Ch.191: No Grief No Joy; White Cloth Brings Calamity to this World

TW: Suicide Attempt; Suicide

Xie Lian couldn't tell if he was awake or asleep.

If he said he was awake, then he neither sensed nor reacted to anything of the outside world, having no memories of anything; if he said he was asleep, his eyes had been open the entire time.

By the time he came to, White No-Face had already strapped that black sword on his waist, like an elder rewarding a child.

"This is my gift to you."

Then, he patted the hilt, and said gently, his voice thick with deeper meaning, "It will certainly be much sharper than all the other ones you'd collected from Jun Wu."

Xie Lian let him hang that sword as he willed, neither speaking nor retaliating, since any retaliation would be pointless.

In that state, he donned a new set of robes, and, strapped with a new sacred sword, he dragged the body that felt like it had been reborn and walked out of the Temple of the Crown Prince towards the darkness.

White No-Face then called after him from behind. "Wait."

Xie Lian paused in his step. White No-Face came to his side soundlessly, and placed a white silk band in his hands.

"You forgot this."

It was that white silk band he had used to cover his face at first, then later was used to bind him.

Xie Lian wobbled down the mountain by himself.

It was already day, the sun had come out, but when the sun was shining down on him, Xie Lian didn't feel warm at all.

On his way down the mountain, he saw a little stream, plip plop, clear and lively. He walked to the streamside, and the waters reflected his appearance. Xie Lian stared at that pale face.

The face was smooth and white as chalk, without a single cut. The same with the neck, then, the chest, and all of his abdomen, they were all the same. The more he looked, the more he couldn't look any longer. He put his head down, cupping stream water in his hands, washing his

face and drinking a few mouthfuls. He drank and drank, and suddenly noticed there was something upstream.

He looked up slowly and saw that, not far in the distance, on the shores upstream, next to a giant boulder, there was a slumped corpse. Judging by his attire, it was that buff street performer.

That man didn't descend the mountain, and died on the road instead. Upon the giant boulder was a particularly obvious pool of blood; it appeared he had smashed himself against it out of either pain or fear, and died. The corpse was already rotten, half of it soaked in the water, emitting waves of foul stench, unmoving. But the several deformed little faces growing on that half-rotten face were still squirming.

Xie Lian knelt by the stream and puked his guts out for over an hour, heaving until there was blood.

After descending the mountain, he walked for a long time, strolling down the main streets aimlessly without a destination in mind. Suddenly, a hand gripped his shoulder and yanked him into an alley. Xie Lian looked around and before he even saw the other's face, he saw an incoming fist.

"WHERE DID YOU RUN OFF TO THESE PAST FEW DAYS???"

Behind the fist was Feng Xin's furious face, and by the time Xie Lian saw, he was already knocked down by the punch.

Feng Xin hadn't expected that he'd be knocked down so easily, and he looked at his own fist, then at Xie Lian who was on the ground, confused. Before he went to help him up, Xie Lian had already crawled up himself. Feng Xin's face changed, but in the end he still wasn't over his temper.

He said, "You've got such a temper! Dropping only a word before running away, disappearing for two months! Do you know just how worried Their Majesties have been??"

Xie Lian wiped away the splattered nosebleed from his face. "I'm sorry."

Seeing that he was making things worse with the wiping, Feng Xin heaved a heavy sigh.

"Your Highness! Forget it with the apology, it's meaningless between us, but you…just what happened to you? Can't you tell me?" He noticed that black sword hanging on Xie Lian's waist and asked, "And where did you get that sword from?"

Xie Lian had wanted to tell. But when he remembered the quarrel between him and Feng Xin when he left, and the doubtful expression on Feng Xin's face at the time, plus that experience he never wanted to think about again, he only repeated, "I'm sorry."

The two returned to the hiding place from before, and when the queen saw Xie Lian she hugged him and wept. The king looked as if he had aged quite a bit again; before it was finding white hairs in black, now it was finding black strands among all the white. However, he wasn't enraged for some reason, and only spoke a few words before going silent. The three of them were probably afraid that if Xie Lian was provoked again he'd run away for another half a month, so their words and gestures around him were all very careful.

"Feng Xin."

After a simple and coarse meal, Xie Lian untied the black sword on his waist and passed it over.

