Chapter 7

The Immortal from the Eastern Sea

The man turned around, shook his folding fan, and said, “Girl, didn’t your sister warn you not to cause trouble on the streets? If I hadn’t caught you today, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to explain to her.”

He then turned to the shopkeeper, smiling apologetically: “This is my little sister-in-law. She’s still young and not very bright, so I hope you can forgive her.”

The man wore an emerald-colored robe with a flowing sash, his hair draped over his shoulders, and his slanted bangs fell to his shoulders, complementing his bright eyes and sparse brows. Holding a folding fan, he had a somewhat delicate appearance, yet his demeanor was elegant and his bearing extraordinary, with no trace of a pampered heir.

From his manner of speech, it was clear that he was an adult. With his long lifespan, he was likely a foreigner. More and more outsiders have been coming to our Suxiao lately, and I don’t know whether they are human or demon.

However, no matter what he was, it was certain that he wanted to help me, so I quickly cooperated: “Brother-in-law? I don’t know you!”

Hearing this, the man gave the shopkeeper a “see?” look, then took out a piece of amber from his waist and handed it to him. “This should be enough.”

The shopkeeper held up the amber and examined it in the light. It was semi-transparent and reddish, glowing faintly, like the tears of a divine beast. Inside it, there were mountain and sea patterns and a pearl shell.

After checking repeatedly, he confirmed it wasn’t a fake, quickly tucked it into his clothes, and vowed never to return it: “Enough, enough, you can go now.”

The man led me away from the shop and, after a moment, turned his head, cupped his hands, and smiled slightly: “I am Kai Xuan Jun, pleased to meet the little princess.”

I smiled back: “You believe I’m the little princess?”

“Two hundred years ago, I had the honor of drinking with your father. The little princess is like the Tiger General of King Xuehua.”

“I see.” Having lived for so long, I realized that he probably wasn’t human. I blinked and asked, “Why can’t I see your demon form?”

Kai Xuan Jun smiled: “I am not a demon. Naturally, the little princess cannot see my demon form.”

“Then what are you?” My question seemed somewhat impolite, so I quickly added, “With such a long lifespan, you can’t be an ordinary person.”

“I was once a human, so I can be considered half human. Moreover, people who live long lives are not uncommon. But you, little princess, should be careful when you leave the palace alone at night. I see you don’t have any amber with you, so I’ll give you some.” He pulled out a few pieces of amber and handed them to me.

“Is this amber money?” I held it in my hand, inspecting it closely.

“In Suxiao, it is money. Look at this.” Kai Xuan Jun took out a piece of dark amber, oval-shaped and about the size of a fingernail. “This is Weng Po. It has nothing inside, and this size is worth one Gu.”

I learned something new. It turns out that amber is classified by value, from low to high: Weng Po, Blood Amber, Flower Amber, and Yi Amber. The patterns inside determine the value, such as shells, flowers, stones, mountains, seas, or animal eyes. The amber Kai Xuan Jun gave the shopkeeper was Blood Amber with shells and mountain-sea patterns, worth four hundred Gu. Most amber is made by the Warehouse Department using spells to condense tree sap, except for Yi Amber, the “king of all ambers,” which is made from the eyes of Yi birds and is rarely seen by ordinary families.

Actually, when my father discussed state matters with the officials, I once heard him mention the Warehouse Department making amber, but at the time, I just thought amber was like ordinary jade or jewelry. I didn’t realize that it was actually the legendary currency. I stared at the amber for a while, wanting to ask a few more questions, when a voice suddenly came from behind me: “Luowei.”

I shrank my neck and nervously turned around. “Brother...”

I had expected a barrage of scolding, but to my surprise, Fu Chenzhi let out a big sigh of relief, propping himself up against the wall and breathing heavily. “Finally found you. I thought you had been taken by bad people again...”

His reaction made me think of things from when we were younger. But I refused to apologize because he hadn’t been gentle at all just now. I said, “Being taken by bad people would be better than staying here and being scolded by you.”

He gave a bitter smile. “I know, I won’t scold you anymore. Just follow me properly, don’t run off on your own.”

I felt an inexplicable sense of relief at having won once over my older brother. He reached out to pull me, but his hand brushed against the ball of fur in my arms. The tiger cub extended its head, glaring and pushing his hand away. Fu Chenzhi asked, “Where did you get this little tiger from?”

“I bought it from the tiger cub shop,” I said, patting its head. “I’ve decided to raise it in the palace.”

“This tiger has wings. It’s probably not an ordinary beast. I think we should reconsider this,” he said.

“No, I’ve already decided. Since I’ve bought it, I have to take responsibility for it. Right, Xuan Yue?”

