Xie Lian never imagined anyone would actually pass the wine cup to him.
Unfortunately, he reacted too fast and took the cup without thinking,but the moment he did, he froze. However, when he looked to see who had handed him the cup, the other party was also dumbfounded—it was Ming Yi.
As it turned out, when the wine cup previously found itself in Shi Qingxuan's hand, Shi Qingxuan had thought it'd be funny to give it to Ming Yi. However, Ming Yi had been quite busy stuffing his face and drinking his own wine, and hadn't even bothered to look up before passing the wine cup in a random direction. Only after the cup had been delivered did he realize what had happened and was struck speechless. At that exact moment, the thunder stopped rumbling, leaving Xie Lian and Ming Yi staring blankly at each other.
Although the one who received the wine cup was Xie Lian, everyone's gaze moved to Feng Xin and Mu Qing. It wasn't hard to understand why; Xie Lian had not been mentioned or heard of for eight hundred years. Eight hundred years ago, there naturally would have been plenty of plays depicting his heroism, but those plays had long since been lost to time. Besides, no one would pick such an auspicious day to set up a stage and perform just for Xie Lian. And so, it followed that if they had to find a play with a role for the "Crown Prince of Xianle," it would have to be one starring either Feng Xin or Mu Qing.
In Mortal Realm plays written for those two heavenly officials, at times the story would involve Xie Lian—usually as a foil or an extra, or for the sake of making the play even more exciting. Some would rewrite Xie Lian as the villain, spinning stories depicting the lonely, abandoned Mu Qing being bullied, or Xie Lian robbing Feng Xin of his beloved, and so on. If such plays were shown at the Mid-Autumn Banquet, whether the officials in question would be pleased was hardly a concern, since the rest of the audience would definitely enjoy it. Xie Lian held that small jade cup in his hand, and some heavenly officials were already urging him:
"Your Highness, come, come, come, down the cup!"
A few joined in the pestering, and Feng Xin spoke from his spot far away.
"His Highness can't drink."
"Just one cup! It won't do anything," the crowd urged.
Jun Wu had not said a word throughout the performances, simply sitting with his hand supporting his temple. Now he also straightened as if to speak.
Beside Xie Lian, Shi Qingxuan asked, "Can you do it? If not, then whatever, I'll help you throw the hundred thousand merits to drop the curtains."
"…"
Xie Lian was afraid she really would throw away a hundred thousand merits on impulse. No matter how generous she was, that wasn't the way to go about things. Besides, he'd seen pretty much every play there was, and there wasn't anything worth paying attention to.
He hastily replied, "No, no, a cup shouldn't be a problem."
Then Xie Lian emptied the cup. Fine brew flowed down his throat, leaving in its wake a path that was first cool, then hot. He felt a little dizzy, but the taste of that refined drink pushed down the dizziness in an instant. The curtains around the pavilion slowly lifted, and the crowd moved their attention there, ready to focus on the play. They were amazed by what they saw.
Two figures stood onstage. One was dressed in white with a bamboo hat on his back, looking windswept and dusty, with a face as fair as powder —this was no doubt Xie Lian. The other was dressed in red, his ebony hair as black as ink. He had a handsome face and a lithe form, and his eyes were bright and charming. A snake was wrapped around his arm, which "Xie Lian" stripped away—however, that red-robed man snatched the snake back in a flash before tossing it aside. He then clutched "Xie Lian's" hand with no intent of letting go. This scene made Xie Lian feel like he'd been violently stabbed by a knife to the heart.
The heavenly officials had been eager to watch a good show, and they were astonished. Of course, Xie Lian himself was also flabbergasted. Jun Wu chuckled from his spot at the head of the banquet.
"What play is this? Seems it has never been performed before."
Ling Wen immediately sent for someone to investigate, then gave his report. "It appears this play is called Adventures in the Kingdom of Banyue. It's newly written, so it's indeed never been shown before. Tonight is its debut performance in the Mortal Realm."