"Take this sword. Pawn it."

Feng Xin noticed the hand holding the sword was trembling, but couldn't guess why. "Why do you want me to pawn it?"

"Didn't you ask for money before?" Xie Lian said.

Hearing this, there was suddenly a flash of hurt on Feng Xin's face, and soon after, he shook his head. "I don't need it anymore."

Xie Lian didn't speak another word. He tossed the black sword to the side and stopped caring for it, then he flopped over and fell asleep.

This time, when he returned, Xie Lian acted as if nothing had happened, hoping that everything would return to normal as soon as possible, that he could return to his original state. Soon, he and Feng Xin went out to perform on the streets.

At first, Feng Xin was still worried. "Forget it, just rest for a couple more days."

"I've already rested for almost two months," Xie Lian said. "If those street performers keep coming to stir up trouble, then it'll be easier to deal with it with two people."

However, Feng Xin said, "They stopped coming a long time ago."

It wasn't because that buff street performer from before had died and there was no one to lead, but because Feng Xin had settled here for a long time now. When he first arrived, everyone thought he was a novelty. But after time passed, that novelty had faded away, and now watching him was no different than watching the other local buskers. Compared to before, Feng

Xin lost his competitive edge. Now that he wasn't a threat, the other street performers stopped looking for trouble, since everyone made about the same amount of money, it was all the same.

Thus, no matter how hard Feng Xin shot his arrows, no matter how expert his skills, the audience that came to watch and rewarded his efforts was less than half of before. In fact, it was less than ten percent of before. After working for over half the day, Feng Xin was exhausted and sweating profusely, sitting down on the side.

"Let me go up," Xie Lian said.

"Nah, don't worry about it," Feng Xin replied.

However, Xie Lian didn't bother listening to him and went up. Seeing that the faces changed, the passersby all became interested again.

"And what special skills do you have, little buddy?"

Xie Lian didn't respond. He picked up a branch and started striking out a set of art of the sword. Between the shrieking sounds of the blows, the point was sharp with the aura of the sword, and thus, there were a few who gave face and cheered. Feng Xin watched from the side, his expression complicated, and after watching for a bit he turned his head away.

Xie Lian didn't feel shame at all, nor did he feel any burden in his heart, and only continued to swing the sword seriously.

Just then, there was suddenly someone in the crowd who yelled, "IT'S BORING, IT'S BORING! WHAT A PATHETIC ACT! Who wants to watch you fucking blindly poke around with a tree branch?"

Feng Xin immediately jumped to his feet and shouted, "YOU WATCH YOUR MOUTH!"

Xie Lian faltered in his movements and gazed over. Within the crowd there was a man who was munching on a melon and spitting seeds, obviously there to watch a showdown.

He called to Feng Xin, "This ancestor's here to watch a street performance! I'll say whatever I wanna say, you're here to earn our reward, and you dare to mind us, the ones doing the rewarding? Change to a real sword! Use a real sword and this grandmaster will consider whether to grant you some seeds!"

The moment he yelled out, the others followed suit. Feng Xin was outraged and was just about to act out when suddenly, a white shadow flashed by, and Xie Lian was already standing next to that man. He grabbed him, and threw him high into the air.

He exhibited such an amazing strength, and that man was thrown meters away, the melon rinds tumbling all over the ground. The crowd had their mouths wide open with shock. That man landed heavily with a thud, bleeding from his orifices, letting out a loud and pathetic cry.

However, Xie Lian wasn't done, and he went up to seize him one more, speaking plainly and emotionlessly. "There are no real swords, but I can really take your life. Do you want to see?"

The audience all broke away and fled in terror. "SOMEBODY! HELP! MURDER!"

Feng Xin was even more shocked. "Your Highness!!!"

Xie Lian pretended not to hear, and was ready to throw that idle man away for another several meters and have him fall wherever. But Feng Xin went up and held him down, even forgetting to hide his identity as he roared.

"YOUR HIGHNESS!!! WAKE UP! YOU'RE GONNA KILL THIS MAN!!!"

Both of Xie Lian's eyes were burning with black flames. He smacked away that hand, and pressed that man down on the ground. That idle man passed out and stopped moving. Feng Xin rushed up and was just about to check for his breath when he heard at the end of the street someone yelling sharply.

