That Jiang Wang chose to transfer the Dao Merit he had won at the Three-City Dao Debate — no one save Ling He could understand it. But no one tried to stop him, either.
Jiang Wang owed no one, and aside from Jiang An'an, he was accountable to no one.
Still, when he idled with Zhao Rucheng, he did express his regret. "Rucheng, I should have helped you scrape together a Meridian-Opening Pill first, but —"
To his surprise, Zhao Rucheng laughed. "There are plenty of folk under heaven with hard luck and hard lives. Can you fix them all?"
"I don't have some grand ambition to save the world. But when I bump into things, I can't very well pretend I didn't see. You didn't watch their eyes, red-rimmed. Those were men who'd bled and fought and never once frowned..." Jiang Wang sighed. "They reminded me of the senior brothers who locked themselves in their rooms to cry, back when we returned from Little Grove Town."
"My third brother! I'd rather you had some grand ambition." Zhao Rucheng's tone was half-joking, half-serious. "One kind-hearted fool like Big Brother is enough."
Jiang Wang was silent for a while. "I only want you to know — I haven't forgotten your future. I simply couldn't harden my heart. We brothers can earn Dao Merit together on missions. Those folk in Sanshan City might not have time to wait."
Zhao Rucheng looked at him. "And I only want to tell you — I truly don't need it."
"Your talent is too good to waste."
"Who says pleasure has anything to do with not wasting?" Zhao Rucheng grinned. "Wasting a thousand gold on a smile — is that wasteful? But I'm happy. Idling away my days — is that wasteful? But I'm happy. I have money, I have talent — so what? Wasting them is what makes me happy!"
"..." Jiang Wang said. "Good thing Big Brother didn't hear that, or he'd lecture you for half the day."
"Ha!" Zhao Rucheng laughed. "Every time he starts, I say I'm going home to study! Then I run."
The two strolled past the Academy's main gate, joking as they went.
Only then did they notice a bare-chested man dangling above the jade lion on the left side of the gate. His hands were tied to a branch that jutted out from a strange tree growing on the wall — undoubtedly a Dao art construct.
The man hung his head, long hair loose. His bare skin was pale, thin and lean. Around his neck hung a wooden placard that read:
**BETRAYED MASTER AND FORGOT ROOTS — CRIME UNFORGIVABLE. AIR-DRIED THREE DAYS AS WARNING TO OTHERS.**
The more Jiang Wang looked, the more familiar the figure seemed. He squinted and finally recognized him: Huang Azhan.
"What happened to him?" he asked Zhao Rucheng.
Zhao Rucheng was barely holding in his laughter. "Last night, he masked his face and went to smash Xiao the Iron-Face's door. Got caught red-handed. So here he is, demonstrating the consequences of betraying your master."
"Why?" Jiang Wang was baffled. "Of all people to mess with, Xiao the Iron-Face?"
In the Fenglin City Dao Academy, there were three things no one touched: Xiao the Iron-Face of the Art Hall, the head cook of the canteen, and Dean Dong A in the morning.
Dong A's morning temper, it was said, was legendary. That was the time of day when he was most liable to flare up, and everyone steered clear.
The Academy canteen actually served quite a spread, no worse than a fair restaurant. The only problem was that you couldn't choose what you ate — it all depended on what the head cook felt like making. So "don't touch the head cook" went without saying.
But first among them was Xiao the Iron-Face of the Art Hall, which spoke volumes about the shadow he cast over the Academy's students.
And Huang Azhan had dared to grab the tiger by the tail. One could only marvel at his audacity.
"Ha!" Zhao Rucheng laughed out loud. "Remember when we were tasked with receiving the cultivators from Sanshan City? One of the instructors said Huang Azhan's image was too shabby, so he wasn't allowed to lead the group — Ling He was made the leader instead. That instructor was Xiao the Iron-Face. After the debate ended, the more Huang Azhan thought about it, the angrier he got. He had a few drinks last night and decided to teach Xiao the Iron-Face a lesson."
Jiang Wang: "..."
A living man, and yet he courted death.
