After the Great Dao Died

Chen Lingxi frowned slightly.

”Qingjiang Villa?”

Liu Zhu nodded. ”Young Master Yang bought a residence in Yuanjiang Prefecture for his father, General Chiri. He is hosting a banquet today and has invited the scions of every prominent family in the prefecture.

The young miss has already gone ahead. She sent someone back to summon you for the flower arrangements.”

Imperial Consort Chun was coming, and the heirs of Yuanjiang Prefecture’s great families were all making preparations.

For Yang Zhuri to buy a residence for his father and throw a banquet at a time like this, it had to be tied to Imperial Consort Chun as well.

Having delivered her message, Liu Zhu left.

Chen Lingxi shook his head.

He stood and changed into a clean indigo short coat. Packing his floral shears, copper wire, thin twine, and a few unglazed clay vases into a bamboo basket, he picked it up by the handle.

Stepping outside, he followed the covered corridor to the side door of the West Courtyard.A carriage was already waiting.

Chen Lingxi climbed aboard.

The carriage rolled out the side door, rattled down the long street, exited the city, and headed west along the official road.

After traveling for more than half a shichen, they turned onto a branching path.

Willow trees lined the way, their branches swaying gently in the morning breeze.

At the end of the path sat a large estate.

Qingjiang Villa.

Sitting against the mountains and facing south toward the water, the estate overlooked a shallow river flowing past its front gates. The surface shimmered with an ashen-blue glow beneath the winter morning light.

Withered vines crept over the white walls and black roof tiles enclosing the courtyard. A stone plaque hung above the lintel, bearing the four characters for ”Qingjiang Villa” in slender, elegant strokes that carried a distinct scholarly charm.

The carriage rolled to a stop before the gates.

A servant was already waiting to greet him and led Chen Lingxi into the compound.

The servant guided him through the entrance hall, past the first courtyard, and into the rear garden, giving him a few instructions along the way.

”You want me to pick the flowers and arrange them myself?”

Chen Lingxi stood still in the garden. One glance around, and he knew exactly what to do.

Setting his bamboo basket on a stone table, he took out his shears and began snipping branches and blooms from the garden.

A few stems of trumpet vine, several sprigs of hosta, and a couple of lotus leaves.

He gathered them meticulously, inspecting each stem for a long moment and cutting only the ones that satisfied him.

Before long, the basket was half full.

Taking the basket, he sat down in a wind-sheltered stone pavilion and began the arrangement.

A long while later, Chen Lingxi handed the completed vase to the servant, instructing him to deliver it to the main hall.

—

Inside the main hall of Qingjiang Villa, many guests were already seated.

The hall was vast—five bays wide and three deep, with a high vaulted ceiling. The pillars and beams were painted in gold and vivid colors, while the floor was paved with solid blocks of lapis lazuli that shone like mirrors.

Over a dozen red sandalwood desks were arranged across the room, set with teacups and fruit platters. The guests, dressed in fine silks and luxurious robes, sat on either side, all exuding an extraordinary air.

Lin Longyue sat in a chair on the left.

County Princess Yunhe sat opposite her, still wearing her usual languid expression.

Chu Linzi was dressed in black martial attire today, draped in a scarlet cloak. Her long saber hung at her waist, giving her a striking, commanding presence.

Two young martial artists stood behind her. Both wore short, fitted clothes and radiated a deep, powerful aura.

Yang Zhuri sat in the seat of honor. He wore a moon-white brocade robe with a white jade belt cinched at his waist. A jade crown rested on his head, making him look exceptionally handsome.

Seven or eight others—both men and women—were also present, all looking every bit the scions of Yuanjiang Prefecture’s great families.

The servant brought in the floral arrangement.

Yang Zhuri looked down at the vase. He studied it for a moment before suddenly clapping his hands and laughing. ”Excellent! What a wonderful display of untamed elegance!”

He raised his wine cup, gesturing to the crowd. ”Look here, everyone. This arrangement uses the trumpet vine as its bones, the lotus leaf as its backdrop, and the hosta for its accents. The five colors intermingle without looking cluttered. It is wild but not vulgar, simple but not crude. Truly, it is the height of elegance.”

His clear, ringing voice echoed through the hall.

The guests quickly chimed in with their agreement.

”Young Master Yang has a keen eye.”

”This arrangement really does have a certain charm to it.”

”I wonder whose hands crafted it?”

Yang Zhuri smiled and looked toward Lin Longyue. ”It was made by an official bondservant from the Baosu Marquis Residence. To my shame, I’ve been obsessed with flower arranging for years and always thought my skills were second to none, but even I have to offer my praise after seeing this.”

He paused before continuing. ”Miss Lin, I heard this bondservant of yours is a master at this craft and even earned a reward from Imperial Consort Chun for it. Seeing it today, the reputation is well deserved.”

Lin Longyue held her teacup, giving a noncommittal hum of acknowledgment.

