Volume 5: Uncle Meets World Tree

Three hours prior, he'd been picked up from the Wu Manor by De Ming Yu and brought to a strange cleft in the mountain that housed an enormous tree. Even before they stepped down into the fissure, he could see it's glistening pale green leaves swaying in the cold winter wind. It's branches seemed to stretch out and cover the entire entrance of the fissure.

They found a narrow path along the crevice wall that lead down to the floor. As they walked down, it was as though they were walking through tree branches.

He noticed glowing buds nestled in the leaves and turned to De Ming Yu and asked excitedly, "Is this a blue flower tree?"

He wasn't familiar with the trees in this region of the world. And because it was the dead of winter, except for the needled trees, all the other types had lost their greenery before he'd arrived. Thus he couldn't tell the difference between a regular tree and a blue flower tree.

"En." De Ming Yu's lips curled up slightly. "Perhaps the very first one."

"Very first…" Fu Jing whispered in wonder and then sighed with feeling. Even if it wasn't the first, if it was one of the first, that made it very old. So old that it had known his wife when she was young and had existed before humanity had been a twinkle in the eyes of a god.

Even though it was a tree, he felt very respectful towards it. This tree was practically divine just by virtue of its age.

If his wife hadn't been able to talk to trees, he might wonder what this one had seen and heard, and what stories it could tell. But since she could hear what a tree thought and had told him, any romantic ideas he might have had, had long since been crushed.

Trees thought about things that mattered to trees: the sun, the earth, and water. Occasionally they'd talk about a person or animal or insect if there was direct contact. In general, what they had to say was boring to humans. Even a tree this old probably spent most of its time thinking about the quality of the soil.

Oh, but there was that persistent story of the World Tree that he found while searching for his wife. Supposedly that tree knew many secrets and could talk, answering questions people asked it. Alas, those tales all ended the same: the World Tree was destroyed by men.

Even though he couldn't find physical evidence of the World Tree's existence, he thought it likely that it had existed at one time. After all, his wife was an ancient mountain spirit and compared to that, a talking tree was nothing.

As the narrow path got closer to the bottom, the temperature began to change. The biting cold of winter turned to a humid warmth. Fu Jing began sweating profusely, the heavy winter clothes the Wu Manor had provided amplifying the hot air and making him uncomfortable.

Strange. With his cultivation, a change in temperature shouldn't bother him at all.

De Ming Yu began taking off his outer garments and motioned for Fu Jing to do the same. Seeing the younger man suffering similarly to him and acting normal, he relaxed and also removed his heavy outer garments.

Underneath the ancient tree's branches was what looked like another world. Pale winter light streamed through dense foliage in shimmering rays, while unusual moss illuminated the crevice floor in a kaleidoscope of color. With tree roots covering the ground, large trees couldn't grow, but flowering bushes and grass of vibrant green thrived.

Butterflies that sparkled like crystals could be seen flying from one flower to another and an occasional fat bee slowly buzzed passed them. Birds could be heard off in the distance, tweeting out a song. Small animals, rabbits and squirrels, would occasionally scamper by. The world under the ancient tree was like a mythical spring, completely unaffected by the winter above.

De Ming Yu had been leading the way and paused at the scene spread out before them. His shoulders shook slightly and he chortled under his breath, "...definitely showing off…"

"What?" The air in this place seemed to muffle sound and Fu Jing hadn't quite heard what De Ming Yu had said.

The younger man turned, his eyebrows lifted in good humor. "It's quite beautiful isn't it?"

Fu Jing nodded. "I've never seen anything like this."

De Ming Yu nodded his head in agreement before continuing to walk.

They were only a few feet above the crevice floor when they heard playful shouting. Both men turned in the direction of the voices.

A large blue deer was leaping towards them, his antlers entangled with vines. On his back were two laughing children, one was in his early teens and the other couldn't be older than seven or eight. They had no saddle or reins to keep them in place, and were instead sitting precariously with only their grip on the deer's fur to keep them from falling off.

The deer ran right up to Fu Jing and De Ming Yu before stopping. It was only when the animal got close that Fu Jing realized the deer was panting heavily and had lowered its dew covered head, looking extremely exhausted. It immediately folded its feet under it and sat down, causing both children to slip off and fall over in a fit of giggles.

De Ming Yu frowned at the sight, scolding the children, "What are you two doing, running Uncle ragged like this?! You know how old he is, are you trying to kill him!?"

Fu Jing did a double take. Did the deer just get called "uncle"?!

The oldest immediately defended himself, "He won't die from just this! And anyway, we only asked if he could go a little faster, he's the one who ran at full speed!"

"Yeah!" The younger one piped up. "We only said he walks like a grandpa and smells lik--!"

