At the end of the ritual, the little one sat on the ground, panting heavily, and turned around.
Ah Wu strode over, extending his arms to pick him up.
The little one was so exhausted that he weakly raised his little paws toward Ah Wu.
“You did well, little one,” Ah Wu said as he scooped him up and gently nuzzled his little head.
Not far behind, Lian Qing and the chief examiner, seeing that it had ended, also walked over.
But just at that moment, the previously clear sky suddenly rumbled with thunder.
The little one froze, “Is it going to rain?”
It hadn’t seemed like it was going to rain today.
The chief examiner had already taken off his coat, ready to hold it over Lian Qing’s head to shield him from the rain.
The little one looked up, staring blankly at the sky.
There was only thunder, but no rain.
The little one kept staring until his neck hurt, but he couldn’t figure out what was going on.
“Chirp, chirp!”
Ah Wu, is this a sign from the heavens?
Ah Wu had no answer. He didn’t know much about these things either.
Instinctively, he turned to look at Lian Qing, who scratched his nose and explained, “I’m not sure either.”
He knew about the ritual, but had no idea what the outcome would be.
The little one looked up at the sky again and optimistically chirped, “Chirp, chirp!”
It must mean that my wish is coming true!
Ah Wu responded with a soft “mmm,” and carried the little one back.
They had arrived in the afternoon, and if they stayed any longer, it would be evening soon.
The little one, completely worn out, laid in Ah Wu’s arms, unable to even lift his head.
He let out a couple more chirps.
Ah Wu translated his request: “Big Boss, the little one wants spicy noodles and fried chicken, and also a fizzy drink.”
The little one used to love eating plain noodles, but the chief examiner had since come up with a spicy version. The noodles were fiery red and looked extremely spicy.
Even though the little one always ended up sniffling from the heat, he still wanted to eat them every time.
The chief examiner glanced at the pitiful, exhausted little one and nodded generously. “Alright.”
Emperor Ling watched them from a distance, careful not to let them notice him.
After they left, he approached the ritual platform.
Standing in front of it, he muttered softly, “Heavens.”
“If you truly exist, please disregard the wish my little one just made.”
No sooner had the little one finished making his wish than his father came by to cancel it.
He spent a while trying to retract the wish, though he wasn’t sure if it had worked.
After lingering at the platform for a bit longer, Emperor Ling left as well.
He returned to his sickbed, while the little one fell asleep in Ah Wu’s arms before even reaching home.
That night, the little one only managed to eat a few bites of the spicy noodles.
He was too tired and kept sleeping.
Ah Wu washed him up and didn’t take him to see Emperor Ling. Instead, he transformed back into his true form and curled around the little one.
With a low voice, he murmured, “Now that it’s done, you can rest well.”
The little one wouldn’t need to stack stones anymore, and there wouldn’t be any more hard work for a while.
He could rest properly and regain his energy.
Ah Wu wasn’t the only one with this thought—everyone else felt the same.
The ritual had come to an end, but the little one’s exhaustion hadn’t faded.
He used to be able to stay awake in class, but now he couldn’t even make it through a lesson without dozing off.
The teacher, noticing how sleepy the little one was, began to doubt his own teaching skills, wondering if his methods had deteriorated.
Otherwise, how could a student who once loved lessons no longer pay attention?
After observing the sleepy little one for two days, the teacher finally couldn’t resist and called him into the office.
“Little Seven.”
The teacher’s tone was still gentle as he asked the little one in front of him, “Has my class been a bit boring recently?”
The little one shook his head.
Looking confused but honest, he said, “I didn’t hear the lesson clearly, so I don’t know if it’s boring or not.”
The teacher: “…”
The teacher was speechless.
Since he couldn’t get anything out of the little one, he decided to start practical lessons earlier than planned.
He figured the kids must be getting restless from sitting in class all the time.
The little one liked practical lessons, so he nodded, expressing his desire to attend.
Even though the practical lessons hadn’t started yet, the little one was still sleepy.
Not only was he tired, but when he got really sleepy, he would turn into a little dumpling.
Emperor Ling had picked up the little dumpling from the doorway several times, frowning deeply. If he’d known that performing a ritual would be so exhausting, he would have stopped it from the start.
