Chapter 103

Red walls, yellow tiles, the carriage passed through the palace gate; on both sides of the palace road stood twelve layers of blue‑painted gate towers with flying eaves and dougong, a post every five steps, a sentry every ten steps. Every guard stood straight‑backed, eyes fixed forward, guarding the imperial palace's vital spots like nails. Zhou Shuo saw this, quietly lowered the curtain, and looked at his fellow passenger Chan Yinsha inside the carriage.

"How goes your study of Chu Yun's rites?" Chan Yinsha asked, looking at Zhou Shuo who had withdrawn his gaze. The culture of the Da Qian Heaven State has penetrated the hearts of people; it is studied in all quarters—whether Yun Meng, Yuan Tu, or overseas Shen Feng and Chu Yun—all have at least some familiarity with these customs.

"This isn't exactly an age of great contention; things are so‑so, Yinsha. Do you know there's a saying: 'Those who learn from me live; those who imitate me die'?" Zhou Shuo shook his head slightly. He knows nothing of rites; he is not a Da Qian person, and this kind of imitation smacks of copying the West while ignoring the East—appearing to study rites, yet inwardly he longs for Da Qian's strength without understanding its source, merely copying Handan's gait.

"Those who learn from me live; those who imitate me die—how so? Is Chu Yun's rites merely imitation?" Chan Yinsha heard Zhou Shuo's words and was somewhat surprised; she had not expected Chu Yun's rites to be only at the level of imitation.

"You should instead focus on the meaning behind the rites. Da Qian has only one such meaning, while Chu Yun is not Da Qian—when the world differs, matters differ, and when matters differ, one must prepare for change. I don't know much about Chu Yun's national situation either; these are just my shallow views." Zhou Shuo shook his head. He also couldn't say exactly, but Chu Yun's situation is roughly like Japan's: pick up a bit of learning and think you can replace China.

"When the world differs, matters differ, and when matters differ, one must prepare for change—the meaning behind the rites—well, I really haven't thought about that. I also suggested my father study these rites; with propriety and law comes the bearing of a state, but I feel there's still much I haven't considered. We're almost there; let's talk later when we have time." Chan Yinsha heard Zhou Shuo utter another aphorism‑like sentence, and she involuntarily tilted her chin. She felt her thoughts were indeed insufficient, but the music from inside the palace was already approaching, leaving no time to continue the chat.

"It feels rather troublesome." Zhou Shuo likewise heard the pleasant bell‑chime sounds from outside the palace—it was the banquet music, very solemn; from that solemnity he could imagine that later there would surely be a heap of tedious rites to perform.

"If you find it troublesome, just reveal your cultivation; then you won't have to heed any master of ceremonies later." Chan Yinsha, hearing Zhou Shuo's words, couldn't help but speak up.

"All right." Seeing Chan Yinsha say that, Zhou Shuo didn't haggle; he simply released the qi on his body. Invisible essence shot up from the crown of his head like wolf smoke rising straight to the sky, giving a sense of piercing the clouds and heavens. Of course, this visual cannot be seen with the naked eye; only martial artists with strong spiritual perception, or ghost immortals, can sense it.

Zhou Shuo slightly released the beacon smoke on his body, and immediately he felt many gazes from outside turning toward him, as if even the carriage were pierced through—those were experts of Izumo State; this is quite normal, for he had released his qi, which in this world's terms is of human immortal level; one could say that as long as he sits in the Izumo State palace and lets his qi spread over the whole city, hardly any ghost immortal would dare to come cause trouble without noticing.

"When did you break through?" Chan Yin Sha felt the surge of qi from Zhou Shuo's body, and involuntarily her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly; she remembered that before cultivating the Grain Spirit Aperture his qi wasn't this strong, but now this aura is more than ten times stronger—this is already absolutely a human immortal.

"I don't remember, roughly speaking, hurry down from the carriage, someone outside has come to fetch you, it's a eunuch." Zhou Shuo gave a slight shrug, and added offhandedly, "When did he break through to human immortal? How would he know!"

