I want to tread the heavens

Before the morning mist had completely dissipated, two figures began to move on the abandoned training ground on the east side of the outer courtyard.

No, to be precise, it's three paths.

"Lower your center of gravity! Keep your waist stable and your legs flexible!" Yue Rong stood on the sidelines, his voice stern as iron. "Remember, this 'Fish Step' isn't about injuring the enemy, but about finding a glimmer of hope in dire situations. Every step you take must be placed in the position where your opponent is most uncomfortable and finds it hardest to exert force."

Ling Xiao gritted his teeth, sweat pouring down his forehead. Following Uncle Rong's instructions, he nimbly moved across the ground covered with pebbles and weeds. The steps he took seemed simple, but in reality, they followed some profound rules. Each movement required coordination with breathing, waist strength, and eye movements, which was extremely taxing on his physical and mental strength.

What troubled him even more was that Fa Cai was also "helping".

Whenever Ling Xiao reached a crucial point in his training, this little creature would always "coincidentally" appear where he was standing, either rolling over or sticking out its paw to trip him, forcing him to change direction on the spot and nearly falling down several times.

"Fa Cai! Stop causing trouble!" Ling Xiao stopped, panting, glaring at the small, gray, innocent-looking thing at his feet.

"Huh?" Fa Cai tilted its head and tugged at Ling Xiao's trouser leg with its paw, as if to say, "I'm helping you."

A barely perceptible smile flashed in Yue Rong's eyes, but his voice remained icy: "Continue. A true life-or-death struggle won't wait for you to be ready. Any unexpected situation is a test."

Ling Xiao took a deep breath and started again. This time, he focused some of his attention on Fa Cai. Sure enough, when he changed direction again, Fa Cai followed closely, poised to pounce.

But this time, Ling Xiao had anticipated this. He feinted, and the moment Fa Cai lunged forward, he twisted his waist strangely, sliding past it and taking three steps forward to stand firmly.

"Huh?" Ling Xiao was taken aback. In that instant, he hadn't thought about it at all; his body had reacted instinctively.

Yue Rong nodded: "Good. Remember that feeling from just now. Movement techniques aren't fixed moves, they're dynamic responses. You need to learn to use your body to 'hear,' 'see,' and 'feel' everything around you—the direction of the wind, the undulations of the ground, your opponent's breathing, even... that wolf cub's mischief."

Seeing that it hadn't tripped Ling Xiao, Fa Cai wasn't discouraged. Instead, it excitedly let out a "woof" and circled around Ling Xiao, wagging its tail happily, as if it were happy for him.

Ling Xiao wiped away his sweat, a vague understanding dawning on him. What Uncle Rong had taught him was not just footwork, but a combat instinct, an ability to find order in chaos and seize life in desperate situations.

"Take a 15-minute break," Yue Rong said. "Then practice 'Listening to the Wind'."

"Listen to the wind?"

"Close your eyes, stand still, and listen carefully to the sounds around you." Yue Rong walked to the sidelines and sat down. "The sound of the wind, the chirping of insects, the sound of footsteps in the distance, even your own heartbeat. How far and how detailed you can hear determines how much danger you can detect in advance."

Ling Xiao closed his eyes as instructed and stood still.

At first, he could only hear the wind and his own breathing. Gradually, he could hear the sound of chopping wood in the kitchen in the distance, the cries of beasts in the spirit beast garden further away, and even the hushed conversations of the guards patrolling outside the courtyard wall.

"Thirty paces to the southeast, a grasshopper hopped three times," Yue Rong suddenly said.

Ling Xiao tried hard to listen, but could only hear a faint rustling sound.

"Fifty paces to the northwest, someone yawned."

Ling Xiao focused his mind and could barely hear a faint exhalation sound.

"The tail of the fortune-bringer at your feet is wagging to the left for the fifth time."

Ling Xiao: "..."

