Chapter 12

◎Barren Sea◎  

“Starting today, you must undergo a medicinal bath for one shichen daily. The water in the tub must remain at a high temperature to stimulate the restored meridians within your body.”  

Beyond the curtain, Yan Jun was sorting the medicinal packets required for the bath with the apprentices from the Celestial Medicine Bureau.  

Inside, Zhuoying felt like a crab about to be boiled alive—except unlike a crab with no means of escape, she had willingly climbed into this herself.  

She wore an Ice Cicada Garment brought by Yan Jun.  

This thin robe prevented scalding from the overheated water but couldn’t block the temperature entirely. Celestial Maidens skilled in fire manipulation monitored the bathwater, reheating it the moment the temperature dropped.  

Effectively, she was to be boiled in this brain-melting tub for a full shichen.  

This was Yan Jun’s tenth treatment session for her.  

Zhuoying knew the day of her full recovery was drawing closer.  

One shichen later, two Celestial Maidens lifted Zhuoying out of the scalding bath.  

A cleansing spell dried the water from her body, and the maidens dressed her in a fresh Magical Garment before casting a Frost Barrier to rapidly lower her body temperature, which had far exceeded normal human endurance.  

Yan Jun observed her with satisfaction, as though admiring a masterpiece.  

“Excellent.”  

“As expected of someone who endured three full days in the Glazed Realm. The longest-lived patient I treated before died on the very first day of the medicinal bath.”  

Zhuoying lifted her eyelids from the bed.  

“Yan Jun, that’s hardly comforting. What if I die on the second day?”  

Yan Jun merely stroked his long beard, hinting:  

“Those I treated before possessed immortal arts a hundred times stronger than yours. Since you’ve endured this far, there’s a reason you’ve survived—you won’t die so easily.”  

Yet this very reason remained elusive to him.  

Fascinating.  

As the head of the Celestial Medicine Bureau, there were few ailments or constitutions in this world he couldn’t decipher.  

Zhuoying seemed to read his thoughts, curling her lips slightly.  

“By your auspicious words, I’ll strive to live long enough for you to uncover the answer.”  

Watching the girl rise and head to the Academy as soon as she regained some strength, Yan Jun instructed his attendants to deliver the medicinal packets to the Hall of All Phenomena while musing—  

When it came to fighting for survival, she was indeed more tenacious than anyone.  

–  

Fu Yao and Zhuoying arrived at the Academy almost simultaneously.  

Spotting the unfamiliar carriage behind them, Fu Yao initially assumed it was a Golden Horse Station dispatch delivering documents—until a familiar figure stepped out leisurely.  

“No wonder I didn’t see you this morning. You were at the Celestial Medicine Bureau.”  

Fu Yao glanced at the Golden Horse behind Zhuoying.  

“A gift from my mother?”  

Zhuoying nodded.  

Fu Yao frowned. “Golden Horses are used for document deliveries between bureaus in the Immortal Realm. If you wanted a mount, you should’ve picked something prettier, like an Immortal Crane. Why would Mother give you this?”  

Zhuoying looked up at him in mild surprise.  

This Crown Prince’s moods were truly easy to gauge. Ever since she proposed their joint plan against the Mount Sumeru Immortal Realm yesterday, his attitude toward her had softened considerably.  

Now he even had the leisure to worry about whether her mount was aesthetically pleasing.  

A passing female immortal overheard their conversation and blinked teasingly.

“Did Lord of the Star Mao make the sun rise from the west today? How rare for His Highness the Crown Prince to show concern for others.”

She held a palm-sized Eight Trigrams Compass in her hand, casually fiddling with it as she spoke. The faint sound of turning gears accompanied her glance before she smiled brightly at Zhuoying.

“Princess Zhuo Ying’s fortune today is exceptionally auspicious. It seems something wonderful will happen.”

Zhuoying’s gaze swept over the Wind Pattern Jade Bracelet on her wrist.

Xie Cexuan wore a Thunder Cicada Pattern Headband on his forehead, its brushstrokes seemingly similar to this jade bracelet.

Thunderous roar, wind patterns.

Zhen Thunder, Xun Wind.

This person must be another Dao Child from the Academy.

Zhuoying smiled at her. “Thank you.”

