When Wangshu heard the simulator's voice, her first reaction was that there couldn't be many genius points at this stage, and even if there was an ascension, how high could it go?
Besides, given the steward's reaction, she felt there might be more to come...
[You realize that the ecstatic steward might bring you some unknown changes, so you decide to endure and wait and see.]
Ugh, I actually wanted to see how many genius points there were in total, why did you choose so quickly?
Wangshu pouted inwardly, feeling that the simulator wasn't very sharp.
Her pouting motion was caught by her nanny, who thought she was about to cry from fright. This little Demon Star's crying was no joke, so the nanny quickly scooped her up and cradled her in her arms, coaxing her.
Wangshu realized the nanny had misunderstood, but she let out a couple of perfunctory sobs anyway—after becoming a toddler, tears came on command, no effort at all.
The steward, who looked like he'd just won the lottery, snapped back to himself, walked two steps to stand before Wangshu, rubbing his hands together nervously, his eyes gleaming like lanterns.
Say something, will you? Wangshu's mouth puckered up and she prepared to let out a wail.
The steward's eyelids twitched, and he gestured frantically: "Stop, stop! My little ancestor, how about I get you another serving of each of those spiritual delicacies?"
Wangshu's O-shaped mouth instantly snapped shut, and she stared at him with satisfied, big eyes.
Hey, this kid's a real prodigy. The steward's lips twitched as he negotiated, "But the three portions of spiritual food can't be given to you today—a toddler's body has limited tolerance. Tomorrow, definitely tomorrow!"
Wangshu wasn't entirely satisfied. Compared to the spiritual food, what she cared about more was the unknown changes this little turn of events might bring her.
Her eyes blinked quietly, her lashes fluttering like tiny fans.
The steward leaned in, knowing Wangshu could understand, and lowered his voice: "Tonight I'll send a letter to the clan, reporting your situation. The clan should send someone to investigate. If it's what I think it is, you won't have to stay in this branch nursery anymore—you can be taken back to the main family!"
Branch? Main family?
Wangshu stared at the steward for a few seconds, then twisted her little head around, hugged her nanny's neck, and seemed to get sleepy.
But the steward wasn't disappointed.
He knew—the little ancestor had understood.
-
The steward, whose surname was Chu and given name Xiu, was an ordinary member of the Qishan branch nursery of the Yingzhou Chu clan, a family of seal-imprinting artisans. He was nearly thirty, with a ninth-rank cultivation.
Without a stroke of luck, he would spend his entire life in Qishan, watching over generation after generation of the Qishan branch's little kids, waiting until they turned five when someone from the main family would come to test their talents. If one or two could cultivate, he'd get some cultivation resources as a reward.
With those resources, before his time was up, he could fight tooth and nail to break into the eighth rank. If he succeeded, he might eke out a few more years; if not, that would be the end of it.
His only chance at a turn was to discover a genius beneath his nursery who could awaken a spiritual seed.
That way, he might get promoted to the main branch...
By lamplight, Chu Xiu's heart surged with excitement. He spread out a sheet of stationery, though his writing hand remained steady. He detailed all of Wangshu's extraordinary traits, then introduced her parents, who were of the third house of the Qishan branch of the Chu clan, both fallen in battle at Qishan two years prior.
Finally, he drew a breath and solemnly noted at the end of the letter:
"Innate spiritual energy; suspected of awakening a spiritual seed."
Three days later, this encrypted letter reached the hands of the chief steward of the Yingzhou Chu clan's nursery.
Fingers adorned with a jade thumb ring pinched the letter. The chief steward had read it several times, yet hesitated.
Should he make a fuss and report this branch child up the chain, or should he allocate some resources to Qishan and have the steward keep a close eye on the child until she turned five, then test her talent according to protocol?
The chief steward closed his eyes. If this were the Chu clan's most glorious days, this question wouldn't even need deliberation. But now...
He opened his eyes, his decision made.
-
Wangshu had been getting extra meals for five consecutive days. These five days, the steward watched over her like her own father, staring at her eating the spiritual food with a contradictory expression that seemed to say, "I hope she eats more, yet I'm terrified she eats too much."
Wangshu understood well enough—it was sunk cost, too big to just let go, afraid that the investment would go bust.
She felt helpless too. She thought, If I really were a genius, you'd probably be set this round. But unfortunately I'm just for show, so you do have good reason to worry.
Wangshu felt a second of pity for the steward, but she didn't stint on the spiritual food at all.
That afternoon, the main family finally sent someone. It was even the chief steward of the nursery—Chu Xiu's direct superior.
Chu Xiu's face was all sunshine that day. He followed behind the chief steward, walking step by step as he introduced her: "This child just turned two recently. She was the fastest at becoming enlightened, speaking, and walking. If that were all, it'd be one thing, but she seems naturally gifted with extraordinary strength and is extremely attuned to spiritual energy. She's only been taking spiritual food for about a month, and already spiritual energy spills out of her—she even flipped a table."
