It was March, a beautiful spring day in Tianxing City, located in the northern part of the continent and belonging to the Great Zhou Kingdom. Today, the entire city was adorned with lanterns and flowers, creating a festive atmosphere.
Nine-year-old Lin Feng, dressed in a red outfit, stood excitedly beside a beautiful woman. Not just Lin Feng, but everyone around him wore a beaming smile, their faces alight with joy.
Today was the wedding day of Lin Feng’s eldest brother, Lin Tian, the heir of the Lin family in Tianxing City. Lin Tian’s bride was the youngest princess of the Great Zhou Kingdom, and also the current Emperor’s most beloved princess.
Lin Feng was still young and naturally very curious about adult matters. His eldest brother’s wedding was an extremely novel and exciting event for him. As dusk fell, he continued to follow his mother, eagerly awaiting the start of the ceremony.
“The bridal sedan chair is here!”
A loud shout instantly transformed the entire Lin Manor into an even livelier scene. Lin Feng, thrilled, quickly tossed handfuls of red paper. Though he didn't fully grasp the meaning of a wedding, he knew this was the biggest joyous occasion his family had celebrated in nearly two years.
Lin Feng was the fourth son of the Lin clan in Tianxing City, and the youngest master of the Lin family, enjoying the affection of everyone. He was usually very mischievous, but there were many things he had yet to experience.
It wasn't until late into the night when all the festivities concluded that a tired but content Lin Feng followed the head steward, Lin Cheng, back to his room to rest. Today, Lin Feng had also met a new family member: his sister-in-law, the young princess of the Great Zhou Kingdom – Zhou Ting.
Lin Feng’s joy from the day clearly hadn’t subsided. As Lin Cheng tucked him into bed, Lin Feng grabbed his arm, his small hands tightly clutching Lin Cheng’s sleeve, his tender, youthful face looking up at him with hopeful eyes.
“What story do you want to hear tonight?”
Lin Feng’s expression immediately told Lin Cheng what was happening. Though over sixty, he looked only in his forties. Lin Cheng gently sat on the edge of Lin Feng’s bed. In the entire Lin Manor, it was always Lin Cheng who told the bedtime stories.
“Uncle Cheng,” Lin Feng asked, “will Big Brother and the Princess be like Mother and Father from now on?”
Lin Feng’s heart felt truly good about the new family member who had joined them today.
“Of course,” Lin Cheng chuckled. “From now on, the Princess is your sister-in-law. When you see her, you can’t call her ‘Princess’ directly; you must call her ‘Sister-in-law’!” He hadn’t expected little Lin Feng to even ask about adult matters.
“Doesn’t that mean I’ll also marry a princess someday?” Lin Feng asked, a little stunned. At nine years old, there were still some things he didn't quite understand.
“Haha, you silly child,” Lin Cheng laughed heartily. “Our Great Zhou Kingdom only has one princess! If you really want to marry a princess, you can bring one from the Great Tang Kingdom – their young princesses aren’t much older than you!”
Lin Cheng burst into hearty laughter at Lin Feng’s words, and at the same time, a sense of pride swelled within him. Their Lin family was indeed capable of marrying a royal princess.
On the Celestial Star Continent, the Lin family is one of the four leading great families, and also the largest family in the martial world. The Lin family has stood on the continent for hundreds of thousands of years; not even a change in dynasty has altered their status. The main reason, apart from the Lin family establishing itself through martial prowess, is the immense power backing them.
“Uncle Cheng, do I really have to marry a princess later?” Lin Cheng’s joking words were taken seriously by Lin Feng, whose gaze and tone suggested he truly believed he was destined to marry a princess in the future.
“Haha, not necessarily. Our Lin family’s dignified Fourth Young Master, of course, whoever he wishes to marry, that will be their good fortune!”
Lin Feng’s demeanor brought a smile to Lin Cheng’s face. His gaze towards Lin Feng grew fonder, yet within it, there was also a hint of expectation.
“Steward Cheng, the Family Head is here!”
A voice suddenly came from outside Lin Feng’s room. Lin Cheng patted the now-closed-eyed Lin Feng, and with a gentle smile, left the room.
Lin Zhengyun, the Grand Family Head of the Lin family, though only a little over forty years old, was recognized as the current martial world’s foremost master.
“Ah Cheng, has Feng’er been bothering you again?”
Inside the study, Lin Zhengyun asked Lin Cheng with a smile, while gesturing for him to sit on the chair nearby.
“Family Head, no, the Fourth Young Master is already asleep!” At the mention of Lin Feng, Lin Cheng’s smile deepened. Though Lin Cheng hadn’t served Lin Zhengyun for a long time, of the Lin family’s four young masters, Lin Feng was the only one he had watched grow up since childhood.
