Xie Lian didn't know whether he was awake or asleep.
If he was awake, he had no reaction to anything in the outside world and no memory. If he was asleep, his eyes were always open.
When he regained consciousness, Bai Wuxiang had already strapped the black sword to his waist. Like an elder rewarding a child, he said, "This is my gift to you."
As he spoke, he patted the hilt of the sword and said meaningfully and gently, "It is definitely sharper than the ones you collected before and the ones Jun Wu gave you."
Xie Lian let him strap the sword on him without saying a word or resisting. Because any resistance would be futile.
Just like that, he changed into new clothes, wielded a new sword, and, with a body that looked like a newborn, walked out of the dark Prince's Palace. Bai Wuxiang said from behind him, "Wait."
Xie Lian paused. Bai Wuxiang silently approached him, placed a white silk ribbon in his hand, and said, "You forgot this."
That was the white silk that he had used to cover his face before and was later used to tie him up.
Xie Lian staggered down the mountain alone.
It was already daytime and the sun was out, but when the sunlight shone on him, Xie Lian did not feel warm at all.
On his way down the mountain, he came across a stream, the sound of a gurgling stream, clear and lively. As he reached the stream's edge, his own image was reflected in the water. Xie Lian stared at the pale face.
The face was smooth and white, without a single scar, as was the neck. So must the chest, abdomen, and everything else. But after a moment's observation, he couldn't bear to look any further. He lowered his head, scooped up a few handfuls of stream water, washed his face, and drank a few sips. As he drank, he suddenly noticed something upstream.
He slowly raised his head and saw a body lying next to a big rock on the upstream bank not far away. Judging from the clothes, it was the man who performed.
The man didn't make it down the mountain, but died on the road. A pool of blood was clearly visible on a large rock, suggesting he'd died from pain or fear. His body, half submerged in water, had already rotted away, emitting a foul odor. He lay motionless, but several small, deformed human faces had sprouted from his half-rotten face, still wriggling.
Xie Lian lay by the stream, vomiting heart-wrenchingly for half an hour, vomiting so much that blood came out.
After descending the mountain, he walked for a long time, wandering aimlessly on the streets. Suddenly, a hand patted his shoulder and dragged him into an alley. Xie Lian turned around, but before he could see the other person's face, he saw a fist coming towards him: "Where have you been all these days!!!"
Behind the fist was Feng Xin’s furious face. When Xie Lian saw it, he had already fallen to the ground with a thud from the blow.
Feng Xin hadn't expected him to be knocked down so easily. He stared at his fist, then at Xie Lian lying on the ground, stunned for a moment. Before he could even move to help him, Xie Lian had already climbed to his feet. Feng Xin's expression changed, but he still didn't calm down. He continued, "You're so angry! You just said a word and ran off, and you haven't been seen for two months! Do you know how worried His Majesty and the others are?!"
Xie Lian wiped the blood from his nose, saying, "I'm sorry."
Seeing the blood smearing on his face, Feng Xin sighed deeply and said, "Your Highness! Forget about the apology, there's really no point in talking about it, but you...what's wrong with you? What have you been doing all this time? Can't you tell me what's going on?" He noticed the black sword on Xie Lian's waist and asked, "Where did you get this sword?"
Xie Lian wanted to say it. However, thinking of the argument he had with Feng Xin before leaving, the hesitation on Feng Xin's face at that time, and all the experiences he didn't even want to think about anymore, he just said, "I'm sorry."
The two returned to their original hiding place. The moment the Queen saw Xie Lian, she embraced him and burst into tears. The King looked considerably older. Previously, he'd been searching for white hairs amidst a sea of black, now he was searching for black strands amidst a sea of gray. But he didn't seem particularly angry; he spoke briefly and then fell silent. Perhaps fearing he'd get excited and disappear for another ten days or half a month, the three of them treated him with caution in their words and actions.
"Feng Xin."
