Lari smiled. “Good. We ran out of peaches ages ago.”
Back on Earth, there was an old literary tale called The Peach Blossom Land that told of a peaceful utopia where people lived in harmony with nature and were isolated from the rest of the world. In this world, there was an actual Peach Blossom Isle that I had visited with my apprentices last year. It was a magical place that existed on the back of a giant sea turtle.
“For sure, for sure,” I said to the others. “We will definitely help them out.”
Fengying helped me quickly pen a note of acceptance, and she sent it off with a different messenger.
I washed up and changed my clothes before meeting with the others in the outer courtyard, where we wrote a list of gifts and trade goods we should prepare for the trip. “Pigs, I mean pork, we need lots of pork. They love that. And, um, beef, venison, all the meats. Sacks of rice. Seed rice. They didn’t like vegetables that much.”
“They also like beads and glassware,” said Lari.
“Beauty products, too, I’m sure,” said Kharli. “People who look like that must take very good care of their skin and hair.”
We were busy writing all this down when I received yet another message.
“Princess, you’re invited to visit the newborn,” said Fengying.
“Whoa! So soon? I was told it would be weeks before I would be allowed to see her.”
“The child is said to have very strong and stable qi.”
“Sweet.”
My housekeeper handed me a large package full of baby things, and she called one of the royal guards to escort me to the portal. For security purposes, the White Tiger clan’s portal was quite a distance from their houses. We took a flying carriage, of course, even though it wasn’t that far, since I was now a spoiled and pregnant princess. Minutes later, we arrived at the White Tiger clan’s headquarters, where I was offered a sedan chair. I refused since I wasn’t that spoiled.
Walking to the inner courtyard, where the Lady of the West was in seclusion, took a bit of time since the place was quite large. In fact, a dozen generations ago, this was a palace complex, with each member of the royal family living with their spouse and children in a grand palace of their own, but these days, because of the clan’s previous fertility problem, there were only two palaces being used. One was the administrative center where people worked, while the other was where the Lady of the West and her consort lived with various distant relatives who were descendants of non-royal family members, mostly related through marriage or adoption. They were, one and all, called “cousins” for simplicity’s sake. For example, some of them were actually his non-royal grandparent’s cousin’s offspring. In other words, his second cousins, once removed.
When the guard and I entered the main gate, which was flanked by massive bronze tiger guardian statues, I saw that there were a little over two dozen of these cousins waiting to greet me. Most of them were white-haired and blue-eyed like my husband, but there were those with darker hair and eyes. All of them were wearing the usual silk robes because the clan made its money from sericulture.
I’d met them at my wedding, but it was difficult for me to remember all their names as I politely returned their greetings.
“Princess, how lovely to see you again.”
“Hello, Princess, welcome to the estate.”
“It’s been too long since we’ve seen your charming face.”
“We were all so excited when we heard you were coming.”
“Welcome, cousin, may your visit be a pleasant one.”
That last greeting surprised me. I guess I was now one of their cousins by marriage, too!
Eventually, I finished all the greetings, and my escort guided me to the inner courtyard. We crossed the palace’s central courtyard, which had cinnabar-red walls and roofs of imperial yellow tiles, to a covered walkway that reminded me of the Long Corridor at the Summer Palace in Beijing. Its wooden walls, ceiling, crossbeams, and pillars were covered in hundreds of classical paintings of landscapes and tigers. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to peruse them since I was in a rush. We passed a few scholars quietly engaged in conversation and a pair of ladies-in-waiting, their silk robes rustling softly. We exchanged bows but didn’t stop to chat.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Finally, we arrived at the Lady’s courtyard. The royal guard knocked on the gate for me and then took his leave when my husband opened it.
“Sweetheart!” I said.
We hugged, and he led me inside to a small, quiet courtyard with one tall cloud tree. Here, the stone walls and floor were white, and there were few decorations. Everything was spotless, almost like an elegant hospital.
“So this is the special courtyard for the traditional postnatal confinement period?”
“Yes,” said my husband. “There’s a stove that heats the room inside, and there’s a back door where they collect the soiled diapers and things.”
The room we entered was large, airy, and all white, too. Through gaps in a thick silk curtain room divider I could see the Lady sleeping on a bed, also with white beddings.
“Everything is white?” I asked Prince Baiyu in a whisper.
“Yes. We need to keep everything very clean, and white shows dirt better.”
We tiptoed to the other side of the room, where there was another divider.
“You don’t have to whisper. She’s resting, not asleep,” said Lord Yulin. He was sitting on a chair with both his feet up on a footstool, looking a little haggard, with dark circles under his eyes, and the plain white cotton clothes made his skin look a little waxen.
I only spared him a glance because my eyes were immediately drawn to the wooden bassinet beside him. “May I?”
He nodded, and so I approached the baby on tiptoe.
I couldn’t help but squeal when I saw her.
“Oh my gosh! Who’s a little cutie baby? Who? Who? You!” I cooed at her in a whisper.
