Clack, clack-clack, clack, clack-clack.
The patrolling watchman struck his wooden clapper in a rhythmic beat.
The sound drifted into the stilted building. Fangyuan opened his weary eyelids and thought to himself, "It is the fifth watch."
He had spent the night lying in bed, deep in thought, mapping out a vast number of plans. When he finally drifted off, he had only slept for a little over two hours. Since this body had not yet begun its cultivation, his stamina was not particularly high, and waves of exhaustion still clung to his mind and body.
However, five hundred years of experience had long since forged Fangyuan’s will into something as unyielding as steel. This small bit of drowsiness was nothing to him.
He pushed off the thin silk quilt and rose from the bed with clean, efficient movements.
He pushed open the window. The spring rain had stopped.
A fresh, damp breeze, carrying the scent of soil, trees, and wildflowers, rushed toward him. Fangyuan instantly felt his mind clear, and the lingering sleepiness was swept away.
The sun had yet to rise, and the sky was a deep shade of blue, hovering between light and dark.
Looking out, the stilted buildings—constructed from green bamboo and timber—blended in with the surrounding mountains, creating a scene of tranquil, verdant green.
These stilted structures were at least two stories high, a design unique to the mountain folk. Because the terrain was rugged and uneven, the first floor consisted of massive wooden pillars, while the living quarters were located on the second floor.
Fangyuan and his younger brother, Fangzheng, lived on the second floor.
"Young Master Fangyuan, you’re awake. I’m coming up now to help you wash and dress," a girl’s voice called out from downstairs.
Fangyuan looked down to see his personal maid, Shen Cui.
Her appearance was merely average, but she was dressed well in a green tunic with long sleeves and trousers, embroidered shoes on her feet, and a pearl hairpin in her dark hair. Her entire demeanor radiated the vitality of youth.
She glanced up at Fangyuan with a delighted expression, picked up a basin of water, and hurried up the stairs.
The water was prepared at a comfortable, warm temperature for washing his face. For rinsing his mouth, she provided willow twigs dipped in snow salt, which served to clean his teeth and keep them white.Shen Cui waited on him tenderly with a smiling face, her eyes brimming with alluring affection. She then proceeded to dress Fangyuan and fasten his buttons, taking the opportunity every now and then to brush her plump breasts against his arms or back.
Fangyuan remained expressionless, his heart as calm as still water.
This maidservant was not only a spy planted by his uncle and aunt, but she was also vain and fickle-natured. In his past life, he had been deceived by her; after the Awakening Ceremony, when his status plummeted overnight, she immediately turned hostile and gave him no end of cold looks and disdain.
When Fangzheng arrived, he happened to see Shen Cui smoothing out the wrinkles on the chest of Fangyuan's robe, a flash of envy and jealousy involuntarily crossing his eyes.
Having lived with his older brother all these years and under his care, Fangzheng also had a servant to wait on him. However, it was not a young maidservant like Shen Cui, but rather a stout, heavy-set old woman.
"If Shen Cui could wait on me like that one day, what would it feel like?" Fangzheng wondered to himself, half-fantasizing, yet not daring to dwell on it.
It was an open secret in the household that their aunt and uncle favored Fangyuan.
Originally, Fangzheng did not even have a servant to wait on him; it was Fangyuan who had actively requested one on his behalf.
Despite the distinction in status between master and servant, Fangzheng usually did not dare to look down on Shen Cui. This was because Shen Cui's mother was none other than Mother Shen, who served closely by the aunt's side and acted as the steward of the entire estate, deeply trusted by the aunt and wielding considerable authority.
"That's enough, you don't need to fuss anymore." Fangyuan impatiently brushed away Shen Cui's soft little hand. His robes had long since been smoothed out; Shen Cui was merely trying to seduce him.
From her perspective, he had a bright future ahead of him with an extremely high probability of possessing Grade A aptitude. If she could become Fangyuan's concubine, she could transform from a slave into a mistress, achieving a leap to greatness in a single bound.
