Deep in the mountains lay a valley where spring reigned all year round and the scenery was breathtakingly pleasant.
“Bai Yiyan, you little brat, get your ass out here!” A man dressed in white with an ethereal, refined appearance shouted, hopping mad.
“Father, what is it?” Seeing his father rushing over in a furious rage, Bai Yiyan calmly set down his teacup inside the pavilion.
“Ziyi, what is wrong?” Bai Zhanyan, who had been discussing martial arts anecdotes with his son inside the pavilion, pulled his beloved spouse over to sit beside him.
“This little brat stole my collection again!” He Ziyi glared fiercely at the son sitting across from him.
“Father, how can that be your collection? It clearly belongs to your child.” Bai Yiyan flashed a smile at his father, his outer eye corners lifting up, making him look immensely alluring yet tinged with a wicked air.
“What are you smiling at? That smile of yours makes you look like a total scoundrel. That coiled-dragon jade pendant was something I went through untold hardships to steal from Prince Rui’s estate back in the day!” He Ziyi slammed his hand on the table and stood up. Seeing his beloved slam his hand so hard against the stone table, Bai Zhanyan protectively picked it up, cradled it in his palm, and carefully inspected it for any injuries.
“Did you not teach me, Father? Jade is a spiritual entity meant for those destined to possess it. Whoever holds it is the destined one, is that not right? Now that the pendant is in my hands, does that not just prove I am the ultimate destined one?” Amused by his father’s bristling reaction, Bai Yiyan added fuel to the fire by taking out the coiled-dragon jade pendant and twirling it in his hands.
“You unfilial son, I honestly have no idea who you take after.” He Ziyi spoke without thinking. Bai Zhanyan looked up at the sky in speechlessness, thinking to himself that he certainly took after him. That boy’s love for collecting fine jade and his talent for thievery were skills he taught him himself.
“Father, I was born to you and Dad, so of course I take after the two of you.” A smile hung on Bai Yiyan’s face as he snapped open his folding fan, gently swaying it to put on the air of an elegant young gentleman.
“Bai Zhanyan, throw this unfilial son out of here for me right now! Otherwise, I am running away from home!” Unable to do anything about his unfilial son, He Ziyi turned his anger toward his beloved husband.
“Yan’er, you are not a child anymore. Tomorrow, head out of the valley to gain some real-world experience. There are plenty more fine jades waiting for you out there.” Unjustly dragged into the fray, the wife-pecked Bai Zhanyan decided to kick his son out to appease his spouse.
“Yes, Father. I actually had the exact same intention.” In truth, Bai Yiyan had already been thinking about leaving the valley. He had already collected almost all the good jade belonging to everyone in the valley, and he wanted to expand outward to collect the fine jade he loved so much. Hearing his father mention that the finest jade in the world had been made into the Imperial Seal, he really wanted to get his hands on it for a proper appraisal.
The next day, Bai Yiyan shouldered a simple bundle and left the valley where he had grown up.
Late at night, in an ordinary hospital ward, Zhao Yu was intently staring at the television. At this hour, it was broadcasting his favorite outdoor activity documentary. Zhao Yu suffered from congenital heart disease and could never engage in strenuous exercise, and in recent years, the number of times he stayed in the hospital far exceeded the time he spent at home. He loved outdoor sports passionately, but since he could never experience them firsthand, he considered himself a spiritual enthusiast of the outdoors, often watching other people’s shared experiences and introductory features. After finishing the show, Zhao Yu felt sleepy and lay down to rest.
When he woke up again, he discovered that he was no longer in a hospital bed, but rather inside a dark, damp room where he was lying on nothing more than a pile of hay. Zhao Yu was utterly baffled, but believing that if you cannot figure something out you should stop thinking about it had always been his fine personal philosophy.