The woman tucked the fox into her arm and held the baby even closer before she lifted her feet off the ground. Rather than being subjected to gravity, her feet landed on an invisible surface; if one were to watch, they would see a woman walking up a set of invisible stairs. Not wanting to go through the hassle of reporting to the guards, the woman silently snuck past the guards on patrol, not making a single sound. Having maneuvered around the guards on patrol, the woman continued to walk on air until she caught sight of a grand mansion. On the very front of the building was a sign labeled "Melody's Pavillion." Any cultivator or warrior that knew of the town near Flame Forest could tell you that there was a grand music hall where the wine and entertainment was of abundance and of excellent quality. The owner, known for her mysteriousness, never revealed her face, but it was implied that she had filled her pockets quite generously with the profits. Melody's Pavillion was very popular to the majority of townsfolk and travelers alike. There was never a day when Melody's Pavillion was empty. One couldn't tell whether Melody's Pavillion was at its peak or was simply prosperous, but many hoped it was the former. Many other music halls in the town paled in comparison with Melody's Pavillion and many of their owners watched the music hall with eyes filled with envy, but there was nothing to be done. In the town, no business could contend against Melody's Pavillion. The woman gently landed on the ground and walked through the red curtains at the entrance of the pavilion. Pillars were lined up evenly as one walked through the entrance and into a garden of a thousand flowers; every kind was of an unique variety, unusual to the untrained eye. Ponds with golden koi fish lay underneath a marble bridge that led into the mansion, flowers weaved through every brick. It was a place that was one with nature. The woman walked at a somewhat snail-like pace over the bridge and was welcomed into the mansion by a few servants. Their clothes were of high quality. Rather than the servants of a music hall, their looks aligned with those of a nobleman's house. From their clothes alone, one could tell that the owner wasn't stingy with rewards.
The woman walked past the servants and into the pavilion. Beyond the sound-proofed walls lies a grand hall. Beautiful women danced on top of an elaborately decorated stage. A few other maidens played music to accompany them; the melody was mellow and soft, each note was captivating. The patrons of this esteemed establishment sat in front, on velvety plush couches imported from the west. The music itself was a collage of both music from the west and east, playing together in harmony. The distinct sounds melted into each other and created a sound unique to Melody's Pavillion. The servants dutifully walked around, either bringing refreshments or attending to the guest's needs. In Melody's Pavillion, the guests were treated as gods. Another reason why Melody's Pavillion was able to stay in the limelight for so long was due to the fact that all of the customers were treated well, regardless of status. As long as one had the money to pay, those of Melody's Pavillion wouldn't fret over trifling matters such as identity. They would also frequently engage with men and women from all different walks of life; naturally, confidentiality was guaranteed. It was truly one of the only places in the seven empires and seven seas, where commoners and nobles got along, without the prejudice of class and familial strength holding them back. While commoners had a chance to better their conditions through the academies or by becoming a merchant, who were typically looked down upon and scorned by society, one thing held true. In this world, in the seven empires and seven seas, strength was everything.
One could be wealthy, but if one lacked the strength, they would never be respected. In this way, the gap between the nobles and the commoners widened. The nobles had built up their strength for generations, how could a mere commoner seeking strength possibly compare to a millennia of built up hidden forces and accumulated secret martial arts and cultivation manuals? The nobles controlled strength itself; they held knowledge of cultivation techniques and martial arts that a commoner would never have access to. They were privileged in both money and power and had amassed strength for years. A commoner could never contend with a noble. The only manuals that the commoners had access to were the basic martial arts and cultivation manuals; while widespread, they were simple and lacked flexibility and were incompatible with some of the more innately talented constitutions. But not all hope was lost; a commoner was capable of gaining true power if they shone out from the rest and applied to a private academy, run by a noble family or imperial family, or a powerful sect, located somewhere in the seven seas. While sects were merely a myth to the majority of the population, the temptation of promised power led many commoners to test their luck and brave the dangers. But the stringent requirements of these sects had led to failure. Nevermind locating one, if one were to reach a sect, they wouldn't be allowed the chance to even take the entrance test unless they had a blue core or above. In the seven empires, the public academies were widely spread. What emperor would miss the chance to scour the lands for talented children? If a commoner child caught the eyes of an Imperial or noble family after the mandatory core identifying test in a child's second school year, they would offer them the chance to take a test to be admitted to the private institution of their family. Without exception, every noble family had one. The less talented children had a chance to take the entrance test in their sixth year of school. If a commoner failed to attend these academies, they would be relegated to the public academies. While the education was extensive, they merely specialized in professions deemed as less important. In terms of martial arts and cultivation, the public academies were subpar. In a world reliant on strength, if one were to be restricted to a public academy, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that their path to strength was cut off forever. A lesser known way to gain insight on cultivation and martial arts techniques was to acknowledge a master. Many children from noble families were made to recognize a master from a young age and it was also quite a popular practice for those pursuing the medical field to acknowledge a medical practitioner that could guide them.
