Mount Taicang.
Crown Prince's Peak.
At this hour.
The tourists on the mountain were not allowed to stay any longer. All of them had been asked to leave the mountain and leave the Huang Ji Temple. In the Xian Le Palace, the chanting of sutras could be heard. More than a thousand Daoists were performing their evening classes, while the four Imperial Advisors were presiding over the Daoist affairs at the foot of the fifty-foot tall golden statue.
Inside the Crown Prince's palace.
On both sides, there were prayer lamps arranged from the ground to the ceiling. Xie Lian descended from the sky.
He landed lightly on the Divine Altar.
He happened to be sitting in front of his statue.
With a wave of his hand, a cool breeze rose from the ground.
Countless lanterns began to spin slowly. The lights were blurry.
All the Daoists raised their heads and were amazed.
Faint whispers could be heard. The Imperial Tutor was slumped on the chair with his eyes closed.
He suddenly opened his eyes and said, "Let's call it a day. Let's all go back. "
The Daoists stood up.
He retreated. Although the other three Deputy State Advisors couldn't see Xie Lian's real body, they could still guess that something had descended.
They retreated together and closed the doors of the temple. As soon as the gate closed,
Xie Lian impatiently opened his mouth. He said, "State Preceptor.
Do you know about the drought in Yong 'an? There didn't seem to be any movements from father's side. Did something happen in court? Or is he not clear about the specific situation? "
A Divine Priest was not allowed to appear in front of mortals. There was only one exception. That was in front of the Imperial Preceptor, the Sect Master, and other high-level cultivators. Such a highly skilled cultivator.
As the spokesperson of the Heavenly Officials in the mortal world, Xie Lian could directly talk to the Imperial Tutor. The rule of "no kneeling in the Crown Prince's palace" was passed down by Xie Lian through the mouth of the State Preceptor.
He originally thought that there was some special situation that caused the monarch to be too busy to deal with the disaster of Yong An. He had no choice, or the monarch did not know that the situation was so serious that people were dying. Unexpectedly, the Imperial Advisor said, "His Majesty the Monarch is still fine. Nothing major happened, and he is also very clear about the situation of Yong An."
Xie Lian was startled and asked, "Then why is it that every time Imperial Father comes to Huang Ji Monastery, I never hear him pray for Yong An? Why didn't you even mention it? "
Although he didn't get along with his father, he knew that the king wasn't a muddle-headed ruler. Although he was proud of his status as the Son of Heaven, he was not indifferent to the disaster victims. The Imperial Advisor said, "This has nothing to do with His Majesty. I was the one who suggested for him and the Empress not to mention Yong An when they pray."
"…"
Xie Lian asked, "Why?"
Imperial Advisor replied, "Because it's useless."
Xie Lian was stunned. "What do you mean by useless?"
He paused for a moment, then his mind turned and he said, "You're saying that because I'm a Martial God, I can't manage the drought, so it's useless to mention it to me? However, have you forgotten that not only am I a Martial God, I am also the Xian Le Crown Prince. My people are now in deep trouble, how can I sit back and do nothing? "After thinking for a moment, he said," The most important thing now is to save the victims of Yong An. I'll have to trouble you to speak to my father on my behalf. Tell him not to build any more temples or shrines. There are already too many Crown Prince Palaces in the country. I don't need them. As for those golden statues, they could all be melted down and used for disaster relief. There's a drought in Yong 'an in the west, so we'll dig a river and divert the water from the east to irrigate the crops and nourish the land … "
As he spoke, Imperial Advisor shook his head and muttered, "It's too early. Too early. "
Xie Lian was puzzled. "What do you mean it's too early?"
