What exactly was this object?
Qiu Yutong lay on the short chair beside the window and lifted the tortoiseshell up, observing it carefully under the sunlight.
On that night three days ago, Liu Bitao and himself were thrown into Bailu courtyard’s dried-up well by North Sea* Sword sect’s Tu Wuwei and coincidentally found this piece of tortoiseshell. Only until the second morning, was he able to step on Liu Bitao’s shoulders and climb out, and used a rope to pull Liu Bitao out.
[T/N: I’ve always translated this as Beihai, but I’ll use this from now on.]
But after he came back and thought for a few days, he still couldn’t figure out what exactly this tortoiseshell was.
This tortoiseshell was only around the size of half a palm, circular in shape, it was a small part of an entire tortoiseshell.
The tortoiseshell was jet-black and glossy as if over the endless years, many people had caressed it, but the veined patterns on it were still clear. But the winding patterns were extremely complicated; it was evident that someone carved onto it, with a vermillion bird carved onto its side.
The spiritual presence of the tortoiseshell was weak, by being at the bottom of the well, as well as being covered by the dead energy of the corpse, it was no wonder nobody found it. If the corpse hadn’t decayed to bones, leading to the weakened death energy, even third shixiong’s, “Spiritual Presence Talisman”, a specialised talisman for finding the presence of spiritual beasts, wouldn’t have found it.
Qiu Yutong muttered, “This kind of thing, how did it find itself in a little palace maid’s stomach?”
He thought for a long while and couldn’t think of a reason why, so he simply stopped. He put down the shell and yawned. At that moment, as he thought about an afternoon nap, a crisp voice sounded from outside the door.
“Ah Rong, Ah Rong*! Look at what nice things I’ve brought over?”
[T/N: Ah can be added as a kind of prefix to a person’s name to indicate intimacy. Similar to the -er suffix, but -er is usually used by an elder in the family for a younger member, while Ah can be used between lovers and friends.]
Qiu Yutong got a headache. Liu Bitao had already walked into the room happily. In his hands was a small wine pot, “Ah Rong, today, you have to accompany me and drink to our hearts’ content.”
Seeing this bouncing and vivacious beautiful youth, Qiu Yutong’s lip couldn’t help curving up.
After he had saved Liu Bitao, this kid’s attitude did a complete one-eighty. From the previously nitpicky character to someone who came by practically every day, mentioning eating and drinking and playing, one-sidedly treating Qiu Yutong like his good friend.
“Young Master Liu, you better drink it yourself,” Qiu Yutong lazily said.
“How many times must I say it, Ah Rong, just call me Bitao, what’s with this identity.” Liu Bitao pouted, eyes rolling. Then, he lowered his voice and said mysteriously, “These past few days, I found a good place in the palace, you’ve definitely never seen such a beautiful place. I’ll bring you to see, okay? Okay?
Qiu Yutong couldn’t persuade him otherwise and since he didn’t have anything to do, he was half-dragged, half-hauled out the door.
The two of them headed towards the northwest corner of Daning Palace. Originally, they were still able to bump into two or three eunuchs and palace maids, but it gradually became more secluded, until they practically couldn’t see anyone anymore.
Qiu Yutong became more hesitant as he walked, this direction… Could it be?
It was that place?
Didn’t Lu Xiao seal that place?
Liu Bitao dragged Qiu Yutong on for quite a while and finally stopped under a tall majestic vermillion wall. This wall was around two feet tall, filled with spots of peeling paint, and the weeds growing at the foot of the wall was as tall as half a person.
Liu Bitao pried open a bunch of dry grass in high spirits and revealed a dog whole around a third of a metre wide, “Ah Rong, look!”
Qiu Yutong, “…”
Liu Bitao smiled in satisfaction, “What about it? Unexpected right? Isn’t it a nice surprise?”
Qiu Yutong kneaded his temple and sighed, “Young Master Liu… Bitao, the good place you mentioned is Pure Frosted Jade courtyard?”
Liu Bitao blinked his eyes, “That’s right. I heard that Pure Frosted Jade courtyard was extremely beautiful, and the Qixue terrace was made completely from a large chunk of white marble. I’ve always wanted to go in but it’s a pity that after His Majesty ascended the throne, he sealed this courtyard. Luckily, I found this dog hole, hee hee.”
Qiu Yutong looked up at the high palace walls and was slightly emotionally affected.
That year, after Lu Xiao sent the old emperor into house arrest, he carried out a large construction and built this large Pure Frosted Jade courtyard as well as the Qixue terrace in the courtyard.