Shi Qingxuan turned to Xie Lian. "It was probably written by those merchants we met, after they returned from the Kingdom of Banyue. There'll be no need to pull the curtains. We've saved ourselves some merits."
Xie Lian didn't comment. Those merchants were the only mortals who knew of the incident in the Kingdom of Banyue, so only they could be behind this play. He recalled a boy named Tian Sheng in that caravan, who had indeed said something along the lines of worshipping Xie Lian as thanks—perhaps he had commissioned this play? However, Xie Lian hadn't told Tian Sheng his name, and a young boy couldn't have arranged something like this.
Although the heavenly officials weren't watching the play they expected, the performance before them was even more exciting. After all, if the rumors were true, then the role that red-robed man was playing was none other than Hua Cheng!
There were plenty of plays about Crimson Rain Sought Flower in the Mortal Realm, but they were usually titled something like The Red Demon Torched the Temples of Thirty-Three Gods and the Heavens Could Do Fuck-all About It, or Crimson Rain Sought Flower Strung Up the Martial and Civil Gods and Slapped Them Around With But One Hand, and so on— he kind of stories that would make those in the heavens cry silent tears, with zero desire to find out how they ended. In any case, the protagonist this time was Xie Lian. The officials present felt like he'd never fit in and could hardly be truly counted as one of their own, so watching this play did no harm. Besides, the staging was intricate, the production exquisite, the actors extremely well made-up—truly, it was a great piece of painstaking effort. Many secretly enjoyed the show in all sincerity, and they provided running commentary as they watched.
"Is that true? That must be made up; Hua Cheng would never talk like that to anyone!"
"Nonsense! Pure nonsense!"
"Who does this play take Hua Cheng for?! Wake up! This isn't a romantic drama—goodness, how daring!"
As this was, in the end, a play written just for Xie Lian, he watched it attentively. If he had to provide an earnest review, it wasn't bad. The actors looked good, the story was good… Just, as one of the characters being portrayed, he had a teeny tiny criticism: the two protagonists seemed overly familiar with each other.
The one who played Xie Lian was a really talented actor, but every time he opened his mouth to call for "San Lang," although the tone didn't rise up and down or brim with yearning, Xie Lian thought it was somehow even more unsettling than when "Lady Wind Master" had called "Lord Water Master" her "hubbyyyyy" earlier that night. Also, there seemed to be too many little gestures: the actors were always hooking arms, hugging shoulders, and embracing each other. Somehow, something wasn't right about it.
But if Xie Lian really thought about it…when he called for San Lang, that was indeed the tone he always used, and all those intimate gestures really did seem faithful to the source material as well. He hadn't thought there was anything wrong with it at the time, and watching it now, technically there still wasn't anything wrong. If he looked at the other heavenly officials, although their lips condemned the show as nonsense, they seemed to be fully enjoying it and watched with rapt attention and enthusiastic interest. And so, Xie Lian kept his mouth shut.
As they watched, Shi Wudu suddenly spoke up, "Who are those two servant boys in the back?"
At the words "servant boys," both Feng Xin and Mu Qing imperceptibly froze for a moment.
"They're not servant boys," Ling Wen replied. "Those should be two junior martial officials from the Middle Court. They were appointed by the Palaces of Nan Yang and Xuan Zhen to assist in His Highness's emergency request."
That the Palaces of Nan Yang and Xuan Zhen had actually sent people to assist Xie Lian was truly extraordinary news, as impossible to imagine as Pei Ming courteously rejecting the advances of a peerless beauty, and all the heavenly officials turned to look.
Ling Wen added, "They went voluntarily."
Xie Lian smiled. "I forgot to ask—how are Nan Feng and Fu Yao? Why didn't I see them come out to play today?"
"Nan Feng…is…" Feng Xin said.
Mu Qing replied evenly, "Fu Yao is in detention."
Feng Xin replied as well, "Nan Feng is also in detention."
Xie Lian made a neutral noise. "Both of them are locked up?" he commented. "What a shame."
