“Mi Jia?”
Hearing my mother’s voice outside the door, I hurriedly rolled up the canvas and stuffed it into my arms.
The door creaked open with a “creak,” and my mother stepped in. She glanced at my desk and then smiled knowingly. “You’re secretly drawing again? Your books are all lying flat.”
I hurriedly straightened the book in front of me. Although my mother was a slave who escaped from the Western Regions, for some reason, she could read and write with beautiful small characters and could even compose little poems. The books she had read seemed to be more than those I, who had attended a private academy, had read. Sometimes, I really feel that my father, a merchant reeking of the smell of money who only knows how to make money and marry beautiful concubines, is unworthy of a woman like her, who is both talented and beautiful.
“Your face is so red. Which girl did you paint?” She smiled softly at me. “Shall Mother have a look?”
I shook my head like a rattle drum. Although it was just a rough outline drawn with charcoal, and my mother wouldn’t be able to tell whether it was a man or a woman, the person in the drawing was still the Ninth Prince. It wouldn’t be good if my mother found out.
“I’ll go first. I’ve finished all the homework the master left. I need to go to his place.”
“Hey, wait.” My mother stopped me, took an envelope from her bosom, and handed it to me. “Jia’er, inside here… is some silver notes, saved up from my sewing work as private savings. You can give it to Master Tai as a token of thanks for the care he puts into teaching you. And this, you should also give to him. Remember, don’t let anyone see it. If people find out that your mother is bribing the master for you, it won’t be good.”
“Alright.”
My mother had gone to great lengths for my education, and this wasn’t the first time she had done something like this. I nodded, took the envelope and the insoles, stuffed them into my bosom, and ran out the door. When I arrived at the private academy, the master wasn’t there, so I climbed over the wall into his small courtyard and slipped the envelope with the silver notes and the insoles through the crack in the door.
Then, I wandered around that mountain again.
On the way down the mountain that day, I found cinnabar. In the following days, I also found ochre and kaolinite. Now, only the red agate was left. This mineral is precious, and perhaps the Ninth Prince knows where it can be mined. So, going to look for him again wouldn’t be considered neglecting my work.
Having found a solid reason for myself, I arrived under that tree.
“Mother, why have you come?”
“I came to see if there has been any progress in your cultivation recently.”
Hearing the woman’s voice, I was about to climb the tree but then withdrew my hand.
“Mother… hurt…”
I could only hear that cold, restrained voice, as if suppressing a gasp, enduring some immense pain. My heart tightened. Had the Ninth Prince’s cultivation results displeased his mother, and was she punishing him? Unable to resist, I silently climbed up the tree, peering inside to see.
As soon as I looked, my eyes widened in surprise.
I saw Nalin sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, his brow furrowed. Behind him stood a woman wearing a black robe and pointed hat, her face obscured by a beaded curtain. One of her hands was spread open, hovering above the Ninth Prince’s head. I didn’t know what was happening, but I saw a fiery, rainbow-like shape gradually form above his head as she formed seals with her hands. The flame-like shape moved toward the woman’s palm and slowly disappeared. The woman sighed deeply, emitting a sound that seemed like a satisfied sigh, before withdrawing her hand. The Ninth Prince’s body, however, began to tremble slightly.
Although I didn’t understand what was happening, it was clear that the Ninth Prince was in distress. However, the woman, whom he referred to as ‘Mother’, let out a light laugh, as if she were oblivious to his condition. “Very good. In a little while, your spiritual veins will be able to endure the descent of a deity.”
The Ninth Prince remained perfectly still. “As long as… Mother is satisfied, it’s enough.”
“Today, I’ll allow you to rest. You don’t need to cultivate.”
“Thank you… Mother.”
After the woman left, I noticed that two figures in red robes and pointed hats remained by the Ninth Prince’s side. I recognized their attire as that of the priests from the Tusheng Sect. One was plump, the other slim, with one having narrow, sharp eyes and the other a gloomy expression. They both appeared quite young.
