"Have you ever heard of this nation?"
Emperor Xuande set down his imperial brush, picked up a cloth to wipe his hands, and asked in an unhurried tone.
"I read their national letter and checked the archives. Their land lies far across the sea, a small island country on the other side of the ocean. It's not even as large as one of our provinces."
"Then why have they come? To offer tribute and worship?"
"I do not know, Your Majesty."
"I want to see what medicine they're hiding in that gourd. Let their ship dock at the port. Assign men to guard it closely, and anyone who enters the city is not to carry weapons."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Understood."
Jian Dan was finally eating the glutinous lotus root she'd been craving, watching the moon with great satisfaction. Suddenly, the moon turned blood red. It lasted only for a moment, but Jian Dan's spiritual sense caught it clearly.
She sat up straight, her brows drawing together. That was no auspicious sign.
At Mingfa Temple, Ming Jing, and at the royal monastery, Abbot Hui Ming, both sensed it too. They stood quietly in their courtyards, gazing up at the full moon, their minds unable to settle.
Far away, Jade, who had been out tempering herself, awkwardly turned in place, transformed into a small green snake, and coiled herself around a tree. She slipped into the hollow of its trunk, waiting for the sunrise.
At the temple, the lotus was still asleep when a young novice sweeping the hall woke him. The boy led him to the monks' quarters, telling him to rest before heading to the dining hall. The lotus spirit nodded blankly and curled up to sleep again.
On the top floor of the anchored ship, a tall man—around one meter seventy—dressed in warrior garb rasped out a command.
"Master Saito said that if we seize this land, we can relocate our people here. They would be free from the sea's torment and no longer live on the edge of survival. Do you all have the resolve?"
"We do!"
In front of him stood over thirty men in black, masked and clad in light armor. Each carried a sword at their waist. At the leader's signal, they vanished into the darkness.
When the black-clad leader stepped onto the deck, he saw a figure already waiting—Ampei, the high priest, dressed in a plain white hunting robe without a single pattern. Ampei's skin was pale, his foxlike eyes sharp and mesmerizing. He'd apparently been watching the lights along the shore for a while. When the leader appeared, Ampei turned to him and spoke.
"Leader Matsushita, the timing isn't right. We should focus on diplomacy and avoid making any rash moves."
"High Priest Ampei, do you know how many lives we sacrificed just to get here? Are we to return empty-handed?"
"My shikigami has warned me. This nation is protected by a deity we cannot oppose."
A flicker of unease passed over Matsushita's stern face, but he still asked,
"When did you realize this? Even you cannot stand against them?"
"They detected us the moment we approached the coast. I admit, I am powerless against them."
Matsushita was unwilling to accept it, but Ampei was the most powerful high priest in the entire Yingzhou Kingdom. His words could not be ignored.
"We will take it one step at a time then."
Having said what he came to say, Ampei withdrew to the cabin.
At the same time, the Diling Kingdom's palace guards arrived at the harbor to escort the visitors from Yingzhou into the city for an audience.
Matsushita composed himself and led a formal delegation of forty men, along with various tribute gifts, toward the imperial palace.
Ampei did not go with them. He knew that the moment he set foot on this land, someone would be watching. It was safer to remain on the ship.
Back at Lotus Lake, Jian Dan slowly opened her eyes from her rocking chair.
That brief glimpse of the blood moon had unsettled her. She extended her spiritual sense across the entire Diling Kingdom. She sensed the reactions of the two abbots, Jade's retreat, the lotus's peaceful slumber, and that towering ship she had taken an instant dislike to.
The group carrying the heaviest blood aura had entered the palace. Since it was a secular visit, she would not interfere. But that high priest was another matter.
In a single step, Jian Dan appeared atop the ship's deck. The patrols noticed nothing. Only Ampei reacted immediately, stepping onto the deck as if expecting her.
"Greetings. May I ask the purpose of your visit?"
Jian Dan raised her feathered fan and gave a single flick. The patrolling warriors dropped to the deck, unconscious, leaving only Ampei still standing.
"Nothing much. I just came to take a look. People carrying this much blood aura are quite rare."
Ampei's fox eyes narrowed. He steadied his thoughts before speaking.
"Our homeland has been ravaged by war. We are seeking aid. These men are warriors who have fought on the front lines for years. That may have caused your misunderstanding."
Jian Dan laughed lightly.
"A misunderstanding? Aren't you well aware whether it is or not?"
Ampei's heart clenched. This woman was the deity. She had come only to issue a warning. He bowed deeply.