While they conversed, the curtains dropped on that exhilarating play. Although all present determined that it had been written by an ignorant believer with indecent fantasies, watching an obscene Hua Cheng was still fully entertaining, and the crowd cheered and applauded. However, Pei Xiu
had been exiled because of what happened at the Banyue Pass, so everyone still had to mind Pei Ming after the entertainment ended.
"How's your Little Pei doing, General Pei?" Shi Wudu inquired.
Pei Ming poured himself a cup and drank, shaking his head. "How well can he do? His heart isn't in the right place. I don't care anymore."
Shi Qingxuan couldn't listen further. "So in General Pei's opinion, where's the right place for his heart?" she scoffed. "Your Little Pei's future is a future, but the little missy's future is nothing?"
Her tone was impudent, and Shi Wudu's sharp gaze swept over.
"Qingxuan, mind your manners!"
The moment he reprimanded her, Shi Qingxuan lowered her head, shamefaced.
Pei Ming laughed at the sight of this.
"Water Master-xiong, your little brother is quite the force to be reckoned with. Only you can keep him in line. It isn't really anything to worry about if he messes with me, but if he messes with the wrong people, they won't let it go so easily for your sake."
Shi Wudu opened his fan and continued to lecture his younger sibling. "Did you hear what General Pei said? And how many times do I have to tell you not to walk around in that form all the time? What a disgrace. I don't care what appearance you prefer; you must use your true form when you're out!"
Although Shi Qingxuan loved her lady form passionately and wouldn't stand for such outrageous demands, she still didn't dare offend her brother.
Xie Lian thought, The Wind Master says she's not afraid of her older brother, but that doesn't seem to be entirely true.
Yet unexpectedly, Shi Wudu ended the lecture with: "What if you encounter someone with wicked intent who's strong in spiritual power, like General Pei?!"
Ling Wen laughed unkindly, and Pei Ming nearly spat out his wine again.
"Water Master-xiong! If you keep that up, we can't be pals anymore."
After the feasting was over, amidst the clinking cups, it came time at last for the final act of the night: the Battle of the Lanterns.
Every candle and lamp within the Heavenly Capital was extinguished, and all was dim except for the light of the moon. The banquet was set up near a lake, and when the clouds and mist on the surface were waved away, the deep darkness of the Mortal Realm could be seen through the clear waters.
The Battle of the Lanterns was a competition to see which heavenly official was offered the greatest number of Blessings Lanterns from their largest, most renowned temple. One Blessings Lantern of Everlasting Light was hard to buy even with a thousand gold, and they could not easily be extinguished. The order of the Battle of the Lanterns was called from lowest to highest, and when it was an official's turn, the lanterns offered by their worshippers floated past the heavenly banquet to brighten the long, dark night in an incomparably enchanting display.
The Palace of Divine Might had nine-hundred and sixty-one lanterns this year—a count close to a thousand, and a number that had never before been reached in heavenly history. The heavenly officials felt that next year, the count would surely break a thousand, but that wasn't the point. If first place was always first place, then first place lost meaning, so the Palace of Divine Might was automatically discounted from the running when it came to the battle.
The moment the Battle of the Lanterns began, the first one up was the Rain Master, and the lantern tally was both funny and embarrassing. When Xie Lian saw that one little errant Blessings Lantern floating leisurely to the sky and heard, "The Palace of the Rain Master, one lantern!" he almost suspected he had become drunk and hadn't yet sobered up. There was no way it could be only one lantern.
To make sure he wasn't impaired, he asked Shi Qingxuan, "Is that correct?"
"It is," Shi Qingxuan replied. "It really is just that one. And that one was lit by the bull from the Rain Master's own house for the sake of showing face at the feast."
Self-offering; what an endearing sentiment. Xie Lian pondered for a moment. The Rain Master controlled rain and was thus the god of agriculture. He guessed aloud, "Is it because the worshippers of the Rain Master are mostly farmers, so they don't have the funds for offerings?"