Imperial Advisor said, "Why did I say you shouldn't ascend so early? Do you understand now? It's because your people haven't died yet. "
"…" Xie Lian's eyes widened as he angrily said, "Imperial Advisor! You … … What are you saying? What do you mean … … What do you mean my people haven't died yet?! "
Imperial Advisor said, "You're already a God, but you can't forget your identity as a mortal. Even when the lotus root is broken, you can't separate yourself from the mortal world. However, you're in it, yet you're powerless. In the end, you'll only end up in a mess. "
Xie Lian sat on the altar while Imperial Advisor stood below. It was clear that Xie Lian was looking down at him, but when Imperial Advisor said this, it was as if he was the one high above. Xie Lian said, "How can I be powerless? As long as I do it, there will be rewards. Even if I can only save one person, it's still better than not caring. If you're not willing to pass on my message to Imperial Father, then I'll go find him myself. "
Xie Lian suddenly stood up. Imperial Advisor grabbed his sleeves and shouted, "Come back! Do you know why Heavenly Officials can't casually appear in front of mortals? It's a rule that's been set for thousands of years. Naturally, there's a reason for it. Don't do stupid things! "
Xie Lian suddenly turned his head and said, "Then what can I do? I can't do this, I can't do that. Imperial Advisor, right now, many people on my land are about to die! Isn't it because gods can save the common people that they're called gods? If I can't appear at this time, then when can I appear?! Then what's the meaning of my ascension?! "
Imperial Advisor grabbed him and sighed, "Your Highness the Crown Prince. Ai, Your Highness the Crown Prince. Do you know what I see? "
Xie Lian calmed himself down. After a moment, he sat down again and said, "Please speak."
Imperial Advisor stared at him and said, "I see your future. It's a field of darkness."
Xie Lian looked straight ahead and said, "You might be mistaken. I only like to wear white. "
Imperial Advisor said, "I'm afraid that you won't be able to save your people. Instead, you'll be pulled down from the altar by your people."
Xie Lian said, "My people aren't like that. They can clearly distinguish between right and wrong. If I can't save them, then there's no meaning in me staying on the altar. "
After a long time, Imperial Advisor sighed and said, "Although what your Imperial Father did can't be said to be right, it can't be said to be wrong either. You said you want to allocate funds for disaster relief. In fact, it's not like your Imperial Father didn't allocate funds before. You can see how the results are. You said you want to dig a river to draw water. Take a look at that river yourself and see if it works. "
Xie Lian nodded and said, "I understand. Many thanks, Imperial Advisor. "
After leaving Mount Tai Cang, he headed west and arrived at Xian Le Country's Yong An City.
In the past twenty years, Xie Lian had never felt that the sun was so unbearably hot and deadly. The first time he set foot on this land, he felt the heat was unbearable. Everything in the air seemed to be distorted. The scorching sun hung high in the sky, and the earth cracked into pieces of broken earth. It was old and terrifying. There was a deep ditch at the side of the road. It seemed to have originally been a river, but because of the drought, the bottom could be seen. The black riverbed emitted a strange stench. After walking for a long time, he actually didn't see a single piece of land. Maybe there was, but it was definitely impossible to tell that it was originally a piece of land.
Xie Lian looked around as he walked. The hot and dry wind blew his long hair into a mess, but he didn't have the mood to tidy it up. At this moment, he suddenly heard someone call out from behind him, "Your Highness!"
Xie Lian turned around and saw two black silhouettes rushing over. It was Feng Xin and Mu Qing. Xie Lian straightforwardly asked, "Do you have any information?"
Feng Xin shook the clothes in front of his chest and said, "Yes. For the past two years, the entire western region has been short of water. This year, it has exploded. Yong An City is the most severely affected. The river has dried up, and there's no rain, so they can't plant crops. The rich people are better off. As long as they have money, they can also get water and food from afar. However, most of the rich people have long moved their families to the east. The rest are either poor or can't run. "
Xie Lian furrowed his brows and said, "The State Preceptor said that it's not like my Imperial Father didn't do anything. He also ordered disaster relief, so why is it still so serious?"
Mu Qing coldly said, "Take out a hundred percent. Peel off a layer. In the end, not a single bit is left. Naturally, it's still this serious. In my opinion, rather than sending it down to feed the moths, it's better not to take it out. "
Holding his breath for a moment, Xie Lian suppressed his anger and said, "I want those moths to spit out everything they ate."