The older boy covered the young boy's mouth before he could finish and grinned awkwardly at De Ming Yu, only to get a disapproving stare in return.

Both men jumped the rest of the distance down rather than taking the path.

Turning to Fu Jing, De Ming Yu sighed and introduced them, "These are my youngest brothers. The older one is De Zhou, Ninth Prince, and the younger one De Qiang, Tenth Prince. The deer goes by the name of Wushan Lu Fan and is leader of the beasties, who are intelligent like humans. We consider him our uncle. Ninth and Tenth, this is Shu Fu Jing, Auntie's husband and your Paternal Uncle."

Both boys stood up and respectfully bowed to Fu Jing with cupped hands in front, chorusing together, "Respectful greetings from Nephews to Paternal Uncle Shu Fu Jing."

Fu Jing smiled fondly at their childish but proper greeting. Even though they'd been mischievous, they also knew how to be polite. This was how little boys ought to be and it caused a rush of bittersweetness to sweep through his heart.

"You can just call me Uncle Fu."

Both boys' eyes brightened when he spoke to them in a relaxed manner. Usually they weren't required to be formal with family, but this Uncle came from a far away country and they'd been told things might be done differently there and thus they needed to behave. Hearing him speak so informally reassured them.

"Yes, Uncle Fu!" They responded together happily.

De Ming Yu walked over to the deer and began stroking its neck. His voice was low but he could still be heard saying, "Really Uncle, how could you fall for their teasing? Even if you won't die, running like that isn't good for your health."

The deer somehow managed to look embarrassed.

Fu Jing saw this and couldn't help but ask, "Exactly what is a beastie?"

De Qiang, the youngest boy, spoke up as if reciting a text, "Beasties are animals who are blessed by the Spirit of Blue Flower Mountains with cultivation. They are as intelligent as humans and the strongest among them can even turn into humans. People often confuse them with Jianghu Spirit Beasts, who also have cultivation and can look human. But they aren't the same. Spirit beasts aren't blessed the same way beasties are and their cultivation foundation is different." The boy puffed up his chest, apparently pleased at his explanation.

De Zhou nodded his head and added, "Actually Big Bro, that's the First Prince, called them beasties when he was a baby. Mother thought it was cute so she called them that too. Anything Mother likes, the Old Man likes, and if the Old Man likes it, all the mountain animals will like it. So the term stuck. But Spirit beasts from Jianghu hate being called beasties. If you meet a spirit beast, definitely don't call them a beastie."

There was quite a bit of interesting information in that comment, but Fu Jing focused on what seemed the most practical bit.

"How do you tell a beastie and a spirit beast apart?"

De Zhou furrowed his brow. "Can't you just tell by looking at them?"

"...ah, this Uncle is unfortunately too ignorant and doesn't have that skill."

Fu Jing didn't come from a place that had either beasties or spirit beasts and basically knew nothing about either. He wasn't even confident if he could tell the difference between a beastie in human form and a regular human cultivator. Where he came from, it was rare to even meet cultivators to begin with...

"Oh…" De Zhou's brows lowered thoughtfully. After a bit he recommended, "Just call them a beastie and see if they get mad?"

"...."

De Zhou and De Qiang's purpose for coming to them had, apparently, been to "escort them to the meeting place". Fu Jing suspected he didn't need an escort with De Ming Yu present and the children were just being curious and impatient. They were using "escorting" as an excuse to meet him sooner.

The deer was left behind near the path entrance, apparently too tired to bother walking back. It hadn't spoken while Fu Jing was there, so he struggled to think of the deer as an intelligent person.

The walk to the meeting place was leisurely but amusing. The two boys had a million questions to ask their recently acquired Uncle. They seemed particularly interested in the fact that he came from the "far far west" and focused most of their questions around those distant lands. It was a strange feeling to describe ordinary, every day experiences and have them treated as exotic stories.

Rather conspicuously, they did not ask anything about their aunt, Fu Jing's wife. By the time Fu Jing realized they were actively avoiding the topic, he'd arrived at the meeting place.

They were meeting up in front of the massive trunk of an ancient Blue Flower Tree. Sitting on various large, gnarled roots like they were chairs, were five young men. Two he recognized as De Taihua and De Weishan, the twins he'd first met upon arriving in Lanhua.

Just by glancing at the men, it was clear they were related. While their faces showed similarities, it was their eyes that made it most obvious. De Ming Yu had explained that his glowing eyes came from his father and all his brothers had inherited the trait as well.

Fu Jing had noticed that when De Ming Yu had taken him out of the city, he no longer bothered to disguise his glowing blue eyes. The two young boys also had glowing blue eyes like their older brother, but their left eyes had portions that were gold. Seeing the other six, their eyes were similar as well. Some solid blue, some with portions of gold. Making it obvious they were all sons of the Fairy Emperor.

