143 - Divine Mastering Dragon System

Chapter 143: Emerging from Seclusion In the ninth year of Deyou, the Grand Canal was completed, yet before the ceremonial offerings could be made to the heavens and the Earth, the Emperor Wen fell ill, seemingly beyond recovery. He instructed the local officials to report auspicious signs to lift his spirits. Reports came in, including one from Yunzou, where the governor, who had been in office for two years, maintained simple governance and clear justice. His daughter was born surrounded by a glow of blue light and gripping jade. This girl could speak before three months had passed. The governor's family and friends were curious and visited her. The news spread, reaching the ailing Emperor Wen, who summoned the girl to the palace. However, before the imperial presence, the child cried inconsolably. The Emperor was displeased and sent her back with gifts. Yet, upon seeing the face of the messenger, the girl wailed uncontrollably until meeting a maidservant near the Empress, where she calmed in her arms. As the maid carried the governor's daughter towards the palace gates, General Shen Shuo, a righteous brother to the Empress, arrived on horseback. The baby, seeing the rider, alternated between laughter and tears—unpredictable as ever. After she was returned home with wealth, the story spread of Emperor Wen's summoning and gift, attracting many visitors, eager for blessings. Observers noted a peculiar phenomenon: those who received her smiles soon experienced good fortune, while those she cried at faced bad luck, leading visitors to gradually thin out. In the tenth year of Deyou, with Emperor Wen's loyal brother King Jing exploiting the Emperor's illness to incite rebellion, the palace was bloodily purged. On the night of the massacre, a maid pregnant by the Emperor was secretly escorted out and saved by General Shen Shuo stationed outside the capital. A prince was born from this escape. Various princes rose up to purge the traitors, supporting the posthumous son—an infant not yet a month old—as the new emperor. The rebellion quelled the following year. General Shen Shuo, undefeated and celebrated for his contributions, especially his "saving grace" to the new emperor, was ennobled as the Duke of Zhenbei. The Shen family's prestige surged, with Shen Shuo becoming uncle to the new emperor, joining the ranks of the imperial family. Welcoming a newborn son, he was named Shen Mingke. By the first year of Chengyi's reign, epidemics were rampant. The Zhenbei heir died before his first birthday, yet the governor's daughter, similarly stricken, survived after a lengthy fever. In that year, Fu Zhi turned three. When Shen Shuo welcomed another daughter, again named Shen Mingke, Fu Zhi was five. Her father hired a private tutor to instruct her. Even as a child, her intelligence was notable, spurring her father's hopes, raising her differently from typical daughters. She was neither composing poems at three nor writing essays at five but had an inexplicable understanding of mathematics, even surpassing household accountants in calculations. The tutor loved Taoism; once leaving notes in the governor's residence, he returned to find the six-year-old was already self-studying the I Ching. Her quick learning surprised him; she responded fluently to his queries. A year later, the tutor realized the girl had an extraordinary memory and a knack for understanding the I Ching, leaving in embarrassment. Fu Zhi's fame rose rapidly, making it hard to find anyone willing to teach her. Some suggested her father might consider her for a celestial sect. When Fu Zhi was eight, her father traveled a long distance to Tianji Gate, but the disciples were absent for the sect's 700th anniversary, and father and daughter were deterred by barriers on the mountain roads, returning to Yunzou. That fruitless visit ended the governor's hopes for his daughter's cultivation, but the girl had another encounter. While playing, young Fu Zhi found a scroll in the mouth of a stone lion at the gate. It revealed a trigram diagram. After two months of deciphering, she followed its directions to discover a scroll tucked in a pavilion beam at home. The scroll, its expense apparent, contained secret celestial sect knowledge of divination and symbolic numerology, with Tianji Gate's seals engraved on the jade handle. Lady Fu was gifted with unusual sight, predicting fortune from infancy. Her talents in divination and fate-telling, first tutored by teachers and later uncovered through Tianji Gate's secret teachings, soon became widespread tale once revealed. In Chengyi's eighth year, when Fu Zhi was ten, the Duke of Zhenbei hosted a grand banquet for his mother's 50th birthday, sending an invitation to the Yunzou