Flower, Yet Not a Flower (Part 6)

All the immortals said that Chi Lian joining Jiangxiao Palace was no different from reaching the heavens in a single step. It was as if just by hanging this sign on his forehead, he could instantly gain thirty thousand years of cultivation, master profound and mysterious immortal arts, and transform from an obscure Immortal Attendant into an Immortal Venerable presiding over a region in the blink of an eye.

Moreover, Emperor Cangze had always been renowned throughout the Nine Heavens for his peerless mastery of formations. He was the revered god who had personally established the order of the Three Realms. Unfortunately, despite his lifelong ultimate skills, not a single Immortal Lord under his tutelage could inherit their master's mantle. Even looking across the entire Heavenly Court, one could hardly find any immortals who could grasp his teachings. It was said that the leap in understanding required was roughly equivalent to giving someone a pot, a kitchen knife, and a pile of radishes, then telling them to build a city gate tower with those items.

Currently, the one who had learned fifty percent of the Emperor's skills was the eldest disciple of Jiangxiao Palace, Immortal Lord Beichen, followed by Immortal Lord Mingshu. By the time it came to the third disciple, Immortal Lord Xianzhen, the lineage was completely broken. His immortal arts, talismans, alchemy, martial arts, and even his interpersonal and culinary skills were all excellent. Placed in any other Immortal Venerable's palace, he would have been qualified to be the chief disciple, yet his attainments in the path of formations were merely average. According to the Emperor's evaluation, he had a mind full of curious thoughts and dabbled in a wide range of subjects, learning everything quickly. But in a subject like formations, which required millennia of dedicated study to achieve mastery, he often only skimmed the surface, unable to specialize.

As for the latter two, they were young cubs whose cultivation had not yet surpassed a hundred years. In terms of mental maturity, they were not much stronger than Chi Lian. Immortal Lord Gui Heng was the youngest son of the North Sea Chu Continent's Lord. Because his father had once followed the Emperor to battle in all directions and later came to rule a continent alone, he was considered the Emperor's die-hard confidant, and was thus able to send his own son to Jiangxiao Palace to be taught by the Emperor. However, Chu Continent had always revered martial prowess and ferocity, and Gui Heng also followed the path of overwhelming skill with brute force, lacking the patience to learn formations. The other, Immortal Lady Yingling, was the biological daughter of the Venerable Feng, and was destined to return home to inherit the venerable position. Venerable Feng naturally did not send her to Jiangxiao Palace to learn formations, but rather to ask the Emperor to teach her the way of a ruler, so as to prepare for her future ascension.

For this very reason, Chi Lian, as the disciple who had entered last, could be said to be shouldering the hopes of the entire palace. Everyone was guessing just how many formation classes he could endure under the Emperor.

Although Chi Lian was unaware of such earnest expectations behind his back, his attitude was excellent. During the first few classes, even though he couldn't understand a single word, he sat bolt upright very earnestly and listened through the entire session. The first time he drew a formation, the Emperor taught him by guiding his hand. He held a jade brush dipped in golden ink and drew complex runes on dark cyan paper that shimmered with a faint silver light. Chi Lian tried to infuse his spiritual power into it, and saw the golden ink begin to flow like living water. The formation left the paper and, in an instant, landed on the ground, rising into a curtain of light shimmering with the dual colors of gold and jade, firmly enclosing the master and disciple within.

Chi Lian tried to break through the curtain wall. To his touch, it felt as cool and hard as glazed glass. The Emperor explained from the side, "This formation is called 'Golden Chest Jade Lock.' It is the simplest entry-level formation. It can defend against external attacks but cannot harm enemies outside, nor can the people inside get out."

"However, just because it is simple to set up does not mean it is fragile and easily broken. As they say, great skill appears artless. If you infuse enough power and the formation is laid out with harmonious spiritual energy, then not even a full-powered strike from an Immortal Venerable or above can break it. It could even withstand a few heavenly tribulations without issue."

Chi Lian's eyes only lit up upon hearing this. The Emperor then smiled and said, "There is one more point. It is called 'Golden Chest Jade Lock,' not simply 'Defensive Formation,' and there is a reason for this: using gold as the coffer and jade as the lock, to be treasured and treated with great importance. This indicates that what is inside is not an insignificant person or object, but something you must carefully protect. Therefore, it also contains the meaning of 'blessed protection.'"

"Sometimes, setting up a formation depends not only on spiritual power, but also on one's will. If your thoughts are in turmoil or you have too many distracting thoughts, the formation can be easily broken. But if your mind is firm and your belief is persistent, the formation might display an effect even stronger than usual."

The Emperor left this "Golden Coffer and Jade Lock Formation" for him as an assignment, to be reviewed in ten days. Seeing Chi Lian's expression of listening to an incomprehensible text these past few days, the Emperor knew he wasn't the right material for learning formations and had not expected him to grasp it quickly. But unexpectedly, without knowing which of his words had triggered an epiphany for Chi Lian, on the morning three days later, the moment the Emperor stepped into the study, he was trapped squarely by a formation that fell from above.

