Heaven's Laws - Lifestone - Chapter 7 - part b

Two squads of ten Gilded Guards stood before the treasury’s vault in an advanced defensive formation that could amplify their power. Who knew how many other non-human formations were setup to protect the vault as well.

The moment we entered the room, a guard rushed forward and took a knee before the empress. The guards in formation didn’t move.

“Hello, Captain Li,” the empress said. “We’re here to visit the treasury.”

“This one understands,” the man replied, spinning as he stood. “Open the vault.”

The guards moved in a well-rehearsed pattern as they made way down the middle of the room and falling into a new formation.

Chao noticed his father nodding his head in approval.

The vault itself was one huge slab of grainy metal with a blue-grey tint. He had no idea what material it was made of. There was a gust of wind as one of the hidden formations was released and the door swung outward. It wasn’t just a small room, but a grand hall many stories tall. It was well organized and brimming with everything you could imagine an empire’s treasure room might be full of and countless things you might not.

They passed by vases and artwork as well as furniture and decorative pieces so intricate you could spend an hour just staring at them. Huifen grabbed a hold of his arm while sweeping her gaze around the room. Their footsteps were slow, and more than once they stopped as something caught their attention.

There was one specific framed painting that seemed to suck them in even if they didn’t know why. It seemed like a simple landscape that looked down from the edge of a mountain. There was a valley below and other peaks all around them. Ominous clouds were rolling in, but a single beam of light shown through them into the valley. There was a lone tree at the edge of a lake. Its leaves were golden brown, but they didn’t look like they were turning for fall. There was a vitality to them.

“Whichever cultivator painted this must’ve caught of glimpse of enlightenment,” Quinyuan said, appearing next to them.

“They were likely under the effects of an enlightened state as they painted it,” Zan added emphasis. “There are concepts contained in this that no lower realm cultivator should possess. This is why martial arts is considered both art and science. Sometimes, it’s like the heaven’s themselves help us lesser beings.”

Chao spied his mother-in-law giving father a serious expression as she considered his words. When she glanced at Chao, he suddenly felt guilty. The look and his father’s words likely weren’t directed at him, but he’d heard his father often enough compare his ability with the laws to a constant state of enlightenment. It felt unfair that he could take advantage of something no one else could.

It was like his Huifen knew exactly what he was thinking. “Enlightenment never comes without countless hours of hard work.”

He looked down at her in wonder. Sometimes it still felt unreal that they were married. Other times like they’d never been apart.

“It is being wasted in here,” Empress Yan Ya said. “Please take it with you. It’s a great piece to meditate on.”

He didn’t know what to say. This trip to the treasury was one giant surprise, but his shock had worn off. At most, he’d expected to receive some more pills or natural treasures to help their dual cultivation. But such a painting was likely considered priceless to sky realm and overlord cultivators who were trying to understand heaven’s laws.

In a real sense, Chao and Huifen didn’t need it, but he’d never tried to understand the laws in the way most cultivators did. Perhaps it was time he tried.

Huifen received the painting into her spatial ring and bowed deeply to the empress. Chao did the same.

“Don’t be shy,” the empress responded. “If you see something that interests you, consider it yours.”

Zan snorted. “I know what you two are thinking. You’re wrong. We’re not here to take advantage of the Aureate Empire during its weakened state. We will be providing them, including the Sun family, numerous resources. We’re not here to weaken them further but to cut out any remaining infection and then build them up stronger than ever before.”

Taking father’s advice, they stopped being so polite.

After the more practical and decorative pieces that might be circulated throughout the palace near the entrance of the treasury, there was a section for garments and armor. They had won the emperor’s tribulation rank armor during the battle, but it covered a person from neck to toe. That made it a great protective piece. However, it also greatly limited the techniques a person could use. They’d decided in the end to return it to the Aureate Empire. Because of that, Chao wasn’t shy as he looked through these treasured pieces.

“This one,” Zan said.

There was already a shirt of flexible armor flying at him when Chao turned. He caught it. As he examined its flexible silver scales, his father explained. “It’s a peak overlord treasure that will block a couple major blows before failing. It should even block a single blow from a tribulation realm cultivator.”

“Thank you,” Chao replied.

He found Huifen eyeing a few gowns, but she didn’t walk over to the displays. So he did for her.

The Aureate Empire royal family mainly wore gold as their official color, but the treasury had much more variety.

Huifen still approached meekly. Wearing such extravagance was something she’d once have shunned. Now she was tiptoeing around the idea. That was until Empress Yan Ya stepped forward.

