1 Arc 0.1

"His Grace, Realm Master of Penglai has entered the Capital."

This news took wings and flew all over the Heavenly Capital, causing all kinds of rumors with all kinds of embellishments added to them.

By the time the rumor got to the Crown Prince, it had already had salt and pepper added to the mix and had become something akin to a theater play. According to the latest rumor, the Realm Master of Penglai, Shen Jiyu, had finally entered the capital after two thousand years to take revenge on Marquis Feng Mian, the guardian of the Six Paths. However, Feng Mian had gotten the information from a member of the Penglai Realm Master's family who remembered him fondly, and had fled into the night.

Of course, there were other varieties like how Shen Jiyu had come to seek trouble with the imperial family or how he had announced that he would be taking a wife and three concubines before the end of the year.

On a jade platform that floated above the East Palace of Yaochi sat two men of similar height. The first man sat upright, his back was straight and his every movement radiated the nobility and elegance of someone who had grown up in the Imperial Palace.

Wei Mu Chen raised a cup and took a small sip of tea before looking at the cause of this entire uproar in the Heavenly Capital. He sighed, "Couldn't you come more quietly?"

The said Realm Master of the rumors sat sprawled across the seat. His hair was loosely tied up in a jade crown and he did not bother to button his robes. He opened his mouth, letting the beautiful maid serve him some of the spirit fruits on the table, taking his time before he looked at the crown prince. "Impossible. The imperial summons stated that I should come quietly so I took just one Taotie. Or would Your Highness rather that this Lord had walked to the capital?"

If Shen Jiyu had sneaked in, wouldn't the public say that he was afraid to face that man? Rather than remorse, what Shen Jiyu felt was regret, he should have come with more noise and flair.

Wei Mu Chen took a deep breath and told himself three times.

Jiyu is the last white tiger left. He has no heir yet. If I attack him, there would be no one to hold up the skies of Penglai.

Wei Mu Chen let the sentence sink into his heart as he maintained his calm expression when facing that arrogant smirk on Shen Jiyu's face.

Shen Jiyu smiled wildly at Wei Mu Chen's familiar expression of mixed parts of restraint and anger as he relaxed against the large seat.

"So why did you summon me? Was there some kind of secret that you could not send through your divine spirit?" His tone, measured and lazy, took a serious tinge towards the end.

The Imperial Family was in a bit of a bind. The Heavenly Emperor had recently entered a closed-door seclusion that will last for ten thousand years in order to break through to the Source Realm, not that Shen Jiyu thought that the Heavenly Emperor would succeed. However, his absence led to pressure in the Heavenly Capital as huge undertakings and turnabouts began to take place.

The Crown Prince might have taken the place as regent in his father's absence but he had not yet brought other members of the Imperial Clan to heel. Worse still, many were clamoring for his younger sister, Wei Ruo Xi, whose cultivation was higher than his, or even his older cousin Wei Li Hai to be the regent in his father's place.

The Capital was in serious turmoil, it was truly the worst time for a leader of one of the four pillar clans to visit the Imperial Palace as his mere presence would make the already chaotic capital even more chaotic.

"Just so you know Your Highness, we're no longer friends. Whether it is you, your sister, your cousin, or even your nephew, I don't care who sits on the Jade Throne. If you called me to support you, let me stop you right now. Shen Jiyu and the Imperial Family walk separate paths; I will not help you." Shen Jiyu waved for the maidservant to leave and stood up, facing Wei Mu Chen who sat calmly before him.

Shen Jiyu was a tall and handsome man. He was dressed entirely in black. His black, slightly curly hair was pinned to a jade crown that bore the tiger crest. His features were refined and chiseled, attracting attention whenever he went but it was his eyes that were the most talked about feature of his among the maidens in Heaven. His peach-blossom-shaped eyes were a deep, electric blue that glowed now with arrogance and willfulness.

The Crown Prince sighed, his gaze carrying a hint of complication. Shen Jiyu was the youngest realm master in all the realms under Heaven; of course, he deserved to be arrogant and willful. Not to mention, he was the apple of the eye to those old monsters in the Shen Clan. Mu Chen shivered slightly when he recalled how much punishment he had received when he was young because of this brat whom everyone thought could do no wrong.

"I heard you the first time; you don't need to repeat yourself every time we meet. I did not call you for that. Come with me." Wei Mu Chen said, ignoring the memories the sentence brought as he stood up. He raised his hand and the space before them rippled, a rift opening in the middle.

Wei Mu Chen stepped through and Shen Jiyu raised an eyebrow but still followed behind him.

Shen Jiyu felt the ripple of space as they appeared in the middle of a pavilion million of miles from the East Palace of Youcai. It was a large room with thousands and thousands of arrays layered in and around the room. If he was more suspicious, he would think that Mu Chen had brought him here to quietly do away with him.

There was an old man sitting cross-legged beside a bed in the middle of the room reciting spells after spells. He could also feel thousands of people kneeling around the pavilion reciting similar spells.

He turned to look at Wei Mu Chen who had rushed to the old man, who stood up and bowed low.

"How is he?" The Crown Prince asked.

The old man sighed and answered quietly, "There are no changes."

Shen Jiyu raised an eye at their conversation before he made his way to the bed, his eyes widening in shock.

A man with soft, exquisite features was lying on the stone bed. It was a gentle face, one that haunted Shen Jiyu's nightmares and consumed his dreams.

"Feng Mian." He forced the words through gritted teeth.

Shen Jiyu's feet seemed to gain their own sentience as they carried him closer to the bed. He raised his hands, stopping just when his knuckles were an inch away from that face.

Feng Mian. His mind supplied the image of a young man with a gentle smile, dressed in white robes and holding a white feathered fan.

"My name is Feng Mian. How may this lowly one address Your Highness?" His voice was particularly gentle and pleasant like the warm summer breeze of Penglai.

But it was this gentle voice that had cruelly said to him, "I do not lie. I once loved you, but I do not feel the same any longer. Having a Dao Companion ceremony would just be a waste of time. Your Grace, let us go our separate ways."

Shen Jiyu's hands trembled. He felt that all his bones under his flesh and blood were shaking and trembling with hatred. He gritted his teeth, his breathing getting heavier as he struggled to hide the pain within his eyes.

"Shen Jiyu," the Crown Prince called from behind him. Shen Jiyu did not reply; he withdrew his hand, clenching it tightly till blood beaded on his palm.

"Realm Master," Wei Mu Chen tried again.

Shen Jiyu swallowed. It was true–he was the Realm Master Of Penglai, and he could not afford to show such blatant emotion.

He chuckled, then turned to the Crown Prince. "You should have told me that you summoned me for such a reason. Finally! He's entered cultivation deviation. I should have come with drums and bells, singing and dancing from Penglai to the Capital. This is such a joyous occasion. Karma, right? Not even immortals can escape it..."

"Shen Jiyu!"

"Your Grace!"

Both of them shouted at the same time, cutting Shen Jiyu off in the middle of his speech.

"Your Grace, even if you did not like Marquis Feng, you shouldn't say such things."

Shen Jiyu rolled his eyes before crossing his hands, "Not liking is an understatement. I despise him. His Highness knew that, so why else would he invite me if not to gloat at my enemy's misfortune?"

He gave Wei Mu Chen an approving look but Wei Mu Chen frowned and sneaked glances with the old man.

The both of them seemed to be having a secret conversation and it made the vessels on Shen Ji Yu's head pop.

"Your Highness. Why am I here? I do not appreciate people having conversations behind my back. And you, who are you? Why have I not seen you before?" he questioned. His skin prickled, and he wanted nothing more than to return to Penglai.