The night was deep, yet the Duke of Shou had not yet gone to rest.

The courtyard was brightly lit. The Duke sat quietly under a sprawling peach tree, sipping tea.

Pei Xuan strode in briskly, decisively sat down, and reached out to pour the clear tea from his cup onto the peach tree.

The Duke of Shou showed a helpless expression: “Such good tea, how can you waste it?”

Pei Xuan’s voice turned cold: “Who is it that always complains about not sleeping well, staying up drinking tea at midnight, how can they rest soundly?”

The Duke replied calmly, “Anyway, dawn is coming soon. A little tea to refresh the mind is just right for the morning court.”

This made Pei Xuan frown slightly, looking at him disapprovingly.

In the glow of the lamp, the Duke’s hair and beard were all white, his face youthful but his eyes full of worldly weariness, always hiding things Pei Xuan could never figure out.

“After returning to the capital, have you seen the Crown Prince?” the Duke asked.

“No,” Pei Xuan answered.

The Duke sighed deeply and then asked, “What about His Majesty?”

“Not yet.”

The Duke was even more helpless: “Xiao Xuanxuan, how can you be so passive? Since they use you, after the job is done, you should actively pay respects and report. You always do the hardest work, the toughest tasks, exhausting yourself, and yet others reap the rewards.”

“If this continues, they’ll just treat you as a fool.”

But Pei Xuan not only ignored him, he sneered, “If others can reap, then that is the Emperor’s decree.”

He even warned coldly, “Don’t harbor illusions about them.”

The Duke fell completely silent, unsure how to advise further.

After a long pause, he sighed: “Even if you don’t want to see His Majesty, it’s good to see the Crown Prince. With him watching over, after grandfather passes away, things will be more secure.”

This time Pei Xuan was silent: “You won’t die.”

“All mortals must die,” the Duke smiled.

Pei Xuan said nothing but turned his gaze to the huge peach tree.

This tree was older than the Duke’s residence itself, with twisted roots occupying the best courtyard, receiving the best care.

Its canopy was like clouds, branches lush and leaves dense, always providing cool shade on hot summer days.

Seeing Pei Xuan take this stance again, the Duke knew his words had not sunk in.

He sighed inwardly, feeling helpless.

Perhaps he was just no good at raising children. The ones he raised with his own hands were all stubborn and pig-headed.

And their luck wasn’t great either…

“I heard you handed out the Pei family’s famous calling card in Qingzhou Prefecture?” the Duke asked again.

That was something rare.

The Pei family’s calling card was highly valuable. Over the years, the Duke had only given out a few, and Pei Xuan had never received one until now.

This was a first.

When the Duke found out, he almost jumped up, eager to visit Qingzhou Prefecture himself.

Pei Xuan glanced at him: “If they want it, they can have it. No need to make a fuss.”

The Duke reached out to tap him, missed, then pulled back his hand unembarrassed: “You brat, now I can’t even ask questions?”

“I raised you with all my sweat and tears. These years I’ve suffered and cared for you, educating you carefully. But look at you—grown up and married, and you’ve forgotten your mother…”

When the Duke reached the sad part, he even pretended to wipe away tears.

Pei Xuan frowned, quietly watching the performance.

After the Duke babbled on until his mouth was dry, he took a few sips from his teapot, wiped his mouth, and said, “How can I rest easy with you like this?”

Pei Xuan grew tired of this and stood up to leave.

“Wait,” the Duke called hurriedly. “There’s a secret message from Qingzhou Prefecture. Want to see it?”

Pei Xuan turned around, puzzled.

He rarely involved himself in the Duke’s affairs.

The Duke smiled: “It’s about that little scholar of yours.”

“Tsk tsk, never thought you, such a boring guy, would like someone like that.”

Pei Xuan reached out his hand: “Give it here.”

“Now you want to see? Too late.” The old man deliberately played coy, crossing his legs. “If you want to see it, you’ll have to beg me.”

Pei Xuan’s teeth itched.

He couldn’t stand how childish the old man was at his age.

The Duke waited again, and seeing Pei Xuan’s eyes grow cold and his hand already gripping his sword, he jumped up in fright.

“Speak nicely, don’t draw your sword. This old bone can’t take your roughness.”