"You worry too much, honored one."
"You'd better hope so. Remember, anything you wish to gain comes at a price. But sometimes, the price is one you cannot afford. Keep that in mind."
As her words fell, Jian Dan's figure scattered like dust in the wind. The unconscious warriors stirred, rising with confused looks, each asking what had happened. When they saw Ampei still on deck, all eyes turned to him.
"It is nothing. Remain at your posts."
Ampei returned to the cabin, troubled. She was far more powerful than he had imagined. Even his shikigami hadn't managed to reveal itself. They had sent him a clear message—they had been completely suppressed.
Meanwhile, Matsushita and his men had respectfully presented their offerings to Emperor Xuande. Chests of pearls, fine swords, coral, and other treasures delighted the emperor. He granted them permission to remain in the capital for a while.
Matsushita returned to the ship pleased, reporting the good news to Ampei. But Ampei returned it with grim news of his own. The nation's guardian deity had already visited and left them a warning.
Matsushita's mood soured immediately. He knelt beside the table and grumbled,
"I understand. I'll keep the men in line. We're here just for the audience. I heard they worship the Buddha here and have Buddhist cultivators. Perhaps we can visit some of their temples."
Ampei let out a quiet breath. Matsushita was normally stubborn and impulsive. It was rare for him to heed advice. That alone was a show of respect for Ampei.
But once Ampei had left, Matsushita grew increasingly angry. He suddenly overturned the table in frustration.
This so-called high priest kept boosting others' morale and crushing their own. They hadn't even fought yet, and he was already assuming defeat. That was not the way of the Yingzhou warriors. Their way had always been to press forward without hesitation.
He summoned the ninja leader and instructed him to take the night to scout the entire capital. They needed to see if there was any opening to exploit.
Back at Lotus Lake, Jian Dan was not cultivating. She sat in meditation, observing the fusion between the magnolia immortal artifact and her spiritual palace. As the magnolia slowly merged into her purple mansion, her sea of consciousness expanded, vast and starlit, evolving steadily.
Cotton Candy, worried, slipped from her hair bun to whisper by her ear.
"Master, aren't you concerned? I don't think those people are good."
"You said it yourself, they are mortals, not cultivators. I cannot interfere too much. Warning their high priest was already my limit. After all, they haven't actually done anything yet."
"Should we warn that emperor?"
"He'll figure it out soon enough."
Elsewhere, masked ninjas from Yingzhou slithered through the capital like shadows in the night. They spread their limbs like creeping insects, measuring every street, collecting every piece of useful information they could find.
===
So… a few days ago, I already told you that my body felt totally broken, right?
Well. Newsflash: it's still broken.
The physical pain is still there, but what's worse is that my brain, while no longer foggy, is now just... lagging. And as someone who takes immense pride in how fast my brain usually works, this has been nothing short of torture. Seriously.
I feel so deeply insulted by myself, honestly.
Like—what do you mean I have to think before writing? Or actually analyze a sentence to understand its meaning??
Usually, I just glance at a sentence and bam—I know what it says, how it feels, and how to express it.
Now?
It's like my mind just stands there, blinking, going:
"Wait... give me a sec... what was that again?"
(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
Do you know how many times I got mad at myself for taking too long to understand a line? TOO MANY.
The betrayal. The insult. It's giving: who even am I anymore? (╥﹏╥)
Because of that, I've honestly lost the mood to keep translating this particular novel right now. It's not about the story. It's not about the characters. It's just... my brain is lagging and my heart is not here.
Even though the fog is clearing, the mood is broken. So until I feel emotionally reset again, I don't think I'll be able to push past 3 chapters per day for writing the continuation of my draft for these novel. I'm really sorry for that.
For now, I've decided to switch gears and start translating a new project I mentioned earlier in my "upcoming work" note:
A post-apocalyptic themed novel.
Hopefully, the genre shift and change of energy can help stabilize my mood and bring back the fire.
I understand this might be disappointing for those of you waiting for regular updates, and I truly apologize.
But I promise—once my mood improves, or once the cosmic interference (hello lunar eclipse, Sura month, & the fact that Earth on high frequency👀) settles down and stops messing with my Yin alignment, and my energy, I'll return to this project in full.
And when I do, I'll work on building up a thick chapter buffer like usual.
Thanks for your understanding and patience (｡•́‿•̀｡) You're the best.
With slightly fried neurons but much love,
— your translator, Reiya (ฅ'ω'ฅ)