Berick Star, a crucial trade hub in the southeastern region of the Lichma Federation, was a bustling center of commerce.

  Having spent nearly a decade on the base, Yun Yi naturally wanted to take some time to enjoy himself and purchase daily necessities. After living on the interstellar train for over a month, both he and Princess Xiyue had only one set of clothes. Although the room had an automatic cleaning device, it still felt uncomfortable.

  Especially that jacket he had taken from someone else—if it weren’t for the lack of alternatives, Yun Yi would have thrown it away long ago.

  After two days of nonstop shopping, even Yun Yi, who had reached the mid-level of the eighth stage in martial arts, felt exhausted. He couldn’t remember who had told him that accompanying a woman shopping was an extremely painful experience. Now, as he trailed behind Xiyue, he truly understood the meaning of those words.

  Born into royalty, Xiyue had never left the temporary palace on the base. This was her first time setting foot on a planet’s surface, and everything fascinated her. She wanted to buy everything she saw and eat every food she encountered.

  Yun Yi felt a brotherly affection for Xiyue, indulging her every whim. Whatever she wanted, he bought; whatever she wanted to eat, he allowed.

  But as he carried seven or eight bags in his hands, a large stuffed bear over a meter tall on his back, and struggled to keep up with the little girl to ensure she didn’t get lost, he deeply regretted his decision to take her shopping.

  On the third morning, seeing Xiyue still excited and ready to go shopping again, Yun Yi had no choice but to put on a stern parental expression.

  "Meow, can’t we go anymore… Xiyue understands."

  The little girl, her head lowered and fingers tugging at the hem of her dress, seemed disappointed but didn’t defy Yun Yi’s decision. She obediently returned to her room and opened her computer to study the elementary school materials Yun Yi had prepared for her.

  Watching Xiyue walk away reluctantly, Yun Yi felt a pang of guilt, as if being strict with her was a sin. However, he didn’t have much time to accompany her in play—there was still so much to do.

  Opening his computer, Yun Yi accessed the secret mailbox the queen had given him to contact the princess of the Shilfanst Empire. But it was empty. Even if he wanted to reach out, he had no idea how to do so.

  The queen had said that they would receive word from the princess within two months at the latest. With half a month still to go, Yun Yi decided to wait.

  After browsing news from the Lichma Federation and surrounding nations, Yun Yi felt a pang of sorrow reading about the mass exodus of people from the Iserlahn Confederation. On the interstellar train, to avoid exposing their identities, Yun Yi and Xiyue had kept to themselves, never interacting with others. Though he hadn’t known why the ship was so crowded, he hadn’t asked. Now, knowing the truth and recalling the queen’s instructions, he desperately wanted to do something for those people.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  But what could he do? He had money, but could he openly help those people? Without a certain level of influence, any action he took would likely lead to disaster.

  With a heavy heart, Yun Yi closed his computer. After calming himself, he took out the "Hao Qi Zheng Tian Jue" and began to read.

  After a while, Yun Yi closed the book in frustration.

  With his eighth-level martial arts ability, he could easily control his internal energy to unblock the acupoints required for the "Hao Qi Zheng Tian Jue." The somewhat obscure text in the book was also comprehensible to him. None of this posed a challenge.

  The problem was that if he started practicing the "Hao Qi Zheng Tian Jue" now, converting the internal energy he had cultivated with the "Po Lang Jue" into the "Hao Qi Zheng Tian Jue" energy, his strength would temporarily drop by sixty to eighty percent, leaving him as vulnerable as an ordinary person. After the conversion, his lost energy would gradually recover within a year. But Yun Yi didn’t dare to take that risk now—he still had to protect Xiyue, and they hadn’t yet reached a place of absolute safety.

  Carefully storing the ancient book, Yun Yi turned his gaze back to his computer and sighed.

  The road ahead was long and arduous…

  Raising Xiyue, seeking revenge, overthrowing a nation, helping the people…

  Each of Yun Yi’s tasks and goals seemed impossibly distant, the path fraught with hardships.

  A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Yun Yi knew that as long as he persevered, he would eventually reach his destination.

  He decided to start with learning.

  Opening his computer, Yun Yi began searching for the information he needed. Then, he opened a newly downloaded book titled "Secrets to Raising Children" and started reading with great interest…

  "Once you’ve finished learning all this and passed my test, I’ll take you shopping!"

  Yun Yi sent a collection of elementary school study materials to Xiyue’s computer and declared solemnly.

  Using a child’s curiosity to foster a love for learning!

  This was something Yun Yi had just learned from the book and was eager to put into practice.

  Xiyue’s long eyelashes fluttered as her round, bright eyes glanced at the pile of study materials on her computer, then at Yun Yi’s stern face.

  "Mm!" The little girl didn’t say much, just nodded vigorously, her face filled with joy as she hugged her computer and returned to her room.

  "Hehe…" Yun Yi chuckled to himself. Though these materials were for elementary students, if he hadn’t improved his own intelligence, it would have taken him two or three months of diligent study to master them all.

  "It seems I’ll have a few months of peace."

  Daydreams are blissful, but they’re easily shattered.

  In less than a week, the little girl came bounding over to him, clutching her computer with excitement.

  "Meow. Yun Yi, I’ve finished!"

  Yun Yi looked at Xiyue in confusion, feeling a pang of frustration. He had intended to cultivate her interest in learning but had inadvertently taught her to lie and boast… It seemed he needed to teach her a lesson to prevent such a pure child from going astray under his care.

  But before lecturing her, he had to make her realize her mistake.

  Calming himself, Yun Yi put on a cold expression and said sternly, "Impressive. You’ve memorized everything so quickly."

  Xiyue stared at Yun Yi, puzzled as to why he seemed unhappy.

  "Ahem." Yun Yi cleared his throat and asked sternly, "Now, let’s begin the test. Why does water freeze?"

  "Meow…" Xiyue snapped out of her thoughts and began to think carefully…