Chapter 28: Grace

Deep within the Zhao Manor, in a small tower, the Seventh Young Master stood amidst layers of curtains, head bowed, not looking at the Lady on the couch, standing a full ten feet away from it.

No one spoke.

The maidservant standing by the couch breathed so lightly, and the several young girls who had been playing a small tune in the corner had long since quietly departed.

Except for the tinkling sound of jade rings hanging on the curtains clashing when the wind blew them, there was not a single sound.

Finally, the Lady broke the silence.

"Fan'er, how long has it been since you came to see me?"

The Seventh Young Master remained silent, saying nothing, nor raising his head.

"We are mother and son meeting; why are we so estranged? You stand so far away, yet you are unwilling even to look at your mother?"

The Seventh Young Master raised his head, his gaze falling on the Lady's face, yet there was no emotion in his eyes.

Though they were mother and son, their faces looked as if they were of the same generation.

The Lady, from her appearance, seemed no more than a woman in her early twenties; her hair was lazily tied into a bun, with a few strands of black hair falling over the upturned corners of her lips, lazy, yet carrying an air of carefree self-assurance as if no one else existed.

"What did you summon me for?"

The Seventh Young Master asked.

"I heard you are very satisfied with the two scribes this time? You kept them both?"

"What does it matter to you?"

"You are my child, and I am your mother. Your affairs, I keep every single one in my heart." As if accustomed to her son's rudeness, the Lady's face remained full of tenderness.

A light snort came from the Seventh Young Master's nose.

"Your mother is very happy. Since childhood, your nature has been solitary, close to no one; this time, these two scribes catching your eye is their fortune, and it relieves a worry of mine," the Lady continued.

"Thank you for your concern, Mother." The mockery on the Seventh Young Master's face was barely contained.

"I know you do not trust me." The Lady's gaze remained tender: "But you are after all my child; every blade of grass and every tree around you, I wish were planted by my own hands; every person around you, I must help you control and select carefully, lest you be deceived."

"So?"

"So I wish to ask, why do you value them both?"

"They suited my eye." The Seventh Young Master explained simply.

"Is that so? One is a common youth grown on a farm, the other the son of a steward; they suddenly suited your eye? Fan'er, your standards are not that low."

The Seventh Young Master was silent for a while before reluctantly speaking: "Gao Yuan works diligently and honestly, and has studied books; keeping him around to do some miscellaneous work is quite good, and in the future he will be an aid to me in managing the household."

"As for Zheng Fa, he has great talent in the Dao of Talismans; practicing the Dao of Talismans together with him, my progress in this aspect can be faster."

The Lady nodded, seeming to agree with his explanation, but suddenly shook her head again: "Zheng Fa's talent is indeed good, but keeping Gao Yuan was not your idea, was it?"

"..."

"You are a young master; why should you listen to Zheng Fa, a mere scribe?"

The Seventh Young Master's fist suddenly clenched tight, and the look in his eyes toward the Lady held a hint of anger.

"Yes, Zheng Fa reminds you of yourself." The Lady seemed unsurprised: "You still resent the matter where I did not let you go to the Qingmu Sect, but let your sister go instead."

"Sister and I are both Dual Spirit Root; according to the rules of the Qingmu Sect, our Zhao family is entitled to two Dual Spirit Root slots..."

The Seventh Young Master's voice was low.

"But back then, there was only one, just like the dilemma you gave Zheng Fa and the other."

"Was the other non-existent, or... did Ceng Waizufu take it?"

"Fan'er! You hold resentment toward me; I am your mother, I can tolerate you!" The Lady rose from the couch: "But your Ceng Waizufu is a Jin Dan cultivator; how can you, a junior, dare to offend him?"

"I dare not." The Seventh Young Master lowered his head.

The Lady's tone softened slightly: "I am the least favored grandchild of your Ceng Waizufu; before him, I have little dignity to begin with. Fan'er, you must never speak such words outside."