"IT'S THEM! OVER THERE!"

This was bad! The Yong'an soldiers had come!

Feng Xin bolted instantly, but when he saw Xie Lian was still standing there, glaring at those Yong'an soldiers as if he was ready to fight them, Feng Xin turned around back and pulled at him.

"What are you still standing there for? RUN!"

The two hid and went for cover the entire way before they were able to escape, and finally returned to that little cottage where they hid. The moment they entered the door, before the queen's face, Feng Xin started yelling.

"HOW COULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT??"

Feng Xin of the past would absolutely never dare to be so unruly before the two Majesties, but after having grinded for so long, there were a lot of things that had already changed.

Xie Lian turned to the queen. "Go to your room."

"My son, just what…" the queen started.

Xie Lian cried, "GO BACK TO YOUR ROOM!"

The queen didn't dare to ask anymore, and went back to the room. Xie Lian then turned to Feng Xin.

"What did I do?"

"You were going to kill that man!" Feng Xin said angrily.

Xie Lian rebuked, "He didn't die. And so what if he dies?"

"…" Feng Xin was dumbfounded. "What did you say? What do you mean, 'so what if he dies'?"

"That pleb was asking for it," Xie Lian said. "Since he asked for it, I gave it to him. Was I wrong?"

As if he was stunned by Xie Lian's vocabulary, it was a good moment before Feng Xin said, "He…was causing trouble, but you didn't need to kill him? Smack him around and let it go, he didn't deserve to die over some petty words?"

Xie Lian cut him off. "Of course he did. He dared say it, so he needed to pay the price."

"…" Feng Xin was filled with disbelief. "How could you say something like that?"

"Like what?" Xie Lian asked.

"You wouldn't have used the word 'pleb' before in the past. You've never said it before," Feng Xin said.

"What are you trying to say?" Xie Lian said. "It's not like I'm a god, can't I be angry? Can't I hate?"

Feng Xin was stumped, then a moment later, he arduously squeezed out a few words. "That's not what I meant, but no matter what, you didn't need to…"

Xie Lian didn't want to listen anymore and stopped talking to him, going into his own room and slamming the door heavily.

The moment the door was shut, he screamed and threw himself onto the bed.

He was lying to himself and lying to others! All nothing but deceit!

No matter what, it was impossible to pretend nothing had ever happened, and it was impossible to return to before!!!

That evening, someone knocked on his door, and Xie Lian thought it was Feng Xin so he ignored it. A moment later, the queen's voice sounded from the other side.

"My son, it's mother. Let mother come in and take a look at you, alright?"

Xie Lian had just wanted to lie there without moving, but after lying there for a brief moment, he still got up and opened the door, asking tiredly, "What?"

The queen was holding a plate standing at the door. "My son, you haven't eaten yet, right?"

Xie Lian watched her, and endured for a long time before he forcefully swallowed down the words, "even if I haven't eaten I don't want to eat what you've made", that were already rolling up his throat. He then moved aside to allow his mother in, and the queen placed the plate on the table.

"Look."

Xie Lian looked, and got so angry he wanted to laugh. "What's that?"

The queen said, as if she was offering treasure, "This is 'Lovebirds Upon a Branch Meatballs', and this is 'Blooming Flowers and Full Moon Stew'…"

Those "Lovebirds" looked like death, and that "Blissful Full Moon" was full of craters, and Xie Lian had to interrupt her. "Why did you name these things?"

"Don't dishes all have names?" The queen said.

"That's for imperial dining in the palace," Xie Lian said. "Ordinary folks don't give names to dishes."

Imperial dining. Palace. Ordinary folks. The queen paused for a while, then smiled.

"Well, no one said you have to be dining imperially in order to give dishes names, so just take this as a wish for good fortune."

Then she passed the chopsticks over. Xie Lian however, didn't smile, nor did he touch the chopsticks.

The queen smiled and sat for a while, then her smile gradually fell. "My son."

"What," Xie Lian was brusque.

"Why are you fighting with Feng Xin again?" the queen asked.

Xie Lian didn't want to explain at all, and he didn't have the energy to explain either. "You two just stay inside your room and relax. There's no need to mind these things."

