It was spring in South Phoenix. It was an overcast day, so despite being noon, the oppressive clouds clustered together, spreading as far as the eye could see and blocking out the sunlight. A chill filled everything. Though it was a season of awakenings, there seemed little signs of life. In fact, a vague sense of pressure weighed on a certain ancient city there. 𝐟𝐫eewe𝚘ve𝐥.c𝚘𝚖

That city had existed for a very, very long time. If you searched through various ancient records, you would find that it had been built during the time period of the Sovereign Kingdom of Violet and Cyan. Of course, this Sovereign Kingdom of Violet and Cyan was not the famous one from history, but rather, the one that had existed in South Phoenix.

Legend had it that the Sovereign Kingdom of Violet and Cyan in South Phoenix was actually started by survivors of the ancient and mysterious kingdom of the same name. Apparently, that kingdom had been cursed, and rumor had it the two characters ‘Violet’ and ‘Cyan’ inherited that prohibition. Thus, the South Phoenix version of the Kingdom of Violet and Cyan didn’t last for very long. After a period of rebellion, eight noble clans took over. That was how the Violet Lands came to be.

Countless years had passed since then, but the capital city had the same architecture as the early days. Not many people could be seen on the streets of the city. In the extremely rigid hierarchical Violet Lands, the majority of people were treated like animals. That was just how this world worked, and such things couldn’t be changed easily. Even if you forced a change, things would eventually go back to how they were before. After all, behind any civilization, you would find both oppression and repression.

Xu Qing quietly walked along the streets in the Violet Lands, passing ancient buildings. He took in the architecture and the people, the wind stirring his hair as he walked. He had old friends in this city. And his Teacher was in this city as well. When it came to his old friends, Xu Qing scanned the city with divine will to make sure they were well. That was good enough.

As for his Teacher… Xu Qing spotted a flower shop near the public cemetery that specialized in funerary items. The shopkeeper was a middle-aged man who smiled obsequiously upon spotting Xu Qing. Xu Qing was dressed well and was very handsome, and thus, ordinary people would instantly come to the conclusion that he was someone important. If Xu Qing were to guess, this shopkeeper probably thought he was an important young person from one of the eight clans. And of course, the shopkeeper wouldn’t cause any problems for people like that.

Xu Qing bought a bundle of white gardenias, then entered the cemetery and found Grandmaster Bai’s grave. When he saw how many other flowers were on the grave, his gaze softened. Putting the flowers down, he dropped to his knees and kowtowed.

“Rest well, Teacher,” he said softly. He closed his eyes.

The clouds above shifted, creating an opening that allowed a stream of sunlight to shine down onto the cemetery. It was like the beautiful light of dawn, and it made the cemetery like a paradise in the middle of doomsday. It was as if spring had finally come.

Of course, that shining light quickly caught the attention of people in the Violet Lands. Streams of divine will converged. The cultivators of the Violet Lands were shocked, as nothing like that had ever happened at that cemetery. By that point, there was no one at Grandmaster Bai’s grave. There was only a bundle of white gardenias, slowly blooming. In the language of flowers, that meant that spring had come. Xu Qing was long gone.

***

Not much time had passed since the incident in the Violet Lands, but the sky was different, and the season was different. It was spring in the Violet Lands, but in the east of South Phoenix, winter was just starting. The frigid wind slashed the lands like a blade, causing snowflakes to swirl. Everything was gripped by merciless cold. Out in the wilderness, it was possible to see unmoving, shadowy forms. They were people who had been forced to migrate, but sadly froze to death in the cold. The world hadn’t changed just because Xu Qing became the ruler of a region. After all… the broken face existed eternally in the dome of heaven.

Xu Qing quietly entered the old scavenger basecamp. It looked just like before. For the most part, everyone he’d known here before was dead, and their houses had been taken over by others. The newcomers continued the same old work of going into the forbidden region to harvest seven-leaf clovers. The camp was dirty, cold, and reeked of blood. The tents with the feathers were there just like before.

Xu Qing studied the camp briefly, then proceeded into the forbidden region. The moment he entered it, the entire place filled with rumbling sounds. The fog that filled it grew thicker and filled with bolts of red lightning. The trees trembled along with all of the beasts.

The sudden development caught the attention of the scavengers in the basecamp. Then, threatening howls emerged from the depths of the forbidden region. They sounded like a vicious beast that was backing away from a dangerous enemy. The howls of an animal facing a threat were the most powerless imaginable.

Zither music drifted everywhere as if to stop Xu Qing from proceeding. But it did nothing.

Xu Qing’s expression didn’t change. However, his every footstep caused the forbidden region to shake. Soon, all of the beasts in the place chose to prostrate to him.

However, the zither music didn’t stop. Xu Qing was starting to get annoyed. He glared coldly into the depths of the forbidden region.

“Pipe down.”

His shadow spread out from his feet, and a greedy salivating sound drowned out the zither music.

Patriarch Golden Vajra Warrior flew out and floated in midair, his pointed tip aimed straight at the center of the forbidden region. He seemed like he was ready to punch countless holes into anyone who didn’t follow Xu Qing’s orders. The zither music finally stopped.

The flowers and plants parted for Xu Qing. Trees uprooted themselves. And before long, a straight path was visible in front of him. At the end of the path was a large tree with a lone gravestone in front of it.

