Hong Hong Er suddenly turned around, threw her face into Xie Lian's arms, and screamed wildly.
The cry was wordless, meaningless, not even a cry, yet it was terrifying. If you looked at the source, it could be mistaken for the venting roar of an adult on the verge of collapse, or the death throes of a small animal with its throat slit, as if only immediate death could bring it relief. Anyone could make such a sound, but not a ten-year-old child. Therefore, he shocked everyone.
After a while, the Imperial Master said, "I'm serious. It's better to let it go."
Feng Xin finally came to his senses and said, "Your Highness! Let me go, be careful..." However, in the end, he couldn't bear to say anything more. Xie Lian said, "It's okay."
Senior Brother Zhu, however, was deeply concerned about the Crown Prince's safety. Seeing Hong Hong'er smearing her blood, tears, and snot on Xie Lian's white Taoist robe, he went to pull the child away, saying, "Little friend, you can't do that!"
Unexpectedly, the harder he pulled, the child screamed and wailed, refusing to let go, clinging tighter and tighter with his arms and legs. Three or four Taoists rushed up to pull him free, but they couldn't, leaving him hanging on Xie Lian like a little monkey. Xie Lian felt both amusement and pity. He held Hong Hong'er in one hand, soothing her back as he raised his other hand, saying, "That's all. Don't worry, just let him be."
After a pause, feeling the child in his arms stop sniffling and gradually quiet down, Xie Lian whispered to the others, "There was a fire at Xianle Palace. Was anyone else hurt?"
Mu Qing said: "No. We are the only ones left in the house."
Since Xianle Palace had been burned to a pile of charred ruins, Xie Lian naturally could not stay there any longer.
After confirming that only the house was burned and no one was hurt, the Taoists who had rushed to the peak began to clean up the scene. When they found the golden residue and blackened gems, they were all heartbroken, but Xie Lian didn't care much.
Aside from the more refined items he kept for daily use, he hadn't kept any valuables in Xianle Palace. His most valuable possessions were his collection of over two hundred famous swords. True gold fears no fire; these swords, forged through countless trials and tribulations in the blazing heat, remained unscathed. After personally unearthing them, Xie Lian temporarily stored them in the Four Symbols Palace, the home of the Imperial Masters.
As for Hong Hong'er, he hugged Xie Lian tightly and cried for a while. When he was tired of crying, he fell asleep. Xie Lian wanted to take him down from Taicang Mountain and find a place to settle him, but the Imperial Master asked him to go to the Four Symbols Palace first, so Xie Lian took him there first.
After placing the child on the couch inside the room, Xie Lian tucked in the quilt, lowered the curtain, and withdrew with Feng Xin and Mu Qing. He asked, "Master, is this child's fate really that terrible?"
The Imperial Master curled his lips and said, "Why don't you calculate for yourself what happened after he appeared?"
The three of them were silent. The moment this child appeared, he had fallen from the city wall in the spotlight, forcing the three-circle Lantern Festival procession to be interrupted. Then, Qi Rong, out of rage at him, dragged his horse across the street, disturbing the people, causing Feng Xin to lose an arm, Xie Lian to clash with the King, and the Empress to weep. Now, the resentful spirits suppressed by the Black Palace on Mount Taicang had broken their seals and burned down the Fairy Music Palace. It truly was a constant stream of misfortune, following like a shadow.
Xie Lian asked, "Is there any way to solve this?"
The Imperial Master asked, "Solve? What do you mean? Change your fate?"
Xie Lian nodded. The Imperial Master said, "Your Highness, since you don't study mathematics with me, you truly don't understand anything about this. If you did, you wouldn't be asking this question."
Xie Lian was stunned for a moment, then sat up straight and said, "I'd like to hear the details."
The Imperial Preceptor then took the teapot from the table, poured a cup of tea, and said, "Your Highness, do you remember when you were six years old, His Majesty and the Queen summoned me to the palace to divine for you? Do you remember the question I asked you?"
Looking at the cup of steaming tea, Xie Lian thought for a moment and said, "Are you saying, 'a cup of water for two people?'"
Back then, to help Crown Prince Xie Lian calculate his fortune, the Imperial Preceptor asked him numerous questions. Some had answers, some had no answers. With each response, the Imperial Preceptor showered Xie Lian with praise, bringing smiles to the faces of the King and Queen. Many of these conversations have become legendary. But there was one question that Xie Lian answered, but the Imperial Preceptor remained silent. It was unknown to the outside world, not even Feng Xin was particularly familiar with it, and Mu Qing had never heard of it. This question was the epitome of "a cup of water for two people."
The Imperial Master said, "Two men were walking in the desert, nearly dying of thirst. They only had a cup of water. Those who drank would live, those who did not would die. If you were a god, to whom would you give the cup of water?—Don't speak yet. I'll ask others and see what they say."
His next words were addressed to the two men standing nearby. Mu Qing pondered for a moment, then cautiously replied, "Could you please, Imperial Master, tell me who these two are, what their personalities are like, and what their merits and demerits are? I need to know their intricacies before I can make a decision."
Feng Xin said, "I don't know! Don't ask me, let them decide for themselves."
Xie Lian chuckled. The Imperial Master asked, “What are you laughing at? Do you remember how you answered?”
