Dongli Zhao’s expression was resolute. “Of course I want to go back. My elder brother is still in the palace, and I have no idea what torment he is suffering. How could I cling to life here while abandoning him?”
Hearing this, a trace of approval appeared in Xu Ziqing’s eyes. The boy was admittedly still very young, but he had grown up in the imperial city and was naturally more precocious than an ordinary Southerner. He should already understand the basic principles of how one ought to conduct oneself. Had he chosen to abandon his own blood kin, Xu Ziqing would not have condemned him harshly, but he would inevitably have been somewhat disappointed.
Xu Ziqing therefore smiled. “Since that is what you want, I will send you back.” He handed him a small bottle. “Your external wounds are mostly healed, but your internal injuries have not yet recovered. Drink this medicine and you should improve greatly.”
Without hesitation, Dongli Zhao took the bottle and drank it down in one go. A cool current immediately entered his abdomen and spread through his body, leaving him comfortable from head to toe. His hidden injuries, bruises, and faint lingering pains all vanished in an instant.
“What miraculous medicine!” he exclaimed.
Xu Ziqing said, “Rest here for a while, and do not leave the room. I am going to make some preparations so I can take you back.”
When Dongli Zhao heard that he was leaving, alarm appeared on his face before he could stop it. Yet he forced himself to act as though nothing were wrong, which only made the sight more heartbreaking.
Xu Ziqing gave a whistle and extended his forearm, allowing Chonghua to settle on his elbow before holding the eagle out toward Dongli Zhao. “Zhao’er, I’ll leave Chonghua here to keep you company. You can rest easy.”
Dongli Zhao realized that Xu Ziqing had seen through his feelings and could not help flushing. “I have troubled Sir to worry about Zhao’er.”
Xu Ziqing smiled and said, “It’s nothing.” Chonghua spread its wings and flew over to land beside Dongli Zhao, tilting its head to look at him while letting out a long eagle cry. Seeing how magnificent it was, Dongli Zhao brightened with delight. Xu Ziqing smiled as well, then finally stepped out of the room.
His decision to escort Dongli Zhao to the Lower Nine Continents was not merely about sending the boy home. Xu Ziqing also intended to avoid the brewing trouble there and spend some time cultivating in secluded retreat.
The Tian family’s affair had drawn in both the rebellious sea beasts and an Essence Transformation expert of the Thunderfire Sect, giving Xu Ziqing a distinctly ominous feeling. He suspected that if the matter were mishandled, the entire Upper Nine Continents might be dragged into the chaos. Having already brushed past death several times, Xu Ziqing valued his life greatly. He truly had no desire to let someone else’s ambition drag him into a calamity from which there would be no return.
If war broke out, a rogue cultivator like him at the seventh layer of Qi Refinement would have neither sect nor clan to shelter him, while his own cultivation was far from outstanding. His life would be as precarious as stacked eggs, liable to collapse at any moment.
This was precisely what Yun Lie had discussed with him earlier. Xu Ziqing had originally still felt somewhat uneasy, but since his friend had said there was no harm in doing this, he felt much more settled and was no longer afraid.
A journey to the Lower Nine Continents would surely take quite some time, so he needed to prepare thoroughly for whatever might arise.
Having decided this, Xu Ziqing began spending his funds. First he obtained a formula from the Herb Lore Pavilion that listed the medicinal ingredients needed for Fragrant Lingzhi Dew and the method for preparing it, something very simple for a cultivator. Since it was only mortal medicine, the shopkeeper made no attempt to keep the formula secret, and Xu Ziqing obtained it for very little.
After that, he bought two more message jade swords, several handfuls of useful grass seeds, a number of talismans, several sets of cultivator robes, a meditation cushion, and various other odds and ends. By the time he had finished buying everything, Xu Ziqing had kept only one spiritual pearl and enough money for his lodging. Everything else had been spent.
Once his preparations were complete, Xu Ziqing returned to his private lodging.
Dongli Zhao and Chonghua were staring directly at one another, all four dark, round eyes fixed on the other. The sight was quite amusing.
Now that he presumably had someone trustworthy beside him to rely on, Dongli Zhao looked more like a child again and no longer carried the same suspicion and hatred he had shown when he first awakened.