The queen hesitated for a moment. "Mother knows this probably shouldn't be said, but, these past many days that you've been gone, it's been that child Feng Xin who has been looking after us…"

"Mother, what are you trying to say?" Xie Lian demanded.

The queen quickly said, "My son, don't be angry, I'm not trying to blame you. I'm really not, I know you're having a hard time too. I'm only saying that child Feng Xin has always followed us, followed you, and it's not easy. I could sense that it's not that he didn't want to go, but having stayed until today, it was all because he still remembers the affections between you two…"

Having listened to this point, Xie Lian jumped to his feet. "WHO'S HAD IT EASY? HAS IT BEEN EASY FOR ME?? MOTHER, CAN YOU PLEASE STOP ASKING QUESTIONS?? CAN YOU PLEASE NOT INVOLVE YOURSELF IN THINGS YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND???"

Seeing that he was running out the door, the queen started panicking, and got up to chase after him. "My son, where are you going? I'll stop talking, mother won't say anything anymore! Come back!"

Xie Lian exclaimed sharply, "I know! Everyone's having a hard time, but don't worry! I'LL GO MAKE THINGS EASIER FOR EVERYONE!!"

The queen couldn't keep up with him, and it didn't take long before she was left behind. It wasn't until evening before Xie Lian returned with a few sacks in hand. When he opened the door, no one had gone to bed and they were all up waiting for him, their faces sullen.

Xie Lian shut the door with a backhand and questioned, "What is it?"

The king seemed to have already lectured the queen, and the rims of her eyes were red. When she saw Xie Lian had returned, she let out a long sigh of relief and forced a happy smile.

"My son, you've come back! I won't ever ask you anything unnecessary from now on, don't just leave so suddenly, if there's anything, mother will definitely listen to you…"

Everyone was scared. Scared that if he just turned around and left, he'd go missing for another two months.

However, Xie Lian said, "You all think too much, I wasn't going to leave. Just go and rest."

He waited until the king and the queen both entered their room, and after a moment of silence, Feng Xin said, "Even if I asked where you went you wouldn't tell me, right?"

Xie Lian didn't speak, and tossed those sacks on the ground. They made crisp clinking sounds as they landed.

"What's this?" Feng Xin asked.

Xie Lian opened the sacks and turned them out, and from within came tumbling a large pile of gold and silver wares, almost brightening the entire house.

Feng Xin instantly stood up. "You…Where did those things come from??"

Xie Lian didn't bother to look up, and only sat on the ground and counted as he replied, "There's no need to be like that. I only paid a visit to a big household in the city, that's all. Relax, no one saw."

"YOU!…" Feng Xin's eyes were round and bulging.

He remembered that the king and queen were in the next room and lowered his voice. "You stole?!"

"You don't need to look at me like that," Xie Lian said. "Everyone's having a hard time. Things will be easier with this."

"You still shouldn't have stolen??" Feng Xin exclaimed. "We can just busk!"

"And how much do we earn from killing ourselves performing on the streets?" Xie Lian said.

Feng Xin staggered a couple steps back, and it was the first time Xie Lian saw him looking like he was going to faint.

Feng Xin finally steadied himself, made sure that he didn't hear wrong, and mumbled, "How did you become this way?"

Xie Lian looked up and asked back, "What way?"

Feng Xin was mad. "I don't want to lecture you, but just look at yourself, at what you've become! I won't ask you about the robbery anymore, but how did things get worse??"

Xie Lian snorted. "I knew it."

"Knew what?" Feng Xin asked.

Xie Lian rose to his feet. "I knew you kept that robbery thing on your mind. You wanted to ask me, but you didn't have the heart, right? You've imagined thousands of scenarios in your head, right? Don't think on it anymore. I'll tell you."

Step by step, he came pressing in to Feng Xin. "It's true. I robbed."

Feng Xin was forced back a step. "You…." Then he advanced a step, and said with quiet anger,

"Then what are we passing our days so hard for? If you were willing to do those things, then we could've done it already, why suffer until today?? Are you aware of what you're giving up?? Are you still the Royal Highness from the past??"

"That's right, why have we suffered until today?" Xie Lian said.

