The City of Qingzhou was an island city, located in the East Sea, surrounded by the water.
On the vast ocean waters sailed a big ship, headed in the direction of Qingzhou City.
On the deck stood multiple people suited in armor. They were a group of knights. There were three figures; a middle-aged man, one young man, and a young lady stood on the edge of the deck.
The man looked dignified and imposing; the young man beside him was handsome, his eyes giving off a hint of evilness; and the young lady on his side looked cold and arrogant. However, her sex appeal was off the charts.
“So, this is the City of Qingzhou?” the young man spoke while looking straight ahead.
“That’s right. Qingzhou City is an island city in the East Sea, but because there are many similar island cities in the East Sea, it doesn’t stand out. So, you’ve probably never heard of it before,” explained the man.
“That’s true. If it weren’t for you, I never would have found out about this island city. Did someone like him really come from this small place?” asked the young man, unable to believe this. Even though the young man has always been haughty, when they spoke of “him” he could not stop the fear-induced palpitations of his heart.
“The information we have should be accurate. We were able to find some traces from the history books found in the East Sea Prefecture. The only thing we don’t know is if “he” left anything behind in Qingzhou City,” said the man.
“Hopefully this won’t be a wasted trip,” said the young man, his lips curling into a smile. It was hard to imagine that the most legendary character in the Divine Prefectures of the East originated from this little island city.
Emperor Ye Qing, a legend in the divine prefectures, along with the Great East Phoenix, ruled the divine prefectures for over three hundred years. He died suddenly fifteen years ago. His death is a mystery to this day. Nobody was brave enough to investigate the cause of his death, and his name had since become a taboo. However, traces he left behind in the East Sea Prefecture pointed to him leaving the prefecture and ending up in the City of Qingzhou.
The ship sailed quickly, and as they got closer to shore, their view of Qingzhou City became clearer. On the shore stood many high authority figures. The City Lord and authoritative figures of the Murong Chamber of Commerce waited deferentially.
….
The people of Qingzhou City had no idea some very important people had arrived. Ye Futian was also oblivious to this.
Walking down the familiar streets, the Ye House came into view. Ye Futian’s steps relaxed. He had missed his family.
“Ye Futian is back!” shouted a street vendor selling bing, a type of flat cake.
“Hello, Auntie She,” greeted Ye Futian. Then, he turned to two older males playing chess not far away and called out, “Uncle Wang, Grandpa Yun.”
“Oh, you sweet boy. The Lin family’s daughter is home. After the new year she’ll be fifteen. She’s looking prettier every day!” laughed Uncle Wang.
“Uncle Lin, is Xiao Qing here?” Ye Futian asked the shopkeeper of the restaurant next to where Uncle Wang and Grandpa Yun were playing chess.
“No, she’s not here. You haven’t been home in a while, hurry home!” ushered Uncle Lin with a quick smile. He then turned to Uncle Wang with a glare.
“Ye Futian is home?” a crisp voice rang throughout the restaurant.
“Go back to work, you brat,” the shopkeeper reprimanded lowly. Ye Futian smiled and was on his way. He waved as he left, “Xiao Qing, I’ll come hang out another day!”
After he left, Uncle Wang said to Shopkeeper Lin, “Hey Lin, Ye Futian is the young master of the Ye family. Shouldn’t you be glad that he wants to hang out with your daughter?”
“Excuse me, that little devil has never taken anything seriously. How many girls around here have fallen for his words already? How can I let my daughter be around him?” Shopkeeper Lin looked worn. He pitied the man whose daughter would fall in love with that little devil.
Ye Futian weaved through the streets and came upon a private residence, separate from other buildings. ‘Ye’ was engraved on the plaque above the main entrance.
Two people stood guard on either side of the entrance. By the door was a white-haired, hunched figure. He looked out on to the streets and when he saw Ye Futian, his eyes lit up.
“Godfather,” Ye Futian greeted the man. He made his way to the entrance of the residence in a light jog. “What are you doing here, Godfather?”
Although his face did not look old, his white hair and hunched body made Ye Futian’s godfather look oddly aged. He smiled at Ye Futian and said, “It’s already December. I thought it was about time you came up, so I was waiting here for you. By the way, why don’t I see Yu Sheng with you?”
“Yu Sheng is training on Mount Tianyao,” explained Ye Futian. He walked closer to hold the older male by his arm. “Godfather, your white hair has grown out even more.”
“That’s fine. I’m just happy and honored to see that you have grown up,” smiled the old man.
“Godfather, you’re talking nonsense again,” Ye Futian did not know what to say when his godfather used the term ‘honored.’
“What do you mean ‘nonsense?’ A day will come when you understand what I mean,” said the old man. He smiled and continued, “Come, now, let’s go home.”
“Okay, let’s go!” answered Ye Futian. With a skip in his step, he arrived at the courtyard. His father, Ye Baichan, said, “You brat, you have finally come home? Is it already the end of the year? Where have you been? Picking on girls?”
Ye Futian was speechless. “Pops, I just got back. Can’t I get some fatherly love?”
“Ye Futian, don’t mind your father. Let me take a good look at you.” A beautiful and elegant woman walked out. It was Ye Futian’s mother, Ye Rou. It was said that Ye Rou was not originally from Qingzhou City. She had met Ye Baichuan when he was traveling around to gain experience. Later, when she had gotten pregnant with Ye Futian, they came back to Qingzhou City together.
