Xie Lian pinched his earlobe and said, “One of my earrings is missing.”
The Xianle people believe that the ultimate state of Taoist practice is the harmony of yin and yang, androgynousness. Deities are infinitely adaptable and naturally unconstrained by gender, capable of being both male and female. This philosophy is therefore reflected in the design of the Yueshen costumes. Throughout history, the clothing and attire of each generation of Yueshen warriors has incorporated both male and female forms and details, such as earrings and pendants. When Xie Lian portrayed the Yueshen warrior, he pierced his ears and wore a pair of earrings.
They were a pair of extremely gorgeous crimson coral beads, shimmering with light and lustrous, and extremely rare. However, just now, when Xie Lian gathered his hair, he discovered that only one of the original pair of red coral beads remained.
The moment he mentioned it was lost, Mu Qing's expression, which had been relaxed, suddenly hardened. The other two took no notice. Feng Xin searched the room thoroughly, then came in empty-handed. "You're so forgetful, you even lose things you wear on your ears. I didn't see it at the Fairy Music Palace. I'll look for it on the way out. I hope you didn't lose it during the Heavenly Festival."
Xie Lian was also puzzled, but he didn't care. He said, "It's possible. If it can't be found, then it's lost."
Mu Qing, however, took the broom he usually used to sweep the floor and said calmly, "That pearl is very precious. We should look for it if we can find it. See if it fell under the bed or the bottom of the cabinet." As he spoke, he began to sweep. Xie Lian said, "Or we can call a few more people in to help us look for it."
Feng Xin said casually, "There are too many people and too many hands. If nothing else is found, someone might steal it and hide it."
Mu Qing had been quietly checking under the bed, but upon hearing this, a pale expression crossed his face. He abruptly stood up, and with a snap, the broom in his hand snapped in two. Xie Lian was startled.
After leaving the Shenwu Hall, Feng Xin had been quite critical of Mu Qing, but he hadn't gotten angry. Seeing that Mu Qing had gotten angry first, he angrily asked, "Why did you suddenly break something? Who provoked you?"
Mu Qing said coldly, "Just say what you want to say. Why are you making insinuations? The missing beads are none of my business."
Feng Xin had always been outspoken, but this was the first time he'd heard someone accuse him of innuendo. He laughed in anger and said, "Why don't you just say that to yourself? What did I say? I didn't say you stole it. You're just walking into this with a knife. Do you have something to hide?"
Xie Lian came to his senses, feeling something was wrong. He sat up from the bed and said, “Feng Xin, stop talking!”
Mu Qing's forehead suddenly bulged with three or four blue veins. Feng Xin, however, didn't really think much of it and asked inexplicably, "What's wrong?"
Xie Lian couldn't explain it to him, so he just said to Mu Qing, "Don't get me wrong. Feng Xin just said it casually. It wasn't directed at you."
Mu Qing clenched and unclenched his fists, but ultimately didn't continue his outburst. However, his eyes gradually turned red as he turned to Xie Lian, staring at him, and said word by word, "You... don't keep your word."
Xie Lian said, “No, I didn’t!”
Mu Qing shut up and took a few breaths. He glared at Feng Xin with resentment in his eyes, then stormed out without saying anything more. Xie Lian jumped out of bed and tried to chase him, but after a few steps he was grabbed. Feng Xin said, "Your Highness, you're not even wearing shoes! How can you go out with your hair disheveled?"
Xie Lian said, “Help me stop him!”
Feng Xin said, "Put on your clothes and shoes first, and tie your hair. Why bother with him? He's usually gloomy and sinister. Who knows what touched his nerves, causing him to become ill for no apparent reason?"
Mu Qing had already walked away, and Xie Lian, seeing he couldn't catch up, had no choice but to grab a hair tie and hastily tie his hair. He sighed as he did so, "He's not having an attack. You just happened to say the wrong thing."
Feng Xin took out the white Taoist robe Xie Lian usually wore from the closet and threw it to him, saying, "What did I say wrong?"
Xie Lian said as he put on his boots, "I can't tell you. Anyway, come with me to find him and explain that it was all a misunderstanding and that he's not being targeted."
Feng Xin frowned and asked, "Is there anything you can't tell me?"
Xie Lian remained silent. Feng Xin grew increasingly suspicious, and after thinking about Mu Qing's resentful expression, he suddenly asked, "Did he really steal from you?"
Xie Lian quickly and vigorously gestured for silence, saying, “No! No!”
Seeing him like this, Feng Xin became even more certain and said, "I see! No wonder his expression suddenly changed. It turns out he was hurt. When has he ever done something like this?!"
Xie Lian said, “Don’t be so loud!”
Feng Xin lowered his voice and said, "How could you not tell me about this? Tell me now."
Seeing that he was already suspicious, Xie Lian knew that even if he continued to hide it, he would find out sooner or later. He said helplessly, "It's not really stealing, but... well, let me start from the beginning. Do you remember that one time, two years ago, when I first entered the Huangji Temple, I lost a piece of gold foil?"