At that time, he had asked Lu Xiao why he had built this courtyard, which didn’t have much use.
At that time, how did Lu Xiao reply?
Lu Xiao smiled slightly, “Shizun, after I build this courtyard, I can pick the best osmanthus flowers in autumn and make the most delicious osmanthus cakes under the heavens. As the heir to the throne, I don’t have many things I like, don’t tell me that even this tiny wish of mine cannot be granted?
The most delicious osmanthus cakes under the heavens… Qiu Yutong silently swallowed his saliva and said lightly, “If you really like it, then there’s no harm.”
Soon, the courtyard was done.
At that time, it was late autumn, large gold and white osmanthus flowers filled the branches. Like clouds and the sunset, it was incomparable splendid, the entire Daning Palace was enveloped in its fragrance.
It was a pity that he hadn’t been able to wait for Lu Xiao’s osmanthus caked before ascending.
……
Qiu Yutong was entranced by the past then his arm was suddenly shaken vigorously.
He came back to himself and Liu Bitao was staring at him in dissatisfaction, “Ah Rong, why are you acting dumb, let’s go.”
“Eh, how? … Through the dog hole?”
“How else?” Liu Bitao lay down, squeezing noisily through the dog hole, “Ah Rong, hurry up! It’s so big here! So fragrant!”
Qiu Yutong looked at the dog hole, “…”
Forget it, anyways nobody recognised him here. Moreover, he definitely missed this courtyard.
Once he went in, the strong osmanthus flower fragrance collided with his face.
At this time, the sun was setting, the warm hazy purple of the twilight sky softly enveloped the entire courtyard.
The courtyard was already extremely broken down, the dried-up and yellow weeds reached the waist, the osmanthus trees that filled the courtyard were extremely verdant, large gold and white osmanthus flowers filled the in-between, fragrance drifting.
“So beautiful…” Liu Bitao murmured.
Qiu Yutong also lamented, “That’s right.”
It was even more beautiful before.
Liu Bitao suddenly pulled up his hand and urged, “Walk, let’s go look at Qixue terrace!”
Qixue terrace… Qiu Yutong hadn’t come back to himself when he was pulled into a run.
This courtyard was simply too big. Two people ran for a long time before Liu Bitao stopped, gasping.
He looked up and widened his eyes, “This is Qixue terrace? So tall!”
Qiu Yutong looked up at that large building and said softly, “Nine by nine zhang.*”
[T/N: 1 zhang is a third of a metre.]
The enormous terrace in front of him was completely built by piling large chunks of white marble together. Its entire body was an unblemished snow-white, under the twilight afterglow emerged a soft glossy radiance, seeming like it wasn’t a mortal item.
“Oh heavens, so pretty. Go, we’ll go up and take a look,” After Liu Bitao regained consciousness, he dragged Qiu Yutong to the bottom of the terrace.
It was a pity that a chain the size of his wrist locked up Qixue terrace’s doors.
Liu Bitai showed a disappointed expression, “It’s locked, so petty.”
Qiu Yutong lightly said, “There isn’t anything nice to look at upstairs, only a small pavilion.”
“You haven’t been up there how would you know?” Liu Bitao muttered as tried to pull off that iron chain. The iron chain naturally didn’t move.
Qiu Yutong lifted his head and watched this lonely terrace, lost in his thoughts. He didn’t reply.
Lu Xiao built this Qixue terrace according to his descriptions.
That year, he thought that he wouldn’t leave so quickly and would be in the human world for a long time. Maybe ten years, or twenty years, even fifty years, a hundred… He had even made his preparations, to pray for rain and snow for the common people in this terrace, blessing Chen dynasty with good weather for crops.
“Forget it, forget it, it’s fine if we can’t go up,” Liu Bitao was disappointed for a moment before quickly pulling himself together. He pulled Qiu Yutong and sat down on some flat ground nearby.
This piece of ground had Qixue terrace in the back, surrounded on all sides by osmanthus trees, which was extremely satisfactory.
Liu Bitao pulled out the rice wine and small dishes from the wrapping cloth and said happily, “Since we can’t go up, then we’ll eat here, it’s also not bad.”
The rice wine was indeed extremely tasty. Qiu Yutong took a small mouthful and exclaimed in admiration, “Not bad.”
Right now, the sun was setting, a large expanse of the horizon was a purple sunset glow, shining upon the endless osmanthus trees, both soft and desolate.
Liu Bitao drank the rice wine, watching the glow of the setting sun and suddenly softly recited a song.
