Текст книги "Благословение Небожителей. Том 6 (ЛП)"

Автор книги: Мосян Тунсю

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Текущая страница: 8 (всего у книги 20 страниц) [доступный отрывок для чтения: 8 страниц]

However, he really didn’t have much energy to worry about these things anymore. The money they had made from pawning Hongjing only lasted a few short months.

An illness that made one cough blood was already difficult to cure, and on top of that, the king was depressed. He needed a large amount of medication just to maintain passable health, and his condition would no doubt worsen considerably if the supply were cut off. Xie Lian had nothing left to pawn, and today, he thought and thought as they loitered on the streets before finally turning to Feng Xin.

“Why don’t we…give it a try?”

Feng Xin peered at him. “I guess we could give it a try?”

It wasn’t the first time the two had hesitantly suggested they “give it a try,” but they hadn’t ever actually done it before now. Besides, the king had once overheard them while they were discussing the topic and had flown into a rage and thrown a huge fit. He was adamant that Xie Lian was not to do anything so shameful for money, otherwise he would refuse to drink his medicine. In the end, they’d had to abandon the idea. But now that they were in dire straits, there was no need to spell it out; they understood each other. Xie Lian nodded and wrapped his white silk band tighter around his face.

“Your Highness, you don’t have to do it. I can do it alone,” Feng Xin said. “That way, it’ll be fine even if the king asks!”

Then he inhaled deeply, held his breath for a moment, and bellowed at the pedestrians, “Dear folks on the street, don’t miss out on this—”

The pedestrians jumped in surprise, and they all gathered around, chattering.

“What’s with the yelling?!”

“What’re you guys up to?”

“What’ve you got to show us?”

“I wanna see you shatter boulders on your chest!”

Feng Xin removed the bow from his back and began bald-faced bluffing. “My…my nickname is ‘Wonder Archer’! I can shoot a bullseye from a hundred paces away. I will show off my embarrassing skill for everyone to see. If you enjoy the show, p-please grant me some coins!”

“Wonder Archer,” “embarrassing skill”—those were phrases he had picked up from watching street performers. While they had kept saying they would never busk, they had long been observing how others did it without realizing.

“Stop wasting your breath! Just get on with it!” hollered the crowd.

“We’ve been waiting! Hurry up!”

Feng Xin nocked an arrow against his bow and pointed at an idle man in the crowd who was munching on fruit. “Will this uncle please step out! Place that apple on your head, and I will shoot it perfectly from three hundred paces away!”

The idler shrank his neck back and withdrew into the crowd. “I’m not doin’ it!”

“I won’t hit you, don’t worry!” Feng Xin exclaimed. “If I shoot you by accident, I’ll compensate you!”

“I’m no fool! If you shoot me by accident, it won’t matter how much you pay me!” the idler yelled back. “Since you’re out here to perform, don’t you got your own equipment or somethin’? Shouldn’t you be shooting at the one next to you?!”

The crowd all chimed in. “Yeah!”

“Let me,” Xie Lian also said.

Someone from the crowd tossed over a fruit, and Xie Lian caught it, ready to balance it on his head. However, Feng Xin never planned to let Xie Lian get involved, so why would he allow this? In a moment of panic, he snatched the fruit and ate it in the blink of an eye, then changed the direction of his arrow to target a banner hanging high from a tall building.

“I’ll shoot that!” he cried.

And he did. He was an extremely skilled archer, so of course he hit the target, and the audience cheered and laughed.

“Well, dang! You do got it!”

They laughed and chattered amongst themselves, and some really did toss a few coins. The small, round coins tumbled and rolled across the ground, and Feng Xin went over to gather them. Xie Lian silently crouched down to help. He felt a little depressed, like he’d lost something.

Feng Xin had once been the servant of the crown prince; even ministers had been compelled to be courteous and polite when they saw him, never mind the common folk. Some had even tried to curry his favor. Heeding the hollering ringleaders when they hauled rocks and earth had been depressing enough, and now they had to endure being watched like performing monkeys. Feng Xin’s sharpshooting skill wasn’t being used to kill enemies in battle but rather to entertain the masses. Just thinking of it made Xie Lian’s stomach turn.

Suddenly, a woman’s voice rang out sharply. “Who’s shooting arrows in the streets?!”

Xie Lian’s heart jumped to his throat. Everyone in the crowd pointed at Feng Xin.

“It’s him!”

Feng Xin was confused, and the crowd parted as several women came stomping over, holding an arrow—the one he had shot earlier. The women surrounded him.

