The boy was left completely and utterly stunned.
Meanwhile, Feng Xin and Mu Qing both wished they could grow several more arms and legs to smother Xie Lian, and it was with great difficulty that they finally pulled him back.
And yet Xie Lian effortlessly pushed them away, declaring, "All right! I'm done! I know I broke the rules, but if you just pretend you heard nothing, all will be well. As long as you guys don't say anything, no one will know. It's just this once. Don't say a word, do you hear me?"
Mu Qing looked like he'd been forced to eat a sock. He shook his head, muttering, "I can't believe you… Saying something like 'live on for me' so unapologetically, you're really…"
Xie Lian didn't think what he said was much of anything at first, but hearing Mu Qing, now it sounded like it was quite something indeed, and he flushed bright red. Feng Xin immediately turned stern.
"Enough. His Highness already said not to speak of it, so why are you still talking about it?"
Yet the corners of his own lips were twitching as he spoke.
Xie Lian couldn't stand it anymore and defended himself.
"What? What?! What I said clearly worked! Look!"
The boy sat in a daze for a long while, but when Xie Lian's voice didn't return, he rubbed hard at his face and reached for the offering plate on the altar. He held it in his arms and started eating the shriveled fruit and refreshments. He chewed and chewed vigorously, looking like a pitiful, vicious, small animal. Xie Lian bent down to watch him, a smile spreading across his face.
"You see?" he said to the other two. "It worked. He refused to eat before, but now he is."
"All right, fine. It worked. Because you're a god," Mu Qing said.
"Right, right. It worked. Because you're a god," Feng Xin said as well.
"…"
Xie Lian straightened and grew serious once more.
"Indeed, I am a god. I called you both over because I have come to a decision."
In an instant, the relaxed atmosphere turned heavy again.
"What do you want us to do?" Feng Xin asked, while Mu Qing queried, "Are we still getting involved?"
"We are. It's simple," Xie Lian said. "There is not enough water in the Kingdom of Xianle, so we will go to the kingdoms outside Xianle."
"Go to other kingdoms?" Mu Qing asked, sounding doubtful. "Won't they be too far? We'd need to borrow water-creating spiritual devices from some water god and impose on the territories of other heavenly officials. They might not be willing."
Of course, Xie Lian had considered this. "I'm going to give it a shot. It's still better than doing nothing. You two stay and keep watching over Yong'an. Lend assistance to the worst affected areas and I will return to the Upper Court. Any problem with that?"
"No problem. I've got your back," Feng Xin said.
Mu Qing gave it some thought and asked, "But what about all the prayers from the devotees at the Temple of the Crown Prince, Your Highness?"
"I was getting to that," Xie Lian replied. "Pick out the important ones and take care of them for me. The not-so-dire ones can wait."
Mu Qing appeared rather reluctant but still acknowledged the command. "You're the crown prince, so we'll listen to you. But I'd advise not letting them wait too long."
Xie Lian patted their shoulders. Feng Xin and Mu Qing bowed, then departed, leaving only Xie Lian and the child in the small shrine. As Xie Lian exited the shrine, he took a brief glance back. However, he didn't stay a moment longer and rushed straight for the Heavenly Capital.
Initially, he had planned to pay a visit to any of the heavenly officials who controlled water, but strangely they seemed to all be on leave and absent from their respective residences in the Heavenly Capital. Only the Rain Master, who didn't reside in the heavens, was on active duty. As Xie Lian hurried down the streets of the capital, he bumped into a black-clad female official carrying an armload of scrolls.
She smiled. "Your Highness, you're finally back."
"Nangong, perfect timing," Xie Lian said, then immediately asked, "Do you know where the Rain Master's residence is located?"
This black-clad woman was named Nangong Jie, and she was a low-ranking civil official from the Middle Court. Since Xie Lian's ascension, she was the one taking care of much of the bureaucratic grunt work and related errands. She was well informed about current events and handled cases adeptly, so Xie Lian thought highly of her.
"The construction of Lord Rain Master's new palace isn't complete yet, but a temporary residence is situated in the Kingdom of Yushi in the South," Nangong Jie said. She gave him the address to the Rain Master's residence, then inquired further, "Why are you looking for Lord Rain Master?"
"Urgent business. Thanks for your help," Xie Lian said. He was about to leave but turned back and cleared his throat, sounding embarrassed. "Nangong, you're more familiar than I am with the heavenly officials of the Upper Court. Can you tell me if Lord Rain Master…likes anything in particular?"
