With the fragrance of morning entering his nose, Ji Xitian slowly opened his eyes. As a three-year-old boy, he already got accustomed to most forms of culture of this world. He wasn’t idle during the previous two years since he discovered a lot of things from the scarce source of information he could get his hands on.
His young body resembles one of a five to six-year-old child. His hair was already reaching his chest in length, and he quite disliked that part. It was simply in the way of a lot of actions he performed every day. ‘Patience. Act like a different breed, but not too much’, he thought with a deep breath.
Slowly standing, his naked form was exposed as the day he was born in this new world. He quickly grabbed some robes that were already waiting at the side of his bed and, when he finished, looked at the full body mirror towering above him at the left of the spacious room. It was decorated with white, silver and red, with some furniture and some toys which, if he was being honest, hated to the core to play with.
“Fresh, clean and already completely awake. I am in need of cold water, only then can I start with the exercise”, he said to himself while in front of the mirror. His blue eyes seemingly shone in the reflection, his long and wavy gold hair already perfectly brushed to the back of his head.
Approaching the door, he opened it and an old man with servant robes looked at him with a polite smile and performed a ninety degree bow, practiced throughout the years as he could already tell.
“Greetings to Your Imperial Highness.” He greeted with the same polite smile.
The skin full of wrinkles and the underlying tone left Ji Xitian with goosebumps.
“Good morning to you too, Old Shangguan”, still he didn’t show it and waved his hand with a nod of his own, albeit slight. According to the imperial etiquette he was taught by the teacher he asked for a year and a half ago, he must treat those with lower positions as such, though with slight respect and politeness expected of someone of his stature.
‘All bullshit, of course. The Emperor alone can suppress most if not all of them and none would dare say anything. All is a game of formalities to see who would break character first, it seems. Pretty dangerous too’, he thought with the same small politeness as the eunuch in front of him held.
He started walking after the exchange and thought process that lasted less than two seconds. The hallways were magnificent, as expected of a power such as the dynasty. Gold and a darker shade of silver adorned the hallways with seemingly random lines along the walls. They were illuminated by the small lamps supported in the walls as well as small square holes in some places of the hallways.
The direction he took - with the old eunuch following behind him with a respectful attitude - was the one leading to the Changgong Library, the place most described by old men as a fountain of knowledge and wisdom shared by past generations-worth of efforts. Or, in Ji Xitian’s words, where the public knowledge resided.
While they were walking through the hallways, turning left and right to continue the walk, the old eunuch behind Ji Xitian gazed at him with a thoughtful look. He seemed as though he were judging the child in front of him, that showed naught but excellence in everything he did.
Be it consciously or subconsciously, the Crown Prince in front of him simply replicated the actions almost perfectly and with little to no error, though it seemed constant to the Eunuch, as he practically took care of the young prince when the Empress wasn’t in his presence. And the sole fact that he had a high talent - according to the murmurs he heard across the imperial palace - then it wasn’t hare-brained to think about the extraordinary qualities the prince has shown thus far.
Of course, as a three-year-old, the Crown Prince was still young, too young in fact, that he still couldn’t help but think that the prince was simply just monstrous in talent, regarding all aspects. He wouldn't say that the prince was, of course, talented in everything. It was almost normal that he had shown - in Eunuch Shangguan’s opinion - some cracks, resembling a child that focused his all in making no error, but it was only human to make any mistake, this the Eunuch had a strong grip on it.
And of course, no one in the imperial palace was a naive being, be it humans, monsters or even spiritual beings. None that resided in the imperial palace were fools, after all. A good way to describe it would be by using the description that the people of the Lightning Manor frequently used; ‘A den of coiling dragons and crouched tigers’.
“Old Shangguan,” the young price raised his voice, bringing the old eunuch back from his thoughts, looking up to him again, “When is Daoist Hundred-life going to arrive the palace?”
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The question seemed unimportant, yet the old man knew better. “Replying to Your Imperial Highness, the Daoist Hundred-life is going to arrive in three hours. Do you perhaps wish to arrive earlier to the training grounds?” He responded swiftly, adding his own small question to the young man. Of course he knew the answer to that question, but it still was necessary to ask.
And, as expected…
“No. Let’s meet Lord Father first”.
‘It’s almost like a game, to think he knows what is going to be the question and answer. You must take each step carefully in here, my prince’, thought the old eunuch with an internal chuckle.
Bowing ninety degrees, he said: “As you wish, Your Imperial Highness”. The strange thought line he followed seemed to be left unnoticed by the young boy in front of him, but the old eunuch knew better. All those years he spent serving the Ji Clan and the Qing Dynasty would be in vain were he not know any of this. It was child’s play for him at this point, and so was it for almost every higher-up.
…
..
.
