The moment Li Nanzhu pushed open the door, a dazzling array of lights washed over her. She instinctively closed her eyes and took a half-step back, while Suisui let out a click and gripped her collar tightly.
"Happy birthday, Little Junior Sister!"
Voices raised in celebration echoed in her ears, and only then did Li Nanzhu slowly open her eyes.
The sight before her left her completely stunned.
Her originally simple guest room had been transformed into a spacious and bright hall. Twelve glazed palace lanterns hung high above, illuminating the space until it was as bright as day.
A red carpet embroidered with Five Elements patterns covered the floor, extending all the way to a red sandalwood table in the center of the hall.
Duan Xianxing, dressed in a brand-new purple robe, came bouncing toward her holding a lotus lantern.
Feng Weilan had uncharacteristically shed his martial attire, wearing a moon-white long gown with silver patterns that shimmered under the candlelight. Feng Qingping stood by his side, her dress as white as snow, with a jade hairpin in her hair emitting a warm glow.
Zhu Yinxi’s jade flute was tied with a red silk ribbon. Even Jiang Yifan, who usually only wore plain red, was dressed in gold-woven ceremonial robes today. Even Mu Wenyan had changed out of his plain long gown for an indigo brocade robe that made his features appear as refined as a painting.
In the center of the hall, Feng Yi wore sapphire blue ceremonial robes with gold-threaded embroidery on the cuffs that sparkled in the candlelight. He was looking at her with a smile.
"This..." Li Nanzhu, still holding Suisui, was completely caught off guard.
Duan Xianxing was the first to hop over, stuffing the lotus lantern into Li Nanzhu’s hands. "Little Junior Sister, why are you dazing? Today is your big day."
"My... big day?" Li Nanzhu blinked in a daze.
Feng Yi stepped forward and explained with rare gentleness, "When you entered the sect, you said you were an orphan. I searched for clues about your background but found nothing. According to the sect regulations, those without a recorded birth date use the day they entered the sect as their celebration."
He raised a hand and flicked his fingers, and the candles around the hall lit up simultaneously. "Today marks exactly one year since you entered the sect. It is time for your coming-of-age ceremony."
Only then did Li Nanzhu notice that the entire hall’s layout strictly followed the regulations for a coming-of-age ceremony. An incense burner table was set to the east, ritual vessels were placed to the west, and on the red sandalwood table in the center, a jade comb, a silver hairpin, and a gold crown—the three ceremonial items for the hair-pinning—were neatly laid out.
"I..." Li Nanzhu’s eyes suddenly grew hot, and her voice choked up, leaving her unable to speak.
Seeing her like this, a trace of pity flashed through Feng Yi's eyes. "This coming-of-age ceremony should have been held in the main sect hall, but unfortunately..."
He paused, then waved his wide sleeve. Phantom images of the Five Elements Dao Sect’s gates suddenly appeared on the four walls of the hall. "However, within this small world, it is not so bad."
Li Nanzhu finally understood. Her master had used a grand divine ability to open a separate space here, even projecting the sect’s scenery into it. This level of care sent an unprecedented wave of warmth through her heart.
"What are you standing there for?" Feng Qingping walked up and pulled her hand without waiting for a response. "You need to change your clothes and do your hair. We can't miss the auspicious hour."
Li Nanzhu was led to a side room that was even more spacious than she had imagined.
A carved rosewood dressing table stood in the center, topped with various cosmetic boxes. Behind a screen to the west, a brand-new set of green robes hung on a garment rack.
Feng Qingping’s expression softened. "Sit down."
She undid the braids Li Nanzhu usually wore and began to comb through her hair with a peach-wood comb.
"This is..." Li Nanzhu looked at herself in the mirror. Her long hair cascaded down like a waterfall, leaving her in a bit of a daze.
"For the coming-of-age ceremony, the hair must be left loose first," Feng Qingping explained, her hands moving steadily. "Later, the master will bind your hair and add the pins for you."
When the grooming was finished, Feng Qingping brought over the green robes. Upon closer inspection, Li Nanzhu realized it was actually a set of magic robes.