“You damned brat! Did you shoot this? What guts—randomly shooting off weapons in broad daylight! You destroyed the screen in our yard! Tell me, how are you gonna pay for it?!”

“Yeah, you’ve scared away so many of our patrons!”

As it turned out, Feng Xin’s shot was so powerful that the arrow had flown all the way into someone’s yard. Feng Xin didn’t like interacting with women to begin with, and these ladies were caked with heavy makeup; the perfume of powder assaulted his nose and suffocated him. They probably came from a place of ill repute, and their accusations had him waving his hands and backing away.

Xie Lian hurried over to stand in front of him. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. He didn’t mean to. As for compensation, we’ll think of something…”

The women’s tempers flared, and they began to shove him. “And who are you?! You—”

The white bandage covering Xie Lian’s face had slipped from all the pushing and pulling. When the women saw his face, their eyes lit up and their tones took a kittenish turn.

“Oh gosh, what a handsome little gege!”

Xie Lian was confused.

One of the women clapped once, her face blooming into a wide smile. “Very well, then! It’s decided! You’re together, right? We’ll take you as payment!”

Xie Lian was even more confused.

Before he realized what had happened, the women had already dragged Xie Lian away to a rather lavish little establishment. When he looked up, he could see women on the upper balconies dressed like blossoming flowers and chirping like birds. Only then did Xie Lian realize he had been taken away by a bunch of brothel madams!

Goosebumps instantly raised on his skin. “Wait, I don’t have money! I really don’t have any money!”

The brothel madams cackled. “Of course you’ve got no money.That’s why we’re bringing you in to earn some!”

Xie Lian was flummoxed. “Sorry, but I’m a man!” he exclaimed.

“We know you’re a man. We’re not blind!” the brothel madams replied, annoyed.

Feng Xin finally broke through the sea of people surrounding him and rushed over, shouting, “Let go of His– Let go of him this instant!”

The two were in a horrid predicament and promptly bolted—they knew they were in the wrong, so they didn’t dare fight back. The enraged brothel madams called over thirty hired goons, and the duo had to scurry all over the city to escape their pursuit. They had never been involved in a situation like this before and would never dare visit that area again.

All the same, the experience confirmed for them that busking was a viable way of earning money, so they found a new location and set up shop. They were fresh faces, so the locals were very interested, and Feng Xin was a strapping, honest-looking, rather handsome man. They managed to earn a small fortune in those first few days that paid for their food and medication for at least half a month—but good things don’t last, and it took less than half a month for someone to come knocking.

That day, several beefy men came looking for them while Xie Lian and Feng Xin were packing up. Suspecting that they were Yong’an soldiers, Xie Lian was alarmed. Inside his sleeves, his fists were ready to strike.

“Who are you?” he demanded in a low voice.

The leader humphed. “You guys have been hanging around on our turf for days, but you don’t know who we are?”

Xie Lian and Feng Xin were both puzzled.

Another man spoke up. “You’ve stolen so much of our business. Don’t you think it’s rude not to explain yourselves?”

The two of them finally understood what was going on—these were other local street performers. The street artists all belonged to a guild or gang, and those groups laid claim to turf. This new duo had shown up, taken all their customers, and stopped them from making any money, so of course the group came looking for trouble. But Xie Lian and Feng Xin weren’t from the streets, so how could they possibly know this particular etiquette?

Who’d even want to steal your business if they weren’t at the end of their rope? Xie Lian thought bitterly, but he still spoke courteously. “It’s not really stealing, right? People watch what they want to watch. We weren’t forcing anyone to gather for our…shooting performance.”

As if these people would listen. “Not stealing?! No one’s made any money the past few days—you’ve taken all the grub!” they exclaimed rudely.

Bang! The gang members jumped in surprise and saw that Feng Xin had slammed his fist into a nearby wall. There was a giant fist mark there, cracks crawling out from its center.

“Are you looking for trouble?” he asked coldly.

The gang of beefy men certainly had come there to start trouble and talk with their fists. But after witnessing Feng Xin’s punch, they had no doubt that his fist was stronger than theirs, and instantly their fire was smothered by half. Still, they refused to let this go so easily. The leader was briefly stumped, but he quickly changed his tune.

“How about this: we’ll do this by the book. Let’s compete with our skills. The winner gets to stay, and the losers will pack up and leave, never to set up shop in this area again!”

Hearing that it’d be settled with a competition, Feng Xin laughed. Of course he did—how could mortals possibly compete with them? It was a sure win!

