As the only major city within a hundred *li*, the residences in Maplewood City were naturally quite expensive.

Ling He’s assistance was a mere drop in the bucket, and Jiang Wang himself had little savings. Fortunately, there was someone who was not short of money.

Jiang Wang, carrying Jiang An’an, went directly to Zhao Rucheng.

“Give me some silver,” Jiang Wang said, cutting straight to the chase.

Zhao Rucheng, who was currently engaged in a staring contest with Jiang An’an, casually replied upon hearing this, “How much do you need?”

“How much silver would it take to buy a small courtyard near the Daoist Academy? It’s for my sister and me.”

“Why buy a courtyard? You can just stay here with me! I have many rooms that are empty.” Zhao Rucheng winked his left eye at Jiang An’an, then his right, occasionally flashing what he thought was a handsome smile. Indeed, his appearance could be described as quite dashing.

Jiang Wang glanced at Jiang An’an before speaking, “We need a place of our own.”

He didn’t care where he himself lived, but An’an was different. The little girl had just been brought here, and no matter how strong she appeared, she was bound to be fragile and sensitive inside.

“Oh.” Zhao Rucheng stroked his chin thoughtfully. “I think my family has a few properties near the Daoist Academy. Let me ask.”

He turned and called out, “Uncle Deng!”

Soon, a mild-mannered middle-aged man walked in, bowing meticulously. “Young Master.”

“Do we have any suitable residences near the Daoist Academy? Clear one out and give the title deeds to my Third Brother.”

The steward, addressed as Uncle Deng, replied, “There’s no need to clear one out specifically; we currently have three that are vacant. Which one would you like?”

Zhao Rucheng then looked at Jiang Wang. “Third Brother, what do you think?”

Jiang Wang gave the steward a gentle smile. “Thank you, Uncle Deng. The residence doesn’t need to be too large, just enough for An’an and me. The most important thing is that it’s close to the Daoist Academy, so it’s convenient for me to come home and be with her.”

The steward returned the smile. “There’s a small courtyard in Flying Horse Lane behind the Daoist Academy, but I don’t know if the layout will suit your tastes.”

“Let’s go take a look!” Zhao Rucheng said immediately. “Just give me the keys.”

Although Jiang An’an didn’t talk much and didn’t pay much attention to others, her porcelain doll-like face was naturally likable.

Along the way, Zhao Rucheng kept trying to tease her.

“An’an, who do you think is more handsome, Rucheng-gege or Wang-gege? Ah, I asked a question that has no answer; there’s no comparison!”

“An’an, An’an, do you see those candied haws over there? Come into my arms, and we’ll buy the whole bunch! Okay?”

“An’an, ah, do you know you’re heavy? Look how chubby you are! Your gege’s arm is about to break! Why don’t you let your Rucheng-gege carry you for a while?”

Little An’an remained silent until that last sentence, then tilted her head and looked at Jiang Wang.

“Are you tired?” she asked softly.

Jiang Wang smiled gently. “Not tired at all. I could carry you until next year and not let go.”

The small courtyard in Flying Horse Lane was quite nice, with a main room, a south-facing room, and east and west wing rooms. Although uninhabited, it was fully equipped. Only a few daily necessities needed to be purchased before they could move in.

The decor of the rooms was also elegant and comfortable.

Jiang Wang led Little An’an through each room, making sure she didn’t show any resistance.

“Alright, this is the place,” Jiang Wang said, giving Zhao Rucheng, who was still chattering around An’an, a bright smile. “Give me the keys; you can go back now.”

“Alright!” Zhao Rucheng turned to leave with a great deal of awareness. As he crossed the doorway, he suddenly turned back to wave at An’an. “Your Rucheng-gege is leaving; don’t miss me too much~”

Little An’an scurried over and, amidst Zhao Rucheng’s brilliant smile—forcefully slammed the courtyard door shut.

At night, Maplewood City, which had been bustling all day, quieted down.

Inside the Tongtian Palace, the little earthworm completed its final leap, spitting out a perfectly round Dao Yuan into the Star Array.

Jiang Wang opened his eyes, ending his day’s meridian-opening practice. The accumulation of Dao Yuan, day after day, little by little, all the effort would not be in vain; they would eventually form the foundation to unlock the extraordinary.

It was through these countless days and nights of tedious cultivation that the thrilling times of traversing Azure Skies would later be possible.

The room was quiet. Jiang An’an lay on her small bed, her little hands neatly placed outside the quilt, not moving.

Because An’an was too young, Jiang Wang had specially commissioned a small bed for her and had her sleep in the same room as him. Two beds, one large and one small, were placed on opposite sides of the room, facing each other.

