Xie Lian suddenly remembered something and uttered a soft "Huh".
That face, wrapped in layers of bandages, inevitably reminded him of the child he'd met three years prior. But he couldn't be certain. He pondered pessimistically, wondering if that child, having escaped alone from Mount Taicang, could have truly survived another three years.
At that moment, the young man approached, stood on tiptoe, removed the flowers from the clay statue's hand, and replaced them with his own bouquet. Xie Lian, seated on the altar, could clearly see the new bouquet. The petals were more delicate, plump, and juicy, and the fragrance was even richer. They must have been freshly picked. Could it be that he came to this humble temple every day to replace the clay statue's left hand with a bouquet of freshly picked flowers?
Moreover, after presenting the flowers, the young man stood beneath the clay statue of the prince, clasped his hands together, and silently prayed. He did not kneel down indiscriminately like the others, and he truly took Xie Lian’s words to heart.
Three years had passed. So many worshippers had come to Xie Lian's temple, including dignitaries, celebrities, and astonishingly talented people. Yet, the one who truly impressed Xie Lian with his devotion was a child of only twelve or thirteen. Furthermore, he was so poorly dressed that even the most ornate and magnificent temples wouldn't admit him, so he could only come to this humble temple to worship.
I really don’t know what this feels like.
At that moment, the sound of splashing water could be heard from the temple gate. A group of children, holding umbrellas, ran past playfully. Xie Lian had initially assumed they were just passing by, but after running past, they returned, clapping their hands as if they had discovered something truly remarkable. "Woo-woo-woo! The ugly freaks have been chased out again!"
This group of teenagers were about the same age as the young believer in the temple, but they were all taller than him and looked like they were well-raised by their parents. Perhaps because the festival was approaching, they were all wearing new clothes and new shoes. They were playing and treading water at the temple gate, their smiles innocent and lively, without a trace of malice, as if they didn't think "ugly" was a bad word, nor did they think their words were hurtful, they just thought it was fun to shout like that. The boy clenched his fist, but his fist was too small to deter anyone. The person outside the door shouted again: "Ugly is going to sleep in the temple again today, be careful when you get home, your mother will beat you to death!"
Xie Lian frowned. The young man's eye, visible from beneath the bandage, was bloodshot. He raised his fist and roared, "I have no home!! I have no mother! She's not my mother! Get out! Get out! If you scream again, I'll beat you to death!!!"
The group of children were fearless and stuck out their tongues, saying, "If you dare to hit us, be careful or we will tell your father and let him teach you a lesson."
Some people winked and said, "Yes, you don't have a mother because your mother doesn't want you. You don't have a home either. Your family members all despise you. So you can only stay in this dilapidated temple..."
At this point, the young man suddenly yelled and rushed over.
Though small, he possessed a powerful presence. His roar sent several children fleeing in terror. However, the young man wrestling with him shouted, "What are you afraid of? We're in numbers!" They all returned, scrambling to pull and beat him. Xie Lian couldn't stand it any longer. With a wave of his hand, a sudden, strange force in the air separated the two groups of children. Immediately, a powerful splash of water flew up from the ground, sending the group of young men somersaulting.
After all, he was a child. He fell down for no apparent reason and drank a mouthful of muddy and dirty water. His new clothes were all wet, making him dirtier and uglier than the person they were laughing at. He immediately stopped laughing and started crying loudly. He got up from the ground, cried, grabbed the umbrella and ran away.
Xie Lian shook his head. He was a mighty Martial God, slaying demons and monsters and ensuring safe travels, yet this was his first time intervening in such a childish dispute. Even after driving off the bad guys, he felt no sense of accomplishment. He turned back to look at the young man, slightly startled.
In the chaos, the bandage on the boy's head was half ripped off, revealing a face covered in bruises and purple patches, clearly not from the beating he had just received. Before Xie Lian could take a closer look, he wordlessly wrapped the bandage around his head, hugged his knees, and sat down at the feet of the clay statue.
Xie Lian had come to the Prince's Temple, intending to gather Feng Xin and Mu Qing for a brief discussion. But he hadn't expected to encounter this young man. He couldn't help but take notice. After summoning him, he squatted beside him, staring at him. After a while, the young man's stomach rumbled. On the offering plate were a few fruit snacks. Though they looked shriveled and not very appetizing, they were better than nothing. Xie Lian selected one and gently tossed it toward him.
The young man, struck by the fruit, immediately clasped his hands over his head and curled up into a ball, adopting a defensive posture, as if a stone had been thrown at him, and more stones were about to fall. After a long pause, he looked around, realizing it was just a piece of fruit and no one else was present. He hesitated for a moment, picked up the fruit, wiped it on his clothes, and returned it to the offering plate, preferring to go hungry rather than eat the offerings on the plate.
Then he walked to the door and looked at the heavy rain outside the temple, as if he wanted to go out to find something to eat. But the rain was too heavy and he didn't want to get wet anymore, so he came back and curled up at the feet of the clay statue to sleep.
At that moment, Feng Xin and Mu Qing arrived, receiving the order. They walked out from behind the temple. Feng Xin said angrily, "Your Highness, where did you find such a small temple for the Crown Prince? Why are you delivering the order here?" Looking down, he suddenly saw a group of people huddled on the ground. He almost stepped on them and blurted out, "Why is there a child here?!"
