Volume One: Unaware of Being a Guest in a Dream
Spring, Year 697 of the Baoying Era.
The soft dialects and peaceful songs and dances of Jiangnan were shattered by the sudden arrival of iron cavalry and smoke, like bubbles bursting in water, disappearing like a mirage. Later generations recorded this as the beginning of the decline of the Yu Dynasty, and even a resurgence a hundred years later could not return to its former prosperity.
It was like waking from a grand dream, the curtain falling on a flourishing era.
The streets were long deserted, with only gray dust swirling in the air. Those who could escape had fled south, while those who couldn’t had shut their courtyard doors tightly, hoping to survive or at least die cleanly, buried in the land that nurtured them, giving rise to new tree roots.
“Fifth Prince… Fifth Young Master,” a pretty maid hurriedly approached, holding a bundle. She handed a rolled-up letter to her master. The maid wore a silk dress of a low grade, not uncommon in the silk-rich Jiangnan region, and it didn’t reveal her master’s identity.
However, this maid had a lovely face, and in Jiangnan, a girl with such a face shouldn’t be a servant, even if she had fallen on hard times.
In this world, a girl’s beauty could be a blessing when her family was wealthy, but when they fell, it became a curse. It might be better not to be so striking.
Though the maids were already quite beautiful, their master was even more so. He was just a thirteen-year-old boy, but his beautiful eyes were already taking shape. The warm weather and humid air brought a blush to his cheeks, making him look even more enchanting.
The boy had golden eyes and naturally curly black hair that fell over his shoulders. He wore a dark green silk outfit that accentuated his slender yet graceful figure. Although the clothes were deliberately plain to avoid attention, his aura made even ordinary clothes look expensive.
The young master seemed aware of this. He tugged at his clothes and frowned, “Forget it, I’ll just go out less often. It’s not like I can’t hide.”
He had to hide; otherwise, in these turbulent times, he would become a target.
The royal family of this crumbling dynasty bore the surname Lou. The Imperial Concubine Murong, known for her stunning beauty, was favored upon entering the palace but bore only one son in ten years, named Shuangzui, full name Lou Shuangzui.
Perhaps she was not destined to have more children. After giving birth, the Imperial Concubine quickly succumbed to a bleeding disorder and died, posthumously honored as the Dutiful and Kind Empress. The fifth prince, Lou Shuangzui, was then arranged by the Empress Dowager to be adopted by Empress Chen.
Of course, these were the official, pleasant-sounding explanations. In reality, the Imperial Concubine was killed by the Emperor and Empress Dowager. The Murong family controlled seventy percent of the Yu Dynasty’s military. If the Imperial Concubine had more children, the Emperor would fear for his throne.
But since they couldn’t prevent the birth, they decided to keep the child and eliminate the mother, ensuring the child wouldn’t fall under the Murong family’s control.
This was the outcome under the royal family’s control. However, Lou Shuangzui’s body housed the soul of an adult. As the leader of the Mercenary Alliance in the star era, he quickly assessed the situation and contacted the Murong family, reclaiming his mother’s loyal followers.
Now, with northern barbarians invading and uprisings everywhere, the royal family was unstable, and the Murong family held military power.
Any ambitious prince would want to eliminate Lou Shuangzui, and anyone seeking military power would want to control him. Ministers calling for a new ruler were also searching for him.
“The tree wants to be still, but the wind won’t stop…” Lou Shuangzui shook his head, quickly hiding the gloom and sharpness he couldn’t suppress. He was like a bored snake, waiting for the right moment to strike and destroy all obstacles, suppressing the venom in his blood.
The maid opened the dusty gate of the newly purchased courtyard for him. He lifted his long robe and stepped inside.
At this point, he might as well make the best of it.
However, for the first time, things didn’t go as Lou Shuangzui expected. Something unexpected happened.
The newly purchased courtyard was empty, covered in dust from neglect. A beautiful pear tree stood at the edge, its white petals fluttering down, reminiscent of snow in Chang’an.
But the figure under the tree was even more beautiful than the blossoms.
With hair as white as snow and purple eyes that were clear and indifferent, the figure exuded a serene yet distant aura, unmistakably not of this world.
—”An immortal touched my head, granting me longevity.”
Lou Shuangzui was momentarily stunned, the line of poetry surfacing in his mind. But he quickly snapped back to reality. The young prince glanced around, noticing that the maids seemed oblivious to the unexpected guest.
Seeing her master turn his head, the maid who had just delivered the letter looked puzzled and concerned, “Fifth Young Master?”
Lou Shuangzui’s eyes flickered, and he nonchalantly shifted his gaze, nodding slightly, “It’s nothing.”