Huang Azhan had been hanging his head low, trying to hide his identity. But he couldn't help hearing Zhao Rucheng's eager commentary and his carefree laughter.
"Brother Rucheng," he called out, managing to shake his hair back and show a winsome smile despite being suspended. "Give a brother a hand."
"Sure!" Zhao Rucheng beamed. Then he turned abruptly. "Ah, I forgot something urgent!"
And off he strode.
Huang Azhan bared his teeth, then slowly turned to Jiang Wang.
Jiang Wang pointed after Zhao Rucheng. "I'll go see what he needs."
He scampered away too.
There was no need to guess what Huang Azhan was scheming. But they would not dare — not even in their wildest dreams — to release someone Xiao the Iron-Face had put up. Huang Azhan had plenty of drinking buddies, true, but not a single one was in sight. They had all been using the back gate for days.
---
As it happened, Zhao Rucheng hadn't lied about the urgent matter.
Today was the twelfth day of the tenth month, the day after the Three-City Dao Debate, and also Jiang An'an's birthday.
Jiang Wang had been preparing for this day for a long time.
He had ordered in advance from the Cai Family Mutton Shop, from Guixiang Studio, and from Du Dewang's charcoal brazier establishment — all to be delivered directly to the house. He had also gone to the market at dawn to buy fresh ingredients, planning to cook a feast for his beloved sister. Because it was still a secret, Zhao Rucheng hadn't been able to stop him in time.
Ling He had slipped out of the city mysteriously last night, saying he was preparing a surprise for An'an.
Zhao Rucheng had commissioned someone to buy new clothes from Yunxiang Studio and was just heading back to pick them up.
Jiang Wang hadn't told anyone else — he didn't want them to feel obliged to prepare gifts.
As for Huang Azhan, he could have been invited to join them — he and An'an knew each other well. But the fact that he was currently strung up on a tree was entertainment enough.
Everything was ready; all that remained was for An'an to finish school.
Jiang Wang checked the time, parted ways with Zhao Rucheng, and headed alone toward Mingde Hall to pick her up. If An'an wanted to bring any friends — like that little girl Qingzhi — he planned to invite them along.
Today was Jiang An'an's birthday. It was her first birthday without her mother. It was also a milestone for the life he and An'an had built together.
He wanted her to have a happy, carefree day — not a single worry.
Of all the things Jiang Wang had planned lately, this was the most important.
---
Zhao Rucheng arrived at the Jiang family home in Flying Horse Lane, carrying a box of custom-made clothes from Yunxiang Studio in one hand and an ornate brocade case in the other. Inside the case lay a Smoke Jade, a premium material for magical artifacts. Worn on the body, it nurtured the blood and qi.
The clothes were already costly, and Smoke Jade was priceless — but to the young master Zhao, money was no object.
The gate was locked tight.
Without a second thought, Zhao Rucheng vaulted over the wall, set down his gifts, and found a reclining chair in the yard. He settled in with a contented sigh.
Not long after, Ling He came panting up to the courtyard, his clothes still muddy.
In his hand, he carried a massive turtle, easily three hundred years old.
This turtle had long been a terror in the Green Willow River. Ling He had noticed it before, but this time he had finally gone to the trouble of catching it. He planned to give it to An'an to keep — turtle meant long life.
And if she didn't believe that, stewed turtle soup was also a good tonic.
Ling He, more honest than Zhao Rucheng, saw the locked gate and prepared to wait outside.
Zhao Rucheng heard the commotion from inside and shattered the lock from within, letting him in.
Then came the mutton delivery, the charcoal brazier, the pastries from the cake shop.
Time passed, moment by moment.
At last, Jiang An'an came home. She noticed the broken lock.
She pushed open the gate and saw the table full of food in the courtyard, and Ling He and Zhao Rucheng waiting with gifts.
"Where's your brother?" Ling He asked.
"Where's my brother?" An'an asked.
They spoke at exactly the same time.
---
Today was Jiang An'an's birthday.
Ling He and Zhao Rucheng had arrived with gifts.
Jiang An'an had come home by herself.
But Jiang Wang had not returned.