Perilous

After leaving Prince Qing's Estate, he slowed his steps and let out a sigh of relief.

The siblings had taken etiquette lessons when they were young.

But Prince Qing's Estate had been under lockdown then, and they had not known whether they would ever be freed in this lifetime. Learning it had seemed pointless, and they had even been somewhat rebellious, so they had not studied very seriously.

They would be fine on ordinary occasions, but at formal and solemn events, they would inevitably betray their nervousness.

Attending the Prince's birthday banquet would be all right, but the New Year was not far off. It was tradition for the princes and heirs apparent to celebrate the New Year with the Emperor in the imperial palace.

They had been unable to go in previous years, but this year, they would likely have to.

Having Chu Yi learn etiquette again would give her confidence and prevent her from making a laughingstock of herself.

There were still many rules in the palace.

He first went to the Ministry of Rites to report for duty, then headed to the Audit Department two hundred meters away.

Outside the imperial palace, the princes' mansions lay to the west, while the Six Ministries and various departments lay to the east. The ministries and departments were clustered within one area, not far apart.

Wearing his official robes, he was not stopped when he entered the Audit Department.

The moment he stepped through the Audit Department's gates, he sensed an utterly different sort of rigor and bustle. The officials hurrying back and forth were all in a rush, completely unlike the leisurely strolls at the Ministry of Rites.

Zou Fang had already found out where the person they sought was located. They went straight to a courtyard, and Zou Fang entered first.

A moment later, Zou Fang emerged with a thin, small-framed middle-aged man.

From afar, the thin middle-aged man clasped his fists in salute. "This humble official is Song Shunnian. Greetings, Young Master."

"Lord Song, apologies for disturbing you." Chu Zhiyuan returned the salute with a smile. "Have my merits been tallied yet?"

"Rest assured, Young Master. This humble official has placed those two memorials requesting rewards at the very front and marked them for urgent handling. There should be a result within three days."

"Then many thanks, Lord Song." Chu Zhiyuan smiled and gave Zou Fang a look.

Zou Fang stepped forward and slipped a banknote into Song Shunnian's sleeve.

As a Grandmaster, her movements were elegant and precise. Before Song Shunnian had time to react, the banknote was already in his sleeve.

"This..." Song Shunnian hesitated.

Chu Zhiyuan waved a hand. "Eighteenth Uncle is Eighteenth Uncle, and I am myself. I do not have the habit of letting others toil for nothing. We shall not disturb Lord Song any longer."

"...Please take care, Young Master."

Song Shunnian personally escorted Chu Zhiyuan out of the Audit Department.

The Audit Department was a prestigious and detached government office. It also answered directly to the Emperor and was not subject to the Six Ministries or any other departments.

Outside forces found it difficult to interfere with its operations, but princes were an exception.

This Song Shunnian was a relative of Chu Mingxuan. He would not dare alter the outcome through favoritism, for that was a crime punishable by beheading. No one dared act recklessly in such matters.

But changing the order of priority was still possible.

What would originally have taken a month or even longer could now yield results in three days.

That was already the fastest possible speed.

After all, people had to be sent down for verification, and not a single mistake could be tolerated. Otherwise, heads would roll.

Chu Zhiyuan left the Audit Department and headed for the Heavenly Treasure Department.

The Heavenly Treasure Department stood beside Tongtian Pavilion, on the easternmost street of the Six Ministries and various departments district. It sat at the intersection of two long streets, with routes extending in every direction.

From the outside, the Heavenly Treasure Department's facade was no different from those of the other departments—solemn, austere, and plain. Yet the crowd flowing in and out was immense, shoulders rubbing against shoulders, comparable to a top hospital from his previous life.

The instant he entered the Heavenly Treasure Department's gates, he felt an inexplicable pressure.

Every hair on his body stood on end, warning him to flee at once.

His Super Sensation fell upon an old man beside a flowerbed at the base of the wall.

The old man wore gray robes and had a lean, shriveled frame. He looked like nothing more than an ordinary old fellow.

He reclined lazily in a chair, a scroll in one hand. Beside him stood a small tea table, upon which a red clay stove burbled and sent up white vapor.

He radiated tranquil leisure, as though the bustling crowds and clamor around him had nothing to do with him.

Chu Zhiyuan glanced above his head and immediately fell into a daze.

Before him stretched a vast starry sky. Seven stars shone especially brightly, blazing and glittering, their starlight joining into a long sword.

The old man stood upon the void, holding that sword condensed from starlight. He assumed a slashing stance, as though he wished to cleave everything in the world to pieces.

Just as his mind and spirit trembled, a cool breath suddenly flowed through his palm. The Qingying Sword jolted him awake.

His body was already covered in sweat.

The last Grandmaster he had probed was Chu Qingfeng. Since they cultivated arts of the same origin, he had not been attacked.

If not for the Qingying Sword's aid this time, probing this Grandmaster would likely have injured his mind and spirit.

He secretly shuddered, hastily withdrawing his Super Sensation and avoiding the old man. Following the crowd toward the main hall, he entered the vast interior.

The noisy crowd entering the hall looked like a swarm of ants, especially tiny within its enormous space.

Unlike the clamor outside, the hall was quiet.

A broad sandalwood counter formed a semi-enclosed ring. Behind it sat the Heavenly Treasure Department's clerks, men and women alike, every one of them stern and indifferent.

Chu Zhiyuan stepped forward personally and handed over a gleaming silver plaque.

