Missing Thoughts Literature

Yu Sui looked back at him with a bewildered, innocent expression.

Nangong Ming knew how difficult it would be to explain things to the child before him, so he said little. "He'll be staying at the mansion for a while. After some time, he'll go to the academy with you."

Yu Sui lowered her head and flipped through the pages in her hands. "Then can I memorize it tomorrow?"

Nangong Ming said, "Sure."

The child grabbed his sleeve and stood up, then let the Mute Woman and the others help her back.

Yu Sui returned to her room and lay down with a sigh. After getting a second chance at life, she still couldn't escape reading, memorizing, and reciting.

She had barely closed her eyes when the strange fire grew restless. Sweat covered her body, and her palms were damp. With no other choice, she climbed out of bed and went to sit in the bathing tub behind the screen.

The water in the tub was still warm. Yu Sui climbed onto a stool, leaned over the rim, and gazed at her reflection. Sweat slid down her chin and dripped onto the surface.

Yu Sui decided this couldn't go on. If the Mute Woman ever saw her like this, she would certainly tell Lady Su. And if Lady Su found out, there would be trouble.

Once the water had cooled completely, Yu Sui plunged into it. As her whole body sank beneath the surface, she opened her eyes and saw wavering shadows of light in the rippling water. Her detached consciousness watched her from another perspective, and a wisp of flame appeared in her pitch-black pupils.

Yu Sui steeled herself and yelled at the strange fire to come out.

Water splashed loudly in the room. Yu Sui, on the verge of running out of breath, rose from the water. Her soaked hair clung to her skin, and droplets kept falling from it.

The heat remained.

Yu Sui raised her hand. A tiny flame was burning at the tip of her slender, pale finger.

She spread her fingers, then closed them, and the flame vanished. When she spread them again, the flame reappeared.

Yu Sui gradually learned how to summon the strange fire. She spent the whole night practicing over and over. The flame, no bigger than a fingernail, evaporated the moisture on the floor and dried her soaked hair and clothes.

The next day, Yu Sui climbed into the carriage bound for the academy, half asleep. When she arrived, she put her head down on her desk and promptly fell asleep. The instructor at the front of the room could only sigh again and again.

Princess Shangyang propped her head up with one hand and asked, "Why are you sleeping every day?"

Yu Sui shifted, buried her face in the crook of her arm, and mumbled, "Because I have to memorize books at night."

Princess Shangyang laughed and laughed.

Unlike the listless Yu Sui, the six-year-old Princess Shangyang was full of energy every day, leading her little clique of friends as they ran rampant through the academy.

At sunset, Yu Sui returned to the mansion with her three older brothers.

She was so sleepy that she could barely walk. As she climbed out of the carriage, she nearly fell.

Her three brothers glanced over, each with a different expression. Yu Sui rubbed her eyes and hobbled inside.

Recently, Yu Sui had been made to kneel for two hours at a time. Afterward, she still had to endure an hour of massage before she could walk again the next day.

Lady Su's meaning was clear: she would have to keep kneeling until she had memorized all the books her instructor had taught.

Today, Yu Sui knelt outside Lady Su's door, lost in thought. The door was shut, and no one was watching nearby. She wondered if she could slack off and was just about to stand when the door opened from within. Startled, she hurriedly dropped back to her knees.

The boy who came out was the one Nangong Ming had brought back the night before.

He had changed into clean clothes: dark trousers, a white top, and a black belt cinched around his waist. Though the outfit was simple, the fabric was just as fine as what the young masters of the mansion wore.

The boy seemed just as surprised to find Yu Sui kneeling outside. He paused, then said quietly, "It's just me here."

In other words, Lady Su wasn't inside.

Yu Sui stood up.

She looked at the unfamiliar boy before her. He must have been someone important to Nangong Ming.

Yu Sui bent over to rub her knees and asked the boy in a dazed voice, "Who are you, and why are you here?"

The boy didn't answer. He walked away, his back to Yu Sui, and said, "I'm not staying here. Thank your mother for me."

He left with firm, carefree strides.

Yu Sui tilted her head and watched until he disappeared from view.

She thought, That poor kid won't be able to leave.

The next day, Yu Sui slowly made her way to the mansion gates. There, she saw Nangong Ming returning from an outing with the boy, who looked thoroughly reluctant.

Her three older brothers obediently greeted their father.

Nangong Ming acknowledged them, then casually pulled the boy beside him closer and said, "His name is Gu Gan. Starting tomorrow, he'll go to the academy with you."

In that moment, Yu Sui seemed to read the same thought in her three brothers' eyes: Father's brought home another illegitimate son he picked up somewhere.

Yu Sui didn't think Gu Gan was Nangong Ming's illegitimate son. Given the way Nangong Ming did things, if the boy were his child, he would have admitted it openly.

Seven-year-old Gu Gan was a little rebellious. More than anything, he liked going against Nangong Ming. If Nangong Ming told him to go west, Gu Gan insisted on going east.