Quietly listening to Little An’an’s breathing, Jiang Wang said softly, “An’an, are you still awake?”

A slightly flustered voice immediately sounded in the room: “Slee… sleeping.”

Jiang An’an’s nervousness made Jiang Wang’s heart ache. Such a young child had already learned to read people’s faces. Just because Jiang Wang had told her to go to sleep early before he started his meridian-opening practice, she was now anxious because she hadn’t fallen asleep.

A little girl not even five years old, suddenly arriving in a strange place, suddenly leaving her mother—not even bursting into tears was already incredibly strong. What kind of panic was she feeling inside?

But these things, of course, shouldn’t be mentioned again.

“Hmm, gege can’t sleep,” Jiang Wang’s voice was even softer. “Do you want to see the stars?”

After a while, a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz sounded in the room, “En.”

“Then get up.” Jiang Wang got up, lit the oil lamp, and then walked to the small bed to help An’an put on her outer garment.

Those hands that were so nimble with a sword were especially clumsy when taking care of a child.

“That’s not how you put it on; gege, you put it on backward…”

Jiang Wang awkwardly retracted his hand. “Then An’an, you put it on yourself.”

The two of them busied themselves for a while before walking out of the room.

The bright moon hung in the sky, surrounded by twinkling stars. The empty courtyard was filled with clean moonlight, making this night, which should have been lonely, feel warm and soft.

“Are we just looking at the stars in the courtyard?” Jiang An’an asked, tilting her little head.

“Of course not.” Jiang Wang suddenly hugged her, leaped into the air, and jumped onto the roof.

Jiang An’an screamed, her face already flushed when she landed on the roof.

Jiang Wang looked down at her, feeling a little guilty. “Did I scare you, An’an?”

Jiang An’an blinked her big eyes, appearing faintly excited. “Gege, can you fly?”

Although she seemed eager to try, Jiang Wang didn’t want to jump around on the roof like a big monkey, making people laugh. “I can’t yet, but when gege’s Daoist arts are accomplished, I definitely will be able to. Then, wherever An’an wants to go, we’ll fly there, okay?”

“Okay.”

Jiang Wang took off his outer garment and spread it on the roof. Then he lay down next to it, resting one hand behind his head, and beckoned. “Come on, like gege, lie down and look at the stars.”

Little An’an obediently lay down on Jiang Wang’s outer garment, also resting her little hands behind her head in a proper manner. She opened her dark, round eyes wide and stared at the starry sky.

On the vast night sky, the stars shone brightly, competing to twinkle. Countless lights were born in the endless darkness. The vastness of the starry river accommodated countless dreams and memories.

“That’s the Purple Star, that one is called Yuheng… The Southern Dipper is over there, look, there…”

“They’re twinkling, like they’re blinking.”

“Only our adorable An’an’s blinks are like stars. Like your Wild Tiger-gege—that big bearded man you saw in the daytime—his blinks just look like cowbells.”

Jiang An’an giggled.

“Do you know, An’an, these stars are all in places that are calculated in hundreds of millions of *li*…”

“How far is hundreds of millions of *li*? Is it farther than Phoenix Creek Town to here?”

“It’s much, much farther than that, countless times farther. If there was a road that could lead to the stars, an ordinary person could walk their whole life from birth to death, and it would only be considered that they had just started on this road.”

“Ah?” An’an was a little surprised. “It’s so far?”

“Yes, it’s that far. They are in the endless darkness, crossing such a long distance, to send light to your eyes, to offer you their beauty, which perhaps had already been extinguished for tens of thousands of years.”

“They’re so good.”

“Father is like that star; he might have been gone for a very, very long time, but he’s still shining hard from a very, very far place, and accompanying us with that light. So no matter when, don’t be afraid, okay? Gege will always be with you, and so will the stars.”

“Gege.” Jiang An’an’s voice was very small. “My Niang doesn’t want me anymore, right?”

Jiang Wang was silent for a moment.

Should he tell the truth and tell Little An’an that she was a burden and had affected her mother’s life?

Should he denounce Aunt Song’s selfishness, making Little An’an hate her birth mother from then on?

How should he answer?

He didn’t have time to think for too long, because silence was also a kind of harm.

Finally, he simply turned to his side and held An’an’s small hand seriously and gently.

“An’an is so cute; how could anyone not want you? It’s because gege really, really wants to live with you that I insisted that Auntie send you over. When Auntie left, she cried so sadly; she didn’t want to leave you either.”

“Really?”

Starlight and moonlight shone on Jiang An’an’s little face, caressing the undried tear stains. She was as beautiful as an elf of the stars and moon.

Although her face still carried lingering apprehension, her big eyes suddenly lit up.