At dawn, Qin Yu opened her eyes to the sound of birdsong.
Luo Shangyu had already gotten up, leaving only a faint indentation on the bed.
Qin Yu touched the spot where Luo Shangyu had lain, still warm with her lingering presence.
As she brushed her fingers over the bedsheet Luo Shangyu had used, she unknowingly caught a trace of her aura.
Just as Qin Yu was savoring the moment, Luo Shangyu pushed the door open from outside, startling her.
Qin Yu hurriedly curled back under the covers, feeling a bit guilty—as if caught in the act.
“Luo Shangyu, you’re up?” Qin Yu asked weakly.
“Mm, you should get up soon too. We have magic practice this morning,” Luo Shangyu urged.
“All right~” Qin Yu slowly climbed out of bed and dressed in the clothes a maid had prepared earlier.
Though Qin Yu had been the Crown Princess for a long time now, she still kept her old habit of dressing herself, without maid assistance.
***
This morning’s training topic was Domain Magic.
Today marked Qin Yu’s first systematic introduction to Domain Magic, and she was very curious.
Ever since Grand Tutor Yin had used a Domain Magic to frighten off Ninth-Tier Demigod Zhao Zhuang during their duel, Qin Yu had been eager to learn about it.
Domain Magic was a powerful technique back then, but it was not easy to master.
Qin Yu’s first task was to learn the fundamental principles of Domain Magic.
After Grand Tutor Yin’s lengthy two-hour lecture, Qin Yu felt hypnotized and drowsy.
The basic principles of Domain Magic were dry and obscure, but thankfully Grand Tutor Yin’s teaching skills were excellent.
Even in her half-sleep, Qin Yu managed to grasp the key conclusions of Domain Magic.
The incantations of Domain Magic were actually ancient poetry and prose from Qin Yu’s previous life.
This was mainly because those literary works condensed rich emotions, and when activated by a magician’s Willpower, they could form extremely powerful domains.
Listening, Qin Yu felt she might be naturally good at Domain Magic: as a struggling high school student in her previous life, she had memorized many ancient poems, so now she had a virtually inexhaustible reservoir to draw from!
Grand Tutor Yin led Qin Yu to the Wuyan Arena in the Eastern Palace to demonstrate Domain Magic.
Grand Tutor Yin raised his Magic Staff and softly chanted, “The sunset’s infinite beauty, yet it nears dusk.”
The horizon darkened, leaving only a round sun on the skyline.
The fiery red light was gentle, not dazzling.
The sunset stained the clouds crimson, the orange-red sun and sky blending into a beautiful painting.
“This is…” Qin Yu was amazed.
She imagined this was what Li Shangyin had seen back then.
“This is the effect of Domain Magic on the environment,” Grand Tutor Yin explained.
With a wave of his hand, the Domain Magic ended.
Seeing Grand Tutor Yin use Domain Magic, Qin Yu felt an itch to try it herself.
‘Looks like Domain Magic is just this—releasing the emotions within the poem through willpower,’ Qin Yu thought as she stepped forward two paces and raised her Magic Staff.
“Lone smoke straight across the desert, the setting sun round!” Qin Yu recited casually.
Back in her previous life as a high school student, Qin Yu had nailed all the tests, and memorizing poems was effortless!
She concentrated, merging her willpower with the lines.
As the words left her lips, a vast desert scene suddenly appeared in the arena.
Qin Yu felt her willpower and mana being heavily drained as she maintained the domain.
She tried to step into the domain she had created—her feet touching the desert sand.
In the vast desert, wisps of smoke rose lightly; a bright river flowed in the distance, reflecting the sunlight cast by the sun hanging low.
Everything was so real.
Wang Wei’s poem had come alive.
“Truly worthy of Wang Wei—poetry with painting, painting with poetry, the reputation is well deserved!” Qin Yu marveled.
Suddenly, a wave of dizziness hit her mind.
The domain rippled and blurred like a watercolor palette immersed in water.
“Ah!” Qin Yu stifled a short groan and staggered, collapsing to the ground.
All the surrounding domain effects vanished, leaving only the spacious Wuyan Arena and Qin Yu sitting on the ground.
Grand Tutor Yin hurried over and helped her up.
“What happened?” Qin Yu was puzzled.
“Domain Magic consumes enormous willpower. Your willpower is not strong enough and couldn’t sustain the cost. You overexerted yourself,” Grand Tutor Yin explained.
“Releasing Domain Magic requires caution and not pushing beyond your limits. Forcing it can cause irreversible damage, even death,” he warned.
“But for a first attempt, you released such a magnificent domain—truly extraordinary talent! But I’m curious, you hadn’t learned that incantation before; how did you come up with it?”