“You guys go to the front yard. I want to be alone.” The Ninth Prince said lightly, but the two men did not move. The fatter one even took a step closer to him.
“Young Saint Lord, Ban Dan and I are currently at a critical point in our cultivation and have suffered some backlash. We are in great pain right now. Please, look…” The plump priest kneeled down, crawling to the Ninth Prince’s side, and rolled up his sleeve. On his wrist and the back of his hand, there were several blood-red lines, resembling the roots of a tree, spreading all the way up to his forearm. As he finished speaking, the thin priest with the gloomy eyes also knelt down immediately, prostrating on the ground. “Please, Young Saint Lord, save the lives of us brothers!”
The Ninth Prince opened his eyes, furrowing his brow, and fell silent for a moment. “If I save you guys, will you guys be able to loosen your surveillance on me from now on?”
The two exchanged a glance, and the plump priest nodded first. “Of course. As long as the Young Saint Lord doesn’t leave or go outside, we… naturally don’t need to keep such a close watch. When the Saint Lord previously forbade us from entering the backyard, didn’t we stay away?”
“What if I want to go out?”
“That’s definitely not possible! The Saintess has issued an order that the Young Saint Lord cannot leave this forbidden place of cultivation.” The thin man said, but was elbowed by the fat man next to him.
“As long as… as long as the Young Saint Lord does not cross this mountain boundary and just takes a stroll in the forest to clear your mind, we can turn a blind eye and let you be.”
“Ban Bu!” The thin priest shouted.
“Alright.” The Ninth Prince stood up, glancing at them with a sideward look. “Wait for me here.”
Was he going to get medicine? I studied the two priests, pondering what they had just said. Cultivation… backlash, what was that? At that moment, I overheard someone saying, “If the Saintess finds out that we secretly sought the Saint Lord’s blessing, we might end up with no place to be buried!”
“Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know, I know. If you and I don’t say it, how would the Saintess know? The Young Saint Lord is still a child at heart, all he wants is to sneak out and play. He definitely won’t tell the Saintess. What are you worrying about? You’re just being an alarmist…!”
While the two of them were quietly arguing, the Ninth Prince had already come out from the corridor. I couldn’t tell if it was just my impression, but his complexion looked poor, and his steps seemed unsteady. He stood on the stairs, extending his hand, and in his palm was a small porcelain vial. “Take it.”
The two priests expressed their endless gratitude, took the porcelain vial, and left.
The courtyard was left with only the Ninth Prince. I saw him sit cross-legged on the grass, close his eyes, and form strange hand seals at his chest. Only then did I dare jump down from the tree. But he didn’t open his eyes, remaining perfectly still, as if he hadn’t noticed my arrival at all.
When I got closer, I noticed that his face was covered in a fine layer of sweat, and his lips were tightly pressed together, oozing with blood. There were also small stains on his sleeves.
I was like a moth drawn to the flames, unable to stop myself as I half-knelt in front of him, gently wiping his face with my sleeve. His long lashes, as dark as crow feathers, fluttered slightly, revealing the blue eyes that had been lingering in my dreams these past few days. He gazed at me dazedly, a look of surprise gradually forming on his face, and his thick brows furrowed. “Why is it you? Why are you here again?”
I withdrew my hand, feeling a bit too shy to look at him. “Didn’t I say that I wanted to be friends with you that day? You didn’t say it was impossible. I finished the homework my master assigned, and since I had nothing else to do, I thought I’d come and visit you.”
“Leave,” He said coldly. “This place is not for just anyone.”
I simply sat down with a thud. “I can’t leave for now. I twisted my ankle when I jumped down just now.”
The Ninth Prince slightly furrowed his brow, staring at me as if he doubted I was telling the truth.
I cradled my right foot, putting on a pained expression. “It’s true. I twisted it when I went back that day, and just now, I twisted it again. It’s a fresh injury on top of the old one. If you make me climb out, my foot might be ruined for good.”
