Chronicles of Crowns and Chaos

Sweetie, how about we get you cleaned up and dressed first?" Mei Ningshuang said with a warm smile, already scooping Yun Shuyi up in her arms like a treasured dumpling.

Yun Qingye reached over and ruffled his son's already messy hair. "Kiddo, go. We'll talk later," he said with a grin.

"Okay, Dad! Mom, let's go," Yun Shuyi nodded eagerly—completely unaware of the bath-time ambush awaiting him.

Minutes later, in a luxurious jade-tiled bathing chamber that could fit a small pavilion, Yun Shuyi stood barefoot and bewildered, staring at a mist-covered tub that looked like it could swallow him whole.

"M-Mother… it's just a bath, right?" he asked suspiciously, inching backward.

Mei Ningshuang cracked her knuckles with a terrifyingly elegant smile. "Oh, sweetie. You've been running barefoot through the forest and hugging dirt for twelve years. This is not 'just' a bath. This is a decontamination ritual."

"Mama, wait—!"

SPLASH!

Into the tub he went.

What followed could only be described as a mild cleansing exorcism. Mei Ningshuang armed herself with soft, scented cloths and legendary determination.

"Hold still—your ears have twigs growing ecosystems."

"Mother! I need those ears!"

She scrubbed with the precision of a cultivator mastering ancient runes. Yun Shuyi flailed like a startled fish. Soap suds exploded in every direction.

"Why is the soap in my mouth?!"

"Well, maybe next time you won't scream with your mouth open."

"But I wasn't screa—aaaah!"

By the time she was done, Yun Shuyi was so clean he practically sparkled. His hair, once resembling a bird's tragic nest, now flowed like silky black ink. Mei Ningshuang took a step back and beamed.

"There! My handsome little prince again."

Yun Shuyi pouted, his cheeks still puffed from the ordeal. "You nearly drowned me in rosewater."

"Nonsense. You should thank me. Even the tub water apologized when I drained it."

He blinked. "Wait, wha—?"

Before he could protest further, Mei Ningshuang had already summoned a ceremonial robe—flowing silk in sky-blue and gold with the Jade Sky Clan crest stitched on the chest—and dressed him with motherly efficiency.

As they walked out of the chamber, Yun Shuyi mumbled under his breath, "I miss being dirty…"

Mei Ningshuang pinched his cheek. "What was that?"

"Nothing, Mother. I love hygiene."

Yun Qingye's POV

I stood in the grand corridor just outside the bathing chamber, arms crossed, leaning against one of the jade pillars. The ship's light hum echoed gently beneath my feet as I waited.

Honestly, I was bracing myself. Knowing Ningshuang… my son was probably being exfoliated within an inch of his life.

Then the doors slid open.

And out stepped a boy I barely recognized.

For a moment, I just stared.

That messy little mudball who had tackled me hours ago? Gone.

In his place was a freshly scrubbed, neatly-robed little cultivator-in-training. His hair now shimmered like black silk, flowing smoothly to his shoulders, tied up in a small silver clasp. His cheeks were pink from too much scrubbing. His wide eyes sparkled like star-jade, still blinking from the trauma of maternal over-care.

And that robe—sky-blue with gold trim—looked like it had been custom-woven by the Heavens themselves. The Jade Sky Clan crest gleamed proudly on his chest.

My son looked… well, dignified. Regal. Like a proper heir.

He also looked mildly betrayed.

I couldn't help it. I chuckled.

"Shu'er… is that really you? Or did your mother swap you with a celestial spirit while I wasn't looking?"

He pouted immediately. "She tried to boil me alive, Father."

"Ah, yes. The sacred Jade Sky cleansing tradition," I said with a straight face. "It's been passed down for generations. Survive it, and you unlock your true cuteness."

Shuyi narrowed his eyes. "You both planned this."

I held up my hands. "I would never conspire with your mother. She's too scary."

From behind him, Mei Ningshuang glided into view, eyes narrowed sweetly. "Scary, am I?"

