Chapter One Ancient Blue

  "It's not right... If there's a problem with the light variation period, then the magnitude must have some deviation... Now that we have clear data on both brightness and luminosity, theoretically, the calculated distance shouldn't be wrong. However, the distance obtained from this formula can't establish a usable connection with the 'Qinglong' star, and it's still not easy to temporarily borrow power from this star..."

  In a secluded and quiet courtyard, a man who looked to be twenty-one or two years old was holding a slender branch in one hand, continuously drawing arc lines on the sandy ground, accompanied by numerous circular spheres and countless numerical formulas.

  Even if the most erudite scholars of the entire Daci Kingdom were to come here, upon seeing these patterns that fill the entire courtyard, they would surely think that these are just some trifling playthings drawn randomly by a bored person. For neither the patterns on the sandy ground nor the texts annotated beside them belong to the Daci Kingdom; in fact, they have never appeared on this continent before. It seems as if they are appearing for the first time in the world, bearing profound and abstruse meanings that no one can understand, demonstrating their existence to the scholars of all nations on the continent.

  The man carved for a moment in the courtyard, but suddenly walked forward a few steps and added a few strokes to another pattern some distance away from him!

  "According to the law, the gravitational force between objects is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them and directly proportional to the product of their masses... Positive particles correspond to antiparticles... The orbit of the eastern 'Azure Dragon' star is still normal, that is to say, in 791 days, it will indeed overlap with the sub-star 'Shadow Dragon' star, causing tidal forces on this planet where I am standing..."

  As he said this, the man's face, which was not particularly handsome but had a certain air of elegance, took on a thoughtful expression: "Two overlapping stars, even if you add the natal star and the current star, that's only four stars. The fluctuations in stellar energy emitted are still not enough to meet the minimum standard for leaving this star... Three years ago, I fell from Earth onto this giant star, but it was only because of the once-in-a-century Nine Stars Alignment that I was able to do so..."

  "Nine stars in a row, the overlapping star power of nine starry skies..." The man raised his head and gazed up at the sky that was not yet completely shrouded in darkness. His eyes fell on one particular star. Even though it wasn't fully dark yet, that star's radiant light was still so mesmerizingly beautiful.

  "I spent three years calculating the orbits of countless stars, and finally relied on the balance point of the gravitational forces between the stars to bring the 'Divine Moon' - a small planet with a diameter of 200 kilometers - into orbit above the star... If I can't recalculate the fifth planet that can borrow stellar power within 682 days, the 'Divine Moon' will enter the gravitational orbit of Qinglong Star and become its satellite. At that time... With my second-level cultivation of Stellar Force, it would be impossible to correct the trajectory of the 'Divine Moon'."

  Once "Divine Month" loses control and is unable to gather the star power of five consecutive stars, he will not be able to leave this planet again for at least several decades.

  Haunted by this three-year-long puzzle, the man slightly furrowed his brow, staring at the countless stellar gravitational calculation formulas etched on the ground, his brain computing at an extremely terrifying frequency.

  Just as the men were fully absorbed in calculating these data, the drawings and formulas in front of him were suddenly slashed away by a sword with a cold light, the original neat formulas became chaotic, but the calculated results were clear at a glance, all disappeared under the few sword strokes.

  The man raised his head and saw a 17 or 18-year-old girl who looked lively and pretty.

  The girl noticed the man's gaze, and with a bit of playfulness, she stuck out her tongue: "It's not my business, it was Miss who told me to do this." After finishing speaking, she ran quickly to the side of the courtyard and stopped in front of a tall and slender woman with a green sash around her waist.

  Seeing the man's gaze, the woman's expression didn't change, her tone slightly cold and detached, as if saying something extremely ordinary: "I remember I told you before, every time I see you scribbling these boring things, I have the right to destroy one of them."

  The man known as Gu Qing chuckled softly and nodded at the girl who had messed up her formula, but didn't say anything. He remained standing there, lost in thought about the problem he hadn't figured out earlier.

  Seeing her uncle nodding at her, the tall and slender girl leaned in a bit closer to her companion: "Miss, every time Uncle looks like this, he can't be keeping all these things in mind, can he?"

  "Xiao Lin, don't bother with him!" After finishing her words, the woman looked at the man again, and a faint chill appeared on her pale face: "Gu Qing, three days later is the 50th birthday of the Emperor, at that time all the high-ranking officials and nobles will rush to the capital. Among them, there are some talented individuals who are outstanding in their cultivation of Qi Dao. If nothing happens, you'd better stay in the courtyard and don't go out wandering around. If you provoke someone you can't handle, I won't help you."

  But she didn't know if the other person was too absorbed in his thoughts and didn't respond to her words at all.

