The little one stood out in the crowd of children.
After leaving the scholar, Emperor Ling easily located his own child. Once he spotted him, he didn’t call out immediately.
The child, along with his friends, walked in a certain direction.
As they walked, they chatted and occasionally playfully shoved each other.
Watching the children, Emperor Ling thought that staying here with his child might not be so bad after all.
Compared to the palace, at least there were no scheming plots here.
Both he and his little one seemed to be in a safer environment here.
Emperor Ling quietly followed them for a while until the group of children finally stopped.
They had arrived at a somewhat remote place. After coming to a stop, they bumped fists and bent down to start moving stones from the ground.
They were stacking these stones on a platform that was already half built, and his little one was leading the effort.
Usually fragile and delicate, the little one was now working hard, lifting the stones with great effort.
Twice, the stones fell and almost crushed his little one’s feet.
From a distance, Emperor Ling watched with his heart in his throat.
He couldn’t make sense of what the children were doing.
They continued moving stones for over an hour before stopping to rest.
During the break, his little one opened the bag he had brought, distributing food to everyone.
In addition to the food from the bag, the little one also dug a pit and lit a fire, roasting sweet potatoes for everyone to eat.
After filling their bellies, the group of children worked for a little longer.
As the sky grew dark, the little one cheerfully told the group, “Alright, that’s enough for today. We can go home and sleep now. Thank you all!”
The little one politely thanked everyone who had helped.
The other children smiled and, though exhausted, didn’t mind at all.
Their hands were so dirty that they didn’t touch the little one’s face or pat his shoulders.
Instead, they said, “Little Seven, don’t worry. We will definitely finish building the altar.”
“Yeah, Little Seven, don’t stress. With us here, this altar will be done in no time!”
“When the altar is finished, you can pray for your father, and it will surely help.”
The children’s encouragement and comfort filled the little one’s heart with warmth.
He followed them home, but after they all left, he quietly returned alone.
He continued working late into the night.
As he lifted each stone, he silently made a wish.
He wished for his father not to die.
The little one worked much longer than the others, and by the time he finished, his clothes were soaked with sweat.
Not only did he continue working, but before leaving, he even practiced the dance that the priests would perform for the ritual.
Time passed slowly, and by the time the little one left, he was completely exhausted.
Dragging himself back, it was no wonder he could fall asleep anywhere.
Emperor Ling, hidden in the shadows, witnessed the entire process.
He heard the conversation between the little one and his friends clearly.
It turned out that the one who caused his little one such exhaustion wasn’t the teacher or the school—it was him.
He was the true culprit.
The little one had already walked a good distance when Emperor Ling finally snapped out of his thoughts.
Following the little one’s path, he found a small white bundle of exhaustion lying in the grass.
The little dumpling had collapsed, belly-up, head tilted, sound asleep, and no matter how much he was shaken, he wouldn’t wake.
Emperor Ling picked him up and shook him again, but the child remained sound asleep.
The little one was soft all over, like holding a slightly heavier ball of cotton.
Carrying the little one, Emperor Ling returned to the hospital room. He placed the little one on his bed and covered him with clothes.
When the doctor came to check on him and attach new equipment, Emperor Ling cooperated fully.
In the past, he would have resisted during painful moments of treatment.
But this time, he endured without a single complaint.
By now, the sky outside had turned completely dark.
The doctor brought dinner for Emperor Ling, and he specifically asked for two portions.
The little one, still curled up in a ball, was deeply asleep.
Emperor Ling brought food to his mouth, and even in his sleep, the child opened his mouth and ate.
They finished their meal together. Afterward, Emperor Ling did some simple cleaning, then laid down and hugged the little one as they slept.
They slept like this, and at some point, Ah Wu came in to check on them.
Ah Wu glanced at the child by Emperor Ling’s bedside and then at the sleeping Emperor Ling. After thinking for a moment, he decided not to take the little one away.
The little one, sleeping beside his father, was resting soundly.
He was truly exhausted.
It wasn’t just physical tiredness—his little mind was worn out too.
But the little one attributed all this exhaustion to the hard work he had done.
He slept straight through until the next morning.
