Chapter 7 (1/2)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The young lad returned to the old courtyard his father was once at. It was brightly lit.

It seemed the necessary arrangements were made as even the servants knew about his imminent departure. Others were busy moving things, and some were emptying the room.

It appeared that the lad was the last person to know the truth.

Zhou Yan mustered a patronizing smile as he pondered about the current situation. If this happened before he inherited the will of the ancient sage, it would not have mattered much if he pushed his body beyond his physical ability or not. The same excuse claiming he was not much of a genius would be used by both Zhou Lingyao and his sister for the same purpose of claiming his birthright.

On the other hand, the young lad might have acted out rashly since he was just a teen and caused an even greater outburst that would have resulted in him completely giving up on his dreams.

No matter what the outcome was, it would ultimately be a grim one. It was destined for him to never have a glimmer of a positive outcome.

In reality, the young lad had a new strategy for training that allowed him to speedily progress his different skills without stalling. No longer was his progression considered average. However, the trio of Elders, along with the Lord of the family, never bothered to examine his body or attempted to understand the changes that were occurring in his body. All they did was jump to a conclusion without much evidence to support their verdict. They were adamant in claiming that he was nothing more than a piece of crippled trash. The young lad could not help but feel skeptical about their claims.

In addition to their hasty claims, they even told him what a blessing it would be for him to live the life of common-folk and ranted about his failures and disabilities, claiming how it would keep him on a righteous path, thus not bringing shame to the family.

Those spoken words alone wrenched his heart as it did not matter what the intention was, but it was the audacity to say such horrible things to him the moment after his father had perished that hurt him the most.

Those words would not sound unkind or unmerciful to an average child. It was precisely after that overwhelming soul-piercing blade of light was unsheathed, not a single soul acknowledged his presence.

Both of his siblings, Zhou Lingyao and Zhou Lingyi, could not even withstand the sheer force of such raw power. He was the only one who could face it without a single flinch. Even so, not a single soul looked over at him with concern. No one made an effort to understand how a nobody like him could have attained such capabilities to face the raw, unhinged power without flinching.

At that moment, he assumed his demonstration of might alone would give him a glimmer of hope for some recognition he desperately yearned for… However, he was deeply disappointed as not a single person noticed his potential. It was clear to him now that nobody cared about him.

It was evident that his presence alone had been long forgotten by the entirety of his family.

Perhaps it was his position in the family that everyone perceived him as not a genius and nothing more than an average man. If not for the resources provided to him during his training, he would not even stand a chance to compete with a regular pupil of the family.

…

Under the pine tree in the courtyard, streams of water flowed calmly as a cool breeze blew.

Painted across the night sky was a sea of flickering stars. It was what a dream should be beautiful and bright.

There the young stood, reflecting upon that very same scene that transpired before. It was heartbreaking for the young lad.

However, not a single complaint was uttered, nor grievances were held against anyone. Ever since the young lad knew how much betrayal, heartbreak, and endless cycles of vengeance the ancient sage went through, he realized that his situation cannot compare to that of the old sage.

Thus, the young lad came to an understanding. Since he no longer had a legitimate position in the Zhou family, there would be no need for him to fulfill his obligations.

…

“Master, please take care of yourself from now on as I, Ping’er, will be taking my leave now.”

At this moment, the young lad heard the voice of his personal handmaiden coming through one side of his ear.

The young lass, whose name was Ping’er, had been by Zhou Yan’s side ever since he was a child. Those two grew up closely together.

“Are you leaving too?” Zhou Yan asked with a saddened tone.

“I, Ping’er am reluctant to leave you, master, but the Mistress said you should be independent and work for everything with your bare hands, so you shouldn’t rely on me any longer.”

The young lass, Ping’er, was deeply saddened as she lowered her head. Zhou Yan noticed tears welling up in her huge pearly eyes. She seemed reluctant to leave his side.

With sudden realization, Zhou Yan recalled how loyal his handmaiden was despite always being a letdown in the past. This very realization tugged at the strings of his heart. However, Zhou Yan felt he was losing his very own identity after the collective memories of the ancient sage were infused inside him.

This change would act as a constant reminder for Zhou Yan. Due to his inexperience in the world, this change in personality was the result of acquiring tremendous information from the collective memories of the ancient sage. Although this would change the way he interacted with people, he was determined to never forget the precious memories he shared with his personal handmaiden.

The young lad was resolute in holding onto his will.

This change in personality only lingered for an instant as he could not shake the intense feeling of a coincidence that events in the past and the following unique changes he encountered were part of his fate.

It appeared that perhaps he had unconsciously shaken off the slight negative influence from the collective memories of the ancient sage.

“Pay no mind to what she had spoken. You are not her handmaiden but mine! I have no ties to that woman, so you shall join me in my future journey!”

“Ah…But master, she’s the Mistress of the house!”