Chapter 181: Lantern Night; Penny for a Wandering Soul

BOOK 4: WHITE-CLOTHED CALAMITY

MXTX Author Notes:

This book is set in the past timeline; this is about the first banishment after the fall of Xianle. Follows after Book 2. Not too long~

Ch.181: Lantern Night; Penny for a Wandering Soul

Xie Lian jolted awake in horror.

His body was drenched in cold sweat from the scare, and he shot up from his rest, burying his face in his hands.

The reason he awoke in shock was because of a dream. Within the dream, both his father and mother had committed suicide, had hung themselves. He saw it, but there was no joy or grief, no tears to flow, and he woodenly prepared himself another white silk band. Just as he was sticking his head into the knot, he saw below there was a white-clad man, wearing a crying-smile mask, jeering at him. His heart jolted, the knot tightened, and a crushing suffocation came. Then he woke up.

It was already daylight outside the window, and from the exterior came a voice.

"Your Highness! Are you awake?"

Xie Lian answered offhandedly, "I'm awake!"

It was only after having violently panted for a good while that he realized he wasn't sitting on a futon. Instead, it was a sheet of straw mat under his body. Although it was layered with many batches of hay, extraordinarily soft, to him it still wasn't quite comfortable. Even now, he still wasn't used to such simple and crude bedding.

The one who called for him just now was Feng Xin. He went out early in the morning and had just brought back food, and was urging Xie Lian from the outside to go take his meal. Xie Lian acknowledged him and crawled up.

That sense of suffocation in the dream was too real, and his hand unconsciously felt his neck. He had only wanted to verify whether there really was a strangulation mark left behind by a knotted white silk band, yet unexpectedly, he actually felt something.

Xie Lian was shaken at first, and he rushed to grab a mirror tossed on the ground not far away. When he looked at his reflection, he realized it was the band of a black collar encircling his neck. Thus, he finally calmed, and remembered everything.

It was the cursed shackle.

Xie Lian's fingers probed at it.

Once banished to become a mortal, other than aging slower than normal humans, there weren't many other privileges. However, when Jun Wu first fabricated Xie Lian's cursed shackle, he still showed some mercy, and left him room for accommodations.

While this cursed shackle locked away his spiritual powers, it also sealed his age and flesh body at the same time, allowing him to neither age nor die. Furthermore, Jun Wu told him: if you manage to ascend again, then everything in your previous life shall be forgiven, and this thing will be removed.

But, to wear such a thing on the body was no different than a criminal whose face was branded as a sinner; no doubt, a bone-deep humiliation. Having thought this, Xie Lian reached out to the side and grabbed a white silk band, ready to pull it over his head. Yet the moment he raised his hand, he suddenly recalled that terrifying feeling of his neck slowly being strangled in his dream, and he hesitated. However, in the end, he still pulled it out and wrapped it thoroughly around his neck and the bottom half of his face before going out.

Feng Xin and Mu Qing were already waiting for him outside. Feng Xin had brought back steaming-hot buns, and Mu Qing was slowly munching at them. Feng Xin passed two over to Xie Lian, but when Xie Lian saw those dull and dry crude buns he lost his appetite. He shook his head, refusing them.

"Your Highness, you have to eat something in the morning. We have to work afterwards, and it's not labour that can be done just sitting around," Feng Xin said.

Mu Qing didn't bother looking up. "Yeah, even if you don't eat this, there's nothing else to eat. You can faint again, but you'd still have to eat this in the end."

Feng Xin glared at him. "Watch your tone."

Xie Lian had only ascended for a few years, but had long forgotten what it was like to need to eat. A few days ago he nearly fainted, and it was only after that did he realize it was because he hadn't had anything to eat for several days. This was the incident Mu Qing was referring to. Sitting on the side, Xie Lian didn't want those two to start fighting so early in the morning, so he changed the subject immediately.

"Let's go. We don't even know if we'll find any work yet today."

Xie Lian of the past was of a noble and prestigious status, and since he possessed a celestial body, unneeding of mortal sustenance, naturally there was no need to worry over making a living. However, the him of now, while he was still a crown prince, the Kingdom of Xianle was

already no more; while he was still a god, he had long since been banished. Now that he was basically no different than a mortal, naturally he needed to concern himself with how to live out his days. The profession of cultivators was of course catching ghosts and performing services, but it wasn't like there were demons and monsters to be caught or rituals to be performed every day. So, a majority of the time, they still needed to find some casual, temporary work, like helping with transporting goods or some manual labour.

