Chu Qinghuang followed the person sent by the steward to inspect the estate, which was located at the very end of Feihua Lane. As soon as she stepped inside, she discovered that the back of the property shared a wall with the Chu Family, separated from the Chu Estate by only two streets, placing it right next door.
A mischievous smile tugged at the corners of Chu Qinghuang's lips. What a fantastic location! It would be immensely convenient for dropping in on the Chu Family.
"I'll take this estate."
"Understood."
Returning to the City Lord's Mansion, Chu Qinghuang completed the paperwork for the deed of the house and land. Afterward, she went to the slave market to purchase a few maidservants and manservants, sending them to the newly bought estate to clean and tidy it up.
It was already noon by the time Chu Qinghuang returned to the inn. After a hasty meal, she lay down on the bed to rest, thinking that she needed to boost her strength quickly and recruit some people of her own as soon as possible. Otherwise, having to handle every little matter herself was a terrible waste of time.
With these thoughts in mind, Chu Qinghuang flipped over, sat up, and flashed straight into her spatial dimension. She glanced at the Vermilion Bird Egg currently undergoing incubation, then crossed her legs and began to meditate. Roughly the equivalent of one night passed within the space. Chu Qinghuang slowly opened her eyes, sensed the spiritual power circulating inside her body, and then drew the Fenghua Sword to begin practicing the Fenghua Sword technique.
The Fenghua Sword technique was divided into nine tiers. The higher the tier, the greater the might, but the more spiritual power it required at the same time. Practicing the first tier of the sword technique, Chu Qinghuang was merely acquainting herself with the movements and did not channel any spiritual power into them. With her current Innate Stage 1 spiritual power, she would likely exhaust all her energy before she could even finish executing a single move.
Growing familiar with the sword forms was a swift process; after all, even before crossing over, Chu Qinghuang had been well-versed in swordsmanship, and the moves she had learned were never flashy show-fighting, but rather simple, lethal techniques designed to take lives straight away.
Chu Qinghuang had even spent nearly three years in an assassin training camp. Otherwise, as a scion of a prominent hidden family with numerous children in this generation, it would have been impossible for them to choose her as their successor. What a pity that after working bitterly hard for over twenty years and finally catching a glimpse of hope, she had somehow ended up in this place for no apparent reason.
Chu Qinghuang practiced the sword technique a few times. Once she grew accustomed to it, she put the Fenghua Sword away and prepared to leave the space, but when she turned her head, she noticed a small hole had cracked open in the Vermilion Bird Egg.
Chu Qinghuang walked over to the Vermilion Bird Egg and watched as a little bird inside stretched its head out, diligently pecking away the eggshell. She peered into the shell, and the baby Vermilion Bird seemed to spot Chu Yunhuang, suddenly starting to chirp excitedly.
"Alright, alright, don't rush. Take your time pecking, I'll stay here and keep you company." Chu Qinghuang sat down nearby and resumed meditating to cultivate her spiritual power. Hearing Chu Yunhuang's words, the little Vermilion Bird calmed down and merely sped up the pace at which it pecked the shell.
After another half-day or so, as Chu Qinghuang was absorbing spiritual power, she suddenly felt something brushing against her palm. She stopped cultivating and slowly opened her eyes to find a magpie-sized chick with golden feathers standing right in front of her. Chu Qinghuang stared blankly at the baby Vermilion Bird, and the two exchanged gazes. After a dozen seconds or so, the little Vermilion Bird piped up in a crisp voice, "Master."
Chu Qinghuang reached out and poked the little Vermilion Bird on the head. "So you're a Vermilion Bird. What's your name?"
The little Vermilion Bird hopped onto Chu Qinghuang's hand. "I don't have a name. Please give me one, Master."
Chu Qinghuang stroked her chin in thought. "Hmm... let's see... how about Qingyu? It just so happens my name has the character for 'qing' in it as well."