"Your Highness, do you have some kind of misunderstanding about farmers?" Shi Qingxuan asked. "A lot of farmers are wealthy, okay? It's only because the Lord Rain Master has always told them it's better to work the fields than to use money for offerings, so those followers always offer fresh fruits and vegetables instead."
Xie Lian was extremely envious when he heard this. What a marvelous thing, he thought.
Shi Qingxuan continued, "And then later the Lord Rain Master also said not to waste anything, so usually after a couple days, the worshippers take home the offerings to eat themselves."
"…"
At the beginning of the battle, the numbers were scattered and sparse, and the lights belonging to the lower-ranked officials went from a few to a few dozen. It attracted very little interest from the crowd. But as the battle continued, the brighter the rising lanterns shined and the more attention everyone paid. If not for the dedicated heavenly official who tallied and announced the numbers, it would be impossible to count the densely packed lanterns floating up. Xie Lian didn't at all understand what was going on, so he didn't comment on anything, instead listening to everyone else's analysis of how the competition was going while admiring the beautiful scene of lanterns illuminating the long black night—although personally, he didn't think there was really anything to analyze.
After about two incense time, they'd finally come to the grand finale. The fight for top ten in the Battle of the Lanterns at the Mid-Autumn Festival had begun.
At the bottom of the top ten, Xie Lian heard the announcer official shout:
"The palace of Qi Ying, four hundred and twenty-one lanterns!"
Quan Yizhen had long since left the feast, so the other officials didn't bother to hide the clicking of their tongues when they heard the count. The Martial God of the West was young, but his headwind was strong. Two hundred Blessings Lanterns was plenty to other officials who had around the same amount of experience, yet he had more than double that count. Even Lang Qianqiu, who had ascended earlier, didn't have as many lanterns, so Quan Yizhen was indeed impressive. However, Xie Lian felt that the young man wasn't really that well received in the heavens. Other than himself and Shi Qingxuan, practically no one else was sincerely awed by the number.
Next up, the Palace of the Earth Master, four hundred and forty-four lanterns. Other than taking the opportunity to slurp down two more spoonfuls of soup, Ming Yi had no further reaction to the news. Shi Qingxuan was more excited than he was, repeatedly proclaiming "Too few, too few." Because no one else was close with the Lord Earth Master, they only clapped politely in congratulations. Soon after, it was Shi Qingxuan herself—the Palace of the Wind Master, five hundred and twenty-three lanterns.
A person's popularity is something plainly evident. When the lantern count for the Palace of the Wind Master was announced, Shi Qingxuan hadn't even said anything before applause from the banquet roared, with hollers and cheers of "Congratulations!" and "As expected!" everywhere.
Shi Qingxuan was quite proud, standing up to cup her hands at the crowd before she gleefully shouted to Shi Wudu, "Ge! I'm eighth this year!"
She was acting like a child begging her parents for a reward after having been praised by her teacher, and Xie Lian couldn't help but smile.
However, Shi Wudu sharply scolded her, "Only eighth? What's there to be happy about?!"
His words were actually quite presumptuous. In the Upper Court, no one was a nobody, yet ranking as high as eighth overall with five hundred Blessings Lanterns became nothing more than "only eighth" from his lips. So didn't that mean the ones who ranked lower than eighth were even more worthless? It wasn't like he didn't understand his words were arrogant; he said them simply because he was unafraid. Shi Qingxuan's expression slumped.
Shi Wudu fluttered his fan and added, with great difficulty, "Even so, there are more lanterns than last year. Next year must be better as well."
Hearing this, Shi Qingxuan smiled and laughed again. At the banquet, only Ming Yi didn't cheer for her, as he was wholly occupied with stuffing his face. Shi Qingxuan smacked him a couple times, insisting upon some congratulations, but Ming Yi ignored her completely and continued to devour his food. Shi Qingxuan was outraged and demanded once more that he applaud her, and next to them, Xie Lian laughed so hard that he lost his breath.
Next, the Palace of Ling Wen, five hundred and thirty-six lanterns.