“I… I happened to see it once…” Qin Yu avoided revealing that she was a transmigrator and dodged the question.
“It’s the happiest thing for me that the Crown Princess actively reads books on Domain Magic and memorizes incantations,” Grand Tutor Yin said with relief.
“Ha!” Qin Yu smiled awkwardly.
She didn’t dare accept the compliment; after all, this was her compulsory course from before crossing over.
After releasing Domain Magic, Qin Yu’s Willpower was too low to cast it again, so she rested in place to recover.
After a while, Qin Yu’s strength returned.
Grand Tutor Yin came over to demonstrate another type of Domain Magic.
The previous Domain Magic had affected the environment, but now Grand Tutor Yin would cast one that influenced emotions and such.
He explained the casting technique: “When reciting the incantation, you must pour genuine emotion into it to affect others.”
“Pour genuine emotion?” Qin Yu silently guessed, ‘It should be about resonating emotionally with the author’s feelings, right?’
Grand Tutor Yin raised his Magic Staff, cleared his throat, and loudly intoned: “When shall we trim the candle by the western window, and talk of the night rain in Bashan?”
His voice rose and fell, filled with longing for a loved one.
Suddenly, an invisible wave of emotion enveloped the arena.
Qin Yu felt an indescribable sorrow, the pain of separation from a beloved, as if a piece of her soul was missing.
“Luo Shangyu…” Qin Yu couldn’t help but whisper.
Although she had just seen Luo Shangyu this morning, it now felt like ages since their last meeting.
Soon, Grand Tutor Yin withdrew the spell, and the sadness in Qin Yu’s heart vanished instantly.
Still, her thoughts lingered on Luo Shangyu.
“Crown Princess?” Grand Tutor Yin called gently.
“Mm…” Qin Yu responded and then came back to herself.
“Are you feeling better?” Grand Tutor Yin asked with concern.
“I’ve recovered,” Qin Yu said.
The last Domain Magic had shaken her mental state profoundly, causing her brain to shut down for nearly ten seconds.
“Such a powerful magic!” Qin Yu admired.
With the demonstration finished, it was Qin Yu’s turn to attempt Domain Magic again.
She stepped forward, raised her Magic Staff, and recalled a poem in her mind.
“Peach and plum blossoms in spring breeze with a cup of wine; rivers and lakes in the night rain for ten years’ lamps,” Qin Yu softly recited.
What kind of feeling was this?
Qin Yu pondered carefully.
It was the memory of enjoying the blooming peach and plum blossoms with friends back then, then experiencing ten years of hardships on the road, now turned into the loneliness of an autumn night and rain under a solitary lamp, yearning for those friends and times.
Grand Tutor Yin suddenly paused, memories flooding his mind.
His old classmates had long since scattered.
How were they all faring now?
‘Parting has been a hundred years!’ Grand Tutor Yin sighed inwardly.
Qin Yu learned from her previous mistake and quickly dispelled the Domain Magic.
Grand Tutor Yin looked at her like she was a monster: “Could this be a genius? Even Legendary Magician Merlin’s Domain Magic wasn’t this gifted back then.”
He was so stunned he was speechless, only repeatedly exclaiming, “Good! Good! Good!”
***
After a morning of practice, Qin Yu had already grasped the usage of Domain Magic.
She only needed to recite the corresponding poem and reproduce the poet’s emotions.
Thinking of how many ancient poems she knew, Qin Yu felt if she could forge all of them into Domain Magic, she would become unbeatable in the world!
Before noon, Grand Tutor Yin handed Qin Yu a thick stack of memorials: “This is your assignment for the afternoon. Organize and classify which department each memorial should be submitted to. I have business in the afternoon; I’ll check it in the evening.”
Qin Yu stared at the stack, half a person thick, genuinely shocked.
“What to do? This will never be finished!” Qin Yu felt like crying.
Though the stack was thick, the number of memorials was not small either.
During the meal, Qin Yu kept pondering how to complete the task quickly.
After eating, she planned to look through the memorials carefully before making further plans.
Qin Yu took out the first memorial, a document approving the construction of a granary in a certain place.
The paper was special—slightly thick but very resilient.
She skimmed through it and noticed the seal at the end was marked “Ministry of Works Deputy Minister.”
“Aha~ There’s the answer!” Qin Yu smirked mischievously and began to “copy the answers,” using the seal on the approval as a guide to quickly classify all the memorials, reducing the need for careful reading.
Finishing the assigned task meant Qin Yu had plenty of free time that afternoon.
Thinking of an idle long afternoon, a wicked plan brewed in Qin Yu’s mind: ‘sneak out of the Imperial Palace to have some fun!’