Lu Fan's refined voice drifted across the terrace. The Imperial Tutor narrowed his eyes, studying him intently. After a long pause, the ancient lines of his face softened into a benevolent smile.
"Excellent. Truly excellent."
He broke into a fit of coughing, his robes billowing as he struck his chest until the spasms subsided. A gentle breeze stirred as he gazed out upon the island, savoring the tranquil air.
"What a splendid retreat… Once I have assisted His Majesty in quelling the rebellion, I shall build a humble cottage by the lakeshore for my retirement. Nothing grand—just a thatched hut. In stormy weather, I'll sip spirits within; on fair days, I'll drift upon a lone boat to fish at leisure…"
His eyes gleamed with hopeful longing as he spoke. Lu Fan chuckled softly.
"In that case, I shall join you for a game of Go—life will be all the sweeter."
The Imperial Tutor laughed heartily, his joy as boundless as the lake itself.
"May you keep your word, Fan'an. Great power begets great ambition—but remarkably, I sense no greed in you."
Lu Fan, seated in his wheelchair, absently stroked the woolen blanket across his lap. He harbored ambitions far beyond paltry squabbles over Jianghu, court intrigues, or even the realm of Zhou. The Five Phoenix Continent lay before him—his vision stretched even further.
"Master, you should rest," Lu Fan suggested.
The Tutor rose unsteadily and leaned upon the terrace railing, white hair flowing like mist behind him.
"The realm's unity will surely fracture again. I may yet hold fast to the present, but who can promise the future? The late emperor entrusted me with his heir; how could I abandon His Majesty to face the world's wolves alone? My aim is not to grasp tomorrow, but to secure today—so that the emperor may glimpse hope in his darkest hour."
He turned, aged visage alight with resolve.
"Fan'an, would you stand by His Majesty as his aide?"
Lu Fan paused only to pick up a black Go stone and place it thoughtfully upon the board.
"I would not."
The Tutor nodded as though he had expected no other answer.
"I have dallied long enough. I must now fetch that scoundrel Mo Tianyu…"
Mo Tianyu—yet another of Lu Fan's errant disciples—had yet to be righted.
At the staircase's foot, the Tutor stood straight. He crossed his hands before his chest and exhaled a wave of indescribable presence.
"Confucian, Master Kong."
Lu Fan's gaze flickered before his wheelchair turned to face the Tutor, his hands mirroring the salute.
"Beiluo's Fan'an."
Each bowed in turn—names exchanged, mutual respect paid.
The Tutor laughed and descended, his steps slow yet unhurried. Lu Fan called after him, "Sister Ning…"
"Right away," Ning Zhao replied, moving to follow. Over her shoulder, Go board in tow.
Nie Changqing, murder cleaver in hand, shot a glare at the eager Nie Shuang, who'd tried to accompany them.
"Twenty laps of island sprints in half an hour—fail, and you hold horse-stance for two full hours."
Nie Shuang's face drained of color. Even Changqing had changed.
As the night breeze rippled the chrysanthemums dotting the island's shores, Lord Lu seated beneath one pressed himself into meditation. His spirit pressure rose and fell as he grasped at the thin thread of qi the flower exhaled.
Suddenly he opened his eyes. His limbs thundered with newfound power; he executed the Earth Prolongation Scripture in a whirlwind of energy, steam rising from his body. He drew and tugged at the chrysanthemum's qi as if in a tug-of-war.
On the terrace below, Lu Fan recited the Earth Treasury Sutra, guiding the extraction of innate qi. Each syllable carried across the lake bore the power to cleanse and condense the life force within Lu Fan's father.
With a single surge, the chrysanthemum's qi was drawn forth, streaming into Lu Changkong's dantian. His face lit with triumph as his cultivation ascended to the second tier of Qi Refinement.
System Prompt: "Detection: Lu Changkong (Title: Lord of Beiluo) has reached Second-Tier Qi Refinement. Would you like to harvest 1 strand of qi?"
Lu Fan's lips curved upwards. A coherent method of qi extraction at last—thus, one hundred layers of Qi Refinement might not be so unattainable after all.