Xie Lian also breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s exactly what I wanted. How do you want to do this?”

“We’ll use our best busking trick!” the man proclaimed loudly. While he spoke, two other men brought over a few long, rectangular stone slabs of slate, which the man patted. “Shattering boulders on your chest! How about it? Do you dare?”

Seeing how smug he looked, it seemed this was indeed his specialty. Xie Lian crouched to touch the slate, then looked up.

“It won’t be a problem for me, but will it really not be a problem for you?”

These stone slabs were the real deal.

The man laughed. “Judging by the shape you’re in, you’d better just worry about yourself!”

Feng Xin crouched next to him. “Your Highness, let me?”

Xie Lian shook his head. “No. You’ve worked hard the past few days. Let me do it this time.”

He wanted to make an effort too.

And so, both Xie Lian and the man lay down on the ground with slate slabs pressing down on their chests. Feng Xin was given a large hammer. He weighed it in his grip and was just about to smash it down when Xie Lian swiftly spoke up.

“Wait.”

The others were delighted. “What, do you admit defeat? It’s not too late to forfeit now—we’ll let you go!”

“No. I want to add another slab,” Xie Lian said.

The mob was shocked by this. “Are you crazy?!”

“Didn’t you say it yourselves? This is a competition,” Xie Lian explained lazily. “There’s no difference in skill if we use one slate apiece, so how can we compare our abilities?”

The street performers looked doubtful; some thought he’d gone mad and others assumed he was bluffing. After much discussion, they stacked another stone slate on his chest.

After that, Xie Lian asked them to add another!

Now everyone was sure he’d lost his mind, and they added a third slate without further question. Thus, three heavy stone slates were stacked on Xie Lian’s chest, a rather terrifying sight.

Under the scrutinizing gazes of the crowd, Feng Xin raised the large hammer and smashed it down without blinking. The three stone slates cracked into multiple clean pieces. Xie Lian crawled up from the ground amidst cheers, uninjured and fine. He calmly dusted off his robes while everyone watched with slackened jaws. The leader’s face was pale, and his expression was dark.

Now he should know to back off, right? Xie Lian thought.

He had assumed the other party would concede and never come seeking trouble again. But that man’s expression kept changing and changing, and suddenly, he gritted his teeth.

“Add two more to me too! No, add three more!”

“Bro, you can’t!” the mob exclaimed. “This guy must be using some sort of evil spell, you don’t have to go along with him!”

“Yeah, he must’ve faked it!”

“What the fuck?” Feng Xin exclaimed angrily. “You’re the ones who lack skill, but you turn around and accuse us of cheating with evil spells?”

The leader said in a booming voice, “The stone slabs and the hammer belong to us! How could we not know about it if there was some evil spell in play? This brat does have some skill, but three slates is nothing! I can do four! As long as we win, they’ll have to leave!”

“That’s impossible! Give up!” Feng Xin said. “Don’t throw your life away over this.”

But the man was bullheaded and forced the others to stack four staggeringly heavy stone slates on his chest. “You just watch!”

Xie Lian could tell things were going awry. “Feng Xin, should we stop this? There’s no way a mortal can manage four slates,” he whispered.

“Let’s watch, I guess? I’m sure he’s not looking to die. After a couple smashes, he should know to back off,” Feng Xin whispered back.

Xie Lian frowned slightly and nodded, deciding to wait and see. Sure enough, the man’s face changed the moment the lackey who wielded the hammer gave a single apprehensive knock. The lackey immediately stopped, not daring to move again.

But the man yelled, “Harder! Did you forget to eat? Why is your smash so pathetic?”

The lackey didn’t dare to be sloppy on the second go, and he used all his strength. Bang! With that loud sound, the man’s face turned bright red like he was holding back a large mouthful of blood.

This didn’t look good, and Xie Lian and Feng Xin quickly called out. “Wait! Don’t force yourself!”

“Who’s forcing himself?! This is my specialty!” the man yelled. “Just watch, I’ll make you admit your defeat! Continue!”

With a distraught expression, the lackey smashed again. Now he’d done it—the man sputtered blood all over the ground, scaring the lackey into dropping the hammer.

The mob rushed up. “Let it go! Let it go, bro! If those two bastards want to cling to this place, then let them. Your life is more important!”

Veins popped on the man’s forehead and blood foamed from his mouth. “I won’t let this go! It’s been days since we’ve had a bite to eat. It’s our livelihoods gone if this keeps up! Continue! I refuse to believe I can’t compete with that delicate-looking little brat! This is my specialty!”

