"It’s been two years. I’ve heard that first three ports opened were now seven ports. Sea trade was flourishing, and this brought along a whole new era of ship building business."
At this point, Pei Zi Yun boarded a boat which was three stories for the first time ever. The space within the boat was much larger than the last time he had been aboard one. The first level of the boat was the surface level, and the second level and third levels had entertainment halls. Curtains adorned both sides of the main hall, on the third level. There was a banquet, which had wine and tea being served.
There were twenty to thirty people on board the boat, with differing purposes for being on board. Some were merchants, others were students, tourists and even people travelling to meet their relatives. Everyone had different cultures, religions and belief as they mingled together. Pei Zi Yun walked up to the third floor, and heard a a lively chatter coming from within the hall.
‘So it seemed like mister scholar is reading a story.’
The banquet was arranged around the hall. The floor was tiled a deep shade of mahogany. Mister scholar was in the middle speaking. Pei Zi Yun beckoned for the waiter and placed an order for several dishes. The boat had just docked yesterday to replenish supplies, and thus the dishes were sumptuous. He started listening to mister scholar speak.
"To sum it up, Fan Li was a renowned advisor in the Chu State. He was an elegant and refined person, who didn’t bother himself with the trivialities of life. In everything he did, he exceeded expectations and always outperformed himself. The locals always addressed him as Crazy Fan."
"When Wen Zhong was appointed as the magistrate of the Chu State, he decided to pay Fan Li a visit after hearing of his reputation."
"When the both of them met, they discussed matters of the monarch and politics at great length, and agreed with each other on almost every conversation. They almost felt regret for not meeting each other earlier on in their lives. After countless of intense discussions, they arrived at the conclusion that their entire nation, the Chu State, was in a state of flux, and nothing could be done. Hence, Wen Zhong decided to resign his official position. Wen Zhong and Fan Li then packed their bags, and moved to Wu State, where it was thriving and flourishing. This was because the King of Wu State listened to his trusted advisor, Wu Zi Xu and took his advice constantly."
At this point, someone from the crowd blurted out, "Throughout history, Chu State was always more prosperous than Wu State. I’ve never heard of Wu Zi Xu as well in the state of Wu as well."
Someone then shouted back at him, "This is the story of the Woman Assassin, and might not be the most accurate portrayal of real life events. Stop interrupting you stupid bookworm."
The first person seemed to be unhappy and mumbled, "Absurdity!"
"Is there really such a….. Beautiful woman under the heaven? Fan Li, she… She’s much…. Much prettier than however you described her to me!" Ah Qing looked at Xi Shi, the woman who stole Fan Li’s heart from her. Even her own killing intent was gradually subsiding as a result of being in the presence of such a beauty. She then smashed through the window and fled.
The person who was reading the story then lowered his voice, "From then on, Xi Shi was stricken with a certain lovesickness whenever Fan Li wasn't around. Fan Li and Xi Shi roamed the entire world as a loving couple. Although they lost high positions in the government office, they earned each other, and won a lifetime of love and happiness. They lost some, but also won some."
The story that was being read was The Woman Assassin, written by Pei Zi Yun. Although it was a novel written in his modern life, he tweaked it to match the circumstance of his present world.
"Fellow seniors and juniors, I will be glad to receive donations for reading. Please donate generously. If not, I wouldn’t have enough money to buy another book, and wouldn’t be able to read you all a new story." The storyteller gave a pitiful look, as he held a little bronze pot, and walked through the crowd.
A lady was wearing a mask, covering the lower portion of her face. At this point, she was seated in the front row, and her eyes had a distant gaze to them. When the storyteller with the bronze pot stepped past her, she withdrew an ingot of silver and placed it into the pot. The storyteller’s face was overjoyed, "Thank you for your kind donation, little miss."
The lady then looked at the storyteller and asked, "Who’s the author of this book?"
The storyteller paused and smiled, "Little miss, the author was the person who wrote – Let’s Drink Up –. He wrote a total of three stories, which are being spread all through the city. Many bookstalls within the city are selling his works as well."
"Many thanks." The lady thanked him, and looked into the storyteller’s eyes before walking out.
Pei Zi Yun looked at the lady, his gazed lingered for some time. She was holding a sword by her side. She must be a lady fighter who had left the ganglands in search of her own adventure. She must’ve been mesmerized by the story which he wrote.
Three books, each with their own unique stories.
–The Woman Assassin– was a story about a woman belonging to the ganglands. Since martial arts existed in this world, naturally, there would be skilled female fighters as well.