Had it not been for his strong belief in going to class, deeply ingrained in his heart, he would have had a hard time waking up.
Waking up through sheer will and his internal clock, the first thing the little one saw upon opening his eyes was his father’s face, enlarged in his view.
He stared blankly for a moment before instinctively checking himself.
He was still a little ball of fluff!
Nervously, the little one tightened his paws, his wide, glossy black eyes staring at his father without blinking.
After a few seconds, his little heart was still thumping loudly.
“Chirp?”
He called out softly.
Seeing that his father hadn’t woken up, the little one relaxed his paws a bit. He propped up his small body, trying to sneak away before his father woke up.
Just as the little one stood up and stepped on the soft blanket, he was pressed down by a large hand.
Then, a slightly hoarse morning voice spoke up.
“Awake?”
Emperor Ling opened his eyes with a calm expression, looking at the little one in front of him, now frozen with fear.
The little one, pinned down by his father’s hand, didn’t dare move.
His timid appearance was almost too cute to handle.
Emperor Ling cleared his throat, suppressing the laughter that was about to escape.
“Give me your paw.”
As soon as Emperor Ling spoke, the little one instinctively extended his paw.
Last night, Emperor Ling had applied ointment to the little one’s paws. Now, he held them gently and looked down.
The little paws still looked pitiful.
Emperor Ling’s Adam’s apple moved as if he wanted to say something, but seeing the little one’s nervous eyes, he swallowed his words.
“Does it hurt?”
“Chirp.”
It didn’t hurt.
If this had been in the past, the little one would have held up his paw, tears brimming in his eyes, asking for someone to blow on it.
But after days of hard work, he had gotten used to the pain and didn’t feel that it hurt much anymore.
Though the little one didn’t ask for it, Emperor Ling still blew on his paws.
Afterward, he rubbed the little one’s head.
The two of them sat quietly on the bed, and Emperor Ling gently massaged the little one from head to toe.
By the time he was done, the little one’s fur was all messed up.
Under Emperor Ling’s large hand, the little one gradually relaxed, no longer as tense as before.
“Chirp!”
The little one nuzzled against Emperor Ling’s palm, but he couldn’t stay in bed any longer—he had to go to class.
Seeing the little one about to jump off the bed, Emperor Ling glanced at the time and didn’t stop him.
The little one successfully got down and, as he reached the door, turned to look back at Emperor Ling.
Their eyes met, and the little one waved his paw at him.
Once outside the hospital room, the little one picked up his pace and ran to the chief examiner’s house. He still needed to eat breakfast, grab his school bag, and then head to school with Ah Wu.
“Ah Wu.”
On the way to school, the little one held Ah Wu’s hand. Each of them had a bottle of milk, and as they drank, the little one asked, “Did you smash more stones for me last night?”
He knew that Ah Wu was the one who always smashed the stones for his altar.
“Yeah, I smashed some last night, enough for you all to use today.”
“Thank you, Ah Wu.”
“No need to thank me.”
As they walked hand in hand, the little one finished his milk and even took a couple of sips from Ah Wu’s.
Ah Wu didn’t let him drink too much, and after two sips, he patted the little one’s belly.
His belly was round and full, not the least bit hungry.
“Ah Wu, do you think I’m a bit short?”
The little one looked up, milk stains still on his lips, and gazed at Ah Wu. “All the kids in my class are taller than me.”
The older ones had said that drinking milk would help him grow taller, which was why he drank Ah Wu’s milk.
Ah Wu, whether in his beast form or human form, was always the tallest among his peers.
The little one worried that if things continued this way, he would be several heads shorter than Ah Wu in the future.
“You’re the youngest in the class, so it’s normal that you’re not as tall as them. Don’t worry.”
“As long as you eat well and sleep well, you’ll grow taller over time.”
Ah Wu comforted the little one and promised to check the Big Boss’s recipe book when they got home to see if there were any dishes that could help with growth.
Talking and walking, they soon arrived at school.
The little one entered the school, and since he and Ah Wu were in different classes, they went their separate ways.
Carrying his school bag, the little one returned to his class.
“Good morning, Little Seven!”
“Little Seven, did you have breakfast today? I’ve got lots of snacks here.”
