滴答!

滴答!

Since a few years ago, the Bailu Marsh, stretching three thousand miles, has been perpetually gloomy.

During this time of spring chill, the drizzling rain is ceaseless.

On the eaves, the fine rainwater gathers into thin streams, continuously falling like a beaded curtain. Even under the sheltered corridors and flying eaves of the small three-entry courtyard, water droplets formed by the gathered moisture still fall drip by drop.

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

Soft yet crisp footsteps suddenly emerge, growing faster, gradually becoming more frequent.

Soon, a little girl with pigtails and a small hand-sized face runs in from outside.

The little girl is extremely cute, with large eyes resembling pure black gems, a slightly upturned nose, and thin lips, but her complexion is a sickly pale, devoid of any rosiness.

She is dressed very warmly, wrapped entirely in a white velvet robe.

But even the white velvet clothing does not outshine her pale complexion.

A voice full of affectionate care comes from behind.

"Mao Mao, slow down, don’t fall."

The little girl obediently pauses her steps, resting her hand on a thick corridor pillar, panting heavily.

Excitedly, she tells the person behind, "Mother, brother’s lessons are ending today, I want to play with him."

After catching her breath, she resumes, dashing through the long corridor towards a waterside pavilion hidden behind a rock garden.

Behind her, the gentle lady smiles and shakes her head, following at an unhurried pace.

Although there is some distance between her and the girl called Mao Mao, the child’s figure remains in her sight.

Just as they are about to enter the waterside pavilion, a plainly dressed middle-aged woman exits, bowing to retreat.

Upon seeing the gentle lady, she respectfully salutes.

"Greetings, madam."

Lin Jingshu looks at her face with some confusion, hesitantly asking, "Are you from the Seventh Family?"

The middle-aged woman nods, "Yes, my master heard that the young master, Fu You, is working hard on his studies, considering his good relationship with young master Yuqi, so he specially instructed the servant to bring some supplements."

Lin Jingshu suddenly understands; her son indeed gets along well with Zhou Yuqi from the Seventh Family.

Moreover, her husband is also on good terms with the Seventh Family, having shared life and death experiences.

However, being well-mannered, she still says, "This is too generous."

The middle-aged woman forces a smile, "It’s no trouble, mainly because the young master Fu You is too young, working so diligently, there’s concern he might harm his health."

Lin Jingshu smiles, "Thank you very much, I will personally visit to express my gratitude when I have some time."

"Then this servant will take her leave."

Lin Jingshu nods, her eyes following the middle-aged woman as she walks through the long gallery.

Her husband is indeed well-loved within the clan!

With a sigh, she passes through the gallery, heading towards a waterside pavilion.

Before entering, she already hears laughter from inside.

"Brother, brother, is this character pronounced as ’feng’, like the wind blowing?"

"Yes, Mao Mao."

"Then what about the next character?"

"Che, as in ’wind speed lightning che’. It is also one of the characters used in our Zhou Family Tree: ’Cang Kun Yun Xiao, Hai Yu Jing Feng, Che Yu Qu Cheng, Lei Dian Ni Xia...’ which implies riding the clouds and controlling the sea, breaking through lightning on a rosy dawn. Our Zhou Family comes from the Immortal Cultivation Clans of the Extreme North Coral Sea, so we long for Longevity, roaming the seas, our ancestors wrote this set of meaningful characters." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"So complicated! And why do neither of our names include these characters, while brother Yuqi’s name does?"

"Actually, you do. You were originally named Zhou Qingyu, but the ancestor changed it to the homonym, the character ’yu’ for feather."

"What about you, brother?"

"I..."

The little girl’s voice is always filled with curious liveliness, while the boy’s voice, although gentle and sharp, speaks slowly and steadily.

Yet when it comes to why his name is not among the character set in the family tree, there is also doubt in his tone.

Lin Jingshu timely walks in, looking at her adorable daughter and handsome son, smiling as she says:

"Because the ancestor had high expectations for your brother, taking the meaning from the insignificance of ’Fu You’ to remind him not to be complacent."

The young boy, dressed in a simple white Daoist robe, stands up, set free from the clutches of the little girl, and salutes the woman.

"Mother!"

Lin Jingshu gently shakes her head, "We’re at home, no need for so much formality. How have your studies been lately?"

Zhou Fuqiu confidently replies: "I have thoroughly read thirty-two volumes of the Taoist Collection, am well-versed in the family’s teaching classics, and have also delved into the Wind and Earth Chronicles..."

The boy speaks unhurriedly, his words full of calm confidence.

Combined with his tall stature, far beyond his twin sister’s development, it’s almost unbelievable that he is merely a five-year-old child!

Indeed.

Zhou Fuqiu at this moment is only five years old, yet the title of prodigy has already spread throughout the entire Zhou family.

He could run at one year old, spoke well at two, and by three had already learned abundant poems and songs.

Later on, ordinary literary classics no longer satisfied him, he began to dabble in the Martial Arts Scripture related to cultivation.

Nearly all family elders who met him believed that as long as he developed a Spirit Root, he was destined to be the cultivating genius of the Zhou family!

Looking at her son, Lin Jingshu’s eyes are full of pride and joy.

But seeing her daughter, still frail compared to her peers, her complexion pale like white jade coral, her heart fills with unspeakable pain and pity.

Clearly twin siblings, born almost at the same time, yet Zhou Qingyu has been weak and sickly since birth, with a later awakening of intellect.

Despite the couple investing considerable resources, she has not been nurtured to good health.

To ensure she lived free of illness, they even gave her the humble name "Mao Mao", following secular customs for raising delicate children.

With a sigh, suppressing the affection in her heart, Lin Jingshu asked her son about another matter.