Xie Lian said, “Call him over immediately.”

Feng Xin placed his right index and middle fingers together, pressed them against his solar plexus, and began to communicate with Mu Qing. Over there, Qi Rong spat, "So you've come from Yong'an! It's true that poverty breeds unruly people. Just because you're poor, you can rob the gods?"

Lang Ying said, "Then I won't rob you. I'm going to worship this deity you worship now. I'm going to kneel down and kowtow to him, begging him to give me money to save the lives of my fellow villagers. Will he save us?"

Qi Rong choked, wondering if he said yes, wouldn't this person just take advantage of the situation and run off with the money? So he said, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is a god. Gods are busy as hell. Who has the time to care about you, the unruly people?"

Hearing this, Lang Ying slowly nodded and said, "I don't think they'll care. We've prayed and begged before, but it's all in vain, isn't it? Those who are destined to die will die anyway."

Xie Lian was shocked. A Taoist priest shouted, “You, man, speak such disrespectfully in the temple. Aren’t you afraid of the punishment from the gods?”

Lang Ying said, "It doesn't matter. If he punishes me, then punish me. I'm not afraid of him not saving me, so why should I be afraid of him punishing me?"

Qi Rong waved his hand, and a group of long-awaited attendants swarmed over, surrounding the young man and beating him with fists and kicks. Feng Xin found a gap between them, neutralizing the force of their blows. So, although Lang Ying appeared to be being pinned down and beaten, he remained bewildered, neither dodging nor dodging, only occasionally raising his hand to protect the bag on his back. Qi Rong grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds, cracked them, and shook his legs, saying, "Beat him! Beat him hard for me!" He acted like a complete villain. Hearing his self-proclaimed title, Lang Ying suddenly looked up and asked, "You're the king? What king? Do you live in the palace? Can you see the king?"

Qi Rong casually sneered, "I'm your grandfather! Are you still hoping to see His Majesty? His Majesty is so busy with affairs of state, who has time for you?"

Lang Ying twisted his neck and asked stubbornly, "Why don't you have time for me? The gods don't have time for me, and His Majesty doesn't have time for me. Then who on earth has time for me? Who should I go to? Does the king know that so many people died in Yong'an? Do the people in the imperial city know? If so, why would they rather throw the money into the water than give it to us?"

Qi Rong sneered, "We can spend our money however we want. Even if it's thrown away, it's none of our business. Why should we give it to you? Just because you're poor, you're right."

While this statement made sense, it was inappropriate to say it at this moment. Xie Lian was just thinking of a way to silence Qi Rong when a young man in black hurried out from the back of the hall and asked, "Your Highness, why did you summon me?"

Xie Lian waved, "Muqing, come quickly. Have you heard any news about the drought in Yong'an among the prayers you've received recently?"

Mu Qing was also startled and said, "I haven't heard of it."

Feng Xin blurted out in the midst of his busy schedule, "How could there not be any? All the refugees over there have fled here!"

His tone was so firm that Mu Qing's face froze. He said stiffly, "I'm telling the truth. I really didn't. Are you saying I deliberately kept it a secret? Did you receive any information? If there really were people from Yong'an praying for the drought to end, I would be on duty in the Prince's Palace during the odd months, and you would be on duty during the even months. It's impossible that all drought-related prayers would be concentrated in the odd months, and you wouldn't be aware of it at all."

Feng Xin was stunned for a moment, then thought about it and realized that this was indeed the case. He said, "I didn't say you did it on purpose. You're overthinking it."

Hearing that they were about to start arguing again, Xie Lian made a "pause" gesture with a headache and said, "Alright, Feng Xin didn't mean that. Stop it immediately."

The two men immediately stopped arguing. Meanwhile, Qi Rong, finally tired of watching his men beating Lang Ying, grabbed a small bag filled with melon seed shells and said, "Drag this thief to the prison." The attendants replied, "As you command!" Several of them lifted Lang Ying up. Xie Lian said, "Let's deal with this immediate problem first. Save this man, and I'll question him about Yong'an later."

