Hundred Flower City, capital of Eight Flower Kingdom, was one of the most meticulous, and purpose-built cities I had ever visited.


    The center of the city was a lone mountain that towered above the surrounding countryside. An octagonal inner wall encircled the mountain, protecting and separating the monarchs and their direct subordinates. The palace complex was built on the peak of the mountain, and various administrative, military, and residential areas covered the slopes.


    Outside the inner wall, the city was separated into eight districts, each with distinct roles and responsibilities. All manual labor was to be conducted in the northern Water District, including smithing, alchemy, tailoring, or any other trade of cultivators or mortals. The western Marsh District was where any creative endeavors, such as painting or poetry, were to occur. The residential areas were in the eastern Thunder District, except for newlywed housing which was in the southwest Earth District.


    An octagonal outer wall surrounded the city, and dividing walls stretched from the vertices of the inner wall to their matching vertex on the outer wall, separating the districts. A wide river entered the city from the north, passed through the northern district, wrapped around the mountain, and flowed out through an opening in the western wall.


    For any normal, mortal city, the layout of Hundred Flower City would have been atrocious. For most people, traveling from where they lived to where they worked involved an hours-long trip around a mountain. Hundred Flower City was not a normal city, though. It was designed for cultivators, by cultivators, and its design reflected the needs and abilities of its inhabitants.


    Our carriage entered the city through the northwestern gate.


    Inside, the city was a mix of modern and traditional architecture. Some buildings were of the large traditional courtyard style with colonnades and peaked roofs, while others were high-rises with glass curtain walls.


    Our carriage took us to one of the larger courtyard-style buildings. It maintained some of the colorations of a Blue Wind Pavilion location, having the standard blue roof tiles and red walls, but it also had the silver and gray ornamentations that decorated every other building in the district.


    The city looked well-designed, and the eclectic mix of styles blended together to create an attractive cityscape, but streamers of black and dark blue hung from every building and black fabric had been draped between light posts. It gave me the impression that the city was in the middle of a wake after someone’s death, though, local traditions would have called for white decorations in such an instance. Instead of the somber impression the decorations gave me, the people on the street were happy and excited. People were bustling everywhere, and small carts had been set up to sell snacks and souvenirs.


    I turned to Mei. “What’s going on?”


    “I don’t know,” she said, looking just as confused as I was.


    We weren’t familiar with the city, so she approached our driver.


    “Is this the Pavilion?” Mei asked. “Isn’t it a bit small?”


    The driver laughed. “This is the Blue Wind Travel Bureau. If you want the Blue Wind Merchant Exchange, you’ll have to go to the Wind District.”


    “How do we get there?”


    “You can walk,” he said, pointing to a path. “That will take you round the city, but we’re in the Heaven District. Wind is in the southeast, so you’re going to have to go halfway round the city to get there. It’s fine if you don’t mind walking, but you might want to grab a chariot.”


    I noticed several small chariots pulled by wind horses making their way around the streets. The chariots were only large enough for three people, and it was standing room only, but they had an umbrella overhead to block out the sun.


    Following the driver’s advice, we signaled a free charioteer and climbed aboard his wagon. He took us east, circling around the city clockwise.


    Once we crossed into the northern district, the style of buildings changed. Gone were most of the tall multistoried structures. Instead, they were replaced with smithies and workshops. Instead of the silver and gray ornamentations, this district was decorated in black. Where small black streamers and bands of dark cloth adorned buildings in the Heaven District, giving me a mournful feeling, buntings of rich blues and blacks of various subtle hues made this district feel like it was in the throes of a vibrant celebration.


    “What’s going on here?” I asked the driver.


    He smiled and gave a broad wave with his right hand. “The Water Flower had bloomed. These celebrations will last another couple weeks before a new Flower will blossom.”


    I looked to Mei to see if she understood what that meant, but she shook her head.


    The driver took us through the Mountain District, decorated in light blue, the Thunder District, decorated in shades of green, and finally to the Wind District, where buildings were adorned in purple. Each of these districts had the same sad, black decorations the Heaven District had. Only the Water District stood out as a place of true celebration.


    “Blue Wind Merchant Exchange,” said the driver pulling up to an exact replica of the building from Dragon Gate City. We paid the driver, and he waved us away. “Good luck to you.”


    Mei nodded at me, so I took the lead.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Inside, this Pavilion was far busier than any I had seen before. Countless customers were being guided around by dozens of beautiful young women in the blue and silver qipao of the Blue Wind Pavilion. One thing that stood out, though, was that the Pavilion had also been decorated in the more festive blues and blacks of the Water District.


    Even though it was busy, as soon as we entered, an attendant immediately approached us.


    “How may I help you today, sir?”


    I held up the silver badge WuJing had given me and showed it to her. “Alchemist member Su Fang and personal disciple Pei LiMei. We want to register for a long-term stay.”


    The girl’s eyes widened, and she gave a deep bow. “Of course, sir, this way please.”


    She brought us to the eighth floor where a small team of secretaries was busy with bookkeeping.


    “Secretary Fei, a member wishes to register.”


    Fei looked at us. His brow furrowed upon seeing our youth, but he didn’t comment on it. I handed him my badge and explained.


    “Secretary Fei, my name is Su Fang. I am a Martial Grandmaster and a Rank 3 alchemist. I plan to reside in the city for some time, so I need accommodations and to be registered to receive any special orders.”


    Fei rubbed my badge a bit to make sure it was authentic.


    “This badge is for a Rank 2 alchemist,” he said simply.


    “Yes, sir. I advanced my alchemy during my travels and have not had a chance to update the information.”