Among the civil gods, Ling Wen was considered number one. However, not too many civil gods congratulated him—instead it was the martial gods who sent their regards. Xie Lian congratulated him from afar, and Shi Wudu and Pei Ming demanded that Ling Wen hold a celebratory feast. Grumbles from other heavenly officials could be heard all around. There were complaints that Ling Wen only had so many worshippers because she used a male form. There was griping that Ling Wen had no time for other civil gods while she curried the favor of the more popular martial gods. There were comments that Ling Wen had snatched this rank only because she held the most feasts, and that there were prostitutes at those feasts, et cetera, et cetera. Xie Lian shook his head and had only one thing to say: it really wasn't easy being a female official.
Following Ling Wen were the Palaces of Nan Yang and Xuan Zhen, counted at five hundred seventy-two and five hundred seventy-three. Mu Qing looked relaxed and pleased, while Feng Xin appeared neither happy nor angry, and seemingly didn't care. Xie Lian was mystified; how had the count come so close? That was surely too near to be a coincidence. He asked Shi Qingxuan in a hushed voice, and as it turned out, the close count was indeed a matter of similarity. The two of them had similar backgrounds, similar might, territories right next to each other's, and an unfriendly relationship on top of all that. Worshippers on both sides fought to win specifically against the other, vowing that however many lanterns the other side offered, they would offer just one more. They didn't ask to benumber one, just better than the other side. They put everything they had into achieving this goal, and every year there'd be a victorious side and a defeated one. This year, the Palace of Xuan Zhen squeezed out one more lantern at the very last second, narrowly winning against the Palace of Nan Yang. The worshippers looked like they had won a battle and were celebrating wildly.
Hearing this, Xie Lian couldn't help but think: Rather than fighting each other to the death outside, shouldn't those people be home to celebrate the holiday? It's the Mid-Autumn Festival! A time for family reunions!
Next, the Palace of Ming Guang, five hundred and eighty lanterns.
That was an impressive number, yet Pei Ming still didn't look pleased. The number of Blessings Lanterns that the Palace of Ming Guang had received was actually lower than the year before. It was a shock for something to have happened to Deputy General Pei Xiu, and they had lost almost a hundred lanterns for it. If it weren't for Pei Ming's strong base, he might have lost even more. Neither Shi Wudu nor Ling Wen congratulated him, only patted his shoulders.
Up until this point, Xie Lian noticed that the Blessings Lantern tallies were all very close together; only separated by tens and twenties, with no single heavenly official really standing out. This meant that in truth everyone was pretty much the same, and no one was really winning. He was just thinking this when the announcer shouted once more.
"The palace of the Water Master, seven hundred and eighteen lanterns!"
The banquet was in an uproar, awash with the sound of amazement.
Once the heavenly officials came to their senses, they fought eachother to send forth their congratulations. Shi Wudu only sat there and didn't rise to receive the accolades; he didn't look particularly haughty and seemed to consider this all perfectly natural. He was probably only the second heavenly official in centuries to even come close to the Palace ofDivine Might's count. The first time Xie Lian ascended had been too long ago, and Blessings Lanterns back then had been even harder to come by, so it couldn't compare. However, as the saying went: "Men die for wealth, birds die for food." Humanity's passionate love for money would never lessen, and this performance was as expected for the God of Wealth!
Shi Qingxuan was more excited than if she herself had received seven hundred lanterns, and she applauded with force, shouting to Xie Lian, "That's my brother! That's my brother!"
Xie Lian laughed. "I know, that's your brother!"
At the banquet, it was only Ming Yi, all by his lonesome, who was still working hard at eating. Honestly, Xie Lian thought that out of everyone present, only he treated the "feast" seriously for what it was. It seemed he'd attended specifically for the food, as though he'd been starved while playing the part of a spy in Ghost City and was working tonight to refill his stomach to the brim. When Xie Lian thought back to the street food sold at the Ghost City stalls, he understood wholeheartedly. He couldn't help but wonder: Did Hua Cheng ever stroll through the Ghost City streets, every now and then?