“Feng’er is already nine, and in three months, he’ll be ten!” Lin Zhengyun’s expression suddenly turned serious, and he sighed softly. Lin Cheng’s face immediately turned pale.
“Family Head, do you intend for Little Feng to go now?”
“That’s right. Our Lin family has always enjoyed great trust, all thanks to the efforts of our ancestors. Among the four children, Little Feng has the best innate talent. As you know, the sooner that matter is handled, the better. The best time is at ten years old!”
“But…” Lin Cheng’s heart was distressed, yet seeing Lin Zhengyun’s sorrowful gaze, he still nodded and said, “This old servant understands!”
***
The next day, Lin Tian, Lin Feng’s eldest brother, had to return to the capital with his new wife, the princess. Second brother Lin Shan and third brother Lin An also went along. More than half of the manor’s guards were dispatched, and the Lin manor immediately seemed much emptier.
“Mother, Second Brother, Third Brother can all go, why can’t I go too!”
Returning from the departing entourage, the empty Lin manor was left with only the Fourth Young Master, Lin Feng. Lin Feng desperately hoped to follow his three elder brothers to the capital. Unfortunately, his father and mother did not agree, and even Uncle Cheng, who always doted on him, did not agree to let him go this time.
“Father, please let Feng’er go. Feng’er can catch up with Eldest Brother and the others by evening now; it won’t be a rush to leave!”
Nearing the evening of the seventh day, Lin Feng found Lin Zhengyun and pleaded earnestly, hoping he could go, even though he knew himself that there was no hope.
“Little Feng, there’s a reason why Father won’t let you go. There’s a more important matter that needs you to attend to. Father asks you, are you willing to undertake this task?”
Looking at the weather outside, a smile appeared on Lin Zhengyun’s face. Unlike six days ago when he directly refused, this time, he offered Lin Feng an explanation.
“Son, I have something I want you to do!” Lam Phong’s small face showed a hint of surprise. He was only nine years old, and his family had always taken care of him; never before had he been told to do anything.
“Alright, Father, what do you want me to do?”
Lam Phong had no idea what he was about to face. He wondered if his father wanted him to do something like playing games, as usual. Lam Phong had no idea that this would completely change his destiny.
“Phong’er, follow me!”
Lam Chinh Van’s smile faded. He looked deeply into Lam Phong’s eyes before speaking slowly, then stood up from the table and walked towards the back of the study.
Behind Lam Chinh Van’s study was a bedroom, where he usually rested. The bedroom was very simple but spacious.
Lam Phong watched his father walk to the side of the bed. He fiddled with something at the foot of the bed a few times. Suddenly, a sound came from the right wall, and a section of the wall slowly rose, revealing a staircase.
“Follow me down!” Lam Chinh Van glanced at Lam Phong again, then headed towards the staircase. Lam Phong, dumbfounded, followed behind. Lam Phong had entered this bedroom at least hundreds of times, but he had never imagined that there could be another room inside, let alone that the walls could open up.
At the bottom of the staircase was a small open space. To its side were three stone doors. Behind each stone door was a secret chamber. Lam Chinh Van opened the middle secret chamber and led Lam Phong inside.
“Phong’er, let me ask you, how many levels have you cultivated the Lam family’s heart technique to?”
Inside the secret chamber, Lam Chinh Van had Lam Phong sit in front of him. Lam Phong, who had never received such treatment before, felt a bit overwhelmed. Since he was old enough to understand things, his father had never asked him about his affairs with such solemnity.
“Father, I… my heart technique has reached the third level!” Lam Phong’s voice was very soft. He didn’t know Lam Chinh Van’s meaning, thinking his father was scolding him for not practicing diligently.
“The third level, the third level!”
Lam Chinh Van let out a heavy sigh. He had four children, and currently only his eldest son, Lam Thien, had just cultivated the family’s inherited heart technique to the fourth level. Moreover, Lam Thien had only reached the fourth level last year. His second son, Lam Son, had only reached the third level three years ago, and Lam Son was already nineteen this year.
“Father, I haven’t been good enough. From now on, I will definitely practice diligently!”
Lam Chinh Van’s sigh made Lam Phong think his father was blaming him for not practicing diligently. The silent atmosphere made Lam Phong even more distressed. He quickly knelt before his father, admitting his mistake.
“Phong’er, I’m not blaming you. I know very well about your usual cultivation. I know your heart isn’t in cultivation. Even so, at nine years old, you’ve cultivated the heart technique to the third level. You should know that in hundreds of years, our Lam family has only had you reach the third level of the heart technique before the age of ten!”