"This child understands. A Jin Dan cultivator... why still snatch the apprenticeship slot of my Zhao Manor?" The Seventh Young Master's tone softened slightly, but the resentment in his words did not diminish at all.

"Regarding this matter, I only know the general outline." For the first time, bitterness appeared on the Lady's face: "According to what your Ceng Waizufu said, the spiritual energy of the Xuanwei Realm has been slowly decreasing over the past ten thousand years; according to calculations by the great figures of the Immortal Sects, spiritual qi will become thinner and thinner, insufficient to support more cultivators practicing."

"Ten thousand years ago, someone like you, Fan'er, with Dual Spirit Root, could certainly enter the Qingmu Sect, and could even be considered a very excellent talent within the sect." The Lady looked at the Seventh Young Master with some heartache: "But now, to enter the Qingmu Sect with Dual Spirit Root, one must see if there is a slot available; only Single Spirit Root or even better talents are regarded as geniuses who must be admitted."

"So, in our Zhao family, the number of people entering the Qingmu Sect over these thousand years has been decreasing one by one?"

"Exactly so. Your Ceng Waizufu, though a Jin Dan cultivator, could not let every junior achieve their wish."

"So I was sacrificed?" Hearing this, the Seventh Young Master's tone turned angry again.

"..." The Lady only looked at him, saying no more.

The Seventh Young Master took two deep breaths, finally suppressing the emotions in his heart: "Mother, you cannot keep two entry slots, but I want to keep these two people."

"Very well."

"Mother?"

"Since that incident, what have I not promised you? Even if you act wildly again, haven't I tolerated it? Even if you are utterly useless, this Zhao Manor in the future will still be yours..."

The Seventh Young Master lowered his gaze: "It is just that I, I am unwilling."

The Lady stood up, extended her hand, wanting to touch this son who was nearly taller than herself.

The Seventh Young Master stepped back; her hand hung in mid-air. After a moment of silence, she said: "Both of them can stay by your side, but as for Zheng Fa..."

"What about Zheng Fa?"

"I know you like his temper; since he has talent, having some temper is nothing." The Lady's tone was flat, carrying a hint of coldness: "But having temper is not enough; we must see if he truly has this brain."

"Mother!" The Seventh Young Master was somewhat urgent.

"Rest assured, Mother will not harm him. Since spiritual energy has become scarce, the hundred arts of cultivation have instead become more valued; otherwise, why would I let you study the Dao of Talismans? If you truly achieve success, perhaps you can still enter the Qingmu Sect. Since he has this talent, it is also beneficial to our Zhao family. I will give him more grace."

"Go bring out the 'Spirit Crane Body' and give it to Instructor Xu; he knows what to do." The Lady turned and said to the maid beside her.

"'Spirit Crane Body'? Must this also be taught to Zheng Fa?" The Seventh Young Master was somewhat surprised and suspicious.

"His mother and younger sister are both in the manor?" The Lady did not answer him; instead, after thinking for a moment, she said: "Find a time these next two days to bring them both here and settle them within the manor."

The Seventh Young Master was left speechless.

This is indeed a tremendous favor.

"Fan, remember: for a true genius, mutual obligation is the best chain."

"What if… he is not a man who repays kindness?"

"So I've prepared for him one final favor—your sister has successfully entered the Inner Sect and will return home for a short stay after the New Year."

"Sister?"

"Your sister, as an Inner Sect disciple, may bring two attendants into Qingmu Sect. If Zheng Fa truly has the talent to become a Talisman Master and can master the Spirit Crane Body, I will grant him one of those attendant slots."

"Mother, he is mine!" the Seventh Young Master protested.

"So, will he understand this point?" the Lady smiled faintly.

"... Faced with the temptation of entering an immortal sect, who would ever refuse?"

"By then, you should have grown up..."

She stroked the Seventh Young Master's head—and for the first time, this usually distant son did not pull away.