The Ethereal Domains

Chapter 22: Extreme Delight is Often Accompanied by Deep Grief

Extreme Delight is Often Accompanied by Deep Grief . . .

Wang Xiao-Nian returned home, his spirits soaring. He had been confident that Cha-Eun Xiao wouldn't survive this encounter.

"Humph! You dared to extort me, and now you're done for!" he muttered gleefully as he walked, each step brimming with satisfaction. Wang Da-Nian, observing his son's unusual buoyancy, couldn't help but be perplexed. He relentlessly pestered his son about the source of his improved mood, but Wang Xiao-Nian remained tight-lipped.

Wang Xiao-Nian fully comprehended the gravity of the situation. If Cha-Eun Xiao had indeed met his demise... the Northern General would undoubtedly unleash a maelstrom of chaos.

For now, keeping silent was undoubtedly in his best interest.

He anxiously spent the next two days, eagerly awaiting the arrival of this favorable news. His thoughts often drifted to the image of Cha-Eun Xiao's lifeless body and whether he had uncovered the identity of his assailant.

Another day elapsed, and Wang Xiao-Nian continued to await the news he so eagerly anticipated...

Finally, the news arrived.

A messenger from the Crown Prince's Palace delivered a summons: "Supervisor Wang, the crown prince requests the presence of your son. He has some questions for him."

Wang Da-Nian felt honored that the crown prince had personally requested his son's presence. He couldn't help but think, "This must be the beginning of my son's illustrious future."

"Go on, speak wisely," Wang Da-Nian encouraged his son. "This is your golden opportunity. Keep that in mind."

Wang Xiao-Nian, however, felt a sense of unease. "Why is it the crown prince who is summoning me? Why not Mu Cheng-Bai? Something doesn't feel right..."

...

On the other side of the city, following the elimination of Mu Cheng-Bai and his two guards, Cha-Eun Xiao had remained secluded at home for three days.

He had no intention of concealing the murders or fearing discovery. Upon his return home, he had eagerly entered the mysterious space, having invested a substantial 350,000 silver bars in precious treasures. He couldn't wait to witness the quantity of qi that now filled the space within the sphere.

Cha-Eun Xiao was genuinely unable to contain his excitement.

Yet, when he finally entered the space, he was left stunned by what he encountered.

The quantity of qi within the space remained unchanged, and its color showed no alteration.

However, there was a slight difference – a small amount of fog-like qi had appeared. That was all.

Cha-Eun Xiao inhaled the unchanged qi deeply, rendered utterly speechless.

"This can't be right! The space underwent a complete transformation after absorbing a mere blood ginseng. Today, it has absorbed a substantial amount of qi from all those herbal medicines. It might not be enough for an improvement in quality, but there should have at least been a change in quantity. How is it possible that nothing has changed?"

He was left perplexed by the situation.

Indeed, it should not have turned out this way. What could possibly have gone wrong?

Suddenly, he realized the source of his bewilderment.

In the distance, an unending stream of white qi was pouring into an egg, causing it to steadily expand in size. Cha-Eun Xiao was both infuriated and taken aback.

He had uncovered the cause of his confusion.

The egg was inflating like a balloon, growing from the size of a goose egg to that of a small melon before halting its expansion. However, it continued to voraciously absorb all the qi within the space.

The egg's appetite for qi was unbounded, unaffected by its size.

Though it had ceased growing, its once-dim surface was now radiant, bearing mystical patterns.

"Frustrating!" Cha-Eun Xiao couldn't help but curse. "I spent 350,000 silver bars, endured such a tumultuous day, and all I have to show for it is food for this insatiable egg! It has left nothing for me, and it even stopped growing! What a waste of my energy and money! Just moments ago, I was envisioning a significant boost in my cultivation level, but now, I am truly disappointed."

Cha-Eun Xiao rubbed his chin, his spirits dampened. "How much more do you need to satisfy your hunger?"

However, he couldn't suppress a smile as he contemplated smashing the egg into pieces if it dared to absorb his Heaven's Cyan.

He remarked to himself, "Bad egg... Bad egg... People have been calling me a bad egg, but this one here is the real troublemaker... no doubt about it."

He eagerly retrieved the box containing the Heaven's Cyan and thought, "If this egg dares to absorb my Heaven's Cyan, I won't hesitate to shatter it into countless fragments before consuming it."

With a sardonic smile, he opened the box. To his surprise, a surge of joy permeated the space as the Heaven's Cyan emerged. The next moment, a powerful force obliterated the box, sending shards flying as the Heaven's Cyan floated freely in the air.

The Heaven's Cyan remained intact, its transformation captivating Cha-Eun Xiao. He couldn't believe his eyes as the space twisted and the purple qi swayed, leading to an expansion of the space. A new cyan space emerged, adjacent to the first temple. It was surrounded by white mist and housed the Heaven's Cyan, as if it had always belonged there. Everything blended seamlessly, and Cha-Eun Xiao marveled at this astonishing development.