Gu Gan wasn't like the children of the mansion. He was a wild weed that had grown freely outside, completely unafraid of Nangong Ming. Even when he was pinned to the ground and beaten, he refused to give in and would do it all again next time.

Only those who knew Nangong Ming well understood how indulgent he was toward Gu Gan. Gu Gan had scarcely ever felt any pressure from him.

Yu Sui could see from the little things how much Nangong Ming valued Gu Gan. As for her brothers, they had developed a strong dislike for him.

The eldest brother remained composed and continued to treat Gu Gan politely.

The other two gave Gu Gan nothing but the whites of their eyes. The brothers walked away with their arms around each other's shoulders, ignoring the "adopted son" their father had picked up.

To avoid being punished by Lady Su with more kneeling and memorizing, Yu Sui took the initiative to ask Gu Gan to study with her. She told Lady Su, "I'm reading with Brother Gu. You can't make me kneel while he stands, can you? Brother Gu says he'd feel awkward, too."

Gu Gan stood beside her and watched her talk nonsense without correcting her. Lady Su tacitly accepted her explanation.

Nangong Ming was quite pleased that Yu Sui had taken the initiative to get closer to Gu Gan. After that, he took the two children along with him when he went out, creating more chances for them to spend time together.

Though Gu Gan was stubborn and refused to bow to heaven or earth, he was very clever.

When he first entered the academy, the instructors didn't know what kind of background he had and tried to make things difficult for him. Who could have guessed that the boy knew everything? Whatever they asked, he could answer—and his presence was even more imposing than theirs. They couldn't put him in his place at all.

His sharp tongue left the instructor's face alternating between pale and green with rage, and the man stormed off in humiliation.

Gu Gan soon became famous and won Princess Shangyang's favor. She chased after him in circles. The more Gu Gan ignored her, the more enthusiastic she became.

The instructor had meant to punish Gu Gan, but instead received a warning from King Nangong's Mansion.

On her way home, Yu Sui heard her second and third brothers muttering, "Usually, when we get into trouble at the academy, Father doesn't care. But the moment that wild kid gets into trouble, Steward Xu comes to the academy in person. Comparing ourselves to him is enough to make anyone furious."

The third brother snorted. "He has no name or standing. Why bother with him?"

They walked around a corner and saw Yu Sui standing there.

Yu Sui hesitated, then pressed herself against the wall to let them pass. "I didn't hear anything."

Her two brothers: "..."

You'd have been better off saying nothing!

Since Nangong Ming had personally named her his heir, their expressions changed several times before they finally fell silent and went their separate ways.

Yu Sui didn't think her status was all that noble.

Even if the three young masters couldn't win Nangong Ming's undivided favor, he didn't neglect his sons entirely. They had all the prestige and privileges befitting the young masters of the mansion, with their mothers as their backing.

Yu Sui was different.

Her parents were determined to put her through the wringer. She was nothing but a tool for their joint schemes, and her mother's attitude was clear: she would never matter as much as her eldest daughter, Qingkui.

She also bore the mark of the World Destroyer. If it were exposed, even her unreliable parents couldn't stop all the Nine Schools Practitioners in the world from hunting her down.

They might not only fail to stop them—they might even strike first.

Yu Sui withdrew her gaze from her brothers as they walked away and rubbed her face with one hand, sighing inwardly. At least I'm a mature adult inside. If I really had the mind of a six-year-old child, I'd have died countless times by now.

As spring passed and midsummer arrived, Yu Sui found the strange fire's restlessness at night increasingly unbearable. Fortunately, the Mute Woman and the others put things in her room to keep it cool.

That must have been one of the advantages of being a county princess.

Steward Xu sent her a Liudan Jade Stone, over a meter tall and the deep blue of the sea, crystal-clear and carved into the shape of a fan. The chill it released could keep the entire courtyard where she lived cool, even during the hottest days of summer.

But it couldn't suppress the strange fire's heat.

Every night, Yu Sui secretly studied the strange fire in her room.

Looking at the little flame burning at her fingertip, she asked wistfully, "What are you even good for?"

Maybe it was just useful for warming her hands in winter.

She summoned the strange fire every day and separated her consciousness from it to observe it. Tonight, too hot to sleep, Yu Sui sat beside the Liudan Jade Stone and summoned the fire in her open palm. Then she suddenly noticed that the flame seemed to have grown a little larger.

Yu Sui watched in astonishment for a moment, her dark eyes fixed unblinkingly on the strange fire at her fingertip. It stayed perfectly still, yet deep within the flames, she could see what looked like a glowing little dot.

The Origin Point pulsed slowly, as if trying to break out of its fiery prison.

Yu Sui reached out to grab it and clearly felt something cold beneath her fingers. Carefully, she pulled the dot out of the flame.

As she separated the dot from the fire, Yu Sui felt as if she were peeling open her flesh and taking out her own heart. It was bizarre and eerie. Her instincts warned her something was wrong, so she immediately put it back.

Yu Sui knew very little about cultivation.

