Chapter 14 Departure Imminent

Seeing how solemn Zhuo Hua was being, Nuo Rufeng did not dare to be careless. He quickly stood up and led Zhuo Hua to the Xuanhuang Mirror in the Xuanwu Palace.

Dismissing the attendants, he made a polite gesture inviting Zhuo Hua to be seated. Zhuo Hua nodded and took a seat.

"Your Majesty, please take a look. This is the projection transmitted just this morning. The armillary sphere atop Mount Cuiwei searched the lifeless void day and night until early dawn today, when the Bureau of Astronomy finally obtained definitive news."

"A newborn golden sun?" Zhuo Hua asked, raising his head.

Nuo Rufeng nodded. "It is newly born. A rough estimate puts the golden sun's age at a mere thirty thousand years; it can still be considered an infant. Its spiritual essence is abundant and full of vitality."

"Are you certain there are no living beings in the vicinity?"

"The time was too tight to deduce fully, but judging by the age of the golden sun, a mere thirty thousand years is far too short to engender any life forms," Nuo Rufeng replied.

Zhuo Hua pondered for a moment, pointing at the golden sun in the projection. "What is the distance? How far is it from here?"

"Five million li," Nuo Rufeng answered, his confidence clearly wavering.

"So far?" Zhuo Hua looked troubled.

"Indeed. Setting out from the Cloud Palace would require carrying too much heavy baggage, and the journey is arduous. Going and returning would likely take ten years."

"If we could bring back all of the spiritual essence, roughly how much would there be?" Zhuo Hua pressed further.

"Judging by the size and age of this golden sun, and subtracting the consumption of the army along the way, we could transport back about five million Sun Essence Jades."

Zhuo Hua calculated rapidly in his mind. With these five million Sun Essence Jades, his light-screen grand array could be successfully activated.

"However," Nuo Rufeng hesitated, leaving the sentence unfinished.

"Speak your mind freely."

"However, if we were to still use the traditional solar eclipse array to collect it, I'm afraid it would take tens of thousands of years to complete the harvest. If we could use the Golden Elixir as the core technique..." Nuo Rufeng stopped there, raising his eyes to observe Zhuo Hua's expression.

Zhuo Hua's face remained completely calm. He said indifferently, "Use it if it is needed. The Golden Elixir has been kept in the armory, and this is not the first time we have done such a thing. We are in a time of hardship and distress now; appropriate flexibility is permissible."

Nuo Rufeng was overjoyed. "With the Exalted Sovereign's words, this subject is reassured. However, this subject has one more presumptuous request."

"Speak."

"I wish to ask Your Majesty for an imperial decree—a decree authorizing the use of the Golden Elixir as the core technique." Nuo Rufeng raised his hands above his head, extending them toward Zhuo Hua in a gesture of petition.

Zhuo Hua stood up, preparing to leave, and said as he walked, "There will be no decree, but the matter is something you and Kui Mulang must undertake. Give me a plan as soon as possible, and I will provide you with all necessary resources, save for that decree."

Nuo Rufeng felt a pang in his chest, yet he pulled his hands back and uttered a long, drawn-out assent.

When Zhuo Hua had slowly walked out of the grand hall and his figure had completely vanished beneath the stone steps, an aged figure emerged from the shadows. His back was slightly hunched, but his footsteps were extremely steady.

"Palace Master," Nuo Rufeng bowed in salute.

Dou Muxie waved a hand, mocking himself, "I am long past that! Do not address me thus henceforth."

"The Palace Master is merely resting temporarily. In time, the Exalted Sovereign will surely reinstate the Palace Master," Nuo Rufeng replied respectfully, remaining deeply bowed.

"He is as calculating as ever!" Dou Muxie looked in the direction where Zhuo Hua had departed and suddenly uttered these words.

This remark frightened Nuo Rufeng profoundly. He quickly glanced around and took a few swift steps to close the heavy doors.