Mu Qing softened his expression and said cautiously, "How does Your Highness want to resolve this? You can't just show up as a spirit at will."

After ascending to heaven, there was one rule that Xie Lian couldn't understand: this. The priest claimed to be there to save the people, but he insisted on putting on airs, placing himself above all others. He couldn't manifest his spirits at will, which often restricted his hands and feet and was very troubled. Fortunately, Xie Lian also had many countermeasures. Without thinking, he pushed forward without turning back. The people in front noticed the shadows swaying faintly on the ground and turned around in confusion. The next moment, Qi Rong screamed, "Crown Prince cousin—"

With this move, Xie Lian actually pushed down his own statue!

The graceful and handsome golden statue, sword in hand, flower in hand, was about to fall, slowly tilting to the side. Qi Rong's face was filled with the trembling of a heartbroken man, as if he had seen his own mother hang herself and kick a stool. He completely ignored Lang Ying and rushed over, clinging to the statue's thighs, stubbornly holding on. He cried out in a heartbreaking voice, "What are you waiting for, you bunch of losers! Help me hold him up! Don't let my cousin the Crown Prince fall! He can't fall!"

He was heartbroken, but Xie Lian walked past him calmly and walked out of the Prince's Palace. Feng Xin and Mu Qing were so angry that their faces broke. After a long while, Feng Xin said, "Your Highness! That is your statue!"

Things like this are a bad omen, and there's a certain amount of taboo surrounding them. A priest pushing his own statue like this is truly unheard of, a freak in the Three Realms. Xie Lian said, "It's just a large lump of gold. Otherwise, their attention won't be diverted. You guys go hold down the golden statue and don't let them get away. I'll go meet this person."

Feng Xin and Mu Qing were speechless, but they could only obey. They stood beside the statue, each holding it down with a finger. They only needed to exert this little bit of strength, and it was enough. Several people tried their best but couldn't lift it up. They could only hold on, gritting their teeth and saying, "...It's really real gold, and it's really heavy!"

Lang Ying, slumped outside, saw the group ignoring him and stared at the radiant golden statue for a long moment. He suddenly stood up, dusted himself off, and ran out, his bag on his back. Xie Lian followed him until he had run for a while and entered a lush forest. He looked around before sitting down under a tree to rest. Xie Lian, hiding behind the tree, casually made a hand gesture and transformed into the form of a Taoist monk in white.

After changing into his human form, he looked up and down to make sure there were no flaws. He flicked his whisk and was thinking about how to appear without being abrupt, but he saw Lang Ying squatting beside a puddle next to a tree, digging a hole in the ground with his hands.

“…”

The young man had broad palms, and with one shovel, he dug a hole both wide and deep, sending dirt flying like a lean black wolfhound. Xie Lian was just wondering why he had suddenly started digging when he saw him wipe the dirt on his pants, then scoop up a handful of water from the puddle and bring it to his mouth.

Seeing this, Xie Lian could no longer hide, so he hurried out, stopped his hand, took out a kettle from his sleeve, and handed it to him.

Lang Ying had already taken a mouthful of water from the puddle and swallowed it with puffed cheeks. He looked at the little Taoist priest who had suddenly appeared. He was not surprised, nor did he refuse. He took the water and drank it, gulping it down in one gulp. After finishing it, he said, "Thank you."

Since he had suddenly appeared, Xie Lian didn't bother with a natural opening line. He tried his best to swing his whisk in a way that sounded sage and trustworthy, and said, "My friend, where are you from, and where are you going?"

Lang Ying said, "We came from Lang'er Bay in Yong'an City and were originally going to the Imperial Palace. But now I've changed my mind and won't go."

Xie Lian was startled and asked, “We?”

Lang Ying nodded and said, "We. Me and my son."

Xie Lian became increasingly confused, but a chill ran down his spine. Lang Ying untied the bag from his back, opened it, and said, "My son."

What was wrapped in the bag on his back was actually the body of a child!!!

