Jade Lock

Jade Lock

Who exactly were those two?

Shadow Guards sent by Imperial Grandfather? Spies from some other estate, or some unknown force?

The fact that their Breath Concealment and Qi Hiding had fooled Guo Chi, commander of the guards, and Zou Fang, his personal eunuch—both master-level experts—showed that they possessed a supreme Breath Concealment Art. They were definitely not from any ordinary force.

They were only following him now. But if they launched a surprise attack, would Guo Chi and Zou Fang be able to react? As he was now, he would be unable to stop them.

Those old men in the tavern had been right. In this world, one needed to be skilled in martial arts.

Even if he was to become a prince in the future, he still had to cultivate diligently. He could not place his life and death entirely in the hands of others.

It had already been a year since he broke through the Mystery of the Womb and awakened the memories of his previous life.

In his previous life, he had been struck by a meteorite that fell from the sky during a hiking trip. When he woke, he had become Chu Zhiyuan, Imperial Heir of this high martial world, and his five senses had mutated.

The range of his sensory organs had expanded enormously, allowing him to perceive the minutest details as though he were a god.

Inwardly, he could see through his own body—skin, muscles, fascia, bones, marrow, blood, meridians, acupoints, and even the hidden vital barriers.

Outwardly, his senses could encompass a radius of twenty zhang, seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, and smelling everything within it.

He called it Super Sensation.

The reason he had advanced from the seventh layer to the ninth layer of Perfected Houtian in just one year was this crystal-clear inward perception.

The memories of his past life and this life had completely merged, inseparable from one another. He was both Chu Yuan of his previous life and Chu Zhiyuan, Heir of Prince Qing, in this one.

Prince Qing's Estate had declined, but a starving camel was still larger than a horse. As Prince Qing's sole heir, even if he lay flat and did nothing, he would still inherit the princely title and live a life of fine clothes and rich food.

But he understood that while there were other things he could choose not to do, he had to seize every moment to cultivate martial arts.

Even master-level guards were not guaranteed to be foolproof. With such rare wealth and status upon him, it would be truly unjust if he were assassinated.

Moreover, the higher one's cultivation realm, the longer one's lifespan.

The Innate Realm granted a lifespan of one hundred and twenty years; masters, two hundred; Grandmasters began at three hundred.

Three days ago, the Emperor of Great Jing had issued an edict lifting the thirty-year ban on Prince Qing's Estate and permitting him, the heir, to cultivate at Bright Martial Hall.

Bright Martial Hall was where Princes and heirs trained in martial arts. It housed extraordinary arts and secret techniques, with Grandmasters providing instruction. It was an opportunity martial artists throughout the world dreamed of.

The Lesser Violet Sun Technique he cultivated was a secret inheritance of the Imperial Chu Clan, one of the finest Houtian cultivation arts in the world.

To cultivate the Greater Violet Sun Technique, an Innate cultivation art, he had to go to Bright Martial Hall.

Furthermore, after reaching Perfected Houtian, one had to break through the Three Passes to enter the Innate Realm, which required specialized Pass-Breaking Arts. Bright Martial Hall possessed the finest Pass-Breaking Arts.

Once he entered Bright Martial Hall, he would have both top-tier extraordinary arts and secret techniques, as well as the guidance of renowned teachers. He was growing somewhat impatient.

Prince Qing's Estate covered five hundred mu, roughly six hundred meters in both length and width.

The gate tower, with its double eaves, was majestic and imposing. The glazed tiles on its roof gleamed with blazing golden light, while the three large characters, "Prince Qing's Estate," on the plaque were elegant and graceful.

Yet the faded vermilion gates, the listless lanterns, and the weathered, mottled stone lions all revealed traces of decay.

Prince Qing Street was ten zhang wide, paved with white jade stone and cleanly swept. Fifteen Dark-robed Guards walked upon it, patrolling in crisscrossing groups of three.

Long sabers hung at their waists. Sharp glints flashed in their roaming gazes, yet their expressions were as languid as cats, listless and weak.

The area before the estate gates was deserted, without a single visitor.

An estate so cold and neglected was one of a kind in all of Yujing City.

When they spotted Chu Zhiyuan approaching from afar at an unhurried pace, the guards immediately straightened and bowed solemnly.

Chu Zhiyuan gave a slight nod, as though he had not noticed their slovenly bearing.

The estate had fallen into decline, and its guards and servants had naturally lost their spirit. This was not something strict discipline could erase.

Though these guards were dispirited and lazy, every one of them was a Xiantian Master chosen from ten thousand. They were the foundation of the estate's security and could not be treated too harshly.

Standing below the steps, Chu Zhiyuan surveyed the estate gates and lanterns, then shook his head. "The Imperial Household Department still hasn't come?"

Zou Fang said softly, "Young Master, the Imperial Household Department replied that it will take another two days."