Ye Shi Yun silently mouthed a “wow.”

Seeing such beauty up close was even more striking.

Fu Yao rolled his eyes at her and ignored the comment, walking side by side with Zhuoying into the Lecture Hall.

“I’ve already inquired at the Fate Administration Office.”

Fu Yao spoke rapidly, his excitement palpable:

“That Sumeru Goddess’s name in this life is Zhong Yingying, already born into a farming family—”

“A farming family?”

Fu Yao nodded, then scoffed:

“In their haste that day, Ting Yun only managed to write sixteen characters in the Book of Fate. So this goddess was destined to be born into a poor farming household, experiencing the hardships of common folk—likely her original tribulation.”

If only he had stopped Ting Yun, this would have been the perfect punishment for her.

“But now, because the contents of the Book of Fate clash with the tribulations set by heavenly law, although she was born to farmers, her future fate will still unfold as written—”

The story begins on the day Zhong Yingying was born.

After the reconciliation between the mortal realm and the Immortal Realm, the snowstorms ceased, spring returned to the land, and destroyed temples were gradually being rebuilt.

That day happened to be stormy.

Heaven’s will guided the nine-months-pregnant Duchess of Duan to impulsively visit a temple to offer incense, while simultaneously directing a pregnant farm girl to deliver vegetables to the same temple.

The ultimate divine plan was for both women to go into labor during the downpour, causing the midwives to mistakenly switch the two babies in the chaos.

Thus, the goddess who should have been born a farmer’s daughter became the cherished jewel of the Duan household, spoiled and pampered from childhood.

Meanwhile, the true noble daughter was left to grow up among commoners, suffering hunger and deprivation—missing three meals a day but receiving four beatings instead.

Zhuoying’s guess was correct:

Rewriting someone’s fate wasn’t so simple.

In this world, happiness and suffering maintain balance—for every life of ease, there must be one of misfortune.

Or perhaps it’s precisely because misfortune exists that the concept of happiness can be known.

Thus, Zhong Xianqing, who should have been the noble daughter, became the Sumeru Goddess’s scapegoat.

“But the story doesn’t end there.”

Fu Yao walked with hands clasped behind his back, his sword-like eyebrows tightly knit.

“That mortal who lured her into eloping has already been executed by the Censorate, but after reincarnation, he was reborn as a general’s son. Given their families’ statuses, a marriage alliance between Zhong Yingying and him isn’t impossible.”

At this point, even Zhuoying couldn’t help laughing.

“Truly ‘noble lineage, golden match’—those sixteen characters of fate prophecy might indeed come true effortlessly without intervention.”

“Effortlessly?”

The crown prince, his hair tied back with a golden crown, snorted coldly, a mocking smile playing at the corners of his lips.

“Probably not. When the Celestial Fate Officer mentioned it to me, he let slip that the rain on the day Zhong Yingying was born was unusually timely. I also sent someone to inquire at the Celestial Pivot Prime Minister’s Purple Tenuity Hall. According to the annual Rainfall Schedules submitted by the four seas and the Barren Sea, there shouldn’t have been such heavy rain that day.”

Zhuoying’s thick lashes fluttered slightly as a conjecture quickly formed in her mind.

If she remembered correctly, the fiefdom of the Prince Duan of the Great Yong Dynasty should also fall under the jurisdiction of the Barren Sea.

Controlling clouds and rain was the duty of the Barren Sea Celestial Clan.

The annual rainfall quota was fixed. Any extra rain had to be borrowed from other days. If they were unlucky enough to encounter a drought year with scarce rainfall, arbitrarily shifting rain days could risk causing a severe drought.

Zhuoying murmured vaguely:

“The interactions between the Barren Sea Celestial Clan and the Mount Sumeru Immortal Realm are becoming increasingly frequent.”

In her previous life, when she was in the Barren Sea, there had been no such trend.

The most crucial aspect of strategizing and planning was having well-informed intelligence.

Zhuoying thought she needed to reach out to some people in advance.

“…That’s all the information we have for now. One month in the heavens equals one year on earth. Zhong Yingying is only one year old now, so we still have time to plan carefully… Hey, why are you following me into the Lecture Hall?”

Fu Yao stopped in his tracks, looking at Zhuoying in surprise as she took a seat beside him.

