The Dayan Dynasty. The Harem. The Hall of Harmony, residence to numerous Palace Maids and eunuchs.
A Palace Maid with a tense expression cautiously peeked her head out of the room. She looked left and right, confirming that the noise from a moment ago had not attracted anyone’s attention.
She heaved a sigh of relief, went back inside, and said, "Xuan’Er, we’re safe. We’ve cheated death again!"
Lying before the Palace Maid was a young woman of about twenty.
The young woman’s face was pale, and her whole body radiated an unbearable weakness. Hearing this, she also sighed in relief and said, "That’s good, that’s good. Ting’Er, thank you for helping me give birth!"
The Palace Maid known as Ting’Er had a complex expression.
She glanced at the infant by the bed—blinking, not crying or making a fuss—and fell silent for a long moment before speaking. "We Palace Maids... from the day we set foot in this Harem, our tragic fates were sealed."
"Instead of me, you should be thanking Nanny Rong. After all, if she hadn’t hidden your pregnancy from the Empress, you would have been drowned in a pond long ago. How could you have given birth to..."
At the words "given birth," the Palace Maid tactfully stopped herself. She didn’t mention *that* name, but even so, the look in her eyes clearly conveyed her unspoken meaning.
Ye Xuan’s face was deathly pale. She managed a weak smile, her gaze softening. "You are all saviors to me and my baby. If I ever get the chance, I will work myself to the bone to repay you!"
The young woman known as Ting’Er waved her hand. "There’s no need for repayment. If that’s what we were after, why would we have taken such a risk? Just focus on raising this child well. All that matters is that he grows up safe and sound."
With that, she got up and left, heading to the courtyard to fetch the chicken soup that had been prepared earlier.
After Li Chang’an was born, to avoid arousing the Empress’s suspicion, Ye Xuan rested for only three days before resuming her work.
’The life of a real Palace Maid was far from the leisurely existence portrayed in the television dramas of his previous life.’
Their days were filled with cooking, washing clothes, cleaning, scenting garments, airing out bedding, and embroidery. They typically worked from dawn to dusk, with very little time for rest.
Emperor Dayan was licentious and unrestrained. He had over a dozen sons alone, and countless daughters. Had Empress Li not been installed in recent years, the number of his heirs would likely be even greater.
Of course, the reason the number of heirs had not continued to grow was not that Emperor Dayan had a sudden epiphany and stopped his philandering, but that Empress Li was secretly eliminating any "dragon seed" that posed a threat to her own son.
Logically, under these circumstances, the helpless and unsupported Ye Xuan should have had no path to survival after becoming pregnant with him; Empress Li should have had her secretly killed without a trace.
And yet, she had managed to survive against all odds in that precarious position.
This was certainly not due to any soft-heartedness from Empress Li. Rather, her trusted subordinate, Nanny Rong, felt that she had accumulated too much sinful karma from all the killing over the years. Since Ye Xuan also happened to be a Palace Maid she had personally recruited, Nanny Rong couldn’t bear to watch her die and decided to hide the truth from Empress Li.
This one concealment spiraled out of control.
Now, with Li Chang’an born, quite a few Palace Maids and eunuchs in the Hall of Harmony actually knew about him, but for the time being, they all remained silent.
...
At one year old, Li Chang’an could walk, but his permitted range of activity was very small. He was only allowed to toddle within the Hall of Harmony.
Fearing he would get bored all by himself, the eunuchs and Palace Maids of the hall often made time to play with him after they finished their work.
Although Li Chang’an wasn’t particularly interested, he would still play along from time to time.
’After all, this group of Palace Maids and eunuchs didn’t just call themselves ill-fated; they truly were.’
’There’s an old saying: "Once you enter a noble’s gate, you’re lost in an ocean deep." From that point on, your integrity is a thing of the past.’
’And the Dayan Imperial Palace was the grandest noble house in the world. Who among those who survived here wasn’t a cunning expert at telling people what they wanted to hear?’
’Their tolerance of Li Chang’an’s existence was perhaps one of the few rays of sunlight within these gloomy palace walls.’
Li Chang’an’s well-behaved nature quickly earned him the affection of the many Palace Maids and eunuchs.
They would bring Li Chang’an leftover pastries and fruits from the nobles’ meals each day, seeing him as a rare source of happiness after their long, busy hours.
As a result, Li Chang’an grew very well.
He was fair and chubby, a delightful sight to behold.
Only in the dead of night, when all the Palace Maids and eunuchs in the Hall of Harmony were asleep, would Li Chang’an secretly climb out of bed. He would find a quiet place, sit cross-legged, and circulate the various Cultivation Techniques from his past life, modifying them to be compatible with this world’s Laws of Heaven and Earth.
While playing with the eunuchs and Palace Maids, Li Chang’an had gleaned a great deal of useful information from them.
’The Celestial Yang Continent of his past life had Martial Arts Qi. Although this world didn’t have the exact same thing, it also possessed an Extraordinary Power that allowed people to soar through the heavens and tunnel through the earth.’
’The Martial Artists of this world focused on comprehending heaven and earth. Through the union of body and Dao, and the Dao with heaven, they would absorb a type of Energy from the world called Azure Heaven Qi for their cultivation.’
’In essence, Azure Heaven Qi was not vastly different from the Martial Arts Qi he was familiar with, but its destructive power was several, even dozens of times, stronger!’
’Consequently, the Martial Dao of this world was far more prosperous than that of the Celestial Yang Continent.’
’The status of Martial Artists was also much higher.’
’One could say that the power structure of this world didn’t originate from the common people, but from the various Sects spread across the land, and the Martial Dao experts within them.’
