Phoenix of the Nine Heavens - Feng Yu Jiu Tian

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The (Seven) Warring States Period: 475 BC- 221 BC, Ancient China was separated into 7 major states, which were continuously at war with each other. During this period, Agriculture, industry, economy, weapons and technology flourished. So did the legacy of war tactics written by tacticians of that time from that era which are still respected and studied in this age. This was a complete mess for the country itself, there was no time to develop the societies and culture until the next period of Ancient China were unification was beginning.

Bamboo Shoots (edible): Bamboo budding from the earth is harvest as food in numerous Asian cuisines. It has been part of the Chinese diet since the ancient periods.

The shoots themselves require several rounds of boiling, and is mostly enjoyed for its acrid taste and crunchy texture. It is often found in stir-fry dishes and dumpling dishes.

Gates of Hell In Buddhist beliefs in Ancient China, those who die would arrive at the gates of hell and would be sentenced accordingly to an underground punishment level-chamber where their souls will atone for their earthly sins. This is an intermediate stage before reincarnation.

Time (measurements): In Ancient China, time was told by ‘Xiu Chen’, this was basically the equivalent of two hours in our modern world.

Social rankings

Traditional China had very distinct class systems, much based on your blood lineage, such as royalty, nobility, government officials, military, mercenaries and the very poor peasant class. It was expected that one should respect those who are above them as it reflects their honor and dignity as a citizen of the kingdoms.  Regardless of class they were expected to “know their place” in society and to give the family name a good reputation. Often, the poor would sell their children to the rich as “servants”.

Honorary name suffixes honorifics

Emperor (Huang di) the title given to the king of kings (Huang di)

King (Wang) a head of state or someone of high nobility and status, title can also be given by the Emperor.

Prince (Wang zi)

Master someone of nobility or an individual highly respected for their wisdom or expertise in a skill. I haven’t found a better alternative for the high court noble in this chapter, as the Chinese character that follows his name means “Old man” but he isn’t one, his actually around 17-18 years old! It’s one of those things that often get lost in translation. So instead, I’ve called him Master.

Rong Tong, Tong Yi (yi sounds like a term of endearment here – like child I need to clear up the name later but let’s leave it as what it is for now). He uses the same character as Rong Tian. He is the child of a Xi Re Princess and a high nobleman. He acts superior and is rather reckless. He treats Rong Tian like a brother hence he is very close to him, and learns the art of sword fighting from him. He starts to develop discontent towards Feng Ming as the story unfolds.
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Feng-ming toke a big gulp of the more palatable liquid which Chiu-lan had newly dispensed for him, followed by a gargle as he rinsed the unpleasant aftertaste into a silver pan brought by the servants.

By this time he was meant to have a meal, but felt a bout of drowsiness cloak over his mind; perhaps it was a side effect of the wine he forced down. He released a yawn, and proceeded to sprawl back to rest on his bed.

Chiu-lan stood by his bedside and advised the frail young man with a gentle voice, “Prince, you should have a meal."

However, Feng-ming was unresponsive as he already began to gradually slip away.