Then he slowly pulled out a letter from his chest pocket: “It’s all here.”

Pei Xuan took it and quickly scanned the secret message, frowning slightly, concern in his eyes.

The Duke stood happily nearby, watching.

Since childhood, this kid had little emotion; it was rare to see him look so troubled.

Tsk, if not for his identity, he’d want to head straight south to see this Gu Qingyan.

Pei Xuan folded the letter and put it back on the table.

The Duke raised his brow, was that all?

He sighed softly: “You’re still young but talented. You’ve stirred up a storm in Qingzhou Prefecture.”

“Ding Haoran submitted a petition to thoroughly investigate an unresolved case from 25 years ago. Right after, Lu Mingxuan hanged himself, dying without a witness. There must be a powerful hand behind it all.”

Pei Xuan furrowed his brows even tighter. “Could it be harmful to him?”

“Harmful to whom?”

The Duke of Shou deliberately asked, “Don’t worry. Although Ding Haoran is in the provinces, he is still a prefect. It’s hard for anyone to take his life.”

Pei Xuan looked at him deliberately. “Could it be harmful to Gu Qingyan?”

“Oh, so you’re worried about the kid, huh? That’s really surprising,” the Duke of Shou said exaggeratedly.

Pei Xuan sneered coldly and turned to leave.

“Oh dear, why so impatient? You’re already getting on in years but still have such a quick temper.”

The Duke of Shou grabbed him again and said with a smile, “Don’t worry about this. Gu Qingyan is just a little scholar, and he carries the Pei family’s name card—those behind him won’t dare act recklessly.”

“If you’re really worried, I can step in and take him as my disciple. Then he could walk through the entire Great Zhou unchallenged.”

Pei Xuan’s face darkened. “Don’t meddle.”

The Duke nodded. “True, once inside the Pei family’s doors, one’s freedom is limited. How about this: I’ll write a letter and have someone look after him more closely.”

“This kid of yours really knows how to offend people. If he’s lucky, his path will be smooth sailing; if not, enemies will be everywhere, and his official career will be full of twists and turns. A name card alone isn’t quite enough.”

Pei Xuan felt a headache coming on from his rambling. “What exactly do you want?”

The Duke suddenly pulled him into a hug and started crying out loud, “Little Xuanxuan, your grandpa raised you all these years. This is the first time you’ve made a friend your own age. Grandpa’s so happy, I wish I could meet him right now.”

“When will you bring this kid home to play? I’ll prepare all kinds of delicious food and fun things for you both. Whatever he likes—gold, silver, jewels? Beautiful women or handsome men? Power and fame? Whatever he likes, I’ll give it. Just don’t blame little Xuanxuan for being cold and not making friends.”

“No no no, that’s too mundane. A kid who can do these things and say these words must be very interesting.”

“Little Xuanxuan, I think this Gu Qingyan kid will definitely like me. We’ll get along at once, fall for each other immediately, become best friends, and build the foundation for your friendship.”

Pei Xuan’s forehead vein bulged, and he pushed the man away.

He really couldn’t stand it anymore. “Shut up. Go inside and sleep right now.”

“Little Xuanxuan, your grandpa…”

Clang!

Pei Xuan pointed his sword at him.

The Duke of Shou used his finger to push aside the sword’s tip. “You see, you’re so old and still won’t marry. No wonder you’re so irritable. Practicing swordsmanship late at night and can’t sleep. Getting married will cure that instantly. How about grandpa finds you a match?”

Pei Xuan was stunned for a moment, then swung his sword at the peach tree.

“Damn it!”

“Don’t touch my little peach.”

“Pei Xuan, you’re so ruthless. That’s your grandma.”

“Hurry up!” Pei Xuan gave his final warning.

The Duke of Shou gestured to shut up and quickly ran inside, disappearing in a flash, then snoring loudly.

Outside the door, Pei Xuan pinched the bridge of his nose and sheathed his sword.

He didn’t leave immediately but slowly walked toward the peach tree.

In the moonlight, the ground was covered with mottled shadows.

Pei Xuan reached out and stroked the rough bark, vaguely remembering that as a child, he loved sitting on the branches to cool off.

He didn’t notice the strands of blackness slowly drifting out from the peach tree, crawling onto his fingertips and entering his body.