The night's most thrilling mystery had now been solved. Tonight, each heavenly official had socialized and watched plays to their hearts' content, and they rose to their feet satisfied and ready to take their leave.
"Wait." Shi Wudu snapped his fan shut, a sudden crease forming between his brows.
If anyone else were to say "wait," it probably wouldn't have been as effective. However, Shi Wudu was known as the Water Tyrant for a reason. As if he had been born to give commands, the moment he opened his mouth, others unconsciously obeyed. Everyone sat back down in their seats, confused.
"The top ten are out; does the Lord Water Master have anything else to add?"
Is he going to give out merits too? Xie Lian wondered.
"The top ten are out?" Shi Wudu dryly asked as he flitted his fan.
No one knew what he meant except Shi Qingxuan, who suddenly cried out in shock.
"No… No, no, no! The top ten aren't all out! Even if we count the Palace of Divine Might, only nine have been announced so far!"
Everyone was stunned, and they soon started wondering aloud.
"Only nine?"
"It's true, I counted, there really were only nine!"
"Someone else is ranked higher than Lord Water Master?!"
"What?! Who can it be? I don't know anyone like that!"
Just then, a white light as bright as day exploded across the black night.
That light was from lanterns.
Like thousands upon millions of fish swimming through gorges to the sea, countless lanterns slowly floated up.
They shimmered and gleamed in the dark night, radiant and brilliant, like floating souls in a magnificent dream. It was exceedingly beautiful, brightening the blackened Mortal Realm. In the face of such a striking sight, none could speak. All held their breath, and their words lay broken in their mouths.
Xie Lian watched that sky full of lanterns in dumbfounded awe. It was like his own breathing had stopped and he could hear nothing at all, and he remained dazed for a long while. It was only after some time that he realized something was wrong.
The eyes of every heavenly official at the banquet were on Xie Lian. The announcer official had raised his quivering hand and pointed at him.
Bewildered, Xie Lian asked, "What is it?"
No one answered.
Xie Lian pointed to himself.
"…Me?"
Next to him, Shi Qingxuan slapped his shoulder. "Yes. You."
"…" Xie Lian was still in shock. "Me what? What about me?"
That announcer swallowed a few times with difficulty and finally spoke again. The hundreds of heavenly officials present heard the tally from a voice that trembled with disbelief:
"Thousand Lights Temple, the Palace of the Crown Prince, three… Three…
"Three thousand lanterns!"
Three thousand lanterns!
All was silent. Then suddenly there was an uproar like a tidal wave.
Never had anyone won three thousand lanterns in a single night at the Mid-Autumn Festival Banquet, not even the Palace of Divine Might, which always sat at the head, as solid as the mountains. In fact, no one could ever have imagined such a number. Even one thousand was difficult to pass. Three thousand! That was truly unheard of, without a single precedent in all of history. It was more than all the other top ten heavenly officials combined!
One can imagine just how incredulous every official was at that moment, and some even blurted out:
"That has to be a mistake!"
"They must've miscounted…"
Aside from the ridiculous idea that the announcer official, who had been counting for the Mid-Autumn Festival's Battle of the Lanterns for years, could've coincidentally miscounted tonight, the sight of that massive band of flowing lights alone proved the tally couldn't be wrong—and even if that number was wrong, it could only be an underestimation.
Thus, another heavenly official hazarded, "Could it be that those aren't real Blessings Lanterns? Maybe they're the ordinary sort?"
That basically meant "It's fraud!" A few agreed.
However, Shi Qingxuan shot down such talk.
"How could they be ordinary lanterns? Ordinary lanterns and Blessings Lanterns are of completely different make! And ordinary lanterns can't fly up to the heavens, so how could these be counterfeits?"
If Xie Lian had argued, the officials would probably have continued to doubt. However, because it was Shi Qingxuan who spoke up and Shi Wudu was also present, no one dared say much else. Hitting a dead end, they changed tack.