He opened his eyes and, sure enough, saw that the tail of the fortune-making creature was unconsciously swaying slightly to the left.

"Uncle Rong, you can hear that?" Ling Xiao clicked his tongue in amazement.

"It's not something you hear, it's something you 'feel,'" Yue Rong said calmly. "When you become familiar with your surroundings to a certain extent, any tiny change will be as noticeable as ripples on the surface of water. This takes time, and even more so, it takes care."

Ling Xiao nodded emphatically and closed his eyes again. This time, he no longer consciously tried to "listen," but instead tried to relax and let his senses spread out like water.

Facai squatted at his feet, looking up at its master's serious profile, a strange light flashing in its amber eyes. It stuck out its tongue and gently licked Ling Xiao's ankle, then imitated Ling Xiao, closing its eyes and slightly twitching its ears.

Fifteen minutes later, Yue Rong stood up: "That's enough for today. Remember, listen and observe more during the day, and review it in your mind before going to bed at night. I will test you in three days."

"yes!"

In the afternoon, Ling Xiao took Fa Cai to the warehouse to check the goods.

This was one of his daily routines after being promoted to deputy manager of the miscellaneous goods warehouse. The work wasn't strenuous, but it was tedious, requiring careful checking of accounts and inventory. Although Guo Dahai had been dismissed, he left behind a mess; many accounts didn't match, and it needed to be sorted out bit by bit.

Ling Xiao was counting a batch of newly arrived hemp ropes when the warehouse door was suddenly pushed open.

Guo Dahai swaggered in with two henchmen.

"Hey, busy?" Guo Dahai walked over to Ling Xiao with his hands behind his back, but his gaze fell on Fa Cai. "You little wolf cub, you've raised him well, his fur is so smooth."

Fa Cai squatted at Ling Xiao's feet, raised his head to look at Guo Dahai, his amber eyes calm and still, showing neither the wariness of a wild beast seeing a stranger nor any attempt to please, just looking at him calmly.

This calm made Guo Dahai very uncomfortable. He squatted down, reached out his hand, and wanted to touch Fa Cai's head: "Come on, let uncle touch it—"

"Ugh!"

Fa Cai let out a low warning, shrinking back slightly to avoid Guo Dahai's hand. The movement was natural, like a wild animal disliking being touched by a stranger.

But Guo Dahai's hand froze in mid-air, his face turning grim. One of his henchmen immediately shouted, "You little bastard! Master Hai touching you is giving you face!"

"Brother Guo, Fa Cai is shy around strangers." Ling Xiao quickly stepped in front of Fa Cai and bowed, saying, "It's just being silly, please don't take offense."

Guo Dahai slowly stood up, stared at Facai for a few seconds, and suddenly laughed: "Shy? I think it's quite intelligent. Ling Xiao, where did you pick up this wolf cub?"

"The back mountain," Ling Xiao said, bowing his head.

"The back mountain..." Guo Dahai nodded, saying meaningfully, "The back mountain isn't safe. I've heard there have been wolf packs there recently. You little thing, you're not one of those wolves, are you? If the mother wolf comes looking for you, you'll be in trouble."

Ling Xiao's heart skipped a beat, but he forced himself to remain calm: "It shouldn't be. Fa Cai is an orphan. I found him in a ravine, and there were no other wolves around."

"Really?" Guo Dahai remained noncommittal, turning to pace around the warehouse, casually flipping through the items on the shelves. "Ling Xiao, I heard you've been training with Uncle Rong lately? How's it going?"

"I'm just doing some casual practice to improve my health," Ling Xiao replied cautiously.

"It's good for your health; young people should practice more." Guo Dahai walked to the depths of the warehouse, where broken weapons and farm tools were piled up. He picked up a rusty woodcutter's knife, weighed it in his hand, and said, "But practicing is one thing, but there are some things you shouldn't touch, and you shouldn't look at. Understand?"

