Floating Immortal Order

Chapter 4: Starting Nourishing Soul, Five Years Pass

Chapter 4:?Starting Nourishing Soul, Five Years Pass

Five Years of Nourishing Soul

Xu Xiao returned to Zhenhai City and was now outside the Rain Listening Pavilion. He could hear Jin Qingzhao’s uproarious laughter from inside the Rain Listening Pavilion before he even entered, causing him to lightly scowl as he strode in. A man wearing white clothes was holding onto Jin Yu’s hand as they chatted about who knows what, laughing every now and then. His air and demeanor were completely unlike that of the eldest son of a clan.

When he saw Xu Xiao enter, he stood up and winked at him. “My good brother-in-law, it’s already been over half a year since we last saw each other. This elder brother of yours really missed you so much,” Jin Qingzhao said smilingly.

Xu Xiao’s brows wrinkled further and said in a flat tone, “Elder Brother Jin, watch your tongue.”

When Jin Qingzhao heard his cold tone, he couldn’t help but stare blankly at Xu Xiao before examining him closely from head to toe. “Brother-in-law, your Heavenly Dipper Martial Technique has already reached the 4th Rank?”

Hearing that, Xu Xiao’s complexion loosened slightly, and he said, “You have good eyes, Elder Brother Jin. I don’t mean to lecture you, but as the eldest son of the Jin Clan, and the elder brother of Yu’er, you should try to be the Jin Clan’s role model on the outside. If you act like this all the time, the servants will look down on you.”

Jin Qingzhao glanced at Jin Yu, then turned back to Xu Xiao and smiled. “After you took the position of Young Patriarch, you’ve really started to put on airs, haven’t you? I’ve never had the desire for power, and even though I’m the eldest son, I’ve only ever wanted to live a carefree and leisurely lifestyle.”

Hearing this, Xu Xiao was silent.

Jin Yu mustered up her best efforts to sit up, and her face was already no longer as pale as before. Her tone still slightly weak, she said softly, “Husband, look at what Elder Brother brought for us.”

Jin Qingzhao picked up an agarwood box from the bedside table and said with a laugh, “When I heard that my younger sister gave birth, I immediately arranged for people to accompany me to rush over here without rest, all so that I could give my one and only sister this congratulatory gift. And yet, you’re still getting the wrong idea about me.”

Xu Xiao’s complexion relaxed. “It seems that your feelings are sincere. I spoke too strictly. Please forgive me, Elder Brother Jin.”

“It’s no problem. I know you mean well for me. I’ve always been close to Jin Yu since we were young, and while Jin Yu’s son isn’t your only child, to me he is my only nephew. How could I not come to offer my congratulations?” Jin Qingzhao opened up the wooden box, revealing a necklace strung with Buddhist prayer beads made out of white jade, faintly emanating white light.

“A Martial Treasure? Elder Brother, this is far too precious of a gift,” Xu Xiao said after staring at it. He was surprised to discover that this Buddhist prayer bead necklace was none other than a genuine Martial Treasure.

Most martial artists used ordinary weapons, but there was a level above ordinary weapons known as Martial Treasures, which could only be refined by Xiantian martial artists. There were very few in circulation, such that even after the accumulation of several hundred years of history among the great clans in the Ruyang Region, there were still only a handful in their possession. Yet at this moment in time, Jin Qingzhao had taken out one of these Martial Treasures, showing his intentions to express his intimate goodwill to Xu Xiao and Jin Yu.

“This isn’t a complete Martial Treasure, since it’s a bit damaged. Even still, it’s a body protection-type Martial Treasure, which are fairly rare. It’s just the right thing to give to my nephew as a present to offer him protection.”

“Husband, Elder Brother already brought it all the way here for us, so let’s just accept it,” Jin Yu said, persuading him gently. “My Jin Clan doesn’t really need this Martial Treasure. Where is my son? Please bring him to me, I want to personally feed him.”

“Your body is still weak. You need to take care of yourself first. I already had Mother Xun bring him to the Green Bamboo Pavilion, and we also found three wet nurses from within the city to take turns taking care of him and feeding him, so you don’t need to worry,” Xu Xiao said, taking the Buddhist prayer beads and placing them gently in Jin Yu’s hands. “Father gave a name to our child; this eleventh child’s name is Xu Disheng.”

“Then his nickname will be Sheng’er.”

Later that evening, Jin Qingdi, the second son of the Jin Family, Bai Fanyu, the Young Patriarch of the Bai Clan, and the Foreign Affairs Elder of the Guo Clan arrived in Zhenhai City accompanied by carriages and servants, bringing celebratory gifts and tidings. Influential officials of the Ruyang Region who belonged to rich and powerful aristocratic families also arrived in droves with their own presents.

Xu Xiao was hosting a banquet in the Four Seas Pavilion in Zhenhai City. The three branch families of the Xu Clan also returned to the main branch to congratulate the Young Patriarch on the birth of his newest son, and both the guests and hosts thoroughly enjoyed themselves for a merry period of time.

Only Xu Xiao’s wives, Lady Zhang, who came from a merchant family, Lady Liu, who came from a small aristocratic family, and Lady Sun, who came from a commoner’s family, sat opposite each other inside Alighting Phoenix Pavilion.

“We’ve had some good days in the past, but ever since Lady Jin entered the family, she’s been using the Jin Clan backing to bully others. Although she seems mild on the outside, she’s actually so unyielding and overbearing! Today she even gave birth to a son who was accompanied with natural phenomena. At this rate, we’re going to lose favor!” Lady Zhang said begrudgingly, with bitterness apparent in her voice.