–The Butterfly Lovers– was a remake of Romeo and Juliet. A love story which emphasized on the relationship between a couple who were from different clans. Both these clans happened to be enemies with each other, and were opposed to their relationship. Their relationship was extremely tragic and sentimental. Such a book would appeal more to the women audience.
–Nie Xiao Qian– was a story about a female spirit and a scholar. However, this particular world they were in were extremely fearful of spirits. Hence, opinions regarding this novel was extremely strong. Of course, Pei Zi Yun had edited certain bits to ensure that it fitted right into the present culture of the people.
Pei Zi Yun watched on as the audience immersed themselves in his stories, and embraced them as if they were the protagonists of his stories. Seeing them enjoy it so much made him feel extremely contented. He then thought that by writing these novels, he improved the literary culture of the entire world. In fact, how could even a thousand books make an impact on the literary culture of the world? Even with ten or hundred years of experience, could whatever imprint being made compare to the hundreds and thousands of authors and writers before him?
When he had finished eating, he returned to the cabin within the boat. He then closed the door and lay down on the boat. As he raised a finger up to press something invisible, a Plum Blossom appeared before his eyes. It started growing bigger with increasing speed until it became a semi transparent information interface, bearing with it faint light perception.
"Divine Powers : Stars Transposition Level 2 (25.11% Completed)"
'Originally, when I broke through to the second level, I used up all the prestige points. Now, it’s starting to increase once more.'
'In order to equip myself for the fight then, I had to increase my level to the second level of the Stars Transposition. When I finally make it to the third level, I can consider taking on the Yin Master form throughout my entire body. The first and second levels was to create a corporeal form.'
'The third and fourth levels was to transcend to the spiritual realm. This meant that I would be able to look through the eyes of a Yin Master. When I reach that stage, I would be able to visually see spirits and ghouls.'
'The fifth and sixth levels granted the ability to travel down to the underworld, Paradise and even into the spiritual realms of memorial shrines to visit the spirits leaving within. This was not using any Dao arts to manipulate a person’s physical body. Instead, I can actually go in my own body.'
'The seventh and eight levels would see a removal of names from the name lists within the underworld. That means that when a person dies, he would no longer belong to the underworld. The ninth and tenth level was the full circle attainment. He would then be able to call himself an Earth Immortal.'
After feeling a certain change within his body, he opened his eyes. His Yin Master form was still in the creation of a corporeal form stage. He took several steps, many thoughts formed in his head.
'That year when Xie Cheng Dong acquired the Plum Blossom, he probably had other proficient abilities as well?' Pei Zi Yun thought before letting out a laugh. 'Everything that happened in the original owner’s memories are considered a delusion. I should do everything right from this point on.'
At this point, someone knocked on the door, "Is Young Master Pei in?"
The voice from behind the door belonged to a female. Pei Zi Yun paused for a second before answering the door. It was the lady from this morning. When she saw him, she greeted him politely, "Young Master, a noble wishes to see you."
"Who are you, who’s the noble?" Pei Zi Yun asked.
"Young master, there’s no need to worry. I am…" The lady took out a tile and showed it to Pei Zi Yun. It glimmered under the light, and was extremely bright. After showing it to him, she kept it within the folds of her clothes.
"Crown Prince Palace. Where’s the noble?" Pei Zi Yun asked. The lady then showed five fingers, before walking to the edge of the boat, where she pointed at the mountains and spoke out, "Five Fingers Mountain!"
Five Fingers Mountains wasn’t a particularly tall mountain. After getting off the boat and walking for several kilometers, the road leading to the mountain could be seen. Pei Zi Yun followed along the road and kept walking. While he walked up the mountains, he noticed that there were many trees and plants growing along the side of the road. Since the road was narrow, plants and vines could occasionally brush across his face and elbows while he walked.
Wisps of clouds could be seen floating in the sky. Pei Zi Yun could not help but think to himself, it was only early summer. If he were here during deep spring, what wonderful scenery he would encounter.
After walking for around thirty minutes, he reached the peak of the mountain. From where he stood, he had a bird’s eye view of the surroundings. On the top of the mountain, there was a flat piece of land which spanned around ten mu of land. He could see a monastery a short distance away.
A pair of young girls could seen standing outside the monastery. When they saw Pei Zi Yun, they didn’t utter a single word. Insteady, they just walked off, almost as if they were leading the way.
Pei Zi Yun followed them, until he saw several guards and a eunuch. Everyone single one of them bowed their heads and moved aside to allow him to pass. Or it could be that they didn’t even want to look at him. The pair of girls led him into a hall, where they saw a lady seated on a chair.
When Pei Zi Yun walked in, he took a step before bowing deeply. The lady stood up to receive him, "I finally get to meet you. Many thanks for rescuing me that day."
