The rooster had crowed for the third time when the knocking began.
Lu Qinghe was crouching by the stove adding firewood, his hand twitching at the sound.
Lin Xiu poked her head out from the inner room, sleep still in her eyes.
Lu Yuan had already tied his shoes and was sitting on a small stool.
“I’ll get it,” he said.
When he pulled back the door latch, three people were standing outside.
Leading the group was Wang Mazi from the east side of town, who possessed a Hoe spirit and Rank 11 spirit power.
Behind him stood Li the Blacksmith and Fatty Zhou, both low-tier spirit masters scraping by in town.
Wang Mazi rubbed his hands and grinned.
“Little Yuan, is your dad home?” “He is.” Lu Yuan stepped aside to let them in.
The three squeezed into the small courtyard.
Lu Qinghe came out of the kitchen holding a piece of firewood.
Lin Xiu hurried to pour water—though there were no tea leaves in the house.
“Brother Lu, congratulations!” Wang Mazi boomed in a loud voice.
“Did you really break through?” Lu Qinghe nodded.
“It’s been fifteen years, hasn’t it?” Li the Blacksmith took half a step forward, his eyes fixed on Lu Qinghe.
“Brother, give us the real story.
Did you come into some kind of fortunate encounter?” In the kitchen, Lin Xiu’s hand paused as she poured the water.
Lu Yuan stood by the doorway, not stepping further inside.
Lu Qinghe remained silent for a few seconds before speaking.
“No special encounter.
I was stuck for so long that I just kept fumbling around on my own.
That night, I don’t know why, but everything suddenly clicked.” His explanation was halting, but the meaning was clear.
Wang Mazi chuckled.
“So it was an epiphany, Brother Lu?
Luck is on your side!” “Just luck, that’s all,” Lu Qinghe agreed, following along.
Fatty Zhou hadn’t spoken until now.
He smiled cheerfully to smooth things over.
“Regardless, breaking through is a great celebration!” His tone shifted slightly.
“Still, Brother Lu…
the commotion from your breakthrough wasn’t small.
Yesterday morning, that white light stayed bright for a good half a cup of tea’s time, didn’t it?” Lu Qinghe’s throat moved as he swallowed hard.
Lu Yuan walked into the yard holding a chipped wooden bowl filled with clear water.
He went up to his father and handed it over.
“Dad, drink some water.” Lu Qinghe took it and gulped down a large mouthful.
“Uncle Zhou,” Lu Yuan turned around, his face expressionless.
“My father’s spirit ring is white.” The courtyard fell dead silent for a moment.
A white spirit ring meant a ten-year spirit ring—the lowest tier in the spirit master world.
The smile on Fatty Zhou’s face stiffened.
“Yes, white,” Lu Qinghe said as he set down the bowl, his voice somewhat steadier.
“I was lucky enough to find a suitable one.
Even then, I almost failed.” Li the Blacksmith and Wang Mazi exchanged a glance, the burning eagerness in their eyes fading considerably.
A white spirit ring was indeed pathetic.
Fatty Zhou, however, gave Lu Yuan a second look.
This child was far too calm.
Unnaturally steady for a six-year-old.
“Fair enough,” Fatty Zhou smiled faintly.
“Well, we won’t disturb you any longer.” The three exchanged a few polite words before turning to leave.
The door closed.
Lu Qinghe let out a long breath, the back of his shirt soaked in sweat.
Lin Xiu stepped out from the kitchen, her face pale.
“This is only the first day,” she said, her voice trembling slightly.
Lu Yuan didn’t reply.
He walked over to the courtyard gate and peered outside through the crack.
The three men hadn’t gone far; they stood at the alley entrance talking with animated hand gestures.
He withdrew his gaze.
“Dad,” Lu Yuan said, “more people will probably come today.
Stick to this exact story and don’t say anything extra.” Lu Qinghe nodded.
“I know.” “Mom, make extra food for lunch,” Lu Yuan added.
“Anyone who comes is a guest, so we must offer them at least a bowl of water.” Lin Xiu froze.
“Our rice…” “Deduct it from my share,” Lu Yuan said calmly.
