
Someone said fearfully, "How much longer do we have to wait... We can't hold on any longer; if we wait, this thing will grow on my face!"
Another boldly declared, "I’m willing to take the risk!" Soon, the forest was in uproar with hundreds crying out, "Your Highness, rescue us from this suffering!"
As people started kneeling in waves, beseeching Xie Lian, he found himself at the center of their attention. Though feeling cornered, he dared not be careless and said, "Please, everyone, stand up. If, after a time, this man does not relapse, I will do my utmost to cure everyone..."
It took a great deal of effort to reassure the crowd and make numerous promises. After relocating the young man who had lost his leg to another area, Xie Lian sat down by a tree. Mu Qing glanced around and then said softly, "Why did you cut off his leg outright? Matters like these aren't for you to decide unless he insists. What if you cut it off and it doesn't help? He'll hate you then."
Xie Lian's heart was still pounding fiercely, and he covered his face with one hand, saying hoarsely, "...The situation at the time couldn't wait any longer. He wouldn't answer me, and the healers didn't dare act. We couldn't just stand by and let the plague spread. Someone had to make the call. I really..."
Feng Xin, rarely showing concern, said, "Your Highness, I think you should rest. You don't look well; we can hold things here for now."
Xie Lian felt exhausted to the point of collapse and nodded slowly, "Alright. I'll rest here for a while, then head back. I can't stray too far." Just then, there was another cry from deeper in the forest, prompting Feng Xin and Mu Qing to check it out, while Xie Lian dozed off on the ground.
In the past, he would never have agreed to lie down on the muddy ground without a shelter or a comfortable bed. But now he had no strength for such preparations. Even the dust and blood smears on his clothes were left as they were as he fell into a deep sleep.
It was unclear how much time had passed before he was woken up by Feng Xin's shout. Xie Lian sprang up, and something slipped off him as he did. Looking down, he found it was a patched, worn blanket, placed over him by someone unknown during his rest. He rubbed his forehead and said to the approaching Feng Xin, "I don't need this. Send it to the patients."
Feng Xin was taken aback and replied, "Huh? What are you talking about? The blanket? It wasn't me who gave it to you. I just returned."
Xie Lian turned to Mu Qing, "Was it you?"
Mu Qing said, "Not me, either. Probably one of the believers living in the quarantine area."
Xie Lian looked around and, seeing no one of note, shook his head, thinking, "I didn't even notice someone approaching. My condition is really that bad." He folded the blanket, placed it on the ground, and stood up, "Let’s go."
He was walking with a heavy heart, and soon, what he feared came to pass.
Just two days later, when Xie Lian returned to the forest, some healers informed him: at night, several human-face plague patients ignored warnings and secretly got up. Some burned their afflicted areas, and others cut the plague spots out with blades. Several, due to improper methods, bled excessively and stayed silent under their blankets in fear of being discovered until they silently died.
Hearing this dreadful news just off the battlefield, Xie Lian stood among hundreds of people, looking at the bleeding, screaming patients in anguish, and finally lost his temper. "Why didn't you listen to advice? Didn't I say it's still not confirmed if this completely removes the plague? How could you act so recklessly!"
It was his first time losing his temper in front of so many followers. Everyone hung their heads, silent as the grave. Anger welled within Xie Lian, and he couldn't help but say more. Suddenly, someone remarked, "The Crown Prince is immune to all poisons; the pain is on us, not on you, so of course you'd say we acted recklessly. But out of desperation, isn't this why we took desperate measures? What else could we do?"
Though the words were not directly confrontational, the tone was biting. Hearing this, Xie Lian felt the blood rush to his head and said, "What did you say?"
The speaker retreated into the crowd, making it impossible to identify them. Had Feng Xin heard, he would have yelled back immediately, while Mu Qing, seeing the tense atmosphere, wisely chose not to escalate the situation. Seeing no response from Xie Lian, another person said, "Crown Prince, if you can't save us, we have to save ourselves. Don't worry, we won't waste your divine medicine and spiritual power."
A chill settled over Xie Lian like plunging into an icy abyss. In his heart, he thought, "...Why is this being said? Am I concerned about those medicines and powers? I was merely afraid amputation might be futile, so I stopped them. Why make it seem like I'm indifferent? Indeed, I can't feel your pain, but if I wasn't truly intending to save people, why would I abandon my godly duties for this thankless task?"
His entire life, he had never encountered such words or faced such grievances. A thousand thoughts churned in his mind, but he couldn't verbalize even one because he realized that his failure to find a cure for the human-face plague had gradually sapped the patience of his followers. The suffering of these commoners was a hundred times more excruciating than his. Clenching his fists until his knuckles cracked, he stood there for a long time before suddenly punching a tree nearby.