If Gu Qingyan were here, he would surely see a dull color gradually enveloping Pei Xuan’s entire body, casting a shadow over his once-golden glowing sign-in mark.

After a long time, Pei Xuan turned and left.

Just as he left, the Duke of Shou came out of the house.

The old man’s hair was white and gray, but his face looked much younger than his years. He leisurely walked to the peach tree.

“The children I raised with my own hands all have soft hearts.”

“Unfortunately, none of them have met the right person. Each one worse off than the last. Ah, in this world, good people don’t live long.”

“I hope little Xuanxuan is luckier, doesn’t meet an unreliable one like his father, who breaks his heart and brings death.”

Saying this, the Duke wiped the corner of his eyes, moved by his own words.

When the first ray of sunlight fell, the Duke looked up at the peach tree, his gaze landing on a visible black scar on the bark.

His expression turned serious. He exhaled softly and reached out to touch the tree trunk.

“Not much time left, but sadly no one believes me. In this world, many believe lies without question but refuse to believe the truth. It’s such an injustice—truly too unfair.”

“Old buddy, don’t worry. We’ll go together.”

---

At Meiling Village, Gu Qingyan woke up feeling refreshed.

He stretched comfortably and went to the yard to practice a set of martial arts, feeling strong and eating with great appetite.

At breakfast, Gu Qingyan could now eat four big steamed buns in one sitting.

Though compared to Zhang Nian, who could eat eight at once, it didn’t seem so impressive, but compared to before, Gu Qingyan thought it was enough.

After eating his fill, Gu Qingyan leisurely walked to the backyard.

The little sapling was still just a little sapling — no new branches, no glow, and the sign-in mark had disappeared.

Gu Qingyan reached out to pinch the leaves and felt a sticky, gooey sensation—that was the sapling’s way of showing affection.

“Brother, what kind of tree did you plant here?” Gu Shuyan asked curiously.

Gu Qingyan touched his chin and said, “This is your brother’s Life Tree. As long as the tree lives, I live; if the tree dies, it takes the disasters for me.”

“Ah?”

Gu Shuyan was stunned—so it could work like that?

But she quickly became serious and swore, “I will definitely take good care of it, so it can protect brother for a long, long time, shielding him from harm.”

Then she turned and grabbed the watering can, thoroughly watering the Life Wisdom Tree until it was full.

Gu Qingyan watched the amount of water and thought to himself that a Life Wisdom Tree bought with a hundred points probably wasn’t an ordinary tree—it shouldn’t die from watering.

The little girl was very attentive. After watering, she loosened the soil, checked the leaves, and almost wanted to wipe each leaf clean.

“Brother, there are bugs on the tree!” Gu Shuyan suddenly exclaimed.

She reached out to catch the bug, but it wouldn’t come off—it seemed to be stuck to the tree trunk.

The girl immediately frowned—this was brother’s disaster-shielding tree, after all.

“Where? Let me see.” Gu Qingyan walked over.

Gu Shuyan moved aside, and Gu Qingyan looked closely. Sure enough, there was a black dot on one branch, looking like a black ladybug.

Gu Qingyan reached out his hand.

“I can’t pull it off—it’s holding on tight. Should I burn it off with fire?” Gu Shuyan suggested.

But in the next moment, Gu Qingyan easily pinched it off and showed it to her. “It’s not a bug, just some dirt.”

It was a piece of something like black charcoal, probably dirt condensed from air or rain.

Gu Qingyan crushed it, and it crumbled into powder that scattered in the wind.

Gu Shuyan found it strange—she had tried so hard earlier but couldn’t remove it.

Neither of them paid much attention to it afterward.

As for the Life Wisdom Tree’s function, despite Gu Qingyan’s repeated attempts, he didn’t discover anything.

For example, he plucked some leaves and brewed them as tea.

Besides tasting bitter, astringent, and unpleasant, it neither refreshed him nor caused diarrhea, so he poured the leftover tea into the vegetable garden, but the vegetables didn’t grow any faster.

Gu Qingyan wanted to cut a branch to experiment, but as soon as he touched it, the sapling let out a sharp cry.

Only he could hear it; no one else in the family did.

Feeling like he was abusing a child, Gu Qingyan gave up the risky idea.

