Rising Phoenix

“I’ll find the possibility from the midst of impossibility.” Feng Zhiwei smiled helplessly. “The people from Qiu Mansion will never imagine that I dare to come here. It is better than trying to survive where they can find me, and most women of wind and dust are more faithful to their friends, and more reliable than the typical person.”

“You can live in a nunnery temporarily.”

“Your honor is a noble Dijing citizen, do you really not know that the nunnery is just the powerful man’s backyard?” Feng Zhiwei’s mouth curled a little. “It is as dirty as a brothel. If I go there, I may never be able to leave.”

She sighed. “I am just a weak woman, a leaf afloat in the river. All I can manage is to protect myself.”

The man didn’t reply and just stared at her quietly. He looked into her eyes, into this young girl’s hidden toughness, and examined that wisdom of hers which she could never hide.

The garden was strangely empty, and even the songs of birds didn’t dare disturbed. The wind felt heavy and the flowers were silent; there was only breathing, suppressed and quiet.

After a long moment, the man finished the wine and smiled at her.

His smile was like the first beam of the morning sun that colored the rising mists, too beautiful to be desired. The wind picked up strength and the flowers blossomed brightly; she could breath easily.

She heard him speak calmly, “Surviving in Dijing is not easy. I hope that the next time I see you, you will follow the law.”

She bowed, accepting the instructions seriously.

From the corner of her lowered eyes she watched as the corner of that elegant silk robe swayed, leaving unhurriedly.

Feng Zhiwei didn’t move from her bow, but from where she stood picked at her clinging clothes. Her sweat had already stuck her clothes to her skin.

Her clothes were wet with sweat and clinging to her back, sticky and disgusting.

Just now, he had been like when they first met, oozing killing intent even heavier than before.

She had bad luck and was twice seen committing crimes by him, and the people she hurt or killed all seemed connected to him in some way.

She didn’t know what he was doing, but she could vaguely feel that she might have have ruined some of his plans.

Even if he wasn’t planning to take action against her, people like him always considered people like her dangerous. A man like him was definitely unwilling to show outsiders his hidden sharpness, and the best way to resolve that danger was to kill her.

And so, what she had tried to explain just now was: she had no interior of getting in his way and posed no danger. Just then, she had felt that her words hadn’t moved this beautiful and cold blooded noble.

But, he let her go.

Feng Zhiwei stood dazed in front of the Winter Jasmine bush, her pale lips gently reflecting the golden flowers. The sun passed overhead.

“Xiao Zhi, bring me some flowers, I need them tonight!”

“Ah!”

Life continued at Lan Xiang Yard, and the next day Feng Zhiwei retrieved her silver ticket without any problems. People learned that Official Li’s grandson had left Dijing to study, but she stayed on the lookout and waited carefully. After a while, with everything calm and peaceful, she relaxed.

Since she had helped the Madam and Lan Xiang Yard resolve a crisis, Feng Zhiwei lived well; it was just that everyday, she went shopping for the girls.

Noontime was when Dijing’s Tian Shui Street was busiest; business men and customers passed the row of shops, coming and going in an endless stream. Carriages with glittering glass swept by, and noble young men swaggered along with double-barreled pistols.

Rich and prosperous.

Tian Sheng was the strongest Dynasty of the era. Its southern territories began at the Jin Sha sea area where the island countries had all bowed their heads, and to the north the country stretched to the Hu Zhuo Ge Da Mu Snow Mountains, and all twelve of the ferocious Hu Zhuo tribes had been conquered. To the east, they had conquered to the Xiao Cang Highlands, and in the west they controlled the Ancient Chang He Road where blond haired and blue eyes traders passed frequently through the city gates.

Even on a fast horse, it wax difficult to travel from the north border to the south in a year’s time.

The might and prosperity came from the strength of the Da Cheng Dynasty, and its six hundred years of history. Da Cheng Dynasty’s valiant and heroic Shen Ying Empress, Meng Fu Yao, had brought to her marriage with the founding emperor a dowry of vast territory. She was beautiful and he extraordinary, and they loved each other. Throughout the land, they were known as the Peerless Imperial Couple, and shared power over the dynasty. In their rule, they developed industry and commerce, unified currency, opened up port cities, and reformed systems in almost every part of their rule. They created a more efficient governing system, spread culture and education, and strengthened agriculture. Their power soared, and they stabilized the country’s hundred year lead over the west.

But nothing under the heavens is eternal, and from the time Da Cheng brought the central kingdom under its rule, its power lasted six hundred years and thirty two emperors. In the beginning, most of the emperors were wise and virtuous, but after the nineteenth generation, unworthy descendants began to rule, inciting civil wars and depleting the empire’s strength day by day with internal strife. In the rule of the thirtieth emperor, Emperor Li closed off the country, and two generations later the nation was conquered by the Ning Family, the family of the Empress.

After the Ning Family founded the Tian Sheng Dynasty, the centralized power and expanded the gap between different classes, all the while increasing tariffs and supporting mercantilism, suppressing commerce with other countries. With its internal strife, the imperial court also lost much of its control over its different vassals and tributary states. Even though Tian Sheng Dynasty was still prosperous, it did not have the same vigor and sense of freedom of a newly founded dynasty, but instead already felt ancient and rotting.

Like that glass; the industry had developed to the point where it could be used by everyone, but the imperial court limited to the use of the royal family.

Feng Zhiwei stood by the glass of one of the carriages, straightening some of her hair. She had never studied to disguise herself, but she had talent. Very few could see her feminine figure through her disguise, and she had even filled her pierced ears with some light yellow rouge mixed with clay.

She rounded the carriage and turned into a dilapidated alley, finally stopping before an old and worn out door.

As she reached out to push open the door, her fingers were cautious and steady.

“Xiu!”

Just as she pushed open the door slightly, a dark light shot out at her face. Feng Zhiwei twisted quickly and tilted her head, dodged the dark light by a hair. The light flashed by quickly, the rushing air in its wake bringing along with it a wisp of black.

Feng Zhiwei smiled bitterly at the wisp of hair falling to the ground. Today was the flying sword.

In that moment, the burning feeling in her veins had pulsed throughout her body, but it had cooled off now and spread a comfortable feeling down to her bones. Feng Zhiwei took a moment to luxuriate in the rare, relaxing moment.

A light cough come from further in the room, as if dissatisfied with her slowness. Feng Zhiwei entered, and the door closed off the outside light. In the near black dimness, Zhiwei could barely make out in a corner a figure in black, with the usual ebony mask covering their face. Their whole figure almost melted into the darkness, and it was almost impossible to make out their figure, much less their gender.

When the figure saw Feng Zhiwei come in, they raised their hand, pointing to a stove in the corner. Zhiwei said nothing, only moving over is resignation and filling the pot and setting the fire.