Feng Xin was taken aback, and Xie Lian continued, "What was with the me of the past? Doesn't talk back while being cursed at? Doesn't fight back while being beaten? Always overestimating myself? Save the common people? What is that? Isn't that a dumbass? Do you think a dumbass is better? Do you think that's the me I should be? If I wasn't, are you going to be very shocked?"

Feng Xin was stunned. "Are you crazy? Why do you have to say it like that?"

"You're wrong. I'm not crazy," Xie Lian said. "I've just suddenly woken up. Then, I discovered it was the past me who was crazy."

"…" Feng Xin mumbled, "Why are you like this? When did you become this way? I, I really don't know, I'm, then why have I followed you all this time…"

"Then stop following," Xie Lian said.

Feng Xin hadn't wrapped his head around it and blurted, "What?"

"I said, don't follow me anymore," Xie Lian repeated.

Then, he slammed the door.

Four hours later, there were finally some creaking movements outside the room, and low talking voices.

It seemed Feng Xin was bidding farewell to his father and mother. Feng Xin's voice was extremely low, the queen's voice was choked with sobs, and the king didn't say much, but there was a lot of coughing. A moment later, the door opened, then the door closed, and Feng Xin's voice vanished, the sound of his footsteps going far away.

Feng Xin had left.

Xie Lian was still shut in the room, emotionless and expressionless, and a moment later, he closed his eyes.

He'd finally left.

Ever since Mu Qing had left, Xie Lian had always been terrified of this: that one day, Feng Xin would also leave.

Because he was too scared, today, Xie Lian could no longer endure the torment of this fear.

Rather than dragging it out, like sharpening a knife to slowly grind away all the kindness and friendship until there was nothing left, until finally both hated the sight of each other and held grudges, it was better that things exploded sooner.

Before Feng Xin went, he was afraid. Now that Feng Xin had gone, he wasn't scared any longer.

But, even though he wasn't afraid anymore, he was in deeper agony.

Originally, Xie Lian had held a one-in-a-million bit of hope at the bottom of his heart. He'd hoped that, even if he was to admit he had done things he shouldn't have, even if he had become the worst of himself like this, Feng Xin would still stay. After all, ever since that year he turned fourteen, when Feng Xin was selected to be his bodyguard, the two had never left each other's sides. While they were master and servant, they were more so friends. Outside of the him who was crown prince, Feng Xin didn't care for anyone else. At most, maybe the king and the queen.

But, Feng Xin really left.

Xie Lian had already guessed this to be the end, but he also couldn't stand this end either, and he couldn't take it for the moment.

Just then, outside the silent room came the queen's voice. "My son, I'm so sorry."

"…"

Xie Lian crawled up from his bed and opened the door, went out, and said tiredly, "It's none of your business."

The king and queen were both sitting at that old and creaky table. The queen said, "Father and mother dragged you down, and made you do bad things for our sakes, and even made you and Feng Xin argue."

Xie Lian forced a smile. "What bad things? Aren't tales and legends all full of stories of stealing from the rich to help the poor? Since Feng Xin's gone, he's gone, it's pretty good actually. With him gone, things will be more relaxed. Relaxed on both sides. You two just focus on healing. Tomorrow we can go buy the best medicine."

However, the king glared at him. "I won't use that money."

The queen elbowed him quietly.

Xie Lian demanded, "Then, what do you want?"

The king coughed a few more times, "You…go chase after Feng Xin and bring him back. I don't want this kind of money."

Although the queen was elbowing him, she also agreed. "Yeah, why don't you go chase after Feng Xin. He's your most loyal servant, and your best friend…"

"There is no more loyal servant," Xie Lian said. "Since there's money, just use it, don't ask anything else. I told you, there are some things you don't understand."

After a long silence, in the end, the queen said, "I'm so sorry, my son. Mom and dad can see, you have been struggling very hard on your own. But mom and dad are only mortals, we can't help you at all, and need your care too."

Xie Lian had no more energy to keep talking, and placated them with empty words of comfort before sending them back to their rooms. In order to help himself clear his mind, Xie Lian unwrapped the bandages and stripped all of his clothes, took a rough bath, then passed out.

He passed out so hard that when he woke the next day, he wondered blearily, "How come Feng Xin didn't wake me?"