De Zhou waved his arms excitedly when they neared and ran up to his older brothers, exclaiming loudly, "He said we can call him Uncle Fu!"

"He's not a stuffy grandpa at all!" De Qiang, the youngest, added as he followed De Zhou.

The largest, most muscular of the young men laughed heartily at their comments and rubbed the heads of both boys when they were within reach. Once Fu Jing was closer, all five young men stood up at once and went over to greet him. Fu Jing was disheartened to realize he was the third shortest there. Only the two boys were shorter than him. What did they eat to grow so tall!?

The buff tanned young man cupped his hands and bowed. "Greetings Uncle Fu. I'm Yan Li, Second Prince of Lanhua."

The next one, who was the same height but much thinner and paler, bowed as well. "Greetings Uncle Fu. I'm Shi Ji, Yan Li's younger twin and Third Prince of Lanhua."

Fu Jing's eyebrows rose slightly. Having two sets of twins in a family was rare.

"Greetings Uncle Fu!" The third one smiled in a wide, friendly manner. He wore a shocking combination of bright purple and green layered clothing, with threaded designs of plum blossoms on his sleeves and hem. Half his hair had been tightly braided and put into a bun on top of his head. "I am Lu Shao, Fourth Prince of Lanhua. It's an honor to meet you."

De Taihua and De Weishan barely lifted their hands in a greeting and didn't even bother bowing. De Taihua said lazily, "You meet us already, but hello anyway." with Weishan adding a, "Hello again Uncle." at the end.

Yan Li promptly smacked the two twins on the back of the head with a loud pop and a scowl.

"Where are your manners? This is your elder!"

De Taihua and De Weishan grimaced but didn't protest as Fu Jing expected. Instead they immediately straightened their posture and properly bowed.

"Greetings Uncle Fu!" They proclaimed in unisoned stiffness, as if they were reporting to an army officer rather than a relative.

"This one is named De Taihua, Sixth Prince of Lanhua!"

"This one is named De Weishan, Seventh Prince of Lanhua!"

They glanced at Yan Li expectantly and only relaxed after he nodded in approval. They both began rubbing the back of their heads and complaining.

"Second Bro, why do you have to hit so hard?"

"I can already feel a bump forming, ah!"

Yan Li was indifferent to their whining, knowing perfectly well he'd inflicted no real damage and they only ever listened to force anyway. Fu Jing found their interactions amusing and was trying not to laugh. It wouldn't do to encourage the stinky brats of the family to misbehave.

Turning to Fu Jing, Yan Li continued talking, "There are two brothers that aren't here. The eldest is Shan Hui and the eighth is De Tongran. You'll meet De Tongran later but as for Shan Hui…" He paused, brow furrowed. "...perhaps in a few days? The day after tomorrow at the earliest. I believe he's still on the east coastlands, hunting, so..."

"He travels so far for hunting?" Fu Jing asked in surprise. While it wasn't uncommon for royalty to hunt for sport, it was unusual to travel outside the country and days away just for that.

"Is that considered far?" Yan Li responded in slight confusion.

"...isn't it?" Fu Jing was equally confused.

While his knowledge of eastern geography wasn't as good as the west, he did have a basic idea of where things were located. For instance, this mountain chain divided the west and east, and to go from Lanhua to the east coast was a minimum two week journey by horse, possibly longer. Even if the eldest son Shan Hui was a cultivator and could return more quickly, that was still a far distance to travel just for hunting.

Lu Shao intervened at this point, "Second brother is confused because Shan Hui is usually in Jianghu, which is much further to the east and across an ocean. And when he hunts, he usually hunts there. Anything on the mainland proper is considered "nearby" in comparison."

"Oh." This explained Yan Li's confusion at his Uncle's question, but didn't help Fu Jing at all. Not only did the eldest son hunt so far from home, he crossed an entire ocean and went to the mystical land of cultivators for it! That made even less sense!

Isn't Jianghu filled with monstrous beasts? Exactly what is this nephew of his hunting over there? Fu Jing decided to ask without holding back.

"What does the First Prince hunt that he goes all the way to Jianghu?"

Yan Li's expression turned serious. "A devil."

"Unfortunately he just finds demons and monsters." Shi Ji added with a shake of his head.

Fu Jing's eyes widened. "That… I heard monsters were in Jianghu but demons and devils…"

"Devil." Yan Li raised a single finger to correct him. "Only one."

