Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 1164: Mi Ming

The situation with the Hundred Flowers Palace was resolved by the time the sun set. The hundred flowers had been dismissed, and were already long gone, pursuing their collective dream.

But the fox maiden… was still around. She was now an apprentice of Gongsun Qingmu, and thus had an identity medallion from the Scourgebolt Palace. What was more, she would soon be the palace lord of the Hundred Flowers Palace.

With those dual identities, Starfire was very close to accomplishing goal. As of now, was free to come and go as pleased at Young Aurora Hall. As an official cultivator of the immortal palace, it was nothing out of the ordinary for to pay a visit if wanted, unless Xu Qing expressly forbade it.

Considering was an old friend of Young Lord Aurora, the only thing Immortal Fairy Spirit Phoenix could do now was flick her sleeve and stalk off. She seemed angry, but that was only half-real. The half of it that was real came because of the things the fox maiden had said to her. The other half was an act for the sake of the agreement she had made with Fourth True Monarch. It was business, nothing more.

Regardless of how things worked out, thanks to that agreement, she was now under the protection of Fourth True Monarch. As for whether or not Fourth True Monarch got what he wanted out of the deal, that didn’t really have anything to do with her.

In the guise of Fourth True Monarch was Sir Star Ring, who briefly pulsed with a dangerous aura before saying a few random words and leaving Young Aurora Hall. He was planning to temporarily refrain from doing anything further regarding this matter.

And then, the space-time waves made more sand of time in front of Xu Qing. Not exactly very much.

He scooped up the sand and looked at the spot where Fourth True Monarch had just left. His eyes glittered.

I need to get rid of him. Soon. He’s smart, and considering he’s been beaten twice in a row, his third move… is going to be difficult to deal with. If he’s still around on the wedding day, he might cause too much trouble for me to handle. That said, it won’t be hard to take care of him.

He rolled the sand in his palm as he considered the matter. So, how do I drive the outsider’s consciousness from his body….

***

Five days passed. There were now only ten days left until the wedding.

As the end of the month neared, the sky over the Fifth Star Ring didn’t just feature the rosy glow during evening. Nor was it dark only at night. Sometimes, the sun would set almost as soon as it rose. And sometimes, rosy clouds would obscure the sun at high noon, making it seem like evening.

At the moment, the sky was bright on one side and dark on the other. Strangely, there was no moon on the dark side and no sun on the bright side. The sun and moon no longer cycled regularly. There were similar oddities in the weather patterns.

Mortals found the whole thing to be shocking, confusing, and even terrifying.

It was different with the cultivators. Although not all of them had experienced such things before, the ancient records provided a clear explanation. When one epoch led into another, and Immortal Lord succession occurred, the star ring would shift course and fundamentally restart. It would last ten days before the restart and seven days after, for a total of seventeen days in which the heavenly bodies blurred and the workings of heaven were thrown into chaos.

During the first ten days, everything sank into a state similar to primal-chaos. It was a time in which thoughts blurred and daos could not be sought. During the final seven days, heaven and earth were reestablished. All living beings benefited from immense blessings, being cleansed and able to bask in auspicious signs. The transformations to heaven and earth signified that the handover process was reaching a conclusion.

The dao of Immortal Lord Nineshores was being stripped away from the Fifth Star Ring, while the dao of Immortal Lord Aurora was being fused into it. That was the cause of all the strange phenomena.

During those seventeen days, all divination methods became less effective, and all forms of cognition grew weak. Omniscience did not function properly. That was why this time in history was so full of secrets. There was simply no way for people outside of that time period to truly know what went on then.

At the moment, everyone was looking up into the sky. That included Hordeslayer and Rampart in the sword furnace, Sir Star Ring as Fourth True Monarch in True Monarch Hall, Sir Vilespirit as Gongsun Qingmu in Scourgebolt Palace, Li Mengtu as Zhong Chi, and others whose true identities were not known, such as Immortal Fairy Spirit Phoenix in the south guest hall and Li the Chosen, who was still in seclusion.

There were also other people who were in hiding and had not yet been revealed as being outsiders. All of them could sense that the workings of heaven were degenerating. The great and unstoppable wheel of history was grinding onward.

Sir Star Ring laughed softly. This was the day he had been waiting for. The power of order would rise to the occasion.

In Young Aurora Hall, Xu Qing stood looking at the mixed darkness and light in the sky.

As the workings of heaven were thrown into chaos, and as the inevitability of history continued, he could sense that the ‘lake waters’ of this portion of space-time were deeper and weightier than ever. If he wanted to make waves, he couldn’t just rely on rocks. He needed a gale-force wind. And that was because there was more working against the waves than outside forces. The water of the lake itself was also resisting.

