"Your Highness, what took you so many days?" Mu Qing asked.
Xie Lian was taken aback, "Did I leave for very long?"
Traveling all over, through the heavens and the earth, scooping lake water, mounting
clouds and making rain, all without care for day or night, Xie Lian hadn't realized just
how much time had passed.
"It's been several days!" Mu Qing said, "The prayers from all the devotees at the Temple
of the Crown Prince have piled up into a mountain."
Just then, Xie Lian felt the rain fading and extended a hand, "Didn't I tell you both to
take care of the important ones first?"
"The ones we can take care of have all been sorted." Mu Qing replied, "But... But there
are too many prayers that we haven't the right to take over. That's why I asked Your
Highness not to let them wait too long, and hurry back."
When he finished, the rain stopped at the same time. This bout of rain lasted much
shorter than Xie Lian had expected, and he felt his heart sinking. As the clouds
dispersed, a verdant bamboo hat fluttered down, and Xie Lian caught it with both his
hands. "But do you see this situation? I can't get away either."
Mu Qing frowned, "Your Highness, you were able to borrow the Rain Master's spiritual
device? Where did the water come from?"
"The Kingdom of Yushi from the south." Xie Lian replied.
"That far?" Mu Qing said, "How much power does that sap from you for moving water
just the once? And if every bout of rain is this small in size and quantity, if you keep this
up, how will you manage to answer your followers' prayers?"
Even without him saying it out loud Xie Lian knew. He's a martial god, and the devotees
to the Temple of the Crown Prince were his foundation, the source of his spiritual
powers. What he was doing was no different than abandoning his base, and if he wasn't
careful, both sides would suffer. But what else could be done other than what he was
doing now?
"I know." Xie Lian said, "But if things go on like this and a riot breaks out in Yong'an, the
Temple of the Crown Prince would also be affected sooner or later."
"It's already breaking out!" Mu Qing said.
Xie Lian was shocked, "What?!"
After hearing Mu Qing's report, Xie Lian rushed back to the royal capital of Xianle. Just
as he'd come to the Heavenly Martial Avenue, there just so happened to be a band of
royal guards, decked in full armour, sharp weapons in hand, walking over with a group
of detained, unkempt men with shackles on both their hands and around their necks.
Citizens crowded on both sides of the road, each face full of rage. Feng Xin gripped his
black bow, tense and ready, as if prepared for any sudden riots. Xie Lian cried, "Feng
Xin! Who're the detainees? What crime did they commit? Where are they taking them?"
Hearing his voice, Feng Xin stomped over, "Your Highness! They're all people of
Yong'an."
There were over ten of those men, all tall and gaunt, their skins slightly dark. Behind the
soldiers trailed a few old men and a number of anxious women and children. "The ones
following behind are too?" Xie Lian questioned.
"They all are." Mu Qing replied.
Turns out, in the past several months at the height of the drought in Yong'an, many of
the residents uprooted and escaped to the east in waves. When it was only some ten
people it wasn't obvious, but the flow was endless, and by now there were more than
five hundred people. When five hundred people gather, it became quite the sight.
Those people of Yong'an were strangers to the land, had nothing to their names, and
the moment they opened their mouths their dialects would give them away, so when
they arrived at a strange bustling city, naturally they all stuck together for warmth. Thus,
they looked all over the royal capital and finally found an uninhabited green field.
Overjoyed, they thus built sheds and huts as temporary shelters.
Unfortunately, although that green field was uninhabited, to those of the royal capital, it
was a field of leisure. The people of Xianle had an indulgent culture, and those of the
royal capital lead in that lifestyle. When free, many would take walks, dance, practice
the art of the sword, sing poetry, paint, and gather at that green field. As for Yong'an,
sitting at the west of Xianle, suffered an impoverished land and had always been poor,
so the temper and culture of those citizens were completely opposite compared to that
of the royal capital. Thus, those of the royal capital often believed themselves the purer
of Xianle blood. And now, with their land of elegance overtaken by a large number of
refugees, cooking herbs, crying, doing laundry, starting fires, and the stench of leftovers
and sweat filling the air, it made many nearby residents recoil with disgust, their
complaints abundant.
