During the 18th year of the Jia You reign in the Da Yin Wu dynasty, on the twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month, in the capital city of Gao Jing, heavy snowfall covered the streets and alleys.
The bone-chilling cold wind howled through the streets of Gao Jing, sweeping snow petals mingled with goose feather snowflakes from the gardens of wealthy families along the roadside, creating a flurry as they swept across the courtyards and rooftops.
In the southeast of the imperial city of Gao Jing was the Min An District, one of the four prestigious districts known for its serene atmosphere and peacefulness.
To the east of the Min An District, separated by a wide artificial canal, was the An Le District, a second-tier prestigious district.
The An Le District was home to many noble families, in particular those who were fortunate enough to establish their foundation in the prestigious district.
In recent years, the most famous and extravagant figure in the An Le District was none other than Marquis Tian En, Lu Yi. His marquisate covered an area of nearly a thousand mu and his grand mansion exuded an imposing aura. To the north of the mansion was the Rain and Dew Alley.
The Rain and Dew Alley stretched for nearly three li, lined with neatly arranged courtyards, each inhabited by members of the various branches of the Lu family, the descendants of the Tian En Marquisate in Jingyang.
At the western end of the Rain and Dew Alley, adjacent to the Number One Canal Pier in the An Le District, there was a small courtyard.
With the freezing cold weather, the canal had already frozen.
As the sky just began to brighten, a team of sleds pulled by robust snow hounds raced across the icy surface of the canal, transporting loads of firewood, salt, rice, and other daily necessities resembling small mountains.
Amidst the sound of sleds scraping against the ice, Lu Xian, with his jet-black shiny hair tied up in a single ponytail, clad in a thin cyan cotton-padded jacket, opened the door to the main house on the northern side of the small courtyard. He took a deep breath, inhaling the bone-chilling cold air.
As the cold air filled his stomach, his whole body felt refreshed. A gentle smile appeared on Lu Xian's resolute and dignified face.
He closed his eyes, spread his arms, and muttered earnestly:
"Ensuring my own safety, cultivating sufficient self-defense capability, and striving to achieve success and a fulfilling love life, enjoying life to the fullest... My temporary goal is to live for at least a thousand years!"
"Before I possess sufficient self-defense capability, I swear to be kind to others, wise in self-preservation, tolerant in dealing with matters, and low-key and humble. Unless pushed to the limit, I will endure."
Lu Xian opened his eyes, exhaled a breath of warmth, moved his arms and legs a little, then looked up at the cloudy sky.
"Heh, auspicious snow promises a bountiful year."
"Sigh, no, no. It should be, 'I direct my heart towards the bright moon, but the moon shines upon the canal.'"
Lu Xian counted on his fingers and muttered to himself.
"In the fifteenth year of Jia You, I slipped and broke my left leg after the thanksgiving banquet."
"In the sixteenth year of Jia You, I tumbled down the stairs and broke my right leg after the thanksgiving banquet."
"Yesterday, at the end-of-year thanksgiving banquet at the family school, as usual, I did a big split when I slipped in the bathroom and broke my left thigh. Tsk, but you still have no remorse."
"What about breaking three legs this year?"
Lu Xian smiled and gestured with his fingers.
"You've become smarter. Yesterday, when the family school ended, you said you weren't feeling well and postponed the thanksgiving banquet to tonight."
"By avoiding yesterday, can you avoid today? Heh!"
"Should I break all three legs?"
Lu Xian smiled, tapping his fingers.
"Will it be too cruel? There's no deep hatred between us. You've deliberately made it difficult for me for four years in a row with four discussion topics that are impossible, forbidden, and disaster-inducing if attempted!"
"There is no hatred without reason."
"I've lived an ordinary and unremarkable life in the family school and in the clan on ordinary days."
"Why do you want to give me a hard time for no reason?"
"What grievances or resentments do we have?"
Muttering softly, Lu Xian walked to the well in the yard.
In the dead of winter, Lu Xian stripped off his clothes, grabbed a bucket, and drew water from the well. He poured a bucket of water on himself, drenching himself in icy coldness.
