Heaven Official's Blessing Chapter 181-190

Xie Lian startled awake, his body slick with a cold sweat from sheer terror. He sat bolt upright from his slumber, burying his face between his hands. The reason for his abrupt awakening was a nightmare: in his dream, both his parents had taken their own lives by hanging. He had witnessed it, yet felt neither joy nor grief, no tears to shed. Mechanically, he had prepared himself another silken white band. Just as he was putting his head into the noose, he saw a white-clad man below, wearing the mask of the crying-smiling god, jeering at him. His heart lurched, the knot tightened, and a suffocating pressure descended. Then, he woke up.

Outside the window, daylight had already broken. A voice called from the exterior, "Your Highness! Are you awake?"

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

Only after gasping for breath for quite some time did he realize he wasn't sitting on a futon, but rather on a straw mat beneath him. Though it was layered with many batches of hay, making it exceptionally soft, it still wasn't quite comfortable for him. Even now, he hadn't grown accustomed to such simple and crude bedding.

The one who had called out to him was Feng Xin. He had gone out early that morning and had just returned with food, still urging Xie Lian from outside to come and eat. Xie Lian acknowledged him and got up.

The suffocating sensation from the dream felt far too real, and his hand unconsciously went to his neck. He had merely wanted to verify if a mark from the knotted white silk band had truly been left behind, but unexpectedly, he felt something there.

Xie Lian was initially startled and rushed to grab a mirror lying on the ground nearby. However, upon looking at his reflection, he saw that it was a band of a black cursed shackle encircling his neck. Thus, he finally calmed down and remembered everything.

It was the cursed shackle.

Xie Lian's fingers probed at it.

Once banished to become a mortal, aside from aging slower than ordinary humans, there weren't many other privileges. However, when Jun Wu first forged Xie Lian's cursed shackle, he had shown some mercy and left him some room to maneuver. While this cursed shackle locked away his spiritual powers, it also sealed his age and physical body simultaneously, preventing him from aging or dying. Furthermore, Jun Wu had told him that if he managed to ascend again, all that had transpired in his previous life would be forgiven, and this item would be removed.

But to wear such a thing upon one's body was no different from a criminal whose face was branded as a sinner—undoubtedly a humiliation that penetrated to the bone. With this thought, Xie Lian reached out to the side and grabbed a white silk band, intending to pull it over his head. Yet, the moment he raised his hand, he suddenly recalled the terrifying sensation of his neck being slowly strangled in the dream, and he hesitated. In the end, however, he still pulled it out and wrapped it thoroughly around his neck and the lower half of his face before going outside.

Feng Xin and Mu Qing were already waiting for him outside. Feng Xin had brought back steaming hot steamed buns, and Mu Qing was slowly munching on one. Feng Xin passed two over to Xie Lian, but upon seeing those dull and dried crude buns, Xie Lian lost his appetite.

He refused them with a shake of his head.

“Your Highness, you must consume something for breakfast. We have strenuous tasks ahead, and they're not the kind that can be done while sitting idly,” Feng Xin stated.

Mu Qing didn't even glance up. “Indeed, even if you refuse this, there's nothing else to eat. You can faint again, but you'll still have to eat this eventually.”

Feng Xin shot him a glare. “Watch your tone.”

Xie Lian had ascended years ago and had long since forgotten the sensation of eating. A few days prior, he had nearly fainted, only realizing afterward that it was due to not having eaten for several days. This was the incident Mu Qing was alluding to. Sitting aside, Xie Lian, wanting to prevent an early morning dispute between the two, swiftly changed the subject. “Let’s go. We don't even know if we'll find any work today.”

The Xie Lian of the past, holding a noble and esteemed position and possessing a celestial body that required no mortal sustenance, naturally had no need to concern himself with earning a living. However, the current him, though still a Crown Prince, saw the Kingdom of XianLe already in ruins. Though he was a god, he had long since been banished. Now, essentially no different from a mortal, he naturally had to contemplate how to sustain himself. The profession of cultivators typically involved capturing ghosts and performing services, but since there weren't demons and monsters to apprehend or rituals to perform daily, a significant portion of their time was spent seeking casual, temporary employment, such as assisting with cargo transport or engaging in manual labor.

Yet, even such modest errand-like jobs might not be easily secured, given the multitude of displaced, impoverished civilians. Upon spotting opportunities for work, these paupers would labor for mere sustenance – a bun and half a bowl of rice – fervently competing for the tasks. How could Xie Lian and his companions possibly contend? Even if they managed to secure a job, upon reflection, Xie Lian might still conclude that others were in greater need. Indeed, after walking the streets for a considerable while, they found nothing.

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

“Nonsense. If such a thing existed, we would have secured it long ago,” Feng Xin retorted. “Don't respectable jobs require one’s face to be seen? Who doesn't recognize His Highness’s face? If he were recognized, how could any work remain stable?”

Mu Qing fell silent. Xie Lian, meanwhile, tightened the white bandage covering the lower half of his face. It was true; if anyone were to recognize him, they would either flee or attempt to beat and chase him away. Furthermore, if they were to apply for a security guard position, who would comfortably hire a guard with an unknown background, one who wouldn't even show their face? They couldn't undertake assassination jobs either, leaving their options exceedingly limited.

It was impossible for gods to worry about hunger. Mortals, however, needed to eat. Ever since Xie Lian was young, he had never had to consider such matters, and this was truly the first time in over a decade that this problem had afflicted him. However, if gods never experienced the feeling of starvation, how could they possibly comprehend the emotions of a starving worshipper? How could they possibly empathize? At this juncture, he could only regard this experience as a form of training.

Just then, a sudden clamor of gongs and drums erupted nearby, drawing a sizable crowd to investigate the commotion. The trio followed the flow of people, drawn to the spectacle. Within the throng, several martial artists and clowns were loudly performing, clearly a street performance. Mu Qing, ever the pragmatist, proposed once more, "If all else fails, why don't we try busking?"

Xie Lian was indeed contemplating the same idea. However, before he could voice his thoughts, Feng Xin, still observing the scene, retorted, "What nonsense are you spouting? His Highness's divine body is worth a fortune, how could he possibly stoop to such a thing?"

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

"Carrying bricks is honest labor, earning our keep through sheer physical exertion," Feng Xin countered heatedly. "Busking, on the other hand, is about entertaining the masses, making fools of ourselves for their amusement. Of course, it's entirely different!"

At that precise moment, one of the leaping clowns stumbled and fell spectacularly. A roar of laughter erupted from the onlookers as the performer picked himself up, bent at the waist in a deep bow, and began gathering the scattered coins tossed onto the ground. Witnessing this display evoked a profound sense of dejection within Xie Lian, and he forcefully dismissed the notion of 'busking' as a viable employment option. Seeing his reaction, Mu Qing then suggested, "Fine. Then let's start pawning off our belongings."

"We've already pawned a great deal," Feng Xin replied, his tone tinged with frustration. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have survived this long. The remaining items, however, cannot be pawned."

Suddenly, from the rear of the crowd, surprised shouts began to ripple outwards, and a voice bellowed, "THE SOLDIERS ARE HERE! THE SOL"