Half an hour later, the black-feathered, red-crested giant bird sped toward the Imperial Capital. Quinn Shepherd gazed ahead, his heart trembling. He’d already seen Goldenridge City and been deeply shaken, but the sight before him was even more awe-inspiring than Goldenridge.
Goldenridge City is built on the Golden River, its walls rising thirty zhang above the water—a truly magnificent sight.
But this Imperial Capital sits atop a mountain range shaped like a colossal dragon—and not just one, but nine such ranges.
Nine dragon-like mountains sprawl across the plains, converging at the site of the capital. Where the nine dragons meet—where their heads gather—is precisely where the Imperial Capital stands.
Such overwhelming grandeur easily surpasses Goldenridge City by far. No wonder Emperor Evan dismisses claims that the new city at Goldenridge severs the dragon-vein by building on the dragon’s head—the capital itself is the supreme convergence of nine dragons. Why should he care about the Imperial Preceptor pressing down a single dragon at Goldenridge?
The Nine-Dragon Range encircles the capital, and thirty li from the city are four massive military camps, each as large as a city itself. Twenty li from each camp are eight market towns—though called towns, they rival cities in scale.
These eight market towns are built alongside a great river—the Torr River, the second largest in the Everpeace Empire, with extremely convenient water and land transport. The largest river is the Yong River, which originates from the Great Ruins.
Though it’s the second largest, the Torr River is regarded as the empire’s true dragon-vein, the orthodox lifeline, while the Golden River’s dragon-vein status is widely disputed among officials and scholars.
Quinn gazed into the distance—the Imperial Capital, where the nine dragons converge, was truly extraordinary. It was worthy of being the seat of the Son of Heaven ruling over all.
“The capital even hides armies within its mountains!” Quinn stared at the Nine-Dragon Range, faintly sensing the aura of weapons and war, and exclaimed in surprise.
The soldiers riding the bird were just as surprised, turning to look at him. One asked, "You have connections in the army, little brother? You even know about the hidden troops in the mountains?"
Quinn didn’t answer. He could see the thousands of troops hidden within the Nine-Dragon Range thanks to his Divine Firmament Heaven Eye and the Ninefold Heaven Eye technique Blind had taught him, which included the art of reading auras.
This aura-reading technique is called observing fortune—it’s a way to see the flow of fate.
In places like the capital, where troops are massed on such a scale, the aura of weapons is used to suppress the empire’s fate—naturally, it can’t escape his eyes.
The cavalry escorted them to the gates of the Imperial Capital before taking their leave. Quinn and Wes Young presented their travel passes at the gate and entered the city. Beneath the Son of Heaven’s feet, the capital was bustling beyond imagination. Quinn had seen the splendor of Goldenridge City, but the capital was another world entirely.
Here, prosperity wasn’t just about merchants haggling over every coin—there was wealth, but even more, a deep sense of culture.
The buildings had unique character; the stone lions at the street corners were exquisitely carved, and the couplets on wealthy families’ doors were clever and witty. Every household had door gods pasted on their gates, giving the uncanny sense that these door gods might come alive to ward off demons and spirits.
From small details, one can see the bigger picture; a single leaf reveals the coming of spring and autumn, a drop of water hints at the vast sea. Quinn observed all around and understood just how formidable this empire truly was.
Back in Oldridge, the Village Chief and the elders had always said the Everpeace Empire was really just a sect disguised as a country. Now Quinn realized just how powerful that sect truly was!
"Brother Quinn, do you have a place to stay?"
Wes Young invited him, "If not, why not stay at the State Duke’s Residence for a few days? Once the Imperial Academy opens, we can go take the entrance exam together."
Quinn hesitated, then shook his head. "I have some old acquaintances from home in the city—I’m planning to visit them. Wes, let’s part ways here."
Wes could only give up. "Once you’ve settled in, just send word to the State Duke’s Residence to let me know."
Quinn smiled. "Of course. By the way, Wes, where’s the nearest brothel?"
Wes’s expression turned odd. "I didn’t expect you to be so... refined, Brother Quinn. If that’s your taste, the biggest brothel in the capital is in Flower Lane. Just walk down Fenghua Street, go to the end and turn right, then cross three more streets and you’ll see Flower Lane. The best brothel there is called Listening Rain Pavilion. Ahem, don’t ask how I know—I’ve never been there... Take care of yourself!"
Quinn was puzzled. What kind of 'taste' did brothels have? And what did it have to do with taking care of oneself?
The two parted ways.
Quinn headed off with Lina the Spirit Fox, following Fenghua Street deeper into the city.
"This doesn’t look like a brothel at all..."
In Flower Lane, Quinn looked at the buildings on both sides, feeling increasingly confused. The roofs were green, but the buildings themselves were bright red, with lanterns hanging at the doors.
"Come on up and play, handsome!" Some of the young women waved to him from the upper floors.