“South’s sky, north’s sea, under North Snow City, Yuqin is destroyed… Yuqin is destroyed, unable to return, who is the former immortal today…”*
[T/N: I did my best but this line was very hard to make sense of without some context so if anyone knows more or has a better TL do let me know! Btw all the lines are supposed to rhyme in mandarin.]
Qiu Yutong was distracted, “What are you singing?”
Liu Bitao blinked, “A song, have you not heard it before? This was what my grandma taught me when I was young, everyone would sing it. This song is talking about an incident in the cultivation world. When there’s nothing to do, we should sing about immortals, maybe we can get some of the immortal energy.”
Qiu Yutong nodded, “No wonder.”
Chen dynasty holds cultivators in high esteem, every family wished that their child would be able to enter the best sect, even the royal family is no exception.
“South’s sky, north’s sea, under North Snow City, Yuqin is destroyed… Yuqin is destroyed, unable to return, who is the former immortal today…” Qiu Yutong followed Liu Bitao and softly crooned the song.
In his daze, he seemed to have returned to that peaceful cultivation world.
“Ah Rong, what is the meaning of this song? What south sky and north sea, what North snow city, and also Yuqin…”
“South’s sky refers to South Mountain Temple, north’s sea refers to North Sea sword sect.” Qiu Yutong paused then continued, “Under North Snow City, Yuqin is destroyed… refers to North Snow City and Yuqin Palace.”
Liu Bitao widened his eyes, “Ah Rong, you’re so awesome, you know everything! These sects and schools are the cultivation sects? Who is the immortal?”
“South Mountain Temple, North Sea Sword Sect, North Snow City, Yuqin Palace, these four are the four biggest sects in the cultivation world. Immortal is probably referring to Qingheng immortal, he was an almighty rogue cultivator from two thousand years ago. Legends say that he knew everything under the heavens. After that, it was unknown why, he perished in the Blood Prison secret realm, sword broken and person dead,” Qiu Yutong explained, “I’m not too clear on the details, I heard this from shi*… from the my elders.”
[T/N: He was about to say Shizun.]
Liu Bitao stared at Qiu Yutong in worship, “Ah Rong, you know so much. Right, previously you shifted that Old Daoist’s sword away, are you a child of an old martial arts family? Then why were you sold to a bro… that kind of place? Your swordsmanship is so good, it’s such a pity.”
Qiu Yutong didn’t know how to answer and could only keep silent and say, “The way of the sword is vast and limitless. The technique I used to save you that day…”
He stood up and casually plucked a thin osmanthus tree branch, tilting it up to the sky. This was precisely the force that was able to achieve much with little effort. “… is called the Big Dipper.”
Qiu Yutong had drunk too much rice wine, and was now a little tipsy. After gesturing twice, he couldn’t resist a light whistle and circled around in a sword dance.
The sky gradually darkened, and the sky was slowly filled with bright stars.
In the osmanthus forest where the night sky was like water, white sleeves spun and fluttered, droplets of sword light flickered around in large quantities as if the stars filling the sky were falling, or the falling of peach blossoms at the end of spring.
“Good! She used to commence a dance with the power of thunderbolts topping all fury,
And end like still rivers and seas where a clear reflection of the moon would come to port!*” Liu Bitao didn’t understand swordsmanship, but in the end, he was still the son of a noble family; when such a dazzling display, he couldn’t help but cheer loudly.
[T/N: From a CN poem: Ode to a Sword Dance by Madam Gongsun’s Disciple. Link to translation: https://28utscprojects.wordpress.com/2011/01/18/064/]
Qiu Yutong danced excitedly, casually natural yet frequent making strange moves. This style was something he evolved from the《Nine Questions Sword Technique》, it was more agile and elegant, yet reducing the harsh and desolate feeling.
No way, this body was too weak to handle《Nine Questions Sword Technique》, he could only alter it somewhat, depending on □□.
[T/N: I have no idea what the □□ mean. Could be a variety of things…]
“Clatter!!”
Suddenly, the crisp sound of a wine pot shatter came from behind; it was Liu Bitao who dropped the wine pot in shock.
After that, it was Liu Bitao’s stutter, “Your, Your Majesty…”
Qiu Yutong hadn’t regained his mind when an ice-cold slender hand had already gripped his wrist firmly.
The strength in the other party’s hand was intimidating, feeling like an iron hoop. Qiu Yutong could almost hear the bones of this body’s thin and weak wrist creaking. Under the sharp pain, his fingers couldn’t help but loosen, there was a soft “pacha” and the osmanthus flower tree branch fell to the ground.
Lu Xiao’s pair of pitch-black eyes were deadset on him and he questioned severely, “Your sword-play, where did you learn it?!”
