Morning light filled the courtyard, and the fragrance of flowers drifted through the air.
After stepping out of the secret chamber, Gu Feng walked along the corridor of the courtyard. He was still pleasantly surprised at how smoothly he had managed to persuade his grandfather this time. As expected of a tycoon who had built his family fortunes from scratch, Elder Gu had lost none of the daring and decisiveness of his youth, despite his advanced age.
"Young Master, I am here."
Gu Feng looked to the side and saw Bai Lan, who had been waiting there for a good while. She was holding a square parcel containing gifts.
Gu Feng nodded at her, extended his right hand, and smiled with a chuckle. "Thank you for your hard work. Give the package to me."
Bai Lan obediently handed over the parcel. "Young Master, then I'll head back first."
Gu Feng gave a gentle nod, took the gift in his hand, and walked toward the residence of his Fifth Uncle. Though the thought of seeing his Fifth Uncle gave him a headache, he had already promised yesterday to be a guest, so he still had to go.
"Big Brother Feng, you really came! Mother didn't lie to me; she said you would come today, and you actually came!"
Gu Eryue was catching butterflies in the courtyard, her little dress fluttering in the breeze like a nimble lark. Seeing Gu Feng, she cried out happily and then hopped over to him with bounding steps. Gu Feng bent down slightly, opened his arms, caught Gu Eryue as she leaped into his embrace, and lifted her up gently. "Little Yue'er, were you waiting here specifically for me?"
"Yes! Big Brother Feng, Mother said you would come play with me today!" Gu Eryue replied from his arms, tilting her head back and looking up at Gu Feng with a hint of pride in her voice.
Gu Feng's lips curled into a faint smile. Without a word, he pinched Gu Eryue's fair, tender little cheek.
"Gu Feng, I haven't seen you in a long time. You've grown quite a bit taller, but this physique of yours doesn't look like that of a martial artist at all."
Only then did Gu Feng notice a youth of about twenty-five or twenty-six sitting in a pavilion within the courtyard. The young man was dressed in a green robe, looking tall, robust, and imposing, with a handsome face marked by sharp, cold angles.
"Your nephew greets Fifth Uncle. Several months have passed, and you are still as spirited and vigorous as ever." Gu Feng put little Yue'er down and bowed to Gu Yu.
"You rascal, you're getting better and better with your words. I just wonder how your martial arts cultivation is coming along?" Gu Yu walked out of the pavilion as he spoke and patted Gu Feng lightly on the shoulder.
Instantly, Gu Feng felt a slight wave of force transmitted to him, yet his expression remained completely unchanged as he replied, "My cultivation has made some slight progress recently, but I am still far behind Fifth Uncle."
Such a force was naturally trivial to Gu Feng, who had reached the Sixth Grade Realm. But if a Third Grade Martial Artist were to endure it, they would probably stumble and fall. In the past, Gu Feng would certainly have pretended not to be able to bear the force and staggered a couple of times. But now that he had confessed everything to his grandfather, he naturally had no need to put on a deliberate act.
Gu Yu raised an eyebrow, looked him up and down with a surprised expression, and said, "You brat, you've made quite a bit of progress lately. Could it be that you've already advanced to the Fourth Grade Bone Tempering Realm?"
Gu Feng smiled without a word. Seeing that he offered no denial whatsoever, Gu Yu took it as a tacit admission and was pleasantly surprised. "Although you started a few years later than others, with this rate of cultivation, as long as you practice diligently from now on, you still have a bright future."
Gu Yu lowered his head in thought for a moment, then said solemnly, "Advancing from the First Grade to the Fourth Grade in a mere three years—such talent is already no weaker than superior aptitude."
"Tomorrow, I must go talk to Father. We absolutely cannot let your talent be buried."
"Fifth Uncle, I will practice diligently, don't worry." Gu Feng merely nodded in agreement without offering any further explanation. Once the Elder started making his move, everyone would naturally find out in due time.
"Good lad, arrogant yet not conceited, calm yet not impatient. Excellent, keep it up!" Gu Yu patted Gu Feng's shoulder and pulled him straight into the courtyard. "Come, we must drink our fill today to celebrate our Gu Family gaining a Qilin-like prodigy, and to celebrate your advancement to the Fourth Grade."
The setting sun was slowly sinking, and clusters of white clouds merged into unbroken layers. Streams of rosy light burst through the gaps, and the lingering rays of sunset reflected upon the ripples in the courtyard, making the water look as if it were draped in garments of pale gold.
Gu Feng had gone to his Fifth Uncle's house in the morning, and it was now dusk by the time he finally walked out. In the end, Gu Yu failed to get Gu Feng drunk, but instead happily drank himself into a stupor—drunk not on the wine, but on his own high spirits.
