Chapter 1: Year of the Gengxu

Year of the Gengxu.

In the year of Gengxu, a great drought struck Song State. A thousand miles were reduced to scorched earth, and the rivers ceased to flow.

However, no one found this strange. After all, it had not rained in Song Guo for seven hundred years; no matter what year it was, the drought remained the same.

"The Imperial Consort said that? Then... what instructions does His Highness the Crown Prince have?"

"His Highness did not say a word." Second Madam's brow could not hide her worry. "He seemed very sorrowful."

Inside the Ruan residence in Yongkang Ward of Song Jing, the couple frowned at each other. Second Madam Ruan stood up and paced behind her husband, gently pounding his shoulders and back. "Master, look at this marriage proposal... is it truly impossible to decline?"

Second Master Ruan pondered for a long time and sighed, "I fear those who come are not here with good intentions."

"This matter still needs to be discussed with the Eldest Master," Second Madam said in a low voice. "If we could entrust Immortal Master Chen to mediate, there might still be room for maneuver."

"You know the surface but not the underlying reasons," Second Master Ruan shook his head and sighed. "The three great Immortal Sects jointly guard our Great Song, and they must respect each other's dignity. If it were the high Daoists from the Panxian or Yuxi sects who came to our door, Immortal Master Chen's word would naturally be effective. But currently, the one meditating in Song Jing is the Upper Master Liu from the Lingxiao Sect. Immortal Master Chen has rarely come to Song Jing since Upper Master Liu took office. If we entrust this to Immortal Master Chen, I fear it will be counterproductive."

Second Madam naturally understood the logic and could not help but stomp her feet and sigh. "Must we really marry Rong Gu off?"

Second Master forced a smile. "This is not necessarily a bad thing. Rong Gu is talented and beautiful, and the Crown Prince is of immortal grace and jade-like bone. The two have known each other since childhood and are a perfect match. Rong Gu is your daughter; you know in your heart that there is no one else in her heart."

Second Madam had no patience for the affections of young children. She shook her head. "No, no. Even if it is a perfect match, it cannot be."

She pulled her husband along to find Eldest Master Ruan. As it happened, Eldest Master Ruan was teaching Ruan Ci to read. Second Madam said, "Ci Gu is a good girl, why haven't you gone to hold the talisman yet?"

Ruan Ci blinked her eyes, showed the wooden talisman on her chest to Second Madam, and smiled. "My talisman power is still sufficient. Thank you, Aunt, for thinking of me."

It had not rained in Song Guo for seven hundred years; the rivers were dry, and the rice and wheat harvests had failed. People had no choice but to hold talismans to avoid dust and boil jade to drink—these were the two most important things for the people of Song. Every village had to be established near a spirit jade mine. As soon as children could speak, they were taught to hold talismans before learning about good and evil. The wooden talismans of the Ruan children were held every three days. Second Madam counted on her fingers; it was just about time to hold the talisman. She was surprised to see the green light on Ruan Ci's chest talisman was full. She felt a slight surprise in her heart, but this was a minor matter after all. Second Madam smiled it off. "Then go find your sister Rong to play—wait, come back."

She pinched a piece of spirit jade from her purse, placed it in Ruan Ci's hand, and smiled. "Eat it. This is a good thing rewarded by the palace. It tastes sweet when dissolved in the mouth; it's called Sweet Jade."

The spirit jade melted as soon as it entered her mouth, turning into a pool of sweet, clear water that seeped into her throat, feeling exceptionally nourishing. Ruan Ci ate one piece but dared not ask for more. She walked and stopped along the pavilion until she reached Ruan Rong's residence. Entering the room, she smiled. "Sister Rong, where are the others? Why are only you and Brother Qian here?"

"It is just the time for holding the talismans; they have all gone to the Talisman Shrine." Ruan Rong had been chanting scriptures cross-legged. Seeing her arrive, she called her to her side and made a gesture to be quiet. "Lower your voice. Brother Qian has already read with some feeling—look at his talisman."

Ruan Ci looked closely. The wooden talisman on Ruan Qian's chest flickered with green light, gradually strengthening. It was indeed the appearance of increasing talisman power. Ruan Qian sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, observing his nose and heart. His handsome face seemed to be shrouded in a layer of green light, its mystery and strangeness beyond description. She could not help but feel a surge of envy and asked softly, "Is this the 'Qi sensation' you spoke of?"

"Probably. How would I know?" Ruan Rong was also a bit dazed. She quickly raised a finger and shushed her. "Don't tell anyone about this—I don't want to be a Talisman Master."

