This was obviously wrong. Because the first person to rush onto Shenwu Street was a sturdy man, it was untenable.
Xie Lian considered and tested numerous possibilities as to what exactly distinguished the soldiers afflicted with the human-faced plague from the others. In every way, they were not significantly different from the others. Among all those infected, their appearances, physiques, even identities and personalities were so diverse that no fixed pattern could be discerned. Could it be that who got infected and who didn't was truly just a matter of luck?
Xie Lian muttered to himself, “What exactly did the soldiers do to prevent the spread of the human-faced plague? In other words, what was it that civilians did less of, and soldiers did more of…”
At this point, his eyes suddenly widened and his face paled. Hearing his voice stop abruptly, Feng Xin said, "What's wrong, Your Highness? What's on your mind?"
Xie Lian had indeed come up with something. He had come up with a reasonable hypothesis, but also a terrifying one.
He stood up suddenly and blurted out, "No way! No, no, it can't be like this. There's no way this could happen."
Feng Xin and Mu Qing also stood up at once and asked, "What's the matter?"
Xie Lian clutched his forehead, paced back and forth a few times, and raised his hand, saying, "Wait a minute, I have a ridiculous guess. It's probably not true, but I need to test it out."
Mu Qing asked, "What exactly is your guess? How do you want to test it? Do you want me to find someone to try it for you?"
Xie Lian immediately rejected the idea, "No, we can't test it on a living person. What if I'm wrong?" Rather, he secretly hoped he was wrong, terribly wrong. Mu Qing frowned and said, "Your Highness, if you want to know if your guess is right, you must test it on a living person. That's the best way. There's no point in worrying about it."
Feng Xin also frowned: "Can't you see he's annoyed? Don't say such things at this moment."
Mu Qing turned around and said, "Strange, what did I say? Wasn't I telling the truth? At this point, what's the point of hesitating and tangling?"
Feng Xin said in disgust, "Do you have to measure everything by its usefulness? They're living people, and you didn't hesitate for a moment. Aren't you too calm?"
Mu Qing said, "Calm down? Are you trying to say I'm cold-blooded?"
Xie Lian no longer had the patience to gently mediate between the two of them. He said, "You two can start arguing over a single sentence. How disgraceful! Stand here for one stick of incense. No one is allowed to move for that long. Old rules."
“…”
“…”
At the mention of the "old rules," Feng Xin and Mu Qing's expressions paled slightly. Xie Lian waved his hand and said, "Heaven Official's Blessing. Begin."
After a while, Feng Xin gritted his teeth and said, "...May your fortune shine brightly."
Mu Qing also gritted his teeth and said, "...read it verbatim."
Feng Xin said with difficulty: "Ke...Ke..."
He was still racking his brains over how to respond when Xie Lian turned and entered the Unforgettable Forest to question the three sick soldiers.
The so-called old rules were a way Xie Lian devised to distract them. Feng Xin and Mu Qing were always prone to making sarcastic remarks, starting with small, moderate arguments. Initially, Xie Lian would have them stand in silence for an incense stick, refraining from speaking to each other until they calmed down, but this proved ineffective. Later, Xie Lian decided to switch gears and have them compete in a chain of idioms, with a winner. This way, they wouldn't have time to dwell on their previous argument, but instead would rack their brains to connect the dots and find ways to win. After discovering this clever trick, Xie Lian felt a sense of peace and satisfaction. Now, asking them to repeat the old rules was a way to relax everyone a little.
However, this relief didn't last long. An incense stick later, Xie Lian returned. His face was extremely grim, and he ordered, "Gather all the soldiers from the same camp who shared the same lodgings and meals as those sick soldiers. I have something to ask them."
The two had already been stuck several times, each with their own wins and losses. Finally, they no longer had to fight, and they both breathed a sigh of relief. Mu Qing said, "That's fine. However, this roundabout way of verifying something doesn't guarantee a completely accurate result."
Feng Xin turned to carry out his instructions, but Xie Lian said, "Wait! It's already late at night. It would be too much of a commotion to ask now, and we can't gather too many people at once, as that would draw attention. If I want to ask, no word can get out, or we'll be unable to keep it secret."