“Little Seven, did you sleep well last night?”
As soon as the little one sat down, he was greeted by a round of questions.
He answered each of them and then shared some candy with everyone.
The atmosphere in the classroom was warm and cheerful, with smiles on every child’s face.
Before long, the teacher entered the room.
He looked at the children chatting happily, tapped the desk with his ruler, and signaled them to quiet down.
“Alright, let’s stop chatting and begin class.”
While the little one was in school, Emperor Ling, lying in his hospital bed, asked the doctor for something to read.
“You want books about supernatural creatures and strange phenomena? Aren’t emperors the most opposed to that kind of thing? Why do you want to read that?”
Emperor Ling: “…”
Looking a bit awkward, Emperor Ling replied, “I just got curious and wanted to learn more.”
The doctor shrugged. “Alright.”
“I’ll go find a couple of books for you.”
The doctor, not much of a fan of supernatural stories herself, left the room and ran into the chief examiner.
The chief examiner’s study was full of books, so it was the perfect place to borrow from.
“Chief.”
The doctor approached him and explained the request.
Raising an eyebrow, the chief examiner confirmed, “He really asked for those books?”
“Yes, he did.”
The doctor chuckled. “He’s borrowed books out of boredom before, but the last ones I gave him were from our Guan Shan Residence collection, and he wasn’t too thrilled.”
“I have a few books.”
The chief examiner said calmly, “I’ll bring them over later.”
“Alright, thanks, boss.”
After getting the books from the chief examiner, the doctor was in a good mood.
That same day, Emperor Ling saw three books about supernatural creatures.
As he read, his brows furrowed.
“Ferocious nature, resembling a white tiger… not it.”
“A cry like a chirp, body like a large bear… nope.”
Emperor Ling spent an entire day reading the books.
By the end of the day, he still hadn’t figured out which creature from the books matched the little one he had seen.
After reading so many pages, his vision was starting to blur.
In addition to the books on supernatural creatures, he had also picked up two books on rituals and blessings.
He had found these two books during a trip outside, in a remote bookstore.
They were covered in dust, not often read.
The bookstore owner was a bit surprised: “I still have these two books? They must have been left here by someone before I came to Guan Shan.”
“I remember now. I helped someone out back then, and they gave me these books in return.”
The owner had only skimmed through the books and hadn’t read much of them.
For Emperor Ling to find these two books in a corner was purely by chance.
“These are old books. Pay what you think is fair,” the owner said.
Seeing his customer hesitate, the owner smiled and quoted a price himself: “One copper coin for both books. How does that sound?”
Emperor Ling flipped through the books. They were somewhat incomplete.
“Owner, were these books originally incomplete, or have some pages been lost?”
“They were complete,” the owner said after taking a look. “Looks like a few pages are missing at the end. My kid probably tore them out. I can try to find them for you. Shall I let you know when I do?”
“No need. Sell me these first, and if you find the missing pages later, send them to me.”
With that, Emperor Ling handed over a full silver piece.
The owner, seeing the silver, waved his hands in surprise. “That’s too much!”
“It’s fine. Just make sure to send me the missing pages if you find them.”
To Emperor Ling, the silver was nothing.
As long as the contents of the books were useful, he’d gladly pay even more.
He left his address and then departed.
In the books he found, Emperor Ling came across detailed descriptions of rituals related to blessings.
The rituals were clearly documented on the yellowed pages.
The ritual platforms described in the books were just like the one his little one had built.
His child had built a platform to pray for blessings on his behalf.
The books also contained several stories of successful prayers for blessings. In these stories, those who succeeded were referred to as “people favored by the heavens.”
In other words, those who could successfully pray to the heavens were themselves blessed with great fortune.
These individuals were protected by the heavens, and because of this, when they prayed, their blessings were answered.
Emperor Ling read the book carefully, thinking about his own little one—
To Emperor Ling, his child seemed more like a little unlucky star.
Emperor Ling couldn’t see how his child could change others’ fates; he only knew that the little one had been sick, hurt, and generally pitiful as a child.
“Those not favored by the heavens… their prayers won’t be effective.”
