The Name of Tianyan

The next day, roosters heralded the dawn. Dawn after a snowy night always arrived earlier than usual, and the city streets, silent through the night, began to stir awake once more. Looking down from the sky, the sparse pedestrians scattered along the avenues gradually swelled into bustling crowds, while passing carriages carved countless ruts into the slush. In stark contrast to the burgeoning vitality of this waking dawn was Misty Willow Lane by the river. The street that had been riotously lively by night was now steeped in profound quiet under the early morning light. Most of the courtesans and patrons who had toiled through the night had slipped into slumber, save for a sporadic few carriages trickling out from the stables. A ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, spilling into the chamber and falling across the face of the man sleeping on the wooden couch. Bathing in the morning light seemed to bring him a twinge of discomfort. His previously serene brow furrowed, and then, in a sudden jolt, his eyes snapped open. Staring at the unfamiliar bed hangings for several breaths, Xu Yuan's muddled eyes only then flickered with sluggish bewilderment. Yet before he could think, a woman's voice abruptly echoed in his mind: "Awake?" "..." Hearing the familiar voice, Xu Yuan's sluggish mind took a moment to recall who it belonged to: "...You didn't utter half a word the entire journey. I thought you'd gone mute." Luo Xiran gave a cold huff. "Insolent brat. Did it never occur to you that this seat remained quiet out of concern for your misgivings? If I had interacted with the contemporary Saintess, could your mind have been at ease?" "Heh... then how considerate of you." Forcing a faint smile, Xu Yuan rubbed his throbbing temples and struggled to sit up on the couch, looking around. The sight that met his eyes took him by surprise. The spacious chamber exuded an antique elegance, fully furnished with refined accoutrements: a folding screen embroidered with court ladies, a priceless guqin, a sandalwood Go board, and a tea table. Even more, some ten-odd meters from the couch stood a stage about ten feet across. Taking in these furnishings, Xu Yuan squinted in pain. A pleasure house? Why was he in a pleasure house? Leaning back against the headboard cushion, Xu Yuan rubbed firmly between his brows. He tried to remember, but his head felt like complete mush. It was as though someone had jammed a stick into his brain and stirred it with vindictive relish. The moment his thoughts began to turn, waves of nausea and dizziness surged up. Stopping his train of thought, Xu Yuan asked in a raspy, strained voice: "...Where are we?" Luo Xiran did not answer immediately. After several breaths of silence, a gentle breeze stirred, and a graceful figure manifested from the Blood God Stone. Her lotus boots touched the floor. Dignified and poised, Luo Xiran cast an indifferent glance at the pained youth and offered two words: "A pleasure house." "I can see that it's a pleasure house." Xu Yuan raised his eyes with some effort to glare at the old woman. "I'm asking why we are here." Luo Xiran chuckled softly. Walking over to the tea tray in the chamber, she knelt down and answered without keeping him in suspense: "Wuyuan brought you here." "Qingyan..." Xu Yuan bit his lip and thumped the space between his brows. "Where is she?" Fiddling with the teaware on the low table, Luo Xiran replied softly: "She kept watch over you all night. Someone just came with a message requesting an audience, so she stepped out." "..." Someone requesting an audience... Those words acted like a spark, drawing the memories from before he lost consciousness last night flooding back into Xu Yuan's mind. The tearing black silk wrap, Tianyan's wooden stick, an immense sense of security, and the look she had given him. As the memory froze upon those clear golden eyes shimmering with divinity, a glint of gold suddenly surfaced in Xu Yuan's lowered dark pupils. And the moment that golden light gleamed, the sickening dizziness from before he blacked out last night surged into his mind once more, rapidly spreading through him... He halted his recollection, and the discomfort subsided at once, the gold in his eyes gradually fading away. Leaning alone against the couch, he fell into quiet stillness. After a long pause, Luo Xiran's amused voice sounded, graceful and pleasant: "Little brat, it seems the comprehension of your Innate Dao Body is