Houses in Maple City did not come cheap. It was the only great city for a hundred li around.
Ling Chuan's contribution was a drop in the bucket. Jiang Chen had no savings of his own. Fortunately, he knew someone who did.
Jiang Chen carried An'an straight to Zhao Yan.
"Give me some silver." He cut straight to the point.
Zhao Yan was making faces at An'an. He waved casually. "How much?"
"What does a small courtyard near the Academy cost? For me and my sister."
"Why buy anything? Just stay here. I have plenty of empty rooms." Zhao Yan winked at An'an with his left eye, then his right, flashing what he clearly believed was a charming smile. His looks did justify some of that confidence.
Jiang Chen glanced at An'an. "We need our own home."
He could sleep anywhere. But An'an was different. She had just been handed over, and however brave she seemed, inside she was fragile and sensitive.
"Oh." Zhao Yan rubbed his chin. "My family owns a few places near the Academy. Let me check."
He called out: "Uncle Deng!"
Soon a mild-mannered middle-aged man entered, bowing precisely. "Young Master."
"Do we have any suitable houses near the Academy? Deed and title, hand them to my Third Brother."
The steward replied: "No need to vacate anything. Three properties currently stand empty. Which would you prefer?"
Zhao Yan turned to Jiang Chen. "Third Brother?"
Jiang Chen smiled at the steward. "Uncle Deng, the house need not be large. Just enough for An'an and me. Most important is proximity to the Academy, so I can come home to her easily."
The steward returned the smile. "There is a single-courtyard house on Flying Horse Lane, just behind the Academy. Though I cannot say if the furnishings suit your taste."
"Let's go see!" Zhao Yan declared. "Just give us the keys."
An'an did not talk much and ignored most people. But her delicately carved little face naturally drew affection.
Along the way, Zhao Yan never stopped trying to charm her.
"An'an, who do you think is more handsome — Brother Yan or Brother Wang? Ah, I asked an impossible question. No comparison, right?"
"An'an, An'an, see the candied hawthorn over there? Come to my arms and we'll buy the whole bundle! How about it?"
"An'an, do you know you're heavy? Look how chubby you are! Your brother's arms are about to break! Why not let Brother Yan carry you for a while?"
An'an ignored every word. Until this last one. She tilted her head and looked at Jiang Chen.
"Are you tired?" she asked softly.
Jiang Chen smiled warmly. "Not at all. I could hold you until next year without letting go."
The courtyard on Flying Horse Lane was quite decent — one main room, one south room, and two side rooms east and west. Though unoccupied, everything was in working order. They only needed to buy daily necessities.
The decoration was simple and comfortable.
Jiang Chen took An'an through every room, making sure she showed no signs of distress.
"Good. This one." Jiang Chen gave Zhao Yan a bright smile. "Keys, please. You can go now."
"Right!" Zhao Yan turned to leave with remarkable compliance. At the doorway he waved back at An'an. "Your Brother Yan is leaving! Don't miss me too much!"
Little An'an trotted over. In Zhao Yan's radiant smile — she slammed the courtyard gate shut.
* * *
Night fell. The noisy city quieted.
Inside Jiang Chen's Celestial Palace, the small earthworm meridian made its final leap of the day, spitting a perfectly round Dao essence crystal into the Starfield Array.
Jiang Chen opened his eyes, finishing today's channeling cultivation. Crystal by crystal, day by day, drop by drop — no effort was wasted. They would become his foundation array and open the path to transcendence.
It was this endless, tedious daily grind that made future glory possible.
The room was quiet. An'an lay in her small bed, hands neatly placed atop the blanket, motionless.
Because she was so young, Jiang Chen had ordered a custom small bed so she could sleep in the same room. Two beds, one large and one small, faced each other from opposite walls.
Listening to An'an's breathing, Jiang Chen spoke gently. "An'an, still awake?"
A flustered little voice answered immediately: "Asleep... I'm asleep."
An'an's tension pained Jiang Chen's heart. So young, and already she had learned to read faces. Because he had told her to sleep early before his cultivation session, she now panicked at being caught awake.
A girl not yet five, suddenly in a strange place, suddenly without her mother. She had not wailed or cried. That alone showed strength. But what terror lurked in her small heart?
He would not mention it again.
"Mm, Brother can't sleep either." Jiang Chen's voice softened further. "Want to see the stars?"
A moment passed. A whisper barely audible: "Mm."
"Then up we go." Jiang Chen lit the oil lamp, then went to help An'an dress.
Those sword-nimble hands proved clumsy with children.
"That's not how you put it on, Brother. You put it inside out..."
Jiang Chen withdrew his hands sheepishly. "Then An'an dresses herself."
They bustled about and finally stepped outside.
The bright moon hung overhead. Starlight dotted the sky. The empty courtyard was filled with clean moonlight, making what should have been a lonely night feel warm instead.
"We watch stars in the courtyard?" An'an looked up.
"Of course not." Jiang Chen swept her up and leaped onto the roof.
An'an squeaked, her small face flushed red when they landed.
Jiang Chen looked down at her, guilty. "Did I scare you, An'an?"
An'an blinked her big eyes. Rather than frightened, she seemed almost excited. "Brother, you can fly?"
She looked ready to try, but Jiang Chen had no intention of leaping around rooftops like a monkey for amusement. "Not yet. When Brother's Dao arts improve, I definitely will. Then wherever An'an wants to go, we'll fly there. Deal?"
"Deal."
Jiang Chen spread his outer robe on the roof tiles, then lay back with one hand behind his head. "Come. Lie like Brother. Watch the stars."
An'an obediently lay down on Jiang Chen's robe, hands also primly folded behind her head. She opened those dark, bright eyes wide and stared at the sky.
The vast night sky sparkled with countless stars, twinkling against the endless dark. Infinite light born from infinite darkness. The galaxy spanned vast, holding infinite dreams and memories.
"That is the Purple Star. That one is Jade Balance... The Southern Dipper is over there, see..."
"They twinkle like they're blinking."
"Only our adorable An'an blinks like a star. That wild-bearded Uncle Hu you saw today — when he blinks, he looks like a cow bell."
An'an giggled.
"You know, An'an, these stars sit trillions of li away..."
"How far is a trillion li? Farther than from Phoenix Creek Town to here?"
"Much farther. Infinitely farther. If a road led to the stars, an ordinary person walking from birth to death would barely have started the journey."
"Oh?" An'an was amazed. "That far?"
"Yes. That far. They cross such distance through endless darkness. They bring their light to your eyes. They offer you beauty that may have died ten thousand years ago."
"They're so kind."
"Father is like that. A star. He may have left long ago, but he still shines from far away, still sends his light to accompany us. So never be afraid, no matter what. Brother will always be with you. The stars too."
"Brother." An'an's voice was tiny. "Mother doesn't want me anymore, right?"
Jiang Chen fell silent.
Should he tell the truth? That she was a burden disrupting her mother's new life?
Should he curse Aunt Song's selfishness and make An'an hate her own mother forever?
What should he say?
He had no time to think. Silence itself was a wound.
Finally he turned on his side and carefully, gently took An'an's small hand.
"How could anyone not want someone as adorable as An'an? Brother wanted very, very much to live with you. That's why I asked Aunt Song to send you here. When Aunt Song left, she cried so sadly. She couldn't bear to part with you either."
"Really?"
Starlight and moonlight bathed An'an's small face, touching tear tracks not yet dry. She looked like a spirit of star and moon.
Though uncertainty still lingered, those big eyes — they lit up.