Feng Xin turned around and asked, "What should we do then? Bring them one by one to you and ask them privately?"
Xie Lian said, “This is the only way. Tomorrow, bring the soldiers who were close to those people to my room one by one. Don’t let them know that they have been questioned. Remember to order them not to tell anyone else. Otherwise…”
He took a breath and sighed, "Forget it, just threaten me. Just say that if this gets out, I'll kill you without mercy. The more ruthless the better."
Mu Qing said, "If we ask them one by one, how long will it take?"
Xie Lian said, “No matter how long it takes, I must ask. The more questions I ask, the more certain I am. This matter… I must get to the bottom of it. There can’t be even the slightest mistake.”
So, the next day, Xie Lian sat in a room temporarily allocated for him on the city wall and personally questioned more than 300 soldiers.
In response to his questions, over three hundred people gave the same answer. With each question, Xie Lian's expression darkened. Afterward, Feng Xin and Mu Qing walked into the house and saw Xie Lian sitting at the table, one hand on his forehead, silent. After a long pause, he slowly said, "You two hold the city gates. I'm going to Taicang Mountain."
Feng Xin hesitated and said, "Your Highness, have you figured out what you are asking? Is it a curse or...?"
Xie Lian nodded and said, “I found out. It’s a curse.”
Mu Qing said solemnly, "Are you sure?"
Xie Lian said, “I’m convinced of it. I also know what kind of people will be infected and what kind of people won’t.”
Despite saying this, his face didn't betray the joy of finally solving the mystery. Feng Xin and Mu Qing sensed that things weren't that simple. But since Xie Lian wouldn't volunteer, their subordinates naturally couldn't ask any more questions, and their hearts sank.
Mount Taicang, Huangji Temple, the highest peak, Shenwu Hall. The Imperial Preceptor offered incense amidst the swirling clouds. Xie Lian entered the hall and said straight to the point, "Imperial Preceptor, I wish to see the Emperor."
After offering incense, the Imperial Master turned around and said, "Your Highness, the gates of heaven are no longer open to you."
Xie Lian said, "I know. But right now, I've discovered that Xianle Country is suffering from an unprecedented wave of curses. This isn't a natural disaster, but rather the work of inhuman beings. Please lend me a hand. Invite the Emperor to descend and possess me, and convey this news directly to him. Perhaps he'll understand the source of all this, and perhaps find a way out."
Since returning to the mortal realm, he'd reported to the Divine Martial Hall three times. The first two times, however, he hadn't intended to seek help; it was merely a formality. This time, however, he genuinely sought assistance. The Imperial Preceptor sat in a chair and said, "It's not that I don't want to help you, Your Highness, but it's simply no longer necessary. Even if I could lend you a hand, the Emperor's spirit would descend and possess my body. If you spoke to him, the answers you'd receive would only disappoint you."
Xie Lian's expression changed slightly. He asked, "Do you know something? Do you know what that person in white with the crying and laughing mask is?"
The Imperial Master said, "Your Highness, do you remember what I told you? The destiny of this world, good or bad, is predetermined."
Xie Lian was stunned and fell silent. The Imperial Master continued, “Originally, many people in Yong’an were already dying. You brought water and rain, giving them a break, but you couldn’t completely save them from the drought or secure their future. So now, they are in the Yong’an Army at Beizipo, fighting to earn a future for themselves.”
"Originally, the Imperial City was already in decline, but you personally descended to the mortal world and single-handedly reversed the situation, giving the Imperial City a break. However, you didn't decisively annihilate the Yong'an rebels and their inhabitants. Instead, you allowed them to survive until today, growing stronger like a swarm of cockroaches."
The Imperial Preceptor asked curiously, "Your Highness, may I ask what you are doing? Are you still waiting for both sides to repent, reform, and reconcile and return to a united country?"
Xie Lian inexplicably felt a surge of shame. However, it quickly gave way to confusion. He thought, "How strange! Whether I saved or protected someone, it was because they were innocent civilians, not guilty enough to die. Everything I did was clearly a choice I made after careful consideration and struggle. Why does it sound so ridiculous when others talk about it? Why does it sound like I haven't accomplished anything, like such a failure?"