governor—not for admiration of position, as the duke far outranked him, but because the duchess wanted the "Little Heavenly Master" to bless the omens for her mother and young daughter. Powerful dignitaries clamored for invitations, making the prospect gleam for Fu Zhi's father despite his career setbacks. Yet Fu Zhi fell mysteriously ill and bedridden for months, forcing them to decline the Shen's invitation. Shortly after, Fu's family faced charges of great disrespect. Her father was stripped of his rank and exiled 2,500 li away, while Fu Zhi was taken in by Tianji as a disciple, leaving the mundane world to become the youngest elder of Tianji Gate. "I think I’ve heard this story before," Xu Youqing remarked first. Fifteen-year-old Xu Youqing's features had matured, transforming significantly through the years. Once soft and round-faced, her appearance had sharpened, her haughty gaze losing its childish charm for a striking allure. Xu Youqing listlessly propped her face on her hand, toying with a crumbly piece of a pink confection on her plate without much interest. "I thought I had discovered some unknown secret…" Zhu Yu visibly wilted, her enthusiasm deflating after sharing the life story of the youthful elder destined for Mount Yucang. The Zhu twins were indistinguishable, bearing the delicate phoenix eyes inherited from their late mother. Yet in demeanor, they were wholly contrasting; Zhu Yu lively and spirited, Zhu Yun gentle and serene. Zhu Yun brewed tea to refresh their palate, gently reminding her sister not to burn herself as she slouched over the table. Under Xiang Shiyan’s care, the sisters' health had improved considerably over the years. Zhu Yun sipped her tea, feeling the pure spiritual energy permeate her body, and asked Xu Youqing, "Yesterday at the main peak, the sect master boasted about this story, claiming one would have to be as well-informed as him to know it. What a braggart. Where did you hear it first, Little Senior?" Though older than Xu Youqing, the Zhu twins addressed her as senior due to her earlier entry into the sect. Sensitive to undercurrents, Zhu Yun noticed the typically spirited Xu Youqing appeared disengaged, finding it curious what might trouble her again. Assuming it was another quarrel with fellow disciples—though fewer dared challenge her since establishing her foundation—she seemed on the verge of speaking but hesitated, murmuring, "I… forgot where I heard it." Her response clued the twins into its tie to her departed friend from four years past. Their eyes met, swiftly deciding to change the subject as Zhu Yu teased, “Did you hear it during a moonlit tryst with some young lad?” Something about that jest hit a nerve, abruptly spiking her tone: “I spend all my days hanging out with you three; where’d I find the time for a tryst? Besides, the senior brothers once saw me as a child, dismissive, while those of similar age used to bully me. Now, seeing me grow, they’ve turned annoyingly attentive. As if anyone could like them.” She was quick to explain, prompting more teasing from Zhu Yu: “Oh, so it’s not a brother—perhaps a sister?” “Say that again and I’ll tear your mouth!” Among female cultivators, such banter was common, as most weren’t seeking partners. Youthful friendships blossomed freely, and even as Xu Youqing pinched Zhu Yu’s cheek in mock anger, she took no offense at the implication. Realizing she had to contribute to shift the talk, Xu Youqing sighed, “Instead of prying, why not worry about your cultivation more?” The sisters shared a rueful smile. Unaware of the full truth, Xu Youqing assumed their issues were birth-related quirks now resolved. Seeing their progress under Xiang Shiyan’s treatment—from blocked meridians to training—she thought it a minor ailment, cured over time. In reality, their condition was more complicated. By now, Zhu Yun’s channels had cleared considerably; Zhu Yu’s health was generally fine, just frail. Their progress was owed to extensive medicinal baths financed by Xiang Shiyan’s centuries-old wealth. Over four years of intermittent care, the ailments Zhu Yun and Zhu Yu suffered under the Zhu household were thoroughly eliminated by Xiang Shiyan's meticulous attention. However, Zhu Yu, who had started cultivation earlier, only reached the seventh level of Qi Refining over four years. On the other hand, Zhu Yun, who began absorbing spiritual energy two years later, was merely at the fourth level. Their cultivation speed was similar to ordinary triple-spiritual-root individuals. The root issue was that, even before birth, the sisters had been affected by various formations, causing their meridians and innate spiritual energy pathways to differ slightly from normal. The concept of a Furnace—an incidental occurrence—implied