Ruan Ci thought to herself, what is wrong with being a Talisman Master? Every year in Song Guo, countless people went out, and when their talisman power was exhausted and they could not be held by a Talisman Master, they were sucked dry by the fierce Qi of the fire miasma until they died. All the great merchants in Song Guo supported Talisman Masters; without a Talisman Master accompanying them, merchant caravans could not go out to do business. Even in a great family like the Ruan family, if a child became a Talisman Master, it would certainly be a source of pride. Sister Rong did not want to be a Talisman Master, probably because Talisman Masters did not marry. Sister Rong was determined to be the Crown Princess.

If she became the Crown Princess, she could eat the Sweet Jade from the palace. Thinking this way, Sister Rong's intentions were reasonable. Ruan Ci took a piece of spirit jade from her purse and held it in her mouth. This daily-consumed Water Jade did not melt in the mouth like Sweet Jade; it slowly seeped out water. Ruan Ci said with a muffled mouth, "It seems something happened at home again. Just now, Second Aunt came to find Eldest Uncle, looking very anxious. As soon as she arrived, she sent me to find you."

Ruan Rong frowned. "Did you hear anything?"

"They didn't say anything. Second Aunt stared at me until I walked far away before turning back. You know, Sister Rong, your mother doesn't like me very much."

Ruan Rong said it was nonsense, but Ruan Ci did not care. She looked around and did not see any box for Sweet Jade in the room. She sighed in disappointment and said, "The day before yesterday, I heard in the school that someone wants to make a move against our family."

Such a major event should not have reached the ears of a young girl like Ruan Ci, but Ruan Rong did not find it strange. The great drought in Song Guo had lasted seven hundred years. Spirit jade mines were dug as they appeared, but this year they appeared here, and next year they appeared there; there were always times when the supply was disconnected. For hundreds of years, great families had been fighting each other. Children like Ruan Rong and Ruan Ci had lived in such turbulent situations since birth; the turbulence had instead become their stability.

"I heard that the spirit jade mine of the Zhou family in the north has run dry this year," she said in a low voice. "The Zhou family invited an Immortal Master to investigate, but even if they set off now, they won't make it in time for this year's harvest. The three provinces in the north have had no harvest this year... I'm afraid the Zhou family has taken a fancy to our family's Kun Jade Pendant and wants to borrow it without returning it?"

Ruan Ci exclaimed, forgetting about the Sweet Jade for a moment, her brow furrowed with no solution. "This... what should we do?"

Both young girls were only in their early teens. Ruan Rong was two years older, but she had also grown up in the deep boudoir since childhood; how could she have any ideas? They just discussed it in low voices, becoming more panicked as they spoke. Ruan Ci was tearful and made Ruan Rong swear that if something happened, she would definitely take her along to escape—in the struggles of the great families of Song Guo, losing meant the destruction of the entire clan; very few survivors could escape. Even if they did escape, one only needed to guard the local Talisman Shrine; without talisman power to protect the body, the fire miasma would strike, and they would die all the same.

Ruan Rong was even more frightened by Ruan Ci's words. As the two were tangled in endless worry, Ruan Qian finished his cultivation and stood up, smiling. "What are you two chirping about? Nonsense. Wait until I report you to Uncle and Aunt, then you can wait to be punished—why haven't you gone to hold the talismans? Even if your talisman power is full, you still have to go through the motions. Otherwise, if the Talisman Master asks, how will you explain?"

Although he was from a collateral branch, he was a few years older than the two girls and had the air of an elder brother. He took the two young girls to the Talisman Shrine, not forgetting to dispel their worries on the way. "Why worry about the Zhou family? The whole world knows that our Ruan family is different from others. The Ruan bloodline is the most precious, and we have intermarried with the Imperial family for generations, our bloodlines fused—have you forgotten what plaque is hanging in our ancestral hall?"

Seven hundred years ago, when Song Guo was founded, the Ruan ancestor was the sworn brother of the founding Emperor. When the Emperor was plotted against and his heart was dug out, and the situation was critical, the Ruan ancestor cut off the Emperor's left arm and his own right arm, connected their bloodlines, and used his own heart blood to irrigate the Emperor's heart pulse until a high-level protector retrieved the heart. This story became a celebrated tale known to all under heaven. After the founding, the Emperor bestowed the plaque "Left Arm and Right Arm, Bloodline Connected." The Ruan family also took pride in their own bloodline.