But even such small errand- like jobs might not be so easily grabbed. Now, there were far too many impoverished civilians who were displaced. When these paupers saw there was work, they didn't even need payment; with just a bun and half a bowl of rice, they'd be willing to labour, swarming up to fight for the work, so how could Xie Lian and company possibly compete? Even if they managed to grab something, after Xie Lian deliberated, he might still think that others needed the work more. Sure enough, after walking the streets for a good while, they still found nothing.

"Can we not find something more stable and respectable to do?" Mu Qing grumbled.

"Rubbish. If it existed, we would've long since gotten it," Feng Xin said. "Don't respectable jobs need to have faces shown? Who doesn't recognize His Highness' face? If he was recognized, how would the work remain stable?"

Mu Qing stopped talking. Xie Lian, on the other hand, wrapped the white bandage covering the lower half of the face tighter. Indeed, if anyone was to recognize who he was, then they would have to either flee or they'd be beaten and chased away. And for example, if they were to enlist for a security guard job, who would possibly be comfortable enough to hire someone with an unknown background, a security guard who wouldn't even show his face? They couldn't go and take up assassination jobs, either, so their choices were very limited.

It was impossible for gods to worry over hunger. However, mortals needed to eat. Ever since Xie Lian was young, he had never had to consider these kinds of affairs, and this was truly the first time in decades that this problem gripped him. However, if gods didn't even know what starvation felt like, how could they possibly understand the feelings of a starving worshipper? How could they possibly empathize? At this point, he could only take this experience as a form of training.

Just then, there was a sudden cacophony of gongs and drums from not far in the distance, and a large crowd gathered to see what was happening. The three followed with the flow and went up to watch, and there were a few martial artists and clowns hollering with all their might within the crowd. It was a street busker.

Mu Qing tried suggesting again, "If all else fails, why don't we go busk?"

Xie Lian was also considering the same thing, but before he responded, Feng Xin was already replying as he watched.

"What foolishness are you spouting? His Highness' body is worth a thousand gold, how can he go do something like that?"

Mu Qing rolled his eyes. "We've carried bricks already, so how is busking any different?"

"Carrying bricks is feeding ourselves with our own physical strength," Feng Xin said. "Busking is to entertain the masses, to amuse them by making fools of ourselves, so of course it's different!"

Then, one of the clowns who was hopping about tripped and fell. The crowd roared with laughter as he pulled himself up and bent at the waist to bow, picking up some scattered coins tossed on the ground. Seeing this, a deep sense of rejection rolled up in Xie Lian's mind, and he shook his head forcefully, striking out "busking" as a viable path of employment.

When Mu Qing saw, he said, "Fine. Then let's start pawning stuff."

"We've already pawned a lot of stuff," Feng Xin said. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have made it until now. The rest can't be pawned."

Suddenly, behind the crowd came waves of surprised shouts. Someone yelled, "THE SOLDIERS ARE HERE! THE SOLDIERS ARE HERE!"

Hearing that the soldiers had come, the bustling crowd watching the show broke up. Soon after, a band of soldiers strutted down the street with weapons in their hands, donned in shiny new armour, their air impressive. They were interrogating anyone who appeared suspicious. The three hid in the crowd and heard people beside them talk:

"Who are they trying to catch?"

"Don't worry, they're not here to arrest us. I heard they're trying to capture the Xianle royals who escaped."

"Apparently someone saw suspicious characters around here, so the city's been really strict with searches lately."

"For real?! My goodness, have they actually fled to this place?"

Hearing this, the three exchanged looks.

Xie Lian whispered, "Let's hurry back and see."

The other two nodded. They silently left the crowd separately, and it was only after having walked for a while without garnering attention that they met up again, dashing away.

They ran up to a desolate piece of woods up on a small mountain, and from afar Xie Lian could see a thick column of smoke coming from within the woods. His heart dropped heavily; could the Yong'an soldiers have already discovered this place and set off fires to kill?

They ran closer, and there was a broken little cottage hidden in the trees, possibly left behind by some past unknown hunter. The thick smoke was coming from inside this cottage.

