On the Xianghai Continent, there was only one kingdom—the Chen Dynasty. The ancestor of the Chen family, Chen Yuan, pacified the land 150 years ago, seized control of the realm, and established the Chen Dynasty. He divided the country into ninety-eight cities and thirteen provinces. Junlin Province, located next to Jing Province, became the second-largest province after Jing due to its rich resources and developed transportation. Yan City, the capital of Junlin Province, is the largest city among the nine cities in the province. Speaking of Yan City, one must mention the Fengyuan Escort Bureau. And when talking about Fengyuan Escort Bureau, one must talk about its two founding ancestors—Liu Feng and Liu Yuan, the two brothers.
In the past, the previous dynasty was corrupt, causing the people to suffer greatly. The founding emperor of the Chen Dynasty, Chen Yuan, a military general, could not bear to see the people's suffering. He led a rebellion in Yun Province, the most remote of the thirteen provinces. With his own abilities and the help of many capable generals, he established the Chen Dynasty. Liu Feng and Liu Yuan were among these outstanding generals. After the founding of the dynasty, the two brothers could have been appointed as high-ranking officials, but they believed that while founding a country was easy, building one was difficult. As martial artists, they felt they had little to offer in terms of statecraft, and the political landscape was dangerous, with no way to navigate it.
Thus, the two brothers submitted a petition to the emperor requesting to retire and return to farming. Emperor Chen Yuan, though displeased, was overwhelmed by the many affairs of state and the clamor among the founding ministers regarding the distribution of merit. So, he did not oppose their request and soon granted it. Liu Feng and Liu Yuan, with ten thousand taels of gold and ten thousand acres of fertile land from the emperor, settled in Yan City. At that time, the country had just been united, and the situation was unstable. Emperor Chen Yuan, concerned for the security of his reign, arranged for the two brothers to settle not far from the capital.
The emperor's intention was clear: "You may retire, but you must remain under my watch." Looking back a hundred years later, the descendants of the Liu family could not help but admire the foresight of their ancestors. In the decades following the founding of the dynasty, Emperor Chen Yuan had eliminated countless founding ministers. Those with too much power or those who were too outspoken about their contributions were especially targeted. Even low-profile civil officials and generals were relegated to remote regions with minor posts. The Liu family, however, lived relatively peacefully.
The two brothers, Liu Feng and Liu Yuan, settled in Yan City, where their family grew. As their family expanded, so did their expenses. Although they had ten thousand acres of land, they realized that relying solely on land would not support future generations. So, they decided to start a business. After discussing it, they realized that both of them were martial artists and had no head for business. Opening a martial arts school wouldn't bring in much money and would attract too much attention. Eventually, they decided that starting an escort agency was the best choice. An escort agency was highly profitable, providing considerable income and offering future generations the opportunity to practice martial arts.
Thus, the two brothers used their martial prowess and their connections in both the official and underworld circles to build the reputation of the Fengyuan Escort Bureau. Their business expanded far and wide. By the time the Fengyuan Escort Bureau passed to the current head, Liu Yiqing, it had become the seventh generation. After 150 years, it was now the largest and most prestigious escort agency in the country. The headquarters was still in Yan City, and there were more than twenty branches spread across the other twelve provinces, each managed by members of the Liu family or distant relatives of Liu Yiqing. Since Liu Yuan had no heirs, Liu Yiqing, a direct descendant of Liu Feng, inherited the position.
Liu Yiqing now had two sons: Liu Zheng, the older son, aged thirteen, who had been practicing martial arts with his father since childhood and was deeply favored by him. Liu Zheng had already mastered nine out of the eighteen traditional Liu family sword techniques. His younger brother, Liu De, was intelligent and loved literature, though he disliked swordplay. He had only learned two of the Liu family sword techniques and was just seven years old.The fortune teller had said: "Madam is not carrying an ordinary child. The energy in her womb carries the Nine-Five aura, and the child will either be a dragon or a phoenix. If it's a boy, he will be destined to become an emperor; if it's a girl, she will be destined to become a queen, a mother of the world. This is extraordinary! Truly extraordinary!"
The fortune teller dared to utter such rebellious words, and while it might be acceptable to say the girl would be destined to be a queen, claiming that a future Liu family son would be an emperor was outrageous! After all, the Chen Dynasty ruled the world. Was he implying that the Liu family's descendants might one day rebel and seize the throne?