He also didn’t have time to keep studying the Life Wisdom Tree—he had to focus on studying for the academy exams and spend his breaks earning skill points.

His schedule was packed from morning to night.

Every night, Gu Qingyan crawled into bed and could sleep five straight hours without waking once.

Young people’s sleep quality was solid.

The only thing puzzling Gu Qingyan was that these past few nights, he always dreamed of Pei Xuan.

Most of the time, Pei Xuan was practicing swordsmanship.

Brother Pei diligently trained his sword under the moonlight, hardworking and aiming to be the best in the world.

Gu Qingyan felt he was somewhat living out his daydream—after discovering his own martial talent was mediocre, he pinned his hopes on Pei Xuan.

In some ways, he was a bit like a younger brother wishing his older brother to become a dragon.

Because of this, Gu Qingyan felt guilty toward Pei Xuan, so whenever he did woodworking, he would leave a small pendant as a gift just for him.

Sometimes, Pei Xuan was reading, writing, or even sleeping in these dreams.

At first, Gu Qingyan found it awkward—he really hadn’t meant to spy on someone’s preferences.

But later he thought, “It’s just a dream, not under my control. Why be embarrassed?”

Even if he were dancing naked in the dream, Pei Xuan wouldn’t know.

So Gu Qingyan grew bold: when Pei practiced swordsmanship, he coached; when Pei read, he kept him company; when Pei wrote, he teased; when Pei slept, he lay down beside him.

Eyes closed, and the next day he would be a straightforward, upright young man.

No one knew how much mischief he got up to in his dreams.

Except Pei Xuan.

Pei Xuan had been troubled lately.

He constantly felt a pair of eyes watching his every move.

Worse, sometimes even lying in bed ready to rest, the sensation of being watched would return.

What unsettled Pei most was that from initially feeling alert and defensive, he had slowly gotten used to it.

Every night, the feeling came for less than a quarter of an hour, then disappeared.

If it didn’t come, Pei couldn’t sleep.

Sometimes he lay in bed, eyes tightly shut, but not really asleep, just waiting for the feeling.

He even suspected the watcher was Gu Qingyan.

Mischievous, accompanying him, chatting and laughing around him, even—sleeping beside him.

“Did you notice anything last night?”

After another night passed and dawn broke, Pei Xuan left his room and asked the guard.

The unlucky person assigned night watch was Xia Liu, who hadn’t slept at all.

Hearing the question, Xia Liu shook his head: “Didn’t notice anything.”

“Sir, are you worried someone might sneak into the Duke’s mansion to assassinate you directly?” Xia Liu tried to imagine.

Pei frowned. “Nothing at all?”

“I haven’t closed my eyes all night. Not even a mosquito escaped my sight.” Xia Liu assured him.

Pei nodded, saying nothing, and began sword practice.

I’m really crazy.

He thought to himself, maybe it was because they had been apart too long, and because of the longing, these unreasonable thoughts appeared.

That made sense. Gu Qingyan had stayed well in Qingzhou Prefecture and must have already returned to Lingchuan County by now. There was no way he could have suddenly appeared in the capital city out of thin air.

Pei Xuan felt that perhaps he had inherited the Shen Guogong’s (Duke of Longevity) weird superstitions — his mind was somewhat off.

Could this be the fate of the Pei family?

“Yo, big grandson-in-law, up this early?”

As soon as the Duke of Longevity appeared, the courtyard grew lively: “Great swordsmanship, what a fine sword, good good.”

Pei Xuan stopped abruptly. “What’s the matter?”

But the Duke looked at him in surprise: “You, you don’t seem right.”

Pei Xuan frowned.

The Duke’s face practically pressed right up to him: “Why the look of a lovestruck youth? Recently met someone? Got your eye on a girl? Whoever she is, even if it’s a princess, I can risk offending the whole world to arrange a marriage for you.”

“Oh dear, don’t deny it. You usually look like a dead man, but these past few days your complexion is rosy and radiant. Clearly, you’ve been having spring dreams. Grandpa’s been through it — you can’t fool me.”

“Quick, tell Grandpa who you’ve been dreaming of, so I can marry her off to you. Wouldn’t it be better to cuddle a real person while sleeping?”