“Most of these dresses contain no benefit to a cultivator,” she said, causing Huifen to step back. “But that doesn’t mean they don’t have their benefits.” She gave a rare smile. “They are in the treasury because the materials they are made from are costly, and the designers were renowned. Even the cheapest cost more than what most mortals will make in an entire lifetime.” She became distant. “I’ve spent many long hours considering the vanity of such garments. It led me to question, is art vain?”

She leaned in and spoke softly to Huifen. “It can be. But it can also be shared by all. To wear a dress that guarantees to make you a spectacle can tempt even the most tranquil heart. But that doesn’t make the dress vain. Vanity only exists inside a person. To wear such a dress without it. That is true beauty.”

Chao was beginning to understand where Prince Koshing got his temperament. Seeing his wife deep in thought, he knew she understood it too.

“Your father-in-law calls you Little Lotus. Come. There’s something here that is perfect for you.”

She followed the women only to stop halfway through taking a step. Chao hurried forward and saw what she was looking at. The main fabric of the dress looked to be made of an icy blue a few shades lighter than the Ice Phoenix Sect uniform. It was the crystalline beads that covered the upper trim of the chest and to the loose-draping shoulders like a pair of ice phoenix wings widespread that dazzled the eye. They continued over the middle of the stomach like a phoenix’s tail feathers only to intensive at the v of the waist. From there the shirt belled out and reached to the floor.

He realized that if she wore it, her shoulders would be showing. He thought of her injury that had brought them together. Before she could object, he placed his hand on the small of her back and gently pressed her forward.

She gave him a questioning look. He responded with an insistent one.

“There’s a room to change in,” the empress said. The dress disappeared from the upright stand, and she waved his wife to follow.

Quinyuan joined them, leaving the men alone.

“Time for the boys to play,” Father Zan said, picking Chao and Koshing up with his qi and flying them toward the back of the room.

It was like the furthest wall from the entrance was designed by a weapon fanatic. The wall barely had a few centimeters between the weapons hanging there. There were straight swords, broadswords, hooked swords, spears, staffs, polearms, halberds, and more complex items like three-section staffs, chain whips, meteor hammers, chakram, and katar. Chao didn’t know where to focus his eyes. There were so many weapons.

“Even if it’s a lower realm collection, such toys are always fun to look at,” Zan said, smiling back and the two of them. He then turned around and started pulling things off the wall. It wasn’t everything, but soon more than thirty jians and daos were missing. Swords were the most abundant weapon on the wall, likely because they were the most commonly used by cultivators.

Seeing his father was focused and would be for some time, Chao began to explore himself. He wasn’t really interested in a new weapon since his were from the divine realm, but that didn’t keep him from his fascination for new things. There was a table off to the side with not one set of flying swords, but three. He had no idea how to grade them. He didn’t even think they would ever be helpful to him with his fighting style. To learn to use them just for fun, though, that he could do.

He then ran into a table of hair combs. Some of them were made of jade and might contain some type of formation for attack or defense. Others were obviously weapons in their own right. Just like a flying sword, they could be control by the owner as a flying weapon.

Nearby, there was an entire section for archery. It was another skill he wouldn’t mind toying around with. He almost grabbed a bow to try it out but was too fearful they might have some unknown spell formations. These were peak weapons in the lower realm, after all.

Then he spotted something he never thought he’d find there. Pipas and similar but foreign lutes. There were also guqin zithers and dizi flutes. There were drums, bells, and cymbals—even a couple gongs.

He found himself there before he even knew he’d moved. Of course, the first thing he looked at were the pipas hanging on the wall. Some were obviously made of wood, but it wasn’t the kind of wood he recognized. Others were made of anything from metals to jade. He’d been playing the pipa since as soon as he could pick one up, but he knew very little about what he saw in front of him. His mother’s pipa was a mortal instrument. He didn’t depend upon it like his sword or spear, but these were meant to be weapons as much as instruments. All he knew was that he needed one. He was even tempted to take all of them.

The thought didn’t end there. He turned to the zithers. It wasn’t something he’d ever played, or knew how to play, but he had no doubt he could figure it out. Especially if these instruments had special formations that could cast spells or amplify his sound.

He wasn’t a sound cultivator in the traditional sense. He knew they used their sound to attack and defend. Even if he did as well to a certain extent, it wasn’t the same.

Some of the smaller zithers were mobile, but Chao contemplated the larger ones and how one was supposed to fight with something meant to be kept stationary.

The dizi were next, as well as other flute type instruments of exotic design. He wanted to try them out as well. And the drums, bells, and different kinds of horns—many of which he’d never seen before.

“I figured we might find you here,” mother-in-law said from behind him.

He spun to find his ice fairy literally glowing. “My Huifen,” he said as he took his time taking her in. She’d always seemed otherworldly, but this was on an entirely new level. It was like the dress was designed to enhance the light that gleamed from her skin.