“Don’t casually name animals, once you name it, you can’t just abandon it...” At this point, Fu Chenzhi paused, then added, “Wait, you didn’t bring any money today, how did you buy this tiger cub?”

“Ah, there was someone earlier who helped me...” I pointed behind me, intending to introduce Kai Xuanjun to Fu Chenzhi, but by the time I looked, Kai Xuanjun was no longer there. I looked around the alley and the crowd, but couldn’t find him. I murmured, “Strange, he was just here.”

Fu Chenzhi seemed to have not heard my words at all. “Tell me honestly. Which shop did you steal this tiger from? I’ll help you pay.”

I forced a smile and clenched my fist. “On the last night in Suo Zhao, do you really want to fight me to the death just to feel better?”

In the end, the matter was left unresolved. Afterward, we took Xuan Yue to a teahouse to rest, writing repentance letters while having a late-night snack. Fu Chenzhi wrote beautifully, and he could even perfectly imitate my handwriting, so when we said “we’re copying repentance letters,” it was really him writing and me eating while watching.

Two half-grown kids and a winged tiger in a place like this certainly drew a lot of attention.

I had to admit, my brother looked really handsome when he was serious, especially when he was helping me cover up my mistakes.

One dish after another was served. Seeing how serious he was, I picked up a sour plum pastry with my chopsticks and held it up to his mouth. He turned his head away and refused to eat. So, I ate the sour plum pastry myself. After a while, my favorite Su Lian cake arrived. I offered him a piece, but he reacted the same way. So, Xuan Yue and I finished the entire plate of Su Lian cake.

Later, there were crystal fruit dumplings, He Huan soup, and Yunnan mountain mandarin duck soup, but he refused to eat any of them.

Sure enough, my brother was still like when we were little, not very fond of food. Every time everyone else had an appetite and was tasting delicacies, he always seemed indifferent, stopping once he was about 70% full, unlike other kids who would eat greedily. This made many young court ladies secretly fall for him, and it also made my father give him a thumbs up. “This child has a clear heart, few desires, and hides his strength. He will surely become a great person.”

Finally, the shopkeeper, seeing that we had ordered so many dishes, brought us a plate of sugar-coated goat milk dates.

This was my least favorite thing because it was truly as the name implied—wrapped in layers of syrup, goat milk, and sweet dates, with the center of the dates containing goat milk, syrup, and candy. It was considered the sweetest dessert in Suo Zhao. How sweet was this sugar-coated goat milk date? When an ordinary person eats it, their expression is often more grotesque than when they eat a lemon. That’s why toddlers like it.

I glanced sideways at Xuan Yue, thinking that it was also a baby. I picked up a piece and stuffed it into its mouth. To my surprise, it opened its small mouth, and without chewing, it pushed it out with its tongue, scattering its fur in the process, looking very tortured.

Seeing its bright, large eyes glare at me, I couldn’t help but feel reassured that my taste wasn’t the problem. Even Xuan Yue disliked it. Sigh. Then, a wicked thought flashed through my mind. I picked up another sugar-coated goat milk date and held it to Fu Chenzhi’s mouth.

The overly sweet taste lingered in the air, and I could almost imagine my brother pinching his nose in agony. I really wanted to laugh. But to my surprise, Fu Chenzhi tilted his head, ate it, and even seemed to enjoy it. Not only that, but the usually indifferent expression on his face actually showed a hint of what could be called happiness.

I stared at him in shock—could it be that this was the hidden truth behind Fu Chenzhi’s usual refusal to eat meals?

To confirm my observation, I secretly stuffed another sugar-coated goat milk date into his mouth. He seemed to not notice what he was eating, even smiling slightly as he chewed, still writing very seriously.

Now even Xuan Yue raised its little head, staring in awe with its tiger teeth showing, and it looked up at him with admiration. But Fu Chenzhi remained completely focused, and only when the entire plate of dates was finished did he realize there was no more food. He turned his head toward me with a confused expression.

“There... there’s no more...” I was so stunned I could hardly speak. “If you want more, I can order more...”

“What did you make me eat?”

I truthfully told him the name of the dessert, and the air seemed to freeze for a moment. Fu Chenzhi’s face showed a hint of awkwardness. “Actually, the taste is average. I was just a bit hungry.”

Hearing him say “I” so naturally sounded distant yet incredibly affectionate. Whenever Fu Chenzhi was being insincere, he would refer to himself as “I.”

For example, when I asked him to sneak out of Suo Zhao with me when we were kids, he said, “I think this idea is good. I’ll come find you later.” Then, he brought our mother with him.

Another time, I painted a picture, and Han Mo wrote a comment beside it. I asked him how the calligraphy was. He said, “The painting is good, and as for the writing, I think it’s pretty good too.”

