Stars in the Eyes

As the only major city within a hundred li radius, houses in Maple Forest City were naturally not cheap.

Ling He's financial support was a drop in the bucket, and Jiang Wang himself had little savings. But fortunately, there was someone who didn't lack for money.

Jiang Wang carried Jiang An'an and went straight to find Zhao Rucheng.

"Give me some silver," Jiang Wang said bluntly.

Zhao Rucheng was staring wide-eyed at Jiang An'an, and replied casually, "How much?"

"How much silver does it take to buy a small courtyard near the Dao Academy? Just for me and my sister to live in."

"Why bother buying a courtyard? Just stay here with me, isn't that fine? I've got plenty of empty rooms here." Zhao Rucheng winked his left eye at Jiang An'an, then his right, occasionally flashing what he thought was a handsome smile. Of course, his looks were indeed quite striking.

Jiang Wang glanced at Jiang An'an before saying, "We need a home of our own."

He didn't care where he lived himself, but little An'an was different. The young girl had just been sent over, and no matter how strong she acted, her heart was bound to be fragile and sensitive.

"Oh." Zhao Rucheng rubbed his chin, thinking. "I think my family has a few properties near the Dao Academy. Let me ask."

He turned and shouted, "Uncle Deng!"

Before long, a mild-mannered middle-aged man walked in and bowed meticulously. "Young master."

"Do we have a suitable property near the Dao Academy? Clear one out and hand the deed and title over to my third brother."

The steward, called Uncle Deng, replied, "No need to specially vacate one. There are three that are empty right now. Which one would you like?"

Zhao Rucheng looked back at Jiang Wang. "Third brother, what do you think?"

Jiang Wang smiled warmly at the steward. "Sorry to trouble you, Uncle Deng. The property doesn't need to be big—just enough for An'an and me to live in. The most important thing is that it's close to the Dao Academy, so I can come home easily to be with her."

The steward returned the smile. "There's a small courtyard in Flying Horse Lane behind the Dao Academy. I'm just not sure if the layout will suit your taste."

"Let's go! Let's check it out!" Zhao Rucheng said immediately. "Just give me the key."

Although Jiang An'an didn't talk much and rarely engaged with people, her delicate, doll-like little face naturally drew affection.

Along the way, Zhao Rucheng kept teasing her.

"An'an, who do you think is more handsome—your Rucheng brother or your Wang brother? Ah, I asked an invalid question. There's no comparison!"

"An'an, An'an, see those candied hawthorns over there? Come into my arms, and we'll buy the whole bundle! How about that?"

"An'an, do you know you're really heavy? Look how chubby you are! Your brother's arm is about to break! Why not switch and let your Rucheng brother carry you for a bit?"

Little An'an remained silent through it all, until she heard that last line. She tilted her head and glanced at Jiang Wang.

"Are you tired?" she asked softly.

Jiang Wang chuckled warmly. "Not at all. I could hold you until next year and never let go."

The small courtyard in Flying Horse Lane was quite nice. It had one main room, one south-facing room, and two side rooms east and west. Though no one had lived there, all the facilities were in place—only a few daily necessities needed to be bought before moving in.

The room decor was also elegant and comfortable.

Jiang Wang led little An'an through every room, making sure she showed no signs of resistance.

"Alright, this is the one." Jiang Wang gave Zhao Rucheng, who had been chattering endlessly around An'an, a bright smile. "Give me the key. You can head back now."

"Got it!" Zhao Rucheng turned and left with perfect awareness, but paused at the doorway to wave at An'an. "Your Rucheng brother's leaving now. Don't miss me too much~"

Little An'an toddled over and, under Zhao Rucheng's beaming smile—slammed the courtyard door shut.

At night, Maple Forest City, bustling all day, fell quiet.

Inside the Heaven-Connecting Palace, the little Earthworm completed its final leap, spitting a round Dao Essence into the Starry Array.

Jiang Wang opened his eyes, ending today's meridian-charging cultivation. One by one, Dao Essences accumulated, day and night in succession, drop by drop—none of the effort was wasted. They would eventually form the foundation array, unlocking transcendence.

It was precisely this countless days and nights of tedious cultivation that paved the way for the brilliance of soaring through the azure skies later on.

The room was very quiet. Jiang An'an lay on her small bed, her little hands neatly placed outside the covers, perfectly still.

Because An'an was so young, Jiang Wang had specially ordered a small bed made so she could sleep in the same room as him. One big bed and one small one sat on opposite sides of the room, facing each other.