He turned around, his gaze sharp as a knife, piercing Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao felt a chill run down his spine, but he still nodded vigorously: "I understand, Master Hai."

"Good that you understand." Guo Dahai threw the machete back into the pile of junk with a loud bang, startling Fa Cai so much that his ears perked up. "Work hard, the Guo family won't mistreat a diligent person. As for any inappropriate thoughts... put them away as soon as possible."

After saying that, he and his entourage strode away.

Ling Xiao stood there until the footsteps faded into the distance before letting out a long sigh of relief. The back of his clothes was soaked with cold sweat.

Fa Cai came closer, rubbed against his leg, and let out a comforting whimper.

"I'm fine." Ling Xiao crouched down, hugged Fa Cai, and whispered, "But Guo Dahai has his eye on us. Fa Cai, you need to be extra careful."

Fa Cai nodded vigorously, a hint of seriousness beyond his years flashing in his amber eyes.

It was midnight.

Ling Xiao suddenly woke up.

He wasn't awakened by any noise, but by a strange palpitation, as if something bad was about to happen. He opened his eyes and found Fa Cai squatting by the bed, his ears perked up, staring intently out the window.

"Get rich?" Ling Xiao whispered.

Fa Cai turned to look at him, its amber eyes gleaming faintly in the darkness. It jumped onto the bed, pawing at Ling Xiao's hand, then pointed out the window, letting out a very low, anxious whimper.

Ling Xiao quietly got up, walked to the window, and looked out through the hole in the window paper.

The moonlight was beautiful, bathing the courtyard in silvery light. At first, he saw nothing, but soon he noticed something moving in the shadows of the courtyard wall.

is a person.

The man, dressed in black, was short and stocky, and was moving silently along the wall towards their room. Judging by his build, he looked like… Guo Si?

Ling Xiao held his breath. What was Guo Si doing sneaking into their yard so late at night?

Guo Si stopped outside the window, squatted down, and seemed to be stuffing something under the window. After finishing, he looked around, quickly retreated the way he came, and disappeared into the shadows.

After waiting a while and making sure the person had left, Ling Xiao gently pushed open the door. Fa Cai immediately followed him out.

A man and a wolf approached the window. By the moonlight, Ling Xiao saw a small, black cloth bag tucked into a crack in the bricks near the window. He carefully took it out and opened it.

Inside were several low-grade spirit stones with a dull color, and a folded piece of paper.

Ling Xiao unfolded the note, and by the moonlight, he could barely make out the crooked handwriting:

"Tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM), same place. The goods are ready. Pay the balance after inspection. Remember, don't let anyone else know. — Black Snake"

There was no signature, but judging from the handwriting, it was definitely not written by Guo Si. Moreover, the phrases "goods are ready" and "final payment" clearly indicate that some kind of shady transaction was taking place.

Whom is Guo Si working for? And what is the "goods" being traded?

Ling Xiao's heart pounded. He carefully wrapped the note and spirit stones back up, stuffed them back into the crack in the brickwork, restored everything to its original state, and then quickly retreated back into the house with Fa Cai.

"Fa Cai, we can't tell anyone about tonight's events, not even Uncle Rong." Ling Xiao squatted down and said earnestly to Fa Cai, "We need to find out for ourselves what Guo Dahai and the others are plotting."

Fa Cai tilted his head, seemingly not quite understanding why he had to keep it a secret from Uncle Rong, but seeing Ling Xiao's serious expression, he nodded vigorously.

"Tomorrow morning, we'll follow Guo Si and see which 'usual place' he goes to and who he meets." A decisiveness beyond his years flashed in Ling Xiao's eyes.

Fa Cai let out a loud "Aww!" in agreement.

At the same time, Yue Rong was not asleep.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, his eyes slightly closed, seemingly meditating and regulating his breathing, but in reality, fragmented memories were churning in his mind.

Purple Star, Celestial Palace, thunder, starlight, that gentle smiling face, those words, "I'm entrusting Xiao'er to you"...

