Chapter 86: From the Earth of BuYou Forest, Human Face Disease Emerges (Part 3)
"AAAAAHHHHHH—"
That young man was only half conscious at first, but after Xie Lian cut off his left leg, he snapped awake and screamed madly, "MY LEG! MY LEG!"
Xie Lian knelt in that pool of blood, his white robes stained and spotted, doing his best to hold him down, "It's over! Doctors, stop his bleeding!"
The doctors present were flustered, forgetting themselves, and Mu Qing couldn't watch any longer. He stepped forward, "Don't trouble yourselves." And he took out a small medicine bottle, a faint smoke flowing out, slowly stopping the bleeding. Xie Lian also wrapped the wound with a spiritual aura. As for that cut off leg, it laid on the ground all by its lonesome. Suddenly, it quivered, like a live creature it continued to squirm even having been parted from the body. Xie Lian raised his hand and a fire roared, torching that leg into nothing but black ashes. That young man wailed, "MY LEG!"
Xie Lian checked his waist side and saw that Human Face Disease didn't continue to fester, his eyes brightened and said delightedly, "It's good, it's stopped. It's not festering!"
That young man finally stopped his tears and opened his eyes, "Really? Is it really better?"
The crowd all sucked in their breaths, unmoving and hesitant, but after a moment, someone shouted, "Your Highness, help treat me too!"
Another boy's voice rang out from not far away, "Don't be ridiculous! We can't be sure, what if it relapses after a while?"
Thanks to that voice's reminder, Xie Lian calmed down too. "That's right, we can't be sure right now. We need some time to observe."
Another piped up, voice trembling in fear, "How long do we need to observe...? I can't wait any longer. If we wait... if we keep waiting, this thing will spread to my face!" Another just gave up altogether, "I'M WILLING TO TAKE THE CHANCE!" Soon, hundreds within the BuYou Forest became unruly and noisy, all begging, "Your Highness, please we beg you, relieve us of this suffering!"
The masses started prostrating towards him with Xie Lian worshipped in the centre, and although an awkward situation, Xie Lian didn't dare to be careless. "Everyone please get up first. After some time if this man didn't relapse, then I will do my utmost to treat everyone..."
It was some time before the people were comforted, having made many more promises and settled that young man with the amputated leg elsewhere, Xie Lian sat down under a tree. Mu Qing looked around before speaking in a low voice, "How could you just chop off his leg directly? If the man in question didn't beg you to do it himself, don't just take the reins. What if it didn't work even after you amputated that leg? The one he'd hate would become you."
Xie Lian's heart was still racing, a hand covering his face, he croaked, "...the situation at the time couldn't wait. He won't answer me, and the doctor didn't dare to operate, I couldn't just stand by and watch the infection fester. Someone had to make a decision on what to do. I really..."
For once Feng Xin looked worried, "Your Highness, I think you better take a rest. You really don't look that good. We'll take over for you for the time being."
Xie Lian also felt he couldn't hang on anymore, and nodded slowly, "Alright. I'll rest here for a bit. We'll be heading back soon, so don't go too far." Just then, there was another wail from within the forest, and Feng Xin and Mu Qing left to go check it out. Xie Lian sat and zoned out for a bit before lying down on the ground right there.
If this was the past, if no one would build him a perfumed tent and a tusk bed, he would never have just lain on muddy ground out in the wild. Under the current circumstances however, he really didn't have the energy to trouble any errand runners, even the grime and blood on his robes were uncleansed before he dropped his head and passed out, still dirty and unkempt.
An unknown amount of time passed, and cloudly hearing Feng Xin calling him, Xie Lian jerked awake, sitting up immediately, and felt something on him slip off. When he looked down it was a patched, worn quilt that someone must've used to cover him when he was resting. Xie Lian rubbed his forehead and spoke to the Feng Xin who approached, "I don't need this, you can give it to the patients instead."
Feng Xin was slightly taken aback, "Huh? What do you mean? This quilt? That wasn't from me. I only just got back."
Xie Lian turned his head, "Was it you, Mu Qing?"