Following Zhou Shuo's reminder, the carriage curtain was lifted; Chan Yin Sha didn't bother to say more, lowered her head and stepped out of the carriage, and after stepping down from the carriage shaft she first knelt at the palace gate to pay respects, while a eunuch loudly announced the rites, "Princess Yin Sha pays respects to the King," and so on—all just formalities; even though she is a demon immortal reincarnation, she still has to go through this ritual.

After the greetings were finished, three more eunuchs stepped forward—some announced the rites were over, some announced on the emperor's behalf that Chan Yin Sha was to be received, another stepped forward to help the emperor lift Chan Yin Sha up, guiding her to step over the jade steps before the palace and toward the great hall where music and dance were playing; Zhou Shuo, from beginning to end, simply followed behind Chan Yin Sha, neither performing rites nor glancing aside, merely trailing along like a shadow.

Having stepped over the jade steps and golden railings before the palace, inside the great hall the desks and seats were already arranged, civil and military officials each in their proper places, the attendant seating filled to capacity, and there were not few guests; but the main ones were three: one was a Daoist wearing a purple sash and silver robes, with three long wisps of beard fluttering below his jaw; another was a middle-aged man with a hooked nose; the third was a Champion Marquis wearing a purple-gold crown and robes of purple brocade, who did not sit in the primary seat but sat alongside a sturdy middle-aged man in yellow robes with a square face, with guards following behind him.

Those three guests, at the instant Chan Yin Sha and Zhou Shuo entered the hall, immediately focused their gazes on Zhou Shuo, who was like a torch, their expressions showing a hint of astonishment and scrutiny; Zhou Shuo ignored them, his gaze not wandering about, merely keeping his eyes straight ahead as he followed behind Chan Yin Sha.

"The princess has arrived, musicians stop!" In the herald's shout the bells and chimes ceased, and the gazes of all the civil and military officials throughout the court unanimously focused on Chan Yin Sha.

"The prince has come, no need for rites, hurry to your father's side, hm, is this the prince's friend?" The sturdy middle-aged man in yellow robes seated beside the Champion Marquis, his temples streaked with white, smiled as he looked down at Chan Yin Sha, reaching out to virtually support her to stop her from performing rites, and at the same time directed his gaze toward Zhou Shuo behind Chan Yin Sha.

"Father, this is my Daoist friend Zhou Shuo; please grant him a seat, Father." Chan Yin Sha, under the gaze of all, pointed at Zhou Shuo to explain, appearing poised and composed.

"Grant him a seat, since he is the prince's Daoist fellow cultivator, then…." The capable middle-aged man is named Chan Gui Cang, the father of Chan Yin Sha, and thanks to her demon immortal prestige, Izumo State now has its current strength; ordinarily he would agree to anything for his demon immortal reincarnation daughter, but today the situation is different—he hesitated about where to seat him, yet Chan Yin Sha cut him off.

"Then let him sit beside the prince!" Chan Yin Sha spoke up, indicating to the eunuch who had brought the chair where to place it.

"Then let him sit beside the prince!" Chan Gui Cang glanced at the Champion Marquis beside him, and could only nod his head.

"The outsider Zhou Shuo thanks the sovereign for granting a seat." Zhou Shuo raised his hands in a salute, then followed Chan Yin Sha to take their seats.

Once seated, everyone in the great hall was present; Chan Gui Cang, as host, rose and raised his cup toward the Champion Marquis beside him, offering a few words of blessing, prompting everyone to raise their cups—these are just banquet formalities; then after everyone sat down again, they began to whisper among themselves, but it appeared as if they were chatting happily, making the banquet seem elegant yet not lacking in merriment, but in fact it was not so; they were merely putting on an act.

"These rites are sometimes indeed quite annoying." Chan Yin Sha looked at the civil and military officials whispering throughout the hall, and at the seemingly cheerful atmosphere of the banquet, and transmitted mentally to Zhou Shuo, who was receiving a cup from a eunuch, tilting her head.

