Milu City, Jade

Speaking of the other side, inside the Small World within the jade pendant, Bai Xue had been riding the Black Swan around the sky every day since forming her golden core and gaining magical power.

Chen Qing wanted to ride the Black Swan, but the flat-feathered beast refused to let him. Furious, he locked it up and denied it food and water until it admitted defeat.

Bai Xue flew over the fantastic forest in the Small World. Not a single corner along the edge of Corpse Mountain had a path leading outside. In the end, she gave up and returned to focus on alchemy and cultivation.

At Gushan Island's pier, more than a dozen ships raised their sails and set off for Milu City, three hundred li away, more than half of the journey by water.

The fleet traveled forty li and reached Haikou Town on the northeastern shore of Luoqie Lake. It was already past the Hour of the Monkey.

Uncle Alu bought some wine and food from a tavern along the shore and sent it aboard. The boatmen taking turns rowing and steering ate in shifts while the boats continued northeast along Haikou River without stopping.

Bai Bingxue marveled at how thoughtful Uncle Alu was.

Haikou River flowed gently for thirty li before merging into the Nanpan River. Because the current was swift, thirty sailors and boatmen were sent out. They put all their strength into rowing upstream for ten li and entered Banqiao River.

Uncle Alu also joined the sailors, and Bai Bingxue praised him inwardly for caring about his subordinates.

The river was calm from there on. They continued north for a hundred li and reached the dock at Awu Village, where they went ashore. By then, night had fallen.

The twelve ships formed a long line along the way, their torches burning brightly. No bandits dared attack them within Ziqi Country's territory, and they reached Milu River without incident.

Uncle Alu and Uncle Age each brought five ships carrying furs, rice, salt, wine, and other birthday gifts to congratulate their father, the king, on his birthday.

Bai Bingxue praised the two uncles inwardly for being so filial.

The bolts of cloth, silk, and brocade brought by the Su Xian Sect filled two ships, escorted by a hundred elite disciples. The ships also carried two mysterious wooden boxes, each as tall as a person. No one knew what treasures they contained.

Uncle Age found them military attire from Ziqi Country to change into, so they would not arouse the suspicions of the other tribes.

Bai Bingxue marveled at how cautious Uncle Age was.

Amid the sounds of boats and oars, they enjoyed a refreshing night of wind and finally reached Milu River after winding their way around. The remaining overland route was flat.

Bai Bingxue was not in a hurry. She quietly waited for the boatmen to load all the goods onto the carriages. By then, the eastern sky had already begun to pale.

Everyone had spent the night being jostled aboard the ships, and they all grew sleepy and yawned on the road to Milu City.

Uncle Alu found a carriage for Bai Bingxue and Monk Sixi, then arranged for his men to go ahead into the city and inform King Ziqi and his third brother, Abu.

Bai Bingxue saw that the houses along the way were a mixture of thatched cottages and earthen kiln houses. Villages stood within sight of one another, while cattle and horses covered the plains.

She recalled her mother telling her when she was little that the people of Ziqi Country never guarded their hearts against one another. Neighbors on both sides, sometimes dozens of households, shared one courtyard. The upper and lower houses were separated by nothing more than a one-foot path.

Grain was piled in the courtyards, yet not a single kernel was ever lost. Farm tools hung on the earthen walls; anyone could take them and simply return them afterward. Whenever a household had something, large or small, to attend to, everyone in the village came to help.

Bai Bingxue marveled that after countless generations, the tradition remained unchanged: lost articles were not picked up, and doors remained unlocked at night.

After roughly two hours, General Alu rode up beside the carriage and called, "Bingxue, we've reached Milu City!"

Bai Bingxue lifted the carriage door and looked up. A castle rising from the flat ground sprang into view.

All of Milu City had been built in tiers along Flying Tiger Mountain. On either side were the wings of a flying tiger spread wide; the middle protruded forward as its body, while the palace city atop the mountain formed its head.

A sturdy wall stood below the city, with a moat outside it. With one river and one mountain, it truly deserved the description "a coiled dragon and crouching tiger." Beyond the moat stretched an open expanse crisscrossed by fields and paths.

"Uncle Alu, seeing Milu City makes me feel so at home!" Bai Bingxue said with a happy laugh.

Alu replied with a smile, "That's right! Look at the flying tiger flag atop the city wall, waving in the wind to welcome you home."

