I plucked the petal and tucked it into my sleeve, using my small frame to squeeze to the front row. I craned my neck and couldn’t help but widen my eyes.
The grand procession came from the city gates, with four rows of masked, spiked cavalry and drummers and horn players behind them. Following them were several massive white elephants, on which sat the towering King of Guge. He wore a mask symbolizing a celestial deity, his upper body bare, exposing tattoos and glorious scars on his chest and arms. His figure was as imposing as the tallest Suluo Mountain within the borders, and the gems at his waist gleamed as brilliantly as the sun and moon. He seemed to soar above the clouds like a god, causing the kneeling commoners to dare not lift their heads to look directly at him.
The king passed by us, and behind him, on the back of the elephant, was a parasol-shaped palanquin, covered with thin gauze curtains and golden tassels. As the breeze gently blew, I could vaguely make out a figure inside, seemingly a woman, with white hair piled high in a bun and dressed in a black robe. I couldn’t tell who she was.
“Who is that?”
“Is she someone the king brought back from Tianzhu?”
“Could she be a new concubine the king married over there?”
“Shh, what are you all saying? That’s the new Grand Tutor! The Saintess of the Tusheng Sect! It was because of her protection during the battle with the Modaluo Kingdom that she saved His Majesty’s life and ensured the victory!”
I nodded. I had heard my master from the private academy mention the origins of the Tusheng Sect before.
Our Guge Kingdom has been in conflict with the southern Modaluo Kingdom at the border for many years, a struggle that has lasted through several dynasties. Before I was born, the two nations had been at war for constant reasons, including geography, resources, and religious beliefs. It is said that the Tusheng Sect was originally one of the religious sects in the Modaluo Kingdom. However, when the king of Modaluo adopted the Champa Sect as the state religion, he forced the followers of the Tusheng Sect to abandon their faith. The Tusheng Sect refused, and the Modaluo’s king began persecuting them, aiming to eradicate their existence. The leader of the Tusheng Sect, along with her followers, eventually rebelled against their own country and fled to Guge. In just a few years, the Tusheng Sect grew rapidly, attracting countless followers, even among the kingdom’s aristocrats. Now, it seems that the Tusheng Sect has replaced the once-dominant Yao Sect and become the new state sect.
“Then who is the person behind her?”
I looked up and saw that behind the saintess, there was another elephant carrying a palanquin.
Unlike the palanquin in front, the one behind had deep purple curtains with gold trim hanging low from the eaves, completely concealing what was inside. The more tightly it was covered, the more it piqued curiosity. I stared at the gap in the curtain, hoping to catch a glimpse of the person inside. As if my thoughts had been sensed by the heavens, a hand suddenly reached out from the gap, lifting the curtain slightly. In an instant, a wave of gasps spread through the crowd.
And I, too, couldn’t help but hold my breath.
What was revealed through the gap in the curtain was a youthful face, so captivating it could topple the world.
His skin was as white as the purest snow atop the Suluo Mountain, with high cheekbones and deep-set eyes. He didn’t look like the people of Guge. His eyes, as blue as the sea depicted in the “Illustrated Treatise on Marine Curiosities” my master had shown me, seemed to hold no trace of worldly desires or emotions, those seven feelings and six desires were nowhere to be found in those eyes, which seemed to belong to a celestial being from the heavens.
In the blink of an eye, the curtain fell back down. Yet, that fleeting glance was enough to make my heart race, as if I had lost my soul. It wasn’t until the entire procession had passed, and my little sister called my name loudly, that I snapped back to reality.
“Mi Jia! What’s wrong with you? Have you lost your soul?”
My ear was twisted hard, and I winced in pain, hopping around to swat her hand away.
“Little Sister, who is the person sitting on the elephant behind the Saintess?” I walked out of the shop, still unable to stop glancing at the retreating procession, and quietly asked her.
“I’ve heard that he’s the Young Saint Lord of the Tusheng Sect and also the king’s ninth son.”
“He’s so beautiful, and he’s actually a man?” I was stunned.
“Shh, his looks aren’t something we should be discussing. Do you want to bring trouble to our family?” My little sister pressed her fingers to her lips, lowering her voice, but her eyes couldn’t help but drift toward the distance, her gaze somewhat dazed.
I sighed. I had thought that my lack of interest in marriage was simply because I hadn’t seen a beautiful girl who caught my attention. But now, the one who made my heart skip a beat was actually a man, it was the holy saint child of Tunshe Tianzun too. I had heard my master from the private academy mention this before, the deity worshipped by the Tusheng Sect had vanished thousands of years ago, and every few hundred years, he would reincarnate into the body of a child with a naturally open spiritual vein. Once found, that child would be chosen to become the Saint Lord of the Tusheng Sect, beginning their path of cultivation until they ascended and became the new living god.
He was a man, and with such an identity, how could he possibly be someone I could desire?
I withdrew my gaze and thoughts and continued to browse the market with my little sister.
Suddenly, a shop filled with paintings and vibrant colors caught my eye.
“You wish to become my disciple?” The old painter stopped his brush and looked at me intently.
I immediately nodded, taking advantage of my young age. I dropped to my knees and said, “Please take me as your disciple. I have great talent, and I can afford the tuition.” As I spoke, I took the small silver lock from around my neck and handed it to him. “Would this be an acceptable offering for my apprenticeship?”
“Mi Jia, what are you doing? That was a gift from our mother!”