After a simple, frugal meal, Xie Lian untied the black sword from his waist, handed it over, and said, "This sword is for you. Pawn it."
Feng Xin noticed that his sword-holding hand was shaking, but he couldn't guess why. He asked, "Why do you want me to pawn it?"
Xie Lian said, “Didn’t you ask for money before?”
Hearing this, a look of pain suddenly flashed across Feng Xin's face. Then, he shook his head and said, "Not now."
Xie Lian stopped talking, threw the black sword aside, and fell asleep.
This time, Xie Lian acted as if nothing had happened, hoping to return to his old self as soon as possible and strive for everything to return to normal. Soon, he and Feng Xin went out to perform a battle formation to make a living.
Feng Xin was still a little worried at first, so he said, "Forget it, you should just rest for two more days."
Xie Lian said, “I’ve been resting for almost two months. If those street performers come to bother you again, the two of us can handle it.”
Feng Xin said, "Those street performers haven't come here for a long time."
It wasn't because the original street performer had died, leaving no one to lead the group. It was because Feng Xin had been here for a long time. When he first arrived, everyone was curious about him, but as time went on, the novelty wore off, and watching him became no different from watching any other local street performer. Compared to before, Feng Xin had lost his competitive edge. No longer a threat, the other street performers stopped bothering him. After all, everyone made about the same amount of money.
So, no matter how hard Ren Fengxin shot, no matter how exquisite his archery skills were, the number of people who came to watch and reward him was much less than before. It was even less than one-tenth of the original number. After half a day, Fengxin was exhausted and sweating, and sat aside. Xie Lian said, "Let me take over."
Feng Xin said: "No?"
Xie Lian, however, went ahead. Seeing that someone else had changed, the passersby became interested again, asking, "What special skills does this young man have?"
Xie Lian didn't answer. Instead, he picked up a branch and began to perform a set of sword techniques. Although he was holding a branch, his swordsmanship was beautiful, and the sound of the wind breaking carried a sharp sword intent. Therefore, some people applauded him. Feng Xin watched from the side with a complicated expression. After a while, he turned away.
Xie Lian, completely shameless and unburdened, continued diligently wielding his sword. Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted, "That's ugly! It's awful! Who wants to see you poking around with a stick?"
Feng Xin stood up suddenly and shouted, "Keep your mouth shut!"
Xie Lian paused for a moment, looking over. He saw a man in the crowd spitting out the seeds while eating a melon, clearly a spectator. He shouted to Feng Xin, "I'm here to watch the show! Say whatever you want, but you, a reward-seeker, dare to control our rewards? Bring me a real sword! Bring me a real sword, and I'll consider giving you a few cents!"
As soon as he shouted, the others followed suit. Feng Xin was furious and was about to attack when a white shadow flashed and Xie Lian appeared beside the man, grabbed him, and threw him high into the air.
He struck with such force that the idler was flung several feet into the air, his skin falling to the ground like a melon, leaving everyone gaping in shock. With a thud, the man landed heavily on the ground, blood gushing from all seven orifices, and he screamed in agony. However, Xie Lian didn't stop, and instead grabbed him again, saying calmly, "You don't have a real sword. It's really going to kill you, do you want to see it?"
The onlookers were so frightened that they ran around, shouting, "Help! Help! Murder!"
Feng Xin was even more shocked: "Your Highness!!!"
Xie Lian turned a deaf ear to him and prepared to throw the idler a few feet further to let him fall to the ground. Feng Xin approached and pinned him down, forgetting even to conceal his identity. He roared, “Your Highness!!! Wake up! This man is going to be beaten to death by you!!!”
Xie Lian's eyes burned with a fierce fire. He slapped his hand away and pushed the man into the ground. The idler stretched out his legs and remained motionless. Feng Xin rushed over to check his presence when he heard someone at the end of the street shout in a shrill voice, "That's them! Over there!"
It's bad! The Yong'an soldiers are coming!
