The Eternal Sanctum

Staring at the contents of the scroll, Luo Shuyan could not help but tremble. The tranquil brushstrokes, the elegance and vividness behind each character was strikingly familiar to the Second Madam.

As her eyes unwillingly comprehended the information, the woman seemed to be able to see the young scholar labor over his calligraphy, complaining about how his strokes were inconsistent.

"Did…Lord Minister…write this himself?" Luo Shuyan whispered, her countenance blanched as she pointed towards the scroll with a trembling finger. "Was it truly…him?"

"That"s right, it was Master who wrote the scroll," Xiao Ying remarked, her countenance glacial. "Master wrote it before leaving for the Imperial Court just this morning."

"Did Father state who was permitted to enter?" The Third Young Miss anxiously asked. "We just want to visit our Fourth Sister…is that not acceptable?"

"Master had not stated who was permitted to enter the study to see the Fourth Miss," Xiao Ying said, closing the scroll and turning around to head back into the study. "However, please do not make it difficult for this servant to explain to Master or His Imperial Majesty."

"His Imperial Majesty…?" Wei Yan Yue murmured in surprise, before looking up in shock. "Hey! What do you mean by that!? What does His Imperial Majesty have to do with this!?"

Unfortunately, the maidservant had already walked up the steps of the study. Before Wei Yan Yue could express her indignation, the doors of the study had already slammed shut.

-

Inside the study, Xiao Ying"s icy countenance instantly melted to reveal a giddy smile. Rushing inside with light steps, the maidservant quickly released a sigh of relief.

"Fourth Young Miss, you will have to protect this servant in the future, ah!" Xiao Ying complained as she looked towards the sleepy An Fei in Xiao Wen"s embrace. "This servant just risked life and limb in putting up that icy beauty act, you owe this servant a favor!"

As the maidservants laughed at Xiao Ying"s flattering look, An Fei raised an eyelid to glance at the playful maidservant, scrutinizing Xiao Ying from head to toe. Closing her eyes, the girl quickly began counting prime numbers, smothering her mind into darkness.

-

An Fei expected to find herself waking up in the study after a long nap. She was fully prepared to see candlelight being the only illumination in the night sky, but not the sky-blue crystal of the crystal throne room. Craning her head around, the girl found herself back in the throne room, her body slumped against the large armrests of the crystal throne.

Swathed in the warm and familiar golden light emitting from the crystal that const.i.tuted the entire hall, An Fei relaxed for a moment, closing her eyes in pure bliss. However, she abruptly leapt up the next moment, her scarlet irises revealing a look of confusion.

…why was she here again?

Her eyes darting around, the girl"s gaze quickly landed on the right armrest. Atop the of sky blue crystal was an aged book, one An Fei could not forget even after a fleeting glance, nor did she wish to remember.

The book was covered by a faint violet light, and was slightly cold to the touch. An Fei reached out with her right arm to grab the book, but paused halfway with a struggling expression.

…because it was the book that described the . Or what the girl was more happy to call, a book of utter gou pi.

Opening the book and turning the pages to the section she had last read, An Fei squinted as she gazed at the small and neat script spanning across the pristine, snow white page. Occasionally, she would reveal a grunt of discomfort, or raise her head and sigh towards the ceiling with an expression unwilling to read.

"The Courts of Tian Xia reside in the depth of chaos. The awaits the fall of Heaven. Heaven colludes with Man, the Divine Palace sunders the path of creation and destruction. The Forefather cycles the will of Heaven, forever to perish."

"The Courts of Tian Xia…"

Repeating the phrase, An Fei could not remove the inkling thought that she had read a similar mnemonic recently. As she dug through her memories, the girl"s eyes narrowed in surprise, her mouth lightly parting in her astonishment.

Was it not on the back of the cobalt mirror?

Unable to contain her emotions, An Fei quickly stood from the throne, her eyes scanning the crystal hall. Her gaze landed onto the walls, and she discovered that the mysterious corridors she had seen from her previous experience were still present.

Silently imposing, the black gates had not changed in the slightest except for the symbols at the top being even more unreadable. When An Fei attempted to decipher what they meant, a piercing headache struck her mind, a dense fog enshrouding her thoughts without mercy.

Vigorously shaking her head, the girl shakily made her way towards the first corridor on the left. The aged book was clutched to her chest, and An Fei was somewhat unwilling to throw it onto the ground anymore.

…not until she got an answer to her questions.

Undergoing the painful ordeal of constantly stumbling in the seemingly never-ending corridor, An Fei gradually reached the door leading to the bedroom. Grasping the handle and leveraging her entire weight to open it, the girl tumbled into the bedroom, releasing a groan of discomfort as her body harshly collided against the floor.

However, she paid no mind to her pain, instead rushing towards the nearest mirror in the room. Her hand swiping the table to grab the plain-looking mirror, An Fei flopped her body onto the comfortable bed.

Holding the mirror above her head to carefully inspect, the girl discovered that although the supporting material was leather and not cobalt, faded characters were inscribed on its surface.

"The eyes of the soul reveal…gateway to Heaven," she read, squinting her eyes. "The Divine Palace sunders the cycle of creation…destruction…Forefather…perish."

Furrowing her brows, An Fei proceeded to search around the room, hunting around the tables in search of any additional mirrors. Finding one in the bathroom connected with the boudoir, the girl quickly flipped the mirror over onto its underside, carefully examining the inscriptions on the grey metallic surface.

"The Courts of Tian Xia confine the Forefather. The Divine Palace sunders the cycle of destruction and rebirth."

Bringing the mirror back to the bed to compare with the others, An Fei quickly noticed a few similarities and differences amongst the contents of the two mirrors and the book. Though they mentioned a Court of Tian Xia, a Divine Palace, and a Forefather, the following content was the diverging point.

The Divine Palace sundered destruction and rebirth, for which An Fei could only a.s.sume was pertaining to the origin of some chaos. However, she had no idea where to begin regarding the Courts of Tian Xia, Heaven, and the Forefather.

Shaking her head, she placed the objects down onto the bed, leaning back against the comfortable blankets as she lazily stretched.

Since it didn"t make much sense, she would not bother paying attention to it any further. If she obtained a hint that perhaps was related to it, then she would naturally return to investigate.

Hence, An Fei readily adopted the mindset necessary to lull herself to sleep for a second time, wrapping the blankets around her thin body.

However, she soon realized that her attire was not of the green dress that she had once discovered and worn in the boudoir, but rather the light violet autumn dress she was wearing in the study room of the Flowing Wind Residence. Furthermore, as she lay on the bed in deep thought, An Fei couldn"t help but ask a question that had nagged her.

"How does one leave and enter this place?"