These women didn’t understand the significance of a Life Partner Artifact, and only knew that it was some kind of supernatural birth-related phenomena. They were also under strict orders not to disclose the matter to outsiders, so they didn’t think too much of it.

Lady Liu, who came from a small aristocratic family in the Xu Clan’s fiefdom, didn’t seem to care too much about it. “Our Fu’er, who’s the eldest son, is already four years old. Although the Jin Clan’s influence is great, Lady Jin’s son has only just been born. That four year disparity and his status as the eldest son isn’t something that can be erased so easily,” she said smilingly.

As the first wife, the one Lady Liu was speaking of was her own son, Xu Fu, who was born four years ago. He was bright and intelligent from childhood, and he had always been well known within the capital city.

These ladies continued to chat and gossip away within the pavilion.

Within the Four Seas Pavilion, the guests were making merry in their luxurious satin attire, some celebrated with dance and song, while others gambled and drank. The sky above Zhenhai City was dark, but the city below was ablaze with lights.

There were beggars on the street, dressed scantily in threadbare rags, shaking their broken bowls as they begged for money. The beggars shrunk back as frigid winds swept through the streets, causing them to shiver, but that only made them even colder.

There were also commoner households, seated around their stoves and hearths with their bowls of food in their hands, chatting and laughing happily with their families.

A merchant within the city was getting ready to close down shop for the night, when he suddenly saw a patrolling Imperial Guard approach. He hurriedly offered up a few taels of silver, and was forced to laugh along with him and endure the tongue-lashing before sending the guard on his way.

In the brothels of the red-light district, prostitutes swayed seductively, flaunting their sensual beauty. However, hidden deep behind their alluring facade was a numb sense of apathy towards the world. And yet, they still continued to beckon and entice the passing citizens and merchants all so that they could earn their meager fill of silver.

In a dim underground hall, two martial artists were fighting upon a stone platform while surrounded by the frenzied gazes of the spectators, who cast their bets while shouting and cheering in a crazed fashion.

Outside of the capital city in the midst of the farm fields, an old farmer looked up at the sky, wiping the sweat from his brow. After a thoughtful pause, he slung his tools over his shoulder and began to walk home.

There was also a hunter carrying a plump pheasant in one hand and a hare in the other, on his way home. As he approached his thatch cottage, he lifted the prey in his hands with a silly grin, showing off to his wife.

On a cold and quiet riverbank, an old man sat there fishing, although the skies had long since gone dark. The old man picked up a gourd filled with alcohol and took a swig. “Distant is the Immortal way, bitter is the mortal world. Yet upon reminiscence, it is truly hard to turn your back on it. Without slaughter, the mortal world cannot bother to change,” the old man muttered to himself.

Five years passed.

Large snowflakes filled the sky, covering Zhenhai City and the 100-li radius around it in a blanket of white. All the traveling merchants on the street had to wrap their horses’ hooves in cloth just so they could move forward. The river was frozen over, and several naughty children played upon its surface. Before long, their parents came along and dragged them off, half pulling and half carrying them home.

On the streets, most of the shops were already closed. In some of the clan properties, the people were already gathered around their stoves, sharing their warmth. Those that couldn’t light a stove could only drape more clothes over their shoulders and shiver within the shelter of their own rooms as they bore the cold.

Above the Green Bamboo Pavilion, Xu Disheng stood on the balcony with a white fur gown draped over his shoulders, looking over the myriad forms of the world.

The maids behind him, Lan’er and Mei’er, who were well aware of their young master’s temperament, stepped forward and said, “Young Master Sheng, it’s cold in front of the window. Please don’t stand there for too long.”

“No harm,” the five year old boy said with a mild expression on his face. His lips were red and his teeth were white, accentuating his delicate and handsome features. Within Xu Disheng’s black eyes were a brilliant sheen. He had been revolving his Nourishing Soul Cultivation Method for the last five years without pause.

The Soul Song was a cultivation method whose miraculous merits could hardly be counted. Xu Disheng was practicing the first part of the cultivation method, Nourishing Soul, revolving it throughout every single day and night. He would absorb the energy of the sun and moon through the Bai Hui meridian point into his sea of consciousness. Although the amount he took in at one time couldn’t be considered much, after the persistent accumulation of many small steps, he had already come a long way. At this point, it was starting to become possible to put the might of the Nourishing Soul Mantra to use.

One of the many wondrous uses of this cultivation was the operation of Soul Force. If he concentrated the Soul Force on his eyes, he could see the hair, the color, shape, and size of an object in the distance with complete clarity up to 10 li away.

Dispelling the Soul Force within his eyes, Xu Disheng turned around and asked, “What time is it right now?”

Lan’er and Mei’er glanced at each other before saying softly, “At this moment, the dawn hours will soon be over.”

“It’s time to go see Mother. Change my clothes.”

“Understood.” The two maids didn’t dare to speak too much, and they helped Xu Disheng change his clothes in silence. He switched out of the white fur gown into a more formal traditional robe. Xu Disheng was already over a meter tall, possessing a slim figure. Once he donned this custom-fitted traditional robe, he somewhat looked like he could pass for an eight or nine year old young boy.

Footnotes

Bai Hui Meridian point is generally on the top of the head. The time they give is actually based on the , of twelve 2-hour shifts. The one they refer to is Mao Shi, which is between 5-7 am.