Some of the Yong'an elderly leaders understood the situation in their hearts too, and
had wanted to move elsewhere. Yet, the royal capital was already heavily populated; no
matter where they go it was full of people, and there weren't anywhere else that could
settle so many, nevermind all the wounded, sick, old, and children. It wasn't easy to
move, so they boldly and carefully clung on to that field. As much as the people of the
royal capital were displeased, they were still all citizens of the same country, for the
sake that it was a disaster, they tolerated the strangers' presence.
Xie Lian listened to the report to this point when that band of soldiers brought those
Yong'an men to the mouth of the marketplace, shouting, "KNEEL!"
Each of those men looked angrily incredulous, but sabres at their throats, they had no
choice but to kneel. After the onlooking crowd of the royal capital saw the men kneeled
in unison, some sighed, some relieved. "According to your report, both sides have
tolerated each other, so what's going on today?" Xie Lian asked.
Before Feng Xin and Mu Qing could answer, a woman started screeching from the
crowd, "YOU BARBARIC THIEVES! NEVERMIND YOUR STICKY FINGERS! BEATING
MY HUSBAND LIKE THIS, HE CAN'T EVEN GET UP ANYMORE! IF ANYTHING
HAPPENS TO HIM I'LL HAVE YOU PAY!"
Next to her a number of people were trying to comfort her, and some pointed their
fingers in reproach, "Don't you know to mind yourselves when you're in other people's
territory?"
"Yea, you're a guest in our homes, and yet you crudely steal!"
One of the young men in shackles finally couldn't take it anymore and argued back, "We
already said it wasn't us who stole! We didn't throw the first punch either! Besides,
we've got wounded on our side too..." An elder shouted, "Stop talking!"
That young man shut his mouth angrily. Feng Xin explained, "A dog went missing in the
royal capital, and because there was a case where a child of Yong'an stole and ate
someone's duck from hunger, so there were a lot of assumption that the dog was stolen
and eaten by those of Yong'an too. A mob went to interrogate, and soon started a
brawl."
Xie Lian was incredulous, "A riot over just a dog? And they detained that many people?"
"Yes, over a dog." Feng Xin said, "It's gotten this big because both sides had been
putting up with each other for too long, and anything small becomes big. Both sides
swore the other started it first, that it's the other's fault, and this mess of a fight
somehow grew bigger and bigger."
One of the leading soldiers proclaimed, "Violent aggregates shall be severely punished!
You are all shackled for a public demonstration, any further crimes are forbidden!" He
stood down after, and the next second, many started chucking and throwing lettuce
leaves and rotten eggs at those men of Yong'an. The old men that trailed behind started
bowing to the crowd all over, crying "We apologize, everyone, we apologize." "Please
have mercy, have mercy!"
Xie Lian thought this whole thing was making a mountain out of a molehill, utterly
ridiculous, but he could also somewhat understand. "So in the end did they steal? Did
they find that dog?"
Feng Xin shook his head, "Who knows. Who can find anything if the bones were
cleaned out and thrown away? But judging by their faces, I don't think they stole it."
However, verdicts from the soldiers of the royal capital would naturally be partial to the
royal capital citizens. Stolen or not, there was a brawl, and so the fault must lie with
those from Yong'an. Especially since the men of the royal capital loved to play around
but weren't as tough as the men of Yong'an, so this brawl must've ended in shame,
creating more awkwardness between the two peoples. Xie Lian shook his head, gave
the crowd a sweeping look, and suddenly noticed that in that row of Yong'an men, there
was a young man in the middle with his head drooped, whose face looked familiar. It
was that young man from the woods, Lang Ying.
Xie Lian was stunned. Just then, someone nearby complained, "How come I feel there's
been more and more from Yong'an in the royal capital in the recent months? And now
they dare pick fights."
"No way, are they all coming over?"
Another merchant gestured his hands wildly, "His majesty the king won't allow it! My
house was robbed by Yong'an thieves just the other day. If they all came over, there'd
be hell!"
Hearing this, Lang Ying, who had kept his head low letting all the groceries be freely
thrown at him, suddenly looked up, "Did you see it?"
That merchant hadn't expected to actually be spoken to and responded without thinking,
"What?"