The tree cracked and fell with a crash, causing the people to jump in fright and quiet their whispers. Only then did Feng Xin notice something was wrong and rushed over, "Your Highness!"
Having unleashed his frustration with a punch, Xie Lian regained some composure. Still, amid the dead silence, another person said, "Crown Prince, there's no need to be so angry. Everyone here is sick; we're all your followers. No one owes you anything."
These words caused many to nod subtly. Though whispered, Xie Lian heard every word clearly due to his sharp senses. In whispers, people were saying, "Finally, someone dared to speak the truth. I’ve been holding back, not daring to say it..."
"I thought the Crown Prince was supposed to be gentle... Why is he like this..."
Overwhelmed by the ocean of whispers, Xie Lian involuntarily stepped back. For twenty years, he had never feared any enemy, always standing fearless. Yet now, a wave of fear-like emotion swept through him. At this moment, he heard someone murmur, "With such divine power, why not use it on the enemies? It wouldn't have been so tough if he did!"
Hearing this, he found he could not remain there any longer.
He knew all too well that the current state of affairs bore no resemblance to the image of a sword-wielding, flower-clad martial god, always calm and composed on the divine altar!
Xie Lian turned and fled, darting out of the forest in a flight from his troubles. Feng Xin and Mu Qing called after him, "Your Highness! Where are you going?"
Amid the commotion among the crowd, it seemed a small attendant had abruptly started attacking several patients haphazardly, sparking yet another round of chaotic brawling. But Feng Xin and Mu Qing had no time for this, leaving soldiers to manage the scene while they pursued Xie Lian.
His mad dash took him toward Beizi Slope, bounding several feet with every step until he reached a dense forest. His eyes reddened, he shouted, "Come out!!!"
Feng Xin asked, "Your Highness, what's brought you here?"
Xie Lian shouted to the sky, "I know you're here. Show yourself!!!"
Mu Qing commented, "If calling him would make him appear, it wouldn't have..."
His words fell silent because all three heard a creaking sound from behind them. Turning swiftly, they saw that perched atop a tree vine, watching them from above, was the white-robed figure with the smiling and crying mask!
He appeared just by calling him out!
At the sight of him, Xie Lian lost all reason, leaping toward him with a ferocious cry, "I'll take your life!!!"
The white-robed figure dodged nimbly, his wide sleeves fluttering like elegant butterfly wings. Both Feng Xin and Mu Qing uttered surprised sounds, realizing something was off and halted their movements, each with a look of bewilderment. Xie Lian, blinded by fury, failed to notice anything amiss and unsheathed his sword. Feng Xin shouted, "Your Highness! Didn't you notice? He..." But Xie Lian had already grabbed the white-robed man's neck with one hand and pressed the sword tip against his chest. Though clearly constrained, the white-robed man began to laugh loudly.
His laughter was clear and soft, like that of a youth, familiar to Xie Lian. It reminded him of someone, yet in his fury, he couldn't immediately place the voice, though a sliver of suspicion briefly crossed his mind. Soon, the white-robed man sighed and said, "Xie Lian, Xie Lian. No matter how you struggle, it's no use. You've lost. The Divine Joy Kingdom is doomed."
Rage overtook Xie Lian, and he struck the man hard across the face, saying, "What do you think you are? I didn't say you could speak, so shut up!"
For Xie Lian, this was an extremely rude act. The white-robed man's head snapped aside from the impact, then turned back, saying, "Do you really want me to close my mouth? Alright, alright. However, there is a way to turn the tide in your favor; it's just up to you to decide if you'll take it."
Had he left out that last sentence, Xie Lian would have ignored him. But with it, he felt the man might be telling the truth. There might be a method, but it would undoubtedly come at a high price. Catching his breath, he spoke gravely, "What way? Speak plainly about what you want from me, and fewer words!"
The white-robed man said, "Come closer, and I'll tell you."
Xie Lian said, "Alright."
Feng Xin exclaimed, "Your Highness! You can't be willing to..." But Xie Lian had already pierced the man's heart with his sword, leaned in, and said, "Speak."
The white-robed man whispered something in his ear, inaudible to others. As Xie Lian listened, his eyes widened in shock, and unable to bear it, he slapped the man again and shouted, "I'm not here to hear this! I want a solution! A solution!"
The white-robed man said, "I told you, this is the solution. It's just whether you're willing to do it."
Xie Lian's face twisted, "What do you really want? Who are you?"
The white-robed man chuckled and said, "Who am I? Why don't you take off the mask and see for yourself?"
Xie Lian had been thinking about doing just that, and with one swift motion, he removed the mask. The next moment, he froze completely.
Beneath the mask, smiling gently at him, was a youthful face, fair and handsome, eyes bright, lips curved with an infinitely tender and humble expression.
It was his own face!