Obtaining the Pearl

As the sun set in the west, lanterns began to glow.

Dressed in a crimson official robe, Chu Zhiyuan strolled at an unhurried pace along the bustling street.

Pedestrians flowed around him like water, while several guards stood like reefs, parting the crowd and creating a space for Chu Zhiyuan to stroll as leisurely as if in his own courtyard.

As he used Super Sensation to survey his surroundings, he pondered within his mind.

Should he first return to the new residence beside Earthly Soil Hall to cultivate, gather nine Dragon Binding Ropes and break through the seventh Jade Tower in one stroke, or should he first return to the estate and take a look?

In the end, he decided to return to the estate first.

The lanterns on both sides of Prince Qing Street had all been lit, thoroughly driving away the twilight. The entire avenue was clear and bright as day.

Two patrols of estate guards were conducting intersecting rounds.

Upon seeing Chu Zhiyuan, they clasped their fists in salute from afar.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded without slowing his steps.

Guo Chi had already sent someone ahead to notify them. By the time he reached the estate gates, the gatekeepers had opened the doors to welcome him.

He returned to Listening to Waves Courtyard without hindrance.

Mo Yi and the other three women hurried forward. One removed his hat, another changed his clothes, another pulled off his boots, while someone else brought in a basin of clean water.

After changing clothes and washing up, Chu Zhiyuan went to the rear garden.

The moment he entered the garden, he heard the resonant notes of a zither from afar.

The lingering music drifted over the lake, wound through the lush woods, and floated into his ears. Broad and tranquil, it made his heart open and his spirit rejoice.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled.

Imperial Concubine's state of mind was no longer gloomy and indignant. She had become calm and composed, finally recovering the graceful and refined bearing of a princess consort.

This was the true Bai Ningshuang.

He passed through the thick woods and arrived at the lakeside.

Strings of carved lanterns had already been lit across the lake, illuminating the five small pavilions and five waterside chambers as brightly as day.

The lanterns' reflections swayed gently on the water, dreamlike and illusory.

He stepped onto the covered lakeside corridor and arrived before a waterside chamber. The beautiful middle-aged woman and the lovely young girl standing guard outside lowered themselves in salute.

Chu Zhiyuan gave a slight nod, lifted the curtain, and entered the chamber.

Several silver candles burned inside, their light soft yet bright.

Bai Ningshuang, dressed in a plain white palace gown, was bowing her head as she played the zither. The Gold Step-sway Hairpin in her hair swayed faintly, echoing the glimmering gold threads at her sleeves.

The lovely young girl brought over an embroidered stool.

Chu Zhiyuan sat upon it and studied Bai Ningshuang across from him.

The zither music came to an abrupt halt. Bai Ningshuang raised her head and beckoned.

The middle-aged maid presented a Small Cold Jade Box, jade-green and warmly lustrous.

"Yuan'er, the Dragon Pearl you wanted," Bai Ningshuang said. "A Flying Dragon Pearl."

Chu Zhiyuan accepted the Cold Jade Box with a smile and slowly opened it.

At the center of the Gold Silk inside the jade box lay a Purple Gold Pearl the size of an infant's fist. It gave off a deep, dim gleam and carried an exceptionally heavy presence.

The Dragon Transformation Technique instantly began circulating like mad.

Chu Zhiyuan closed the Cold Jade Box, and the Dragon Transformation Technique stopped abruptly.

Just as expected!

He smiled.

Bai Ningshuang said, "Her Imperial Consort says Dragon Pearls are no good. They are inauspicious."

Chu Zhiyuan raised a brow.

Bai Ningshuang said, "In any case, Her Imperial Consort would never harm you."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

He had asked the Emperor for this Dragon Pearl.

He had not heard much of the claim that Dragon Pearls were inauspicious, but whether those words had come from the Emperor or Consort Rou, they could not be dismissed as mere perfunctory remarks.

Consort Rou was no ordinary woman. If she had been a favored imperial consort, that would have been one thing, but she had remained safe and secure within the palace even without favor. That showed just how formidable her intelligence and methods were.

There was a secret behind this inauspiciousness of Dragon Pearls that he did not understand.

"Yuan'er, tomorrow is Prince Xuan's birthday. I have already prepared your clothes. Have Mo Yi and the others let you try them on later and choose a good set."

"Mm. Mother, I'll go see my little sister. She practiced this afternoon, didn't she?"

"She has been practicing all along." Bai Ningshuang said dissatisfiedly, "Yi'er never liked practicing martial arts since she was young. Why force her?"

Prince Qing's Estate was not so obsessed with martial arts practice. After all, Prince Qing himself did not practice martial arts.

Prince Qing and his wife did not force their children to practice either.

Chu Zhiyuan had displayed astonishing martial arts talent from childhood and enjoyed martial arts, whereas Chu Yi had never shown any talent and disliked martial arts. She only liked tending flowers and plants.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Practicing a little can't hurt."

"I haven't seen any benefit. It only harms her body." Bai Ningshuang snorted.