Xie Lian blurted, "MOTHER! WHAT'S GOING ON, ARE YOU THERE?"

After his shout, a woman emerged in greeting and called out happily, "My son? You've come?"

It was the queen. She was dressed plainly and had thinned quite a bit, slightly different than her affluent lady appearance of the past. Seeing that his mother was fine and her face was full of delight, obviously unbothered, Xie Lian relaxed but then quickly asked, "What's with the smoke?"

The queen replied, embarrassed, "…It's not really anything. I just wanted to do a little cooking today…"

Xie Lian didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and said, "Don't! What cooking? Just settle for the food Feng Xin and Mu Qing bring you every day. This smoke is too conspicuous; where there's smoke, there's people, you'll attract the Yong'an soldiers. We bumped into them in the city earlier. This city will also tighten their security, we'll need to move to a different place again."

Feng Xin and Mu Qing entered the cottage to put the smoke out. The queen didn't dare to be negligent either, so she went to the back rooms to talk to the king.

Feng Xin came out and whispered, "Your Highness, are you not going to go see his majesty?"

Xie Lian shook his head. "No."

The two of them, father and son, one was the king of a fallen kingdom, the other was a banished god. Just who was the more pathetic, the more ashamed, really couldn't be compared. If they were to be forced to sit down to face each other, they'd only glare at one another instead of having a heart-to-heart. So, if they could avoid seeing each other, it'd be for the best.

Xie Lian called out, "Mother, why don't you pack up in a bit, and we'll leave today. We'll come pick you up in the evening. We'll leave for now."

The queen quickly came out again. "My son, you're leaving just like that? You haven't visited in so many days, why leave so fast?"

"I have to go train," Xie Lian said.

In truth, it was to go find work. Otherwise, they couldn't possibly gather enough sustenance for so many people.

"Have you eaten yet this morning?" the queen asked.

Xie Lian shook his head. The three of them were starving by now.

The queen said, "Then you'll break your body. Fortunately, I just stewed a pot of porridge, come in and grab a bite."

Xie Lian wondered inwardly, "Why was there so much smoke, like the palace was on fire, if it was just a pot of porridge…"

The queen turned to Feng Xin and Mu Qing. "The two of you children come eat with us, too."

Feng Xin and Mu Qing hadn't expected to receive such treatment at all, and tried to decline, but the queen was adamant. So, the two could only sit down timidly at the table, both feeling rather surprised and flattered.

However, after the queen brought over that pot, their surprise soon turned into dread.

After returning to the city, Mu Qing's stomach was still turning. He said as he stumbled, "I thought…that porridge, it smelled like bran water, but I hadn't thought it'd taste like it too!"

Feng Xin gritted his teeth. "Shut up! Don't force people to remember that pot of stuff! The queen is…body of ten thousand gold after all…never cooked…this is already…UGH!…"

Mu Qing humphed. "Did I say something wrong? If you didn't think it was like bran water, why don't you…go ask the queen to grant you another bowl! UGH!…"

The two were heaving back and forth, and Xie Lian grabbed hold of the both of them, patting their backs.

"Stop heaving! Look, up ahead…there seems to be some work!"

Sure enough, when the three stumbled over, there were a couple little ringleaders shouting on the streets, looking for hired help. The pay was fairly decent and there wasn't a limit on the number of hands needed, they would take everyone who'd come. So the three quickly signed up, mixing in with a group of disheveled, bone- skinny paupers, forming a large band as they came to a muddy, empty field. It seemed there was the intention of building a new residence here, so the area was going to be overhauled, beginning with filling in the grounds first. The three worked hard, their bodies covered in mud.

Feng Xin was hauling earth as he hugged his stomach, his face green, cursing. "…Fuck me! I think that pot of stewed bran water turned into a spirit in my stomach!"

Xie Lian was carrying a basket full of earth and he looked back, speaking in a hushed voice, "Can you hang on? …Do you want to sit down for a bit on the side?"

Mu Qing turned to Xie Lian. "Why don't you go rest on the side."

"No. I can still hang on," Xie Lian replied.

Mu Qing rolled his eyes. "Don't be stubborn. If you dirty your clothes, I'm the one who has to wash them. I'd rather do your part of the work."

