Three young men and a baby-faced fellow with green hair were currently standing around Jin and Mei Hua’s bed.

“Do you think this will really work?” The bulkiest of them asked nervously.

“Would you rather have that mob turn into a riot?” The green haired man tilted his head toward the direction of the crowd that had been gathering just outside the gates the last few hours.

“N-no, obviously not, but—”

“Then do it.”

Yan Li looked at his Old Man’s still form. He appeared to be sleeping but they all knew that wasn’t the case. He’d simply… shut down, and shut out the world around him in despair. They’d never been able to shake him out of it and had eventually given up.

But that was years ago, when Yan Li had been weaker. With the possible exception of Shan Hui, Yan Li was now the strongest, physically, out of his siblings. While the others had taken more scholarly pursuits, he’d persistently been training. His body was now so altered from the intensity of his cultivation that he and Shi Ji were no longer viewed as twins by outsiders. So he was supremely confident in his physical strength.

That didn’t mean he liked what he was being asked to do.

Yan Li looked to his two siblings pleadingly but Shi Ji and Lu Shao avoided his stare like guilty criminals. He huffed at their betrayal and determined in his heart that he’d get back at these two at a later time.

He got himself into his martial stance and pulled his fisted hand back. Very carefully, he concentrated all his power into the hitting arm. Years of training and sacrifice condensed into a visible fiery energy that engulfed his arm. He let loose his ferocious killing intent at the same time, aiming his crushing aura squarely at his Old Man. He hoped that between the hit and the aura, his Father would snap out of his isolation.

He aimed for his Old Man’s face.

One of their Old Man’s most bizarre quirks was a paranoia about his appearance. He constantly strived for a masculine, rugged look. And this was because he thoroughly and adamantly believed that if he didn’t maintain that style, their Mother would chase him out like a rodent in a grain house, which all the sons found laughably absurd.

So if Yan Li really wanted to hit his Old Man where it hurts, it had to be the face.

He swung down, not holding back even a tiny bit, but never got to complete the hit. The hitherto unresponsive Old Man’s body sprung into action, one hand stopping the hit halfway, completely absorbing all that energy as if it were nothing; while the other hand landed a powerful gut shot.

Yan Li was knocked back and only just managed to slow the momentum of his body so he didn’t break the wall. Nevertheless, he couldn’t completely stop his backwards motion and hit the wall with a loud thud before sliding down with a groan.

A few years ago and a hit to the stomach like that from his Old Man would have knocked him out completely. Presently, although it hurt very fiercely, he was at least proud of himself for remaining conscious and mobile.

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Jin’s eyes blazed open with a golden fury, very obviously awake and aware of his surroundings. He was already trying to get out of bed and head towards Yan Li, apparently unsatisfied with only getting a single punch in.

“Good morning!” The baby faced young man brazenly stepped between the two with an overly polite smile. “Ah, or should I say good evening? Regardless, before you continue pummeling your son, I would like you to direct your attention outside.”

Jin blinked, disoriented by the sudden interruption. He’d been moving entirely on instinct and for a moment, he didn’t know who the person in front of him was.

The person in question viciously grabbed him by the arm and shook him, a forced smile still plastered on his face. “Please. Direct. Your. Attention. OUTSIDE.”

Jin, who’d been completely cut off from his surroundings for years, finally came to himself and felt the change of the mountain. He properly stood up, pushing the gutsy fellow off him, and roughly opened the doors to her room with a clatter.

Outside the Palace was aglow. Blue Flower trees were in full bloom everywhere and their light could be seen shining beyond the walls. The interior trees glowed in a more subdued manner, but that was still more than what they’d been doing before. It’d been hundreds of years since he’d seen the mountains like this and it stunned him into silence for several minutes.

He turned to the men inside her room, “What’s going on?”

“Don’t you know?” Lu Shao, the youngest of them, asked equally perplexed.

“If we knew, we wouldn’t have bothered you.” Shi Ji added, helping his older twin back up.

“It’s not part of my domain, I—” Jin suddenly went quiet, staring with his mouth wide open. The other men followed his gaze.

Mei Hua, who’d been lying comatose as always just a moment before, was now faintly glowing. It was a throbbing glow that got progressively stronger as the seconds ticked by and had the rhythm… of a heartbeat.

A sudden, strong gust of wind blew into the room, knocking the windows open, and hurling past the doorway Jin had been standing in. Thousands upon thousands of blue flower petals were dragged along, swirling and dancing in the air as if they were alive. They surrounded the bed, never touching the ground, and soon there were so many the men couldn’t see anything and were forced to leave for fear of being suffocated.

Spitting out flower petals, they stumbled out of the bedroom. The younger men looked at Jin anxiously. Jin just stood there, eyes wide alarm and equally confused as his sons. Though he saw with his own two eyes what was going on, he could not sense anything beyond plant life in the petals. The same plant life that covered the mountains.

“Father, what is this?” Shi Ji asked, fearful but amazed.

Jin’s brows pressed together in puzzlement, “…she said the tree talked to her…”

“Eh? Who said? You mean Mother?”

“Should we try to force our way back in?” Yan Li asked, scratching his head and fretting. How exactly did one fight flower petals? Incinerate them? That might set the room on fire though. “Old Man, what should we do?”

Jin pressed his fingers against his temples as a sense of panic welled up from within him. He didn’t know what to do! These petals were obviously from the Blue Flower Trees. Could they be counted as hostile? This was difficult for him to believe!

“Something’s moving inside!” Lu Shao gave a startled shout, pointing into the dense cluster of petals.

All the men tensed up at once, ready for anything and everything.

A woman in a long but simple white dress was walking through the petals, body throbbing with visible power. Once braided black hair had come undone, dragging along the floor and picking up petals as it went. The lady’s once unhealthy pale face was now flushed a healthy pink. Eyes that had been closed, were now open and shining a crisp bright blue.

She didn’t seem aware of the people in front of her, and instead looked out into the courtyard. Young blue flower trees, which had been casting a timid glow and acting much more restrained than their older family members, shivered visibly under her stare.

“My friends,” Came a soft, song-like voice. “What are you being so shy for? Tonight, we celebrate.”

All at once, the trees seemed to burst alive, blooming and shining so brightly the entire courtyard looked as if it was afire in blue. Petals from their blossoms loosened and hastily floated to her, caressing her face as they joined the mass of petals surrounding her.

She gave a musical laugh at their behavior.

“Mei?”