’And the Dayan Dynasty was, in fact, merely the most powerful and prosperous of the world’s Martial Arts Sects, fundamentally different from a traditional dynasty built upon military might.’
’Body unites with the Dao, the Dao unites with Heaven... when you get down to it, isn’t the essence just comprehending the Laws of Heaven and Earth and then drawing power from them? I have Heaven-defying Comprehension, so can’t I just skip this step and use a cheat?!’
At one year old, Li Chang’an sat alone, cross-legged under a brilliant, starry sky.
He stroked his chin in thought.
At this moment, although he still looked young and tender on the outside, his body already possessed the terrifying power to capture a tiger or leopard alive.
The Martial Dao of this world had a total of nine Levels.
They were: Non-stream, Mainstream, First-class, Postnatal, Innate, Grandmaster, Great Grandmaster, Celestial Being, and finally, Land Immortal.
Of these nine Realms, Li Chang’an roughly estimated that an expert at the Postnatal Realm could easily defeat a Martial Saint from the Celestial Yang Continent.
As for the Innate Realm and the Grandmaster experts beyond it, needless to say, each was an existence like a Pillar of Heaven.
A Land Immortal was even more terrifying. Not only could they roam the heavens and the earth—touring the North Sea at dawn and resting in Cangwu by dusk—but living for several thousand years was a simple feat.
Limited by his physical body and innate constitution, Li Chang’an’s actual combat strength was still at the Non-stream stage.
But his thoughts had already ventured far beyond.
If anyone knew what he was currently considering, even Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters would likely be left dumbfounded.
For an ordinary Martial Artist, simply being able to absorb Energy from the world was considered a mark of extraordinary talent. Who would just be starting out and already be thinking of skipping the "body unites with the Dao, the Dao unites with Heaven" step to directly comprehend the Laws of Heaven and Earth?
’What are you trying to do, perform the Reversed Celestial Spirits?’
After meditating cross-legged for a long while, Li Chang’an reached an epiphany.
[Due to your Heaven-defying Comprehension, by meditating late at night while gazing at the starry sky, you have observed a trace of the Great Dao’s Laws and comprehended the Starlight Body Refining Technique!]
In a daze, Li Chang’an felt his entire being merge into the sea of twinkling stars, his body becoming a part of the constellations themselves.
As if pulled by some unseen force, Li Chang’an rose "unconsciously" and began to slowly and unsteadily perform a series of what appeared to be rather crude movements.
As the movements evolved, the Starlight in the dome of the sky instantly came alive. A brilliant luminescence poured down, flowing unceasingly into Li Chang’an’s body.
Time passed, second by second. The descending Starlight grew more and more intense until it formed a silver-white pillar of light connecting heaven and earth. Inside the pillar, Li Chang’an appeared to be soaring through the Star Sea.
With every breath he took, Starlight began to flicker.
Viewed from afar, Li Chang’an at this moment seemed to have transformed into a star fallen to earth, filled with the transcendent and carefree air of an Exiled Immortal gracing the mortal world.
In the room behind him, Ye Xuan jolted awake from a dream.
Ever since giving birth to Li Chang’an, she had been plagued by nightmares, dreaming that the Empress was trying to harm her, that everyone around her had turned into man-eating tigers.
She panted for a long moment before finally calming down. Ye Xuan subconsciously felt the space beside her on the bed and, finding the spot where Li Chang’an should have been sleeping empty, her heart instantly clenched.
She tiptoed, intending to light an oil lamp, but upon a closer look, she realized tonight’s Starlight was exceptionally brilliant; even the room was filled with a Light as bright as day.
She didn’t bother with the lamp. Instead, she put on her shoes, draped a cloak over her shoulders, and pushed the door open to step outside.
And then, she beheld a sight she would never forget for as long as she lived.
There sat Li Chang’an, alone beneath the night sky, his body surrounded by countless brilliant, star-like lights that twinkled and danced around him with the jubilant reverence of subjects guarding their Emperor.
As if sensing her gaze, the light surrounding Li Chang’an’s body gradually faded. He once again became that harmless-looking child, blinking up at her with what seemed to be a hint of... cunning, entirely unbefitting his age?
Ye Xuan had never believed in ghosts or gods.
Yet now, for some reason, looking at her own son gave her the feeling that she was facing a Divine Spirit.
’It was completely baffling!’
Shaking her head, she finally managed to dispel the strange thoughts. Ye Xuan suppressed her doubt and astonishment, asking, "Chan’Er... what were you doing just now?"
Because of Li Chang’an’s sensitive status, Ye Xuan had not given him a full name, only the nickname Chan’Er.
Li Chang’an didn’t speak. Although he had been able to talk for a while, he had never revealed it to anyone. So, for now, he just held out his arms, signaling that he wanted to be held.
Seeing that his expression was normal, Ye Xuan finally relaxed a little.
Although she had not read many books, having been born in the Imperial Palace, she had certainly heard her share of secret tales. She naturally knew that this world was home to many things that ordinary people could not comprehend.
She walked over to Li Chang’an, scooped him up, and carefully checked his body. After confirming that nothing was wrong, she sighed in relief and said, "What are you doing running out here late at night instead of sleeping? Be careful, or a mountain Spirit Monster will snatch you away!"
Although she knew Li Chang’an couldn’t understand her, Ye Xuan couldn’t help but feel a wave of residual fear.
Although the power of the Dayan Country was in decline, it hadn’t reached the point of allowing Spirit Monsters from the mountains to run wild in the Imperial Palace. Ye Xuan was only saying it to scare Li Chang’an.
She was still unsettled by what she had just witnessed, deeply afraid that her precious son had been targeted by some unknown entity.
In response, Li Chang’an just smiled, his mind already a million miles away.
...