Chapter 4 – Black Box of Mysteries

“Cloud Imperial Palace?” Qin Yun asked, his shock apparent.

The Cloud Imperial Palace’s renown spread far and wide as the ruling house of the Cloud Empire, one of the three nations that surrounded Jin City.

For years, the rulers of Jin City, the City Lord Manor, tried—and mostly failed—to enter into an Alliance through marriage with the Cloud Empire, but were rejected every time.

At best, the two powers kept a cordial distance, never drawing too near, never drifting too far.

Their logic was clear: the Cloud Empire stood to lose more than it could ever gain by growing too close to Jin City.

The Western Wasteland was far from unified. Despite its name, many nations thrived upon its land, and while life was hard for the commoner, they were relatively prosperous.

Especially Jin City, standing alone for millennia, hemmed in by three colossal empires. Its survival was a delicate dance on the edge of a blade.

There were decades when war raged, and the land became a living hell, yet Jin City remained untouched, a lone beacon of commerce amid chaos.

A city-state free of their influence.

That was the founders’ dream, but now the fingerprints of the three empires stained every corner of the city.

The fragile balance, preserved for generations, threatened to shatter with the slightest provocation.

After all, Jin City was a jewel, a piece of meat between three starving beasts.

Every nation hungered for Jin City, but the Cloud Empire’s looming presence was the chief reason none dared make an open move—at least, not yet.

The Cloud Empire dwarfed its rivals. Being located the furthest to the east, closest to the centre of the continent, where the land’s vitality sprang forth.

It gave them a massive advantage over the other two, not only in terms of pure numbers, but also in the quality of their practitioners, which were, for all intents and purposes, the true military strength of a nation.

Qin Yun understood the allure of a marriage alliance with Jin City’s ruling clans for the Cloud Empire, but the risks loomed just as large.

The rival empires, once uneasy allies, would be driven into a genuine coalition to counter the formidable union of the Cloud Empire and Jin City.

A scenario the Cloud Empire had tried to avoid until now… What could have possibly changed their minds?

Yet another puzzle gnawed at Qin Yun: Why choose him?

In different times, he might have been the ideal candidate—important enough as a direct descendant of the clan’s patriarch, yet not so prominent as to threaten the balance.

If not, for his peculiar circumstances, namely, his inability to cultivate Etra, the Spectral Essence. At present, he was nothing but a mortal, hardly fit for the role thrust upon him. This fact was hardly a secret, as all the elders, and even most of their heirs, were painfully aware.

There was no reason to choose him for this task, unless…

“The Third Princess? What was her name again?” he asked, if only for himself.

Unable to cultivate, Qin Yun had been quietly cast aside by his family, left to wander his own path as he pleased.

With ample time on his hands, and while he spent most of it doing odd jobs here and there for the clan, he spent the remainder within the clan’s archives, where thousands of years of historical records were left to gather dust.

While hardly anyone ever browsed those dusty old tomes, archivists were still hard at work adding to them, recording current events for posterity. Qin Yun himself had even added his own contributions after being approved by the elders.

He searched his memories, trying to recall any mention of the Cloud Empire, especially the Cloud Imperial Palace.

Genealogies of the imperial line filled the archives, especially recent ones. Yet, the sea of information made Qin Yun’s search a slow, arduous journey.

Fortunately, he was already intimately familiar with the process, having done so countless times as he tried to recall specific information from one of his innumerable previous lives.

Then, suddenly, a name rose from the depths of his memory.

“Yun Jingfei,” Qin Yun said confidently. “The third princess and twelfth in line for the imperial throne.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Impressive,” Ming’er said, not betraying an inch of the supposed awe she claimed to feel. “I’m surprised you know of such a minor character.”

“Minor?” Qin Yun frowned. “She may be a minor character when compared to the weight of history of this land, but she is far from ordinary. Her talent was said to be without equal, even within the Cloud Imperial Palace.”

“Indeed. Some say her talent as a practitioner may even surpass the Crown Prince himself,” Ming’er nodded.

“In that case, something doesn’t add up. Wasn’t she supposed to have been accepted as a disciple under the Soaring Phoenix Sect? I doubt those ascetics would ever agree to such a union.”

“Who’s to say?” Ming’er shrugged, unconcerned. “You are asking the wrong person. All I know is what the young lady let slip. If you want the whole story, you are better off asking the clan elders.”

“Like they would meet with me. They would rather act as if I don’t exist,” Qin Yun sighed, but his expression didn’t betray a single hint of sorrow. If anything, he seemed completely unconcerned about what those old men at the end of their lives thought of him.

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Ming’er replied, surprising him. “I would wager they would call upon you sooner rather than later. After all, no matter how much they don’t want to deal with you, a wedding is still a big matter that requires their involvement. They can’t keep you in the dark forever.”

“Is that why you let it slip, or was this your master’s intent all along?” Qin Yun asked, eyes slightly narrowed. Yet, the young lady didn’t betray any hint of emotion, nor did she open her mouth to confirm or deny his assertion.

Nazars’ blank expressions were unreadable to most, but having spent most of his life in their presence, Qin Yun had learned a thing or two. Merely the absence of a response was confirmation enough.

He would have to have a word or two with this master of hers.