If these words reached the authorities, wouldn't they accuse the Liu family of treason and wipe them out entirely?
Liu Yiqing, enraged, slapped the fortune teller several times, ordering his men to use sticks to chase the audacious fortune teller out of the Liu residence. Initially, Liu Yiqing did not believe the fortune teller's absurd words, but as a year passed and Lin Wan's pregnancy extended to a full thirteen months, her belly growing larger without the child showing any signs of being born, rumors about a "dragon and phoenix child" began to spread throughout Yan City.
Liu Yiqing started to feel unsure. "What if the fortune teller's predictions are true? What if this brings disaster to our family?"
In a panic, Liu Yiqing sent for Qing Shan, a Daoist priest from the Qing Mountain Taoist Temple outside Yan City, hoping he could help.
Qing Shan, whose lay name was Li Xiubai, had entered the Tao at twenty and had practiced for thirty years. Not only had he mastered the Dao, but he had also mysteriously acquired spiritual powers, making him a well-known figure in Junlin Province. People from all over came to him to drive away evil spirits and seek his guidance.
Before becoming a Taoist, Qing Shan had a close relationship with the Liu family, especially with Liu Yiqing, who was much older than him. When he heard about the Liu family's troubles, he immediately hurried down the mountain.
Upon reaching the Fengyuan Escort Bureau, Qing Shan examined Lin Wan and then went into a private discussion with Liu Yiqing. Qing Shan's answer was grim. "Indeed, the child your wife carries is just as the fortune teller predicted." Liu Yiqing thought, "If it's close enough, then it must be the same!"
But what Qing Shan said next nearly caused Liu Yiqing to faint. "Your wife carries one boy and one girl. One is a dragon, and the other is a phoenix."
"Both an emperor and a queen? Two siblings... how could that be possible? This is too absurd, too absurd!" Liu Yiqing could not bring himself to think further.
"Qing Shan, is there any way to save the Liu family?"
Qing Shan looked at him and asked, "Yiqing, could you bear to lose your wife?" Liu Yiqing immediately understood the implication. The only way to stop the children from being born was to sacrifice his wife. But Lin Wan had been his beloved for many years, and Liu Yiqing could never bring himself to harm her.
"Is there no other way?" Liu Yiqing asked urgently.
"Perhaps after the child is born, we could…" Qing Shan began, but didn't finish the sentence. Liu Yiqing understood immediately, and Qing Shan quickly shook his head. "No! That's unthinkable. The Nine-Five aura is a celestial mandate. Once it descends to the world, unless heaven itself takes them back, there's no way to interfere. If we try to meddle, not only would we face certain death, but it would also bring a great calamity to the world!"
Liu Yiqing, in a panic, cried, "Then what should we do?"
"The only solution now is to stop the celestial omen from occurring at the time of the child's birth. If the celestial omen is concealed, the people will not question it. The authorities will not know. You must then take the children and hide them in unknown places. Never let them learn literature or martial arts, and never let them interact with others. Only in this way will the Liu family have a chance to survive this calamity."
Liu Yiqing thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.
It was the spring of March, and the rain had been falling for ten days without a break. The sky showed no signs of clearing. As night fell, the bustling Yan City became brightly lit, though there were few pedestrians on the streets. The restaurants, tea houses, and other public places were still crowded with people.
In contrast, the usually bustling Fengyuan Escort Bureau looked unusually quiet. Apart from the two large red lanterns outside the entrance, the vast courtyard seemed enveloped in darkness, with no lights visible. In the middle of the courtyard, on the steps in front of the main hall, a square table was set up with Taoist ritual tools and talismans. Behind the table stood two figures. The first was a man in his fifties, with youthful features despite his white hair. He wore a green Daoist robe and a headband. This was Qing Shan, the Taoist priest.
The second figure was a man in his thirties, with sharp features and a tall, sturdy build, dressed in a white robe. This was Liu Yiqing, the head of the Liu family.
The arrangement of the table clearly indicated that Qing Shan was preparing to perform a ritual. Qing Shan looked up at the sky, then lowered his head and began to calculate with his fingers. "The two children, once born, will surely trigger the Nine-Five dragon aura. The Nine-Five dragon aura is of the metal element, so their names must include the fire element, and the fire must be strong. Fire overcomes metal. For the boy, name him Yan Huo , and for the girl, name her Yan Ran ."
"Yiqing, remember this," Qing Shan said.