Feng Xin started to run, but saw Xie Lian still standing there, staring at the Yong'an soldiers, as if he wanted to go up and fight them. He turned back and pulled him back, saying, "What are you still standing there for? Run!"
The two of them hid here and there all the way until they finally escaped and returned to their hiding place. As soon as they entered the room, Feng Xin shouted in front of the queen: "How could you do such a thing?!"
Feng Xin would never have dared to act so presumptuously in front of the two Majesties, but after so much time, many things had changed. Xie Lian said to the Queen, "Go back to your room."
The Queen said, “My Prince, what is going on…” Xie Lian said, “Go back to your room!”
The queen wanted to ask but didn't dare, so she went back to her room. Xie Lian turned to Feng Xin again: "What did I do?"
Feng Xin said angrily, "You're going to beat that man to death!"
Xie Lian retorted, "He's not dead. And what if he was beaten to death?"
“…”
Feng Xin was stunned and asked, "What did you say? What do you mean by beating him to death?"
Xie Lian said, “Who told this lowly person to seek death? If he wanted to die, I would help him. What’s wrong with that?”
As if stunned by his choice of words, Feng Xin spoke for a long while before saying, "He...did commit a crime, but you don't have to kill him, right? Just give him a slap, but should he die just for that one sentence?"
Xie Lian interrupted him, "Yes. If he dares to say that, he will pay the price."
“…”
Feng Xin was incredulous and asked, "How could you say such a thing?"
Xie Lian asked, “What did you say?”
Feng Xin said: "You didn't use the word 'untouchable' before. You never said it."
Xie Lian asked, “What do you mean? I’m not a deity. I can’t be angry or hateful, right?”
Feng Xin choked up, and after a while, he managed to squeeze out a few words: "That's not what I meant, but no matter what, it won't be so..."
Xie Lian didn't want to listen anymore, so he stopped talking to him, went into the house, and slammed the door.
As soon as he closed the door, he yelled and threw himself onto the bed.
He was deceiving himself! He was simply deceiving himself!
No matter what, it is impossible to pretend that nothing happened, and it is impossible to go back to the way it was!!!
That evening, someone knocked on the door. Xie Lian, assuming it was Feng Xin, didn't answer. After a while, he heard the Queen's voice, "My son, it's Mother. Would you mind letting Mother in to see you?"
Xie Lian wanted to lie still, but after lying there for a while, he got up and opened the door, asking tiredly, "What are you doing?"
The king stood at the door with a tray in his hand and asked, "My prince, have you eaten yet?"
Xie Lian looked at her, and after a long moment, he finally swallowed the words that were rising in his throat: "I haven't eaten anything, and I don't want to eat anything you cook." He stepped aside to let his mother in. The queen placed the plate on the table and said, "Look."
Xie Lian took one look and was so angry he almost wanted to laugh. He asked, “What is this?”
The queen said as if presenting a treasure: "Look, this is the 'Biyi Lianzhi Pills', and this is the 'Hua Hao Yue Yuan Soup'..."
The one called "Bi Yi Lian Zhi" looked like two bodies, and the one called "Hua Hao Yue Yuan" was completely uneven. Xie Lian had to interrupt her and ask, "Why do these things have names?"
The Queen asked, "Don't all dishes have to have names?"
Xie Lian said, “That’s the imperial meal in the palace. Ordinary people don’t give names to dishes.”
The palace, the imperial cuisine, and ordinary people. The queen paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "No one says you have to eat imperial cuisine to name a dish. Just think of it as auspicious. Come, try it. Your mother spent a long time making it for you." She handed over the chopsticks. Xie Lian didn't smile, nor did he move his chopsticks.
The queen sat there smiling for a while, then her smile gradually softened and she said, "My prince."
Xie Lian asked, “What?”
The Queen asked, "Why are you quarreling with Feng Xin again?"