Seeing how tired the little one was, Emperor Ling even had the doctor check his health.
The little one cooperated with the examination, and the results came back normal.
The doctor, guessing the cause of his drowsiness, explained, “It’s likely from overexertion, with his body being a bit drained. There’s been similar cases before—he just needs to catch up on sleep and he’ll be fine.”
The doctor’s words reassured Emperor Ling a little.
“Oh, and by the way, your recent test results are also looking good.”
Finally, Emperor Ling’s condition had stopped worsening.
In his last checkup, the doctors had exchanged worried glances, unsure of how to break the news to Little Seven. Now, at least, his condition had stabilized, if not improved.
Under normal circumstances, such news would have made Emperor Ling happy, but now, he couldn’t help feeling uneasy.
“My results are good? Shouldn’t you check again? Is it not my time yet?”
The doctor: “?”
The doctor slowly lifted his head, with a look that said, “What nonsense are you talking about?”
Emperor Ling: “…”
He rephrased more tactfully, “I mean, when I first got back, you said my condition wasn’t great. How is it better now?”
“You’re not better yet, but at least it’s stable now.”
The doctor frowned at his earlier remarks. “Your illness is primarily organ failure, and while the rate of failure was fast, if you can stabilize or slow it down, your life expectancy can be extended.”
“But to maintain that stable rate of decline, many factors are involved. Most importantly, keep your spirits up and avoid stress. When you return from Guan Shan Residence, you should consider retiring and living a peaceful life.”
The doctor casually said what no one in Qi Dynasty would dare say.
Emperor Ling wasn’t even surprised anymore.
“It’s not about retiring right now—it’s about not being able to get better…”
The more Emperor Ling talked, the more puzzled the doctor became.
The doctor patiently listened for a while, but soon ran out of patience.
“Alright, stop with the negative talk. If Little Seven hears this, he’ll be teary-eyed again.”
The little one, who had sent his father for treatment, had somehow learned how to be considerate of others.
Every time the little one came to visit the doctors, he would bring gifts for all of them.
At first, he even brought red envelopes, but when the doctors didn’t accept them, he switched to small gifts—things to eat or use. They weren’t expensive but showed his thoughtfulness.
The little one’s kindness made the doctors tolerate the often unreasonable Emperor Ling.
When the doctors mentioned the little one, Emperor Ling stopped his gloomy talk.
Time passed slowly.
It was almost time for the little one’s practical lesson to begin, and before leaving, he heard the good news that his father’s condition had stabilized.
Overjoyed, the little one ran to the still-standing altar, danced again, and offered incense.
This time, however, there was no thunder from the sky.
“Daddy.”
On the eve of his departure, the little one slept beside his father, holding his large hand tightly. With a smile, he said, “I’m going on a lesson trip, but I’ll be back soon.”
“While I’m away, make sure to listen to the doctors. I’ve already spoken with Uncle Lian Qing and the big boss—they’ll visit you often.”
“Daddy, don’t argue with the doctors, okay? And don’t make them upset.”
In the past, Emperor Ling had tried to throw his weight around in the hospital, but the doctors didn’t tolerate it, which had caused quite a bit of conflict.
Now, after staying there for a while, Emperor Ling no longer put on airs.
Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t.
He had become so used to hearing the doctors speak bluntly that he no longer reacted much.
“Daddy knows.”
After hearing his little one’s long list of instructions, Emperor Ling reached out to pinch the little dumpling’s chubby cheeks and gave his own advice: “Little Seven, when you’re out there, make sure to stay safe.”
“Guan Shan Residence has secret guards. How about I have them follow you, okay?”
“No.”
The little one shook his head and buried his face in his father’s chest. “No secret guards for class.”
Emperor Ling thought about Guan Shan Residence’s strength and finally relented. “Alright, no secret guards then.”
After saying goodbye to his father, the little one also bid farewell to Lian Qing and big boss.
Ah Wu, looking at the little one about to head to his practical lesson, hesitated and then suggested, “Can I go with him this time?”
Ah Wu felt uneasy about the little one going to the lesson alone.
“You should focus on your own lessons.”
The chief examiner didn’t agree with Ah Wu’s suggestion. He said calmly, “You can’t protect him forever. The more he learns, the better it will be for him.”