It wasn’t long before he forgot about the dress and his attention turned to the girl beneath it. The dress was the lowest cut he’d ever seen her wear. Her neck and shoulders were on full display.

She diverted her eyes to the floor as she realized he was staring. That wasn’t an abnormal occurrence, but she was rarely trying to look good either. As if rousing her courage, she lifted her head and faced him.

“That’s the reaction we’re hoping for,” Empress Yan Ya said. “What does this fairy’s husband think?”

“I think she makes the dress look better.”

Chao smiled to himself as he thought of how few men had got to see an ice fairy blush.

“It’s remarkable, isn’t it?” Yan Ya replied. “It’s as if it was designed for her.”

Having enough of the of the spotlight, Huifen hurried toward the instruments and said, “I should’ve known I’d find you here.”

He gave her a desirous look but focused on the instruments. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“I’m afraid this is a field of study I’m not proficient enough in to be of much help,” the empress responded. “Let me summon our master songsmith. I warn you though, he’s as proud as he is gifted.”

She reached out via transmission jade. It was a few minutes before they heard the marching of obnoxiously loud boots. “I have been summoned by the empress,” a melodic voice complained. “Make way.”

A balding man in a golden, knee-length coat paraded toward them with his nose tilted toward the sky. “Empress Sun,” the man said, bowing with the sweep of his arm. “How might I be of assistance.”

“Master Songsmith Koo,” she replied. “We need some help better understanding these instruments. Sage Long Chao has interest in them.”

The man straitened with the rigidity of a bow and glared down his nose as him. “A sage that isn’t familiar with these heavenly treasures isn’t a sound cultivator of note. These are amongst the grandest instruments on the continent, if not the entire world. Might I ask why you’re interested, sage?” He oozed pomp. “If you’re just interested in learning to play a tune, there are other lesser tools that I might recommend. The value of these would be lost on you. Do you have any experience at all?”

Chao gaped at the man. He wasn’t sure he’d ever come across anyone so arrogant in his life. “I—”

“He dares,” Huifen hissed.

The man remained completely oblivious to the hostile intent of one of the continent’s most deadly cultivators. And he was only a late earth realm cultivator.

“I have been playing the pipa since I was two or three years old,” Chao hastily responded. He was more fascinated by the man than offended. “I only know ten or so songs, but I play them well enough, I guess.”

“And let me guess, your parents or grandparents taught you? There’s nothing wrong with being an amateur that appreciates music, but these instruments will only show their worth to someone who can play at a high enough level. To use most of them in combat is a sure way to die even faster. Sound cultivation is based on an intricate knowledge of music and sound. Without it, even if you can strum the strings with the force of a sage, you’re as likely to hurt yourself as anyone else.”

His expression darkened at the indirect mention of his mother, when the empress warned him, “Songsmith Koo, be careful so as not to offend my guests.”

“Yes. Yes, my empress. Don’t worry, I’ll help this one find an instrument suited for him. If he’s looking to play to entertain himself, there are some masterly crafted mortal instruments that would sing for him for a thousand years. If he’s looking for something to use in combat, there are a few drums here that he could make use of with far less expertise.”

Father Zan couldn’t hold back any longer and released his thunderous laughter. Even Koo flinched in respond.

“I think Chao should play us something so that Master Songsmith Koo can best help him,” Quinyuan said.

“Mmm,” Huifen agreed, as did everyone else.

“I want to hear Big Brother play,” Prince Koshing said, reminding everyone he was there.

Koo rolled his eyes then closed them, before replying, “It’s not necessary, but fine. Depending on your level of play, I’ll recommend some instruction manuals that can help you improve, as well.”

He found Huifen’s hand squeezing his arm tightly. It seemed she was still angry at what the man had said. “Don’t hold back,” she insisted.

Seeing her take offense because someone was underestimating him put a smile on his face. “Yes, my Huifen.”

Removing his mother’s pipa from his ring, he squatted down and sat right where he’d been standing. He glanced over his pipa and noticed how worn it looked compared to the other instruments. It wasn’t fancy, but the construction was study and even after all these years it didn’t have any warping.

He noticed Koo peering down and disparaging it.

His wife had taken a few steps back, as had the rest of the group except for the songsmith who crossed his arms across his chest and waited.

He considered playing his sad song, or maybe a lullaby. He could keep the music’s effects from everyone else if he so desired. Seeing the man sobbing uncontrollably or falling over in a drowsy stupor would be equally comical. There were other people in the room to consider though.

Thinking of Prince Koshing and the boy’s mother, he decided to play something joyful. It wouldn’t change what had happened to them but might give them a few moments of relief from all the sorrow.

Plucking each cord, he made sure the mortal instrument was in tune before his fingers started to move in earnest. He didn’t pour his own emotion into the music but enhanced what was already there and grinned as he played.

