Li Yichen PoV
Getting out of the palanquin, I nodded my thanks to the two Qilin, watching as they rose into the air and flew away.
With them gone, the courtyard was empty and silent, the stone garden coated in a thin layer of frost.
While large, the courtyard was desolate; the only plant life here was a single tree that I had taken care of myself.
Growing off in the corner was a White Willow, the tall, thin tree providing no different colors to the drab palate of the courtyard; instead, it was here for its meaning.
However much I despised this prison that I had to call home, I always had a dream, and this White Willow was a reminder of that dream.
Over the years, that dream had faded, but the Willow remained; even as I forgot what I had once craved, I cared for the tree, giving it the care it needed to continue growing inside this Palace.
The hanging white leaves draped over a stone bench, one that I often sat at to read and cultivate when the whim took me.
Staring at the White Willow, I approached it and gently reached for one of its hanging branches, my fingers lightly pinching a leaf.
The soft and long leaf was paler than my hand, and I enjoyed the feeling of the rolled edge on my fingers.
Letting it go with a sigh, I turned around and entered the Palace, making my way towards my room.
The ash gray wood that constructed the Shimmering Palace retained heat decently enough, but the Yin Stone that was used for the foundation radiated a nipping chill, one that was always present inside.
Reaching my room, I opened the sliding door and stared at the spartan area, few items anywhere.
My bed was on the left wall, while the mirror that Mother Ai gifted me was on the right.
Laying on the ground between them was a black fur rug, and on the wall opposite me was a single chair, looking out over the foggy forest below.
Beside me was a shelf, which had the four books I had brought over years ago; the Flowing Palm Manual, the children's book 'Qiang the Round Bear', a book on herbs, and a diary, one that was completely empty.
One that I had been given by the Matriarch when she had noticed that I liked reading and writing, saying I should continue even when I was away from home.
And yet, she never thought that the reason I enjoyed reading and writing was because it was the only time she deigned to accompany me.
Letting out a sigh, I moved over to the golden mirror, staring at the Inscriptions on the golden frame and crystal glass.
Mother Ai had told me that it was capable of connecting to her own personal mirror, so that we could talk.
I had only used it once, on the first night that I had lived here.
After that night, I reached out daily for three months, and yet I never got a reply.
So I stopped reaching out.
Staring at the woman in the mirror, I started removing the powder that Bao had placed on my face, washing it away with my Water Qi.
When that was finished, I undid my hair and placed the hairpin on the table, before removing the band as well.
Letting my hair down, I stared at it, the long black threads draping over my blue robes.
Tying it back, I then removed the lavish blue floral robes, replacing them with a set of black silk night robes.
With a fur lining inside, they kept me warm inside this cold room, which was shrouded in darkness.
Finishing up, I got up and lit a candle, grabbing 'Qiang the Round Bear'.
I had read this book thousands of times, and yet...
Crawling into my bed, I opened the worn cover and stared at the yellowed pages, recalling when they had been a pristine white.
Taking in every character on each page, I heard someone knock at my door.
"Come in."
Even with my voice being little more than a whisper, the person slid the door open, letting me see who it was.
Standing at the door was a gray woman, her crimson eyes coldly staring at me.
"Young Miss."
Nodding to Da, I returned to my book, letting her look around.
"Was today your 18th birthday?"
I nodded again, remaining silent.
The new maid fell quiet, her eyes boring into my head.
She had been nice at first, but after the other three, An, Bo, and Ci told her about me, she had grown indifferent, ignoring me as she instead fell into Gao Chen's bed.
"Where's Bao?"
Closing the book, I stared at the worn cover for a moment before saying "Fang Teahouse. She should return before dawn."
Glancing over at Da, I met her gaze before placing the book on my nightstand, snuffing the candle.
Darkness once again shrouded my room, and I pulled the covers over my body, closing my eyes.
"Very well."
Closing the door behind herself, Da left me, returning the number of living souls on this side of the Shimmering Palace to 1.
Casting my senses inside myself, I stared at the ball of Qi that was meant to be my Nascent Soul, chuckling dryly at it.
A ball of water loosely flowed in a lazy sphere, occasionally attempting to condense into a complete sphere.
With my current talent and motivation, this sphere was going to be loose for another decade or so; in order to progress any further, I needed to consolidate my Qi and condense it into a ball, which would become the core of my Soul Formation.
However, I was in no rush to progress; each stage I reached extended my lifespan exponentially, and I didn't know if I really wanted that.
So, I left that sphere as it was, returning my senses to the outside world.
Keeping my eyes closed, I drifted off to sleep, not feeling any older than I had been yesterday.