The day after Wei Ming returned to the capital, a verbal edict from the palace indeed summoned him. Emperor Qiansheng was likely not very eager to see him either. The father and son exchanged routine pleasantries, their conversation differing little from the previous year or the year before that, peacefully finishing this year's share of nonsense. The next day, a palace eunuch delivered an edict to Prince Duan's Manor, ordering Wei Ming to enter the palace for a banquet on the fifteenth, to receive the diplomatic missions from various countries who had come to the capital to offer birthday congratulations, alongside Emperor Qiansheng.

On the day of the Longevity Festival, Emperor Qiansheng would first hold court in Ziji Palace to receive the congratulations of all his officials and meet the congratulatory envoys from various nations. He would then move to Guanlan Palace in the Imperial Garden to host a banquet for the foreign emissaries. As an idle prince with no official duties, Wei Ming didn't need to attend the morning court and stand in attendance; he just had to wait at Guanlan Palace for the meal.

He had few dealings with the princes and nobles in the capital and was too lazy to bother with social niceties. Therefore, he delayed as long as he could, setting out slowly from the Prince's Manor for the palace only when he calculated that time was about up.

A guiding palace attendant silently led him through the lush Imperial Garden, along the footpath on the west side of Chunming Pond. Just as they reached Guanlan Palace, they happened upon a group rounding the northeast corner. The two parties came face to face. The person leading the other group halted in his tracks, and Wei Ming, in turn, was suddenly taken aback.

The attendants with them all lowered their heads and bowed, calling out, "Greetings, Prince," which made the two people standing frozen particularly conspicuous.

Their eyes met. For a brief instant, their gazes seemed to have substance, as if they had collided in the air with a dull thud that struck each of their hearts.

The man was not in official attire, but a simple, bamboo-green, wide-sleeved Daoist robe, its hems embroidered with sprawling, scrolling lotus patterns in fine silver thread. Not a trace of bright color adorned his body, yet he was born with the phoenix eyes, thin lips, and dashingly handsome features of a romantic figure. His jet-black hair, smooth as satin, gradually faded to a strange silver-white from the shoulders down, making him appear all the more beautiful to the point of being bewitching. With the vast, misty Chunming Pond as his backdrop, his beauty surpassed even the full spring splendor of the garden.

A distant, hazy scene slowly surfaced from the depths of his memory. It seemed to be a similarly bright day, but in a far grander jade hall. A figure passed through layers of clouds and thin mist, ascending a long flight of cloud-like stairs, winding his way before him.

Ethereal in red robes, black hair pooling on the ground, wherever his bare feet landed, verdant green, round leaves like ripples in water would spread. The path he took was instantly transformed into a scene of high summer. Yet even such splendid colors were completely overshadowed by his supremely clear and handsome divine bearing, which felt not intense, but instead possessed a unique, remote coolness.

The footsteps drew nearer. The phantom in red strangely overlapped with the person before him, bowing, saluting—

"Greetings, Your Highness."

In a flash, the other's gaze shifted as he gently lowered his eyelids, as if offering a greeting with his eyes.

Even the posture of his bow was graceful, like a white crane folding its wings to gently kiss its own reflection on the water's surface.

Wei Ming neither moved nor spoke.

He was certain that this was the first time in his life he had ever seen this person. But from the moment he saw the other's eyes, a long-lost sense of familiarity seized all his senses. It was not just an involuntary attraction and focus; within this sudden tide of emotion, there even lurked a thread of baseless yet unplaceable paranoid gloom.

It was as if... he had once lost him for many, many years.

The rustling east wind lifted his sleeves and the ends of his hair, making him seem to float. He was like a lingering, winding wisp of pale green cloud, a faint shadow of a rouge-colored flower in the misty rain—ethereal and indistinct, always enticing one's mind to investigate further, yet always separated by a hazy veil of light gauze, like an immortal one might only dream of once in a lifetime.

Wei Ming struggled with great effort to break free from the trance-like sorrow, suppressing his scattered thoughts so as not to leave the other person frozen on the spot. "Rise. You are...?"

