The Genius Who Does Not Know Restraint
The Jiang Clan.
A gaze quietly swept past the crack of a door, circling once in careful inspection. Only after confirming that no one was around did the door slowly open.
A figure slipped out on tiptoe, moving along the corridor straight toward the kitchen.
A girl of about fourteen, dressed in a soft pink dress. Her cheeks were rosy, her dark eyes still clouded with sleep. Her long jet black hair was tied with a butterfly ribbon, swaying gently with each step.
She had just stepped into the kitchen and had not even managed to sigh in relief when a voice sounded from behind her. The tone was indifferent, laced with sternness: "Yue Er, how many pieces have you practiced this morning?"
The girl froze, her spine stiffening.
"Have you forgotten what I told you?"
The voice paused briefly, then continued, carrying invisible pressure:
"I said it before. If you have not played three full pieces, you are not allowed to eat."
Standing before her was a beautiful young woman in a pale blue dress, her hair neatly tied up.
With each step she took closer, a faint fragrance lingered in the air, like a fleeting memory, gentle yet impossible to treat lightly.
She was the Old Ancestor of the Jiang Clan, Jiang Meng Yao.
Exceptionally gifted, she had cultivated to the Spirit Dao Realm in less than a hundred years, qualified to serve as the ancestor of a family.
Logically speaking, she should have held the position of Clan Head. Yet when evaluating a family's foundation, one does not look solely at the strength of its members, but also at the ability and influence of its leader.
When assessing the foundation of a power, attention is usually drawn to the highest seat, whether it be ancestor, sect master, or emperor.
The more outstanding the leader, the greater their voice at the negotiation table, and the more benefits they can secure for their faction.
Sometimes, once a disciple reaches a certain level and undergoes tempering, they can assume the position.
At times, the leader need not be the strongest, but the one with the greatest authority.
With strength like this, how could she possibly lack authority?
The girl slowly turned around, forcing a smile. Her hands clutched the hem of her dress, her voice noticeably softer:
"I… I just woke up."
She clasped her hands before her chest, her tone carrying a hint of pleading: "Old Ancestor, I have not eaten breakfast yet. I still have to go to the academy later… you would not bear to let me go hungry, would you?"
She was the genius of the Jiang Clan, Jiang Zi Yue.
Recently she had entered the realm of Grandmaster in the Dao of Alchemy, yet she had failed to meet Jiang Meng Yao's original expectations, which had been for her to become a Grandmaster of the Zither Dao.
Jiang Meng Yao shook her head helplessly and flicked Jiang Zi Yue lightly on the forehead: "You, all you know how to do well is eat and sleep."
"Do you know why when people encounter a monster, they cry out genius twice, and then that person never appears again?"
"Do you think becoming a Grandmaster of Alchemy is already that impressive?"
"Are those two words truly so rare?"
Jiang Zi Yue pouted, clutching her forehead in dissatisfaction: "Do they not cry out because those people are powerful?"
She lifted her head, her voice firm.
"One day I will shine like them too, but I will definitely not stop at just the word genius."
She shrugged, looking regretful.
"If they are rarely mentioned, they probably were not real geniuses anyway, at most lucky a few times."
"There are not many true geniuses in this world."
"I am already a Grandmaster of Alchemy, that is not bad. Our clan has the Hundred Flowers Sea as a resource point, producing many rare heavenly herbs every year."
"I cultivate the Dao of Alchemy, which means I can make use of the clan's resources. What use is practicing the zither?"
She raised her swollen hands, marked with scratches from practice: "See?"
"I see."
Seeing her stubbornness, Jiang Meng Yao felt somewhat helpless.
In both realm and path, she surpassed the leaders of the other three great clans.
Now seeing a child who had only recently become a Grandmaster of Alchemy already holding her nose high in the air made her lips twitch slightly.
After a moment, she quickly restrained her emotions and resumed the demeanor of an ancestor. Her expression grew stern, her voice deepened, each word carrying the weight of instruction:
"Does this world truly lack geniuses? Every year countless children are born, and any of them may be called a genius. Some are even more outstanding than you."
She paused, her gaze turning cold.
"But none of them are as fortunate as you. Without a power to protect them, they are killed before they can grow."
"You say there are not many true geniuses in this world. I will not refute that."
Her voice slowed, but grew sharper: "Because a true genius is one who knows how to endure, how to hide, and waits until their wings are fully grown."
She looked directly at Jiang Zi Yue without mercy.
