Chapter Three: Etched in Memory

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"The treatment for the main family's disciples is truly generous."

This was a day when fate changed. Ye Zili was full of emotion as his rough hands caressed little Ye Yun's cheeks.

The Ye Residence assigned them an elegant courtyard, with over a dozen side rooms and seventeen servants.

These servants, all commoners who had sold themselves to the Ye family, were tasked with attending to the daily needs and meals of the main family's disciples.

"Greetings, Master!" As Ye Zili arrived with little Ye Yun, sixteen servants lined up on either side, bowing in welcome. Only the middle-aged man who had guided them remained ahead, leading the way—he was the steward here.

The steward's surname was Xu. He had fled to Yunsui City to escape disaster and had sold himself into the Ye family.

"This courtyard is called the Rain Pavilion. Sir and Young Master are the twenty-first masters to reside here," Steward Xu said as he led Ye Zili and his son around to familiarize themselves with the place.

"The twenty-first masters? What happened to the previous ones?" Ye Zili asked in confusion, while Ye Yun, understanding nothing, looked around, searching for something fun.

"They all died," Steward Xu said, his expression darkening.

"Died?..." Ye Zili was startled and felt a chill at his feet. "Is there something sinister about the Rain Pavilion?"

In a world where Taoist teachings flourished—even soul mirrors that reflected the three souls and seven spirits to reveal one's talent existed—ghosts and spirits were hardly surprising.

Steward Xu quickly clarified, "It's not as you imagine, sir. Yunsui City is a stronghold of the Ye family. Even if there were malevolent spirits, they wouldn't dare to act recklessly here."

"Then what happened?" Ye Zili pressed.

Little Ye Yun, having overheard the word 'ghost,' looked at Steward Xu with bright curiosity.

Steward Xu, not daring to slight the new master and young master, explained, "The Ye family has a rule: after a disciple of the main family succeeds in cultivating their qi, they must venture out to temper themselves. Many, however, never return—they die out there."

"Why assume they're dead? If they don't return, perhaps they're doing well elsewhere," Ye Zili suggested.

"Each disciple of the main family entrusts a wisp of their essence to a life token, which their master keeps. It's said that if someone dies, the token shatters, and the master reports it to the higher-ups in the Ye family," Steward Xu replied. He was just a commoner and didn't know every detail.

"The methods of immortals are truly wondrous!" Ye Zili exclaimed, patting Ye Yun's head and smiling. "My son will be a little immortal someday!"

"Is being an immortal fun?" Ye Yun asked excitedly.

Ye Zili couldn't help but laugh, but the thought of the disciples who had died on their journeys made his happiness vanish. He scooped Ye Yun into his arms, unsure what to say, his heart full of mixed emotions.

As night fell, the servants cleaned up the dishes in the main hall. Ye Yun played everywhere, his curiosity boundless.

The starry sky was splendid, the bright moon hung high, and Ye Zili could not sleep. Beside him, little Ye Yun had already drifted into sweet dreams, a smile on his lips.

"I do not ask for riches and honor for my son; I only wish that he may live a long and healthy life," Ye Zili murmured as he gazed out the window into the night.

As long as Ye Yun could live happily, he would give anything.

He knew that from tomorrow, Ye Yun would leave behind the life of an ordinary boy and step into a world of Taoist mysteries.

Ever since Steward Xu had mentioned that the previous twenty masters of the Rain Pavilion all died while out training, Ye Zili had been deeply worried. But he also knew that he was just a mortal and could no longer shield Ye Yun from harm.

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The next morning, after washing up and dressing neatly—

"Yun'er, what have I always taught you? What must a boy be?"

"To have a brave heart and the courage to face anything without fear!"

"And how should one act? What should you avoid?"

"Be calm and steady, avoid recklessness."

"How should one conduct oneself? How should one do things?"

"Be humble in conduct, bold in action!"

On the way to the main hall of the Ye Residence, father and son exchanged questions and answers. These lessons in conduct were what Ye Zili had taught Ye Yun since he was little.

He knew that at only six years old, Ye Yun could not yet grasp these principles, but in time, as he grew and gained experience, he would understand.

This was all Ye Zili could do for his son; he believed that as long as Ye Yun remembered these principles, he would not suffer in the future.

"Who goes there?" At the entrance to the Ye Residence, two guards stood tall with spears in hand, exuding authority.

"My son, Ye Yun, passed the soul mirror test yesterday and has come to report today," Ye Zili stepped forward and said.

"Ye Yun may enter. You must leave," one of the guards said.

The Ye Residence was home to the main family, and not everyone had the right to enter. The soul mirror test yesterday was an exception; usually, only main family disciples could come and go freely. Even the closest relatives had to announce themselves.

