The world beneath the Aqua Pearl Pool was silent and shimmering.
Mo Yuchen's sharp hearing focused through the liquid hush. One ear tilted instinctively as the muffled sound of boots, soft and steady, neared the edge of the garden. A brief pause. Then… retreating steps. Fading.
Gone.
Only when the sound fully vanished into the distance did he relax his grip on Feng Xiu Lan's waist.
All around them, the powdered Aqua Pearls had awakened. The luminescent dust moved like intelligent light, spiraling in gentle swirls around their bodies. It skimmed across their skin, sank into their limbs, tracing lines of dormant qi.
Feng Xiu Lan's blood warmed. The heat was subtle but radiant, coaxing her phoenix flame to stir like a breath in her chest. Even Mo Yuchen, who wasn't of the Bird Clan, felt the low thrum of energy threading through his muscles.
A golden ripple bloomed beneath them as they surfaced quietly, their heads rising above the pool's gentle glow.
Mo Yuchen inhaled once, deeply, blinking away water.
"I feel it," he said, turning his palm up. "The Aqua Powder gave me a boost. My meridians feel clearer." He looked down at his chest and arms, mildly impressed. "That stuff actually works."
Thwack.
A sharp punch landed on his arm.
"Ow." He blinked at Feng Xiu Lan, who now stood waist-deep across from him, her expression sharp.
"That's for jumping in without our signal," she snapped.
Mo Yuchen started to reply—then caught a glimpse of her wet silhouette glowing softly under the moonlight. He instantly turned around, his back now rigid. "You should hurry," he said flatly. "Before I accidentally see something you'll make me regret."
"Don't you dare!" she hissed, covering herself with one arm. "That was not the point of the mission."
He smirked, voice dry. "Then maybe next time, follow the plan before the guards start patrolling again."
She fumed. "You were supposed to warn me. Not leap into the pool like some mountain stream monk trying to train under a waterfall."
"I did warn you. You were too busy soul-bonding with the water."
She opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again.
The garden remained quiet. The pool still glowed, brushing against them with its soft magic. Somewhere in the distance, a spirit blossom opened, releasing a mist of glowing pollen into the air.
"We need to go," Mo Yuchen said, already climbing out of the water, his soaked robes clinging to his frame.
Feng Xiu Lan gritted her teeth and turned around, scanning the edges of the garden where her now-illusioned robe lay hidden.
This mission wasn't over yet.
It had only just begun.
***
Inside the gleaming white-marble corridors of the Bird Clan's Royal Castle, delicate spirit flames floated in the air like drifting feathers, casting a warm amber light across golden wall hangings and tapestries woven with phoenix motifs. Servants glided between pillars, dressed in fine silks, murmuring softly as they went about their tasks.
Then came the urgent sound of footsteps.
"The Crown Prince is approaching," a steward announced, bowing deeply as he stepped aside.
Feng Yanzhao strode in, tall and regal in white and gold robes, a phoenix crest shining on his chest. His presence commanded the corridor, and servants immediately lowered their gazes as he passed.
Inside her private palace quarters, the Vermilion Feather Pavilion, the Queen Mother, Luo Xinyue, sat upon a cushioned dais surrounded only by a few trusted maids. Her elegance was timeless—draped in crimson robes embroidered with gilded flame birds, her hair twisted into a crown of silver pins, each one tipped with a glimmering pearl.
Feng Yanzhao approached and bowed low. "Royal Mother."
Luo Xinyue gestured for him to rise. Her voice was low, melodic, but held the weight of command.
"Yanzhao, you must be on alert tonight," she said. "After ten years in isolated cultivation, the Supreme Phoenix Elder, Saintess Feng Ruilan, will visit the Aqua Jade Pool."
Feng Yanzhao gave a calm nod. "Yes. The Saintess will descend tonight. I have already made the necessary arrangements."
"She is the only one in ten thousand years to reach Nirvana in the Legendary Realm of cultivation," the queen said, her eyes narrowing. "Her presence alone shifts fate. Nothing must disturb her visit."
Feng Yanzhao inclined his head. "All is under control. I will see to it personally."
Luo Xinyue's expression softened only slightly. "Also... spare attention for Meiyu. She is your cousin, yes, but her lineage is impeccable. Marrying her would strengthen your claim."
He raised a brow. "Because her father, Uncle Feng Xuanyan, commands half the Bird Clan's army."
She nodded. "Loyalty from that camp will serve you well in time."
Feng Yanzhao gave a measured nod. "I'll think about it—after returning from the Academy."
Just then, a faint flicker passed across the corridor—a shadow, swift and silent.
The prince immediately straightened. "Who is there?"
He turned on his heel, robes fluttering, and strode toward the movement.
Before he reached the end of the corridor, his assistant Jin Luming appeared, breathless. "Your Highness! Someone has broken into the sacred gardens."
Inside the Vermilion Feather Pavilion, Luo Xinyue stood quickly from her cushioned seat, her crimson sleeves falling like flames at her sides. The few trusted maids who were present, their faces turned tense with unease. Her voice was tight with urgency. "They must be removed at once. The Saintess will descend from Mount Lingxiao soon."