"It wasn't me either." Mu Qing said. "Maybe it was one of the devotees living in camp who brought it for you."
Xie Lian looked around but didn't see any one worth noting and shook his head, thinking, "I actually didn't sense anyone get close, what a shameful state." He folded the quilt and laid it on the ground before rising to this feet, "Let's go."
Xie Lian left with a heavy heart, and very soon, the thing he feared happened.
It was only two days later when Xie Lian visited BuYou Forest again, and some of the doctors informed him: At night, some ten Human Face Disease patients ignored the warnings and snuck up, some used fire to burn their sores, some used knives to slice away their flesh, and there were many, that due to mishandling, lost too much blood and didn't dare tell anyone, hiding under their blankets quietly, and died equally silently.
Xie Lian had only just left the battlefield and he received such news. Standing before hundreds and watching those bloody, crying patients, he finally lost his temper, "WHY WON'T YOU ALL LISTEN TO REASON? DIDN'T I SAY THAT WE HAVEN'T CONFIRMED THIS METHOD COULD CURE THE ROOT CAUSE OF INFECTION? HOW COULD YOU ALL BE SO FOOLISH!"
It was the first time he had gotten so mad in front of so many devotees, and the masses bowed their heads silently, afraid to speak. Xie Lian was really quite furious and couldn't help but lecture a bit more, and as he berated, someone spoke up unexpectedly, "Your Highness is invincible, so of course you'd call us foolish, but aren't we all just overly concerned with our conditions that we had no choice but try foolish methods!"
Although this individual didn't oppose him openly, still he was dripping with sarcasm. Hearing him, blood rushed to Xie Lian's head and he snapped, "What did you say?"
That person immediately shrank back into the crowd and disappeared. Feng Xin was further away and didn't hear, otherwise he would've cussed them out already. Mu Qing noticed that the mood of the crowd was going in the wrong direction, and cautiously chose not to provoke any more outrages. Seeing that Xie Lian didn't actually respond, another piped up, "Your Highness, if you can't save us then we gotta save ourselves. Don't worry, we won't waste your holy medicine or spiritual power."
It was hot blood that rushed up at first, but now Xie Lian felt immense cold as he thought, '...What the heck? And did I ever concern myself with those holy medicine and spiritual power? Clearly I only stopped them because amputation might not work, so why did they have to say it like I'm haughty and only speaking empty words? I can't feel their pain but if my desire to help them wasn't sincere, why in the world would I give up being a heavenly official and find trouble for myself down here???'
Never in his life had he ever been stabbed by another's words and never had he been wronged like this. Thousands of thoughts filled his mind but none of them could be formed into words, because he knew this was all because he couldn't find the cure for the Human Face Disease, and his devoted followers were finally losing their patience. The suffering of those citizens were a hundred times more difficult to live with than his hardships, so he could only clench his fists, cracking his knuckles. A moment later, a sudden punch landed on a tree next to him.
That tree cracked and snapped, making the people jump, ending their whispers. Only then did Feng Xin who was further away noticed something wrong and rushed over, "Your Highness!"
After landing that punch, Xie Lian was able to relieve that breath of anger, and somewhat calmed down. Yet, in that dead silence, another spoke up, "Your Highness, there's no need for you to be so angry. Everyone here is a patient, and we're all your followers. No one owes you anything."
Once the words were spoken, many nodded secretly. Although the voices were quiet, still Xie Lian's senses were sharp and could hear every sound clearly; the crowd were grumbling: "Finally someone who dared speak the truth. I've been holding it in, afraid to say anything..."
"Didn't they used to say His Highness the Crown Prince was a gentle soul?...So he's actually like this in person..."
In that endless tides of talk, Xie Lian unconsciously took a step back. In his twenty years, he had never been terrified before any enemies, he had never been afraid. Yet at that very moment, an emotion akin to terror was rolling through his heart. Just then, he heard another person whisper: "With such an impressive might, why not go set fire to the enemy camps, instead of having us suffer battles like this!"
Hearing those words, he couldn't stand there any longer.
Of course he knew that the him now was nothing like that sword and flower holding, smiling and kind martial god on the altar!
