Chapter 14: The White Plume Path

By the time Qing Yu finally roused himself from his slumber, dusk had already fallen, the sky long since succumbed to the deepening twilight, and the powerful, rhythmic clatter of hooves—”clop-clop”—reached his ears.

“Good afternoon.”

Seeing Qing Yu yawn, Aldoran ruffled his hair, a gesture that served as her greeting.

“G-good afternoon, Aldoran. Where… where exactly are we?”

Once he had shaken off a bit more of his drowsiness, Qing Yu sat up from Aldoran’s lap.

He hazily surveyed his surroundings, realizing that his current environment was markedly different from his home.

“In the carriage. Since I couldn’t wake you up this morning, I simply carried you in so you could continue sleeping.”

“Eh?”

“Have you forgotten? You said you wanted to travel with me.”

Aldoran reminded him, and only then did Qing Yu recall the events that had transpired.

“So, where have we reached now?” Qing Yu asked, leaning his upper body past Aldoran to pull back the curtain on the window beside her, peering outside.

Outside the window stretched a verdant, dense forest.

Colossal trees, each towering a hundred meters high, stood one after another.

Their thick, gnarled branches intertwined and overlapped, while leaves as large as palms obscured the entire sky, casting vast swathes of shadow below.

“Um, Aldoran, is this—”

Qing Yu was utterly awestruck by the scenery before him.

He had never in his life witnessed a forest comprised of so many towering trees.

Beneath these colossal giants, Qing Yu felt an overwhelming sense of his own insignificance.

“Don’t be surprised; this is a very common sight.”

Aldoran gently steadied Qing Yu, preventing him from toppling over due to the carriage’s jostling.

“These trees are called White Plume Trees, named for their leaves turning white in winter and falling like dancing feathers.

They are also the most common trees in the Central Realm.”

“Common? Trees this tall?” Qing Yu exclaimed, unable to contain his astonishment.

“Yes, that’s right. This forest is almost entirely composed of White Plume Trees, and it’s a shortcut to Alastor.

Therefore, travelers often refer to it as the ‘White Plume Path’.”

“So, are we heading to this place called Alastor that you just mentioned?” Qing Yu asked, a new term having caught his attention, his curiosity piqued.

“Indeed, Alastor is the largest information exchange hub across all human nations.

Millions of people pass through it daily, and it houses a massive information trading center.

The vast majority of bounty notices and adventurer profiles from the human kingdoms originate there, making it a sacred place in the hearts of adventurers.”

“Adventurers?!”

At the mere mention of “adventurers,” Qing Yu’s eyes lit up.

Aldoran, understanding his unspoken desire, lifted him onto her lap and gently stroked his head.

“If you wish, once we arrive, I can take you to see them.”

“Only to look?”

“If you’d like to try it yourself, I can also take you to experience it,” Aldoran said, patting Qing Yu’s head. “Would you like to try?”

“Yes!” Qing Yu was overjoyed, finally able to experience the kind of adventure he had seen countless times in films and books.

“However,” Aldoran’s tone shifted, “before that, I need you to try and control the magic circuits within your body, alright?

Otherwise, you wouldn’t even be able to defeat the weakest slime, and the joy of adventure would naturally be lost to you.”

“You wouldn’t want to stay like this forever, would you?”

That was true; if Qing Yu couldn’t even manage the simplest task of sensing his internal magic circuits, even a slime could easily overpower him.

Ultimately, any ‘adventure’ would rely entirely on Aldoran, leaving him no personal experience of its thrill.

“Mm-hmm!”

“Very well, let’s try it now.

We still have about two months of travel until we reach Alastor, so let’s make every moment count for training during this time.”

As Aldoran spoke, she conjured a piece of candy from seemingly nowhere and offered it to Qing Yu.

“Eat this first.

I tried using my magic to create it, and it should be beneficial for you.”

Qing Yu, without hesitation, popped it into his mouth, chewing the candy with a resounding “crunch-crunch.”

It was incredibly sweet.

“All right, let’s try it now.”

Once Qing Yu had swallowed the last of the candy, Aldoran abruptly pulled back the curtain, allowing faint streaks of light to penetrate the carriage.

Then, Aldoran gently placed her palm against Qing Yu’s chest.

“Close your eyes, then just listen to my instructions.”

Qing Yu closed his eyes, awaiting Aldoran’s guidance.

“Try to imagine light, imagine energy transformed from light flowing through your chest.”

‘Light?’

Qing Yu calmed himself, attempting to visualize light within his chest, yet no matter how he tried, he couldn’t conceive of what light flowing through his body would look like.

“Calm your mind, try to touch your gem, and feel the power emanating from it.”

Qing Yu felt Aldoran’s hand gently clasp his own, slowly guiding it towards the gem on his collar.

“Feel the power from it, feel the warm flow of energy.

Light is warm, so your power should also be calm and warm.”