“We must get past this hurdle.” Lu Qinghe looked at his son and didn’t object.
*** Before noon, two more groups arrived.
The first consisted of two hunters from the west side of town who asked directly if he had eaten a rare spirit herb in the mountains.
Lu Qinghe shook his head and denied it, leaving the two to depart half-doubtingly.
The second group proved more troublesome.
It was an old man in his fifties named Wu.
He possessed a Wooden Staff spirit, Rank 17 spirit power, and ran a small martial hall in town.
Considering himself a veteran among the spirit masters of Maple Leaf Town, he spoke with an air of self-importance.
He sat on the only intact stool in the courtyard, held the bowl of plain water, and took a slow sip.
“Qinghe,” Old Man Wu set the bowl down.
“We’ve known each other for twenty years, haven’t we?” Lu Qinghe stood nearby.
“Yes, Uncle Wu.” “Back when you first awakened your spirit, I even gave you a few pointers,” Old Man Wu stroked his sparse beard.
“You’re an honest, hardworking man.
It’s just that your head…
is a bit too straightforward.” Lu Yuan crouched beneath the eaves, holding a tree branch and scratching lines in the dirt.
“I’m truly happy for your breakthrough,” Old Man Wu shifted the subject.
“However, there are some unpleasant rumors going around town.” Lu Qinghe remained silent.
“Some say your breakthrough had something to do with your boy.” Old Man Wu glanced toward Lu Yuan.
“They say Little Yuan has been running outside town a lot lately, picking up stones and leaves.
Others claim they saw him burying something in the backyard.” The courtyard became so quiet that the wind could be heard.
The branch in Lu Yuan’s hand paused briefly.
“Grandpa Wu,” he raised his head, his face devoid of emotion.
“I picked up stones to help Mom build a stove.
As for burying things…
I wanted to plant some vegetables.
We don’t have a garden patch, so I dug a hole in the back.” He spoke candidly, his eyes clear and innocent.
Old Man Wu stared at him for a few seconds before breaking into a sudden smile.
“Children at play, perfectly normal.
I was just speaking casually.” He stood up and patted Lu Qinghe’s shoulder.
“Qinghe, we’re all commoner spirit masters.
It isn’t easy for us.
If you really found some method and want to keep it to yourself, that’s fine.
Just…
don’t cause trouble.” There was a deeper meaning behind his words.
Lu Qinghe said in a low voice, “Uncle Wu, it really was just luck.” “Sure, luck.” Old Man Wu chuckled twice, placed his hands behind his back, and strolled out.
Once he left, Lu Qinghe slammed his fist against the wall, causing dust to shower down from the mud bricks.
“That old bastard…” “Dad,” Lu Yuan stopped him.
“Don’t lose your temper.” He stood up and patted the dirt off his hands.
The scratches on the ground looked messy, but upon closer inspection, they resembled curves following a specific pattern.
“The rumors have already spread,” Lu Yuan said.
“We can’t suppress them.
The more we explain, the more suspicious they’ll become.” Lin Xiu walked out from the house, her eyes rimmed with red.
“Then what should we do?” “Let them talk,” Lu Yuan interrupted.
“Once they tire of talking, they’ll stop.
As long as we don’t change our story, they have no proof.” He paused before adding, “The ones we really need to worry about aren’t them.” Both Lu Qinghe and Lin Xiu turned to look at him.
Lu Yuan offered no further explanation.
*** Inside Spirit Hall, Zhao Shi’s expression grew gloomier as he listened to the report.
The thin man said in a low voice, “…Lu Qinghe insists it was just an epiphany and luck.
But that kid of his is far too steady.
A six-year-old child didn’t hide when visitors came, and he even helped answer questions.
When Old Man Wu went to probe him, the kid deflected everything with a few words.” Zhao Shi sneered.
“That means they have something to hide.” “Also,” the thin man lowered his voice further, “I circled around to the outer wall of the Lu family’s backyard.
There’s freshly turned soil at the corner, ringed with broken roof tiles.
I couldn’t tell what’s planted there.” “Planting something?” Zhao Shi narrowed his eyes.