Xie Lian didn't want to explain at all, nor did he have the energy to. He said, "Just stay in your room and don't worry about this."
The queen hesitated for a moment and said, "I know I shouldn't say this, but Feng Xin has been taking care of you all these days while you're away..."
Xie Lian asked, “Mother, what exactly do you want to say?”
The Queen hurriedly said, "My son, don't be angry. I'm not blaming you. I really am not. I know you've had a hard time, too. I'm just saying that it's not easy for Feng Xin to have been with us and you all this time. I can tell he doesn't want to leave, but he stayed until today because he's been thinking of your friendship..."
Upon hearing this, Xie Lian suddenly stood up and said, “Whose thing is easy? Do I have it easy?! Mother, can you please stop asking questions? If you don’t understand, please don’t get involved, okay?!”
Seeing him rush out, the queen panicked and stood up to chase him, saying, "My son, where are you going? I won't say anything more, and I won't say anything more! Come back!"
Xie Lian sternly said, “I know! It’s not easy for everyone, don’t worry! I’ll go make things easier for everyone right now!!”
The queen couldn't keep up with him and was soon left behind. It wasn't until evening that Xie Lian returned, carrying a few bags. When he opened the door, everyone was awake, waiting for him, their faces grim. Xie Lian closed the door and asked, "What's wrong?"
The king seemed to have already scolded the queen; her eyes were still red. Seeing Xie Lian return, she breathed a sigh of relief and forced a smile, saying, "My son, you're back! I won't ask any more questions from now on. Don't turn around and leave so suddenly. Your mother will listen to you on any matter..."
Everyone was terrified. They feared he'd just turn around and leave, leaving them missing for another two months. But Xie Lian said, "You're overthinking it. I'm not leaving. Just go in and rest."
After the king and queen had gone into the house, there was a moment of silence before Feng Xin said, "Even if I asked you where you'd been, you wouldn't answer, right?"
Xie Lian said nothing. He dropped the bags onto the ground, making a crisp sound. Feng Xin asked, "What is this?"
Xie Lian opened the bag and turned it over. From it fell a large pile of gold and silver items, almost lighting up the entire room. Feng Xin stood up suddenly and said, "Where...where did you get this?!"
Xie Lian didn't even look up. He sat on the ground and counted the items while saying, "There's no need for this. I just went to a wealthy family in the city. Don't worry, no one will notice."
Feng Xin's eyes widened: "You!..."
He remembered that the King and Queen were still next door, so he lowered his voice and said, "You stole something?!"
Xie Lian said, “You don’t need to look at me like that. It’s not easy for everyone, and having these makes it much easier.”
Feng Xinxin said, "Then you can't steal things, right?! We can perform!"
Xie Lian asked, “How much can you earn from performing all day, working yourself to death?”
Feng Xin took two steps back. It was the first time Xie Lian saw such a fainting expression on his face.
Feng Xin finally stopped and made sure he hadn't misheard. He murmured, "You, how did you become like this?"
Xie Lian raised his head and asked, "What's that like?"
Feng Xin angrily said, "I don't want to talk about you! Look at what you're like now! I'm not asking you about the robbery anymore, why are you getting even worse?!"
Xie Lian sneered and said, "As expected."
Feng Xin said, "What do you mean?"
Xie Lian stood up and said, "You've really been thinking about the robbery. You want to ask me, but you're too embarrassed to ask, right? You've imagined what happened a thousand times, right? Don't worry, I'll tell you."
He stepped closer to Feng Xin and said, "It's true. I robbed him."
Feng Xin was forced to take a step back and said, "You..." He took another step forward and whispered angrily, "We've been living such a hard life, and for what?! If you were willing to do this, we would have done it long ago. Why did we have to endure it until today?! What are you doing?! Are all our efforts in vain?! Are you still the Crown Prince you used to be?!"
Xie Lian said, “Yes, why did we have to endure this hardship until today?”
