Tribulation Points had their own miraculous quality. When Fang Rui used them to advance his Realm, he experienced no difficulty adapting to the sudden surge in power. It felt as if he were born with it, completely instinctual.

In fact, he could command this power with even greater ease than the strength he had gained through his own Cultivation.

Fang Rui was naturally curious, but he knew the principles behind it were beyond his current comprehension.

After taking a moment to feel the changes from reaching the Seventh Grade, he stepped out of the back room.

The sun had set, but the sky wasn’t yet dark. The lingering light painted the sky with fiery clouds. The vast swathes of golden-yellow clouds looked just like the fish-scale patterns of the cracked earth outside the city, a result of this year’s drought.

Fang Ling and her playmates were outside on the path, absorbed in their games.

Most of the children had the sallow complexions of the underfed, and many of the neighbors’ kids barely had the energy to run. Only his own Fang Ling, Third Lady’s daughter Nannan, and two or three others seemed slightly better off.

It was only the natural liveliness of children, with their boundless energy, that led them to play games. The adults, who also didn’t get enough to eat, were more accustomed to lying down to conserve strength.

"Wow!"

When the children saw Fang Rui, they swarmed around him, shouting, "Brother Fang!"

"Brother Fang, we want to hear a story!"

"Yeah, a story!"

"Fang Ling! Fang Ling! Quick, ask your brother to tell us a story!"

...

With the children gathered around, it was like being surrounded by a flock of chirping sparrows.

Fang Ling stood in the center of the group. Despite being an endearingly dorky little girl, she had been chosen as the leader of the pack. She tugged on Fang Rui’s sleeve with a puppy-dog look. "Brother!"

"Alright, alright, you’ll get a story today," Fang Rui chuckled.

When he had free time, he would often tell the children a story or two.

In this era, material goods were scarce, and entertainment was even scarcer. Very few people could read, but that didn’t diminish the universal appeal of a good story.

Just hearing one or two stories from Fang Rui was enough to make the children completely satisfied and thrilled.

Sometimes, Fang Rui would have a few soybeans on him. While telling a story, he would generously hand out one or two to each child, which made them cluster around him all the more.

If Fang Ling was their leader, then he was the ’uncrowned king’ of this little troop.

And Fang Rui, for his part, enjoyed it.

His reasons for doing so...

On the one hand, it was to fight boredom. In such a drab world, one had to find some amusement.

On the other hand.

A while back, rumors of the Fang Family’s "contagious disease" had been rampant. While this had averted some other troubles, it also caused the neighbors to keep their distance. Fang Rui was perfectly fine with keeping the other adults at arm’s length.

But that was between adults. Fang Ling was just a child, and the silent cruelty of being shunned by her playmates was something no one her age should have to endure.

Seeing Fang Ling looking so pitiful and lonely with no one to play with, Fang Rui decided to step in, concerned for his little sister’s well-being.

A combination of tactics—winning them over, luring them with stories, tempting them with soybeans—quickly solved the problem.

Of course, the "contagious disease" was eventually proven to be a false alarm. The neighbors began to interact with the Fang Family again, and the issue had even less of an effect on the children.

And thanks to Fang Rui, Fang Ling became the most popular child in the group. She was now the center of attention, which made her incredibly happy and cheerful every single day.

As a result, she grew even closer to Fang Rui.

Business at Caozhi Hall was slow, but with his trade in finished medicines at the Black Market, Fang Rui wasn’t too concerned. For a time, his main amusement was observing and studying his little sister.

He discovered that the feeling of being the center of her friends’ attention brought her more joy than any tasty treat he could give her.

’So it’s true. ’Mental fulfillment’ is a higher form of happiness than ’material abundance’... No wonder the forebears of my past life maintained their optimistic spirit even in such impoverished and harsh conditions.’

As his mind wandered, Fang Rui effortlessly spun a little tale.

The sky grew darker, and night began to fall.

"Shanzi!"

"Ah Huai!"

"Da Chun!"

...

A series of long, drawn-out calls echoed through Willow Alley—parents calling their children home.

But the children looked reluctant to leave.

"Alright."

Fang Rui clapped his hands. "That’s all for today. Go on home, you little sprouts!"

The children departed.

Fang Ling was tired too, her little face flushed and beaded with sweat. After she washed up and played by herself for a little longer, she went to bed.

Fang Rui waited a while longer. Seeing how late it was, he grabbed his medicine pouch and got up. "Mom, I’m heading out."

"Ah!"

Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family acknowledged him, but she subconsciously recalled his last outing. Her lips parted as if to say something, but in the end, she said nothing at all. She simply added, "Go on, Brother Rui. Be careful on your way."

She saw him to the door and watched until his figure disappeared into the night before turning back into the house.

The flame of the oil lamp sputtered and flickered.

Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family sighed, her mind clearly elsewhere, obviously worried about Fang Rui.

She could only try to keep herself busy—sweeping the house, wiping the table... Only after a long while did she finally begin to calm down.

But the way she subconsciously kept glancing out the window betrayed her true anxiety.

...

「Black Market.」

This time, Gao Yao wasn’t late for their meeting; in fact, he had arrived a little early.

The two split the profits from the last three days’ sales of finished medicine, and Fang Rui was about to hand over the next batch of packets.

Gao Yao, however, didn’t accept them. He hesitated, but finally brought up the profit split. "Lord Fang, a twenty percent cut is too little. I can’t support my family on this. My wife, kids, and parents all depend on me to put food on the table! If you could just see..."

Fang Rui glanced at Gao Yao and flatly refused. "I’m afraid that’s not up for discussion."

’Can’t support his family?’

He didn’t believe that for a second.