Shi Ji spoke with a gloomy expression, "Or that's what our intel is saying. Hopefully it's accurate, because if we've got two or more to deal with I don't know if even the Old Man could—"

"Aya, let's not talk about anything so depressing right now." Lu Shao cut them off hastily and then said to Fu Jing, "The point is Big Bro is typically out of the country. He only visits occasionally. Usually during the Thousand Flower Festival, which is during Mother's birthday, and the Festival of Victories." He cleared his throat and said carefully, "He really loves our Mother, he never misses her birthday. Hn, in fact, if he ever gives you problems, don't try to deal with it yourself and don't go to the Old Man. Find Mother. The Old Man and Big Bro fight all the time, so that's useless to use one to mediate the other, but Big Bro will listen to Mother."

Fu Jing furrowed his brow, "Hm? Does the First Prince often cause trouble?"

Lu Shao opened his mouth to reply, only to get pushed aside rudely by De Taihua and De Weishan.

"Uncle Fu, Big Bro is the best!" De Taihua explained excitedly, "He's the best monster and demon hunter in the east-- no-- the whole world!"

"That's right!" De Weishan had a look of adoration. "He's the strongest of all the princes! Only the Old Man is stronger than him!"

"He'll definitely come when the Old Man kicks up a fuss and then he'll meet you, it'll be great! You're really strong too!" De Taihua lifted a fist. "When you meet, you've got to battle it out like men!"

Yan Li smacked De Taihua on the head again. "What exactly would Uncle Fu be battling out when they're just greeting each other, you idiot?" De Taihua rubbed his noggin and pouted while Yan Li continued to talk, "Uncle Fu, don't listen to these two and don't worry about what Fourth said either. Shan Hui has a lot of pride but he's also a "tooth for a tooth" sort of person. He'll give respect if he's given respect. He's not unreasonable."

While De Taihua and De Weishan nodded in agreement, Lu Shao and De Ming Yu kept carefully neutral expressions.

Fu Jing hesitated for a moment at the clear division of opinion between the brothers before saying carefully, "Well then, I look forward to meeting the First Prince."

Yan Li motioned to where they'd been sitting on the large knobby roots, "Come Uncle Fu, brothers, let's have a seat while we wait."

With that, Yan Li went to sit down as did all his brothers, except the two youngest. The children instead ran off to play, disregarding their clothes completely by crawling under and over every big root they could find. When Fu Jing sat down between Lu Shao and De Ming Yu, he noted the roots were comfortable to sit on. It was almost as good as a padded seat.

Fu Jing watched the children in amusement for a moment and, when he looked back down, he was surprised to find two plates next to him. One plate had a teapot and teacup, delicate flower designs painted on them, while the other was piled high with small flower shaped pastries.

He stared at it in astonishment.

That had definitely not been there when he sat down.

"Ah, this is favoritism, favoritism!" Lu Shao fake-complained next to him, his lips twitching as he picked up a teacup.

Fu Jing looked over and saw that everyone had a plate next to them as well. But it was clear their teapots were plainer than his and their serving of pastries was smaller.

Yan Li lifted a pastry with a curious expression, "Where did she get these? She doesn't even cook."

"Tastes like it's from the Palace kitchens…" De Ming Yu said after eating one. He poured some tea and tasted it. "Definitely from the Palace kitchens. This is Palace Blue Tea."

"Exactly who brought these?" Fu Jing asked in confusion.

"Isn't it obvious?" De Taihua raised his eyebrows and pointed at the tree. "Who else is here but Auntie?"

"But Bro," De Weishan cut in, "trees are stupid in the east, aren't they? Maybe they're stupid in the west too."

De Taihua hit his forehead with the palm of his hand. "That's right, I forgot! Are they stupid in the west Uncle Fu?"

Fu Jing opened his mouth to reply when a crashing above his head was heard. They all looked up at the same time and saw the branches part. A young man could be seen falling straight down. He was falling feet first and holding a stack of papers tightly, but not tightly enough. A few had gotten loose and were trailing behind him.

Yan Li stood up and ran towards the tree trunk, jumping off it, leaping high into the air. He caught the falling man in midair and brought him down lightly, without breaking a sweat.

Fu Jing couldn't help being impressed by his Light Step skill. It almost looked like he flew rather than jumped.

Yan Li had grabbed the man by his waist, like a large sack and was scolding him worriedly, "A person should know their limits. Your martial arts are questionable at best but you're jumping around like an expert. Almost broke Auntie's branches and your neck, ah!"

The young man was rubbing his nose, still being held like a sack, and looking embarrassed, "I was just trying to get down here faster…" He looked up and flattered shamelessly, "....and you're here anyway, my strong and honorable second bro', so how could I fall and break my neck?"

Yan Li paused and looked to the side to hide the slight curve of his lips. When he turned back, his expression was severe again, "Who cares about you? If it weren't for Mother nagging me to death to take care of you younger ones, I'd just let you drop."