Xie Lian couldn’t watch anymore and spoke up. “That’s enough. If that’s how it is, then I concede defeat. Starting tomorrow, we won’t come here anymore. Come on, Feng Xin!”

Then he turned to leave, and Feng Xin followed him. Behind them, the mob cheered.

“Your Highness, are we gonna give up this place just like that?”

They had finally found a way to earn money, but now they had to abandon it. Xie Lian sighed.

“There’s no other way. He’s already suffered massive internal injuries from just a few rounds—I fear he’s nearly crippled. Someone was going to die if we kept the competition going, and we wouldn’t have been able to stay if that happened either.”

Feng Xin scratched his head and cursed. “Suicidal, honestly!”

“We’re all trying to make a living,” Xie Lian said simply.

Xie Lian felt rather guilty. Had he known that man would force himself to take on four slabs, he wouldn’t have asked them to stack three—he would’ve just admitted defeat early. Although the man was boorish and reckless, he still had some respectable qualities.

“Besides, we don’t have to busk here. That’d be putting all our eggs in one basket,” Xie Lian said.

However, when they returned to their hiding place that night, the queen informed him with a face full of worry that the king’s symptoms were worsening. He’d need a good, long rest and might not be able to endure any more moving. And that meant they couldn’t leave the city for the time being.

Xie Lian rummaged through the shelves and chests again but couldn’t find anything to pawn, so he sat next to the chest and spaced out. Feng Xin was boiling down medicine, humming as he did so. He hummed and hummed, sounding more and more off key, and while Xie Lian didn’t care to pay attention at first, he eventually couldn’t ignore it.

“What’s with you? In a good mood?”

Feng Xin looked up. “Huh? No?”

Xie Lian didn’t believe him. “Really?”

In the few days since they had started performing on the streets, Xie Lian had noticed Feng Xin acting a bit strange. Sometimes he’d grin like a fool for no reason, sometimes he’d suddenly seem troubled. Xie Lian and Feng Xin rarely left each other’s sides when Mu Qing had been around, but after Mu Qing left, Feng Xin would sometimes have to deliver food for the king and the queen or run other errands. He’d be gone for a while on those days. Xie Lian assumed that Feng Xin must’ve stumbled upon something while he was out and about, but he didn’t have the energy to concern himself with it any further.

Eyeing the medicine pot in front of Feng Xin, Xie Lian was quiet for a while before he asked, “Is that the last packet?”

Feng Xin flipped through the bundles on the ground. “It is. If we don’t go tomorrow—” Upon remembering that the king was inside the cottage and they couldn’t allow him to overhear, Feng Xin lowered his voice. “If we don’t busk tomorrow, what’ll we do?”

Xie Lian was silent for a long time. Then he abruptly stood up.

“Stay here and guard the cottage. I’ll go out and think of something.”

Feng Xin was doubtful. “Where are you going? What could you possibly come up with?”

Xie Lian left without looking back. “Don’t worry about it. And don’t follow me.”

Chapter 97:

Blocking the Mountain Path, Crown Prince Fails at Robbery

XIE LIAN EXHORTED Feng Xin over and over to stay behind and guard the king and queen, then he left the small, rundown cottage. As he walked, he kept looking back, his heart racing. After walking a long way, when he was certain Feng Xin hadn’t followed, he finally relaxed.

Steadying himself, Xie Lian continued onward for another dozen kilometers, stopping and going, before he finally found a place that seemed like an ideal location—a mountain road in the middle of nowhere.

Xie Lian scanned his surroundings. There was no one around. He covered his face with the white silk band, wrapping it tightly and securely before leaping into a tree and hiding himself in the branches. He held his breath and focused. The next step was to wait for travelers to pass by.

That’s right—the “something” he’d come up with was stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.

In the past, Xie Lian had only heard of such chivalrous thieves from storytellers and books. He’d never stolen, never even considered it, since he’d always believed that no matter how it was prettied up and no matter how just the cause, robbery was robbery. Otherwise, considering Xie Lian’s martial prowess, nothing would present an obstacle—never mind settling for scurrying across rooftops to pilfer small things, he could easily murder guards and clean out an entire treasury.

But now that they’d reached this point, there really was no other way. If he had to choose, he considered robbing people a tiny bit better than burglary, probably because the former was still somewhat out in the open. After much internal strife, Xie Lian ate his past self’s words and decided to steal the wealth of others to relieve his own poverty.

This was the quickest way!

