Spring Begins

On the second day of the second lunar month, the dragon raises its head.

In the Embracing Rosy Clouds Hall Golden Ao Mountain, the Nine Heavens Auspicious Cloud Banner is inserted at the eaves. When the banner is unfurled, countless rays of light, wrapped in endless auspicious clouds, soar into the sky and surge upwards in layers towards the heavens.

The entire Golden Ao Mountain was enveloped in this surging radiance, its shape appearing and disappearing like a jade palace presented by an immortal.

If someone were to look down from a distance, they would only see Golden Ao Mountain swallowed by auspicious clouds, with rosy clouds blooming on the mountaintop, like a divine miracle, and cloud patterns flowing endlessly around the mountainside, like a sacred celestial land.

Today is the opening day of the Pear Garden, and guests are coming in an endless stream. Many people look at the Nine Heavens Auspicious Cloud Banner above and can't help but feel a myriad of emotions.

A man in Qingyi looked at a middle-aged man in Bai People clothing beside him, his tone full of envy, and said:

"This treasure is absolutely a top-tier Spirit Treasure. While Hazy Clouds formations are common, Rainbow Clouds formations are rare, especially this combination of two wondrous top-tier Spirit Treasure."

He paused, then continued:

"Normally, any family possessing such a Spirit Treasure would be considered a great asset, reserved only for suppressing evil spirits at their mountain gate. I never expected Qixia Temple to actually bring it to this detached courtyard for use."

The man in Bai People clothing shook his head:

"Although Qixia Temple was only founded at the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, its founder had already attained the Dao Embryo during the reign of the Earthly Sovereign, and before the Investiture of the Gods, he had already proven the Dao of Rainbow Clouds. In addition, he had been cultivating in Mount Zhongnan and was a disciple of the Dao Ancestor, so he naturally had many good things in his possession."

Before he finished speaking, a distant horn sounded from the horizon. The two looked up and saw a dazzling, reddish-yellow light shining from the southern horizon.

Upon seeing this, the guests at the foot of the mountain all stopped and looked in the direction from which the horn sounded.

The man in Bai People clothing showed a slight change in expression and said in a low voice:

"This grand procession... it seems the royal carriage of the Princess of Nanzhao has arrived."

The man in Qingyi nodded upon hearing this, then straightened his robes.

"Since the princess has come in person, it would be best if we went down the mountain to greet her. Although this is a separate courtyard of Qixia Temple, we are, after all, cultivating in the territory of Nanzhao, and we cannot neglect proper etiquette. Furthermore, since she is the descendant of Orthodox God of Soil and Grain, we should go and welcome her."

The man in Bai People clothing nodded.

Then the two of them, along with several other guests who had also noticed the commotion, headed down the mountain.

Upon reaching the mountain gate archway, one could see the clouds churning in the distance, and a three-story ship slowly emerging from the Yunzhong.

The ship was entirely vermilion, with a huge glass palace lantern hanging on each side of the hull. The lanterns were filled with colorful light, illuminating half of the sky like a sunset.

Two rows of colorful maidens stood at the bow of the ship, holding peacock feather fans and jade chimes. The clear and melodious sound of the chimes, along with the sound of horns, carried far and wide.

Following the warship, six slightly smaller escort flying boats were arranged in a goose-like formation, with armored soldiers standing on board, their armor gleaming coldly in the Silver Light.

"Please make way for the princess's carriage." The white-robed cultivator at the forefront of the flying boat announced loudly.

Then the ship slowly descended and landed on the newly opened dock at the foot of Golden Ao Mountain. The cabin door opened, and four maids got out first, followed by a young woman dressed in a light purple palace dress.

She looked to be in her early twenties, with a delicate and beautiful face and an air of elegance between her brows. A red-gold phoenix hairpin was tucked diagonally into her hair, with a thumb-sized piece of red jade in its beak, which shimmered with a warm luster in the sunlight.

The Qingyi looked at the middle-aged man dressed in Bai People clothing:

"The Nanzhao lineage has always been sparsely populated, and this princess Ziheng, is said to have been born after the king attained enlightenment."

The man in the Bai People clothing nodded upon hearing this, said nothing more, and simply looked in that direction.

Behind the princess, several more officials and attendants descended one after another.