"Alright, Qingyu it is." The little Vermilion Bird affectionately rubbed against Chu Qinghuang's palm. Looking at Qingyu's golden feathers, Chu Qinghuang pursed her lips. "Little Qingyu, the color of these feathers of yours... can you change them? They're far too eye-catching."
Qingyu looked at its own feathers and replied, "I can, but I was just born and I'm still too weak. Once I grow a bit larger, I'll be able to change the color of my feathers."
"Fine then, you stay in this space for now. If you get bored, practice your spiritual power and grow up fast; I'm heading out." Stroking little Qingyu's head, Chu Qinghuang exited the space. Once outside, she found that it was already the second day. She checked out of the inn and went to the newly purchased estate, having someone retrieve the newly made plaque and hang it above the main gate. Gazing at the characters "Yun Residence" on the plaque, Chu Qinghuang felt a slight twinge of sadness—she wondered when she would finally be able to hang a plaque reading "Chu Estate".
Chu Qinghuang entered the estate, inspected the main courtyard, and purchased some missing furniture to arrange before settling in. By day, she practiced her sword techniques and worked out to build physical strength; by night, she entered the space to cultivate spiritual power. Her current body was completely that of a delicate young lady, and even slightly intense exercise left her gasping for breath. Continuing this routine for about a month, Chu Qinghuang's strength finally reached Innate Stage 3, and her physical conditioning had barely managed to catch up. Even so, Chu Qinghuang remained dissatisfied with her cultivation speed, feeling it was far too slow. If outsiders knew she had advanced by three stages in just a single month, there was no telling how envious they would be.
That night, Chu Qinghuang changed into night-walker attire, vaulted over the wall separating her from the Chu Family estate, and slipped inside. Sheltered by trees and foliage, she hid in the shadows, carefully making her way to find Chu Nanxi's courtyard.
As she passed the entrance of a courtyard, Chu Qinghuang overheard a manservant telling a maid by the door, "The Patriarch wants the Young Miss to come to the study right now. Could I trouble you to go inside and announce her?"
"Alright."
Hearing this, Chu Qinghuang hurriedly hid in the shadows, waiting to see if the person who came out shortly would be Chu Nanxi. After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Chu Nanxi emerged from the courtyard accompanied by two maidservants, heading toward the study. Chu Qinghuang quickly and quietly followed behind.
Arriving at the entrance of the courtyard where the study was located, Chu Qinghuang frowned at the guards stationed at the gate and throughout the courtyard. What sort of shady business required so many guards? With no other choice, Chu Qinghuang circled around to the back of the study and concealed her figure behind a large tree at the rear.
Chu Qinghuang moistened her finger with saliva and poked a small hole in the lower-left corner of the window, peering into the study through the aperture.
Chu Nanxi dipped into a slight curtsy. "I greet Father. I wonder why Father has summoned your daughter here?"
"You're here, Xixi. Sit down."
"Yes." Chu Nanxi sat down on the chair opposite Patriarch Chu, respectfully waiting for him to speak.
"Prince Duan has been accepted as a disciple by Kongming Palace. Have you received this news?"
Hearing this, Chu Nanxi lowered her head in disappointment. "Your daughter has received it."
Seeing Chu Nanxi's dejected expression, Patriarch Chu sighed. "You needn't be so crestfallen. I have an old acquaintance at Qixia Palace and have used my connections to send you there. Although Qixia Palace is not quite on par with Kongming Palace, as long as you apply yourself to your cultivation once you arrive, you won't fall all that far behind Prince Duan."
Chu Nanxi looked up at Patriarch Chu in pleasant surprise. "Really? Can your daughter go to Qixia Palace?"
"Of course. To get you in, your father expended a great deal of effort. Once you go, you must study diligently under your Master. In a little while, Kongming Palace will be holding admissions; I originally intended to let you try your hand at that, but since there's an opportunity with Qixia Palace, we might as well prioritize the one that's easier to enter."
"Understood, your daughter will definitely study hard."