It was a good moment before he remembered that Feng Xin had left.

Xie Lian flipped over and sat up, fell in a daze, and remembered another thing.

Even if Feng Xin had left, what about his father and mother? How come his father and mother didn't come to rouse him, either?

Usually at this time, he would've heard the sound of the king coughing. That sound had never ceased, so why was it so quiet today?

For some reason, Xie Lian suddenly felt uneasy. He put on his clothes and got out of bed, grabbed for his silk band but found it wasn't there, then he pushed open the door to the room next door.

"Mother, have you seen my…"

The moment he pushed open the door, both his pupils instantly shrank to two very small dots.

He found his white silk band.

That white silk band was hung on the beam, and it also dangled two unmoving figures, their bodies long since stiffened.

It was his father and mother.

Xie Lian wondered if perhaps he was still in a dream and he swayed, reaching out to support himself against the wall. But he was swaying so much he didn't catch on properly, so he slipped down along the wall instead.

He sat on the ground, his hands covering his face, and a sudden abrupt difficulty in breathing choked him. He cried and laughed, laughed and cried.

"I, I, I, I…"

He rambled and mumbled to no one, then he added, "It wasn't, no. I, wait, I, you can't, I…"

Finally, not even complete words could come out, and he turned around and screamed, smashing his own head against the wall over and over.

He should've known. His father was such a conservative and traditional king, and his mother was a mother who couldn't bear the sight of her loved ones suffering, especially since it was suffering for their sake. Both of them were nobility who were raised in prestige; that they could hang on all this way thus far was already a miracle.

Xie Lian smacked his head against the wall for over a hundred times and mumbled, "Feng Xin, my father and mother are gone."

No one was listening.

Only then did he realize he needed to bring his parents' corpses down. After lowering them, Xie Lian acted like he had nothing left to do and walked around the house. He saw upon the table there were a few plates of horrid-looking dishes that were now cold. They were what he made the queen take away without eating a single bite the night before. Now, he pulled them over absent-mindedly, and ate everything, not daring to leave behind a single leaf, afraid to miss a single grain of rice. After he ate he started puking.

All of a sudden, Xie Lian grabbed that white silk band and threw it over the beam, and put his own neck through the knot.

Waves of suffocation assaulted him, yet he remained clear-minded. Even when his eyes filled with blood, his collar bones cracking, he still remained conscious. Then, for some reason, as he hung there, that white silk band suddenly loosened on its own. Xie Lian fell heavily to the ground, and in the midst of dizziness, he found that white silk band had actually started moving by itself without any breeze. Like it was a venomous snake, it started coiling.

This thing had conceived its own spirit!

With the injection of spiritual power, having been dyed with Xie Lian's blood, and even having hung two royals to death—if Xie Lian could die, then it'd be three—such a white silk band, carrying such a deep resentment and evil, it'd be more strange if it didn't turn into a spirit.

The little spirit who had only just arrived in this world didn't understand how it was born from a despairing situation at all, and happily drifted over to the one who gave it a soul, like it was hoping for an intimate gesture. However, Xie Lian had no eyes for it. He clutched his head and roared.

"SOMEBODY!!! SOMEBODY COME KILL ME!!!"

He could only pray that someone would come right that second to take his life, and help him break free from this endless pain and torture!

Just then, from the far distance, there came the roaring sound of gongs and drums. Xie Lian panted harshly, his eyes bloodshot, and he wondered inwardly, "Who? What is that?"

Some kind of power forced him to his feet and he stumbled out to look. He walked for a long time before he finally realized those were the sounds of celebrating the newly-built Imperial Palace, after Yong'an was established as a new kingdom and the royal capital was moved.

Even the heavens were celebrating! All the once-citizens of Xianle were now cheering for Yong'an. On the main street, everyone's faces bore such bright smiles; so familiar. Xie Lian remembered. This was also how the people at the Xianle imperial capital cheered during the Shangyuan Heavenly Ceremonial Procession.

Xie Lian staggered back and sat listlessly on the ground.

Why must he witness the laughter and cheers of "Yong'an people" just when the corpses of the king and queen of Xianle lay next to his feet?

Xie Lian buried his face in his hands, crying and laughing, ha ha ha ha, sob sob sob sob.