As soon as the word popped into my mind, it was immediately crossed out with thick ink. The Imperial Master continued, "You, with your divine body, interfere with human affairs. You have turned the destiny of the Celestial Kingdom upside down and thrown it into chaos. To achieve balance, something else will naturally arise to restore the trajectory you've deviated. I don't know what that something is, but I am certain it was born for you."
“…”
Xie Lian staggered. The Imperial Preceptor continued, "I'm also certain that if the Divine Martial Emperor saw you, he would tell you the same thing. That's why he didn't let you down in the first place. But I think even if he had told you then, you would probably still have come down. Teenagers are like that. They won't believe they can't walk unless they fall down and don't listen to advice."
Xie Lian said in disbelief, "Are you saying that I'm the cause of this human-faced plague? So, according to the so-called theory of destiny, whatever that uncrying, unsmiling creature does is my fault? So, the Heavenly Court won't care about this matter at all?"
The Imperial Master said, "You can say that, or you can say otherwise. After all, if you really want to calculate it that way, you can blame your father, the Emperor, and your mother, the Empress. If they hadn't given birth to you, you wouldn't have ascended to heaven, and you wouldn't have come down to earth. Similarly, you can blame your ancestors, the ancestors of Xianle. Therefore, discussing who created the cause is meaningless."
"As for your last question, yes, it won't. Because the fall of Xianle was inevitable. Since you reached out and disrupted the chess game, then there must be another hand to put the pieces you disrupted back into place."
Xie Lian took a deep breath, not wanting to discuss whether Xianle's demise was inevitable. He closed his eyes for a moment and said, "Then, Imperial Master, if I disappear now, will this thing disappear with me?"
The Imperial Master said, "I'm afraid not. It's easier to invite a god than to send him away. There's no difference between demons and ghosts."
Xie Lian nodded and said stiffly, "Alright. Thank you for your guidance, Imperial Master."
He knew that it was pointless to say more. He could only rely on himself. He bowed to the Imperial Preceptor, said goodbye, and prepared to leave. The Imperial Preceptor said from behind him, "Your Highness! What are your plans for the future?"
Xie Lian lowered his head and said, "Since disappearing now won't help, then fighting it to the end is my only option."
After a pause, he raised his head again and said word by word, "I don't care if it's a hand or something else, but the people I protect will definitely not be its pawns."
Half a month later, Lang Ying led the Yong'an Army to attack again.
After months of countless battles, both large and small, the Yong'an Army can finally be called an army. They are no longer a group of bandits, but a regular and powerful army!
Lang Ying seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth for a long time. This time, Xie Lian saw this man again on the battlefield. He had been waiting for a long time. He flew over the crowd, approached them, and slashed with his sword, shouting, "Where is that man in white?"
Lang Ying blocked his sword, didn't reply, and fought back earnestly. Xie Lian pressed on, saying, "You know who I'm talking about. My patience is limited!"
Suddenly, Lang Ying stared at him and said, "Your Highness, didn't you say it would continue to rain in Yong'an?"
Xie Lian hadn’t expected such a question. His heart trembled, and he was speechless: “I…”
He had indeed promised Lang Ying that it would rain in Yong'an. However, the number of people infected with the Human Face Plague within the Imperial City had multiplied several times over in recent days, now numbering nearly five hundred. These five hundred people were crammed into the Undefiled Forest, and the quarantine area was becoming insufficient. Officials discussed moving to a larger, more distant location. Xie Lian had used most of his magical power to alleviate the illness of these five hundred people, leaving him unable to bring rain to Yong'an. Since he had no use for the Rain Master's Hat, he felt embarrassed to keep someone else's temple-guarding magic weapon in his possession. In desperation, he sent Feng Xin to the Rain Master's Kingdom to return the Hat to the Rain Master and express his gratitude.
Xie Lian thrust his sword forward, angrily demanding, “I was the one who made the rain stop. Why didn’t you know that?!”
