Taicang Mountain, Prince Peak.
By this time, visitors on the mountain were no longer permitted to remain and had been escorted out of the mountain gate and away from Huangji Temple. Within Xianle Palace, the sound of chanting filled the air as over a thousand Taoists performed evening prayers. Four imperial masters presided over rituals at the feet of a five-meter-tall golden statue.
Inside the Prince's Hall, both sides were lined with prayer lanterns, stretching from floor to ceiling. Xie Lian descended from the sky, landing lightly on the altar, sitting squarely before his statue.
He waved his hand, and a gentle breeze rose from the ground, causing countless lanterns to slowly spin. The lights dimmed, and the Taoists looked up, marveling in wonder, whispering faintly. The Imperial Master, who had been slumped in his chair with his eyes drooping, suddenly opened them and said, "That's enough for today. Everyone, go back."
The Taoists rose and retreated. Although the other three Vice Imperial Masters couldn't see Xie Lian's true form, they guessed something had arrived and retreated, closing the temple's gates. As the high gates swung shut, Xie Lian spoke eagerly. "Imperial Master," he asked, "are you aware of the severe drought in Yong'an? There seems to be no movement from our father. Has something happened at court? Or is he simply unaware of the situation?"
Priests were forbidden from appearing before mortals without permission, with one exception: before high-ranking cultivators like the Imperial Preceptor and the Headmaster. These highly accomplished individuals served as the priests' representatives in the mortal realm, so Xie Lian could speak directly with the Imperial Preceptor. The rule of "no kneeling in the Crown Prince's Palace" was passed down by Xie Lian through the Imperial Preceptor.
He originally thought that some special circumstances had prevented the King from dealing with the Yong'an disaster, forcing him to do so, or perhaps the King was unaware of the severity of the situation, to the point of fatalities. Unexpectedly, the Imperial Preceptor said, "Your Majesty is relatively well, nothing serious has happened, and he is fully aware of the Yong'an disaster."
Xie Lian was stunned. He asked, “Then why is it that every time Father comes to Huangji Temple, I never hear him pray for Yong’an? How come he never even mentions it?”
Although he and his father had long been at odds, he knew the king was not a foolish ruler. Although he prided himself on being the Son of Heaven and being above all else, he was not indifferent to the victims. The Imperial Preceptor said, "This is none of His Majesty's business. It was my suggestion that he and the Queen not mention Yong'an during their prayers."
“…”
Xie Lian asked, “Why?”
The Imperial Master said, "Because it's useless."
Xie Lian was stunned: "What do you mean useless?"
After a pause, he thought again and said, "Are you saying that because I'm the God of War and can't control the drought, it's useless to mention it to me? But haven't you forgotten that I'm not only the God of War, but also the Crown Prince of Xianle. My people are suffering terribly, how can I sit idly by and watch?" After a moment's thought, he said, "The most urgent task now is to provide relief to the victims of the Yong'an disaster. Please advise my father not to build any more temples. There are already too many Crown Prince's Palaces across the country, and I don't need them. And those golden statues can all be melted down and the funds used for disaster relief. Yong'an in the west is suffering from a severe drought and water shortage, so we can dig a river to divert water from the east to irrigate the crops and nourish the land..."
As he spoke, the Imperial Master shook his head and murmured, "Too early. Too early."
Xie Lian asked, puzzled, “What do you mean it’s too early?”
The Imperial Master said, "Do you understand now why I told you not to ascend too early? Because your people are still here."
“…” Xie Lian’s eyes widened as he angrily shouted, “National Master! You…what are you talking about? What do you mean…what do you mean my people haven’t all died yet?!”
The Imperial Master said, "You are already a god, but you cannot forget your mortal origins. You are still connected to the mortal world. Yet, you are powerless to do anything about it, and in the end, you are left with nothing but a mess."
Xie Lian sat on the altar, the Imperial Preceptor standing below. It was clearly Xie Lian looking down upon him, yet the Imperial Preceptor's words sounded as if he were the one in a superior position. Xie Lian said, "How could I be powerless? As long as I act, there will be rewards. Saving even a little is better than doing nothing. If you won't convey this to Father on my behalf, then I'll go find him myself."
Xie Lian abruptly stood up. The Imperial Master grabbed his sleeve and shouted, “Come back! Do you know why priests can’t just casually manifest their powers in front of mortals? This rule, established over thousands of years, must have its reasons. Don’t do anything foolish!”
Xie Lian turned around abruptly and said, “Then what can I do? I can’t do this, I can’t do that, Imperial Master! Many people are dying on my land right now! Aren’t gods called gods because they can save the common people? If I can’t appear now, then when can I?! What’s the point of my ascension then?!”
The Imperial Master grabbed him and sighed, "Your Highness, oh, Your Highness. Do you know what I saw?"
After calming down for a moment, Xie Lian sat down again and said, "Please speak."
The Imperial Master stared at him and said, "I have seen your future. It is pitch black."
Xie Lian said without looking away, "You might be mistaken. I only like to wear white."
The Imperial Master said, "I'm afraid you won't be able to save your people, but will instead be pulled down from the altar by your own people."
Xie Lian said, "My people are not like that. They can distinguish right from wrong. If I can't save them, then my presence on the altar is meaningless."
After a while, the Imperial Preceptor sighed and said, "While your father's actions cannot be said to be right, they cannot be said to be wrong either. You said you would allocate funds for disaster relief. In fact, your father has allocated funds before. You can see the results. You said you would dig a river to divert water. Take a look at that river and see if it is feasible."
Xie Lian nodded and said, "I understand. Thank you, Imperial Master."
After leaving Taicang Mountain, he traveled westward and arrived at Yong'an City in Xianle Kingdom.