Everyone knew that the Ruan family's flesh and blood were the most precious; this was also the Ruan family's ancestral instruction. Although the main branch of the Ruan family was not populous, the Ruan blood was expensive. Regardless of closeness, they promoted only the talented among the collateral branches. Ruan Qian was from a collateral branch, but because he could speak and calculate and had extraordinary talent, he was looked upon differently and admitted to the inner courtyard to study. For hundreds of years of family struggles, the Ruan family had relied on these endless bloodline talents to remain prosperous.

"The Ruan blood is expensive, an ounce of blood is worth a thousand gold," Ruan Qian said with excitement. "The ancestor and the Emperor were sworn brothers. As long as the bloodlines of the two families continue and the alliance remains unchanged, how could any family threaten the status of our Ruan family? It's nothing more than pulling and tugging, wanting to plot some benefits from our family. These are all matters for the elders; don't worry about it anymore."

Although the two young girls were Ruan women and had heard of their ancestors' glory since childhood, they were still captivated by Ruan Qian's detailed explanation. Ruan Ci said hesitantly, "This... is it all true? I don't quite believe it. How can there be such gods and ghosts in the world? If there were, why haven't we seen them?"

She had grown up hearing only of Talisman Masters, never of Immortal Masters. The Talisman Masters of Song Guo could only do one thing: make talismans and infuse talismans; they had no other miraculous aspects. Ruan Ci had vaguely heard that there were Immortal Masters with deeper cultivation in the palace, but what could Immortal Masters do? She could never think of it, thinking in her heart that they were probably just more powerful Talisman Masters.

"These are naturally all real!" Ruan Qian said affirmatively, but he could not explain why those mysterious means were no longer seen in the world, so he had to push it to time. "It's probably because the talisman power is gradually fading, and the classics of the Talisman Masters have slowly been lost, leaving only the most important 'Pure and Dust-Avoiding Scripture' passed down."

The "Pure and Dust-Avoiding Scripture" was a scripture that everyone in Song Guo had to study. This scripture concerned the fate of the entire country. If one could comprehend talisman power from the scripture, at the very least, one could protect oneself, and at the very most, one could benefit the village. Children in Song Guo read the "Dust-Avoiding Scripture" after learning to read, and it often took ten or more years of chanting to comprehend a trace of talisman power. Ruan Rong and Ruan Qian were both like this. Ruan Rong had other attachments and did not want to be known, while Ruan Qian was steady and would not show himself without full assurance.

Ruan Ci had also read the scripture for ten years and had never felt a trace of anything unusual. She walked behind her brother and sister, feeling unhappy. Ruan Qian used the Kun Pendant passed down through the Ruan generations as an example, saying, "Besides, one can see from this treasure that there must be great Talisman Masters. This Kun Pendant is probably a different kind of jade talisman."

The Kun Pendant could gather earth Qi and harmonize astronomy. The Ruan family's bumper harvests year after year were all due to the protection of the Kun Pendant. This was naturally a good thing, but Ruan Ci always felt that things would not be so simple. Now that the world had deteriorated to this point, a treasure like the Kun Pendant would naturally become more coveted. Even if the Ruan family had deep roots, they were not the Emperor after all. According to her thinking, she feared that even the Imperial family coveted such a treasure. The story Ruan Qian told was pleasant to hear, but that was seven hundred years ago. Seven hundred years, passed down for more than thirty generations, who could still remember the friendship of their ancestors?

These words were too discouraging; she did not want to say them, but she could not smile either. Judging from the expressions of her brother and sister, they probably knew that this was just self-comfort, but the fate of the Ruan family was not something that a few young teenagers could decide. Saying too much only increased worry, so they had to talk about some ethereal past events. Ruan Ci did not answer. The few walked silently for a while. Ruan Qian suddenly shouted, jumped in place a few times, and said, "Sigh! Why be so worried? What the ancestors left behind is not just some plaque or jade pendant! The Ruan blood is expensive, and it's not because we saved some Emperor. Our Ruan family was originally just farmers in Song Guo, daring to fight and struggle, valuing faith and promises, only then did we make a career in troubled times. These are all flowing in the blood of our Ruan children. In every state and prefecture under heaven, who doesn't say our Ruan family is the most fair, and who doesn't want to follow our Ruan people to do things? Even if there are more hardships on the road ahead, our Ruan children just need to charge forward! Sighing and groaning, it's a disgrace to the ancestor's blood flowing in our bodies!"