When new heavenly officials ascended, the more astute ones would pay visits to the palaces of every official and greet them with gifts as a social salutation. This was pretty much an unspoken rule. However, Xie Lian had ascended too suddenly, and no one taught him when he first arrived. It was only afterward that the state preceptor reminded him, but by then it was already too late and it would have only made things awkward. Also, to a crown prince like Xie Lian it felt too much like backhanded bribery, and he didn't appreciate the practice; in the end, he decided to just go about things naturally, hoping for a chance to build relationships with the other officials through more genuine means.
It was an admirable idea—but now, as he turned back to it and proactively asked what a heavenly official would like, it sounded quite like he was about to bribe someone. He couldn't help but blush with shame, but he had no choice. The other gods who resided at the Heavenly Capital communicated through the spiritual communication array, which would have made negotiation much easier—but the Rain Master did not communicate in this manner. And Xie Lian didn't want other gods to misunderstand his intentions, to think that he was looking to borrow spiritual devices for nothing.
Nangong Jie immediately understood. "Regrettably, I'm afraid I can't help Your Highness in this matter. Lord Rain Master is quite low-key; I doubt there's anyone in the entire Heavenly Realm who knows the lord's personal interests, myself included. Sorry."
Xie Lian reddened. "No worries, don't take it to heart. Thanks."
"But if My Lord needs to, it won't hurt to simply pay a visit," Nangong Jie added. "By my understanding of Lord Rain Master's temperament, you might still be granted an audience."
Xie Lian thanked her again and followed her directions southward until he arrived at the temporary residence of the Rain Master.
It was a small village surrounded by green mountains and clear waters, a land of picturesque scenery—but Xie Lian had no mind to appreciate it. He crossed through the ridges of fields and finally saw a stone marker with the word "Rain" engraved on it. Logically speaking, after passing the stone marker, he would be in the temporary domain of the Rain Master, and those working within it should be the Rain Master's subordinates. But as Xie Lian walked, he only saw lush green fields all around. In the fields there were oxen mooing, mills turning, assiduous farmers planting rice stalks, and beside the fields there was a small, crooked, thatched cottage. There was neither trace nor sign of divinity, and Xie Lian wondered if he'd gone in the wrong direction. Wasn't this simply a small, impoverished farming village?
As he doubted himself, a black ox in a far field let out a long lowing noise, and another. Then it stood back on its hind legs, and its forelegs stretched out in order to remove the plow from its own back. That strong, solid body narrowed, the long oxen snout shrank, and in the blink of an eye it had transformed from a sleek black ox into a farmer, stripped to the waist.
The farmer was tall and strong, his muscles well defined and the contours of his face hard. His nose had a polished iron nose ring hooked through it like that of an ox, and a long grass stalk hung from his lips. The
other farmers witnessed this extraordinary transformation but continued to work like it was nothing. Xie Lian concluded that no one here was mortal and approached, raising his folded hands in courtesy.
"Fellow cultivator, may I inquire whether this is the temporary residence of Lord Rain Master?"
The black ox farmer pointed to the field bank directly across and replied, "Yeah. Lord Rain Master lives there."
"…"
Xie Lian looked around several times before confirming that the only thing in that pointed direction was indeed the thatched cottage. It looked like it would topple from a mere breeze, and it surely leaked on rainy days.
Even his most shabby, decrepit shrines looked solider and more respectable than that little cottage. Xie Lian amazed. They said the Lord Rain Master was of royal descent like himself, from the Kingdom of Yushi. It was for that very reason that he didn't bring any precious gems or rare treasures as a greeting gift, thinking perhaps that the Rain Master felt the same way he did about those things—which was nothing. Why live in such destitution after ascension? Maybe it was another form of cultivation?
Mindful of his manners, Xie Lian thanked the farmer and approached
the little cottage, calling with a loud, clear voice. "Lord Rain Master, please forgive this Prince of Xianle for making an abrupt visit without prior notice."
There was no response from within the cottage. The farmer ambled over, hauling the plow along after him.
"Oh? You're that crown prince who ascended at age seventeen?"
"Regrettably," Xie Lian said.
"Nothing regrettable about it, it's just the truth," the farmer said. "But Lord Rain Master doesn't enjoy entertaining guests and was injured recently, so I'm afraid you won't be received today."
Xie Lian was disappointed at hearing this but still wanted to keep trying. "Then may I ask you to pass on a message for me? I have an urgent request. However, if Lord Rain Master should feel inconvenienced by it, I won't persist."
The farmer chuckled. "No need to pass on any word, we all know why you're here. Feels bad, right? Having no water in Xianle."