Feng Xin was stunned. Xie Lian continued, "What was I like before? Didn't I fight back when scolded? Didn't I fight back when beaten? Didn't I overestimate my own abilities? Didn't I want to save the people? What is this? Isn't this just being a fool? Do you think being that kind of fool is okay? Do you think I have to be that kind of me? If I wasn't, you'd be devastated, right?"
Feng Xin was shocked and asked, "Are you crazy? Why do you say that?"
Xie Lian said, "You're wrong. I'm not crazy. I just suddenly woke up. And then I realized that my former self was the crazy one."
“…”
Feng Xin murmured, "How could you be like this? When did you become like this? I, I really don't know why I am like this, why I followed you..."
Xie Lian said, “Then don’t follow me.”
Feng Xin hadn't reacted yet: "What?"
Xie Lian said, “I say, then don’t follow me.”
After saying that, he slammed the door.
Two hours later, rustling noises and low voices were heard outside the house.
It seemed as if Feng Xin was saying goodbye to his father, the emperor, and his mother, the queen. Feng Xin's voice was very low, the queen's words were choked with sobs, and the king spoke little, mostly coughing. After a while, the door opened and closed, Feng Xin's voice faded, and the sound of footsteps receded.
Feng Xin left.
Xie Lian was locked in the room, expressionless and wooden. After a while, he closed his eyes.
Finally left.
Ever since Mu Qing left, Xie Lian has been dreading the fact that one day Feng Xin would also leave.
Because it was too terrifying, today, Xie Lian could no longer endure being tortured by this fear.
Instead of wasting time and energy, slowly wearing away all the kindness and friendship like a slow knife being sharpened, and finally becoming disgusted with and hating each other, it is better to explode early, right now!
Before Feng Xin left, he was afraid, but after Feng Xin left, he was not afraid at all.
However, although he was no longer afraid, he was more miserable.
Initially, Xie Lian still held onto a ten-thousandth of hope, hoping that even if he admitted to doing something he shouldn't have done, even if he became as utterly deplorable as he was now, Feng Xin would still stay. After all, ever since he'd chosen Feng Xin as his personal attendant at the age of fourteen, the two of them had been inseparable. Master and servant, but also close friends. Besides him, the Crown Prince, Feng Xin had no one else to care for. At most, he'd be keeping the King and Queen company.
But Feng Xin really left.
Xie Lian had guessed this outcome long ago and could completely understand it, but he still couldn't stand it for the time being.
At this time, the queen's voice came from outside the quiet house.
She said, "My dear, I'm sorry."
“…”
Xie Lian climbed out of bed, opened the door, and walked out, saying wearily, "It's none of your business."
The Queen and the King sat at the worn table. The Queen said, "It was our father and mother who dragged you down, making you do bad things for us and causing you to quarrel with Feng Xin."
Xie Lian forced a smile and said, "What's wrong with that? Aren't the legends full of stories about robbing the rich to help the poor? Feng Xin is gone, that's all good. It's actually easier for both sides. First, get your illness healed, then we can talk about anything else. You can buy the best medicine tomorrow."
The king glared at him and said, "I don't need this money."
The queen secretly grabbed him. Xie Lian asked, "What do you want?"
The king coughed a few more times and said, "You... go and get Feng Xin back. I don't want this money."
Although the queen was holding him back, she also said, "Yes, go after Feng Xin. He is your most loyal servant and your good friend..."
Xie Lian said, “I have no loyal servants left. Just take the money and spend it. Don’t ask any more questions. I told you, you don’t understand these things.”
After a long silence, the queen finally said, "I'm sorry, my son. I can see that you're struggling hard on your own, but we're only mortals. We can't help you at all. I still need you to take care of me."
Xie Lian didn't have the energy to say anything more. He offered a few perfunctory words of comfort and sent them back to their room. To clear his mind, Xie Lian removed his bandages and all his clothes, took a quick shower, and fell asleep. When he woke up the next day, he groggily wondered, "Why didn't Feng Xin call me?"