    “Hmm, we’ll need to verify your skills before you can be assigned any special orders, but I’ll go ahead and begin the registration process for you. I’ll send the information to the Workshops today, and you should have access by tomorrow. You’ll be assigned a silver-level residence for now. Once your claim of Grandmaster Alchemy has been verified, we can move you into a gold-level one.”


    He began writing on several different pieces of paper one after another. When he was done, he handed me a sheet he had just completed.


    “Take this to the Residence Hall,” he said, “they’ll arrange for your placement. Good day.”


    After speaking, Secretary Fei didn’t look back up and restarted the work we had interrupted. The attendant who brought us up began guiding us back down to the ground level.


    “Is that it?” I asked. “Why are you leading us out?”


    She gave me a confused look. “Aren’t you going to your residence?”


    “Yes, but shouldn’t that be on the third or fourth floor?”


    She shook her head. “No. The city is very strict about who can have an apartment in the Wind District. Only top-level managers who need to be on-site at all times are allowed to stay here. Everyone else needs to live in the Thunder District.”


    I just blinked at her.


    She led us out of the Pavilion and pointed down a road. “Just follow that road north and you’ll enter the Thunder District. The Blue Wind Residence is unmistakable. It’s the only building with blue roof tiles.”


    “Thank you,” I said, giving her a short bow.


    “It was my pleasure to help, Grandmaster Alchemist.”


    <hr>


    Every building in the Thunder District was a multistory, high-density high-rise. This district had to house the entire city, and space was limited, so basic engineering principles were combined with the power of cultivators to create an impressive skyline of elegant and unique buildings. The Blue Wind Residence retained some of the artistic flourishes that were standard for the Pavilion but combined them with more modern-looking accents like glass walls.


    Using the documents provided by Secretary Fei, we were able to quickly register for an apartment, but Mei was too antsy to go upstairs and view it immediately. She wanted to get out on the streets.


    We took our time walking the streets of Hundred Flower City, but Mei’s path took up ever farther north. She didn’t settle down until we reached the Water District and she saw a young woman dressed in black robes.


    “Excuse me,” Mei said politely to the woman, “we’re new here. Can you tell us about the celebration that’s going on?”


    The young woman’s face beamed with an excited smile. “Of course! The Water Flower has bloomed!” The joy in her voice was evident for all to hear. “In two weeks, the new Flower will blossom. I know I don’t have a chance, but I dream of becoming one of her Seeds.”


    “What is the Water Flower?” asked Mei, trying to calm the girl down.


    “You don’t know!? The Water Flower is the Lord of the north. She guides the people of the kingdom to have safe and fulfilling careers, supporting those who wish to become skilled in any profession they choose.”


    I gave Mei a look and then approached the girl. “Sorry, but we’re new to the city. Could we buy you a meal? It would be nice if someone could sit down and explain things to us.”


    The girl seemed a little afraid of my offer, but Mei soothed her. “We just want to learn about the Water Flower. Please, we would be grateful for anything you can share.”


    “Alright, alright, I can do that,” she said, mustering her courage. “Let me take you to a place.”


    She took us to a large, open restaurant near the center of the district. The prices here were likely much higher than in other places, but it was no doubt the safest place for a lone girl to have a conversation with two strangers.


    “The Eight Flower Kingdom is protected by the Bagua Formation. The formation is empowered by the kingdom’s Rulers. The King in the center and the Lords on the borders,” the girl explained when we were seated in a semi-private room. “Each year, one of the Rulers steps down and a new one takes their place.”


    My gaze instantly darted to Mei when I heard this. Mei said she was confident she could ascend to the Lord realm here. This had to be the opportunity she was looking for.


    “A new Flower is chosen each year, so she will be city lord for eight or nine years?” I asked.


    “No, no,” the girl corrected. “A Flower Blossoming, when a new Flower is chosen is only held on years of yin energy. This year, a new Water Flower will blossom, and she will take charge of North Lake City. On odd-numbered years, years of yang energy, a Groom Selection takes place, and a Flower becomes the consort of the new Lord. Last year, was the Groom Selection for the Swamp Flower. As Flower Groom, he took over her duties as city lord of West Marsh City. A Flower reigns for eleven years and then serves as consort to her Groom for nine. After this Blossoming, it’ll be twenty years until a new Water Flower is chosen."


    I looked at Mei and saw a gleam in her eye. She wanted to become the new Water Flower.


    “How?” asked Mei, “How do you get chosen to be the new Flower?”


    “It’s difficult,” the girl demurred. “The requirements are very strict. You must be twenty-five, thirty-seven, or forty-nine, otherwise, your zodiac won’t be a proper match. Also, you must be a Peak Grandmaster and cultivate water qi.”


    Mei smiled at those requirements. They, of course, fit her perfectly. “Anything else?”


    “During the Blossoming, any woman who meets the requirements can compete for the position, and they are judged on several different factors.”


    “I’m new to the city. Would I still be allowed to compete?”


    “Yes,” the girl looked down with a sad face, “but the current Water Flower has several Seeds. These are young women she raised as her successors, and they will also be competing for the position of Flower. Outsiders are encouraged to join, the kingdom welcomes anyone willing to give the Oath, and strong outside cultivators are considered valuable additions to the city, but it is nearly impossible to surpass the Seeds.”


    We talked a little more, getting a few details about the selection process, and then said our goodbyes.


    “You want to be the Water Flower?” I asked Mei.


    “Yes,” she said with determination. “Don’t worry, though. You should get your chance to become a Lord in eleven years.”