Night.
A young man lay on a rooftop, resting his head against the central ridge and gazing up at the sea of stars that filled the sky.
He looked intently, as if trying to find a water-blue planet within that silver river of starlight.
"Brother Feng, look over there! That star is so bright."
Hearing this, Gu Feng turned his head to look at the little girl beside him. She was only about five or six years old.
At that moment, she was pointing one finger at the sky and looking at him excitedly. Her wide, watery eyes darted back and forth, making her look both clever and adorable.
Gu Feng followed the direction of her finger. What came into view was an exceptionally brilliant star that flickered from time to time.
Compared to it, the surrounding stars appeared somewhat dim and lusterless.
Gu Feng looked at the little girl, his eyes and brows brimming with smiles. With a slightly exaggerated tone, he said:
"Little Yuanyue is truly amazing for finding the prettiest, prettiest, prettiest little star in the whole world."
The little girl didn't understand the exaggeration in Gu Feng's tone; she thought she really had found the prettiest little star in the world.
She beamed with joy, her two bright, intelligent eyes squinting into the shape of little crescents—a picture of utter cuteness.
"Hahaha..."
Unable to help himself at the sight of her adorable expression, Gu Feng laughed out loud, then scooped her up in his arms and hoisted her high into the air.
"Wow! This is wonderful, Brother Feng! I'm even closer to the pretty big star now."
The little girl waved her hands wildly at the sky, a joyful smile on her face, and let out ripples of cheerful laughter from time to time.
Looking up at the little sprite waving her hands vigorously toward the sky, Gu Feng asked:
"Little Yuanyue, do you want to get even closer to the big star?"
"Yes!!!"
Gu Yue replied with great excitement, her chubby little face flushed bright red.
"Are you ready?"
"Brother Feng, I'm read—"
Before Gu Yue could finish her sentence, Gu Feng tossed her three or four meters into the air.
"Ahhh... I'm even closer to the big star!"
Startled by the sudden toss into the sky, Gu Yue first let out a frightened shriek, followed immediately by a cry of pure excitement.
After a long while...
Gu Feng withdrew his gaze from the starry river filling the sky and looked at Gu Yue beside him.
By now, Gu Yue had long since fallen fast asleep, the earlier bouts of wild play having completely exhausted her meager energy.
Curled up in a ball, her little head rested heavily against Gu Feng's stomach as she slept soundly.
Gu Feng gently gathered her into his arms and leapt down.
His figure swayed slightly in the air before he landed lightly and steadily upon the smooth, even flagstones, a very faint thud coming from beneath his feet.
Holding Gu Yue, Gu Feng walked through several long covered corridors until he reached the Western Courtyard.
Following the verandas for another hundred paces, he finally arrived at the entrance of the detached courtyard where Gu Yue's family lived.
"Ah, having a family estate this big has its downsides. Even just sending a little one home requires winding around for hundreds of paces."
Gu Feng muttered to himself with a complex expression, something he never could have imagined in his past life.
"Who?! Who's speaking out there?"
A woman's voice suddenly called out from within the courtyard.
"It's me, Gu Feng."
"Ah, so it's the Third Young Master! This servant pays her respects to the Third Young Master."
A maid in the prime of her youth walked out from the courtyard gate. Catching sight of Gu Feng, she hastily bowed in greeting.
Recognizing her as Leyi, the personal maid of his Fifth Aunt, Gu Feng nodded slightly and said:
"Little Yue played too hard today and fell fast asleep. Hurry and carry her inside to rest."
"Understood," Leyi replied respectfully, bowing her head as she reached out to take Gu Yue.
Seeing Leyi take the child, Gu Feng nodded and prepared to head back to his own quarters.
Just then, another voice drifted from the courtyard: "Xiaoyi, who is out there? Is that Xiaofeng?"
Hearing that voice, Gu Feng stopped the foot he had just raised.
He recognized the voice instantly as belonging to his Fifth Aunt, Chi Wan.
"Yes, it's me, Fifth Aunt."
Before Leyi could answer, Gu Feng called out first.
Right on cue, a young matron of twenty-four or twenty-five walked out from the courtyard. With delicate facial features, a slender figure, and simple, neat attire, she gave an impression of gentle and quiet beauty.
"Xiaofeng, come inside and sit for a while. Your Fifth Uncle happened to come home today.
"He hasn't seen you in ages and was just talking about you a moment ago," Chi Wan said softly.
"Fifth Uncle came home today?
"Please convey my regards to him, Aunt. Tomorrow morning I will certainly bring a gift to pay my respects to you both."
Without losing the smile on his face, Gu Feng feigned a series of yawns and declined:
"It's getting a bit late, and after playing wildly with Little Yue all day, I'm rather tired and want to head back to rest. I won't disturb you and Fifth Uncle just yet."
His Fifth Uncle was always keen on lecturing the younger generation—and not just on scholarly matters, but martial ones as well.
If he went inside to sit now, Gu Feng feared he wouldn't get a good night's sleep.
"Very well, then be careful on your way back."
Chi Wan had wanted to persuade him to stay, but seeing how exhausted Gu Feng looked, she had no choice but to drop the matter.
"Don't worry, what could possibly happen in our own home?"
Wearing a smile, Gu Feng turned and walked toward his quarters.
"Take Yue'er back to the side room," Chi Wan instructed Leyi as she watched Gu Feng's retreating figure.
"Yes, Madam."
The two of them then returned into the courtyard.
"Creeak!"
Chi Wan gently pushed open one half of the main room's door and stepped inside.