Ah Wu pursed his lips.
After a moment, he raised his eyes to look at the chief examiner and replied, “I can.”
He meant that he could protect the little one for life.
The chief examiner snorted coldly, not fully trusting his words.
Ah Wu’s suggestion was rejected, and in the end, the little one obediently went to his practical lesson.
As soon as the little one left for the lesson, the bookstore owner delivered the book that had been missing pages from Emperor Ling’s last purchase.
So much time had passed that Emperor Ling had almost thought the owner wouldn’t be able to find the missing pages.
“My apologies, my son used it to prop up a table. I had to search for a while before finding it,” the bookstore owner explained.
To make up for the trouble, the owner also gifted him another book.
Emperor Ling accepted the book without holding any grudge.
Even though he had many things to occupy his time, with the little one gone, Emperor Ling still felt bored.
Leaning on the bed, he idly flipped through the book the owner had brought him.
As he turned the pages, his gaze stopped. On one of the pages, he saw the familiar image of the little dumpling.
Next to it was a note: Little Baize, a naturally auspicious beast.
Little Baize was different from Baize. Little Baize resembled the mythical beast Baize, but there were some differences in size and appearance.
“An auspicious beast…”
Emperor Ling’s pupils suddenly constricted. What he had assumed to be an unlucky creature was actually an auspicious one.
Before coming to Guan Shan Residence, during his last meeting with the Empress, she had told him everything.
She said that the little white dumpling that appeared by his side was Little Seven.
She claimed that Little Seven was a demon, a bringer of misfortune.
With Little Seven around, the Qi Dynasty would eventually fall.
Emperor Ling had only half-listened to the Empress at the time.
Later, when he spoke with Little Seven about the little dumpling, Little Seven would widen his eyes and blatantly pretend not to know anything, looking so guilty that even Emperor Ling fell silent.
After repeated testing and probing, Emperor Ling’s feelings gradually shifted without him even realizing it.
Clutching the book, he took a deep breath.
There was more text, and Emperor Ling steadied himself before continuing to read.
As he read on, his heart tightened again—
He saw the price of the auspicious beast’s blessing ritual.
Excessive sleepiness, shrinking in size, and delayed growth toward its adult form.
The adult form of the auspicious beast was the most powerful. Forcing a blessing in its current state would have consequences for the little one.
After reading this, Emperor Ling’s face grew tense.
“Doctor, how can I find Little Seven and his teacher?”
The drowsiness described in the book wasn’t just ordinary sleepiness.
This drowsiness could cause the little one to suddenly collapse and sleep for ten days to half a month without waking up.
Worried, Emperor Ling wanted to find Little Seven himself.
Just as he was making a fuss, Lian Qing arrived.
“Are you saying Little Seven’s drowsiness will only get worse?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll go look for him.”
The chief examiner and the other teachers were out, so Lian Qing thought for a moment and decided not to send anyone else.
He would personally go find the little one.
Emperor Ling trusted Lian Qing and the chief examiner.
His Little Seven had already told him that in Guan Shan Residence, these two were the most important.
After packing a few things, Lian Qing set out to find the little one.
As he was leaving, his eyelid twitched violently, as if something bad was about to happen.
He rubbed his eye, ignored it, and continued on his way.
While Lian Qing was on his way to find the little one, Little Seven was also on his way to the practical lesson.
“Little Seven, why are you still so sleepy even after leaving?”
“I don’t know.”
Yawning, Little Seven tugged on the teacher’s sleeve, walking alongside him.
Seeing him like this, the teacher wondered if he should even let him continue the lesson.
The two of them, hand in hand, were unaware that eyes were watching them.
In the shadows, someone gritted their teeth, their gaze filled with hatred.
A few years ago, their invincible general, Li Wei, had come to the front of Guan Shan Residence, only to be killed by the people there.
Guan Shan Residence had used this as a show of power, intimidating the nations that had once considered rebelling.
But after a few years, their desire to challenge Guan Shan Residence had reignited.
The people of Guan Shan Residence had mysterious weapons within their borders, but outside, they didn’t believe these people could still be armed.
Their only chance was to strike outside.
“Teacher, hold me.”
The little one’s eyes were nearly closed. He stopped and stretched out his small arms toward the teacher.
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