a congenital deficiency. Zhu Cheng, using artificial means, had created an unnatural furnace vastly different from natural ones, making it impossible for Zhu Yun and Zhu Yu to ever return to normal. Due to disparities in their meridians and physical constitution compared to ordinary individuals, the usual techniques functioned slightly sluggishly for them, operating at less than ten percent efficiency. The arduous nature of Zhu Yun's cultivation, despite her heavenly roots, was a testament to this. Noticing their expressions shift, Xu Youqing was about to inquire when a hand unexpectedly landed on her shoulder, startling her enough to knock a plate of pastries to the floor. The figure behind her lifted a booted foot, neatly catching the plate on its toe before the pastries were smoothly caught without a crumb falling to the ground. "So this is how you ruin the treats I brought from the mountain?" He He said teasingly, giving Xu Youqing’s shoulder a playful squeeze. She lightly kicked the plate back to her hand, setting it on the table again. Xu Youqing, feeling a shiver down her spine, quickly swept the pastry crumbs she'd been fiddling with off the table, her demeanor promptly turning docile. Compared to her fellow practitioners, Xu Youqing’s looks were more petite and delicate. Her round apricot eyes, now matured into a sharper gaze, complemented a small frame that seemed frail and had grown taller over the years. The newly acquired elder disciple robes hung on her narrow shoulders, making her appear all the more delicate, projecting a gentle and soft aura. Feeling the grip on her shoulder tighten slightly, He He leaned down, whispering with a smile into her ear, "Haven't had enough of the osmanthus cakes yet?" Goosebumps crept up Xu Youqing's neck, her sharp demeanor faltering as she shook her head like a rattle. Desperately, she glanced at the Zhu sisters for help, but Zhu Yu, indifferent, turned away while Zhu Yun, knowing He He wouldn’t trouble her severely, chose not to intervene. Xu Youqing had been wary of He He since first meeting. Though she shared the same first impressions with both He He and Zhu Yu on the mountain, she soon realized that He He was mischievous, the type to bully younger disciples. Only the older peers and elders favored the well-behaved disciple they saw in her. The reason for her last dispute with He He had faded from memory, but she vividly remembered her father's letters about him gradually taking over the Xu family's business in Huaihai City. During those gloomy days following Qian Dani's passing, she was inconsolable until He He, surprisingly kind while on a task to capture spirits, brought her a packet of osmanthus cakes upon return. Yet she had ungraciously tossed the cakes into He He's face during a spat—an event which etched upon her memory the aghast expression on the Zhu sisters' faces. Afterwards, for a day and a half, Xu Youqing, eating meals at Ink Bamboo Peak, could only nervously nibble on osmanthus cakes, unable to get a grain of rice from the otherwise loyal Zhu Yu. He He lightly pinched Xu Youqing's shoulder with a laugh, clearly teasing. The teased girl played along, making a faux gesture of submission, and melodramatically feeding a piece of cake to He He. It was precisely at this moment, after four long years, that Xiang Shiyan emerged from seclusion, entering the pavilion where the girls had gathered. Author’s Note: I apologize everyone, I've been stuck writing the extras recently, which caused a few days of delay. Sorry for the gap QWQ Time jump ahead! If my estimate is correct, after this event, we’ll move into a major arc. The plot is formally entering its mid-to-late stage, let’s celebrate! The master's cultivation will also make a major leap forward in this event (finally). I’ve been having a blast writing the extras! I hope everyone reading the extras enjoys them as well! A big thanks for your continued support and patronage. Apologies for any missed comments or thanks to those from the past. I feel like a mess, but I hope I haven’t been forgotten! Special thanks to the little angels who threw out grenades or rockets for me between 2022-08-01 22:31:00 and 2022-08-05 00:19:45~ Thank you to the angel who sent a rocket: Deng Yue 1; Thank you to the angels who sent grenades: All authors are the heavens, Melon Peel, Mixed with Rich Wives, Hotpot Scalded Egg 1; Thanks for the landmines from: RY 3; Learning Makes Me Happy 1; Thank you to the angels who poured nourishment: Deng Yue 50 bottles; Crane Flock Administrator, Me Kuap Person 20 bottles; Cornot, Messiah 10 bottles; Mixing with Rich Wives 5 bottles; Big Cat 5 bottles; Wind-up Orange 4 bottles; Darkrise, slowly 2 bottles; Thank you so much for the support, I’ll keep up the hard work!