In the capital of Nan Qian, Jinling City, at the State Preceptor’s residence.
Within the towering hall, a massive alchemy furnace was burning.
The State Preceptor, dressed in an indigo robe embroidered with bamboo leaves, stood before the furnace. With white hair and a youthful face, he exuded an air of immortal grace.
A young Alchemy Attendant in a light green bamboo-leaf-patterned robe stood quietly by the furnace, adjusting the fire-frequency control panel of the enormous alchemy furnace. The dense whirring of gears, accompanied by the crackling of flames, made the hall feel even more silent.
The Divine Mechanism Art was so exquisitely crafted, yet Nan Qian used such ingenuity for the Alchemy Pivot.
The Alchemy Attendant girl recalled her mother, an Alchemist from the Emperor’s maternal clan and even a senior relative of the Emperor, who had “volunteered” to die in the Alchemy Fire because the Emperor lacked a Catalyst. She thought to herself: If the Eastern Emperor truly had eyes, the first to be struck down should be the powerful nobles in this State Preceptor’s residence and the lofty black dragon above.
But she could only stand here, aiding and abetting evil. However, she had already seen her own future—such days would soon come to an end.
“Old Master.”
The State Preceptor slowly turned his head and saw Emperor Yunqi emerging from the deep black shadows of the hall, illuminated only by the Alchemy Fire. His narrow phoenix eyes were as sharp as blades.
“Your Majesty.”
The State Preceptor bowed in a gesture of reverence to the gods. He had served as State Preceptor since the previous emperor’s reign and had practically watched Emperor Yunqi grow up. He performed the gesture with excessive humility, fearing the Emperor’s displeasure.
Emperor Yunqi showed no expression and waved his hand to dismiss the State Preceptor’s formalities. Neither of them mentioned the Celestial Screen that had suddenly appeared during the court assembly earlier that day. “How is the Alchemy Fire?”
The State Preceptor immediately launched into a practiced flattery: “This batch has produced one hundred and thirty-six superior-grade Elixirs, lustrous as jade. It is truly a blessing for both Da Qian and Your Majesty, indicating that Your Majesty’s attainment of the Dao is near.”
The State Preceptor paused briefly, and Emperor Yunqi knew from his hesitation that what followed would not be pleasant news.
“The Third Prince, in his benevolence, heard that the alchemy furnace was entering its final stage. He specially requested Your Majesty’s permission to enter the Alchemy Chamber, bathe, burn incense, and copy scriptures daily for three months, praying for the successful completion of all Elixir batches.”
“Xiao San’s filial piety is commendable. I grant his request. By the way, Old Master, aside from inspecting the Elixirs, I have another matter to discuss.”
Emperor Yunqi loved hearing others speak of his affinity with the Immortals. Though his expression remained unchanged, the State Preceptor understood from the Emperor’s words that the Third Prince’s faction’s accusation against the Minister of Personnel, Jun He, would be lightly dismissed.
The Celestial Screen was indeed a miraculous phenomenon, yet even so, it had no impact on the turbulent undercurrents of the court.
Everyone harbored their own schemes, and no one would halt their calculations simply because the Celestial Screen had appeared.
For example—Jun He’s death.
The Minister of Personnel, Jun He, was renowned as an impartial and outspoken minister, a man of integrity who never aligned with any faction. His sudden embezzlement of such a large sum of military funds could only mean the matter involved deep entanglements. Even the State Preceptor, who had long suffered from Emperor Yunqi’s occasional bouts of madness and had been drawn into the Third Prince’s faction by Consort Gan, could not discern whose will lay behind it.
Or rather, he dared not know. Whose will could so easily uproot an entire family of a Second-rank Official, to the extent that even the powerful Jun clan in the Qi-Lu region of Northern Qian dared not utter a single word of dissent?
But the Emperor still required an attitude of repentance.
Thus, the Third Prince, who had accused Jun He, must pay a price to appease the court.
The State Preceptor lowered his head. “Please enlighten me, Your Majesty.”
Emperor Yunqi gazed at the alchemy furnace, the flickering alchemy fire casting shadows on his pale face, making him appear all the more demonic.
“Your Astrological Bureau previously reported that a calamitous star had descended, which would impact my reign. Is this indeed true?”
Emperor Yunqi glanced coldly at the State Preceptor, his eyes sharp and icy.
The State Preceptor’s heart sank. Several days ago, someone in the Astrological Bureau had made a prognostication: a celestial star had fallen, directly threatening the Emperor’s star, and someone wielding divine or ghostly power would endanger the state, clashing with the imperial countenance.
