Freedom at Last

Confined for four years, Zhao Ping'an was eight years old.

That day, Zhao Ping'an brewed tea and savored it beneath the shade of the yellow bamboo.

Suddenly, the Courtyard Gate was kicked open from outside.

Zhao Ping'an turned his head and saw a proud, noble-looking seven-year-old boy striding in through the gate with a delicately sculpted four-year-old girl.

The boy stood around one meter forty tall, draped in an embroidered brocade robe woven with glittering gold and silver threads. A white Jade Belt circled his waist, and a jade crown set with rare gemstones rested on his head, proclaiming his extraordinary status and position. On his feet were a pair of seven-colored deerskin boots.

The little girl was dressed just as extravagantly, in gold thread and jade adornments.

Behind the boy and girl followed a large group of people—beautiful maids and highly cultivated servants—eleven or twelve in all.

For a moment, Zhao Ping'an could not help guessing that this boy and girl were likely his half-brother and half-sister by the same father.

However, he did not rise. He remained seated, calmly drinking his tea.

The boy and girl stopped in the middle of the courtyard, their gazes falling upon Zhao Ping'an.

"Zhao Ping'an, why aren't you hurrying over to pay respects to the Young Lord, Eldest Young Master, and young lady?" A servant attendant standing behind the boy and girl bellowed sternly at Zhao Ping'an.

As expected, Zhao Ping'an thought. Then he slowly rose to his feet and cupped his hands toward Zhao Zhenming and Zhao Jinglian. "Greetings, Young Lord Eldest Young Master and young lady."

When one stood beneath another's eaves, one had no choice but to bow their head. He possessed at least this much restraint.

"Impudent! You dare show disrespect to the Eldest Young Master and young lady?!" The servant attendant immediately flew into a rage and was about to step forward to "teach" Zhao Ping'an some manners.

Zhao Zhenming raised a hand, stopping the servant.

He looked Zhao Ping'an over, then swept his eyes across the surroundings of Yellow Bamboo Courtyard before turning his gaze back to Zhao Ping'an.

"Zhao Ping'an, I only learned of your existence yesterday." Zhao Zhenming spoke loftily, with disdain. "I truly pity you. Living in this wretched place fit only for servants, yet still having the leisure to drink tea."

"You possess a Mortal Body, no different from a useless body. If you cultivated diligently and worked hard, you might still have a sliver of hope for a future, and would not disgrace your status as a descendant of the Zhennan Marquis Estate. Yet you chose to lie down and rot, abandoning yourself to ruin!"

Zhao Ping'an smiled. "What are you trying to say?"

Zhao Zhenming sighed and shook his head. "I can more or less understand you. You are not at fault. Your mother was at fault back then. She insisted on giving birth to you, making you come into this world to suffer."

"Heh heh." Zhao Ping'an could not help letting out two mocking laughs. "I have indeed suffered, but it was your dad who gave the order, and your mother who sent people to seize me and imprison me here. You understand nothing, so stop spouting nonsense here. Otherwise, I will think your dad and mother failed to raise you properly."

Zhao Zhenming's face flushed red, and he wanted to argue.

At that moment, the little girl Zhao Jinglian suddenly cut in and shouted at Zhao Ping'an, "Zhao Ping'an, you are a worthless cripple with a Mortal Body! Your very existence disgraces us, shames Dad, and makes the Zhennan Marquis Estate a laughingstock. Why don't you kill yourself?"

Zhao Ping'an looked at Zhao Jinglian in some surprise. A child of only four could actually say such things.

Wait. She had probably learned those words from that Old Hag.

Still, he would not argue with a child of only four.

Zhao Ping'an shifted his gaze back to Zhao Zhenming. "Did you come to see me today just to say all this?"

Before Zhao Zhenming could speak, Zhao Jinglian saw that Zhao Ping'an was ignoring her and immediately became furious. Pointing at Zhao Ping'an, she ordered, "Zhang Tong, kill him for me!"

The highly cultivated servant named Zhang Tong immediately answered, "Yes, young lady!" He stepped two or three paces forward from the rear and stopped, then turned to look at Zhao Zhenming, awaiting his instructions.

Zhao Zhenming said to Zhao Jinglian, "Younger Sister, he is not worthy of us taking him seriously."

With that, he gave Zhang Tong a look, and the latter retreated.