At the academy, they only taught subjects that had nothing to do with Supernatural Ability and Esoteric Skill, as if they thought the children were still too young to deal with them.

Yu Sui had no choice but to think of a way herself—but she couldn't let anyone else notice.

Yu Sui's relationship with her brothers was ordinary, and they didn't talk much. If she went to the three young masters for help, Lady Su would certainly find out.

So Yu Sui had no choice but to turn to Gu Gan.

Gu Gan was very clever. Nangong Ming had tested his talent, and it far surpassed that of his own children. Even his most outstanding third son couldn't compare.

So while Yu Sui was still learning music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, Gu Gan had already started reading books on Qimen Dunjia and other Supernatural Ability and Esoteric Skill.

Gu Gan didn't live at the mansion, but he had to come every day to go to the academy with the young masters and county princesses. Occasionally, after quarreling with the young masters, Gu Gan stopped coming to the mansion and went straight to the academy instead.

Lately, Gu Gan and the young masters had fallen out, so he wasn't coming to the mansion.

Yu Sui had no choice but to find him at the academy.

The little princess of the mansion hadn't inherited her parents' talent, but she had inherited their good looks. Though young, she was already delicate and lovely.

Gu Gan had a good impression of Yu Sui, at least a better one than he had of her brothers. And since Lady Su had once helped treat him, when Yu Sui said she wanted to visit his home, Gu Gan didn't refuse.

Gu Gan lived alone.

His home was not far from the mansion, with a courtyard at the front and back. The surroundings were fairly quiet, and the house was clean and tidy. There was also a separate study beside the bedroom.

The study was full of books related to cultivation in the Nine Streams Realm.

Even away from the mansion, Yu Sui couldn't browse through the books freely once she reached the study. The strange fire's reaction made her realize that someone nearby was keeping an eye on them.

The person watching might have been monitoring Gu Gan, or might have been watching her.

Whatever she did or said while visiting Gu Gan's home would be reported in detail to Nangong Ming by the hidden guard following them.

Gu Gan stood on a stool, stretching on tiptoe to get her several books. "Can you finish all these?"

"No." Yu Sui accepted the books and hugged them to her chest. "Can I come back tomorrow and keep reading?"

The earnest look in her eyes made Gu Gan pause. He turned away. "Come if you want."

Every time Yu Sui turned a page, she asked Gu Gan a question. She didn't understand a thing. Gu Gan went from patiently explaining to running out of patience, grumbling as he answered.

"What do you even do when the instructor's teaching?" Gu Gan asked, utterly baffled.

Yu Sui put her hands together beside her cheek and mimed sleeping.

Gu Gan: "..."

He said, "If you come last in the next monthly exam, Lady Su won't let you off."

"I'm already trying really hard." Yu Sui drooped her head. "How about this? I'll read through everything first and collect all my questions, then ask you afterward?"

Seeing how pitiful she looked, Gu Gan softened. "Fine."

On the first day, Yu Sui didn't touch any books related to the Nine Schools Techniques. She went back and forth to Gu Gan's home for more than ten days. Only after the person watching them began to let down his guard did Yu Sui slowly start looking at the books she wanted to read.

Sometimes Gu Gan asked, "Do you understand any of this?" She would just shake her head and point at a character. "How do you read this one? What does it mean?"

Gu Gan would sigh like a little adult.

This dumb county princess—how's she ever going to manage the whole mansion?

Yu Sui learned a lot from the books in Gu Gan's study.

At least, she understood what the dot inside the strange fire was.

The dot glowed with a lustrous, milky-white light. It was the Five Elements Light Core, which represented a cultivator's talent. All future cultivation and power came from the Five Elements Light Core, which bestowed and stored them.

When the Nine Schools Techniques reached the tenth realm and the master level, the Five Elements Light Core would transform into a golden Soul Core. There was a clear difference in power between the Soul Core and the Five Elements Light Core, but Yu Sui hadn't yet found any books explaining what that difference was.

For cultivators, whether it was the Five Elements Light Core or the Soul Core, each was unique. Once destroyed, it couldn't be cultivated again.

Yu Sui found that strange.

That night, Yu Sui gazed at the little white dot turning inside the flame at her fingertip. This should be the Five Elements Light Core described in the books, the source of a cultivator's power.

As she had done before, she peeled the Five Elements Light Core out of the flame.

She pinched the Five Elements Light Core between her fingers. It was cold, like a fragile glass bead that would shatter at the slightest touch. After a few breaths, Yu Sui made a bold decision. She crushed the fragile glass bead between her fingers.

After a faint cracking sound, the Five Elements Light Core scattered into white sparks.

Yu Sui touched her heart. Nothing happened. She looked at the flame in her hand, and another white Five Elements Light Core had formed inside the orange-yellow fire.

Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed she'd made the right gamble.

At last, Yu Sui realized what the strange fire could do besides keep her warm in winter.

It seemed capable of creating "countless" Five Elements Light Cores for her.