"How can the former Palace Master speak thus!" His tone was seven parts respectful and three parts reproachful.

"He demands both fame and profit, yet leaves the perils and hardships to others. Every single scheme is meticulously calculated, playing with human hearts in the palm of his hand," Dou Muxie said with a sneer of mockery.

Nuo Rufeng sighed deeply. He had already been harboring worries in his heart, and upon hearing Dou Muxie's words, those anxieties surged to the surface as well.

"Former Palace Master, perhaps the Exalted Sovereign has his own hidden difficulties."

Dou Muxie offered a cold laugh. "His hidden difficulties are simply that tattered old manual of Xuanhuang ancestral teachings. The notion that any land imbued with spirit must not be desecrated—Xuanhuang clings to these piles of obsolete ancestral teachings, trapping himself in a cocoon of his own making, and ultimately bringing about the destruction and extinction of his own clan."

He grew somewhat agitated, his voice rising in volume. Nuo Rufeng waved his hands repeatedly, gesturing for him to lower his voice.

"What? Do you take me to be afraid of the guards of the Flying Fish Department now? I am already a man who has died once; what harm is there in entering the heavenly prison once more?"

Nuo Rufeng tried to persuade him repeatedly. "Even if the former Palace Master does not consider yourself, you must consider your entire family, old and young alike."

These words struck Dou Muxie's sore spot, and his entire body instantly collapsed like a deflated sheepskin raft.

Spiritless, he muttered, "Fine then! If the matter he has assigned you goes smoothly, all is well; should an accident occur, we shall shoulder it together."

Nuo Rufeng felt a warmth in his heart and uttered a word of thanks, yet a doubt began to nag at him: "What kind of accident could possibly happen?"

Lan Sheng was at home organizing his luggage. With departure imminent, his heart grew increasingly restless.

"Yuner! Where did you put my brush and paper? Why are they not on the desk?" Lan Sheng shouted at the top of his lungs toward the outside.

Hearing the call, Zhuo Yun came into the bamboo house from outside, placed the freshly cooked dishes on the table near the entrance, and walked in while asking, "What is it?"

"Where have my brush and paper gone?" Lan Sheng pointed at the empty desk and asked Zhuo Yun.

"How long has it been since you spent time here? Weren't brush, ink, paper, and inkstone moved over to my side long ago?" Zhuo Yun looked somewhat puzzled.

"How could that be? I am over there during the day, but I still come back here to sleep every night! Don't I need to write when I sleep?" Lan Sheng grew somewhat irritable, his voice rising accordingly.

Zhuo Yun was not annoyed. Obediently, she walked over to Lan Sheng, snuggled up against him, buried her head in his chest, and gently patted his forechest with her hand, saying, "You now! Do not worry too much. On this trip to the Nine Heavens New Star, there are so many Star Lords accompanying you, as well as the Twelve Guards of the Cloud Palace. Most importantly, my brother is also by your side."

With that, she raised her head pityingly, looked at Lan Sheng's anxious face, and continued, "You are someone who has ventured in and out of the Auspicious Cloud Void; what grand scenes have you not experienced? You used to be extremely confident before leading an expedition!"

Lan Sheng sighed, wrapped his arms around tiny Zhuo Yun, and said softly, "Little Fish, you do not understand. This time is different from the past. Although the Supreme Sovereign has already announced that this expedition is not solely for my sake, people everywhere will more or less say that we are mobilizing such a vast multitude for the sake of his future brother-in-law. Now I feel that those palace masters and star lords look at me differently than before."

Zhuo Yun covered her mouth with a light laugh. "My great hero, good man of the Lan clan, since when did you care so much about the gaze of others? They say marriage makes a person mature, but we aren't married yet! How is it that you have changed so quickly?"

A flush of red suddenly appeared on Lan Sheng's handsome, fair face. He gave Zhuo Yun's head a light tap. "Even you are making fun of me? Where did you learn all these crooked theories?"