The maids resumed their work, and when they sensed Lou Shuangzui wanted some time alone, they discreetly moved away, giving him space.
When his gaze returned to the tree, the immortal hadn’t vanished like a mirage. He still stood there, his indifferent demeanor masking his exceptional features. The immortal had a gentle face, and when he lowered his eyes, he resembled the flowers, drifting willow catkins, and snow in the capital, possessing a delicate, scattered beauty.
Sensing Lou Shuangzui’s unabashed gaze, the white-haired beauty turned and smiled gently.
Though separated by distance, Lou Shuangzui seemed to hear the man’s voice, like a clear spring, cool and transparent. He said, “Please come over here, child.”
…Go over?
A stranger who appeared out of nowhere, invisible to the martial maids, whether it was a hallucination or not, it was unwise to be so reckless.
Yet Lou Shuangzui felt inexplicably compelled, a premonition making him hesitate. After a moment’s consideration, he actually took a step forward.
Like a pampered lamb, completely unguarded.
But was he really unguarded?
The white-haired immortal withdrew his gaze from Lou Shuangzui’s sleeve, where a dagger lay hidden. The blade was coated with the deadliest poison in the kingdom, lethal with a single cut, beyond any cure.
If he dared to act, this young cub, not even a fraction of his age, would undoubtedly strike without hesitation, delivering a fatal blow.
To survive in the palace without the protection of his maternal family, even if only superficially, and navigate the dangers of lurking predators, how could he be a lamb? He was clearly a wolf cub.
But as he watched, the immortal’s gaze returned to that face. If the Imperial Concubine Murong had the enchanting beauty of a fox, her child inherited her features but with a more somber and fierce demeanor, resembling a snake instead.
A little venomous snake, but quite adorable.
And knowing caution and resistance was a good thing. The cultivation world was no place for the kind-hearted. Opportunities and resources were limited, and immortals, demons, monsters, and ghosts all vied for them. Even among the same race, conflicts were constant. Survival was a matter of the strong devouring the weak.
The immortal couldn’t help but chuckle. He bent down, bringing his gaze level with the thirteen-year-old, his brows softening into a gentle smile, once again making Lou Shuangzui admire his beauty.
“I am Lian Chaoxi, the Silver Splendor Sword Master of the Chen Yue Sect in the Immortal Realm. Would you like to be my disciple?”
Lou Shuangzui was stunned.
Not because of the sudden opportunity, nor out of fear of deception, but because the name was so familiar.
Lian Chaoxi? Chen Yue Sect?
Ah, Chen Yue Sect.
Before his transmigration, he had seen the name of this sect in a BL novel that one of his subordinates had unknowingly placed by his side. He had skimmed through it, vaguely remembering it as a melodramatic story of forced love and deep affection.
The protagonist was Yu Qing, the Snow Shadow Sword Master, and his master, who died early, was named Lian Chaoxi. The protagonist was the second disciple, and the first disciple, the future head of Chen Yue Sect, shared the same name as Lou Shuangzui.
Was this a transmigration into a book? Or a conspiracy and illusion?
Lou Shuangzui had long confirmed the reality of this world, but why was it so coincidental, so precise? Was it really not a hazy fantasy induced by drugs?
Full of suspicion, his golden eyes became even more like a snake’s pupils, filled with a deadly haze. Lou Shuangzui looked at Lian Chaoxi, who didn’t mind the terrifying gaze that seemed unfit for a child, only smiling and patiently waiting for Lou Shuangzui’s answer.
After a while, the boy pinched his palm, lowered his eyes, and lifted his robe. He glanced at the surrounding maids, noticing that they seemed entranced, oblivious to his actions.
“Disciple Lou Shuangzui, greets Master.” The fabric covering his knees touched the ground, soaking up the dampness of the grass, spreading a dark stain.
Lian Chaoxi didn’t seem surprised by Lou Shuangzui’s choice. He smiled warmly at his new disciple, both accepting and joyful. “What inspired your name?”
“Drunk with flowers, hosting three thousand guests; a sword’s frost chills fourteen states.”
“Indeed, a good name.”
Drinking frost and snow, intoxicated, feeling no chill from the blade, the building reaching the clouds with no end in sight.
A promising seed for the Path of Affection, both affectionate and emotionless.
Thus, in the year 697 of the Baoying Era, the fifth prince Lou Shuangzui disappeared in Jiangnan. According to the letter he left before his disappearance, the third prince gained the support of the Murong family. Ten years later, peace reigned, and the third prince Lou Mingyue ascended the throne, changing the era name to Shengde, posthumously honoring the fifth prince as Prince Wei.
Forty years later, the fifth prince remained missing.
Author’s Note: