Obtaining the Pearl

Sunset, lights beginning to shine.

Chu Zhiyuan, clad in a crimson official robe, walked slowly along the bustling street.

Around him, the crowd flowed like water, while several guards stood like reefs, parting the tide to create a space where Chu Zhiyuan could stroll at leisure.

He probed his surroundings with Super Sensation while pondering in his mind.

Should he first return to the new residence beside Earthly Soil Hall to train, condensing nine Dragon Binding Ropes to break through the seventh jade tower in one go, or go back to the estate first?

He finally decided to return to the estate.

The lanterns on both sides of Prince Qing's Street were lit, completely driving away the dusk. The entire street was bright and clear, as if it were daylight.

Two teams of estate guards were patrolling in crisscross patterns.

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

Chu Zhiyuan nodded, not pausing his steps.

Guo Chi had already sent word ahead. By the time he reached the estate main gate, the gatekeeper had opened the doors to welcome him.

He returned to the Listening to Waves Courtyard without any obstruction.

The four women, Mo Yi among them, gathered around. Some took his hat, some changed his clothes, some pulled off his boots, and one brought in a basin of clean water.

Chu Zhiyuan changed his clothes, washed up, and went to the back garden.

As soon as he entered the back garden, he heard the crisp sound of a zither from afar.

The leisurely melody drifted across the lake surface, wound through the lush forest, and reached his ears—lofty and peaceful, refreshing his mind and spirit.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled.

His Imperial Concubine mother's mood was no longer bitter and resentful; she had become calm and composed, finally restoring the dignified grace of a prince's consort.

This was the true Bai Ningshuang.

He rounded the lush forest and arrived at the lakeside.

A string of carved lanterns had been lit on the lake surface, illuminating the five small pavilions and five waterside pavilions as brightly as day.

The reflections of the lanterns swayed gently in the water, dreamlike and illusory.

He stepped onto the lakeside corridor and approached one of the waterside pavilions. The middle-aged beautiful woman and the beautiful maiden guarding the pavilion curtsied in greeting.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded lightly, lifted the curtain, and entered the pavilion.

Inside, several silver candles cast a soft yet bright light.

Bai Ningshuang, dressed in plain white palace attire, was bent over playing the zither. The gold step-sway hairpin on her head swayed gently, shimmering in harmony with the faint gold threads flickering at her sleeves.

The beautiful maiden moved an embroidered stool over.

Chu Zhiyuan sat on the stool, studying Bai Ningshuang across from him.

The zither music stopped abruptly. Bai Ningshuang looked up and beckoned.

The middle-aged maid presented a small cold jade box, green and warm.

"Yuan'er, the dragon pearl you wanted," Bai Ningshuang said. "The Flying Dragon Pearl."

Chu Zhiyuan smiled as he took the cold jade box and slowly opened it.

On the gold silk lining the center of the jade box, an infant fist-sized purple gold pearl emitted a deep luster, giving an impression of immense weight.

The Dragon Transformation Technique instantly surged into frantic motion.

Chu Zhiyuan closed the cold jade box, and the Dragon Transformation Technique stopped abruptly.

Indeed!

He smiled.

Bai Ningshuang said, "The Imperial Concubine said dragon pearls aren't good things—inauspicious."

Chu Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow.

Bai Ningshuang continued, "In any case, the Imperial Concubine would never harm you."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

He had obtained his dragon pearl by requesting it from the Emperor.

He hadn't heard much about this claim that dragon pearls were inauspicious. But whether it came from the Emperor or Consort Rou, it couldn't be dismissed as mere perfunctory words.

Consort Rou was no ordinary woman. If she were a favored imperial consort, that would be one thing, but to remain stable and secure within the palace even without favor showed her extraordinary intelligence and skill.

The inauspicious nature of the dragon pearl—there was a secret here that he didn't yet understand.

"Yuan'er, tomorrow is Prince Xuan's birthday. I've already prepared your clothes. Later, have Mo Yi and the others help you try them on and pick a good set."

"Mm, Mother, I'll go check on Little Sister. She was training this afternoon, right?"

"She's been training all along," Bai Ningshuang said disapprovingly. "Yi'er has never liked training since she was little. Why force her!"

Prince Qing's Estate wasn't particularly insistent on training, after all, Prince Qing himself didn't train.

Nor did Prince Qing and his wife push their children to train.

Chu Zhiyuan had displayed astonishing martial talent since childhood and loved practicing martial arts, while Chu Yi showed no such aptitude at all. She disliked training and only enjoyed tending flowers and plants.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "A little practice never hurts."

"I don't see any benefit, and it only harms the body," Bai Ningshuang snorted.

Unless one could reach the Innate Realm, training would always damage the body. Before the Innate Realm, every bit of practice came at a cost.

Chu Yi's talent was mediocre—not because her physical constitution was poor; on the contrary, it was excellent. But her martial comprehension was lacking, and she had no love for training. Even if she trained, she might never reach the Innate Realm, so there was little point in forcing it.

"Mother, I won't harm Little Sister," Chu Zhiyuan said with a smile.

"You..." Bai Ningshuang sighed helplessly. "If she truly doesn't want to train, don't push her too hard."

"Fine." Chu Zhiyuan agreed, cupped his fists, and rose to leave.

--

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

Four pretty maids stood in astonishment beside the flower beds, their bright eyes wide.

In the center of the six flower beds, on the flat blue bricks, sixteen footprints were imprinted as if branded into the stone.

Each footprint was in a different position, the toes pointing in various directions, ultimately forming a closed circle.

Completing the sixteen steps meant turning a full circle and returning to the starting point.

Under the bright lamplight, Chu Yi's white robes fluttered as she nimbly stepped through the sixteen footprints, light and graceful, ethereal as a fairy. Her delicate face was full of smiles beneath the glow.

The steps she took were extraordinarily wondrous.

With each step, a warm, bubbling breath of air drilled up from the soles of her feet into her body, surging through her limbs. Her whole body felt warm and cozy, as if soaking in a hot spring.

After walking all afternoon, she wasn't tired at all. Instead, the more she walked, the more energetic she became, the lighter her body felt, as if she might float away.

She drifted as if riding the wind, or treading lightly on rippling waves.

When Chu Zhiyuan appeared, the four maids noticed him and hurriedly curtsied.

He waved his hand and stood to the side.

Chu Yi glided swiftly up to him, reached out a small hand, and struck toward his chest: "Eldest Brother, take this palm!"

Chu Zhiyuan's feet slid, barely dodging.

"Another palm!" Chu Yi pursued and struck again.

Chu Zhiyuan's steps continued to slide as he evaded.

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

After more than a dozen strikes, Chu Yi's steps faltered. She stumbled forward, but her feet retreated, and her body suddenly froze.

Chu Zhiyuan flicked his sleeve.

She straightened up stiffly and let out a relieved breath.

"Eldest Brother!" Her flushed little face was brimming with excitement. "If I'd learned this from the start, I'd have become a martial master long ago!"

Chu Zhiyuan chuckled. "Don't flatter yourself."

Right now, she was enjoying the novelty and finding it fun. But no matter how interesting something was, doing it every day would eventually make it boring.

Knowing Chu Yi as he did, this fresh feeling wouldn't last more than five days before she started slacking off and making excuses not to train.

Chu Yi said, "Eldest Brother, I can train in this."

"Alright, then start with this for now." Chu Zhiyuan took her wrist, feeling the Internal Energy still surging through her Meridians, and nodded in satisfaction.

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

But for Chu Yi, it was the perfect entry method.

It suited someone like her—poor at martial comprehension but blessed with a good physique.

If she enjoyed training, after a year or so she could reach around the fourth layer of Houtian. Then she could switch to the more complex Great Returning Yuan Step.

With the Great Returning Yuan Step, she could probably train all the way to Perfected Houtian. Then they'd find a way to break through the Three Passes and step into the Innate Realm.

Once she reached the Innate Realm, she could live to a hundred and twenty years old and have some ability to protect herself. In critical moments, she could dodge and evade, which would let him worry a little less.

"Oh, right, I found a mental cultivation technique with the effect of preserving youth," Chu Zhiyuan said. "If you master it, you can stay young forever."

Chu Yi quickly asked, "What technique?"

"The Jade Spring Eternal Spring Technique. It's a secret transmission I saw in the Bright Martial Hall, but you need to be in the Innate Realm to practice it."

"Jade Spring Eternal Spring Technique..." Chu Yi savored those five words, her bright eyes fixed on him. "Eldest Brother, can this technique really preserve one's appearance?"

"It was originally a secret art of the Jade Spring Sect. After the sect was wiped out overnight, the world thought it was lost forever. But no one knew that a disciple of the Jade Spring Sect was in the imperial palace and left behind the Jade Spring Eternal Spring Technique before dying."

"I must train to the Innate Realm!" Chu Yi's eyes sparkled, suddenly filled with boundless motivation.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded in satisfaction. "The sooner, the better. The Jade Spring Eternal Spring Technique can only lock your appearance at the moment you master it. Don't end up mastering it when you're fifty or sixty."

"Alright!" Chu Yi nodded firmly.

In that instant, she was filled with endless drive.