It took him a while to remember that Feng Xin had left.
Xie Lian turned over and sat up, stunned for a moment, then remembered something.
Even if Feng Xin left, where were his father, the emperor, and his mother? Why didn't his father, the emperor, and his mother come in?
Normally at this time, one could hear the king coughing, and the sound never stopped, but today it was extremely quiet.
For some reason, Xie Lian felt a surge of unease. He dressed and got out of bed. He grabbed a handful of silk but found nothing. He realized the white silk he had been using for his facial mask was gone. He pushed open the door to the next room and said, "Mother, you saw my..."
As soon as he pushed the door open, his pupils instantly shrank into two tiny dots.
His white silk was found.
The white silk hanging above the sorghum also held the motionless figures of two old men, who had long been stiff.
It was his father, the emperor, and his mother, the queen.
Xie Lian suspected he was still dreaming. He swayed a bit, barely holding onto the wall, but he swayed again and again, lost his grip, and slid down the wall.
He sat on the ground, covering his face with his hands. He suddenly had difficulty breathing. He cried and laughed, laughed and cried, and said, "I, I, I, I..."
After a while of talking incoherently to someone, he continued, "No, no. I, wait, I, can't, I..."
Finally, without being able to utter a complete word, he turned around, screamed, and banged his head against the wall a dozen times.
He should have thought of this earlier. His father was such a staid, old-fashioned monarch, and his mother was the kind of mother who couldn't bear to see her family suffer, especially for them. Both of them were pampered aristocrats, and it was a miracle that they had managed to hold on until now.
After banging his head against the wall a few hundred times, Xie Lian muttered, "Feng Xin, my father, the Emperor, and my mother, the Empress, are gone."
No one is listening.
Only then did he realize he needed to put his parents' bodies down. After putting them down, Xie Lian seemed to have nothing else to do. He paced around the room and saw a few plates of cold, unsightly food on the table. He had asked the queen to take them away the previous night. Now, he frantically picked them up and devoured them all, not daring to leave out a single vegetable, fearing he'd missed a single grain of rice. After finishing, he began to vomit again.
Suddenly, Xie Lian grabbed the white silk and threw it onto the beam, then put it around his neck.
Waves of suffocation washed over him, yet he remained conscious. Even though his eyes were bloodshot and his neck bones were cracking, he remained conscious. And, somehow, as he hung on, the white silk suddenly loosened on its own. Xie Lian fell heavily to the ground, dazed and disoriented, only to discover that the white silk had moved without wind, slowly coiling up like a venomous snake.
This thing actually gave birth to its own soul!
It was infused with magical power, stained with Xie Lian's blood, and had hanged two members of the royal family—if Xie Lian were to die, that would have been three. Such a white silk, carrying such deep resentment and evil energy, would be strange if it weren't a demon.
This newly born spirit had no idea of the despairing circumstances under which it had been born. It happily swam toward the person who had given it its soul, seemingly anticipating a gesture of affection. But Xie Lian paid no attention to it. He clutched his head and roared, "Who!! Someone come and kill me!!!"
He only hoped that someone would come and take his life immediately, to help him get rid of this endless pain and torture!
At that moment, a deafening sound of gongs and drums rang out from the distance. Xie Lian gasped, his eyes bloodshot, wondering: Who? What?
Some force drove him to stagger to his feet and go out to investigate. After walking for a long time, he finally found that it was the sound of celebration for the establishment of Yong'an, the relocation of the imperial capital, and the completion of the new palace.
Universal celebration! The old citizens of Xianle Kingdom were now cheering for Yong'an. On the streets, the smiles on everyone's faces were so bright, so familiar. Xie Lian remembered that during the Lantern Festival, the people of Xianle Imperial City had also cheered like this.
Xie Lian stumbled back again and collapsed on the ground.