The child was tiny, no more than two or three years old. His complexion was yellow, his cheeks sunken, and his forehead was covered with a few sparse, yellow hairs and a few prickly heat rashes. His face was set in a strange expression, as if he was about to cry but couldn't. He looked extremely distressed. His eyes were closed, his mouth open, but no sound came out.

Xie Lian's pupils suddenly constricted, his mind trembling, speechless. No wonder he'd always felt there was something off about this young man. He couldn't quite put his finger on what was strange, but he just didn't seem like a normal person. He spoke and acted with complete disregard for consequences, charging recklessly and recklessly. Now it seemed like this guy didn't even need to consider consequences.

After Lang Ying finished examining his son, she wrapped him up again, carefully tucking in the edges. Seeing his focused expression and movements, Xie Lian felt a pang of pain in his heart. It was the first time he had seen the body of such a young child. He stammered, "You...how did your son die?"

Lang Ying packed up his bag and said bewilderedly, "How did he die... I don't know how he died. He was thirsty, hungry, and sick. I think he died of a little bit of it."

He scratched his head and said, "When I first carried him out of Yong'an, he would cough a few times and call me daddy from behind. Then the coughing gradually died down, and he would just cough. Then he stopped coughing, and I thought he was asleep. I found something to eat and wanted to wake him up, but he didn't get up."

The child actually died on the way to escape.

Lang Ying shook his head and said, "I don't know how to take care of a child. My wife would scold me to death if she knew our son was dead."

After a moment of silence, he added, "I really wish my wife could still scold me."

His expression remained calm, like a dead tree or a dark pond, devoid of any sign of life or ripples. Xie Lian's throat tightened for a moment, and after a pause, he whispered, "You...you...bury it."

Lang Ying nodded and said, "Yes. I want to pick a good place. This is a good place. There are trees to block the sun, and there is water. I will go back after I bury it. Thank you for the water."

He coughed a few times, then bent down again, continuing to dig with his hands. Xie Lian murmured, "No. Don't thank me... Don't thank me, don't."

At this time, Feng Xin and Mu Qing also arrived. Seeing one digging a hole and the other in a daze, they were both baffled. Xie Lian didn't feel like talking much, so he mumbled a few words. After a long while, he remembered that just giving water wasn't enough; the man still had to return to Yong'an. So he reached into his sleeve, fumbling for a long time, and finally pulled out something. He handed it to him, "Take this."

Lang Ying paused and examined the object in his hand. It was a crimson bead, no bigger than a fingernail, lustrous and smooth, its beauty breathtaking. Even if one didn't know what it was, one only needed to glance at it to know that this little object was priceless.

This was the only remaining earring from the pair of red coral beads Xie Lian had worn during the Lantern Festival three years ago. Mu Qing was deeply impressed by the bead, and his expression changed slightly at the sight of it. Lang Ying didn't refuse. As if all the proper etiquette and concerns had vanished, he reached out and took it, saying, "Thank you."

He carefully put the bead into his belt, took off the bag from his back, and gently placed it in the pit, saying, "Dad will be back to see you soon."

With that, he solemnly used his hands to push the dirt up, covering the cloth bag. Xie Lian clutched his forehead and closed his eyes. A moment later, the young man strode away. Feng Xin asked in surprise, "Your Highness, what is he burying? He said 'Dad'? Is he burying a person?"

Mu Qing, on the other hand, was concerned about something else. He said, "Your Highness, I just checked and found out what's going on. Yong'an isn't very wealthy to begin with, so there aren't many temples or palaces built. Furthermore, it seems the Taoist temples there have a local rule that those without offerings cannot enter to worship. Therefore, only wealthy families go to the Prince's Palace, and the poor people affected by the disaster simply won't go..."

Xie Lian didn't answer. Instead, he said in a deep voice, "You two, go to Yong'an and investigate. I'll go see the Imperial Master and find out what's going on."

His expression was uglier than ever before. The two attendants, not wanting to be careless, responded in unison and immediately set off. Xie Lian turned and ran towards Mount Taicang.

It looked like the disaster in Yong'an was only going to get worse. However, even if he couldn't hear the voices praying for blessings, the palace couldn't possibly be unaware of it!