Not far in the distance, someone yelled, "WORK HARD AND DON'T TALK! DON'T BE LAZY! YOU STILL WANT TO GET PAID?"

Feng Xin was tenacious and continued to hang on, even hauling twice the amount of mud than before. "It's not like it's a lot of pay, why make so much fuss, like they're all that?"

After a grueling day, having fought from high noon to sunset, the work was finally done. Physically, the three weren't completely exhausted, but to have worked so hard only for some meagre pay and a bite to eat, the heart was more tired than the body. When they finally gained some free time, they laid down on a field that was slightly more clean to rest. Just then, another group came around, rowdy and noisy. A couple of the men were hauling a stone statue as they walked over slowly.

Xie Lian looked up slightly. "What statue is that?"

Mu Qing glanced at it too. "Maybe the new divine statue to guard over this place."

Xie Lian didn't speak.

If this was the past, then the chosen divine statue to guard land would be his crown prince statue without question. Now, who knew which god this would be. It was most likely to be Jun Wu, or perhaps whichever official was newly-ascended.

After a long pause, in the end, Xie Lian still couldn't help but wonder just who it was that replaced him. So he forced himself to get up, and shuffled close to the crowd to take a look. That stone statue had its back facing him so he couldn't see the face clearly, but it seemed to be kneeling. Now he was even more curious. Which heavenly official's divine statue kneeled? Then he went around the large circle before turning to look.

When he saw, his entire mind went blank.

The face of that divine statue was his own!

That kneeling statue was settled onto the ground, and someone on the side rudely patted its head.

"It's finally transported. This bastard is pretty heavy!"

"Why did you haul over a statue like this? It's kinda ugly, why not bring over the Heavenly Martial Emperor? Isn't this that what's-his-face…"

"It's that one, right? Didn't they say worshipping him would bring bad luck? You guys still dare worship him? And to go out of your way to transport him all the way here…"

"Now, none of you understand. Worshipping a God of Misfortune would certainly bring bad luck, but this statue isn't for worshipping, it's for stepping. If you step on a God of Misfortune, doesn't that mean it'd ensure your everlasting good fortune?"

The crowd was enlightened. "What a good meaning, excellent symbolism!"

Feng Xin and Mu Qing could also sense something wrong and when they approached, they too fell silent. Feng Xin was about to explode but Mu Qing held him back, warning him with his eyes.

He said under his breath, "The crown prince hasn't even started anything, so what are you going to yell for?"

Indeed, Xie Lian was quiet, and Feng Xin wasn't sure whether he had other considerations, so he didn't dare move recklessly. Thus, he forced himself to swallow his angry words, but his eyes were blazing like flames.

Finally, someone grumbled, "Isn't this…rather inappropriate? He was a god once, His Highness the Crown Prince."

"Please, Xianle has fallen, so what crown prince?"

Another said, "What you said was wrong. Stepping on a God of Misfortune isn't anything inappropriate, in fact, he should thank us."

Xie Lian suddenly piped up, "Oh? Why should he thank you?"

That man explained presumptuously, "Have you seen the thresholds of temples? They're trampled by thousands, hundreds of thousands, but does My Lord see just how many wealthy households are fighting to pay for one of those temple thresholds to be used as their substitutes? It's because every step stepped on that threshold, that threshold would absolve them of a sin; pay a debt, collect a merit. This kneeling statue has the same function. If we each

step a step on its head, or spit on it, aren't we also collecting merits for the crown prince? So, he should thank us…"

Xie Lian couldn't listen anymore.

When that man said the word "thank", his fist was already raised and he lunged.

The crowd instantly exploded.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"FIGHT!"

"WHO'S CAUSING TROUBLE?"

Feng Xin already couldn't wait to beat people up, so he also cried as he joined the brawl. Mu Qing couldn't tell if he joined in himself or if he got pulled in. In any case, all three of them started fighting. In the midst of the brawl, there were a number of times when the white bandage on Xie Lian's face was almost yanked off, but thank goodness that didn't happen. The three of them were all skilled in martial arts, but the other party had the numbers. Plus, Mu Qing was holding the other two back, warning them that to kill mortals was to add to their crimes, so the fight ended up being miserably restrained. In the end, while the fight was gratifying, the three were still booted out.

After walking alongside a river for a while looking unkempt, their steps finally slowed.

