Chapter 1: The Empty Sky of the Ji Family

  Once again, waking up from a painful dream, Ji Changkong sat up on the wooden bed, took a glance out of the window, and saw that it was just dawn. Quickly putting on his green robe, he splashed some cold water on his face and hastily rubbed it in before rushing out.

  A year's plan starts with spring, a day's plan starts in the morning, but for Ji Changkong, the morning was not a good time.

  Hurriedly arriving at the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves, Ji Changkong immediately started bustling about. Adding ingredients, starting a fire, adding water, and kneading dough, this series of actions was incredibly familiar to him, clearly not the first time he had done these things.

  Boom! Crack!

  Outside came the sound of violent crashes, that was the sound of fists splitting green rocks and feet shattering hard wood. The young masters of the Ji family were all taking advantage of the morning to train their flesh and bones, hoping to make further progress on the arduous path of cultivation.

  Ji Changkong, who was stir-frying lettuce in the kitchen, heard the sound of Qingyan being violently shattered outside and was taken aback for a moment. A hint of desolation appeared on his face, and he let out a light sigh. Ji Changkong then refocused his attention on the lettuce in the pot, but inwardly cursed - the lettuce was overcooked.

  "Long sky, is breakfast ready? Today the lord of the city will come, the three-yearly Ji family Tian Shi trial, it's going to start at Chen time, we have to hurry up!" The door came with a pleasant female voice, and just as the sound fell, Ji Yuanyun had already arrived at the kitchen.

  "Auntie, it'll be fine soon." Ji Changkong turned his head and smiled, revealing a set of pearly whites that stood out even more against the smudge of soot on his small face.

  Looking at the bright smile on that small, soot-covered face, Ji Wanyun felt a pang of inexplicable sadness in her heart. She sighed inwardly and stepped forward, extending her slender hand to help Ji Changkong wipe away the dust from his face.

  Ji Changkong hastily put down the pot scoop in her hand, took two steps back, turned around and with her back to Ji Yuanyun, placed the steamed buns one by one on the tray. Only then did she say softly: "Auntie, my face is dirty, I'll wash it later, don't get your hands dirty too."

  "What are you talking about, you child?!" Ji Wanyun suddenly became angry, her body swaying swiftly as she appeared in front of Ji Changkong. Her left hand flashed like lightning and grasped his shoulder, making it impossible for him to dodge. Her right hand continued what she had not finished doing earlier - wiping the black substance off his face.

  However, Ji Wanyun's dry right hand wiped back and forth on Ji Changkong's face, not only failing to wipe away the blackness, but also making his face look like a ghostly scribble.

  "Auntie, I've already said it's okay, don't wipe it anymore. Look, you've gotten your hands all dirty!" Ji Changkong felt touched in her heart and knew who was good to her.

  "Dirty again, go wash!" Ji Wanyun shouted lightly, her face straightened, and she said solemnly: "Changkong, no matter what others say about you or how they look at you, in Aunt's eyes, you will always be the best child of the Ji family!"

  "I know Auntie loves me." Ji Changkong smiled, gently brushing away the long hair that covered Ji Wanyun's left cheek, looking at the four hideous scars on her smooth left cheek that extended from the corner of her eyebrow to her white neck. Ji Changkong's eyes were firm, saying: "Auntie, I may never have the ability to avenge you, but I will definitely find a way to make these four scars on your face disappear!"

  There were four scars on Ji Wanyun's face, like four ugly little snakes coiled on her face, completely destroying her originally beautiful appearance. From the marks of those scars, it could be seen that they were scratched out by someone with sharp fingernails!

  The scar is so deep that it can be imagined that the person's fingernails must have been deeply embedded in her flesh at the time, and the pain is imaginable...

  Physical suffering is one thing, but mental anguish is even more desperate!

  For a woman, especially one who was once beautiful, there is no more cruel and vicious revenge than this!

  "Don't talk nonsense, Auntie will be satisfied as long as she knows you have this intention." Ji Wanyun's eyes flickered, her face somewhat flustered, and she quickly used her long hair to cover the four hideous scars on her left cheek. Only then did she help Ji Changkong arrange the steamed buns and several small dishes, saying: "Let's go, those men of the Ji family are all impatient, I'm afraid they can't wait any longer."

  Ji Changkong clenched his fists tighter and tighter, until he felt a sharp pain like a needle piercing his heart, then relaxed. Taking a deep breath to calm down the turmoil in his mind, Ji Changkong picked up the remaining bowls of clear porridge and quietly followed Ji Yuanyun out of the kitchen.