"I do not dare to receive your appreciation!" Pei Zi Yun hurriedly stepped aside, "My respects to my lady. That year I rescued you, I didn’t do it knowingly. I do not dare to receive your magnanimous gratitude."
The lady waved a hand, and everyone present excused themselves. Only a eunuch and an official remained. The lady then introduced, "This is Eunuch Qin and this is Zhang Qian Hu. They’re both close subjects of mine."
Pei Zi Yun looked up at them. Eunuch Qin had a pale and white face, with no hair on it. He was middle aged, and there was a twinkle within his eyes, indicative of a smart person, and was clearly skilled in fighting. He then looked over at the other man, Zhang Qian Hu had a tall and large frame. He stood up straight, and looked very intimidating.
That was not all he noticed. On the screen beside them, was a portrait. It was the painting of a man sitting under a willow tree, looking far into the distance. A river and the shore of it could was just next to him, where an imperial chariot waited. There was a female goddess standing beside it.
There was a particular story behind this painting, which Pei Zi Yun felt familiar about. He tried to recall the story behind the painting. He then realized that this wasn’t the painting he was thinking about. The painting he had in mind, was a person lying in ambush, waiting to kill the man under the tree.
"Please take a seat." The Imperial Concubine requested, and everyone present sat down. She then spoke, "It wasn’t easy for me to make my way here. My time spent with the Crown Prince is even rarer to come by."
"Young Master delivered the policy to exterminate the bandits. Without shedding a single drop of blood, he managed to transform the entire sea into a trading passage, and caused Ying Prefecture to earn three hundred thousand silver within the year. That was such an ingenious plan. Apart from thanking you, I wish to ask a favor for you. Do you have a good plan to help the Crown Prince?"
"As for the matter of being pursued and hunted, it wasn’t the intention of the Crown Prince for you to suffer that. It’s just that King Lu made an attempt on my life, and wanted to get rid of me. This implicated young master Pei. I really wish that young master would be able to come up with a plan to back the Crown Prince and weaken King Lu. Before long, they would have to clash head on with each other." When the Imperial Concubine spoke of King Lu, she was extremely upset.
Pei Zi Yun didn’t expect the Imperial Concubine to be so forward with her requests. It seemed to him like she didn’t have much time, and thus spared all the small talk. He then pondered, the entire hall was quiet.
The Imperial Concubine was right, only with the weakening of King Lu and the strengthening of Crown Prince would they be able to emerge victorious. He then spoke out, "That’s not difficult at all."
At this point everyone looked at him, with some sort of disbelief etched on their faces. Pei Zi Yun didn’t seem to mind. He then picked out a quill and prepared it for writing before speaking, "As for the Crown Prince, the first thing to do concerns your son, the Emperor’s grandson."
"In order for the Emperor to have peace and a steady reign, the most important thing for him was to ensure succession and continuity. Hence, it was clear that he placed an emphasis on having a grandson, an heir. This was the main threat to King Lu. Now that my lady had bore him a son, the big problem is half resolved."
"In order to liquify ice, it has to be subjected to heat and of course, time."
"At this point, we’re breaking through the layers of ice. This cannot be rushed, for the entire block of ice might sink if we exert too much force. Hence, the Crown Prince’s currents actions of waiting it out is extremely wise."
When everyone heard this, they nodded their heads in approval. Pei Zi Yun smiled before pausing. He then continued, "The only things in this world that cannot be passed to another person are birthrights and talents. Actually the Crown Prince’s biggest strength is that his status compared to King Lu is that of a monarch and a subject, where King Lu is his subject."
"But we cannot move too slowly as well. Everything has to be perfect, just like the quantity of medication to prescribe to the sick. I have an idea, which the Crown Prince can take into consideration." At this point, he spoke no further and started writing.
Small and tiny words, amounting to a thousand was written without problems. He then handed the paper over, which was received by the Imperial Concubine. Pei Zi Yun then placed the quill by the side and saluted, "My lady, please excuse your subject. I shall bid you farewell."
The Imperial Concubine looked around before sighing, she then hid the paper before instructing, "Zhang Qian Hu, escort Young Master Pei out."
Seeing that both men had walked out, she then turned around to ask, "Eunuch Qin, what do you think of him?"
"My lady, this man is extremely scary. Sitting by the side, I cannot even hope to win his breath. This man shouldn’t go anywhere near any royal members."
The Imperial Concubine laughed before standing up, "These words are very similar to that of the Army Commander. Let’s return!"
"Yes!" At this point more than two hundred people people appeared from within the monastery as they surrounded her and escorted her down the mountain.