"Good news! Good news..."
The Imperial Capital blazed with lights, and Accumulated Water Pond's banks shone like a city that never slept.
Eight fine horses galloped down the central avenue at once, spreading the proclamation to the world from the imperial palace. Whenever they reached a provincial prefecture, the local authorities arranged several times as many riders to relay the news onward, scattering in every direction like celestial maidens strewing blossoms. The speed was astonishing.
"I wonder whether Ta Ta Kai or the good news will reach Pingyang Prefecture first?"
Watching the mounted guards vanish beyond the horizon, Liang Qu extinguished his Golden Eye, shut the doors and windows, suppressed his thoughts, and sat down cross-legged.
Having just advanced, he needed time to settle in.
After a while.
Liang Qu suddenly rose from his seated position, opened the window, faced the cool breeze, and drew several deep breaths.
He turned and sat at the desk.
First, he pulled out paintings from the Painting Tube to admire them, hanging them on the wall. Then he took up a brush and ground ink, changing several styles of handwriting in sweeping, dragon-like strokes. He copied down unknown poems and songs, sketched irregular maps of rivers and lands, and calculated the speeds of the Treasure Ship and the mounted guards.
The Ice Platform blew a chilly wind, yet his heart felt like a mass of blazing oil, flames roaring so fiercely that nothing could douse them.
Not until midnight.
The night was deep and still.
Drip.
A bead of water fell.
The arrow in the bronze clepsydra rose slightly.
The cultivation room was a complete mess. Snow-white sheets were covered in heavy ink, crumpled into little balls and piled into mountains.
Amid the mountains of paper, Liang Qu sat in meditation with his eyes