Eternal Faith

Ch. 2 - Found you

Xie Lian finds himself drowning- not drowning, actually, He was drifting in the river-water. The last thing he remembered was being trampled on. And yep, looking at his attire he figured out what might have happened. The Central-plain soldiers thought of him as dead and drifted him in the river with the deceased.

Xie Lian actually now didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He still hadn't healed. So much movement will affect his healing wounds- regarding that he closed his eyes. He didnt know when but next when he woke up, he was already at the shore.

Xie Lian scrambles up and walks away elegantly like he hadn't been trampled upon by these hundreds soldiers, and DEFINITELY nor like a one who was injured. Still he wanted to find a place Where he could meditate and heal himself.
He did find places to heal, but it took him a lot of years. Finally he took a new compass an went to the south as planned. It's been a century, since the Banyue pass problem and he even forgot about it.

Xie Lian just woke up and found himself looking directly at the sun. 'Ah, looks like the start of a new day.' he thinks and smiles to himself.

Xie Lian went near the river side, washed himself off and also washed off his used clothes. He bagan working - colleting scraps and shattering boulders in his own chest stuffs.

Everyone cheered for Xie Lian.
"You are a natural!"
"You trained for it right?"
"A true master!"
etc. Etc.

"Thank you thank you! Please praise my work through money if you can and claps if you can't. " replied Xie Lian while bowing.

Then soon many people started to give him money, coins. He accepted those happily as he was successful in making his livelihood for the day.

Xie Lian was walking alone by the lone road with his bamboo hat bound on his head and a clothed bag hanging from his right shoulder. He found a small lone half bloomed white flower looking up at the sky. Xie Lian smiled subconsciously and crouched down to level the flower with a look. This small white flower so greatly reminded him of a faraway memory of a bandaged boy clutching a white flower close to his chest, only to give to his admiring God, the one and only God.

Xie Lian told the flower, "I am sorry..." He smiled again, but this time a bit sadly. Then he caressed the half blooming flower for a moment. Then he went up and left.

The half blooming flower bloomed fully and smiled brightly at the sky. As if replying to the long gone man.

************************************************
After more 1 century or so.

Thunder rumbles, heaven shakes, bell dings loudly until it falls directly on a Martial god, golden palaces topples, most importantly, the already alight heaven shines with the golden light left behind by the ascension thunder.

Amongst the golden light- one jade skinned, brown haired, golden eyed- a precious God is standing. Smiling sheepishly as a greeting toball the heavenly officials who thought would welcome the newly ascended. But after they saw who it was there were murmurs like :

"Not again..."

"Give me a break..."

"How many times has it been already? "

"Three times."

" What a tragedy... What a tragedy!"

"That laughingstock of three realms...!"

"He...he...he fucking ascended again!"

"Congratulations, your highness " said Ling Wen with her usual stoic face after the uproar was over.

"Thanks, Ling Wen. But can I know what you are conhratilating me for? "

"You have won the 1st prize of 'Most Likely To Be Sent Down To Mortal Realm' records.", Ling Wen said.

Laughing sheepishly again Xie Lian replied, "Is there anything worth for me to be proud of?"

Ling Wen said , "The winner gets 100 merits."

Xie Lian immediately gives a bright smile and double thumbs up saying, "That's good! If there are anything like that in the future again, do enroll my name there."

Ling Wen curtly nods and gestures at him to follow and continues, "Look at the bell Over there, your highness " points at a direction.

Xie Lian scrutinizes his gaze and asked, "Could you be pointing at the wrong direction?"

Ling Wen replied, "No. See carefully. Can you not find it?"

Xie Lian replied truthfully, "I can't. "

Ling Wen, " I know. There was supposed to be one. But currently there Isn't any. Because after you ascended this time, it dinged so happily and loudly that the bell Couldn't stop itself. Thus the spiritual bell jumped and fell on a God passing by."

Xie Lian smiled nervously. "How's the situation?"

"It's under repair."

"I mean the God it fell on."

"Luckily, the ball it fell on Was a martial God and he chopped down the bell before it fell."

'Oh. I guess It's good. ' Xie Lian clears throat lightly and keeps walking.

"Now your highness can you see the golden palace over there?"

This time Xie Lian immediately replied, "Yep." 'At least I see something now '

But - "That's not right. You shouldn't see it there. During your ascension, the golden palaces of several gods broke down. So they put up several palaces together to do for the time being."

'Looks like I messed up with different officials prior my ascension.' "And I am at fault..?"

"You are at fault. " Ling Wen confirms.

"What can I do?"

"Easy. Pay 8.8 Million merits debt." Ling Wen says while bouncing the scroll in her hand.

Xie Lian grins. "Show me the way."

The private communication array

The offucials are all muttering, clattering and shouting.

"Looks like Your highness is back." greets an official, not so resepectfully despite using 'Your Highness'.

"Not so bad, not so bad. Thank you!" replied Xie Lian.

The array becomes silent instantly.

"But I am not so good."

'Bell!' Xie Lian thought.

"I hope general was perfectly well and was able to defend himself against a mere bell. "
Xie Lian remarks.

The general got stumped and didn't know how to respond.

Some other officials were smirking internally hearing the response.

However, Ling Wen sent a private message to Xie Lian, just in case. "That's General Xuan Zhen.

Xie Lian also responds privately, " I know that's Mu Qing. I just wanted to see if he still is like before or not. And I would gladly say, he is still the same Mu Qing I knew."

************************************************

"What news? Any trouble? "

"He has ascended, again " replies the man.

"What?!" Hua Cheg was shocked. "Thanks your debt is lessened." Saying that he cut his private communication array.

The other man, 'Did Hua Cheng just say the words thank you? Did he even realize he THANKED me? Just how much in love he is in with His Highness...?'

Moreover, with Hua Cheng.

Hua Cheng leans back on his divan and smiles while closing his eyes, 'I finally found you, your highness. It's been 800 years.'

Hua Cheng opened his eyes again. "I will always protect you from today onwards. I will never let you get hurt Again. I will be your stepping stone to every succes."