Master of Nine Stars

Songbai Town, at night.

Inside an old residential complex, lights shone from every home, a clear sign of its high occupancy rate.

A lively crowd meant a festive New Year’s atmosphere, and especially in this bitter, cold land of the north, no day was more important than New Year’s Eve.

Amidst the CRACKLING of firecrackers, Rong Taotao and his three companions walked into the complex, carrying a pile of gift bags. They saw the ubiquitous red lanterns and children setting off firecrackers all around.

Just as they passed through the complex gates and rounded the corner of a building, Gao Lingwei’s gaze fell upon a first-floor balcony on a distant apartment block.

Sure enough, through the thin layer of frost patterns on the glass, she could see that the apartment was brightly lit.

In her parents’ apartment, the kitchen opened onto the balcony, so even from outside, Gao Lingwei could see a figure moving about in the kitchen...

’That’s Mom. She must be cooking, right?’

’And I told her I was bringing Taotao home. She’s definitely going to make tons of food…’

At that thought, Gao Lingwei glanced back at Rong Taotao, who was laden with bags of all sizes. He was sniffing the air as he walked, as if trying to catch the scent of a home-cooked meal through the lingering smell of gunpowder.

With their parents absent, Rong Yang had become Rong Taotao’s ”guardian,” and he took this visit very seriously.

He had also heard that this wasn’t Rong Taotao’s first time visiting Gao Lingwei’s parents, but on previous occasions, the ones who came to lend him support were all teachers from Pine Soul Soul Martial...

’Hmm, they probably have more clout than I do, don’t they?’

The likes of Xia Fangran, Li Lie, and Si Huan Nian—any one of them was a renowned figure in the northern Snow Realm.

”Hey, why are the lights on in the sixth-floor apartment, too?” Rong Taotao tilted his head back, asking with curiosity.

Gao Lingwei explained, ”It’s a family custom to keep all the lights on during New Year’s. Don’t worry, no one’s broken in. Songbai Town is very safe.”

Gao Lingwei smiled. ”And even if a thief did get in, they wouldn’t be stupid enough to turn on the lights.”

”Oh, so you leave the lights on for the New Year... you keep them on all night?” Rong Taotao mumbled as he entered the stairwell.

”We turn them off after the New Year’s vigil, when we go to sleep in the wee hours of the morning,” Gao Lingwei explained casually, knocking on the door to her family’s first-floor apartment.

As expected, the one who opened the door was her father—Gao Qingchen.

”Dad.”

”Qingchen, Happy New Year!” Rong Taotao peeked out from behind Gao Lingwei with a cheerful grin.

”Good, good,” Gao Qingchen repeated. Leaning on the cane in his left hand, he took a few steps back. ”Coach Yang, good to see you...”

Yang Chunxi walked in with a beaming smile and introduced him to Rong Yang. ”This is Gao Lingwei’s father. He’s a veteran of your Snow Burning Army. Say, are you supposed to salute?”

”No need for that!” Gao Qingchen interjected before Rong Yang could speak, sizing him up with a heart full of emotion.

Gao Qingchen had met many people through Rong Taotao—his brother and his teachers—but never the boy’s parents. Then again... Gao Qingchen was aware of Rong Taotao’s family history and knew the details of his situation.

Seeing everyone getting acquainted, Gao Lingwei quietly slipped away to the kitchen. Instantly, the aroma of cooking filled her nostrils, accompanied by the HUM of the range hood.

Her mother was so focused she didn’t even know the guests had arrived.

Gao Lingwei looked at her mother’s slender back, took two steps forward, wrapped her arms around her waist, and gently bumped her forehead against the back of her mother’s head.

”Ah!” Cheng Yuan, who had been focused on her cooking, jumped in surprise.

She hurriedly turned her head, only to see Gao Lingwei’s smiling face.

Still catching her breath, Cheng Yuan lightly smacked Gao Lingwei’s arm, her complaint a mix of fondness and exasperation. ”Honestly, you...”

As she spoke, Cheng Yuan grabbed a pair of chopsticks, plucked a small, golden-fried yellow croaker from the wok, and placed it on a small plate. ”Here, taste this. Is it salty enough?”

”Mm,” Gao Lingwei hummed in agreement but made no move to take the plate and chopsticks. Instead, she lowered her head slightly, rested her chin on her mother’s shoulder, and gently nuzzled her head against her mother’s cheek.

Cheng Yuan froze for a second, the plate and chopsticks still in her hand. For a moment, she was under a strange impression.

’It feels as if the one hugging me is my older daughter, Gao Lingshi…’

Gao Lingwei rarely showed her mother such affection. Even up until Cheng Yuan finished living with her to support her through her last year of high school, she had never experienced this from her younger daughter.

The two sisters, Gao Lingshi and Gao Lingwei, had completely different personalities. In this family, it was Gao Lingshi—the criminal whose name no one dared to speak—who had been her mother’s little sweetheart, the one to keep her heart warm. As for Gao Lingwei...

After leaving for university, this daughter of hers wouldn’t come home for a year, sometimes eighteen months at a time, making Cheng Yuan feel as if they were slowly drifting apart.

Until... until they moved back to the Snow Realm for Gao Lingwei’s sake, back to Songbai Town.

Until the last time she came back with the Pine Soul teachers, when a certain heart-wrenching topic came up, Gao Lingwei had placed a hand on the back of her mother’s, patted it gently, and silently comforted her.

At the time, Cheng Yuan had been taken aback. She felt that Gao Lingwei had finally grown up, that she had learned how to show she cared, how to empathize...

”It’s burning,” Gao Lingwei whispered in her ear.

”Ah.” Cheng Yuan came back to her senses, hurriedly put down the plate and chopsticks, and looked at the small crispy fish frying in the wok before immediately turning off the gas stove.

Gao Lingwei seemed to sense something. She turned her head and saw Rong Taotao, who had followed the scent right to the kitchen door.