Listening quietly to little An'an's breathing, Jiang Wang said softly, "An'an, still awake?"

A slightly flustered little girl's voice immediately came from the room. "Asleep... I'm asleep."

Jiang An'an's nervousness made Jiang Wang's heart ache. Such a young child had already learned to read people's expressions. Just because he had told her to sleep early before his meridian-charging cultivation, she was now anxious and unsettled for not having fallen asleep.

A girl less than five years old, suddenly arriving in a strange place, suddenly separated from her mother—not bursting into tears was already a sign of great strength. How terrified must she be inside?

But these things were not to be brought up again.

"Hmm, big brother can't sleep," Jiang Wang said, his voice even gentler. "Do you want to see the stars?"

After a moment, a faint "Mm" like a mosquito's buzz came from the room.

"Then get up." Jiang Wang rose, lit the oil lamp, and walked to the small bed to help An'an put on her coat.

The hands that moved so nimbly with a sword were surprisingly clumsy when caring for a child.

"That's not how you put it on, big brother—you've got it backwards..."

Jiang Wang sheepishly withdrew his hands. "Then An'an, you put it on yourself."

The two of them fussed about for a while before finally stepping out the door.

At that time, the bright moon hung in the sky, dotted with starlight. The empty courtyard was filled with clean moonlight, softening what might have been a lonely night.

"Are we watching the stars right here in the yard?" Jiang An'an tilted her little head and asked.

"Of course not." Jiang Wang suddenly scooped her up, leaped from the ground, and landed on the rooftop.

Jiang An'an let out a shriek, her small face flushed red by the time they settled on the roof.

Jiang Wang looked down at her, a hint of guilt in his voice. "Were you scared, An'an?"

Jiang An'an blinked her big eyes, a trace of excitement flickering in them. "Brother, can you fly?"

Though she seemed eager to try it herself, Jiang Wang had no intention of hopping around rooftops like a clumsy monkey and making a fool of himself. "Not yet. Once I've mastered the Dao arts in the future, I'll definitely be able to. Then, wherever An'an wants to go, we'll fly there, okay?"

"Okay."

Jiang Wang took off his outer robe, spread it on the rooftop, then lay down beside it, one hand pillowing his head. "Come on, lie down like your brother and watch the stars."

Little An'an obediently lay down on Jiang Wang's robe, her small hands also carefully tucked under her head. She opened her jet-black eyes wide, staring straight at the starry sky.

The vast night sky was studded with countless stars, twinkling in competition. Endless darkness gave birth to infinite light, the river of stars vast enough to hold countless dreams and memories.

"That one is the Ziwei Star, and that one is called Yuheng... The Southern Dipper is over there, see, right there..."

"They're twinkling, like they're blinking!"

"Only our adorable An'an's blinking is like a star. Take your Brother Wild Tiger—the big beard you saw during the day—when he blinks, it's just like a cowbell."

Jiang An'an giggled.

"You know, An'an, these stars are all billions of miles away..."

"How far is a billion miles? Farther than from Phoenix Creek Town to here?"

"Much farther than that, countless times farther. If there were a road leading to the stars, an ordinary person walking from birth to death their whole life would only just be starting out on that road."

"Ah?" An'an was a little shocked. "That far?"

"Yes, that far. They cross such an immense distance through endless darkness, sending their light to your eyes. Offering you their beauty, which may have already died out tens of thousands of years ago."

"They're so good."

"Father is like one of those stars. He may have left us long ago, but he's still very far away, trying his best to shine, and accompanying us with that light. So no matter when, don't be afraid, okay? Your brother will always be with you, and so will the stars."

"Brother." Jiang An'an's voice was very small. "My mother doesn't want me anymore, does she?"

Jiang Wang fell silent for a moment.

Should he tell the truth, inform little An'an that she was a burden, affecting her mother's life?

Should he denounce Aunt Song's selfishness, making An'an hate her birth mother from now on?

How should he answer?

He didn't have time to think too long, because silence itself was a kind of harm.

In the end, he simply turned sideways, earnestly and gently holding An'an's small hand.

"How could anyone not want such an adorable An'an? It's your brother who really, really wanted to live with you, so I insisted Auntie send you over. When Auntie left, she cried so sadly—she couldn't bear to part with you either."

"Really?"

Starlight and moonlight both caressed Jiang An'an's small face, stroking the fading traces of tears. She was as beautiful as a spirit of the stars and moon.

Though a lingering unease still clung to her face, those big eyes suddenly lit up.