"What if...", Ko Gunwen with some struggle as he felt pressure from his father’s foot on the back of his head, painfully pressing his forehead into the floor, but no longer coughing or gasping for breaths, "... I won’t rely on you any longer, not take anything from you?"

This caused the three other brothers to start cursing inside as they all wished for him to just shut up and obey, while Ko Zhumen showed more surprise, taking his foot off from his son’s head, and crouching down to look him in the eyes as the latter slowly rose to all fours but was stopped from rising further by his father’s hand landing on his shoulder.

"And that supposedly frees you up from obeying me?", Ko Zhumen seemed to be driven by curiosity that held back the more violent response, "How do you imagine that? That I’d just consider everything I gave you so far a waste and write it off, and let you go do whatever you want and live however you like? Do I look that charitable to you?"

"I’ll pay you back", Ko Gunwen’s breathing was a bit rushed and uneven as he struggled to take control of his qi circulation that was disrupted by his father’s attack earlier, "I’ll find a way to repay everything you invested in me so far"

"Hah!", Ko Zhumen’s voice rose for the first time in genuine amusement, and then continued in the same measured way of speaking, but not holding back the sarcasm dripping from his every word, "You? On your own? Do you even hear yourself?"

He then made a side-eye glance to Ko Fuan, "You think because Fuan was able to, you can do it too? You... the idiot who almost got himself killed while out on a simple errand? The one who now has a red indented handprint on his face, and is going around embarrassing me by not covering it up?"

His amusement seemed to grow along with his frustration, as the three siblings standing to the side sensed a very dangerous explosive atmosphere intensifying behind this seemingly jovial one, "And, let’s say hypothetically, that you succeed in repaying me, and become free. To do what, exactly? Do you even have a goal? To just... aimlessly survive living in my city like a bum? Perhaps you want to be a hermit living out the rest of your life somewhere in the mountains? Join a Sect or organization and simply obey someone else which isn’t any different from obeying me? Or are you deluding yourself to think you can be your own man... a rogue cultivator? Aim to grow into something on your own? Do you even know what that life is like? Do you have the slightest idea? You think you can survive out there without the protection of your current status and lifestyle? Right now, if I send you out of the City Lord’s Manor, with nothing but the clothes on your back and a weapon, you think you can make it? You think you can survive?"

"I-...", Ko Gunwen started but the words stuck in his throat as he felt suffocated by his father’s pressure, and the chaos of thoughts that still raged in his head.

He truly did not have the answers to the questions his father was asking. He was in the middle of searching for those answers, in the middle of the pursuit, the importance of which he understood even more deeply after meeting the 9th prince’s friend.

Perhaps a few weeks ago it would have been different, but by now, he understood that his father was right. That life without his current status and resources was very likely far more harsh than he could imagine. He understood himself and his own ignorance, as well as incompetence, far more clearly than the City Lord thought, although not as clearly as it was required to truly know their extent yet. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Ko Gunwen didn’t truly flesh out his thoughts. And yet, he also understood that he could not stay in this weightless state, or return to life before starting to ask himself those questions.

It was true that after decades of living with his status and lifestyle, with a single thought of succeeding his father’s position, it was hard for him to imagine any other kind of life. And yet, when he was knocked down from his pedestal, and coming so close to death he could feel its breath, he suddenly realized he had no real core motivation behind his earlier existence, drifting along on the course that his circumstances dictated without truly thinking for himself.

The words "The Dao is formless... the Dao is endless...", continued to echo in his head for the past few days, stimulating his mind and urging it to continue asking, to continue seeking.

All that was reflected in his eyes, but to City Lord it seemed as mindless confusion and weakness, as well as what he believed to be fear of himself. Coupled with the fact Ko Gunwen couldn’t answer, City Lord Ko took it as a sign of admitting defeat on his son’s part.

He snorted, standing up and turning to return to his desk, "Don’t hurt your head by thinking about ridiculous useless fantasies and just listen to what I say. Cover your face at all times from now on"

Ko Gunwen paused before answering, but seeing his father stop and turn around with a menacing look, didn’t see any way out, at least yet, "...yes, Father"

City Lord Ko spent a few more seconds looking at his eldest son, not sure what to think of this sudden rebellious mood or ridiculous thoughts, in the end dismissing it as just consequences of shock from losing his dominant position among the four sons.

He then returned to sit at his desk, and after a short pause to gather his thoughts, during which Ko Gunwen stood back up, he continued, "Anyway, the reason I called you in here should be pretty clear, that Trading Company’s auction is a big event so we can’t have it look like the City Lord’s Manor is excluded"

"But me going there personally is out of the question, its giving too much face", he then added, leaving out the fact that he felt it was too risky to enter into the powerful protective formation of the Soaring Feather Trading Company.

Ko Fuan felt a bit unsettled from before, not only about Ko Gunwen’s unexpected behavior and thoughts, but more so about the fact their father let him off too easily, and was now speaking to all four of them.

His intensifying unease was then proven right when Ko Zhumen added, "So, I am going to send two of you there. I originally planned to give a chance to Gunwen to redeem himself and have the other volunteer from the three of you, but you lost that chance this time, Gunwen, make sure to behave appropriately to not miss out on another one in the future"

This statement surprised not only Ko Fuan, but all of the sons, although none of them were as rattled by it as he was.

To Ko Gunwen himself, this certainly came as a shock. But an even bigger shock was that he wasn’t as moved by neither hearing about the chance to redeem himself nor losing that chance. His heart did flutter at the possibility, and he did feel a pang of regret at losing it, but he was acutely aware that those reactions were a lot more subtle than he thought they should’ve been.

To Ko Fuan, however, this came as a true lightning bolt out of the blue. He already wrote off his eldest brother as a failure with no chance at redemption, and since the other two did not seem to be truly in competition, he already felt like he was unofficially the next successor.

He certainly had plans and was thinking of ways to solidify his position, but that mostly was in terms of receiving more recognition from their father rather than competing with his brothers.

All signs from his father during this week indicated he was right. Thus, he already was sure of his win, he was completely convinced he was above competition, only for that sense of security and mental comfort to be yanked away from him by Ko Zhumen.

He could read in his father’s eyes the very real intent to continue giving Ko Gunwen chances for redemption, even after what happened just now, and even try to instigate the other two to compete for the successor position as well.

His teeth gritted involuntarily as he felt like he was cruelly toyed with, but he couldn’t object. His father’s cold, observant eyes turned to him so he had to control his expression as much as it was possible to not show signs of his frustration and rage.

"Fuan recently took on a good chunk of duties related to patrolling the city, so how about you two go this time then", Ko Zhumen then added fuel to the fire of Ko Fuan’s distress, turning his gaze to Ko Furen and Ko Wenlu , both of whom glanced at Ko Fuan.

The former’s eyes were of quiet concern for his younger sibling, while the latter’s was a mix of many things.

It did feel like he was surprised and gauging how the youngest took this news, but there was also some gloating, amusement, and excitement at the very same time.

"Sure, Father, this should be fun", Ko Wenlu then chuckled.

"Father, perhaps Fuan is better-...", Ko Furen started, but was silenced by his father’s gaze.

"Are you refusing to go?", Ko Zhumen asked in a tone that did not allow changing the topic or not answering the question directly, his eyes, however, turning to look back at Ko Fuan who was desperately trying to keep a calm demeanor.

"No...", Ko Furen answered.

And as soon as he did, even though it seemed like he wanted to continue saying something else, Ko Zhumen nodded, "Great. Then it’s decided. Furen, Wenlu, you two will go to represent the City Lord Manor"

""Yes, Father"", the two nodded in obedience, though with slightly different attitudes.