Mu Qing also lowered his head, took a closer look, and immediately asked, "Your Highness, is this the child who ran away from Taicang Mountain three years ago?"
Xie Lian shook his head. “I’m not sure. I don’t know his name or what his face looks like.”
The three of them gathered around a child who was completely unaware, talking for a few words. The boy tossed and turned on the ground, wiping his face, and unexpectedly smearing blood around the corners of his mouth and nose. Seeing this, Xie Lian felt even more that he couldn't let him lie there any longer. He said, "Let's get this kid out first. It's getting dark, and this temple isn't a good place to spend the night."
Feng Xin said, "Doesn't he have anywhere to go? If so, I'm afraid he'll have no choice but to spend the night here."
Xie Lian said, “He has a home, but it might not be well. This temple isn’t a good place either. We need to leave first so we can find him something to eat. The child is still injured.”
Mu Qing said, "Your Highness, please forgive me for being blunt, but I don't have time to deal with such trivial matters right now. You summoned us here, but what decision have you made?"
No priest in the Heavenly Palace ever accepted every prayer from every believer. There are millions of believers in the world, and keeping tabs on every one would be incredibly tiresome. Therefore, sometimes they would turn a blind eye, pretending not to hear trivial or subtle prayers, thus saving themselves a lot of trouble. However, perhaps Xie Lian was too young and energetic to accept such flexibility. He pondered for a moment, then, carrying the umbrella given by a passerby, walked out of the small temple.
Xie Lian slowly opened the umbrella, and raindrops pattered against it. The young man on the ground heard the sound, thinking someone was approaching, and stirred slightly. But then, perhaps realizing that someone's presence was none of his business, he lay back down. Xie Lian placed the open umbrella at the door. The young man, perplexed by the persistent sound, stood up and took a look. He saw a red umbrella leaning against the ground in the rain, like a solitary red flower in full bloom. He was stunned.
Seeing the young man rush over and pick up the umbrella, Mu Qing said, "Your Highness, this is enough. If you do it too obviously and he finds out, it will cause more trouble."
Unexpectedly, before Xie Lian could reply, the young man rushed back and shouted behind them, "Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
The three of them were startled and turned to look. They saw the young man holding an umbrella, his eyes red and extremely excited. He looked up at the clay statue and shouted, "Your Highness! Is that you?!"
Feng Xin didn't know that Xie Lian had helped him drive away a group of children and lost the fruit before, so he said in surprise, "This kid is quite smart. He actually found it." Mu Qing seemed to have guessed the future and glanced at Xie Lian.
The young man said, "If you were right here, please answer a question for me!"
Sitting high atop the altar, Xie Lian heard the cry of "Please show your power" countless times daily. Hearing any sound too often can lead to numbness. Yet, whenever he heard it, he couldn't help but gaze and pause. Mu Qing, standing by, reminded him, "Your Highness, ignore it."
Xie Lian remained silent. The young man clutched the umbrella tightly in his hands and gritted his teeth, "I'm in agony! Every day I wish I could die. Every day I want to kill everyone in the world, and then kill myself! My life is so painful!"
A child of twelve or thirteen shouting these words was both ridiculous and pathetic. However, within that small body, there was something explosive, supporting his anger and roar.
Feng Xin frowned and said, "What's wrong with him? Kill everyone in the world, is this something a child would say?"
Mu Qing said calmly, "He's just too young. When he grows up, he'll realize that what he's going through now is nothing."
After a pause, he looked at Xie Lian and said, "There are too many suffering people in this world. Take the severe drought in Yong'an, for example. Who in Yong'an isn't suffering more than him? Your Highness, don't worry about it. Just do what needs to be done."
Xie Lian said softly, “Maybe.”
One person's pain may be just a trivial annoyance to another person.
The young man looked up at him, one eye red but without tears. He held his umbrella in one hand and reached out with the other, grabbing the hem of the clay statue. He demanded, "Why am I still alive? What is the meaning of life?"
There was silence for a while, and no one answered. The young man seemed to have expected this result and slowly lowered his head.
Suddenly, a voice broke the silence and sounded above him: "If you don't know how to live, then live for me."
Feng Xin and Mu Qing, who were standing beside Xie Lian, hadn't expected him to actually answer, let alone something like this. Their eyes widened as they exclaimed, "...Your Highness?!"
The young man looked up suddenly, but saw no one. He only heard a soft, ethereal voice coming from the clay statue:
"I don't know how to answer your question. But if you don't know the meaning of your life, then why not treat me as that meaning?"
Feng Xin and Mu Qing's faces were broken. They both reached out to cover Xie Lian's mouth and shouted, "Stop talking, Your Highness! You're breaking the rules! You're breaking the rules!"
Before they could cover his mouth, Xie Lian managed to shout again, "Thank you for the flowers! They're beautiful, I love them!"
The author has something to say: This umbrella is not the one Huahua later used. Huahua's umbrella can withstand a mountain of knives and a frying pan. It is an exclusive handmade custom made of special materials and a deadly weapon.
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