Fang Yun stepped over the main hall's threshold and stood atop the steps, his head held high as he looked down at Gou Zhi in the center of the courtyard.
Gou Zhi stood in the middle of the cobblestone path, watching Fang Yun coldly.
Everyone around them backed away. Some of the more timid servants even hid behind the round archways on either side, exposing only half their bodies to peek out.
A cool autumn breeze swept through the courtyard. Golden chrysanthemums swayed gently in the wind, rustling softly.
Zhang Jing'an pressed his lips tightly together, all color drained from his face. His large, clear eyes fixed on Gou Zhi, while an unrelenting hatred gathered between his brows.
Clenching his little fists, Zhang Jing'an whispered, "If you can beat this little dog, I'll call you Father!"
"It seems becoming your father is rather easy."
Fang Yun gave what seemed to be a self-mocking smile in his role as Zhang Longxiang, then descended the steps.
One step.
Fang Yun's eyes slowly widened, as though they already held the entire world within them-as though a single blink would destroy this stretch of heaven and earth.
As Gou Zhi watched "Zhang Longxiang," he felt a mountain towering ten thousand fathoms rise before him, looking down upon the world and ruling the firmament. He himself was as lowly as an ant.
Two steps.
Fang Yun's shoe landed on the second step. The ambient primordial energy surged around him, and fierce winds billowed his Hanlin Academician's robes and tossed his hair.
Gou Zhi struggled to breathe. He vaguely sensed that the place where Fang Yun stood was an entirely independent realm, and Fang Yun was its sovereign. Wherever his royal command reached, none dared disobey.
Gou Zhi could not understand why such thoughts had arisen