"How old are you, little sister? Have you had any schooling?"
Li Fei had barely stepped out of Funing Palace before two consorts intercepted her, pressing tea on her and fussing over her comfort.
One of them was a bewitching creature, her skin white enough to shame frost, her slender waist as supple as a snake. Bracelets of every design circled her arms and ankles, chiming as she walked, and the long braids swaying behind her lent her an exotic air.
The other was a fair, delicate woman whose every frown and smile came in small, restrained movements. Her bearing was serene and refined, yet warmly approachable, and she carried an unmistakable air of the wedded wife. She was the sort who did not dazzle at first glance, but grew lovelier the longer one looked.
"I read medical texts for a few years. His Majesty commanded me to treat Her Majesty the Empress," Li Fei answered demurely.
"Then... has the Empress's illness improved at all?" Consort Hui asked gently, concern written across her features.
Her voice was unhurried, carrying an odd cadence, like the soft lullaby a doting mother might hum.
"The results seem slight," Li Fei said, her face filling with self-reproach. "My skill is simply lacking..."
"That is hardly your fault, little sister." Consort Hui took Li Fei's hand and sighed. "The Empress has sought out every renowned physician and adept in the realm, and none of them could cure her. It is only natural that you would not find a remedy overnight."
The words were kind enough. Yet this outwardly modest, dutiful matron let her porcelain fingertips stroke the spaces between Li Fei's fingers, seemingly by accident and seemingly not, while a faint clear ripple moved through her eyes.
That thread of allure, half hidden beneath a plain and virtuous surface and surfacing only by accident, was the sort of thing that made a heart skip.
Li Fei drew her hand back shyly, like a startled fawn, pitiable and lovely. "Thank you for your comfort, Your Highness..."
"We are both women. There is no need to stand on ceremony." Consort Hui refilled her cup, patiently soothing the little white rabbit's unease. "If you don't find me unworthy, just call me elder sister."
"I couldn't, I truly couldn't. If His Majesty were angered..." Li Fei said, all trembling reverence.
Consort Xiang, seated beside them, seemed unaccustomed to shoes. She had no sooner sat down than she kicked off one embroidered slipper, baring a soft pink sole with a little dust clinging to it. Her other leg rested on top, the nimble toes hooking the red slipper that dangled precariously, swinging it playfully while her silver bracelets rang out, bright and crisp.
"Tch. Best if that dog of an emperor drops dead from his own temper."
Her very first words were enough to get nine generations of a clan executed, her willful arrogance on full display.
Li Fei's gaze flickered. She swept the surroundings with a horrified, flustered glance, and only after confirming no one was near did she lower her voice and urge hastily, "Your Highness must not speak so recklessly!"
"Don't be afraid of him." Consort Xiang waved a careless hand and giggled. "If you're treating the Empress, your medicine can't be bad. As it happens, my body's been running hot lately for no reason at all. Why don't you take a look at me? Satisfy me and I'll see you set for life."
So Consort Xiang has powerful backing.
Watching her utter lack of restraint, Li Fei's thoughts began to turn.
The road through the old emperor was blocked, but here was the inner palace, opening a window to her of its own accord.
And Li Fei, who had committed herself unwaveringly to working the upper strata and had done her homework early, understood that among the consorts of the inner palace, commoner girls raised up through the selection were vanishingly few. Most were daughters of the powerful. She hardly expected them to overturn a dynasty, but properly cultivated, they were a force not to be underestimated.
Her mind turning, Li Fei hesitated. "But... unless His Majesty permits it, only the imperial physicians are qualified to attend the noble ladies..."
"I already told you, no need to fear that dog of a..." Consort Xiang waved her hand without a shred of decorum and was about to say more when Consort Hui cut her off.
"That's enough. Don't put the poor girl in a difficult position." Consort Hui's face was all kindness. "Since you're worried, little sister, your elder sister will simply mention it to His Majesty and request a place among the imperial physicians for you. Come to think of it, I've been sleeping poorly of late, so I shall be troubling you as well."
Just as expected, the moment matters entered Miss Top Courtesan's field of expertise, everything became simple. A plain, unadorned Retreat to Advance, and the key to the door was hers.
So why couldn't the throne have held an empress regnant instead of a gay emperor?
Li Fei sighed inwardly, though her face showed something between delight and worry. "Then... this commoner thanks Your Highness."
"No need for such courtesy." Consort Hui's eyes shifted, settling on the snagged white stockings, and she said pleasantly, "How did your clothes get torn, little sister? Leaving the palace in such a state would be unseemly. You had best change."
"It's quite all right." Li Fei covered her leg, a little flustered, and smiled bashfully. "I bring medicine to all under heaven, crossing mountains and fording rivers. A little damage to my clothes is nothing."
"How can a beauty like you go about in rags? Besides, little sister, you have come to the Empress's palace. If you walk out looking like that, it is the imperial family's face that suffers."
Consort Hui spoke with every appearance of sincerity. "Your elder sister knows a little needlework. Leave them here and I shall mend them for you. You can take them back the next time you come."
"Then... thank you, Your Highness."