Just as they stepped out of Fifth Uncle's front gate, the little girl Gu Eryue followed closely behind Gu Feng, her two little hands clutching the corner of his robe, chattering endlessly and demanding that Big Brother Feng tell her a story.
Gu Feng gave a helpless smile, pinched her fair little cheek, greeted the servants of Fifth Uncle's household, and then scooped her up into his arms, carrying her back to his own quarters.
Gu Eryue was currently the youngest member of the Gu Family's third generation. On the day she was born, Elder Gu had broken into the Ninth Grade True Qi Realm right at the limit of turning sixty years old. Born at such a special moment, combined with her naturally endearing, lively, and clever demeanor, Gu Eryue naturally became the little lucky charm of the entire Gu Family, adored by everyone she met. In particular, Elder Gu regarded her as the apple of his eye and doted on her immensely.
Martial artists in this world primarily cultivated their physical flesh and Qi and Blood Power during the early stages. Once they reached the age of sixty, the Qi and Blood Power within their bodies would begin to decline. Therefore, once a martial artist reached sixty, it became nearly impossible to advance any further in strength, and as they grew older, their strength might even begin to regress.
Gu Eryue had been very close to Gu Feng since she was a little girl. Under Gu Feng's guidance, the pampered little Yue'er did not show a shred of arrogance stemming from being spoiled; instead, she was remarkably sensible and well-behaved. The reason Gu Eryue liked Gu Feng so much was that when she was three years old, she had accidentally run into Gu Feng, who rarely stepped out of his quarters. Seeing how cute she was, Gu Feng couldn't help teasing her for a bit and told her a classic fairy tale that had been popular in his past life. From then on, whenever she had the chance, Gu Eryue would pester Gu Feng to tell her all sorts of stories. Over the past two years, Gu Feng felt as though his "inventory" was about to be completely exhausted.
...
The night passed quietly.
Early the next morning, Gu Feng's family of three and Gu Eryue were having breakfast in the dining hall. Gu Hou picked up a pastry with his chopsticks and said, "Father just sent someone over to notify me that after I finish eating, I am to take Feng'er to the martial arts practice field. I wonder why Father suddenly wants both of us to go there?"
Having said that, Gu Hou glanced at Gu Feng with a hint of puzzlement, but seeing that Gu Feng's face wore a similarly surprised expression, he thought no more of it.
"It's not strange for Father to want to see you, but calling out Feng'er by name to go along as well is indeed rather baffling," Gu Feng's mother, Lin Huiyun, said, looking equally perplexed.
"In past years, junior family members were only summoned to the martial arts practice field at the end of the year to display their cultivation results. But it's only the beginning of the year now, barely a month past year-end. Why summon the juniors together again?" Gu Hou asked.
"Never mind. Since Father wants to see you both, you'll know the reason once you go. There's no need to delve into it too deeply," Lin Huiyun said indifferently, placing a piece of meat into Gu Feng's bowl with her chopsticks. "My precious son, eat more meat so you can grow big and strong."
"Thank you, Mother."
Gu Feng accepted the food, continued to pretend to eat his breakfast earnestly, and occasionally took time out to tease little Yue'er beside him. In truth, Gu Feng had already roughly guessed the reason behind what his parents were discussing. It was simply too difficult to explain, so he preferred to just play the part of a foodie on the side.
After finishing breakfast, Gu Feng and his father headed toward the martial arts practice field together.
The martial arts practice field was where the third-generation disciples of the Gu Family usually gathered for morning training and sparring. The family rules stipulated that all third-generation disciples whose cultivation was below the Fifth Grade must come here every day for an hour of morning exercise. Of course, due to his special circumstances, Gu Feng had hardly ever come here over the past three years, and everyone in the family had tacitly accepted this arrangement.
Upon arriving at the practice field, Gu Feng found it completely silent, forming a sharp contrast with its usual bustling and noisy atmosphere. Several people were sitting in the spectator stands at the edge of the field. Gu Feng looked closely and saw that it was none other than the Elder and his three uncles.
When Gu Feng's three uncles saw him following behind Gu Hou, they felt a sense of wonder.
"You're here? Come sit down first," the Elder said, beckoning to them after seeing Gu Feng and his father arrive.
After they took their seats, the Elder swept his gaze across everyone before slowly speaking, "I called you all here today because there is a major matter that requires our discussion."
Hearing this, Gu Feng's uncles exchanged glances in bewilderment. They wondered why, if there was a major matter to discuss, it wasn't being talked about in the more secretive council hall or the secret chamber, but instead required the trouble of clearing everyone out of the martial arts practice field. Moreover, why bring Gu Feng along as well? Could this matter have something to do with Gu Feng?
Gu Yu, sitting in the spectator stands, froze for a moment. As if thinking of something, he turned his head to glance at Gu Feng, thinking to himself, *Could it be that the Elder already knows Feng'er has advanced to the Fourth Grade and is preparing to focus on grooming him?*