Chapter 52: Crimson Luan

… Moreover, when it came to the Five Elements Sect, he also thought of that young man named Xiao. This fellow, in his eyes, possessed the fate of a protagonist, accompanied by great fortune. Even he himself had left his place of origin—did that not imply that something monumental was about to occur in the land of Dayue?

But then, wherever the protagonist goes, great events always unfold around him—be it natural disasters or human calamities. Death follows him like a shadow, reminiscent of the harbinger of doom in a schoolboy’s guise. Perhaps the day that Xiao returns will be the day when Dayue’s secrets erupt into the open.

Realizing this, he no longer felt urgent. Still, he couldn’t place complete trust in his own judgment. In the days that followed, he abandoned all other divination arts, devoting himself entirely to the practice of the Minor Six Ren Palm Technique, hoping to reach a higher level as quickly as possible, so that he might uncover greater secrets.

Aside from his cultivation, each day he would visit the ethereal Misty Loft—not for the sake of a meal, but to divine the fortunes of every passerby. The top floor offered a view over the entire capital, for it was the city’s highest point. Upon observing the city with the knowledge he’d gained from the many arcane arts, he realized that the entire capital was laid out in the Four Symbols formation, suppressing the city’s dragon vein so thoroughly that it could not rise. And if the dragon vein could not rise, how could it soar and transform into the golden dragon of destiny?

The Skymonitor Pavilion stood at the very heart of the Vermilion Bird of Fire—no wonder a fire vein lay hidden beneath it. Ordinary folk, never exposed to the secret arts, would never be able to uncover this; even those who did, would have been taken as disciples by the Real Man of Myriad Phenomena. No wonder this secret had remained undiscovered for three centuries.

His divinations of the passersby yielded results as well. The capital teemed with people from all over the nation, and one by one, as he divined their fates, each bore the mark of great misfortune. This would be a calamity that engulfed the entire realm.

Yet the Minor Six Ren Palm Technique could only yield rough predictions, never precise timing—a great frustration.

“A storm is coming…”

The weight on his heart, and the worries of the days ahead, drove him to play his ancient zither atop Misty Loft, seeking to calm his spirit and temper his inner self. Once, he had learned the guqin simply to win over Luo Yuzhu, but now he found genuine enjoyment in it. The clear, tranquil notes always soothed his restless heart.

For a long while, he played. When the piece ended, applause reached his ears. He looked up to see a veiled woman in a magnificent crimson robe, a golden crown adorned with serpent’s eyes on her head, applauding him.

Her attire was sumptuous, not the garb of an ordinary person. Cao Chengyu gave a self-mocking laugh. What was he thinking? Anyone who could come and go from the top of Misty Loft could hardly be ordinary.

“Forgive my presumption, miss, but why have you entered this place? I believe I reserved this floor for myself.”

The veiled woman nodded. “Indeed. I heard the music and came over from next door. It is rare to find a cultivator so devoted to the art of music. So young and yet already possessing a Dao Body—surely more outstanding than that famed Second Prince.”

Startled, Cao Chengyu maintained a calm facade. “You flatter me, miss. I am already thirty-five, hardly young, and certainly no match for His Highness the Second Prince.”

Counting both his previous life and his current fifteen years, thirty-five was indeed his true age—middle-aged, in another world—so it was not a lie.

“Thirty-five? You are too modest. Judging by your appearance, you are but a youth. There is no need for humility. Here, I have a secret manual on music. Allow me to gift it to you.”

With a turn of her palm, she tossed him a jade slip and vanished on the spot.

She simply disappeared before his very eyes!

Realizing he had just encountered one of those mighty figures who delighted in guiding the younger generation, he could only smile wryly and inspect the jade slip.

Inside were several zither compositions, most expressing ideals of fairness and justice. There was also a secret manual on musical techniques and another on fingerwork.

“Wave-Ripple Fingerwork” and “Golden Sword Melody”?

The fingerwork was simply a method for playing the zither; when spiritual power was used, the effect was enhanced. The Golden Sword Melody, however, was a genuine zither-based attack technique of middle grade, well-suited to his Dao Body cultivation.

A love for the guqin, a fondness for nurturing talent, a preference for red, coupled with that noble bearing and attire—Cao Chengyu could almost guess her identity.

Number One: “The Vermilion Phoenix.”

Profile: Two hundred forty-one years old, peak of the Violet Palace Realm, Empress Dowager of Dayue. Favors music, especially the guqin and guzheng. Enjoys guiding the younger generation, advocates humanism and values ordinary people. Loves red, dislikes noise, believes that simplicity is true happiness.

Current favorability: 20

Even the favorability indicator subtly confirmed her identity—for how could he have such a rating for someone he’d never met?

“So, the Empress Dowager of Dayue… Do you know the truth behind the Mandate of Heaven?”

He sighed.

The future was shrouded in mist; for now, the urgent matter was to resolve the issue of Dao Body cultivation techniques. Originally, Cao Chengyu had intended to seek out another target to expedite his progress. But after encountering Number One, the Vermilion Phoenix, he had no way to approach her further—besides, she was a peak Violet Palace powerhouse, not someone he could trifle with. Better to leave this for another day.

He left Misty Loft and visited Spring Blossom Studio to gather poisons for cultivating the Secret Poison Eye Technique. Like his own home, he could take whatever he needed without paying.

Wei the Second was still sorting medicinal herbs, as if faced with an endless mountain of work—a vivid illustration of the myriad forms of human life. To be busy, after all, was to be truly alive.

He stayed there half a month, refining the poisons required for the Secret Poison Eye. When finished, his eyes shone with the luster of purple jade—brilliant and dazzling, lending him an air of wickedness that, combined with his unparalleled looks, made him seem almost too perfect.

That day, just as he was about to act against his intended target, a sudden, overwhelming surge of power crashed down on him, making it hard to breathe.

“It’s Luo Yuzhu! She’s broken through to the Violet Palace! Damn, I’m doomed…”

After a year of quiet preparation, through the turning of the seasons, Luo Yuzhu had achieved a momentous breakthrough—from Dao Body to Violet Palace. From now on, her lifespan would extend to five centuries. At only seventy-two years of age, barring accident, she would surely reach the Golden Core in her lifetime!

This immense surge of power was felt far and wide. Fortunately, the formation in place suppressed it, or else the entire capital would have been alarmed. Even so, the Skymonitor Pavilion took notice.

In less than a moment, the Real Man of Marvellous Elixirs arrived, accompanied by a hunched old woman and a burly middle-aged man in blue dragon-scale armor.

The old woman was the Real Man of Myriad Phenomena, her body aged and stooped from years of divining fate—an almost unheard-of state for cultivators. The man in blue armor was the Skymonitor Pavilion’s master, a rare Gold Core cultivator who practiced both Qi and Body refinement. His armor was clearly fashioned from the remains of the dragon slain in the last great battle, and he wore it with evident pride, a testament to its power.

Luo Yuzhu’s breakthrough had alarmed all three masters—a distinction Cao Chengyu could never hope to match. Breaking through to Violet Palace before the age of a hundred was a clear sign of Golden Core potential. All three had come to offer congratulations, and since Luo Yuzhu was the disciple of the Real Man of Marvellous Elixirs, it was only natural they should come together.