This time Pei Xuan couldn’t hold back: “You’re sick.”

Both embarrassed and annoyed, his face flushed red. He was sure the Duke was slandering him.

“Well, the princess is a bit much,” the Duke said, then asked, “So who is the girl, then?”

Pei Xuan narrowed his eyes, his sword moves sharp and fierce. The Duke, though with white hair and aged, was still agile and quickly dodged.

“If you don’t say, then you’re trying to silence me,” the Duke grumbled.

Pei Xuan stopped. “What’s going on?”

After all, the Duke should be sleeping in at this hour, how could he be here to stop him?

The Duke’s expression turned serious: “The Emperor has summoned you. Come with me to the palace.”

Pei Xuan’s face also darkened, but he quickly went inside to change clothes.

The grandfather and grandson left the courtyard one after the other and took a carriage to the palace.

With a third person present, the Duke’s usual smiling face turned stern and solemn, his brows furrowed with authority.

So much so that when people saw the two enter the palace together, they often remarked:

“The Duke of Longevity and his grandson — from temperament to appearance, they really look exactly alike.”

“Indeed, both are quiet and reserved, each word weighted like gold, so steady.”

“The Duke is so old, yet still so healthy. I heard he’s good at health preservation, goes to bed early, wakes up early, never stays up late.”

“Ah, that’s why! We should all learn from him and try to live as long as he has — ninety-nine years!”

As for how the Duke and Pei Xuan reacted to these remarks — outsiders could only guess.

---

Meanwhile, Gu Qingyan recently noticed a new problem: the Life Wisdom Tree planted in the backyard was growing incredibly fast.

No matter how much fertilizer he put, it would absorb it all, growing rapidly.

Gu Qingyan grew only five centimeters in a year, but this little tree shot up five centimeters in just a month.

At this rate, it would become a towering tree every two years. The tree was planted too close to the house, so Gu Qingyan wanted to move it somewhere else.

But whenever he touched it, the tree would shriek in protest.

The sound was beyond normal, painfully sharp.

Gu Qingyan had to give up and secretly regretted being careless to bury the Purple River Cart so close by.

But at the time, he never imagined that the tree he planted—himself—could really grow into a towering tree.

Unlike a lazy Life Wisdom Tree that only grew without working, this little tree knew how to please. Whenever Gu Qingyan approached, it would wave its small leaves and twigs energetically.

“Why are there black spots again?”

At first, Gu Qingyan thought it was dirt, but after days of observation, he realized it wasn’t.

Every night before sleeping, when Gu Qingyan came to water and chat with it, the trunk was fine.

But the next morning, black spots would appear, and no one knew where they came from.

It was like someone staying up late at night purposely using a brush to dot the spots.

Gu Qingyan even thought about staking it out, but he was just too tired.

Young people need good sleep, but he would doze off while watching, only to wake and find the spots already there.

Gu Qingyan wiped his hand, and sure enough, the spots fell off into ashes.

He tapped the tree trunk, thinking, “Could it be like in cultivation novels, these are impurities the tree is shedding as it grows?”

Other than that, there was no explanation.

Fortunately, besides the black spots, the little sapling was growing very healthily, so Gu Qingyan didn’t investigate further.

Little did he know, every night, the tiny Life Wisdom Tree was doing its best to fulfill its role, tirelessly absorbing dirt and impurities from Pei Xuan.

But when the owner talked about it, it just sounded like a lazy tree.

The little sapling was innocent but had no mouth to speak for itself.

Waving its little twigs vigorously, Gu Qingyan chuckled: “Alright, alright, don’t act spoiled. I don’t mind. You love drinking water, right? Come on, here’s another watering.”

The sapling drank the water and immediately calmed down, losing all energy and means of protest.

Gu Qingyan thought it loved water, so he gave it more. He was sure this little guy wasn’t afraid of being overwatered.

After watering, Gu Qingyan strolled off.

Today, he had something even more important to do.

After a month of work — some batches requiring three steps, others twelve — the candied fruit made with the system’s secret recipe was finally complete and ready to eat.

Gu Qingyan invited the village chief early, preparing to hold a candied fruit tasting event.

Meiling Village’s prosperity would start with candied fruit.

Everything depended on this one chance!