With that, he let go of the other man without any warning. The man fell heavily, directly onto his face, limbs splayed around him and his papers crushed underneath him. The two youngest siblings ran over and poked him excitedly.

De Taihua and De Weishan pointed at their fallen brethren and burst out laughing. Two large, heavy flower buds suddenly dropped on their heads, one right after the other. They stopped laughing and looked up, speechless.

Lu Shao smiled slightly and said to Fu Jing, "That's De Tongran, Eighth Son."

De Tongran pulled himself back up, swatting away the youngest siblings with their poking fingers, face smudged with luminescence pieces of the mossy floor.

His eyes glanced at Fu Jing, but he did not greet him. Instead he said to Yan Li with a grave expression, "I rushed over here as fast as I could because Mother is going to talk to the Old Man."

The jovial atmosphere immediately froze.

Shi Ji stood up and cursed. He threw out several thick slates that had etched circular designs in them and began touching them. As he touched them, the etching shined brightly white. He glared at the man, "De Tongran, didn't I say to use the message talisman?!"

De Tongran shuffled his feet while trying to rub the moss off his face. "It's not like I didn't get here in time…"

"And almost broke your neck, idiot little brother. Not to mention risking so many lives— Nevermind, I don't have time to scold you." Shi Ji grunted in annoyance and then looked pointedly at everyone. "No one bother me, I've got to concentrate."

He then crossed his legs, hands on his knees and eyes closed. Near his neck and his sleeves, a golden glow seeped through. The slate's original white shine began to turn gold, and once they were completely gold, a radiant gold line shot out of them in various directions.

Fu Jing sensed that an enormous amount of energy was being channeled from the Third Prince through the slate tablets and then through the lines, to where he did not know. He turned to Lu Shao, who was nearest to him and asked in a low voice, "What's he doing?"

"Earthquake prevention."

"..eh?"

"When the Old Man gets really upset, there tends to be earthquakes…"

They suddenly felt a shudder underneath them, it rippled across the ground before stilling.

"Speak of it and it happens." Lu Shao sighed, "Looks like Mother has started… Now it's my turn to help."

"Help—?"

But Lu Shao didn't give him time to ask his question, instead standing up and jumping directly towards the nearest branch on the tree. The branch wasn't anywhere close to the ground, making it clear Lu Shao had also used the Light Step skill.

Once seated, feet hooked firmly on a lower branch for balance, Lu Shao situated his hands in the air and a pipa lute promptly appeared in them, perfectly placed and ready to play. He strummed the cords a few times, muttering under his breath. Faintly, he could be heard asking, "Auntie, help me spread the sound, will you?"

After that, he began to play a slow melody. From his lute, a sliver of glittering gold mist seemed to twirl out and unfurl. At first the mist seemed to descend on them, and with it the crystal clear sound of Lu Shao's playing, as if he was sitting right next to them. A moment later a gust of wind carrying blue petals washed over them, dragging the gold mist with it, up and up, until it disappeared into the canopy above.

Fu Jing watched this with his mouth open in astonishment. There was a kind of energy coming from the sound of Lu Shao's playing that vaguely felt of qi, but it wasn't quite that either. When Fu Jing heard it, he immediately felt his body and mind relax. If he'd been a lesser cultivator, he'd have immediately succumbed to the sound's siren-like enchantment. As it was, he gave himself a mental shake and the effects disappeared.

De Ming Yu naturally understood that his Uncle was baffled by this series of events.

He leaned over and explained to Fu Jing, "First and Second Brother are the powerhouses of the family, but Third and Fourth Brother specialize in control. Third Brother controls the natural elements and Fourth Brother controls sound… hm, more accurately, emotions, the mind. Even though Third Brother can reduce the severity of the earthquakes, it won't stop them. Naturally people will panic. So Fourth Brother is using music to keep them calm so they don't hurt themselves in their fear."

Hearing this explanation, Fu Jing closed his mouth, dumbfounded. He abruptly felt that if he kept being astounded by everything that was going on around him, wouldn't he die from the continuous shock? Thinking about it logically, these were the sons of the very spirit of the mountains, he shouldn't be that surprised at what they could do. Naturally, they wouldn't be ordinary and their abilities would be beyond his limited understanding of the world. For his own mental wellbeing, he needed to go forward with the mindset that "extraordinary" was the new "normal".

After a few seconds of coming to terms with the extraordinary abilities of his nephews, Fu Jing finally commented neutrally, "It's good that Fourth Nephew thought of the people."

De Tongran walked over and heard their conversation. He politely bowed, greeting Fu Jing, "Are you Uncle Shu Fu Jing?"