Xie Lian perched on the tree. The moon was hiding, the wind bellowing, and it was deserted all around him, empty of all things living. And yet his heart hammered wildly in his chest.

Even facing the most ferocious beasts, Xie Lian had never been this nervous. His hand trembled as he dug out a cold, hard bun.

If you could still be picky about food, you weren’t genuinely hungry. When Xie Lian finally understood this, he’d quickly become accustomed to the taste of old steamed buns.

Winter was fast approaching, and the nights were extremely cold. Xie Lian munched on the cold bun and puffed out mouthfuls of white breath. Since he didn’t want to be seen, he hadn’t even considered finding a place where there’d be more people—he’d chosen a remote area on purpose. He waited a full four hours before a traveler approached, strolling down the mountain road.

Xie Lian perked up and stuffed down the rest of the bun in a few bites, training his eyes on the traveler who was slowly approaching. And then he saw that it was an old man.

He was such an old, old man, but his dress was rather vibrant, so he was likely somewhat wealthy. Still, Xie Lian of course wouldn’t even consider him as a target. He couldn’t tell if he was disappointed or relieved, but either way, he resolutely decided to ignore the old man and let him go. He went back to waiting for someone to pass.

Two hours later, Xie Lian’s feet were going numb from crouching, and the lower half of his body was practically frozen. A second person finally appeared. When he saw that the figure was also walking slowly, he wondered, Could it be another elderly person?

When they finally got closer, Xie Lian discovered that this wasn’t someone old or infirm but instead a healthy looking man. He looked humble and good-natured and wore a smile on his face. The reason he was walking so slowly was because he was carrying a heavy bag of rice.

Xie Lian’s palms were sweating, and he wondered, Do I…attack?

After a moment of hesitation, he gave up on this target as well. The man’s clothes were patched and the straw shoes on his feet were so worn they exposed his toes—he was obviously from a poor household. He must’ve been so happy because he finally had a bag of rice to fill his stomach. Perhaps his family had starved for many days, and perhaps that bag of rice had been bought after selling the only ox of the household. Wouldn’t he fall into despair if he was robbed?

Xie Lian’s mind spun all sorts of scenarios. After a while, he wondered if maybe he should’ve just taken half of the bag of rice, but by then the man was long gone. Xie Lian resolutely decided that he wouldn’t dwell on it anymore and continued waiting for the next one.

He perched in the tree like that and waited helplessly for hours, from the dark of night to daybreak. Over a dozen passersby had traveled along that mountain road, yet every time Xie Lian was about to attack, there were always all sorts of reasons why it wouldn’t be right to follow through, and he let them pass. Over and over he thought to himself, Forget it! I should just go back! No bandit would ever behave like him; it’d be a miracle if his efforts were actually fruitful. But then he remembered that there would be no more food or medicine if he went back empty-handed and forced himself to keep waiting.

After almost half a day, one last traveler appeared far in the distance on the mountain road.

He was a middle-aged man, decked out in fine clothing—which meant he was either wealthy or noble. He had a fiendish face and a greasy, slippery air that made him look obnoxious. At a glance, he didn’t look like anyone good.

But one mustn’t judge a book by its cover. Xie Lian couldn’t help but think, What if this man only looks fiendish, but he’s actually a good person? Even if he’s rich, does that warrant a robbery?

As he was waging his internal struggle, a growling noise from his stomach startled him from his stupor, and Xie Lian sighed inwardly. Never mind, I can’t dither any longer. You’re it!

Making up his mind, he leapt down from the tree and shouted, “Stand still!”

At the sight of a masked man cutting off his path down the road, the man cried out in alarm. “Who are you? Sneaking around here with your face hidden… What do you want?!”

“G-give…give…” Xie Lian forced out.

There was a hurdle in his mind, and he stammered a couple of times before finally squeezing out, “Give me all your money!”

The man’s mouth opened wide, and he screamed and leapt three feet in the air. “Somebody! Help! Thief!”

And then he turned and ran. More than his escape, Xie Lian was worried that his cries would alert others. The mountain road was barren and desolate and there was little chance that anyone would come to help—not to mention that it would be easy to hide even in the unlikely event someone showed up. But he had a guilty conscience, after all.

“Stop! Stop yelling!” Xie Lian called after him.

As if the man would listen to him. He fled into the woods, and soon there was a horrific yelp.

Xie Lian was afraid the man had been attacked by beasts in the woods, and he cried, “Wait! Watch out—”

But when he caught up with him, his face went pale with shock when he saw what he’d stumbled across.

