Chapter 675: Fish in the Lake, Divine Bird Appears—Utterly True, Utterly Good, Utterly Sacred

Before you and Xie Yuan had even stepped into the pavilion, you saw from afar a man seated in a wheelchair, and a flicker of surprise arose in your heart—was that Liu Yuan, the Crown Prince of Da Sui?

The heir to a nation, yet bearing a physical disability—this was exceedingly rare in history.

Su Yun seemed to sense your confusion and whispered, “When the Sage Emperor of Da Sui was still a mere prince, he was deeply devoted to his first wife. After her death, he never took another consort. Though Prince Yuan is disabled, he has always held his place in the Eastern Palace.”

“A son is honored through his mother.”

You nodded slightly, understanding dawning. Such cases were not uncommon; throughout history, many great rulers, despite having countless concubines, remained steadfastly devoted to their lawful wives, never abandoning their humble spouses.

Thus, though Prince Yuan had long been held as a hostage in Da Sui, he enjoyed immense prestige among its people.

If he could retain his father’s favor, should he one day return to Da Sui, he might truly seize the imperial throne.

No wonder Prince Yuan was held in such high regard among the Nine Surnames.

Your group entered the pavilion.

Su Yun’s face lit up with delight as he stepped forward, bowing respectfully. “Su Yun arrives late—forgive me, all of you.”

“My fourth sister is here too.” His gaze turned to Su Shi, his tone warm with familiarity.

Su Shi rose and bowed gracefully, softly saying, “Third brother.”

As Su Xiang’s adopted daughter, she frequently visited the Su Mansion during festivals and holidays, and had long been acquainted with Su Yun.

The courtesans, seeing this, dared not be negligent; they rose and bowed respectfully, addressing him as, “Lord Yun.”

The grandson of the Prime Minister himself—his status in Bianjing surpassed even that of the imperial crown prince by threefold.

The three crown princes likewise nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Aside from Su Yun, there were Xie Yuan, Xie Xuan, and finally—you.

Then, all eyes unconsciously turned to the young boy who had just entered the pavilion last.

Liu Yuan’s gaze was gentle as he looked at Xie Guan and said, “Surely this is the Lord Guan from the Gathering of Beauties?”

Though inwardly impatient, Xie Xuan stepped aside, revealing Xie Guan, who had been walking behind.

The boy was still young, yet carried an air of quiet composure.

“Xie Guan, greetings, Prince Yuan.”

Liu Yuan’s smile deepened. “Truly, a refined and elegant young man.”

“No need to call me Prince. Just call me Liu Yuan. I’m a few years older—you may call me ‘Brother Yuan’ if you wish.”

His smile was sincere, his tone open and warm, naturally drawing affection.

Upon hearing this, Xie Xuan’s expression darkened. He had met Liu Yuan several times with Su Yun, yet had never received such treatment; a pang of resentment stirred within him.

He Lan Zhen Shu, the Crown Prince of Changsheng Tian behind Liu Yuan, let out a cold laugh, his eyes laced with mockery, though he said nothing.

Su Shi had met Xie Guan before and greeted him with a smile. “Shi Shi greets Lord Guan.”

The other three women were seeing this famed Xie Guan for the first time; each wore a subtle, complex expression.

The woman in the colorful skirt blinked her bright eyes, her gaze lingering on Xie Guan for a moment, surprise flickering within. She studied him closely: though dressed plainly among their ornate robes, he carried an air of quiet elegance, as upright and distinct as a bamboo of Huai. Even under Liu Yuan’s praise, his expression remained calm, unruffled.

The seventh lady of the Li family, who had been leaning against the railing with arms crossed, now sat upright. Her gaze, sharp as a blade, swept over Xie Guan three times. Finally, she uncrossed her arms, her expression softening slightly—at least her family hadn’t chosen a “crooked melon or cracked fruit.”

The most peculiar expression, however, belonged to the green-robed woman playing the qin.

Her fingers faltered; the strings trembled sharply, like a bird skimming the water’s surface, then forcibly steadied.

This drew attention.

The green-robed woman stared at the qin’s tail, her ears tinged with a faint blush.

The atmosphere in the pavilion subtly shifted with Xie Guan’s arrival; each person’s thoughts differed, yet all had to admit: though this boy’s attire was plain, his presence was undeniably captivating.

Su Yun then introduced each person in the pavilion to you.

The qin player was the courtesan Song Tingting. She had not participated in the Gathering of Beauties; raised since childhood in Qi Mo Spring Pavilion. According to Xie Yuan, her origins were extraordinary—though she dwelled in Qi Mo Spring Pavilion, she was a free woman. When she saw you, she showed a hint of shyness, leaving you puzzled, for you had never met before.