"En, but you can call me Uncle Fu."

Seeing that this Uncle was not speaking formally, De Tongran brightened noticeably. He had been trained to speak using polite speech from a young age but he didn't like it. When the opportunity to speak informally came, he was the type to immediately take it.

He sat down in the spot that had originally been Lu Shao's and looked up at his Fourth Brother, saying, "Fourth Brother might be a dandy but he genuinely cares about the wellbeing of the citizens of this country. It's a big reason he's so popular."

Fu Jing's brows wrinkled, somewhat amazed at how smoothly this nephew inserted himself into the conversation. "...is it really alright to call your older brother, a royal prince, a dandy?"

"Uncle, ah, he calls himself that. And proudly, I might add." De Tongran's eyes twinkled in amusement and then continued like he was sharing gossip, "In fact, he is popularly known as the Dandy Prince in Lanhua and he's been voted Most Stylish Prince numerous times, not just here, but in the east too."

"People... vote on things like that?"

"Oh sure, it's a big thing in the young aristocrat circles. They also vote on who the strongest, prettiest, smartest, and most eligible royals are too." De Tongran leaned over and whispered, "Fifth Brother won the Most Eligible Bachelor for five years straight in his early twenties but seeing he's still single, young ladies gave up on him and moved on."

…

Fu Jing didn't understand young people and their weird hobbies.

"What about me?" De Ming Yu asked, eyebrow raised.

"Nothing!" De Tongran answered innocently. To prevent De Ming Yu from pressing further, he continued talking to Fu Jing, "Fourth Brother travels a lot. Whenever he goes out, whatever "new thing" he's wearing sets the trends for the whole year. I've heard that the styles he wears can be really outrageous, but I've never seen it myself. He always dresses really conservatively at home because of Mother and that's the only time I see him, when he's at home. If he dressed like some of the rumors say in front of Mother, she'd probably nag him to death."

Fu Jing looked up at the pipa playing young man, wearing bright purple and green, and briefly wondered what counted as "taking things too far". His understanding of what was fashionable depended heavily on his wife and after she died he'd naturally stopped paying attention. He just felt, perhaps more by instinct than anything, that those particular shades of purple and green, plus slapping plum blossom designs on top of them, didn't match. And was it alright for men to even braid their hair?

He squinted his eyes and then shook his head slightly. Forget it. Fashion should be left to the young of the world, what did it have to do with him?

Before the conversation could continue, the ground gave another great shudder. But unlike the one before, it didn't stop, and in fact grew stronger. The plates immediately fell off the roots, some breaking, scattering tea and pastries all over the ground. Leaves and unopened flower buds began raining down all around them.

The two children of the group stiffened and then ran to the trunk of the ancient tree and squished themselves close to it. The older one held the younger one tightly, their eyes were very large as they watched the world's violent movements around them.

"Is it safe to be here?" Fu Jing asked in alarm.

"Hn," De Ming Yu nodded, having to raise his voice over the earth's continuous shuddering. "I said before, right? This tree is the oldest on the mountains. Unless the entire mountain range implodes, nothing can happen to us here."

As he spoke, the severe shaking lessened into a dull sway. The ninth and tenth son climbed out of their "safe spot" when it was clear things calmed down, looking around curiously and then sighed in relief and smiled.

They went over to the fallen pastries, looking forlorn for a moment and then glanced at each other. They each went to reach down at the same time, only to get stopped by a ferocious glare from Yan Li. There was a long stare between the two younger ones and the older ones before the children finally, very begrudgingly, gave up.

Fu Jing, De Tongran and De Ming Yu watched this exchange.

Laughing slightly, De Ming Yu comforted his Uncle, "See? Even the youngest aren't worried, caring more about fallen sweets than the earth shaking. You don't need to worry too much either."

Fu Jing nodded but took note that Shi Ji, the third son, was still channelling great swathes of energy through his slate tablets and trickles of sweat were beginning to slide down his forehead.

Having scared his younger siblings away from eating dirty food, Yan Li rubbed his forehead and complained, "I wish Yingying would have listened and come here with me."

"Why didn't she come?" De Tongran asked and then explained to his Uncle, "Jia Ying is Second's wife."

"And our only sister-in-law." De Taihua commented, handing over his heart.

"Mother is bitterly disappointed with the rest of us for still being single." De Weishan added while his twin nodded in agreement, neither looked even remotely repentant.

"Tsk, why else?" Yan Li hit his knee angrily, ignoring the twin's comments, "If someone is hurt from these earthquakes, it's better to be close by. And where will people most likely be hurt?"