There was a group of people gathered in the woods, and they were all staring at him. When Xie Lian looked closer, he noticed that something was off—these weren’t people at all; the middle-aged man couldn’t see them and was still in a panic. Moreover, there were some faces in the group that Xie Lian found familiar.

Of course they were familiar—he had seen a number of them in the Heavenly Capital. Some were from the Upper Court, some from the Lower Court, but they were all heavenly officials!

The man had cried out because he’d tripped and fell. He gripped a large bundle of protection charms while chanting to himself, “My god, my god! Come save me! Come save me, now!”

And the gods that he was calling really had come, just as he asked.

Countless heavenly officials stared at Xie Lian intently, freezing him on the spot with their gazes. When the man saw that the strange, masked robber was frozen in place, he quickly crawled to his feet and ran off. Xie Lian couldn’t move a single step to give chase. His entire body was stiff and drenched in cold sweat, and his mind was filled with horror.

Yes, horror.

Xie Lian could only pray that the white silk band was wrapped around his face tightly enough that the junior heavenly officials he’d been acquainted with in the past wouldn’t recognize him. However, things never went as one hoped.

One of the heavenly officials looked him up and down, then commented in surprise, “…Isn’t that…Your Royal Highness?”

Xie Lian was speechless.

Another heavenly official seemed even more shocked. “Ah, it really is! Why is Your Highness here? And dressed like that?”

Xie Lian’s heart sank deeper and deeper; it was going to sink to the very bottom of the earth.

“That man was screaming ‘help,’ ‘robbery,’ ‘thief.’ Was a thief chasing him? And was that thief…Your Highness?!”

“My heavens! Your Highness… You would actually do something like this?!”

Their comments nearly made Xie Lian faint on the spot. He didn’t know how much time had passed when he finally croaked out, “I…”

He wanted to say something, but his words were stuck in his throat and wouldn’t come out. The heavenly officials’ expressions were mixed. A moment later, one of them patted him on the shoulder.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry, Your Highness. We understand.”

The pats weren’t hard at all, but Xie Lian almost lost his balance from them. He tried again to speak. “I—”

The heavenly official laughed out loud. “You’re only doing this because you’ve got it really hard. It’s understandable. Don’t you worry, we won’t tell anyone.”

That was exactly why it was so hard for him to say a word. And once the other party brought it up first, Xie Lian had no idea what more he could say.

A long moment later, Xie Lian mumbled, “…All right, thank you. Then I’m…I’m going to head back now. Heading back.”

He wasn’t sure how he left either. When he finally came back to himself again, he was standing on another empty mountain road. The cold winter night’s breeze had snapped him out of it.

Only then did Xie Lian finally realize the full horror of what had just happened.

He was Xie Lian, the Crown Prince of Xianle—and now a thief?!

How had it come to this?!

Xie Lian was filled with regret. He must’ve been utterly mad to consider robbery, and now things had spiraled out of control. Why was he so unlucky that he’d get caught red-handed even though he hadn’t even done anything?!

He had never encountered anything like this in his former life, so he was at a complete loss as to what he should do. He was burning up from head to toe, his mind completely muddled, and he hid his face in his hands. If only time could flow backward—he was even willing to sacrifice his bountiful health and cultivation in exchange for that alone.

As he wandered, lost in the depths of his distress, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a blurry white silhouette in the corner of his eye.

Startled, Xie Lian’s head shot up. “Who goes there?!”

The figure had vanished the instant he looked. Cold sweat drenched him once more. Although he hadn’t seen the man’s face, Xie Lian could’ve sworn he had been wearing a mask!

Yet there was no trace of anyone when he scanned his surroundings, and Xie Lian couldn’t help but suspect that the figure he had seen was nothing but a hallucination born from his panic. Whether that was true or not, he didn’t dare to stay there any longer and hurried down the mountain.

By the time Xie Lian returned, Feng Xin had been waiting for him for nearly the entire day. The moment he saw him he exclaimed, “Your Highness, where did you run off to? What idea did you come up with?”

Xie Lian didn’t dare tell him; he couldn’t tell anyone, especially Feng Xin. He couldn’t even imagine what Feng Xin—who believed so faithfully in Xie Lian’s utmost virtue—would think if he found out. He could only hope that the incident would be forever buried in his heart and rotted in his stomach.

Thus, Xie Lian replied ambiguously. “Nothing.”

Feng Xin was dumbfounded. “Huh? Then why were you gone for so long?”

Xie Lian’s mind was numb. “Don’t ask again. I didn’t do anything.”