Chapter 148: Worship One and Run Away

“Little princess, little princess, please save Yun Hui!” Yun Ting quickly knelt.

“Liangqin…” Ah Bao looked at Concubine De, scratching her head.

She wasn’t the type to meddle.

Listening to mother!

Concubine De whispered, “Ah Bao, is Yun Hui still saveable?”

Ah Bao nodded her little head, understanding what her mother meant—yes, he could be saved!

Ah Bao went to Yun Hui’s bedside. The little girl was level with the edge of the bed. She leaned in close to Yun Hui and whispered, “Do you… want to become my disciple?”

[Saving a disciple is a righteous duty.]

Yun Hui’s eyes widened. He whispered clearly, “Yes!”

Ah Bao smiled widely and let a wisp of spiritual energy fall into the paper frog. “Here, this is for you.”

Yun Hui: “…”

He stared blankly at the small paper frog, feeling a warm sensation envelop him, instantly cleansing the source of his discomfort.

The illness visibly retreated from his body!

Yun Hui fell into a coma, but his complexion was gradually improving.

It was as if he was being reborn.

Yun Ting wept as she looked at Ah Bao, repeatedly bowing her head in gratitude.

On the way back to the palace, Ah Bao opened her small hands and noticed many golden light spots jumping in her palms.

[Oh, it’s merit light.]

The merit light reentered Ah Bao’s body, and white spiritual energy flowed from her fingertips.

[Merit can be converted into spiritual energy.]

Ah Bao peeked out the window.

“Liangqin, Liangqin, recover quickly…” Ah Bao pointed at the sky.

[Mother, so much merit and golden light. Oh, there’s some in the east, and some in the west. Isn’t that direction the Jinlou Alley we just left?]

At this moment, Yun Ting had already offered a small wooden doll that resembled Ah Bao.

Ah Bao noticed several spots of merit light in the sky transforming into spiritual energy and rushing into her body.

Concubine De couldn’t see this but heard Ah Bao’s thoughts.

Concubine De was shocked.

Could Ah Bao have been a Bodhisattva in a previous life?

[Right, I forgot that only I can see these merit lights; mother can’t.]

[If others can gain merit by praying, then wouldn’t the deities of the Tiansheng Dynasty be coated in a thick layer of gold?]

“Liangqin, should we go check out the… gods?” Ah Bao pointed up and then at herself.

[I’ve never seen the deities of the Tiansheng Dynasty. Let’s see which deity is the guardian of the Tiansheng Dynasty.]

Concubine De held Ah Bao on her lap and tapped the little girl’s nose. “In the Tiansheng Dynasty, we do not worship any deities.”

Ah Bao: ??

Yun Ci interjected, “Little princess wants to see the deities? Easy! Once the new year is over and spring arrives, I’ll take the little princess to another country to see the gods!”

Ah Bao blinked. “Why?”

Yun Ci covered her mouth and smiled. “When you’re older, you’ll understand. The Tiansheng Dynasty is the only one among the seven countries without deities. It’s said that no one wants to become a deity here. Not because we haven’t tried, but every time we offered worship, the deities left, and the temples collapsed.”

Every time the temple collapses, a new layer of gold is applied.

“Look at that temple, isn’t it resplendent with gold and jade?”

Yun Ci pointed to a towering, dazzling hall that shimmered with golden light not far away.

“Even though the temple looks grand, it’s actually empty inside. It’s been collapsing and being rebuilt repeatedly, which is how it became the temple we see today. If there were a deity willing to come to our Tiansheng Dynasty, the hall wouldn’t be as thick as it is.

In fact, this is quite a joke among the seven countries.”

Ah Bao: “…”

“So, little Ah Bao can choose to see the deities of any of the other six countries. But as for our Tiansheng Dynasty, that’s not possible.

Oh, and even the Feng Kingdom, which has been destroyed, had its own deity. Sigh.”

Because of this, at each of the seven nations’ sky-worship ceremonies, the Tiansheng Dynasty is ridiculed from start to finish.

They’re not in tune with others, and no one wants to pay attention to the Tiansheng Dynasty’s sky-worship festivals.

Ah Bao didn’t expect that the Tiansheng Dynasty had such a reputation in this regard.

It’s surprising that no one wants to become a national deity in the Tiansheng Dynasty!

“People from the other six countries say that our Tiansheng Dynasty is a child abandoned by the gods, a country not blessed, and doomed to perish sooner or later.” Yun Ci sighed. “Other countries have deities, but we don’t.”

Back at the palace, Ah Bao puffed out her cheeks, hands on her hips, and angrily sat in front of the chicken coop.

She stayed there until nightfall without starting to count the chickens.

Zhilan had visited several times, but Ah Bao ignored her and said nothing, looking like a deflated balloon.

“Dear, what’s wrong?” The Great Tyrant came over, holding Ah Bao in his arms. The little one was so small and had a red, cold face.

—

Elsewhere.

As night fell, Concubine Hui opened the temple door and saw that Di Li had already woken up.

She was shocked.

“Li’er, when did you wake up? Didn’t I ask you to call me when you woke up?” Concubine Hui approached him, her heart pounding.

Why had Di Li woken up so quickly this time?

Last time, she had to use the blood jade to wake him.

“I did call, but mother wasn’t here.”

Concubine Hui scrutinized him. “Li’er, you don’t look well. Are you feeling unwell?”

Di Li’s condition was different from last time.

He should have been completely mad…

“I’m fine, just confused about how I fainted while I was praying.”

Concubine Hui forced a smile. “Perhaps you’ve been busy these past few days and didn’t rest well at night. Sometimes, sudden issues arise.”

“Maybe,” Di Li didn’t say more. “Mother, have you finished the incense offering? Let’s return to the palace.”

“Li’er, you…” Concubine Hui wanted to ask about the blood jade.

After all, she still needed to return it to Feng Sheng.

Feng Sheng seemed to value it greatly, and Concubine Hui didn’t want to cause complications.

“Is this what mother is looking for?” Di Li pointed to the ground, where the blood jade had already broken into two halves.

Concubine Hui was startled. She crouched to pick it up, and a foul odor surged out. Concubine Hui almost threw up again but held back and wrapped the two pieces of blood jade in a handkerchief.

Di Li looked at her cautiously. “Mother, what is this? When I woke up, I had it in my hand and thought it was blood, so I threw it away. I didn’t expect it to break so easily.”

Concubine Hui stammered, “It’s a protective charm given by a friend. I suppose it protected you in some way. It’s said that jade can ward off disaster. I’ll handle it, and we should return to the palace. Broken jade is ominous.”

After leaving, Concubine Hui handed the handkerchief to a fake monk.

On the way back to the palace, Di Li remained silent in the carriage.

Concubine Hui observed him from time to time, noticing he seemed even more normal than usual.

What went wrong?

As they passed through a bustling market, Di Li lifted the curtain and glanced outside. The brightly lit street where Lan Yixuan had set up a stall was now empty.

“Li’er, what are you looking at?”