"Master Quinn, do you know them?"
Lina the Spirit Fox was puzzled. "They’re awfully enthusiastic!"
"It was like this last time I went to Dragoncrest City. Some of the big sisters were very warm—couldn’t get used to it."
Quinn walked further in, reading the signs along the way. Flower Lane was deep and winding; the farther he went, the quieter it became. The girls here were more reserved, sitting by the windows with their lutes half-shielding their faces, gently plucking out cool, melancholy tunes.
Going deeper, he heard soft zither music. Quinn peeked through an open doorway and saw sheer curtains drifting in the courtyard, with several girls darting playfully among them while another tuned her instrument.
Farther in, some girls practiced singing and dancing upstairs, their laughter ringing like little bells, lively and adorable. By now, few pedestrians remained in the alley. Occasionally, a man would step out of a courtyard, looking like the master of the house, and be gently seen off by a graceful lady straightening his clothes.
Yet every man who emerged would quickly cover his face as soon as he saw Quinn, as if afraid of being recognized.
Quinn was baffled. What’s so shameful about leaving your own house that you have to hide your face?
"City folk are really strange."
He reached the deepest part of Flower Lane and saw a building marked 'Listening Rain Pavilion.' Its doors were tightly shut, but the courtyard behind looked peaceful and quiet.
Quinn stepped up and knocked. After a moment, he heard soft footsteps approaching and a gentle girl’s voice: "Coming, coming."
Inside, the sound of a bolt sliding back, then the door cracked open. A girl peeked out, saw Quinn, and asked curiously, "Honored guest, who are you looking for?"
Quinn replied politely, "Is Serena Vale in?"
The girl pulled the door halfway open, smiling. "May I ask your name, sir? So I can announce you properly."
"Just tell her my surname is Qin."
The girl closed the door again and her footsteps faded away—she must have gone to announce him. After a moment, the door opened once more, revealing a familiar face: Serena Vale, Madam of Velvet Hall. Seeing Quinn, she was both surprised and delighted. "You’ve finally come, sir! Please, come in! Girls, serve the tea—our honored guest has arrived!"
"Our honored guest is here?"
Inside, the girls’ voices rang out, crisp and lively, like spring birds chattering in the budding trees. Quinn saw a swirl of green, red, blue, and purple dresses as the girls of Listening Rain Pavilion came out to greet him, dazzling his eyes.
Each girl had her own charm—some gentle and fragrant as jade, some cold as ice, some sweetly seductive, some fiery with enthusiasm. It was truly a riot of beauty, enough to make anyone lose their bearings.
Serena Vale quickly called out, "Move aside, all of you! Our guest has traveled far and must be exhausted—don’t crowd him! Go prepare the tea!"
The girls scattered like butterflies—some fetched fresh spring water, some washed teacups, some lit green lamps to boil water. Quinn immediately felt the pressure ease and let out a sigh of relief. Serena led him to a quiet chamber and said, "These girls can be a bit unruly, please don’t mind. Things are getting chaotic outside, and it’s dangerous. You must have had quite a journey."
Quinn smiled, "I did run into a few little troubles, but nothing serious. Please notify the higher-ups in the cult and let the Patriarch know."
Serena smiled, "The Patriarch has been waiting for you a long time. In fact, he’s already instructed us—if you ever arrived, we were to send you to him immediately."
A girl came up to serve tea, sneaking glances at Quinn and giggling.
Quinn smiled back, puzzled. "Serena, where should I go to meet him?"
The girl overheard Quinn call Serena 'big sister' and giggled again.
Serena shot her a look and shooed her out, then laughed, "Of course you should go to the Imperial Academy. Please, have some tea."
"Imperial Academy?"
Quinn was astonished, raising his cup but forgetting to drink. Wasn’t the Imperial Academy just a school for scholars? Why meet the young Patriarch there?
"You didn’t know?"
Serena smiled, "The Patriarch is the Grand Rector of the Imperial Academy—the Everpeace Empire’s third-rank official in charge of the academy. He lives there, of course. The Imperial Academy’s Grand Scholars may be called the Son of Heaven’s disciples, but in truth, they’re all his students."
Quinn was shaken. All the Grand Scholars of the Imperial Academy were the Patriarch’s disciples?
The Everpeace Imperial Preceptor and Emperor Evan actually entrusted this post to the Heavenly Demon Cult’s Patriarch? Weren’t they afraid he’d become too powerful to control?
Serena seemed to read his mind and said, "The Patriarch is a man who plays with the world—no one knows his true identity. In fact, he’s been renowned since the previous emperor’s reign, always a mysterious sage. Even the Imperial Preceptor once sought his guidance, and it was thanks to his recommendation that the Patriarch became Grand Rector of the Imperial Academy."
Note ①: Grand Rector of the Imperial Academy was an official post in the Tang Dynasty, similar to the president of the highest academic institution.