Hearing this, the chief steward gave him a sideways look with a smile, knowing full well. Where would a branch nursery kid get spiritual food? Chu Xiu must have seen the child's potential and privately given her special treatment.
Chu Xiu was caught, but he only smiled obsequiously on the surface. Inwardly, he was calm.
Since the chief steward had come in person, this trip wouldn't end empty-handed. The Little Tyrant... would definitely be taken back to the main family for nurturing. With the words he'd just laid down to soften the ground, he wouldn't be punished—and afterward, he'd even get a reward.
Chu Xiu led the chief steward to Wangshu's private little alcove. The door was open, and Wangshu sat on a small stool in the middle of the doorway, her legs still a short stretch from the ground.
Seeing a stranger, Wangshu tilted her head slightly, but her clear, dark eyes showed not a hint of fear.
The chief steward's heart skipped a beat. He took two quick steps forward, crouched in front of Wangshu, and gazed at her with burning intensity, momentarily at a loss for words.
By now, Chu Xiu was perfectly composed, not a trace of the stock-market-like anxiety from earlier days. He stroked his beard and said, "Doesn't she look like a celestial child right out of a painting?"
The chief steward slowly let out a breath and nodded.
Exactly!
No wonder Chu Xiu had dared to send him an urgent letter—he truly had the confidence.
The slightly plump chief steward looked at Wangshu with a kindly expression: "Child, what's your name?"
Wangshu blinked twice: "I don't have a name yet."
Her parents in this life had never gotten the chance to name her before... well, and the nursery staff weren't qualified to give her one either. She'd asked the steward, and if nothing unusual happened, she was supposed to wait until age five, when the clan would send someone to test her aptitude. If she had no name by then, the clan would bestow one on her all at once.
Judging from what was happening now, it seemed this counted as "something unusual."
The chief steward nodded in understanding, still gentle: "Child, place your hand on my palm."
Wangshu didn't get it, but she did as told.
"Do you feel anything?"
Wangshu concentrated for a moment, then answered honestly: "There's something flowing, warm. It feels like eating spiritual food."
The chief steward gave Wangshu a serious, prolonged look, as if memorizing her face, then stood up. This time, his gaze was on Chu Xiu.
One casual line: "I'm taking this child with me."
From start to finish, it was no more than ten minutes. Wangshu thought to herself, Isn't this "interview" a little too simple?
Beside her, Chu Xiu was already beaming with joy, his voice trembling with excitement: "Chief Steward, has she been confirmed to—"
The chief steward shook his head, but there was a smile at the corner of his mouth: "Too young to tell for sure." But given how sensitive and attuned she was to spiritual energy, she should be the real deal.
Chu Xiu caught the hint in the old steward's words and felt a surge of confidence, rubbing his hands together like a restless fly. The steward, as if already knowing what he was about to say, smiled and remarked, "You've served at the Qishan branch for several years now. It's about time you returned to the main estate for a visit."
Chu Xiu's face instantly lit up, as if a three-tier beauty filter had been applied.
At that very moment, Wangshu's simulator finally began to stir.
[Your fate has undergone a major turning point—a bold leap forward on the road of pretending to be a genius.]
[True geniuses are always exceptional. Your uniqueness shows in your exclusive title of Little Tyrant at the Qishan Branch Nursery; in the special treatment you receive from the steward Chu Xiu, who single-handedly tutors you; and in the fact that you are the first branch child, at the tender age of two, to be summoned back to the main estate for cultivation.]
[Yes, at this moment, we will briefly claim the title of genius. But that is clearly not enough—having just returned to the main estate, your future remains uncertain.]
[You are not sure whether you will receive the main family's full support in training; nor are you sure just how many "ordinary children" like you the main family already possesses. As a child from a branch family, your standing is clearly not noble, so you are even less certain whether you will be treated differently.]
[You feel that there is still a long road ahead before you can truly call yourself a genius.]
Wangshu pursed her lips, about to start complaining, when she noticed the simulator had entered a periodic settlement phase.
[Settlement begins now. Updating a rule for genius impersonation: In a xuanhuan world, true geniuses display their extraordinary nature from childhood—starting off as prodigious immortal children!]
[Map: Qishan Branch Nursery—Obtained four instances of "Remarkable"; three instances of "Special Treatment"; Genius Points +100]
[Your false aura of genius can also shine on others: The old steward's performance record increases by one mark; steward Chu Xiu gets promoted to the main estate.]
[Performance Rating: Preliminary Genius Seed. Keep up the act, and perhaps you will possess the bearing of an Emperor!]
Wangshu very much wanted to call it utter nonsense, but she held back. Silently, she asked, "Do you have a status panel? A shop? At the very least, you should let me see how many genius points I have, right?"
Absolute silence in her mind.
Sure enough, as Wangshu was personally picked up by the old steward, ready to be taken back to the main estate, she calmly remarked to herself: This simulator is really not all that sophisticated.
