The Violet Blossom

The Dark Heavenly Palace was completely devoid of any sound. The ten elders sat quietly in their respective places with a dissatisfied expression on their faces. They all had the same agenda on their mind today.

The door to the great hall opened up with loud noise and the Heavenly Demon entered with the four Dragon Guardians behind him. The Lord walked to his throne placed on a raised podium and looked down on his vessels with a neutral expression. The Elders greeted the Lord one by one to show their respect.

The fourth elder, Lingyun of the Poison Clan stepped up to finally commence the meeting.

"My Lord, we have gathered here to talk about the Crimson Dragon Guardian accompanying the Ninth Princess through the central plains for a year." The Patriarch of the Poison Sect was one of the strongest Elders in the Demonic Cult but even he looked like nothing but a mere child in front of the Heavenly Demon.

"What is there to discuss?" The Lord spoke, subtly threatening his vessels not to pass any unnecessary remarks about the situation.

"How can the Crimson Dragon Guardian leave his post for a year just to travel with the Princess? Isn't he supposed to stand by the Lord's side at all times?" Lingyun made a valid point. The Dragon Guardians were not supposed to leave unless there were some urgent matters. However, the Tenth Heavenly Demon Cheon Jie, had no qualms about the situation.

"Are you implying that the Demonic Cult is so weak that it would crumble without the Crimson Dragon Guardian?" Cheon Jie responded with anger in his voice. He was well aware that these conniving old men were not worried about the safety of the cult. They were just worried about the Ninth Princess gaining any sort of support.

"Where that is not true, my lord, you must consider that sending the Dragon Guardians out for such a long time for no reason is unprecedented." The second elder, Haitao of the Dark Palm Sect countered Cheon Jie. He was the father of Meilin, the Heavenly Demon's first consort and the grandfather of the second Prince Cheon Lan.

"It is up to me how I use the Dragon Guardians. I hope the Elders are aware that where I command the Dragon Guardians, they are free to act autonomously unless it goes against my orders. It was the Crimson Dragon Guardian's idea in the first place so I have no reason to refuse it." Cheon Jie was annoyed by the Elders raising an issue for no reason. He already knew that they were dissatisfied about Zihan teaching Daiyu, but he had no idea that they would be bold enough to bring it up in an official meeting.

The Elders already understood that raising any further issue would just prove to be pointless.

After the meeting was over, the Four Dragon Guardian held a meeting of their own to discuss the latest agenda. After some time, the Azure Dragon Guardian spoke up with curiosity lacing his voice.

"You did something useless, Zihan. Why are you going so far for her?"

Zihan had an undecipherable expression on his face. Among the four Guardians, he looked the frailest and had the smallest physique. However, everyone acknowledged him as the unofficial leader of the Dragon Guardians.

"It was Lady Hongnan's dying wish, to look after the Princess. Did you all know that her dantian had been sealed as a child?" Zihan looked around to question the three Guardians sitting around the table.

"I never heard of that." The White Dragon Guardian spoke with a frown on his forehead.

"Me neither. I confirmed it with the Great Demonic Doctor after the Princess told me herself. Even after all that, she has outstanding potential for martial arts and she has already reached the second stage of Crimson Butterfly Footwork Technique. She has also managed to materialize Qi on her palms while performing the Violet Dawn Palm Technique within six months. I believe that she has the most potential among all the heir candidates."

No one dared question Zihan after hearing his words. They knew that he was speaking the truth without any exaggerations. The Black Dragon Guardian chuckled and rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger.

"Things are going to get interesting, huh?" No one said anything after that but they could all tell that the Black Dragon Guardian was correct. The balance of the ten great sects was going to get shaken up because of Daiyu.

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A month passed peacefully and the day Daiyu was supposed to leave for the seclusion training had finally arrived.

"You must take care of yourself, Princess." Soso, the young maid who was in charge of taking care of the princess, gave a wistful look.

"Don't worry Soso, I'll be back very soon!" Daiyu gave a cheerful smile that eased some of her maid's worries.

"Your highness, I will take you to the cave where you will be training." Zihan, who had just entered the reception room, gestured for Daiyu to take the lead.

"The place has been stocked with sufficient energy balls and other bare necessities. I will come and get you once six months are over. I understand that this training would be harsh but it would help take you to the next level." Zihan explained what to expect as they walked towards the outskirts. Daiyu could see the Black Jade Palace in the far corner which made her heart ache with memories of the time she had spent there. Most of all, she was filled with sadness as she remembered Lishu's lifeless figure.

Haoran, who had been silently following all this time, spoke with an unusually soft tone.

"You will get your revenge one day."

That simple statement was enough to make Daiyu feel more at ease. The three walked deep into the forest till they reached an area in the mountains that had been carved to make several caves. Zihan directed Daiyu towards one of the caves and let her enter it.

"Here, take this." Zihan threw something in Daiyu's direction, who caught it out of reflex. It was only when she had caught it that she realized it was a sword.

"Take it out." Daiyu took the sword out of the sheathe and let out a gasp. The sword was light and thin, and it had a beautiful pinkish hue to it. The handle of the sword was dark violet in color and a black insignia was attached to the base. She had never used a real sword before, but she could tell that it was made of the highest quality. The blade was thin, light, flexible and balanced, which complimented her agility.

"I had it made for you. Congratulations for your thirteenth birthday in advance. I hope you like my present." Daiyu had completely forgotten her birthday next month. She gave a sheepish smile while admiring the beautiful sword.

"Thank you, Zihan. It looks beautiful."

"Once you learn Sword Qi, you will realize that this one is hard to tame. However, since it was made with you in mind, I'm sure she will listen to you well. I named it Violet Blossom." It was well known that a weapon could gain a certain level of consciousness if it was made by a diligent and brilliant blacksmith. Daiyu could already sense that this sword was special.

"Alright, I shall take my leave now. If there is any emergency, you can call out to the guards who will be standing outside the cave at all times. Well then, I shall see you in six months." With that, Zihan blocked the cave entrance with a huge boulder and the cave turned completely dark.

"That is a magnificent sword. Make sure you never lose it, brat." Haoran, who was sprawled on the cave floor, had already adapted to the dark place.

"Now then, shall we drink some fancy elixirs and see what happens?" Haoran had a wicked grin on his face that was enough to send shivers down Daiyu's spine.