With so many displaced disaster victims like Yong'an, trying to fight against the army of Xianle Imperial City is like hitting a rock with an egg or trying to stop a chariot with a mantis arm.

However, those who have no way to retreat have the courage to fight against stones with eggs and to try to stop a chariot with a mantis arm. After a riot, tens of thousands of Yong'an people finally left the city gate, withdrew a distance, and set up camp in another place.

They just refused to leave. If they walked on the road, they might die. If they stayed here, they would probably die too. What difference did it make? With the food and water distributed by the king, the bark, weeds, vegetable roots, insects, snakes, rats and ants in the wild, and the resentment and unwillingness that had been accumulated for many days, these people held on with unimaginable tenacity. A few days later, more than a thousand people who had gathered hastily came back with hoes, rakes, stones and branches to fight.

Although the battle was a mess and the defeat was disastrous, with more than half of the more than 1,000 people killed or wounded, it was not a complete failure. Lang Ying rushed into the tower alone, carrying several large bags of rice and several bundles of weapons back. Although he was seriously injured, he aroused the fighting spirit of the desperate men.

At this time, their nature was closer to bandits. Once, twice, three times. Xianle's soldiers found that this group of "bandits" was making rapid progress.

The inexperienced and scattered attackers gradually figured out their way. The attackers who came were more difficult to deal with each time, and the number of those who left was larger each time. There was also an endless stream of new victims who joined them after hearing the news, expanding their ranks. Xianle was in a state of uproar over how to deal with these "bandits", and after five or six such ridiculous battles, Xie Lian could no longer stand by and watch.

He had not reported to the Heavenly Palace for many days, and when he returned to the Immortal Capital this time, he went straight to the Shenwu Palace without saying a word. When he entered, Jun Wu was sitting at the top, and a group of priests were bowing their heads and obeying orders, as if they were discussing important matters. If it were in the past, Xie Lian would choose another day to visit, but now, he could not wait any longer, and went straight to the point and said, "Emperor, I am going back to the human world."

All the priests were shocked, and then they covered their mouths and kept silent, not wanting to show too much emotion. Jun Wu thought for a moment, stood up from the throne, and said softly: "Xianle, I roughly know what happened, but you need to calm down first."

Xie Lian said, “Emperor, I am not here to ask questions, but to inform you. My people are in dire straits, please forgive me for not being able to remain calm.”

Jun Wu said: "Everything in the world has its own destiny. You know, if you go down, you will be breaking the rules."

Xie Lian said, “If it’s against the law, then it’s against the law!”

Hearing this, the expressions of the priests suddenly changed. It was true that no priest had ever dared to say this with such confidence and force. Even if Jun Wu favored the young Prince Xianle who had ascended to heaven, he was still too bold.

Then, Xie Lian bowed his head and said, “Please show some mercy and give me some time. Since the war has begun, casualties are inevitable, but if I can quell this war, causing the least number of deaths, and keeping things under the smallest scope, I will voluntarily come back to apologize after the war is over, and I will be at your disposal at that time. Whether you press me under the mountain for a hundred years, a thousand years, or ten thousand years! I will never regret it.”

After saying this, he kept his head bowed and retreated out of the hall. Jun Wu said, "Xianle!"

Xie Lian paused. Jun Wu looked at him and sighed, "You can't save everyone."

Xie Lian slowly straightened up and said, “Whether I can save everyone or not, I won’t know until I try. Even if the heavens say that I must die, and that sword doesn’t pierce my heart and nail me to the ground, I will still be alive, and I will still fight to the end!”

This time when he returned to the human world, it was different from every time before. Xie Lian felt like he had left something behind. He felt a little relieved, but also a little heavy. His first step was to return to the palace impatiently.

The king and queen were in the imperial study, looking solemn and tired, talking in low voices. Xie Lian came to the door, was slightly nervous for a moment, then calmed down, lifted the curtain, walked in, and said, "Father."

The king and the queen both turned around, both in shock. After a while, the queen stood up first and said happily, "My son!"

She stretched out her hands and came to greet him, and Xie Lian supported her. But before she could stop laughing, the king suddenly frowned and said, "Why did you come down here?"

Xie Lian’s smile froze.

After hearing his parents' conversation behind their backs in the palace, Xie Lian felt that his father still missed him and was not as critical of him as he appeared to be. He thought that the king would be somewhat happy about his return, and that he would certainly soften his attitude. But the king reacted in such a bad way, so Xie Lian got angry and said solemnly, "Why did I come down? It's all because of you. Yong'an is in chaos today. Ask yourself, do you have some responsibility?"

The king's expression changed drastically, and he said sternly: "My responsibility? Is this what you should say to me?!"

He was so angry that he didn't even notice his own name. The queen shed tears and said, "It's already like this, why are you still arguing?"