"Ah… Xi Fang City, right?" De Ming Yu nodded, understanding his sister-in-law's logic. As the largest city in Lanhua that thrived on trade, western foreigners often came in and out. While the locals were sensible and would listen to warnings, western foreigners were not likely to do so. If large groups of people were to get hurt, it'd definitely be there…

"As if that isn't bad enough, did anyone else give this prince any face and come like he suggested!?" Yan Li continued, half angry and half feeling sorry for himself, "They all took Jia Ying's lead and decided to help her! Am I just for decoration in my family?! When I say things, does anyone bother to listen?"

"It's hard on you." De Ming Yu threw out a trite sympathy without meaning it and then paused. "But if that's the case, why didn't you just go with Sister-in-law?"

Yan Li huffed and folded his hands over his chest, saying righteously, "Mother asked me to come here. Of course I will come here."

De Ming Yu raised his eyebrows, "But it's not like we all had to meet at the same time? Mother sent Ninth and Tenth here for safe keeping, Shi Ji is here because it's the calmest place to be for what he's doing, Lu Shao needed Auntie's help, but the rest of us could come later, after the Old Man calmed down. I only came now because Auntie Shuya was being particularly pitiful, wanting to meet Uncle Fu before the Old Man..."

Fu Jing mentally paused at the mention of Auntie Shuya. Was "Shuya" the ancient tree's name?

Yan Li blinked. "That's not what I was told."

"Eh, what were you told?"

"That all the sons were to gather with Lil' Ninth and Tenth and wait for Mother."

De Ming Yu cleared his throat, "...and who exactly passed along this message?"

"Yuan Zhou was the one who—" He suddenly stopped, covered his face with his hands, groaning. "Why did I listen to that tree brat?!"

De Taihua couldn't help laughing, pointing at him. "Isn't Yuan Zhou a really young for a tree? He barely knows anything outside of the quality of soil and water!"

"Didn't he just learn how to manifest a body thanks to his contract with Big Sis? He was probably proud to even speak to you!" De Weishan added, pointing and laughing at Yan Li along with his twin.

Yan Li's face darkened at the two's teasing, his two fisted hands rising up threateningly. They immediately put away their fingers and acted like they hadn't said anything.

De Ming Yu cleared his throat. "They have a point. Yuan Zhou is very young for a tree spirit and ignorant of the world."

Yan Li sighed heavily, hands lowered limply on his lap. "It was just a simple message… I didn't expect him to be so ignorant he couldn't even do that right..."

"Well, he wasn't exactly wrong either—"

"Excuse me." Fu Jing interrupted. "Who is Yuan Zhou?"

Yan Li scrunched his face, as if annoyed. "A tree spirit."

"A Blue Flower tree spirit, specifically." De Tongran added.

De Ming Yu hummed, explaining, "Blue Flower trees are intelligent, with minds and spirits, and have a deep connection with the mountains. If you can convince one to contract with you, there's lots of benefits. Mother was the first to make a contract and through her, Sister-in-law was also able to make a contract. Yuan Zhou is Sister-in-law's contracted tree spirit."

"How do you make a contract with a tree spirit exactly?" Fu Jing was curious, this sounded like the stuff of Jianghu legends.

"It's pretty simple," De Tongran held up his fingers and counted it off the requirements, "First, have a high enough cultivation that tree spirits will look twice at you. Second, know someone who knows tree spirits, so you can be introduced. Third, touch a part of the tree and see if they like you enough to respond. Fourth, once you're compatible and the tree is willing, put a drop of your blood on the tree. That's it."

"Does that mean to form a contract, it just comes down to compatibility and a bit of blood?"

"Pretty much."

"Huh." Other than the ambiguous "high enough cultivation", it seemed like forming the contract was simple. "And what are the benefits of contracting with a tree exactly?"

This time all the young men didn't respond but instead looked towards Yan Li.

Yan Li scratched the back of his head, lips flat.

"There's quite a few benefits, but the main thing is they share vitality."

"They?"

"Yes, Blue Flower trees have a system that allows them to share everything from daily news to their life essence. The trees don't get sick, because they collectively share health and healing." Yan Li pointed at the ancient tree. "Auntie Shuya didn't get this big on her own, it was all the Blue Flower trees together that made it possible. She, in turn, gives her own vitality to the younger ones."

Fu Jing stared at the old tree for a moment, eyebrows raised. "And this is something your wife, through her contract, participates in?"

"En. And it is needed, particularly the vitality."

"Is she sick?"

"No, but without the contract her life would be short."

Fu Jing frowned, slightly confused by this.

"Her life would be short compared to our lives, Uncle." De Ming Yu explained, his usual light-hearted expression downcast.