The Emperor struggled for a moment and was surprised to find that the formation was actually quite sturdy and proper. For a rare moment, he began to doubt himself, thinking, 'Could it be that I misjudged? Is this little flower immortal actually a natural prodigy in formations?'

On the other side, Chi Lian had already taken the initiative to stand before him. Although his expression was as placid and serene as ever, his entire being exuded an air of eager expectation. The Emperor raised a hand to retract the formation and immediately praised him, "Remarkable. You are the quickest to learn among all who have entered my tutelage. It seems your potential on the path of formations is limitless."

Chi Lian's eyes had just curved into a smile from the praise when he heard the Emperor continue, "Since you've learned the Golden Coffer and Jade Lock Formation, today I will teach you the Smoke and Cloud Bewildering Mist Array. It will also be reviewed in ten days. This one isn't difficult either."

The corners of Chi Lian's mouth instantly drooped.

The Emperor chuckled. "What's with that expression? Weren't you learning it quite well?"

He merely had to lift his hand slightly, and Chi Lian would consciously move closer to have his head patted. Tugging on the Emperor's wide sleeves and swaying back and forth, he seemingly complained, but was in fact trying to get away with it by acting cute. "It's too difficult. My eyes nearly went blind from drawing for these three days, and I only managed to create this one finished formation. Emperor, please grant me a two-day extension."

In truth, his eyes had long since recovered, but upon hearing this, the Emperor still put on a stern face and examined them carefully. Seeing that nothing was wrong, he flicked Chi Lian on the forehead and, as expected, let him off lightly. "For the sake of your diligence, I will allow you to thoroughly master this formation over the next few days. As for the new one, we'll talk about it in ten days—that should be acceptable, right?"

"Yes, yes, thank you, Emperor." The joy of escaping a calamity was just that simple. Chi Lian agreed readily, then pushed his luck, asking, "Since I don't have to learn formations, can you teach me something else?"

The Emperor lowered his eyes and asked, "What do you want to learn?"

Chi Lian: "To fight."

The Emperor: "..."

Seeing he didn't respond, Chi Lian immediately changed his tune. "Swordsmanship."

"Are you butting heads with Gui Heng again?" The Emperor pressed his temples and sighed heavily, getting a headache from the two troublemakers in his household. "What exactly is it about you two that makes you so incompatible? Why must you fight every time you meet?"

Neither Gui Heng nor Chi Lian himself could say what specific incident had made them hostile to each other. In any case, they found each other displeasing on sight, and their hands itched whenever they heard the other speak. Chi Lian thought he was a boor who looked down on others, while Gui Heng thought he was an insidious and aloof pretty boy. The two would start fighting at the slightest disagreement, but it was all just unskilled flailing—to try and temper their personalities, the Emperor had specifically taught them only mental cultivation arts and had yet to impart any martial techniques.

Emperor Cangze was a grandmaster of formations, but that didn't mean formations were all he knew. He was proficient with both immortal arts and divine weapons. It was just that as his cultivation grew, he focused his research more and more on the path of formations. After all, the matters the Emperor had to handle these days were major events concerning entire lands and realms, and there were no longer any opponents worthy of him picking up a sword to fight one-on-one.

"Emperor, I want to learn the sword, and not just to fight with Gui Heng... At least, not entirely to fight with Senior Brother Gui Heng." Chi Lian knelt beside him, hands on his knees, so well-behaved that one couldn't tell at all that he was the ruthless character who had fought the Ran Dragon to the death alone. In order to persuade the Emperor, he even took the initiative to call Gui Heng 'Senior Brother'. "Whether it's immortal arts or formations, they are all related to one's cultivation level. But if one day none of these can be relied upon, I want to be able to protect the most important person to me with just these two hands."

The Emperor's heart stirred slightly. A flash of insight passed through his mind, and he seemed to have suddenly guessed why Chi Lian had learned the Golden Coffer and Jade Lock Formation so quickly.

In fact, at this moment, he should have asked who this "most important person" was, but he inexplicably felt a bit shy, like someone who had gained an advantage but was still playing coy. Chi Lian's mind was as clear as glazed glass. The Emperor didn't need to ask to see, with perfect clarity, who filled his heart and eyes.

"Immortals can control the winds and clouds and move mountains and seas with their immortal arts and techniques. Only those who need to go to the battlefield use divine weapons as spiritual tools. The path you wish to choose is more arduous than theirs... If what you want is the strength to fight at any time, then from the moment you start practicing the sword, you must forget that you are an immortal. You must undergo daily tempering and monthly refinement, enduring hardships that others would not, only then can you achieve something."

He glanced at Chi Lian and after a long pause, said faintly, "No matter who it is, they are never more important than yourself. There's no need to torture yourself like this."

His original intention was a warning, but Chi Lian—not having heard a single word of the warning—leaned forward, grabbed his hand, and said with resounding force, "Please teach me, Emperor!"