The old painter didn’t even glance at the silver lock in my hand. With a cheerful smile, he handed me his brush. “Here, draw something for me, let me see your skill.”
What should I draw?
I wanted to draw something I was good at, like flowers, birds, insects, and fish. However, the image of that fleeting glimpse flashed in my mind. By the time I came to my senses, the brush in my hand had already traced flowing lines, sketching out the contours of the figure in my mind.
“Mi Jia!” My little sister gasped, covering her mouth.
A low voice from beside us also exclaimed in surprise, “Hey, Seventh Brother… isn’t that Ninth Brother?”
I turned towards the voice and realized that two young men had entered the shop at some point. One of them was older, looking around seventeen or eighteen, already at the age of maturity. The other appeared to be around my age, with his hair tied back and a few small braids at his temples, giving him a mischievous look. However, his frail body and pale complexion, with lips lacking any color, suggested that he might be suffering from a wasting illness, resembling tuberculosis.
Seeing that both of them were dressed in luxurious clothes and staring at the rough painting in my hand, my heart skipped a beat. Could the Ninth Brother they were talking about be the Ninth Prince in my painting? Then, could these two be the royal heirs?
“You draw quite well, better than the artists at the pala… the ones from our place.”
The one who spoke was the younger boy with braids. His light brown eyes looked at me with interest. I, cautious of their identities, lowered my eyelids and didn’t dare to meet his gaze. Though flattered by the compliment, I couldn’t help but feel a bit excited, and my lips involuntarily curled up: “Thank you for the praise, I just drew it casually.”
He coughed and said, “Are you a girl or a boy?”
I was stunned for a moment, then looked up at him and replied, “Naturally, I am a boy.”
Is it because I look too delicate, haven’t matured, and haven’t yet changed my voice, making it hard for others to tell my gender?
Mi Luo covered her mouth and couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh, which made me incredibly irritated, but I didn’t dare to snap at her. I then heard the boy laugh and say, “Sorry, I thought you two were sisters…”
“Alright, Xiao Shi, didn’t I tell you something before you left? I allowed you to come out and have some fun, but you can’t just casually talk to civilians like this. It’s improper.” The older boy said, throwing a heavy little pouch onto the table where the painting materials were. He grabbed a can of paint and walked out.
“Hey, Seventh Brother, wait for me…” The young man looked at me reluctantly and ran after his older brother.
The painter picked up my painting, looked at it, was silent for a moment, and walked into the shop.
I quickly followed him and saw him stop in front of a row of ceramic jars filled with colorful powders. He said, “If you truly want to learn from me, you must show sincerity. More than tuition, I value talent and perseverance in painting. You have the talent, but I need to test your perseverance. Within a month, if you can gather all these mineral pigments and bring them to my shop, I will accept you as my disciple.”
With a loud “clang,” the mineral in front of me was shattered. I picked up a small piece of the blue-green mineral that was revealed inside, took out the color sample I had rolled up in my sleeve, and compared it. After a quick check, I confirmed that it was malachite.
Wiping the sweat off my face, I smashed the mineral into smaller pieces and collected them into my small pouch. Half a month passed, and the palms of my hands had developed thin calluses, my grip stronger than before. Mining the minerals wasn’t as difficult as it had been at first, but the pigment minerals were still hard to find. Despite my future master’s providing me with a rough map of where the minerals were distributed, guiding me to the right mountains, it was still no easy task.
I counted the five colors of minerals in my pouch and sat under a tree. I took a sip from my water bottle and then pulled out the barley bread my mother had packed for me before I left. After taking a few bites, I climbed up the tree.
Next, I needed to collect cinnabar and kaolinite, both of which could only be found in the higher mountains; specifically, the mountain range behind the royal city. Fortunately, it was summer, so I didn’t have to worry about freezing to death from climbing too high.
Using the imported goods I had secretly brought from home, I gazed toward the mountain range behind the royal city. A vivid, fiery color caught my attention. On one of the mountains, there was a large tree filled with red flowers growing on its midsection. I glanced at the map and saw a red mark in that area, with small text indicating its location.
“Do not go there.”
Why is it forbidden to go there?
A breeze swept by, and the corner of my eye softened. I touched it, and my fingertip unmistakably brushed against a red flower petal.
For some reason, the image of that fleeting moment amidst the falling petals appeared before my eyes again.
My heart raced wildly.
I needed to climb higher into the mountains, and crossing this particular peak was the quickest route. I jumped down from the tree and hesitated for a moment. But, as if guided by some unseen force, I found myself walking toward the mountain marked as forbidden on the map.
When I reached the foot of the mountain and got closer, I could finally identify the vibrant red flowers. They were red camellias, also known as Tumi. It was said that these flowers were not native to the Guge region but had been planted by the followers of the Tusheng Sect after they arrived. The Guge royal family revered them as sacred flowers, and commoners were forbidden from picking them; anyone caught doing so would have their hands cut off.
I hesitated, about to turn around, when suddenly, a flute’s melody reached my ears, causing me to pause in my tracks.
Though I wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about music, the sound of the flute was truly unique—ethereal, lonely, evoking images of a solitary deer wandering through the snow in winter or a bird without a nest in the autumn. Who could be playing the flute? I couldn’t help but raise my eyes, gazing into the depths of the camellia forest.
Just one glance, I promised myself, just one glance and then I would return.