  Dining room.

  On the long table were several small dishes, two large steamer baskets of white mantou, and a bowl of clear congee in front of each person.

  Two elderly men, Ji Yu-xing and Ji Yu-sheng, sat at the top table. On the left were Ji Yu-xing's two sons, Ji Huan-hong and Ji Huan-guang, and his grandsons, Ji Chang-xiao, Ji Chang-sheng, and Ji Chang-le. On the right, the first person was Ji Yu-sheng's daughter, Ji Wan-yun, followed by Ji Huan-guang's eldest daughter, Ji Yue-qing, Ji Huan-hong's youngest daughter, Ji Xiao-lian, and finally Ji Chang-kong.

  At the Ji family dinner table, except for the seat at the top, men sit on the left and women sit on the right. Originally, Ji Changkong should have sat on the left side, but the big table was not long enough, so he could only move to the right side and join the Ji family women.

  There was also a small table, and Ji Huahong's and Ji Huaiguang's wives, Luo Shi and Zhao Shi, were also waiting with their heads bowed.

  Those who are not members of the Ji family, even if they enter the Ji family gate, do not have the qualifications to sit at the big table. The ones sitting at the big table are always only those with the surname Ji.

  There were two people, Ji Yu Xing and Ji Yu Sheng. At the dinner table, it was usually relatively quiet. These two didn't speak, and their children kept their mouths shut, this was the rule.

  "Let's eat."

  Ji Yu Xing picked up a small piece of lettuce, chewed it lightly and slightly furrowed his brow, but didn't say anything. Ji Yu Xing moved his chopsticks, and everyone followed suit, their bamboo chopsticks dancing above the several small dishes.

  Ji Changkong's heart tightened, and he suddenly remembered that he had just been busy talking to Ji Yuanyun, and in a moment of carelessness, he had actually brought up this plate of stir-fried lettuce. He secretly glanced at Ji Yuxing, and seeing that Ji Yuxing didn't seem to be blaming him, Ji Changkong quietly let out a sigh of relief.

  "Plop!" Ji Chang Le scrunched up his face, a piece of lettuce was spat out onto the table in front of him. He glared fiercely at Ji Chang Kong across from him, and quickly lowered his head to slurp down his porridge with loud "gulp gulp" sounds.

  "Hmm... it's just sautéed lettuce, but this kid, Xiao Le, is really something." Ji Chang Le's father, Ji Huan Guang, smiled and excused his son. The Ji family rules were strict, and Ji Chang Le's behavior at the dinner table was already unacceptable. Ji Huan Guang was afraid that his father, Ji Yu Xing, would scold his grandson, so he pretended to be unaware and shifted the blame onto Ji Chang Kong.

  "It's been settled." Ji Huang nodded and glanced at Ji Changkong, who was hanging his head, and said lightly: "Changkong, be more serious next time, okay?"

  "Alright, Uncle. Tomorrow I'll cook the dishes well and won't let you go hungry." Ji Changkong lowered his head, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes, but his voice was soft and gentle.

  Bam!

  "Ah, cooking and cooking! That's all you know how to do! A dignified son of the Ji family, only good at this menial task. What kind of future can you have?" Ji Yu Sheng slammed down the ceramic bowl in his hand, his face suddenly filled with rage.

  She paused, and Ji Yu Sheng saw Ji Chang Kong hanging his head without a word. He slammed the table again and scolded: "You clearly know that there are distinguished guests coming today, but you're still dressed in dirty clothes, not even changing into clean ones! You don't know what's proper!" As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Yu Sheng threw down his chopsticks and stood up with a cold hum.

  Ji Yu Sheng's outburst came somewhat abruptly, without any prior warning. Everyone was taken aback, putting down their bowls and chopsticks, staring at him in a daze.

  Ji Chang Le, who had just glared at Ji Chang Kong with a mixture of schadenfreude and curiosity in his eyes, along with Ji Chang Xiao, Ji Chang Sheng, and Ji Yue Qing, all wore an air of indifference, not even bothering to look at Ji Chang Kong. Instead, they exchanged puzzled glances at Ji Yu Sheng, unable to comprehend why he was so enraged over such a trivial matter.

  Ji Huang Hong and Ji Huang Guang sat upright with serious expressions, while their wives, Luo Shi and Zhao Shi, who were sitting at a small table beside them, had subtle cold smiles on their faces as they slightly lowered their heads.

  Only beside Ji Changkong was Ji Xiaolian, who gently tugged at the corner of Ji Changkong's clothes, her eyes full of sympathy.