"Yong'an thieves robbing your house. Did you see them with your own eyes?"
"...I didn't see with my own eyes, but it's always been peaceful before, and only after
you all have arrived was I robbed, so how does it have nothing to do with you?" That
merchant argued.
Lang Ying nodded, "I see. I understand. Before we came, you guys were the ones
stealing, and after we arrived, we became the thieves..."
Before he finished, a rotten persimmon came flying at him and smashed against the
side of his lips, making him look as if he vomited a large bloody blossom. That merchant
burst out laughing, and Lang Ying's eyes dimmed. He closed his mouth and stopped
talking.
Xie Lian softened the sharp rocks being thrown at the young men, ensuring that they
wouldn't be severely injured. This public humiliation continued until evening, and only
when the onlooking citizens gradually dispersed did the soldiers felt it was enough, and
unlocked the shackles, warning them never to cause any more troubles, otherwise
they'd be severely punished, etc., etc. The elders bowed deeply repeatedly with
apologetic smiles, promising to never violate any more rules, however, Lang Ying,
lifeless, walked away by himself. Xie Lian watched his lone figure, caught the right
moment, and appeared in a flash from behind a tree, blocking his path.
The minute he appeared, that young man's eyes sharpened, and in that instant, it was
as if he was going to choke Xie Lian dead. A flash of a second later, after having seen
clearly who it was before him, he tucked away the hand that was ready to attack. "It's
you."
Xie Lian had transformed back into the form of that young cultivator. He was startled by
Lang Ying, whose hand almost attacked him. He thought to himself, 'This man is
strong.' He spoke up, "I gave you that pearl, so why didn't you take it back to Yong'an?"
Lang Ying gazed at him, "My son is here. I'm here too." After a pause, he took out that
coral pearl from his belt, "Did you want this back? Here."
The extended hand that held the pearl still had marks of those shackles. After some
silence, Xie Lian didn't take it. "Go back. The Bay of Lang Er rained today." He pointed
to the sky, "Tomorrow! There will be rain again, I promise. It's for certain."
But Lang Ying shook his head, "It doesn't matter if it rains or not. There's no going
back."
Watching his back as he walked away, Xie Lian was left dumbfounded, and only felt
endless frustration.
Before he ascended, it was like he had not a cloud of worry. Whatever he wanted to do,
it would be done. Who knew after ascension, all of a sudden he was surrounded by
incessant worries. Both worries of others and his own. Had it always been this hard to
get something done? He had never felt so lacking, so powerless. Xie Lian sighed and
turned to leave too. There were a mountain of prayers waiting to be answered by him at
the Temple of the Crown Prince.
Yet, he wasn't the one with the most frustration. It was the king.
The worry of the King of Xianle had become reality. Those five hundred some refugees
of Yong'an were only the beginning.
With the borrowed Rain Master Hat in hand, Xie Lian ran back and forth between the
north and the south unceasingly, and created rain by his own power. Yet every bout of
rain would use up an immense amount of spiritual power and five to six days worth of
time. If it wasn't him, there might not be another who could keep this up. Of course, with
the exception of Jun Wu. However, the Heavenly Martial Emperor ruled over a far
greater land than he, and the number of devotees and domains to care for were
significantly more than that of Xianle, so how could Xie Lian possibly ask Jun Wu for
help and distract him? On top of that, each bout of rain could only wet a small area of
Yong'an, lasting but a short while, so even if there was some relief, it couldn't fix the root
of the problem.
Thus, after a month, the people of Yong'an officially started to migrate to the east in
droves. At first it was only bands of ten something people. Now, it was hundreds,
thousands, massive hordes that flocked together, streaming like the river.
After another month, the King of Xianle promulgated a new decree: Due to endless
disputes and incessant conflicts of recent months, for the sake of peace within the royal
capital, as of that day, all Yong'an refugees must leave the city. Everyone will be given a
set amount of travel expenses to help settle elsewhere.
Before the massive, teeming horde of migrating Yong'an refugees, the grand gates to
the royal capital of Xianle closed.
——–
●MXTX Author Notes: Please note this is a civil war between a provincial capital
and the royal capital of one country, with many impoverished towns in between
also involved.