Imperial Cultivation

The setting sun painted the sky as the first lights of evening began to twinkle.

Dressed in scarlet official robes, Chu Zhiyuan strolled along the bustling street.

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Two teams of guards from the Prince's mansion were patrolling in alternating patterns.

Upon seeing Chu Zhiyuan, they respectfully greeted him from afar with clasped hands.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded slightly, not breaking his stride.

Guo Chi had already informed them in advance, so when he arrived at the gate of the Prince's mansion, the gatekeeper had already opened the gate to welcome him.

He returned to Listening Waves Yard without any hindrance.

The four maids, Mo Yi and the others, rushed forward, one taking off his hat, another changing his clothes, another removing his boots, and another bringing in a basin of clear water.

Chu Zhiyuan changed his clothes, washed up, and went to the back garden.

As soon as he entered the back garden, he heard the sound of zheng zheng music from afar.

The melodious sound of the zither floated from the lake, bypassed the lush trees, and entered his ears, lofty and peaceful, making him feel relaxed and happy.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled.

His mother consort's state of mind was no longer filled with resentment, but had become peaceful and calm, finally restoring the graceful and refined demeanor of a Princess Consort.

This was the true Bai Ning霜.

He turned past the lush trees and came to the lake.

Strings of carved lanterns had already been lit on the lake, illuminating the five small pavilions and five waterside gazebos as bright as day.

The reflection of the lanterns in the water swayed gently, dreamlike and illusionary.

He stepped onto the lakeside corridor and came to a waterside gazebo. The middle-aged beautiful woman and beautiful girl guarding the gazebo curtsied.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded slightly, lifted the curtain, and entered the gazebo.

Inside the gazebo, several silver candles provided soft but bright light.

Bai Ning霜, dressed in a plain white palace dress, was bowing her head and playing the zither, the golden hairpins on her head swaying slightly, echoing the faintly shimmering gold threads on her cuffs.

The beautiful girl brought over an embroidered stool.

Chu Zhiyuan sat on the embroidered stool, sizing up Bai Ning霜 across from him.

The zither music stopped abruptly, and Bai Ning霜 raised her head and waved.

A middle-aged maid presented a small cold jade box, emerald green and warm.

"Yuan'er, the dragon pearl you wanted," Bai Ning霜 said, "the Flying Dragon Pearl."

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and took the cold jade box, slowly opening it.

In the center of the jade box, on a piece of golden silk, a purplish-gold pearl the size of an infant's fist emitted a deep, heavy luster, giving people an extraordinary sense of weight.

The Dragon Transformation Art instantly began to circulate wildly.

Chu Zhiyuan closed the cold jade box, and the Dragon Transformation Art stopped abruptly.

As expected!

He smiled.

Bai Ning霜 said, "Mother said that dragon pearls are not good things, they are unlucky."

Chu Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow.

Bai Ning霜 said, "In short, Mother would never harm you."

Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

His dragon pearl was obtained from the Emperor.

He hadn't heard much about the idea that dragon pearls were unlucky, but whether this statement came from the Emperor or Consort Rou, it could not be dismissed as perfunctory.

Consort Rou was not an ordinary woman. If she were a favored imperial concubine, that would be one thing, but to be able to live peacefully in the palace even when she was not favored showed that Consort Rou's wisdom and skills were extremely remarkable.

The dragon pearl was unlucky; there were secrets here that he did not understand.

"Yuan'er, tomorrow is Xuan Prince's birthday. I have already prepared the clothes. I will have Mo Yi and the others try them on for you later and choose a good set."

"Okay, Mother, I'll go see Little Sister. She practiced her skills this afternoon, right?"

"She has been practicing," Bai Ning霜 said dissatisfied, "Yi'er has never liked practicing martial arts since she was a child. Why force her!"

Qing Prince's mansion was not so obsessed with practicing martial arts, after all, Prince Qing did not practice martial arts.

Prince Qing and his wife did not force their children to practice martial arts either.

Chu Zhiyuan had shown amazing martial arts talent since he was a child and liked to practice martial arts, while Chu Yi had not shown any talent at all, did not like to practice martial arts, and only liked to grow flowers and plants.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "It's always good to practice a little."

"I don't see any benefits, and it hurts her body," Bai Ning霜 snorted.

Unless one could practice to the innate realm, one would not be injured. Before the innate realm, one was always hurting the body.

Chu Yi's aptitude was average, not because her physical endowment was bad. On the contrary, her physical endowment was good, but her martial arts comprehension was not good, and she did not like to practice martial arts. She might not be able to practice to the innate realm, so there was no need to practice martial arts.

