That night of Jiang An'an's birthday, aside from Jiang Wang's regret that he had found no time to show off his own cooking, everyone else had a grand time.
When the merrymaking broke up, Zhao Rucheng went home.
He sat quietly in his study for a while before he heard the push of the door.
"You did well today, Uncle Deng." Zhao Rucheng's posture was loose and lazy, but his tone held unfeigned respect and warmth.
Uncle Deng, the old steward of the Zhao household, stood at proper attention and smiled gently. "That Ember-Spending Spear is quite good. Each generation outdoes the last — I feel as though I'm growing old."
"Not a chance. Walk down any street and folk would take you for my elder brother."
Uncle Deng's expression did not change. He only remarked: "Rank has its place."
Zhao Rucheng opened his mouth, as if to say something more, but knew it would do no good, and fell silent instead.
It was Uncle Deng who spoke: "Who'd have thought — at my age, the next time I made a move would just be to buy a sugar figurine some little girl happened to fancy."
Zhao Rucheng beamed with mischief. "I've put you to trouble, Uncle Deng. Thank you, Uncle Deng."
"That little girl is very dear."
Zhao Rucheng puffed with pride. "Of course she is! She's my little sister!"
Uncle Deng looked at him, and repeated: "She is very dear."
The smile slid off Zhao Rucheng's face.
On that handsome face, which was almost always so utterly careless, something like grief crept in.
He was silent for a long while, then said: "I understand."
...
The day after Jiang An'an's birthday, Aunt Song had someone carry over a jade bracelet as a birthday gift for An'an. Because of the long road, it had arrived a day late.
Together with it came a jade pendant, meant for Jiang Wang. The thought behind it was plain — a little placating, lest Jiang Wang block the way and keep her from her daughter.
At the sight of the gifts, An'an said nothing, but it was clear she loved them. She treasured them away in her little chest.
For Jiang Wang, the encounter with Xiong Wen had instantly dampened the little swelling of pride he had felt after winning the first-year championship of the Three-City Dao Debate.
But this battle had also brought him rich gains.
First, after killing Xiong Wen outright, the Dao essence in his Heaven-Access Palace had swelled enormously, and Foundation Establishment was no longer far off.
Second, Zhu Weiwo, having honored his task of slaying the Swallow-Heart Human Demon, had most fairly waved his hand and split five hundred points of Dao Merit to Jiang Wang. Rumor had it that Zhu Weiwo himself had reaped more than six thousand points from this mission — yet his standing on the Dao Merit Roll had dropped rather than risen, dwindling to a mere thousand points. Heaven knew what treasure he had traded them for.
Compared with how Jiang Wang and his companions had to scrounge and scratch for a hundred points of Dao Merit, one could only say that for true strongmen, Dao Merit was simply never hard to come by.
As for the last gain — the black candle that had, by some means or other, turned up in his Heaven-Access Palace.
It was probably some treasure, but no matter how Jiang Wang studied it, he could not make sense of it. Foundation Establishment was still the most pressing matter, so he could only set it aside to explore another day.
At the windfall of five hundred points of Dao Merit, Jiang Wang naturally wanted to prepare a Meridian-Opening Pill each for Zhao Rucheng and Jiang An'an. As a Dao Academy student, Zhao Rucheng could directly exchange a hundred points of Dao Merit for one. And Jiang Wang's own exchange quota had yet to be used — just the thing to reserve for An'an.
Zhao Rucheng accepted the Dao Merit readily enough, even grinning as he asked: "Third Brother, I've had my eye on a Dharma sword worth five hundred merit points. I've saved up a little myself, but I'm still a bit short. Care to help the cause?"
Jiang Wang, flushed with wealth, was very generous. "How much more do you need?"
"Four hundred and ninety-nine."
Just one point short!
"..." Jiang Wang kicked him. "Get lost!"
But after a moment's thought, he sighed anyway. "I still need to set aside a hundred points to trade a Meridian-Opening Pill for An'an. The remaining three hundred are yours."
"No!" Zhao Rucheng stopped him.
"Why?"
"By all means, give me the Dao Merit. But about opening An'an's meridians — think again."
Jiang Wang did not follow. "In these matters, the sooner the better, isn't it? If you're worried about the dangers on the supernormal side of things, don't be. I have no intention of sending An'an into the Dao Academy."
Cultivating within the Dao Academy came largely with the court's subsidy, and with it, in turn, an obligation the students could not refuse — certain forced conscriptions. Clearing the official roads, hunting down heretic cultivators, and all manner of such dangers besides. To risk one's life was unavoidable.
Jiang Wang had the Dao-Platform; he need not worry about techniques, and he could be An'an's teacher himself. In the end, he did not expect An'an to become any kind of strongman. He only wished her health and a little strength to protect herself.
Zhao Rucheng gave a bitter smile. "It's not that opening her meridians early is a bad thing."
He hesitated, then said: "If you want to open An'an's meridians, then don't use the Dao Academy's Meridian-Opening Pill."
Jiang Wang's brow knit tighter. "Is there something wrong with the academy's pill?"
"It's not that." Zhao Rucheng spoke plainly. "The Meridian-Opening Pill the City Dao Academy can trade out is the lowest grade there is. The Boss is already at his age — he can't wait any longer. An'an is still young; she can hold off. If you want to open her meridians, you should give her the best you can, so that her path through cultivation may run all the smoother later.
I'm not saying one who takes the lowest-grade pill can't reach the Great Dao. Many strongmen rose from the harshest of conditions. But it's harsher, all the same.
Had it been before now, I wouldn't have said any of this to you. In an environment like Fenglin City, folk fight tooth and nail over a Meridian-Opening Pill; just having one is luck enough. But after you killed Xiong Wen, an elder of my household said you would have your chance. You have that chance now — you can grow. And later you can win a better pill for An'an.
An'an is my little sister too. I want her to have less hardship ahead."
Jiang Wang digested this in silence for a while. He had always known his youngest sworn brother kept secrets, but he had never pressed him. Just as, when he himself had obtained the key to the Great Void Illusion, none of these brothers had ever pressed him.
Yet now it seemed the secret Zhao Rucheng kept hidden ran deeper than Jiang Wang had ever imagined.
For one thing, this very breadth of insight into the world of cultivation was no ordinary upbringing could produce.
Remember: Fang Pengju had come from one of the three great clans of Fenglin City, and had still betrayed gratitude and fealty over a single Meridian-Opening Pill. Yet in Zhao Rucheng's mouth, that pill was worth so little.
And Jiang Wang knew full well that had he not mentioned opening An'an's meridians, Zhao Rucheng would never have spoken of it at all.
"Meridian-Opening Pills come in grades, then?" Jiang Wang asked.
"Of course. You know the main ingredient of a Meridian-Opening Pill is drawn from a demon-beast's Dao meridian. But beasts are strong and weak alike, and so too are their meridians. Tell me — would pills refined from different grades of meridian truly be the same?"
"The one you got from Zuo Guanglie is far from ordinary. That elder in my household said your opening of the meridians was flawless — that it opened your potential to perfection."
Jiang Wang was silent.
He quietly studied the little earthworm of a True Spirit inside his Heaven-Access Palace, and honestly could not see how it squared with "a perfect opening of the meridians."
Wasn't this just the lowest Earthworm Meridian of all?