Everything in the villa was very familiar; of course, Jiang Feng did not care about these trivial matters. After taking a shower in the bathroom and searching the wardrobe for something to wear, he discovered that he had run into a tremendous problem.
The clothes in the wardrobe were either formal, soberly styled dresses or a bunch of garishly colorful, mismatched items. Naturally, one would never wear formal attire in daily life, and he disliked those vibrant clothes as well. He really couldn’t understand what kind of aesthetic “Young Master Jiang” possessed—to think he would buy him such odd, bizarre garments.
After rummaging through the closet for quite a while, Jiang Feng barely managed to select a set of clothes he could wear. After casually putting them on, he headed upstairs to the study.
The study was located on the far left side of the second floor. Although the room was spacious, its contents were scant: besides a desk, there was only a wall-mounted bookcase, and even that held very few books. It was obvious that Young Master Jiang had absolutely no interest in studying.
Jiang Feng’s eyes swept the room; noticing that the books showed no signs of having been read, he couldn’t help but chuckle softly and casually picked up one of them to flip through.
Having just entered a completely new society, he knew that besides traveling thousands of miles, one must also read thousands of books. Jiang Feng understood he couldn’t remain in this place forever; he needed a sufficient understanding of the world, and reading was undoubtedly the quickest and most direct shortcut.
Time passed quickly as he turned the pages, and before he knew it, darkness had fallen. It wasn’t until he heard his stomach rumbling that Jiang Feng realized that, apart from having breakfast at the hospital, he hadn’t eaten anything all day.
Reluctantly closing his book and about to leave the study in search of something to eat, he suddenly heard footsteps. Moments later, a small head poked into the room.
The little girl saw Jiang Feng, giggled, and walked in. She placed the tray in her hand on the desk and said, “Brother, I heard from the servants that you spent the whole day in the study, so I specifically told them not to disturb you. Who knew they would actually forget to bring you a meal? You won’t blame me, will you?”
This was his younger sister, Jiang Dai’er—the only person in the entire Jiang family who still cared enough to talk to him and be close.
Due to their mother’s early passing and their father’s lack of affection towards him, over time, his character had developed certain flaws. Moreover, growing up in a large family like the Jiangs, where every move was scrutinized by countless people, even a slight misstep could spark a scandal throughout the city.
Gradually, he even forgot who he was, becoming self-destructive, and his actions grew increasingly unorthodox and rebellious.
But no matter what he turned into, his younger sister Jiang Dai’er always cared deeply for him. In the past, however, he had never taken her kindness seriously; instead, he would rack his brains to swindle pocket money from her, causing the little girl no small amount of tears.
Just recently in the living room, when he had been abandoned by everyone and despised by all, it was only Jiang Dai’er who had expressed concern for him. Yet, being so young, she had no real say in the matter at critical moments.
Seeing Jiang Dai’er now, a strong sense of closeness welled up in Jiang Feng’s heart. He affectionately patted her little head and smiled, “I was wondering why it’s been so quiet today. So, how has your studying been lately?”
Jiang Dai’er stuck out her tongue and said discontentedly, “Brother, it’s still summer vacation. There are a few days left before school starts, and next semester you’ll be a sophomore. You wouldn’t have forgotten that, would you?”
Then she remembered that ever since entering college, her brother had seemingly never attended a single day of class seriously—and she immediately realized that she had misspoken.
Jiang Feng, not noticing anything amiss with her, looked slightly startled and admitted that he truly had no recollection of it. It was not hard to imagine just how much Young Master Jiang despised studying.
Laughing self-deprecatingly, he said, “Had you not mentioned it, I really would have forgotten.”
Jiang Dai’er was surprised that her prideful brother would directly admit it. Gazing at him for a while with a somewhat bewildered expression, she said in a dazed tone, “Brother, ever since you came back from the hospital this time, I feel like you’re a bit different. But I can’t quite put my finger on what exactly has changed.”
Casually smiling, Jiang Feng looked up at the sky outside. The sky over Yanjing was perpetually gloomy—with no stars in sight—and only the moon left behind a faint glow.
“People always change. The difference is that some only change after paying a price, while others inherently desire change deep down,” Jiang Feng remarked thoughtfully.
Jiang Dai’er, with her simple outlook, didn’t ponder further; she simply believed that her brother’s change was a good thing, and playfully said, “Alright, brother, enough talk. You haven’t eaten anything all day today. You must be starving, so hurry and eat something.”
Jiang Feng nodded, picked up his chopsticks, and began eating heartily. Not wanting to disturb him, Jiang Dai’er moved aside and picked up the book that he had been perusing earlier.
But as soon as she saw the cover, her expression grew strangely altered.
It was a collector’s edition of the Esoteric Scripture of the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi Neijing). She knew the book well—it had been a birthday gift from their grandfather when she was ten. (G: an ancient Chinese medical text or group of texts.)
Later, when her brother had seen it, he shamelessly snatched it away, under the pretext of wanting to cultivate a foundation in classical medical knowledge. Jiang Dai’er, of course, knew that Jiang Feng had no intention of learning classical medicine at all; he simply thought the book was valuable and planned to sell it.
