Chapter 20

As the only major city within a hundred miles, the houses in Maple Forest City were naturally not cheap.

Ling He's financial support was like a drop in the bucket, and Jiang Wang himself had little savings. But fortunately, there was someone who was not short of money.

Jiang Wang carried Jiang An'an straight to Zhao Rucheng.

"Give me some silver." Jiang Wang came straight to the point.

Zhao Rucheng was staring at Jiang An'an with wide eyes. Hearing this, he casually replied, "How much do you need?"

"How much silver would it take to buy a small courtyard near the Dao Academy? It's just for my sister and me to live in."

"Why buy a courtyard at all? Why don't you just stay with me? I have plenty of empty rooms." Zhao Rucheng winked at Jiang An'an with his left eye, then his right, occasionally flashing what he thought was a handsome smile. Of course, his appearance was indeed quite handsome.

Jiang Wang glanced at Jiang An'an and said, "We need to have our own home."

He didn't mind where he lived, but it was different for Little An'an. The little girl had just been sent over, and no matter how strong she appeared, her heart was inevitably fragile and sensitive.

"Ah." Zhao Rucheng stroked his chin and thought for a moment, "I seem to have a few properties near the Dao Academy. Let me check."

He turned and called out, "Uncle Deng!"

A middle-aged man with a gentle demeanor soon walked in and bowed respectfully, "Young Master."

"Do we have any suitable properties near the Dao Academy? Clear one out and give the deeds to my third brother."

The steward, Uncle Deng, replied, "There's no need to clear any out; there are three currently vacant. Which one would you like?"

Zhao Rucheng looked at Jiang Wang, "Third Brother, what do you think?"

Jiang Wang smiled warmly at the steward, "Thank you, Uncle Deng. The house doesn't need to be too big, just for me and An'an. Most importantly, it should be close to the Dao Academy so I can be with her whenever she needs me."

The steward smiled back, "There's a small courtyard in Flying Horse Lane behind the Dao Academy. I'm not sure if the layout will suit you."

"Let's go and take a look!" Zhao Rucheng immediately said, "Just give me the key."

Although Jiang An'an didn't talk much and didn't pay much attention to people, her delicate and lovely face naturally drew people's affection.

On the way, Zhao Rucheng kept teasing her.

"An'an, who do you think is more handsome, Brother Rucheng or Brother Wang? Ah, I asked a silly question, how can they be compared?"

"An'an, An'an, see those sugar-coated haws over there? Come to my arms, and we'll buy the whole bunch! Okay?"

"An'an, do you know how heavy you are? Look at you, so chubby! Your brother's arms are almost broken! Why don't you let Brother Rucheng carry you?"

Little An'an remained silent until she heard this, then she tilted her head and looked at Jiang Wang.

"Are you tired?" she asked softly.

Jiang Wang smiled warmly, "Not at all. I can carry you until next year without letting go."

The small courtyard in Flying Horse Lane was quite nice, with a main house, a southern house, and two side rooms. Although no one was living there, all the facilities were complete, and they just needed to buy some daily necessities to move in immediately.

The room decoration was also very elegant and comfortable.

Jiang Wang held Little An'an's hand and toured each room, making sure she didn't show any resistance.

"Alright, this is it." Jiang Wang smiled brightly at Zhao Rucheng, who was chattering non-stop around Little An'an, "Give me the key, you can go back now."

"Sure thing!" Zhao Rucheng turned and left, but as he stepped out the door, he suddenly turned back and waved at An'an, "Brother Rucheng is leaving, don't miss me too much~"

Little An'an ran over and, with a bright smile from Zhao Rucheng, firmly closed the courtyard gate.

At night, the bustling Maple Forest City quieted down.

Inside the Heavenly Palace, the little earthworm completed its final leap and spat out a round Dao essence into the star array.

Jiang Wang opened his eyes, ending today's meridian cultivation. The accumulation of Dao essences, day and night, drop by drop, all the efforts would not be in vain. They would eventually form the foundation array, opening the path to the extraordinary.

It was the countless days and nights of monotonous cultivation that made the future journey through the blue sky possible.

The room was very quiet. Jiang An'an lay on her small bed, her little hands neatly placed outside the quilt, motionless.

Because An'an was so young, Jiang Wang had specially ordered a small bed for her, so she could sleep in the same room as him. The two beds, one large and one small, were placed on opposite sides of the room.