The angrier he got, the calmer Lang Ying became. "It's none of my business," she said. "I only know that even without this human-faced plague, your magic wouldn't have lasted much longer. Just like even with your rain, Yong'an wouldn't have saved many lives. It's all in vain. Your Highness, why do you think you can do whatever you want? Rather than leave my fate to you, I choose to leave it to myself."
Not sure which sentence stung Xie Lian, but he suddenly felt murderous intent.
He turned the sword slightly and raised his left palm secretly. A voice in his heart shouted: Kill this man, and the remaining soldiers of Yong'an will be nothing to be afraid of!
This was the first time since they met that he was truly determined to kill Lang Ying. Unexpectedly, he sent out a palm strike, hitting Lang Ying's chest, causing him to spit out blood, but the blow did not pass through his heart, instead it was knocked away.
Shocked, Xie Lian couldn’t believe it. He took a few steps back and asked, “You?!”
Xie Lian knew exactly what had shaken him away.
There are powerful individuals in the world, such as kings, geniuses, and righteous men. In times of crisis, they naturally generate a protective aura, protecting them from harm. These individuals often possess the potential for ascension. Lang Ying, a mere commoner, has surprisingly developed this protective aura, and it's an extremely rare kind—the aura of a king!
Xie Lian didn't dare to think about what this meant. Suddenly, he felt a chill in his chest. It was Lang Ying's sword, stabbing towards him and piercing his chest.
In this battle, neither side had a clear winner.
As usual, the invading Yong'an forces suffered numerous casualties, but this time, the Xianle Imperial City side fared no better. For anyone else, this might have been a bitter victory, but for Xie Lian, it was a complete defeat.
This was his first defeat, and although Lang Ying was still no match for Xie Lian and ultimately retreated wounded, many witnessed Lang Ying stabbing him. Xie Lian could probably guess how many soldiers were whispering behind his back: "Your Highness is a Martial God, how could he have been stabbed? Aren't we soldiers of the gods? Why didn't we achieve such a resounding victory this time like before?" However, he was completely oblivious to these whispers, as Mu Qing informed him that over a hundred more people with the human face plague had been sent to Buyou Forest today.
In just one day, there were more than a hundred!
Now, the initial batch of patients with the human face plague have become extremely ill. No part of their bodies can be seen. They have to be covered with thick white cloth, otherwise it would be horrifying to look at them. However, through the white cloth, you can vaguely see the uneven contours of their bodies.
Xie Lian wandered around trying to save his life, and after finally completing a round, Feng Xin finally pulled him aside and whispered, "Your Highness, what happened on the battlefield today? How did you get stabbed by that reckless man? You clearly hit him several times afterwards, so why didn't you kill him?"
Xie Lian didn't want to tell him that Lang Ying possessed a layer of kingly aura that even the priests couldn't touch, so he gave a helpless smile. It wasn't that he didn't want to kill him, it was simply that he couldn't. The magical power contained in his offensive was completely dissipated by this layer of kingly aura, completely ineffective against Lang Ying. Upon realizing this, he immediately switched to real swords and spears, fists and kicks, but Lang Ying was thick-skinned and tough, and could withstand a lot of blows!
At this moment, someone in the distance suddenly howled, "Your Highness, save me!"
Xie Lian was just about to take the bowl of water Feng Xin handed him. He had just taken a sip when he choked on a howling sound. Without even taking a breath, he rushed over. The one howling was the young man who had given him an umbrella that day. Because Xie Lian was particularly gentle to him, the young man was particularly diligent in calling for help. The man's knees were the first part of his body where a human face grew. Xie Lian cast a spell to control this and prevent the spread of the plague. As a result, he only had a human face on his left leg, and he was currently kicking that leg like crazy, feeling desperate. Xie Lian held him down and soothed him, "Don't move! I'm coming!"
The young man was terrified and grabbed him, saying, "Your Highness! Your Highness, save me! I just felt an itch on my legs, like something was pricking me. Then I looked down and saw those things... Their mouths were opening and closing, moving, moving! They were eating grass!!! They were alive!!!"
Xie Lian was instantly horrified. He looked down and saw, as expected, dozens of faces densely packed onto the young man's left leg. Several of them had blades of grass in their mouths, some still chewing hungrily!