Zhuoying pulled herself from her thoughts to answer: “Naturally, to attend class.”

“Shouldn’t you be catching up on a year’s worth of lessons with the other immortal instructors first?”

“I’ve already finished,” Zhuoying tilted her head slightly, giving him a puzzled look. “Didn’t I tell you? I’ve had a photographic memory since childhood. The three hundred and seventy-nine Celestial Arts Scriptures the instructors gave me are all in my head now.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhuoying noticed the Lecture Hall had fallen silent for a moment.

In the eyes of everyone looking at her, the same phrase seemed to be written—

This is bad.

We’re about to be outshone!

–

The bright moon reflected on the tranquil surface of the Barren Sea.

Beneath the dark waters lived the Barren Sea Celestial Clan, who had inhabited these depths since ancient times.

Flowing Water City, Merman Palace.

Zhaocui had been lying weakly in bed for three days when she finally received a visit from the one she loved.

“…I’m fine, you don’t need to worry.”

The snow-skinned, flower-like maiden smiled sweetly, her dimpled cheeks radiating joy to all who saw her.

“I only wish to be of help to you—did what I do help at all?”

The young lord Chen Ye, dressed in pale blue-green robes, sat by Zhaocui’s bedside.

His cold, handsome features were as cool as the autumn moon, his deep, ink-black eyes as still as an ancient pool. At nineteen, Chen Ye, the young lord, still carried a hint of youthful inexperience compared to the future master of the four seas who would strategize with ease, but his demeanor already showed no trace of immaturity.

He spoke, his voice as resonant as a zither:

“You’ve been a great help. It’s just unfortunate that you suffered backlash from the karmic forces. Thankfully, it’s not severe, and you’ll recover after some rest.”

A faint blush spread across the maiden’s cheeks, her eyes brimming with unconcealed affection.

“I… I don’t mind! At least the Rain Decree can be activated even by mortals without cultivation, and the karmic cost of shifting the rain wasn’t too high.”

“No one could have predicted the consequences of altering the rain schedule. If it had caused a drought in the mortal realm, the karmic backlash wouldn’t have been so mild.”

Chen Ye turned slightly as a female attendant approached with a tray bearing a bowl of medicine.

“Don’t do anything so reckless again in the future.”

Zhaocui sweetly agreed with her words, but in her heart, she thought, if she didn’t take such a risk, how else could she see him?

It had been a full three months since she arrived at the Barren Sea.

Three months, and apart from that distant glimpse on the day she arrived, Chen Ye had never once sought her out on his own.

If she hadn’t sneaked out of her palace that day and happened to overhear Chen Ye discussing with his subordinates about Mount Sumeru Immortal Realm’s request for the Barren Sea to adjust the rainy days to assist them with a matter, she wouldn’t have had this chance.

Those who arbitrarily altered the rainy days would suffer karmic backlash, and no one knew what consequences might follow. Thus, Chen Ye hesitated.

Hearing this, Zhaocui didn’t hesitate to gamble on this opportunity.

And she won.

Chen Ye personally fed her the medicine, watching as her face twisted in bitterness from the concoction, his thoughts momentarily drifting.

It was as if he was looking through her, seeing something—or someone—else.

“You dislike bitterness?”

Pouting, Zhaocui whined in a delicate voice:

“Who doesn’t? This medicine is unbearably bitter. If it weren’t for you feeding me, I wouldn’t have taken a single sip.”

She had always been healthy since childhood, daring to play snowball fights in thin robes even in the depths of winter, rarely falling ill.

For a fleeting moment, Chen Ye felt the face before him shift into another’s.

A face as pale as white peonies, her lips faintly colored, perpetually pale with just a hint of pink, like peach blossoms on a March branch.

—How can you drink such bitter medicine without even frowning?

—Because only then can I avoid falling ill.

The ten-year-old girl was as slender as a fragile flower, one careless moment away from being snapped by the wind.

—I don’t want to be sick. I want to run, to jump, to climb trees, to roll in the winter snow. I must drink the medicine—no matter how bitter, as long as it cures me.

The twelve-year-old boy blinked in surprise.

He watched as she gulped down bowl after bowl of medicine. Though her complexion was as dull as paper, in his eyes, she shone brighter than the morning sun above.