Xie Lian said, “I’m not arguing, I’m talking about reason. Even if you are the ruler of the country, my father, but if you have responsibilities, why can’t I say anything? Why don’t you do your best to provide disaster relief? Even if the relief money is swallowed up by layers of money, why don’t you punish corrupt officials? If you acted swiftly and decisively, and arrested and punished one by one, who would dare to be corrupt? Wouldn’t the situation be better than it is now?”

Veins popped up on the king's forehead, and he slammed the table and said, "Shut up! Do you think the treasury is a bottomless pit, and you can fill it up as many times as you want? And you catch and punish them one by one. If it were so easy, and the king's orders could produce immediate results, why have corrupt officials never been eradicated in all dynasties? What do you know, you ignorant boy? Come with me and talk about governing the country!"

Xie Lian said, “Okay, I don’t understand. Even if there is no place for the victims in the imperial city, evacuation is inevitable, but why don’t you give them some money? Why don’t you comfort them and send troops to escort them eastward?”

The king's eyes widened with anger, and he pointed to the sky and said, "Go away. Go away now! Go back to your heaven! I'm so annoying just by looking at you! Don't show up again!"

Xie Lian came down with a heart full of enthusiasm and met his parents for the first time, but he heard his father telling him to go back to heaven. Without saying a word, he bowed to him and left. The Queen chased him out and grabbed him, saying, "My son!"

Xie Lian said gently, “Mother, don’t worry. I’m just going to the capital to take a look at the current situation.”

The Queen shook her head and said, "My son, I don't understand these state affairs, but I understand your father. I have seen how he has been the ruler for so many years. You may feel that he has not done a good job. Sometimes I feel so too, I just don't say it. But don't say it to his face. He is your father after all. If you say to his face that he is not attentive, it will really hurt his heart."

Xie Lian was about to speak but stopped. The Queen said, “Although you are a crown prince, you have never been a ruler. Governing a country is different from practicing Taoism. When you first entered the Imperial Temple, the Imperial Master said that practicing Taoism is all about one’s heart. Is that right?”

Xie Lian nodded slowly. The Queen held his hand and said, “However, there are many other things in this world that are useless just by having the intention. You also need the ability. Not only do you have to have the ability, but your subordinates must also have the ability. Not only must they have the ability, but they must also be of the same mind as you.”

Xie Lian remained silent. After a long while, he said, "Is the national treasury very empty? I don't need temples. Tell him not to build so many temples for me. And those golden statues, all should be demolished."

The Queen said helplessly, "You child... Of course your father had selfish motives in building the temple. He wanted to give you good things and want you to be glorious in heaven. But do you know how many of the eight thousand palaces and temples were actually built by your father? You don't know, do you?"

Xie Lian really didn’t know. He thought for a moment and said, “…half?”

The Queen said, "If your father really used the money from the national treasury to build more than 4,000 prince palaces, the people of Yong'an would have been in turmoil before the imperial city. Since the national treasury is empty, where did the money come from to build so many? Your father only built more than 20 palaces, and others followed his lead and built palaces in a swarm, wanting to please him and you. Should all this be blamed on him?"

Xie Lian said: “I…”

The Queen whispered, "What your father did was not good enough, but he... tried his best. However, in this world, trying your best is not enough."

After a pause, she continued, "You are now blaming your father because you feel sorry for the people of Yong'an. But they are all his people. Are we the ones bullying them? In fact..."

Halfway through his speech, the king shouted angrily in the imperial study: "Why are you talking so much nonsense to him? Tell him to go back to heaven!"

The queen turned around and sighed, "My son, you... don't come down. You should go back."

After leaving the palace, Xie Lian walked along an alley on the side of Shenwu Avenue. Feng Xin and Mu Qing happened to come. As soon as Mu Qing arrived, he said in disbelief: "Your Highness! You asked to come down to earth? Did you go to Shenwu Palace and tell the Emperor?"

Xie Lian said, “Yeah.”

Mu Qing said: "Why didn't you tell me first?"

Feng Xin was puzzled: "What do you mean? Does Your Highness need to tell others in advance what he wants to do?"

Mu Qing lost his composure and said, "Why not? We are his people. We are tied to him now. His every move is closely related to our situation. I want to know what he is going to do. What's wrong?"

Feng Xin said, "Don't we have to follow His Highness in everything he does? He has his own ideas about what he wants to do, whether it's heaven or earth. What are you afraid of?"

"You!" Mu Qing said: "I'm not afraid! I just..."

Xie Lian waved his hand: "That's enough. Stop arguing!"

Feng Xin and Mu Qing immediately shut up. At this time, a parade passed through the street, and hundreds of people shouted loudly: "If Yongan is not eliminated, the country will never have peace!"

"It is a cancer that has caused chaos in the country and has gone too far!"

The Xianle people had never been so aggressive towards anything, and they had organized such a grand parade. Xie Lian couldn't help but feel strange. Feng Xin frowned and asked, "Why is there a woman here?"

Sure enough, in the parade, a girl rushed to the front. The girl had a slender figure, white skin, bright black eyes, and a red face, but it was not a shy look, but a look of anger, which was very eye-catching. Mu Qing had adjusted his mood at this time and said coldly: "Your Highness, don't you know her?"