After coming here and doing so much work and study into time itself, I now have a much better understanding of how space-time works. Some parts of history aren’t that difficult to change. They can simply be rewritten…. But other things cannot be altered. If you even touch them, you’ll suffer a major backlash! And the most important thing right now… is going to happen on the day of the wedding!

Xu Qing looked down from the sky to the collection of sand in his hand. He was just about to turn around and call for the fox maiden to be brought for an audience when he heard a stern voice speaking in his mind.

“Come to Aurora Palace to see me!”

Xu Qing stopped in place and bowed his head respectfully. “Yes, sir.”

The voice belonged to Immortal Lord Aurora!

Aurora Palace was in the direct center of the immortal palace, underneath the Aurora Grand Hall. It was the location of Immortal Lord Aurora’s sleeping quarters as well as his secluded meditation facilities. Normally speaking, no one was allowed to even set foot there. The Immortal Lord’s four apprentices were no exception. Not even his son was allowed to go inside.

Therefore, when Xu Qing heard the Immortal Lord summoning him to Aurora Palace, he couldn’t help but take it seriously. He also knew that he couldn’t afford any delays, so he quickly left Young Aurora Hall and headed directly toward Aurora Grand Hall.

Before long, a complex of buildings appeared ahead. There was an enormous public square, paved with perfectly uniform limestone tiles that made the place glisten like a mirror. Magnificent jade towers lined the square on either side, making it look like a scene from a painting.

Going down the middle of the huge square were numerous imposing buildings. And in the very center of all of them was the biggest building of all. It had a very unique architectural style. It was towering and beautiful, with red walls and golden roof tiles that glittering resplendently. That building was none other than Aurora Grand hall.

Terrifying auras pulsed out of that building, causing Xu Qing to inhale sharply as he flew closer. The auras scanned him, then retracted, offering no obstacle to him. However, he could imagine what would have happened if it had been someone other than himself approaching.

Eventually, Xu Qing stepped in through the main door of Aurora Grand Hall. He immediately bowed at the waist.

Then a mysterious and majestic force descended. His vision blurred briefly, and when he could see again, he was no longer in the hall. He was in a long corridor.

Silent, flickering candles lined the corridor on either side. Thanks to their dim light, he could see greenish-black stairs in front of him, leading down into the darkness. The sound of metal clanking against stone reached his ears.

This was Aurora Palace. Based on his host’s memories, Xu Qing was actually familiar with this place. He remembered coming here when he was young. After growing up, though, he had rarely visited. Taking a deep breath, he started walking down the stairs.

The clanking sounds grew clearer and louder as he descended. After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, they were thunderous. What was more, waves of heat battered at him without cease. Eventually, he reached the end of the stairs.

There was a chamber there.

In the middle of it, a constant stream of earthflame shot up from the ground. Immortal Lord Aurora stood at the flame, using a shining silver hammer to pound a sheet of iron. Every blow he struck caused a deafening boom, and sent waves of heat out in all directions.

Immortal Lord Aurora wasn’t using his cultivation base. Instead, he relied solely on fleshly body power. His expression was one of pure concentration.

Xu Qing took the scene in, then approached quietly and watched the Immortal Lord work. He had no idea why he had been summoned, nor did he have any idea what the Immortal Lord was doing. As far as he could tell, the piece of iron didn’t seem unusual in any way. At most, it was… very hard.

As the forging process went on, the iron began to flicker with golden light. Time passed. The iron shone more and more brightly. Eventually, it was a pure golden color, and instead of being a random lump, it had a definite shape.

To Xu Qing, it looked like a golden plaque.

Immortal Lord Aurora stopped working. Picking up the golden-colored plaque, he studied it closely, and gradually, a look of satisfaction appeared on his face. Using his finger, he started writing.

Two families are now united in marriage by this covenant that never ends. From the moment this agreement is reached, the couple face a happy future of affinity. They are predestined to grow old together, and will be by each other’s side until the sea does wither up and stone rots. You will put your union above all else, and will have many prosperous and famous descendants

Let this marriage agreement be for all eternity; it is beautiful like rosy leaves, forever inscribed here as the happy couple always abides by its romantic tidings.

And thus, the agreement is confirmed.[1]

Immortal Lord Aurora’s style of calligraphy was as flamboyant as dancing dragons and swirling phoenixes. Every character seemed like a living thing crying out with joy and happiness.[2]

What was more, they had been peeled away from the mortal word, forming text that was backed with law and canon. They were words that could only apply to a son and daughter-in-law! It was a marriage contract!