The woman in the colorful skirt was the courtesan known as Cai Huang, whom Xie Yuan had mentioned—famous for raising birds.

Legend said her singing could summon a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix. Her eyes smiled, filled with quiet curiosity.

The final woman, dressed in male attire, was introduced by Su Yun with slight awkwardness: “This is the seventh lady of the Li family.”

Hearing this, you were slightly startled—you had not expected to meet here the woman betrothed to you.

Li Qinlan merely raised her hand in a fist salute and ignored you entirely.

Xie Yuan’s gaze swept over the courtesans in the pavilion, silently thinking this trip had been worthwhile.

Originally, this gathering was meant to be a refined affair among tall bamboos and lush groves: incense burning beside bamboo streams, flowing wine cups, poetry and couplets—how delightful!

Unfortunately, Li Qinlan’s unexpected presence disrupted the planned proceedings.

Especially since Li Qinlan had confidently declared earlier, “I have a way to make Xie Guan back down,” adding an odd tension to the air.

Liu Yuan smiled faintly, breaking the silence. “Just before Lord Guan arrived, we were discussing, ‘How can fish in the pond know the joy of the world beyond the mirror?’”

Su Shi’s eyes shimmered. “What is Lord Guan’s view on this?”

You looked toward the lake. Several carp drifted lazily, occasionally surfacing, stirring ripples that spread into concentric circles.

All the courtesans watched you; the green-robed woman had stopped playing.

You smiled. “Pool fish know not the sky beyond the mirror; how can we know the fish’s joy? Floating light hangs high, unanchored; across the water, we gaze and laugh at the officials.”

“A single ladle accumulates into rivers and seas; a speck of dust builds to towering peaks. How many heavens and earths are one with me.”

“If one does not think, the Kunpeng soars freely; if one thinks, the Kunpeng no longer soars freely. So too with the fish in the lake.”

At these words, all in the pavilion fell into thought.

Liu Yuan’s eyes sparkled with approval; he clapped and laughed. “Lord Guan’s words reveal the true essence of ‘the joy of fish’—there is even a touch of Daoist philosophy here.”

Kong Du let out a cold snort from his nostrils; the Buddhist sect detested the Daoists’ stinking noses most of all.

Li Qinlan’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

Song Tingting lowered her gaze and smiled faintly, her fingers lightly plucking the qin strings.

Su Yun sat down, his face beaming.

Xie Guan was someone he had long praised; now, after this exchange, he knew Xie Guan’s speech was far from ordinary—he felt honored.

Song Tingting played a piece for everyone; the lake breeze brushed gently, carrying a sense of ease, and the pavilion’s atmosphere grew ever more refined.

Liu Yuan tapped his chopsticks and sang, his demeanor carefree, utterly free of the crown prince’s restraint—as if he were merely a literati lost in the mountains and rivers.

Seeing this, the monk Kong Du’s striking face flushed with rapture.

The music faded; its lingering echoes seemed to cling to the pavilion’s rafters.

Though reluctant, Li Qinlan was pulled into a seat by Su Shi.

Cai Huang rose gracefully. “This humble girl wishes to entertain you all with a brief song.”

Xie Yuan immediately clapped in approval.

But the colorful-skirted woman did not sing an ordinary tune—she imitated the morning calls of birds and insects with her voice.

Her voice sometimes rang clear as a oriole leaving its valley, sometimes tender as a skylark singing spring, making one feel as if seated in the dawn-lit forest, heart filled with tranquility.

The final birdcall stretched long and pure, unlike any earthly bird’s cry—it sounded like a hundred birds singing the phoenix’s song.

Your spirit stirred; you turned to look, and saw a flock of birds circling above the pavilion.

Xie Yuan’s face filled with astonishment. “Look! White egrets, lake gulls, oriental white storks, white ibises… there are over a dozen species!”

Everyone in the pavilion was drawn to the spectacle, rising to watch.

Su Yun smiled faintly. “These birds came because of the sound.”

Xie Xuan’s eyes could no longer hide his astonishment.

Liu Yuan praised, “Miss Cai Huang, your talent is truly legendary—this is heavenly music!”

After finishing, the flock of birds still circled above the lake. Cai Huang looked slightly proud, her gaze flicking toward you.

The birds gradually dispersed, save for a pair of long-tailed birds with mottled plumage and slender forms, their bellies covered in five-colored down, fluttering gracefully into the pavilion, drawing all eyes.

Xie Yuan’s face turned pale with shock. “Zhao Ming Luan!”

Cai Huang showed a hint of surprise. “I didn’t expect Lord Yuan to be so well-read—you recognized this divine bird.”

Xie Yuan felt slightly embarrassed; he simply loved regional Records of Customs, especially the Great Master’s Xu Xian’s Travelogue, which he had nearly memorized backward, keeping it beneath his pillow every night.