"Ah." Suddenly Fu Jing understood. Even if they were part human, they were still sons of the Mountain Spirit. That, in itself, would give them a very long life…

"Even with the Old Man's blessing, there is still a limit to what he can do, particularly in Yingying's case." Yan Li ground his teeth, cursing, "Damn that Devil and all his stinking rotten disciples."

"Big Sis was hurt real bad as a kid." This time De Taihua did not joke around, but looked genuinely sad. "The worst wounds were taken care of by the grumpy family doctor, but there was still stuff even he couldn't fix."

De Weishan nodded. "Left scars on her soul. Our Old Man tried to remove them later, and it almost killed her."

"Just like with Mother back in the day."

"Yeah."

The twin's faces drooped, as if they were remembering something unpleasant.

"You two, ah, stop acting like the situation is hopeless." Yan Li said sharply and then sighed.

"But Second Brother--"

"It's not that I don't understand what you're thinking, but there's no reason to dwell on it."

The twins glanced at each other and then shrugged.

"Anyway," Yan Li turned to his Uncle, "There are things the Old Man just can't do. It's not his fault, it's just his nature. Uncle, you should understand pretty well about the nature of the Mountain Spirits, yes?"

"My wife did tell me some things." Fu Jing nodded.

"Hn, the Blue Flower trees were raised and loved by her, their nature is different. How the Old Man heals and how they heal is also different. That difference is what will keep Yingying alive and healthy for a long time." Yan Li paused. "Or at least that's the theory. Certainly, she hasn't aged at all since she contracted with Yuan Zhou."

"How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Fifty-five."

"Second Bro!" De Taihua and De Weishan shouted at the same time and looked at Yan Li in unisoned astonishment.

"What?"

De Tongran burst out laughing, "You're off by six years! When are you going to remember your own age?"

"...eh?" Yan Li's brow wrinkled as he raised his hands and began calculating his age using his fingers.

De Ming Yu also chuckled, "At this rate you're going to be fifty-five for the rest of your life."

Fu Jing narrowed his eyes. Age and appearance were subjective to cultivators. It was likely more so for the sons of the Fairy Emperor. Yan Li didn't look more than twenty five. In fact, none of the young men around him looked older than mid-twenties. If Yan Li was in his sixties, what about the others?

As he was examining them to try to guess, he remembered that De Ming Yu had stated they all suppressed their powers to some degree. This was to trick enemies, protect weaker cultivators from their strong auras, and also not to intimidate random mortals. Looking at Yan Li again, he felt this young-but-not-young man was likely suppressing his cultivation by quite a bit.

He wondered if he could ask them to show their true strength to him someday….

...oops, he'd gone on a mental tangent. He blamed the De twins.

Refocusing his mind, he asked the question he'd originally been aiming for.

"How old were you and your wife when you met?"

Yan Li suddenly dropped his hands and looked extremely embarrassed. The twins began to snicker uncontrollably. Yan Li glared at them, "I hope you two suffer worse than me!"

"Aya, Second Bro'" De Tongran's smirked, "That might be the only way they get brides at this point, by raising them from babies."

The twins stopped snickering and turned on De Tongran, expressions black.

"You little brat!" "Disrespecting your elders!"

"Hahaha, what elders, you two are just a bunch of overgrown— !"

De Tongran didn't have a chance to say anything else before the twin brothers jumped him.

Yan Li watched his three younger siblings battle it out in a helpless manner.

Fu Jing hadn't expected a fight to start right beside him and explained helplessly, as if to the air, "I was just trying to politely figure out her age…"

"Uncle, why didn't you just ask?!"

Yan Li had the expression of being purposefully picked on. He was a grown adult when the teenage Jia Ying started seducing him. Even though they got married like respectable people in the end, that particular time in his life still left him feeling embarrassed.

Fu Jing didn't know this, how could he? He only felt like the person being picked on was him and not Yan Li!

"It's impolite to ask about a woman's age!"

"What nonsense! You just go up to them and ask!"

"And they just tell you, do they?"

"....ah…."

The quarrelings had not stopped next to Fu Jing:

"Take it back, you brat!" "We'll get wives respectably!" "Haha, keep telling yourself that, see if it happens!"

De Tongran, despite not having any skills as a fighter, was refusing to back down before his two siblings. He was already sporting a rapidly blackening eye but continuing to mouth off with abandon.

Fu Jing couldn't help urging Yan Li, "Shouldn't you stop this fight?!"

"Hm? Why? It's just a bit of fun between young men, it'll toughen them up."

"And you're saying I'm thinking nonsense, ah?!"

In this way, Fu Jing was completely distracted from the earthquake that was still happening under his feet. If it wasn't for Shi Ji falling over from exhaustion sometime later, announcing, "Finally it's over!" he probably wouldn't have noticed that the swaying had even stopped.