Hearing this, Feng Xin's eyes widened, he slapped his thigh and said, "That time?!"
Three years ago, Xie Lian begged and pleaded with his parents, and finally got them to allow him to enter the Huangji Temple to practice cultivation before he came of age. This took a year, and after the Xianle Palace was completed, he finally went up the mountain happily.
Xie Lian's luggage up the mountain wasn't much. Just two carts of books and two hundred famous swords. But Empress Min, doting on her son, feared he'd find himself lonely and miserable on the mountain. She later sent twenty servants and four carts of the Crown Prince's favorite things to Taicang Mountain. These were loaded onto the mountain in a grand procession, including a set of 108 gold-foil palaces.
Building a temple out of gold foil was a popular sport among the aristocracy of Xianle. At the time, this wave of extravagances on the mountain sparked a bit of discussion. The Huangji Temple was populated by serious Taoists, unfamiliar with the Crown Prince's temperament. While they kept quiet, they murmured behind his back: Is the Crown Prince here to cultivate, or just to fool around? What on earth is this royal aristocrat trying to join in the fun? What kind of sh*t could he possibly cultivate?
Feng Xin heard the discussions and wanted to refute them, but Xie Lian told him to ignore them and said with a smile, "It's human nature. In the future, they will naturally find out whether I am just joking and who is the most outstanding disciple of Huangji Temple in this lifetime."
However, not long after, something happened.
Xie Lian sent back all the servants and four carriages that the Queen had assigned to him. When he was counting his luggage, he discovered that one piece of gold foil was missing from the 108 pieces.
After the gold foil had been carried along the carriage all the way to Mount Taicang, it had never left Xianle Palace, either lost along the way or stolen. Unable to find it along the way, Xie Lian casually mentioned it to the Imperial Preceptor. The Imperial Preceptor, enraged at the thought that it might have been stolen, that someone at the Huangji Temple might have been tempted by the gold foil, was determined to find it, even if it meant digging deep underground. If it was found in someone's possession, they would be severely punished. Thus, the entire Huangji Temple, over 3,000 people, had been left to their own devices, caught off guard and suddenly forced to form teams and search the Taoist temples one by one.
After a grand and exhausting search, Xie Lian suddenly changed his tune when he was halfway through. He apologized for causing trouble to his fellow disciples. He suddenly remembered that he had lost a piece of the gold foil palace while in the palace. In other words, there were only 107 pieces of gold foil to begin with.
The search for the missing gold foil at Huangji Temple had been a grueling night, leaving everyone exhausted and exhausted. Finally, while sweating profusely, His Royal Highness suddenly uttered these words, undoing all their efforts and inevitably causing resentment among many of their fellow disciples. For a moment, they all whispered, "Who cares if he's the Crown Prince? Whatever he says is true." They hoped their memories would be better next time, so they could remember such a crucial matter before the investigation. Feng Xin crouched down, furious, listening. Xie Lian told him to ignore it and wait for the future. Later, Xie Lian truly crushed the three thousand disciples, becoming the undisputed leader of Huangji Temple. His affability and lack of power-grabbing gradually restored his reputation among his fellow disciples. Feng Xin, not having a good memory, had forgotten the incident. But when it was brought up again today, he suddenly realized, shocked and furious: "Mu Qing took the gold foil?!"
Thanks for the pity: "Shh!"
After making sure no one was around, he said, "I stumbled across that piece of gold foil while going up the mountain. Mu Qing, passing by carrying water, picked it up from the grass. He put it under his bed and hadn't figured out what to do with it. Then, that night, the Imperial Master suddenly attacked, driving everyone out and searching their rooms. I didn't know him at the time, I just saw a servant with a bad look on his face. Later, when he was sitting outside and brought me tea, he confessed to me in a low voice. That's when I found out what happened."
Feng Xin said, "Taking without reporting, isn't that stealing??? So, in order to help him conceal this matter, you told others that the gold foil was lost in the palace???"
As he spoke, Xie Lian finished getting dressed and went out, saying, "That's it."
Feng Xin was furious and followed him out the door, saying, "Your Highness, do you know how many people talked behind your back when you first came to Huangji Temple?"
Xie Lian said, “Keep your voice down. He looked really bad, pale as a cadaver. The others at Huangji Temple didn’t like him to begin with. If I told anyone, wouldn’t his life be ruined? He and I are of different status, and our circumstances in this matter are different. The consequences are completely incomparable.”
At this moment, several young Taoists approached, bowing respectfully but smiling broadly as they greeted him, "Your Highness!" Xie Lian smiled back. The two groups passed each other, and he said to Feng Xin, "Look, I said I'd wait and see. Now, aren't I getting along well with all of you fellow disciples? Who dares to say anything?"
The two went to Mu Qing's Taoist room, but didn't see anyone, so they retreated to look for him. Feng Xin said, "I was surprised at the time. I never knew you lost a piece in the palace. You didn't even tell me about this for two years, and you even told me that you met him when he was sweeping the floor!"