Emperor Yunqi had always been a firm believer in the supernatural, and naturally, he flew into a rage. He issued orders demanding that the State Preceptor’s office identify the alchemist responsible for the prognostication within three days, or else everyone involved would be implicated and thrown into Zhaoyu Prison.
Earlier that morning, during the court assembly, he had targeted the young Captain of the Gu family precisely because of this prophecy. Captain Gu’s peculiar demeanor had further aroused the Emperor’s suspicions.
An emperor’s suspicion would rather kill a thousand innocents than let one guilty escape. Though in the State Preceptor’s view, Captain Gu’s imprisonment was utterly unjust.
But now, he could hardly protect himself. The State Preceptor quickly knelt to the ground, loudly declaring, “Your Majesty, it is indeed true. I have already identified the alchemist who made this prognostication.”
The elderly man, well past sixty, prostrated himself on the floor, but his gaze fell upon the young alchemy attendant.
That alchemy attendant was named A Cui, the most talented alchemist in the entire State Preceptor’s office. The State Preceptor had originally intended to groom her as his successor, but to appease the Emperor’s wrath, he had no choice but to sacrifice her, letting her temporarily take the blame for the unknown prognosticator.
Emperor Yunqi had long noticed the young girl by the alchemy furnace’s control platform. She was about the same age as several princesses in his harem, but this stirred no pity in him.
“So it was you. You must have heard about this morning’s Celestial Screen incident. The so-called clash of divine and ghostly forces was a misunderstanding. The Celestial Screen was clearly praise for this dynasty from future generations brought by an Immortal—likely, your incompetence led you to misinterpret praise as a clash. What do you have to say for yourself?”
The alchemy attendant respectfully stepped out from behind the control platform and bowed gracefully with perfect etiquette. “I have nothing to say.”
Her tone was unmistakably sarcastic.
Emperor Yunqi laughed instead of growing angry. “You are quite interesting, but unfortunately…”
He drew out his words, no longer looking at the kneeling girl behind him, casually deciding her fate.
“I recall there is a ritual to sacrifice to the Lord of the Clouds this afternoon at the State Preceptor’s office. You shall serve as the human sacrifice, replacing the original offering. Consider it a meritorious deed.”
The alchemy attendant performed a deep, respectful bow. “Your humble servant thanks Your Majesty for this great grace. May I await Your Majesty’s sacred descent in the underworld.”
“Knowing you are doomed, you seek to anger me to gain a reputation for honest remonstrance? Foolish words. In consideration of your mother’s merit in refining the elixir, I, as a benevolent ruler, shall not punish you. Consider it an act of mercy.”
Emperor Yunqi paid no heed to the anger of an ant. Lightly, as if brushing away a speck of dust, his inhumanly dark eyes turned to the State Preceptor. “Now, accompany me to inspect the newly refined elixir. You shall also assess it for me.”
The State Preceptor felt cold sweat drenching his back. He could hardly believe the matter had been let off so easily. How could the worthless life of a mere alchemist quell the Emperor’s wrath?
Or perhaps…
The imperial anger still simmered beneath the surface, or maybe His Majesty intended to use this rumor for some purpose?
Late afternoon, State Preceptor’s Manor.
Dian Cui opened her eyes.
“Why is the sky so dark…” The founding State Preceptor of Da Qian scratched her head, but the sensation felt off.
A limb brushed past her ear, but it wasn’t her hand as she had assumed—it was… her foot?
What was going on?
Hadn’t she kept her leg down? Why could her foot touch her ear? How strange…
Dian Cui exerted force again, and this time something flew out.
It was her hand.
Her hand flew out and struck the “darkness” before her, producing a distinct metallic hum.
With great difficulty, Dian Cui used her foot to retrieve her hand, then tapped the darkness in front of her. Ah, it was a bronze cauldron.
Oh, so that was it.
Dian Cui thought to herself, no wonder she could touch her ear with her foot—she had already been shattered into pieces.
And not just shattered—she had been dismembered and thrown into a bronze cauldron for a sacrificial ritual. Seriously, what era was this? Who still practiced human sacrifice? After what happened with Gu Yue, hadn’t Xiao Jingchuan decisively abolished human sacrifice entirely?
What kind of madman would dare defy the world like this? Wouldn’t Xiao Jingchuan run them through with his sword?
She wanted to run them through too.
Dian Cui sneered and began piecing herself back together inside the bronze cauldron.
Fortunately, the one here now was the founding State Preceptor of Da Qian—matters of ghosts and gods were her specialty.
Outside the bronze cauldron.