"Hmph." Zhou Shuo took the porcelain cup from the eunuch's hand, lightly sniffed its fragrance, and upon hearing Chan Yin Sha's words he squeezed out a little laugh from his throat; in such a setting, one cannot survive without wearing a mask.

The whispered chatter after the banquet began was not long; soon an official stood up, raised his cup to the Champion Marquis in a toast, praising his martial prowess as peerless and his military achievements as outstanding, also having heard that his poetry and prose were excellent, he asked him to compose a poem—this is the little interlude in the middle of the banquet; usually such planted performers are investigated beforehand, and the Champion Marquis normally would not refuse, but today there was something unexpected.

The Premier Minister has indeed praised me, but this bit of military merit and martial skill of mine is just a trifle—what does it amount to? It's merely a small trick of battlefield carnage, not comparable to the great masters of the carefree world beyond; it would be embarrassing to show off in front of the Fang family. The Champion Marquis fixed his gaze on Zhou Shuo, who sat beside Chan Yinsha, sipping wine in small mouthfuls; the "great masters" and "Fang family" he mentioned needed no further explanation.

Facing the Champion Marquis's words, the Premier Minister who had just invited poetry also felt awkward, and no other officials wished to speak up; it was clear the Champion Marquis was looking for fault with Zhou Shuo. Although doing so at the state banquet was improper, the State of Chuyun could not afford to provoke the Champion Marquis, and moreover Zhou Shuo was not a subject of Chuyun, so they had no reason to intervene.

"Your words are modest, Marquis—you constantly garrison the seven prefectures of Qingzhou, resisting the grassland's Yunmeng; your fame is like thunder even to us outsiders. And though battlefield carnage is a mere trick, it is also the way of defending home and country. If such a feat of standing against ten thousand enemies were to bring glory to the Fang family, I wonder what greater skill you seek, my lord?" Seeing that no one spoke, Zhou Shuo knew it was his turn; he raised his wine cup, stood, and paced back and forth twice beneath the gaze of the young noble in fine robes who looked down from his high seat, speaking eloquently while raising his cup in a distant toast.

As Zhou Shuo moved, the Daoist and the eagle-nosed middle-aged man on that side guest seat twitched in expression—first because Zhou Shuo's words carried a hint of provocation, second because in their sight Zhou Shuo resembled a soaring torch, his stride causing their vital energy to sway, making their spirits and souls extremely uncomfortable.

"Aren't those from outside the world all monastics? Do they also consider defending home and country to be the Way?" The Champion Marquis looked at the pacing, cup-raising fellow; his facial muscles twitched slightly, then he chose not to respond to that remark, lifting the night-light cup before him and taking a small sip, thereby accepting the toast.

"Leaving home is not to abandon one's family; how could defending home and country not be the Way? The Way is the foundation of all things; painters take reaching the sublime as the Way, warriors take defending home and country as the Way, scholars take establishing and extending as the Way—all things in the world merely each seek their own Way. Your Majesty, ladies and gentlemen, do you agree?" Zhou Shuo looked at the companion whose facial muscles twitched, then raised his wine cup toward Chan Guizang beside the Champion Marquis and toward the many civil and military officials below, indicating a toast.

"Indeed." The civil and military officials of Chuyun all raised their cups in response.

"Excellent, excellent—each to their own Way. Hearing these words today has truly benefited me greatly. Supervisor, issue the edict: grant Zhou Shuo the title 'Yunmen Feathered Guest', add a purple-gold sash with a jade ruyi, a Lantian jade belt, and silver-threaded Daoist robes—so that the king need not bow." Chan Guizang also clapped his hands in loud praise, at the same time summoning a eunuch to carry out the bestowal.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Zhou Shuo glanced at Chan Yinsha, nodded slightly, bowed his body in thanks, and at the same time changed his mode of address; though he remained an outsider, he now held an official post, and when using others' things one must give them some face.