Xie Lian turned and dashed, running out of BuYou Forest like he was escaping, and behind him, Feng Xin and Mu Qing yelled, "YOUR HIGHNESS! WHERE ARE YOU GOING!"
There was suddenly an upheaval in the crowd; it seemed a young nursing staff suddenly started beating some of the patients out of the blue, causing others to join in the brawl. Yet, Feng Xin and Mu Qing had no time to worry about them anymore. They called forth troops to take care of the situation and immediately ran after Xie Lian.
The direction of his flight was BeiZi Hill, one of his steps and it was a few meters, and soon he came to the top of that densely wooded mountain top. Xie Lian's eyes were going red, and he shouted into the forest, "COME OUT!!!"
Feng Xin cried after him, "Your Highness! What are you doing coming here!"
Xie Lian yelled to the sky, "I KNOW YOU'RE HERE, COME OUT!!!"
Mu Qing called out, "If he'd come out just by your call, then we wouldn't need to..."
He trailed off and fell silent. Behind the three of them came a series of crunching sounds. Whipping their heads around, and the one sitting upon a vine watching them was no other than that white-clothed creature with his left face crying and the right smiling.
It actually heeded the call!
Xie Lian immediately lost it at the sight of him, charging at him crying sharply, "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!"
That white-clothed being lightly evaded him, his large white sleeves looked like the wings of a butterfly dancing, elegant and beautiful. Feng Xin and Mu Qing let out an "eh?" and was about to aid him but they abruptly noticed something extremely alarming, and stopped their movements, their faces aghast.
Xie Lian on the other hand, was filled with rage and noticed nothing. He unsheathed his sword as Feng Xin shouted, "YOUR HIGHNESS! DIDN'T YOU SEE, HE..." Xie Lian's hand was already choking the neck of that white-clothed being, the other holding his sword, pointing it at his heart. That white-clothed being was clearly under constraint but suddenly he burst out laughing.
That laugh was sonorous and gentle like that of a young man, and Xie Lian thought it was familiar like someone he knew, but in his rage he couldn't think of who that voice belonged to, and that moment of confusion didn't last. Soon enough, that white-clothed being sighed, "Xie Lian, Xie Lian. It won't matter how much you struggle. You're going to lose. The Kingdom of Xian Le is doomed!"
Xie Lian was raging, and slapped him without pause, "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? NO ONE GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO TALK SO SHUT UP!"
For him, it was an exceedingly rude gesture. The head of that white-clothed being was turned from the slap but he righted it again, "Do you really want me to shut up? Alright, alright. But, actually, there is a way that can turn your defeat into victory. It would only depend on your willingness to do it."
If he hadn't added the last line, Xie Lian would've ignored him. But in that last line, Xie Lian thought just maybe there could be some truth in his words. There was a way, but there was a heavy price he needed to pay. He blew out a breath and said gravely, "What way? If you want me to do something then just say it, and stop wasting my time!"
"Come closer and I'll tell you." That white-clothed being beckoned.
"Fine." Xie Lian acquiesced.
Feng Xin was alarmed, "Your Highness! You're not actually..." but then he saw Xie Lian penetrating the heart of that white-clothed being with his sword and leaned down, "Speak."
With an exceedingly soft voice, that white-clothed being whispered in his ears, and no one else heard exactly what he said. Yet the more Xie Lian listened, the wider his eyes became. After a while, he slapped the creature again, unable to hold back. He yelled, "I DIDN'T SAY TO TELL ME THIS! WHAT I WANT IS A SOLUTION! A CURE!"
"I did tell you; that was the way." That white-clothed being said. "It all depends on if you're willing to do it."
Xie Lian's face twisted, "...just what do you want? Who are you?"
That white-clothed being chuckled, "Who am I? Can't you take off my mask and see for yourself?"
Xie Lian already had that very intent, and pulled off that half-crying half-smiling mask in a fit. The next second, his entire person froze.
Behind that mask, the one smiling at him, was a pale and handsome face of a young man, his eyes twinkling with life, his lips curled into a smile, his expression endlessly gentle and modest.
It was his own face.