He went outside holding the Jade Pendant and looked up at the blazing sun. Its dazzling white glare was impossible to look at directly, and even the green stone paving slabs were scorching hot.
He lowered his head to examine the Jade Pendant in his palm. The jade had a nice color and felt smooth, but he thought it was no different from the white stones at the bottom of the river.
His method of consecration differed from other people's. Slowly, he fed a wisp of spiritual qi from his fingertips into the jade, thread by thread, afraid that too much force would shatter it. He also left a faint imprint of his primordial spirit within it.
He withdrew his hand after no more than a few breaths. Done. The Jade Pendant flashed, then actually began to give off a soft, warm glow.
He hefted the jade in his palm and let out a gentle sigh of relief when he saw that it was undamaged.
Many flowers had been planted in the courtyard, but unfortunately, their season had passed. Every blossom had fallen from the branches, leaving only clumps of wilted green leaves.
He remembered that when the flowers were blooming, the teacher had even composed a few lines of poetry about them.
Wanting to enjoy a moment of peace outside, he crouched in a corner of the courtyard and lowered his head, plucking at the blades of grass between the bricks one after another. He sensed footsteps stopping beside him, followed by the soft rustle of fabric.
He glanced sideways. A young lady from some branch of the Jiang Household, about twelve years old, had come over with her maid. She bent down curiously to see what Jin Si was doing crouched by the wall. Dappled shadows fell through