In his past life, Fangyuan had been blinded by her and had even grown fond of this maid. But after his rebirth, he saw through her completely, his heart as cold as frost.
"Withdraw." Fangyuan did not even spare Shen Cui a glance as he adjusted his cuffs.Shen Cui pouted slightly, feeling both confused and slighted by Fangyuan’s lack of romantic sensibility today. She wanted to say something coquettish, but was intimidated by the vague, inexplicable aura radiating from him. After opening her mouth several times, she eventually just said, "Yes," and obediently retreated.
"Are you ready?" Fangyuan looked at Fangzheng.
His younger brother stood dazed in the doorway, head lowered, staring at his own toes, and gave a faint nod.
In truth, he had been awake since the fourth watch, too nervous to sleep. He had sneaked out of bed and finished preparing long ago, his eyes dark with fatigue.
Fangyuan nodded. He had not understood his brother’s inner thoughts in his previous life, but in this life, how could he not?
However, there was no point in pointing it out now. He said indifferently, "Let's go, then."
The two brothers walked out of their residence. Along the way, they encountered many peers, walking in twos and threes, clearly headed to the same destination.
"Look, it's the two Fang brothers," a cautious whisper reached their ears.
"The one walking in front is that Fangyuan, the one who wrote the poem," someone emphasized.
"So that’s him. With that expressionless look, acting as if no one else exists, he really is as arrogant as the rumors say," someone remarked, their tone laced with jealousy and envy.
"Hmph, if you could be like him, you could be just as arrogant!" another retorted with a cold snort, hiding a sense of dissatisfaction.
Fangyuan listened with an expressionless face; he had long since grown accustomed to such talk.
He kept his head down, following behind his brother in silence.
By now, the morning light was breaking over the horizon, casting Fangyuan’s shadow across his face.
The morning sun was gradually rising, yet Fangzheng suddenly felt as though he were walking into darkness.
This darkness originated from his older brother; perhaps he would never be able to break free from the enormous shadow his brother cast over him for the rest of his life.
He felt a recurring tightness in his chest, making it difficult to breathe. This damnable sensation even brought the word "suffocation" to mind.
"Hmph, such chatter—truly, the tree that stands above the forest will be destroyed by the wind," Fangyuan thought with a cold sneer as he listened to the whispers.
It was no wonder that after his own Grade C talent was revealed, he had been surrounded by enemies on all sides, enduring harshness, cold stares, and neglect for such a long time.
He took in the sound of his brother’s increasingly heavy, labored breathing behind him.
What he had failed to notice in his previous life, he now perceived with absolute clarity.
This was the keen insight gained from five hundred years of life experience.
He suddenly thought of his uncle and aunt—they truly had their methods. They had assigned Shen Cui to monitor him closely and an old nanny to his younger brother. In fact, there were other discriminatory treatments in the details of their daily lives.
All of this was intentional—designed to stir up resentment in his younger brother’s heart and sow discord in their fraternal bond.
People do not fear scarcity, but inequality.
In his past life, he had lacked experience, and his younger brother had been too naive and innocent, allowing their uncle and aunt to succeed in their schemes.
Since his rebirth, with the Awakening Ceremony fast approaching, the situation seemed difficult to rectify. Yet, with the methods and wisdom of a demonic path titan, it was not impossible to change.
His younger brother could be completely suppressed and subdued; Shen Cui, a mere little girl, could even be taken into his harem early. As for his uncle, aunt, clan leader, and elders, there were at least hundreds of ways to knock them down a peg.
"However, I have no desire to do so..." Fangyuan sighed leisurely in his heart.
What did it matter if they were blood brothers? Without familial affection, they were merely outsiders—if he had to cast him aside, so be it.
No matter how pretty Shen Cui was, without love and loyalty, she was nothing more than a vessel of flesh. Take her into his harem? She was not worthy.
And as for his uncle, aunt, clan leader, and elders—they were all merely passing travelers in his life. Why waste his energy and effort trying to strike at such nobodies?
Heh.
As long as they didn't block his path, they could go play with themselves; he wouldn't even deign to step on them.