Mu Qing complained angrily, his face black and blue. "We worked so hard all day, but in the end we gained nothing, all because of a fight!"

Feng Xin wiped at the blood on his lips. "How can you bring up money at a time like this?"

"It's precisely because it's a time like this that money has to be brought up!" Mu Qing countered. "A time like this? What time is it? Time when we're starving! It doesn't matter if you don't want to admit it, but nothing can be done without money! Can you both not just suck it up a little bit?"

Xie Lian didn't speak.

Feng Xin spoke, "How do we endure this? He's been made into a kind of kneeling statue for people to step on! You're not the one whose face is being stepped on, so of course you can speak so lightly of it."

"Since the war's been lost, it's not the first time that something like this has happened," Mu Qing said. "And there will surely be more in the future. If he can't learn to get used to it soon, he might as well just die."

Feng Xin argued in distaste, "Get used to it? Get used to what? Being humiliated by others? Get used to mortals stepping on his face? Why does he have to get used to something like that?"

Xie Lian cried out in irritation, "That's enough! Stop arguing. Is something small like this worth fighting over?"

The two shut up uniformly.

After a pause, Xie Lian sighed. "Let's go. Find a carriage to go pick up mother and father. We have to leave this city tonight."

Feng Xin acknowledged, "Alright."

The two walked side by side for a bit, when suddenly, they noticed Mu Qing didn't follow.

Xie Lian looked back, confused. "Mu Qing?"

After some silence, Mu Qing spoke, "Your Highness, I want to talk to you about something."

"What is it?" Xie Lian asked.

But Feng Xin said impatiently, "What's with you now? I already said I won't argue with you anymore, what more do you want?"

"I want to leave," Mu Qing said simply.

"…"

Although before he opened his mouth Xie Lian already had a vague bad premonition, when Mu Qing actually said those words out loud, Xie Lian's breath still stopped.

Feng Xin suspected that he might have heard wrong. "What? What did you say?"

Mu Qing straightened his back, his black obsidian eyes unyielding, and his demeanor calm. "Please permit me to leave."

"Leave?" Feng Xin exclaimed. "What should His Highness do if you leave? What about the king and the queen?"

Mu Qing opened and closed his mouth a couple times, but in the end he still said, "I'm sorry. I can only do so much."

"No, you explain yourself right now, what the heck do you mean 'you can only do so much'?" Feng Xin demanded.

Mu Qing replied, "The king and the queen are His Highness' parents, and I have my own mother. She needs my care too. I can't say I need to go take care of someone else and someone else's parents, and neglect my own mother. So, I pray Your Highness will understand, I cannot continue to follow by your side."

Xie Lian was feeling faint and leaned against a wall on the side.

Feng Xin questioned coldly, "Is that the real reason? How come you've never mentioned it before?"

"This is one of the reasons," Mu Qing said. "Another reason is, I feel, we've sunken into a dilemma, but as to how to break out of this dilemma, we have very different ideas. Pardon my honesty, but if things keep going on like this, nothing will get better, even in a million years. So, our paths have diverged."

Feng Xin was so angry he started chuckling and nodded, turning to Xie Lian. "Your Highness, you hear that? Remember what I first said? If you were ever banished, he'd for sure be the first to break away. Didn't I tell you?"

Mu Qing seemed faintly enraged by his words and said flatly, "Will you please not force me. I'm only speaking the truth. Everyone has their own views; no one was born destined to be on the righteous path of the mortal realm, the centre of the world. Perhaps you enjoy orbiting around another person, but others might not be the same as you."

"Where did all those concealed sour words come from? I don't give a damn," Feng Xin said. "Can't you just say plainly that you're going to turn your back on us?"

"Enough!"

Hearing Xie Lian voice up, the two both stopped. Xie Lian removed his hand from his forehead and turned to Mu Qing. He stared at him for a while before speaking.

"I don't like forcing other people."

Mu Qing pursed his lips, but still stood tall.

"Go," Xie Lian said.

Mu Qing looked at him, speaking not a word. Then he bowed deeply and really turned around to walk away.

Watching his retreating back unblinkingly as it disappeared into the night, Feng Xin said in disbelief, "Your Highness, you'd really let him go just like that?"

Xie Lian sighed. "What else can I do? I already said I don't like forcing other people."