Ye Zili knew the rules. He pushed Ye Yun forward and said, "Yun’er, remember what I have taught you. I will go and fetch your mother so that she can come live in the city as well."

"Don't worry, father, I will remember," Ye Yun replied. Though only six years old, his voice still childish, his eyes were clear.

Unlike those from wealthy families, Ye Yun longed for his father's company but knew he must now obey.

Ye Zili smiled, then turned to leave. Now that his son was a main family disciple, he and his wife Liu Shuyun could live in Yunsui City. He hurried back to share the good news with his wife.

Ye Yun watched his father's departing figure, his nose tingling. After all, he was just six; being without his parents made him uneasy and scared.

"No tears, no fuss—what a fine child," a middle-aged man praised as he led Ye Yun deep into the Ye Residence.

"Waaah... Father! Mother!..."

"Where's my father? Where's my mother? Waaah..."

At the square where the soul mirror test had been held, only a few figures remained. As Ye Yun was led over, he heard the cries of children from afar.

"They must be missing their parents too," Ye Yun thought, his nose stinging again. But recalling his father's teachings, he pressed his lips together and held back his tears.

"Ye... Yun... brother," Ye Xian, who had been sobbing, saw Ye Yun and immediately ran over, her voice choked and breaking.

Seeing someone familiar, even if not her parents, soothed Ye Xian, and she calmed down, no longer crying.

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"Sigh, it's the same every year. These brats are a real headache!" muttered a shabby middle-aged man, face covered in stubble and wearing coarse hemp clothes, as he rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

"Haha, Brother Yunxiang, that's not quite right. We went through the same thing ourselves," said another middle-aged man, dressed in clean scholar's robes, with a gentle laugh.

"True enough," Ye Yunxiang replied, producing a wine gourd from who knows where. He took a swig, wiped the wine from his lips onto his sleeve, and squinted at the six children, including Ye Yun. He grinned, "This year's crop is pretty good. Two with talent as brilliant as fire—the family head will take one, and the other spot will probably have the elders squabbling over it."

"But there's also one with a talent as bright as a lamp and ranked tenth. I've never heard of such a thing in my life," the scholarly man, Ye Yunfei, said, eyeing Ye Yun carefully.

Ye Yunxiang, disheveled and carefree, also stared at little Ye Yun. "According to the secret teachings, nine is the ultimate number, the number of the three souls and seven spirits. To exceed nine is impossible; a ninth-rank talent is the limit. A tenth-rank talent should not exist."

"The Supreme Patriarch himself was surprised to hear about it and intends to come see for himself," Ye Yunfei added.

"What? Even the Supreme Patriarch was alarmed?" Ye Yunxiang's eyes lit up, his gaze on Ye Yun intensifying.

Being stared at so directly by strangers made little Ye Yun nervous. When Ye Yunxiang's gaze suddenly grew fervent, he wanted nothing more than to run away.

But his younger sister Ye Xian was beside him, and his father's teachings echoed in his mind. He clenched his little fists, holding Ye Xian's trembling hand.

"Yunxiang, be careful not to frighten the children," Ye Yunfei frowned, waving his hand. A green light shot toward Ye Yun.

The moment the green light entered him, little Ye Yun's tense body gradually relaxed. Holding Ye Xian's hand, he moved aside, out of Ye Yunxiang's line of sight.

"I got a little carried away, haha..." Ye Yunxiang scratched his head, embarrassed, and smiled apologetically at Ye Yun. But the six-year-old simply stared back warily, as if guarding against a thief.

The Supreme Patriarch was a legend of the Ye family—a living god, revered for seven centuries. The Ye family of Yunsui City was founded by the Supreme Patriarch himself, who had survived countless trials over seven hundred years. Generations of elders had come and gone, but the Supreme Patriarch, Ye Yu, remained, like a deity among mortals.

It was precisely because the legend was so extraordinary that Ye Yunxiang had lost his composure.

By all accounts, the Supreme Patriarch had not concerned himself with worldly affairs for two hundred years. Now, for the sake of a six-year-old child, he was leaving seclusion. It showed just how much importance he placed on this tenth-rank talent.

"But what does a tenth-rank talent matter? In the end, it's only at the level of brightness like a lamp. Both talent and potential are inferior to the brilliance of fire. Is it really worth the Supreme Patriarch leaving seclusion?"

Ye Yunxiang was not alone in his astonishment. When Ye Yunfei heard the news, he was even more shocked.

The Supreme Patriarch was a legend. To have him look upon you even once was a blessing cultivated over countless lives!

"Just two country bumpkins," sneered Ye Peng among the six children, standing out like a crane among chickens. At six years old, he didn't understand much, but his father had long since told him he was the best of them all.

Though Ye Yun and Ye Xian, once dressed in ragged clothes, now wore new outfits, Ye Peng still looked down on them, not considering anyone his equal.