Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

Before dawn, the area in front of the Fengtian Hall was already filled with civil and military officials.

Zhu Di strode onto the throne, his face ruddy and his steps brisk. All the officials knelt and prostrated themselves, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

Zhu Di sat down, without saying "I have something to report," but instead scanned the room and slowly said, "The day before yesterday, the Empress was critically ill, and the imperial physicians were helpless. Today, the Empress has fully recovered."

A moment of silence fell over the hall. Zhao Hong, the Minister of Rites, was the first to step forward: "Her Majesty the Empress is in good health, a blessing from Heaven upon the Ming Dynasty. We are overjoyed."

Minister of War Fang Bin also knelt down: "Your Majesty's sincerity moves Heaven and Earth; we, your subjects, offer our congratulations."

Several civil officials echoed his sentiments.

Zhu Di raised his hand to stop the crowd: "Don't you all want to know who cured the Empress?"

The hall fell silent instantly.

"He is my son, Prince Rui, Zhu Gaoxi. My fourth son, who received the Daoist ancestor's inheritance, is a deity among immortals."

An uproar erupted inside the hall. Chen Ying, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, was the first to step forward, his face ashen.

"Your Majesty, Prince Rui is only seven years old. How could he possibly have any connection to the Daoist lineage? I fear Your Majesty may be being deceived. There are many wicked Daoists in the world, and quite a few of them use illusions to bewitch people. Your Majesty must be vigilant."

Several censors echoed, "Your Majesty, this matter is too suspicious. If someone takes this opportunity to mislead Your Majesty, the consequences will be unimaginable."

There was a commotion in the ranks of military officers.

Duke Zhang Fu of Yingguo's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward slightly. Duke Zhu Yong of Chengguo stroked his beard, his eyes gleaming. Marquis Zheng Heng of Wu'an leaned close to Zhang Fu's ear and whispered, "Duke Zhang Fu, what about this matter..."

Zhang Fu raised his hand to stop him, his gaze fixed on Zhu Di on the throne, and whispered, "Keep watching."

Zhu Di leaned back on his dragon throne, waiting for the civil officials to finish speaking before slowly asking, "You don't believe me?"

He called out in a deep voice towards the palace gate: "Prince Xuanrui requests an audience—"

Before the eunuch could relay the message, a streak of dark light shot through the air from afar, as fast as black lightning. Above the Fengtian Hall, the dark light abruptly stopped.

It was a sword. More than ten feet long and three feet wide, entirely black. A person stood on the blade.

Seven-year-old Zhu Gaoxi, dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, stood with his hands behind his back, his robe fluttering in the wind.

All the civil and military officials in the hall were stunned.

In the square in front of the palace, several eunuchs looked up and saw this scene. Their legs went weak, and they knelt down on the ground.

Meanwhile, outside the east side room of Kunning Palace, a different scene was unfolding.

Two palace maids, carrying copper basins and handkerchiefs, were about to enter to serve Prince Rui as he washed and dressed. Pushing open the door, they found the bed empty; the blankets were pulled back, and the prince was gone.

"Where...where is His Highness?" The young palace maid's voice trembled.

An older palace maid rushed to the window and peered out, just in time to see a streak of dark light flash across the sky above Kunning Palace, heading towards Fengtian Hall. A person stood atop the light, their moon-white robes fluttering in the wind.

"That's... His Highness?" Her legs went weak, and she knelt down on the ground, the handkerchief slipping from her hand.

"His Highness has flown away?" The little palace maid stood there, her mouth agape, unable to close it for a long time.

Several eunuchs in the corridor also witnessed it. An old eunuch dropped his whisk to the ground, his eyes widened, and after stammering for a long time, he finally managed to squeeze out, "This old servant has served in the palace for forty years, and this is the first time I've ever seen a person fly through the sky..."

At the entrance of the courtyard, the commander of the Imperial Guard responsible for protecting Prince Rui was dozing off against a pillar. He had been on guard duty all night and was extremely tired; he had just managed to get some sleep.

His subordinate suddenly patted his shoulder, his voice trembling: "My lord! My lord! His Highness... His Highness, he..."

"What's the panic?" The centurion opened his eyes impatiently. "What's wrong, Your Highness?"

His subordinate pointed to the sky, his fingers trembling.