Liu Yunhe, who had been waiting at the foot of the mountain, stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"Liu Yunhe, the guest master of the Pear Garden Branch Temple at Qixia Temple, is here on the orders of my Daoist master to respectfully welcome Her Highness the Princess."

The princess nodded slightly, her gaze sweeping over him before turning to the Golden Ao Mountain shrouded in auspicious clouds behind her, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

This was her first time visiting this mountain. She had only heard that although the scenery here was beautiful, there was indeed a vicious dragon causing trouble.

But today, Golden Ao Mountain is completely different from what it used to be. She withdrew her gaze Liu Yunhe:

"Thank you for leading the way, Mr. Liu."

Liu Yunhe did not respond further, but instead led the princess and her entourage up Golden Ao Mountain with four white-clad attendants as guides.

Behind Golden Ao Mountain, Su Yao stood with his hands behind his back, staring blankly at the Cibi Lake below. Only when the grand procession of the Nanzhao princess appeared did he turn his head to look at the royal banner fluttering in the wind at the bow of the boat, and the princess's magnificent entourage. He suddenly murmured:

"The night rain in Nanzhao ends the grand banquet, and the Chu River ends, its waters stretching to the sky."

The goddess dreams of returning to the clouds, while the bronze drums fall silent in the evening mist.

The vast landscape is now empty, a solitary shadow; the ancient city walls are now only echoing with the cuckoo's cry.

The east wind, indifferent to rise and fall, blows down pear blossoms once more.

After reciting the poem, he gazed at the royal banner, his eyes calm. The goddess's dream would eventually fade into the clouds, and the sound of the bronze drums would be swallowed by the evening mist. As for the east wind...

The east wind never cares about the rise and fall of humankind; it only blows down the pear blossoms by the lake every year, landing on the shoulders of different people.

Then a streak of earthy yellow light descended from the foot of the mountain and landed behind Su Yao. Li Siyi appeared and looked at Su Yao's back.

"Daozi, the princess of Nanzhao has arrived."

Upon hearing this, Su Yao, still with his back to Li Siyi, simply asked:

Has Cibi Lake sent anyone?

Upon hearing this, Li Siyi remained silent, only shaking her head.

Although Su Yao didn't hear Li Siyi's reply, her silence spoke volumes, so he turned around and looked at Li Siyi:

What do you think is the purpose of our trip to Nanzhao?

Upon hearing this, Li Siyi's expression remained unchanged, but she still did not answer, shaking her head to indicate that she did not know.

Su Yao wasn't annoyed by this, but simply said softly:

" With Proclaiming Earth about to fall, Nanzhao will once again be engulfed in bloodshed."

He looked at Li Siyi's terrified face and continued:

"No, it shouldn't be just Nanzhao; Annan, Pagan, and many other shamanic kingdoms further west are also about to descend into chaos."

Li Siyi was shocked upon hearing this, and after a long while, she whispered:

"The Qingshi would likely not allow anyone to cause trouble here..."

Su Yao shook his head upon hearing this:

"The Nanzhao lineage has always considered itself a descendant of the Orthodox God of Soil and Grain of the state, ignoring the orders of the Central Plains dynasties. Furthermore, the Central Plains dynasties also had to take care of the Northern Frontier and the Western Regions regions, so this place posed little threat to the Central Plains and was not a priority in previous dynasties. But now the world has changed."

He paused for a moment, looked at Li Siyi's increasingly terrified face, and sighed:

"When Taizu conquered Nanzhao, he spared the Nanzhao Kingdom in recognition of the merits of the Orthodox God of Soil and Grain. However, the various territories of Nanzhao were garrisoned and managed by the Qing Dynasty, and the kingdom was further divided into Southern Frontier and Nanzhao. Nanzhao only enjoyed the name of the kingdom, but had no real power. Now, the world has changed, and far too many people need merit. Most of the heroes of the Jingnan Rebellion are eyeing this place, wanting to destroy Annan and other places to achieve their merits. The Qingshi needs to take the 'abolition of native chieftainships and the establishment of direct imperial administration' a step further, and Confucian School and other schools of thought want to spread culture here. Buddhist School also attempts to move south from the Western Regions to this place."

He paused:

"And our Mysterious Gate also intends to use this place as a retreat route..."