As the younger sister, I should still give my older brother a way out, so I kindly didn’t expose him.

Not long after, Fu Chenzhi finished writing the letter of repentance and led us to settle the bill and leave the tea house. I noticed that when he paid, he handed the waiter amber but with a feather mixed in. I asked, “Isn’t that a shadow bird’s feather? What are you using it for?”

Fu Chenzhi replied, “Don’t you know? The number of outsiders in Suzhou has been increasing year by year, and rare and exotic beasts are also growing in number. The King promoted the ‘Amber and Feather Exchange’ system two years ago. Any living creature’s fur or feathers can be used in place of amber as currency for trade. It’s just not yet widespread, and the prices aren’t standardized in the market, so to avoid disputes, I only use feathers as tips.”

“I see. Interesting, indeed.” I gave a thumbs-up. “Father is a wise ruler. When we grow up, we should also help him.”

“That time, it’s likely Second Sister who will be in power. We will assist her.”

I clapped my hands. “That’s a good idea.”

We chatted as we left the tea house and walked to the edge of the town. Just as I was about to jump onto the back of Xuan She, I suddenly heard Xuan Yue howl loudly to the sky. Fu Chenzhi didn’t pay much attention, just pressing down on the snake’s back to help me get on. At that moment, something dark fell from the sky and landed on his hand. He grunted in pain and quickly withdrew his hand as if burned by boiling water. Then, that thing was thrown to the ground. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a spider the size of a fist, furry with sharp pincers that wriggled on its mouth, crawling on the ground.

Goosebumps immediately rose all over my body, and I wanted to scream but couldn’t make a sound. I could only blush and look at Fu Chenzhi with pleading eyes.

Without hesitation, Fu Chenzhi took two steps forward and kicked it away.

“How could there be a spider here?” I looked up at the night sky. “And how could it fall from the sky…”

“It’s a bit suspicious,” Fu Chenzhi said, tearing a piece of cloth from his clothes to bandage his hand.

It was then that I noticed his hand had been bitten by the spider, leaving two puncture marks, with dark green liquid mixed in with the blood. I grabbed his wrist. “This is bad. This spider is venomous. We need to force the poison out quickly.”

I lifted his hand a bit and was about to inspect it more carefully when he stopped me with his other hand. “No, you can’t use your mouth. It might be toxic to your body too.”

“Who said I was planning to use my mouth? Foolish brother, don’t think of me as an idiot.”

I swatted his other hand away and pressed on either side of the wound with my fingers to force the venom out, then rinsed the wound with water and froze it to prevent the poison from spreading further into the body. I grabbed the cloth from his hand and wrapped it around the wound. “For now, this is the best we can do. Let’s hurry back and find a royal physician in secret.”

“Alright.” After we both mounted Xuan She and flew for a while, Fu Chenzhi finally spoke slowly, “Weiwei, thank you.”

“What for? I’m your sister.”

On the way back, Xuan Yue kept making uneasy noises.

Once we returned, we quickly took care of Fu Chenzhi’s wound and went to our rooms to rest. However, because I was so worried about him, I could hardly sleep all night. The next morning, I saw large shadows of wings appear on the mica screen. Looking up, I saw that the shadow bird had passed by. It seemed that Fu Chenzhi was preparing to leave. I put on a cloak, jumped off the Lan boat, and ran all the way to the North Gate.

Indeed, the shadow bird was lying on the ground like a large, colorful leaf, and Fu Chenzhi stood beside it, ready to mount. I wanted to run over and say goodbye, but instinctively, I looked at his hand. I froze—both of his hands were perfectly fine, as if he had never been injured.

I was really confused. Just the day before, the spider’s bite had been deep, and after the ice melted, blood had poured out immediately. Even in Suzhou, a wound like this would take at least two or three days to heal. He’s just a mortal, so it should take at least ten to fifteen days before the pain would stop. But in just one night, his hand was completely healed, without even a scar. What was going on? Could it be that my brother is a demon in human skin?

Oh no, if he’s a demon that even our parents can’t detect, that’s a terrifying demon indeed…

However, while I was still lost in these wild thoughts, the shadow bird suddenly let out a loud cry and soared into the sky.

I didn’t have much time to think about my brother and the spider, because two distinguished guests had arrived today. How distinguished were they? They were so important that even the Xuan study had the entire day off.