Xu Qing felt enlightened just reading the words.

Only at this point did Immortal Lord Aurora turn to look at Xu Qing. “A name needs to go on here. Your name. Are you going to write it, or shall I?”

Xu Qing felt as if the question had struck him senseless. And that was because something completely and utterly outrageous had just occurred to him! He did not know, nor could he remember, the actual name of Young Lord Aurora! It didn’t exist in his memories! Xu Qing was shaken to the core. Up to this point, he hadn’t even thought about this. No one had ever spoken his name. Xu Qing said nothing.

Immortal Lord Aurora looked deeply at Xu Qing for a long moment, then coolly said, “I’ll handle it for you, okay?”

His hand moved as he inscribed the name onto the golden plaque.

Mi Ming.[3]

The moment Xu Qing looked at the name, his mind started spinning. A very strange feeling welled up within him as he realized that, at that very moment, a name now existed in his memories. For some reason, the name seemed very weighty. In fact, it was so weighty that the ground beneath his feet cracked and crumbled. He was shaking physically.

It was such a profound moment that Xu Qing couldn’t help but say, “Father, this—”

“It’s nothing abnormal. After all, a marriage contract binds you for life.” Immortal Lord Aurora took out a jade box and put the marriage contract inside, then suspended it above the earthflame. He seemed about to say something further, but before he could, the firelight suddenly dimmed.

Immortal Lord Aurora frowned and waved his hand. “You can leave now. I called you here because I heard about what happened with the Hundred Flowers Palace and wanted you to witness the oath on the marriage contract. The contract will remain suspended here, untouchable by anyone save the two of us. Ten days from now, on your wedding day, I’ll come get it.”

Xu Qing’s vision blurred again, and when the sensation passed, he was outside of the chamber.

***

At the exact same moment that Xu Qing left, the firelight in the chamber grew even dimmer. Pulses of living black pulsed out of Immortal Lord Aurora.

More and more of it appeared until it created a shadowy figure. If Xu Qing had been there, he would have recognized it instantly. That shadowy figure was the exact same thing he had seen reflected beneath Immortal Lord Aurora that day at the lake!

The dark figure looked at the spot where Xu Qing had just stood and then spoke in a raspy voice. “In the time of the succession, when the workings of heaven in the Fifth Star Ring are the most chaotic, you took away the name of the sun and moon. You made sure that the people of the world forgot the name of the sun and moon without even realizing it. That includes the Immortal Lords and the Immortal Paragon. Your skill, combined with the chaos in the heavenly workings, ensures that, temporarily at least, the matter will not be noticed.

“Most ingenious is that you used the name of the sun and moon to replace your son’s name. This is really going to be a lovely surprise to your father, the Immortal Paragon.”[4]

Aurora looked expressionlessly at the dark figure. “You used the wrong form of address. You’re me. And I’m you. That’s our father.”

1. The text is full of idioms and metaphors that are understandable to Chinese readers based on context and culture, but which have little meaning to average English readers when translated directly. For instance, it uses “mandarin ducks” a few times. I’m sure many of you readers would understand that mandarin ducks are a reference to a married couple, but I’m also sure there are readers who would have no idea what that meant. And this entire passage is full of such flowery and poetic stuff. I wanted the meaning to be clear without use of footnotes, so my translated version is a bit more direct. Yes, it takes away some of the poetic flair, but in this context I feel it’s important. Beyond that (minor spoilers here), there is later wordplay I had to take into account, in which the meaning is very important, so, on multiple levels, this more direct version is necessary…. ☜

2. The idiom dancing dragons and swirling phoenixes is used to describe Chinese calligraphy that has a certain dramatic look and feel. There are different styles of calligraphy, but I did a quick Baidu search for calligraphy described in this way. Here are a few images to give you an idea of what the calligraphy might look like. ☜

3. Mi Ming: Mi is not a common surname. It’s a rather literary word that means “to seek, look for.” Ming means many things, but primarily “bright, brightness.” ☜

4. I’m sure some of you might be wondering if the name Mi Ming has anything to do with the names of the sun and moon that were previously mentioned in chapter 1155 and 1153. Since I translated those names instead of transliterated, it’s not obvious. But the answer is no. None of the names share the same characters. In fact, the characters aren’t even similar, nor do they have similar pronunciations. THAT SAID, the character Ming, brightness, is literally made up of the two characters for sun and moon. Sun is 日 and moon 月 while ming/brightness is 明. So take that for what you will…. ☜

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