The entire garment seemed woven from flowing green clouds, with faint Five Elements runes embroidered on the collar and cuffs that emitted a soft glow under the light.
Feng Qingping smiled and said, "The master personally refined this Qingxiao flowing cloud robe. We wanted to add something to it ourselves, but..." She shook her head. "The grade is too high; we couldn't even begin to work on it."
Li Nanzhu touched the fabric cautiously. It felt cool and smooth as jade, yet as light as nothing at all.
She noticed a tiny character for 'Li' embroidered on the inside of the collar, the stitching so fine it was almost invisible.
"Put it on," Feng Qingping said. "The master said this robe can change according to your will. It is impervious to blades, fire, and water, and it can help calm your heart during cultivation."
Once finished, Li Nanzhu changed into the Qingxiao flowing cloud robe, looking like a completely different person.
The girl in the mirror had features like a painting, with a silver silk ribbon at her waist ending in tassels that swayed gracefully like flowing water with every movement.
"Let's go," Feng Qingping said, taking Li Nanzhu’s hand. "Everyone is waiting."
When Li Nanzhu reappeared in the hall, everyone's gaze fixed on her.
A chorus of gasps erupted. Feng Yi looked at his transformed youngest disciple and nodded with satisfaction. "Not bad. These magic robes truly suit you."
He walked to the red sandalwood table in the center. The three items for the hair-pinning gleamed with a warm luster under the palace lanterns. "The auspicious hour has arrived. The coming-of-age ceremony begins."
Li Nanzhu took a deep breath and stepped forward, kneeling formally on a cushion. The room immediately fell silent.
Feng Yi picked up the jade comb and began to comb her long hair, chanting:
"First stroke: to shed childishness and understand reason."
As the comb passed through her hair, Li Nanzhu felt a warm current spread from the top of her head throughout her entire body.
"Second stroke: to know etiquette and guard your original heart."
With the second stroke, it was as if she saw the fragments of her past year within the sect flashing before her eyes.
"Third stroke: to bear the Great Dao and continue the legacy."
Feng Yi set down the jade comb. Just as he was about to reach for the silver hairpin on the table, Li Nanzhu suddenly pulled a sparrow-head hairpin from her sleeve.
"Master..." Her voice was soft, as if afraid of disturbing something. "I wish to use this one."
Feng Yi’s hand paused in mid-air.
When he took the jade hairpin, his fingertips lightly brushed the sparrow’s eye, and a nearly imperceptible ripple flashed in the depths of his eyes.
"Very well," he finally said, his voice a few shades softer than usual.
Li Nanzhu lowered her eyes, her heart suddenly skipping a beat.
As Feng Yi held the pin and began to style her hair, the light from the glazed lanterns shifted. For a moment, she dazed, feeling as though the lark on the jade pin had fluttered its wings, a dot of cinnabar red bleeding out under the light.
In that haze, the hand holding the pin seemed to transform into another slender, jade-like hand. Feng Yi’s silhouette overlapped for a fleeting second with a figure from her memory.
It was Xiao Yan.
She had actually already passed her coming-of-age year.
During her fifteenth year, she had spent four full seasons in Xiao Yan's inheritance secret realm. He had used such a green jade sparrow-head hairpin to put her hair into her first adult bun.
She hadn't expected that a year later, she would undergo the coming-of-age ceremony again, witnessed by her fellow disciples.
Feng Yi’s hand was steady as the jade pin slid gently through her hair.
"First pinning: To signify your adulthood; may you strive unceasingly for self-improvement."
Feng Yi's voice pulled her back to reality.
Li Nanzhu blinked. In the light of the glazed lanterns, Feng Yi's figure was clear as ever. That moment of overlapping felt like nothing more than a trick of the light.
Next, Feng Yi picked up the gold crown and placed it on her head:
"Second pinning: To clarify your ambitions; may you bravely scale the highest peaks."
As the gold crown was set, a sense of noble aura filled her entire body. Li Nanzhu unconsciously straightened her back.
Finally, Feng Yi placed a spiritual talisman into her palm:
"Third pinning: May your heart be like the bright moon, clear and translucent."
"The ceremony is complete."
"From this day forward, you are truly grown."
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