Ruan Rong could not help but shout "Good" upon hearing this, but Ruan Ci felt a mix of emotions and forced a smile. Fortunately, the Talisman Shrine was ahead, so the three stopped talking and walked in, holding their breath.

#

"Can you hold the precepts?"

"I can."

"Can you hold the laws?"

"I can."

"Can you hold your heart?"

"I can."

Prostrate before the Talisman Master, she said "I can" three times. Her shoulder was touched by a horsetail whisk, and the wooden talisman on Ruan Ci's chest shone brightly. The Talisman Master said, "You came early."

He did not care and waved his hand at Ruan Ci. Ruan Ci found a cattail hassock, sat cross-legged, closed her eyes, and muttered the "Pure and Dust-Avoiding Scripture." "Vague and indistinct, dark and mysterious..."

After chanting for a while, she could not help but let her mind wander. She wondered how Ruan Rong and Ruan Qian found talisman power from this nonsensical scripture. She also thought about what the three questions of holding the talisman meant. What were the precepts, what were the laws, and what was the heart? Did the Talisman Master really know what she was thinking?

Probably not. The Talisman Masters of Song Guo all had to apprentice to learn, holding precepts and laws to make talismans, acting all mysterious. But Ruan Rong just read the scriptures by herself and could use talisman power. She infused talismans for Ruan Ci, and even the Talisman Master could not detect anything wrong. This showed that the three questions of holding the talisman were probably all fake. Who knew what ulterior motives were behind them?

Such a young girl, her mind full of rebellious thoughts, Ruan Ci lowered her head and muttered the scriptures, her head nodding bit by bit. She did not know how much time had passed when a bell sound came from afar. She nodded violently and almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, she supported herself with both hands and quickly rubbed her eyes secretly, turning her head and stretching her neck to look. "Who is here?"

"It seems like an honored guest has arrived," Ruan Rong whispered, adding, "Sit properly, you have no manners."

The sound of bells, drums, and chimes lasted for a full half-quarter of an hour before stopping. Everyone knew that an honored guest must have arrived, and their hearts were a bit restless, only pretending to chant scriptures. Ruan Ci counted the bell sounds in her heart—every spring, the Imperial family sent envoys to celebrate spring, and at that time, the bell would ring ninety-one times. Today, the bell rang a full one hundred and eight times.

Just the arrival of an Imperial envoy required the mansion to prepare for several days. With such high status and arriving so suddenly, something major must have happened. Ruan Ci's imagination ran wild, wishing she could crawl into Eldest Uncle's brain. She was an adopted daughter of the Ruan family, with no one to rely on in the mansion. Only because Eldest Uncle loved her could she grow up in the inner courtyard with direct descendants like Ruan Rong. Eldest Uncle treated her very well, teaching her to read and understand reason. Ruan Ci thought that although these things were not supposed to be told to the children, perhaps Eldest Uncle would reveal a trace of the situation.

Just as she was thinking this, footsteps came from afar. Several stewards walked quickly with their hands down and asked loudly, "Is Ci Gu here? The Master invites you, hurry, hurry."

Ruan Ci was confused and, unable to help herself, was surrounded by stewards and servants, brought back to her room to dress up, and taken to the main hall to kneel and receive the decree.

"Congratulations to Ci Gu! Pure gold and raw jade, flower-like face and moon-like appearance, His Highness the Crown Prince has personally appointed you to be a concubine in the palace!"

If Ruan Rong had been chosen, she would definitely be the Crown Princess, and the ceremony would probably be several times more grand than it was now. Ruan Ci was an adopted daughter, and her status was different, so she could only be a concubine. She had seen the Crown Prince, but she was not as familiar with him as Ruan Rong. Ruan Ci was very surprised. She thought in her heart, I'm afraid Second Aunt will like me even less. She always felt that I stole the limelight from Rong Gu. Now that the Empress's dream was shattered, how would she face her in the future?

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Updated, so happy! After reading cultivation novels for so many years, and cultivation novels are one of my favorite categories, I finally started writing my own!

Probably updating daily at 12 o'clock. Although there are many saved chapters, this story will take a long time to write, and there will always be times when I can't write, so let's not waste the saved chapters easily. And each chapter has a lot of words, I hope everyone can enjoy it!

New story, please comment and subscribe~ I think the most charming thing about cultivation novels is the free, romantic, and magnificent imagination. The focus of this story is probably here. To be honest, I really hope to see everyone's comments when I write; it's more important to me than the money earned from subscriptions. In short, I hope everyone discusses more~~ This is one of my biggest motivations! Comments within 24 hours of this chapter get a red envelope!