As expected of the destiny of a regional lord.

As the day wore on, the more Li Fu conversed with Young Master Yun, the more astonished he became.

In truth, his initial agreement to let Young Master Yun handle the batch of grain promised to Ma Yi was largely driven by the appearance of the Zhanlu Sword.

Zhanlu represents the Dao of benevolence, and furthermore, it is the sword of feudal lords.

This indicated that Young Master Yun possessed not merely the destiny of a human sovereign, but likely the destiny of a true dragon as well, though the exact measure of this true dragon destiny remained unclear. Yet regardless of whether he was destined to be a wandering serpent or a rising horned dragon, Li Fu was determined to support Young Master Yun with all his might, striving to help him gather the mandate of popular sentiment in the hope that the horned dragon might one day transform into a true dragon.

However, after a full day of discussion, Li Fu gradually pushed the matter of destiny to the back of his mind.

It was simply because Young Master Yun’s capacity to comprehend was extraordinary. When Li Fu spoke of matters concerning people's livelihood and taxation, Young Master Yun initially understood little to nothing, yet he was naturally gifted at deducing other things from one instance. In particular, regarding how the policies of the Liang Dynasty court, when actually implemented down to the county and village levels, would be distorted, Young Master Yun was able to offer incisive, hitting-the-nail-on-the-head answers.

This profound clarity made Li Fu feel as though Young Master Yun were standing at a great, distant vantage point, possessing an astonishingly progressive vision to analyze and critique the ultimate benefits and drawbacks of these policies.

Sometimes, even when Young Master Yun uttered an unconscious sigh, upon careful reflection, Li Fu would feel somewhat ashamed of his own lack of such acute perception.

He was truly worthy of being the master of the Zhanlu Sword.

Of course, what brought Li Fu even greater joy was the realization that Young Master Yun was his own son.

Someone destined to be at least a feudal lord was indeed uniquely extraordinary even in childhood. Looking back now, he himself had truly been utterly unremarkable in his youth; the only noteworthy traits he possessed were a stubborn perseverance and the ability to quiet his mind when it came to study. If once was not enough, he would try twice; if twice was not enough, three times; if three times failed, ten thousand times. The saying "thoroughly recite three hundred poems, and even if you cannot compose, you will certainly be able to chant them from memory" was written precisely for him.

While Li Fu wore an expression of deep admiration, Young Master Yun discovered that reclaiming wasteland in this era was truly no simple task. The more he conversed with his father, the more he realized how many minute details needed to be supplemented, to the extent that he skipped lunch entirely.

Until evening, Young Master Yun remained hunched over a sheet of plain paper, urging Li Fu to write quickly.

The writing brush was too soft, and Young Master Yun still struggled to control the strength in his grip. Previously, when practicing calligraphy, he had used a sand tray and a tree branch; he truly had no experience with a real brush. Moreover, the white paper was precious, and Young Master Yun feared ruining it, so even after working out the detailed rules, he could not use the brush himself and had to ask Li Fu to write them down instead.

As he finished the final stroke, Li Fu suddenly laid down the paper and laughed, "It's nearly dark, isn't Young Master Yun hungry? The Qilin child of our Li family must not fall ill from hunger at such a tender age."

Only then did Young Master Yun realize that the sky had grown somewhat dark, and Gouzi had long since quietly lit the oil lamp in the room without Yun noticing.

He was indeed hungry.

Young Master Yun dined with Li Fu and Uncle Li in a solemn silence, not uttering a single word. As Yun ate with his small wooden spoon, the food began to taste rather bland. *Sigh, sigh, sigh*, he found himself missing his mother a little.

Meanwhile, Gouzi at that very moment.

Gouzi was walking briskly along the road, carrying a large sack of grain on his back alongside half a freshly butchered carcass of a yearling sheep. These items had been abruptly handed to him by Deng Qiang during dinner time.

Deng Qiang had said it was Young Master Yun's instruction.