A moment later, he giggled. "You won't get off so easily."

A voice flashed in his mind: the Human Face Disease, it's resentment…the method to create the Human Face Disease, is…

A savage light flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly dropped his voice. "I won't let any of you off so easily."

The expression on his face was like crying but laughing, like joy and sadness mixed together, and he slowly rose to his feet alongside the wall.

"Yong'an, Forever Peace? Dream on. Dream on forever! I…curse all of you. I CURSE ALL OF YOU!!! I WANT YOU ALL TO DIE, PERISH COMPLETELY!! HAHA, HAHA, HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

[The name "Yong'an" means "Forever Peace".]

He laughed and laughed, and Xie Lian rushed out like a whirlwind. When he passed that mirror, he suddenly paused and whipped his head around.

The him inside the mirror had already changed completely.

What he was wearing wasn't those white cultivator robes that had been worn from washing, but snow-white funeral garb with expansive sleeves. His face was no longer his own face, but a half-crying, half-smiling, cry-smiling mask!

If this was the Xie Lian from before, when he saw himself like this in the mirror he would've screamed in horror. However, the him now wasn't scared at all. He laughed maniacally as if he saw nothing, and he broke through the door while stumbling, dashing out.

The old imperial capital of Xianle was now nothing more than a field of ruined wreckage.

Nearby the wreckage, there were still some residents who fortunately survived, and refugees who had nowhere else to go. Ever since the Human Face Disease erupted and the imperial city had fallen, this once-glamourous capital had frequent haunting breezes, chilling to the bone. Today, it seemed to be especially chilling. A few of the disheveled beggars all disappeared, watching the skies as they fled. People all sensed that something ominous was going to happen, so they best not linger in the streets.

In front of the broken imperial city gates was the battlefield. Usually, not many dared visit. Now, there was only an old cultivator, running here, jumping there, catching some lost wandering spirits, stuffing them into his sack once they were caught, preparing to tie them into lanterns. As he ran around, he suddenly discovered that at the edge of the battlefield, a strange white-clothed silhouette had appeared.

It truly was strange, truly peculiar. He donned funeral garb, white robes, expansive sleeves, a band of white silk tied to a sleeve, floating along with the wind like it was alive. He was wearing a tragically pale mask, half of it crying, half of it smiling.

That old cultivator shuddered violently, and before he knew why he was fleeing, his legs had already carried him out of the battlefield. Before his panic and dread had calmed, he stopped in his step and looked back.

That white-clothed man didn't speak a single word, and was strolling over the battlefield. Chilling wind whipped around, and with every step, he trampled the bones of those who died in war.

Countless spirits of the dead were struggling and wailing on this soil; even the air was black from resentment.

That white-clothed man asked coldly, "Do you hate?"

The dead souls wailed and cried. That white-clothed man took another few steps.

"The people you swore to protect and die for, have now become citizens of the new kingdom. Do you hate?"

The wails of dead souls now had shrieking mixed in.

That white-clothed man said slowly, "They've forgotten you who have died on the battlefield, forgotten your sacrifices, and are cheering for those who robbed away your lives. Do you hate?"

Amidst that shrieking came howling and roaring.

That white-clothed man called out sharply, "What's the use in screaming? Answer me, DO YOU HATE??"

In the air over the entire battlefield there came the echoing of innumerous voices of resentment and agony.

"I HATE…"

"I HATE…"

"KILL…I WANT TO KILL THEM!!!"

That white-clothed man opened his arms towards them and reached out both his hands. "Come to my side."

He enunciated each word: "I promise, the people of Yong'an shall never know peace!"

The shrieking, howling, roaring, crying, shook the ground and crashed the heavens. The dead souls of the Xianle soldiers, mingled with the deceased of those who died from the Human Face Disease, answered. And, in that sky covered in black mist, they took shape!

The old cultivator who had witnessed the whole thing from afar was already terrified. "This…This is…!!!"

In an instant, only three words appeared in his mind.

White-Clothed Calamity!

Just then, that white-clothed man heard the voice of a young man from behind him.

"Your Highness…"

He looked around. Since who knows when, a black-clad youth was already standing behind his person. Then, he was bowing down before him, bending one knee to the ground.