Xie Lian was taken aback. "You know of Xianle's affairs, sir?"
"Of course I know," the farmer said. "And that's not limited to just those of us on this middle-of-nowhere mountain—right now, who doesn't know that catastrophe is about to befall your Kingdom of Xianle? You don't know anything about your own affairs, but everyone spectating understands what's really going on, and they're probably all enjoying the show, ha ha. You're here to borrow the Rain Master's spiritual device for disaster aid, right?"
Those were enlightening words. It was only then that Xie Lian realized: those heavenly officials in the Upper Court weren't coincidentally all gone at the same time. They all knew what his intentions were and purposely shut their doors or left in advance to dodge him, to avoid being dragged into his mess.
He sighed. Should I have paid everyone's palaces a visit at the beginning? Would that have made it easier to find someone willing to assist among my peers?
It was a depressing thought. He responded in a small voice, "That's right. If I am causing trouble for the Rain Master, I will not pester any further."
However, the farmer said, "Why won't you pester? Because it's shameful? This is about the survival of your kingdom—shouldn't you pester us to death? Is it so hard to lower yourself and ask? Young people shouldn't be rattled so easily. Let me say something unpleasant: Should Lord Rain Master help, it's on account of kindness. If not, it's on account of duty. Whether you'll be lent that device is based on the lord's mood, so if you don't get what you want, don't bother complaining about it later."
Xie Lian knew that what he said made sense. But the situation was so dire, and the farmer's tone so unfriendly, that a wave of anger rolled through him. He held his head higher and replied in an upright voice.
"I understand everything you are saying, and I would never complain behind anyone's back, so why must you make assumptions about how I'll react? I said I will not pester simply because I do not want to waste my time and cause trouble for Lord Rain Master in the process. But if Lord Rain Master would not feel inconvenienced, and all I need to do to borrow the spiritual device is be bothersome about it, then it would be nothing for me to offer up all eight thousand of my temples and kowtow a hundred times."
The farmer burst out laughing. "You're angry? You have the temper of a child. Here!"
He tossed something over; Xie Lian raised his hand and caught a grass-colored bamboo hat, the very one that the farmer previously had on his back.
"What is this?" Xie Lian asked.
"The thing you wanted to borrow," the farmer explained. "Lord Rain Master already asked me to pass this to you before you came. Use it carefully. If you break it, we won't forgive you."
Xie Lian's eyes widened. "Why?"
"Didn't I already tell you?" the farmer asked. "The loan was based on the lord's mood. Other heavenly officials won't help you, so Lord Rain Master had to go against the flow. Whatever Lord Rain Master wants to do shall be done."
"Thank you so much! Thank you!" Xie Lian cried.
"Don't be too happy so soon, Your Highness," the farmer added. "Lord Rain Master may have ascended before you, but has fewer devotees —and thus less power. And there are those recent injuries to consider. The loan of that thing is all you'll get; the rest is up to you. Distant waters cannot quench nearby thirsts; the Rain Master's Hat can move rain but not create water. There's not enough water in your Xianle, so you must borrow from other kingdoms, and they may not be willing. Only the Kingdom of Yushi has had rain in abundance in recent years, and it is rather wealthy in that aspect. However, there is a great distance to be crossed between the two kingdoms, and every use of that hat will drain an enormous amount of your spiritual power. No matter how much you possess, there will come a day that it runs dry."
Xie Lian was keenly aware of how difficult it was to lend one's spiritual device to some random person. He bowed deeply to the thatched cottage.
"I am profoundly grateful that the Lord Rain Master would lend a helping hand. I will not forget this kindness—should there be anything I can do to help in the future, pray the Lord Rain Master does not hesitate to ask for me. Farewell!"
With the borrowed spiritual device in hand, Xie Lian immediately found a lake in the south and ladled out a large portion of its water with the Rain Master's Hat. Crossing thousands of kilometers, he returned to Yong'an in Xianle. He found the worst-affected village, the Bay of Lang-Er, and flipped the bamboo hat over above the clouds.
Soon after, a short sprinkling of rain fell from the sky. Xie Lian jumped off the clouds and landed both feet on the ground. The half-dead villagers couldn't believe their eyes; some rushed out of their homes to cheer under the rain, and others hurriedly brought out buckets of all sizes to
collect the water. Xie Lian sighed in relief at the sight of this, and he finally managed a smile. Just then, he heard a voice call out from afar.
"Your Highness!"
He turned and saw Mu Qing appear from behind a tree, his face dark. Seeing his gloomy expression, Xie Lian knew something was wrong.
"What is it? Did something happen?"