Yang Zhuri pressed on. ”I have a favor to ask. I wonder if Miss Lin would be willing to part with him?”

Part with him.

Lin Longyue set her cup down and looked at him. ”What does Young Master Yang want?”

”This bondservant,” Yang Zhuri said with a smile. ”I am willing to offer five hundred liang of silver and a Silver Blood Pill in exchange for him. What do you think, Miss Lin?”

Three hundred liang and a Silver Blood Pill.

That price stirred a low murmur of commotion through the hall.

Lin Longyue picked up her cup, took a slow sip, and set it back down without rushing.

”You must be joking, Young Master Yang.” Her words were brief, offering no further explanation, but it was a clear rejection.

The smile in Yang Zhuri’s eyes didn’t fade.

”In that case, I won’t force the issue.”

He lifted his wine cup toward her, tilted his head back to drain it, and said, ”Have the official bondservant come in. I have a reward for him!”

Moments later, Chen Lingxi stepped into the main hall. Everyone’s gaze fell upon him, and Chu Linzi even wore a faint smile.

Yang Zhuri held his cup toward Chen Lingxi. ”Reward him.”

A nearby servant stepped forward carrying a tray. A jade pendant rested on it.

The pendant was barely a cun square. It was a pure, translucent white, made of smooth, warm jade, yet it gave off a faint, cold gleam in the candlelight.

Chen Lingxi raised his head and glanced at Yang Zhuri.

A smile played on Yang Zhuri’s lips, the light in his peach-blossom eyes flickering unpredictably.

”Come forward and claim your reward.”

Lowering his gaze, Chen Lingxi stepped up and took the pendant with both hands.

The moment his fingertips brushed the jade, his heart stirred.

The texture of it in his hands felt entirely different from ordinary jade.

’This pendant is quite interesting.’

His expression didn’t change as he tucked the jade into his robes, took two steps back, and stood with his arms lowered.

Yang Zhuri waved him off. ”You may leave.”

Chen Lingxi bowed his head in acknowledgment. As he turned to leave the hall, his gaze swept over the guests, and his pupils contracted slightly.

With just that casual glance, he noticed several strange sights.

County Princess Yunhe sat across from Lin Longyue, holding her teacup. The curling steam from the hot tea blurred her features.

But with every breath the princess took, an incredibly faint, slender thread of energy drifted out from Lin Longyue’s body, silently entering the princess’s nose and mouth.

Lin Longyue was completely unaware. She continued chatting with the person beside her, her expression perfectly normal.

Chu Linzi was laughing and chatting merrily with two young noblemen.

Yet with every breath Chu Linzi took, the exact same kind of faint energy drifted from those two men and was seamlessly absorbed into her body.

And then there was Yang Zhuri.

He sat in the seat of honor, his peach-blossom eyes brimming with smiles, still watching Chen Lingxi.

That gaze held a blazing, ravenous greed.

—Like a starving diner suddenly spotting a plate of exquisite delicacies.

Chen Lingxi walked out of the hall, thinking to himself, ’It’s like a banquet of demons.’

He made his way out of the courtyard, boarded the carriage, and took out the jade pendant.

The jade was smooth and warm, looking incredibly valuable, but Chen Lingxi suddenly let out a cold sneer.

”Sooner or later, I’ll slaughter you all.”

The carriage rolled onward.

The wheels rumbled over the official road, crushing loose gravel beneath them. Chen Lingxi leaned against the wall of the carriage with his eyes closed, his breathing steady and his face calm.

The wind blew a corner of the curtain aside, revealing a gloomy, gray sky.

The carriage re-entered the city, traveled down the long street, and passed through the side door into the West Courtyard of the Baosu Marquis Residence.

Chen Lingxi stepped out. Carrying his bamboo basket, he walked along the corridor and returned to the servant’s quarters.

He sat down at the table, took the jade pendant from his robes, and set it down in front of him.

Caught in the afternoon light, the pendant gave off a faint, chilly gleam. It was brilliantly white and as smooth as tallow.

Chen Lingxi stared at it for a moment, then reached out and grasped it in his right hand.

The strand of azure qi in his dantian slowly began to circulate. It flowed up his right arm and injected directly into the pendant.

The instant his spiritual qi entered the jade—

Chen Lingxi shuddered.

He could clearly sense spiritual qi circulating within the pendant.

The energy was incredibly faint and thin, drifting through the interior of the jade like spider silk, tracing out complex patterns.

Layer upon layer, the intricate lines connected and resonated with one another. It was like a perfectly woven net spread across the tiny space inside the jade.

’An array?’

Chen Lingxi murmured the word in his mind.

Focusing his attention, he probed deeper with his qi, pushing forward cun by cun along those patterned lines.

His spiritual qi roamed through the inside of the pendant.

One cycle, two cycles, three cycles.

After a long time, Chen Lingxi suddenly raised an eyebrow, a flash of pleasant surprise in his eyes.

”To think this pendant is actually a treasure.”