Ma Yi certainly did not mistreat himself, having purchased numerous large sheep, lambs, chickens, ducks, pigs, and geese from the Zhao family's livestock sheds. Meals frequently required the slaughter of poultry and livestock.

Naturally, these provisions benefited Li Fu and his companions as well.

For tonight's meal, the temporary cook had Le Dan and the others slaughter two sheep. Le Dan hauled one carcass over to the mountain recess to be roasted and shared with Uncle Jiang and the men, while the other sheep was split in half—one portion used by Li Fu and the others to simmer soup. The remaining half was kept in mind by Young Master Yun for Gouzi to take home to his family.

Gouzi was now seven years old, and both his height and strength had grown by leaps and bounds.

Though his face turned beet red under the weight, he managed to hoist the large sack of grain and the half-carcass of mutton given by Deng Qiang and actually walked several steps.

Of course, this was largely due to his exceptional natural strength. Back at the Li residence, Madam Xin had already discovered that once Gouzi was well-fed and rested, his physical power was not insignificant. Mother Pan and the others would occasionally call Gouzi over to the kitchen to help carry heavy objects.

The mutton was raw, with blood still dripping, soaking right through half of his jacket. As the evening wind blew, it felt bitterly cold.

Yet, inside Gouzi's chest, his heart burned with warmth.

Young Master Yun was truly good. Busy with a mountain of affairs and surviving only on a hastily made sheep's milk curd for lunch, he still remembered him by nightfall.

*Hehehe.*

He would follow Young Master Yun for the rest of his life. Although he had overheard Uncle Li and Lord Li whispering that Young Master Yun was extraordinary, Gouzi felt that since Young Master Yun was both so clever and so kind, naturally he was extraordinary.

Fortunately, his father had sold him to the Li household; otherwise, how could he ever have met Young Master Yun? Smiling to himself all the way, stumbling along the path, Gouzi was almost home.

When he was still a hundred or two meters away, Gouzi dropped the heavy load to the ground with a loud thud and shouted, "Father! Mother! Come quick and help me carry these things!"

Their house had long been plunged into darkness. Although they owned an oil lamp, they could never bear to use its fuel. Today was different from usual, however; upon hearing his voice, the lamp in their dilapidated home miraculously flickered to life.

After waiting in place for a moment, Gouzi saw his father running over, closely followed by his eldest brother, Chen Niu.

"Is that Gouzi?" His father took the lead, rushing up and instantly spotting the large sack of grain and the half-carcass of mutton lying on the ground.

"This... what is this..."

Chen Niu involuntarily swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

The last time they had tasted meat was when Chen Niu stole a large black dog belonging to the Zhao family.

For reasons unknown, a deep sense of pride and joy swelled within Gouzi. He nodded heavily and said, "Yes! Young Master Yun gave this to me specially, telling me to bring it home to show filial piety to you all!"

Chen Mugen rubbed his hands together. He did not know what to say, but his eyes turned red. He seemed on the verge of patting Gouzi on the shoulder once more, yet for some reason, a faint sense of awe welled up within him toward this third son of his.

"Good, good! Niu, what are you standing there gawking for? Hurry up and pick the things up! Your third younger brother is so young, he'll wear himself out carrying such a load." Chen Mugen hastily suppressed the lingering intimidation he felt toward his seven-year-old son, turning instead to excitedly urge his eldest boy.

Chen Niu gave a booming assent, hoisted the heavy items onto his shoulder, and sprinted toward the house, shouting as he ran, "Mother! Little sister! Come see what Gouzi brought us! Half a sheep! There's half a sheep!"

Then Gouzi watched as his mother, sisters, and younger brother all rushed out of the doorway. They swarmed around Gouzi, alternately staring at the wondrous provisions and looking back at Gouzi, each of them repeatedly swallowing their saliva.

"This mutton has so much meat! Should we smoke and cure it so it lasts, and only eat a little during festivals and New Year?" Gouzi's mother stroked the half-carcass of mutton as if it were a rare, priceless treasure.

