Chapter 9

Zong Zi Heng formed a core when he was 10 years old. When he went travelling at the age of 12, he subdued an evil mountain spirit that was harming people, all by himself. Since then, he became a famous young man. Virtuous and handsome, he had always been a role model among his peers.

Soon after, the quadrennial Jiaolong assembly was about to begin. It was a competition held especially for talented youths. It had been a tradition in the cultivation world for hundreds and thousands of years. Only children between the ages of 12 to 18 were allowed to participate. Anyone who left their names on the way to immortality was almost always in the limelight during their youth.

Zong Zi Heng has always been preparing for this upcoming Jiaolong assembly because Emperor Ninghua had such high hopes for him and ordered him to win first place in the Jiaolong assembly. He trained diligently every day and night. He knew that the Emperor didn't care much about him and his mother. It was only after he showed his talent that he got the Emperor's attention. Even if his mother didn't ask him to, he also did not want to disappoint the Emperor.

In fact, the path to immortality was lonely and boring. As the eldest son, Zong Zi Heng did not dare to mess around and be lazy. But what he really yearned for was neither ascension nor to be on the top of the world. He loved flowers, birds, mountains, and rivers. He loved instruments, chess, books, and paintings. He loved delicious food and wine. There were so many interesting things in this world, and he wanted to be more knowledgeable. It was probably more meaningful than pursuing cultivation and swordsmanship.

It's a pity that this was something that could not be said out loud, otherwise even his mother would reprimand him for being insensible.

That afternoon, the golden crow* started to set in the west and it wasn't that sunny anymore. Zong Zi Heng remembered that there had been a lot of snails growing in his orchid garden recently and they were gnawing on his flowers and making a mess. So, he led Zong Zi Xiao to catch the snails and to pull out some weeds.

His orchid garden was built in a secluded area in the palace. The insides were planted with more than 100 varieties of orchids and other plants that he had collected over the years. During the blooming season, all the beautiful flowers turned into a beautiful scenery in the palace. Although there were servants taking care of them daily, Zong Zi Heng loved to do it himself. This was what gave him happiness outside of cultivation.

While Zong Zi Heng was squatting down and catching snails on the ground, Zong Zi Xiao was running around barefooted in the flowering shrubs. Occasionally, Zong Zi Heng would look at Zong Zi Xiao with panic and fear in his eyes: "Xiao Jiu, be careful. Be sure not to step on my flowers."

"I won't."

"You should stop running. Come over here quickly."

Zong Zi Xiao smiled cunningly and suddenly tripped over his feet. His whole body fell forward.

"Ah---"

Zong Zi Xiao pushed himself up with one hand. His body bounced up nimbly, somersaulted once in the air, and he landed steadily outside the flower nursery and laughed heartily.

Zong Zi Heng feigned anger and said: "How dare you trick your big brother? Is your skin itchy*?"

Zong Zi Xiao spread out his small hands: "I’m helping you to catch snails. Should I throw them back?"

"Throw it into the bucket."

Zong Zi Xiao skipped over to Zong Zi Heng, and he pressed his body against Zong Zi Heng's back: "Big brother, why are you always managing these flowers?"

"Aren't flowers beautiful?"

"They are."

Zong Zi Heng handed him a shovel: "Come, let's get to work."

Zong Zi Xiao squatted down on one side and got to work by mimicking his brother. He originally felt hot under the sun, but he cooled down slowly.

Zong Zi Heng turned to look at him and flashed a beautiful smile: "Xiao Jiu, Confucius said, orchids have the virtues of a gentleman, the fragrance of kings. Big brother loves orchids the most. Do you like orchids?"

Zong Zi Xiao nodded his head: "I like whatever big brother likes."

"There are 171 types of orchids in this orchid garden. Jiangnan is the hometown of orchids. Next year, big brother plans to go to Jiangnan to collect even more orchid species."

"When I can get out of the palace, I will accompany big brother to travel around Jiuzhou and help you to plant all the orchids in the world in this orchid garden."

"Really?" Zong Zi Heng smiled and said, "You aren’t saying these nice things to coax me into giving you more food, right?” He took a clean handkerchief and wiped Zong Zi Xiao's sweat.

"Of course, it's true." Zong Zi Xiao's eyes were bright, just like the stars in the night sky. “You always say gentlemen are like orchids. Big brother is a gentleman just like an orchid."

Zong Zi Heng said dotingly: "What do you want to eat tonight?"

"I want to eat soy-braised pork!"

While Zong Zi Xiao was babbling on and on about what kind of food he wanted to eat, he heard footsteps and conversation approaching from the other side of the wall. The two of them were immortal cultivators, so they had sharp ears and keen eyes. If they listened attentively, they could hear sounds from very far away. They vaguely caught the words "Consort Shen" in the conversation, causing them to pause.

"When the empress said those words today, did you notice Consort Shen's expression?"

"Well, I saw it. If not for the fact that everyone thinks highly of His Highness, how would she dare to show such a face in public?"

"Yeah, Consort Shen has changed. She’s merely an orphan with no one to depend on. Back then, she almost made that hot-tempered empress regret her marriage, and now, she's depending on her son's rank*."