With a soft cry of "ouch," Zhuo Yun rubbed her head and replied with an aggrieved expression, "These words were all spoken by Sister Jialan. If you want to hit someone, go hit your cousin."

"I wouldn't dare provoke my sister! Even Palace Master Lin, formidable a man as he is, has been subdued into complete obedience by my sister. If I went, I wouldn't even be enough for her to stir-fry in a pan."

"So you just pick on me instead?" Zhuo Yun pouted, looking quite indignant.

Lan Sheng chuckled, pulling Zhuo Yun tightly into his embrace, and said, "How could I bear to bully you? I don't even have enough time to cherish you! You are so understanding, so good to me, and you cook such wonderful meals—you are my precious treasure."

With that, he moved to press his lips against Zhuo Yun's face.

With a little cry, Zhuo Yun hurriedly broke free from his embrace, patted her chest, and waved her hands at Lan Sheng. "No! No! Why are you ambushing me again? We said that until we are married, we cannot do things like this. If you do this again, I will ignore you!"

A mischievous smile plastered across his face, Lan Sheng leaned against a bamboo chair and said, "The girls of our Lan clan are relatively open-minded. Whether we are married or not, stealing a little kiss is no big deal at all!"

Zhuo Yun placed her hands on her hips and said angrily, "Then go find the girls of your Lan clan! Why come and flirt with me?"

Seeming to realize she had said something she shouldn't have, Zhuo Yun quickly covered her mouth.

Lan Sheng laughed up to the skies. "It is precisely because of this attitude of yours that people want to cherish you! All right, no more joking. Let's eat, let's eat."

In the courtyard behind the grand hall of the Azure Dragon Palace, Tian Jialan had just returned from the martial practice grounds, carelessly tossing her personal weapons to the maidservant behind her, and strode into the eastern study.

"You're back?" Lin柏 (Lin Bo) put down the official documents in his hand and looked at Tian Jialan with a smile filling his eyes.

"Mm!" Tian Jialan poured herself a full cup of water and drank it down without a moment's pause.

"Princess, could you please stop going to martial practice? Physician An said you must rest properly so you can nourish the fetus." Lin Bo stood up, walked to her side, and wrapped his arms around Tian Jialan from behind.

"Nonsense. When my mother was carrying my brothers and sisters, didn't she practice archery and horsemanship every single day? I've never seen any of my brothers or sisters perish prematurely. I think old man An has no genuine skills; he just babbles nonsense to cheat people out of consultation fees."

Lin Bo hurriedly stopped her. "Do not speak such nonsense. Physician An's medical skills were even praised by the Supreme Sovereign. Though he is of the immortal descendant lineage, he is capable of curing the illnesses of the demon clan, the monster clan, and human beings. To win such renown here in the Cloud Palace, he is definitely not some wandering quack of the sort you describe."

Tian Jialan did not argue with him. She turned around, looking at Lin Bo with seductive eyes, and asked, "Why aren't you reading your official documents? Why do you keep crowding around me?"

Lin Bo chuckled. "My princess has returned; naturally, Lin Bo must come to greet her majesty!"

Tian Jialan looked at Lin Bo with a mischievous smile and asked, "Am I that important?"

"Naturally important," Lin Bo replied with a completely serious expression.

"Then if I have anything that needs doing, will you help me handle it?"

"What are the princess's instructions?" Lin Bo feigned a bow in salute.

"That little wench from the Vermilion Bird Palace was wagging her tongue behind my back, saying you are a coward who shrinks back in the face of battle. It made me furious."

"Why bother paying attention to such petty people? Would you have me, a Palace Master, go slap them across the face?"

Tian Jialan chuckled. "No need. This princess has already taken action on your behalf. You don't need to thank me, except that when Qin Ying comes making a fuss over it, you'll have to deal with the fallout yourself."