He repeated this process several times, pouring seven or eight buckets of water over himself until the water on his body had evaporated due to his body temperature.
Lu Xian faced the cold wind and stretched his body vigorously, letting out a satisfied yawn. Then he put his clothes back on and walked briskly to the east side of the yard.
In the corner of the eastern wing of the yard, there grew a small patch of lush bamboo. Despite the harsh winter and heavy snow, the bamboo remained lush and verdant.
With a hissing sound, a thumb-thick, three-feet-long snake slithered down the bamboo pole from the dense leaves covered in snow. The snake had emerald green scales, as translucent and crystal-clear as gemstones, displaying a hint of cuteness rather than the eerie and ferocious appearance of ordinary snakes.
In such freezing winter, ordinary snakes would have long entered hibernation and been frozen stiff, but this emerald snake was agile and lively.
The emerald snake slid down the bamboo pole and stopped in front of Lu Xian. Opening its delicate mouth, it hissed and spat out its tongue.
From his sleeve, Lu Xian took out two fresh eggs, and the front half of the snake's body swiftly pounced forward, swallowing the two eggs in one gulp. It swayed its body and gently rubbed against Lu Xian's palm, displaying unusual intimacy.
"Go on, rest well."
Lu Xian patted the snake's head and turned to walk towards the backyard.
To the north of Lu Xian's courtyard, behind the row of five main rooms, there was a small plot of land about half a mu in size. During ordinary days, common vegetables and fruits were grown here, but now they were covered in a thick layer of snow.
In the north of the backyard, Lu Xian had dug a one-zhang-square water hole.
In the dead of winter, the water in the hole, over three feet deep, had frozen into solid ice.
A turtle, about the size of a millstone, with a shiny black body, lazily lay on the ice.
Hearing Lu Xian's footsteps, the turtle extended its long neck and let out a 'gu gu' call. Its small eyes, the size of soybeans, darted around, appearing particularly agile, even somewhat cunning.
Lu Xian squatted by the side of the water hole, took out two pieces of fresh lean pork, and laid them in front of the turtle.
The turtle opened its big mouth and finished both pieces of pork, each the size of a fist. It nodded slightly at Lu Xian and then retracted its head and limbs back into its shell, lying quietly on the ice.
Lu Xian reached out and touched the turtle's rough and sharp carapace, then stood up and walked to the west side of the courtyard.
In the corner of the western wing, there stood a small shed. Inside the shed, a round and plump cat-like creature, with snow-white fur all over, was lazily lying down. When it spotted Lu Xian approaching, it opened its blue eyes wide and let out a loud 'ha ha' growl without any courtesy.
Lu Xian hastily took out two chicken breasts and placed two fresh eggs in front of the creature.
"Master, you eat first. If it's not enough, you can call me later!"
"I won't disturb your meal. Please enjoy it!"
Lu Xian smiled obsequiously at the creature, then reached out and stroked its fur, and finally patted its jaw. He chuckled and took small steps, running towards the south of the courtyard amid the creature's impatient 'ha ha' shooing.
The creature placed a paw on a chicken breast and glanced at Lu Xian's back with its eyes askew, then exhaled a cold breath from its nostrils.
To the south, under the eaves of the storage room, hung a large birdcage made entirely of polished steel. In the cage stood a parrot that was completely crimson without any other colors. Its body length was about one chi, and its tail feathers were over one chi and a half long. The parrot tilted its head as it looked at Lu Xian who was running over.
"Damn it!"
"Damn it!"
"Damn it to pieces!"
The parrot suddenly spoke in a harsh voice, screaming hysterically.
"Hey, here I am, here I am!"
Lu Xian hastily walked to the side of the birdcage, retrieved a handful of dried fruits, and threw them into the food tray inside the cage.
The parrot glanced at Lu Xian with its slanted eyes, shook its feathers, lowered its head, and leisurely started pecking at the dried fruits.
"You are all my masters!"
Lu Xian pointed to the patch of bamboo on the east side, then to the water hole in the north, the shed in the west, and reached into the birdcage, prodding the round belly of the parrot.
"All of you, what did I owe you in my previous life?"
"Still, Big Yellow is the most kind-hearted!"
