Heaven Official's Affliction | TGCF

006

"Now won't you tell us what's happening here?" Feng Xin questioned, crossing his arms over his chest. Since they were both at the Kiln, he had no reason to stall any further. But he couldn't bring himself to speak. Just thinking about it all was too painful.

The two officials were quick to read Xie Lian's reluctance.

"Well?" Mu Qing pressed on.

The Crown Prince couldn't hide it forever, they were going to find out eventually. And so letting out a hesitated sigh, Xie Lian finally opened his mouth. "Feng Xin, Mu Qing... these are all ghosts from Xianle and Yong'An."

The demeanors of the two Heavenly Officials changed instantaneously. Though slunched over and relatively indifferent before, this hit them hard. If this is the case, everything would make perfect sense! But no matter how hard it affected Feng Xin and Mu Qing, they knew the pain had to be infinitely worse for the Crown Prince of Xianle, even if the extent of which was still not known.

"Why did Jun Wu let you come here?" Mu Qing asked, gritting his teeth. He was so upset he didn't bother to use the proper formalities when addressing him. "He must've known!"

Feng Xin stood silently frustrated.

It wasn't the Crown Prince's intention to make his two ex-generals resentful of the Heavenly Emperor, so he did his best to do some damage control. "Whether or not his Heavenly Emperor knew, I was the one who pressed to continue despite his warnings. At the end of the day, it's my own fault."

As Mu Qing's anger started to simmer down, Xie Lian shifted his attention to Feng Xin. It seemed he had something to say.

"Your highness," Feng Xin finally let the words leave his lips. "What exactly is your relationship with his Heavenly Emperor?"

This question was bound to come up eventually. After all, it was the talk of the Heavenly Capital since Xie Lian's ascension. Since he rose up, the two have been inseparable - the Crown Prince was even placed at his right hand without question! Everyone thought they were on incredibly good terms, which sparked a bit of jealousy among officials.

But after Xie Lian's display in the communication array, that thought changed drastically. If the Crown Prince was having a difficult time, you would guess that Jun Wu would offer aid as per his usual streak of favouritism? That wasn't the case. Rather, he stood by and mocked the Crown Prince in front of the whole capital.

What could have led to that sorry display, did the two have a falling out? Was favouring the Crown Prince just an act? If so, what is Xie Lian's relationship with his Heavenly Emperor?

Xie Lian remained silent.

"Your highness?" Feng Xin asked once more, to which he still didn't share a response. Annoyed, Feng Xin continued, "We all thought you were his golden child, his dog. We were clearly wrong. Tell us what the hell your relationship with Jun Wu is!"

Xie Lian's lips quivered hesitantly. To speak, or to say silent. He didn't know what was the right answer anymore. The person who would know was Jun Wu, and he'd say silence. After all, if they knew they were bound to ask more questions. The answers to those questions would only put them in danger. What would Jun Wu do to Mu Qing and Feng Xin if they knew he was the White Calamity...

What would he do to Xie Lian?

So he was forced to lie. "We're friends, nothing more, nothing less. I didn't take his advice, and this is what happened. I hold no resentment towards him for a decision I made myself."

Feng Xin sighed, plopping to the ground. The Crown Prince was a terrible liar. "If you're going to be dishonest, at least make it convincing. We all heard the communication array. Who in their right mind would think that's friendship? Jun Wu has never been that cold before to any god. I never thought he was capable of it."

Xie Lian closed his eyes. "If lying won't stop you, maybe honesty will." He sighed. "If I were you, I wouldn't ask any more questions. I'm afraid it would only put you in danger."

Feng Xin was speechless. He didn't expect that type of honesty, but what more could he say?

"We can handle danger," Mu Qing tried to counter. "We're gods."

This response snapped the Crown Prince in an indescribable anger. His composure was already thin before, but this put him over the edge.

"Gods? Give me a break!" He raised his voice. "Being a god doesn't mean you're devoid of repercussion. We all know where that mentality leads-!"

Mu Qing shut up entirely.

Noticing the increased tension, the Crown Prince calmed himself down. And so he filled the silence, softly sighing out. "If you still have any ounce of trust in me... believe me when I say you would be better not knowing. Perhaps when the conditions are right, I can explain it all."

The conversation came to a close, the three gods silently watching the Kiln. There were a lot of other things that could be discussed, but none of them took the initiative to bring it up. Since they've been apart, they have all made mistakes they were not proud of. They reached a silent consensus that it was probably best to pretend nothing ever happened then to pry into old memories. Nevertheless, the Kiln itself was oddly peaceful. The cascading hills, the gentle autumn leaves drifting through the sky, had this of not been a major Ghost King initiation site, it would have been perfect for cultivation. What a shame...

Xie Lian was the only one of the three gods who stayed at the Kiln indefinitely. Out of best interest for their followers and to not arise any suspicion from Jun Wu, Mu Qing and Feng Xin took rotating shifts to go do the work that needed to be done in heaven. But it didn't seem to matter - no ghost had reached the kiln yet. Was this batch doomed to fail after all?

Looking back on it, the spirits he casted on Yong'An to inflict the Human Face Disease were Xianle soldiers, all of which were resentful and bitter. Could it be in his one act of wrath, the Crown Prince had already gotten rid of those who had the drive to be Supremes?If that was the case, there should be nothing to worry about. Nevertheless, the irony wasn't lost. If it was Xie Lians biggest regret - Jun Wu's chosen path for him - helping him now, it would only seem to emphasize the point he was too stubborn to consider before.

The Heavenly Emperor was always right.

Xie Lian stared into the sky to shake off the thought, to forget about Jun Wu, the White Calamity. But it was never that simple. Was Jun Wu mocking his highness by descending beams of heaven from the sky?

Xie Lian rubbed his eyes. Wait... heavenly rays on Mount Tonglu? That was odd. That could only happen if someone was ascending here.

"Mu Qing..." Xie Lian called out to the god who was with him at this time. "Do you see that?"

"See what?" Mu Qing squinted, but nothing seemed to catch his eye.

By the time he got his attention and pointed it out, the lights were gone. Did he hallucinate? No, it was too vivid to be a hallucination. He's never seen an ascension that quick before. After all, his own ascensions were drawn out and destructive. Maybe it's a civil god? But it's Mount Tonglu, there should only be ghosts here! Unless...

"Mu Qing, do you mind if I disappear momentarily?" The Crown Prince was curious. "There's something I would like to check out."

"Go ahead," Mu Qing rolled his eyes. "It's not like we've had much to see here."

Unlike the Crown Prince, Mu Qing found it difficult to appreciate Mount Tonglu's beauty, and was incredibly bored. That was to be expected. Usually Martial Gods don't find much value in their battlefields, since they all end up destroyed in the grand scheme of things. Xie Lian understood his perspective was abnormal.

With Mu Qings approval, Xie Lian tied Fang Xin around his waist. Nevertheless, he also brought some of the Potions Mu Qing descended with. With no regard for what may be waiting for him, the Martial God headed out in the direction of the heavenly rays. Maybe it was just a hallucination after all, but he had to make sure.

The string of fate is assiduous after all.