A strand of long, black-streaked-with-silver hair slipped from his shoulder. The man bowed his head slightly, the corners of his eyes slanting upwards and outwards, gorgeous and fluid like a phoenix feather, curving ever so slightly. "Chi Lian of Zixiao Academy, greets His Highness, Prince Duan."

The surroundings instantly fell silent. The originally somewhat buoyant atmosphere abruptly cooled.

Every injustice has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. The main culprits for Wei Ming's fall to his current state were this band of charlatans from Zixiao Academy. Let alone Chi Lian merely looking like a celestial being; even if he were Guanyin Bodhisattva descended to the mortal world, it would be difficult for Wei Ming to show him any pleasantness.

"So it is the Grand Preceptor." At this, Wei Ming calmed down completely. "I have long admired your great name. Seeing you today, your bearing is truly extraordinary. You look familiar, sir... Has this prince met you before?"

Chi Lian seemed not to notice the sudden chill in the atmosphere, calmly replying, "In response to Your Highness, this is the first time we have met."

All the attendants with their heads bowed revealed subtle expressions in unison—for no other reason than this: ever since Chi Lian was promoted to Grand Preceptor and shot up to become the most sought-after new favorite in the Jade Capital, there had been an endless stream of people trying to get close to him in various ways. To them, Wei Ming's attempt at conversation was considered rather crude. And without exception, all these people who tried to curry favor had been mercilessly rebuffed by Chi Lian.

This beautiful Grand Preceptor only looked quiet; in reality, his personality was thirty percent tougher than the walls of the Jade Capital. Sometimes, he wasn't even very respectful to The Emperor. How could a mere Prince Duan possibly move his heart of stone? One could figure out with their toes that trying to get close to him would surely end in failure. There was just one more loser who would fail to get a good look from the Grand Preceptor.

However, to everyone's surprise, Chi Lian changed the subject and actually added in a gentle tone, "This humble subject feels the same. Although this is the first time meeting Your Highness, it feels like a reunion with an old acquaintance after a long separation. It must be a predestined affinity."

As soon as these words were spoken, the scene fell into a dead silence. Only three words echoed in everyone's mind: Why?

What exactly about Prince Duan had caught his eye? Or was it that all cultivators cherished each other so?

Only the completely oblivious Wei Ming nodded, accepted the words, ended the pleasantries between them, and started walking towards the hall. "The banquet is about to begin. After you, Grand Preceptor."

Chi Lian even humbly took half a step back. "After you, Prince."

Wei Ming swept his gaze over him and thought to himself that Chi Lian had indeed gained power recently. Palace rules had always dictated that officials of the outer court could not bring attendants into the palace. Although Zixiao Academy wasn't strictly a government office, he was, after all, not an imperial relative. Even Wei Ming only had a single personal eunuch by his side, yet behind Chi Lian followed a grand procession of more than ten retainers and followers. His entourage was grander than a prince's, and he wasn't even afraid of being impeached by others.

A palace attendant led the two to their seats according to the pre-arranged seating plan. As it happened, their seats were directly opposite each other. Chi Lian was in the west, Wei Ming in the east. With just a slight turn of the head, one could clearly see the other's face and movements.

Their gazes unintentionally met again, and they both hurriedly looked away. Wei Ming's heart stirred slightly as he savored a hint of something unusual.

Just as he was lost in thought, a loud male voice suddenly came from outside, abruptly interrupting his reverie. "Yo! Fourth Brother, when did you return to the capital? How come I didn't hear a thing? You didn't even bother to say hello!"

His voice arrived before he did. Prince Yue, Wei Fang, dressed in black court attire and wearing a seven-tasseled golden crown, strutted in like a peacock. He wasn't much older than Wei Ming, with very square jowls. Due to his indulgence in wine and women, his complexion was not very good. His eyelids drooped, and the area around his eyes was dark, turning them into a pair of malicious, triangular eyes.