There was a brief silence before he stood up and walked back into the corridor.
Was he going to get medicine for me?
He’s such a kind person. Are all royal heirs like him, so kind-hearted?
I stared at his back, unable to stop myself from grinning foolishly. Suddenly, something tugged at my pants leg, making a jingling sound. I turned my head and was startled, it was the large bird with red feathers on its head, stretching its neck and pecking at the small bells attached to the bracelet my mother had given me. Perhaps it still held a grudge from the last time it failed to steal my minerals!
“Hey!” I swatted at its head, but to my surprise, the large bird refused to let go of the bell, and it suddenly yanked me backward, causing me to fall flat on the ground. Just then, he walked out from the corridor behind me.
Upon seeing the scene of me and the bird, the Ninth Prince clearly froze for a moment. The corner of his lips twitched, and his gaze shifted from me to the large bird. “Bai Ha’er.”
“The bird you keep holds a grudge. As soon as I arrived, it started bullying me and even tried to steal my bracelet!” I lay on the ground, gazing up at the blue eyes that reflected my figure, then reached out my hand toward him. “Can you… help me up?”
He stood still for a moment, then finally reached out his hand, taking hold of my fingers, which were rough and reddened from mining. Compared to my calloused hands, his fingers were cool, smooth, and free of any rough spots, like the finest jade. I fought the impulse to touch them, sitting up instead.
He handed me a small box and said, “This medicine can invigorate the blood and dissipate bruises.”
“Thank you.” I took the medicine, feeling a bit guilty as I lowered my eyelids. I rolled up my pant leg, applied some ointment to my palm, and exaggeratedly rubbed it on the spot where the anklet was, hissing as if in pain. When I lifted my gaze, I accidentally noticed that he was actually watching me apply the medicine to my foot.
I felt even more guilty, my toes curling in nervousness. I wasn’t sure what got into me, but in a moment of impulse, I took off my bracelet and handed it to him. “Bai Ha’er seems to like my anklet, and you gave me medicine. How about I give it to him as a token of thanks?”
He paused for a moment, as if just snapping out of his thoughts. He looked away but didn’t reach out to take it.
“No need.”
“Oh…” I muttered, a little disappointed, and put the anklet back on before handing the ointment to him.
“Keep it.” He replied.
“Really?” I remembered how he had endured pain earlier. “Aren’t you, yourself, injured?”
He furrowed his brow. “I’m not injured.”
“That’s nonsense. I saw you sweating just now, and your lips… there’s blood.” I asked cautiously, avoiding mentioning the conversation I overheard between him and his mother. “Aren’t you feeling unwell?”
He shook his head, remaining silent, and sat down cross-legged, forming hand seals.
“If your injury is healed, leave quickly.”
“How can it be so fast? You can’t heal just after applying the medicine.” I muttered. It was then that I noticed he was wearing a red agate ring on his finger, which made me suddenly alert.
“Do you know where I can find red agate?” I mimicked his posture, sitting cross-legged across from him, resting my chin on my hand as I asked. “I want to become an art disciple, and my future master has set a test for me to collect ten colors of mineral pigments. Now I’m just missing red agate, like the gemstone on your ring.”
He opened his eyes and glanced at his finger.
“This was a gift from my… my father. I don’t know where the material can be found.”
Father? Is he referring to the king?
A jolt ran through me, I realized he didn’t say “King Father.” Was he afraid that mentioning it might scare me?
Could it be that he actually wants to be friends with me too?
It felt like taking a bite of a sugar-coated hawthorn stick, with a sweet sensation slowly spreading in my heart. I smiled and said, “I haven’t asked you yet, what’s your name? How old are you? I’m fourteen, and I’ve already told you my name.”
He lowered his eyelids, seeming a bit uncomfortable. After a moment, he finally spoke, “Nanlin… sixteen.”