This was the ivory badge for Ninth Grade Merit. One side bore nine carved epiphyllum flowers, while the other displayed his portrait, name, and age.

The Heavenly Treasure Department clerk behind the counter was an ordinary-looking young man with an icy expression. After taking the plaque, he first sized Chu Zhiyuan up, then examined the badge. "What would you like to exchange for?"

"A Minor Marrow Cleansing Pill."

"Wait."

He pressed the badge into a red ink pad beside him, then onto a sheet of white paper. He turned the badge over, pressed it into the ink pad again, and stamped the paper once more.

The rubbings of both sides were aligned neatly on the paper. He then picked up a brush, wrote the four words "Minor Marrow Cleansing Pill," and turned to leave.

After Chu Zhiyuan waited for about a minute, the young clerk returned and handed him an emerald-green porcelain bottle.

Chu Zhiyuan opened it, smiled, and nodded. Then he dipped his index finger into the red ink and pressed it onto the paper.

He had already gone through this procedure once, so he needed no reminder.

After putting the Minor Marrow Cleansing Pill into his sleeve, he left the Heavenly Treasure Department with Zou Fang and Guo Chi, then went to the neighboring Tongtian Pavilion.

After reading all day, he returned to the estate that evening and headed straight for Chu Yi's courtyard.

The moment he entered Chu Yi's small courtyard, it felt as though he had stepped into another world.

A hundred flowers competed in splendor, their faint fragrance drifting through the air.

All manner of exotic flowers and rare herbs were scattered throughout the courtyard. Some formed small flowerbeds, some swayed in the wind atop rockeries, and some grew in little streams, creating a world of strange flowers and unusual plants.

In an open space between the flowerbeds, Chu Yi balanced a bowl of water on her head. Her upper body remained still as she took tiny lotus steps forward.

Two middle-aged palace maids supervised at the side. One occasionally pointed out her mistakes, while the other occasionally demonstrated a move or two. Chu Yi wore an expression of such misery that she looked as if she would rather be dead.

Chu Zhiyuan wanted to laugh at the sight but forcibly held it in.

When the two palace maids saw Chu Zhiyuan, they gave him light, graceful bows. Their elegant bearing displayed extraordinary refinement.

Chu Zhiyuan returned the salute with clasped fists. "I have troubled you both, Aunties."

The two palace maids smiled respectfully and gracefully took their leave.

Chu Zhiyuan clasped his fists and watched them depart with elegance. Then he took a small wooden box from his sleeve and handed it to the resentful-looking Chu Yi. "Take a look. What is this?"

Inside the wooden box was a small flower, every petal a different color.

"Seven Rainbow Flower!" Chu Yi hurried forward in delight, carefully cradling it as she examined it, an intoxicated expression appearing on her face.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled. "With this, you can practice etiquette properly now, right?"

"Fine, I'll practice. It isn't such a big deal." Chu Yi's gaze seemed firmly glued to the Seven Rainbow Flower as she answered absentmindedly.

Right now, the Seven Rainbow Flower was the only thing in her eyes.

Chu Zhiyuan chuckled, then left her small courtyard and returned to the Quiet Room, intending to see whether he could break through another level.

But when he took out the Minor Marrow Cleansing Pill and was about to begin, he suddenly stopped and frowned.

A subtle intuition arose within him.

His intuition told him that he would not succeed this time.

One Minor Marrow Cleansing Pill would not be enough to accomplish anything. He needed at least two.

He shook his head helplessly and put the Minor Marrow Cleansing Pill away.

Early the next morning, when he went to Bright Martial Hall to train, he thanked Chu Mingxuan. As he was about to leave, Chu Mingxuan came over, pulled him aside, and invited him to dinner that evening.

"I've got another jar of medicinal wine." Chu Mingxuan beamed smugly. "And Third Brother has returned from the northwest, so it will count as a welcome banquet for him too."

Chu Zhiyuan was startled.

He knew this was Third Heir Chu Zhiyao, the heir apparent of Prince Xuan, the Fourth Prince.

Chu Mingxuan said, "Among your generation, only the three of you are Xiantian Masters now. Don't you want to meet him?"

Chu Zhiyuan asked, "Who else will be attending?"

Before him, among the heirs apparent of the "Zhi" generation, only Third Heir Chu Zhiyao and Sixth Heir had become Xiantian Masters and then entered the Military.

Chu Zhiyao was twenty-four, four years older than him. He had left Bright Martial Hall two years ago to join the border army.

Once one entered the Military, there were more chances to earn merit, more Miraculous Pills and Elixirs to exchange for, and faster progress in cultivation.

He just did not know whether Chu Zhiyao could progress faster than he could.

Although the Jade Lock Golden Pass Technique could not instantly turn him into a Grandmaster, combined with the Heavenly Yuan Art and Earthly Yuan Art, it granted him an unbelievable cultivation speed.

But the world was vast and filled with wonders; beyond every person stood another person. Perhaps Chu Zhiyao had encountered some fortuitous opportunity and his cultivation had soared.

"Just Ninth Son and Tenth Son. No outsiders."

"All right." Chu Zhiyuan nodded in agreement.

He, Chu Zhiteng, Chu Zhichuan, and Chu Mingxuan had already formed a small group of four, and their relationship had grown increasingly close.

After leaving Bright Martial Hall, he went to the Ministry of Rites to report for duty, then eagerly headed for the Audit Department.