Noticing Chen Ye lost in thought while gazing at her, she was about to reveal a sweet, triumphant smile when a sudden unease struck her heart.

“Young Lord… why are you looking at me like that?”

Biting her lip, Zhaocui voiced the question that had long lingered in her mind.

“Does the Young Lord think… I resemble my sister?”

The two of them did share a striking similarity in appearance, about seventy to eighty percent alike.

But one was innocent and carefree, like morning dew bathed in spring sunlight, while the other was like fragile porcelain—beautiful yet distant, as if the slightest mishandling would shatter her, leaving only sharp shards behind.

“No, you’re nothing alike.”

Chen Ye smiled, his eyes cold and indifferent.

Zhaocui felt as if she had been granted a reprieve, finally exhaling the breath she had been holding in her heart.

Thank goodness, thank goodness.

During these three months alone in the Barren Sea, she had often been plagued by wild thoughts.

If Chen Ye hadn’t come soon, she might have started missing her days in the Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace.

In her past life, when she first entered the Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace, the guards at the South Heaven Gate confiscated the belongings her mother had prepared for her before abandoning her in an empty, desolate palace chamber.

She could no longer wear those lavish garments, and none of the Magical Garments or Immortal Robes sent by the Heavenly Palace suited her tastes.

Her assigned chambers were sparsely furnished, devoid of any decorative excess, save for towering stacks of Celestial Arts Scriptures—oppressive just to look at.

What was even more excessive was that the Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace didn’t even assign her a single Celestial Maiden to serve her.  

They said that if she wanted attendants, she only needed to diligently cultivate and learn the Immortal Arts to enlighten spirits—then she could have as many Celestial Maidens and attendants as she wished.  

But those Immortal Arts were so difficult, and she truly had no interest in cultivation whatsoever. In her previous life, she had only managed to enlighten one utterly unremarkable immortal plant by the end, which was mediocre in aptitude and couldn’t help her with anything.  

Yet compared to the current Barren Sea, the Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace, which she had loathed to the extreme in her past life, actually seemed far better.  

Because the Barren Sea now was even more desolate than she had anticipated.  

She couldn’t get used to the food here, nor the cramped palace chambers. The princes and princesses of the Barren Sea who disliked Chen Ye would often come to pick fights. In both her lifetimes combined, she had never suffered such hardships.  

Moreover, when she arrived, she had passed through Flowing Water City in the Barren Sea. The once-prosperous and dazzling city now looked like a rural town from the Great Yong Dynasty.  

She could only console herself—  

The suffering in the Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace was eternal, but the suffering in the Barren Sea was temporary.  

She only needed to wait a little longer.  

Once Chen Ye ascended to the throne and led the Barren Sea to unify the other four seas, she would no longer have to endure anyone’s bullying or be tormented by the need to cultivate Immortal Arts.  

Her parents had already built a temple for her in the mortal realm.  

She would enjoy the offerings of mortal worshippers, needing to do nothing at all, and live a long and blissful life.  

“Rest well. I have matters to attend to—I’ll visit you another time.”  

Without warning, Chen Ye set down his bowl and stood to leave. Zhaocui hastily grabbed his sleeve.  

“When is ‘another time’?”  

Zhaocui bit her lip and emphasized,  

“Young Lord, the temple in the mortal realm dedicated to the immortals of the Barren Sea is nearly complete.”  

The sleeve of his azure robe was clenched tightly in her grasp, forcing Chen Ye to halt.  

He glanced back at her straining fingers.  

After a long pause, he turned and took her hand in his own, his fingers cool as he gently but firmly tucked it back under the blanket.  

He smiled warmly, though this time, his smile carried a trace of practiced politeness.  

“The next time will naturally be the day of our wedding.”  

The girl’s face bloomed like spring flowers, her eyes and brows alight with irrepressible joy.  

A female guard standing nearby lifted her gaze silently to glance at them.  

Her sleeve was embroidered with willow leaves, and hidden within it was a secret letter that burned against her skin.  

It was a letter from the Supreme Purity Heavenly Palace.  

From the one to whom she truly pledged her loyalty.  

Author’s Note:  

The female guard is the one the female protagonist went so far as to change Feng Li Shen Jun’s gender for, just to promote her~