"Everyone, where is this Thousand Lights Temple? When was it built? Who built it? Does any heavenly colleague know?"
The announcer official replied, "No…but 'Thousand Lights Temple' was clearly written on the lanterns that floated up."
"But I've never heard of any Thousand Lights Temple!"
"Yeah, me neither!"
Xie Lian finally snapped out of his shocked reverie when he heardthese complaints, and he said quite earnestly, "Everyone, truth be told, not only have none of you ever heard of it, I haven't heard of it either."
Surely there was no way Tian Sheng could have constructed it too?!
All the officials present lost their minds, destroyed by this unexpected thunder, incredulous and disbelieving, their tongues spitting with speculation.
Xie Lian really wanted to say, "It's only a game, why is everyonetaking it so seriously?" But first, very few took this "game" as a game, and second, he had ranked first place in this "game," so if he said anything, he'd be asking for it. The other heavenly officials couldn't say anything either; they hadn't taken the winning spot, so if they said anything, it'd be as if they were trying to downplay not placing first. It was all exceedingly awkward.
Just then, Pei Ming chuckled. "I did say that Crimson Rain Sought Flower didn't kidnap His Highness out of ill intent, but no one believed me. Will you finally believe me now?"
His reminder enlightened the crowd with a startling epiphany.
If this was Hua Cheng's doing, then it wasn't impossible—it would be a simple feat for him to light three thousand Blessings Lanterns like it was nothing!
Whether anything was going on between Xie Lian and Hua Cheng was a true mystery, as was the nature of their relationship. Before this, the majority had thought it was more believable to say that Hua Cheng kidnapped Xie Lian with nefarious intent. After all, there was no reason forHua Cheng, who had always been unfriendly toward the heavens, to suddenly treat Xie Lian differently. However, there was also no reason to suspect that this show of courtesy was insincere, since it was so at odds with Hua Cheng's usual wild lawlessness. After this Mid-Autumn Festival Banquet, one would be hard-pressed to say Hua Cheng harbored malevolence toward Xie Lian—three thousand Blessings Lanterns! Even for the Water Master, who controlled wealth, that wasn't something one could pull off just because they felt like it.
Amidst the chaos, the sound of steady clapping suddenly came from the head of the feast. The officials looked to the sound and saw Jun Wu slowly applauding as he smiled at Xie Lian.
"Congratulations, Xianle."
Xie Lian knew Jun Wu intended to take the heat off him and was grateful for it. He bowed his head.
Jun Wu sighed in awe. "You always manage to create miracles."
Seeing that exchange, the feast quieted. After some hesitation, the crowd finally took Jun Wu's lead and clapped, their applause uneven as they sent their congratulations.
No matter how shocked they were, by that point the heavenly officials had to admit that This Highness the Crown Prince always produced rare phenomena. It was as such back then, and it was most certainly the case now!
The Mid-Autumn Festival Banquet had ended, and the relentlessly rumbling Thunder Master had also packed up. The one who cheered the hardest throughout it all was of course Shi Qingxuan; no matter whose ranking rolled out when, she would be the first to applaud—except for Pei Ming, of course. At first, Xie Lian wondered if stealing the Water Master's thunder and bumping him from second place to third would provoke his ire, but Shi Wudu didn't seem upset. Pei Ming and Ling Wen both congratulated him, and afterward the trio started discussing whose mountain hot springs would be best suited for a relaxing spa day and tui na massage.
Hearing them, Shi Qingxuan asked, "Ge, you're all going out to play again?"
Shi Wudu folded his fan. "Mm-hmm."
Ling Wen crossed his arms and chuckled. "Lord Wind Master, want to come along?"
"No, I've already made plans with people," Shi Qingxuan replied.
Shi Wudu frowned. "I hope it's not with anyone unsavory."
"Is there anyone more unsavory than General Pei?" Ling Wen quipped.
"Better shut up now, Noble Jie," Pei Ming warned.
