Aji

"You..."

The black-clad woman was furious. An unnatural flush rose on her deathly pale face as she struggled to stand, only to stagger again from the pain.

Li Yuan stood there, watching her coldly, with no intention whatsoever of stepping forward to help.

The woman in black steadied herself, shot him a vicious glare, then staggered to the window and climbed out in an awkward scramble. Before long, she vanished into the night.

Li Yuan shook his head with an amused smile. "What an idiot. There was a door, but you just had to use the window."

After confirming that she had left, Li Yuan waited a while longer before going to the window, carefully shutting it, snuffing out the oil lamp, and sitting back down in the darkness.

On the roof, a scruffy, bearded middle-aged man had silently watched everything unfold.

He was clearly sitting right there, yet his entire presence was so faint that he seemed like a transparent man.

"That brat isn't simple."

The middle-aged man shook his head and let out a soft sigh.

For three days straight, Li Yuan did not leave his home.

Every day, he sat in meditation and regulated his breathing, adapting to the changes within his body. Ever since awakening, an invisible current of energy had appeared inside him. He did not know why, and with no one to guide him, he could only do his best to soothe it.

While he shut out all affairs beyond his window, Chang'an City was in an uproar because of him.

"Divine Martial Academy has produced a ninth-level talent—the rainbow light blazed into the heavens!"

"An unprecedented mutation type! A son of the Li clan, named Yuan!"

"Ninth-level? How many years has it been since one appeared? The last was Ye Hongyu, wasn't it?"

"More than that. Once such talent matures, he will surely become a pillar of the nation."

The news spread through teahouses and taverns, streets and alleys, manor residences everywhere, and even deep within the imperial palace.

A ninth-level talent did not merely signify the birth of a genius. It also meant that the future balance of power might shift because of him.

It meant the emergence of a promising prospect worth investing in and courting—or guarding against and suppressing.

Countless eyes, both overt and hidden, were searching for his whereabouts.

Fortunately, Li Yuan was cautious enough that ordinary people could not find this place. Even when someone occasionally found Changning Alley, probing it with divine sense revealed nothing but blank emptiness.

Inside Dali Temple Prison.

Li Chongwen sat facing an elderly man with an imposing appearance.

This man was the father of the Wang clan's daughter, the head of the Wang family, Wang Boyuan. Though he had lost in the factional struggle, he still wielded considerable influence.

"...Chongwen, Yuan is also this old man's grandson. Family should not speak as strangers."

Wang Boyuan stroked his beard and spoke slowly. "Xiu'er said that separating from you was merely said in anger. So long as Yuan is willing to acknowledge me as his maternal grandfather, this old man will throw away what remains of his pride and clear your name, restoring you to your former office."

Li Chongwen held a teacup in his filthy hands. With lowered eyes, he gently blew aside the floating tea leaves and did not answer at once.

He had long heard of the enormous matter of a ninth-level talent, even from within prison, and could not help feeling secretly delighted.

Wang Boyuan's meaning was perfectly clear. Before Li Yuan truly rose to prominence, he wanted to stamp him with the Wang family's mark and share in whatever benefits he might bring in the future.

"Elder Wang's words are indeed for that wretch's sake." Li Chongwen set down his teacup and let out a pretentious sigh. "It is only that the rebellious boy is arrogant by nature. He may not listen to me..."

A crafty gleam flickered in Li Chongwen's eyes. The initiative was now in his hands, and naturally, he wanted more benefits.

Li Yuan was now an uncut jade, but also a scalding hot yam—whether he would bring fortune or disaster remained uncertain. More importantly, Wang Boyuan wanted to catch a wolf empty-handed. With only the title of maternal grandfather and an empty promise on paper, he wanted to take the biggest slice of the pie?

He sneered repeatedly in his heart. The qilin child of the Li family—why should the Wang family be allowed to pick the peaches so easily?

He was waiting, waiting for Wang Boyuan, or someone else, to offer more favorable terms.

A trace of displeasure flashed through Wang Boyuan's eyes, but he quickly concealed it and laughed. "Chongwen's concerns are reasonable. There is no need to rush this matter. We can discuss it another day."

The two exchanged more hollow courtesies before Wang Boyuan finally took his leave.

Li Chongwen sat alone amid the straw, his gaze flickering uncertainly. He was weighing matters, and he was waiting to see.

On the third day, night fell.

The gate of the small courtyard deep within Changning Alley opened without a sound. Li Yuan slipped out, wearing a broad gray cloth hat that concealed most of his face.

He warily glanced left and right. Only after confirming that no one was nearby did he leave at a brisk pace.

Li Yuan deliberately took deserted alleyways, heading straight for a remote corner of the Western Market. There stood an inconspicuous, dilapidated general store, its door boards already in place for the night.

Li Yuan looked back, then knocked rhythmically on the door. Before long, it opened a crack, and he immediately slipped inside.

Behind the counter stood a young shop assistant of fourteen or fifteen. At the sight of Li Yuan, surprise and joy appeared on his face.

"Big Brother, you came!"

He lowered his voice and hurried over, his eyes even reddening. "The whole city has been talking these past few days. They said you awakened a ninth-level talent. I didn't dare believe it, and I didn't dare go looking for you..."

The shop assistant was named Aji. Back when the original owner had wandered the streets, Aji had been an orphan who begged alongside him. After Li Yuan transmigrated here, he found a way to open this general store so Aji could earn a living.

At the same time, it was a secret base he had arranged in the shadows.

Aji was simple-minded and deeply dependent on Li Yuan. Li Yuan often taught him how to read and some basic arithmetic as well.

"Mm, it's true."

Li Yuan closed the door behind him, removed his hat, patted Aji on the shoulder, and smiled faintly.

"I came tonight to tell you that I'll be entering Divine Martial Academy soon. I'm afraid I won't be able to visit you often in the future. Be careful in everything, and stay sharp."

Aji nodded hard, tears nearly falling. "Big Brother, don't worry. I can take care of myself."

Li Yuan smiled, took a small money pouch from his robes, and stuffed it into Aji's hand. "Take this silver for emergencies. If anything happens, endure it for now and wait until I return."

Aji gripped the money pouch. It felt heavy in his hand, and his heart grew even more sour. Suddenly remembering something, he turned and ran into the back room. From a hidden compartment in the cabinet, he pulled out an old bundle and presented it to Li Yuan with both hands.

"Big Brother, this is what you asked me to look for. I happened to get a bargain."

Li Yuan accepted the bundle. It weighed slightly heavy in his hand. He nodded and carefully put it away.

"If you find things like this in the future, help me collect them all."

"Yes, Big Brother."

Li Yuan did not linger any longer. After giving Aji a few more instructions, he put on his hat and left.

He did not return directly to Changning Alley. Instead, he circled through the maze-like lanes of the Western Market several times, sometimes stopping to listen, sometimes abruptly turning back. Only after confirming that there was no tail behind him did he quicken his pace.

By the time he returned to Changning Alley, the night was deep. He immediately slipped inside and shut the gate.

The alley was utterly silent and pitch-black, broken only by the occasional bark of a dog.

Several shadows darker than the night itself drifted silently from the darkness on both sides of the alley like ghosts, surrounding the small courtyard.

Their target was clear. They nodded to one another, then moved toward the courtyard together.

From the heavy darkness came a sudden low shout, ringing directly within their consciousness.

"Get lost!"