Chu Zhiyuan said mildly, "It has already been a month, hasn't it?"

"...Yes." Zou Fang nodded lightly. A bluish cast flashed over his face as he forcibly suppressed his anger.

The Imperial Household Department was responsible for repairing the residences of the imperial clan. A month ago, Prince Qing's Estate had asked it to repaint the doors, windows, walls, and roof tiles, as well as replace the lanterns and the like.

The Imperial Household Department had readily agreed, but claimed that craftsmen were scarce and still occupied elsewhere, so they would need to wait two days.

Then two more days, and another two days—until an entire month had passed.

He knew the reason. They had clearly been cut in line. The people of the Imperial Household Department were notoriously snobbish, but he had not expected them to be so brazen.

No matter how far Prince Qing's Estate had declined, it was still the estate of an imperial prince. For them to dare neglect it so flagrantly could only mean that these people from the Imperial Household Department were asking to be taught a lesson!

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, exhaled a breath of turbid air, climbed the steps, and entered the estate through the side gate. Beyond the Pine and Crane Longevity Screen lay a broad lotus pond.

The pool was fed by a hot spring. Wisps of mist unfurled over its surface like gauze, while pavilions and towers stood above it, offering views of lotus flowers and fish.

A plump old man with a beard and hair as white as snow drifted over with a lightness that seemed to leave his feet untouched by the ground. He cupped his fists in salute. "Young Master."

Without slowing, Chu Zhiyuan asked, "Where are Father and Imperial Concubine?"

Guo Chi, the captain of the guards, had already withdrawn.

Zou Fang saluted Feng Xi, the fair, plump Inner Manager of the Prince Qing's Estate.

"His Highness is speaking with Master Li Mohuai at Cloud Light Pavilion."

"Father did end up inviting that Master of Painting to the estate. His wish has finally been fulfilled... What about Imperial Concubine?"

"Her Highness has just returned from the palace and is in the rear garden."

"No one came to the estate today either, did they?"

"...No." Feng Xi shook his head.

Chu Zhiyuan kept talking without stopping his stride.

The Prince Qing's Estate had been unsealed for three days, yet not a single visitor had come. It was rather embarrassing.

In another two days, it would probably be known throughout the entire Jade Capital.

He waved a hand, signaling Feng Xi not to follow, then crossed several courtyards alone and reached the lush rear garden.

The hot spring kept the trees, flowers, and grasses brimming with life.

The crystal-clear little lake somehow possessed the vast bearing of open waters. Fine strands of white vapor rose from its surface, and pavilions and towers dotted the lake like stars scattered across the sky.

"Zheng, zheng..."

The sound of a zither drifted from a waterside pavilion.

He stepped onto the covered walkway over the lake, followed it around several bends, and arrived before the pavilion.

Two maids stood outside, both lovely as flowers. They curtsied to Chu Zhiyuan and greeted him with smiling faces.

One smiled with reserved grace, the other with sweet innocence.

Chu Zhiyuan gave a slight nod and entered.

A woman in lotus-root-colored palace robes sat with her head lowered, playing the zither.

A Gold Step-sway Hairpin dangled gently amid her glossy black hair.

Fine golden threads were woven into the silk of her lotus-root-colored robes. As the fabric moved, they flickered in and out of sight, proclaiming its luxury.

Her jade-like hand abruptly pressed down on the strings, and the music came to a sudden halt.

She raised her head and looked at Chu Zhiyuan.

Her face was like a jade hibiscus, with finely arched brows and phoenix eyes, a sharpness lurking at the tips of her brows.

She was Princess Qing, Bai Ningshuang.

"Mother." Chu Zhiyuan smiled. "Don't let it make you ill with anger. It isn't worth it."

The zither music had overflowed with resentment and unwillingness.

Because he had awakened the Mystery of the Womb rather than crossed over to replace the original owner of this body, he had been himself in his previous life and was still himself in this one. It did not affect his familial bonds.

Since their estate had been sealed off all this time, the family of four had instead grown even closer.

"Zheng!"

Bai Ningshuang swept her slender fingers fiercely across the strings and said bitterly, "What am I angry about? I expected this long ago from those heartless, faithless people!"

Chu Zhiyuan sat on the embroidered stool a maid brought over and smiled. "Mother, try to look on the bright side. Things are much better now than before. We can come and go freely, and we've always lived our own lives behind closed doors. Why bother with other people?"

Bai Ningshuang snorted. "I'd rather the estate stayed sealed than suffer this humiliation!"

"You ran into the other princesses in the palace?"

"Every one of them acted as though she didn't see me. It's enough to drive a person mad!"

"..."

"Thirty years ago, they were all so warm and intimate. Now they turn their faces and refuse to recognize me!"

"And those palace maids and eunuchs too—every last one of them had a face like their nose wasn't a nose and their eyes weren't eyes. Dogs flaunting their power on the backs of their masters!"