Xie Lian suppressed his smile and said seriously, "Give me another cup."
Upon hearing this, Feng Xin and Mu Qing turned their heads away, one lowering their heads, as if unable to bear to listen. Xie Lian turned back and said seriously, "What are you laughing at? I'm serious. If I were a god, I'd definitely give you another drink."
The Imperial Master's hand gently waved over the cup of tea, and the tea slowly flowed within it, as if it had life. He continued, "The destiny of this world, good or bad, is always determined. Just like this cup of water, there's always a fixed amount. If you drink enough, others won't have any. If one person has more, another will have less. Throughout history, all disputes ultimately stem from the fact that there are multiple people, but there's only one cup of water, so giving it to anyone makes sense. Want to change fate? While it's difficult, it's not impossible. But if you change this child's fate, the fate of others will be altered as well, adding to the injustice. Your offer to give another cup of water is like your offer today to choose a third path. It's meant to open up new sources of income, and it's a nice thought, but I tell you, it's basically impossible."
Xie Lian listened silently, not agreeing, but not arguing too much. He said, "Thank you for your teachings, Imperial Master."
The Imperial Master drank the tea, smacked his lips, and said, "That's not necessary. You wouldn't listen even if I taught you anyway."
“…” Xie Lian, feeling his gaze pierced, coughed softly and said, “National Master, today in front of the Divine Martial Hall, I was moved by a feeling and spoke rudely. I hope your forgiveness will be appreciated.”
The Imperial Master folded his hands over his sleeves, smiled faintly, and said, "You are my most favored disciple, and you are also His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. How can I not be tolerant? Your Highness, I can say that you are the most blessed person I have ever met."
Confused, Xie Lian listened attentively. The Imperial Master continued, "You have talent, ambition, and a willingness to work hard. You are of noble birth and kind-hearted. No one is more worthy of the title of Heaven's Chosen One. But I'm still worried about you. I'm afraid you won't make it through that test."
Xie Lian asked, “What do you mean by worried?”
The Imperial Master said, "Although you have reached such a high level, there are still some things you still don't understand, and no one else can teach you. Take for example what you said today in the Divine Martial Hall about not worshipping gods. Although few people consider this principle, it's good that you've thought about it at such a young age. But don't think you're the only one who has thought of this throughout history."
Xie Lian opened his eyes slightly. The Imperial Master said, "What you said today was thought of by others decades, even centuries ago. However, it never gained momentum, and its voice was weak, so few people heard it. Why is that? Have you ever thought about it?"
After a moment of hesitation, Xie Lian said, "Because those people thought about it, but didn't act on it, and they weren't resolute enough."
The Imperial Master asked, "What about you? Why do you think you are so resolute?"
Xie Lian asked, “Master, do you think I can ascend?”
The Imperial Master glanced at him and said, "If you can't fly, no one else can. It's just a matter of time."
Xie Lian smiled faintly and said, “Then please watch.”
He pointed to the sky and said, "If one day I ascend to heaven, I will make sure everything I said today becomes a universal trend!"
Feng Xin and Mu Qing stood behind him, taking in every word he said. They both unconsciously raised their heads slightly. Feng Xin's lips curled up slightly, while the brilliance in Mu Qing's eyes was exactly the same as Xie Lian's. The Imperial Master nodded and said, "Alright, I'll watch—but I don't think it's a good idea for you to ascend too early. Let me ask you, what is the Tao?"
Xie Lian bowed his head and said, “As you said, when a person walks on the road, that is the way.”
The Imperial Master said, "That's right. But you haven't walked enough. So, I think it's time for you to go down the mountain and walk."
Xie Lian's eyes lit up. The Imperial Master said, "You are seventeen this year. I now permit you to leave Mount Taicang and travel and gain experience."
Xie Lian said, “That’s perfect!”
He spent one day in the imperial city, and he felt a little depressed when he thought of the king, Qi Rong and others. In addition, such a magnificent Xianle Palace was burned down, and he would inevitably have to argue with his parents more. It would be better for him to go further away and concentrate on his own path.
At this time, the Imperial Preceptor continued, "Your Highness, for many years, there has been a saying that has been passed down from mouth to mouth and has always been taken for granted. However, this saying is actually wrong, but no one has ever discovered it."
Xie Lian asked, “Which sentence?”
The Imperial Master said, "If a person goes up, he becomes a god; if a person goes down, he becomes a ghost."
Xie Lian thought for a moment and said, “Is there something wrong with this statement?”
The Imperial Master said, "Of course not. Remember: when a person goes up, he is still a person; when he goes down, he is still a person."
Xie Lian was still pondering these words when the Imperial Master patted his shoulder, looked back, and said, "Anyway, don't worry too much about this kid. Everyone has their own destiny. Sometimes, just because you want to help doesn't mean you can. We'll talk about it later if there's anything. Go out and gain some experience first. I hope you'll have grown up by the time you return."
However, no one expected that the child would escape from Huangji Temple that night and disappear.
What no one expected was that after this journey, Xie Lian, the seventeen-year-old prince of Xianle Kingdom, defeated the nameless ghost at Yinian Bridge and ascended to heaven amidst lightning and thunder.
The three realms were in an uproar.
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