"If His Highness gets first place during the Jiaolong assembly, that would be even more remarkable. Sigh, it's a shame that Second Highness is not as good as His Highness."

Zong Zi Heng's expression became unsightly. Before he could flare up, Zong Zi Xiao had already leapt over the wall, and the two maidservants were surprised.

Zong Zi Heng rushed out and saw the two servants were already kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy: "Your Highness, Ninth Highness, this servant is wrong, this servant is wrong."

Zong Zi Xiao flicked his sleeves high up in the air and slapped those two people to the ground: "Garrulous and lowly slaves. Don't you want your tongue anymore?!" The young and tender voice was full of intimidation.

"Spare my life, Your Highness. Spare my life, Ninth Highness."

Zong Zi Heng was burning with anger: "As servants, you dare to talk about your master behind your back. Do you know that this is a felony? "

"Spare my life, Your Highness. This servant is wrong. Please punish us lightly."

Zong Zi Xiao raised his head and looked at Zong Zi Heng: "Big brother, I'll cut their tongues out."

Seeing that the two were just teenagers and were so terrified that they were curled up into a ball, most of Zong Zi Heng’s anger was gone. He took a deep breath: "I punish you...to kneel here for one night. If you do it again, I will not tolerate it."

"Thank you, Your Highness, thank you for showing us mercy!"

Zong Zi Xiao frowned and said: "Big brother, you're letting them go just like that?"

Zong Zi Heng took Zong Zi Xiao's hand: "Let's go." When he lowered his head and saw that Zong Zi Xiao was barefooted, he carried him back to the orchid garden and let Zong Zi Xiao sit on his thighs while silently putting on his shoes.

Zong Zi Xiao's lips were pursed into a line. He suddenly wrapped his arms around Zong Zi Heng's neck. The two of them were so close that he seemed to be able to feel a quiet sadness through the connection between his big brother's repressed breathing and the tremor of his chest.

After putting on his shoes, Zong Zi Heng stood up, looking as if nothing had happened: "Let's go."

Ever since her family fell into decline when she was young, Shen Shi Yao was taken in by the late emperor. Due to her extraordinary talent, she became one of the Zong Clan's disciples and was considered to be Zong Ming He's senior sister. But when they were teenagers, the two of them had a secret knot*. At that time, Zong Ming He's fiancée had not even passed through the door*. This made the two families very embarrassed, so they had to accept her as a concubine. After giving birth to their eldest son, both mother and son were treated coldly.

Zong Zi Heng was aware of their statuses and situation in the palace, but as he grew older, he became more renowned. After he formed a core, the emperor thought more highly of him. He did not expect that after all these years, the people in the palace were still so unforgiving behind his back. If these words reached his mother's ears, she would be very sad.

"Big brother." Zong Zi Xiao whispered, "Don't be sad. When you win the championship during the Jiaolong assembly, we will see if anyone still dares to disrespect Consort Shen."

Zong Zi Heng sighed, "Zi Xiao, you are still young, you don't understand. Even the most powerful method in this world cannot stop the mouths of others."　

"If you are a dragon, why do you need to care about the ants*?"　 

Zong Zi Heng lowered his head and looked at Zong Zi Xiao with a faint smile. Zong Zi Xiao's mother's beauty was comparable with heavenly immortals and was highly favoured. He himself was born with superior roots, so he had never suffered even a bit of grievance since he was a child. Such an unworn pride was truly enviable.

Zong Zi Xiao said seriously, "Big brother, don't be unhappy. When I grow up, I will make all of the people and things that make you unhappy disappear." 　　

Zong Zi Heng rubbed Zong Zi Xiao's chubby little round face to the point of deformation: "If you skip lesser classes, be less lazy, and eat more green vegetables, big brother will be happy."　 

"Then I won't be happy!"　

"You still dare to be just and forceful?"

The two brothers began to laugh, diluting the gloomy atmosphere.

----

As everyone expected, Zong Zi Xiao formed a golden core shortly after his ninth birthday, six months earlier than Zong Zi Heng.

If the age of fifteen was the coming-of-age ceremony for the general public, then obtaining a golden core was a sign that a person had officially entered the path to immortality. As long as one formed a core before reaching adulthood, it represented superior qualifications and unremitting efforts. Not to mention that the Zong family had produced two geniuses in one generation. Emperor Ninghua announced this happy news to the world and even hosted a banquet for the occasion. Whether as a father or as a king, this was an extremely proud moment.

During the banquet, everyone was overflowing with joy, but only the empress looked dull and absent-minded. She came from a wealthy family, so even the Zong's had to be courteous. Her son's roots could not say to be bad, but when compared to the elder brother and the youngest brother, it was barely satisfactory.

Shen Shi Yao held Zong Zi Heng's hand, smiled and said in a low voice, "It's good that my son is ambitious. Otherwise, it would be hard to sit in that seat and watch another person's son be better than my own."

Zong Zi Heng secretly smiled bitterly. The fact that the concubines always competed both openly and in secret had always made him feel helpless. In fact, he and his siblings got along well, even with his second brother. They were the same age and grew up together. There was never any bad blood between them. In the future, when his second brother inherited the throne, he and his siblings would support him with all their hearts to build the Zong clan's hundred-year foundation. So, whether if it's the empress or his mother, there was really no point in comparing the two.