In twenty years, Xie Lian had never felt the sun so scorching, so deadly. The moment he first set foot on this land, he felt the heat unbearable, the air itself distorted. Under the blazing sun, the earth cracked into fragments of broken earth, aged and terrifying. A deep ditch lay beside the road, seemingly a riverbed, now dry and dry due to drought. The black riverbed emanated a strange, fishy stench. He walked for ages, yet he didn't see a single field. Perhaps there were, but it was impossible to tell they were once fields.
Xie Lian glanced around as he walked. The dry, hot wind had tangled his long hair, but he hadn't bothered to fix it. Suddenly, he heard someone call out from behind, "Your Highness!"
Xie Lian turned around and saw two figures in black hurrying towards him. They were Feng Xin and Mu Qing. Xie Lian asked bluntly, "Do you have any information?"
Feng Xin shook his clothes off his chest to fan himself and said, "Yes. The entire west has been short of water for the past couple of years, and it exploded this year. Yong'an is the worst hit. The river has dried up, there's no rain, and we can't farm. The rich are better off; as long as they have money, they can get water and food from far away. However, most of the wealthy have long since moved east with their families. The rest are either poor or unable to move."
Xie Lian frowned and said, “The Imperial Master said that my father didn’t do nothing and even ordered disaster relief. Why is the situation still so serious?”
Mu Qing said coldly, "Pull it off ten percent, then peel off another layer. Peel it off until there's nothing left. It's still naturally this serious. In my opinion, it's better not to pull it off than to feed the termites."
Holding his breath for a moment, Xie Lian suppressed his anger and said, "I'm going to make those termites spit out everything they've eaten."
Mu Qing reminded him, "Your Highness, you've forgotten again that this isn't your business. Priests can't meddle in the affairs of the mortal world. A three-foot-thick ice doesn't form overnight. Your Majesty is specifically responsible for managing human affairs. This is his duty, and he can't even handle it all. How can you handle it when you're also responsible for the prayers of countless believers? You want to meddle in this and that, and in the end, you'll only end up getting yourself into trouble. Besides, this is only a temporary solution, not a fundamental solution."
Feng Xin shaded his eyes with his hands and said, "To cure the root cause, we still need water. Otherwise, Your Highness, can you ask the Imperial Preceptor to tell His Majesty to transfer the water from the east to the west to even it out?"
Xie Lian shook his head and said, “I just discussed this idea with the Imperial Master.”
Feng Xin said, "What did the Imperial Master say?"
"..." Xie Lian choked and said, "That's probably to say it's impossible. However, I've now realized that it's indeed not feasible. To divert water, we must first dig a river. However, digging a river requires conscripting people to work, and who knows how many years it will take. It's also a waste of time and money, and we can't afford it."
Feng Xin nodded and said, "That's right. Distant water cannot quench a nearby fire."
After a moment's hesitation, Xie Lian said, "However, if mortal methods can't solve the problem, perhaps we can try the celestial realm's methods. I heard that a few years ago, the Rain Master changed, and a new Rain Master ascended. He's quite aloof. I'd like to see if I can pay him a visit and ask if I can direct the water from the east to the west in the form of rain."
Since Xie Lian ascended to heaven, apart from meeting Jun Wu, he hadn't proactively visited any other priests, nor had he deliberately cultivated a close relationship with any of them. He treated everyone equally within the spirit communication array. It would be a rare occurrence for him to visit any of the priests. Mu Qing said, "No."
Xie Lian turned around and asked, "How is it?"
Mu Qing said, "Your Highness, I've just checked everything carefully. Actually, the water shortage over the past two years isn't just in Yong'an or the west; it's across the entire Xianle Kingdom. It's just that Xianle's east is close to the sea, lakes, and rivers, so it's not a significant disaster yet. But the overall water volume and rainfall are significantly lower than in the past."
Xie Lian's eyes widened. Mu Qing continued, "If they truly dug a river, or used rainfall to divert water from the east to the west, then the situation in Yong'an might be alleviated a bit, but it wouldn't be a complete relief. It would only give them a little lifeline. Meanwhile, there's a high probability of a drought east of Xianle."
Xie Lian's heart tightened as he spoke, "And Xianle's prosperous areas and the vast majority of its population are concentrated in the east, more than three times the population in the west, especially in the Imperial City. If a drought were to strike here..."
Feng Xin also reacted immediately: "The consequences will definitely be more serious than Yong'an, and more people will die!"
Mu Qing nodded and said solemnly, "The unrest caused by this will be even greater."
Taking a deep breath, Xie Lian said, "So, this is why the Imperial Master said that what my father did wasn't necessarily right, but it wasn't necessarily wrong either. It was simply a choice."
Mu Qing said, "So, Your Highness, it's a good thing that no one has come to your palace to pray for Yong'an. You can leave it to His Majesty the King to make the choice."
Xie Lian didn't answer and turned around.
Along the way, every person he encountered was skinny and skeletal. Men and children were bare-chested, their ribs clearly visible in rows. The women's faces were covered in dead skin, their eyes dull. No one wanted to move, nor did they have the energy. Everything exuded a stench of dying, making one want to scream and flee this dying land, returning immediately to the prosperous capital of song and dance.
After a long pause, he said, "You two stay here and help me. Bring as much water as you can. I'll think about it."
Feng Xin said, "Okay. Take your time to think about it, and when you've figured it out, just tell me what to do."
Xie Lian patted his shoulder and turned to leave. Mu Qing, however, spoke calmly from behind him, "Your Highness, you should reconsider this. We can help for ten or twenty days, but not for a year or two. We can save a hundred people, but not hundreds of thousands. After all, you are a Martial God, not a Water God. Even if you were a Water God, you couldn't create water out of thin air. If the fundamental problem isn't resolved, this isn't a solution. It's just a drop in the bucket."
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