Flying Flowers

When he reached the outside of Tongtian Pavilion, he suddenly stopped and walked toward Xu Weibian, who was reclining in a chair. "Elder Xu, I'd like to learn about the Great Feng Dynasty. What books should I read?"

The two characters "Qingying" on the Qingying Sword were written in Feng Script, the writing of the Great Feng Dynasty.

The Great Feng Dynasty had existed thirty thousand years ago.

Though he had gone through the catalogs of every book in the collection, he still had no idea where to begin if he wanted to understand the history of the Great Feng Dynasty.

"The Great Feng..." Xu Weibian opened his eyes and looked him over several times. "Young Master, are you interested in the Great Feng Dynasty?"

"I don't know much about it." Chu Zhiyuan shook his head. "I'm merely curious."

"The Great Feng Dynasty is too far removed from our time. Some of its legends are so fantastical they cannot be taken seriously."

"What legends are there?"

"...Too many to finish recounting." Xu Weibian thought for a moment. "On the second floor, the third-to-last shelf in the northwest section holds mostly books about the Great Feng Dynasty, though they are all written in Feng Script."

"I'll take a look first. Many thanks, Elder Xu." Chu Zhiyuan cupped his fists and entered Tongtian Pavilion.

Xu Weibian watched him enter Tongtian Pavilion and shook his head.

It was rare indeed for someone in the imperial family to enjoy reading.

Most royal descendants desperately pursued martial arts and military merit. Only the line of Prince Qing's Estate seemed to value learning so greatly.

What a pity...

He shook his head again, closed his eyes once more, and basked in the warmth of the sun.

Chu Zhiyuan went up to the second floor and found the third-to-last bookshelf in the northwest. Before him stood rows upon rows of ancient books, all well preserved and giving off the unique mellow fragrance of old paper.

Every book had been rebound, with its title written in Great Jing script.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head.

No wonder he had been unable to find them.

He pulled one out. Apart from the Great Jing title on its cover, Chronicles of the Seven Seas, the contents were all in Feng Script.

Feng Script was ancient and profound. Its characters were simple yet rich in meaning, often with multiple interpretations. Without sufficient learning, it was difficult to read smoothly and understand.

He gritted his teeth and forced himself to continue.

After an entire day, he had read only six books. At his usual reading speed, he could have read sixty books written in Great Jing script.

As he read more and more, Feng Script became increasingly familiar to him. His pace quickened, and he gained a basic understanding of the customs and culture of the Great Feng Dynasty.

The Great Feng Dynasty had been utterly different from the world today.

The most fundamental difference lay in cultivation.

Martial arts flourished in the present age. Everyone could cultivate, the threshold was low, and the practice was immensely widespread.

In the Great Feng Dynasty, however, cultivation had been a niche pursuit. Only a small number of exceptionally gifted people and those blessed with profound fortune could cultivate.

If someone shattered mountains with a single punch today, people would know it was the work of a Grandmaster and think little of it. But in the Great Feng Dynasty, such feats were rare and thus considered miraculous. Those cultivators were called immortals or divine beings.

The books of the Great Feng Dynasty recorded many tales of immortals and divine beings. Rumors had grown wilder with every retelling: soaring a thousand zhang above land, killing a man with a flying sword from a hundred li away.

He wondered whether the Great Feng Dynasty had been a world of immortal cultivation.

After searching carefully, he found no mention of ascension, nor of becoming immortal and living forever. The texts described only the manifestations of martial arts.

He vaguely concluded that it had not been a world of immortal cultivation. Perhaps Spiritual Qi there had been somewhat more abundant than it was now, which made the upper limit of martial arts somewhat higher.

By evening, he finally found a clue. Those strange patterns were Phoenix Patterns.

It was said that an ancient man had once seen the divine bird Phoenix.

The Phoenix had glowed red all over, too dazzling to look upon directly. Yet this ancient man, later revered as the Phoenix True Man, had been a cultivator of peerless attainment. He had actually seen the patterns on the Phoenix's body and used a secret art to make an imprint of them upon a Mysterious Stone.