  "Father!" Ji Wanyun stood up, looking at Ji Yusheng without fear, and said indignantly: "If Changkong's body could gather yuanqi, he wouldn't be inferior to anyone! As a direct descendant of the Ji family, it's already hard enough for him to cook for everyone every day. Can't you just forgive his occasional mistake?!"

  “Cough...” Ji Yu Xing, who had been keeping his head down and continuing to drink porridge, finally looked up at this point, put down his bowl and chopsticks, but didn't show any intention of standing up. He frowned at Ji Yu Sheng and said: “Third brother, it's just because Long Kong can't gather yuan energy to become a Tian Shi, I let him take care of daily meals because of his exceptional culinary skills. I was just trying to find something for him to do, anyway he can't cultivate, so that he wouldn't be bored. If you don't like it, I can find someone else to replace him, why make such a big fuss?”

  "He's clumsy and can't even cook, the dishes he makes are disgusting!" Ji Yu Sheng glared at Ji Chang Kong fiercely, turned around and walked away. Only when she reached the door did she mutter under her breath: "Xiao Zhou's cooking is delicious, I have a crush on him!"

  "Hao Hong, starting tomorrow, let Xiao Zhou continue to be in charge of daily meals." Ji Yu Xing said lightly to his eldest son, Ji Hao Hong, before the figure of Ji Yu Sheng had disappeared.

  "Got it, Dad." Ji Huohong nodded in agreement, inadvertently glancing at Ji Changkong who was lowering his head and not saying a word, with a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes.

  "The castle owner is coming, you all hurry up and finish eating, go to Qingyan Mountain to prepare for the trial. Whoever comes late will be locked in the cold ice cave for three days!" Ji Yu Xing stood up, just about to leave, when he suddenly glanced at Ji Chang Kong unintentionally, thought for a moment, then frowned and said: "Chang Kong, you stay behind to clean up the table, anyway you can't gather yuan power, it doesn't matter whether you come or not this time." After speaking, Ji Yu Xing's figure flashed, his strength reaching Liu He Tian, he disappeared in an instant.

  Xī Yúxīng walked away, Xī Huáng Hóng and Xī Huáng Guǎng didn't even glance at Xī Cháng Kōng, they just nodded to Xī Wěi Yún and wiped their mouths with a wet cloth before leaving. The two wives, Luó Shì and Zhào Shì, followed closely behind them.

  "Wait till I'm done with you, humph!" Ji Chang Le gave Ji Chang Kong a fierce glare and couldn't bear to continue eating. As she passed by Ji Chang Kong's side, she whispered a sentence that only the two of them could hear. Then, she hastily left with Ji Chang Xiao and Ji Chang Sheng towards Qingyan Mountain, fearing that if they were late, they would be locked in the cold ice cave for three days.

  "Brother Changkong, it's all Brother Changle's fault for spitting everywhere and making Third Grandfather angry. Don't be sad." Ji Xiaolian tugged at Ji Changkong's sleeve, her bright big eyes and round little face scrunched up as she softly comforted Ji Changkong.

  "Off you go, Xiaolian. You don't want to be locked in the Ice Cave, do you?" Ji Yuqing furrowed her brow and didn't wait for Ji Changkong to speak before lightly rebuking him. She seemed to dislike Xiaolian and Changkong having too much contact. With a grab, she seized Xiaolian and hadn't even let her finish speaking before roughly pulling her away.

  Xiaolian spat out her tongue and waved at Changkong, then followed Yuetian as they rushed outside together.

  When the dining hall was left with only him and Ji Yuanyun, Ji Changkong, who had been lowering his head all along, finished the last mouthful of porridge cleanly. Only then did he raise his head, and surprisingly, there was still a faint smile on his face, as if he were not affected by Ji Yusheng's scolding at all, calm and unruffled.

  "Changkong, don't blame your grandfather. In the entire Ji family, the one who loves you the most is not your aunt, but your grandfather!" Seeing that everyone had left, Ji Yuanyun let out a soft sigh and said in a low voice.

  "Aunt, I naturally know that Grandfather is doing this because he pities me. Alas, it's my own fault for not being strong enough, and to make things easier for me, he even went to such great lengths." Ji Changkong sighed.

  Ji Changkong said this, Ji Wanyun couldn't help but smile, and patted Ji Changkong's head, saying with relief: "You child, are indeed smarter and more sensible than those few little rascals, always making people feel at ease. If one day you can gather yuan energy to cultivate into a Tian Shi, I think Long Le's several rascals won't be able to compare to you!"