Listening quietly to Little An'an's breathing, Jiang Wang said softly, "An'an, are you still awake?"

The room immediately echoed with a slightly flustered little girl's voice, "S...sleeping."

Jiang An'an's nervousness pained Jiang Wang. Such a young child had already learned to read people's expressions. Just because Jiang Wang had reminded her to go to sleep early before his meridian cultivation, she was now anxious about not being able to fall asleep.

A little girl under five years old, suddenly in a strange place, suddenly separated from her mother, not crying loudly was already a sign of strength. What kind of fear must she have felt in her heart?

But these things should not be mentioned again.

"Um, I can't sleep either." Jiang Wang's voice became even softer, "Do you want to see the stars?"

After a moment, a soft "Mm" came from the room.

"Then get up." Jiang Wang lit the oil lamp and then went to the small bed to help An'an put on her outer clothes.

The hands that wielded the sword so skillfully were surprisingly clumsy when it came to taking care of a child.

"That's not how you put it on, Brother, you put it on backwards..."

Jiang Wang sheepishly withdrew his hands, "Then you put it on yourself, An'an."

After a while of effort, the two finally stepped out of the room.

The bright moon was in the sky, and the stars twinkled. The empty courtyard was filled with clean moonlight, making the lonely night feel warm and soft.

"Are we going to look at the stars in the courtyard?" Jiang An'an asked, tilting her head.

"Of course not." Jiang Wang suddenly picked her up, leaped up, and landed on the roof.

Jiang An'an screamed and her little face turned red when they landed on the roof.

Jiang Wang looked down at her, feeling a bit guilty, "Did I scare you, An'an?"

Jiang An'an blinked her big eyes, showing a hint of excitement, "Can you fly, Brother?"

Although she seemed eager to try, Jiang Wang didn't want to jump around on the roof like a monkey, drawing ridicule, "Not yet, but when I master Dao techniques in the future, I definitely will. Then wherever An'an wants to go, we can fly there, okay?"

"Okay."

Jiang Wang took off his outer clothes, spread them on the roof, and lay down, propping his head up with one hand. He called out, "Come, lie down and look at the stars like me."

Little An'an obediently lay down on Jiang Wang's outer clothes, her little hands neatly supporting her head. She opened her big, black eyes and gazed at the starry sky.

The vast night sky was dotted with countless stars, twinkling. In the endless darkness, countless lights were born, forming a vast galaxy, containing countless dreams and memories.

"That one is the Purple Star, and that one is called Yuheng... the Southern Dipper is over there, see, right there..."

"They twinkle, like they're blinking."

"Only our cute An'an's blinking eyes look like stars. Like Brother Yehu, the big bearded man you saw during the day, his blinking eyes just look like a cowbell."

Jiang An'an giggled.

"Do you know, An'an, these stars are billions of miles away..."

"How far is a billion miles? Is it farther than from Phoenix Creek Town to here?"

"Much farther, countless times farther. If there were a road to the stars, an ordinary person might spend their entire life walking and still be just starting out on that road."

"Ah?" An'an was surprised, "So far?"

"Yes, so far. They are in the endless darkness, crossing such vast distances to bring their light to your eyes. They offer you their beauty, which may have already been extinguished for tens of thousands of years."

"They are so kind."

"Father is like one of those stars. He may have been gone for a long time, but he is still far away, shining brightly, and his light accompanies us. So no matter when, don't be afraid, okay? I will always be with you, and so will the stars."

"Brother." Jiang An'an's voice was very soft, "My mother doesn't want me anymore, right?"

Jiang Wang was silent for a moment.

Should he tell the truth and say that she was a burden, affecting her mother's life?

Should he harshly criticize Lady Song's selfishness and make Little An'an hate her birth mother?

How should he answer?

He didn't have much time to think, because silence was also a form of harm.

Finally, he just turned to her, held her little hand seriously and gently.

"How could anyone not want such a cute An'an? It's because I really, really want to live with you that I insisted Lady Song send you over. When she left, she was very sad and didn't want to part with you."

"Really?"

The starlight and moonlight illuminated Jiang An'an's little face, caressing the tear marks that hadn't faded. She looked like a fairy of the stars and the moon.

Although her face still showed some lingering fear, her big eyes suddenly lit up.