Each attempt to delve deeper into his memories brought excruciating pain to his head, as if countless steel needles were churning inside. Yet he gritted his teeth and persevered, painstakingly digging fragments from the ruins of his memory.

The moonlight tonight seemed to have stirred something. As the cool moonlight shone through the window paper onto his face, an exceptionally clear image suddenly appeared in his mind—

It was a burning starry sky. Countless stars were falling and exploding, illuminating the dark firmament as if it were daytime. And in the center of that world-destroying scene, a silver figure stood proudly, her arms outstretched, behind her an endless river of stars spinning and collapsing, transforming into a torrent that destroyed everything.

"Yingxue..." Yue Rong murmured the name, his heart clenching painfully.

Su Yingxue. Ling Xiao's mother, the last princess of the Starfall Clan. That woman who always smiled gently chose the most resolute way in her final moments to fight for a sliver of life for her child and her lover.

Then, another scene appeared—

Purple lightning flashed across the sky, and thunder dragons roared. A tall figure stood guard, spear in hand, before the vast army of demons, turning back to give him a smile:

"Uncle Rong, take Xiao'er away!"

"My lord!" Yue Rong cried out in a low voice, suddenly opening his eyes, his forehead already covered in cold sweat.

Ling Zhan. His lord, his brother. The man who always stood in front of him, smiling and saying, "We are brothers."

My memory ends there. The images that follow are fragmented and blurry, leaving only boundless darkness, a sense of falling, and the faint breathing of the baby in my arms.

Yue Rong gasped for breath, his hands clenched into fists, his knuckles white. Each resurrection of his memory felt like tearing open a scabbed wound, causing excruciating pain. But he had to remember, he had to remember everything—for Ling Xiao, for the heavy burden entrusted to him by his lord and wife.

There was a very slight noise coming from outside the window.

Yue Rong instantly concealed his aura, his gaze sharp as lightning, and looked out the window. It was Ling Xiao and Fa Cai; they had just gone out and were now tiptoeing back into the house.

What are they doing out so late?

Yue Rong didn't get up, but listened quietly. He heard Ling Xiao lower his voice and say to Fa Cai, "Tomorrow morning," "Follow Guo Si," "Same old place"...

Guo Si? The usual place?

Yue Rong's eyes narrowed. It seemed Guo Dahai had made a move. And this kid Ling Xiao actually wanted to investigate on his own?

He was about to get up and ask, but hesitated for a moment and sat back down.

It's good for the kid to gain some experience. Besides, with Fa Cai by his side, there shouldn't be any major problems. He can keep an eye on things from the shadows, and if there's any danger, it's not too late to intervene.

More importantly… Yue Rong touched the Yang pendant in his arms. The resurgence of his memories tonight gave him a clearer sense of the secrets that might be hidden beneath the Guo family's walls.

The Meteorite Clan, the Celestial Palace, the Purple Star...

If the Guo family's underground really does contain relics related to the Starfall Clan, then there is a high possibility that they contain clues about Ling Xiao's background, or even... methods to suppress or control the Devouring Heaven Bloodline.

He must find the entrance as soon as possible.

The clue likely lies in the alchemy room. It's where the Guo family's earth fire is strongest, and also where the spiritual energy fluctuations are most unusual. More importantly, the Yang pendant in his robes had a faint sense of connection to the alchemy room on several occasions when he passed by.

"Tomorrow..." Yue Rong muttered to himself, "I'll go check out the alchemy room."

Outside the window, the moonlight gradually deepened.

The twin moons of the old land slowly moved westward, casting their cool light upon the slumbering Guo family. But beneath that calm surface, undercurrents were quietly surging.

Guo Dahai's conspiracy, the approach of the demons, Ling Xiao's growth, Uncle Rong's regained memories, and the secrets that may be buried underground...

All the clues are converging in one direction.

A storm is brewing.