At that moment, seeing that the book was still there, Jiang Dai’er realized it hadn’t been sold. However, Jiang Feng had always harbored a deep contempt for books. In the past, it was only after being severely reprimanded by his grandfather that he would put on a pretentious act of picking up a book to glance at it. Often, after skimming just two or three pages, he would set it aside. This habit had led to his consistently abysmal academic performance from elementary through high school—attending university was nothing short of a pipe dream.
The only reason he was able to study at Yanjing University now was that the family had pulled some strings. Otherwise, given his academic record, not only would he not have been admitted to one of the nation’s top institutions, but even entry into a junior college would have been questionable.
Yet today, Jiang Feng had spent the entire day in the study without venturing out, and surprisingly, he was actually reading a book—seemingly, this very book. This sight caused Jiang Dai’er’s expression to become inexplicably strange.
Little did Jiang Feng know what the little girl was thinking. After having finished only a few mouthfuls of food and still feeling unsatisfied, she also recognized that her body could only handle so much and that she shouldn’t overindulge.
Casually setting down his bowl and chopsticks, Jiang Feng said, “Dai’er, if you’re done, please go out. I’ll continue reading.”
Jiang Dai’er obediently nodded, cleaned up the utensils, and went out. Upon reaching the doorway, she turned back and saw that Jiang Feng was indeed seated behind the desk, diligently reading the book Esoteric Scripture of the Yellow Emperor. With a somewhat unusual feeling, she promptly closed the door.
‘Brother never usually reads; I doubt he could even recite a few Tang poems, so he surely doesn’t understand Esoteric Scripture of the Yellow Emperor. But what he said is right—when people pay a certain price, they seek change. As long as brother is willing to change, that’s a good thing… However, brother, you really seem a bit different now.’
Jiang Dai’er tilted her head as she pondered this and then left with a lighthearted expression.
The next morning, news of Jiang Feng’s seclusion in the study to read spread throughout the Jiang household. Some were puzzled, some astonished, while most were dismissive. They all knew very well that whenever Young Master Jiang had done something wrong in the past, he would make a concerted effort to act like a well-behaved child in front of the old master, hoping to win his favor.
They were accustomed to such antics. After all, no one would really take it to heart—a guy who probably couldn’t even read a complete sentence suddenly sitting down to peruse a book? His academic ability was far inferior to his knack for wooing girls and spending money.
“Big Brother, have you heard about Jiang Feng?”
In another luxurious villa within the estate, Jiang Ping entered a room and said to Jiang Hao.
Jiang Hao, holding a mirror in his hand, examined his face closely. A heavy slap from Jiang Feng had not only caused his gums to bleed but had left his cheek somewhat swollen—something that greatly displeased him.
“Heard it already. So what?” Jiang Hao replied nonchalantly.
“Don’t you think it’s strange? When has that guy ever read a book?” Jiang Ping remarked in surprise.
“Read a book? Can he even recognize words?” Jiang Hao sneered.
At the mention of this, Jiang Ping also laughed, though his expression quickly turned cold as he said, “Regardless of whether he’s just putting on airs or whatever the case may be, this move seems to have had some effect on the old master. Otherwise, after the huge mistake he made yesterday, how could the old master have let him off so easily?”
“Effective? I doubt it!” Jiang Hao snorted. “The old master is a shrewd old man—we could never comprehend his methods. But the problem certainly doesn’t lie with that good-for-nothing; it must be that the old master is dissatisfied with our household’s dominance and is deliberately demonstrating this to us.”
Jiang Ping’s expression changed as he asked, “How could that be?”
“Who else would I ask but you? Anyway, be more cautious in your actions these days to avoid giving anyone a reason to latch onto you. Just wait a few days and see how I deal with that beast!” Jiang Hao said harshly.
*****
Jiang Feng was unaware that his decision to seclude himself for reading had inadvertently drawn such significant attention within the Jiang household. He had finished reading Esoteric Scripture of the Yellow Emperor overnight and was now sitting in the courtyard, perusing the The Classic of the Way (Tao Te Ching). (G: or Laozi is a Chinese classic text and foundational work of Taoism traditionally credited to the sage Laozi.)
Although the study contained only a few books, each one was extremely valuable—of course, in the sense that they could be exchanged for money. Clearly, Young Master Jiang’s taste in reading was remarkably unrefined.
“The Way that can be spoken of is not the constant Way; the name that can be named is not the constant name. The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth. The named is the mother of myriad things. Hence, always be without desire in order to see the mysteries. Always have desire in order to see the boundaries. These two emerge together but differ in name; together they are called the profound. The profound of the profound is the gateway to all subtleties.”
At the moment he flipped open the title page, Jiang Feng was stunned to discover that the book was a rare and extraordinary cultivation manual. Had it appeared in the realm of cultivation, it would have instantly incited a frenzy among countless venerable family sanctuaries.
His breathing suddenly became rapid, and with his hands and feet almost trembling, Jiang Feng hastily skimmed through the entire book, all the way to the end, before finally letting out a disappointed sigh.
Indeed, it was a cultivation manual, but due to extensive redactions and the concealment of certain key techniques, it had become impossible to cultivate with.
“What a pity,” he murmured to himself in sorrow.
“Young Master, Miss Ye has arrived and is waiting for you in the main hall,” Zhao Wuxia said expressionlessly as he walked in from outside.