The woman walked past the guests of the establishment without even the ghost of a glance. To many normal girls, the allure of wealth and power was tempting, and in such a place as Melody's Pavillion, the presence of wealthy and powerful women and men were abundant. Despite this, her eyes held no trace of desire. Her steps remained leisurely as she walked into a secluded and narrow hall. In contrast to the other rooms and hallways, this hall was lacking elaborate adornments and instead was bare and minimalistic. As she walked towards the end of the hall, her lips curved up and her eyes displayed the hints of a smile. The hallway opened up and led into a large room. There were various animal skins that were lined on exquisitely carved mahogany chairs. Numerous illuminating crystals were embedded into the walls and showed the extravagance of its owner. Each individual crystal would have put even the most wealthy of merchants into debt. While Melody's Pavilion may be no stranger to extravagance, this level was something that was almost incomprehensible. On the largest chair was a woman deep in slumber. Her facial features showed similarities when compared to those of the uninvited guest. Anyone could tell that they were related closely. The woman's gaze became even more soft as she walked towards the woman sprawled on the chair; the fox's eyes twitched when it saw an almost identical figure to that of its captor. In its mind it cursed all of their ancestors. It not only had to deal with one troublesome woman but two? It didn't even get the chance to lament its fate before the woman walked over and bent down. Her voice was soft as she whispered. "Sister?" The air of the room went still at the uttered word. The woman deep in sleep stirred. She was clad in a black dress that went down to her ankles; rather than the eastern garb that the woman opposite to her seemed to fancy, she wore a dress that was unmistakably from the west. Her feet were exposed to the cold and they slightly quivered as she opened her eyes. Her eyes were cold and deep, like an unsheathed sword, and her gait was somewhat elusive yet heroic at the same time as she stood and walked forwards. These two different qualities seemed to mesh perfectly into the woman and created some sort of anomaly. However, the strangest thing about the woman were her eyes. One eye was a deep shade of black, yet the other was a warm shade of brown. Her gaze was sharp as she eyed the woman opposite; despite being sisters, her eyes held no trace of warmth. "Lily." The woman quietly acknowledged. Her eyes trailed along her figure and landed on the baby and fox nestled within her arms.
"These are?" The woman asked nonchalantly and secretly sighed. Lily had always had a weird habit of bringing strange and unusual trinkets back to their place, but she didn't expect that this time she would bring a baby and a fox. Lily giggled after witnessing her sister's exasperated face. Used to seeing the calm and composed face, never deviating or showing a crack, Lily found the new expression on her sister's face amusing. She loved to press her sister's buttons, but it was exceedingly difficult to get a reaction from her. Lily scrunched her nose in disgust after getting a whiff of the stench of wine that drifted around the room. "Nevermind me. Go take a bath, you stink of wine. I don't think that it's good for the baby Lian." Lian raised her eyebrows but eventually raised both of her arms in surrender. In comparison to her sister, she was rather thin-skinned and creased her eyes at her sister's blatant disgust. "Have you checked the baby's soul? It's a sensitive time for the baby. The soul probably hasn't completely assimilated with her body yet." Lily's nonchalant smile faded. It was worrying that the baby was left alone. In this place, children were born with a separate body and soul. It took a few months for the body and soul to truly merge and these months were the most sensitive time of a person's life. Soul engraving was only possible due to this unique characteristic. If one wanted to meddle with a soul, the most ripe time would be a few days or weeks after a child's birth. The merging process would only be considered to be complete once the core formed. For many children, this process would end from eleven to twenty months after their birth. After the adjustment process, a child could begin to cultivate and learn a profession or sect of martial arts at around two to five years old. If the soul was meddled with during this process, the child could potentially die or their soul could be injured and fail to assimilate with the body completely, turning the child to a cripple or waste. This was the nightmare of many families. From a child's birth, they would be strictly guarded until this period passed. Only the parents or guardians would be allowed to engrave the name of their child on their soul. Lily carefully placed the sleeping baby on a plush chair and let the fox climb onto her shoulder. With a flick of her wrist she scanned the baby's body and her eyes widened in confusion. "This…It can't be! Lian! How could her soul merge so fast? She already has a core! It's of a very high grade too…Even if it were that place, she would be a once in millenia genius! But if I can't scan her soul we won't know her name."
Lian's eyebrows furrowed nervously. A child forming a core merely a few weeks after their birth was unheard of. If she didn't see it firsthand, she would never believe it. What kind of background did she possess? Almost unnoticeably, the baby stirred and her eyes opened for the first time. At the movement, Lily and Lian looked towards the baby and their mouths hung agape in shock. "Purple? That's an unusual color. Does she come from the demon clan? They have peculiar eyes." Lily wondered. Lian shook her head at the conjecture, fixedly staring at the light violet eyes of the baby. She had never heard of a demon with purple eyes. Many demons either had red or silver eyes. Upon closer inspection, the baby's eyes were unfocused and drifted past the sisters' faces, almost like a blind person's. Wait. Blind? Lian frowned deeply. She drew closer to the baby and waved her hand in front of her face, but there was no visible response. "Go get a blindfold. She's blind. As for the issue of the name, we'll just call her Little Four. You brought her back so you'll raise her in the future. Teach her some cultivation techniques so she can begin to sense her surroundings. Oh, teach her the flute too." With her words, Lian flicked her arms and walked out of the room with her hands behind her back. She just decided to wash her hands of the matter. Her sister had brought the baby back so naturally it was her responsibility. As for the baby's identity, she would have no qualms as long as it wasn't related to that place.