Prince Koshing hooted, taken off guard.

“Oh…” the empress uttered. Tears were wetting her cheeks within second showing just how much she’d been holding back.

His parents and Huifen’s reactions were normal, except his wife wore a knowing smirk.

It was Master Songsmith Koo who had the most extreme reaction of all. He fell to his knees and practically crawled toward Chao’s pipa to get as close a look as possible. The man’s eyes were as wide as cymbals and his fingers on both hands moved as if he were the one playing the song himself. “This… This…” He lifted his hand in the air as if to catch the notes as they floated through the air. His fingers still fluttered, and his mouth moved but no words came out.

Despite the man’s strange behavior, Chao watched as Empress Yan Ya pulled her son into a side hug. He just rested his head against her ribs as he watched and listened.

Chao didn’t cut the song short and played for half an hour. By the time he was done the empress’s face was dry and she was smiling with her son.

When it was done, the songsmith’s hand stopped moving, but he remained there on his knees even as Chao rose to his feet.

“So Songsmith Koo,” Huifen said with humored venom. “Do you think you can help my husband pick out an instrument or two?”

The man didn’t answer words but scrambled toward the wall where the pipas were. He looked back and forth between two of them before deciding on one and hurrying to hand it to Chao.

“This is the Bow of Windblown Reeds,” the songsmith said. “As the name suggests, the string are strands of water reeds, but not just any water. They grew in a pool of liquid qi essence and are as strong as overlord steel, but flexible. You can play it as softly as a normal pipa, but, if you give the strings a more violent plucking, if you’re strong enough and can play with enough skill, any sound techniques you use will be magnified many times over. There are no formations within the instrument. It relies on natural ability.”

The man got right in Chao’s face, as he continued to explain with much zeal. “Your playing is decent. Certainly not amateurish, but you still have a long way to go before you’ve mastered the pipa. You need new songs and thousands of hours of practice. What sound cultivation method do you use? I couldn’t even decern why your music made me feel the way it did. It is some spell? Do you use fragrances to alter the mood.

“I don’t use any method except the one from my mother that I’ve further developed over the years.” He then gave the man a basic explanation of how he made use of laws to manipulate sound’s ability to make a person feel.

“That’s not right. It doesn’t even make sense.” The man wasn’t calling him a liar, but him mouth was moving as he tried to figure out what was going on. Chao was used to Sage Kang who often did the same.

“There are multiple school of sound cultivation. Some emphasize tone, others pitch… All work toward refining a song’s sound to focus the notes played. By doing this, they can gather the energy of notes and affect the physical world. They can use this energy much like qi, but you’re just… It’s impossible.”

After the man ranted for a little while longer, the empress called on him to focus. He then started answering more direct questions. He also pulled many card jades from him spatial ring and began tossing them to Chao.

“These will instruct you on the pipa and the give you an overview of the more common approaches to sound cultivation. Sadly, there are few sects that focus solely on sound in this era. For techniques…”

Koo rushed away only to return with his arms full of card jades, scrolls and a stone tablet as large as the painting they’d receive earlier.

When Chao mentioned other instruments, the man ran away again and returned with even more scrolls and jades.

“The zither is the king of instruments. It can be struck or plucked and can have the greatest range of notes of any instrument as long as there are enough strings. The pipa is often considered the poor man’s zither, but, if played by a master, it is the prince of them all. And finally, the dizi flute is queen.”

And with just the mention, Chao ended up with not just a new pipa, but a zither, dizi flute, and different size drums. There seemed to be nothing normal about Master Songsmith Koo. Originally, he had wanted to blow off Chao entirely, but now he seemed desperate to turn him into a master of every instrument.

“A true sound cultivator doesn’t just cultivate a single instrument, but all of them,” Koo insisted. “One will be their main area of mastery. Learning the others will help further his general understand, improving his mastery of the first.”

By the time it was over, he’d been left alone with the man, and they’d been discussing things beyond his understanding for hours. The songsmith was as obsessed and any cultivator he’d ever met.

When Chao was finally free, he reached out to Huifen with his transmission jade. She informed him they’d already retrieved a few rare pills and natural treasures to refine. There was nothing exceptionally rare, but a few things they could cross off their list. Since their dual cultivation turned the two of them into the ultimate pill-and-heavenly-material-refining furnace, they would take anything they could get.

The sheer amount of stuff they’d acquired since defeating the emperor was overwhelming. The most absurd part was that it was only a fraction of what the world offered, and soon, they were going shopping in the largest city on the continent. Even with the endurance of a sky realm cultivator, it was going to be a long day. It didn’t change the fact that truly rare treasures were exceptionally hard to find.