Emperor Cangze: "..."

He now had a particularly complex feeling of intertwined love and exasperation. On one hand, he was completely swept away by Chi Lian's pure devotion, secretly feeling that no amount of pampering would ever be enough. On the other hand, it was like a father's heart aching for his child; if Chi Lian were doing this for anyone else, he would have long since personally thrown that person into the Heavenly River.

Although one shouldn't judge a hero by their origins, and within Jiangxiao Palace, Chi Lian actually received more of the Emperor's care than the other Immortal Lords, his sense of crisis was clearly absurdly strong compared to Gui Heng and the others. Far from shrinking back because of hardship, as long as he was given a small start, he didn't even need anyone to urge him on and would automatically practice the sword for a full four hours every day on his own initiative.

That old sword he'd picked up at the market, even if it was so worn it was no different from mortal iron, was ultimately still an immortal weapon. Therefore, the Emperor initially only had Chi Lian use a wooden sword, which was light and wouldn't break. But he had been in a high position for too long and an immortal for too many years, so for a moment, he found it difficult to put himself in a mortal's shoes and imagine what it was like. It wasn't until a few days later during a lesson when he saw the gauze wrapped around both of Chi Lian's hands that he realized he had overlooked something.

"What happened to your hands?"

Chi Lian subconsciously tried to cover them with his sleeve, mumbling, "It's nothing, I just accidentally got a cut."

There was no way the Emperor would believe him. Without another word, he gripped Chi Lian's wrist bone and unwrapped the bandages on his hand. The more he revealed, the tighter his brows furrowed. By the last layer, the white cloth was soaked through with blood, revealing a palm full of shocking blood blisters underneath.

"You..."

To be able to anger Emperor Cangze to the point of speechlessness, Chi Lian was possibly the very first person since the dawn of time.

The Emperor was silent for a long time, so long that Chi Lian thought he was about to storm off. He had even rehearsed in his mind how he would dive, kneel, and cling to the Emperor's leg to beg for forgiveness. Finally, the Emperor spoke slowly, "It's been too long since I've seen this... I had forgotten whether immortals could get blisters from friction."

While peeking at his expression, Chi Lian said carefully, "They just don't look very good right now. It'll be fine once they scab over and turn into calluses. How can one practice the sword without getting calluses..."

The Emperor pressed his wrist lightly, not letting him pull his hand back. "But practicing the way you are, your hands will be ruined before they can even form calluses. What do you plan to hold a sword with then?"

If he had stopped to rest immediately after getting the blood blisters, it wouldn't have become such a bloody mess. It was obvious that Chi Lian had continued practicing as usual after bandaging them, rubbing all the blisters raw through the cloth, and he still had no intention of stopping.

The Emperor was no longer afraid of him being immature, only that he was too mature. But faced with such a stubborn mule, he truly couldn't scold him or hit him. What was wrong with striving for improvement? Would he have been satisfied if he had brought back a parasitic dodder flower who only knew how to cling to him? Hadn't he taught him personally with all his heart precisely so that Chi Lian could one day grow into an immortal who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him, to help him share the heavy burden of all living beings he carried?

As a sovereign and a master, what standing did he have to say the word 'stop'?

Chi Lian didn't know why he was in the wrong, but he didn't have that many principles in front of the Emperor. He obediently lowered his head and said, "I was wrong."

But the Emperor said, "This can't be considered wrong. You don't need to admit fault."

He released Chi Lian's wrist, but did not pull his hand back. Instead, he opened his palm before Chi Lian's eyes and said calmly, "Take a look at my hand."

Chi Lian: ?

To be fair, the Emperor's hands were indeed beautiful. His skin was fair, the lines of bone and sinew were clear, his knuckles distinct, and his five fingers were long and strong, without a single spot or scar. Especially with Chi Lian's hands for comparison, they looked even cleaner and more pristine—a pair of pampered hands, untouched by hardship.

Most people would have felt ashamed of their own inferiority at this point. However, Chi Lian was not wired that way, so he simply raised his head, glanced at the Emperor, and said very matter-of-factly and sincerely, "They're beautiful."

Generally, the higher a celestial god's station, the more imposing and distant they became, their joy and anger not showing on their face. No matter how outstanding their appearance, it was not meant to be admired. But at this moment, for some reason, Chi Lian suddenly felt that the intimidating pressure from the Emperor that made him impossible to look at directly had silently vanished. And the handsome and magnificent beauty that had always been suppressed by his aura, or perhaps deliberately ignored, now became tangible, as if the moon had fallen into the palm of his hand.

The Emperor let him look, supporting the back of his hand as he said unhurriedly, "Chi Lian, I like beautiful hands."

Chi Lian: "..."

He was suddenly dazzled by the beauty, feeling inexplicably flustered. "Oh."

Author's Note:

Chi Lian is completely under his thumb...

I feel like there should be a celestial immortal meme here: 'I don't care what you like.jpg'