Unless one could cultivate to the Innate Realm, martial arts practice would harm the body. Before reaching the Innate Realm, it was always damaging one's body.

Chu Yi's aptitude was ordinary. It was not that her physical gifts were poor; on the contrary, they were excellent. But her comprehension of martial arts was lacking, and she did not enjoy training. She might not reach the Innate Realm even if she practiced, so there was no real need for her to cultivate.

"Mother, I won't harm my little sister." Chu Zhiyuan said with a smile.

"You..." Bai Ningshuang said helplessly. "If she truly doesn't want to practice, don't force her too much."

"Fine." Chu Zhiyuan agreed, clasped his fists, rose, and left.

--

Ten Thousand Green Courtyard, where Chu Yi lived, was brightly lit.

Four pretty maidservants stood beside the flowerbeds in astonishment, their beautiful eyes wide.

In the center of the six flowerbeds of Ten Thousand Green Courtyard, sixteen footprints had been pressed into the flat blue bricks as though branded there.

Every footprint faced a different direction, with the toes pointing every which way, ultimately forming a closed circle.

After taking all sixteen steps, one completed a circle and returned to the original position.

Under the bright lights, Chu Yi's white robes fluttered as she deftly stepped upon the sixteen footprints. Light and graceful, she seemed like an immortal floating through the air, her lovely face full of smiles beneath the lamplight.

The footwork she used was exceedingly marvelous.

With every step, streams of warm breath burrowed into her body through the soles of her feet, darting about inside her and leaving her whole body pleasantly warm, as though she were soaking in a hot spring.

She had walked all afternoon without feeling tired. On the contrary, the more she walked, the more alert she became; the more she walked, the more relaxed her body felt, as though she were about to float away.

She floated as if riding the wind, and moved as if skimming the ripples.

When Chu Zhiyuan appeared, the four maidservants noticed him and hurriedly lowered themselves in salute.

Chu Zhiyuan waved a hand and stood to one side.

Chu Yi suddenly glided before him and stretched out a small hand toward his chest. "Big Brother, take my palm!"

Chu Zhiyuan's feet slid aside, narrowly evading it.

"Take another palm!" Chu Yi pursued him, striking toward him again.

Chu Zhiyuan continued sliding his feet and dodging.

Both of them were using this same Minor Returning Yuan Step.

After more than ten palms, Chu Yi's steps fell into disarray. She staggered forward, but her feet retreated backward, and her body suddenly froze stiff.

Chu Zhiyuan flicked his sleeve.

She stood straight again and let out a relieved breath.

"Big Brother!" Her flushed little face brimmed with excitement. "If I had practiced this from the beginning, I would have become a martial arts master long ago!"

Chu Zhiyuan laughed. "Stop gilding your own face."

She was greedy for novelty now and found it interesting, but no matter how interesting something was, doing it every day would make it cease to be interesting.

Knowing Chu Yi as he did, this sense of novelty would not last five days before she began slacking off and making excuses, unwilling to practice any longer.

Chu Yi said, "Big Brother, I can practice this."

"Fine, then practice it for now." Chu Zhiyuan took her wrist, sensed the internal energy still darting through her Meridians, and nodded in satisfaction.

This Minor Returning Yuan Step was a martial art from Bright Martial Hall, merely a third-tier technique.

Yet for Chu Yi, it was the best method to begin with.

It suited someone like her perfectly—someone with poor martial arts comprehension but excellent physical gifts.

If she enjoyed practicing it, then after a year or so, she could reach around the fourth level of the Postnatal Realm. Then she could switch to the more complex Great Returning Yuan Step.

With the Great Returning Yuan Step, she could more or less cultivate to Perfected Houtian, then find a way to cross the Three Passes and enter the Xiantian Realm.

Once she reached the Innate Realm, she could live to one hundred and twenty and would barely possess the ability to protect herself. At critical moments, she could at least evade danger, and he could be a little more at ease.

"Oh, right. I found a cultivation method that preserves one's looks," Chu Zhiyuan said. "If cultivated successfully, it lets one remain forever young."

Chu Yi hurriedly asked, "What cultivation method?"

"The Jade Spring Eternal Spring Technique. It is a secretly transmitted cultivation method. I saw it in Bright Martial Hall, but one must reach the Innate Realm before practicing it."

"The Jade Spring Eternal Spring Technique..." Chu Yi savored the five words, her bright eyes fixed on him. "Big Brother, can this cultivation method truly preserve one's looks?"

"It was once Jade Spring Sect's secret transmission. Later, Jade Spring Sect was wiped out overnight, and people believed it had been lost forever. No one knew that a Jade Spring Sect disciple had remained in the imperial palace and left behind the Jade Spring Eternal Spring Technique before death."

"I must reach the Innate Realm!" Chu Yi's bright eyes glittered as boundless motivation welled up within her.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded in satisfaction. "The earlier, the better. The Jade Spring Eternal Spring Technique can only preserve your appearance from the moment you master it. Don't wait until you're fifty or sixty to succeed."

"Alright!" Chu Yi nodded vigorously.

Boundless motivation immediately rose within her.