rather lacking." Hearing this, Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes. "You know what happened last night?" Luo Xiran looked at him, her gaze tinged with amused curiosity. "What do you think? This seat was once a Holy Venerable, and once a candidate for Saintess as well." Silence followed. Though his head still throbbed, the haze of first waking slowly receded, and Xu Yuan's thoughts began to regain their speed. He murmured under his breath: "A candidate for Saintess...?" Although he had embarked upon the cultivation path for barely over a year, the confidential reports of the Prime Minister's Manor had granted him knowledge and vision far exceeding that of an ordinary Grandmaster. The bizarre phenomenon just now was clearly something Tianyan had left him. As for what she had left... At this thought, Xu Yuan raised his eyes toward the leisurely woman across from him, licked his dry lips, and uttered three words: "The Heaven-Deducing Art?" Surprise flickered in Luo Xiran's eyes. "A brat like you actually knows of it?" Xu Yuan breathed an inward sigh of relief. He gave a soft chuckle, leaned back against the headboard cushion, and explained in a murmur: "I know a bit. Your brother once told me that only the Divine Soul Chapter of the Heaven-Deducing Art could restore my memories." Luo Xiran's hand fiddling with the teaware paused slightly, her brow knitting. "Why did that fellow tell you everything?" Xu Yuan glanced at her. Circulating the Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art to suppress the discomfort within, he chuckled and said: "He had already defected, so naturally he had no qualms about sharing such information." As he spoke, the Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art had already dissipated the nausea and discomfort. His dry voice regained its warm, smooth cadence as he teased: "Besides, even if he hadn't told me, wouldn't you be planning to tell me now anyway, Xiran?" Luo Xiran's expression gradually grew solemn as she stared at Xu Yuan. "I am willing to disclose it only because Saintess Tianyan passed the cultivation art to you first." "..." Meeting her gaze for an instant, Xu Yuan chuckled softly and shook his head. Her words made her stance clear: while she would not betray him, neither would she do anything to betray the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion. With that thought, Xu Yuan slowly rose from the bed, walked over to sit on the cushion across from Luo Xiran, casually picked up the fragrant tea she had just poured, drank it in one gulp, and stared at her: "So, can you tell me now how to practice this art?" Luo Xiran seemed long accustomed to his insolence. She refilled his cup and said: "This seat already told you just now. Comprehension." Xu Yuan set down the teacup, his brow creasing slightly. "What do you mean?" Amusement danced in Luo Xiran's bright eyes as she pushed the teacup closer to him. "The Heaven-Deducing Stele—did that brother of mine ever tell you about it?" Xu Yuan lowered his eyes to glance at the rippling tea. "He did. Isn't it the founding sacred relic of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion?" "Indeed." Luo Xiran gave a slight nod, her voice soft and slow: "The four chapters of the Heaven-Deducing Art are exceedingly profound. They cannot be recorded, nor can they be taught; they can only be comprehended through the Heaven-Deducing Stele." "Doesn't the Heaven-Deducing Art have five chapters?" Xu Yuan suddenly interjected. "And as long as one comprehends this fifth chapter, they can teach the Heaven-Deducing Art to others." "..." Luo Xiran froze for a moment upon hearing this, then sighed: "It seems Luo Daofan truly told you everything he knew. "The Heaven-Deducing Art does indeed have a fifth chapter. However, one can only comprehend it after mastering and fusing the Four Chapters of Heaven-Deducing into oneself." Xu Yuan's eyes flickered, and he interjected once more: "Old Man Luo mentioned that too." Luo Xiran scoffed with a smile: "Then did Luo Daofan ever tell you what the fifth chapter of the Heaven-Deducing Art is called?" Xu Yuan shook his head with a chuckle: "No. That old man hadn't even learned the names of all four ordinary chapters; how could he possibly know the fifth..." "The fifth chapter is called Tianyan." "..." Xu Yuan fell abruptly silent. Luo Xiran gazed at Xu Yuan, her eyes deep and mysterious, the corners of her lips curving into a smile. "Mm... and grants the name of Tianyan."