Xu Qing calmly walked up to the grave, leaned against the tree, and sank to the ground. A bottle gourd appeared in his hand. He took a drink, then poured a bit out onto the grave. He didn’t say anything because… he didn’t need to. As he sat there, he felt at peace. He could almost see Sergeant Thunder sitting there drinking with him and looking into the sky. The afterglow of the setting sun was visible in the distance.

When Xu Qing finally did speak, his voice was hoarse. “Sergeant Thunder, I finally found that lifespan flower for you….”

His words contained reminiscence, regret, and other emotions that were difficult to express with words. They also contained the helplessness of life.

Finally, he sighed and drained the last bit of alcohol from the gourd.

The sun had set. The moon had risen.

Xu Qing kowtowed to the grave, then stood and walked off. The flowers and plants quickly grew back to cover the grave.

The wind carried Xu Qing’s voice back after he’d left. “I won’t wipe you out of existence as long as you stand guard here.”

As his voice echoed out, a shadowy figure appeared by the grave. It wasn’t Sergeant Thunder’s wife. It was an old woman. If you looked very closely at her, you would realize that she had a zither inside of her with its strings broken. She was the lady of this forbidden region. As Xu Qing left, she bowed her head, indicating that she would respect his wishes.

Xu Qing flew through the sky under the light of the moon. Wherever he went, the light of the moon changed. It became violet.

The violet moonlight created a halo that made Xu Qing seem like a divine being as he flew through the night. He soon arrived at the only forbidden ground in the continent of South Phoenix. What was more, it was also… the largest forbidden ground Xu Qing had ever seen.

Forbidden by the Phoenix. It took up more than half of the continent, and if Flame Phoenix wanted, it could easily swallow the rest of it. Because the forbidden ground was so large, it was home to many species of grues. In fact, there were so many species living there that no one really knew the true extent of it.

Outsiders had to abide by Flame Phoenix’s rules. They couldn’t initiate any harm. That said, if any outsiders caused trouble, they wouldn’t be shown any mercy. Because of the terrifying nature of Forbidden by the Phoenix, many of the species of Revered Ancient had come to call the lord of the place Flame Phoenix, or sometimes, in a show of even greater respect, South Phoenix. Hē was mysterious, ancient, and was one of those rare entities who was kind toward other living beings.

When Xu Qing arrived at the edge of Forbidden by the Phoenix, he landed on an outcropping in the Mountains of Truth.

There was someone who had obviously known he was coming, and had come to wait for him there. It was a fat young man who was casually sucking on an egg. Looking very proud of himself, he leaned up against the side of the mountain singing a little song.

“It’s not that I love this mortal coil, but I see the threads of past fate;

“The flowers bloom and fall as, waiting for my wife, I slowly turn to stone;

“I’ll go if I must, but I might not linger there;

“Adorn my head not with mountain blossoms, and ask me not where I truly belong!”

As Huang Yan sang, Xu Qing approached and sat down next to him.

Huang Yan grinned and tossed him an egg. Eyebrows dancing up and down, he winked and said, “Your sister-in-law hasn’t given birth yet, and her temper is just out of control. Ai. It’s a good thing you came to have an egg with me.”

Just like in the past, Xu Qing poked a hole in the egg and took a sip. It was sweet beyond compare.

“How much longer until Second Elder Sister gives birth?” Xu Qing asked.

Huang Yan patted his belly, looking very pleased with himself. “My kind surpasses mortals by a long shot. We’re naturally born as preheaven spirits. So it’s only natural we have a very long gestation period. My guess is that she’ll give birth in the next few decades.”

Xu Qing nodded. If that was the case, he would probably be able to come back before Second Elder Sister gave birth.

In that manner, Xu Qing and Huang Yan sat together, drank from their eggs, and talked about what they’d been up to lately. Huang Yan explained that he was very excited at the prospect of becoming a father. Xu Qing told him all about what happened in Moonrite, and how he had to go to the imperial capital.

Time slipped by slowly but surely. Eventually the sun rose. The two of them looked at each other and chuckled.

Xu Qing straightened out his garments and stood. He didn’t ask Huang Yan if he was Flame Phoenix. That wasn’t important. What was important was that Huang Yan was his friend.

Since Huang Yan didn’t bring it up either, it didn’t need to be discussed. However, before Xu Qing left, Huang Yan, after a moment of thought, took out a bag of holding, as well as a red feather. He handed them to Xu Qing. The feather was sparkling and translucent, almost as if it was made from jade. It emanated a faint heat, and contained a strong godly might. It was different from the auras of gods that Xu Qing had encountered in the past. Furthermore, it seemed very, very ancient.

“A gift for you. On the way to the imperial capital, you’ll pass through Southtrust County. I have a younger sister who lives there. She visited South Phoenix a while back and liked the fruit here. Unfortunately, the harvest wasn’t very good back then. But this year the harvest is great, so if possible, I’d like you to deliver some of the fruits to her. My little sister has a really bad temper. But she’s like me. She has a spirit of loyalty and self-sacrifice.”

Xu Qing nodded in agreement, then looked at Huang Yan. “Take care of yourself.”

With that, he flew up into the sky.

Huang Yan stood on the outcropping looking at him go. He seemed a bit sad.

“Xu Qing!” he called. “Remember what I said before. If you don’t like it out there you can always come back to South Phoenix. You’ll be safe here!”

Xu Qing nodded solemnly, then made his way off into the distance.

Huang Yan faded away. As he did, a pair of huge eyes suddenly opened in the depths of Forbidden by the Phoenix, letting out an aura that caused all living beings in the forbidden ground to bow.

Looking off into the distance, hē murmured, “Take care of yourself.”