“I don’t know how you lucked out and ended up with such a beautiful, genial woman,” sighed Ye Futian as he looked at his father.
“Do you want to get beaten? Let’s see if you’re capable of bringing home a woman as great as your mother,” Ye Baichuan said as he walked up to stand next to his wife.
“That’s an easy enough task for me, it’s just that I don’t want to do it,” said Ye Futian without shame.
“Ye Futian, you’re boasting again,” a beautiful girl said from outside. She looked to be a little younger than Ye Futian. She walked towards Ye Futian and his parents. She was an equally beautiful woman. It was Ye Baichuan’s younger sister, Ye Rong, and her daughter, Ye Xiaoqin, who had taken her mother’s surname.
Behind the two females were two more people. A middle-aged man was leading a young boy around the age of thirteen. They were Ye Baichuan’s younger brother, Ye Dongliu, and his son, Ye Mo.
“Uncle; Auntie,” greeted Ye Futian. Then he looked at the smiling girl and said, “Are you itching to get hit, Ye Xiaoqin?”
Ye Xiaoqin hid behind her mother, “You’re bullying me again! Don’t forget, your dad is watching you.”
The whole lot began to laugh. Ye Mo stepped up and said, “Ye Futian, your dad said that you’re really powerful now. Is that true?”
“Of course it’s true! I’ve been cultivating in martial and divination arts. I’m approaching the Glory Plane, and countless people at the academy look up to me!” Ye Futian said with a smile.
Ye Mo looked at Ye Futian with distaste as he said, “I almost believed you.”
“Same,” Ye Xiaoqin chimed in.
“Ye Futian, enough with your lies. When are you going to bring a girl home? You better keep an eye on Feng Qingxue. She’s pretty and talented; you might lose her to someone else,” teased Ye Rong.
“Feng Qingxue…” Ye Futian shook his head with a bitter smile. Seeing his reaction, everyone seemed to have everything figured out. It seemed like Ye Futian couldn’t get her to be his.
“Alright now, it’s rare to have the family gathered together like this, so let’s go catch up while we eat,” Ye Rou suggested. Everyone nodded in agreement, and they all headed for the dinner table. They chatted happily over a delicious meal that night.
After dinner, people made their way back to their own homes. Ye Futian asked his father for a guqin and headed back to where he was staying. Not long after, the sounds of the instrument filled his room. Under the moonlight, everything seemed at peace.
The next day, Yu Sheng returned. He was now officially in the Glory Plane of martial art cultivation. Ye Futian was very happy for him.
In the blink of an eye it was the last day of the year. The night came, but Qingzhou City was illuminated with lights. The streets were buzzing, and the skies were decorated with fireworks.
At the Ye House, there was an area occupied with the sounds of the guqin. One person was elegantly playing the guqin while another person at his side sat cultivating on the ground. However, at this moment, Yu Sheng opened his eyes to look at Ye Futian.
Something did not seem right. The music stopped and Ye Futian lifted his head to stare at the moon, his mind was not at ease.
“Ye Futian,” A white-haired elder walked in from the outside and looked at Ye Futian. “This piece can put the mind at ease, yet you are restless. A messy mind results in a messy performance.”
“I don’t know what’s going on either,” said Ye Futian with a bitter smile.
“From your music, I could feel happiness, longing, and melancholy. You have truly grown up now,” the elder said lightly. “Who’s the girl?”
“Godfather!” Ye Futian was shocked. He looked to Yu Sheng, only to see him shake his head in denial. He had not told his father about Ye Futian.
“So, there really was longing?” questioned his godfather. Ye Futian shook his head with a bitter smile, “Godfather, did I let you down by not focusing on what I was supposed to?”
“Silly child, this is the journey to adulthood. Who in history hasn’t been troubled with matters of love?” asked the white-haired elder. He approached Ye Futian’s side and continued, “I’m not opposed to you dating but she should be worthy of your love. You must remember, your other half will become a motherly model to the nation in the future.”
Ye Futian lifted his head to look at the elder. Naturally, Ye Futian knew that his godfather held high hopes for him since childhood. His hopes for Ye Futian were so high that they exceeded his own expectations.
“Godfather, I’m afraid of letting you down,” Ye Futian said quietly.
“Believe in yourself, just like I believe in you,” the elder said as he patted Ye Futian’s shoulder. “Let’s go, your family is waiting for you. The guests from the Feng family have also arrived.”
“Okay. Yu Sheng, let’s go together,” Ye Futian said to Yu Sheng.
“Yu Sheng, you stay. I have something I want to talk to you about,” said the elder.
“Alright,” Ye Futian nodded and left the quarters. After his departure, a gust of wind shut the doors of Ye Futian’s living quarters. The elder looked at Yu Sheng, “Show me your Life Spirit.”
Yu Sheng stood and focused. His eyes glowed fearfully with a bright light and a course of energy radiated from his body fiercely. The Spiritual Qi in the surrounding area began to flow crazily. A suit of armor appeared on his body and his Life Spirit appeared. Right now, Yu Sheng was godlike.
“That’s good enough,” nodded the elder. Yu Sheng withdrew his Life Spirit, the look in his eyes returned to normal.
“Yu Sheng, you must remember, you will forever be Ye Futian’s deadliest weapon and his sturdiest shield. There will come a day when your name will be written down in the history books,” urged the elder. Yu Sheng was not sure he completely understood his father’s words. All he knew was that he would forever protect Ye Futian and it was not only because his father told him to do so.