The centurion followed his finger and saw a streak of dark light sweep across the sky, revealing a small figure in a moon-white robe. He recognized the robe; it belonged to His Highness Prince Rui.

"Your Highness?!" The centurion jumped to his feet, his neck nearly snapping back. "How come Your Highness is in the sky?!"

"He flew there..." the subordinate's voice seemed to be squeezed out of his throat, "His Highness... he flew there..."

The centurion opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word. He was responsible for protecting Prince Rui, fearless of mountains of knives and seas of fire, but who could tell him how he was supposed to protect a seven-year-old child who had flown away from the sky?

In the east side room, two palace maids were still kneeling on the ground, staring blankly out the window. The commander of the Imperial Guard at the courtyard gate craned his neck, refusing to lower it even when it ached.

The old eunuch under the eaves tremblingly picked up the whisk, muttering, "Amitabha, Amitabha..."

A young eunuch muttered under his breath, "Has His Highness Prince Rui... become an immortal?"

In the ranks of civil officials, Zhu Gaochi looked up at the sky, his mouth agape and his eyes almost bulging out. He knew his fourth brother possessed supernatural powers, but he never expected him to be able to fly so quickly.

Zhu Zhanji was so excited he felt like he could fly. If his father hadn't been watching over him and his grandfather hadn't been watching over him from above, he would have asked his fourth uncle to take him for a spin. Flying on a sword—how amazing! He had only heard of it before.

In the ranks of military officials, Zhu Gaochi suddenly jumped up, completely forgetting that he was in the imperial court. His eyes gleamed, and his voice changed: "That...that's...that's the fourth brother, my fourth brother! Flying on a sword!"

The military officer next to him quickly tugged at his sleeve, but Zhu Gaoxu ignored him, craning his neck to stare at the figure in the sky, his face flushed with excitement.

Zhu Gaosui stood slightly behind, looking up at his fourth brother who stood in the sky riding a sword. His pupils contracted, and his heart pounded faster. Flying on a sword, a pure Yang body.

The fourth brother was indeed the reincarnation of Lu Zu. His lips curled up slightly, unlike his second brother who lost his composure, he simply gave his fourth brother a deep look.

Among the ranks of military officers, Zhang Fu was the first to react. He suddenly stood up straight, his eyes flashing with a sharp light, his lips trembling slightly not from fear, but from excitement.

He had followed Zhu Di in battle for many years, what kind of scene hadn't he seen? But a seven-year-old child riding a flying sword suspended in the sky, this was a scene he had never seen before.

He slowly knelt down, his voice steady and powerful: "Heaven blesses the Great Ming! Your Majesty's acquisition of this divine son is a blessing for the Great Ming. We, your subjects, offer our congratulations!"

Zhu Yong immediately knelt down, his voice booming like thunder: "In all my years of fighting, I have never witnessed such a miracle! Your Highness Prince Rui possesses the bearing of an immortal; I am utterly convinced!"

Zheng Heng, Wang Tong, Xue Lu, and other military generals all knelt down in unison, the sound of their kneeling echoing throughout the hall.

They followed Zhu Di from Beiping to Nanjing, risking their lives on the battlefield. They never believed in ghosts or gods, but in real skills.

But today, a seven-year-old child descended from the sky riding a flying sword. They had no choice but to admire his skill.

In the ranks of civil officials, Zhao Hong knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling: "Your Highness Prince Rui possesses the bearing of an immortal! Your subject kowtows to Your Highness Prince Rui! What a blessing for the Ming Dynasty, and for Your Majesty!"

Fang Bin also knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly. Several censors stood there, their legs trembling, but they couldn't open their mouths to say that they had seen the sword and the flight with their own eyes.

Chen Ying's face turned ashen, her lips moved a few times, but she ultimately couldn't utter a word.

He glanced back at the military officers behind him, all kneeling. Then he looked at the civil officials beside him, most of whom were also kneeling. He gritted his teeth and slowly knelt down.

With a thought, Zhu Gaoxi sent the Dragon-Slaying Sword slowly descending, landing on the steps in front of the Fengtian Hall.

He lightly leaped off the sword, swung it backhand, and the Dragon-Slaying Sword transformed into a streak of black light, disappearing into his palm. Then he stepped into the Fengtian Hall, walked to the throne, and bowed: "Your subject greets Your Majesty."