Seated in an armchair inside was a young man of about twenty-five or twenty-six.
He was engrossed in a blue-covered book. Judging from the visible portion of the title, it appeared to be a manual on martial arts.
"Hmph, the moment you return, all you know is to read those precious martial arts manuals. Are our daughter and I worth less than those lifeless objects?"
Seeing this scene the moment she stepped in, Chi Wan could not help but scold playfully.
"Don't be upset, my dear. I was just having a moment of idle boredom, simply skimming through it, that's all."
Gu You gave an awkward laugh and hastily tossed the manual onto the desk.
"You just came from outside—was it Xiaofeng who brought Yue'er back?"
Gu You stood up, walked over to Chi Wan, and pulled her halfway into his arms as he asked.
Chi Wan leaned naturally against her husband's chest and said with a trace of shyness:
"Yes, it was indeed Xiaofeng who brought the child back."
"Why didn't you have him come in and sit? I haven't seen the lad in a long time."
"Ah, the boy is terribly stubborn; he insisted on coming tomorrow with gifts to pay his respects to you."
"When coming to see family, what need is there for gifts? How is Xiaofeng becoming more and more like Lingyun?"
"Our Gu Family relies on force to establish a foothold here in Anshuang County, not those flowery formalities," Gu You said, a trace of displeasure crossing his face.
"Alright, alright, why are you getting upset with a child?
"Besides, you're busy with cultivation day in and day out. Little Yue is only this sensible and polite thanks to Xiaofeng's constant guidance.
"I used to worry she'd turn out just like you, fighting and killing all day and acting nothing like a young lady," Chi Wan said in a slightly reproachful tone.
"Ah, our Gu Family has few descendants. To hold onto this family estate, we must pour all our energy into martial arts cultivation. A few tedious formalities are better discarded!"
Gu You sighed helplessly, a flicker of apology flashing in his eyes.
How he wished his daughter could grow up and marry like a normal girl, but the current situation of the Gu Family did not allow for it.
Hearing this, Chi Wan raised her hands to gently grasp Gu You's hands, comforting him in soft tones:
"Husband, don't we still have you?
"You are the recognized martial arts prodigy of Anshuang County. Even Elder Guy puts great hopes in you. You will surely be able to prop up the future of the Gu Family."
"What worries me isn't that; what worries me is the third generation of the Gu Family's direct lineage."
Gu You clasped Chi Wan's delicate hand in return and let out a helpless sigh.
"Aside from Changqing, the rest of the third-generation descendants fall far short, both in talent and temperament."
Chi Wan fell silent at these words; she was well aware of the awkward predicament the Gu Family currently faced.
"Forget it, let's not talk about this. Let's go to the side room and check on Little Yue'er.
"Having been away for these past few months, I've missed our precious daughter to death."
Gu You laughed heartily, took his wife's hand, and walked out toward the rooms.
The Gu Family was a clan that had suddenly risen in Anshuang County some thirty-or-so years ago.
Back then, Elder Gu had come to Anshuang County all alone and built everything from scratch.
Today, the Gu Family was the preeminent clan in Anshuang County, solely because Elder Gu was the only Ninth-Rank Expert in the entire county.
As long as the Elder remained, the status of the Gu Family would be unshakable.
Elder Gu had four sons and a daughter: the eldest son Gu Qian, the second daughter Gu Jin, the third son Gu Hou, the fourth son Gu Zo, and the fifth son Gu You.
Now, Elder Gu was gradually retiring behind the scenes, and the second daughter had married far away to the commandery city.
Most matters of the Gu Family were jointly decided by the Elder's four sons.
As the leading family of Anshuang County, the Gu Family's estate was naturally vast. The layout resembled a four-section courtyard with five compounds of the world of Gu Feng's past life,
with two additional wing courtyards added to the eastern and western sides, known respectively as the Western Courtyard and Eastern Courtyard.
The entire estate covered an area of fifty or sixty mu.
The central main courtyard was used for holding meetings and receiving distinguished guests, and Elder Gu and the eldest son's family lived there.
The several courtyards of the Western Courtyard were mainly occupied by the remaining direct descendants of the Gu Family.
Because the family had few members, the sprawling Western Courtyard was inhabited by only three households: Gu Feng's, his Fourth Uncle's, and his Fifth Uncle's.
The primary building in the Eastern Courtyard was the Library Pavilion, which was also the tallest building in the Gu Family estate, standing a full five stories high.
The Library Pavilion was a square-based octagonal structure built entirely of mortise and tenon joints in pure wood. It used a special timber called ironwood, which was as hard as stone and iron and exceptionally expensive.
Starting from the first floor, the overall structure tapered upward to enhance stability and firmness. The building reached a total height of 49.9 meters, with a base width of over 30 meters.
From afar anywhere in Anshuang County, one could see this towering edifice standing majestically against the earth—a truly magnificent sight.
From the perspective of Gu Feng's past life, a building approaching 50 meters was nothing special, hardly worthy of being called towering.
Yet to Anshuang County, where the vast majority of buildings stood only one or two stories high, it was an absolute landmark architecture.
Aside from the Library Pavilion, the remaining area of the Eastern Courtyard was enclosed to form a large garden.
Within the garden, artificial mountains and winding streams formed a picturesque landscape. Clear creeks meandered with babbling waters, pavilions and terraces stood at varying heights, birds sang in secluded depths, and fish leapt in lotus ponds.
It was currently spring; willows were green, a hundred flowers competed in brilliance, orioles sang and swallows danced, green grass flourished, and a pair of little rabbits occasionally darted through the flowerbeds.