As soon as the duo arrived at the front doors of the hall where Ji Xitian’s father resided almost permanently, and almost at the same time as his hand was about to knock on the doors, they opened by themselves even though their heaviness would be up to several thousands of kilograms.
What greeted the young prince and the eunuch behind him with a respectful attitude was an old man with neat and clean servant robes, with muddy yet profound eyes and a gentle and polite attitude.
Mu Shaodi, the Main Eunuch of the Imperial Palace and the hands and eyes of the Emperor.
“My my… to what do I owe your very welcomed presence, little Xitian?” He started, “Greetings to you too, Shangguan”.
Both of them bowed, though Ji Xitian only bowed very slightly. The old eunuch behind him bowed ninety degrees.
“Greetings, Eunuch Mu. I am here to see Lord Father, and ask him about a matter I have been intrigued about for quite some time now.” Ji Xitian said with a slight glint in his eyes. He couldn’t avoid it, since every time he saw the main eunuch he got the feeling he was facing a very, very cunning fox. Which probably wasn’t far from the truth, every thing’s considered.
The old man simply smiled, “You may go in then.” That’s all Ji Xitian needed. He straight got inside the room, while the old man still at the front doors was now looking blankly at Eunuch Shangguan.
“As for you, Shangguan, I need you somewhere else. You see, there’s this person…”
Ji Xitian outright ignored what they spoke of, focusing his everything into the next thing that would happen. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous. In fact, he was very, very anxious. Every time he met the Emperor, he was always measuring his every action that he could.
He was still human after all, there was no way he could perform perfectly in front of such beings. As for why he treats everyone here as foreigners and not his own family… what a stupid thing to consider, indeed. To him, after all he went through, of course everyone would be passersby and nothing more. If he could, then he would only interact with them when he needed to attain or obtain certain benefits. Nothing more matters to him, and yet here he was, being forced against his will. But he still had to play their game, and he knew it.
It took him less than a hundred steps and a turn to the right to face the Emperor, this body’s biological father.
Ji Wangwei.
His titles, according to what he can recall, which was basically everything he ever heard or saw, were not many but what they do were is powerful. Goldleaf Dao Lord, First Martial Warrior Under the Heavens, Wizened Teacher, The Lady-Killer, and a few more.
The Emperor really is at the peak of the world, living a fulfilling life among his almost two hundred years of experience.
“I have seen Lord Father! Please accept this bow”, he said with a light shout and an eighty degree bow.
The Emperor simply watched him with a smile and a intrigued look, and waved his right arm slightly from above his throne. “At ease. Tell me, Tian’er, why did you come see me?”
“Replying to Lord Father, I wish to know more about the Dao Lord’s visit to the imperial palace, as I heard some mention it while I was training in past days”, Ji Xitian wasted no time: “As well as asking for permission to begin my Path”.
There was silence.
None spoke up, not even the eunuch who had arrived and stood in a side, between the young prince and the Emperor on his throne. There was silence for a few seconds, putting Ji Xitian on edge every passing second since he felt nervous at the Emperor’s silence.
“Very well, I’ll tell you some more about the Dao Lord’s coming. And regarding your Path…”, the silence extended some more. “I grant you permission, but beware, for you must first complete the Meridian Awakening Ceremony”.
A wave of relief passed through Ji Xitian, as those words seemed like the high heaven’s decree. Still, he quickly reigned on his slightly out of control emotions.
“Listen, Tian’er. The Dao Lord is coming this time to see if there’s any promising seed. Meaning he is planning on recruiting anyone who catches his eyes.” Ji Wangwei said, “And before you think of it, I shall not allow it. Xia Yufeng is not part of the Ji Clan nor the Qing Dynasty. He is to not take anyone I say so, do you understand what I mean?”. The question left him breathless for a second. Not because of awe - nay, it was because of the sudden powerful coercion that stormed through his body.
Sweat began appearing on his body, and his nervousness was palpable on his face. He quickly knelt on the floor and bowed his head, and almost spoke with a fear-filled voice: “A-As you say, Your Majesty. I understand, and I won’t dare to step out of boundaries. I-I beg for y-your forgiveness”.
He quickly cursed in his mind his own voice. But it couldn’t be helped, he really got the shit out of him scared. Were it no for his slight self-control, he would’ve already passed out by the pure force of the gravity suddenly getting heavier by the second.
And as quickly as he said all that, the pressure disappeared. “You’re forgiven, son, for ignorance is not a sin. Let it be the first and last warning of such thoughts to appear on that cunning head of yours. “ And then as quickly as he was regaining some self-control, those last words directly made him pass out. To say he was scared would be the understatement of the year.
Or was it?
For who knows what they are playing at, with all those actions.
They could be all a lie, or a thoroughly mapped out plan, or naivety, or all at the same time.