"No, but? That bastard!" Feng Xin exclaimed. "What's with him? He really left, just like that?! Ran off? What the fuck!"

Xie Lian crouched down next to the riverside, rubbing his forehead. "Nevermind it. Since his heart has left us already, what's the use in keeping him? Tie him up and force him to wash my clothes?"

Feng Xin didn't know what else to say either, and crouched down too. A moment later he spat angrily, "Goddammit. That bastard can share in the wealth but not the suffering, running away the moment shit hits the fan. Does he remember nothing of your kindness?!"

"I'm the one who told him not to remember it," Xie Lian said. "So you too…there's no need to hang it around your lips."

"But he can't possibly really remember nothing?!" Feng Xin refuted. "What the actual fuck! But don't you worry, Your Highness, I will never, ever leave you."

Xie Lian forced a small smile but didn't say anything. Feng Xin stood back up.

"Shall we go pick up the king and the queen? I'll go find a carriage, you just wait here."

Xie Lian nodded. "Thank you for the trouble. Be careful."

Feng Xin acknowledged and left. Xie Lian also rose to his feet and walked alongside the river for another while, his entire person still feeling a little light on the feet, like nothing was real.

Mu Qing's departure had really shocked him to the core.

First, he had never thought that someone so close would just up and leave. Second, Xie Lian had always believed in "forever". For example, friends would always be friends forever; no betrayal, no deception, no breaking up. Perhaps there'd be times when they'd part, but it for sure wouldn't be over reasons like "life is too horrible".

It was like how in stories, the hero and the beauty were a match made in heaven, and so they should never part, remaining true to each other forever and ever. If they couldn't, it must be because they were forced apart by a tragic death, not because the hero preferred to eat meat while the beauty preferred to eat fish, or because the hero scorned the beauty for spending too lavishly and the beauty scorned the hero for his bad habits.

To suddenly step and lose one's footing, plunging millions of miles down only to discover you were still in the mortal realm, really wasn't a good feeling.

Walking around randomly for a bit, there were suddenly a number of shimmering golden lights floating over from ahead. Only then did Xie Lian snap out of it. When he looked closer, he found the lights were actually lanterns; lantern after lantern floating above the water, flowing over along with the current of the river. There were also a couple of children, laughingly playing by the riverside.

Xie Lian remembered, "Ah, today is Zhongyuan."

[Recap: [中元節] Zhongyuan/ Ghost Festival takes place in the middle of the seventh month on the lunar calendar, and celebrates the underworld.]

In the past, there would always be a grand service performed for the Zhongyuan Festival at the Royal Holy Pavilion; he'd look forward to it long before the event, and would never have forgotten. Now, he didn't keep anything in mind at all. He shook his head and continued on his way.

Just then, a voice came from the road ahead, "Kids, kids, will you buy it?"

This voice was exceedingly old and raspy, laced with a trace of the chilling air of evil. Xie Lian instinctively knew something was wrong and he gazed over, only to see the two children from earlier with lanterns in their hands stopped by the roadside, looking at something with both curiosity and a little fear.

Within the darkness in front of them sat a man. It seemed to be an elder in black robes, dirty and disheveled as he melted into one with the black night. In his hand held a lantern, and he beckoned the two children shadily.

"My lanterns are very different from the ordinary lanterns in your arms. These are rare treasures; if you make wishes, they are guaranteed to come true."

Those two small children were doubtful. "R-Really?"

That elder said, "Of course. Look."

The lantern in his hand was clearly unlit, but it suddenly glowed with an inexplicable red light. There were over ten other lanterns on the ground next to him, and they too, flickered with a haunting green light, exceedingly peculiar.

The two small children were amazed, but Xie Lian knew exactly what he was looking at. Rare treasures? It was clearly the phosphorescence of the dead!

There must be the souls of little ghosts sealed within that lantern for it to glow such a peculiar light. As for this elder, he must be some sketchy scam cultivator, who captured those unlucky wandering feral spirits from who knows where and tied them into the lanterns. Those two children didn't know about the trick and were clapping in delight, wanting to buy the lanterns.

Xie Lian quickly rushed over. "Don't buy it. He's lying to you."

That elder glared. "You little bastard, what did you say?!"

Xie Lian exposed him directly. "That lantern isn't a treasure, it's a demonic contraption. There are ghosts filled inside, if you bring this home to play, ghosts will cling on to you."