However, Mu Qing reminded him, "Your Highness, you've forgotten again. This isn't something you should care about. Heavenly Officials can't meddle in the affairs of the mortal world. Rome wasn't built in a single day. His Majesty the King is specialized in managing the affairs of the mortal world. This is his responsibility. If even he can't manage it, then how are you going to manage it while bearing the prayers of countless believers? If you want to manage this and manage that, in the end, you'll only bring trouble to yourself. Moreover, this is only treating the symptoms and not the root cause. "
Feng Xin used his hand to block the sun and said, "If we want to treat the root cause, we still need water. How about Your Highness let the State Preceptor tell His Majesty the King to transfer the water from the East to the West? "
Xie Lian shook his head and said, "I just mentioned this idea to the State Preceptor."
Feng Xin asked, "What did the State Preceptor say?"
"… …" Xie Lian choked for a moment and said, "He probably said it's impossible. However, I now realize that this is indeed not feasible. If we want to transfer water, we must first dig a river. However, digging a river requires the labor of the people. I don't know how many years it will take. Moreover, it's a waste of manpower and money. We can't afford to waste it. "
Feng Xin nodded and said, "That's true. Distant water can't put out a nearby fire. "
After muttering to himself for a moment, Xie Lian said, "However, if the mortals can't solve it, maybe we can try the Heaven Realm's method. I heard that a few years ago, a new Rain Master ascended. This person is very eccentric. I'll see if I can pay him a visit and ask if he can use rain to divert water from the East to the West. "
Ever since Xie Lian ascended, aside from going to see Jun Wu, he hadn't taken the initiative to visit any other Heavenly Officials. He also hadn't deliberately tried to get closer to any of them. In the spiritual communication array, everyone was treated equally. If he wanted to visit a Heavenly Official, that would be a very strange thing. However, Mu Qing said, "That won't do."
Xie Lian turned his head and asked, "How?"
Mu Qing said, "Your Highness, just now I carefully investigated everything. In fact, in these two years, it wasn't just Yong An or the West that lacked water. Rather, it was the entire Xian Le Country that lacked water. It's just that the East of Xian Le is by the sea, the lake, and the river, so it's not too obvious. Thus, it currently isn't a disaster. However, the overall amount of water and rainfall has decreased by a large margin compared to the past. "
Xie Lian's eyes widened. Mu Qing continued, "If we really dig a river, or use the method of rain to divert the water from the East to the West, then Yong An can most likely alleviate the situation. However, it won't be able to save them completely. It can only be said that they're hanging on to their last breath and prolonging their lives. At the same time, the East of Xian Le will most likely experience a drought. "
Xie Lian's heart tightened as he said, "Xian Le's flourishing area and the vast majority of its population are gathered in the East. It's more than three times that of the West. Especially the Imperial City. Once a drought occurs here … … "
Feng Xin also immediately reacted. "The consequences will definitely be more severe than Yong An. The number of people who will die will be even more!"
Mu Qing nodded his head. With a grave expression, he said, "The unrest that will arise from this will also be even greater."
Taking a deep breath, Xie Lian said, "So, this is the reason why the State Preceptor said that what my Imperial Father did wasn't determined to be right, but it wasn't determined to be wrong either. He merely made a choice, that's all. "
Mu Qing said, "Therefore, Your Highness, it's a good thing that no one is going to your palace hall to pray for Yong An. You can just leave it to His Majesty to make the choice. "
Xie Lian didn't answer and turned his head around.
Along the way, every single person he saw had dark skin and bones. The men and children were all bare-chested, and the rows of ribs in front of their chests were extremely clear. The women all had dead skin on their faces, and their eyes were lifeless. Everyone didn't want to move, and they also didn't have the strength to move. Everything emitted the stench of death, making people want to scream and escape from this dying land. They wanted to immediately return to the flourishing capital city where singing and dancing was like gold.
After a long time, he said, "You guys stay here and help me. Bring as much water as you can. I'll think about it. "
Feng Xin said, "Alright. You take your time to think about it. When you're done, just tell me what to do. "