Many patients screamed, and the crowd was in turmoil. Only Feng Xin and the soldiers managed to suppress the riot. Xie Lian held the young man down with one hand and asked someone nearby, "Can he still move his leg?"
The caretakers of the Buyou Forest were all fully armed, wrapped tightly in bandages and cloaks, making it impossible to tell what they looked like. Someone working nearby, a young man, answered, "Your Highness, we can't do this! His leg is useless. I don't know what's growing inside it. It's as heavy as lead, and there's no way to move it. And the virus is creeping up, almost out of his leg and spreading to his waist."
Xie Lian had already done his utmost to cast a spell to treat the wound, but the young man's leg was already in critical condition, having lost almost all sensation. At this moment, a doctor whispered, "Your Highness, in my opinion, the only untried method right now is to remove the part where the human face has grown to see if that can stop the spread..."
This was the only solution Xie Lian could think of. He said, “Then cut it up for him!”
The young man hurriedly said, "No!" He was afraid of being amputated, but he didn't dare hold his deformed leg. He said in extreme pain, "My leg is not broken yet! Maybe it can still be healed... Your Highness! You... Don't you have any other way to save me?"
Xie Lian no longer wanted to answer with words like “I tried my best” or “I worked hard”. His vision went dark as he said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t.”
This was the first time His Royal Highness had actually spoken such words, shocking countless people present. Some even lost control and cried out, "No? You're His Royal Highness, you're a god, how could you not have a solution? We've been waiting here for days for you to come up with a solution, how could you possibly not have one?!"
The person who had spoken was immediately silenced by someone, though it wasn't Feng Xin or Mu Qing who stopped him. Mu Qing seemed to think Xie Lian's words were too frank and had failed to appease the crowd, so he frowned and remained silent. Feng Xin, from a distance, called down a few patients who were jumping up and down. Xie Lian had been terribly worried for days, his longsword hanging unsheathed at his waist, the blade closer to the leg. A "human face," sensing the cold sword energy, suddenly stopped chewing, opened its mouth, and screamed.
This thing actually screamed!!!
Though the sound was faint, it was undoubtedly coming from that leg. The young man screamed, nearly fainting from fright. He clung to Xie Lian, repeatedly crying, "Your Highness, save me! Save me!" At the same time, three faint, sunken dimples appeared on his leg near his waist. The doctor exclaimed in alarm, "Your Highness, it's spreading! It's spreading! The plague is crawling out of the leg!"
No matter how much magic power he expended, Xie Lian ultimately failed to control the young man's condition. He watched as these horrific things were about to spread throughout the young man's body. Once spread, there would be no way to stop them. Was he just going to sit there and wait for death?
Xie Lian gritted his teeth and said, “Let me ask you one question: do you want this leg or not? I can’t guarantee what will happen after you lose it. If you don’t want it, just nod and we’ll do it right away. If you do, don’t nod and we’ll see!”
The young man gasped, his eyes hollow with fear, practically demented. He seemed to nod, yet also to shake his head. The faces on his left leg began to scream, one after another, as if welcoming their new "companion." Amidst their babbling, one could even see their delighted expressions, their tiny, bright red tongues trembling. It was hard to imagine what the interior of this young man's left leg must have been like. What kind of creature had become its host?
We can’t delay any longer! Xie Lian said to the doctor, “Intercept him.”
The doctor waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Your Highness, please forgive me! I'm not sure either. I don't dare operate here! Even if I cut everything off, it won't work... Let's not take the risk!" He cursed himself for being too talkative, the first one to get shot, and nearly getting into such a horrible situation. He retreated back to the crowd and fell silent. The young man muttered, "Your Highness, save me! Your Highness, save me!" Xie Lian's mind went blank, and a desperate voice inside him whispered, "Someone, save me...!"
There was a commotion all around, with shouts and yells galore. Those twisted little faces of people were also huddled below, screaming. For a moment, Xie Lian felt like he was looking into hell.
He seemed to be staring at this hell, yet also seemed to be staring at nothing. In the cold sweat, he opened his eyes wide and raised his arms.
The sword swung down and blood gushed out.
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