Li Fei wavered for a moment, then finally nodded and accepted the noble lady's kind offer.
...
Two hours later, Miss Top Courtesan escaped the depths of the palace, ignoring both ladies' attempts to keep her longer.
It was only their first meeting, so of course the two consorts had not gotten their way. One may be easy, but one must never let others believe one is easy, or they will not cherish what they get.
Besides, Li Fei had come away from this trip with no small haul.
Consort Hui might have demolished every feudal propriety long ago, but she was, in cold fact, the daughter of the Minister of Rites. What drew Li Fei's attention even more, however, was Consort Xiang's background.
She was the daughter of the chieftain of the Sacred Tree Tribe.
In an age overrun by demons and monsters, when humanity huddled behind city walls, a tribe had not only survived but flourished. And though this woman had entered the depths of the palace, she remained utterly fearless and lawless. That fact alone showed how extraordinary the Sacred Tree Tribe must be.
Li Fei hurried home, took Qiao'er's hand, and asked eagerly, "Qiao'er, have you ever heard of the Sacred Tree Tribe?"
Qiao'er set down her book, thought for a moment, and answered, "They're mentioned in Chronicles of Foreign Lands Beyond and Chronicles of the Son of Heaven..."
Clearly, the nickname Miss Spell Encyclopedia might be somewhat inflated, but one day Qiao'er might well become a genuine Miss Encyclopedia.
Mwah.
Li Fei planted a kiss on her cheek and went straight off to find the books.
It had to be said, if villains ever plundered the Chancellor's residence, they might not fill a single chest with gold and jewels, but they would be hauling books out by the cartload. It took Li Fei no time at all to locate the two volumes Qiao'er had named.
Chronicles of Foreign Lands Beyond had been written by a painter who risked his life wandering the world. He had not only set down everything he saw along the way in vivid prose, he had studded the pages with illustrations. He was said to have planned a second volume, but his luck ran out and demons killed him on the road.
Chronicles of the Son of Heaven recorded the life and deeds of the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty.
Li Fei devoured whole lines at a glance, flipping through the books, and even went to consult Chancellor Liu in person. Before long she had a thorough and vivid picture of the Sacred Tree Tribe.
"Many thanks for your guidance, Chancellor Liu!"
Having thanked him to her heart's content, Li Fei tucked Chronicles of Foreign Lands Beyond under her arm and took her leave, only to run straight into Nie Yunyi outside the study.
"Old Nie, Chancellor Liu says you've been to the Sacred Tree Tribe. Is that true?" Li Fei came right to the point.
"Mm." Nie Yunyi blinked, and something wistful passed through his weather-worn eyes. "If the immortal maiden ever has the chance, you truly ought to see it."
"This sacred tree they worship, is it really so miraculous?" Li Fei's eyes lit up.
"It is." Nie Yunyi nodded heavily, and his face took on the look of a man gazing up at a mountain beyond climbing. "That tribe produces one powerhouse after another, masters beyond counting. That they can hold a domain of their own in an age like this owes a great deal to the sacred tree. Anyone who makes offerings to it benefits, no matter how high or low their cultivation base."
"I was fortunate enough to receive the sacred tree's grace myself. In the space of a single breath, the fog in my mind scattered entirely. It was like parting the clouds and seeing the sun."
He paused, then went on gravely, "There are even more than a few martial artists who firmly believe that tree is the one chance in this world to shed the mortal and become immortal, for the carp to leap the gate and become a dragon. If one trains by one's own effort to the very peak of the Saint Realm and then makes offerings to the sacred tree, one might take that single step further from the top of the hundred-foot pole and touch the Immortal Realm."
"No one has ever succeeded. But I believe the possibility is real."
"Thanks, brother."
Li Fei clapped Nie Yunyi on the shoulder, then went pounding up into Miss Stepdaughter's room, spread Chronicles of Foreign Lands Beyond open, jabbed a finger at the towering ancient tree with a human face growing on it, and said excitedly, "Look familiar?"
Lilith: ?
Miss Stepdaughter studied it intently for a while, then said dubiously, "A Wisdom Tree?"
"Think bigger!" Li Fei prompted, eyes sparkling.
In Folded Space D-07, she had handed over a Spell Altar to strike a win-win bargain with the Dean, stripping an entire Wisdom Tree bare and walking off with a mountain of Wisdom Fruit.
That had saved Li Fei enormous amounts of time she would otherwise have spent on Meditation, freeing her to focus on the path of the Charm Marks.
Of course, the Wisdom Fruit was long since used up, and that particular Wisdom Tree had been fairly low grade. Once her cultivation base advanced another step, Li Fei would have to seek out higher-grade Wisdom Fruit, or it would do nothing for her at all.
And greater than wisdom was knowledge.
After all her digging, Li Fei had ample reason to suspect that the "totem" the Sacred Tree Tribe had venerated and guarded generation after generation was a Knowledge Tree.
A transcendent wonder that could only be described with words like miracle and magnificence.