"Third Brother was just looking for you. What a coincidence that you're back." As soon as Prince Yue entered, he cozied up to Wei Ming affectionately, making a gesture to put his arm around Wei Ming's shoulder. "I've been thinking of buying a residence in Guangyuan District recently. I've looked at a few, some good, some bad. I hear there are a lot of Feng Shui tricks to it. Third Brother doesn't trust outsiders. You're the expert, so you can help me take a look and find a fine courtyard with excellent Feng Shui."

Wei Ming shifted slightly, causing Prince Yue's hand to miss its mark. He apologized and gently refused, "My skills are unrefined. I'm afraid I'll hold up Third Brother's important matter. It would be better for Third Brother to find a more brilliant master. That way, you can have peace of mind."

Prince Yue gave a fake smile. "Don't make so many excuses. Third Brother has come to ask you personally. Fourth Brother, you've at least spent so many years cultivating immortality out there. Whatever skills you have, you should show them to us." He deliberately leaned closer to Wei Ming, pretending to whisper, but his volume didn't decrease in the slightest. "If you do a good job this time, Third Brother will put in a few good words for you with Father Emperor. Then maybe you won't have to go suffer in that wilderness anymore. Don't you think that makes sense?"

This was a blatant humiliation. Wei Ming didn't know where this inexplicable hostility came from. Just as he was about to answer, a "whoosh"—a sound of breaking wind—faint as an illusion, flashed past his ear. He thought he had misheard it, but Wei Fang suddenly sucked in a sharp breath with a "hiss" beside him, his body rigidly crashing in the opposite direction from Wei Ming. "Ouch, hey, my back..."

Wei Ming's fingers hidden in his sleeve suddenly relaxed. He fixed his gaze on Prince Yue and saw him clutching his lower back with a contorted face, the muscles in his cheeks twitching constantly. In a short moment, his forehead was covered in cold sweat. He was clearly in unbearable pain, repeatedly yelling, "Someone! Someone, come quickly!"

The palace maids and eunuchs in the hall hurriedly gathered around. Wei Ming gave up his seat, retreating with the crowd to the periphery, not too far and not too close. He took a careful look and said with concern, "I'm afraid Royal Brother has accidentally strained his back. Don't just stand there. Help him to a side hall first, and immediately summon an Imperial Physician to examine him."

At this point, Prince Yue was in too much pain to sit, let alone speak a complete sentence; he could only wail in agony. The crowd hurriedly carried him away with many hands, splitting up to fetch a doctor and medicine, and also hurrying to report the matter to The Emperor. Wei Ming silently watched them bustle about. After careful consideration, he finally turned his gaze to the imperturbable Grand Preceptor at the side.

Chi Lian sat in his original seat as if nothing had happened. Sensing Wei Ming's gaze, he unhurriedly raised his eyelids and gave him a faint smile.

"Fortune and misfortune are intertwined. The more one forces things, the less attainable they become," he concluded casually, without even sparing Prince Yue a direct glance. "If Prince Yue hadn't been in such a hurry to find someone to check his Feng Shui, perhaps he wouldn't have strained his back. What does Your Highness think?"

Wei Ming thought to himself, 'You might as well have carved the words "serves him right" on your forehead, and you still have the gall to ask me?' But he had no proof, and Chi Lian would never admit he did it. He could only return a smile and gloss it over vaguely. "Who knew such a coincidence could happen in this world? It must be the will of heaven, I suppose."

Chi Lian gave a silent, derisive smile and said pointedly, "I thought Your Highness didn't believe in such things."

Wei Ming: "Believe in what?"

"The will of heaven."

Wei Ming had seen such probing attempts if not a thousand, then at least eight hundred times. He skillfully and calmly replied, "The Heavenly Dao has its regularities. It is enough to act in accordance with heaven's will. As for whether I believe or not, it should be of no importance, right?"

Chi Lian thought for a moment, then said, "It is still very important. At least, it is so for this humble subject."

Before Wei Ming had a chance to ask why, the loud announcement of a eunuch clearing the way to welcome the emperor's arrival could be heard from afar.

"His Majesty has arrived—"