In the next moment, a deluge of white qi rushed into the cyan space like a storm, filling it rapidly. Yet, the flow of qi didn't cease; instead, it continued to pour into the Heaven's Cyan. The Heaven's Cyan quivered, and new leaves sprouted one by one. Suddenly, Cha-Eun Xiao's vision went black, and the next moment, he found himself outside of the sphere, back in his room. He remained in a state of shock and wonder for a while.

It seemed that the space could nourish the Heaven's Cyan, and the Heaven's Cyan could be safely planted within the space. In a short time, Cha-Eun Xiao could have an inexhaustible supply of Cultivating Tea and carry it with him wherever he went. This realization filled him with euphoria, and he wasted no time in resuming his cultivation, knowing that hard work was the path to improvement.

"The sun is shining upon the sky. The purple qi rises for me," Cha-Eun Xiao recited as he performed his daily cultivation task nine hundred times. He was aware that his cultivation was still at a low level, far from the point where qi would circulate automatically in his inner body channels. Diligence was his only way forward.

Meanwhile, chaos had erupted in the Crown Prince's Palace, but Cha-Eun Xiao remained blissfully unaware and unconcerned.

...

In stark contrast, Wang Xiao-Nian found himself trembling as he was brought to the Crown Prince's Palace. An unsettling feeling gnawed at him. Upon entering the main house, he was confronted with a sight that sent shivers down his spine.

In the main house's courtyard, three lifeless bodies lay on the ground, covered by white sheets. One of the corpses bore a deep sword wound that ran through the chest, leaving a gaping hole from chest to back. The hands lay lifeless at its side, and the robe's sleeves, adorned with eye-catching golden flowers, were pulled back, revealing the emblem of Mu Cheng-Bai.

Wang Xiao-Nian's heart sank. He recognized those golden flowers immediately, having seen Mu Cheng-Bai wearing a robe adorned with them on the day they had hung out together.

"Mu Cheng-Bai is dead?" Wang Xiao-Nian couldn't believe it. To him, Mu Cheng-Bai was seemingly invulnerable, a figure who could not be brought down by anyone.

The Crown Prince sat regally in his resplendent bright yellow robe, casting a stern gaze upon Wang Xiao-Nian. His expression was serious, and he addressed Wang Xiao-Nian with a measured tone.

"Wang Xiao-Nian?"

The young man, clearly apprehensive, replied, "Yes, Your Highness."

The Crown Prince continued, "Two days ago, were you accompanying Mu Cheng-Bai?"

Wang Xiao-Nian, his nerves jangling, nodded affirmatively.

"He is no more," the Crown Prince delivered this grim news calmly, but to Wang Xiao-Nian, it hit like a bolt of lightning. Fear surged through him, and his pupils dilated.

As Wang Xiao-Nian struggled to contain his panic, the Crown Prince fixed him with an unyielding gaze. "Now, tell me every detail of what transpired on that day."

"Y-yes, Your Highness," stammered Wang Xiao-Nian, his voice quivering. He moistened his lips and bit his tongue to steady himself. "On that day, I accompanied Lord Mu. He needed some herbs, so we went to Hui-Tian Street... Shortly after our arrival, we encountered a man named Cha-Eun Xiao."

"Cha Eun Xiao?" The girl seated beside the Crown Prince abruptly raised her gaze, fixing Wang Xiao-Nian with a sharp stare. Her eyes, though strikingly beautiful, bore traces of tears, and her tone was laced with intensity. "Is he the son of the Northern General, Cha Nan-Tian, one of the 'three lords' of the capital?"

"Yes, it was him," Wang Xiao-Nian replied, his head hanging low. He dared not meet the girl's piercing gaze.

"Please continue," the girl urged, while the Crown Prince remained silent, listening intently.

Wang Xiao-Nian surmised that the girl was likely Mu Cheng-Bai's sister and the Crown Prince's wife.

"As fate would have it, Cha-Eun Xiao was also there to purchase some herbs," Wang Xiao-Nian explained, his words coming out haltingly. "And the item he intended to buy... well, it happened to be the very thing Lord Mu had set his sights on. So, a confrontation ensued..."

"Wait! Mu Cheng-Bai wouldn't have recognized Cha-Eun Xiao. He would never have known his name, as he held disdain for those he deemed 'foppish lords.' How did he identify Cha Eun Xiao?" the Crown Prince interjected, raising a crucial question.

Wang Xiao-Nian was taken aback. How did Mu Cheng-Bai indeed recognize Cha Eun Xiao? It seemed that he had walked right into a situation from which there was no easy escape.