Seeing this point in the book, Emperor Ling wasn’t disappointed.
The book mentioned that those whose prayers were answered would have to pay a price.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch. If one’s prayers were granted, something must be sacrificed in return.
If the prayers were unsuccessful, there would be no need for a price.
Reading this, Emperor Ling felt reassured.
Still, to confirm his theory, when the little one came back exhausted after a long day, Emperor Ling made him wake up and play a little game.
“Little Seven, look. Here are two bowls. One has candy, the other doesn’t. Choose one, and if you pick the one with candy, you can eat it.”
The little one’s eyes were already drooping with sleepiness. He tried his best to focus and pressed his tiny hand down on one of the bowls.
Emperor Ling lifted the bowl. It was empty.
They repeated the experiment several times, and each time, the little one picked the empty bowl.
Watching his child fail even at guessing which bowl held candy, Emperor Ling became more convinced that his little one was an unlucky star, not a blessed one.
“Daddy, I want to sleep,” the little one mumbled, barely able to stay awake before finally collapsing in exhaustion.
Emperor Ling, seeing his sleepy, confused child, finally allowed him to rest.
For the next two days, Emperor Ling continued observing his little one.
It seemed that his child had been a bit out of sorts lately, even tripping while walking.
Such a clumsy, unlucky little one made Emperor Ling feel both heartbroken and reassured.
Emperor Ling couldn’t bring himself to dismantle the ritual platform. His child had worked so hard, even wearing down his little hands, to build it. He couldn’t take that away from him.
So, he could only hope that the ritual would provide his child with some psychological comfort, but in terms of actual results—
He didn’t want there to be any.
After three days of hard work, the little one finally finished building the platform, and all the items needed for the ritual were prepared.
The little one, in his tiny form, was going to pray for his father’s blessings.
He didn’t invite his friends over; instead, he called Lian Qing, the chief examiner, and Ah Wu, who knew his true form.
Ah Wu, not understanding much about rituals, could only stand and watch.
Time passed slowly.
The little one wore a small white outfit embroidered with beads, made by Lian Qing. It even had embroidery on it.
In addition to the outfit, the little one also wore a necklace around his neck and a little crown on his head.
Dressed up like this, the little one looked absolutely dazzling.
Lian Qing was very pleased with the outfit he had created. He poked the chief examiner’s arm and raised his chin, “Hurry up and get the camera ready. I want to take a picture of him.”
“Got it.”
While the two adults were talking, Ah Wu didn’t join in on their conversation.
Ah Wu’s eyes were fixed on the little one, never missing a second of how adorable the small child looked.
Not far behind them, Emperor Ling also stood quietly, watching.
Under the vast, clear sky.
The little one had a serious expression as he kicked his paws, performing the ritual dance.
He was dancing so earnestly that Lian Qing couldn’t stop smiling.
After an unknown amount of time, the little one finally finished the ritual dance. He stood up, clenched his little paws, closed his eyes, and began to make a wish to the heavens.
There was still a series of procedures to follow after the wish.
Lian Qing’s legs were starting to feel numb. He tilted his head and leaned against the chief examiner’s shoulder. “Let me lean on you for a bit, I can’t stand anymore.”
Standing there for so long, he was starting to feel worn out.
The little one had insisted the ritual had to be sincere, so he hadn’t even prepared them a stool.
“You can’t stand after just a little while? You really need more exercise.”
Although the chief examiner extended his arm to let Lian Qing lean on him, he still scolded him.
Lian Qing rolled his eyes at him after hearing this, stood straight again, and refused to lean on him anymore.
The chief examiner frowned, not understanding what he had said wrong.
He looked at Lian Qing, who was ignoring him, and took the initiative to pull Lian Qing’s head back onto his shoulder.
“I was just being honest, and you can’t handle it?”
“Just keep your mouth shut.”
The two continued speaking quietly, but after a few sentences, they stopped.
After all, they still needed to watch the little one’s blessing ritual.
This adorable, fresh little one was making a wish, and they wanted to capture every moment.
The ritual lasted for a full two hours.
After two hours, the little one let out a cry, “Chirp! Chirp!” and announced that the ritual was finally over.