“How… how can the door not open… how is this possible… didn’t we just come to deliver something?”
Two Alchemy Attendant girls stood frozen before the main hall of Wangu Changqing Palace. This was the Daoist palace Emperor Yunqi had built for himself. The hall soared several zhang high, with countless incense and candle flames burning inside, illuminating the main sacrificial statue at the far end.
The statue resembled no traditional Immortal, nor was it Donghuang Taiyi, the chief deity of the Nine Songs pantheon popular in Chu. Instead, it was…
Emperor Yunqi himself.
The face, carved to resemble Emperor Yunqi’s features, twisted and flickered under the wavering candlelight, appearing ferocious and terrifying.
“I can’t stay here, I have to go back! I haven’t bought my sister her favorite lotus flower pastries yet. I promised she’d have them tonight!”
The two Alchemy Attendant girls clung to each other’s arms, sliding down before the automatically closed hall doors, nearly breaking down.
“…You only came to deliver something… but do you even know what you delivered?”
A faint, eerie woman’s voice echoed. The two attendants trembled and wept as they watched the burning Longevity Candles—said to be made from elixirs refined in the State Preceptor’s Manor and possessing life-extending properties—suddenly extinguished by gusts of chilling wind. In the flickering light of the few remaining candles, a ghostly woman drifted forward soundlessly, her form appearing and disappearing with the candlelight. Each time the flames brightened, she was closer than before.
As if emerging from the clouds.
“Wh-what? Good sister, who are you?”
The two attendants huddled together, shivering, one of them mustering the courage to speak.
Before the ghostly figure standing nearby could reply, a third voice rang out in the hall.
“It’s me! Ugh, I’m exhausted! If you’re going to do human sacrifice, why do you have to chop people into such fine mince? Even King Chu Wu isn’t this barbaric!”
A person climbed out of the bronze cauldron that had been transported by the divine mechanism. Her clothes were soaked through with blood, and her body was covered with seams from being pieced together. As she emerged, a sudden movement caused something to fly out.
“Hey, you Alchemy Attendants, be careful! Don’t step on my nose!”
The two Alchemy Attendants, upon hearing this, looked closely and realized it was indeed a human nose, still stained with blood below. They screamed and fainted on the spot.
Dian Cui shook her head. “How can they be so easily frightened? Has the quality of the State Preceptor’s Alchemy Attendants deteriorated this much?”
She stepped forward, but someone had already returned the nose to her.
No, not a person.
Dian Cui looked up and saw a translucent face—identical to the one she now wore. Don’t ask how she could see it; she had glimpsed it while piecing the head together.
“Oh, you must be the owner of this body, right? Sorry about that, I’ll return it to you soon.”
Dian Cui chuckled awkwardly, feeling a bit guilty. Unexpectedly, the young girl’s ghost smiled and spoke: “Recently, a prophecy has been circulating: a celestial star falls, directly threatening the Emperor’s Star. Someone will inevitably use Divine Ghost Sorcery to endanger the nation, clashing with the imperial countenance.”
Dian Cui instantly understood. “You’re the one who made this prophecy?”
The ghost nodded indifferently. “Yes, and I summoned you here through the Chu Secret Arts of Soul Summoning.”
The prophecy’s strangeness was not due to the Celestial Screen; the Celestial Screen was a complete accident. She had spread the prophecy merely to carry out a plan to kill herself and avenge her mother.
And then… to expose the emperor’s madness and invoke the Ancestor’s protection.
The ghost gazed at her intently, and Dian Cui suddenly knew—she knew exactly who now resided within this body.
The first State Preceptor of Da Qian, one of the Three Excellencies of the founding era, Minister of Rites, Temple Ancestor Grand Master, the greatest practitioner of Divine Ghost Sorcery, Marquis of Shu, Ancestor Qingluan—Dian Cui.
The ghost stared at her in the darkness, her bright eyes seeming to pierce through over a hundred years of time, as if capable of tearing apart the surrounding darkness.
She looked at her, then slowly knelt down, performing a solemn and weighty ritual.
Three bows and nine kowtows. Dian Cui did not stop her, nor did she avoid it. She accepted the gesture.
She knew that the request the other would make would surely be even greater than this ritual.
The ghost spoke, each word deliberate:
“Ancestor above, the Son of Heaven is without virtue. I beseech the State Preceptor to embody the virtue of Donghuang Taiyi, rectify the source, and eradicate the root of evil on behalf of all under heaven.”
“I beseech the Ancestor… to Answer Heaven’s Mandate, Purge the Monarch and Prove the Way.”
Author’s Note:
Dian Cui: Is this polite?