When those children heard there were ghosts, they didn't dare linger, and cried "WAH!" as they ran away.

That elder leapt to his feet, yelling angrily, "YOU DARE RUIN MY BUSINESS??"

Xie Lian reasoned, "How can you conduct such a business here? Nevermind ignorant children, even grown-ups who buy your wicked lanterns would fall into great misfortune, maybe even get clung onto by resentful ghosts. Wouldn't that be a great wrong? Even if you must sell such a thing, you should go to a specialized place to sell."

That elder rebuked, "You make it sound so easy. Where would you find such a specialized place to sell such things? Everyone just finds a random place and sets up shop!"

He picked up a bunch of those ugly, poorly-made lanterns, huffing as he got ready to leave.

Xie Lian hastily called out, "Wait!"

"What? What do you want?" that elder said gruffly. "Are you going to buy?"

"No way," Xie Lian said. "You actually plan on continuing to sell somewhere else? Where did all the ghosts in your lanterns come from?"

"I caught them on the barren battlefield. They're everywhere," that elder replied.

Then weren't they the wandering souls of deceased soldiers?

Having heard this, it was impossible for Xie Lian to leave it alone, and he admonished solemnly, "Stop selling them. Today is Zhongyuan! If this stirs up anything, it won't be funny. Besides, those are the heroic souls of warriors, how can you sell them like trinkets?"

"When people die they become nothing but wisps, who cares if it's a heroic soul or not?" that elder said. "Of course it's my old bones that are more important. We all gotta make a living

around here, if you don't let me sell, what am I to do? Go homeless? If you're so passionate about this, why don't you spend the money, huh?"

"You…"

In the end, Xie Lian admitted defeat.

"Fine. I'll buy."

Then he reached into his pocket and scoured every corner, only to dig out some pennies.

"Is this enough?"

That elder glanced at it and exclaimed, "Of course not! How can this little bit be enough?!"

Xie Lian didn't know too well just how much money would be considered normal when buying over ten lanterns, and he never looked at the price tag when he purchased things in the past. But, under such a woeful situation, he managed to learn how to bargain without being taught.

"Your lanterns don't look that pretty, and they're very unlucky. You might as well sell them to me for cheap."

"It's already this price and you're asking for cheaper?" that elder argued. "I've never seen anyone more broke than you, how embarrassing!"

Xie Lian could feel shame dig into his skin by his words. "I'm a Crown Prince, I'm telling you. Never in my life has anyone called me broke."

But, just as the words left his lips, he regretted them. Still, that elder did not take his words seriously at all, and he laughed.

"If you're the Crown Prince, then I'm the good ol' Emperor!"

Xie Lian felt a little relieved, but also a little awkward. Still, in the end he might as well break all the broken jars.

He said plainly, "Will you sell? This is all the money I've got."

After much back and forth, the two finally completed the transaction. Xie Lian used that pathetically sad bit of money to buy over ten ghost lanterns, and he brought them to the riverside. That elder disappeared the moment he got the money. Xie Lian, on the other hand, sat down by the shore and began untying each red knot wrapped over the lanterns, releasing all the little ghosts who were sealed by the spell, and performed a simple service for them.

Sparks of haunting ghost fires floated out from the lanterns. These souls were all new ghosts who had recently passed away; bleary and unfocused, with no clear consciousness of their own, very weak and vulnerable, which was why that elder captured them so easily. When they were released from those cramped lanterns, they all swarmed around Xie Lian, circling him intimately, sometimes rubbing against him.

Xie Lian rose to his feet and urged softly, "Go on. Go."

With the help of the gentle push of his hand, those spirits rose higher and higher, floating towards the horizon, gradually dissipating. This was what they called spirits returning to the world.

Xie Lian gazed at the starry sky for a long time when suddenly, behind him came a tiny little voice.

"Your Highness…" that voice called.

Xie Lian was taken aback, and instantly looked to where the voice came from. Only then did he notice that there was a tiny ball of ghost fire who had remained, not yet passed to yonder heavens, nor dissipated into sparks.

It seemed this little ghost was stronger than all the other little ghosts. Not only did it possess its own consciousness, it could also speak.

He walked over, bewildered. "Were you calling me just now? You…recognize me?"

Having been noticed, that little ball of ghost fire seemed to become quite lively, jumping up and down. Judging by its voice, it seemed to also be a young man.

"Of course I recognize you!"

Xie Lian remembered that he was covered all over in mud, looking unseemly and undignified, and felt more and more awkward. He clenched his hand into a fist and pressed it against his lips, really not wanting to admit to his identity. He thought, maybe he could just tell it that it was mistaken? A moment later, he schooled his expression.

"Why have you remained here? Haven't I sent you all off? Have I perhaps missed a step?"

Otherwise, why would there be one remaining after having performed a service?

The ghost without a name floated before him, not too close, not too far, and it answered, "No. You've done nothing wrong. I'm the one who didn't want to leave, that's all."

Xie Lian mused, "Do you have an unfulfilled wish or some attachment?"

"Yes," the nameless ghost replied.

"Then, why don't you tell me. What is it?" Xie Lian asked. "If it's not anything difficult, I'll do my best to help you."

Behind the back of this nameless ghost, there were three thousand lanterns flowing languidly along the night. It said, "I have a beloved who is still in this world."

After some silence, Xie Lian said, "I see. Is it your wife?"

"No, Your Highness. We never married."

"Ah."

The nameless ghost said, "In fact, I might not be well-remembered. We never really talked."

"Never really talked?" Xie Lian thought. "If that's the case, how did this person become the 'beloved' that tied your spirit to the world? Just how beautiful must this person be?"

Humming for a moment, he said, "So then, what is your wish?"

The nameless ghost answered, "I want to protect them."

[The third-person pronoun for "He/She" in Chinese has the same pronunciation, but different characters. Hua Cheng used "Him" but Xie Lian understood it as "Her". So in this translation, "Them" is used, since the discrepancy in meaning is not very consequential in this context.]

Usually, a spirit's wish would be something like "I want to tell her I love her", "I want to have a round of physical relations", or the scarier, "I want her to accompany me down under". "To protect" really was quite rare, and Xie Lian blinked.

"But, you no longer belong to this world."

The nameless ghost replied, "What of it?"

"If you remain forcibly, you won't be able to rest in peace," Xie Lian said.

The nameless ghost didn't seem to care. "I pray to never rest in peace."

A wisp of a wandering spirit was actually this stubborn. Typically, such a willful spirit was, nine times out of ten, extremely dangerous. Yet for some reason, Xie Lian didn't sense any murderous intent from it, so he wasn't concerned.

He continued, "If your beloved knew you couldn't rest in peace because of them, they might feel guilty and troubled."

The nameless ghost hesitated for a moment, and replied, "Then, I just won't let them know why I haven't gone."

"After having seen so much, it'd be known sooner or later," Xie Lian said.

The nameless ghost said, "Then I won't let them find out I'm protecting them, either."

Having listened to this point, Xie Lian's heart couldn't help but be moved. He thought this man's "love" wasn't just talk.

Within the lanterns were all the wandering feral spirits that the elder had captured from the barren battlefield, so the one before him now must also be a young warrior.

He said quietly, "This war separated you from your beloved…I'm sorry. I didn't win."

However, the nameless ghost declared, "To die in battle for you is my greatest honour."

Xie Lian was instantly stunned.

"To die in battle for the Crown Prince is the greatest honour for a Xianle soldier" was a phrase that some general from Xianle taught the soldiers. They used this slogan to excite their will to battle, proclaiming that even if they died, they would've died for a purpose, and in death they shall pass on to the immortal realm. That was of course a lie. Yet, even though this young soldier had passed away, his soul drifting in the mortal realm, he still firmly remembered this phrase. And he answered with such solemnity and sincerity.

Suddenly, Xie Lian felt the rims of his eyes grow hot, his vision becoming blurry.

He replied, "I'm sorry. Forget me."

The flickering flames of the nameless ghost flared brighter. "I won't forget. Your Highness, I am forever your most devoted believer."

Xie Lian forced down his sob. "…I've already lost all my believers. Believing in me won't do you any good, it might even bring disaster. Do you know? Even my friend has left me."

The nameless ghost declared, as if swearing an oath, "I won't."

"You will," Xie Lian said.

The ghost was insistent, "Believe me, Your Highness."

"I don't believe you," Xie Lian said.

He no longer believed anyone, and he no longer believed in himself either.