As everyone knew, the higher and more precious a transcendent installation, the harsher the conditions for building it. In Loxibrook, for instance, Sprite Forests numbered in the hundreds and thousands, while Secret Gardens could be counted on one's fingers. As for the [Phoenix Volcano], the [Magic Forest] and the [Creature Portal], which produced High Sequence beings, each was unique. Not even pouring in every last resource could produce a second.
In truth, many settlements on the Continent of Enlos did not deserve the name "castle" precisely because their mystical environment was too poor. Forget a [Dragon Nest] or a [Cloud Castle], they lacked even the standing required to build a [Unicorn Swamp] or a [Griffin Peak].
And the Knowledge Tree was rarer than a Dragon Nest and more precious than a Phoenix Volcano. Across the whole of the Continent of Enlos, only three Knowledge Trees could benefit a High Sequence Transcendent.
Back when Tingbao was courting City Lord Elizabeth, she had gotten hold of a Knowledge Tree sapling from somewhere and meant to plant it in the back garden. She managed to kill it instead. Not even the Fountain of Life could save it.
In the end the dead sapling had to be refined into a treasure, named the [Seven Treasures Tree]. It was in Kalida's hands now. Miss Top Courtesan had handled it herself, and its attributes made her mouth water.
A living Knowledge Tree, by contrast, could pour knowledge of the Laws directly into a Transcendent with no regard for reason, producing an all-around transformation. The magnitude was modest, but used at a bottleneck, when all potential was spent, the effect could be extraordinary.
Even a Spell Altar, which could force comprehension of an entire spell, paled beside a Knowledge Tree.
"Don't tell me... it's a Knowledge Tree?" Lilith thought for a moment, then looked up in astonishment.
"Very likely! And one that works on at least Middle Sequence Transcendents!" Li Fei nodded happily.
If experience points were not so desperately important, she would have wanted to go straight back and work with City Hall to build a permanent teleportation corridor. With a Knowledge Tree on hand, she could make money hand over fist just selling tickets, and use it as a springboard to develop the tourism potential of the Demon-Sealing Continent.
Unexpectedly, Lilith's interest stirred only briefly before she settled back into calm.
A Knowledge Tree was fine, but to Lilith, who had only recently obtained a Legacy and visited the altar and been remade from the bones outward, it was merely icing on the cake.
The barrier that truly troubled her was the Sequence 6 Ascension Ritual: creating a Forbidden life.
I need to find a way to make her bear me a child... no, wrong, why would I think that? Absolutely not!
Looking at Miss Stepmother, radiant with delight, sharing her joy without the slightest guard and nuzzling up against her, that terrible thought surfaced again in the depths of Lilith's mind and was ruthlessly strangled the instant it appeared.
With mental activity that tangled, and with key information missing, even Miss Top Courtesan's mind reading was useless.
"Why do you look unhappy?" Li Fei asked, puzzled.
"It's, it's nothing." Lilith turned her head away with a guilty air and mumbled the words.
"Don't bury your troubles. You can try telling me about them."
Li Fei cupped Miss Stepdaughter's cheeks and turned her face back with gentle force, until those deep blue eyes met her own. "Whatever the problem is, I'm willing to face it with you."
The promise was tender and unshakable, like a stream on a midsummer afternoon. Lilith drifted in it and came close to melting.
Miss Stepmother took Lilith's hand lightly in hers and let her feel the warm, real, resilient beat of her heart.
Lilith snatched her hand back as if shocked, but her voice had softened. "All right, I understand."
Qiao'er stood outside the door, a scroll clutched in one hand that hung limply at her side.
She had just remembered that this book also contained records of the Sacred Tree Tribe, and had hurried over to find Li Fei.
Clearly, she had come at the wrong moment.
Are you like this with everyone? And here I thought...
Qiao'er lowered her head, her eyes going dark, the churn of black silt roaring loud enough to drown her eardrums.
Su Wen felt lighter in body than she ever had. The dull heaviness that had always hung over her mind had vanished like smoke.
Even the beat of her heart carried a kind of leaping joy, as though the long-buried knot of gloom inside her, together with the pride and propriety she had upheld for so many years, had turned to warm water and poured itself out.
"Is the immortal maiden's medical skill truly so superb?"
She frowned toward the window, and everything out there seemed vivid and bright. Even the air felt unusually clear, threaded with the faintest scent of tea.
What the Empress understood was that this fragrance of tea came not from beyond the window, but from within her.
What she did not understand was that Li Fei knew nothing whatsoever of medicine, and that not even Qin Zhihua's oils and technique could have produced results so pronounced.
The ease flooding her body now was nothing more than the barest sip of release after years of repression, leaving her spirit weightless and alive, with the benefit reaching all the way down to her soul.
A sigh.
Su Wen watched the butterflies dancing past in pairs, and it was a long while before that sigh escaped her. Her face clouded over with worry again, though now there was a thread of longing in her eyes that had never been there before.
"Mistress, His Majesty requests an audience." A palace maid hurried to the Empress's side and reported in a low voice.
The Empress's brows drew tighter, and something that should not have been there flickered through her eyes: weariness and irritation.
She was silent for a moment before saying, without joy or sorrow, "Let him in."
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