Xie Xuan also spoke, disbelief on his face. “Could this be the divine bird of northern legends?”

“Legend says the Zhao Ming Luan was once a celestial deity who, moved by humanity’s inability to distinguish good from evil or loyal from treacherous, transformed into a bird and descended to the mortal realm. It dwells forever in the Northern Sea; whenever great calamities strike the world, it soars nine heavens high, circling the sky, letting out a clear, long cry to signify Heaven’s will.”

Cai Huang nodded slightly. “These birds were acquired by my grandfather through a chance encounter. After five generations of careful breeding, we’ve raised this rare pair—one male, one female.”

You felt a flicker of surprise; her origins intrigued you. A courtesan, yet exempt from the Gathering of Beauties, raising birds as a pastime—clearly no ordinary woman.

The two Zhao Ming Luan circled the pavilion, their wings shimmering with radiant light, like phoenixes descending from legend, mesmerizing all who watched.

Liu Yuan’s gaze burned with intensity; inwardly astonished, a deeper meaning flickered in his eyes as he murmured, “A divine bird appears—does this portend great disaster for the realm?”

He Lan Zhen Shu, Crown Prince of Changsheng Tian, his eyes gleamed with greed. The northern steppes revered divine birds; seeing these two Zhao Ming Luan, his heart had already stirred with longing, unable to contain himself.

He suddenly thrust out his hand, trying to seize one—but in an instant, the two birds appeared elsewhere like illusions, effortlessly evading his grasp.

Cai Huang covered her lips and laughed softly. “Prince He Lan, these are divine birds—they possess divine abilities. Their speed is such that even a martial cultivator with a Nascent Soul cannot touch them.”

He Lan Zhen Shu, a martial cultivator himself, tried several more times—just as Cai Huang said, he could not reach the two birds.

Cai Huang paused, then continued: “Moreover, these birds are pure of spirit—they refuse to be owned by ordinary mortals. They will only nest on the phoenix tree. If forcibly captured, they will die rather than submit, refusing food until death. My ancestors, though blessed to care for them, have only ever fed them from afar, never daring to hope for closeness.”

Her bright eyes flickered with something strange. “Today is odd—they flew out on their own.”

Hearing this, He Lan Zhen Shu could only sit down in defeat, though his eyes still burned with greed.

Cai Huang, however, was unconcerned. The Zhao Ming Luan were swift beyond compare—neither He Lan Zhen Shu nor even the Divine Hidden Bureau of Da Qi could catch them.

Su Yun laughed aloud. “Today has truly opened my eyes.”

“Legend says the Zhao Ming Luan come as a pair—one male, one female. The male favors the utterly true, good, and holy; the female is drawn to the utterly wicked and evil. They never separate. If the male chooses a master, the female will immediately fly into a rock and die; if the female chooses, the male does the same.”

Hearing this, Li Qinlan’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on the pair of Zhao Ming Luan circling above.

Cai Huang nodded slightly. “Lord Yun speaks truly. Legend says when Confucius sailed the sea, a Zhao Ming Luan suddenly appeared above the prow. The male folded its wings and landed upon a bamboo slip; the female cried three times, then flew straight into the sea’s rocks.”

At these words, everyone nodded in agreement. The Master, as the supreme sage of Confucianism, possessed noble virtue; it was only natural that the male phoenix favored him.

Only the Buddhist disciple Du Kong flickered a hint of disdain in his eyes and muttered a cold laugh: “The Master is merely a hypocrite.”

Though his voice was low, everyone in the pavilion heard it.

Liu Yuan frowned slightly, showing signs of displeasure; after all, this was the capital of Da Qi, and discussing the Master could be a serious matter—especially since Su Yun was the grandson of Su Xiang—yet he said nothing more.

Li Qinlan suddenly asked with a curious thought: “What if both birds chose the same master?”

Su Yun was left speechless by the question. “How can someone be both ‘utterly wicked’ and ‘utterly virtuous’? How could such a person exist in this world?”

The colorful phoenix smiled faintly. “Ancient texts do record that if two Zhao Ming Lu birds choose the same master, that person must be a born sage, embodying utter truth, utter goodness, and utter sanctity.”

Upon hearing this, everyone found it novel but did not press further, dismissing it as mere legend.

Xie Yuan gazed up at the divine birds in the sky, their feathers shimmering with five-colored light in the sun, their calls clear and enchanting; he could not help but feel boundless longing for traveling the world.

He murmured softly: “Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. If one remains trapped at home, how could one ever see such divine creatures?”

As he pondered this, Xie Yuan suddenly let out a soft exclamation.

“Huh?—”

In his line of sight, the two divine birds descended in low flight, as if heading straight toward him.

(End of Chapter)