One of them was the Great Priest of Greater Suzhou. Among the officials of Suzhou, the Six Ministries ranked right after the Three Dukes and the Chancellor, so the Great Priest wasn’t the highest in rank. However, in the current Suzhou, the contributions of the Great Priest were comparable to that of the Chancellor. Because, during the reign of King Lingjing, Suzhou was just an isolated moon city, with only the old neighbor, the Xuanqiu clan, to trade with. The only exotic wine the Suzhou clan could drink was the old brew from Xuanqiu. It wasn’t until the reforms of the Hongyan period that we moved the capital to the east and began dealing with demons.

Now, we were in the most prosperous era in history. The Great Priest, on the King’s orders, had gone out to seek wisdom, opening countless roads for trade and communication with various realms. The number of tribes and peoples we had trade relations with had exceeded twenty. According to the Queen, many ministers were already secretly discussing naming the reign of the King as the “Era of Zhaohua” in the annals of history.

Therefore, as the younger sister of the little King of Suzhou and the daughter of the most enlightened ruler in history, I could proudly call my hometown “Greater Suzhou.”

This time, the Great Priest was on the longest journey. The caravan he would bring back carried treasures and documents that no one in Suzhou a hundred years ago would have dared to imagine.

On the way to Luoshui, the news I overheard from Second Sister and Han Mo made me jump with excitement. I can guarantee that this was the kind of news that would make every Suzhou clan member just as thrilled as us. It would undoubtedly be the biggest event in Suzhou’s history so far.

Even though it was already dawn, the Milky Way still shimmered below, and the faint crescent moon coexisted with the sun, leaving a pale white circle in the sky. On Luoshui, amidst the mist, the immortal crane flew through the clouds over Ziqing, while the female officials walked gracefully, leaving fragrant dust in their wake. Their delicate hands and fluttering ribbons, with flowers and mirrors in their hair, formed a harmonious and majestic scene, complementing the welcoming procession led by the head of the ceremonial department.

Finally, we waited for the arrival of the High Priest. He looked much the same as before—long beard flowing like clouds, wearing a brocade robe and crown, with an ethereal and dignified appearance—but he seemed much more haggard, his face pale, and his mount, a viper, looked worn out, likely from traveling nonstop for days.

To the sound of drums and music, he dismounted and knelt before Father. From the boxes carried by his attendants, he took out a manuscript and handed it to Father with both hands, saying, “Three months ago, when I obtained this book, I thought long and hard. Upon returning to Suozhao, I vowed the first thing I would present to Your Majesty would be this text. Now, my wish has been fulfilled.”

The book cover had seven powerful characters written on it: The Great Immortal Chronicles, Volume 38.

The boxes carried by his attendants were filled with The Great Immortal Chronicles as well.

Indeed, this was the important news my second sister had just informed me of: the High Priest had actually journeyed to the Immortal Realm.

In other words, the races we had read about in books, heard of in prayers, and imagined in legends—immortals—truly existed. Moreover, the High Priest had not only reached there, met with hundreds of immortals, and brought back texts, but he had also discovered a direct route to the Immortal Realm.

“Si Bo, you’re finally back,” Father said as he stepped forward to help the High Priest up, his spirits high. “Today is truly a day of double joy. Come, quickly enter the palace with me.”

“Yes,” the High Priest said, bowing respectfully, and followed Father into the imperial carriage.

Before the carriage took off, I leaped into the carriage with Han Mo. By the time Father noticed us, the carriage had already ascended into the air. However, Father seemed in a good mood today, so he didn’t scold us but instead instructed us to sit quietly. Han Mo and I sat on either side of the High Priest. I tugged at his wide sleeves and asked, “Si Bo, did you really see immortals?”

The High Priest smiled and replied, “Yes, little princess. The Immortal Realm is truly vast, far larger than our Suozhao.”

I asked, “What do they look like?”

Han Mo chimed in, “Do they have several arms, several pairs of eyes?”

The High Priest chuckled, “Most of them look similar to humans or demons, with black hair, two hands and two feet, but their aura is vastly different. Their bodies are light like the wind, ethereal as clouds. Many can ride the clouds, control dragons, and fly thousands of miles in a day.”

Han Mo and I became even more excited, bombarding him with questions like a rapid-fire cannon. We almost started arguing. Eventually, Father’s command quieted us. When the carriage finally landed in front of the Zichao Palace on the Zhaolong Avenue, we disembarked and tried once again to corner the High Priest with questions. But the High Priest, following Father, was too preoccupied to answer us.

Father said, “Before I ascended to the throne, I traveled to the Eastern Sea, where I befriended a close friend. We drank together under the moonlight. Si Bo, guess who he is?”

The High Priest looked confused and replied, “I am ignorant.”

“I only found out yesterday,” Father laughed. He spread his hand towards the Zichao Palace’s main entrance, “He is also from the Immortal Realm. He has been waiting for us in the inner palace.”