“The Lu boy claimed he wanted to grow vegetables.” “Surrounding vegetables with broken tiles?” Zhao Shi stood up and paced around the room.
“Keep watching them.
Especially the backyard.” “Yes, sir.” After the thin man withdrew, Zhao Shi walked over to the window.
From this angle, he could see a small portion of Maple Leaf Town.
The low mud huts of the Lu family were crammed into the northwestern corner of town.
He recalled the rumors he had heard that morning.
People in town were starting to whisper that Lu Qinghe’s breakthrough might be connected to his son.
Zhao Shi didn’t believe a six-year-old child could understand anything.
However, he believed there was someone behind Lu Qinghe.
A commoner spirit master stuck at a bottleneck for fifteen years suddenly breaking through, right after Zhao Shi had set his eyes on the Lu family—how could there be such a coincidence?
Either Lu Qinghe had truly struck blind luck, or someone had given him guidance.
And that person didn’t want to show their face, so they used a child as cover.
Zhao Shi leaned toward the latter possibility.
He returned to his desk and flipped open the Lu family’s file.
On the entry reading “Lu Yuan — Spirit: Blue Silver Grass (Mutated), Innate Spirit Power: Rank 0.5,” he dragged his fingernail hard across the line.
Blue Silver Grass.
A useless spirit.
Half a rank of spirit power.
A useless rank.
With such a start, anyone should logically accept their fate.
Zhao Shi stared at those words for a long time.
He suddenly remembered something.
A while ago, Lu Yuan had bought Soul-Gathering Grass seeds at the market—the lowest quality kind, cheap, but almost impossible to grow.
He hadn’t paid attention back then.
Thinking about it now, why would a six-year-old buy spirit herb seeds?
To plant them for fun?
The corner of Zhao Shi’s mouth twitched into a cold smile.
Interesting.
He wanted to see just what kind of waves this family of useless spirits could stir up.
*** By evening, the rumors had reached the southern end of town.
In the Qian family courtyard, Qian Xiaohao was sparring in sabre techniques with two of his followers.
He was also six years old this year, possessed an Ironback Sabre spirit, and had Rank 4 innate spirit power, making him top-tier among his peers in Maple Leaf Town.
A follower ran in, out of breath.
“Brother Xiaohao, have you heard?
That good-for-nothing father of the Lu family broke through!” Qian Xiaohao stopped his swing, frowning.
“Which Lu family?” “The one in the northwest corner of town!
The son is named Lu Yuan, the one with the Blue Silver Grass spirit!” Qian Xiaohao remembered.
On the day of the spirit awakening, he had seen that kid.
Scrawny as a bamboo pole, the whole crowd had burst into laughter when he awakened Blue Silver Grass.
His half-rank of innate spirit power was an even bigger joke.
“A breakthrough is just a breakthrough,” Qian Xiaohao curled his lip.
“A white spirit ring, right?” “It’s white,” the follower nodded.
“But people in town are saying Lu Qinghe’s breakthrough was related to his son.
They say Lu Yuan might know a cultivation method…” “Nonsense,” Qian Xiaohao cut him off with complete disdain.
“A useless spirit with half a rank of spirit power knows jack about cultivation methods.” He stabbed his sabre into the ground.
“If you ask me, a blind cat stumbled upon a dead mouse.
Stuck for fifteen years, even a pig could squeeze out a fart by then.” The two followers burst into laughter.
Qian Xiaohao pulled out his sabre and slashed at the air.
“A useless spirit is a useless spirit.
What tricks could it possibly pull?” He snorted.
“In two years, when we enter the Spirit Master Academy, I’ll let him know what a real spirit master is.” The followers chimed in with agreement.
Qian Xiaohao said no more and resumed practicing his sabre technique.
Yet the lingering annoyance felt like a thorn stuck in his heart.
Lu Yuan.
He remembered the way that kid looked at people.
Calm, indifferent, not like a child at all.
It made him uncomfortable.
Qian Xiaohao delivered a heavy slash, splitting the wooden target with a loud crack.
He really wanted to see how far a Blue Silver Grass could go.