"As for you, you have only just become a Grandmaster of Alchemy, your level not even stable, and already you look down on others."
Jiang Zi Yue shrank immediately under the scolding. Her cheeks puffed out as she lowered her head, her index fingers poking together in grievance.
"Is not that Luo Tian Qiu fellow only recently a Grandmaster of Talisman Dao?"
She muttered resentfully: "Yet he already holds his face level with the heavens, looking at the world through his nose. Always bragging loudly and laughing like a madman."
The more she spoke, the angrier she became.
"And Yi Wu Shuang sits firmly at the top of the Genius Ranking of Yu Xian City."
Her voice suddenly rose: "Why does no one say anything about that?"
She clenched her sleeve, her voice softening with a trace of sobbing: "I was just… a little happy, and you already…"
Before finishing, she suddenly raised her head, stomped her foot, and shouted: "Old Ancestor, you are mean!"
Jiang Meng Yao sighed inwardly: "Raising children is truly difficult. Who told you that you are the only one in this generation of the clan with such talent?"
She glared at Jiang Zi Yue without courtesy: "Of all people to imitate, you imitate that mad dog Luo. Do you want to die early? His father is a prime example of a genius who did not know restraint."
She took a deep breath, her expression colder still: "As for Yi Wu Shuang, forget about him. If your talent is inferior, then work harder."
"You compare yourself to him all day as if you are better. Do you have a father who is the City Lord?"
Jiang Zi Yue trembled under the scolding, muttering weakly: "But… I still have you."
Hearing that, Jiang Meng Yao grew even angrier. She braced her hands on the table and leaned forward: "You think having an ancestor in the Spirit Dao Realm is that impressive? That glorious?"
"Moreover, that is my strength. I am busy with countless matters. Do you think I have time to serve as your Dao Protector?"
A Dao Protector is someone who safeguards another, ensuring they have the space to grow and do not die prematurely on the long road of cultivation.
Jiang Meng Yao snorted coldly, her voice slower yet heavy: "You children only see what is in front of you, never what lies farther ahead."
She recalled the past, her gaze dimming slightly: "In my time, cultivating a single path to Grandmaster took over a decade to see results."
"Now you have Dream Flow Stones and the favor of the Heavenly Dao, your cultivation speed several times ours. Yet you lack ambition, unwilling to learn more paths. Do you think mastering one to Grandmaster is already enough?"
After finishing her scolding, Jiang Meng Yao rubbed her forehead and sighed: "Fine. Sit at the table. Let me see what I can cook for you."
After breakfast, as Jiang Zi Yue stepped outside, a male voice rang out beside her: "Yue Yue, I have waited so long for you!"
At the gate stood a fourteen year old youth. He held a bouquet of faintly fragrant flowers, one knee on the ground, his eyes shimmering as though containing all his longing.
He was the genius of the Yun Clan, Yun Rui Ke.
"One day apart feels like three autumns."
Jiang Zi Yue froze and instinctively stepped back. Her eyelid twitched, her face now holding only one expression, disgust.
"I told you already, stop appearing in front of me!"
She shouted in annoyance, yet the person before her seemed not to hear.
This fellow was extremely persistent.
"I truly miss you, my feelings are real!"
He lowered his head, voice choked: "Do you know how much it hurts when you say that?"
He bowed his head, one hand clutching the bouquet, the other pressing tightly against his chest as if his heart had just been crushed. His lips trembled, wanting to cry yet unable.
"Even if you scold me or hit me, as long as I can see you every day, I… I am content."
Jiang Zi Yue felt her throat tighten, her breakfast threatening to come back up: "Get lost, you pervert!"
He placed a hand over his chest, his expression pained: "The fiercer you are, the more real you seem to me. Every word you use to scold me feels like strokes carving into my heart…"
Sighing mournfully, he stood and dusted off nonexistent dirt from his knee: "Come, Yue Yue. I will take you to the academy again today."
"I have already scouted the shortest route, avoiding three elder checkpoints. Through the west gate and then left, and we will arrive at the classroom."
Jiang Zi Yue blinked, staring at him in disbelief: "You even scouted the paths inside the Jiang Clan?"
He immediately beamed like morning dew: "Of course. I even obtained the latest inner sect map from a senior in the rear courtyard. For you, there is nothing I would not do."
As he spoke, he turned and gestured as though guiding a tour, his steps light, sleeves swaying in the wind.
Jiang Zi Yue stepped back again, her voice icy: "You are truly sick."
He turned back, eyes shining: "If it is lovesickness, I am willing never to be cured."