Why should he see the laughter and joy of the "Yong'an people" when the bodies of the King and Queen of Xianle were lying at his feet?
Xie Lian buried his face in his hands, crying and laughing, hahahaha, wuwuwu.
After a while, he chuckled and said, "It's not that easy."
A voice flashed through his mind: The Human Face Plague is resentment... The method of creating the Human Face Plague is...
A fierce light flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly lowered his voice and said, "Don't even think about getting away with it."
His face showed an expression of both laughter and tears, of both joy and sorrow. He slowly stood up along the wall and said, "Yong'an, Yong'an? Don't even think about it. Never! I curse you. I curse you!!! I want you all to die, completely dead!! Haha, ha ...
Laughing, Xie Lian rushed out like a gust of wind. When passing by the mirror, he suddenly stopped and turned around!
The man in the mirror had completely changed.
He was not wearing the frayed white robe, but a snow-white long-sleeved mourning gown. His face was no longer his own, but a face that was half crying, half laughing, half sad and happy!
If it were the Xie Lian of the past, seeing himself in the mirror at this moment, he would have screamed in fear, but now he was not afraid at all. He ignored it, laughing wildly, stumbling and knocking the door open, and ran out.
The old country's Xianle Imperial City is now a dilapidated ruin.
Near the ruins, there were still some lucky residents who hadn't died, and some displaced refugees with nowhere else to go. Although this once magnificent capital had often been chilling and chilling since the outbreak of the Human-Faced Plague and the fall of the imperial city, today seemed particularly chilling. A few ragged beggars fled, gazing at the sky as they ran. Everyone felt as if something terribly bad was about to happen, and it was best not to linger.
The battlefield lay before the dilapidated gates of the imperial city. Normally, few dared to go there. Now, an old Taoist priest was seen darting about, catching wandering souls and stuffing them into his bag to make lanterns. As he was catching them, he suddenly noticed a strange figure in white appear at the end of the battlefield.
It was truly strange, truly eerie. He was dressed in mourning clothes, a white robe with wide sleeves, a piece of white silk tucked into the sleeve, fluttering in the wind, as if alive. His face was covered by a pale mask, half of it crying, half smiling.
The old Taoist priest felt a chill, and before he could even realize why he was running, his legs had already carried him away from the battlefield. Still terrified, he paused to look back.
The man in white said nothing as he strolled across the battlefield, a chilling wind howling in the wind, his every step treading over the bones of the dead.
Countless dead souls struggled and wailed on this land, so much so that even the air was black with resentment.
The man in white said coldly, "Hate?"
The undead wailed. The man in white took a few more steps forward and said, "The people you swore your lives to protect are now citizens of the new country. Do you hate them?"
Screams were mixed in with the wails of the undead.
The man in white said slowly, "They have forgotten you who died on the battlefield, forgotten your sacrifice, and are cheering for those who took your lives. Do you hate them?"
Mixed in with the screams were hisses and roars.
The man in white shouted, "What's the point of just shouting? Answer me, do you hate me?!"
Countless voices filled with resentment and pain echoed across the entire battlefield.
“Hate…”
"I hate it so much..."
"Kill... I want to kill them!!!"
The man in white opened his arms to them, stretched out his hands, and said, "Come to my side."
He said word for word, "I promise: Those who live in Yong'an will never be at peace!"
Amidst the deafening screams, cries, and roars, the souls of the immortal soldiers and the undead spirits of the patients with the human-faced plague in the imperial city resonated with each other, transforming into shape in the overwhelming black fog!
The old Taoist priest who was watching from a distance took in the entire scene and trembled with fear: "This is... this is...!!"
In an instant, only four words popped into his mind.
White clothes bring disaster to the world!
At this moment, the man in white heard a young man's voice behind him: "Your Highness..."
He turned around. Unbeknownst to him, a young man in black stood behind him, bowing down to him and kneeling on one knee.
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