After making the imprint, he exploded and died.

The Phoenix Pattern imprint remained preserved on the Mysterious Stone. Through it, the Phoenix Patterns could be branded onto weapons or jade pendants.

Later, the Mysterious Stone suddenly ignited and turned to ashes, and the Phoenix Patterns could no longer be passed down.

Within the Phoenix Sect founded by the Phoenix True Man's disciples, eight divine weapons bore Phoenix Patterns.

As for what those eight divine weapons were, there was no record.

Chu Zhiyuan estimated that the Qingying Sword he had obtained was one of them.

The Phoenix Sect.

Unfortunately, it had left behind no inheritance. If the Phoenix True Man's inheritance still existed, there might have been hope of making another Phoenix Pattern imprint. Now, however, it was nearly impossible.

No one in the entire Great Feng Dynasty had managed it. By himself, he could not possibly surpass the outstanding talents produced throughout the Great Feng Dynasty's history.

He took a jade pendant from his sleeve, a piece of gold-inlaid jade covered in tortoiseshell cracks.

He first glued it together, then embedded and secured it with a mixture of gold and silver, stabilizing the fragmented jade so that he could inspect the Phoenix Patterns inside at any time.

He had processed it himself, using Super Sensation to ensure the patterns remained complete and fitted together with seamless precision.

One Phoenix Pattern differed from another.

The two Phoenix Patterns on the Qingying Sword were like a martial arts mental cultivation method. They could transform True Qi, granting the marvels of calming the mind and lightening the sword.

Yet the Phoenix Pattern within this fragmented jade was different.

After viewing the Phoenix Pattern several times, his spirit had actually strengthened by a fraction.

The change was slight, but it could not escape his Super Sensation.

With his spirit strengthened by a fraction, True Qi circulated a fraction faster. This not only increased his cultivation efficiency but also enhanced the power of his martial arts.

Thus, another item was added to his daily cultivation routine: before sleeping, he would observe the Phoenix Pattern within the fragmented jade.

Brilliant sunlight blanketed Yujing City.

The alley north of Phoenix Avenue was called Horse Rearing Alley.

At this moment, Horse Rearing Alley was exceptionally lively.

On one side stood officials from the City Patrol Guard, the Infantry Bureau, and the Imperial Household Department.

The City Patrol Guard and Infantry Bureau had sealed off both ends of the road, forbidding idlers from approaching. Officials from the Imperial Household Department and clerks from the Ministry of Rites were directing their subordinates in arranging the ceremony.

On the other side, more than twenty young men and women clustered around four middle-aged men and women, staring restlessly toward the alley opposite them.

The alley twisted and turned, wide enough for only four people to walk abreast, yet it led to bustling Phoenix Avenue.

A pretty young girl asked crisply, "Master, the time is almost here. Why haven't they arrived? They aren't going to be late, are they?"

"They won't."

The woman beside her was seductively beautiful. A lake-green silk robe wrapped around her slim, graceful figure. At first glance, she appeared to be in her twenties, but on closer inspection, she looked to be in her thirties, already middle-aged.

Her charming face was taut, authority resting between her willow-leaf brows.

The pretty girl said, "Master, is an Assistant Director from the Ministry of Rites coming to preside over the ceremony?"

"Yes." The middle-aged woman gave a slight nod.

Another young man snorted. "Just an Assistant Director, only Subordinate Fifth Rank."

The young man beside him shook his head. "That is a bit excessive. I've heard that in recent years, Imperial Court officials have increasingly suppressed our martial sects. It seems the rumors are true."

"I wonder what rank of official presided over the ground-breaking ceremonies when the other Four Great Sects built their branch courtyards?"

"That was too long ago. Who could remember? Besides, times are different now. They cannot be compared."

"We may not be comparable to the Four Great Sects now, but we will be in the future. Sending only a Subordinate Fifth Rank official to preside over the ceremony is far too disrespectful, isn't it?"