"Mother, I won't hurt Little Sister," Chu Zhiyuan said with a smile.

"You..." Bai Ning霜 said helplessly, "If she really doesn't want to practice, don't force her too much."

"Okay," Chu Zhiyuan agreed, cupped his fists, and got up to leave.

——

Wanqing Yard, where Chu Yi was located, was brightly lit.

Four beautiful maids were standing curiously beside the flower bed, their bright eyes wide.

In the center of the six flower beds in Wanqing Yard, on the flat bluestone bricks, sixteen footprints were like imprints on the bluestone bricks.

Each footprint was in a different position, with the toes pointing in different directions, eventually forming a closed circle.

After taking sixteen steps, one would turn a circle and return to the original position.

Under the bright lights, Chu Yi, dressed in white, was skillfully stepping on these sixteen footprints, light and elegant, ethereal and immortal, her beautiful face full of smiles under the lights.

The steps she took were extremely wonderful.

With each step, a gurgling warm breath drilled into her body from the soles of her feet, scurrying around in her body, making her feel warm all over as if she were soaking in a hot spring.

After walking all afternoon, she not only did not feel tired, but became more energetic and relaxed, as if she was about to float.

Floating like riding the wind, like treading on waves.

When Chu Zhiyuan appeared, the four maids discovered him and hurriedly curtsied.

Chu Zhiyuan waved his hand and stood aside.

Chu Yi suddenly slid close to him, stretched out her small hand, and patted his chest: "Big Brother, take a palm!"

Chu Zhiyuan slipped and barely avoided it.

"Take another palm!" Chu Yi chased and patted him again.

Chu Zhiyuan continued to slide and continued to dodge.

Both of them were using this set of Small Returning Origin Steps.

After a dozen palms, Chu Yi's steps became chaotic. She staggered forward, but her feet retreated backward, and her body froze.

Chu Zhiyuan flicked his sleeves.

She stood straight, relieved and relieved.

"Big Brother!" Her rosy cheeks were full of excitement: "If I had practiced this from the beginning, I would have become a martial arts master long ago!"

Chu Zhiyuan laughed: "Don't flatter yourself."

Practicing now was because she was greedy for novelty and found it interesting, but no matter how interesting something was, doing it every day would not be interesting.

Based on his understanding of Chu Yi, this sense of novelty would not last more than five days, and she would start to be lazy and playful and not want to practice anymore.

Chu Yi said, "Big Brother, I can practice this."

"Okay, then practice it first," Chu Zhiyuan put his hand on her wrist, felt the inner energy still scurrying in her meridians, and nodded in satisfaction.

This Small Returning Origin Step was a martial art in the Ming Martial Hall and was only in the third rank.

But for Chu Yi, it was the best way to get started.

It was most suitable for her, who had poor martial arts comprehension and good physical endowment.

If she liked to practice, she could step into the fourth level of the day after tomorrow in a year and a half, and then change it to a more complicated Great Returning Origin Step.

With the Great Returning Origin Step, she could almost practice to the perfection of the day after tomorrow, and then find a way to break through the three passes and step into the innate realm.

When she reached the innate realm, she could live to be one hundred and twenty years old and have some self-preservation power. At the critical moment, she could hide, and he could feel a little more at ease.

"By the way, I found a mental cultivation method that has the effect of preserving youth," Chu Zhiyuan said, "If you practice it well, you can stay young forever."

Chu Yi hurriedly said, "What mental cultivation method?"

"The Jade Spring Longevity Art is a secret mental cultivation method that I saw in the Ming Martial Hall, but it can only be practiced in the innate realm."

"Jade Spring Longevity Art..." Chu Yi chewed on these five words, her bright eyes staring at him: "Big Brother, can this mental cultivation method really preserve youth?"

"It was originally the secret inheritance of the Jade Spring Sect. Later, the Jade Spring Sect was destroyed overnight, and the world thought it was lost. I didn't know that there were Jade Spring Sect disciples in the imperial palace, who left the Jade Spring Longevity Art before they died."

"I must practice to the innate realm!" Chu Yi's bright eyes shone with endless motivation.

Chu Zhiyuan nodded in satisfaction: "The sooner the better. The Jade Spring Longevity Art can only keep your appearance forever at the moment you practice it. Don't practice it when you are fifty or sixty years old."

"Okay!" Chu Yi nodded vigorously.

She suddenly had endless motivation.