Zhao Zhenming turned his gaze back to Zhao Ping'an. "If I were you, I would have ended myself long ago, rather than suffer for a lifetime."

After saying that, he took Zhao Jinglian by the hand and turned to leave.

Zhao Ping'an watched the backs of his half-brother and half-sister as they departed, surrounded by beautiful maids and highly cultivated servants. A trace of mockery curved his lips.

Even if he truly had a Mortal Body, he still had the right to live.

Most people in the world possessed Mortal Bodies. Why should the majority of people have to end themselves?

Besides, if Zhao Yingpeng and Su Yingluo had not confined him here, he could have lived a brilliant life and made a name for himself.

"If those inferior to others should end themselves, then one day I'll tell you that I possess the Ancient Sacred Body. Let's see whether you will end yourselves!"

Confined for six years, Zhao Ping'an was ten years old, and already as tall as an eighteen-year-old youth.

His body was slender and well-proportioned. He wore an exquisite, flowing brocade robe, with a Jade Belt at his waist. His long hair was bound high and secured with a white jade hairpin laid across it.

His appearance had grown even more striking. His face was as fair as polished jade, with sword-like brows and star-bright eyes, a nose like a hanging gallbladder, and red lips with white teeth.

Every day, he cultivated, refined pills, and savored tea. Like a hidden dragon lurking in the abyss, he had developed a tranquil, unfathomable temperament.

He sat still as a pine tree, his brows carrying a serenity untouched by worldly dust. His deep eyes seemed able to see through all things beneath heaven, yet remained unruffled. A faint smile rested upon his lips, like a spring breeze brushing the face—warm, yet never ostentatious. Every gesture exuded refined elegance, as though time itself stood still for him, drawing people helplessly into that unique aura of quietness.

By now, every Meridian in his body had become incomparably resilient. He could freely absorb Heavenly Essence to cultivate, and his rate of absorption rivaled that of a Divine Treasury Realm expert who had opened the Lung Divine Treasury.

He had been born with all his Meridians unblocked, granting them an immensely powerful ability to recover. Moreover, he possessed the Ancient Sacred Body, allowing him to cultivate at high intensity all day without rest. Other cultivators who had opened their Meridians after birth generally had to stop after cultivating for about two hours each day, or they would damage their Meridians and leave endless future troubles.

This gave him an overwhelming advantage in cultivation.

It was worth mentioning that the Heavenly Essence within the Zhennan Marquis Estate was exceptionally dense, more than dozens of times denser than elsewhere in White Emperor City. Cultivating here for one day was equivalent to cultivating outside for more than a month.

As it turned out, the Zhennan Marquis Estate contained a massive Ancient Essence-Gathering Array, continuously drawing in Heavenly Essence from hundreds of miles around.

Ever since he had become able to absorb Heavenly Essence with all his strength, Zhao Ping'an had been fleecing the Zhennan Marquis Estate every single day.

Confined for twelve years, Zhao Ping'an was sixteen when an Imperial Decree arrived in White Emperor City from Yujing.

Emperor Qian had personally overseen the establishment of Taiwu Academy. Taiwu Academy had gathered cultivation methods, martial techniques, spells, and secret arts from across the land, and had hired famous teachers, powerful experts, and Great Powers from all under heaven.

To display the vastness of his sacred grace, Emperor Qian decreed that the descendants of every regional lord who were no older than twenty-four would be invited to Jade Capital Grand Martial Academy for five years of free training.

Zhao Ping'an's name was on the Imperial Decree delivered to the Zhennan Marquis Estate.

To prevent accidents along the journey, Emperor Qian had "thoughtfully" dispatched the Imperial Guards to escort the descendants of the regional lords to the capital.

When Zhao Ping'an received the news, he was somewhat stunned. Then he laughed to himself. "I never expected to gain my freedom in this way."

After a pause, he looked around Yellow Bamboo Courtyard and sighed. "Sigh, I'm actually a little reluctant to leave. The Heavenly Essence in the Zhennan Marquis Estate is so dense. Once I leave, where will I find such an excellent cultivation ground?"

After twelve long years of fleecing the estate, along with twelve years of refining and consuming pills, Zhao Ping'an had finally filled his Essence Sea with True Essence enough to begin expanding it. He had entered the middle stage of the Primordial Sea Realm.

Now, the True Essence within him was as vast as an ocean. Even the combined True Essence of ten Divine Treasury Realm experts could not compare.