"Yes, Royal Mother," said Feng Yanzhao seriously with a curt bow.
Annoyed, Feng Yanzhao walked out of Royal Mother's living room and looked down the balcony.
Down below, two intruders knelt quietly in the center of the garden, dressed in dark robes. Around them, Bird Clan guards formed a circle, silent and tense, their spears glinting with enchanted talismans.
***
In the glowing tranquillity of the Aqua Pearl Garden, serenity was shattered.
Feng Yanzhao arrived at the center of the garden with Jin Luming and two guards flanking him. Mo Yuchen and Feng Xiu Lan knelt silently on the mossy stone, surrounded by a ring of Bird Clan guards holding their positions with spears drawn. Jin Luming stepped forward and eyed the captives coldly, ready to interrogate them.
Jin Luming stepped forward and eyed them sharply. "How did you enter the forbidden grounds?"
Mo Yuchen looked up calmly. "There were no guards posted. We were searching for herbs in the nearby bushes and walked in without realizing."
Luming scoffed, clearly not convinced. Without warning, he struck Mo Yuchen across the face with the back of his hand. "The next time you lie, that handsome face yours will have a scar."
Just then, a guard ran into the clearing, panting. "Your Highness! The Supreme Elder Phoenix is approaching! Her palanquin has entered the upper terrace."
Feng Yanzhao turned, his expression hard. "Detain the intruders. Take them to the city prison."
Jin Luming quickly countered, "Your Highness, the city route passes through the path the Saintess will take to the Aqua Jade Pool."
Feng Yanzhao's jaw clenched. A breath passed.
"Then place them in the palace dungeons for now. Once the Saintess has completed her visit, I will handle the matter myself."
The captain of the guards gave a nod and began issuing orders. Mo Yuchen and Feng Xiu Lan were pulled to their feet and escorted swiftly through the western passage—hidden from the main route.
As they were led away, the soft bell chimes of the Saintess's arrival echoed from the eastern corridor.
High above, Saintess Feng Ruilan approached, her palanquin carried by silent attendants, a dozen white-robed maids gliding ahead of her like drifting clouds.
Feng Yanzhao's expression shifted from cold command to formal composure. Without a word, he turned and descended the steps of the garden path, moving toward the eastern corridor to greet the Saintess who had returned after a decade of secluded cultivation.
***
A hush fell over the garden.
Saintess Feng Ruilan descended in silence, seated within a white palanquin draped in translucent veils. Twelve maids in flowing robes the color of moonlight preceded her, their steps light as feathers. They moved in perfect rhythm, like a single breath drawn in and exhaled slowly.
The palanquin came to a stop.
Feng Yanzhao stepped forward, bowing deeply with practiced grace. "Saintess Feng Ruilan. On behalf of the Bird Clan, I welcome you back to the palace."
The veils parted slightly, and a figure stepped out.
She was tall and impossibly poised, her white robes etched with gold phoenix wings that seemed to shift with her every step. Her face was calm but not soft, lined with power, timeless as stone, and just as unreadable. Her silver hair shimmered faintly, loosely tied behind her back with a crimson cord.
Saintess Feng Ruilan gave the prince a glance—measured, sharp, unimpressed.
"I did not come for greetings or courtesies, Crown Prince," she said, her voice smooth but heavy with quiet power. "I came for the pool."
Feng Yanzhao straightened, offering another slight bow, this one less deep. "Of course, Saintess. The path has been cleared for your visit. The Aqua Jade Pool is ready."
She walked past him without acknowledging the words. But then, as if humoring his presence, she spoke again as she reached the lantern-lit steps.
"I hear," she said, "that the Crown Prince seeks to learn the Nirvana Sutra."
Yanzhao's eyes glinted. He stepped forward slightly, tone respectful. "If the Saintess would be willing to guide me, I would be honored to learn it directly from your wisdom."
Feng Ruilan stopped.
She turned her head, just slightly, enough for her profile to be seen beneath the lantern light.
"The Nirvana Sutra," she said, her words precise, "is available to all who have reached the Celestial Ascension Stage of the Advanced Realm. It is not a gift. It is earned."
A pause. She looked him over once, head to toe, then continued.
"When you arrive there," she said, "you will find it. Whether I am here or not."
Then she turned, her long sleeves sweeping the air like ribbons of smoke, and began walking toward the Aqua Jade Pool, her maids falling into step behind her.
Feng Yanzhao's jaw tightened ever so slightly. The practiced smile remained, but the warmth had drained from his eyes.
He gave a short nod. "As the Saintess says."
He watched her retreating form with a carefully blank expression, the hand at his side curling into a loose fist.
Jin Luming stepped up behind him, whispering low, "She did not come to flatter. She came to remind."
Feng Yanzhao's smile thinned. "And I will reach the Advanced Realm's last stage sooner or later."
He turned on his heel, golden robes sweeping behind him as he strode back down the garden path.
The Saintess moved ahead, alone, toward the sacred waters she had not seen in a decade, unaware that the ripples in its surface tonight were not solely of her making.