Despite Aldoran’s repeated gentle reminders whispered into his ear, Qing Yu, upon touching his gem, could only perceive its cold surface, utterly unable to grasp the warmth Aldoran spoke of.

“Don’t rush, take your time.

It’s alright if you fail; no one will blame you.”

“Try taking a deep breath, slowly.

Imagine your gem as incredibly warm and bright.

Try to envision the most beautiful thing you hold deep within your heart, transform that emotion into energy, and feel the warm current in your chest.”

‘The most beautiful thing?’

‘What could be the most beautiful thing?’

Qing Yu seemed unable to recall anything.

Among all the experiences in his life, nothing truly stood out as the most beautiful.

Everything seemed so mundane, so ordinary: ordinary schooling, ordinary exams, ordinary relationships, ordinary play.

It was as if he had never experienced anything truly special.

‘He didn’t know what the most beautiful thing was.’

‘But perhaps Aldoran’s current care for him could be considered one?’

Even though they had only known each other for a short time before she married him, Aldoran had been exceptionally kind to him in every way.

She completely indulged his whims, always prioritizing his needs in everything she did…

‘So, perhaps he should try thinking about Aldoran’s kindness towards him first?’

Qing Yu quieted his mind, attempting to focus on Aldoran.

At the very least, she was the kindest person he had ever known, treating him even better than his own parents.

“Slowly, don’t panic.

Feel that sense of beauty, transform that feeling into light, and let it flow within you.”

Qing Yu felt that Aldoran’s hand, pressed against his chest, seemed to be slowly transmitting a warm energy into his body.

This energy was gentle and slow, like a babbling brook, gradually flowing into the river of his heart, cleansing his spirit.

“Take your time, quietly feel the flow of energy within you.

I’m here, don’t panic.”

Qing Yu felt Aldoran begin to stroke his head, as if soothing him, her movements soft and unhurried.

“Slowly, imagine that energy like a small stream, flowing gently, slowly.

Feel that warm current coursing through your entire body.

Don’t be nervous, I’m here.”

“It’s alright, don’t worry.

No one will blame you, don’t be tense, just take your time.”

Aldoran reassured Qing Yu again and again, guiding him to imagine the flow of energy and to feel his own power.

“Come, come on, feel that power, feel the flow of your own strength.”

“Come on, slowly, feel that power; I will help you too.”

Aldoran continued to transmit that warm power to Qing Yu, guiding him.

“Come, don’t be afraid, don’t be nervous.

I’m here, I’m always here.

Just feel that power well.”

Gradually, Qing Yu felt a peculiar warm current begin to flow in his heart.

It was a series of trickling streams, and images of golden patterns appeared in his mind, intertwining in his heart and consciousness, forming peculiar designs.

Snow-white feathers, a golden sash, a palace of crystal, a gyrfalcon, a spinning wheel, towering trees, kissing lovers, a newborn infant, himself holding a child, arrows, blood, swords, warriors…

Spears, Aldoran, flames…

TWILIGHT

All sorts of patterns intertwined, arranged, and combined, merging within Qing Yu’s mind.

They exploded, reassembled, and then reformed into intricate lines, forming the design upon the gem, only to swiftly vanish and coalesce into a single rose.

All those patterns flashed rapidly through Qing Yu’s mind, then completely vanished from his memory, leaving behind only the rose formed from countless lines.

A warm power surged through Qing Yu’s body, washing away all the patterns, cleansing the memories that had unfolded in his mind.

What remained was only the pure joy of power.

Trembling, he looked at his own hands, and Qing Yu exclaimed in delighted surprise.

“Aldoran, my hand seems to be glowing!”

In the dimness, Qing Yu’s palm faintly emitted a soft glow.

Though merely a flickering luminescence, it was still insufficient to conceal the boundless joy filling Qing Yu’s heart.

He could feel an extremely faint energy slowly circulating within his body.

“Congratulations, Master Qing Yu!” Thrud, from outside the carriage, also heard Qing Yu’s joyful cry and boisterously offered her felicitations.

“Excellent, excellent, well done,” Aldoran said, stroking Qing Yu’s body, lavishing him with praise.

‘If he truly desired it, he could indeed achieve it, couldn’t he?’

In this way, Qing Yu would be even more worthy of the title of Heavenly Empress.

According to legend, Frigga would bring happiness to all beings, protect families, and preside over marriage.

With his newfound power, Qing Yu should now be able to better exercise his divine authority.

“Very good, very good.

It’s already quite late now, so let’s rest for a while.”

Aldoran clapped her hands, and Thrud immediately brought the carriage to a halt.

A few seconds later, as the carriage door opened, Thrud, clad in a long robe, appeared before them.

“There’s a forest tribe nearby; perhaps we could stay there for the night.”

“Mm,” Aldoran responded, taking Qing Yu’s hand as they stepped down from the carriage.

“In that case, let’s go and seek lodging.”