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THAT evening, a lone man stood beneath the Guidepost Tree. He placed his hand on the trunk and looked up at the faintly glowing canopy. The light of the flowers gently enfolded him, and his straight, silvery hair blew like silk in the wind. His long bangs were swept over the left side of his face as if to hide his ear. Most striking, however, were his pale, azure eyes. They could have been carved from glaciers, emitting a palpable chill.
This man was Feilong Xin Lei—the emperor of Jinlong and That’s father. He possessed overwhelming magical power and martial strength. Wielding these weapons, he ruled over this nation and protected his people from the fiends. Feilong had slain the former emperor—his tyrannical father—to usurp the throne. He’d also slaughtered any nobles who refused to follow him, including his own siblings.
As a result, Feilong earned a reputation for being audacious, coldhearted, and ruthless. Even the fiends referred to him as the cruel or savage king. Marriage cooled his temper somewhat, but after losing his beloved empress, his cruelty had redoubled. “With her died all his warmth,” the people said.
Earlier today, Feilong had heard about the flowering of the Guidepost Tree. He’d come alone to confirm the rumors for himself. Years ago, he and his beloved empress made many memories here. Following her death, he’d never expected to visit the garden again.
“Why is only this tree blooming?” Feilong muttered to himself.
He bit his lip, his expression bitter. Another Guidepost Tree grew in the main palace garden but hadn’t produced any buds since the empress’s death.
“I sense something different.”
Looking down, Feilong spotted something nostalgic. Someone had arranged acorns into the Tianshi’s Protective Seal and drawn a childish charm around it.
“May the Guidepost Tree bloom again,” the charm read.
These crude characters had been scratched into the ground using a tree branch. Even so, they glowed with a faint light in the darkness. The lingering fragrance of magic prickled the emperor’s nostrils. When a person with magical power crafted a seal, even childish scribbles could contain more potency than a mere charm. Feilong recalled his wife scribbling similar charms beneath this tree.
“Is this why…? No, it can’t be. There’s not enough magic in this seal to make the flowers bloom.”
Feilong looked up at the Guidepost Tree. In any event, this charm appeared to have triggered something. After the empress’s death, the Guidepost Trees in the palace garden and the Big Dipper Garden hadn’t produced a single flower. Almost as if they’d gone into mourning.
“Who wrote this?”
Of course, no one answered. Only That lived in this garden. If she’d survived, she would only be three years old—far too young to write. Regardless, Feilong cared not whether she still lived. He had no desire to meet, see, or even hear her voice. The idea of breathing the same air as his wife’s murderer disgusted him. If they came into contact for even a moment, he would kill her.
“Do you mean to say the mourning period has ended?”
Though Feilong wasn’t interested in That, he was interested in whoever had written these words. If someone close to her was powerful enough to make the Guidepost Tree bloom, he couldn’t ignore them. Even so, he was reluctant to order an official investigation. He didn’t believe this charm alone had caused the tree to flower. Additionally, showing interest in That’s surroundings vexed him.
Breathing a sigh, Feilong composed magical script outside the charm as if to correct the childish writing.
“Exulted Guidepost Tree,” it read, “please give unto me thy resplendent light once more.”
Compared to the original charm, Feilong’s writing glowed several times brighter with magical light. If one used the correct magical script, even a childish charm could become a magic circle.
How will the person who drew the original charm react? Feilong wondered. I’d like to see for myself. Will they even notice? If they don’t react at all, they’re not worth my time.
Feilong broke off a branch of the Guidepost Tree and returned to his bedroom.