The baby was nestled in a soft, pale blue blanket. Her face was a delicate pink, and her scalp was covered in a fine white fluff of hair. A tiny, button mouth was slightly open. I watched her chest rise and fall ever so gently beneath the blanket. One little hand, with its tiny, perfectly formed fingers, was curled up near her cheek. Her eyes were a deep dark blue, a startling contrast to her pale skin and hair.
I wasn’t allowed to touch her.
Clan members were born with a spiritual sense, which made parents quite wary of too many people getting in contact with the newborn because it would stress her too much. Even Prince Baiyu wasn’t allowed to hold the baby for longer than a few minutes because his qi was apparently quite strong and fierce.
Sadly, I was only able to spend a few minutes cooing over the baby before I had to leave. Though people said my qi was gentle, the child was only a few days old, and they had to be very cautious.
Prince Baiyu and I passed through the screens to see his mom.
Lady Yuying was lying in bed, covered by a fur blanket. Her skin was paler than normal, and her hair lacked its usual sheen, but when she smiled, I could see how happy and content she was.
We exchanged a few greetings, and I gushed over how cute her baby was. However, she clearly needed rest, so we left after a few minutes.
“How have you been?” I asked my husband as we were walking back to the portal.
“Tired. I have been endlessly scrubbing the rooms clean every day.” Seeing my surprised look, he shook his head and added, “The nannies and the wet nurse shouldn’t do any unclean work since they take care of the baby.”
“But surely you have maids who can do the cleaning.”
“We do.” He smiled ruefully. “I’m pretty sure my father only told me to do it because I kept asking to hold the baby.”
“I don’t blame you. She’s adorable!”
We returned to the house in good spirits and spent the rest of the day relaxing together.
***
By dawn the next day, the ever-efficient Fengying had all of the gifts and trade goods ready. We set off on the [Traditional Chinese Ship] with all the staff who wanted to try their luck, too. The legendary sea turtle only accepted a few people. The chosen ones were allowed to set foot on Peach Blossom Isle, while the unchosen wouldn’t be able to penetrate the shield around it.
[Peach Blossom Isle:
A mysterious island known as the place where the Assembly of Immortals took place, in which the 88 Sages and 888 Kings of the Dawn Age issued the Ascension Edict. Secluded from the world for over 10,000 years, the location of the fabled Peach Blossom Isle cannot be found on any map.]
I waited until everyone on the ship was seated before saying, “Full speed ahead!”
Then I pressed the button on the control panel, though, of course, the real button was in the System tab. I would have liked to take my time, but I didn’t want to keep the turtle waiting too long.
If the [Traditional Chinese Ship] were a mundane vehicle, our speed would have made it cut through the water, leaving huge waves in its wake, but since it was a System item, the ship actually floated five feet above the water.
We flew serenely over the water of the river and then to the sea. Once we were out in the open water, I went outside to the foredeck. The sun and sky were like blue bowls mirroring each other, and the fresh air was absolutely delightful, albeit a little cold.
Soon, we caught sight of our goal.
Last year, the kids had been terrified by the sight, but now they waved cheerily at the friendly turtle.
[Archelon:
A giant sea turtle with a leathery carapace and large flippers. She bears a human village on her back. When half-submerged, the earth she carries on her shell looks like an island.]
The vast, dark pools of Archelon’s beady black eyes regarded us with an ancient, gentle curiosity of the deep ocean itself. Her foreflipper waved at us.
Although she seemed quite friendly, there was no denying that she was a scary sight indeed. Her mouth was large enough to swallow our ship five times over, and her wrinkled, leathery skin was covered in algae. Hoary old trees were growing on the back of her colossal shell.
There were three canoes around her, manned by powerfully built islanders with brown skin and hair. The men waved at us and shouted something I couldn't hear.
“They’re saying we can all go ashore,” said Prince Baiyu, who had the best hearing among the clan members.
That was a huge surprise since normally people would go on small boats one by one or two by two to ask permission to land.
“Wait. Stop. They’re saying they have a portal for us to use.”
“Eh? A portal?”
The words had barely left my mouth when a glowing circle appeared in the space in front of my ship. That must be the portal.
At the same time, a System pop-up appeared.
[Quest Available: Tree of Life]
?? The Broken Arcanist [Anti-Hero | Necro | Progression LitRPG] ??
by Aleth08
The guild ruled Thorin ineligible.
The crystal glowed. The answer was still no.
He intends to reclaim what his name once stood for, whatever it takes.
Inspired by novels I like: Warlock of the Magus World | Reverend Insanity | A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality etc.
Release Schedule: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday [After the initial run]
What to expect:
[+] Weak to Strong
[+] Necromancer MC [Other affinities as well]
[+] Anti-Hero MC [Morally Grey]
[+] LitRPG-Cultivation Blend
[+] Class Based Power System
[+] Magical Beasts
[+] Romance [Not Harem]
[+] Third-Person Limited Narration
*****
Author's Note:
- Cute baby this chapter. Not Violet's. But it will be soon!
- Turtle power!
- Advanced chapters on my Patreon!
- Thank you very much for reading.
- Please let me know if there are any errors.