"You didn't lose your temper, did you, Mother?" Chu Zhiyuan asked with a smile.

It was clearly an exaggeration, an overly harsh interpretation born of wounded sensitivity. No matter how bold those eunuchs and palace maids were, they would not dare show a Prince's consort such an attitude.

"I'm not that foolish!... It's just that the more I think about it, the more stifled I feel!"

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head.

In a place of fame and profit like the imperial palace, it was inevitable that people would flatter the powerful and trample the weak.

"Yuan'er, when you go to Bright Martial Hall, make sure you distinguish yourself," Bai Ningshuang snorted. "Don't be like your father, a nice old man who never offends anyone. If you can press them beneath you, then press them down hard!"

To outsiders, an idle Prince seemed carefree and happy beyond compare. Yet they did not know that Princes, too, were ranked into different tiers. Those at the bottom still had to swallow humiliation, their bellies full of bitterness.

To break away from the lowest rung, one had to seize power—and the source of all power lay with the Emperor.

The Emperor placed immense importance on martial arts. As an imperial grandson, the quickest path to winning imperial favor was through martial cultivation.

Yuan'er was a martial arts prodigy. He had reached Perfected Houtian at twenty, and he had figured it out through his own exploration. He was certain to catch the Emperor's eye.

Yet after a severe illness a year ago, Yuan'er had become steady and mature, stripped of his former sharpness.

Once he entered Bright Martial Hall, he would surely think that Prince Qing's Estate was currently weak and ought to keep its head down, hide its edge, conceal its brilliance, and avoid offending those Princes and imperial grandsons.

"Alright, I'll listen to Mother." Chu Zhiyuan smiled and nodded.

Bai Ningshuang snorted. "I've seen through it now. The more you show weakness, the more people push you around."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded in agreement, then offered a few more words of comfort.

"Yuan'er," Bai Ningshuang suddenly lowered her voice, "your Imperial Grandmother told me something."

"Oh?" Chu Zhiyuan asked with a smile.

His Imperial Grandmother was Consort Rou, the birth mother of his father, Chu Minghou.

Thirty years ago, people honored the mother by looking at her son; the son rose in status through his mother.

Thirty years later, people honored the mother by looking at her son; the mother rose in status through her son.

Chu Minghou was the third son. Had he not been unable to practice martial arts and thus possessed no standing at all, Consort Rou would long since have become a Noble Consort, or even an Imperial Noble Consort.

With Prince Qing's Estate under seal, her days in the palace had not been easy either.

Thus, the moment the estate's restrictions were lifted, Bai Ningshuang, as her daughter-in-law, could not wait to enter the palace and visit her. She went every day, and they always had endless things to say.

Bai Ningshuang raised her head and glanced to either side.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled at the maidservants and waved them away.

Only after watching them close the pavilion doors did Bai Ningshuang lower her voice. "Your Imperial Grandmother said that Bright Martial Hall has a Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique, a secret Pass-Breaking Art created by the Emperor himself."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Imperial Grandfather is the greatest genius of all the Chu clan's generations. It isn't strange that he created a secret technique."

"Your Imperial Grandmother said this secret technique was formed by the Emperor's fusion of ancient extraordinary arts. It is an exceedingly formidable method for breaking through barriers."

Chu Zhiyuan's sword-like brows furrowed slightly.

After perfecting the ninth level of Houtian, one had to break through the three hidden passes—the Tailbone Pass, Spine Pass, and Jade Pillow Pass—to step into the Xiantian Realm and truly open the Bridge of Heaven and Earth.

Pass-Breaking Arts were extreme and dangerous methods. One misstep could lead to Qi Deviation, so cultivators generally sought stability, preferring slowness to haste.

The Emperor was a rare genius in this world, so it was not strange for him to create an extraordinary secret art. But completing a cultivation method required time and accumulated wisdom.

It was like developing medicine in his previous life: sufficient numbers of trials and corrections were needed.

This secret art might suit Emperor Chu Qingquan, but not necessarily others. To Chu Qingquan, it was an extraordinary art; to others, it might be fatal.

"Has anyone practiced this secret art?"

"At first, some people wanted to practice it, but they couldn't master it. Later, no one practiced it anymore. Everyone treated it as taboo and would not even mention it. If your Imperial Grandmother hadn't brought it up, we might never even have known it existed."

Chu Zhiyuan fell into thought.

The Princes and Heir Apparents surely suspected that there was something wrong with this secret technique, but they absolutely could not say so, nor could they show such suspicion, lest they provoke the Emperor's fury.

Not mentioning it at all and pretending not to know was the best course.

"If you can master this Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique, your Imperial Grandfather will certainly look upon you differently! Yuan'er, you are a martial arts prodigy. Others may fail to master it, but that does not mean you will."

"...Alright, Mother. I'll try practicing it."

Chu Zhiyuan agreed with a smile, though inwardly he did not think much of it.