But it’s not good for Zong Zi Heng to throw his mother's face, so he remained silent.

"Zi Heng, you must win first place during the Jiaolong assembly." Shen Shi Yao held her son's hand tightly, "Although Zi Xiao is still young, one day, he may also overshadow you."

Zong Zi Heng said warmly, "Mother, your son will definitely do his best during the Jiaolong assembly. But Zi Xiao and I... are like the sun and the moon, each shining brilliantly. There is no one overshadowing anyone."

"How can the sun and the moon be compared to each other?" Shen Shi Yao glared with her pair of almond eyes. Her voice still had her usual softness, but her tone had changed, "The sun and the moon cannot be in the same sky."

Zong Zi Heng did not expect that a casual analogy would be interpreted by his mother in such a way. He frowned and said, "Mother, Zi Xiao and I are brothers, there is no need to compare us like this."

Shen Shi Yao stared at her son for a long time, let go of his hand, and said faintly, "You are still too young."

After the banquet ended, the guests gradually dispersed, and only the Zong clan's people remained in the main hall.

Emperor Ninghua Zong Ming He beckoned Zong Zi Xiao to his side and looked at his young son with doting eyes full of pride: "Xiao Er, today is the celebration of your core formation. Father is so proud of you. If there is anything you want, just ask."

"I want a good sword." Zong Zi Xiao's attitude was natural and at ease. Obviously, his request would most likely be satisfied.

"Haha, I have long prepared one for you, this sword is..."

"I want a sword quenched by Shen Nong Ding."

The hall was suddenly quiet.

Zong Zi Xiao's mother, Consort Chu Ying Ruo, scolded, "Zi Xiao, don't talk nonsense."

One of the four ancient magic weapons, the Shen Nong Ding, could refine all things in the world. The swords that the Shen Nong Ding quenched were rare and famous. It was a treasure that every sword cultivator could only dream of. Just opening the furnace once required a great consumption of energy. At least hundreds of high-ranking cultivators were needed to sustain the fire with spiritual power at the same time. A little mistake midway through would lead to all previous efforts being wasted. So, this Shen Nong Ding might not even be opened once in a few decades. Even the Zong clan would only open the furnace for their own family members.

Zong Zi Xiao was young and only wanted a good sword that everyone wanted, so he didn't know what waves his words would stir up in the hearts of the adults.

Zong Ming He stroked Zong Zi Xiao's head: "Does Xiao Er know that the sword quenched by Shen Nong Ding is not something that ordinary people can obtain?"

"I'm not an ordinary person."

Zong Ming He laughed out loud, "My son naturally is not an ordinary person. Okay, I promise to quench a sword for you with Shen Nong Ding."

Several suppressed huffing sounds rang out in the hall.

"But..." Zong Ming He tapped his finger on Zong Zi Xiao's forehead, "you have to win first place at the Jiaolong assembly."

"That will take another four years." Zong Zi Xiao pouted.

"Four years? You want to win the championship at the age of thirteen?" Zong Ming He laughed, "So confident."

"It's just four years." Zong Zi Xiao said arrogantly.

Zong Zi Heng looked at Zong Zi Xiao's confident look, and his face subconsciously revealed a smile. Regardless if those were big words or not, at least in these next four years, Zong Zi Xiao would strive to work hard.

"Okay, I will wait for you for four years."

"By the way, Father, I have one more request."

"Speak."

"I have never been out of the palace before. Big brother promised me last time that he would take me on a trip out of the palace once I have formed a core, as long as Father agrees."

Zong Ming He gave Zong Zi Heng a look, "Really? Where is your big brother going to take you to have fun?"

Zong Zi Heng said, "I can take ninth brother to exorcise evil so that he can gain some experience."

"Alright, you can take him out. He can follow you to the Jiaolong assembly."

"Yes."

 

----

Translator Thoughts:

PS: I have the tendency to write calm as clam, pardon my hunger...

 

golden crow*[金乌]---the sun

skin itchy*[皮痒]---this term is the same as 找打, meaning ‘are you looking for a beating?’

depending on her son's rank* [母凭子贵] ---idk how to really translate this, basically, it means...In the past, in a family with multiple wives and concubines, if a concubine (regardless of ranking) gives birth to a son first, her position in the family will be higher, or if her son became a government official, her position would also become prominent.

secret knot* [珠胎暗结] ---a human embryo was formed in the woman's body.; a woman conceives, having had illicit intimacy with a man.; be pregnant; become pregnant out of wedlock

passed through the door* [过门] ---meaning she hasn't officially married yet

the ants*[蝼蚁]----nobodies/insignificant things/people

Editor Thoughts:

A servant's life is tough too ~ Don't you think so?

Leave a comment if you liked this chapter! See you in the next chapter ~

Edited on 11 Mar. 21 (Emzie)

Edited on 9 Jul. 21 (Ari)

Edited on 26 Jul 21 (Limit)

 

 ←Previous Chapter                                                                                             Next Chapter→