I immediately cleared my throat. "I mean—graceful and assertive. As always, dear."

She smiled, smug. "Good save."

I turned back to my son and crouched slightly to his height. "You look good, Shu'er. Strong. Proud. Like a true son of the Jade Sky."

He blinked up at me, cheeks still red—but his lips curled into a shy smile.

"…Thanks, Father."

I ruffled his perfectly brushed hair.

"Let's mess that up a little."

"Faaather!"

Behind us, Ningshuang sighed, "Honestly. I spent forty-five minutes on that."

We walked off down the corridor together—mother, father, and freshly scrubbed son—laughing as the lanterns above glowed just a little brighter.

After I was dressed in fresh robes—soft, warm, and white with little cloud patterns embroidered in pale silver—Mother finally led me by the hand through a long corridor within the Celestial Jadewind. The walls whispered faintly, like wind threading through ancient trees, and the air smelled like starlight and cherry blossoms.

At the end of the corridor, we entered a large chamber made of glass and moon-metal. It opened up into a vast observatory, revealing the stars beyond. I gasped.

Galaxies swirled like slow-turning paint across a velvet sky. Worlds of blue, gold, and obsidian drifted in distant majesty. It was like staring into a dream where the sky never ended.

Father stood waiting for us inside, hands behind his back, staring out at the cosmos. He turned when I entered, his face gentle, his eyes proud.

"Come," he said, beckoning me. "It's time you learned… where you truly belong."

I walked forward and stood beside him. My eyes reflected the stars.

Father knelt beside me and spoke, his voice like thunder wrapped in calm:

"This is the Azure Vast, Shu'er. Our home. But it's more than that. It's not a world—it's the world. A realm so ancient that not even gods remember how it began."

Mother joined us and sat down, gently pulling me onto her lap. Her voice was soft, but full of awe:

"Some say the name 'Azure' comes from a sky that no longer exists… others say it's a breath left behind by a god who never had a name. But no one knows for sure."

I looked between them, wide-eyed. "It's… really that big?"

Father smiled faintly. "To call it a realm is to call the ocean a raindrop. The Azure Vast holds everything—planets bigger than stars, voids that swallow dreams, and sanctums where time stands still."

I leaned into Mother, my voice hushed. "And the Realm Tree?"

Her expression turned reverent.

"The Realm Tree… is the only thing that's always been here. Taller than the sky, older than the stars. She survived when the first beings destroyed each other. She made life again… from their remains."

I looked up at her. "She… made me too?"

Father's eyes softened. "In a way. You're part of that story now, Shu'er."

He stood again and gestured toward the stars.

"The Azure Vast has lived through four great Epochs. Each shaped by struggle, power… and hope."

He began to speak of them one by one, his words painting them into the stars.

⚫ Epoch I: The Null Genesis

"At the very beginning, there were no laws. Only the First Beings—shapers of existence. But they fought. And they fell. Their war nearly ended everything. Only the Realm Tree endured."

🌱 Epoch II: The Blooming Silence

"She wept… and from her sorrow, she created new life—Origin Beings. Slowly, Laws were born. Life evolved. The realm healed, though it never forgot."

🔥 Epoch III: The Age of Ascension

"Then came cultivation. The thirst for power. The rise of empires. Of races. And then… the Four Eternal Pillars who divided the Vast. Your mother and I, Shu'er, come from one of those Pillars."

He paused, then added softly,

"It was an age of greatness… and grief."

I blinked. "And now?"

Father smiled faintly.

"Now begins the Fourth Epoch. The time of unraveling… and renewal."

Mother kissed my head. "And you, Shu'er… were born at the dawn of this age."

I looked out at the endless sky. So many stars. So many worlds.

"…It's a lot," I said quietly.

Father chuckled. "It is."

I leaned into Mother, my voice a whisper.

"I'll remember it all. I promise."

Beneath the stars, so wide and deep,

A boy once lost forgets to weep.

The sky's too vast for hands so small,

But still, he dares to touch it all.