Chapter 212 - 209: The Last Pure Land on Earth?

Mr. Gao’s eyes were fixed on Song Ciwan. Although her Power had completely recovered and even improved, a bone-chilling cold still rose from her spine, instantly piercing her to the core.

Song Ciwan said nothing. She simply met Mr. Gao’s gaze as calmly as she could.

Mr. Gao let out a dry chuckle and looked back up at the sky.

This time, he said no more. Only the crimson clouds above swayed and shifted in the Wind, their shadows flitting back and forth, playing out the absurd tragedies and comedies of the Mortal World.

Like a shadow puppet play, a silent drama, the story in the clouds began to unfold without a sound.

Ten members of the Gao Family arrived in Huai Xi Village. The oldest among them, their eldest cousin, was only sixteen. The youngest was Mr. Gao, who was just eight years old.

Among them were six boys and four girls.

Among the girls, one was sixteen—their eldest sister. Another was fifteen—their second-eldest sister. There were also two younger girls, a pair of ten-year-old twins.

Mr. Gao had to call every one of them ’brother’ or ’sister’.

Throughout their flight, Mr. Gao had been well cared for by his elder siblings and cousins. After arriving in Huai Xi Village, he remained the one they all looked after.

At first, everything seemed fine.

The villagers were naturally a little wary of this group of young outsiders, but on the whole, they were still reasonably friendly.

The eldest cousin brought gifts to the village head’s home, and after much pleading, the village head granted them household registration and sold them a plot of residential land.

Of course, the Emperor had ordered the execution of the Gao Family’s entire clan, so after fleeing the Capital City, this group of young descendants was living under concealed identities. They had fabricated a new background, claiming to be refugees who had fled a drought and ended up in Huai Xi Village.

The remote mountain village was impoverished, but its isolation from the outside world was an advantage. The ten members of the Gao Family were able to settle in without any trouble.

After getting settled, the eldest cousin took charge and used some of their silver to hire villagers for labor. They then began building a house on their plot with great enthusiasm.

Following the principle of not flaunting one’s wealth, the eldest cousin initially planned to build just five rooms of blue brick and tile, enclosed by a perimeter wall.

The five-room house consisted of a central hall, a bedroom in the west wing for the four sisters, a bedroom in the east wing for the six brothers, a kitchen, and a study.

To the eldest cousin, this arrangement seemed utterly shabby and destitute.

For people of their high birth, it was unthinkable. Growing up, they had never had to share a small room with their siblings—most had never even shared a courtyard.

At home, hadn’t they all been accustomed to servants trailing their every step?

Fine silks and gourmet food, servants at their beck and call, grand mansions with lofty gates, courtyard after sprawling courtyard...

During their flight, they had witnessed so much suffering in the Mortal World and had personally endured the greatest of tragedies. Still, ’ten people crammed into five rooms—that’s abject poverty by any standard!’

And so, the eldest cousin finalized the building plans, and everyone unanimously agreed.

Little did they know that in a remote place like Huai Xi Village, the blue-brick-and-tile house alone was already a blatant display of wealth.

Even though it was just a five-room house made of blue brick and tile, even though ten people had to live inside, even though there were only two proper bedrooms, making life difficult and inconvenient in every way—the Gao Family’s house still drew the villagers’ envy.

On the day they broke ground, nearly half the village turned out to watch the spectacle.

Amid the crowd’s boisterous cheers, the eldest cousin swung a hammer, marking the first step for the ten members of the Gao Family in building their new home in Huai Xi Village. At that same moment, however, the seeds of disaster were sown in the villagers’ hearts.

The construction took half a month.

During that half-month, the brothers did the heavy lifting—hauling bricks and laying tiles—while being ordered about by the skilled villagers.

The sisters, who had never done a day of manual labor in their lives, tied on aprons and learned to cook, do laundry, and mend clothes.

Everyone worked tirelessly. But with the promise of a new life, they were all filled with fresh hopes and renewed vigor.

They began to look forward to putting down roots in this peaceful village. They would study literature and practice martial arts, then marry, have children, and let their family line flourish. And one day, in the future, when they had amassed enough strength, they would return to the Capital City and restore the Gao Family’s honor!

Even though he was only eight, Mr. Gao didn’t slack off.

But being the youngest, his older siblings and cousins would always urge him to go out and play for a while in the evenings.

This served as a break for Mr. Gao. The eldest cousin also believed that if Mr. Gao could befriend children his own age, it would surely help the family integrate into Huai Xi Village.

And so, with a mission in mind, Mr. Gao began to hang out with the village children.

They hunted for birds in the mountains and caught fish in the river, always ending up as filthy as little mud-caked monkeys. Before long, Mr. Gao had blended right in with the other kids.

Gradually, he learned a lot about the village. At the same time, he also unintentionally revealed a great deal about his own family.

For example, Mr. Gao would sometimes have malt candy with him. When he shared it with his new friends, they would say enviously, "Your family is so nice to you! They always give you candy. And your brother and sisters don’t hit you for sharing it."

Mr. Gao would blurt out, "They’d hit you over a few pieces of candy?"

His incredulity stood in stark contrast to his friends’ acceptance of it as normal.

When his friends affirmed that this was the case, Mr. Gao felt a pang of pity for them.

The children would also chat about their own older siblings and ask Mr. Gao, "Are your brothers and sisters betrothed yet? Are they looking for anyone?"

In truth, most of Mr. Gao’s elder siblings and cousins had already been betrothed.

For those of their station, childhood betrothals were not the least bit unusual.

But with the Gao Family’s sudden downfall, their former in-laws-to-be now avoided them like the plague. Some had sent word immediately to break off the engagements. As for those who hadn’t, it was a foregone conclusion; the relationships were over.

Given the circumstances, Mr. Gao naturally replied, "No, none of my brothers or sisters are betrothed."

Before long, the Gao Family’s house was complete.

And soon after that, matchmakers began to frequent the Gao Family’s home.

Initially, the eldest cousin politely turned away these matchmakers. Although he had mentally prepared himself to put down roots in Huai Xi Village, the idea of immediately marrying into local farming families was still too much for the ten of them to accept.

The atmosphere in the house was always heavy during that time.

Mr. Gao was too young to be part of these discussions. He only overheard his eldest sister say one day, "I’ll be the one to marry. The village head’s second son, Erlang, would be a suitable match for me."