To avoid giving trouble time to grow, Xu Ziqing immediately settled the bill and left with the boy and the eagle. Along the way, Chonghua once again perched on Xu Ziqing’s shoulder, while Xu Ziqing held Dongli Zhao by the hand and kept him close at his side.
As they walked, Dongli Zhao was intensely curious. Knowing that there were many cultivators here, he could not help secretly glancing around from time to time.
Xu Ziqing shook his head slightly and said in a low voice, “Do not be rude.”
Dongli Zhao’s heart tightened. With Xu Ziqing holding his hand, he had felt so safe that he had actually allowed himself to grow careless. Deeply ashamed, he said, “Zhao’er knows he was wrong.”
Xu Ziqing said gently, “It is not exactly a fault. Cultivators simply have very different temperaments. If someone mistook your staring for contempt, it might cause trouble. You are about to return to the Lower Nine Continents, so it is better to be cautious.”
How could Dongli Zhao fail to understand? He nodded repeatedly. He had already encountered someone as cold as Yun Lie and knew that not every cultivator was as gentle and approachable as Xu Ziqing. He had merely lost his composure earlier because of excitement. Once he calmed down, he became steady again and recovered the bearing of an imperial prince.
Xu Ziqing was quite satisfied and quickened his pace with him. They were now heading toward the far eastern sea, eight hundred li away. From there, another five hundred li across the sea would bring them to the Heaven-Sealing Chasm.
Once they had traveled far from the county town, Xu Ziqing drew Dongli Zhao closer. His feet then left the ground, and he carried the boy forward with the Wind-Riding Art.
Suspended in midair, Dongli Zhao looked down and saw enormous trees reduced to grasses, while people seemed as tiny as mosquitoes and gnats. The vastness of the view was astonishing. When he looked upward, drifting white clouds seemed to flow like water, still beautiful to behold yet now appearing almost close enough to touch rather than impossibly distant.
After only a few breaths, the two had already reached the far eastern coast, where a rocky beach spread out before them. Reefs lay everywhere in bizarre shapes. Waves crashed in, leaping upward before striking the rocks and shattering apart.
Xu Ziqing chose a taller rock on which to land and gently set Dongli Zhao beside him. Chonghua circled overhead, then suddenly gave a clear cry that carried a sense of open, unrestrained exhilaration.
Although Dongli Zhao was an imperial prince, this was actually the first time in his life he had ever left the imperial city, much less seen such a magnificent landscape. Now he stared far into the distance without even blinking.
“Sir, what is the Heaven-Sealing Chasm?” Unable to make anything out, he finally asked. Xu Ziqing smiled. “You cannot see it yet. Once you do, you will understand.”
Dongli Zhao stopped asking. Knowing only that his homeland lay beyond the sea, he was already desperately eager to return.
Xu Ziqing did not delay. He immediately activated a green talisman called the Adamantine Barrier, which could protect the body for two hours. The two of them were about to cross this stretch of sea, where fierce ocean winds would batter them along the way. Xu Ziqing, as a seventh-layer Qi Refinement cultivator, would naturally be unharmed, but Dongli Zhao was only a child and might well be injured by the wind. That was why Xu Ziqing had obtained this high-grade talisman for his protection.
The green talisman burst into a mass of green light in midair. Within that radiance appeared an enormous golden cloud-seal sigil, which descended directly over Dongli Zhao’s head.
Dongli Zhao instinctively moved, but Xu Ziqing stopped him with a quick, “Don’t dodge.” He let the sigil fall over him. In an instant, a warm current spread throughout his entire body, and even his flesh seemed to harden considerably.
“This is truly remarkable.” Dongli Zhao could not help praising it. “Sir, what does it do?”
Xu Ziqing smiled. “For the next two hours, your body will be virtually indestructible.”
Dongli Zhao’s eyes lit up. “Then if all the soldiers under my elder brother used these…” Would they not become invincible in battle, able to conquer anything before them? Then why would they ever have to fear that treacherous minister?