Bai Bingxue gazed at the earthen kiln houses scattered across Flying Tiger Mountain and connected into one orderly mass, like a gigantic beehive. Unable to contain her curiosity, she asked, "Uncle Alu, what are the houses on the mountain made of? How many people live there?"

General Alu replied, "These are our earthen kiln houses. There are fully three thousand households.

The earthen kiln houses are warm in winter and cool in summer. The rear walls are the mountain itself, the two sides are earthen pillars, and the roofs are wooden beams pressed down by earth. Even if a fire breaks out, it cannot spread to the neighboring houses.

Besides, the wood is iron-cone wood. It is sturdy and durable, more than ten times stronger than century-old pine."

Bai Bingxue praised it repeatedly.

When Bai Bingxue was still half a li from Milu City, Alu reminded her, "Bingxue, your Uncle Abu is over there!" He pointed toward the city gate.

Following her eldest uncle's finger, Bai Bingxue saw a man standing at the city gate. She jumped out of the carriage and shouted, "Uncle Abu... Uncle Abu..." before trotting over.

After receiving word from his elder brother, Abu had hurried to the city gate to welcome her. Four soldiers behind him led four luxurious carriages.

He commanded the Luoqie Tribe, which controlled the most land and people among Ziqi Country's tribes. He also commanded Milu City's ten-thousand-man garrison.

Within a few breaths, Bai Bingxue ran over and threw her arms around Uncle Abu, bursting into tears.

They had not seen each other for eight years. General Abu stroked her face and could faintly see the shadow of his third sister in her features.

Bai Bingxue touched General Abu's empty left sleeve. Her heart ached as she asked, "Uncle Abu, have you been well?"

General Abu had lost his left arm eight years earlier, but he had not fallen into despair. Instead, he had become even more resolute than before.

Abu replied, "Bingxue, don't I look younger than I did before?"

Bai Bingxue laughed through her tears.

General Alu brought Su Jiangcheng, Su Dingfeng, and Sixi over and introduced them to General Abu. They exchanged bows.

General Abu then invited them into the four luxurious carriages, and they entered the city through the southern gate.

General Age led the soldiers in taking the carriages carrying the valuables from the rear mountain at the western gate to the royal palace.

Bai Bingxue looked around inside the carriage. After entering through the southern gate, they traveled along a street ten zhang wide. Two-story taverns, inns, government salt shops, cloth stores, fur shops, clinics, and medicine shops lined the street, along with Ziqi Country's six administrative offices and the officials' residences. After following the street for two li, they reached the royal palace.

A stone wall three zhang high separated the royal palace from the residential district.

Bai Bingxue got out of the carriage and looked around. The royal palace could not compare with the imperial palace of Southern Expedition Country; at most, it resembled a vassal prince's residence.

Near the royal palace's southern gate stood the Wende Hall and Wude Hall, two administrative offices. A garden and pond lay between them. Farther east was a circular altar for worshiping Heaven, from which one could overlook all of Milu City.

Her maternal grandfather, King Ziqi, and the women of the family lived in the innermost inner city. Uncle Abu took her to pay her respects to her grandfather.

When grandfather and granddaughter met, Bai Bingxue brought tears to King Ziqi's eyes. Eight years had passed, and King Ziqi had aged considerably. Worrying over state affairs and longing for his daughter had left him much thinner as well.

Alu, Age, Bai Bing, and Abu had all shared the same mother. Sadly, she had died of illness when Bai Bing was sixteen. After Ziqi united thirty-seven tribes and established Ziqi Country, the royal palace had had no queen consort.

Five years earlier, Alu and Age had each selected a beautiful woman from their own territories and presented her to their father. King Ziqi had made them two secondary consorts to keep him company, and the fierce tigers of Milu River had become much tamer than before.

Bai Bingxue cried for a while, then laughed for a while. Once grandfather and granddaughter had composed themselves, Bai Bingxue noticed Sixi standing foolishly to the side. She quickly said to her grandfather, "Grandfather, there's also a messenger who came with me."

Following Bai Bingxue's pointing finger toward the doorway, King Ziqi saw a young novice monk with delicate features standing there.

King Ziqi beckoned, and Sixi hurried forward, bowed, and presented Master Puxin's token and letter.

King Ziqi's expression changed drastically when he saw the token.