Chen Mugen, however, instinctively glanced back at Gouzi.

Gouzi smiled and said, "No need, Mother. Even though Young Master Yun distributed a bit of grain to all the families in the Lengdixiang area yesterday, you've probably stashed it away and are just making thin porridge to fill your stomachs with water. Father, Big Brother, and the little ones are all hungry. If you ask me, let's cook it tonight, steam a pot of real grain, and have a proper, hearty meal tonight!"

The younger brother and sister let out cheers of excitement.

Gouzi's mother frowned in displeasure, "What kind of family eats like this? You've only been following this good household for a few days, and already you've forgotten what kind of state our own family is in?"

On the contrary, Chen Mugen remained silent for a moment, then finally slapped his thigh and declared, "We eat it! Cook it all! Gouzi brought it back, so he makes the decisions. Our family’s fortune lies with Gouzi now, and Lord Li’s family values him as well—we'll have good days ahead of us! I've lived my whole life without any real capability; to say nothing of wealth and nobility, even giving you all a full meal has been a struggle. Today, I'll cast aside my pride and bask in the reflected glory of my son! With so much grain and meat, our family can't possibly finish it all. Niu, go invite Uncle Qian and your Second Uncle's family over. They've helped us out plenty of times; we ought to call them over to share the meal!"

Gouzi smiled as well, saying, "Don't worry, Mother. Young Master Yun mentioned that in a few days there will be even better news to tell you all. Our days will only get better from here on, so just eat!"

Although Gouzi's mother continued to mutter under her breath, her hands moved swiftly. After a moment, she shouted, "You little gluttons, stop crowding around me! Shoo, shoo! Go bring the firewood inside, and Second Sister, go fetch our family's salt jar."

The second sister loudly acknowledged the command.

Tonight, an oil lamp burned brightly in Gouzi's home once more, and smoke rose anew from the stove. The rich aroma of simmering meat and steamed rice drifted across nearly half the village.

From Gouzi's Second Uncle's family, two people came—the Second Uncle himself and his son. The neighboring family of Uncle Qian sent the same number. Being impoverished folk themselves, when invited to a meal, one could hardly drag an entire household of seven or eight people along.

The moment they arrived, the fragrance hit their senses. They watched as Chen Mugen straightened his back with a rare dignity, warmly greeting them and bidding them be seated.

Seven-year-old Gouzi bore no resemblance whatsoever to a typical rural child. His hands and face were clean, his body was robust and sturdy, and above all, he exuded a steady, composed aura.

He had truly risen in the world.

Soon, large basins of steamed solid grain were carried to the table, followed by tender mutton stewed simply with salt.

Gouzi calmly fished out a single piece of mutton to eat slowly, but the Second Uncle, Uncle Qian, and their family members who had come to dine picked up their rice bowls and began to eat with such fervor they looked ready to swallow their chopsticks. It was their first time eating to such fullness that they quietly unfastened the straw ropes tied around their waists.

When it was time to leave, Gouzi even had them carry back a large basin of leftover steamed grain topped with a generous ladle of rich mutton broth.

Carrying it home, the rest of their respective families would be able to share in the meal.

Stuffed and satisfied, despite the lateness of the hour, Gouzi chose not to stay the night, as he needed to attend to Young Master Yun. Yet on this single night, the members of Gouzi's household slept more soundly and peacefully than ever before.

"Mother, if only we could eat steamed grain and mutton every single day," Gouzi's youngest sister murmured sleepily.

Gouzi's mother sucked on a tiny strand of meat stuck between her teeth. Well-fed and content, her entire body felt at ease, and her temper softened. "Listen to the ambitions of this little girl. We are merely sharing in your third brother's good fortune. Go to sleep."

Meanwhile, over at Young Master Yun's quarters, having eaten his fill, Yun had originally intended to continue discussing the reclamation of wasteland and land distribution with Li Fu. To his surprise, Uncle Li came looking for Li Fu, leaving Young Master Yun with no choice but to go off to sleep first.