Hearing this, Xu Ziqing raised a hand to stop him from continuing and said seriously, “We cultivators either contend with Heaven for our lives or follow Heaven’s course. There is naturally no problem if we use such talismans ourselves. But you are a mortal. If you use an item meant for cultivators… your soldiers may indeed become impervious to blades and weapons and alter the course of a battle, but that would ultimately violate the laws of the Heavenly Dao. As the one who set such a thing in motion, your blessings would be diminished, and you might even suffer karmic retribution.” He met Dongli Zhao’s eyes and did not allow the boy to look away. “Zhao’er, a Southerner has only a hundred years of life. If using even one talisman costs you part of your lifespan, then with so many soldiers, how many years do you have to spare?”
Dongli Zhao looked utterly alarmed. “Sir… then you can’t either…”
Xu Ziqing’s expression softened, but he sighed. “If you were only an ordinary Southerner whose family member was gravely ill, and you asked me for a miraculous pill or medicine to save that person’s life, that would be a minor matter and there would be no harm in it. But you are a member of the imperial family, and what you are involved in is a struggle for imperial power. We who cultivate the Dao absolutely cannot interfere.”
The emperor bore dragon qi and was the Son of Heaven. Matters of imperial succession were, in a sense, the Heavenly Dao’s own family affairs, so how would cultivators dare meddle in them? Moreover, the government of the Kingdom of Chenghuang was already close to collapse. The Realm-Protecting Grand General held overwhelming power, and the situation had developed toward a change of dynasty. Whether he succeeded or failed lay within the Heavenly Dao’s reckoning. Cultivators might follow Heaven in pursuit of the Great Dao or defy Heaven in pursuit of longevity, but all remained beneath the laws of the Heavenly Dao. To interfere in such a matter carelessly could mean death and the destruction of one’s path!
After hearing this, Dongli Zhao naturally never mentioned the idea again.
Sir was his benefactor. The momentary thought he had blurted out, hoping for Xu Ziqing’s help, had already made him regretful. Xu Ziqing had treated him so kindly and lent him aid, and he had no right to keep asking for more. Even so, when he truly learned that this was something Xu Ziqing could not do, he could not help feeling deeply disappointed.
If it were possible, if sacrificing his entire lifespan could stop that treacherous rebel, what would it matter…
Xu Ziqing sensed his dejection and patted his shoulder. “Zhao’er, have you forgotten your imperial elder brother?”
Dongli Zhao started and pulled himself together. “Yes. Zhao’er understands. Elder Brother is still waiting for me.”
Xu Ziqing smiled faintly. “As long as you understand.” He took hold of the boy’s arm again. “Hold on tightly. We are leaving now.”
Determination returned to Dongli Zhao’s eyes. “Yes, Sir.”
The two rose into the air and floated directly out over the sea.
The seawater surged endlessly. Once they entered the sea route, all four directions seemed vast and empty, with no trace of another person. The waves rolled toward them like enormous wheels, crushing forward one after another. When one wave crashed into another, countless sprays of water exploded outward in every direction.
The roar of the sea was like thunder, deafening to the ears. At times it resembled war drums pounding without cease, enough to make one’s insides quake. It was truly breathtaking.
Xu Ziqing flew very high so the enormous waves rising from the sea could not strike them. Dongli Zhao’s entire body was protected by the Adamantine Barrier, leaving not a single drop of water on him, yet he could still see the waves advancing in ranks like mountain ranges. The sight was terrifying, and he could not help fearing that a single mishap would send him to the bottom of the sea.
The sea wind was fierce and spray obscured their vision, preventing them from traveling quickly. Even so, they had already crossed more than two hundred li, nearly half the journey. In another short while, they should reach the Heaven-Sealing Chasm.
Suddenly, the waves grew even more violent. Xu Ziqing looked toward the direction in which they were surging and immediately froze.
Dongli Zhao’s pupils abruptly contracted, and for a moment he simply stared.
A little more than ten li away, an enormous water vortex rose from the surface of the sea, fully a hundred zhang high and vast beyond measure. The vortex was deep black, drawing up countless currents and hanging inverted in the air as a continuously rotating whirlpool.
Beneath the vortex, a column of water like a dragon’s tail bored through the sea and spun without cease. Below it yawned a gigantic hollow in the ocean, draining the surrounding seawater for dozens of zhang in every direction and swallowing the converging currents like a voracious Taotie.
Elio’s Notes: Taotie (饕餮) is a voracious beast from Chinese mythology, traditionally associated with insatiable hunger. The comparison here emphasizes how the sea hollow seems to devour the surrounding water.