Xie Lian said, “He later asked me not to tell anyone. Since I promised, I naturally couldn’t tell anyone, not even you. Now that you know, I’ve broken my promise. But you must not tell anyone else.”
Feng Xin said, "How can this be considered a breach of trust? You didn't tell me that. He was the one who let himself be caught because of his guilty conscience."
Xie Lian threatened, "No, no, you must swear now that you will never tell anyone about this. Otherwise, I will break off our friendship, and you will never be able to marry."
Feng Xin snorted, "You're breaking off our friendship! The next day, everyone in Xianle will know one thing: the Crown Prince fainted from being strangled by his own garters while getting dressed—fine! We won't tell anyone. Who the hell is interested in gossiping about it?"
After a pause, he continued, "He probably thinks I'm always targeting him because I know he took the gold foil. The truth is, I just don't like people like him. A grown man who thinks about this and that all the time, he must have suspected you and told me a long time ago. The concubines in the palace don't have as many twists and turns as him. It's annoying to see them."
Xie Lian said, "It's not as bad as you say. No one has ever lost anything at Huangji Temple before, which means this is his first time. Ultimately, it's all because of his mother... Well, he's promised me again and again that he'll never do something like this again, so giving him a chance isn't too much to ask. And he's done it. Besides, if Mu Qing hadn't cooperated with me when that kid fell today, the end of the Heavenly Sacrifice Tour wouldn't have been so pretty."
Feng Xin scoffed, "You've already completed three rounds and your name will go down in history. He certainly doesn't need to continue to trouble you. Your Highness, I'm telling you, I don't believe a word he said in Shenwu Hall today. Everyone in Huangji Temple knows that the Imperial Master doesn't recognize his relatives when he plays cards. He chose to say it then, and he refused to explain whose orders he was following, as if he would do whatever he couldn't get his way."
Xie Lian shook his head slightly and said solemnly, "Actually, in this matter, I'm afraid I wasn't thorough enough. I knew Mu Qing wasn't well-liked, and I originally wanted him to help me with more things. People knew he was my attendant, so they'd naturally be more polite to him. But I didn't expect others to be so rude to him. Not only did he fail to get things done, but he also made his subordinates feel irritated. If you look at him from another side, you'll see that his temper is understandable."
Feng Xin strongly disagreed and said, "That's just his whim. Why are you taking it upon yourself? You are His Royal Highness. Who are you trying to honor? Do you think you owe him anything? Your Highness, I really don't understand why you think so highly of him."
Xie Lian smiled and said, "Feng Xin, do you know that many people in this world are just stubborn stones in my eyes?"
Feng Xin was puzzled. Xie Lian walked with his hands behind his back, saying, "Stones are easy to find, but jade is hard to find. In all these years, in the martial arts world, I've only met two people who could be called jade. One is you. The other is him."
He suddenly stopped, turned around, his eyes shining, and said, "I truly believe that Mu Qing is a very talented person. Is it possible that such a beautiful jade, simply because of her background and temperament, should be left unpolished and obscured, unable to fully display its beauty?"
Xie Lian said resolutely, "No! I think this is wrong. You ask why I value him so much? It's the same reason I value you. I must let those who should shine shine. Besides, I don't believe that good intentions will be exchanged for bad results."
Feng Xin also stopped and, after listening, scratched his head and said, "Anyway, as long as you know what you want, it's up to you how to do it."
Xie Lian said, “Hmm. So, where did Mu Qing go?”
At this moment, several more people came towards them, carrying baskets and playing along the way. Upon seeing Xie Lian, they were all overjoyed and called out in unison, "Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
Xie Lian smiled in response. The others came over, presented the basket to him, and said cheerfully, "Your Highness, would you like some cherries? They've been washed in mountain spring water, so they're very clean and sweet."
The basket was filled with bright red cherries, a truly lovely sight. Xie Lian and Feng Xin picked a few and ate them, finding them incredibly sweet. The Taoist priest asked, "Just now, as we were walking along, I vaguely heard His Highness asking about Mu Qing. Are you looking for him? We came from the cherry grove and seemed to have seen him there."
Xie Lian said, "Is that so? Thank you for telling me."
So, the two of them headed towards the cherry forest. On Mount Taicang, in addition to the maple forests covering the entire mountain, there were also many fruit trees, including peach, pear, orange, and cherry trees. The fruit trees were nourished by mountain springs, bathed in mountain mists and sunlight and rain, and the fruits they produced were rich in spiritual energy. In addition to being presented to the imperial palace, the remaining fruits were only provided for the disciples in the temple to pick and eat when they were tired of practicing. They were hard to find outside the Huangji Temple. The cherry trees, one by one, had strings of red coral-like fruits hanging among their new green leaves, which looked very beautiful. Xie Lian and Feng Xin walked for a while, looking for Mu Qing in the woods. After a while, they heard the faint sound of an argument coming from the front, and they couldn't help but stop.
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