Xie Lian waited until the two siblings spoke a few more words to each other, then prepared to leave the banquet with Shi Qingxuan. On the way out, they bumped into Mu Qing. It wasn't clear whether he'd been watching Xie Lian, but he certainly didn't look so pleased anymore. Feng Xin, however, was the exact opposite. When he rose to leave the feast, he called to Xie Lian.
"Congratulations."
Xie Lian nodded to him. "Thanks."
Lang Ying was settled in the Palace of the Wind Master in the Heavenly Capital. The boy had been cleaned up, but he was still rather shy. When Xie Lian picked him up and descended, the boy didn't talk much onthe road. Xie Lian first went into town to buy some fresh fruit for him to eat, but he didn't immediately return to Puqi Village. Instead, he first went into a patch of nearby woods.
This forest was quite lively. A bare-chested young man was hung upside down by a white silk band. Profanities and vulgarities spilled from his mouth, and a little child squatted under him slapping away mosquitos. Xie Lian had Lang Ying stand outside the clearing, then strolled leisurely over. When that young man saw him, he raged.
"XIE LIAN, YOU PIECE OF SHIT, FUCKING LET ME DOWN THIS INSTANT! I'M GONNA DIE, I'M GONNA DIE, I'M GONNA DIE!"
Xie Lian, however, said warmly, "It must be years since you last got bit by mosquitos. Is it so bad to have a taste of being alive again?"
That young man was indeed Qi Rong. Xie Lian had expected him to misbehave, and that he'd surely try to goad Guzi into cutting Ruoye, so Xie Lian had instructed Ruoye thusly: should Qi Rong try to escape, drag him to these woods and have fun. Qi Rong was using another's flesh as a shield against Xie Lian, so Xie Lian couldn't beat him to a pulp very often— however, he could still make that flesh suffer petty pains of other sorts. Xie Lian had chopped firewood and scavenged in this area, and he himself had suffered being bitten to bits by mosquitos. It seemed Qi Rong was also presently bitten all over, and he looked more miserable than a dying man as he cussed loudly.
"WHERE'S YOUR SNOW-WHITE LOTUS HEART?! WHY CAN'T YOU PRETEND TO BE A SICKENINGLY SWEET GOOD PERSON NOW?!"
Guzi hugged Xie Lian's leg and wailed. "Da-gege, please let my dad down! He's been hanging for so long!"
Xie Lian petted Guzi's head. Immediately after, Qi Rong yelped as he fell to the ground in a heap.
To return to Puqi Village, they had to traverse a maple grove. Xie Lian dragged along a bare-chested young man spewing curses, and following behind him were two children, one crying and sobbing, the other sullen and quiet.
What an odd group we make, Xie Lian thought.
As they hiked up the hills, he cautioned the two little ones behind him, "Watch your step. It's easy to trip here."
That was the truth. When Xie Lian walked this path at night, late in returning from town after collecting scraps, he always tripped or tumbled. Maybe it was just his luck.
Hearing this, Qi Rong immediately cried, "DEAR GOD! PLEASE MAKE THIS PERSON TRIP TO HIS DEATH, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!"
Xie Lian found that hilarious. "What's a ghost like you doing begging the heavens for anything?"
Just then, a warm glow faintly emerged from the far distance. The path, once dark and obscured, was now illuminated, and the road brightened. When Xie Lian looked up, sure enough, it wasn't just his imagination. There really was light on the horizon.
It was the light from those three thousand Blessings Lanterns of Everlasting Light.
The lanterns floated majestically in the night sky, overcoming the shine of the stars and the moon. Xie Lian watched, spellbound. After a moment, he breathed out a whisper:
"Thank you…"
Qi Rong didn't know what any of this was about and snickered at him. "Why the fucking thanks? Other people are just playing around; they're not lit for you. Stop thinking so highly of yourself."
Xie Lian grinned but didn't say anything, and didn't rebuke him either. He only said, "That beauty exists in this world is, in itself, something to be grateful for."
There was beauty in his heart, and he wasn't afraid of killjoys. Borrowing the light of those distant lanterns, Xie Lian continued forward.