Xie Lian said, “I don’t know him.”

Feng Xin frowned and said, "Looks a little familiar?"

Mu Qing said: "That is one of the sources."

Xie Lian asked, “What’s the source?”

Mu Qing said: "The source of the irreconcilable conflict. Before, because there were more and more Yong'an people in the imperial city, some of them did not stay together and wandered around causing trouble. The court was discussing expelling them, and the news had spread a long time ago. There was a Yong'an person who wanted to stay and did not want to leave, so he took a risk and sneaked into a rich family one night and kidnapped the daughter of that family."

When Xie Lian heard this, he was still not able to react: “Why would you kidnap a rich family’s daughter if you don’t want to leave?”

Mu Qing looked at him and said, "I want to marry her. But if I don't force her, no daughter from the imperial city will be willing to marry someone from Yong'an."

He didn't say it explicitly, but Xie Lian understood.

He had never thought that it was possible to do this, that there would be such a person in the world, and that such a thing would happen. He suddenly felt an urge to vomit. Feng Xin cursed on the spot, "Disgusting!"

At this time, a group of aunts and old women came up in a hurry, trying to pull the girl down. It seemed that she had escaped when her family wasn't paying attention. But the girl refused and said, "What am I afraid of? Why should I be ashamed? It's not my fault!"

Feng Xin was surprised and said, "This girl has a very fierce temper."

Mu Qing said, "Yes. But her family is not an ordinary family. Her father is an important official in the court, and her mother's family is a wealthy merchant in the imperial city. She was unwilling to suffer this loss, and it was even more impossible for her to marry for the sake of face. She beat the Yong'an man to death first. Soon, all the wealthy merchants and celebrities in the city jointly wrote a letter, listing the several crimes committed by the Yong'an man since entering the city, and begged His Majesty to put all these people in jail and punish them severely. It goes without saying what the ministers' position is."

After a pause, he continued casually, "I heard that this girl's father once wanted to send her to the palace to compete for the position of Crown Princess. Your Highness should have seen her several times a long time ago, but you didn't recognize her."

Xie Lian finally realized that everything was much more complicated than he had imagined.

The people inside and outside the city had long been at odds with each other. The subjects were all furious, and they only wished they could kill them all. If the king still favored the Yongan people, wouldn't he be slapping his own people in the face? In the end, he decided to allocate a sum of money from the depleted treasury to give them money to withdraw. Although it looked shabby, it was likely to cause dissatisfaction among a large number of people.

What is more terrifying than the dissatisfaction of the enemy is the dissatisfaction of the subjects under your rule. Although they were all Xianle's subjects originally, now, I am afraid that few people think so.

He is high up in the world and has been unaware of human affairs for a long time, while his father is still in the world. As the ruler of a country, he needs to use money and people. How can the position, pressure, and people and things he needs to consider and reconcile be the same as his? Just like the outsiders of Yong'an occupying land, making noise, stealing, etc. in the imperial city, for a martial god living in a temple, these are probably trivial matters, and he is not worth getting angry about them and can just endure them. But for the people in the imperial city, it is a real, lingering, and intolerable torture, a crisis that may erupt at any time. It feels simple or insignificant, but it is because he is not in that position.

Xie Lian couldn't help but think that the king's temples were even more gray than the last time he saw them. Last time he said he wanted to dye his hair, he probably didn't have the energy to do it anymore.

When he was young, he firmly believed that his father was the greatest king in the world. The older he got, the more he realized that this was not the case. His father, although the king, was not wise and unparalleled. Sometimes he was a little pedantic and often made mistakes. Apart from his noble status, he was just an ordinary person.

The more he understood, the more disappointed he became. The king noticed his disappointment, so he became more and more intolerant of his every disapproving look, every word of disapproval, and, what he could not tolerate most, being seen in his failure by him.

No father in the world wants his son to see his failure. Every father hopes that he will always be great in front of his son. And he appeared at this time and scolded his father: You did a really bad job! It was so bad that I had to come down to help you out - whether as a king or as a father, how could he feel good after hearing this?

The girl was eventually dragged back by her servants, while the rest of the people continued to march, waving flags and shouting, shouting for one thing: Kill! Start a war! Let the Yong'an people outside the city suffer!

After a while, Mu Qing said, "Your Highness, you should apologize to the Emperor and go back. Things have come to this point. The right time, right place, and right people are all gone."

Just as Jun Wu said to Xie Lian in the Shenwu Hall: Everything in the world has its own destiny. Isn't this sentence telling him: Your Xianle Kingdom has run out of luck, so let it go.

Even the Queen, his mother, looked forward to seeing him day and night. But when she finally saw him, she tearfully told him to go back and not to bother with him. Xie Lian knew that they didn’t want him to face this difficulty, and would rather he just watch from the sidelines and live his own life.

But how is this possible?

“…”

Xie Lian said in a deep voice: “No!”

After saying that, he strode out.