Lu Xian sighed, clapped his hands, and walked into the kitchen next to the storage room.
After a commotion, a faint column of smoke wafted from the chimney of the kitchen, and soon, the aroma of meat porridge spread throughout the small courtyard.
A large yellow dog, standing on the ground with a neck almost as tall as a person's waist, measuring nearly seven chi from head to tail, with yellow fur gleaming with oiliness, approached with a large metal basin in his mouth and strolled slowly from the main house. He settled down quietly at the entrance of the kitchen.
The large yellow dog, holding the basin in its mouth, leisurely devoured the meat porridge. The basin contained several chicken eggs, and the scent of meat, eggs, and rice mingled together, producing a fragrant aroma that stimulated the appetite.
Lu Xian held a large porcelain bowl and squatted beside the large yellow dog, drinking the meat porridge without any utensils. He took small sips, savoring the flavors.
Squeaking sounds could be heard as the satiated rabbit-Earth Monkey finished its meal and wiggled its plump body out of the shed. It started circling the courtyard, exhibiting an air of pride as if inspecting its own territory.
The fully-fed parrot, too, finished its dried fruits and puffed up its short feathers, sticking its head out of the gaps in the cage, provocatively teasing the rabbit-Earth Monkey.
"Hey, smile for your master!"
With its fur standing on end, the rabbit-Earth Monkey sprinted forward like a spherical lightning bolt, leaped several chi into the air, and clawed at the birdcage.
The clanging sound echoed as the rabbit-Earth Monkey's claws struck sparks on the cage.
A clump of dense bamboo leaves rustled as a secretive snake emerged from it, peering in this direction.
The large yellow dog finished the meat porridge in the basin, shook off its long fur, and stood up. It growled at the parrot in the cage.
The parrot, having eaten its fill of dried fruits, shook its short feathers, squeezed its head out of the gaps in the cage, and challenged the rabbit-Earth Monkey.
"Girl, give me a smile!"
The rabbit-Earth Monkey, with its fur standing on end, dashed forward like a ball of lightning. It jumped several chi high in the air, delivering a fierce paw strike onto the birdcage.
Hearing several 'ding ding' sounds, the rabbit-Earth Monkey's claws produced a few sparks on the cage.
From a thick cluster of bamboo leaves, an emerald snake cautiously revealed its head, peering in this direction.
The large yellow dog approached the rabbit-Earth Monkey with a paw on its head.
Originally fierce and menacing, the rabbit-Earth Monkey's momentum vanished entirely. The long strands of hair on its body smoothly settled back onto its body, and it let out a 'meow meow' sound, rubbing its head against the dog's leg, appearing rather pitiful.
Lu Xian had just finished his porridge. He picked up the iron basin carried by the large yellow dog and walked towards the well in the corner of the courtyard. Along the way, he kicked the rabbit-Earth Monkey's rump with his foot. "A dog that bullies the weak!"
The large yellow dog widened its eyes, looking at Lu Xian with great astonishment. Its mouth slacked, and it wore an expression of hurt as if it had been deeply wounded.
'Clang clang clang'!
Someone heavily pounded on the courtyard door, and an unpleasant quack echoed inside. "Xian-gege, Xian-gege! Hurry up, the madam is calling for you. Quick, quick, you dare not keep the madam waiting!"
Lu Xian, who had arrived at the well and was about to throw the basin into it, stood there dumbfoundedly. He put down the basin, shook the snowflakes off his hand, and ran to the entrance of the courtyard.
"Who is it so early in the morning?"
Lu Xian pushed the latch aside, opened the courtyard door, and faced the biting cold wind.
A middle-aged man tightly grasped Lu Xian's arm, pulling him outside. The man was wrapped in a large fur coat, had triangular eyes and a triangular face, and his appearance was rather sharp-tongued and malicious.
"Hurry up, the madam is calling for you."
"Xian-gege, listen to me. Madam has been in a fiery mood these days. Don't defy her for any reason. Obey her in everything, yes!"
"If you provoke her anger, this year won't be easy for you! Beware of your skin!"
To be continued...
(End of Chapter 1)