The sun peeked over the horizon, casting its golden glow upon the sprawling Ji Clan estate. Dew still clung to the tips of the green bamboo leaves outside, and the chirping of morning birds began to filter in through the intricately carved wooden windows.
Inside his modest courtyard, Lin Hao stirred beneath a thin blanket. The night had been quiet, but his sleep had been anything but peaceful. He dreamt of laughing faces—Chuyan's cold eyes, the accusing glares in the ancestral hall, the ridicule from maids who once bowed before him.
A soft knock at the door snapped him awake.
"Young Master Lin Hao?" A gentle female voice called from outside. "Lady Chuyan has left word… you're permitted to access the first floor of the Ji Clan Library today."
His eyes blinked open slowly, still adjusting to the morning light.
"…Library?" he repeated under his breath, as if unsure he'd heard correctly.
"Yes," the voice continued. "She instructed me to guide you there after you've freshened up."
He sat up. His messy hair tumbled over his eyes, but there was a quiet fire behind them now.
"Wait outside," he said.
The maid gave a soft affirmation and stepped back.
Lin Hao washed quickly, changed into clean blue robes, and tied his hair up in a simple topknot. He didn't want to look too flashy—not that he had the resources to.
By the time he stepped outside, the sun had risen fully. The maid, a young girl in her teens, bowed slightly and gestured for him to follow.
"This way, Young Master."
The Ji Clan's estate was massive. The path to the library was paved with jade bricks and lined with pine and plum trees. But beauty did little to ease Lin Hao's walk.
Servants and maids bustled past them, some pretending not to notice him—others openly staring.
"Isn't that him?"
"Ah, the foolish husband who tried to enter Lady Ji Chuyan's chambers on the wedding night."
"Hmph, did you see his face during the ancestral ceremony? He looked like a stray dog."
"And he dares step out again? What shamelessness."
"He probably thinks being allowed into the library means he's part of the clan now."
Chuckles.
Lin Hao's fists clenched.
But he didn't say a word. His face remained calm.
Each whisper was a blade. But he had long since stopped bleeding.
He walked on, eyes fixed ahead.
The young maid guiding him looked back occasionally, seemingly embarrassed by the comments. "Young Master Lin Hao, please don't mind them…"
"I don't," he replied flatly.
But his heart did.
Every glance, every giggle behind a silk sleeve, every servant daring to mock him—he remembered them all.
When they passed the central courtyard, several younger cultivators of the Ji Clan were sparring. Among them was Ji Yunqing, his supposed sister-in-law, who had been among the first to oppose him.
She noticed him and smirked. "Well, look who's up early. Off to beg for books, Lin Hao?"
Some of the cultivators laughed.
He paused, looked her in the eye, then bowed his head ever so slightly. "If reading makes one less foolish, then yes, I suppose I'm off to beg."
She raised a brow, surprised at the response. But before she could retort, he continued walking.
The maid kept her head low, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "We're nearly there, Young Master."
Lin Hao said nothing.
Soon, the towering structure of the Ji Clan Library came into view. It was an ancient building, its roof tiled in dark gold, stone lion statues at the entrance, and a long staircase leading to heavy bronze doors engraved with cloud dragons.
Two guards in green armor stood at the entrance. Both were cultivators, likely in the Bone Forging realm.
As Lin Hao and the maid ascended the steps, one of the guards raised a hand.
"Halt."
Lin Hao stopped.
The guard looked him up and down. "Only authorized clan members may enter."
The maid stepped forward. "Lady Ji Chuyan gave her permission. This is Young Master Lin Hao—her husband."
The second guard scoffed. "Husband? We all saw how that wedding turned out."
"She said he's allowed access to the first floor," the maid repeated.
The first guard clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed, but moved aside slightly. "Fine. First floor only. Don't linger. And don't touch anything you shouldn't."
The second guard chuckled as Lin Hao passed. "Try not to get lost in there. You might trip over your own pride."
Lin Hao didn't even glance at him.
The bronze doors creaked open, revealing a vast interior bathed in dim light.
The library was silent—towering shelves filled with scrolls, jade slips, manuals, and ancient texts. The smell of old parchment and incense hung thick in the air.
He took a slow breath and stepped inside.
It was cool, quiet.
For a moment, the mockery outside faded. He was alone. The echo of his footsteps the only sound.
But as he moved deeper into the first floor, his excitement quickly waned.
Most of the scrolls and slips required prerequisite cultivation levels.
He reached for a scroll: Three Yang Heart Method.
Requirement: Qi Gathering stage with at least three opened meridians.
He wasn't even there yet.
Another: Cloud-Step Movement Art.
Requirement: Bone Refining stage.
He walked farther in, scanning one after another.
Each required something he didn't have.
Still, he walked.
He scanned titles with curiosity and frustration:
– Cloud-Step Movement Art
– Three Yang Heart Method
– Jade Bone Refinement
– Ninefold Crimson Veins Scripture
All of them required intact Qi pathways.
Mockery in text form, Lin Hao thought.
He rounded a far corner of the first floor…