  The woman, seeing the situation, was about to scold him a few times, but seemingly thinking of her own status, endured and said softly: "Believe that with your ability, every day except for staying in this courtyard and painting these things, you can't stir up anything else, so just stay here." After finishing speaking, she left the place like this, from head to toe, without even entering the courtyard.

  After the girl left, a servant who was watching from a distance suddenly whispered: "The seventh young master is really good to Miss Hsu, this is the fifth time this month! I saw the seventh young master busy all day today, and just finished writing and painting these things, but they were ruined by Hsu Xiaolin's little maid. He didn't get angry at all, the young master is really tolerant of Miss Hsu..."

  "What's the use of Seventh Young Master being good? Miss Xu doesn't truly like him! If it wasn't for the Second Prince confusing her at first, Miss Xu would have randomly found someone to marry on a whim in her anger. This enviable matter wouldn't even be considered for Seventh Young Master! With Miss Xu's looks, temperament, reputation, family background, and strength, looking across the entire Great Qi Dynasty, the number of noblewomen who can match her are countable on one hand. The young and talented men pursuing her could fill up the streets outside our Hou Wang Fu!"

  This matter is apparently no secret in Daqicheng either. As soon as he spoke up, someone immediately echoed him.

  "Yes, the Second Prince and Miss Xu, they are truly a golden boy and jade girl, a perfect match made in heaven... Unfortunately, the flower has fallen, and the water has lost its feeling... The Second Prince actually abandoned Miss Xu for Concubine Qingping, it's really heartbreaking..."

  "I think our Seventh Young Master is not bad either, not only does he not have the vicious temperament of those aristocratic young masters, but he also never makes things difficult for us servants, and even smiled at Miss Xu's maid after his hard work was ruined earlier."

  Next to him, a florist immediately chimed in: "Return with a smile? I think it's just to curry favor with that Miss Xu! Besides, what else can he do if he doesn't return with a smile? Can he still dare to take action and teach her a lesson? That maid is not only Miss Xu's personal maid, but also a master who has cultivated up to the sixth level of Qi, condensing true energy. Does Young Master Seven dare to find trouble with that maid?"

  The servant who had spoken earlier heard the news and couldn't help but let out a suppressed cry of surprise: "That little girl? She looks so delicate and refined, yet she's actually a master with six meridians unblocked. You must be joking."

  "Yes, that girl may have worn a precious sword and looked impressive, but with her soft and weak appearance, I can easily knock her down. How could she possibly be a master of the six levels of Qi cultivation?"

  The flower master saw that everyone was making a big fuss because of his words, and he seemed to have a sense of accomplishment: "Not only is that girl's meridian sixfold, but even Miss Xu, it is said that she is also a master with sevenfold meridians who has opened up her veins. Otherwise, how could she make the Seventh Young Master eat his words?"

  "Miss Xu is the daughter of the Xu family, and in our Tiandu City, she is also famous and well-known to every household. If you say that she is a master of the seventh level of Qi Dao, I believe it! But as for that little girl..."

  "No matter how skilled the little girl is in Qigong, as long as Miss Xu is backing her up, Seventh Young Master wouldn't dare to touch her. Otherwise, if things were to get out of hand and reach the top, Seventh Young Master would definitely be scolded, and might even get beaten with a board."

  At this point, several servants nodded in deep agreement.

  "I think that if Seventh Young Master had even a cultivation base of six layers, or some special skill, the Marquis would be very satisfied. At that time, he could casually assign some tasks and wouldn't have to stay at home, idle and useless, being looked down upon by others, and even his own wife doesn't take him seriously."

  "Yes, Seventh Young Master spends all day drawing these strange and weird things, he has been painting for nearly three years, completely ignoring the aspects of literature and martial arts, no wonder Marquis Hou doesn't think much of him! Our Great Qi Dynasty was founded on military power, a person's strength almost symbolizes his identity and status within the empire! As the seventh son of the Marquis of Wuwei, Seventh Young Master has abandoned his martial pursuits, neglecting to study the various secret manuals of martial arts collected in the Hou estate, swordsmanship and archery, instead indulging in these... childish scribbles, it's really..."

  "What does it matter, the young master has twelve sons and six daughters. Although the seventh son is ordinary, the eldest son and second son are extremely outstanding. The other few young masters are also young and talented. With these few young masters here, they will surely be able to carry on the glory of our Hou Manor..."

  "That's... more than seven young masters, less than seven young masters..."

  Before he could finish, a middle-aged man from the side quickly walked over and shouted sternly: "Shut up! The masters' affairs are not for you lowly servants to discuss. If the steward hears about it, be careful or you'll get dozens of slaps and be kicked out of the Wang Manor together! Hurry up and go do your work!"

  Several subordinates saw that the middle-aged man's words were severe, and they didn't dare to say more. They all responded with a few nods and quickly returned to their own positions, starting work.

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