"Silence!"

The middle-aged woman gave a soft snort.

Everyone fell silent at once.

She turned and swept her gaze across them, saying coolly, "Thunder and rain alike are the sovereign's grace. If you lack even this awareness, then obediently return to Flying Flower Peak!"

"Yes..."

They answered obediently.

She continued, "The Assistant Director from the Ministry of Rites coming this time is indeed Subordinate Fifth Rank, but he is the Heir Apparent of a Prince's Mansion, one of imperial blood. If any of you slight him, do not blame me for being merciless!"

"Yes, Elder Lu," they all answered.

Lu Wan shook her head and sighed inwardly.

Once people became proud, they forgot themselves. No one could avoid it. Not only the young disciples—even the sect's Elders were susceptible.

After producing a Grandmaster, they could enter service in the Imperial Court and stand shoulder to shoulder with the Four Great Sects. Such an opportunity, as though ascending to heaven, had descended upon them. Who could maintain an ordinary state of mind?

The Imperial Court had allocated them a site to establish a branch courtyard for the Flying Flower Sword Sect. That was already an immense favor, yet they remained dissatisfied, believing that sending merely an Assistant Director from the Ministry of Rites to preside over the ground-breaking ceremony was a grievous slight.

Especially with officials from the Imperial Household Department and clerks from the Ministry of Rites still present, they had spoken so recklessly. They truly did not know the weight of heaven and earth—utterly foolish!

Martial sects settled matters through martial prowess, without so many twists and turns. But the Imperial Court was different.

Fortunately, they would enter the Town Martial Division in the future, where things were not as sinister and treacherous as the officialdom of the Imperial Court. Otherwise, they would not even know how they died.

"They're here!"

Someone suddenly shouted in a low voice.

Their gazes immediately turned toward the alley.

Several blue-robed experts approached at an unhurried pace, surrounding a lean, upright young man of strikingly handsome appearance.

He wore a red official robe bearing a white pheasant rank badge. His eyes were bright and clear, and his bearing radiated vigor.

"Assistant Director!"

"Young Master!"

Officials of the City Patrol Guard and Imperial Household Department cupped their fists in greeting from afar.

Chu Zhiyuan returned the salute with a smile and a nod. As he approached Lu Wan, who stood at the forefront, he smiled. "Elder Lu, I'm not late, am I?"

"Lord Chu, you have worked hard." Lu Wan smiled faintly. "The time has not yet arrived."

"Congratulations, Elder Lu, and congratulations to the Flying Flower Sword Sect..."

Chu Zhiyuan exchanged pleasantries with Lu Wan, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

The Flying Flower Sword Sect disciples around them studied the Prince's Mansion guards, secretly astonished.

As expected of an imperial Heir Apparent, every guard at his side had bulging temples and eyes sharp as blades. All were experts of the Innate Realm.

A eunuch also followed at his side. His temperament was gentle, his clear eyes sharply contrasted in black and white, and a faint jade-like glow flowed over his skin. He was clearly a Master-level expert.

Lu Wan also secretly let out a breath of relief.

She had not expected Chu Zhiyuan to be so approachable, without an Heir Apparent's arrogance or airs. Then she recalled his experiences and understood.

This Fourth Heir Apparent was unlike the other Heir Apparents. That might be why the Imperial Court had invited him here. Had it truly been another Heir Apparent, with pride soaring to the heavens, things might have turned ugly.

As Chu Zhiyuan spoke with Lu Wan, he secretly shook his head inwardly.

Of the four middle-aged people, only Lu Wan was a Master. Of the remaining three, one was at the Sixth Level of Innate Realm, one at the Sevenfold level, and one at the Eighth Layer.

None of the twenty-three young men and women had even reached perfection in the Postnatal Realm.

This exceeded his expectations.

They were far weaker than he had imagined.

Was the Flying Flower Sword Sect deliberately showing weakness, or was its foundation truly this shallow?